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A19504
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A preparatiue for the new Passeouer very profitable to be perused and read of all those who are called to the holy table of our Lord / by Maister William Cowper ...
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Cowper, William, 1568-1619.
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1607
(1607)
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STC 5933.3; ESTC S2563
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54,238
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126
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A PREPARAtiue for the new Passeouer Very profitable to be perused and read of all those who are called to the holy Table of our Lord. By Maister William Cowper Minister of Gods word VVisdomes Proclamation Come eate of my meate and drinke of the wine that I haue drawn Pro. 9.5 My fruite is better then golde euen then fine golde and my reuennues better then fine siluer Prou. 8. Ritches and honour are with me durable ritches and righteousnes vers 18. Hee that findeth me findeth life and shall obteine fauour of the Lord. 34. LONDON Printed for William Ferebrand and are to bee solde in the Popes-head-Pallace nere the Royal Exchange 1607 TO THE RIGHT worshipfull Sir Dauid Murray speciall Gentleman of the Prince his bed-chamber multiplication of mercy grace and Peace RIght Worshipfull albeit no distance of place can disioin them in affeccion whoÌ„e God hath conioyned by the band of one spirit yet is it no small stop of that Christian conference whereby either of them might happily edifie and bee edified of others I haue therefore taken mee to the next remedie since I cannot reach towards you with my tongue I haue endeuoured by writing to bestow vpon you some spirituall gift according to my line or measure for recompence of that comforte which I haue reaped of that grace of God which is in you I knowe these colder partes of the I le wherin wee soiourne doe not vsuallie render such ripe fruites as those on which the Sun beates more hotly yet are they also profitable in their kind for nourishment specially of such who from their youth haue beene accustomed to feede vpon them Neither hath the Lord our God debarred vs from Communion of that which is the greatest glorie of the I le the Sun of righteousnes hath shined vpon vs also The Lord hath made our darkenes to be light led vs who were blind a way we knew not The Lord hath set his standerd amongst vs. He hath not onely said to the South keep not backe but he hath also commaunded the North to giue to bring vnto him his Sonnes from farre and his Daughters from the endes of the earth As the going foorth of the Sunne is from the one end of heauen to the other rising in the East and running on like a mightie man his race towards the West so hath the Lawe gone foorth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem the light of the Gospell through many natioÌ„s hath come froÌ„ them of the East toward vs in the West where now it standes more maruellously theÌ„ the sun stood in GibeoÌ„ in the dais of Ioshua tilthe fulnesse of the Gentiles in these parts the remnants of Iaphets house be brought into the Tents of Sem. How long it wil so continue the lord knoweth Now the shadowes of the euening are stretched ouer them of the East the Sun is gone down ouer their Prophets Darknes is vnto them in steade of diuination If our vnthankfulnes prouoke the Lorde to withdraw it from vs woe in like manner shal be to this land when God departs from it There was neuer people before vs had any more but their day of grace some longer some shorter but as they had a morning so hath an euening also ouertaken them While therfore we haue the light let vs walke in the light Blessed shall we be if we knowe those thinges which belong to our peace for in our daies that promise which the Lord made 2000. sixe hundred yeres agoe is aboundantly performed that hee would giue the endes of the earth to his Son for a possessioÌ„ Happie are they amoÌ„g vs who shall be found of that number sought out by the candle of the Gospell as peeces of lost money and like wandring Sheep taken out of the mouth of the LyoÌ„ and giueÌ„ in a gift to Christ that he may saue them these are the redeemed of the Lord let them praise the Lord and among them come yee in also and giue glorie to God take in your heart and mouth with Dauid that Song of thanksgiuing The lines are faâ—â—en vnto mee in pleasant places and I haue a faire heritage It is written of Theodosius that hee thanked God more for that hee was a Christian then for that he was an Emperour because the glorie hee had by the one would vanish but the benefits he enioyed by the other hee knew wereto continue for euer and though it may bee most iustlie great matter of your ioy that by the fatherlie care of our Gracious Soueraigne ye haue beene placed a domestique attendant on his Maiesties moste princely Sonne euen from his verie Cradle wherin hitherto you haue beene praised for fidelitie I hope shall be so to the end yet let this bee your greatest glorie that the Lord hath made you partaker of that blessing which commeth by the gospell and giuen you the earnest of that inheritance prepared for theÌ„ who are sanctified by Faith in Christ Iesus for increase whereof in you as I dayly send vp my weake prayers vnto the Lord so shall I be aboundantly contented to know that these smal fruits of my husbandry which haue grown this last Summer in the pleasant valley of Perth not farre from your natiue soile m ay bee any way profitable to confirme and establish that which GOD hath wrought in you Let them therefore Right worshipfull come towards you As those fruites which Iacob sent to Ioseph from Canaan Southward to more plentifull Aegypt though not as supplements of your neede yet as testimonies of that loue which I beare toward you in the Lord to whose mercie I commeÌ„d you for euer in Iesus Christ. Your W. in the Lord Iesus M. William Cowper Minister of Christ his Euangel at Perth GOe conquest credit from a heauenly heart Thou little volumne of a larger light Thy worthy Patrone soone will take thy part For Sympathie fore thou come in his sight The Eagle mounts by other Fowles in flight So doth this Preacher in his subiect soare His spirit transported runnes the race aright Vnto that feast that lasts for euermore Get vp good Reader follow him therefore That thou may meete with th y Bridegroome aboue Addresse thee heere with duety to adore Thy King thy crowne thy light thy life thy loue Reade and reuolue reuolue againe and reede Heere let thy soule on heauenly Manna feede M. W. Buchanan IF any Icare in this earthly Crete Imprisoned in the Labyrinth of sinne Lyes famished for hunger at the feete Ofspirituall Minos that hath lock't him in Come heer 's a Dedall that will make him meete With heauenly winges sinnes deadly clowdes to twin And set him at Gods Table there to dine On God with God by soules repast Diuine Iohn Stewart The Principall pointes of Doctrine contained in this Treatise WHat a feruent desire christians haue to be vnited with Christ. sâ—ct 1 Death is desired by
his owne all the creatures of his three store houses the Ayre the Earth and the Sea but herethe lesse wee see the more we are bound to beleeue Say with vnbeleeuing Naaman what better is this Bread and Wine then other Breade and Wine such blasphemies somtime hath fallen out of the mouthes of ignorants whose darkenes we shal God willing discouer by the light ofGods word hereafter for the present my conclusion to the Recusant is that if as thou pretend thou bee a Louer ofChrist then wilt thou esteeme euerie new token of his loue a newe benefit vnto thee and what euer he puts in thine hand as a pledge of himselfe in that respect it shall be deerer vnto thee then all the world beside Others againe there are who knowes both the vtilitie and excellencie of this Sacrament and yet refuse to communicate but as they thinke with a reason pretending that it is not contempt but reuerence of the Sacrament which makes them to absteine To whome I answere that there is no excuse in the world can warrant a man to bide backe from Christ Iesus when he calles vppon him for what art thou able to alleadge want of preparation the fault is thine owne for since the mariage of the Lamb is come and thou art warned therevnto why dost thou not make thy selfe readie and remoue the impediments And yet if thou alledge that common excuse of the ignorant multitude that thou art at variance with thy neighbour by reason of some iniuries done to thee not as yet repaired by him nor to be borne withall and disgested by thee what doest thou but by a singular subtiltie of Sathan excuse one sinne by another as who would teach thee to wash away the spottes of thy face with puddle water were not that in steade of cleansing to make thy selfe more vncleane and thou while as thou wilt iustifie thy contempt ofGod his calling by alledging thy vnsanctified affection and heart that cannot forgiue doest no other thing but make thy selfe guiltie ofa double rebellion as one that will not discharge thy ChristiaÌ„ duety neither to God nor maÌ„ Consider I pray thee the excuses pretended by these who were bidden to the marriage of the greate King and comâ—pare them with thine one of them said I haue bought a farme and will goe see it Another said I haue bought fiue yoake of Oxen and must goe prooue them And the third said I haue maried a wife and may not come The worst of their excuses is better theÌ„ thine and yet were they all repelled the vse ofhusbandrie and marchandice and the dutie that a man oweth vnto his wife are sometime lawfull albeit not to be preferred vnto that duetie wee owe vnto Iesus Christ but that thou should liue at variaÌ„ce with thy neighbor carrie within thee a hart that caÌ„not forgiue is neuer lawfull If that which somtime is lawfull cannot excuse thy delaying to come vnto Christ when he calles vpon thee what mockerie of God is it to alleage that which neuer is lawfull And here also beside the offence done against thy God consider what preiudice thou doest vnto thy selfe what folly is this that because thy neighbour hath sinned against thee thou wilt also sinne against thine own soule I suppose as thou hast said he hath wounded thee and hurt thee in thy bodie goods or name is that a reason why thou sholdest contemne the calling of Christ who offers to cure thy woundes and heale al the infirmities of thy soule yea to pacifie all those passions and perturbations of minde wherwith thy impacience disquiets thee hee forewarned his owne that in the world they shold finde trouble but in him they should haue peace Ifthou finde as he forespake trouble in the world why wilt thou not goe and seeke that peace in him which hee hath promised As to thy right I require not thou shouldest lose it neither yet forbid I that by ordinarie meanes â—hou sholdst seeke a redresse of these wrongs which against order are done vnto thee for the lawe is the stay of confusion the Synewe of the Common-wealth without which no fellowship can bee entertained amongst men God hath appointed the Magistrate that vnto good men he should be like the Rain vnto Fields new mowen vnder whome they may flourish but should bee to the wicked like that Westerly winde which draue those Locusts into the red Sea that troubled the land but as to gâ—udge rancour hatred malice such like What haue they to doe in the heart of the child of God Since we are commanded to forgiue one another euen as God for Christs sake forgaue vs plainly foretold that if we do not forgiue meÌ„ their trespasses no more will our father forgiue vs our trespasses A fearfull recoÌ„pence that we should possesse our own sins because we wil not forgiue the sins of others Certainly thou that dost so giuest out a hard sentence against thy self for in steed of mercy thou criest for iudgement as oft as thou praiest forgiue me my sins as I forgiue them that haue sinned agaâ—nst me for that is Lord forgiue me not at all It was a horrible sin of the Iewes that they preferred Barrabas a wicked malefactor to the Lord but I pray thee coÌ„sider how nere thy sin draws to theirs if thou iudge rightly of it for when thou refusest to come to this holy table vnles thou haue amends of such wrongs as are don vnto thee thou saist in effect rather theÌ„ I le renouÌ„cemy wil I wil renouÌ„ce my part of christ coÌ„munioÌ„ with him for heere is the very question whether wilt thou forsake thy coÌ„munion with christ or thine own corrupted wilâ— say not now to me these are hard speches God forbid that euerye one who is no partaker of this sacrament shold in so doing forfet his part of coÌ„munion with Christ. I grant indeed they are hard speeches but true speeches no harder theÌ„ thy sin deserueth for I pray thee to what end did our Sauiour institute this sacrameÌ„t was it not that in it he might coÌ„municat himself to thee how caÌ„st thou then excuse thy selfe say thou hast not reiected him seeing thou reiects the meanes wherby he is giueÌ„ to thee WheÌ„ Eliâ—zer the seruaÌ„t of Abra. sought Rebecca in mariage vnto Isaac what way did she testifie her coÌ„sent surely not only by word but by acceptatioÌ„ of those iewels of siluer and golde which he gaue her as loue tokens in the name of Isaac Now we are sent foorth to you as the Ambassadors of the liuing God to win you in mariage vnto his son to prepare you that yee may be presented a chast spouse vnto him we are coÌ„manded to minister vnto you this holye sacrament as a pledge of his loue towards you Iâ— yee agree to the marriage and bee content to forsake your fathers house and goe with vs to the