vertue of his union with Christ himself and communion therefore he comes to eat the very body and drink the very bloud of Christ He comes as a confederate with God to receive the seal or as a Legator to receive a Legacy bequeath'd by Will viz. Christ and remission of sins in Christ for this Cup is the New Covenant or New Testament sealed with Christs bloud He comes as to a festival commemoration where the founder of the feast is remembred with praise and honour Do it in remembrance of me He looks through and beyond the broken bread and wine poured out to a broken body and the shed bloud of Christ He looks at another taking then taking of bread another eating and drinking than of bread and wine viz. the taking to himself and the spiritual and intimate application of Christs body and bloud For he discerns the Lords body and therefore comes as a consecrated person to consecrated elements to broken bread with a broken heart full of affections as the Ordinance is full of mysteries and here is a Communicant suitable to the Ordinance and so Paul who received of the Lord and delivered unto them the institution of Christ hath set to rights both the Ordinance and the Corinthian Communicant CHAP. III. That the Lord Jesus is the Authour of this Sacrament 1 COR. 11. 23. That the Lord Jesus c. I Shall follow the track of the Apostle who goes before me in the two points I am to entreat upon 1. The Nature and Use of this Sacrament 2. The due Preparation of the Communicant Of these in order and with what brevity I can contenting my self to speak in decimo sexto what might be spoken in folio in hope that your proficiency by Mr Anthony Burgess and Mr Love your former most worthy teachers may excuse me the labour of so large a volume The next words I come unto do plainly point out unto us 1. The Author of the institution The Lord Jesus 2. The Time of it The same night in which he was betrayed Doct. 1. The Authour of this Sacrament The Authour of this institution is the Lord Jesus The consent of all the Evangelists that write the History puts this out of all controversie Christ was personally present both celebrating and instituting this Ordinance He is res Sacramenti the thing of the Sacrament and Author Sacramenti the Authour of the Sacrament the feast-maker and the feast Out of this pierced side as Austin alludes there came forth both bloud and water the two Sacraments of the Church He took the bread he blest he brake it he gave it it may well be called the Lords Supper yea the Lord is the Supper This is my body this is my bloud §. 1. First The Lord Jesus is Authour the Mediatour of the new Covenant the Testator of the new Testament appoints the seal of that Covenant and ratifies that Testament with his bloud He is the Lord to whom is committed the Soveraignty and Government of his Church therefore he makes Officers Laws and Ordinances The Lords day and the Lords Supper are particularly in Scripture called by Rev. 1. 10. 1 Cor. 11. his name The Lords The Lords day ex illius resurrectione festivitatem suam habere coepit took its festivity Epist 119. from his Resurrection as Austin The Lords Supper is the memorial of his death so his death and resurrection a Supper and a day to memorize them As he is Lord so his Laws binde whatsoever they be though Abraham be commanded to kill his sonne for the Laws of God have not their obligation from the quality of the Law but from the authority of the Lord the Law-giver As he is Jesus a Saviour so his Laws are benefits and liberties tending to salvation as the Laws of your City are freedoms and your freedoms laws so you obey them â—s Laws enjoy them as freedoms they are our benefit and our duty His invitation is to a Supper it 's the invitation of a Lord it 's the Supper of a Saviour §. 2. Secondly There must be institution of a Sacrament The elements are cyphers till the institution make them figures Institution is as necessary to a Sacrament as superscription is to money for it is created 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of things that did not appear Sacraments are of that rank of things Quae nihil sunt sine institutione saith Chamier they were bread and wine Chamier de Euchar. l. 7. c. 10 indeed before but they were nothing to that relation which Christ put upon them a seal of a thousand a year is made of a peny-worth of wax What was a piece of brasse to the healing of a mortal sting Nothing till God put an use upon it that all that lookt to it being bitten should be healed §. 3. Thirdly There must be a divine institution to make a Sacrament The Legatee doth not seal the will but the Testatour the Granter seals the Deed not the Grantee the Delinquent seals not the pardon but the Keeper of the seal Sola divina institutio facit Sacramentum Montac origin part 1. pag. 73. saith a learned man Take that away and it ceaseth to be a Sacrament The Supream Power only can coyn money in other its capital All the whole Church together cannot make a Sacrament then it should be the Churches Supper not the Lords and it is theirs to eat but not to make Ejus est signa Synopsis de coena §. 7. gratiae addere cujus est gratiamtribuere He may adde the signs of grace that can give the grace There is a four-fold word requisite to a Sacrament 1. A word of institution which appoints the matter and form 2. A word of Sanctification or blessing to set them apart from common use 3. A word of Promise of some good to the Communicant and so we have here a promise of the Lords body and bloud The promises of Sacraments as is well observed by the Centuriators are vestitae Centurâ—mag ceâ—t 1. promissâ—ones cloathed promises He that believes shall be saved is a naked promise He that eats this bread c. shall have Christ as a cloathed promise 4. A word of Command as we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Buckler Prâ—t evidence in Baptism so hoc facite here as a learned man Let the Word be added to the Element and you have a Sacrament Austin §. 4. Fourthly It 's the institution that gives the nature and efficacy to a Sacrament He that mints the money sets the value and price upon it A Sacrament is an outward and visible signe but it is not a natural but a voluntary sign nor yet a bare signe as the picture of Hercules is a signe of Hercules and no more we must not make the Sacraments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 empty names empty figures empty representations that resemble and signifie something and no more as the Sacrament was a crucifix and the Supper painted
passion and sufferings the death and bloudshed of our Lord had not been sutable to him in his lowest estate and darkest eclipse if it should have shined in outward lustre It was Tertullians Observation Nihil obdurat c. nothing Lib. de baptisme so hardens the mindes of men as the simplicity of the works and yet the magnificence of the promise that great and glorious things should be found under so plain a dresse as a rich diamond in a plain case to the end that the eye of faith might be more exercised then the eye of the body and that the spiritual and inward part might be looked after and intended Is not this the Carpenters sonne was a great stumbling block and so may the simplicity of the two Sacraments be to us The Temple Utensils and Service were rich and stately Christ was prefigured in golden Types But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1. 17. But we have a better Covenant and better Promises Heb. 8. 6. And if that which is done away was glorious much more that which remains exceeds in glory 2 Cor. 3. 7 8 9 10 11 c. but that was an outward this an inward glory that was in Moses face this in the face of Christ that the carnal Jew might see this the spiritual Christian seeth We saw his glory Joh. 1. 14. or rather there the glory was veiled But we with open face behold the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 13 18. The glory of their Ordinance was a stumbling block to them for they rested in the cabinet and looked not for the jewels The meannesse of our Ordinances are a stumbling block to us for we look not for the treasure in such earthen vessels God doth great things by poorest meanes Jericho's wals fall at the sound of Rams-horns the fiery sting is healed by a piece of brasse the sight restored to the blinde by the use of spittle and clay The figure in this Sacrament is poor the thing signified heavenly and rich the Seal is mean the inheritance or estate is great but why were the types so rich and our memorials so poor You know Spectacles are for divers sights they had finer Spectacles we better eyes They had lesse spirit stirring in the Ordinances then than we now if their Tree had more shadow we have more fruit §. 2. Secondly Take along with you alwayes the Analogy proportion and similitude between a Sacrament and the thing of a Sacrament between the signe and the thing signified It 's Austin his Rule If Epist 23. alibi a Sacrament should not have similitude and resemblance with that whereof it is a Sacrament it should not be a Sacrament and from this similitude or resemblance it is that the signe is called by the name of the thing signified as the bread Christs body the wine is called Christs bloud The Rock was Christ Circumcision called the Covenant The Lamb called the Passeover and in common speech When we look on a Picture we say This is Casar this is Augustus this is Hercules nothing more ordinary In the Sacrament this similitude is a similitude of proportionality saith Bonaventure consisting of four termes You are most of you Arithmeticians and you have a golden Rule called The Rule of Three because three terms being given the fourth is given and this sets forth to you the Analogy of a Sacrament in four termes As water in Baptisme washes the body so the Spirit by his grace or the bloud of Christ cleanseth the soul As the bread and wine nourish and refresh the body so the body and bloud of Christ nourisheth and refresheth the soul As by the hand we take and with our mouth we eat and drink the bread and wine so by faith we receive the body and bloud of Jesus Christ If you destroy the similitude you destroy the Sacrament as the Papists do by their Transubstantiation for they destroy the Analogy Thus the accidents of Bread and Wine or the Species doe not nourish the Body say we Nor the very Body and Bloud of Christ doth not passe into bodily nourishment say they for it was horrible to imagine it therefore there is no resemblance the similitude is destroyed and so the Sacrament §. 3. Thirdly It is a most true most firm and golden Rule That a Sacrament out of the use appointed Chamier de Luchar l. 7. e. 4. §. 11. l. 8. c. 3 Forbes Hist. Theol p. 550. by God hath not the nature of nor is any more a Sacrament It is not a Sacrament extra usum out of the actual use There must not onely be Bread and Wine but Blessing and Taking and Eating and Drinking or else to us there is no Sacrament The Bread and Wine upon the Table are no Sacrament but the eating and drinking of Bread and Wine As in Baptism the water is no Sacrament but the washing with water is The Papists confesse this of every Sacrament and of Baptism but not of the Lords Supper which for Transubstantiation-sake which troubles the whole Scaene they hold to be a perfect Sacrament by consecration whether it be received by the Communicant yea or no and this is the Doctrine of their Schoolmen and Aquin. part 3. Qu. 80. aliis Scholasticis all others of their confession We appeal to the Text Take Eat This is my body It 's so being taken and eaten and not otherwise The remains of Bread and Wine are no Sacrament it is the use which gives the reason and nature of a Sacrament and when and where the use is not the Sacrament is not It 's true in our vulgar speech we call it the Sacrament as on the Table as the beast might be called a Sacrifice before it was slain being destin'd and appointed thereunto 1 Sam. 13. 9 Whitak deâ—â— acram p 621 624 c. as Whitaker saith but it is no Sacrifice till slain and offer'd nor was the Lamb a Passeover but as it was eaten and rosted so a meer stone is a stone wheresoever it be but not a boundary but in the use and an earnest is money but not an earnest except taken upon agreement Bread and Wine are Elements but not a Sacrament till all the Rites and Actions be observed which God hath appointed viz. in the participation and use 1 Cor. 10. 16 17 18. The Cup of blessing and the bread are the Communion of the body and bloud of Christ being partaken and received not else There is some kinde of Argument urged against this Rule from the reservation of the Bread especially and of the Wine which is read of in Antiquity and that was either private reservation when the Communicant carried home the Bread and kept it in his chest for his private use to eat of privately or else it was by the Ministers to give to lapsed Christians in time of extremity or sicknesse that were debarred of publick participation The first is mentioned Cypr. de
§. 4. II. What the faithfull do receive in the right use of this Ordinance What the faithfull do receive in the right use of this Ordinance and this is easily answered For as guests at the Table receive the meat and drink set before them so having seen what God presents to them we shall easily finde what they receive at this Table and that is 1. The faithfull communicant receives Christ himself or his Body and Blood Faith is a receiving of Christ himself we cannot receive the benefits that come by him without receiving of himself as in Marriage the consent is I take thee not I take thine and yet this is consequent upon that our union with Christ is strengthened and more closed and this union with Christ is one of those great mysteries Eph. 5. 32. resembled by man and wise who are one flesh though a thousand miles asunder and as she is under covert and free from arrest of Law for debt so a Beleever by his union with Christ is under coverture and the curse and condemnation of Gods Law cannot touch him or as members knit or branches united to the tree receive influx of life and spirits from the head and root so Beleevers united to Christ by his Spirit receive influences and spirit and life from him by vertue of their union I in them saith Christ Joh. 7. 23 26. The inhabitation of Christ in his people seems to be exprest by their eating and drinking of his Body and Blood spiritually and that inhabitation cannot be without a presence of him such as his inhabitation is such is his presence both reall and yet both spirituall he dwels in our hearts by faith Eph. 3. 17. §. 5. 2. The faithfull communicant receives the confirmation of that Covenant which is his only comfort He takes hold of the Covenant by the Seal of it the Blood of Christ the severall articles whereof as that God will be our God and that in Christ he will forgive us all our sins c. are particularly sealed up for our better evidence and peace and security that we may be inabled to make a personall and particular claim of the benefits and priviledges of it which are called The unsearchable riches of Christ §. 6. And from hence ver 12. the receiving of Christ himself and of the Covenant made in Christ and confirmed in his Blood doth follow that which is usually said to be the benefit of this Sacrament the strengthening refreshing sustentation of the soul by those graces comforts hopes which flow by consequence from Christ or the Covenant so that whatsoever a man may expect for bodily strength or reparation from bread and wine the like he may expect from Christ or the Covenant for his soul life maintained graces quickened deadness enlivened resolutions enabled hope erected faith strengthened lusts subdued which follow by consequence upon our union with Christ and our interest in the Covenant in the sense of which when a Christian walks he is in a good frame and posture of spirit CHAP. X. A four-fold Exhortation from the premises FRom what hath been said upon this point I would possess you with four things §. 1. I. That you hold fast and stick to the true sense and right meaning of these words This is my Body This is the Blood of the New Testament which hath been so perplexed and depraved by superstition and the vanity of humane inventions especially since the rise of the Schoolmen whose itch of Disputation hath bred such a scab that there hath been left no soundness in the place which hath been tortured with such Convulsions Distortions and Absurdities that the sense which to a chast and simple ear is easie and smooth hath been raveld into knots inextricable and this Text of all other hath suffered infinite injuries and been made the stage of impudent fooleries which have brought and buried out of sight the true meaning of them and made our Saviour that used to speak vulgarly and easily to delude the senses amuse the reason nonplus the faith of sober Beleevers And though it be truly said The sense of Scripture is the Scripture and that the right understanding of these words carries you in a right line to the nature use and benefit of this Or inance yet let me say this more to you as English men That the true meaning of them hath been conveyed to you by the blood of your own Martyrs who in Q Mary her daies were most of them put to the test upon the point of Reall presence of Christ in the Sacrament and bare witness against it and I do beleeve that if Popery do ever make another attempt upon you it will play upon you with his battery at this place §. 2 §. 2. Extreams about Christs Reall presence and the middle way held by the Churches of our Profession The Churches of our Confession have warily and justly avoided the extreams on both sides 1. The first extream is that which some did fear in Zuinglius and others at first and yet is unjustly charged upon us by many viz. That the Sacraments are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naked signes empty figures and shadows meerly representing the death of Christ as the Picture of Hercules resembles and represents Hercules which we disclaim and leave it to Socinianizing spirits and other Levellers of Divinity for we are taught that Sacramentall signes are more than meer representing signes being Seals which do confirm and make over unto us the spirituall benefit which they represent and exhibit also they are signs which God commands us to use and in their right use he conferres upon us the benefit as the Seal passes a Right to the Estate promised and conveyed as the Apostle saith Rom. 4. 11. He received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith and 1 Cor. 10. 16. The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ not representation only but communion or participation also for the picture of a loaf of bread feeds not the hungry nor doth the Ivy-bush refresh the weary and therefore there is not only a representation of the body of Christ broken by the breaking of the bread but Take and eat and drink which denotes participation of the body and blood of Christ 2. The other extream is twofold 1. That the very body and blood of Christ is as it were moulded up with the bread and wine or hidden under them which is the sense of the Consubstantiatists or Lutheran Churches and this though it be too gross an opinion yet is not liable to so many monsters and incompresensible absurdities as the other which is 2. That the bread and wine cease to be and are evoided being turned or change the substance of them into the very substance of the flesh and blood of Christ which is hidden under the species or outward accidents
yet it 's said Till he come as if he were not personally there at present The Scripture sayes nothing of Christs corporal invisible presence on earth takes notice of a first coming and a second but no more and yet lastly What shall we say to those that are called Seekers and to the Sans-Ordinance men and the Supra ordinance men that will be without and are above Ordinances I say no more then this Christ is not yet come the second time and as it was his first coming that set them up So it is his second only that shall take them down Let not pride infatuate you for as it is a miserable case when the best plea or excuse for a man is to say he was drunk he was mad so it is but a sorry excuse for blasphemy to say It is his conscience let the Ordinances of Christ have his own date viz. till he come §. 5. Doct. 5 The fifth point might be taken up from those words This Bread and this Cup where we finde it called Bread still after Consecration in confutation of Popish Transubstantiation and both Bread and Cup allowed to the Communicants a shame to Popish Sacriledge that hath robb'd the Sacrament of one of them but enough was said of both these before when I handled the words of Institution CHAP. XVII Of worthy and unworthy Receiving of the Lords Supper 1 COR. 11. 27. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. THis verse hath a mark in it's fore-head the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore whereby at first sight it looks like an inference or collection from that which went before where the Apostle having laid down the Institution of this Sacrament in the use thereof gathers from thence That whosoever eats this bread c. unworthily he shall be guilty of the body and bloud of Christ §. 1. The sinne of receiving unworthily is largely insisted on in the following part of this Chapter where the aggravation of this sinne is shown by the special guilt that attends it and that is a guiltinesse of the Lords body by the particular cause of this guiltinesse Not discerning the Lords body by the judgement that follows upon it damnation or punishment by the way of prevention of the sinne the guilt and judgement and that is self-examination and self-judging self-examination for the prevention of the sin self-judging for prevention of the punishment inflicted by God So that for a particular sinne properly incident to the abuse or miscarriage of men in this Ordinance there is very much said to shew the nature and danger of it because the distempers reigning amongst the Corinthians did herein shew themselves which the Apostle studies to discover and to heal and we by so ill an occasion gain such â— piece of Doctrine as is not so fully delivered on thâ—â— subject in any other place of Scripture for the better guidance and steerage to stand off from those rocks which the Corinthians fell foul upon §. 2. I must first explain the words Worthily and unworthily He that knows one knows both as he that knows a right line knows a crooked The right interpretation of them is the hinge on which hangs the true understanding of all that is to be said hereafter and yet they have been cloudily and confusedly sensed by many that expound by fancy and at random because they do not first set down the right rule of exposition and so are themselves and leave also their hearers in a mist We use to denominate the Communicant worthy or unworthy not at all intending any merit or meritorious condignity for such a worthinesse is the greatest unworthinesse but a meetnesse and congruity of the action to the rule of the action and therefore the Apostle applies worthinesse or unworthinesse to the manner of communicating He that eateth and drinketh unworthily In all Ordinances either preaching prayer Sacraments the eye of God is much upon the manner how they are performed which I might make my first point but that I will not shoot my arrow at so great a compasse Worthiness is relative and refers to the rule of the action which here is the institution the Nature Use and End of this Sacrament for to eat and drink worthily is to do it answerably and suitably to the Ordinance when the Communicant hath and so exercises such graces qualifications and deportment inward and outward as this Sacrament doth require bespeak and call for And the contrary is unworthinesse when the manner of communicating or the Communicant is not suitable or answerable to the Ordinance either because he hath not or exerciseth not the qualifications that the Sacrament requires in a worthy receiver or brings a contrary disposition to it and this interpretation is easie natural and convincing for the Apostle layes down the institution first and then infers what receiving unworthily is as a strait Rule discovers a crooked line by the incompliance of it to the Rule and thus the Scripture which advances not the merit but the meetnesse of actions and persons useth to speak as Ephes 4. 1. Walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthily of your calling Phil. 1. 2◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As becomes the Gospel Rom. 16. 2. Worthy of Saints or as it becomes worthy of the Lord Col. 1. 10. that is as becomes people that are the Lords Worthy of God 1 Thess 2. 1â— in all which places it is required that we walk or live answerable to such condition calling or relation or engagement and so to eat and drink worthily is as 't is meet and answerable as becomes such an Ordinance And if any should object as well they may Why the Apostle doth not first tell us what it is or how we may receive worthily for the abuse is not known but by the right use the privation by the habit the deviation by the rule the crooked line by the straight I answer the Apostle insists upon the unworthy receiving because that was the case before him but he did not forget himself as if he had not shown what it is to receive worthily for though he name not the word but as implied in the word unworthily yet he had enough declared the thing by his laying down the Institution of this Sacrament which is the rule of worthinesse It being nothing else but the answerablenesse of the Communicant to the Ordinance which every man that once knows the Ordinance must also know if he apply the rule and his action together and so I am confident you have the meaning of worthily and unworthily §. 3. After the explication of the words Let us form the point of Doctrine Doct. This Bread and this Cup of the Lord may be received worthily and they may be received unworthily I mean de facto unworthily If any doubt of the collection of this point the very expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whosoever shall eat
of your Lamps that purging out of the old Leaven that blowing up of your Graces into act which is so requisite unto your meeting with your Lord in this Ordinance I know that for the most part those do charge themselves with this sinne of receiving unworthily that have least cause The worthiest Communicants are to their own eye the worst They never acted their graces lively at the Sacrament They never felt the present delights and fatnesse of this Ordinance They have been alwayes incumbred with doubts with fears and distempers and have often gone away with more anguish of spirit than they came and a world of such complaints there are and I confesse it is not ordinary that gracious persons do stand in good opinion with themselves but yet Jacobs going away halting from God was not an argument that he had not prevail'd Sick people may be nourisht and strengthen'd with that meat which they cannot taste or relish in their mouth Grace is more apt to see sinne than it self for the eye doth not see it self and the more it grows in light the more tender in sense In spirituals it is true But I shall speak a Paradox Those diseases we feel and are sick of seldome prove mortal that is when the affections melt with sorrow and not the conscience amazed with horrour though I would not nourish complaints against my self yet I had rather have the sense of Paul Rom. 7. wherein he complains of himself than his confidence when he said I verily thought I ought to do c. and I think a proud confidence both a greater cause and signe of unworthy receiving than humble fear and sense of imperfection for even this is a grace to be exercised at the Lords Table CHAP. XXV Of the Graces which are to be exercised and set on work in the use of this Sacrament §. 1. THe Graces which are to be exercised and set on work in the use of this Sacrament are pointed at and taught us by the Ordinance it self For when the Apostle bids every man to examine himself he should leave us in a wildernesse and wide world for he tels us not of what but that the Ordinance it self is the Rule of this examination and doth bespeak those graces which make us fit to come unto it This is the way that Chemnitius goes whereby to finde what those graces are which inable us to receive the benefit and effect here to be expected And to me it seems an excellent way For hereby the Communicant as I have often said is made suitable to the Ordinance and the examination is kept within its bounds So that if any should quarrel and say You require such things of us as you have no warrant for You lay burdens of your own invention we appeal to the Ordinance it self and require nor more nor lesse than may be deduced from it and demonstrate We know that in all Sacraments there is Analogy or proportion and so in this the elements broken bread and wine pouned forth or the body and bloud of Christ the actions of Taking Eating and Drinking the outward elements doe denote the acts of a Communicants soul receiving and feeding upon Christ and such acts there must be to answer unto the outward actions So as if you tell me of any sensible object it 's easie to shew what sense it belongs unto for if it be light or colour it belongs to the eye if it be any sound it belongs to the ear c. So this Sacrament being survey'd and studied it is not hard to finde what graces are to be set on work accordingly And this Rule that I may not guesse at randome I shall follow in the ensuing Discourse First It 's necessary that the Communicant have knowledge of the Nature Use and End of this Sacrament and that is demonstrate thus Here are outward elements and actions which do signifie some other thing as namely the body and bloud of Christ as himself expounds it offer'd by God unto and to be received by the Communicant and therefore there must be knowledge to discern and understand this mystery that 's hidden under a visible out-side to wit the Sacrifice of Christs body which is represented and the confirmation of the Gospel-Covenant by his bloud for without this knowledge a man comes blinde-fold eats and drinks as a bruit takes the dish for the meat and is no otherwise refresht than a thirsty man would be by eating and sucking a sign-post which doth but signifie that there is wine within It was a childes Question Exod. 12. 26. What mean you by this service And I would our ignorant people would so play the childe for they do but eat the shell and gnaw the bone of the outward service because they know not the meaning of it So the carnall Jew knew not the meaning of the Rites and Types then used nor saw both Law and Gospel in their Sacrifices both which they were full of I confesse the knowledge of this Sacrament draws with it the knowledge of our lost estate as Passeover is not understood without Egypt in sinne and misery For where Christ appears bloudy there sinne must needs appear deadly and those fundamentals and grounds of Christianity which are but the A. B. C. of Religion must be knowne but it is not the knowledge of a Scholar but the knowledge of a Christian which we plead for so much as may serve to look into the entrails of this Sacrament and may lead on the affections to value prize thirst after Jesus Christ whom if we see not we cannot desire or love Visus est prima amor is linea fight is the first line of love nor can we believe in him untill we see John 6. 40. Whosoever see the Sonne and believes in him shall have everlasting life I should not charge a poor Christian with any great rate of knowledge for the quality is more to be regarded than the quantity If he know both sinne and Christ by taste as well as by sight if he have a distinguishing and favoury knowledge of the things of the Spirit and there be as it is in embers a great heat though but little light then is it good though not great I know that Questions demodo in all points of Divinity are hard to answer It 's well if we can answer a Question aere I may know what sinne is and yet not tell how it enters and comes at first into my soul The Apostles took Christ at this time for their Saviour and Lord the true Messiah but how he should execute all the paâ—ts of his Office they did not clearly understand and yet did at and drink with him at his Table §. 3. Secondly This is not all but it is first as light was at the Creation the first creature but all the world was not made when light was He is not wholly fitted that hath knowledge there must be a Christ-receiving or a Christ-taking faith and this is shown
The Cause of this Sinne viz. Not discerning the Lords Body §. 1. 2. THe cause of this sinne of eating unworthily is not discerning the Lords body ver 2â— The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to make difference between one thing and another Act. 15. 9. Heb. 5. 14. and in this place to discern and put a difference between two and those two things as the common streame runs are common bread and wine and this Bread and Cup of the Lord which are imploy'd to another use and end than promiscuous and common bread at your own tables for this is called the Bread of the Lord the Body of Christ in respect of signification and use I finde no fault with this exposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. saith Justin We receive not this Bread as common bread nor this Cup as common wine which hath no other use than to refresh the body I say I finde no fault but why may not Not discerning the Lords Body signifie thus much Not minding the body of Christ signified by the Bread but looking all upon the shell or sign and not the kernel or inward thing which should be regarded with greatest intention Let me not offend in the terms of this distinction §. 2 §. 2. What it is not to discerne the Lords Body speculatively There is a speculative discerning of the Body of Christ and there is a practical The speculative discerning is the notion or knowledge of the signification of the outward elements That the Bread and Wine do represent Christs Body and Bloud That the Bread broken represents his Body broken c. This is an easie piece of knowledge as easie as to know that a picture or figure do represent such a man and there is no great measure of knowledge to construe all parts or rites of the Sacrament into a true meaning In this sense not to discern the Lords body is directly to inhere and stick in the bread and wine as bread and wine and to take the picture for the man It may be there be some such bruitish ignorants that discorn not the meat from the dish nor the marrow from the bone such as these are are fit to be excluded because where there is no Analogy holden there can be no Sacrament The Analogy I say between the outward Sacrament and inward thing must either be known or it is to us no Sacrament For a similitude resemblance or Analogy must be between two things at least and therefore those that in a blinde and bruitish ignorance know nothing but the outward part do not properly receive a Sacrament but are like the carnal Jews that knew not the meaning of their Sacrifices or of those types of Christ which they had The brazen Serpent was Christ the Rock they drank of was Christ but many of them dream'd not of him in the use of them I do not believe these Corinthians men of such knowledge were such bruits for the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 16. speaks to them as wisemen who knew this saying The Bread we break Is it not the Communion of the body of Christ c. Therefore §. 3 §. 3. What it is not to discerne the Lords Body practically The practical discerning of the Lords body is when the body and bloud of Christ are so minded and intended as to compose the inward man and the outward behaviour of the Communicant into such a posture of spirit and carriage as is suitable to Christs body and bloud there offered and exhibited unto faith and the not discerning the Lords body is when the behaviour is so loose and rude the inward man so discomposed and carnal as that interpretative they may be said not to minde or not to discern the Lords body So we would say of one whose carriage is wanton and loose in the presence of his fathers corpse lying in presence in a coffin or beer you doe not minde you consider not who lies there because if he did another countenance and carriage would beseem him and so the Corinthians are taxed here for such carriage of theirs as proclaim'd they had no serious thoughts no sad and fixed minde upon Christ bleeding and broken for that consideration would have bespoken another frame of spirit and forme of behaviour The result of this explication is The Apostle gives us a two-fold cause of eating and drinking unworthily 1. If we understand not know not the Analogy or resemblance of the bread and wine to the body and bloud of Christ but stick in the rind or shell and feed only on the husks as upon common bread and common wine and resting in that as knowing not the use or end which makes the difference which renders all bruitish ignorant people unworthy receivers And how should I make them know the danger that know not thus fâ—rre of the use of this Ordinance Willingnesse to be taught would help it if they were not more willing to runne blindefold into the pit than proudly unwilling to discover their fillinesse and ignorance and if they be unwilling It 's no cruelty but charity to keep a blinde man from running into a pit 2. If we understand the meaning of the outward elements by rote or notional knowledge but do not seriously and with a fixed intention consider and look wishly upon Christs body and bloud represented offered and to be exhibited to our faith for this will compose our outward behaviour and inward spirit this bespeaks faith repentance affections suitable this composes us unto reverence and serious behaviour Imagine the very Body of the Lord Jesus was presented to your eye broken bruised bleeding for thy sinnes under the stroke of Gods terrible justice and so offer'd unto thee for thy salvation Would not thy soul raise up all affections and muster up all it's forces to receive him to open to him to thirst after him to admire and praise him And doth not God in this Ordinance really hold him forth to thee as such and so to be received The nature of the feast to which we are invited teaches us how to dresse our selves To a funeral we come in mourning to a marriage in a wedding-garment The very minding of the body of Christ teaches men to come worthily that is suitably and the not minding of it with fixed intention is the cause that we come loosly carnally and so unworthily CHAP. XXXI The Aggravations of the Sinne of Vnworthy Receiving §. 1. 3. THe aggravation of unworthy receiving follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall be holden guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord or God will judge and repute him guilty of the body of Christ unworthily received and entreated or guilty of the unworthy handling or of the contempt and violation of Christs body and blood the memorial of whose death is prophaned by your irreverence and this appointed means of your participation of it is undervalued What a high sound is there in these words He shall be guilty of the Body and
Christ John 19. 36. So much for the Passeover as a Sacrifice or as the figure of our Sacrifice and theirs Christ Jesus §. 8. Now we proceed to consider it as a Sacrament not ours but theirs nor yet a figure of our Sacrament in Considered as a Sacrament propriety though often so called in transiâ—â— and much contended for by Papists For what Jew could ever have found out our Supper figured in that Passeover and in what propriety can our Sacrament be the Sacrament of another Christ is the res Sacramenti of theirs and ours there they meet as the inward Circumcision and Regeneration is the thing of their Circumcision and our Baptism but that one Sacrament should be the figure of another is absurd and void of reason As two pictures of one man are both resemblances of that one man but one is not the picture of another and yet because the Passeover hath the common nature of a Sacrament doth set forth the same Christ as our Supper and that the Apostle draws an Argument from it to perswade Gospel-Christians to holiness Therefore we shall consider what significancy there is in it for though the signs be not ours yet the significancy is §. 9. First The Passeover or Paschal Lamb as killed and rosted and the blood sprinkled was a Sacrifice The signification of the Passeover as eaten by the Israelites and feasted upon it was a Sacrament and in after-times both by Jewish Records and by Scripture I conceive it appears 2 Chro. 3â— 11. Ezra 6 20. that the Levites killed the Paschals the Priests sprinkled the bloud on the Altar and then they took the Lamb to their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Families or Chambers in Jerusalem and there did eat it so in our Supper there is a Sacrifice slain and offer'd up for atonement and that is Christ his body and bloud and then there is an eating and drinking of this Sacrifice in the Sacrament of bread and wine as in many Sacrifices of the Law there was first an offering up to â—od and then a feasting on the remainder we have a true Sacrifice Christ offer'd up to God for us we have a true Sacrament as that Sacrifice is eaten and drunk by us the oblation belongs to God to propitiate and redeem the communication belongs to us to be refresht and nourisht their eating the Passeover was no Sacrifice but a Sacrament our eating and drinking bread and wine is no Sacrifice but a Sacrament their killing and rosting of the Lamb made it eatable Christ his sacrificing of himself for us renders him fit nourishment to us Had he not been a Sacrifice offer'd up for us what profit had there been in eating and drinking sacramentally and spiritually that body and bloud This consideration is of special remark you feast upon a sacrifice you live you feed upon a sacrifice tolle Sacrificium tolle Sacramentum the mouth eats the Sacrament the eye of faith discerns the sacrifice Christ is the sacrifice the Sacrament no sacrifice but the commemoration and communication of a sacrifice and here the reason must be observed why God did institute their Passeover and our answerable Sacrament to consist in meat and drink eating and drinking and I conceive thus thâ—t it being the most proper way to partake of a sacrifice for how else can it be Therefore we eat and drink in way of participation of our sacrifice Hence the phrase Living upon Heb. 13. 10. the Altar eating of the Altar and thus if we carry our eye to the earthly part in the Supper and to the heavenly part that is to the Sacrament and the sacrifice represented and feed upon the sacrifice represented as well as the Sacrament representing we then discern the Lords body This is the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de hoc plus intra 2. Their Passeover was instituted as an Ordinance for ever for a memorial of their Deliverance in Aegypt and their eduction out of it a commemoration it was and to be observed for ever that is in all succeeding generations whiles their Polity and Religion stood Exod. 12. 14 24 42. and therefore we read in Jewish Writers and there is some foot-step or original of it Exod. 26. 27. What mean you by this service that in every company of Passeover-communicants there was some one that rehearsed and made commemoration Haggadah shet pesuch the history Buxtâ—rf Chal. Lexic of the Passeover and so God that would have the sacrifice of Christ for our sinne that greatest work of his and our deliverance thereby from worse then Aegypt or destroying Angel to be observed and kept in minde by a lasting trophy or monument viz our Supper The Apostle in allusion to their custome useth a word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Cor. 11. 26. Ye do shew As often as ye eat this bread and drink this Cup ye do shew forth the Lords death till he come or ye do commemorate and with affection and thanksgiving set it forth and as theirs was for ever till Christs first coming so ours is for ever till his second coming so long as their Church continued they were charged with this Ordinance so long as the Gospel-Church continues they are charged with this and therefore neither of the Doctrine of the Gospel nor of the Sacraments shall there be any removal or alteration till Christ come 3. Their Passeover in Aegypt was eaten in their several Families or societies A Lamb for a house except it were too little Exod. 12. 3 4. and in aâ—ter times when this was repeal'd Deut. 16. 6 7. and was confined to the place that God should chuse and so to Jerusalem then though the Lamb might be slain in the holy Court and the bloud sprinkled on the Altar yet they did carry it home to their hired chambers and there did eat in companies not less then ten in a fraternity Joseph de bello lib. 7. cap. 17. nor above twenty but no man alone Solum epulari non licet saith Joseph Christ and his company made one society so though Christ be our Sacrifice once offer'd up upon the cross a sacrifice to God yet doth our Supper bring him home to us into our Churches and into our souls There is an application of him to be made the bloud sprinkled on our doors the Paschal brought home to our own house Take ye Eat ye Drink ye God comes to particulars with us and the application of the sacrifice is the life of the Sacrament we must eat and drink at home in our own souls Christ comes home to us and yet this Supper ought as the Passeover to be eaten in societies I know no reason for one alone there must be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a company for it is a communion one makes not a communion The Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 20. When you come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into a meeting v. 33 34. when you come together tarry one for another hence it hath been anciently
and end of the Lords Supper The Apostle had found great fault with the Corinthians manner of communicating to prevent By what rule men are to examine whether they come worthily to the Lords Supper which he gives one short Rule in these words Let a man examine himself but he sets down no form of this self-examination He doth not answer the question How Yea he delivers the institution of Christ in all points as that Rule to square the Communicant For if a man do rightly calculate he shall finde that here is presented and represented the closest union and communion of the soul with Christ the most spiritual intimacy the most humbling and passionate prospect of a broken Christ the most refreshing water that runs out of that smitten Rock the most real exhibition and affording of this to me and indeed the sweetest and neerest entercourse with our Lord is here set forth as in no other Ordinance for the manner of it and then what doth this bespeak Doth a feast so set forth bespeak a swine Are Superstition Ignorance Prophaneness fit garments to come in to such a Supper Are those Christ-killing-sinnes of ours which caused this breaking of him fit companions for us to bring to the eating of him That is as if we should bring to the Lords Table the bloudy knife that killed him Let a man but use his reason with his faith and ask this broken bread this poured wine what they mean or what they speak and they will tell him enough whereby he may examine himself and this is Chemnitius his Rule for examination Chem. Exam. de preperatione whom a great man of this Nation saith to be the best Scholar of all the Lutherans Sic inquit Montacut origenes Use The result of all that hath been said comes to these two instructions pertaining either to Minister or people or both 1. That this Ordinance of the Supper be suitable to the Exod. 25. 40. Heb. 8. 5. institution of Christ 2. That the Communicant be suitable to the Ordinance and then both things which the Apostle speaks unto here both sorts of abuses or corruptions whether in the Ordinance or of the Communicants are set to rights and all is right §. 18. 1. That the Ordinance be suitable to the institution For see saith he that thou make all things according to This Ordinance must be administred according to Gods institution the pattern shew'd thee in the Mount Moses had no liberty to vary from the matter or form or any particular and have not we an institution and the pattern of this Ordinance set before us not in the Mount but in the upper-room where Christ celebrated the first Supper and gave forth a hoc facite This do as oft as ye do it hoc facite is as much as See that ye make or do all things according to the pattern The Apostles were not now at a Councel-Table with their Lord to give their vote what manner of Sacrament should be appointed but as guests to take and eat at present such cheer as the Master set before them and in after-times to do This Do this in remembrance of me and yet our Lord Christ would have his Ordinances administred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decently Clemens the ancientest of Fathers in his Epistle to these Corinthians hath an excellent saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We ought to do all those things orderly which our Master hath commanded us to do For Christ himself was no friend to slovenliness or loathsome nastiness as one observes Hildersam in John 4. out of that Mark 14. 15. He shall shew you an upper room furnished and prepared but presumption is bold Superstition adventurous as if it was called to councel with God makes no bones of clipping his coyn and therefore this Sacrament hath been filled with many devices and long groaned under their inventions which after long possession plead prescription and come in after-times to be counted parts which at first were but scabs or wens The Apostle did not durst not deliver but what he had received but they that have lesse power than the Apostle dare deliver what they received not and by adding or substracting do plainly finde fault with Gods own model Why should the Papist give into the mouth of his Communicant a whole wafer but that he is afraid to break the bread least some loose crums should fall Why doth he cheat the people wholly of the Cup but upon pretence that a drop of the bloud might be shed or spilt May we not think that they are too nice and more scrupulous than Christ at whose breaking bread there might fall crums and in the Apostles drinking drops from the cup Superstition is foolish that pretends holiness and corrupts Ordinances and had rather make than take a Sacrament We have the Minister in the name and stead of Christ Jesus if this be denied as it is by some I shall at present affirm but this That the reverend and most ancient Father Justin Martyr in his second Apology to the Roman Emperour written about fifty years after the death of John the Apostle sets out as I shall shew you the full manner of their administration of this Sacrament and therein saith the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Minister doth pour forth prayer and gives thanks over the bread and wine which I can give no account of private corners hath been practised in the Christian Churches till this very time and year being 1500 years at least The Minister takes the bread and likewise takes the Cup. He gives thanks or blesseth over the Bread and Cup He breaks the Bread he saith Take ye eat ye drink ye He pronounces This bread is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ This Cup is the New Testament in his bloud You do take you eat you drink This the Minister doth this you do for a remembrance and commemoration of Christ shewing forth his death and this is an Ordinance sutable to the institution §. 19. 2. That the Communicant be sutable to the Ordinance When the Song is truly set and prickt the singer must Of worthy communicating keep time and tune or else all is not right The Papists have the Ordinance unsuitable to the institution and we alas have Communicants unsuitable to the Ordinance That word which follows in this Chapter that dangerous word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unworthily what is it but unsutably we must measure and fashion the Communicant by the Ordinance He must of necessity be a Disciple to such Christ spoke Take ye eat ye c. not as ye are Apostles but as Disciples He must bring with him a Christ receiving or a Christ applying faith for Take Eat without a hand or mouth of the soul he cannot He must come with hunger and thirst for strength and refreshment for he doth come to a Table to eat and drink the staff of bread the cordial cheering wine This strength and nourishment is by
Emend lib. 6. pag. 536. was given there was a solemn signification put upon it This is the bread of affliction and our Saviour transferring that bread into his Supper gave a new signification This is my body In the first Rite there was no turning the substance of bread nor yet in this second Mouliu Bucklet p. 471. For our clearer understanding we must constantly hold these two things 1. That Christ gave bread 2. That this bread was his body First Christ gave bread to his Disciples at this Supper for that which he took which he blest which he brake was bread He took bread and that he gave saying This is my body which is broken for you for the bread was broken as a signe that his body should be crucified and bread the Apostle cals it after consecration thrice in this Chapter vers 26 27 28. and 1 Cor. 10. 16. The bread which we break and ver 17. We are all partakers of that one bread and he cals it so not because it was bread before for he might so have called it wheat a man might be called a boy ripe wine verjuice but because it is so except all our senses be put out and extinguisht with the bread Secondly This bread is Christs body What body Even his own natural body which is given for you Luk. 22. 19. which is broken for you as in my Text What bloud Even that which is shed for you Matth. 26. 28. Luke 22. â—0 But how can this be it 's impossible that bread while it is bread as we have proved it is should be Christs body or wine while it's wine should be his bloud It 's very true that it is impossible Disparatum de disparato non proprium praedicatur therefore we must seek for a possible Calvin in 1 Cor. 11. meaning and of necessity conclude with Calvin Sacramentalem esse loquutionem that it is a sacramental form of speech the signe bears the name of the thing signified as in vulgar and in Scripture language for in Scripture both signs figuratively representing or sacramentally sealing do bear the name of the things represented or sealed as â—en 40. 12. The three branches are three dayes vers 18. The three baskets are three dayes Gen. 41. 26. The seven ears of corn are seven years the seven kine are seven years Ezek. 37. 11. These dry bones are the whole house of Israel Dan. 2. 38. Thou O King art this head of gold Dan. 7. 17. The four beasts are four Kings Gal. 4. 25. This Agar is mount Sinai Revel 17. 9. The seven heads are seven mountains So in sacramentals Circumcision is called the Covenant Gen 17. 13. And a token of the Covenant v. 11. And a seal of the righteousnes of Faith Rom. 4. 11. The Lamb is called the Passeover Exod. 12. 21. The Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10. 4. and in this Sacrament This Cup is the New-Testament What shall we require further the form of speech is plain a childe may understand it And it is without example in all Scripture that the signe should be or be changed into the substance of the thing signified and which is further to be said The Hebrew Tongue or the Syriack in which Christ spake doth not use in this form of speech any copula of subject and predicate either is or signifieth but sometimes and not alwayes a Pronoun as in these places by me cited in the Old Testament There is no is nor other Verb but thus the seven ears of corn they seven years the four beasts four Kings which when Cameron Myrothec in Mat. 26. Moulin Buckler p. 478. they come to be translated into Greek or Latine then the idiome of the language requires it and saith is The Rock was Christ and so in the present case Hoo lach ma this bread of affliction that is This is the bread of affliction §. 5 §. 5. This Cup is the New Testament in my bloud I proceed to the next part This Cup is the New Testament in my bloud or This is the bloud of the New Testament where the contenders are a little cooler and must perforce allow a Trope or figurative speech for the Cup sure is not changed into a Covenant or Testament nor the bloud of Christ neither nor the wine The cup is not put for the bloud of Christ for then it would be thus This bloud is the New Testament in my bloud a pure non sense that Papists cannot salve without invention of two blouds but the cup is put for the wine This wine is the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ratified in my bloud The wine represents and by representation is the very bloud of Christ which confirms and ratifies Gods Gospel-covenant or the New Testament bequeathing to believers the Legacy of remission of sinnes in Christ for that Christ gave wine and not very bloud in the cup is that which Matthew and Mark say Matth. 26. 29. Mark 14. 25. I will drink no more of the fruit of the Vine Peri Haggephen was the word signantly used Stegman disp 51. p. 593. for wine in the Paschal Rite The fruit of the vine That Climax and Gradation of Luther is pleasant The Cup contains the wine the wine exhibits the bloud of Christ the bloud of Christ ratifies and confirms the New Covenant the New Covenant promiseth remission of sinnes Therefore the drinking of this Cup applies seals confirms to believers the promise of remission of sinnes And the allusion is excellent as Cameron in Mat. 26. 27. the Apostle observes Heb. 9. 20. out of Exod. 24. 8. that Moses said This is the bloud of the Covenant which God hath enjoyned you for all covenant with man fallen is sealed with bloud that under the Law with typical bloud this of the Gospel by the very bloud of Christ For without bloud is no remission Heb. 9. 22. And of this Covenant-confirming bloud of Christ this wine is the lively representation or memorial The particulars thus cast up are summ'd up into this total as the sense and meaning of this Ordinance §. 6. First This bread is my body this wine is my bloud as representations and memorials of my body broken and my bloud shed figuring and signifying my death and suffering for you but this is not all for God doth not feed us with empty shows and void figures onely representing as the footstep in the snow the foot or the picture of Hercules represents Hercules This would bring the Sacrament to a Socinian emptinesse as a matter of our duty onely not as of Gods conferring any benefit upon us This is more like the Signe of a Shop than the Seal of a Deed and would rather serve the eye than refresh the soul by eating and drinking as meat and drink Therefore Secondly This Bread is my Body This Cup is the Calvin in 1 Cor. 11. New Testament in my bloud as Pledges Seals and instrumental means of exhibition solemnly Peâ—
Martyr ibid. Hâ—â—aker Eccles Pola p. 359. Paraeus in 1 Cor. 11. conveying though symbolically to the faith of a beleever Christ himself for union and communion and the benefits of his death remission of finnes as the pledge confirms the contract the Seal passeth or conveyeth the estate by which we are as truly partakers of Christ Jesus if we receive by faith as we are partakers of bread and wine for nourishment this is a high signification and use it 's full and rich and comfortable and this I prove by that of the Apostle wherein I rest as a full explication of the phrase in hand 1 Cor. 10. 16. The Cup of blessing which we blesse Is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ The bread which we break Is it not the Communion of the body of Christ Here is Participation Communion and he saith Is it not Is it not As a known and received truth amongst Christians and with this I content my selfe as cleare and full against all contenders and gainsayers As for the Ancients I referre you to a whole Parliament of them called together and voting down Transubstantiation Crakanthorpe Defens cap. 73. against that unhappy man the Arch-Bishop of Spalato who had before his last revolt said Omnes Patres All the Fathers are against the Real Presence but he unsaid it again afterward to his Justin Apol. 2. losse Justin Martyr cals the bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bread over which thanks were given Irenaeus the very same Tertullian and Origen prove That Tertul. l. 4. contra Marc. â— 40. Origen Christ had a true body against the Phantasticks because the bread is a figure and signe of a true body Hierom cals it a representation and Austin is Greek Fathers call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionysius Basilius Theodores totus Calvinianus in the point There are rhetoricall flourishes hyperbolies and high expressions sometimes to procure honour to the Ordinance or quicken up the Communicants but in judgement they are with us Crakantherp Defens cap. 73. § 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lingua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chry. hom 82. in Matth. sanguinem sugimus Cyp. de caena and such hyperbolies c. So much be spoken for the explication of the words which are so ravelled and perplexed by contrary senses CHAP. IX Of the Inward thing signified or represented in this Supper I. What is presented to the Beleever NOw we shall proceed to open to you what Christ presents unto and sets before the faithfull in this Supper and what the faithfull do receive in the right use thereof For the first There is here presented and set before you in this Supper 1. Christ himself sacrificed for you with the fruits and benefits of his death or of the sacrifice of himself 2. The New Testament or the New Covenant confirmed and ratified by his Blood with the contents of that Covenant viz. Remission of sins and other benefits by consequence flowing from it §. 1. 1. Here is Christ himself sacrificed for you with the Fruits and Benefits accruing from his death presented and set before you The efficacy of his Hooker Eccl. lib. 5. pag. 360. Body and Blood is not all that is here presented to be received as is consist by the true Protestant Churches of our Confession but first and principally Christ himself as the influence of heaven is in plants beasts men but there is not such a thing only here set forth but a Divine and mysticall Union with Christ himself for here is a participation saith the Apostle of the Body and Blood of Christ who is exhibited as really and truly present not opposing reall to spirituall but to chimericall or phantasticall nor intending his presence in the Elements as contained in them but to the faith of the receiver who hath union with him The very Body and Blood of Christ that Body which was fastened Peter Martyr in 1 Cor. 11. 24. Calvin in 1 Cor. 11. 24 25. to the Cross that Blood which was shed was a Sacrifice as offered up to God is meat and drink as offered unto us and therefore our Divines say that Christ is truly and really but yet spiritually given to us as he was given for us This is my Body which is broken for you given for you saith the Text and that which was given for you is given to you He was given for you in the Sacrifice he is given to you in the Sacrament with those blessed fruits and benefits that flow from his Death §. 2. 2. Here is presented to you the New Testament a Covenant ratified and confirmed in his Blood with the benefits and priviledges thereof It is called New either from the excellency of it as the word New sometimes signifies or for the durableness and perpetuity of it as the Apostle explains it Heb. 8. ult in opposition to the Old made with Israel Cameron in Myreth Matth. 26. which was to determine and vanish away as to the form of dispensation This Covenant is That God will be our God and we shall be his people That he will forgive our iniquities and remember our sins no more c. and the Blood of Christ is the sanction of this Covenant for without Blood is no remission the blood of Christ is the Seal which ratifies the truth and validity of this Covenant The Wine in this Sacrament represents that Blood of Christ and is not so properly a Seal confirming the Covenant in it self as conveying the comfort and participation of it unto us or if you will it is a Seal of Remission of sin to us which is an Article of the Covenant that is sealed by the Blood of Christ and therefore it is said This is the blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for Remission of sins §. 3. And so you have here presented to your Faith Christ himself sacrificed for you the New Covenant confirmed by Christs Blood shed for the pardon of sinnes which are the highest and most glorious things of Gods gift to mankinde who hath in the dishes of this outward Sacrament set before you such good cheer to feed upon as all Sacrifices under the Law and Feasts were but the meer shadows of Take heed of thinking meanly of the furniture of this Table God hath no better provision to set before a sinner than his Sons flesh and blood and his Covenant of grace sealed and confirmed our Socinian likes not this that word My Body broken for you my Blood shed for remission of sinnes makes him bestirre himself to turn off the Body broken to the bread and the Blood shed to the wine and so you see two extreams the Papist turns bread into Christs Body and wine into Blood the Socinian on the other hand that which is spoken of the Body puts off upon the bread and that of the Blood upon the wine that the death of Christ might not be a proper Sacrifice for us §. 4
of bread and wine a monstrous Paradox holden stifly by the Transubstantiatists or Papists The middle way holden by the Churches of our Confession is That the outward Elements do represent as Signes and exhibit as Seales and morall Instruments to the faith of the receiver the very Body and Blood of Christ sacrificed as spirituall repast for our souls and spiritually given and taken but that they continue not as incorporated with them nor are converted into the very naturall Body of Christ as locally or corporally there to be received by the mouth of the receiver We hold a difference or change of bread and wine blessed but it is a change of signification not of substance a relative change not reall a change in regard of use and esteem not of their naturall substance as the wax now a Seal to a Conveyance is wax still but not a Seal not of that value till now all the Rhetoricall flowers used by the Ancients reach no further if they do we cannot keep them company We hold that the Body and Blood of Christ is really that is truly exhibited and present to the faith of the receiver and we might express the reall presence as reall is opposed to imaginary or chimericall were it not for caption and mis-understanding none of ours denies the Body of Christ to be really though spiritually eaten by a Beleever nay it is immotum axioma whatsoever is eaten in that it is Forbes p. 53◠eaten it must be present no man can eat a thing that 's absent but the presence with or under the Elements is one thing and the presence to the soul and faith of a Beleever is another We know no union of Christs Body with bread and Wine but with his members which is reall and mysticall not reall and corporall therefore Christ saith Take eat before he say This is my Body as if it were his Body to their faith not as in the outward Element §. 3 §. 3. Arguments for the Protestants sense of the words This is my Body For attestation of this sense many Arguments may be mustred up together 1. Compare one part of this Sacrament with the other This cup is the New Testament in my Blood that is by Metonymy the Seal of the New Testament but not the New Testament it self so This is my Body that is the Signe and Seal of it but not it self 2. Compare the one Sacrament of the Gospel with the other In Baptism the water is water without reall alteration so here the bread is bread the wine is wine not changed into flesh or blood 3. Compare the Sacraments of the Old Testament with the New Circumcision is the Covenant because the Sign or Seal of it the Lamb is the Passeover because the memoriall or sign of it so the bread is my Body the wine is my Blood in the same form of speech 4. The Language in which our Saviour spake had no other property of expression there being no word for signifie but is in stead thereof as Learned men say and its certain the Scripture in both Testaments Hebrew and Greek uses the same form in a hundred places giving the name of the thing signified to the sign as hath been shown as the seven ears of corn are seven years The dry bones are the house of Israel The seven Candlesticks are seven Churches c. 5. The words This is my Body are not proper in the Lutheran sense no more than to say This Cloak is Peter because Peter is in it nor in the Popish sense except the Body of Christ be there before the words be pronounced This is my Body which should rather be thus Let this be my Body as God said Let there be light not This is light for it was not light before 6. The spirituall benefit which is eating and drinking Christs Body and Blood by faith is no less in our sense than if there were his very flesh for Christ saith The flesh profits nothing Joh. 6. and the Papists hold that the eating of Christs flesh by wicked men profits nothing except besides the Sacramentall there be a spirituall feeding upon Christ which we affirm 7. The Apostles understood these words as we do and as the Hebrews had ever understood the same expression for form in the Old Testament else they would have been amazed and startled at it and have asked some question as they were inquifitive enough in lesser matters but they saw Christ fit at table and eat and drink first himself and therefore could not be ignorant of their meaning 8. The Capernaite Disciples Joh. 6. having taken offence at those frequent expressions of eating Christs flesh and drinking his blood understanding them carnally were answered by Christ himself The flesh profits nothing The words that I speak are spirit and life as if he himself would give the interpretation 9. The Apostle thrice in this Chapter following cals it still bread after consecration as also in the Chapter foregoing and surely he that never before did would not delude the senses of his Disciples in this Ordinance and himself cals it wine too Matth. 26. 26. I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the Vine which is the Periphrasis usuall among the Jews for wine 10. The remembrance of Christ the shewing forth his death till he come do import the absence of his Body which the Scripture tels us ascended into heaven and there is contained in lieu of his corporall absence he sent the Spirit to abide for ever as another Comforter Memorials and monuments are of things absent 11. For the Ancient Fathers they prove against the Marcionites that held the Body of Christ to be meerly phantasticall That it is substantiall because the Elements of bread and wine are substantiall which was no good argument if only the accidents or shadows of the Elements do remain and all along downwards they call the outward Elements symbols Forbes p. 561. types figures signes of Christs Body untill about the year 1215. when subtill and superstitious Disputes grew hot about the presence of Christ in the Sacrament which occasioned Innocent the third to introduce both name of Transubstantiation and thing not before openly heard of and so as a Decree of the Lateran Council vented it as a point of faith since which time the Councill of Trent hath confirmed Sess 13. ca. 4. the Decree and the word as most fit and proper which are the rotten yet the best props upon which Transubstantiation doth stand at this day being upon the first birth of it as I said even now opposed Forbes p. 609 col 1. by the Waldenses and afterward by Wicliff and those that followed them and shall be opposed by all Orthodox till that Dagon fall §. 4 §. 4. Why the Error of Transubstantiation is to be rejected with utmost detestation II. To reject with utmost detestation the impossible and incomprehensible Errour of Transubstantiation and corporall presence by which Doctrine a silly
the word for the Supper There must be in a Sacrament First An outward Element Secondly A word of promise Thirdly A word of command to use it to that end as none but Whitak de Sacr. Qu. 6. de numero the supream power hath authority to stamp or coyn legitimate and currant money so none but God can institute and make a Sacrament The Sacraments are parts of Gods instituted worship standing by positive appointment of God The eating and drinking of bread and wine in their natural being or use are no more memorials symbols and pledges of Christs body and bloud than the form of a Serpent in brasse of healing those that were bitten with fiery Serpents no man can authoritatively institute a Sacrament or prescribe to God any part of his worship I have received of the Lord saith the Apostle that which I delivered also unto you and the reason is good He onely can make a Sacrament who can make good the promise or grace thereby represented and exhibited §. 4. Secondly The charge is to Do this that is to celebrate this Supper Chist limits and confines us to Jans Harm in Mat 26. this as God did Moses See thou do all things according to the patern shown thee in the Mount If we vary from the patern there lies a quis requisivit against us Who hath-required this at your hands So God checks our inventions and superstition in creating will-worship by adding or detracting as we may not coyn so neither wash or clip or embase that which is stamped by the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 referrs to that which went before Eat this blessed and broken Bread the next words explain it Do this as oft as ye drink it principally it relates to the actions of Gerard. Harm cap. 171. Communicants Do this that is Eat ye Drink ye and consequently to the actions of the Dispenser or Minister Do this that is Blesse ye Break ye which are antecedent to eating and drinking and so all the external rites or actions of this Sacrament may come under the command Do this but we may not stretch the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to accessories and circumstances appendant not to the upper room nor to the night after Supper nor to the gesture of discubiture for neither the injunction of the Passeover did in after times extend to all the circumstances used at the first Passeover in Aegypt as the Hebrews note The Papist seems to espie here some glimpse of proof of the real Sacrifice of Christ in his Masse from the word here used Facite which in Latine sometimes signifies to sacrifice or offer and so it doth with an ablative case which is not here but the thred is too fine to hold for if the word signifie so somewhere it is not consequent that therefore here where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do this plainly limits it to the actions of the Communicants as I have said The Ordinances of God are most powerfull and proper when they are themselves pure plain naked of all humane disguizes or embellishments and therefore I bespeak all Communicants Ministers and people not to study how to add more glory or gracefulnesse to this Ordinance as they suppose but to rest in and submit to that which we finde in Christs example or first original and suffer your selves to be limited to do this Do this in remembrance of me §. 5 §. 5. Who are commanded to receive this Sacrament Thirdly This charge or command Do this is given to the Church the Saints Disciples of Christ It is true the Apostles only were present at Christs first celebration He sate down with the twelve saith the Text and so the command was directed to them only But how Not to the Apostles as Apostles but as Communicants as representing the Church Lucas Brug in Evaâ—g or people of Christ or to the Apostles as Dispensers of it and to them as receivers of it For when Christ said to the Apostles Go and baptize Do this in remembrance of me he intended not that either Sacrament should die with them but from them continue in succession of all times therefore Do it in remembrance of me they received it in anticipation of his death but it was to endure as a memorial of it as the Passeover-Lamb was first eaten in Aegypt or slain before the destroying Angel passed through the Land but intended for a memorial for ever in all generations till Christ came and therefore the Apostle here delivers it to the Church of Corinth the very institution of Christ is deliver'd to this Church and the use of it enjoyned to them and all Churches till he come again ver 26. When I say it is a command given to the Church or to the Saints I mean that it is an inner commandment an inner Ordinance as there was inner Ordinances in the Temple for Church-members and Disciples The command of hearing the Word is given to all The commandment of being baptized is to believers as a Sacrament of their initiation or entrance or admission To make a Disciple and to baptize one seems to be put for the same John 4. 1 2. but this commandment Do this lies more inner yet it appertains to them that are Disciples already or Church-members which was signified in the ancient Christian Churches by the baptistery or font at the Church-door and by the Table intra Cancellos within the Chancel so in the Passeover a stranger was not admitted to the Pasleover but when he was circumcised then let him come near and keep it Exod. 12. 44 48. Let him come near saith the Text for it is an inner Ordinance and the Communicants must be such at least whom the Apostle cals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 5. those that are within for here is that inner fellowship and communion of the Saints and members of Christ exercised and professed This then is that peculiar and most inward command and priviledge that appertains to an inclosed company it is a pasture inclosed not a common Here Christ holds a more familiar presence and fellowship with his peculiar people to whom he vouchsafes an interiour admission Shall not we then keep this charge and observe this commandment and enjoy this priviledge properly belonging to Disciples Oh it was this that made Christians of old when they were for their sinne debarred and excluded so cry weep lament their sad case that they should depart as it were from the presence of their Lord and stand aloof in the court that had been admitted into the parlour or chamber of presence and for those that were in the school of catechism called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was the utmost end to which they did aspire and for which they waited a long attendance to be admitted to this communion and then properly called sideles this was the highest form §. 6 §. 6. The End of the Institution and Celebration of this Ordinance Fourthly The end wherefore
forth the nature use end of this Sacrament according to our Lords Institution recited by the Evangelists and by St Paul in this place §. 1. Now I am to proceed unto the later which is to render the Communicant suitable to the Ordinance of which our Saviour did not in the Institution directly speak but the Apostle in this place speaks more fully and directly unto than in any other place is found the abuses and distempers of the Corinthians leading him most properly to it and though in Popish Churches the grand errour and abuse lies in the unsutableness of their Mass to the Institution yet in Reformed Churches who endeavour to imitate the pattern in the Mount the common sin lies in the unsutableness of the Communicant to the Ordinance and so the point of worship stands between us and the Papists much alike as it stood between the Samaritans and the Jews of old The Samaritans used a false worship Ye worship ye know not what Joh. 4. 22. The Jews had a true worship but were carnall and for the most part formall worshippers The Feast is prepared drest and ordered according to the Institution of Christ Now the guests are to be surveyed and tried whether they come worthily or unworthily by the test or ticket of the Apostles Doctrine following to the end of the Chapter of which I shall say this in generall 1. That the Apostles Doctrine in this place is properly calculated for the rectifying the abuses and unworthiness of the Corinthians as ye may see at the 33 34 verses but so also most other Scriptures occasionally written are of generall use their latitude is greater than their particular direction 2. That the Apostle spends the most of his Doctrine upon eating and drinking unworthily setting home the sin and danger of it for the occasion viz. the sinne of the Corinthians required it and yet doubtless the point of worthiness should in order of nature be first stated before unworthiness can be understood for how should I know sinne except first I knew a law of duty how a crooked line except I know what is straight and therefore to attent consideration the Apostle will be found to begin there as I shall shew you afterwards 3. That the Apostle in setting home the sinne and danger of eating and drinking unworthily speaks thunder and lightning in very pertinent but yet new and unusuall phrases which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have no brother in any other part of Scripture as guilty of the body and blood of the Lord eating and drinking judgement or damnation c. full of terrour and fit for compunction These of the 26 verse are the words of St Paul who having recited what Christ did and said at the first celebration and institution of this Sacrament goes about to set his Corinthian communicants to right teaching them and us what is the meaning of this Ordinance and what the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or main business of a communicant is that so he may eat and drink worthily viz. To shew forth the Lords death this he collects from the institution this he inculcates upon the communicant as the great business which he is to do that he may be suitable to the Ordinance The words have no difficulty but what may best be opened in every point as it comes to hand The first Point shall be from the connexion or whole words §. 2. Doct. People have need to be taught what the meaning of this Ordinance is and what is the main business of the Communicant The Apostle hath set forth this Sacrament and now teaches them what is the meaning or great business intended in it For as often as c. Outward Ordinances consisting of visible matter as most of the Jewish Ordinances did and our Sacraments do do ordinarily terminate and bound the eye of the ignorant that cannot and of the Christian outwardly that doth not look within the rinde or shell of them The time is not lost that 's bestowed either by us in the anatomy and opening or by you in learning and spelling out the minde and meaning of an Ordinance of God When your children Exod. 12. 26. shall say unto you What mean you by this service ye shall say It is the sacrifice of the Lords Passeover c. And in another instance When your children shall say What mean you by these stones ye shall answer Josh 4. 6. The waters of Jordan were cut off c. This was the veil that covered the eye of the Jews they had Sacrifices Washings manifold Rites but were not able to spell and put together they generally little dreamd of the meaning of them but were as the Apostle cals them Jews outwardly and in the letter for it pleased God in the times of that dispensation to give his people the kernell but inclosed in a hard shell to give them a pillar of fire but in a cloud to hide the light in a dark lanthorne to convey the truth in shadows Now that the obscurity is taken off the Ordinances there remains an ignorance upon our hearts and many of us know as little the meaning of our Sacraments as the Jews did of theirs there is scarce any of our ignorant superstitious prophane persons but they think there is some holiness in this Sacrament and therefore they put on a posture of some reverence for the time but the particular use of it or the spirituall importance they know not and therefore rest in the opus operatum and receive the Sacrament as a medicinall potion naturally working or worship that which should be made use of by faith for the nourishment of the soul §. 3. The Use of this point may be for Instruction of both Minister and people First The Minister is hereby taught That it is not only his duty to give the Sacrament but also to teach the Sacrament he gives the outward Elements he teaches the inward meaning of them he gives the bone and shews the marrow that is in it otherwise you take the Sacrament by rote and he gives you integram nucem as Bernard saith a whose nut to a child that cannot crack it and so partakes in that sin and guilt being dumb which you contract being blinde Our Saviour when he gave the Bread and the Cup said also This is my Body This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood and so taught the meaning St. Paul when he had recited the Institution shews the mind of it As oft as ye eat ye shew the Lords death And you are to be taught what is Gods meaning and what is the meaning of your own actions Gods meaning is to make a representation of Christs death and sufferings by the breaking of the bread and to afford you the communion of his Body and Blood 1 Cor. 10. 16. The meaning of your actions is to make commemoration of Christ and to shew forth his death Gods meaning is to dress out Christ in best manner and fittest for a
that proves not the institution of it to that end no more than if a sick man be to take a medicine and prayer be made for the prosperous successe of that medicine and by something suggested to the minde of that man by that prayer whereby he is converted therefore the medicine should be called a converting Ordinance because the institution of an Ordinance leads on the denomination of it and so have also shown you that upon this ground mis-laid and mistaken we cannot allow of all unconverted mens coming or invitation The Word is indeed a converting Ordinance and therefore those that believe not that oppose themselves that are dead in sinnes may be admitted and invited to it If they come not with faith they may come for faith If they come unclean they may yet come to be cleansed but the Lords Supper is not of that nature It is a more inward Ordinance and presupposes some foundation laid by the Word that it may have effect the converting Ordinance must go before the confirming the qualifications of a receiver are not the same with the necessary qualifications of a hearer and which I conceive Divines mean in part by requiring Baptism before the Supper the grace properly sealed in Baptisme is necessary to the obtainment of that grace which is properly sealed in the Supper As Christ washt his Disciples feet before he celebrated and administred this Sacrament It 's true God hath shewed us that we should not call any man common or unclean as Act. 10. 28. that is legally or unclean by his Nation as if the distance and partition wall between Jew and Gentile was yet standing but morally unclean there are still and we may call them so or else we must call evil good and this uncleanness is not proper to the sinners of the Gentiles but even Jews by nature Christians as I may say by nature are many of them unclean wherein I would not confirm them but endeavour to wash them from it And there is yet another offer made to prove an universal accesse to this Table without limitation or restriction afore-said and that is this That the Sacrament seals to the veracity of God the truth of his Covenant the Articles thereof are true and firm and the offer of them by God is serious and in good earnest to induce our faith thereof and our acceptance this Ordinance was appointed as a testification of the truth and reality and of the offer of the Promises unto us and therefore why may not all come here is no seal to a blank The seal is to Gods Covenant not our inherent graces The Promises are true the offer reall whether we have faith or no. Answ That the Sacrament seals the reality of Gods Covenant and of his offer of and proposal thereof to us I allow as proper and good That the Sacrament seals not my having faith or the truth of my faith I allow too but if this be all the Sacrament seals then it seals no more to a believer than to any man in the world no more to a receiver than a spectatour For whether I believe or no by the relation that the seal hath to the Covenant it confirms and seals it even as it is instituted in the Word for that purpose As the Seal of a Bond Deed Conveyance seals the truth of that Bond to all men to the Witnesses to the Jury who are confirmed that the Bond is true by the Seal But there is a further sealing and that is the Sacrament seals the interest of a believer in Christ unto or in the Covenant and Promises thereof As the Seal of the Bond seals the summe to be paid to the Creditour and the Seal of the Deed seals the propriety and benefit and possession of the State convey'd I say to a believer the Sacrament seals this as to no man else for those words Take Eat Drink are part of the sealing use or the applying use and which puts this out of doubt it 's said That this bread we break This Cup we blesse is the Communion of the body and bloud of Christ And what is that but participation For as Chemnitius observes Chem. exam de Praeparat ad caenam The great thorn in a weak believer that disquiets him is this Christ is indeed full and sweet the Promises true and precious but have I any share Have I any portion in them Have I any right or interest Now this is that which is sealed to a believer and of it self though no man believe it seals as was said before the truth and reality of the Promise and of Gods offer for I shall not deny that Now if a man through want of faith be not capable of this effect or use of the Seal it is not for meer want of that capacity that he is prohibited the Lords Table for then all unregenerate men and all that are not converted should be forbidden which we teach not but it is for scandalous and enormous sin persisted in with obstinacy and scorn it is because he hath not so much as a little beam of light to know what he doth or what danger he runs upon §. 6. Obj. Nor can it be said that confirming grace afforded in this Sacrament is in substance the same with converting and that which is confirming to one may be converting to another and so the Sacrament may as well afford one as another being Bell. de Euch. cap. 18. lib. 4. but still the same grace Answ for this is a meer fallacy and a strain beyond reason Let confirming grace be the same with converting As every degree of heat or fire is the same nature as the first degree yet this Sacrament affords confirming and not converting grace because it presupposeth faith in the Receiver whereby a further degree of grace may be bestowed and without that Faith doth not impart any grace at all As the life maintain'd by meat and drink is the same life Doth it therefore follow that meat and drink may convey life into a dead man because it maintaines it in a living No It 's true the same life in a dead man would make him live but the life maintain'd in a man by meat and drink is therefore maintain'd because there is a life in the man that can eat and drink receive nourishment by which the meat is made nutritive and lively which otherwise could not be And so there must be life in the Patient else the Plaister or Medicine if applied to a dead man would not recover or strengthen life I deny not but if the Sacrament could convey the same grace to a dead man as it doth to a living that dead man would live but that it cannot doe because it works by way of nourishment which the dead receive not Quest If niceties may be heard we shall have no end Suppose saith one a godly man fall into scandalous sinne and therein lie impenitent Why doe you not forthwith admit him
Receiving c. §. 1. I Now proceed to handle this point That this Bread may be eaten and this Cup of the Lord may be drunk worthily It is the highest grace that the eternal God should admit sinfull dust and ashes to be his consederates that from his Altar he should furnish a Table for them and feed them with that flesh and bloud which is offer'd up unto himself a Sacrifice Ephes 5. 1. for a sweet smelling savour that he should account them to eat and drink worthily who account not themselves worthy to eat and drink Merit and worthinesse have both their due place merit belongs to the Sacrifice Christ Jesus worthinesse to the Communicant who eats and drinks in such manner as becomes the nature and is answerable to the use and end of this Ordinance I shall come up to the manner of receiving worthily by certain orderly steps As §. 2 §. 2. Of Preparation to this Sacrament 1. There is a certain peculiar preparation due to the celebration of this Ordinance for where the manner is so contrary as worthily and unworthily and the effect of the Ordinance much depending upon the manner of receiving it and the benefit so great as communion of Christs body the danger no lesse than of condemnation reason will tell us that there is a preparation requisite that the fruit may be of the Tree of Life and not of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil Eat and die It 's either too much blindnesse or boldnesse to rush upon this Ordinance without preparation Nature induceth not a new form without preparing the matter Art as it helps so it imitates nature else that which is medicinal may be mortal Our Saviour did not only use but honour preparations when he fasted and pray'd in order to his great work To the Passeover there belong'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a solemn preparation the Lamb was taken up on the tenth day the leaven was enquired after and purged out which if they have now no obligation yet they have a meaning and you use to have Sermons for preparation which are but preparatives to preparation they do but light the candle but you must as that woman Luk. 15. 8. Sweep the house and seek diligently else Sermon-preparation may as I fear it often doth go without soul preparation That word vers 28. And so let him eat Gerard. dâ— Sac. Caena c. 23. tels us plainly that somewhat must go before The Papists distinguish of preparation sufficient and probable but that which is probable may be insufficient and so no man be certain that he comes worthily A fit dispute for such as would have meritorious preparations so much sanctity as indeed needs no Sacrament which therefore they say takes away onely venial sinnes I would not bring so much to the Sacrament as to look for little from it Those that came to the Passeover 2 Chron. 30. 18. wanted the Sanctuary purification yet they prepared their hearts to seek God The good Lord pardon saith Hezckiah Here was a preparation with a Dominus misereatur The good Lord pardon I look for no preparation that shall not stand in need of mercy If I see so much in my self as makes my self empty and that emptinesse doth make me a thirst for Christ then I shall not dispute my preparation but deny my worthinesse and yet come §. 3 §. 3. Of the outward manner of Receiving 2. These words worthily and unworthily as I have often said expresse the manner of our receiving this Sacrament and that manner is either outward or inward The outward manner is either duly to observe the outward Rites that are prescribed without mutilation or addition whereby the face of the Ordinance is defaced and looks not like it self or which I intend such decent outward behaviour as is suitable to the holinesse and reverence of the Ordinance and if I be not deceived the Apostle in this place taxes the rudenesse and irreverence of the visible carriage or rather miscarriage of the Corinthians in the handling or celebration thereof and therefore expostulates with them vers 22. Have ye not houses to eat and drink in Doth that freedom of behaviour become the Congregation which you use at your own Tables Is quaffing and jollity a becoming deportment Is it not scandalous and offensive to use that liberty here which is rather fit for an Ordinary or a Tavern Let me speak freely to you we have almost lost that reverence devotion gravity decency which formerly and anciently adoâ—ned the publick Ordinances and Administrations and our experience may teach us that while we decline the extream of curiosity superstition pomp and starelinesse we incline to the other of irreverence profanenesse loosnesse sordidnesse While we talk of worshipping God in Spirit and Truth we exempt our bodies from adoration and both forget that our bodies are part of Christs purchase and the Rule that is infer'd thereupon Glorifie therefore God in your body and in your spirit 1 Cor. 6. 20. For doe we not prophane our eyes by wandring our tongues by talking our faces by laughing and the Ordinance of God by all I would there were not cause to wish that our publick meetings had more composednesse of outward behaviour but when sometimes and in some places the Pulpit looks like a stage and the house of prayer like a play-house we may justly fear least a Corinthian rudenesse come up to the Lords Table also and think it needfull to reprove such lightnesse as is offensive to serious devotion or common gravity The Moralist his Rule to remedy lightnesse of carriage is to set Socrates or some grave man before your eyes for the rudenesse of the Scene was shamed and bridled by the presence of Cato We have a better rule set God before you with whom we have to do who hath also promised to be in the mids of two or three that are congregated in his name Consider that the Angels are Spectâ—tours and Guardians of your Assemblies for that I take to be the plainest sense of that saying of the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 10. and that other phrase vers 9. of discerning the body of the Lord doth denote not onely a knowing that the Lords body is represented by the bread as it is commonly interpreted but such a minding of the body of Christ here represented and exhibited to our faith or may produce a difference of our behaviour and carriage in the use of this Ordinance from that which we use in eating of common bread wherein men otherwise-knowing as these Corinthians might fail and be defective In short because a loose carriage is ordinarily an argument of a loose spirit therefore I have said this to compose the outward behaviour of Communicants to a sutable comelinesse and decency in the use of holy Ordinances Hoc agite is the old word §. 4 §. 4. What is requisite to make a man fit for the Sacrament 3. By having those graces which are to be exercised and
thus God offers the body and bloud of his Sonne which was shed for the remission of sinne and saith Take ye Eat ye Drink ye and that inward act which answers to this outward action whereby we do receive Christ that is exhibited we call faith when Christ is tender'd to us in the Word we believe ex-promisso when offer'd in the Supper we believe ex pignore There we have a promise here a pawn or pledge This faith is the taking hand which goes forth to the offering-hand of God This taking eating drinking are but faith appropriating and applying Christ You say you believe What believe you That God offers Christ to your faith What 's a poor man the richer for believing that one offers him a shilling What 's a condemned man the better for believing that a pardon is offer'd to him This is but a faith of the truth of the offer But doe ye receive Christ offered Do you close in with Christ Do you take him into you Here is the best Covenant sealed with the best blood that ever was You believe this to be a truth but come not in to this Covenant that saith doth but serve to your just condemnation It is the Christ-receiving not the truth acknowledging saith that brings salvation to you If men did but know what saving saith is we should have either more or â—ewer believers more for they would renounce that superficial thing cahed faith and buy gold tried in the fire Fewer for they would not count themselves to believe by that faith which they have A woman may believe a man to be rich and honourable and â—eall in his suit yet that belief doth not make a marriage but actual consent to take him for a husband For saith gives as well as takes it gives a man up to Christ as well as takes Christ to be a Saviour It is not true faith that blows hot and cold out of the same mouth and cries Hosanna to Christ a Saviour but yet I will not have him reigne over me This Sacrament presents Christ to faith thus It presents Christ himself his body and bloud not the benefits of Christ apart and abstract but Christ himself It presents Christ for intimate union with us as the nourishment is to the body It presents him really as the bread and wine is really taken and received It presents him crucified and suffering as if he was now dving and bleeding in whom faith findes reconciliation remission justification and redemption so is it acted and exercised in this Ordinance §. 4. Thirdly The third grace that is freshly revived and set on work in this Sacrament is Repentance and that appears thus Here is represented Goes Justiâ—e against our sinne in bruising his own Sonne with fore and dreadfull breaches made upon him and this Justice is mixt with goodnesse in transferring and laying upon the Sacrifice the delinquencies and sinnes which had they been charged on us had sunk us into the bottome of perdition and who that sees this shall not tremble at the fearfull wrath of God which Angels and men could not stand before Who shall not mourn over Christ whom we have pierced as it 's said of them Zech. 12. 10 Who can love the knife that slew his friend I meane the sinne that our Saviour bore in his body on the Tree This consideration here presented to you if you follow Christ from the Garden to Golgotha should me thinks affect the soul of a believer 1. With tender meltings of godly sorrow for sinne 2. With fresh purpose of amendment of life 1. With godly sorrow for sinne To hear the strong cries and see the streaming bloud of Christ for can there be a greater demonstration either of Gods Justice toward sinne or of his goodnesse to a sinner They say an adamant will be broken by bloud but alas the heart of man hath lost ingenuity or else the bloud of Christ would make us love sinne as bad as the terrours of Mount Sinai yea and to love it lesse and hate it more Fear may break a man but goodnesse melts him The terrours of the Lord may amaze and leave a man as hard still but godly sorrow makes tender and changes the disposition of the soul Revive then the sense of your sinne even pardon'd sins do revive godly sorrow and the more because he tastes goodnesse and grace to him unworthy the sweet of the Passeover is lost for want of bitter herbs 2. With fresh purpose of amendment a needfull grace to be renew'd at this Sacrament we should eat this Passeover with shoes on our feat and slaves in our hand ready to march out of Aegypt We cannot eat the Passeover and stay in Aegypt still God confirmes his Covenant and we must restipulate with God to cast out and execrate the old Leaven Let 's carry wounded sinnes from this Table Bring wonded hearts and carry away wounded sinnes Let 's learne to die to sinne by seeing Christ die for sinne Mutet vitam qui vult accipere vitam saith Austine The Covenant of Grace is sealed Let us seal a Covenant of Obedience By the merit of Christs death we are purchased to be Gods not our own By the power of his Death we are slain dead to sinne But here I must break out to meet with our common purposers and resolvers which if ever in their lives do now when they come toward the Lords Table flatter God and themselves with a new beginning of a new life from this time they are resolved that the ear that hath heard them shall hear them swear no more The eye that hath seen them shall see them drunk no more c. I would these greene cords would hold but we finde this righteousnesse is but a morning dew their Sampson lusts when they awake break all these cords And why Because these purposes arise from a fit of conscience not from a principle of life or love and so they prove but Lucida intervalla they returne to their madnesse againe when the fit takes them I would such men would resolve to be ashamed of these resolutions which so often leave them in the dirt that selfe confusion may carry them out of their owne strength which selfe-resolution doth but arme them with and therefore doth not stand For he that hath the Falling-sicknesse may resolve to fall no more but in vaine untill the disease be purged These are the principall the staple graces to be exercised in this Ordinance there are others which are included in these which I but name As §. 5. Fourthly Spiritual appetite of hunger and thirst after Christ who is here offered as full nourishment for the soul under the form of bread and wine I account gracious desires to be the immediate products of regenerated graces and very comfortable testimonies of life spirituall 1 Peter 2. 2. but it is called vehement desire 2 Cor. 7. 11. in difference from the sluggards desires which are but wishes and which every man pretneds
it self began and therefore I begin where the Lords Supper it self began and that is at the Passeover at the death whereof and out of the ashes of iâ— this Sacrament of ours like another Phoenix did arise for our Lord at his last Passeover called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his dying Passeover did institute and ordain this which is to live and remain till he come again and which Scaliger and others have observed the very materials of our Sacramental Supper were taken out of the Paschall Supper for that very bread which the Master of the Family used of custome not by any Scripture-command to blesse and give to the fraternity saying Holachma degnania 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the bread of affliction which the Fathers did eat in Egypt and that Cup which he blessed and gave to them to drink called the Cup of the hymn or Cos hallel because the hymn followed after and closed all That bread and that Cup did Christ according to the rite severally blesse and give saying This is my body This Cup is the New Testament in my bloud and so he put a new Superscription or signification upon the old metall and let all blinde and bold Expositors know that if they expound not many phrases and things in the New Testament out of the old Records of Jewish writings or customes they shall but fancy and not expound the Text as may be confirmed saith Scaliger sexcentis argumentis by very many arguments In handling of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I shall select such practical and preparative doctrine as is necessary for your knowledge that ye may discern the Lords body and not be guilty of it and for your practise that you may examine your selves and not eat and drink unworthily For if I should lanch out into controversies there would be no end There hath been more paper written upon those six syllables but five in English This is my body then would contain a just and large Commentary upon the whole Bible I begin with the Passeover which was the second for Circumcision was the first ordinary standing Sacrament of the Jewish Church beginning at their going forth out of Egypt and continuing till the Death of Christ when the Lords Supper did commence or begin and so displaced it The Passeover signified what should be the Lords Supper what is fulfilled in Christ In the Passeover were represented the Sufferings and Death of Christ by a Lamb slain rosted with fire In the Supper by bread broken and wine poured forth The outward symbols or signs differ But Christ is the same under both As Circumcision theirs baptism ours are different signs and rites but the inward Circumcision and Regeneration both one Theirs were both bloudy Sacraments for the bloud of Christ was to be shed ours unbloudy for the bloud is shed and our English well translates the word Passeover the Greek and Latine keep the word Pascha which gave some occasion to derive it from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to suffer a mistake The word is Pesach from Pasach which is to leap or passe over For when Israel after long servitude in Egypt was on wing to be gone God commanded them in their several Families to kill Seh a Lamb or kid to rost it whole to eat it within doors that night to sprinkle the side and upper door-posts with the bloud not the threshold propter reverentiam significationem Christs bloud must not be trampled on and so doing they should be safe from the destroying Angel that rode circuit that night to kill all Egypts first-born but he past over all the houses of Israel sprinkled with bloud and hence the name Passe-over the Etymon whereof is given by God himself Exod. 12. 27. We have the kernell in this shell the marrow of this bone a Passeover as well as they but ours is Christ our Passeover is Christ saith the Text. § 2. We proceed Our Passeover Christ is or was sacrificed for us Our Passeover Christ was a true Sacrifice but whether their Passeover was a Sacrifice or no it is in question The Papists swallow it greedily hoping thereby to prove our Supper to be both a Sacrifice and a Sacrament as their Passeover they say was but there are others both Lutheran and Calvinist as Gerald. in harmon Rivet on Exod. 12. that do not yield the Passeover a proper Sacrifice though it be so called Exo. 12. 27. It is the Sacrifice of the Lords Passeover for the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Hebrew Zabach are sometimes taken generally for mactare when there is no Sacrifice and they finde in Egypt at the first Passeover no Priest but the head of the Family or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no Altar no offering of the Lamb to God no expiation nor is it necessary that it should be a Sacrifice to type a Sacrifice for the Serpent on the Pole signified Christ crucified and so the Passeover as a Sacrament may figure out a Sacrifice as our Supper is the commemoration of a Sacrifice but not a Sacrifice On the other hand Calvin and others the Jewish Writers and many from them do hold it to be a Sacrifice and a Sacrament for the Scripture cals it Sacrifice and this bloud is shed at first by the Pater-familia's that was a Priest no other being yet consecrated in after times by the Priests or Levites and the bloud brought to the Altar as it wâ—s bloud shed to a religious end a bloud preservative from destroying Angels and therefore a proper Sacrifice What shall we say I 'le promise you not to puzzle you with controversies and disputes for I had rather The difference between a Sacrifice and a Sacrament set meat before you which you may eat then hard bones to gnaw upon The truth is a Sacrifice is something offered up to God by men a Sacrament is offered and given to man by God to be eaten or used in his Name and so that part of the offering which is offered up to God may be called a Sacrifice and that part eaten or used by man a Sacrament the very body and bloud of Christ was a Sacrifice no Sacrament The bread and wine as used are a Sacrament no Sacrifice The Passeover was the figure of a true Deut. 16. 5. Sacrifice Christ and we may call it so because the Scripture doth It follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us keep the Feast What is that Ye shall finde that after the Passeover Lamb was eaten the next day began the Feast Numb 28. 16 17. and the Passeover is called Feast too Exâ—d 12. 15. c. and that continued seven daies kept in great festivity and solemnity but with unleavened bread the Apostle alludes hereunto Our Passeover is sacrificed therefore let us henceforth c. We that have received the sprinkling of bloud and eaten his flesh by faith live all our daies in a holy rejoycing and thanks-giving which is a continuall Feast
and let us cast out the incestuous Corinthians out of our Society for he is a leven ver 6 7. and let us purge out of our selves malice wickednesse c. For they are leven ver 8. that we may be a holy Congregation and a holy people and so the argument of the Apostle stands thus from the example of the Old Passeover Those for whom Christ the Passeover is sacrificed ought as holy Congregations and holy people to be unleavened with sin and wickednesse and to walk before God in an unleavened sincerity but for us Christ the Passeover is sacrificed therefore let us keep the Feast c. I have explained the words and now we shall consider this Passeover two waies 1. As a Sacrifice or figure of a Sacrifice and so it refers to Christ our Passeover Christ is sacrificed for us 2. As a Sacrament and so it relates to us and shews us our duty upon that Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us keep the Feast The Sacrifice is given for us the Sacrament is given to us From the first Our Passeover is Christ sacrificed for us We have a Doct. Our Passeover is Christ sacrificed for us Passeover but it is Christ sacrificed And here before I shew the Analogy or resemblance between the Passeover and Christ we shall note three or four things §. 3. 1. They in the Old Church of Israel had Christ as well though not so clear as we 1 Cor. 10. 4. The Rock that followed our Fathers in the Wildernesse was Christ the Passeover was Christ the personall Types such as Isaac on the Wood the reall Types as their bloudy Sacrifices were Christ He was then in his swadling clouts swathed up in shadows and types and not naked as now Gal. 3. 1. those Types being anatomized unbowelled are full of Gospel full of Christ the death of Christ pecus prosunt quam fuit saith Bernard de coena Christ is the marrow in the bone the kernell in the shell yesterday and to day and the same for ever the summe and sweet of all Ordinances therefore those that say they were filled with temporall promises but had no spirituall derogate too much from them as that they were Swine filled with husks and speak a wondrous Paradox that those that had so much faith Heb. 11. should have no Christ we give them the right hand of fellowship and they were the elder brother yet we have the double portion §. 4. 2. Mark the form of speech Christ our Passeover that is our Paschall Lamb which is also called the Passeover Exod. â—2 â—1 Kill the Passeover Now the Passeover properly was the Angels passing over the Israelites houses and not the Lamb but we must learn to understand Sacramentall phrases the signe called the thing signified the figure called the thing figured The Rock was Christ Christ our Passeover that is paschal Lamb Circumcision called the Covenant Gen 17. 13. My Covenant shall be in your flesh this will be allowed in every place but one and that is this one This is my body For the Lutheran stands up for a corporall presence under the Signes The Papist for a change of the Bread and Wine into Christs body and bloud No conferences no disputes no condescensions will satisfie them and yet we say very fairly the very body of Christ born of the Virgin that died on the Crosse that sits in heaven is present in this Sacrament but not in the Bread or Wine but to the faithfull Receiver not in the Elements but to the Communicants but all this will not serve turn These two Prepositions Con and Trans have bred more jarres and cost more bloud since they were born and there is neither of them in this cause six hundred years old then can be well imagined §. 4. 3. The Passeover figured Christ and yet the Jews ordinarily saw not Christ in it It is plain in their celebration of the Passeover or their Rituals they take notice of and commemorate their Egyptian slavery and their deliverance and so they were commanded but of Christ not a syllable It entred not into them that a Lamb rosted should figure the Messiah as they had formed him in their thoughts and so they held the Passeover as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looking backward but as a Type looking forward no knowledge except the faithfull had some glimpse of it and this is the great fault of men in all Sacraments they minde not the inwards of a Sacrament nor look for the kernell they did so and we also not discerning the Lords body is not that it which makes us guilty of his body and bloud there is in all Sacraments res terrena res coelestis as Irenaeus Earthly men see the earthly part they eat they drink It feeds not they eat shells the inwards within the bone are marrow Christ Christ set spirituall food before our bodies viz. ayery set corporall before the soul and you illude both saith Parisiensis de Euchar sub finem §. 5. â— The Passeover is Christ sacrificed not Christ a Lamb unspotted but Christ a Lamb rosted with fire and this tels you that the Passeover and our Supper represent Christ crucified Christ dying or dead It is the death of Christ not his Resurrection nor ascension that is here set forth Ye shew the Lords death till he come this is the sight which a sinful soul would see this is the comfortable spectacle to see the price paying the ransome laying down the thing in doing Hence he draws the hope and comfort of Redemption and therefore the bread was broken and the Cup was full of bloud to represent to the life this life giving Death to Christ The Papists have cheated the people of the bloud by a trick of concomitancy telling them that the bread is his body and his body hath bloud in it we have a word of Institution of both severally the life of the representation is the bloud shed the Passeover is a Lamb slain and rosted and the bloud on the doorposâ— and by providence if the Papists will allow all to eat then we have expresly for the Cup a Bibite ex hoc omnes Mat. 26. 27. Drink ye all of it So that it is the Death of Christ here represented and which is one step further it is a Sacrifice Death which works and makes atonement this was it that all the Sacrifices that the Passeover did prefigure a Sacrifice death that should deliver and make expiation This Cup saith Christ is the New Testament in my bloud which is shed for you and many for remission of sins a death and such a kinde of death as in our Sacrament set forth a Sacrifice Death therefore it 's said sacrificed for us §. 7. Now let us come to the Analogy or resemblance between the Passeover and Christ sacrificed wherein I shall The resemblance between the Passeover and Christ sacrificed endeavour to avoid the vanity and curiosity of making similitudes to
resemblances of meat and drink this is a hungry feast he must have his stomack in his eye that is fed with it but the Sacraments are signacula symbola seals and pledges or instruments offering exhibiting and making present to our faith the very benefits which they signifie the very body and bloud of Christ is not only represented but presente to a believer and brought home to his soul yet they are not natural instruments Montac orig part 1. p. 67. in which the inward grace is contained as in a vessel as the Romish Praesentialists and Schoolmen dream like plaisters which have in themselves a virtue or power to heal a wound or a medicine to expell poison but they are moral and voluntary means or instruments serving to the purpose ex destinatione by appointment as the brazen Serpent to heal the sting Bernard hath writ upon it As saith he in vestitures and possessions Bernard de coena and assurances do pass by the staff and ring Annulus non valet quicquam haereditas est quam quaerebam The ring avails little I seek the inheritance that is confirmed and convey'd by it so we say the Lands Inheritance c. do passe by the great Seal for so I come to have and hold and they are mine by it Thus the Sacrament is a seal of confirmation and conveyance of the inward grace to the hand or faith of a believing soul And as really as the estate doth passe by the Seal into your right and possession not by any inward work or power of the Seal in it self but by the use it 's of in sealing and conveying so really is Christ and all his treasure passed over unto you that receive him by faith not in respect of any worthiness or vertue in the very outward Sacrament but in and by the use it 's of by Christs appointment to seal confirm and convey that excellent place speaks my minde fully 1 Cor. 10. 16. The Cup of blessing which we bless Is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ The Bread which we break Is it not the Communion of the body of Christ He saith not barely representation as a signe but communion or participation as a conveying seal I declare this to you because some believe too much and think the outward Sacrament works I know not how like a plaister by some vertue contained in them that is opere operato as they barbarously speak and others believe-too little as if they were meer and empty signs and resemblances of Christs body and bloud as if a woman should receive a ring meerly because the picture of her beloved is engraven on it and not as a ring of espousals really sealing and confirming the contract and assuring himself hers sed de hoe infra §. 5. The Use which may be hence inferr'd is twofold Use 1 The Lord Jesus is authour therefore this Supper is not ours that are Ministers but it is the Lords Alexander Ales pars 4. quaest 49. memb 1. Hales hath an excellent Rule which I shall make use of hereafter it 's this Sacerdos est dispensator non Dominus Sacramentorum Ecclesiae non dat suum sed reddit alienum quod de jure negari non potest The Minister is the Dispenser or Steward not the Lord of the Sacraments of the Church He gives not that which is his but restores that which is anothers which de jure cannot be denied to him to whom it 's Homil. 83. in Mat. due and therefore Chrysostom speaks to his fellow Ministers and cals them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Distributers Dispensers as you are of the poors bread in the Church which some Benefactour formerly appointed to be bestowed on them by his Will and of his Gift to whom the Lord gives it We cannot deny if they be within the Sphere of our office and to whom the Lord denies we cannot give A man comes to an Executour Sir I come to you for a certain Legacy given me by my Fathers will whereof you are Executour the gift bequeathed is not yours and you are but the hand whereby the Donour was pleased to hand it unto me True saith the Executour there is such a Legacy bequeath'd but if you look the Will you shall finde it given with some limitations and proviso's See the words ver 28. of this Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so there is an And so But let a man examine himself and so let him eat and so let him drink It is confest on all hands The Conditions being performed the claim is good but if it can be said You are not a Disciple and to such only this Legacy was bequeathed by Christ or the Church hath set on you the brand of a Heathen or a Publican though you was a Disciple and you have for the present by your sinne forfeited the right you had untill by your repentance you return again why then all will say that an Executour or Administratour may not act directly contrary to the Will for he is not the Testatour to do what he will but he is Administratour to observe and not to violate the Will §. 6. Use 2 The Lord Jesus is authour from him therefore let the benefit and efficacy of this Ordinance be expected for it hath veritatem virtutem both esse and operari being and working from the authour As money hath the stamp and the value from the supream power and here is the difference between natural and moral instruments we take the word instrument largely pro medio for a mean that if the Sacraments were natural means or instruments in which as the Schoolman doth the very vertue or the grace and benefit by them convey'd were contrived then were the vertue and benefit to be expected from themselves and no otherwise from the authour than as authour of the instrument as the Candle gives light whether the maker of it be present or no and the plaister heals by a quality in it self but a moral instrument not so being empty of any vertue to such an effect except the authour do work by it or ad praesentiamejus at the presence of it as the Serpent of brasse on the Pole the Clay and Spittle on the eye the Lambs bloud on door-posts had in themselves no power to their several effects but as they were appointed and used by God or Christ It is very hard to believe that there is a true and real exhibition of Christs body and bloud to my faith as there is of the bread and wine to the mouth of the receiver sottish and superstitious people that use charms or inchanted means for diseases c. never ask themselves How these things work by any natural vertue in them or by the devil the authour of them And so here there are thousands that have a reverend esteem of these mysteries yea and a superstitious conceit thinking that there is some good in them and imagining at least that they shall
be better for them but whether to apply their eye to the very things themselves or to Christ they know not nor matter not but rest in a confused imagination just as they that uâ—e charms Now for redress of this confused notion I commend that of famous Dr Whitaker Quasi De Euchar. pag. 624. in 40. Chriâ—â—â—s in medio sederet c. As if Christ fate amongst â—ou and did the same as in the first Supper so ought â—ve to think of this Sacrament and that is to see Christ to take and bless and say to us This is my body take and eat This is my bloud Drink ye all of it a very effectual consideration according to that good old solemn word used to be spoken to the people at this Table Surjum corda Have your hearts upward to which they answered Habemus ad Dominum Now as to others that have their eyes so near the book that they see the worse I mean such as by curious enquiry and too much niceness how it 's possible that the eating of a piece of bread and drinking of a sup of wine should exhibit and convey to the faith of a believer the very true and real body and bloud of Christ do dispute themselves into a naked figure and sign as a painted supper represents a true I say this That God imitates men in their assurances or conveyances as we read of his oath of his earnest of his seal so that as men in passing of estates and inheritances do make Deeds and seal them and deliver them and then the real estate is not convey'd out by vertue of a bit of wax but by the Donors sealing that wax and fastening it to his Deed and delivering it as his Act and Deed So God or the Lord Jesus Christ makes a Covenant of giving Christ and eternal life to believers and appoints Sacraments to be Seals of that Covenant and delivers this sealed Covenant to a believer and thereby really and truly the Lord Jesus Christ for in hoc sacro speaking of the Supper saith Bernard non solum quaelibet gratia sed Serm. de caena 2. ille in quo est omnis gratia not only some one certain grace is given but he in whom is all grace viz. Christ Jesus the Lord. And yet I must not say that God hath so tied himself or us to the sacramentâ—l Seals as that no man can have Christ or the inheritance without them for that faith which eats and drinks the flesh and bloud of Christ extra Sacramentum Joh. 6. 50 51 53 54. doth save and the Covenant whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved passes the estate effectually to a believer though it be never sealed sacramentally so a Will unsealed and unwritten too will stand good to many purposes The Emperour Valentinian earnestly desired Baptism but before Ambrose could come died He was sayed saith Ambrose voto Baptismi by the desire of Baptism No The desire was good but it was his faith in Christ that saved him Crede manducasti saith Austin Believe and thou hast eaten What then need we care for Sacraments Yea the Covenant passes the Estate the Seal secures and quiets it God need neither adde to his Promise Oath or Seal to binde himself thereby but to settle us CHAP. IV. Of the Time of this Sacraments Institution And of Judas his betraying Christ. SO much of the Authour now to the Time of this The time Institution In the same night wherein he was betrayed The Lord Jesus was betray'd he was betray'd in the night The same night in which he was betrayed he instituted and celebrated this Supper §. 1. First The Lord Jesus was betrayed The same word signifies Gods delivering up his Sonne to death Rom. 8. 32. and Judas his delivering up his Master to the Jews Luk. 22. 4. and the Jews their delivering of him up to Pilate Mat. 27. 18. God is not said to betray his Sonne because according to his purpose and out of his love to man-kinde he delivered him to death for their redemption but both the Jews and Judas are said to have betray'd him they for envy seeking his bloud Matth. 27. 18. He for covetousness seeking money Matth. 26. 15. for it is thought that Judas conceiv'd that Christ would slip out of the mids of them and go away as often he had done and then his Master were safe and he had his money for it 's said Matth. 27. 2. that then Judas which had betray'd him when he saw that Christ was condemned repented himself It 's a good saying that we should not look on pleasure as it comes toward us but as it goes from us Sinne before it be committed seems to the eye of lust full of profit pleasure after commission when the lust is spent Ammon hates Tamar for whom he was sick before But the traitor sticks fastest to Judas he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the betrayer of Christ his Lord and Master and therefore the brand is set upon him Judas Iscariot who betrayed him as on Jeroboam that made Israel to sinne and how did he betray him He brought a band of men to the place where Christ was and marked him out unto them with a kisse Matth. 26. 48. This is he take him and hold him fast This Text refers not to Gods delivering up of Christ nor to the Luk. 22. 48. Jews but to Judas for it 's said In the night that he was betrayed and that was by Judas only §. 2. Obs Judas being an instrument to bring to passe Gods holy councel and purpose plunged himself by his sinne into deep damnation It was Gods purpose and decree that Christ should die and he himself deliver'd him up to death but as God holily and justly doth what Josephs brethren do sinfully so he delivers up the Lord Jesus by wicked hands Luk. 22. 22. The Sonne of man goes viz dies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it was decreed and determin'd But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed it had been good for that man that he had not been born It is according as it is decreed yet woe to that man c. Acts 2. 23. He was deliver'd by the determinate councel and fore-knowledge of God but you have slain him by wicked hands God brings his holy councels purposes and decrees to passe by most wicked instruments The giving up his Sonne to death was the most glorious work of grace and love that ever was but effected by most wicked hands Godly men could not be imployed in such services An Artificer useth a crooked tool to do that which he cannot do by a strait one The secret will of God is no rule of our obedience Nec omnis revelata saith Ainsw not every reveal'd Medull a lib. cap. 1. §. 23. will neither his instance is of Jeroboam to whom it was reveal'd long before that he should have ten Tribes 1 King 11. â—1 which yet peccavit occupando he
both institute and celebrate this Sacrament The concurrent testimony of the Evangelists and of Paul in this Text asserts it as the first Passeover in Aegypt was eaten in the night so was this Supper and as that was kept in after-times as a memorial of the destroying Angel his passing over the houses of Israel untill the death of Christ So this is kept as a memorial of the deliverance of the Church from eternal destruction by the death of Christ untill his second coming CHAP. V. Why Christ deferr'd the instituting of this Supper untill the night in which he was betrayed THat Christ could have ordained this Supper before this time there is no doubt but why he deferr'd it to this night in which he was betrayed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in loc saith Chrysostom was not without some reason and the Lord himself intimates as much Luke 22. 15. With desire I have desired to eat this Passeover with you before I suffer Which Reasons are divers and may be ordered to two heads 1. Why he instituted it at the close of the Supper for after Supper he took the Cup v. 24. 2. Why he instituted and celebrated it a few hours if hours before he was betrayed §. 1. First Being ordained at or at the end of the Passeover and Supper annexed which some call coena justa Groâ—ius or apolytica the dimissory Supper it must of necessity be at night for the Passeover was eaten at the beginning or fore-part of the night therefore Christ was necessitate legis adactus saith Peter Martyr moved by In locum necessity of the Law to do it in the night and after Supper as substituting it in the place and room of the Passeover as Paraeus which he first fulfilled and then abrogated it and he abrogated it as one that did not impugn it for it was an Ordinance of God and therefore he did not tear it down as some old hangings off the wall but he did fulfill it by observing it and decently laid it in the grave by placing in its room the memorial of an infinitely greater and more largely extending mercy than the deliverance from Aegypt was So that when he whom that rosted and slain Lamb did type out was as the true Passeover slain and sacrificed then it was time the body being present to draw a curtain over the picture and in stead of that commemoration used at the Passeover when they broke the bread and distributed it saying This is the bread of affliction which our Fathers suffered in Aegypt to put a new memorial upon it This is my body broken for you This is my bloud shed for you and as that continued in the Church till the body came which that shadow represented so shall this continue in the Church till the person come alive which is here represented dying and then an end of this too 2. At the end of the paschal Supper to shew that Jansen Harm p. 105. in this Sacrament there is no bodily repast intended for they had already supped but a spiritual refection of the soul The rosted Lamb might afford the guests a belly-full so the Religion and Ordinances and Promises in the Law were more outward and bodily but this Sacrament of the Gospel is an after Supper modicum full of spiritual signification but not so stuffie for outward matter that we may prepare not as Austin saith our months but our faith and expect to satisfie not the hunger and thirst of the body as they might but the hunger and thirst of the soul which in this little model may finde enough and over-measure The Temple-service among the Jews was an Heb. 9. 1 10. Rom. 2. penult outward Religion and as their Ordinances were outward so they generally were Jews outwardly we wonder that they so little saw and tasted the marrow and kernel of them and stuck in the rinde feeding on the crust of most Ordinances as if a man should think the cloth would heal the sore and not the plaister spread upon it but if we take estimate of them by our selves we shall finde that most of us should have been as they in that case for God having ordained for us outward Sacraments for number few for observation easie for signification excellent as Austin speaks Epist 118. we are for the general but outward in them though we be clearlier taught what is within them yet we are in the use of them but outwardly reverent as they and do not spiritually and inwardly enjoy the kernell of them which the Apostle took notice of when he said Not discerning the Lords body and so they are seals indeed but rather seals of a Letter which shut it up than seals of a Deed or Covenant conveying the Estate to us 3. Though it be not a reason why this Ordinance was appointed after the Passeover-Supper yet I may observe it to you in this place that hence it is called The Lords Supper from the Author it 's called the Lords and from the Time it 's called a Supper being celebrated in the night and at the close of Supper Some later Maldonat in Mat. 26. 26. Estius in 1 Cor. 11. 20. Jesuites do tax the novelty of the name and affirm Nullus in Scripturâ locus c. No place of Scripture cals it so for the term in this Chapter refers say they to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Feasts of Love used with it they may say as well that Lords Table 1 Cor. 10. 21. refers to them too which we believe not it is a spiritual feast that which Matthew cals a dinner Matth. 22. 4. is called by Luke a Supper Luk. 14. 16. but we call it the Lords Supper though it be received in the morning or any other time of day with reference to the time of the first institution as the Passeover in after-times was called the Passeover not because there was any destroying Angel past over their houses every year but in respect of the first Passeover in Aegypt and in memory of that wherein there was a passing over the Israelites houses and a destroying of the Aegyptians first-born I could name to you many other names that this Sacrament bears in Scripture and ancient Authours farre more ancient then their Mâ—ssa which is but once found in Ambrose and in none before him or the Sacrament of the Altar as they call it but I insist not now on names He that will may see them in Casaub Exercit 16. §. 2. Secondly Why the Lord Jesus ordained it a very little before he was betrayed 1. He now seals his will which men use to do Paraeus in loc when they are in sight of death This is the New Testament saith he in my bloud when men make their Wils they bequeath their body to the earth Christ bequeaths his body and bloud to us He bestows his body natural on his body mystical the Church The Testatour is Christ Heb. 9. 16. The
Legacy bestowed is himself and all spiritual benefits with him My body and bloud The heirs are all believers Disciples The Executours for the outward part are those to whom he saith Hoc facite do this execute this my Will The Witnesses are the Evangelists and Saint Paul Here is a perfect sealing then of a Testament which is of force by the death of the Testatour and nothing must be added or taken away for it is a Will sealed and Gal. 3. 15. publisht 2. To leave it as his ultimum vale or last memorial Aug. Epist 118 of precious relish and esteem when men are going then they give memorial gifts unto their friends then they give their pictures Keep this for me Remember me when you see me not When men are dying then they pull their ring off their finger and leave it with their beloved Oh what impression have the verba morientis the word of a dying man As if a man saith Chrysostome should say to children These were your fathers dying words This was his last charge This he spoke and died and there is nothing that is remembred with more awe more affection than the last words the last gift of dying friends 3. To testifie his dearest love to his Church and people that when death was in sight and all the unspeakable sorrows shame and suffering were now ready to invade him when injuries from men were ready to load him and the justice of God upon sinne to be demonstrated on him all these did not make him forget his love His love to his poor people overtop'd all He loved them to the end Joh. 13. 2. and exprest it at the last and when he was in expectation of utmost sorrow he forgets not his love to his 4. To fortifie his Disciples against temptations which were now rushing in upon them when they should presently see their Lord led away as a prisoner to be arraigned and themselves scattered and discouraged Peter denying bloudy enemies insulting then to fortifie their hearts Let not your hearts be troubled Joh. 1◠1. He administers this Sacrament to strengthen the Union and Communion between him and them and to tie them to him so fast that the gates of hell might not prevail against them that their faith might not fail though it fainted as was said to Peter and though they fall yet they might not utterly be cast down as the Psalmist saith They had before eaten the body which they after saw broken and drunk the bloud which they after saw shed The broken body was not theirs that broke it The bloud shed was not theirs that shed it but it was theirs that had before eaten it and drunk it so God underprops his weak servants before the winde blow and seasonably antidotes the hearts before the bitter cup that they may stand fast though for fear they runaway 5. That when we iterate this Sacrament our hearts may be prickt with remembrance of this dismal night Chrysost in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Chrysostom that he might exceedingly prick us for a wounded heart is a good preparative to the receiving of a wounded Saviour He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities Isa 53. 5. Let a man survey this night how his blessed Saviour was for him betray'd into the hands of bloudy men This right he was plunged into most dolefull sorrows He was amazed and loaden with grief exceeding sorrowfull in a wofull agony sweating like drops of bloud running down to the ground without any comfort from any man his chief Disciples could not pray with him all fled and ran away from him betray'd by one of his own denied by another sending forth loud cries and tears God smit the Shepherd scatter'd the flock an Angel from heaven strengthening him an Angel that had not the benefit of Redemption by him but not a man for whose Redemption this was Oh the dark eclypse that now seized on this Sunne of righteousness Who can express the anguish and dolour of this night 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though he was a very stone saith Chrysostom it would melt him wound him Therefore I exhort you all when you come to this Sacrament bring this night with you bring this night with you in which he was betray'd It is a night of observation to be remembred as was said of the first Passeover in Aegypt Exod. 12. 42. so it may be said of the night of this first Supper read read again or get some body to read to you this History related by Matthew or St Luke and water your meditations with sorrowfull tears not as he that wept when he read the History of Dido in the Poet out o◠an imaginary compassion but as beholding in this glass both your sins and your redemption This do in remembrance of him CHAP. VI. Of the outwards of this Ordinance of the Supper 1 COR. 11. 23 24 25. He took bread and when he had given thanks c. §. 1. IN the Sacrament of Baptism there is but one outward element water in this of the Supper two bread and wine which though they distinctly signifie the one the body the other the bloud of Christ yet because they set forth one nourishment of the body by bread and drink of the soul by the body and bloud of Christ and make but one commemoration of Christ and his death This do in remembrance of me vers 24. Drink it in remembrance of me vers 25. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this Cup ye do shew forth the Lords death vers 26. Therefore as several dishes are but one Supper so these several signs are the parts of one Sacrament To avoid tautology and coincidency I mean to open the parts distinctly and yet to take together element with element rule with rule action with action as fitly yoked together joyntly and so be as soon at the end of the one as of the other which course of handling that word in Luke 22. 20. whom of all the Evangelists Paul doth nearliest agree with and vers 25. of this Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Likewise or After the same manner points me unto and if there be any word in the three Evangelists that write the History of the institution whereof one that is Matthew was present at the action that may serve for the beautifying or clearing of any point as we go along we shall take it also into the contexture of our Discourse The Method and order is to handle 1. The outward Ordinance of this Supper 2. The inward thing signified or represented 3. The mandate or command Do this 4. The end For remembrance of me §. 2. The outward Ordinance is properly called the Sacrament the inward kernel or thing signified is called Res Sacramenti the thing of the Sacrament for the Sacrament is the outward visible sign and therefore it is very absurdly said of Bellarmine and other Lib. ◠de Euch. cap.
24. Papists who have lest nothing but accidents and shadow of bread and wine that Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is the figure and remembrance of himself as if one should say that the King is the picture or image of himself for as Dr Whitaker observes The De Sacram. pag. 616. body and bloud of Christ is no Sacrament but the thing it self whereof the Sacrament is taken As the contract is no ring but that whereof the ring is a pledge The Covenant is no Seal but that whereof the Seal is though in vulgar speech when we take the Sacrament and the thing of the Sacrament in complexion we use to say that the Sacrament consists of two parts Terrena and coelesti as Irenaeus saith an earthly Iren. l. 4. c. 34. Whitak de Sacram. 626. and a heavenly an outward and an inward a visible and an invisible Ut duae naturae in Christo. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper or the outward Ordinance consists 1. Of materials or elements bread and wine 2. Of rituals or actions about those elements and they are 1. The Rites used by Christ or some other in his name He took bread he blessed c. 2. The Actions of the Communicants They take and eat they take and drink And so ye have a Sacrament consisting of several elements and sundry outward rites and actions all concurring to the essence or integrity of this Sacrament §. 3 §. 3. Of the Elements Bread and Wine I begin with the Elements and they are 1. Two viz. Bread and Wine Our Melchisedech entertains the children of Abraham as that Melchisedech did Abraham himself Gen. 18. â—8 He brought forth to him bread and wine Christ did not take these two by accident because he found them then on the Table but by choice and election for their use in signifying The old Church of Israel had a Table-Sacrament the Passeover and Christ will have the Gospel-Church to have a Table-Sacrament too this Supper but as before Christ their Sacrifices and Sacraments were all bloudy So when Christ the substance of all Sacrifices and Sacraments hath suffer'd the Sacraments of the Gospel and Sacrifices are unbloudy Many Divines shew the conveniency of Bread and Wine to be the materials of this Sacrament Vide J nsen Harm p. 626. and some with too much fancy The representation of his Body broken and of his Blood shed The participation of his Body and Blood for soul-strength and soul-refreshment could not be better shadowed forth than by the staff of Bread and chearfull Wine which as they are the most common so the most necessary and prime materials that are used at our tables answering both our appetites of hunger and thirst weakness is strengthened by bread faintness cherisht by wine the faint and feeble soul by Christ Famine and thirst are importunate things no delights of the eye no Musick to the ear can satisfie them Violent desires towards Christ are not to be excused but praised For his Flesh is meat indeed his Blood is drink indeed Joh. 6. 55. 2. Bread and Wine severally and asunder to set forth his death wherein Corpus a sanguine separatum fuit saith Jansenius his Body and his Blood Harm 896. was sundred The Papists as to their Priests and some Kings or Princes will allow bread and wine but as to the common people bread or wine they say by concomitancy the blood is in the bread virtually and so they shut up the wounds of Christ by their dry Mass But Christ would represent himself here not as a Lamb but a Lamb sacrificed and slain and therefore the blood is severed from the body as the money is not a prisoners ransom while it lies in the chest but when it 's paid So the blood of Christ as shed is our ransom As Israel in the wilderness had a type of Christ Manna which they did eat and the rock also of which they drank so have we the memorials of his body and blood that we may eat and drink And which is the summe of all that may be said on this point since the Lord was pleased even under the Gospel to continue that old way of Fellowship and Communion with his Church by entertaining them at his own Table upon his own chear in an Ordinance of eating and drinking as he alwaies allowed the Israelites to feast with him upon the remainders of the Sacrifices in token of followship and the very Heathens did by feasting on their Sacrifices testifie their fellowship with their Idols as is plain 1 Cor. 10. 18 19 20. I see not how more fit materials could be used then Bread and Wine which as they best stand with the simplicity of the Gospel so they are the most common and necessary attendants in all feasts and do both together set forth that full and perfect nourishment which we finde in Christ As for that I finde in Cyprian and from him in Cyp. Epist 76. Aug. Tract in Jo. cap. 6. 26. August and after both in most Divines That as one bread is made of many grains and one cup of wine of many grapes so the Church is one Body of many Members whose Communion and Fellowship is here professed testified and signified by their participation of one Bread and of one Cup The allusion is proper and not unlike that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 17. We being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread And this union of members was anciently professed with all dearness of love and affection in the use of this Ordinance and they delighted to express their division and separation from all the world their combination and concorporation among themselves by all entercourses of love and dearness that could be their Feasts of Love their Kiss mentioned in Scripture and ancient Authours are hereof great witnesses But what shall those places or Countries do that have no bread of corn no fruit of the vine I confess that though God said in the Passeover a Lamb Exod. 12. 5. or Kid yet Christ expresses nothing there of other materials and therefore in case of extream necessity where the proper Elements cannot be had they must either be without the Ordinance or celebrate in that which is Analogicall and which passes for bread with them or wine with them which it's better say some to do than wholly to be deprived â—oulin Buckler pag. 531. Beza Epist 2. but this Eclipse is not likely to be seen in our Horison therefore I shall not further discuss it §. 4 §. 4. The Rites or Actions about the Sacrament So much of the Elements Bread and Wine Now I proceed to the Rites or Actions and first them of Christs using in which you are to use your eye as in the Word preached God speaks to your ear so here he speaks to your eye The Sacrament is a visible Word and therefore I hold it requisite that the Communicant be within sight of
the Elements and Actions that he may see the bread and the wine Taken Blessed Broken Poured forth and not in corners and holes whence he hath not the actions under command of his eye Not that I deny but a blinde man may receive the Sacrament but that all means of spirituall impression must be used Behold saith Moses the blood of the Covenant Exod. 24. 8. The first Action of Christ is He took bread likewife after supper the cup so Paul so Luke He took the bread he took the cup so Matthew and Mark of the two Elements the Bread is first taken both by Christ and by the Communicant This order is to be held by the consent of all the four Writers And of Christs Action let us Note 1. That Christ took the Bread into his hands he took the Cup into his hands observing the rite and custom then used and gave thanks over the Bread holding it in his hands and so over the Cup having it in his hands This is the first step towards the separating and setting apart the Elements he took them in his hand see there was a solemn rite that the pater familias did use to take into his hands and bless these principall parts of the meal or feast The taking of the Lamb was the first action towards the Paschall Exod. 12. 2 5 21. 2. That Christ took and blest the Bread and the Cup severally one after the other He took Bread and blest and pronounced This is my Body Afterwards he took the Cup and blest and pronounced This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood The Evangelists Matthew and Mark express it Luke and Paul likewise confirm it and if there were nothing else the very rule and usage amongst the Jewes to blesse them severally would prove it to us 3. But whether there was any intervall of time between his taking and blessing the Bread and the Wine is a harder knot Matthew and Mark say As they were eating or as they did eat he took Bread Luke and Paul say After they had supped he took the Cup This seems to plead for some intervall of time Videtur saith Calvin in 1 Cer. 11. 25. In Mar. 14. 22. Beza and yet if Matthew and Mark be viewed alone the Action seems to be continued What wedge must be used for this knot Beza hints that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be variously translated When they had eaten but I shall not grant Beza his Interpretation but hold to our own and appeal to the rule or custom then received amongst the Jews to decide the Controversie for if those words As they were eating be all one with those of Paul After they had supped then how doth Paul and Luke so frequently and emphatically apply them to the Cup which may by that interpretation be said of the Bread also The rise Gretius in Matth. 26. 26. was that while they were eating not the Passeover Lamb for so all that Christ did was after supper but the post coenam or after supper the second course and toward the end thereof the Master took bread and blest and brake it and distributed it with a signification of the bread of affliction in Egypt then at the very close and after all eating the Cup was taken and blest what intervall of time went between I know not Non constat saith Calvin whether Calvin in â— Co. 11. 25. the Action was continued but I beleeve the Bread was eaten before the Cup was blest or taken and Christ that instituted no new Rites but set a Hugh Brought new superscription on the old mettall imitated this custom and took and blest the Bread while they were yet eating and took and blest the Cup at the close after all and so all are agreed And here let me shew you a reason why the Churches now are not bound to consecrate and distribute the Bread before they consecrate the Wine as it was in Christs Supper because the Rite was so at that time and the thing being meerly occasionall is not obligatory but indifferent We pronounce the words of signification This is my Body This Cup is c. severally but we do not distribute the Bread before we bless the Wine that Christ did occasionally to the Rite 4. The Bread which Christ took into his hands was such as was obvious and ordinary on the Table at that time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Matthew signanter some Cameron in Mycoth Matth. 26. peculiar Bread designed and prepared for that use doubtless unleavened according to Law and custom and yet the Greek Church stiffly holds to leaven'd bread on opinion that Christ kept his last Passeover on the 13th day of the moneth one day before the time by Law prefixed for leaven to commence and of this opinion for the day is a late Learned Writer in his answer to six Queries who also holds that Christ and his Disciples at this time did eat no Lamb but kept only the usuall post coenum or after-supper As to the time I assent not and therefore hold the bread unleavened in which the Romanist celebrates the Supper and Calvin would not contend in so slight a matter against the same custom used in Geneva nor do we make it any matter of moment but bless such as the Table doth afford being pure and wholsom as the use requires The Cup which Christ took hath this mark it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—os Hallel was a Cup after they had supped and that was the Cup of the Hallell or of the Hymn the last Cup which used very solemnly to be blest this mark after supper differences it from that Cup Luke 22. 17. He took the cup and gave thanks and said Take this and divide it among your selves This is not the Cup which Christ took into his Supper for that comes after ver 20. There were divers Cups solemnly blest and given round at this Passeover feast three or four therefore this which Christ took in is the very last after which they eat and drunk no more that time And the last Cup was even among the Heathens counted solemn and sacred in honorem Grotius in Matth. 26. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in honour of their good Genius c. § 5 §. 5. Of Christ his Consecration or Blessing of the Elements The second Rite or Action used by Christ was giving thanks He took Bread and giving thanks he brake likewise also the Cup. He took the Bread and blessed Matth. 26. â—6 Mark 14. 22. He took Bread and gave thanks Luk. 22 19. and St Paul here Two of them say of the Bread He blessed Two of them say of the same Bread He gave thanks They all say of the Cup He gave thanks and yet in another place 1 Cor. 10. 6. The Cup of blessing which we bless what can be more plainly infer'd hence then that these two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in this business of one signification and
effect as in Mark 8. 6 7. He gave thanks and brake the bread or loaves the fishes he blest Shall we be so trivially curious as to seek criticisms in a thing so plain Not only our Divines but Romanists also consent he blest the Bread by thanksgiving and prayer over it He prayd God he blest God or he gave God thanks and thereby blest the Bread and Wine therefore it is said The Cup of blessing which we bless apply the one of these words to God he gave him thanks the other to the Bread as Paraeus and others all comes to one the Bread and the Cup were blest by Prayer and In loc Jansen Harm p. 96. Thanksgiving Thus the Jew in his form blessed his Bread and Cup by blessing God that created the fruit of the earth and of the vine and these two words in Greek expresse but that one in the Hebrew Barak as Maldonate and Paraeus note and this blessing is that we call Consecration or Sanctification by which the Elements are set apart to holy use and segregated from common or prophane For the further clearing of which First That Christ whether at miraculous meals Calvin in loc P. Martyr in locum Mark 6. 41. or at common sittings down with his Disciples Luke 24. 30. Matth. 14 19. alwayes gave thanks and blessed the bread Let his holy example be a command to us The Jew held his meat prophane untill he had blest it He had a form of Religion beyond most of us therefore the Apostle useth the word It 's sanctified It 's sanctified or made legitimate unto us by the Word that warrants it and prayer that blesseth it 1 Tim. 4. 5. For shame either learn of Christ or of the Jew mock not God with pulling a hat over your face but give thanks and blesse Secondly We finde no form of words used by Christ in this Consecration or Blessing none of the Evangelists tell us what words he used but they expresse the action in the same words of ordinary grace at meals He gave thanks he blessed in what words Estius in loc it is not reported to us He prayed saith Estius that the Bread and Wine might be turned into his very body and bloud So he imagines But who told him so No Scripture nor ancient Father The Jewish form of words is known in their Rituals Rara benedictio saith Scaliger without these solemn words Blessed be thou O Lord that hast sanctified us by thy commands and given us a charge concerning such or such a thing In reason Christ did accomode his blessing to the occasion praising God for his Redemption of man-kinde and for the coming of his Kingdom for his new Testament or Covenant and a blessing upon his Ordinances and people Ignorantia licita est saith Scotus It 's a lawfull ignorance not to know Lib. 4. dist 8. qu. 2. the words of consecration But as to those operative and conversive words as they call them This is my body wherein the Schoolmen show their learned fopperies those almighty words whereby a silly Priest makes his maker And as Lapide hyperbolically See Annot. in 1 Cor. 11. 25. saith If Christ had not been incarnate would have incarnated him They must not be angry if with Pope Innocent the third that great Creatour of Transubstantiation we deny them to be the words of Consecration for three Reasons 1. Because Christ bad his Disciples Take and Eat This is my body Reasons why they are not the words of consecration before he pronounced those words This is my Body and he did not sure bid them Take and Eat the Bread before it was blessed and consecrated 2. Because the words of consecration or blessing should in reason be spoken to God not to the Disciples of the bread as these are 3. Because these words This is my Body are assertive signifying what the bread is and as one of themselves saith should be false and untrue if they should not signifie what the bread is before the words be pronounced not what they shall be afterward God when he created light said not This is light but Let there be light * 4 Christ spake these words at the consecration Thirdly The form of Consecration or blessing used by the Churches of Christ is Thanksgiving and Prayer reciting the words of Institution as they are here in Paul or the other Evangelists We saith Lib. 6. de Euch. cap. 5. §. 12. Chamier speaking of the French Churches do religiously observe to pray to God that these Elements which Christ hath sanctified may be profitable to us unto salvation and we recite to a word the first Institution of this Ordinance out of Saint Paul viz. in this very Chapter So the Church of England in their form so is it directed since Thanksgiving Prayer and the words of Institution recited as for Exhortations ad populum then also used with which anciently in England and now we first begin together with places of Scripture memorized and in ulatum of the worthy they are rather to consecrate you and quicken up unto livelinesse your faith and graces Now we may not take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strictly to exclude prayer For as Chrysostome observes it denotes the praising of Exercit. p. 382. P. Martyr in 1 Cor. 11. 24. God the giving of thanks prayer and the blessing of the Symbols and therefore we reade in Justin Martyr in this action 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist 2. Lib. de Trin. 3. cap. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Austin cals it Panem prece mystica celebratum So Jerome Jansen Harm p. 99. ad Evagrium So others So generally Christ made choice of and sanctified these Species or these kinds Bread and Wine to be the Materials or Elements of his Supper and these we blesse by prayer and thanksgiving reciting his Institution The Cup of blessing which we blesse 1 Cor. 10. 16. and this is verbum ad Elementum or sanctifying by the Word and Prayer and from this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giving thanks The Lords Supper hath been anciently called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Justin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apol. ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen cont Cels l. 8. §. 5 §. 6. That a Presbyter only can consecrate or blesse the Elements to this use Fourthly I told you before that this Action or Rule is Christs He gave thanks or he blessed and for after-times he commanded his Apostles hoc facite This was not then the action of the Communicant they eat and drink but they do not consecrate this is the action of those that Christ authorizeth by a lawfull calling to be Stewards of his Word and Sacraments The Pater-familias did blesse the Bread and Cup in and unto his own family or company because it was a house a chamber-supper but the Temple service of sacrificing was
lawfull to none but to a Priest and if Christ hath ordained a lawfull calling of Officers and Ministers called his for the service of his Church under the Gospel as it appears to us this act of all others doth properly belong to them to blesse in his Name for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 publick Office we finde no Rule or Example in Scripture to the contrary and if that be a good argument in point of calling which is delivered Heb. 7. 13 14. that of the Tribe of Judah no man gave attendance at the Altar for Moses spoke nothing of that Tribe concerning Priesthood then we may reasonably argue That no private man that is not called by God can perform the Office of a publick Minister for Christ spake nothing of them concerning the Stewardship of his Mysteries Justin Martyr is clear the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did Apol. 2. blesse and consecrate the Deacons did indeed carry about the bread and wine and deliver them but not blesse them and therefore Jerom speaking of the difference between a Deacon and a Presbyter or a Minister saith What doth the Deacon swell against the Ministers ad quorum preces corpus Domini conficitur by or at whose prayers the body of Christ is made Whitak de Euchar. 651. I shall not be tedious in this point Convenit inter omnes Pontificios Instit l. 4. e. 15. §. 20. It 's agreed on all hands by the Papists for the Character sake and for our Divines Calvin saith De Euchar pag. 656. It 's a part of the Ecclesiastical Ministry to dispense the Sacraments and if you will you may see Whitakers de Euchar. who acknowledgeth That the efficacy of the Sacrament depends not on the person or quality of the Minister though Jerom on 2. Ephan 3. hath a strange passage to the contrary yet that it is no Sacrament except he that celebrates it have authority from Christ Jesus whom he cals Sacrilegious and Prophane persons that dare attempt it without Commission and makes the difference thus What if any man shall set a publick Seal which he hath stolen into his hands Is it all one as if done by a publick Notary or allowed Officer No surely I know there is a little dissertation de coena that debates the Question what may be done ubi Pastores desunt And I know the Socinians those Levellers of Divinity that slight Christ into a meer man his bloud from a Sacrifice to a Martyrdom the Sacraments into void and empty figures and the Ministers into fore men of the Jury if so much but stand you in the old wayes in this point §. 7 §. 7. That the change of the Elements is onely of their use Fifthly The change of the Elements of bread and wine by vertue of Christs sanctifying or blessing them is not any change or alteration of the Elements themselves but of their use and office The change is relative not inherent Panis certa conservatione Coâ—â— Faust l. 20. c. 13. Apol. 2. fit mysticus saith Austin now the bread is not common bread saith Justin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The bread when it doth percipere vocationem Dei saith Irenaeus then it is not common bread but the Lib. 4. c. 34. l. 5 c. 4. Eucharist of the body and bloud of Christ If the bread should be changed in substance what argument could the ancient Fathers have found thence to prove against Marcion that Christ had not a phantastical Iren l. 5 c. 4. and aiery body And how again could they every where allude thus that the Divine Nature of Christ did not destroy the humane As the symbolical Nature of the Elements destroyes not the substantial and natural being The water of Baptism is water still The Rock that was Christ was a Rock still The Serpent on the Pole was brasse still The great Seal that conveys a great Estate is Wax still The use the office the relation of these sacramental mysteries is high and admirable and because the spiritual signification and use is so admirable therefore the Fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding rhetorically and hyperbolically do speak of them to awaken and quicken and cheer up the spirits of people to look upon and use them in their symbolical use as instruments and exhibitive conveyances of Christ to our faith Bellarmine triumphs in one word of Cyprian de Coena Lib. 2. de Euch. cap. 9. Panis non effigie sed natura mutatus nullam admittit solutionem a crack of vanity That piece is later then Cyprian but if his by sinne of first parents natura humana humane nature was changed saith Austin Aug. de cin lib. 14. c. 12. and when a man is regenerated his nature is changed say we how not his flesh his body but quality c. Naturam expellas furcâ licet what 's that but Vide Forbes Epist Theol. p. 537. quality or custome not substance The holinesse of any thing sanctified to God infers a change of use and relation but not of substance consecrations of times persons places things may appropriate them to holy use and ends and there is accordingly an esteem or reverence of such things so set apart but the substance of the things is as it was for consecration is not a Philosophers-stone holy things may be spent in their use as the Sacrifices of old the Paschal Lamb the bread and wine in the Supper but the sanctifying of them to that use doth not first change them into the thing signified and so destroy the sign and signification as the relation is destroyed sublato fundamento Every Papist is bound to have the faith of miracles for the miracle of turning stones into bread is nothing so great as this of turning bread into Christs body Maldonate hath a story that in his dayes there was a book came forth De Arte nihil credendi and that there was but one true saying in it which was this He that will be an Atheist let him first be a Calvinist and if there had been in that book He that will believe any thing let him first be a Papist there had been another or rather one true saying indeed §. 8 §. 8. Of Christs Action of Breaking the Bread Thirdly The next Rite or action of Christ He brake it and so say all the three Evangelists and he said as here it follows This is my body broken for you and concerning his bloud both Matthew and Luke say thus This is my bloud which is shed for you which as some say was in the parallel the Cup represented correspondent to the breaking of the bread by the Morton in loc pouring forth of the wine out of some greater vessel into the Cup and so the bread is broken the wine is poured out as the body of Christ was crucified and his bloud shed Upon this Action we shall for memory sake speak of these particulars 1. That from hence
the Eucharist or Lords Supper hath been called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The breaking of bread as the phrase Acts 2. 42 Acts 20. 7. have been interpreted So Paul 1 Cor. 10. 16. The bread which we break Is it not the Communion of the body of Christ Thus some love to speak in our dayes calling I wish it be not out of singularity this Sacrament The breaking of bread which as it is by Synecdoche of the part for the whole so it was used by the Hebrews of any common feast or meal when they did eat together and is applied to this Sacrament but at second hand They began all their solemn meals with blessing and breaking of bread and their feasting was called eating of bread Gen. 4â— 25. a form of Casaub Exerc. 16 p. p. 339. Beza in Act. 2. 42. 46. speech new and insolent to Greek and Latine ears who called their feasts by the other element 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or convivia drinkings together 2. Christ at all other meals where he was Master of the meal and blest did also break the bread for he that pray'd the blessing was by the Jews called Giodw in Antiq Jewish in the Passeover ex Drusiâ— Habbotseang the breaker at his meal-meals and at other he blest and brake but in this Paschal Postcaenium or Supper to which you must still have your eye the usual Rite was That he that blest broke the Grot. in Mat. 26. Scult de emend l. 6. p. 536 bread into parts to be distributed to the guests or sitters and the pieces were about the bigness of an Olive Morton in loc Martyr in loc Beza in Act. 2. saith Scaliger He that brake did eat one and the rest were communicated for their bread at this time was not as learned men say great and thick loaves but 42. Steph. Glossa Mat. 26. broad and thin instar placentae like your Cakes here in England If they were thick as ours then may the knife Leviter scindere non obscindere and so be broken 3. The Churches of God do many of them hold this Ceremony of breaking of the bread and it ought to be holden Our Churches saith Paraeus do Par. in loc rightly observe it And in all our Churches saith Chamier we use it And it hath a command Do this Chamier De Euchar. lib. 7. c. 11. Piscat in loc Paraeas iâ— 1 Cor. 11. contro 2 sed non integram saith Piscator And therefore it is not adiaphorous or indifferent And there is a Dissertation in Paraeus fully debating the point in which he doth not say The Sacrament is null without it nor doth Beza say so Epist 2. Nor yet that it is meerly indifferent and left to choice but usefull and requisite he holds it for good ends and significations as I shall shew and he affirms That it continued in the Church and was used for a thousand years afâ—er Christ But the Papists as sacrilegious they steal away the Cup from the people So they use the Bread superstitiously making their Host into pines nummularios little round wafers like our money and put them whole into the mouths of the Communicants For saith the learned Jansenius The Church viz. of Rome doth laudably Harm 895. observe that the Eucharist be toucht only by sacred hands viz. the Priests As for Christ saith he Promore fecit he followed the Custom or Rite at that time 4. This Bread was broken and Wine poured forth Calvin in loc P. Martyr in locum Beza in loc 1. For the more lively representation of the death and grievous sufferings of our Lord for though a bone of him was not broken nor his body properly yet the Apostle cals it broken in regard of those wounds and pains and torments which brought forth a violent death and all this for us As the corn is not grinded or baked nor the bread cut or broken but for us that the breaking of his body might break our hearts and his flowing bloud shed our tears for it is the highest representation of death the bread broken and wine poured forth and is usefully observed to raise up such affections as the sight of a dying Christ may work even in a heart of stone as Chrysostom said before 2. It was broken for distribution sake for in Hebrew speech to break bread to the hungry is to distribute it Lam. 4. 4 and this hath another meaning in it and sets forth the communion and fellowship of the Church all partaking of one Christ and feeding on him and his death unto eternal life 1 Cor. 10. 17. We being many are one bread We are one body and of one holy fellowship and communion For we are all partakers of that one bread for Christ is that common center in whom we meet and by union with him we have communion with one another and thus the signification is lively one bread broken and divided amongst many Communicants who are one is one Christ given wholly to every believer and all believers one in Christ This brotherhood was observed and noted for their mutual love in those times when their profession of Christ distinguisht them from all the Heathens about them and when they were inclosed round by observing and cruel men that envied and hated them to death now that heat is diffused and not so concenter'd by the antiperistasis and so is not so warm we stand in need of persecution to make us love one another §. 9 §. 9. Of the Manner of Christs giving the Bread and the Wine Fourthly The fourth Rite or Action of Christ He gave it to his Disciples which in this place you finde not but in the implication of the word Accipite Take ye but all the three Evangelists Matthew Mark Luke expresly say He gave to the Disciples He gave to them for the word Disciple I leave it a while and only speak of the Action He gave that the Disciples received the bread and wine from Christ into their hands and not put by him into their mouths I make no question as I shall touch afterward Nor do I doubt but they received them from his hand for he blessed and brake and reached them forth to them and so the people may be said to receive them from the hand of the Minister that consecrates either mediately or immediately which may be the true meaning of that speech of Tertullian Nec de aliorum manu De Corona quam praesidenâ—ium sumimus nor we take them saith he from the hands of others but of our Presidents or Ministers but the clear Question will be Whether Christ did with his own hand give to every particular person into his hand the bread and the cup And Whether there were any words spoken particularly to every one in the delivery of them as for instance Take thou Eat thou Drink thou For the first Whether Christ did with his own hand deliver the bread and cup into the hand of every
particular Communicant viz. immediately We must look still to the rite or custome used in the Paschal Supper and if we consider that well we shall see it probable that the Pater-familias did not rise from his discumbency or posture of lying to go to every particular person or that every one came to his hand for there might be twenty at the Table and not all within the reach of his hand nor do we finde that Christ rose up nor that they rose up to receive them He said Take ye eat ye Drink all of it and though he might give the Cup to the next into his hand yet his speech is general to them all and so the bread and the cup past in the Postcaenium or Paschal Supper Maldonate saith He reacht out the Maldona in Mat. 26. 26. bread sigillatim but the cup he gave to the next and he to the next for he saith Luk 21. 17. Take this and divide it among your selves wherein though he De emend l. 6. Martyr in 1 Cor. 11. 24. be mistaken in the cup as not being the same with ours ut supra yet the rite and manner of distribution is very like to be the same in both So Scaliger that the Master first delivered the cup to the second the second to the next till it had past through the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Table and Jansenius saith That he Jans Harm p. 895. gave to each particular his part Aut patinam tradidit propinquioribus or gave the plate or dish with broken bread in it to them that sate nearest and then successively and in order it passed along As also saith he he delivered the Cup so that every Communicant had his part from the hand of Christ either immediatly or mediatly As for after times and not long after that of Justin Martyr is express that when the Ministers had blessed the Deacons did carry it and deliver it to the severall Communicants and did either put each part into each persons hand or as I finde in Clem. Alex and. Strom. lib. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the distributers do suffer or permit each person to take his part of the bread There might be different Rites in severall Churches as to this point and of no great moment one way or other but for all the Communicants sitting down at the very Table by companies and their sitting and receiving the Elements I finde not in my simple reading in Antiquity when Communicants grew numerous and met in one common place to perform Divine Offices but so did Christ and all other Paschall societies which eat in chambers and houses and as I shewed you before were not under ten nor above twenty of a company Let then the Lords and his Disciples sitting at the same Table in that Rituall posture and manner then in use be holden as indifferent or appendant to the Paschall custom for we shall never hit that pattern in all respects because they sate at the Table while Christ blessed and brake the Bread which we that have severall Tables full do not nor can do and let the Disciples dividing among themselves or handing both the Bread and Cup from one to another be accounted indifferent too and hardly and not conveniently imitable in our numbers yea and not certain neither though very probable to me for if one as Peter Martyr holds it so yet another as Martyr in 1 Cor. 11. 24. Paraus in locum saith that it 's not obscure out of the History that when the Lord said Take ye Benedictâ—m fractum panem singulis manu pâ—â—rexisse he reacht the Bread to every person with his hand Let us touch the other Question Whether there were any words spoken to every one at the delivering into his hands and here indeed we finde nothing but Take ye eat this is my Body broken for you Drink ye all of it this is the Cup of the New Testament and doubtless the whole Institution needs not to every single person be repeated having been recited in the Consecration Yet you know that in the form used in England the Minister was appointed to deliver Bread and Wine into the Communicants particular hands with a prescript form of words The Body of our Lord The Blood of our Lord c. and Chemnitius Examen de praparat ad coenam the best Scholar of all called Lutheran saith that the form of applying the words of Institution to every Communicant mihi maxime probatur is best of all approved by him And that in these words the Sacrament was delivered in the Church of old time he cals in for witness Ambrose who hath indeed these lib. 4. de Sac. sub finem words the Minister saith Corpus Christi tu dicis Amen The body of Christ and thou saist Amen And before this time Novatus distributing the Mysteries to every one his part adjured them into his faction first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in stead of saying Amen Histor lib. 6. cap. 35. saith Eusebius which Amen it seems every Communicant said when the Bread was put into his hand as Justin Martyr saith when the Minister hath finisht his Consecration-prayer all the people present Apol. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 makes acclamation to it saying Amen I Eccl. Pol. lib. 5. p. 366. conclude with Learned Hooker that upon the ground that Sacraments are particularly applying Ordinances and we are dull and heavy-hearted If I Baptize thee offend not why should Eat thou offend any man I conclude upon the whole matter that what is most to the reverence of this Ordinance and serves best to raise up and elevate the peoples hearts shall be followed by me So much for the opening of the Rites or Actions used by Christ or that are to be used by any Minister that shall in his Name celebrate this Ordinance He took the Bread and the Cup He blessed or gave thanks He brake he gave In which it is to be noted that he did not recede from the then received rite or custom for both the Elements and the rites are quite through the same which were usually and by custom at that present on foot in their Paschall Solemnities and which is more yet this Bread and Cup so blest and given at these Solemnities are not found to stand by any express command of holy Scripture but were such as their wisdom had by custom made use of in this service of that Bread and that Cup the Lord was pleased to make the Seals of his Body and Blood as Hugh Broughton our Learned Broughton in Dan. pag. 46. Countryman observes §. 10 §. 10. Of the outward Actions pertaining to the Communicants Now I proceed to the other sort of outward Rites or Actions pertaining to the Communicants which are these He said Take eat He said Drink ye all of it as you may see in St Matthew who was Myroth lin Matth. 26. 26. present in the action and
as it is here Forsan at haec sunt vetus formula c. saith Cameron Haply that this was the old Rite but in the Jewish Rituals that are now as it is recited by Cameron in the Hebrew and by Scaliger in Greek it is somewhat diverse Scaliger de Emend lib. 6. pag. 536. Thus every one that is hungry let him come and eat and whoso hath need let him come and keep the Passeover 1. Take ye It is to be understood of taking in the hand for it 's not likely that Christ rose and put the Bread and Wine in every ones mouth saith Beza Epist. 2. Beza but as the Cup passed from the nearest to Christ to them more remote so it 's probable saith the same Author that the Bread also did There is a great stirre about the Communicants taking the Elements in his hand not as though if other wise the Sacrament was a nullity as Beza proves for a Bezain Epist. 2. man may have no hands to take it with but for the decency and significancy thereof The taking in the mouth only being more like that of Bruits which take their meat with mouth or beak as Chamier saith than that of men and there is a whole Chapter spent in reciting Antiquities for this taking in the hand in Chamier who saves me the labour to recite any of De Euchar. l 7. cap. ult them to you and this is all upon occasion of the Papists who take the Bread into their mouths and touch it not with hand out of a too superstitious veneration Beza Epist 2. of the Elements as Beza notes Nor do they of them that search out the footsteps of this custom rise any higher than about five or six hundred years ago The signification of it is the appropriation of Christ to our selves whom God makes ours by his gift and we make ours by faith even as truly as if he were put into our very hand They that make Paraeus in loe Taking and Eating divers Rites of divers significations as many of our excellent Divines do do tell us that there are divers degrees of faith that by taking Christ we have propriety in him He is ours by eating his Body and drinking his Blood we have comfort and refreshment from him and that he is first ours in claim before he be ours in comfort as first take then eat In the use of the brazen Serpent our beleeving was set forth by an act of our eye Joh. 3. 14. looking up but here 't is set forth by an act of ourhand retension or receiving the promise of Adoption is made to our receiving Christ Joh. 1. 12 and our faith must be a Christ taking a Christ-receiving faith Christ would be ours else he would not have instituted this Christ-applying Ordinance He came into the hand of murderers that slew him that crucified and wounded and dying he might be taken in the hand of thy faith faith like the hand hath a faculty of working and bringing forth obedience but like the hand again it hath a taking and receiving faculty which is the most excellent the justifying act of faith taking Christ Take ye is not a bare permission but a command it 's our duty as well as our benefit to receive Christ and consequently not to receive him is both sinne and misery §. 11 §. 11. Of Sacramentall Eating and Drinking Christs Body and Blood 2. Eat ye drink ye all of it Christ speaks and repeats often Joh. 6. the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood at which some of his followers took offence conceiving him carnally and literally which he told them were to be understood spiritually ver 63. There is a spirituall eating and drinking Christ his flesh and blood by faith only which is extra-symbolicall or without the Sacrament for that Doctrine was delivered a year or two before this Sacrament was instituted and it is such as without which ye have no life in you ver 53. which may not be said of all that never received this Sacrament but that spirituall eating and drinking is here symbolized as that flesh and blood is For the understanding of which let us neither be like the carnall Israelite that did eat Manna and drink of the Rock but neither saw nor tasted Christ in them nor on the other side let us be like the Capernaites Joh. 6. that had a gross apprehension of eating very flesh and drinking mans blood but rightly conceive the meaning thus 1. The first and not the least thing is this that This is the one and only Ordinance under the Gospel where eating and drinking are Sacred and Religious acts for in all the world among all sorts of men friendship fellowship communion are maintained and shown in feasting together eating and drinking together and our God never let his Church be without such an Ordinance wherein he and his people might testifie this fellowship and communion In the Law there was not only a Lamb rosted but in all their Shelamim or Peace-offerings they that brought them had part to feast upon and make good cheer as at all their feasts they rejoyced before the Lord God bidding thâ—m to his own Table to feed upon Sacrifices for they that eat of the Sacrifices are partakers of the Altar 1 Cor. 10. 18. Rev. 3. â—0 I will come in and sup with him and he with me Thus God entertains his friends invites them to eat and drink with him upon his own Sacrifices upon Christ the great Sacrifice It 's Gods own cheer provided for such Abrahams as are the friends of God What a favour and condescension of God is this What honour and dignity is dust and â—shes graced with to sit together and feast and have fellowship with God in an Ordinance of eating and drinking the flesh and blood of this Sacrifice Jesus Christ Nay and further yet It was a custom in Covenants making that the Consederates feasted eat and drank together therefore Birith the Hebrew word Covenant may come of Barah to eat and so still and further it is implied that this is a Covenant solemnity an eating and drinking of confederates together God smels a savour of rest in the Sacrifice of Christ and we eat and drink of that flesh and blood sacrificed unto God and renew our Covenant with him and he with us by mutuall feeling he to be ours we his I am so taken up with this that if no more be said I should be satisfied but there is more 2. That Christ is full and perfect nourishment of the soul both meat and drink Joh. 6. 55. My flesh is meat indeed my blood is drink indeed farre beyond Manna which yet was called Angels food as the substance is beyond the type sights may please the eye sounds or airs the ear but they are not so necessary as nourishment unto life life cannot be maintained without nourishment growing bodies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Hypocrates growing Christians
stand in need of much nourishment to bring them up to their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the stature of a full Christ decaying Christians stand in need of nourishment to repair decaies Every life be it never so little must be nourisht so necessary is Christ to every Christian and still more of Christ for his meat is Christ his drink is Christ As nothing so necessary so neither so sweet and pleasant sights are pleasing to the eye and smels to the sense but nothing is so close and delightfull as the meat and drink to the sense of tasting Christ is sweet to faith as meat and drink to hunger There is no content comparable to the receiving of Christ He is Manna the best Bread and Wine the best drink The fruition of the joys of heaven is set forth by the pleasure of eating and drinking Luk. 22. 30. That you may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdome It was experimentally said of Galeacius that all the delights of this world are not comparable to an hours enjoyment of Christ Jesus 2. No act of ours could so well have signified the close and intimate union of Christ with a Beleever We may see at a distance and hear and smell but not taste nor eat nor drink the meat and drink is concorporated into us and is made flesh and bone with us Job 6. 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwels in me and I in him Christ must be present to the faith of a Christian for we cannot eat and drink that which is absent This union with Christ is reall though mysticall and it is lively drawn forth in this Ordinance under the resemblance of eating and drinking We hardly conceive and hardly beleeve it but when we see the graft live we are sure it 's knit and we may be as sure of our union with Christ by his spirituall sap of Grace which we finde is in us 4. This command Take and eat goes before the pronouncing of the words This is my Body Aquinas saith it is a Hysteron Proteron but I shall not take his word let 's hear him speak that was present an ear witness an eye witness Matth. 26. 26 27. Take eat This is my Body Drink ye all of it For this is my Blood what stands this For for if drink ye did not go before This observation is noted by almost all Divines from Peter Martyr and Mr Hooker makes use of it thus That Christ is not present in the Elements but in the worthy receiver The order of the words shews it first eat and drink then it follows for this is my Body and this is my Blood an ingenious observation that cuts the hamstrings of the Popish or corporall presence in or under the outward signes as if it were a knife set in the Text to cut that intricate knot that makes such a garboyle in the Text when you take and eat by faith then is the Body and Blood of Christ present to you but not latent and hidden in the Bread or Cup The union of Christ is not otherwise with the Bread then as the thing signified with the sign but it is with the Communicant the Hooker Eccles Polit. p. 359. believer really though spiritually the sacramental signs do exhibit Christ but not contain him under them they contain not the grace which God bestows with or by them §. 12 §. 12. Of Spurious Rites and Gestures So have I opened to you the outward Elements the outward Rites or Actions of this Sacrament whether those of Christ or of the Communicant and these are genuine and proper by which the Sacrament is sutable to the Institution as for other Rites which time or superstition have introduced without example or command they are adulterine and spurious especially the adoration of the Eucharist upon opinion of the conversion of the bread and wine into the body and bloud of Christ which whether it be performed at the elevation or lifting up of the host by the Priest in the Masse or at the circumgestation or carrying it up and down in procession in the streets as is usual in Popish countreys is no better then abominable Idolatry even by their own confession For Costerus saith That the bread-worship was the greatest Idolatry that ever was in the world If the bread be not turned into the true and natural body of Christ as saith a learned man Dr J. Burgesse Lawf of kneeling p. 113. upon my soul it is not and if the perswasion of Christs real presence in the Eucharist will by no means excuse their adoration from Idolatry much lesse excusable is any Protestant who is perswaded of the contrary As for other circumstances of the action as the time viz. at night in the close of the Paschal Supper the place an upper-room or chamber Mark â—4 15. The guest twelve in number Matth. 26. 20. The gesture which was discubiture or lying on couch-bâ—ds fitted to the Table which the Jews were at the Passeover by custom fixed unto as appears by the ritual In other Scaliger lib. 6. De emend pag. 534. nights we sit or lie on couches but in this we lie along These I say are moveables and not of the freehold of this Ordinance Nor shall I say any thing of the D. Burgess ubi supra p. 112. gesture which as it was used in England hath been an apple of contention and much written pro and con The Reformed Churches vary some sit at some about the Table some receive this Sacrament passing by the Table in order as in a Marah as in the Reformed Churches in France and I condemn them not and for those Divines of the Reformed Churches that disliked our gesture used here in England they did not many of them pronounce it simply unlawfull but inconvenient because it was a gesture of adoration and did not serve to pull the bread worship out of mens mindes nor was so sutable to this Ordinance which is a Table Ordinance nor to set forth that fellowship and communion which is exprest in eating and drinking with our Lord these were their reasons and I do not know that I have any occasion to debate the point but to leave it determinable by the Churches of God as may be most sutable to the Decorum and nature of this Ordinance for if I should some of you might haply say that I made a Funeral-sermon for meeting at Sacrament Having laid open the parts of this Supper let us upon the whole matter stand still a little and make Observation CHAP. VII Some Observations upon the precedent Discourses §. 1. NOte here the simplicity of this high and excellent Ordinance the feast is drest out in plainness and simplicity answerable to the simplicity of the Gospel as the Apostle cals it 2 Cor. 11. 2. Here is no outward pomp or ostentation no stateliness to take the eye for as gaudy attire becomes not mourning so this Sacrament setting forth the
lapsis by ancient Authours and by some commended as Ambrose de obitu Satyr Nazian Epitaph pro sor This is excused by Jewell against Harding As in time Forbes Hist. Theol. p. 553. Col. 1. of persecution when Christians might be deprived of the publick Ordinance and by others on other grounds Burgess of knealing The other hath one onely exâ—mple in true Antiquity and that is Serapions case Euseb Histor lib. 6. cap. 34. and is excused by Chemnitius as if Chem. de coena Examen p. 93. it was to oppose the Novatian opinion of not restoring the lapsed though penitent unto the Communion of the Sacrament Of both these I see no clear warrant in the Institution of Christ and therefore say with Cyprian Non quod alâ—quis ante nos c. We are not to look what any hath done before us but what he did and commanded that was before all even Jesus Christ §. 4. Fourthly It is the peoples right to receive the Cup as well as the Bread Drink ye all of it Matth. 26. 27. Moulin Buckler p. 529. They all drank of it Mark 14. 23. As often as ye eat this bread and drink of this Cup saith Paul 1 Cor. 11. 26. Nothing more plain and yet whether it be the ambition of the Priests that would exalt themselves above the people or whether it be the fruit of Transubstantiation or both this Cup is taken from the people in the Romane Churches but it was not taken away by publick Decree till the Council of Constance Anno 1416. since which time there was great petitioning to the Council of Trent for the Cup but Chem. Exam. de coena p. 134 135. Concil Trid. Sess 6. they referr'd it to the Pope in whose hands it lies and it seems will lie till God put another cup into his hand to drink And so you see that that Council of Constance that burnt John Husse and Jerome did let out the bloud of good Christians and shut up the bloud of Christ from them I conclude Let us follow that which is simplest and purest according to Christs Institution and neither superstitiously reserve nor impiously mutilate the holy Ordinance CHAP. VIII Of the Real Presence NOw I draw on to the Anatomy of the viscera the entrails and inwards of this Ordinance under the outside whereof if you take off the cover you shall finde such cheer as never was in any other feast This is my body saith Christ which is broken for you saith Paul Which is given for you saith Mat. 26 26 27 28 Mark 14. 22 24. Luk. 22. 20. Luke This Cup is the New Testament in my bloud saith Paul Which is shed for you saith Luke Or as Matthew and Mark This is my bloud of the New Testament which is shed for many for remission of sinnes saith Matthew which is shed for many saith Mark which is shed for you saith Luke And all these together are my Text at this time §. 1. In this Sacrament Mirificè lusit Satan saith an excellent Authour Satan hath play'd his pranks and Chamier de Euchar. l. â— c. 1. §. 1. tried conclusions upon Divines how he could infatuate aad make them mad such cart-loads of perplexities alterations absurdities and wilde fancies have they been possest with in the agitation of this point and discussion of these very words which as a Reverend D. Rainolds Medit. Divine saith truly are clear and easie to a spiritual ear or minde it is the carnal fancy that perplexes all and corrupts the Text which had been clear if the water had not been muddied with dirty hands so Nicodemus understands Christ carnally in matter of Joh. 3. Regeneration and talks of entring again into our mothers womb So the Disciples of Capâ—rnaum understand that excellent Doctrine of Christ John 6. about eating his flesh and drinking his bloud of the very Cannibal eating of mans flesh and bloud The very antidote he gave them would serve here John 6. 63. The words that I speak they are spirit and they are life that is their spiritual meaning is lively and if we could agree on this then we should give our Hooker l. 5. p. 359. selves more to meditate with silence what we have by this Sacrament and lesse dispute the manner how for this heavenly food is given for satisfying empty souls and not exercising our curious and subtil wits for it often comes to passe that curious sifting and disputing Hooker Eccles Pol. l. 5. p. 364. too boldly chils all warmth of our zeal and brings soundnesse of belief into great hazzard §. 2. The words have been and are interpreted in divers senses the most notable I have observed to be five I Hooker speaking of Ancients lib. 5. pag. 362. say the most notable for there are more 1. That Christ is present in this Sacrament by his efficacy and power to realize and exhibit vertue to and by the Ordinance Nec ullo modo se absentat divina Majestas a Ministeriis Cyprian de Caena and other Ancients 2. That Christ his very body is present with or in or under the outward elements as the Consubstantiatists or Lutheran saith 3. That Christ is really present but modum nescimus we know not the manner how and in this dark some of our learned men spoke of late to what intent they best knew 4. That there is a real turning of the substance of Bread and Wine into the very substance of Christs Body and Bloud Thus the Papists or Transubstantiatists 5. That the Bread and Wine are sacramentally Christs Body and Bloud or the memorials thereof symbolically representing and exhibiting to the faithfull Christians himself and so say We. §. 3. And yet all parties in their difference professe themselves clear and that they follow the true naked and literal sense in their judgement Chemnitius that learned Examen de Eucbar p. 65. Col. 1. Luther an professes That he imbraceth that sense which holds the true and substantial presence of Christ in the Supper which the words in their proper and genuine and usual signification hold forth The Papist professes That he hath the very plain letter of the words and the sense literal So farre as Lapide I know not whether with more confidence or impudence saith That if God ask him at the day of Judgement why he held so he will confidently say Tu docuisti Thou hast taught me We are as clear Vide Lee in Annot. in loc that we follow the true proper literal sense and that saith a learned man Upon my soul there is no such D. Jo. Burgesse Kneeling at Sacramâ—nt p. 113. turning of the Bread into Christs Body as the Papist affirms §. 4 §. 4. This is my Body I shall open the words severally This is my Body about which there is the greatest heat and quarrel In the Rite of the Paschal Supper when the bread Cameron Myrâ—thec in Mat. 26. Scâ—â—iger de
Priest doth that which all the Angels cannot do and that is Make his Maker as they call the Host and people do devour their God and yet they justifie it by Gods omnipotency that God is able to effect it which is no better an argument than the Turks may justifie most of the fooleries of their Alcoran There are two grounds for the rejection of this abomination 1. The Idolatry and Sacriledge which doth ensue upon it and that is the adoration and worship of the Host a piece of bread and the mutilation or maiming of the Sacrament by bread only and the propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ himself in the Mass who was once only offered up to God upon the Cross all which are the issue of this Errour 2. The monsters of contradiction and absurdity to sense and reason which follow thereupon It was begotten by feigned miracles and fabulous Legends and is the mother of blasphemies and inextricable absurdities which set faith it self on the rack and which though they would seem easily to blow away yet by their stragling it appears they strive with that they cannot master The point of Consubstantiation hath brought forth a grand absurdity maintained by some Pseudo-Lutherans the Ubiquity of Christs Body in all places But this of Transubstantiation surpasses all as I shew thus 1. Suppose Christ sitting at the table with his Disciples and eating this bread and drinking this cup first as the custom at the Paschall Supper was and as the Papists generally and the Fathers hold and we deny not because the Scripture seems plain for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 26. 19. Henceforth I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine supposing I say this How is it possible or imaginable that he should eat himself or how can he sit at table and yet be in the mouths of his Apostles Was he at the same time in his Apostles mouths or stomacks while he sate and rose from table and discoursed those three Chapters of John 15 16 17 or while he sweat that Bloody sweat in his Agony in the Garden c. a monstrous impossibility 2. It 's Impossible to make that which was before existent and in being Can a father beget a son that Chelling p. 70. is already begotten Can an Architect build a house that is already built Can the body of Christ which is before the conversion of the bread be made or produced by the turning of bread into it Can he that was conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin be made by pronouncing of four or five words If ever delusions were strong these are Nam factum facere factum infectum facere are equally impossible 3. They say that the substance of bread and wine is avoided and that only the accidents remain so that there is length and nothing long breadth and nothing broad thickness and nothing thick whiteness and nothing white moisture and nothing moist sweetness and nothing sweet that is a long broad thick white moist sweet Nothing The Priest pours out nothing but lines and colours when he pours out the wine for these accidents of bread and wine are not in the bread because that is avoided and vanisht and they are not in the Body of Christ as themselves say and yet it is plain this bread and wine do nourish the body and is the body nourishable by meer accidents Can there be plainer contradictions 4. Can the same body at the same time have his just dimensions distance of parts symmetry proportion as the Body of Christ hath and yet not have these because all parts yea the whole Body of Christ say they are in one and the self same point or crum of bread 5. Can the Body of Christ which is much greater be wholly contained in a wafer or piece of bread in his full dimensions and that as many times as there are points crums drops in the bread or wine 6. Can the bread be turned into the very Body of Christ and yet not anything of that bread become anything of Christ nor the matter nor form nor accidents of bread be made either the matter or form or accidents of Christ 7. Can the same thing as Christs true Body at the same time be wholly above it self and wholly below it self within and without it self can it be moved and yet be still be carried from one place to another and yet not move be brought from heaven to earth and yet not come out of heaven who then can assure me that when he hung upon the Cross he was not walking somewhere else crucified and not crucified eaten and not eaten alive in one dead in another place as in case the Apostles celebrated this Supper while Christ was in the grave 8. What dishonour do these men render the Body of Christ obnoxious unto to be eaten by wicked men by bruit creatures by mice by other vermin to be cast into some unclean place for so long as the form of bread remains so long the Body of Christ is there though it be in the mouth or belly of a mouse saith Ales and the rest of the Schoolmen who do one where or other acknowledge the most of these monstrous absurdities and go about to heal and salve them I surcease from raking further into this ingratefull sink whose name Transubstantiation is but of yesterday in comparison and which dishonours the Body of Christ into a monster destroies the nature of the Sacrament and fils the world with dreadfull contentions and broils and let us but observe 1. What grievous impositions the Romanists lay upon the faith of them that are devoted to her communion 2. What contradictions and absurdities the common people do ignorantly and implicitly beleeve 3. What strong delusions even to believe lies God gives up Learned men unto that refuse the simplicity of the truth for interests and politick ends 4. What a mercy of God it is to deliver us from that tyranny which leaves us no other choice but to swallow and digest such impossible things or to be sacrificed in flames and the Lord forbid the re-entrance of that Religion among us which in all likelihood will cost us our souls or our lives §. 5. III. Having past the most rugged and craggy part of my way now we shall have a sweeter and smoother way and the third thing that I commend to you is To keep fixt your eyes and hearts upon the inward of this Sacrament which Christ himself doth anatomize and unfold to you saying This is my Body This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood teaching all Ministers to explain the outward Ordinance what it means and all communicants to set their hearts upon it for as the Parchment and Wax are little worth but the Estate conveyed so the Bread and Wine do but convey by their use the Body and Blood of Christ and the Covenant of grace and peace confirmed unto us and as we use to search and pick out of
every corner of the shell that 's broken as of a Wallnut the kernell that is in it so we should study the marrow and kernell of this Ordinance to lose the sight and use of nothing here presented God loses honour and praise and we benefit and com ort when we look not to the inwards of an outward Ordinance especially when Christ himself and all the great and capitall benefits that accrue by him are not only represented but confirmed and to be participated They that look upon a meer representation of Christs death in this Ordinance reduce it to a pretence or shadow and look for too little for it 's a sealiâ—g Ordinance They that look for his very Body to be eaten look for too much we may expect from Gods institutions the grace or benefit which God appoints them to exhibit and in the way wherein he so appoints Then have we the benefit of his death when we have him and here is offered to Calvin in 1 Cor. 11. you not the benefit only but the Body in which he suffered his body was a Sacrifice here it is spirituall food we feed upon that Sacrifice as the manner was the Covenant was confirmed by his Blood here we feast upon it the Blood was shed that he might reconcile to God it 's drunk that we may be partakers of that Reconciler and that reconciliation He shall confirm the Covenant with mercy is Daniels phrase Dan. 9. 29. The memoriall we celebrate the benefit we participate here and the great Question Whether I have remission of sins whereat we stick is here answered to a doubting soul that beleeves in desire not in comfort as sure as God can devise by outward Ordinance The Word answers that question by description of qualification of the person a Believer The Spirit answers it by witnessing and sealing it up to our spirits that we are children The graces of Regeneration do answer it as fruit doth to the life of the tree by demonstration This Sacrament answers it by exhibition and offering Christ to me that I may appropriate him for the blood was shed for you saith Christ Luk. 22. 20. for you that take and eat and drink §. 6. IV. The communicant should be one that seeks union and communion with Christ for he that is not a Jew inwardly eats but outwardly Finis non intus dente non mente as Austin expresses the inward of Ordinances are enjoyed by them that inwardly are Christians the Covenant is sealed to them that come to the terms of that Covenant those that bring inward graces receive inward benefits Sed de hoc plura CHAP. XI Of Christs mandate or charge for the celebration of this Ordinance in remembrance of Him 1 COR. 11. 24 25 26. This do in remembrance of me This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me For as often c. §. 1. SO much be spoken upon the outward part or Sacrament of the Lords Supper the Elements and Rites He took bread and giving thanks he brake it and gave it Likewise also the cup after Supper And so much also touching the Kernell and Marrow of the Feast This is my Body broken for you This Cup is the New Testament in my blood And now having past through our thorny and perplexed way encombred with adversaries through whom we must fight our way we are come into a fairer and clearer road as into a champain not so much infested with enemies and Disputes For whether it be that a practicall conscience be easilier satisfied than a subtill wit or that the devil doth most labour to corrupt our intellectuals that so as once he may corrupt our worship and our morals or whatsoever the reason be there are more wranglings and Disputes raised about speculative and theoreticall Points than about matters of practice or morall obedience These words contain our Saviour his mandate or charge for the celebration of this Ordinance together with the end whereunto it serves This do in remembrance of me This do as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me This do ye there is the charge for remembrance of me there is the end None of the Evangelists have these words but Luke only out of whom either our Apostle takes the words or at least symbolizeth with him making them or rendring them as part of Christs own words spoken by himself at the first Institution and Câ—lebration of his Supper and which you may observe the two Elements Bread and Wine taken and received though they have distinct significations Christs Body broken and his Blood shed yet they meet as two lines in this one point The remembrance of Christ This do in remembrance of me is spoken of eating the bread ver 24. This drink in remembrance of me is spoken of the cup ver 25. The use of both the signes makes up but one memoriall of Christ once dying once sacrificed up to God for us and I shall take up the words in this one Point §. 2. Doct. The Lord Christ hath left it in charge and commandment that his Church or people should celebrate this Supper for a remembrance of him Or if you will read the words thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for my memoriall or for my commemoration What impression hath the dying charge or commandment of a Testator upon his children or executors Christ builds a monument for himself before he die plain and simple to the eye but a lasting monument that must continue till he come again ver 26. One of the seven wonders of the Heathen world was Mausolaeum a Monument or Tomb. The goodliest monument which distinguishes and beautifies the Christian Church is this of Christs own erecting his Memoriall The second Temple built after the captivity of Babylon was farre inferiour in outward magnificence and splendour to the first built by Solomon and the Jews observe five things to be wanting in the second which were in the first as the Ark c. yet God promiseth Hag. 2. 9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater then the former because Christ the desire of all Nations should come and fill it with glory ver 7. And shall not the presence of Christs Body and Blood in this Sacrament excell in glory all the typicall glory of Sacrifices and Sacraments of the Law They were but shadows of him that should come this the memoriall of him that died and is alive The particulars comprehended under this Point are these §. 3. First There is a command and charge in the words Do this it is more then a Warrant which gives authority it 's a Command that requires duty It is more than a Command it is a Charge of a dying Testatour or Saviour laying an injunction upon his Church to do this For both Sacraments of the Gospel we have the word of command The Baptizate Go and Disciple all Nations baptizing them is the word for Baptism Hoc facite This do ye in remembrance of me is
sinner Christ broken Christ bleeding and the meaning of your eating and drinking is to feed sorrowfully and sweetly upon Christ so prepared and presented to you for your repast and comfort But now if the same cup taken with such ingredients would be deadly poyson with such a lively Cordiall would you not expect that the Physician should teach you to make it Cordiall so the Lords Supper worthily received is the most soveraign Cordiall But some again may eat and drink damnation to themselves Would you not expect that the Minister if he have either conscience of his duty or respect to your souls should teach you to avoid the danger and obtain the benefit If you do not yet God looks for it at our hands Ezek. 44. 23. And they the Priests shall teach my people the difference between the holy and prophane and cause men to discern between the unclean and clean for else you may eat and drink damnation to us as well as to your selves §. 4. Secondly The people are taught To know the meaning of the Sacrament before they take it That 's a terrible expression ver 29. He eats and drinks damnation to himself not discerning the Lords Body that is not knowing the meaning the nature use and end of the Ordinance which to understand is a good part of preparation and without it there can be no right or true preparation And therefore all you that intend to be Supper-communicants attend The first lesson which you must learn the first question to be answered is What is the true meaning of this Ordinance what is the main business of it for it is supposed in those words Exod. 12. 26. When your children shall say to you What mean you by this service i. Passeover that the father should be able to teach his childe as it is there directed and that the child should as his first lesson be taught what is meant To know what the meaning of this Ordinance is 1. It is a proper and excellent antidote or remedy of such abuses and miscarriages as creep in at the door either of ignorance superstition or prophaneness and the Apostle signifies so much here by applying this corrective to those distempers which then reigned in the Church of Corinth as if he had said Could you come and eat and drink so rudely proudly confusedly irreverently unworthily if ye did consider but what ye ought to do that is exercise communion with Christ keep a commemoration of him shew forth his death 2. This will direct all your preparations to the true end your praiers meditations self-examination will be answerable and suitable to the Ordinance Here is not the eating of a piece of bread nor the drinking of a cup of wine in a publique company of sober men and of my betters which yet is enough to the putting on my better clothes and framing my self to a grave composure but here I am to meet my Lord Christ and to receive him as my Saviour I am to have the Covenant of mercy sealed to me in his blood I am to make a thankfull memoriall of Christ and to profess my embracement and adherence to his death as my only comfort therefore be thou awakened O my faith my godly sorrow my spirituall appetite my thankfulness that I may go out to Christ and he come in to me 3. This takes off all slighting and undervaluing of this Ordinance which appears to an outward and carnall eye No better bread or wine than I can have at home for in this plain case is a rich Jewel this bread is the body this wine is the Blood of the Lord of Glory and therefore I must not value the seal by the worth of the wax which is not worth a penny but by the pardon or the inheritance which passes and is conveyed by it 4. This keeps me from running blindfold into the sin of guiltiness of the Body and Blood of the Lord and so into condemnation for as the same Signet or Seal of a Prince doth to one seal a pardon to another an execution so this very Sacrament is to a Beleever a seal of pardon to another as it were the seal of his condemnation 5. Lastly The preparation so much spoken of and the self-examination required by the Apostle cannot be imagined to referre to the eating of bread and drinking wine but to the inward thing of the Sacrament it necessarily follows that those inward graces that enable us to have communion with Christ and make commemoration of him can never be known or sought except we know the meaning of this Sacrament for it is that which gives the Law and Rule of all our preparations And so I have shown you the reasons why we should labour to understand the language of this Ordinance So much of this generall Point the second Point shall be taken from those words Ye shew the Lords death or shew ye for the word might be construed imparatively but that the particle For would not then so well consist CHAP. XIV The great business that lies upon the Communicant as oft as he eats this Bread and drinks this Cup is to shew the Lords Death Doct. 2 THis Point cleaves into two parts §. 1. First It is the Lords death which in this Sacrament is shewn forth The two standing Sacraments of the Jewish Church Circumcision and the Passeover did both appear in blood The two standing Sacraments of the Gospel do also referre to death We are buried with him by Baptism into death Rom. 6. 4. and in the Supper we shew the Lords death As of all deliverances and benefits vouchsafed to Israel of old God would have the Passeover-deliverance celebrated by a constant memoriall in all generations so of all that Christ doth for us it is his death that must be shewn forth in all generations of the Church till he come again and therefore this Ordinance is speculum crucifixi as Calvin saith and In 1 Cor. 11. the memoriall not so much of Christs life or resurrection De satisfact cap. 1. saith Grotius as of his death This death hath no second in all the world for it was the death of the Sonne of God the death of the Lamb of God 1. Of the Sonne of God the Lord of Glory whose highness and excellency gave price and value to his death Had he not been man he could not have suffered Had he not been the Sonne of God God blessed for ever he could not have satisfied and conquered 2. Of the Lamb of God and therefore his death was a Sacrifice and that 's more than a Martyrdom for though a Martyr may be said to seal with his blood that truth he dies upon yet no blood can seal the Covenant but this of Christ no death can ratifie the Testament but the Testators death Had the death been the death of the Lord a most excellent person and not also the death of a Lamb for Sacrifice to make attonement it had wanted one
of his properties but it was both As it was the death of the Lord of Glory the Sonne of God so it gave us the most illustrious testimony and example of the love of God as ever was or could be and that the Scripture often points unto As it was the death of the Lamb of God so it was a Sacrifice death wherein he was made sinne for us and bore our sinnes in his Body As it was the Joh. 11. 13. Rom. 5. Gal. 2. 20. death both of the Sonne of God and the Lamb of God so it reconciled us sinners unto God and meritoriously redeemed and ransomed us from our bondage to the curse and wrath of God the only ground and foundation of our hope peace and comfort §. 2. Secondly It is the business of the Communicant to shew forth this death of the Lord The Ordinance it self is full of death what other language doth bread broken and the blood severed from the body speak but a dying Christ As the Ordinance so the Communicant doth by eating and drinking in fact declare and annunciate his profession of adherence to and embracement of the death of Christ we solemnly and publiquely avow both to God and men that we stick unto and abide by the death of the Lord for remission of sinne and reconciliation of our persons to God and it is a solemn part of Gods positive worship to shew forth the death of Christ our Lord not by a meer historicall relation but a practicall and publique profession of our faith and acceptance thereof which though at all times we may remember yet God would have a solemn Ordinance in his Gospel-Churches for the commemoration and shewing of it forth which Ordinance is this of the Supper I know men are witty to elude Ordinances and to flatter themselves with private devotions and meditations but when God hath set up an Ordinance on purpose for the publique and solemn shewing of the Lords death let them consider it that are not only careless of the benefit of it but fail of their duty by not presenting themselves at this solemn shewing of the Lords death but how can it be expected that they that shew not the life of Christ by a godly conversation should care to shew forth his death by publique profession or rather how can it be construed that they do it out of conscience of duty and not out of meer superstition expecting that from the Sacrament which the Papist expects from his auricular confession that is to quit the old score that he may more freely begin upon a new But I may not forget that which is very learnedly observed that the Apostle using the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which frequently is used for publishing and preaching Schiud in loc Haggada the Gospel doth allude to the Haggada as it was called by the Jewish custom at the Passeover and that was a set and solemn declaration or annunciation of the Lords passing over the houses sprinkled with blood of their slavery and hard bondage in Aegypt and their deliverance thence teaching us in this our Gospel-Passeover to shew forth our hard bondage under sinne and the Lords justice passing over all the souls sprinkled with this blood and thereby delivering us from our spirituall Aegypt §. 3. Use The Use of this Point is to call upon all Communicants hoc agere to be intent upon and taken up with this employment Shew ye forth the Lords death this must be your actuall exercise at the time of eating and drinking the death of Christ must fill your eyes your ears your lips your thoughts If any of you could see Christ dying the sight would wholly take you up and you come as near to see him dying as an Ordinance can bring you in a representation If any where that Psal 2. 11. takes place here Rejoyce with trembling Tremble for you see the weight of sinne upon the Lord Christ and the severity and wrathfull indignation of God against sinne both those terrours cannot be seen in a clearer glass than the death of the Lord Rejoyce for the love that delivers up Christ is unparallel'd and the death of the Lord is succedaneous a Sacrifice death the Sacrifice bears the sinne and takes it off you there is a nunc dimitiis for all you that take Christ in your arms I would not be thinking of the joys of heaven the second coming of Christ absolutely and abstractly considered but shewing forth his death As in prayer good thoughts if impertinent are distractions and to be whipt for vagrants so here If my heart present to me the anger and terrible wrath of a just and holy God I shew the Lords death If the Law take me by the throat and say Pay that thou owest I shew the Lords death If conscience ask me what I have to shew for pardon of sin and peace with God I shew the Lords death Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It s Christ that died CHAP. XV. The Lords Supper is an iterable Ordinance THe third Point is taken up from the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For as often as ye eat this bread c. Doct. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is an iterable Ordinance which is to be repeated Our Saviour gives a hint of this in those words This do for a remembrance of me and the Apostle from him For as often c. The word often is sometimes opposed to seldom and sometimes to once as Heb. 9. 25 26. Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the High priest entreth into the holy place every year For then he must have often suffered since the foundation of the world The Sacrifice of Christ or the offering of him up was but once Heb. 9. 26. The Sacrament of his body and bloud is often as a memorial of that Sacrifice and the comparison used in that place is this As man dies but once so Christ also As in the Sacraments of the Jews the first of them Circumcision was but once nor indeed could be but the Passeover often once every year and Christ was but once circumcised but kept the Passeover often So in the Sacraments of the New Testament Baptism is but once Christ was but once baptized but the Supper often which though Christ celebrated but once yet he gave order for the repetition of it I will not now take up the discussion why Baptism but once the Supper often the Scripture gives us no hint for the repetition of the one but it doth for the other and the old saying is plausible Semel nascimur saepius pascimur we are but once born but we are often nourisht God did more punctually and precisely under the Law prescribe the times of their Sacraments the eighth day for circumcision such a day of such a moneth yearly for the Passeover as he also did the times and place and other circumstances of his worship for the people were more servile then
by his name But then as to the grace of education of his children up unto maturity and ripenesse by confirming them and strengthning and causing them to grow c. He hath ordained another Sacrament which is called the second because it presupposes the first as Passeover did Circumcision and that is the Lords Supper of which learned Hooker saith The grace Eccles pol. l. 5. pag. 536. which we have by it doth not begin but continue grace or life no man therefore receives this Sacrament before Baptism because no dead thing is capable of nourishment That which groweth must of necessity first live And to this purpose all our learned Divines have given their suffrage And the Papists though Concil Trid. Sess 13. c. 2. 7. Can. 5. 11. Bellarm. de Euch. c. 17. l. 4. Catech-sub fin Confes cap. de Sac. c. 29. they differ from us in denying remission of sinnes in this Sacrament in favour to their Sacrament of pennance yet they hold it to be an Ordinance of nutrition and so do all their Schoolmen and so doth the Church of England The strengthning and refreshing of our souls c. I need not number Authours or Churches It is so plain a case that I wonder they that have stood up in defence of it as a converting Ordinance have not taken notice of it There is an Army to a man against them and the ancient Christian Churches are so clear in it that they admitted no convert from the Heathen to either Baptism or Supper till they had testified their faith and repentance nor were they called fideles till they were baptized and admitted to the Supper whatsoever knowledge faith or repentance so ever they showed before Let me first clear the state of the Question and then give you the Reasons For the first First I do not deny that a man having some knowledge of the Gospel and visibly professing it for I do not think that any doth imagine that the very popping of the elements into a meer Heathens mouth may convert him may be truly and really converted at the Sacrament for who shall lock up the hands of the Spirit so as the Laver of Regeneration and the renewing of the holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. The work of the Lord and a mans eating and drinking may not be together Or do we think that this time and conversion are incompossible No I think not so Nor do I question or doubt that the Word of God adjoyned to the Sacrament it being accompanied with the Gospel-promises and the lively painting forth of Christ may not work coversion for why the word out of a Pulpit and the word at a Table or in any other place should not have this same effect I see not You will say This is the cloathed use of the Sacrament the administration being accompanied with the Word and so still it is the Word that converts But what will you say to the naked use and application of the signes that is the act of distribution Taking Eating Drinking Do these convert or confer the first grace I answer I am not curious in delivering the very nick of time of mans conversion I affirm not that so it is nor deny that so it may be The winde blows when and where it listeth This yet is not the Question But whether there be found any declared intention any institution and appointment of God that this Ordinance shall convert souls or hath made it apt for that purpose so as we may look for such efficacy from it by vertue of Gods institution thereof to this end For it is a meerly positive Ordinance and the effect or efficiency must be expected in vertue of the appointment and institution and I cannot assent that the institution of the Supper promiseth this effect Greg. de Valentia and others of the Schoolmen De effiâ—acia Euch punct distinguish between the primary and per se effects of the Lords Supper and these that are per accidens not of institution among which he instances the conferring of the first grace and so Vasquez saith that he doth not hold That this Sacrament conveys Vasquez Tom. 3. Disp 205. the first grace by vertue of institution or appointment to that end and yet cites Bonaventure that the first grace may be given here secundum misericordiam of Gods meer mercy not secundum institutionem according to the institution of the Ordinance And this I say in answer to the Question But doth it follow hence that therefore all may come be invited or admitted because we say that which God can do not what he hath promised or declared that he will Prater intentional or accidental effects give no ground to seek them at such a cause as is not ordained to work them though haply some have been converted at that time Must a man that seeks a Kingdom be sent to seek his fathers Asses because Saul heard such news at such a time Must we run a man thorow with a sword to save his life because one did so once and let out a secret impostume Because some Minister hath been converted at his Ordination Is therefore the laying on of hands instituted for that purpose Because a man hath been converted at his marriage where the Sermon and benediction have wrought on him Is therefore marriage a converting Ordinance I might adde a great deal more for illustration of this point if I questioned your apprehension Secondly There is difference to be made between the qualifications of a man to his admittance to this Sacrament and the qualifications of him unto the inward grace benefit or effect of it If one be a baptized person a knowing professour of the Gospel against whom there lies no barre of notorious ignorance or scandal though it appear not that he is truly regenerate and sincere in grace yet he hath admittance he claims upon such a right as the Church cannot justly disallow no more than an Israelite circumcised and clean could be debarred the Passeover but as to the effect and benefit of the Supper to his soul there is required more than so even true faith in Christ and regeneration that he may exercise such graces as the benefits are promised unto and come to the Seals of the Covenant with the condition of the Covenant The wise Virgins cannot forbid the foolish from waiting with them for they have lamps as well as they but the Lord shuts the door against them from entring in with him for their oyl was out Glory not in this that the Church admits you to the Table but labour for the grace to feed upon the dainties set upon it many have the liberty to use it that have not the benefit or effect of that use many have a hundred times tasted bread and wine that never once tasted the body and bloud of Christ §. 4 §. 4 Reasons proving the Lords Supper not to be an Ordinance appointed for conversion The Reasons proving the Lords Supper not
preparation The thing that is exhibited to us is Christ his body broken his bloud shed Christ dying Christ a Sacrifice offer'd up to God is here commemorated and is here offer'd and that inward grace which is necessary to receive and close with Christ must be brought with you That grace is found by and from the word and that grace must be used here and exercised The Covenant requires it and the Seal is the Seal of the Covenant You cannot take the Seal and leave the Covenant you cannot enter Covenant without faith and Repentance you do but expect that the Seal should seal a lie to you if you expect remission of sinnes to be sealed without your faith in Christ It 's impossible that the Word and Sacrament should be opposite as that the Covenant and Seal thereof should disagree As therefore if one would know what a Seal conveys or confirms let him reade the Deed and the Conditions of it and there it is learn'd So if you would know what the Sacrament seals to you hear what the Word saith Mercy and Grace to a believer in Christ and to no other which he that will receive from this fountain must bring his vessel with him for qui fide vacuus foras manducat non intus Chem. Exam. c. dente non mente August Corollary 3 Thirdly Be not frighted with the sound of this Word worthily or worthy Communicant but labour to understand the least and lowest manner of receiving worthily for we wrong our comforts when we make that which is the measure of growth to be the measure of truth of grace and judge of the life of the tree not by the bud but by ripe fruit and here consider §. 3. 1. That words of high sound in vulgar and common acceptation when they come to be undertaken in a Gospel-sense and notion do shrink into a meer contemptiblenesse with worldly wise men For as the Gospel useth some Greek words in a sense unknown to eloquent profane Authours so it hath a notion of Blessednesse Perfection Glory Worthinesse which relishes not the palate nor bears any show in the world If Aristotle describe blessednesse what a deal of humane perfection and accomplishments of fortune doth he croud into it for which he is derided by other Sects But if Christ describe blessednesse in the Gospel what do you hear of but poverty of Spirit purity of heart meeknesse mourning suffering for righteousnesse sake wherein there is no more shew of blessednesse to a worldly man than there was in Christ of Majesty to Herod and his men of warre So perfection in Gospel-phrase is a disclaiming thereof and sence of our imperfection Phil. 3. 12. And the Spirit of glory rests upon you that suffer 1 Pet. 4. 14. And your worthinesse is rather the sense of your unworthinesse Thus the Gospel construes these high sounding words and the reason is because the Gospel placing our righteousnesse and our happinesse in the having of Christ and taking every man utterly off his own bottom doth thereby come to a new reckoning that is not used in the whole world and accounts them full that are most empty rich that are poor blessed that are in their own sense or outward condition miserable possessing all things that have nothing and so in this point in hand according to Luther's paradoxal expression which our Whitaker approves is Est optime dispositus qui est pessime dispositus He is most worthy that is most unworthy viz. that is sensible of his unworthinesse 2. If this worthinesse of a Communicant should Whitak de Sacram. p. 658. be imagin'd to signifie any meritorious or proud congruities of our vertues works righteousnesse it would be the greatest unworthinesse that could be What should such proud creatures come to a Sacrament or memorial of Christs death for that being no sinne with them to be expiated by that death◠Thou sayest I am rich I stand in need of nothing go anoint thy eyes that thou mayest see Revel 5. This Pool of Siloam is for such as have infirmities Nor doth the Gospel require perfect faith or perfect repentance or grace for that 's against the nature of this Sacrament which is to last no longer than our imperfections and infirmities last that is untill Christ come So as there is no better Argument of our imperfection than the command of growing in grace so neither is any a fit patient for this medicine but the weak and impotent the doubting and complaining soul The Gospel knows not the name of attainers nor the thing Not that I have attained or were already perfect Phil. 3. 12. This meat and drink is for growing children which as the old Physician Hippocrates saith must be often-nourisht How long might a man examine himself before he finde this temper in himself that he wants nothing there can be no wonder that such a one is above Ordinances especially this which though it be one of the highest Ordinances of the Church yet is accommodated to the use of the lowest believer The Apostles communicated in it before the Spirit was sent down solemnly upon them they were but ignorant and raw when Christ said Take Eat Drink ye all of it 3. If thou hast the seminals of grace mixt with a masse of corruptions as gold at first is mixed with much earth there may be worthinesse despise not small things Natural generation begins in a small thing a little drop and so Regeneration If there be sense of sin if thirst after Christ there is something Thou art discouraged with thy daily lapses why drink of this wine for thy often infirmities Thou art overborn with strong lusts come and eat and drink to nourish thy weak graces keep them alive to fight though they do not conquer and triumph Thou canst not say thou hast faith but canst thou feel thy want of it and mourn for it This smoak comes from some invisible spark Thou art not thou sayest in Covenant and the Seal belongs not to thee But art thou willing to be in it and come into the bond of the Lord Is it the longing of thy soul to be ingaged into the ways of God and disenthrall'd from the sweet bondage of sin In a word Let thy sins and corruptions be strong and violent thy wants many thy weaknesse great Let them be as thou sayest as thou fearest yet if there be a groaning sense a longing desire of remedy affections piercing of and breathing after Christ If there be a seed of God in thy heart which is kept alive in the midst of so much corruption by no lesse a miracle than if a spark be kept alive in the sea then surely there is a Gospel-meetnesse in thee to be partaker of this Supper Here is Christ cook'd ready to thy weakest and lowest faith in obvious materials of meat and drink Let not the pride of any worthinesse bring thee nor the sense of unworthinesse keep thee back CHAP. XXIII Of Worthy
representing the mystical union of Christ and the Church is therefore a Sacrament There must be a promise and a command of God added to the visible creature whereby the use of it to such a purpose is warranted and authorized therefore we must look higher than the outward elements or their power An Axe is more than iron A Seal is more than wax Gods institution renders the creatures of bread and wine which as Bellarmine notes though two elements are but one instrument or seal usefull to spiritual effects not by elevating their natures as the iron or wax being instruments are not elevated to any efficacy as physical instruments but by appointing their use and working by them therefore that Question How can bread and wine How can water reach or touch the soul is impertinent for it refers to a natural causation but moral relation needs no contact there is a benefit follows upon the right use of them which comes not through them tanquam per canalem but from God by the use of such means as an estate is convey'd from the donor by a seal of wax 2. The benefits and blessings promised in the Covenant of Grace are sealed and the graces of the Covenant are improved in a believer by this Ordinance Christ Christ crucified or rather in crucifying together with such benefits as are immediately sealed in his death reconciliation redemption remission of sinnes as on Gods part offered to a sinner are here obsignate and sealed And faith in Christ repentance from dead works c. are here exercised excited confirmed renewed the main fundamental and essential benefits and graces which are in most necessary order to salvation are here in act not such things as some Christians have and some have not But the common necessaries of the Covenant both on Gods part and ours without which no Christian can be saved And therefore I cannot but wonder that many well-meaning souls should fix their eyes on such benefits or gifts to be given in this Sacrament as are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a Christian but eminencies of some and not of all they look for gifts of prayer of memory freedom from passions some Parts or Endowments which they see others excell in and if they gain not these they gain nothing they are unworthy c. Alas that you should so mistake I tell you Covenant-benefits Covenant graces the radicals the vitals are they which receive improvement here here is Christ offer'd and faith is quickned here Christ crucified is exhibited and here repentance is renewed the main benefits that God can give the main graces that we can have such as are essential without which salvation is not This I would have observed for the honour of the Ordinance and the quickning of addresse to it And another thing also viz. That when you hear us use the words exhibit convey conferre afford grace or spiritual benefits You are to understand that this is not per modâ—m emplastri seu medicae potionis not as a natural agent but per modum sigilli or Sacramenti in a way proper to a Sacrament As we say an estate passes by the Seal that is is assured or confirmed or as we say the promise or contract passes by a Ring words which every one understands and doubtlesse the benefit and fruit of the Sacrament is afforded in a peculiar way As the Word besides begetting grace doth also increase and confirm but not in the same way as the Sacrament doth as it may be the same bargain that passes by promise by oath by earnest by seal yet these are several wayes of certioration so it 's the same grace that 's nourisht by the Sacrament as by the Word but the way is divers That of the Sacrament is by way of sign and seal that of the Word by way of Promise or Covenant-agreement nay the two Sacraments themselves do dâ—ffâ—r in their proprieties Baptism seals the Covenant by way of initiation and the Lords Supper by way of nutrition or augmentation God did not make or multiply Ordinances at random without their distinct and peculiar use for the exhibiting to us the same Christ the same graces the same benefits as men have several wayes of assurance making one to another §. 5 §. 5. What is done to a Worthy Receiver by Christ So much generally For the particular we shall consider 1. What is here done 2. What is hence received For the first There is here done by Christ two things and answerably two things by a believer in Christ Two things principally are here done by God or by Christ 1. Christ crucified is really exhibited to the faith of a believer 2. The gracious Covenant which God hath made in Christ is sealed to a believer 1. Christ crucified together with all those benefits More particularly that ensue upon his death is really exhibited to a believer for there is not a meer representation or empty figure but a real and true exhibition of Christ himself as broken for our sinnes The word accipite Take ye Eat ye does evidently confirm it to us If there were only a resemblance or figurative representation then See ye were more properly said but Take Eat this is my body plainly shews that Christ himself is here given to a believer I think we look so much on the representation that we forget the exhibition and therefore should labour to conclude that Christ himself as in the state of a redeeming Saviour is truly and indeed holden forth and presented to our faith as verily as any benefit can be offer'd and holden forth by one man to another This body and bloud was really offer'd up to God for us which is in this Sacrament really offer'd and applied to us by our faith Answerable to this exhibition of Christ himself the believer performs an act of Communion 1 Cor. 10. 16. partaking of the body and bloud of Christ in a spiritual sense for spiritual nourishment increase and building up for the new creature is fed and maintain'd by Christ and by vertue of union with him we have communion as the Vine-branches by their union with the Vine receive sap and nourishment So as we have not graces without Christ nor benefits without Christ but first in order of nature we have union as members of him and then of his fulnesse we receive For a Christian is like a branch that hath nothing of its own but what it receives from the root as it self springs from the root so the increase and growth of it is from the root also He is as the Moon which as appears in the Eclypse hath no light of it self but increases and comes to full as it receives from the Sunne Let no man think that a believer hath no further use of Christ after his first believing and receiving of him for then this Sacrament would not be usefull the effect whereof as Durand saith is not absolutely necessary to salvation as if one could not be
in a state of salvation without it because it serves for confirmation of one that is already in a saving state and it 's plain that a great parâ— of Christs Office is exercised in preserving and continuing of them in him who are already members of him and therefore is the finishâ—r as well as authour of our faith for we live in him and from him and our grace is maintain'd by emanations from Christ as the light by continual emanations from the Sunne and therefore this Ordinance of Communion of Christ and the exercise of such acts of communion are of prime use and benefit as the branch that shoots from the Tree grows and lives from that root which gave to it the first being by a contrived influx of sap into it And this is the first combination of Gods act and of ours 2. The second combination is The gracious Covenant which God hath made in Christ is sealed to a believer The common nature of a Sacrament is to be a seal of Justification or Righteousnesse with God by faith in Christ Rom. 4. 11. As a seal refers to some Covenant so the Sacrament refers to Gods Covenant with man which is this That God promises to accept into favour and into his propriety all that do believe in and receive Christ and to bestow upon them all the blessings and benefits thereof God gives Christ in way of Covenant He covenants with Christ our Lord that he should give his soul an offering and a Sacrifice for sin and in so doing should see his seed Isa 53. 10. So Arminius in this point is orthodox Of this Covenant the death or bloud of Christ is the Condition which Christ accepted and performed The Covenant of God with us is That all that believe in Christ that died and receive him for their Lord and Saviour shall have remission of sins c. and of this Covenant the bloud of Christ is the ratification as the Testators death ratifies the Will or Testament for it is bloud that doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dedicate the Testament Heb. â— 18. and so in the words of this Chapter This Cup is the New Testament or Covenant in my bloud viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dedicated thereby and this bloud we receive in this Sacrament as the Seal of the gracious Covenant made with us So that if doubts arise concerning the reality of God and surenesse of this Covenant that speaks so much grace and mercy we look upon and take hold of this Seale of bloud and are thereby setled and therein acquiesce Answerable to this act of God the believer accepts of and submits to this Covenant and the Conditions of it viz. to believe and to have God for our God and thereof makes a solemn profession in this Sacrament giving up himself to Christ as Lord and Saviour restipulating and striking hands with him to be his and so bindes himself and doth as it were seal a counterpart to God again and not onely so but comes into a claim of all the riches and legacies of the Will or Covenant because he hath accepted and here declares his acceptance of the Covenant The Seal is indeed properly of that which is Gods part of the Covenant to perform and give and is no more but offer'd untill we subscribe and set our hands to it and then it 's compleat and the benefits may be claimed as the benefit of any conditional promise may be when the condition is performed And least you should stumble at that word I must let you know That the Will accepting and submitting to the conditions is the performance of the conditions required and so the gracious God that might pro imperio require duty and allegiance of his creature condescends to us to enter into a Covenant of Grace with us and vouchsafes us the honour of coming into Covenant with him that so he might settle and maintain a communion and correspondence between himself and his people and there might be a mutual bond of engagement each to other which is solemnly professed as often as we meet with God in this Sacrament because we are so apt to disbelieve and waver about his promises and to halt and decline from our obligations to him And this is the second combination of action according to that which is to be remembred at every sealing day the Sacrament is a sealing day Deut. 26. 17. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God and to walk in his wayes c. And the Lord hath avouched thee to be his peculiar people as he hath promised thee So much for the first What is here done §. 6 §. 6. What is here Received by the Worthy Communicant 2. I come to the second What is here received and I do not mean to say what every believer doth sensibly receive but what God hath appointed by this Sacrament to convey and what may be received by a believer in the right use of it not alwayes to his own sense but according to the nature of this Ordinance I will not say that which some affirm but it is Apocryphal of the Manna which the Israelites did eat that it had the taste that every man desired But this I may say that as Calvin of himself When I have Instit l. 4. c. 17. §. 7. said all I have said but little the tongue is overcome yea the minde is overwhelmed I say then in one word 1. Christ is here received the body and bloud of Christ into intimate Union as the nourishment of our souls What is more ours than the meat we eat What is more nearly joyn'd to us than that which becomes part of our selves The Scripture by the language it useth hath even overcome our apprehensions A man may eat the fruit that hath no interest in the Tree but here the believing eater grows into the Tree he that drinks drinks the fountain he comes to a closer Union with the conduit-pipe of all grace the flesh of Jesus Christ You know the best meat and drink doth you no good except it be made your own nor is Christ of worth except he be ours he is as if he were not Tolle meum tolle Deum we must be happy by a Christ within us Know you not that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13. â— There was a croud toucht Christ but vertue went out of him to none but one that toucht him by faith So there is a throng about the Table but none receive Chrâ—st but those that by faith take and eat his crucified body If Christ himâ—elf be hâ—re received what spiritual grace is there that is not in him It is somewhat a grosse conceit to ask How Christ in heaven and a believer on earth can be united For man and wife are one flesh though a thousand miles asunder And we know that as the Apostle saith Col. 2. 19. there are bands and joynts whereby the Head and every Member the root and
Bloud of the Lord and the eclypsis is left open to be filled with some fearfull word guilty of neglect of contempt of profane violation of and injury to this body the body of our Lord. For the right understanding of which phrase §. 2 §. 2. What it is to be guilty of the Body and Bloud of the Lord. 1. The Papists and no lesse the Lutherans doe hence infer That the very Body and Bloud of Christ is eaten and drunk by the mouth of the Communicant which they call Sacramentall eating and the reason is How else is an unworthy Receiver guilty of his Body We of our Confession that hold the Corporeal Presence of Christ under the Bread impossible as well as false do therefore inferre That that Body which is not corporally there cannot be eaten and therefore the guiltinesse of Christs Body is not by the oral eating 2. We expound it thus Whatsoever irreverence slightnesse neglect or contempt is used by any in the celebration of this Ordinance is reputed and adjudged to redound to the very Body and Bloud of Christ As it's Treason against the State to embase their coin to abuse a Picture is dishonour to the person to hang a man in effigie or subvert ones Statue as the Romans used are interpreted to the disgrace of the man whose they are And thus it is here by reason of that near relation and analogy which this Bread and Cup have to Christ himself so the uncircumcised man-childe Gen. 17. 14. is said to have broken my covenant and therefore the Fathers reckon an unworthy receivers sinne to be like that of Judas the Jews the Souldiers that abused and dishonour'd the very Body and Bloud of Christ and this is a peculiar guilt that attends upon the celebration of this Ordinance wherein Christ condescends to come so near us by offering his Body and Bloud to us and this condescention to be neglected and refused Think of this and measure not the sinne by your own apprehension of it but by the account which God makes of it who accounts all them that come unworthily to vilifie the Body the sufferings of his Sonne our Lord and to despise the Seal of that gracious Covenant which we make our selves believe we doe not do The result from hence is §. 3. 1. The sins of wicked Christians against Gospel-Ordinances are of highest nature and incurre greater guilt It 's said of Christians That after illumination and taste fall away they crucifie to themselves again the Sonne of God and put him to open shame Heb. 6. 6. And they that sin wilfully after the knowledge of the truth are said to have trodden under foot the Sonne of God and counted the bloud of the Covenant a common thing and to have done despight to the Spirit of grace Heb. 10. 19 26. A meer Heathen is out of capacity of guiltinesse of these high sinnes He is not guilty of the Body and Bloud of the Lord which was never offer'd to him in this Sacrament No aggravations of sinne are like to the aggravations of the sins of wicked Christians their guilt is not of so high complexion that never knew of Christ either we must be saved or we cannot be so easily damned the weight of sins against Christ is heavier than of those that are meerly against the Law of God We are the earth that drinks in the rain that cometh upon us If we bear briars and thorns we are nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned Heb. 6. 7 8. 2. How many do that they think least of and are guilty of that they once imagine not themselves to be guilty of but few of a thousand will own this guiltinesse of the Body and Bloud of Christ and yet as often as they do or have eaten and drunk at this Table unworthily so often they have incurred and renew'd this guilt Do not they say at the last day When saw we thee an hungry or in prison Did the Jews think they pierced their true Messiah There are not many Christians in name and profession such that can be convinced that they hate and despise Christ as much as the very Jews that crucified him which yet may be demonstrate by clear arguments The Jew honour'd the name of the Messiah and expected great things of him and yet hated and rejected him blindfold and so we call Christ Saviour and Lord and besprinkle him with sweet water but his reign and government over us we utterly despise and hate and prefer a sordid lust far before him CHAP. XXXII The Danger of this Sinne. §. 1. 4. THe fourth thing expounded was the danger of this sinne He eats and drinks judgement to himself if he be a godly man that eats and drinks unworthily or haply also damnation if he be an hypocrite for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may respectively extend to both A strange phrase it is to eat and drink judgement but it is allusive and per mimesin as sure as he eats of the Bread and drinks of the Cup unworthily so sure is judgement to follow thereupon or to accompany it for he eats judgement but it is to himself not to others except they be partakers in his sinne which may be divers ways So as we have reason to insert in all our prayers Lord forgive our nostra aliena our other mens sins but without partnership in the sinne we need not fear share in the judgement He eats it to himself and therefore that argument of the Donatist which is rise now a dayes Si corruptis sociaris c. If you be joyned with wicked men how can you be clean If you pray with them hear with them receive the Sacrament with them was answer'd by Austin True saith he if we be joyned but that is not in bodily presence locally but by consent or allowance and so we are no more joyn'd then Christ and the Apostles were joyn'd with Judas at the Passeover or Supper who I believe was not defiled by his presence as neither were those guests that came in to the marriage by the presence of him that had no wedding garment It 's true example may defile by contagion and infection but allowance and consent defiles by accessarinesse unto the sin §. 2 §. 2. The Application How precious an Ordinance is this Supper and yet how dangerous There is life and death set before you It 's on one side a refreshing cloud on the other a flaming fire so by the same water and way were the Israelites saved and the Aegypians attempting the like were drown'd Thus Christ also is a precious stone to believers a stumbling and a crushing stone to unbelievers and the Word is a savour of life and a savour of death Some mens eyes are open'd by it and some are shut The same Ark is to Israel a glory to the Philistims a scourge Here is honey in the same rose to the Bee and poyson to the Spider and it is according as you eat and