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A96898
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The Lords table. Whether it is to be spread like a table in an inne for all comers? That it ought not so be done is here maintained.
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Woodward, Ezekias, 1590-1675.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing W3498; Thomason E880_7; ESTC R206596
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63,848
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77
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order of nature Answer this to God see if He will accept of your replie which we may heare anon Wee proceed Secondly They that have no faith are not to be admitted to the Lords Table not onely because they receive nothing there but because they fearefully prophane the Holy things there They have no knowledge of those things none at all and none they looke after their soule is not good it is starke naught as darke Prov. 19. 2. as a Dungeon for what should enlighten it as noysome and loathsome as an open Sepulchre or a vessell wherein is no pleasure Prov. 13. 5. for what should discover this their filthinesse to them that they may appeare such in their owne eyes that doe not beleive Rom 15. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are disobedient rebellious imperswadable ones unreasonable and wicked men that is the Apostles Character of them and he makes cleare proofe of it in these words they have no faith Are 2 Thes 3. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they at the Lords Table they are out of place sure as a swine is when he is in the Parlour absurd men so Erasmus Englisheth it though Beza liketh it not Quod mihi quidem absurdum videtur But our Learned Reinolds liketh it well The Apostle saith he calleth men without Faith Absurd men because it is an unreasonable and sottish thing for a workman to be without his cheifest Instrument and that is universally requisite to every one of his workes a husband-man without a plow or a builder without a rule preacher without a Bible or a Christian without faith are things equally absurd and unreasonable What reason have we to plead for those unreasonable men to be admitted to the Lords Table more than we have for the admitting of swine into our Parlour uncleane ones will make all things like themselves as uncleane too to themselves we meane Thirdly Persons that have no faith are not to be admitted to the Lords Table because they cannot shew the Lords death there 1 Cor. 11. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Scripture Mr. Hâ— hath corrupted afâ—er his maÌ„ner with his glosse It is a grave and a weighty word that we English shew and we would rather leave it to you to unfold to your people whâ—ch may require one houâ—es worke But in a word a worthy receiver that brings faith with him he doth with all thankesgiving and praise shew forth the excellencies of Christ and the Glorious benefits of His bloodshed upon the Crosse the Bounties of His Goodnesse and Beauties of His Holinesse making an ostentation of them unto the world preaching to every one as he can This this is it wherein every true Christian is to glory and he orders his life accordingly The import of that word as we suppose Now they that Come to the Lords Table and have no faith are no more able to shew the Lords death there than a man of Clouts stuffed with Straw is able to gaine the victory in the day of warre Fourthly And to run over these Grave matters he that comes thither and brings no faith with him must needs receive unworthily that is other â—ise than is meete such mysteries should Neh. 27. be received And therefore shall be held as guilty before God as Judas was who betrayed the body of our Saviour or as the Jewes were who so villanously abused Him Binding His hands spitting in His sacred face and crowning Him with thornes and as the Souldiers were who peirced His sides and spilt His blood He shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Fifthly Free admission is not to be given those who cannot examine themselves about their faith that is search digg goe downe into the fouldings of their soules to enquire what their estate is what it is to be out of Christ or what it is to be in Him Infantes furiosos in verbo Dei minime instâ—uctos Bez. they cannot examine themselves about these matters no more than Children can for they are Children in understanding no more than mad men can for these are mad upon their Idol roprobates disallowed of God in a state of reprobation We will commend you to Beza's Annotations or rather those to you which we thought to have been large upon being so full to our purpose Sixthly Why should faithlesse men worse than Infidells because borne and bred in England a land of visions be suffered to come to the Lords Table They cannot discerne the Lords Body they can put no difference between that bread which represents the body of Christ Crucified and Common bread at their owne Tables nor between the wine there Sealeing to a worthy receiver a full discharge from all his sins in the blood of Jesus Christ No difference can he make betwixt this wine and common wine And now being suffered to come to the Lords Table he there drinks downe a Cup of damnation in stead of salvation a cup of cursing in stead of a cup of blessing and seales the Stone upon his graves mouth where he lies rotting in sinne as dead bodyes in their graves He eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not Verse 29. discerning the Lords body 1. As you have received mercy and now would shew mercy unto everlasting soules admit not these faithlesse these unreasoble and wicked ones that cannot shew forth the Lords death cannot examine themselves have no discernining of the Lords body admit them not to the Lords Table They have no faith then they must be full of themselves as a vessell being full and running over they cannot Eate and drinke there any other thing but damnation to themselves This Scripture also Mr H s the patron of fornicators and prophane persons as was Esau fearefully abuseth plucking out as he can the sting of it so as the most bruitelike person may come to the Lords Table and not be stung by it oh prophane man and past shame he and his booke stinketh in the nostrills of the Lord and of his people as the worst excrements of the Dragon doth 2. And now Sir we will spare you the labour if please you in making a reply to this and ours in making Answer thereunto This we heare is ordinarily said They were borne and Baptized in a Church and therefore beleivers we like not to make an Answer to such a foppery why but they say they beleive the same with the former they say it with their tongues what say they with their hands such are their words what are their workes They may say so and Blaspheme in so saying as was hinted more than once Rev. 2. 9. I pray you observe it and let this mocke-faith goe unlesse you will whip it like a vagrant and send it backe to the Devill whence it came We have been speaking of that faith which gives reall union and communion with Jesus Christ and of necessity brings forth good workes as a good tree good fruit he beares upon a
you heard then must they come to yours Could our Voyce be heard all over the Nationall Church all the world over this is it we would say and presse upon the Ministers there You must give your people a meeting time and place for it there to take an account of them what they have profitted And you must not take their bare say so their profession onely they are Beleivers Disciples and Saints beleive them not not their owne word bring their words and lives both to the test or touchstone of the Word for they expect admittance to the Lords Table This must be done first diligent search must be made and evidence given-in how fitt they are and prepared guests for That Table what kinde of faith they have whether it be active or dead They are Cunning enough yet perhaps not enough to deceive you unlesse you are willing to be deceived you can aske them how it was wrought in them and by what meanes in the Spirits hand But still remember them how they and their faith must be tryed And let this come often into your minde what self-seekers and self-pleasers we are and that self-pleasing and self-seeking is the first stone that is laid in the Hypocrite's building Therefore if he be let alone he will flatter himselfe to his death-bed yea to Hell perswading himselfe still that he is an heire of Heaven being borne in England and Baptized there And indeed this will serve the turne to make him a member of a Nationall Church or as you know who said it a Câ—tizen of the world But if he make cleare proofe that he is a member of the True Church you must take some paines with him in point of examination of him in these matters And your hardest worke will be to remove that stone you have helped to lay beareing him up with this conceite that he is a Beleiver Disciple a Saint because borne and baptized in a Church remove but this stone and downe falls the building The hardest worke we beleive you have to doe is to plucke downe what ye have built-up That Castle in the Aire raised-up as high as Heaven by a false hope or presumption rather but now there is a possibility they may be built-up as true Beleivers Disciples and Saints are in whose building the first stone that is laid is self-deniall and flesh-crucifying These are the points you we hope will treate about with them and search them in and doe not be put off which was hinted before with their bare profession you know we may make a bare profession and deny Him in our workes whom we doe professe in words and declare our selves abominable and disobedient and unto every good worke reprobate We can Tit. 1. 16. lye as fast as we can goe it is so naturall to us for ever since we could goe we have gone astray and ever since we could speake Psal 58. â— we have spoken lyes What mighty reason is there and what enforcement unto you from hence to doe this If you will doe your duty give the people a meeting we meane those that you intend to meete at the Lords Table and hope anon to meete them in heaven Give them a meeting that you may try upon Scripture Grounds what alteration is made in them what change They were estranged from the womb they were gone astray out of the way are they yet reclaimed can they shew for it that they are returned have repented unto life and doe beleive in the Lord Jesus Christ Above all put them from their vaine boasts and out of their fooles paradise that they were borne in England and Baptized Indeed it is a glorious outward priviledge to be borne where the Gospell Sunne shineth but if we gaine no inward glory by it we are made twofold thereby more the Children of Hell than the Pagans are which was said before but we are dull of heareing O bid them beware therefore it is for their life which shall last as long as the long day or night of Eternity You remember Cecil Lord Burt Counselled his Son not to build his house upon any impropriation well knowing it would be built upon a sandy foundation Yet it did but endanger a house which built-up never so strong and settle it never so sure though upon a rocke yet as sure as it was builded-up it must fall downe But to build the house of our Confidence and for a Minister to make us bold in it upon this That we are to be accounted Beleivers Disciples and Saints and to be admitted to the Table of the Lord because we were borne in England this is to build upon a quicksand If a fox goe up Neh. 4. which was scornefully spoken of Jerusalems wall it shall even breake downe the wall of this their Confidence It shall not need though yet they shall meet with it a stormy wind to rent it â—zr 14. To put a close to our good Counsell and this second part of our undertaking The Ermine they say is so neate a Creature that if a puddle be on the one side and dogges on the other it will rather run into the dogges mouth there to be devoured than into the puddle so much it hates filthinesse And you know who said it and as they said they did If fire were on the one hand and sin on the other they would rather be consumed than defiled Certainly it is so with the people of God doe you in these matters what you will they will doe as God Commands them they will seperate the precious and the vile And they will advise Counsell and pray you and your brethren while they have an hand to move or a tongue to speake that you would Consider what you doe and what you ought to doe in Gods house as to those sacred administrations there least upon your neglect therein you become the greatest sinners in the World The sinnes of the whole Nation the Church theirs become yours O Consider Qui peccata non corrigit aliena facit sua He that doth not correct or hinder the doeing of a Crime the polluteing of the Lords Table when he can and it is in his hands to doe it he is no lesse guiltie of the Crime than is the offender himselfe There is a person presumes to come in his filthinesse The Minister such as he is consenteth to it saith in effect come and welcome This Consenter is as deeply guiltie as is the presumer you know who said it Why but this Minister is as full of Charity and hope too as Mr Hâ— is hee hopes well of all Yea but whereon doth he ground his hope no other ground but this That person was borne in a Church and baptized there So was the veriest Rebell your selfe have knowne or heard off made longer by the neck or shorter by the head therefore this hope is like the house of a Spider the beesome of destruction will sweepe it away the man dyes and his hope