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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45132	An humble vindication of a free admission unto the Lords-Supper published for the ease, support, and satisfaction of tender consciences (otherwise remediles) in our mixt congregations / as it was delivered at two sermons upon the occasion of this solemnity in the weekely labours of John Humfrey.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1651 (1651)	Wing H3681; ESTC R28938	33,828	97

and Administration of the Sacraments now unlesse Men will be so bold to divest our mixt Congregations and so consequently all England formerly of the name of the visible Church they cannot take from us one of its essentiall notes in the free use of this Ordinance This Reason may have invincible support from Christs owne doctrine and example First His doctrine in those parables of the little and great fishes in one net The good and bad called to one feast as before The Chaffe and Wheat in one Barne Especially the Tares and Corne in one field Mat. 13. The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to that Field and the Field sayes Christ is the World that is the Kingdom of Heaven in the World or the visible Church cleerly in its Ordinances consisting of two sorts of professors the Hypocrite and the true beleever which must grow together without separation even when the Servants discerning the Tares come and tell their Lord of them untill the day of Iudgment now who dare go to anticipate that day and enter upon the Throne of Christ Lord is it thy mind we should make the separation between these Tares and Wheat at one of thine Ordinances I can never beleeve then thou wouldest have left this parable so undoubtedly set forth in the Gospell Secondly His example not only in the frequent converse with Publicans and Sinners but even in this very thing we find him at the Passeover and his owne Supper with Iudas The three first Evangelists bring him in expresse with the rest at Table and as for John who wrote after the other the truth is which many doe not or will not know he finding this Supper fully set forth by them already as in other things he says nothing of it St Luke is most evident 22. v. 21. where we read after the delivery Christ says Yet behold the hand ☜ of him that betrayeth me is at the Table Yet as if he should say Alas though this Iudas partakes with us in this very Supper yet will he go and betray me So that at the same time when he openly declares what a reprobate or Devill he was that this may not be poorly shifted off with his being a close hypocrite he not only washt his feet with the rest at a Supper a little before which Iohn only mentions but here communicates with him both of the Passeover and of this Supper The evidence of which fact has ever appeared so fully to the Church that this alone has been ground sufficient to deduce their right of free admission and what need more indeed be urged but that men when they are willing not to see will let any hand put over their eyes be enough to blind them My third Reason I take from the nature of Christian Communion and Church-fellowship which ought to be in Charity in humility without judgeing every one esteeming others better than themselves with the like in many places especially in the Minister who is to be gentle to all suffering the evill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to win them by this free way to Repentance 2 Tim. 2.24 25. And how impossible is this if we must go to censuring of mens worthiness unworthiness preferring our selves rejecting others the ready way to nothing but heart-burnings and divisions as we have too sad experience already in most Congregations To Give weight to this remember three passages of our Saviours First That of the Pharisee and Publican Luke 18. I need not relate it only I beseech you lay it to heart whether there be not something at least 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 5.22 of the Pharisees I thank God I am not like this Publican in the turning away poor sinners from this Ordinance There is a proud Pharisaisme I will not accuse any of this the very latchets of whose holy desires erring after a likenesse here to the Church in Heaven I may not be worthy and there is a strict Pharisaisme as the Iews that were so rigid in their Sabbath Christ was faine to rebuke and moderate them in it Of such a rigidnesse ☜ as this I cannot but most sorrowfully complayne in those that will not allow a free Communion O my Saviour rebuke the humour of these times that is amisse and moderate the zeale of all such men lest by their placing a peculiar and superstitious holinesse on this Ordinance they quite invert the charitable use of it and withhold the legacy thou hast left thy people Secondly That passage in Luke 6. When they murmured at him for eating with sinners The whole sayes he need not the Physitian but the sick I come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance O sweet Iesus did'st thou alive offer thy self and company to the veryest Publicans and never castedst out any that came to thee and shall we take stomach that thou art now thus offered at this Sacrament The third place is in Jo. 8. When some severe Iews had brought a woman taken in Adultery accusing her by the law of Moses that she should be stoned Iesus said unto them Let him that is without sin himself cast the first stone at her My Brethren so say I let a man examine his own heart and if he does not find himself conscious of the same corruptions let him have a censure to cast out others for my part I must professe the serious acknowledgment of mine owne vilenesse makes me afraid at heart to turne away others but I have learnt with Christ Heb. 5.2 to pity them as a fellow sinner by my owne infirmity ☞ My fourth Reason will arise from the vanity formality impossibility of selecting people to this Ordinance Look up but to the heart of all these separations they come to nothing For put the case you will have a gathered company I pray who do you account indeed to be fit and worthy receivers If not all that make profession as we do mixtly then those only that have an interest in Christ and are true believers Well but how will you be able to know them The heart of man is deceitfull above all things who can know it And if we can hardly discover our owne hearts how shall we ever discerne others So that all will come but to those that have the fayrest shew those that seeme such and you cannot be secured but there may and will be some hypocrites and so this true partaking as all one body and one blood in such an unmixt Communion as you pretend vanishes and there can be no such matter But now if men stand here upon a formall purity and will have the outward purest Church they can they go to separating againe and never leave separating and separating as we have dayly Testimony till they are quite separated one from another Even as in the peeling of an Onion where you may peele and peele till you have brought all to nothing unlesse to a few tears perchance with which the eyes of good men must needs runne

An humble VINDICATION Of a Free ADMISSION Unto the Lords-Supper PUBLISHED For the ease support and satisfaction of tender Consciences otherwise remediles in our mixt CONGREGATIONS As it was delivered at two Sermons upon the occasion of this solemnity in the weekely labours of Iohn Humfrey Master of Arts and Minister of Froome in Somersetshire newly revised by the Author A Priest is taken from among men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God who can reasonably bear with the ignorant and them that are out of the way for that himself also is compassed with infirmity Heb. 5.1 2. Printed for E. Blackmore at the Angell in Pauls Church-yard 1651. To the Reader Courteous Reader HAving by good providence had some gleanings of this ensuing discourse as it was delivered by the worthy Author in his own Congregation and conferring my notes with a honoured Christian I found such support and contentment to my own conscience in the sympathy of his approbation that made me very importunate to have them perfected and having at length obtained a compleat copy I could not but humbly thinke it an engagement much conducing to the glory of God to get this precious light left under a bushell in a private auditory to be set up publikely in the candlestick of the Church that the spirits of many others might be thereby disclouded from the like scruples that most sadly hinder the blessed enjoyment of this Ordinance of Christ The worke needs not the commendation of another having in it some exquisite●●tions and self-excellency enough to commend it and its compiler and although it must expect severall censures which is the common fate of the best works according to the variety of mens humours in these times yet I am perswaded by experience to an impartiall and disengaged judgement perusing it with a single eye it will afford aboundant comfort and satisfaction it being weighty spirituall and ingenious and a piece wherein if I may use the word of one more learnedly able to judge of it Mr. Humfrey has comprized the most materiall things that can be said in this business as rationally and concisely as any beside him As it has pleased God therefore pious Reader to make me instrumentall that ever this came to thy sight let me beseech these two reasonable requests of thee First That thou wilt passe no censure upon the Book or Writer before thou hast read all over weighing the whole parts together and examined them seriously by the unerring rule of the word of God Secondly Having soe done that thou wilt not suffer thy selfe to be swayed from judgeing according to the truth by any earthly respect whatsoever and then I doubt not but the Lord will suitably poure thee out a double blessing in the reading of establishment for thy judgement of peace for thy conscience which is the onely end of publishing this worke and hearty prayer of the occasioner of it I. C. An humble VINDICATION Of a Free ADMISSION Unto the Lords-Supper Marke 14.23 And they all Dranke of it I Have spoken of the Institution Nature and Ends of the Sacrament I come now to the Receivers And they all dranke of it In the 13. verse of the Chapter we find the twelve with Christ They were his whole Congregation in the 18th v. They were all sate at the Table as they did eat in the 22. Jesus took bread and gave it them and so likewise the Cup v. 23 Saying Drinke ye all of it Mat. 26.27 And they did so saith the Text They all Dranke of it all the twelve without exception from whence I gather a free Admission to this Ordinance My Brethren this is a poynt we know troubles many and I do humbly acknowledge my self the weakest of a thousand to satisfie the difficulties of others yet whereas the apprehensions many times of a playn honest meaning Christian in its pure naturalls I meane unconfounded with the judgments of others may suite better with common understandings than a more learned and elaborate disquisition I shall Sincerely lay you downe my very heart and thoughts in this thing being ready to lye down at the feet of any truly Godly Soule that either out of tenderness of Conscience or strength of Reason dare not or will not submit unto my judgement and practice in it For the managing the poynt I shall breifly lay down my meaning or state of the question give my Proofs Reasons and Answer Objections For my meaning it is honest and very plaine without reservation The Lord Jesus has a Church in the World wherein there is a visible profession of his name In this Church God has set up his Ordinances of the Word and Sacrament Of these Ordinances some are capable and some uncapable Those that are uncapable are so either by Nature as Infants and Distracted persons or by the Churches censure of Excommunication and no others For those that are capable we must rightly consider this capacity in regard of the Church or Minister in Admission of them to the Ordinance or in regard of the Communicants themselves in coming thither Now I dare not yet positively say for the peoples part that all are so capable that they may come as they list though it be a duty none is excused from because there is a solemne preparation required and many cannot seriously find in their hearts to enter or renew their Covenant with Christ whereof this is a pledge if it be not misused Yet I am humbly perswaded for the Minister and Churches part who on Gods behalfe is to offer Christ freely and so to tender the Convenant to all that will receive him there is such a universall capacity for all men indefinitely that if any come in as professing themselves ready to enter convenant with Christ desiring so to serve him in the worship of this Ordinance the former only excepted we are to encourage them saying with the Bride Revel 22.17 Whosoever is a Thirst let him come whosoever will let him come and drinke freely of these waters of Life or means of Salvation In a word I do not believe that any unlesse first excommunicated ipso jure or de facto ought to be refused the participation of this Sacrament They all Dranke of it For my proofs look into Ex. 12. we read of the Passover which is the same in signification with the Sacrament v. 3. Speak unto Israel let every man take his Lambe a Lambe for a house v. 47. All the Congregation shall observe it And v. 50. The whole people did so as the Lord commanded them Adde to this 2 Chron. 30.5 They Decreed to proclame through all Israel from Dan to Beersheba that they should come and keep the Passeover to the Lord. Here you see free Admission without exception Indeed in Num. 9.7 we find a legall pollution keeping some back for a month and no longer as it appears in the 11 verse which neverthelesse was dispensable too at the prayer of Hezekiah 2 Ch. 30.18