dumbe element and therefore these wordes cannot bee directed to the elements Thirdly looke to the end wherfore this Sacrament vvas appointed Is it not to lead vs to Christ Is it not to nourish my faith in Christ Is it not to nourish me in a constant perswasion of the Lords mercy in Christ Was this Sacrament appointed to make the elements Gods No for if ye marke Gods purpose in this institution yee shall finde that Christ hath not ordained this institution to nobilitate the Elements to fauour and respect the Elements which were Bread and Wine yesterday to be Gods to day Wee on the contrary say plainely that the institution of Christ respecteth not the elements to alter their nature Indeed it is appointed to alter vs to change vs and to make vs more and more spirituall and to sanctifie the elements to our vse But the speciall end is this To make vs holie and more more to growe vp in a sure faith in Christ and not to alter the Elements nor to make them gods And therefore by all these three Arguments it is euident that the words ought not to be directed to the Elements but to the people and faithfull Communicants Now to come to an end There is one thing Conclusion with an exhortatiō without the which wee cannot profit let vs discourse neuer so long vpon the right vnderstanding of the Sacrament Ye see now how all that is spoken concerning the Sacrament is grounded and dependeth vpon faith Let a man haue faith be it neuer so little hee shall get some hold of Christ and some insight in the vnderstanding of this Sacrament but wanting faith though a man endeuour himselfe to make the Sacraments neuer so sensible it is not possible that hee can gette any hold of Christ or any insight of him For without faith we cannot be Christians we can neither get a sight of God nor feele God in Christ without faith Faith is the onely thing that translates our soules out of that death and damnation vvherein vvee vvere conceiued and borne and planteth life in vs. So the vvhole studie and endeuour of a Christian should tend to this To craue that the Lord in his mercie vvould illuminate his minde vvith the eye of faith and that hee would kindle in his heart a loue of faith and vvorke in his hart a thirst and desire of the obiect of faith more and more to thirst and hunger for the foode of faith that nourishes vs to life eternall Without this faith hovv-soeuer the naturall man vnderstanding naturally would flatter himselfe surely there is no blessednesse but all his life is more then terrible misery For what-soeuer it be that flatters and pleaseth thee now be it a thought or motion of the minde or an action of the body that pleaseth thee now without faith the same very motion cogitation or action shall torment thee heereafter So vvithout faith it is not possible to please GOD and vvhatsoeuer pleaseth not GOD is done to torment thee Therefore craue mercie for whatsoeuer motion cogitation or action vvherein thou hast offended GOD or for the same God shall offend and torment thee And to eschevv the offence of God there is no meanes but by true faith therefore the studie of a Christian should be to grow in faith Now by hearing of the vvord thou gettest faith and by receiuing this Sacrament thou obtainest the increase of faith and hauing faith the receiuing of the Sacrament shall be fruitfull but vvithout faith thou eatest thineowne condemnation Then the whole study of a Christian is to get faith and this faith cannot be obtained with idlenesse but by earnest prayer therefore let euery one of vs fall downe and craue earnestly this faith and the increase of it whereby we may be worthy Receiuers of this blessed Sacrament and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glory both now and euer Amen THE FOVRTH Sermon vpon the preparation to the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.28 Let euery man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. THough the doctrine of our triall and due examination well-beloued in Christ Iesus ought to goe before the doctrine and receiuing of the Sacrament yet notwithstanding seeing that preparation is alwaies at all times as well necessary for the hearing of the simple word as for the receiuing of the visible Sacrament for no man can heare the word of God fruitfully except in some measure he prepare his soule and prepare the eares of his hart how to hear therefore the doctrine of preparation and due examination must come in it ovvne place and be very necessary for cuery one of you The Apostle in the words vvhich we haue read deliuereth his counsaile and giueth his aduise and not onely giues his aduise but giues his admonition and commaund That we should not come to the Table of the Lord That we should not come to the hearing of the word rashly but that euery one of vs should come to this holy worke with reuerence that wee should prepare and sanctifie our selues in some measure And seeing we go vnto the King of heauens Table it becomes vs to put on our best array In a word hee deliuereth the whole doctrine and matter of this preparation when he saith Let euery man and let euery woman try and examine themselues As if he would say Let euery one of you try and examine your soules That is try the estate of your owne harts and condition of your owne consciences Marke and behold in vvhat estate you heart is with GOD and in what estate your conscience is with your neighbour He bids not your neighbour to try you hee bids not your companion to try your hart but he biddes your selfe in person to try your owne conscience hee biddes your selfe try your owne hart because none can be certaine of the estate of your hart or of the condition of your conscience but your selfe Now he excludes not others from the tryall of you neither for it is lawfull for the Pastor to try you but others cannot try you so narrowly as ye your selues may for no man can know so much of mee as I know of my selfe No man can be certaine of the estate of your hart and condition of your conscience yet you your selues may be certaine of it As for others men may iudge of your hart and conscience according to your works and effects and except your works effects bee very wicked and altogether vitious we are bound in conscience to iudge charitably of your harts and consciences Therefore there is none so meet to try the spirit of a man to try the hart or conscience of a man as is the man himselfe Now The heads to be intreated in this Sermons that this tryall may be the better made ye haue first to vnderstand what it is that ye
inward and renewed vnderstanding whereby wee get the first apprehension of Christ Now if this first apprehension of Christ like vs well then the next followeth Wee beginne to cast the affection of our harts on him we haue good will to him for all our affections proceed from our will and our affections beeing renewed and made holy wee sette them wholly vpon Christ We loue him and if we loue him we take hold on him we eate him and digest him that is we apply him to our soules and so of this loue and liking of him the second apprehension doth follow But if we haue no will to him if wee haue no loue nor liking of him what doe we Then we reiect him and preferre our owne Idol and the seruice of our own affections to him and so the second apprehension followeth not Wee cannot digest him and if wee digest him not that spirituall life cannot growe in vs for marke in vvhat place the eye serues to the bodie in the same roome serueth knowledge and vnderstanding to thy soule and looke in vvhat place thy hand and thy mouth thy taste and thy stomack serue vnto thy body in that very place serue the hart and affections to thy soule So that as our bodies cannot be nourished except our hands take and our mouthes eate the meate whereby the second apprehension may follow likewise our soules cannot feede on Christ except we hold him and imbrace him hartilie by our wills and affections For we come not to Christ by any outward motion of our bodies but by an inward motion and apprehension of the hart For God finding vs all in a reprobate sense he brings vs to Christ by reforming the affection of our soules by making vs to loue him And therefore the second apprehension wherby wee digest our Sauiour will neuer enter into our soules except as hee pleaseth the eye so he please the will and the affection also Now if this come to passe that our wills affections are wholly bent vpon Christ then no doubt vvee haue gotten this Iewell of faith Haue yee such a liking in your minds and such a loue in your harts of Christ that ye will prefer him before all things in the world then no question faith is begun in you Now How faith is nourished and entertained in vs. after a thing is begunne there is yet more required for though this faith be formed in your mindes in your harts and soules yet that is not enough but that which is formed must be nourished and hee who is conceiued must be entertained and brought vp or else the loue that is begunne in mee by the holy spirit except by ordinary meanes it be daily entertained and nourished it will decay except the Lord continue the working of his holie Spirit it is not possible that I can continue in the faith And how must we nourish and continue faith in our soules Two manner of waies First wee nourish faith begunne in our soules by hearing of the word not of euerie word but by hearing of the vvord of God preached and not by hearing of euery man but by hearing the word preached by him that is sent For this is the ordinarie means wherunto the Lord hath bound himselfe hee will work faith by the hearing of the word and the receiuing of the Sacraments And the more that thou hearest the vvord and the oftner that thou receiuest the Sacraments the more thy faith is nourished Now it is not onely by hearing of the word receiuing of the Sacraments that we nourish faith The word and the Sacraments are not able of themselues to nourish this faith in vs except the working of the holy Spirit be conioyned vvith their ministery But the word and the Sacraments are said to nourish faith in our soules because they offer and exhibite Christ vnto vs who is the meat the drink and life of our soules and in respect that in the word and Sacraments wee get Christ who is the foode of our soules therefore the word and Sacraments are said to nourish our soules As it is said Acts 2.42 The Disciples of Christ continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowshippe and breaking of bread and prayers by these means entertaining augmenting and nourishing the faith that was begunne in them Then the holy Spirit begets this faith works this faith creates this faith nourisheth and entertaineth this faith in our soules by hearing of the word preached and by the receiuing of the Sacraments which are the ordinary meanes whereby the Lord nourisheth vs and continueth this spirituall foode with vs. For obserue by what meanes the spirituall life is begun by the same meanes it is nourished and entertained as this temporall life is entertained and nourished by the same meanes whereby it is begun Then seeing by these meanes Conclusion with an exhortatioÌ„ the holy Spirit begets this vvorke of faith in our soules It is our dutie to craue that hee would continue the worke which hee hath begunne And for this cause we should resort to the hearing of the vvord when it is preached and to the receiuing of the Sacraments when they are ministred that we may be fedde in our soules to life euerlasting But alas wee are come to such a loathing disdaine or reiecting of heauenly foode in this Countrey that where men in the beginning would haue gone some twentie miles some fortie miles to the hearing of this vvord they vvill scarcelie novv come from their houses to the Church and remaine there but one houre to heare the vvord but rather abide at home VVell I say too much vvealth vvith-drawes their hearts and the aboundance of this vvord ingenders such a loathsomnesse that it is a rare thing to finde out any that haue that thirst and desire to heare the vvord as they vvere wont to haue in the beginning And for those that are in higher places they will heare it sildome or not at all for they cannot indure to heare the thing that accuseth them and conuicts them and therefore they auoyde it But they should not doe so they should not shunne Christ nor abstaine from â—is vvord that accuseth them but they should heare the vvord and as the vvord accuseth them they should accuse themselues also that thereby they may come to a confession of their sinne and obtaine mercy for the same So vvhen Christ accuseth thee thou shouldest not runne from him but thou shouldest draw neere to him thou shouldest threaten kindnesse of him and as it vvere make a breach and forcible entry into his kingdome It is not the way vvhen thy sinnes touch thee and when Christ accuseth thee to runne from him no thou shouldest then turne to him thou shouldest confesse thy sinne cry Peccaui and seeke mercy and after that thou hast obtained mercy this word shal becom as pleasant to thee and thou shalt take as great delight to come to the hearing of it as euer thou delightedst to flie from it before
saith whether yee bee in the faith of Christ or not For being in the faith and iustified thereby on necessitie yee must haue peace with God Then the next care must bee to try your faith and to see whether ye haue faith or not Faith can no waies be tried but by the fruits faith cannot be iudged on by me that looke vpon it only but by the effects Therefore to try whether ye be in the faith or not mark the fruits Take heed to thy mouth take heed to thy hand take heede to thy words and to thy deeds for except thou glorifie God in thy mouth and confesse to thy saluation except thou glorifie him also in thy deedes make thy holy life a witnes of thy holy faith all is but vaine all is but meere hypocrisie How a sincere faith is knowen Therefore to knowe the sinceritie of thy faith thou must take heede that there be a harmonie between thy hand thy mouth and thy hart that there be a natural consent that thy doings preiudge not thy hart that thy mouth preiudge not thy heart but that mouth and hand may testifie the sinceritie of the hart If the heart the hand the mouth consent agree in one harmonie together No question that heart that breakes forth into so good fruits is coupled with God There is no question the light of thy actions the beames and shining of thy life shall make the name of thy good God to bee glorified Therefore the whole weight of our triall standes cheefely vpon this point to see whether wee bee in the fayth or not to trie and examine whether Christ dwell in vs by fayth or not for without fayth there canne be no coupling or conioyning betwixt vs Christ without faith our hearts cannot bee sanctified and cleansed and without faith we cannot worke by charitie so all depends on this onely And therefore that yee might the better vnderstand whether yee haue fayth or no I was somewhat the more exact in this matter and I beganne to let you see how the holy spirit createth faith works faith in your soules hearts and mindes I began to shewe you what order the holy spirit kept in forming and in creating this notable instrument in your hearts and mindes Not onely how hee ingenders and begins fayth but also how he intertaines it how he nourisheth it And I shewed you the externall means and instruments which hee vseth to this effect To beget faith in our soules the holy spirit vseth the hearing of the word preached by him that is sent the ministerie of the Sacraments as ordinarie meanes and instruments which ordinary meanes are onely then effectuall when as the holy spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts with the word striking outwardly in our eares and with the Sacrament outwardly receiued And except the holy spirit grant his concurrence to the word and Sacrament word and Sacrament both will not worke faith So all depends vpon the working of this holy spirit The whole regeneration of mankind the renewing of the heart and of the conscience depend on the power of the holy spirit And therefore it behoueth vs carefully to imploy our selues in calling vpon God for his holy spirit By the same means and no other that the holy spirit begâ—ts faith in vs by the same meanes hee nourisheth and augments that which hee hath begotten And therefore as we got faith by the hearing of the word so by continuall and diligent hearing we haue this faith augmeÌ„ted nourished in vs. And from hence I tooke my exhortation That if yee would haue that spirituall life nourished in you and if yee would haue a further assurance of heauen of necessitie yee must both continually and diligently heare the blessed word of God Now it resteth that euery one of you carefully apply this doctrine to your owne soules and enter into the triall of your owne consciences To see if this faith as I spake be begunne in your hearts and mindes or not how farre or how little the holy spirit hath proceeded in that worke trie with mee and I with you The first effect of the holy spirit whereby yee may trie your mindes whether yee be in the faith oâ— not is this Reuolue in your memories and remember if at any time it pleased the Lord in his mercie to turn the darknesse of your mindes into light to cause that naturall darknesse which was within you to depart Through the which darknesse neyther had yee an eye to see your selues what you were by nature nor yet had ye an eye to see God in Christ nor anie parte of his mercie Examine I say whether this darknesse of the naturall vnderstanding bee turned into light by the working of the spirit or not If thou art become a childe of the light a childe of the day If thou art become as the Apostle speaketh light in the Lord If there bee this alteration made in thy minde That whereas naturally before it was closed vp in darknesse whereas it was filled with vanities and errors wherens it was closed vp in blindnes If the Lord hath at anie time inlightened the eye of thy minde and made thee to see thine owne miserie to see the vglinesse of thine owne nature to see the heinous sins in the which by nature thou liest If hee hath granted to thee an insight of thy selfe in some measure and on the other side if hee hath granted thee the remedie and hath giuen thee an insight of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus if thou hast obtained an insight of the riches of his grace in Christ No doubt the holy spirit hath begunne a good worke worke in thee A worke which will bring forth repentance which in his owne time hee will perfect So this is the first care which yee ought to haue and the first point wherein yee ought to examine your minds To see if there bee any light in it whereby yee may know your miserie and haue an insight of the free mercie of God in Christ Iesus This being done that thou findest a sight of these two in thy minde from thy minde goe to thy heart and as thou hast tryed thy minde so try thy heart And first examine thine heart if it bee altered or not that the will of it bee framed and bowed to GODs obedience that thy affection bee turned into the life of God and bee poured out on him as it was poured out on vanities on filthinesse and on the world before Try whether the ground of thy heart and the fountaine from whence thy motions and affections proceede bee sanctified or not for from a holy fountaine holy waters must distill from a holy fountaine holy motions holy cogitations and sanctified considerations must flowe Trie then and examine your hearts if the spirit of God hath wrought any such reformation as I speake of in your harts or not And that ye may perceiue the working of the holy Spirit the better in
thou doost except it flow from faith it can profit nothing Thus farre briefly concerning the word Now it wil be demaunded What need is there that these Sacraments seales should be annexed to the word wherfore are they annexed seeing we get no more in the Sacrament then we get in the word and wee get as much in the very simple word as we get in the Sacraments Seeing theÌ„ we get no new thing in the SacrameÌ„t but the same thing which we get in the simple word wherefore is the Sacrament appointed to be hung vnto the word It is tru certainly that we get no new thing in the Sacrament nor wee get no other thing in the Sacrament then we get in the word for what more wouldest thou craue then to get the Sonne of God if thou get him well Thy hart cannot wish nor imagine a greater gift then to haue the Sonne of God who is King of heauen and earth therefore I say VVhat new thing wouldest thou haue for if thou get him thou gettest all things with him thy hart cannot imagine a new thing besides him Wherefore then is the Sacrament appointed Answere 1 Not to get thee any new thing I say it is appointed to gette thee that same thing better By the Sacrament we possesse Christ more fully then by the simple vvord then thou haddest it in the vvord The Sacrament is appointed that we may take better hold of Christ then we could in the simple vvord that we may possesse Christ in our harts and mindes more fully and largely then we did before in the simple vvord That Christ might haue a larger space to make residence in our narrow harts then he could haue by the hearing of the simple vvord and to possesse Christ more fully it is a better thing For suppose Christ be one thing in himselfe yet the better hold thou hast of him thou art the surer of his promise The Sacraments are appointed that I might haue him more fully in my soule that I might haue the boundes of it enlarged that he may make the better residence in me This no doubt is the cause wherefore these Seales are annexed to the euidence of the simple word They serue to this end also to seale vp and confirme the truth that is in the word They serue to confirme the truth contained in the vvord for as the office of the Seale hung to the Euidence is not to confirme any other truth then that which is in the Euidence and though ye belieued the Euidence before yet by the seales yee belieue it better euen so the Sacraments assure me of no other truth then is contained vvithin the vvord yet because it is a seale annexed vnto the vvord it perswades me the better of the same for the more the outvvard senses are wakened the more is the inward hart and minde perswaded to belieue Now the Sacrament wakeneth all the outward senses as the eye the hand and all the rest and the outward senses beeing mooued no question the spirit of GOD concurring there-with moues the hart the more The Sacraments are then annexed vnto the vvord to seale vp the truth contained in the word and to confirm it mâ—re and more in thy hart The word then is appointed to worke beliefe and the Sacrament is appointed to confirme you in this beliefe But except yee feele the truth of this inwardly in your harts except yee haue your harts as ready as your mouth thinke not that any thing will auaile you All the seales in the world wil not work except the spirit of God concur and seale the same truth in your harts which the Sacrament seales outwardly Except hee make cleere the sight of thy minde inwardly and worke a feeling in thy hart both word and Sacrament shall lose their fruite and effect which they should haue All the Scriptures are full of this the whole Scriptures of God are but a slaying letter to you except the spirit of God concurre to quicken inwardly Exhortation Therefore your whole indeuour should be to prease to feele Christ inwardly in your harts that finding him in your harts and seeing him in your minds both word and Sacraments may be effectuall If not your soules remaine dead ye are not translated from that death wherin ye were conceiued Therefore all the study of Christians should be when they see the Sacraments and heare the word to labor to finde and feele in their harts and mindes that which they heare and see and this I call to finde Christ quick in your ovvne soules This cannot be except yee sanctifie his lodging for if all the corners of thy soule remaine a dunghill Christ cannot dwell there and therefore except ye studie for continuall growth in sanctification seuer your selues from euery thing that seuers you from Christ it is not possible that hee can liue or dwell in you This is a great lesson and it is not possible to doe this except as I haue said a stronger come in possesse vs and make vs to renounce our selues Then the seales had not been annexed to the word except for our cause for there is no necessity on Gods part that God should either sweare or confirme by seales the thing that hee hath spoken for his word is as good as any oath or seale But the necessity commeth of vs there is such a great weaknesse in vs that vvhen hee hath sworne and set his seales vnto his vvord wee are as neere to belieue as if hee had neuer spoken a vvord So to helpe our beliefe our vveakenesse and inabilitie that is in vs for we are so vnable by nature that we can belieue nothing but that which is of our selues and the more wee leane vnto our selues the further we are from God I say to helpe this wonderfull weakenes whereby we are ready to mistrust God in euery word he hath annexed his Sacraments besides his Sacraments hee sweares the things that concerne most our saluation As in the Priesthood of Christ Psal 110.4 He will not speake onely but he sweares and that for our weakenes and infirmities but yet if he abstract the ministery of his spirit all these meanes will do no good Now the last thing is how the Sacrament is peruerted Faults w th peruert the Sacrament and how we are defrauded of the fruit and effect thereof Two sorts of faults peruert the Sacrament and defraude vs of the profit and vse thereof and these faults are either in the forme or in the person In forme if the essentiall forme be spoyled we gette nothing for when the Sacrament is spoyled of the essentiall forme it is not a Sacrament There is an essentiall forme in Baptisme and an essentiall form in the Lords Supper which if they be taken away ye lose the vse of the Sacrament The essentiall forme of Baptisme is I baptize thee in the Name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost leaue out any of
you first marke the nature of the signes and the nature of the thing signified yee must obserue both their natures And why Because nothing can be coupled nor conioyned with other but so farre as the nature of it will suffer if the nature of it will not suffer a coniunction they cannot be conioyned or will the nature of it suffer a coniunction looke how farre it will suffer a coniunction so farre are they conioyned Seeing then ye must obserue the nature of the things that are conioyned first marke the thing signified what the nature thereof is marking that ye shall see that the thing signified is of a spirituall nature of a heauenly and mysticall nature then may ye conclude that this spiritual thing will suffer a spirituall coniunction a mysticall and secret coniunction Againe obserue the signe The signe of his nature as I haue told you hath a relation vnto the thing signified the thing signified of his nature hath a relation vnto the signe So then the signe the thing signified will suffer to be conioyned by a mutuall relation both the signe and the thing signified in respect they haue a mutuall relation the one vnto the other they will suffer themselues to be conioyned by a relatiue coniunction Now if ye ask me what sort of coniunction is betweene that bread and that wine and the body and bloud of Christ To tell you in a word I say it is a secret and spirituall coniunction such a coniunction as standeth in a mutuall respect betwixt the bread and the body of Christ and betwixt the wine and the bloud of Christ then I say it is a secret a spirituall coniunction Ye would not be so inquisitiue of this coniunction if it were corporall visible or locall if you saw them both before your eyes you would not aske how they are conioyned or if thou didst see them both in one place But because you see but the one with your eyes and the other is hid this maketh the coniunction the more difficult to be vttered and vnderstood And how is it possible that ye can conceiue this secret and hid coniunction except you haue the eyes of your minde illuminated by the spirit whereby ye may come to the right vnderstanding But if yee haue any insight into these spirituall matters that come by faith this coniunction will appeare as cleerely by the eye of your faith as the physicall coniunction dooth to the eye of your body Novv to haue this matter made more plain there is another coniunction which serueth to make this coniunction very cleere namely the coniunction betwixt the vvord which I speake and the thing signified by that same word As if I speake to you of things in this language which yee vnderstand bee it of things past though neuer so long since of things to come though neuer so far off of things absent though neuer so farre distant yet so soone as I speake the vvord vvhether it be of things past or to come the thing it selfe will come into your minde The vvord is heard no sooner by your eare but the thing signified by the same vvord commeth into your minde What maketh the thing signified though absent to come into my mind This could not be except there were a coniunction betweene the word and the thing signified by the word As for example If I speak of the King who is now a great way distant from vs I pray God blesse him yee will no sooner heare the word but the King vvho is the thing signified by the word will come into your minde If I speake of things past though they be already expired yet the thing signified vvill presently come into your minde so there is a coniunction yee see between the word and the thing signified by the word Marke this coniunction and yee shall gette the nature of the coniunction and coupling of the signe which is the thing signified in the Sacrament For obserue what sort of coniunction is between the vvord and the thing signified by the word the same sort of coniunction is between the Sacrament which is seene to the eye of your body the thing signified by the Sacrament which is seene to the eye of your soule onely As for example so soone as thou seest that bread taken in the hand of the Minister thou seest it not so soone but incontinent the body of Christ must come into thy mind these two are so conioyned that they com both together the one to the outward senses the other to the inward senses This is not enough now because in the institution ye are commanded to goe further not onely to looke to that bread and that wine but to take that bread and that wine incontinent as your hand takes the one so your hart takes the other as your teeth eates the one so the teeth of your soule which is faith eates the other that is applyeth Christ vnto your soule So yee see there is a coniunction heere secret and mysticall and therefore Christ cannot be conioyned but by a secret and mysticall coniunction The coniunction betweene Christ and vs is a secret and mysticall coniunction which the Apostle in the fift of the Ephes calleth that spirituall coniunction ful of an high mysterie this coniunction cannot be taken vp at the first So seeing the coniunction is secret and spirituall and not perceiued but by the spirit of God all is as nothing except ye haue some portion and measure of his spirit All that is taught in the word and Sacraments will neuer doe you good will neuer carry your soules to heauen except the spirit of God illuminate your mindes and make you to finde in your soules the thing that ye hear in the word Then learn this seeing the word cānot be vnderstood but by the spirit of GOD craue that the Lord would illuminate the eyes of your mindes by his spirit and be you as careful to get the spirit as yee are carefull now in the hearing of the word Thus farre concerning the coniunction Now ye haue heard how the signe is cōioyned with the thing signified what remaineth for you to knowe This rests yet to knowe how the signe is receiued How the signe the thing signified is receiued and how the thing signified is receiued vvhether they bee both receiued with one mouth or not whether the signe and the thing signified be receiued after one fashion and manner or not And marking the diuerse manner of receiuing and the diuersity of the instruments yee shall not easily erre in the Sacrament The signe and the thing signified are receiued by two mouthes for ye see the signes that is that bread and wine wherunto they are giuen they are giuen to the mouth of the body Then the mouth of the body is the instrument that receiueth that bread and that vvine which are the signes As that bread and that wine are visible and corporall so the mouth and instrument
whereby they are receiued is visible and corporall The thing signified by the bread and wine is not receiued by the mouth of the body no the Scripture denieth that plainly but it is receiued by the mouth of the soule Then there are two mouthes that bread and that wine which are the signes are receiued by the mouth of the body Christ vvho is the thing signified is receiued by the mouth of the soule that is by a true faith Then bring not to the Lords Table one mouth onely for if yee bring the mouth of your body onely it auaileth nothing but bring with you also the mouth of your soule a constant perswasion in the death of Christ for that is availeable Novv concerning the manner hovv the signes are receiued and the manner how the thing signified is receiued yee may easily knowe that these corporall naturall signes must be receiued after a corporall and naturall maner they must be taken with the hand or mouth of the body Againe a supernaturall thing must be receiued after a supernaturall manner A spirituall thing must be receiued after a spirituall manner So as the signes are corporall and receiued after a corporall manner with the hand or the mouth of the body In like manner the thing signified is spirituall and receiued after a spirituall manner with the hand and mouth of the soule which is true faith Thus yee haue briefely deliuered vnto you the whole preparation that is necessary for the vnderstanding of this Sacrament Now what doctrine gather I from this Of this last point vvhere I say that Christ is the thing signified and cannot be preceiued but by faith cannot be receiued nor digested but by a faithfull soule what kinde of receiuing confirme I in this Sacrament I establish no kind of receiuing of Christ What kinde of receiuing Christ is established in the Sacrament but a spiritual receiuing he can not be perceiued nor receiued but by faith and faith is spirituall Therefore in this Sacrament I establish onely a spiritual taking of Christ not a carnall or fleshly receiuing This is the ground Novv let vs see what inconuenience can follow vpon this ground Inconueniences cast in by the Papists against the spirituall receiuing of Christ in the Sacrament The Papists say that vpon this ground this inconuenience shall follow If there be no receiuing of Christ but a spirituall receiuing then say they your Sacrament is in vaine this Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted to no end And what is their reason If there be no way to receiue Christ say the Papists but by faith what need you then a Sacrament Yee receiue Christ by faith in the word by the naked and simple preaching of the word ye get faith So the simple word may serue the turne What need haue ye of a Sacrament if ye get not some new thing in the Sacrament which yee could not get in the word This is their Argument whereof ye see their conclusion to be this Wee get no other new thing in the Sacrament First inconuenience That the Sacrament is superfluous then we doe in the vvord if there be no receiuing but spirituall Ergo The Sacrament is superfluous VVee admit the Antecedent to bee true vvee get no other thing nor no new thing in the Sacrament but the same thing which we got in the word I would haue thee deuise and imagine vvith thy selfe what new thing thou vvouldest haue let the hart of man deuise imagine and wish he durst neuer haue thought to haue such a thing as the Sonne of GOD hee durst neuer haue presumed to haue pearced the clowdes to haue ascended so high as to haue craued the Sonne of GOD in his flesh to be the foode of his soule Hauing the Sonne of God thou hast him who is the heire of all things who is King of heauen and earth and in him thou hast all things What more then canst thou wish What better thing canst thou wish Hee is equall with the Father one in substance with the Father true GOD true man vvhat more canst thou wish Then I say vvee get no other thing in the Sacrament then wee had in the vvord content thee vvith this But suppose it be so yet the Sacrament is not superfluous But wouldest thou vnderstand what new thing thou obtainest what other thing thou gettest I will tell thee Refutation of the first Inconuenience Suppose thou get that same thing which thou haddest in the vvord yet thou gettest that same thing better What is that better Thou obtainest a greater and surer hold of that same thing in the Sacrament then thou hadst by the hearing of the vvord That same thing which thou possessedst by the hearing of the word thou doost possesse now more largely it hath larger bounds in thy soule by the receiuing of the Sacrament then other-wise it could haue by the hearing of the word onely Then wilt thou aske what new thing wee get I say wee get this new thing we get Christ better then before we get the thing which we had more fully that is with a surer apprehension then we had it before we gette a greater hold of Christ now For by the Sacrament my faith is nourished the boundes of my soule are enlarged and so whereas I had but a little hold of Christ before as it were betweene my finger and my thumbe now I get him in my whole hand and still the more that my faith groweth the better hold I get of Christ Iesus So the Sacrament is very necessary and if it were no more but to get Christ better and to get a faster apprehension of him by the Sacrament then vvee could haue before Now if it were true that the Sacrament is superfluous by the same reason it shold follow also that the repetition of the Sacrament is superfluous For when yee come to the Sacrament the second time ye get no other thing then yee did the first time vvhen ye come vnto the Sacrament the third time yet get no other thing then yee did the first time and yet no man will say that the third and second comming is a superfluous thing And vvhy Because by the second comming my faith is augmented I vnderstand better I growe in knowledge I growe in apprehension I grow in feeling and in getting the growth of all these as oft as I come there is no man will say that the oft comming to the Sacrament is superfluous if it were euerie day once So their first inconuenience auailes not Wee get no new thing in the Sacrament Ergo the Sacrament is superfluous Thus farre for the first Then there depends another thing on the same ground If Christ be not perceiued but by faith then say we no wicked body can perceiue him hee that lacketh faith cannot perceiue him He that lacketh faith may perceiue that Sacrament of that bread and that vvine and may eate of that bread and drinke of
that wine but hee that vvanteth faith may not eate drink of the body bloud of Christ signified by that bread by that wine So this is the groūd no faithlesse people can perceiue Christ nor eate the body of Christ in the Sacrament Against this ground they bring their Argument out of the same words of the Apostle which I haue read the words are these Hee that eateth of this Bread vnvvorthily saith the Apostle and drinketh of this Cuppe vnworthily is guilty of the body and blood of Christ There is their ground Second incōuenience So that their Argument will suffer this forme No man can be guiltie of that thing vvhich hee hath not receiued they haue not receiued the body and bloud of Christ therefore they cannot be guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ but so it is that the Apostle saith they are guilty therefore they haue receiued the body and bloud of Christ I answere vnto the Proposition Refutation of the second inconueniēce obiected wher in are sundry reasons giuen why the wicked are counted guilty of the body and bloud of Christ and I say it is very false They could not bee guiltie of that body and bloud except they had receiued it for they may be guilty of that same body of that same bloud suppose they neuer receiued it But marke the Text The Text saith not that they eate the body of Christ vnworthily but it saith that they eate that bread and drinke that wine vnworthily And yet because they eate that bread and drinke that wine vnworthily they are counted before God guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ Now wherefore is this Not because they receiue him for if they receiued him they could not but receiue him vvorthily for Christ cannot be receiued of any man but woorthily but they are accounted guiltie of the body and bloud of the Son of GOD because they refused him For vvhen they did eate that Bread and drink that wine they might if they had had faith haue eaten and drunke the flesh and bloud of Christ lesus Now because thou refusest the body of Christ offered to thee thou contemnest his body offered vnto thee if thou haue not an eye to discerne and indge of this body that is offered For if they had had faith they might haue seen his body offered with the bread by faith they might haue taken that same body by faith they might haue eaten that same body Therefore lacking their wedding garment wanting faith whereby they should eate the bodie and drink the bloud of Christ wanting faith which is the eye of the soule to perceiue and the mouth of the soule to receiue that body which is spirituallie offered they are counted guiltie of that same body bloud Now let vs make this more cleere by a similitude Ye see among worldly Princes their custome is not to suffer their maiestie to be impeached in the smallest thing that they haue VVhat meaner thing is there that concerneth the maiestie of a Prince then a seale for the substance of it is but wax yet if thou disdainfullie vse that seale and contemne it and stampe it vnder thy feet thou shalt be esteemed as guilty of his body and bloud as hee that laid violent hands on him thou shalt be punished accordingly Much more if thou come as a swine or as a dog to handle the seales of the bodie and bloud of Christ much more maiest thou bee rockoned guilty of his body and of his bloud Thus farre of the eating of the body of Christ The vvicked cannot eate the bodie of Christ but they may bee guiltie of it The Apostle maketh this more plaine yet by another speech vvhich I haue sometimes handled out of this place In Hebr. 6.6 it is said that Apostates they that fall away they crucifie the Son of God againe and their falling away maketh thē as guilty as they were who crucified him He is now in heauen they cannot fetch him frō thence to crucify him yet the Apostle saith they crucifie him Why Because their malice is as great as theirs that crucified him because they match in malice with thē that crucified him so that if they had him on the earth they vvould doe the like therefore they are said to crucifie the Sonne of GOD. So in Heb. 10.29 there is another speech the wicked are said to stampe the bloud of Christ vnder their feet Why Because their malice is as great as theirs that stamped his bloud Now they are accounted for this reason to be guiltie of the bodie and bloud of Christ not because they eate his body but because they refused it vvhen they might haue had it Now the time remaines yet wherein we may haue the body Exhortation and bloud of Christ This time is very precious and the dispensation of times is very secret and hath it owne bounds if yee take not this time now it will away This time of Grace and of that heauenly foode hath been dispensed vnto you very long but how ye haue profited your liues and behauiours testifie Remember therefore your selues in time and in time make vse of it for yee knowe not how long it will last craue a mouth to receiue as well the food of your soules that is offered as ye doe the food of your bodies and take this time while yee may haue it or assuredly the time shall come when yee shall cry for it but shall not get it but in place of Grace and mercie shall come iudgement vengeance the dispensation of vvrath They will not leaue this matter so but they insist yet and they bring more Arguments to prooue that the vvicked are partakers of the bodie Third incōuenience and bloud of Christ That Bread say they yee vvill grant vvhich the vvicked man eates is not naked bread but is that bread vvhich is the Sacrament Thus then they make their Argument The Sacrament hath euer conioyned vvith it the thing signified But the Sacrament is giuen to all therefore the thing signified is giuen to all What if I grant to them all this Argument Refutation of the third inconuenience There should no inconuenience follow For the thing signified may be giuen to all that is offered to all as it is offered to all men and yet not receiued of all Giuen to all therefore receiued of all it followeth not I may offer you tvvo things yet it is in your owne will whether you will take them or no but ye may take the one and refuse the other and yet hee that offers offered you the thing that ye refused as truely as the thing which ye tooke So GOD deceiueth no man but with the word and Sacraments assuredly hee giueth two things if they would take them By his vvord hee offers the word to the eare hee offers Christ Iesus to the soule By his Sacraments hee offers the Sacraments to the eye hee offers Christ Iesus
yee must bee borne in the bodie of Christ his spirit must quicken you This is called the quickning and liuing spirit of Christ by Iohn And so soone as this spirit cometh what doth it It chaseth away darknesse out of the vnderstanding whereas before I knewe not God now I see him not onely generally that he is a God but that he is my God in Christ what more doth the holy spirit It opneth the heart as well as the minde and what doth it there Those things whereon I bestowed the affection of my heart and imployed the loue of my soule are by the working of the holy spirit made gall to mee he makes then venome to mee and to bee as deadly hated of mee as poyson Hee worketh such an inward disposition in my soule that hee makes mee to turne and flie from those things whereon I imployed my loue before and to imploy it vpon God This is a great perfection Alwayes in some measure he makes mee to loue God better then anie other thing Hee changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts minde be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change wee are called new creatures except you be found newe creatures Conclusion with an exhortation yee are not in Christ Now to come to the poynt This secret Coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy spirit by faith wee lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though wee bee as farre distant as heauen and earth are the spirit serues vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word what makes you to haue anie right or title to Christ Nothing but the spirit Nothing but faith What should bee your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to gett faith That as Peter Acts the 15.9 sayeth your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your mindes your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and brings a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy hart and consent of thy will to doe that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith availeth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and mindes and doing so yee doe the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that hee would nourish your soules inwardlie with the body and bloud of Christ That hee would increase faith in your hearts and mindes and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortality Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whome with the Father and the holy Ghost bee all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE THIRD Sermon vpon the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that hee was betraied tooke bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Auncientes of the Latine and East Churches wee hearde the chiefe ends wherefore and wherevnto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted wee heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued wee heard also some obiections that might bee obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine wee heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted wee heard how the faythfull soule is said to eate Christs bodie and drinke Christs blood Wee heard the manner how Christ is or canne bee receiued of vs And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot bee perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way apprehension Neyther the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can bee perceiued but by the eye of fayth can bee receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of fayth Now faith is a spiritual thing for fayth is the gift of God poured downe into the heartes and mindes of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mightie working and operation of the holy spirit So the onely waie to laie holde on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature beeing spiritual it followeth therefore that there is no waie to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but aspirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures samiliarly by all these tearmes describe the nature and efficacie of faith How we are said to eate the flesh and drinke the blood of Christ Wee are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drink his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefely in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passiof Christ the blood that hee shedde vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse The commandement which hee gaue Doe this in remembrance of me I say wee eate his flesh and drinke his bloode spiritually First in this poynt in recording and remembring faithfully how hee died for vs how his blood was shedde vpon the crosse This is the first poynt a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mightie power of the holy spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euerie one of you beleeue firmly that he died for mee in particular That his bloud was shedde on the crosse for a full remission and redemption of me and my sinnes The cheefe and principall poynt of the eating of Christ his flesh and drinking of his blood standeth in beleeuing firmely that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that blood of his was shedde for the remission of my sinnes and except euerie soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and bee perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule cannot eate the flesh nor drinke the blood of Christ Then the
and said Depart in peace thy faith hath saued thee Thy faith hath drawn out a vertue power from me that hath made both thy soule body whole So that this touching of Christ hath euer been profitable is and shall be profitable like as the touching of Christ with the corporall hand hath neuer beene is not nor euer shall be profitable And why Christ is not appointed to be a carnall head to be set vpon the necks of our bodies that he may doe the office of a carnall head therunto to furnish naturall motion senses to our bodies No the Scriptures call not Christ a natural head but the Scriptures call him a spirituall head to be set on the neck of our soules that is to be cōioyned with our soules that out of him into our soules may distill holy motions heauenly senses and that there may flowe out of him to vs a spiritual heauenly life Then the Scriptures call him a spiritu-head as they call vs a spirituall body and as the life which wee get from him is spirituall so all our coniunction with him is spirituall And in respect he worketh that same operation in my soule vvhich the carnall head doth in my body therefore hee is called a spirituall head therefore hee is called the head of his Church because hee furnisheth her vvith spirituall motion and senses vvhich is the life of the Church So to be short there is nothing in this coniunction carnall there is nothing grosse in it there is nothing that may be compassed by our naturall iudgement vnderstanding And therefore whosoeuer would attaine to any small in-sight of this spiritual coniunction between Christ and vs of necessity hee must humble himselfe and earnestly pray for the spirit otherwise it is not possible to get any vnderstanding no not the least perseuerance how the flesh of Christ and vve are conioyned except we haue some light giuen vs by the spirit that is except our harts be wakened by the mighty working of the spirit of Christ this shall remaine as a dead and closed letter vnto vs. So Exhortation yee are to craue that the Lord in his mercie would waken you illuminate your vnderstandings and make you to haue a spirituall light to discerne of these spirituall things Next ye must study and be carefull to remoue all vaine cogitations and earthly fantasies when yee come to heare so high a matter yee must cast off all filthy thoughts ill motions and cares of the world and yee must shake off all things that clogge your harts Thirdly yee must come with a purpose to heare the vvord to giue diligent care to the word and with a sanctified hart to receiue it vvith a purpose to growe and increase in holiness as well in body as in soule all the dayes of your life And comming with this purpose no question the holy Spirit shall reueale those things to you which yee want And though this word passe and bring no great commodity for the present yet the holy Spirit heereafter shall reueale to thee the truth of that which thou hast now heard Then this is the end of all Bee present in your harts and mindes and let your soules be emptied of all the cares of the vvorld that they may receiue that comfort which is offered in the hearing of the word Now I come to the defining of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The definition of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I call this Sacrament A holy Seale annexed to the couenant of grace and mercy in Christ A seale to be ministred publiquely alwaies according to the holy institution of Christ Iesus that by the lawful ministery therof the Sacramentall vnion betweene the signes and the thing signified may stand and this vnion standing Christ Iesus who is the thing signified is as truely deliuered to the increase of our spirituall nourishment as the signes are giuen deliuered to the body for our temporall nourishment Now let vs examine the words parts of this definition Why this Sacrament is called a Seale First of all I call this Sacrament a Seale because this Sacrament serueth to the same vse to our soules that a common seale doth to a common Euidence As the seale which is annexed to the Euidence confirmes and seales vp the truth contained in the Euidence so this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ confirmeth and sealeth vp the truth of mercy and grace contayned in the couenant of mercy and grace for this respect it is called a seale It is called A holy Seale Why Why it is called a holy Seale Because it is taken from the profane vse whereunto that bread serued before and that bread is applyed to a holy vse There is a power giuen to that bread to signifie the precious body of Christ Iesus to represent the nourishing and feeding of our soules And in respect it serueth now in the Sacrament to so holy an vse therefore I call it an holie seale This is not my word it is the Apostles Rom. 4.11 where hee giueth the Sacrament the same name and calleth it a seale And further if the wisdom of Christ in his Apostle had been followed and if men had not inuented new names of their own for this Sacrament but contented satisfied themselues with the names which God hath giuen by his Apostle that Chr. himself hath giuen to this Sacramēt I am assured none of these controuersies debares which neuer will cease had fallen out but where men wil go about to be wiser thē God go beyond God in deuising names which he neuer gaue vpon mens own inuentions such debates haue faln out A lesson by the vvay that no flesh presume to be wiser then GOD but let them stoupe and keepe the names which God hath giuen to this Sacrament Thirdly Why the seale is said to be annexed to the couenant I say annexed to the Couenant annexed and hung to the Charter because it cannot be called a seale properly except it be hung to an Euidence What it is by nature the same it remaineth and no more if it be not annexed to some Euidence it is onely the hanging of it to the Euidence that maketh men account it a seale not beeing esteemed except it be hanged to the Euidence Euen so it is heere if this Sacrament be not ministred and ioyned to the preached vvord to the preaching of the couenant of mercie and grace it cannot be a seale but what it is by nature it is no more As by nature it is but a common peece of bread so it is no more if it be not annexed to the preaching of the word and ministred therewith as Christ hath commaunded Therfore I say the seale must be annexed and hanged to the Euidence to the preaching of the word for the confirming of the Euidence otherwise it is not a seale But it is not so with the Euidence vvhich is the word of
GOD for yee knowe any Euidence will make faith though it vvant a seale and it will serue to make a right if it be subscribed without a seale but the seale without the Euidence auaileth nothing Euen so it is with the word of God though the Sacraments bee not annexed to the word yet the word will serue the turne it serueth vs to get Christ it serueth to ingender and beget faith in vs and maketh vs to growe vp in faith But the seale without the word can serue vs to no holievse therefore I say the seale must be annexed to the word preached to the couenant of mercy and grace Now it followeth in the definition Why the Sacrament should be ministred publiquely that this seale must bee ministred publiquely Wherefore say I publiquely To exclude all priuat administration of this Sacramēt For if this Sacrament be administred to any priuately it is not a Sacrament Why First reason Because the Apostle calleth this Sacrament a Communion If ye administer it to one yee lose the Communion therefore if yee administer it priuatly yee lose the Sacrament For this Sacrament is a Communion of the body and bloud of Christ therefore of necessity it must be by way of communication and so the action must be publiquely ministred Secondly this Sacrament must be publiquely ministred Second reason because Christ Iesus vvho is the thing signified in this Sacrament is no such thing as pertaineth but to one man only if this were so he might be priuatly giuen and ministred But seeing Christ which is the thing signified in the Sacrament is a common thing belonging to euery faithfull man and vvoman therefore hee ought to be commonly giuen to all in a common action in a societie and congregation of the faithfull Thirdly this Sacrament is a Thanksgiuing to God the Father for his benefits Now it appertaineth not to one or tvvo to thanke God onely but as we are all partakers of his temporall and spirituall benefits so we ought all of vs publiquely to giue him thanks for the same Therefore I say in the definition this seale ought to be publiquely and not priuatly ministred as the Papists doe in their priuat Masses This Seale must bee publiquely ministred according to Christ his institution Wherfore say I Christ his institution more then mans institution or Angels institution Why keepe I to Christ his institution Why this Seale must be ministred according to Chr. his institution Because man hath not power to institute or make a Sacrament because an Angel hath not power to make or institute a Sacrament For none hath power to make or institute a Sacrament but he that hath power to giue Christ vvho is the thing signified in the Sacrament None hath power to institute a Sacrament but God onely But so it is that none hath power to giue Christ but either the Father or himselfe therefore none hath power to make or institute a Sacrament but either the Father or the Sonne onely God must make a Sacrament Secondly this Sacrament is a part of Gods seruice and worship but so it is that none hath power to appoint any part of his seruice or prescribe any part of his worship but onely God himselfe therefore none can make a Sacrament but God himselfe There is no Prince will be contented to be serued after another mans fantasie but he will prescribe his seruice according vnto his own pleasure how much more is it meet that God should appoint his owne seruice and worship Therefore there is neither man nor Angel hath power to institute any part of the seruice of GOD. The Sacraments are a part of his seruice therefore there is no Angel nor man hath power to institute a Sacrament The greatest stile that any man can haue in the ministery of the word and Sacraments is that stile which the Apostle giues them 1. Cor. 4.1 There we are called Stewards and Dispensers of the graces of God Ministers of those mysteries and holy things It followeth then that we are not Authors Creators and makers of them but onely Ministers and dispensers of the Sacraments So it is euident that no man nor creature hath power to make a Sacrament Then it must bee according to the institution of Christ his institution must be kept looke what he said what he did what hee commanded thee to doe all that must be said done and obeyed If thou leauest one iote of that vndone which he commaunded thee to doe thou peruertest the institution for there is nothing left in register of that institution but it is essentiall So in the celebration of Christs institution wee must take heede to whatsoeuer he said did or commaunded to bee done Thou must first say whatsoeuer hee said then do whatsoeuer he did For the Ministerie of the Sacrament must follow after the word First thou must say that which Christ commanded thee to say and thou must teach that which he commanded thee to teach and then minister the Sacrament Then to keepe this institution wee must beginne at the saying We call the word in the Sacrament the whole Institution and say whatsoeuer Christ commanded vs then after faythfully to doe all that which he commanded to be done Then I call the word the whole institution of Christ Iesus preached and proclaimed denounced distinctly cleerely and sensiblie to the people in such sort that if wee leaue anie kinde of circumstance or ceremonie of this institution vndone wee peruert the whole action It is agreed vpon Word and element must concurre in the constitution of a Sacrament and condescended vnto betweene vs who celebrate this institution and all the sectes in the world who haue separated themselues from this institution That two things are necessarie and must concurre in the nature and constitution of a Sacrament To wit there must be a word and there must bee an element concurring There is not a sect that granteth not this That the word must concur with the element before there can be a Sacrament Though they easily admit this generall wherein wee agree well with them yet when it comes to the speciall that wee enter into particular in the handling and treating of the word how well soeuer wee agree in the generall yet in the particular wee are as farre asunder For when wee come to dispute and reason on these particulars First what wee meane by the word Secondly how this word ought to be intreated Thirdly what vertue this word hath Fourthly how farre the vertue of this word doth extend it selfe And last of all to whom the word ought to be directed and pronounced In all these particulars wee are as farre asunder as euer wee seemed to agree in the generall I leaue to meddle with any other sect What wee meane by the word in the Sacrament but will deale with the Papists onely because we haue most to do with them And first of all we are to vnderstand what
it in a known familiar tongue yet in that they whisper it the people cannot be the better And what shall I say Seeing they thus handle the word though it be the verie in stitution it selfe yet they so spoile it in the handling that it is not a holy Sacrament Then wee differ as much in the second poynt how that word ought to bee handled and intreated Now the third point is The third head in controuersie what vertue this word hath how farre the vertue of this word extendeth it selfe In this point we grant acknowledge that the word hath a vertue and the word taken as hath bin said worketh somewhat euen towards the same elements of bread and wine for wee acknowledge that those elements by the vertue of this word are changed not in their substance and naturall properties But wee grant that the elements are changed in a quality which they had not before In such sort that these elements are taken from the common vse wherevnto they serued before and by the institution of Christ they are applied vnto another holy vse Marke how farre the holy vse differs from the common vse there is as great difference betwixt the elements this day in the action and the thing that they were yesterday For I grant that the elements are changed yet this change proceedeth not of the nature of the elements from an inclosed vertue supposed to bee in the words nor from the whispering of the words but it proceeds from the will of Christ from the ordinance appointment of Christ set downe in his owne institution for that thing is holy which God calleth holy and that thing is profane which God calleth profane To let you vnderstand how these signes are made holy it is necessarie that these two things bee considered How the elements are sanctified First what hee is that makes them holy whether God Angell or man Secondly whoeuer he bee that maketh them holy by what meanes way he maketh them holy And by the consideration of these two wee shall come to the consideration and right viewing of the sanctification of the Elements For the First wee say that God is onely hee that may make a thing which was cōmon to be holy So we say that God by his will and ordinance declared and set downe in his word hath made the things that were common by his appoyntment to bee holy As for the way and meanes whereby they are made holy it is the word of God the institution of Christ the will of Christ declared in his institution that maketh them holy For the preaching and opening of the word and institution of Christ letteth vs see that god hath made these things holy and not onely that hee hath made them holy but letteth vs see an holy manner how they should be vsed in what place at what time with what heart to what end So it is the wil of Christ declared in his institution wherby the things that were common before are now made holy There are two other things also which make the same elements holy these two are vsed in this institution There is praier thanksgiueing which make the creatures of God to our vse holy whereas otherwise if we receiue the good creatures of God like dogs thank him not for them it is a sure token that they were neuer sanctified to our vse By prayer we obtaine grace strength from God to vse the creatures and this whole action holily lawfully as it shold be And therefore not onely in this holy action should we begin with God with inuocation of his name but in all actions in the world we should begin in the name of God So it is the wil of God praier and thanksgiuing conioined with the elemēts that make them holy All these three contained in the action of the Lords Supper make the Seales holy For beside the wil of God declared in the institution In the Lords Supper we vse inuocation and in this inuocation we vse thankesgiuing The elements are not made holy by the word of God onely but by the vse of praier thāksgiuing which three are the onely means wherby these things are sāctified Now to expresse and laie-foorth the sanctification of the Elements The word of blessing and thanksgiuing vsed indifferently the one expressed by the other The Euangelists and the Apostle Paul vse indifferently the word To blesse and to giue thankes and commonly they put the one for the other For yee may see that Marke and Paul vse the word Blesse Mathew and Luke vse the word to giue thankes and all in one signification And Marke himselfe in the 14. of his Gospell 22. verse speaking of the same action of the Lords Supper vseth the word to Bless and in the 23. verse he vseth the word to Giue thanks and both in one signification to let you see that the Apostle Christ himselfe and the Euangilists vse the word to Blesse and to Giue thankes indifferently to signifie the sanctification and consecration of the elements Except ye take the one for the other it will bee hard to gather anie good meaning out of the Apostles words for I remember the Apostle 1. Corin. 10.16 sayth The Cup of blessing which we blesse what is that I take the word to signifie as I haue said which wee blesse that is which wee sanctifie and prepare by blessing So to blesse and to giue thankes in the Lords Supper signifie no other thing but to sanctifie otherwise if ye take the word in another signification yee shall fall into an error and and why God is sayde to blesse and man is said to blesse God is said to blesse when hee giueth good things vnto his creatures for Gods blessing is euer effectuall and therefore hee is said to blesse when he giueth good things Man againe is said to blesse either priuately or publikely when hee craueth blessing at the hands of God to anie man when hee blesseth in the name and at the commandement of God anie person or people Now if yee ascribe blessing in any of these two significations to the cuppe it is amisse for wee vse neyther to craue a blessing to insensible elements nor yet to blesse them in the name of God And God vseth to giue good things to the sonnes of men and not to insensible creatures Therefore we must needes vse the word Blesse in the third signification The cuppe of blessing which wee blesse that is which wee sanctifie and prepare by blessing Thus farre wee vnderstand for the sanctification of the elements Now let vs see how they sanctifie the elements what is the forme of their consecration so far as I vnderstand of it it consisteth in these fiue words Hoc est enim corpus meum It stādeth in these fiue words and in the whispering of them for if you whisper them not ye lose the fashion of incantation for the thing which we call
Christ which was locally present with the rest of his disciples was not glorified yet the body which hee exhibited in the bread was glorified They might as well haue held their peace and say nothing For marke the words of the text as they are written Luke 22.19 where it is said And he tooke the bread and when hee had giuen thankes hee brake it and gaue to them saying This is my bodie which is giuen for you and Saint Paul 1. Cor. 11.24 hath these words Take eate this is my bodie which is broken for you This relatiue which is relatiue to the bodie which was exhibited in the bread for according to their owne confession those words are pronounced vpon the bread directed vnto it But that same bodie was giuen and broken for vs that is to say crucified and broken with anguish and dolors Then I reason after this sort To be crucified and broken with anguish and dolors canne no waies agree and conuene with a glorified bodie But the bodie that Christ exhibited in the bread is said of the Euangelists to be crucified and broken for vs Ergo that bodie was not glorified Now last of all they are not yet content but say Christ can make the bread his bodie And therefore his bodie is really present That Christ can make the bread his bodie wee grant for Christ being God canne doe whatsoeuer hee will onely let them shewe That Christ will make of reall bread his reall flesh and then this controuersie will ende Christ indeede makes the bread his bodie not really but Sacramentally For Christ hath not a bodie made of bread his bodie was made once of the pure substance of his blessed Mother Another bodie then this or oftner made then once hath hee none wherefore all doctrine that teacheth Christs body to be made of bread is impious hereticall The Papists doctrine of reall presence teacheth That Christs bodie in the Sacrament is made of bread by changing the bread into his bodie through consecration wherefore we may boldly and and truly conclude That their doctrine of reall presence is both wicked heretical Now to cōclude this head I beseech them seeing that reason fails thē That they fight not against God for maintenance of a lie how old soeuer it bee for the diuel is olde enough yet he could neuer change his nature But let them rather glorifie God in cōfessing these speeches to be Sacramēetal Then what is the reason ground wherefore the Papists pull downe the substance of the body of Christ and the blood of Christ and make the verie substance to be corporallie The reason that moues the Papists to thinke that Chr. bodie cannot be present in the Sacrament except it be really carnally and substantially present reallie and substantially in the Sacrament The reason is this Because they cannot see by their naturall iudgement nor can vnderstand by their natural wit the truth of this to wit how Christs flesh and blood can bee present in the Sacrament except hee bee present to their corporall hand to their corporall mouth and stomacke If they had the light to informe them That Christ might bee present in the Sacrament and not to the hand to the mouth or stomack they would neuer thinke of such a monstrous presence as they imagine to be there But beeing destitute of the spirituall light they follow their naturall reasons make a natural Obseruation carnal presēce So that ye haue this lesson to note from hence There is no man that hath not the spirit of God to vnderstand this word This is my bodie but out of question hee will doe as the Papists doe that is hee will vnderstand it carnally And so they mis-knowing the right meaning of it it is no maruaile though they and we differ in this matter For will you aske of a Papist first if the true bodie of Christ be there or if the true flesh and blood of Christ be there hee will say it is there The diuerse opinions concerning the presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament will you aske him wherein hee will say in and vnder the accidents of the bread wine vnder the hew and roundnes of the bread will you aske him againe by what instrument it is receiued Hee will tell you by the mouth and stomacke of the bodie So this is their grosse vnderstanding of the bodie and blood of Christ Will you aske of the Vbiquiter if the true bodie of Christ be present hee will say it is will you aske if it it be in with or vnder the bread hee will answere it is in the bread contentiuè that is the bread containes it will you aske him to what instrument it is offered hee will answere that the bodie of Christ is offered to the mouth of our bodie and that the blood of Christ is offered to the mouth of our bodie as the Papists doe Will you knowe of vs how Christ Iesus his true bodie and blood is present wee will say that they are spiritually present really present that is present in the Lords Supper and not in the bread wee will not say that his true flesh is present to the hand or to the mouth of our bodies But we say it is spiritually present that is present vnto thy spirit and faythfull soule yea euen as present inwardlie vnto thy soule as the bread and wine are present vnto thy bodie outwardly Will you aske then if the bodie and blood of Christ Iesus bee present in the Lords Supper Wee answere in a word They are present but not in the bread and wine nor in the accidents nor substance of bread and wine And wee make Christ to be present in this Sacrament because hee is present to my soule to my spirit and fayth Also we make him present in the Lords Supper because I haue him in his promise This is my bodie which promise is present to my fayth and the nature of fayth is to make things that are absent in themselues yet present And therefore seeing he is both present by fayth in his promise present by the vertue of his holy spirit who can say but that hee is present in this Sacrament But yet the word would be explained How a thing is said to be present and absent what we mean by the word present how a thing is said to be present absent And knowing this yee shall finde all the matter easie I say things are said to be present as they are perceiued by anie outward or inward sense as they are perceiued by any of the senses so are they present the further they be perceiued the further present and by what sense any thing is perceiued to that sense it is present As if it bee outwardly perceiued by an outward sense that thing is outwardly present As for example if it be perceiued by the outward sight of the eye by the outward hearing of the eare
by the outward feeling of the hands or taste of the mouth it is outwardly present Or if any thing be perceiued by the inward eye by the inward taste feeling of the soule this thing can not be outwardly present but it must bee spiritually inwardly present to the soul So I say euery thing is present as it is perceiued So that if you perceiue not a thing outwardly it is outwardly absent and if ye perceiue not a thing inwardly it is inwardly absent It is not distance of place that makes a thing absent nor propinquitie of place that makes a thing present But it is onely the perceiuing of any thing by any of thy senses that makes a thing present the not perceiuing that makes a thing absent I say though the thing it self were neuer so far distāt if thou perceiue it by thine outward sense it is present vnto thee As for example my body and the sunne are as farre distant in place as the heauen is from the earth and yet this distance stayeth not the sunnes presence from mee why Because I perceiue the sunne by mine eie and other senses I feele it and perceiue it by the heate by the light and by his brightnesse So if a thing were neuer so farre distant if wee haue senses to perceiue the same it is present to vs. Then the distance of place makes not a thing absent from thee if thou hast senses to perceiueit likewise the neerenesse of place makes not a thing present be it neuer so neere if thou hast not senses to perceiue it As for example if the sunne shine vpon thine eyes if thou bee blinde it is not present to thee because thou canst not perceiue it A sweete tune will neuer be present to a deafe eare though it be sung in the eare of that man because hee hath not a sense to perceiue it And a well told tale will neuer bee present to a foole because hee cannot vnderstand it nor hath no iudgement to perceiue it So it is not the neerenesse nor distance of place that maketh any thing present or absent but only the perceiuing or not perceiuing of it Now the word being made cleere How the bodie of Christ is present aske you how the bodie of Christ is present To giue our iudgement in a word as yee haue heard from time to time hee is present not to the outward senses but to the inward senses which is fayth wrought in the soule For this action of the Sacrament and of the Lords Supper is partly corporall and partly spirituall I call this action partly corporall not in respect onely that the obiects that is That bread and that wine are corporall but also in respect my mouth whereunto these things are offered the instrument whereby and the manner how these things are receiued are all corporal and naturall I call the same action againe partly spirituall not onely in respect of Christ Iesus who is the heauenly and spirituall thing of the Sacrament but also in respect of my soule whereunto Chr. is offered and giuen in respect the instrument whereby and the manner how hee is receiued are all spirituall for I get not Christ corporally but spiritually So in these respect I call this action partly corporall and partly spirituall Now confounde not these two sorts of actions The corporall and naturall signes with the spirituall thing signified thereby againe confound not the mouth of the bodie with the mouth of the soule Thirdly confound not the outwarde manner of receuing by the hand of the bodie with the spirituall manner of receiuing by the hand of the soule And so it shall bee exceeding cleere to see that each thing shall bee present to the owne instrument that is The bodie of Christ which is the spirituall thing signified shall be present to the spirituall mouth and hand and the bread and wine which are the corporall signes are present to the corporall mouth and hand Then how is any obiect present A corporall obiect is corporally present and an inward obiect is inwardly present Of what nature is the thing signified It is of an heauenly nature Then aske you how is he present He is spiritually and heauenly present to the soule and the mouth of the soule which is faith For it were a preposterous thing to make the thing signified present to thy belly or to the mouth or eye of thy body for if that were so it should not be spiritually present because euery thing is present as it agreeth in it owne nature Is it a bodily thing it is bodily present if it be a heauenly thing it is spiritually present So I thinke no man can doubt how the bodie of Christ is present hee is not carnally present but spiritually present to my soule and to faith in my soule Thus far concerning the manner of his presence Now the last part of our difference is this The last point in controuersie betwixt vs and the Papists wee haue to consider to whom the words ought to be directed pronounced For we the Papists differ in this last point we say that the words ought to be directed pronounced vnto the people to the faithfull communicants They on the contrary say that the words ought not to be directed nor pronounced to the people but to the elements not to be cleerly pronounced but whispered on the elements So that if they be spoken to the people or spoken openly their charme auailes not Now I say that as this holy action is peruerted by them in all the rest so they peruert it in this point also in speaking that to the dumbe elements which they should speak to the people of God For I shall proue it cleerely by three arguments taken out of the Scriptures that the words ought not to be spoken to the bread but to the people of God And first I say The promises of mercie and grace ought to be directed and pronounced to them in whom the Lord performs them makes them effectual But so it is That the promises of mercie and grace are performed and made effectuall not in bread and wine but in faythfull men women Therefore these promises should be directed to faythfull men women Now here is the promise of mercy grace This is my bodie which is broken for you and this promise is made to no other thing but to the faithfull and so to them onely it ought to bee directed Secondly wee haue to consider That this Sacrament seales vp a couenant of grace and mercie Now with whom will God make his couenant of mercy and grace will hee make a couenant with a peece of bread or any dumbe element There is no man will enter into couenant with his seruant much lesse will enter into couenant with a dumbe element So in respect this Sacrament seales vp a couenant this couenant of necessitie must bee made with a faithfull soule and in no wise with the
peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ saith the Apostle Rom. 5.1 Now then this point commeth in That yee are to proue your selues whether ye be in the faith or not as the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 13.5 Proue your selues vvhether ye are in the faith Examine if your soules be seasoned with this faith for if ye haue not faith in Christ Christ is not in you and if Christ be not in you yee are in an euill state ye are in the estate of the reprobate and damned So euery one ought to looke carefully and see if he haue a beliefe in the bloud of Christ or not whether hee belieue to obtaine mercy by his merits and sanctification by his bloud or not For if thou haue no measure of this faith thou hast no measure of peace with GOD by reason our peace with God is ingendered and groweth dailie more and more by true faith in Christ Novv this faith vvhere it is true where it is liuely and couples the heart vvith GOD as I haue alreadie said it must breake foorth in voord and deede it can by no meanes bee held in but it vvill break forth It must breake out in word in glorifying the God of heauen who hath forgiuen vs our sinnes it must break forth in word by giuing a notable confession of those sinnes wherein vvee haue offended him It must breake out in deed in doing good works to testifie to the world that thing which is within thy hart to testifie to the world that thou who hast this faith art a new man that by thy good example of life and conuersation thou maist edify thy brethren the simple ones of the Church of God and that by thy holie life thou maist drawe sinners to repentance that they seeing thy good light may bee compelled to glorifie GOD in thee Then in the first poynt of triall let vs looke to these three to the hart to the mouth to the hand Take heed that there be a harmonie betwixt these three for if the hart be inwardly coupled with God there is no doubt but the mouth vvill outvvardlie glorifie him and if thy hart and mouth bee renevved and bee one of necessitie thou wilt expresse it in thy conuersation There must bee an agreement betwixt the heart and the hand thy conuersation must bee changed with the heart and be holy honest and godly as the heart is So that if thy conuersation be good it is a sure token that thou art at one with God but if thy conuersatiō bee not good speake what thou wilt thy heart is but defiled this true and liuelie faith hath no place in it Then wouldest thou know when thou art at one with God When thy conuersation thy heart and thy mouth say all one thing then without question thou hast the worke of fayth wrought by the holy spirit in thy heart which maketh thee to bee at peace with God This is the first poynt wherein yee should trie your selues The next point is loue yee must trie whether ye be in loue and charitie with your neighbours or not for as thou art not coupled with God but by the hand of faith so thou art not coupled with thy neighbour nor ioyned with any member of Christ in this world but by the hand of loue amitie and charitie Take away loue thou art not a member of this bodie for loue is the maister sinnowe and couples all these members of Christs bodie together and makes them to growe vp in a spiritual and mysticall vnitie loue is the onely marke whereby the children of Christ and members of Christs bodie are knowen from the rest of the world loue is that holy oyle that refresheth our soules makes vs like vnto God and the more we growe in loue the more God by his spirit dwelleth in vs for God is loue So that except in some measure loue towards thy neighbour dwel in thy heart thou canst haue no societie with thy neighbour and far lesse with God If the manners of men were examined by this rule wee should finde a multitude of godlesse people in this countrie who haue their hearts raging with malice one against another and where the diuell and the malicious spirite dwell there is no place for the holy spirit And although the Lord hath gone about by all meanes possible early and late to instruct them and to infuse into them this pretious loue and amitie towards God their neighbour and so to alter their conditions Yet they will not suffer themselues to be wakened vntil the great vengeance and malediction of God fal vpon them This loue this honest and godly conuersation floweth alwaies from the roote of fayth So that if thy heart haue faith in any measure be it neuer so little in that same measure thou must haue loue towards thy neighbour this loue is neuer idle but is vttering it selfe in one effect or other And in respect that faith is the ground whereupon all the rest dependes and in respect that this fayth is such a Iewell as without the which it is not possible for any of you to please God without which all your deedes are abhomination before him without the which you are in the greatest miserie w th miserie is so much the more terrible in that you are ignorant of it Is it not good reason that ye know and vnderstand how this faith is first wroght thē nourisht in your souls by the holy spirit that seeing how it is created the māner how it is brought about ye may examine your cōsciences see whether ye be in the faith or not My purpose was to haue insisted longer on this matter then this time will suffer Now therefore as time wil permit and GOD shall giue grace I will let you vnderstand how the H. spirit imployes his trauaile in the heart minde of man what paines the holy Ghost taketh in creating and forming this Iewell of fayth in your soules Yet before I enter this work to let you see the trauailes of the spirit of God in working of this fayth in your hearts It is necessarie and more then necessarie that yee vnderstand first your owne miserie and infirmitie and that yee knowe how the Lord was induced to recouer you out of your old estate and to recreate you who were lost by the fall of your father Adam Then to consider of this matter more deepely I offer to your remembrances this ground That man vniuersally and euery one particularly being corrupted being lost and that by our first fathers fall for if there were no more but that same first faulte and sinne of his wee are all of vs iustly condemned to a double death both of bodie and soule for euer Man thus vniuersally and particularly being vtterly lost without any hope at all of recouery left in his soule without any sense of the recouery of that fromer estate or repairing of that Image which hee had lost through sinne long
turne to God so conioyne thee with God make all thine actions well pleassing vnto him There is no good actiō that we do though it seeme neuer so good before the world but it is abhomination before God if it be not done in fayth and will forward our condemnation hauing fayth all the creatures of god are seruiceable vnto vs they must all conspire to the furtherance of the worke of our saluation As on the contrarie wanting fayth there is none of the creatures of God but shall bee enemies vnto vs and conspire to our damnation For fayth conioynes vs with the God of heauen and makes vs heauenly This Iewell of faith seasons all the gifts graces which God giueth vnto vs All the riches of the earth is of no value to my soule without fayth And what auailes it any man to haue all the knowledge and wisdome in the earth without fayth For the diuell hath all this knowledge and is not the better What auailes it me to conquer all the Monarches kingdomes and whole riches in the earth what can all these auaile my soule Nothing but accuse mee if I want fayth Therefore all the benefits and gifts of God without faith auail nothing but to augment our misery All the gifts and graces of God are abused without fayth Fayth onely makes thee to vse the benefits and graces of God rightly Fayth onely should bee sought kept and intertained heere in this life hauing fayth all the rest of Gods graces are profitable vnto thee for this Iewell keeps them al in order makes them al fruitful whereas wanting this iewel there is nothing here on earth but it wil testifie against thee Let vs then speak of this faith how it is wroght in you I take my groūd out of the Euangelist Iohn How faith is created in our soules 6.44 where our Sauiour saith No man canne come to me except the Father which hath sent mee drawe him In the which words we see cleerely that except wee bee drawen except wee bee compelled except we be thrust except of vnwilling wee bee made willing by God the father it is not possible for vs to come to his sonne What is the reason of this that the spirit of God must drawe vs and make vs willing or euer wee come to God Because by nature wee are not only wounded and launced by sinne and iniquitie but as the Apostle sheweth Ephes 2.1 wee were wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes yea obserue how voide any dead bodie is of a naturall life so voide are our soules though they be liuing the naturall life so voide are they of the life of God of that heauenly and spirituall life whereunto wee in this life doe aspire vntill such time that the spirit of God draw our harts and mindes that is quicken our harts and mindes No it is not a drawing as wee commonly speake it is a very quickning of a dead thing It is a quickning of that thing which was voide of the life of the spirit Then except the spirit of God drawe vs that is quicken vs with that spirituall and heauenly life it is not possible for vs to come to heauen And except hee nourish this life which hee hath begunne it is not possible that wee canne stand in this life So the spirit of God is said to drawe vs that is to beginne this life in vs and by the same holy spirit to continue and nourish this life in vs. Now by the drawing of the spirit our soules are quickned and by the drawing of the spirit I vnderstand no other thing but the framing and creating of fayth in our soules which makes vs new creatures Now let vs see what order the spirit of GOD keepeth in drawing vs and informing and creating this faith in our soules First of all I diuide the soule into no more parts then commonly it vseth to bee diuided that is into the heart and the minde Our minde then being a cloud of darknesse altogether blinde naturally there being nothing in that minde of ours but vanitie error and ignorance whereby wee vanish away and can neuer long continue in any good resolution or purpose What doth the spirit of God The first worke that euer the spirit of God doth he taketh order with the minde and what doth hee to the minde he banisheth darknesse he chasethout vanitie and blindnes that naturally lurketh in the mind and insteed of this darknes he placeth in the minde a light a celestiall and a heauenly light a light which is resident in Christ Iesus only Then the spirit chaseth out that cloude of miste darknes and placeth light in the minde And what worketh he by this light We getting this inward and heauenly light in the minde a sanctified vnderstanding incontinent hee makes vs to see God not only as he is God the creator of the world but also as hee is God the redeemer and hath redeemed vs in his son Christ Iesus Now before I obtaine this light what is my heart mind doing There is not one of you but haue experience as I my selfe haue in what estate the heart and minde is before that this light enter The minde lieth drowned in blindnesse and the heart is hardned and they both conspire together in vice to sette vp an Idoll in stead of God a domesticall and inuisible Idoll what sort of Idoll is that No doubt some worldly or fleshly affection or other this is sette vp in the throne of thy heart and on this Idoll thou bestowest the seruice of thy whole heart of thy whole minde of thy whole soule and bodie So that the seruice both of the soule and bodie which should be bestowed vpon God only is imployed vpon that Idoll which is set vp in thy heart that is in the place of God in the steed of the most high God And thou art more addicted to the seruice of that Idoll then euer thou wast to the seruice of the liuing God yea vntill such time that this Idoll of ours bee banished and that this blindnes whereby this Idoll is serued be taken away there is not one of you but are seruants to one lust or other thy soule that should bee consecrated to the seruice of the liuing GOD is imployed vpon one affection or other vpon some worldly or fleshly lust of thine owne But from the time that the Lord beginneth to scatter the cloudes of our naturall mindes and vnderstandings and beginneth to chase away this thicke mist of the darke soule and placeth therein some sparke of heauenly light which floweth out of Chr. and whereas we were children of the night and darknesse before hee makes vs to be light in the Lord and to be children of the light and of the day Then we see that all the things in the world besides the liuing God are vanities deceiueable allurements vnconstant shadowes fleeting and flowing without any abiding and and then wee see that our hearts
euer God had Mark the speech of the Apostle Wee are alwaies in doubt saith hee but wee despaire not So doubting and faith may lodge in one soule And from whence floweth this doubting VVee knowe that in the regenerate man there is a remnant corruption for we haue not our heauen in this earth though wee beginne our heauen heere yet we get it not fully heere And if all corruption vvere avvay vvhat should there vvant of a full heauen heere So it is onely begunne in this life and not perfected therefore there remaines in the soule a great corruption which is neuer idle but continually occupied This corruption is euer bringing foorth the birth of finne more or lesse euery sinne hurts the conscience a hurt conscience impaireth the perswasion and so comes in the doubting For there is not a sinne that we commit but it banisheth light and casteth a myst ouer the eye of our faith whereby wee doubt and stagger in our sight and were it not that the Lord in his mercy taketh vs vp giueth vs the gift of repentance and maketh vs euery day as oft as wee sinne to cry as oft for mercy and so to repaire the losse that wee haue of faith to repayre the losse that vvee haue of the feeling of mercie we would wholly put out that same light But it pleaseth the Lord though wee be euery day sinning to giue vs the gift of repentance and by repentance to repaire our faith to repaire the sense and feeling of mercie in vs and to put vs in that same state of perswasion wherein wee were before Therefore if GOD beginne not continue not and end not with mercie in that very moment that hee abstracts his mercy from vs wee will decay So wee must be diligent in calling for mercy wee must be instant continually in seeking to haue a feeling of mercie Thus much for the doubting Novv howsoeuer it be sure and certaine A doubting and weake faith is faith shal neuer decay that the faith of the best children of GOD is often subiect to doubting yet it is as sure and certaine that it is neuer wholly extinct albeit it were neuer so vveake yet it shall neuer vtterlie decay and perish out of the hart wherein it once maketh residence This comfort consolation the Spirit of God hath sette downe in his vvord to support the troubled hart That hovvsoeuer faith be weake yet a weake faith is faith and where that faith is there will euer be mercie Yee haue in Romans 11.29 that The gifts and calling of GOD are vvithout repentance But among all his gifts that are of this sort faith is one of the chiefest therefore it cannot be reuoked againe Yee haue in Iude 3. That faith vvas once giuen vnto the Saints Once giuen that is constantly giuen neuer to be changed nor vtterly taken from them The Lord will not repent him of this gift but the soule which he hath loued once he will loue perpetually It is true and certaine that the sparkles of faith which are kindled in the hart by the Spirit of GOD may be obscured smothered for a long time they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption and with our own ill deedes and wickednes into which we daily fall It is true that the effects of a liuely faith will be interrupted and that thy lusts and affections will preuaile for a long time so that when thou lookest on thy selfe vpon the Iudgements of God that hang ouer thy soule and body and when thou lookest vpon thy dissolute life and on the anger of God against this dissolute life In the minde in the hart and conscience of him that hath so smothered and oppressed his faith it will oft times come to passe in his owne iudgement hauing his eyes fixed on himselfe onely that hee vvill thinke himselfe to be a reprobate to be an out-cast and neuer able to recouer mercy Where this corruption bursteth forth in this grosse maner after that the Lord hath called thee looke how soone the Lord beginneth to vvaken thee againe incontinent thou fixest thine eyes vpon thine owne life and entrest into a deepe consideration as well of the weight of thy sinne as of the weight of the wrath of GOD which thou seest following thereupon and art loath to remit these cogitations to thinke vpon the deepenesse of the mercie of God Resting on these considerations it cannot but come to passe that in thine owne iudgement thou art an out-cast And yet GOD forbidde it were so for though these sparks of the Spirit be couered by the corruption that is vvithin thy soule yet these sparkles are not wholly put out And to let you see that they are not extinguished The sparkles of faith though they be smothered they are not wholly put out nor are idle though they break not forth in the outward effects that the world may knowe thee to be a faithfull man as heeretofore yet these sparkles are not idle and thou shall finde them not to be idle in thee As for confirmation of my Argument that howsoeuer our bodies are let loose to all dissolution after our effectuall calling within vs in our soules that yet the sparkles are not idle ye see that though the fire be couered with the ashes yet it is a fire there is no man will say that the fire is put out though it be couered No more is faith put out of the soule though it be so couered that it neither giue heat â—or light outwardly An example of this we haue cleerely in the Prophet Dauid after his lamentation in that Psalme of Repentance Psalme 51.11 hee prayeth to GOD in these words Cast me not away from thy presence And what addeth he And take not thy holy Spirit from mee Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther No for he would not haue said then Take it not from mee But Restore it to mee It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following Restore mee to the ioy of thy saluation Not that hee wanted the spirit wholly but that the spirit lacked force in him and needed strengthening and fortification it would be stirred vp that the flame of it might appear Therfore I say in that Dauid speaketh so plainely after his adultery and murther Take not that Spirit from mee it is a certaine argument that the faithfull haue neuer the spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions The second point is this How proue I that these sparkles are not idle though the outward effects be interrupted As Dauid felt this in his conscience so euery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences The Spirit of God in mans hart can not be idle but these sparkles during the time that the body is let loose to all dissolutions these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution are finding fault vvith thy manners these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie
presently your selues yet when yee visite them that are troubled in conscience let these things be proposed to them as cōforts and vse them as medicines most meet to apply to the griefe of the inward conscience so ye shal reape fruit of this doctrine and possesse your soules in a good estate Thus farre for the first poynt vvherein euery one of you ought to try and examine your ovvne consciences The second point is this Of loue which is the secōd point of our triall Try vvhether yee haue loue towards your neighbour or not For as we are coupled with God by faith so by the band of loue we are coupled with our neighbour and if yee want loue yee can haue no societie with your neighbour for loue is the chiefe principall branch that springs from the root of faith Loue is that celestiall glew that conioynes all the faithfull members in the vnity of a mysticall body And seeing that religion was instituted of God to serue as a path-way to conuey vs to our chiefe felicity and happy we cannot be except wee be like vnto our GOD like vnto him we can not be except we haue loue For as it is 1. Iohn 4.8 GOD is loue So seeing God is loue it selfe who-soeuer will resemble him must be indued vvith the oyle of loue This onely one argument testifieth to vs that this loue is a principall head vvhereunto all things that are commaunded in religion ought to be referred To spend long time in the praise of loue I hold it not necessarie seeing the holy Scripture resounds in blasing the commendations of it but that we speak not of any thing ambiguous I will let you see how this word is considered taken in the Scriptures How the word loue is taken in the Scriptures Loue is considered either as a spring or fountaine from whence the rest proceedes that is for the loue whereby we loue God And as loue commeth first from God and is poured by his holy Spirit into our harts So it first redownds vpward and strikes backe vpon himselfe for the loue of GOD must euer goe before the loue of the creature Next we take this word for that loue whereby wee loue Gods creatures our neighbours and especially them that are of the family of faith And thirdly It is taken for the deeds of the second Table which flowe from this loue Now when I speake of loue I speake of it as in the second signification to wit as it is taken for the loue of our neighbour The definitiō of loue And taking it so I call loue The gift of God poured into the harts of men and women by the which gift we first loue God in Christ our Sauiour and next in God for Gods cause we loue all his creatures but chiefly our bretheren that are of the family of faith the children of one common father with vs. Wee will examine this definition I say Of our loue toward God first the loue of God as it commeth frō GOD it returneth to God as it comes downe from him so it strikes vpward to him againe And is it not good reason And why Let thy hart fix thy loue as long as thou wilt vpon the creatures thou shalt neuer be satiate nor thy affection shall neuer be content except thou lay hold on God but if once thou loue God in thy hart and cast thy affections vpon him once takest hold on him the longer thou louest him the greater satietie and contentment shalt thou haue thou shalt not thirst for any other For as to the creatures there is neuer a creature that God hath created but it is stamped with his owne stamp euery creature beareth his Image and looking to the Image of God in the creature should it not draw thee to him that thou fix not thy hart vpon the creature for his owne Image in his creature should lead thee to himselfe And therefore the more that thou knowest the creatures and the greater varietie of knowledge that thou hast of them the more shold euery particular knowledge of them draw thee to God the more shouldest thou wonder at thy God and knowe thy duty towards him And seeing that delight flovveth from knowledge euery knowledge hath his owne delight as the variety of knowledge that ariseth from the creatures should make the minde to mount vp to the knowledge of God so the variety of delights that arise vpon the diuersitie of this knowledge should moue the hart vpward to the loue of God and the hart getting hold of God and beeing seised with the loue of God and the minde being occupied with the true knowledge of God so soone as hart and mind is full of God the hart is quiet and the minde is satisfied So that the more this knowledge groweth in thy minde the greater contentment thou hast and the more the loue of God groweth in thy hart the greater ioy reioycing hast thou in thy soule And why In God ye haue not only all the creatures but ye haue himselfe besides the creatures and therefore in God ye haue all the knowledge and delight that can arise of the creatures and beside the creatures yee haue God himselfe vvho is the Creator And so I say The mind of man can neuer quiet it selfe in the knowledge nor the hart can neuer settle it selfe in the loue of naked creatures in respect they are flowing vanity as Salomon calls them But in the infinite God rightly known and earnestly loued the mind shal finde a ful rest and the hart shall haue a perfect ioy For our affection is so insatiable that no finite thing thing will satisfie it nor there can be no solide settling vpon the thing that is transitory So the loue ought to moūt vpward first to God in whose face the hart shal find full and perfect ioy The second Argument that I vse is this Seeing there is onely one precept left by our Master in recommendation to be obserued by vs namely Of loue towards our neighbour That euery one of vs should loue another therefore our wise Master vnderstanding wel that where loue vvas there needed no more lawes that the life of man by loue onely behooued to be most happy left onely the same in chiefe recommendation and takes vp the whole Law Gospel in one word Loue. And if the hart of man were indued with loue his life might be most happy and blessed for there is nothing maketh this life happy but the resemblance and likelihood that we haue with God The neerer we drawe to God the more blessed is our life for there cannot be so happy a life as the life of God In the first Epist of Iohn 4.8 God is loue therefore the more we are in loue the more neer we are to that happy life for we are in God partakers of the life of God When I speake this yee must not thinke that loue in God and loue in vs is one thing for loue is but a quality in vs and it is not a quality in God There is nothing in God but that which is God so loue in God is his owne essence therfore the more that ye grow in loue the neerer ye draw to God to that happy blessed life For there is nothing more profitable more agreeable and cōuenient vnto nature then to loue and aboue all things to loue God And therefore it is that God his Angels are most happy blessed because they loue all things desire euer to do good On the other side there is nothing more vnhappy nothing more noysome more hurtfull and that eates vp nature more then to burn with enuy and hatred and therfore it is that the diuells are most miserable who torment themselues vvith continuall malice and hatred burning with a vehement appetite to be noysom to all creatures So as the life of the diuel is most vnhappy because he is full of enuy malice so our life wil be most happy if we be full of loue I will no further speake of loue Onely if yee haue loue mark the effects of it set down 1. Cor. 13.4.5.6.7 verses which effects if ye haue not in some measure yee haue not true loue I end heer Conclusion with an exhortatiō Ye see in what points euery one of you ought to be prepared Yee must be indued with this loue ye must be indued with faith if ye haue these in any small measure goe boldly to the hearing of the vvord to the receiuing of the Sacraments This is the preparation that we allow of I grant the Papists haue a preparation farre differing from this and therfore they can haue no warrant from the word of God Last of all seeing that we are commanded to try our selues He that lacketh knowledge cannot try himselfe A mad man cannot try himselfe A child cannot try himselfe therfore they ought not to come to the Lords Table All these things being considered aright he that hath faith loue in any kinde of measure let him come to the Table of the Lord And all these things serue as wel for the hearing of the vvord fruitfully as for the receiuing of the Sacrament Therefore the Lord of his mercy illuminate your mindes and work some measure of faith and loue in your harts that yee may be partakers of that heauenly life offered in the vvord and Sacraments that yee may beginne your heauen heere and obtaine the full fruition of the life to come and that in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holie Ghost be all honour praise and glory both now and for euer Amen FINIS