the present fruite of their labours Obiect All Christians are brethren in which number infants are not so long as we driue them from the supper An. None be heires of the kingdome of heauen Infantes are members of Christ but such as are members of Christ Obiect No man is made our brother but by the Spirite of adoption which is onlie giuen by the hearing of faith An. That is preposterouslie drawen to infants which is spoken onlie of those which are growen vp Obiect By regeneration we be made Gods But those be Gods to whom the worde of God is spoken Which doth not agree to children which are infants An. The place of the Psalme is wrested to a strange sense Againe to feigne that there is a Godhead in the faithfull Seruetus his doting is of Seruetus his dotings Obiect Sheepe and goates were not straightway offered in sacrifice so soone as they came out of the wombe Exod. 13.2 An. All the first begotten so soone as they opened the matrix were holie to the Lord* Therefore we must not wait for mans strength 32 Therfore let vs conclude that those opinions must be taken away which make void that consolation which the faithfull conceiue in their minds by the promises of God which make them vnthankfull toward the mercie of God sluggish to teach their children godlinesse CHAP. XVII Of the holie supper of Christ and what it auaileth vs. The Supper doth nourish those which are begotten by the word Signes 1 LIKE AS we are by baptisme brought into the church of God so by the spirituall banquet we are kept in that life into the which hee hath begotten vs by his word The signes are bread wine which represent vnto vs the inuisible food which we haue by the flesh and blood of Christ The ende is threefold that it may serue for confirmation of our faith A three fold ende for our confession before men and for exhortation to loue Therefore this mistycall blessing tendeth to this ende namelie that it may confirme to vs that the bodie of the Lorde was once so offered for vs that we do now eat the same by eating it do feele in our selues the force of that onlie sacrifice 1 The confirmation of faith is the first ende of the Supper that his blood was shed for vs that it is to vs cōtinuall drinke And so sound the wordes of the promise which is added there 2 And out of this sacrament godlie soules may gather great fruite of confidence and sweetnes because they haue a testimonie that we are growne together into one body with Christ The Supper is a great argument of confidence so that we may cal all that ours which is his againe whatsoeuer is ours hee will haue it so imputed to him as if it were his owne Heereupon it followeth that eternall life is ours and that wee cannot bee condemned by our sinnes from the giltinesse whereof he acquitteth vs. 3 Whereas he commaundeth vs to take hee signifieth that it is ours whereas hee biddeth vs eate The commandement Take he signifieth that that is made one substance with vs. Wheras he saith of his bodie that it is deliuered for vs of his blood that it is shed for vs hee therein teacheth that both these are not so muche his as ours because he tooke both and layd downe both not for his owne commoditie but for our saluation The force of the Supper And the whole force of the sacrament consisteth in these wordes which is giuen for you which is shed for you 4 Therefore they be not the principall parts of the sacrament to preach to vs the bodie of Christe simplie and without anie higher consideration The promise but rather that promise whereby hee doth testifie that his flesh is meat indeed and that his blood is drinke indeede wherewith wee are fedde to eternall life Whereby hee affirmeth that hee is that bread of life of which whosoeuer shall eate hee shall liue for euer 5 That is done both by the Gospell and also more plainlie by the holie Supper Where both hee himselfe offereth him selfe to vs with all his good things we receiue him by faith Furthermore we must in this place beware of two vices 2 Faultes to be taken heede of in the Supper that neither doing too much in extenuating the signes wee seeme to plucke them from their mysteries wherto they are after a sort knit fast nor that beeing immeasurable in aduauncing the same A similitude we seeme in the meane season to darken the mysteries themselues Ob. To eate the flesh of Christ and to drinke his blud is nothing els but to beleeue in Christ himselfe An. Like as not the sight but the eating of bread ministreth foode to the bodie so the soule must trulie and throughlie be made partaker of Christ that by his power it may be quickened to a spirituall life They thinke that to eate is onelie to beleeue Eating is a fruite of faith therfore I say that that eating is a fruit effect of faith 6 This is also to bee obserued that when the cuppe is called the couenant in the blood there is a promise expressed which serueth to confirme faith whereupon it followeth that vnlesse wee haue respect vnto God imbrace that which he offereth we do not rightlie vse the the holie supper 7 Ob. In the supper we are only partakers of the spirit of Christ An. Yea his flesh is meat indeede and his blood is drinke indeed The flesh of Christ is meat indeed neither hath anie man life but hee which eateth that flesh drinketh that blood 8 The summe cūmeth to this end that Christ was frō the beginninng that liuelie word of his father* the fountain of life and the originall frō whence all thinges did alwaies receiue life That life was then made manifest Ioh. 1.2 Christ is the fountaine of life whē the son of God hauing takē our flesh vpō him offred himself to be seen with eyes handeled with hands Moreouer it maketh the selfe same flesh wherein it is to bring life to vs that thorow partaking thereof we may be fed to immortalitie* Ioh. 6.48.58 Heerin the godly haue singular comfort that they finde life in their owne flesh Let them onely hold out the lap of their heart that they may embrace it being present 9 Obiect The flesh of Christ hath not so great power of it self that it can quicken vs which by the owne condition was subiect to mortalitie being now endued with immortality doth not liue of it self An. Yet it is by good right said to geue life The flesh of Christ giueth life which is filled with fulnesse of life that it might poure it out into vs. For the flesh of Christ is like to a fountaine being rich and such as cannot be drawne dry A similitude Eph. 1.22 4.15 which doth poure out into vs
For vnlesse the Apostles had remembred that the bread was figuratiuely called his bodie they should haue bene troubled with a thing so strange or monstrous that Christ should sit at table in their sight should be included in the bread being inuisible 24 Obiect The infinite power of God must not be made subiect to the lawes of nature The power of God An. The question is not what God could do but what he would do And it pleased God that Christ should haue a true bodie 25 Obiect We haue the word wherein the will of God is made manifest The will of God must be ioyned with his power An. The gift of interpretation must not be banished out of the Church which bringeth light to the word Obiect We haue the word An. Such as the Anthropomorphits had in times past when they made God to haue a bodie The error of the Anthropomorphits Mat. 28.20 26 Obiect Christ sayde Behold I am with you vntill the end of the world* An. He sayd in another place Mat. 26.11 Me shall you not haue alwayes with you* For he is present euerie where by his diuine maiestie whereas in bodie he is at the right hand of the Father Quest Shall we then appoint Christ some certaine countrey of heauen An. This is a curious question we beleeue that he is in heauen it is enough 27 These words shewe the same to go away to ascend to be lifted vp on high whiles the Disciples did behold* Act. 1.9 Mar. 16.9 Luk. 24.51 And Paule likewise affirmeth* that we must looke for him from heauen 28 Obiect Augustine saith that the bodie and bloud of Christ are distributed in the Supper * Phil. 3.20 Epist 23. ad Bonifa An. He expoundeth him selfe when he saith that the Sacraments take ther names of the likelihoode of the things which they signifie Take away sayth he spaces from the bodies and they shall be no where and because they shall be no where they shall not be at all Seruetus 29 Obiect The bodie of Christ is in it selfe visible in heauen but in the Supper it is inuisible by dispensation An. Yea Peter saith that the heauen must containe Christ vntill he come againe* Act. 3.21 Obiect His bodie was swallowed vp of his godhead after his ascension An. There should remaine no difference betwene his diuinitie and his humanitie A glorified bodie Obiect His bodie is glorified An. It is not therefore infinite Because Christ sayd Luk. 24.39 See and grope* Obiect Stephen saw him after his ascension * Act. 7.55 An. It was not needfull for Christ to change his place who could make the eyes of his seruaunt so quicke of sight as that they should pearce into the heauens Act. 9.4 Mat. 28.6 Ioh. 20.19 The same must we also say of Paule* Obiect Christ came out of the graue when it was shut* and he came in to his Disciples when the doores were shut* An. As Christ walked vppon the water euen as vpon an hard pauement The miraculous comming out of the graue Luk. 24.31 so no maruell if the hardnesse of the stone did yeeld when he came against it Obiect Christ vanished away suddenly out of his Disciples sight as they went to Emaus* An. He became not inuisible that he might take away the sight of him selfe from them but he did onely go out of sight as before he had holden their eyes that he might not be knowen* Ibid. 16. 30 Obiect Where soeuer the godhead of Christ shall be there shall his bodie be also An. The one onely person of Christ doth so consist vpon two natures that yet notwithstanding either of them hath still her owne properties remayning Obiect No man ascendeth into heauen but he which came downe from heauen the Sonne of man which is in heauen* Ioh. 3.13 Cōmunicating of properties An. We must not despise the communicating of properties Christ was in heauen as he was God vpon earth as he was man 31 Obiect There shall be no presence of Christ in the Supper vnlesse it be in the bread How we enioy the presence of Christ An. As if if Christ lift vs vp vnto him self by his Spirit we do not as well enioy his presence 32 Christ pronounceth that his flesh is the meat of the soule his bloud the drinke of the soule He commandeth vs to take I doubt not but he doth indeed reach it I do receaue it It is an higher mysterie then that it can be vttered in words Obiect Then there shall be a mixture of the flesh of Christ with our soule A powring out or a pouring out therof into the same An. No trulie But let it be sufficient that Christ doth breath out life into our soule frō the substance of his flesh How our soules are nourished by the bodie of Christ yea that he doth poure out into vs his owne life though the verie flesh of Christ do not enter into vs. 33 Obiect This doctrine is contrarie to the true and reall eating The true eating An. The true eating is spirituall Obiect So then we touch only the frute or effect of the flesh of Christ Christ is the matter of the Supper An. Christ is the matter of the Supper therupon followeth the effect the purging of our sinnes Obiect Who so euer are made partakers of the Sacramental eating they are made partakers of the bodie and bloud of Christ The vnbeeleuing receaue onlie the signe An. The vnbeleeuers receaue the signes not the thing signified Obiect Mans vnthankfulnesse can not diminish the faithfulnesse of Gods promises An. I graunt but some receaue the spirituall meate when it is offred them some reprochfully refuse it which are destitute of faith Obiect Hereby the word is diminished This is my body if the wicked receaue nothing but corruptible bread An. God will not be knowne to be true in the verie receauing but in the constancy of his goodnesse Quest How shal Christ come to the condēnation of certaine 1 Cor. 11.29 vnlesse they receaue him vnworthely* An. Men do not purchase to thē selues death by receauing Christ vnworthely but by refusing him Homil. in Ioh. 59 34 Therfore Augustine saith that the rest of the Disciples did eat the bread the Lord but Iudas did eat the bread of the Lord where he doth plainely exclude the vnbeleeuing from partaking of the bodie and bloud of Christ 35 This knowledge will likewise easily draw vs away frō carnall worshipping Carnall worshipping which some haue erected in the Sacrament through peruerse rashnesse Obiect If it be the bodie then the soule and the godhead must be together with the bodie Therfore we must worship Christ An. It is a false accōpanying Accompanying For the body of Christ is not Christ Again the body is in heauen not in the supper Therfor the Apostles did not worship it prostrating thēselues but they tooke it
treasure A similitude Faith an instrument For faith is the onelye instrument to receaue righteousnesse in Christ who is the materiall cause authour and minister 8 Obiect By the ministerie of the external word the internall is receiued Therefore Christe being God and man is made vnto vs righteousnesse in respect of his Godhead not of his manhood An. He is made vnto vs righteousnesse as he is man the mediatour and that which was from euerlasting cannot conueniently be saied to be made to vs. Ios 51.10 Obiect The Lorde shall bee our righteousnesse* An. Hee speaketh of Christ who being God reuealed in the flesh is made our righteousnes 9 Obiect This worke of iustifiying doth by his excellencie exceed the nature of man and therefore it cannot but bee ascribed to the diuine nature An. I graunt Obiect Therefore the diuine nature alone doth iustifie vs. An. It doth not follow for although Christ could neither by his blood purge our soules nor appease the father by his sacrifice Christ doth iustifie as he is man nor deliuer vs from giltinesse vnlesse he had been verie God yet it is certaine that he did all these thinges according to his humane nature For wee are iustified by the obedience of Christ* Rom. 5.19 and he did no otherwise obey but as he tooke vpon him the nature of a seruant therefore we haue righteousnesse giuen vs in his flesh 2 Pet. 1.4 10 Obiect By Christ saith Peter we haue precious and most great promises giuen vs that wee shoulde bee made partakers of the nature of God An. Iohn expoundeth that of the last cōming of Christ 1 Ioh. 3.2 that we should then see God as he is because we shall be like to him 11 Obiect It is an absurd thing to say that the word Iustifie is a lawe tearme To Iustifie is a lawe terme so that it is all one as to absolue seeing that wee must bee righteous in deede An. God doth iustifie both by acquitting or absoluing and also by pardoning wherupon Paul saith 2 Cor. 5.21 God was in Christ reconciled the world to himselfe in not imputing sinnes to men * Psal 32.1 Rom. 4.7 Also Dauid describeth righteousnes without workes thus they are blessed whose iniquities are forgiuen Obiect It is contrarie to God and his nature to iustifie those which doe in deede continue wicked An. The grace of iustification is not separate frō regeneration though they be distinct thinges And God doth so beginne regeneration in the elect in whō there remaine alwaies some remnants of sin doth so proceede during the whole course of their life that they are alwaies subiect to the iudgemēt of death before his iudgement seat Rom. 8.33 But he iustifieth* them not in part but freelie that they may appeare in heauen as clothed with the puritie of Christ 12 Obiect Christ is made to vs wisdome which agreeth onlie to the eternall word 1 Cor. 1.30 Therefore neither is Christ as he is man righteousnesse An. The onelie begotten sonne of God was alwaies indeed his eternall wisedome but that which hee had of the father hath hee reuealed vnto vs namely the treasures of wisedome and knowledge* Coll. 2.3 and so the saying of Paul is not referred vnto the essence of the sonne of God but vnto our vse and it is well applied to the humane nature of Christ Obiect They which place saluation in the death of Christ alone make two Gods in denying that we are righteous by the righteousnesse of God An. That which wee haue in Christ doeth come from the grace and fauour of God also that righteousnes which Christ geueth vs is the righteousnes of God Our righteousnes and lyfe is onlye in the death and resurrection of Christ Wee graunt but we hold stedfastly that wee haue righteousnes and life only in the death and resurrection of Christ Obiect That is properly called righteousnes wherby we are moued to do good But God worketh in vs both to will to do* Phil. 2.13 Therefore we haue righteousnes no where els An. God indeed reformeth vs by his spirite vnto holines of life and righteousnes but immediately by his sonne with whom he hath left all the fulnesse of the holie Ghoste that by his aboundance he might supplie the need of his members Ob. Christ himself was iust by the righteousnes of God because vnlesse the will of the father had moued him he himself would not haue satisfied the office committed vnto him Rom. 3.21 5.9 Papists An. Paul saith that Christ hath giuen vs saluation * to shew his owne righteousnes 13 Ob. Righteousnes is cōpoūded of faith works An. These two do so differ that if the one stand the other must needs be ouerthrown Paul counteth all but doung Ph. 3.8 Faith and workes that hee may win Christ * that he may find in him not hauing his owne righteousnes which is of the law but that which is by the faith of Iesus Christ righteousnes which is of God through faith 14 Ob. Paul speaketh of the works which men do before they be regenerate such as were the Iewes But there is a far other respect to be had of spiritual works Spirituall workes For they be fruites of regeneration An. In the cōparison of the righteousnes of the law the righteousnes of the gospell which he maketh* Gal. 3.11.12 Rom. 10.5.9 hee excludeth all maner works with what title soeuer they be adorned For hee teacheth that the righteousnes of the law is The righteousnes of the law that he obtaine saluation which shall perfourme that which the lawe commanudeth The righteousnes of faith and that this is the righteousnes of faith if we beleeue that Christ died and rose again 15 Obiect Faith is a certainetie of the conscience in looking for at Gods hands a rewarde for deserts Also the grace of God is not the imputation of free righteousnes but the holy ghost to the studie of holinesse 16 An. When the scripture speaketh of the righteousnes of faith it leadeth vs to a farre other thing to wit that being turned away frō the beholding of our workes wee may looke onely vnto the mercie of God and the perfection of Christ 17 Furthermore we must diligentlie note The relatiō betweene faith the Gospell that there is some relation between faith the Gospel because faith is said therfore to iustify because it receiueth the saluation imbraceth righteousnes offered in the gospel and wheras it is said to be offred by the gospel therby is excluded all cōsideration of works which Paul sheweth most plainly in 2. places Rom 12.5 Gal. 3.18 Obiect Then the righteousnes which we haue by our owne industrie and will is reiected An. The law profiteth nothing by commanding because there is none that can fulfill it* Rom. 8.2 18 And it is manifest that no man is iustified by the law because the