o Isa 49.6 I will giue thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation vnto the end of the world The sence of the second is set downe in this same Chapter vers 47. where Christ saith He that beleeveth on me hath euerlasting life The first part of the verse is the foundation wherevpon with the assistance of the Spirit of God I am to build this exhortatiō considering in it first the subiect of this enunciation I am the living bread and next the attribute thereof The subiect is Christ in the Word I. The attribute is the living bread which came downe from heaven These two are coupled together by the coupling word Am But because this division will seeme too scholasticall and harsh to popular vnlearned eares we shall follow the words of the Text and dividing them into foure parts consider 1. To whom Christ doth ascribe this glory to be the living bread Even to his owne selfe saying I am 2. Why he calleth himselfe bread for he saith I am bread 3. The excellency and vse of this bread in that he calleth it living I am saith he the living bread 4. The spring from whence this excellency doth flow in the words following which came downe from heaven Let vs then begin and our beginning and p Psal 115.8 helpe be in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth SECOND CHAPTER I. Christ sheweth that he alone is the living bread which came downe from heaven II. In all matters of faith and of manners arguments taken from the Scriptures negatiuely are necessary III. An easie way how to answere to the Sophisticall interrogations of the Iesuits concerning the Scriptures IV. Angels and Saints are no part of the living bread Exhortation WHEN wee speake of titles of dignities or of any excellent qualitie it is necessary to know before all things the persons which are capable of them and to whom they belong Because all persons are not capable of all titles and all dignities are not fit for all For all men are not of one sise yea as one little diamond is more to be valued then a thousand big stones So one man is often more to be esteemed then ten thousand others as Davids Captaines said vnto him q 2 Sam. 18 3. Thou art worth ten thousand of vs. For this cause r ◠lib. 1. Tit. 5. de statu homirum l. 2. Cum igitur Instit lib 1. Tit. 2. de iurenat Gent. Civili §. vlt. Parum est ius nosse fi persona quarum causa constitutum est ignorantior in the civill Law the first question is of the sufficiency and abilitie of the persons the next is of their rights prerogatiues other things which they challenge and take vpon them It is so in Divinitie and particularly in this part thereof concerning the Saviour of the world The Iewes desiring that Christ would feed them more delicately then he had done alleaged vnto him vers 31. the example of Moses saying that he gaue to their Fathers bread from heaven to eate Wherevpon taking a new occasiō to speake to them of a more excellent bread he answered vers 32. Verily verily I say vnto you Moses gaue you not that bread from heaven But my Father giueth you the true bread from heaven Moses is excluded as insufficient to giue from heaven the bread of heaven And the Father alone is adorned with that glory For who can giue the bread of heaven but the Father of lights which is in heaven 2. He describeth vnto them the excellency and vertue of that bread saying vers 33. for the bread of God is he which commeth downe from heaven and giueth life vnto the world See the excellencie of it It is come downe from heaven See the vertue and vse of it It giueth life vnto the world 3. He telleth them who is that bread and claiming that glory to himselfe professed vers 35. I am the bread of life Then the Iewes forgetting the miracle of the fiue loaues and of the two fishes murmured at him because he said I am the bread which came downe from heauen vers 41. But he notwithstanding their murmuring giueth glory to God and seeking to overcome their obstinacie and stubbornenesse affirmeth againe Verse 48. I am that bread of life and againe Vers 51. in this Text I am the liuing bread which came downe from heaven and so often in the verses following That as Ioseph said that ſ Gen. 41.32 the dreame was doubled vnto Pharao twise because the thing was established by God and God would shortly bring it to passe so from this frequent repetition we may conclude that Christ indeed is the living bread that he alone none other with him none other besides him is that bread Yea although he had said but once I am the liuing bread this conclusion would be true For no such thing is said of any other Not of Cherubims of Seraphims of Thrones of Dominions of Principalities of Powers of Angels Not of the Virgin Mary not of Peter not of Paul not of any other Apostle Not of any Martyr not of any Saint As when God said to his people t Psal 50.7 I am God euen thy God the sence is I am God and besides me there is no other God I am thy God and thou hast no other God but me So when Christ saith I am the living bread u Cyrill in Ioh. lib. 3. cap. 34. Perspicuum esse arbitror non aliumpanem neque aliud alimentum praeter filium dei rationalibus intellectualibusque substantijs propositam esse Ipse est Manna verum Ipse inquam est panis de caeio qui omni rationali creaturae a Deo Patre praebetur it is manifest saith Cyrillus that no other bread no other food saue the Sonne of God is appointed to reasonable and intellectuall creatures He is the true Manna He is the bread from heaven which God the Father giueth to all reasonable creatures WHAT Can an argument framed from authoritie negatiuely be currant good From the authoritie of men it cannot because neither doe they know all things neither doe they speake alwayes according to their knowledge From the authoritie of God revealed in the Scripture it is good in all things belonging to saith and manners Because as S. x August de Doctr. Christiana lib. 2. cap. 9. In ijs quae apertèin Scriptura posita sunt inueniuntur illa omnia quae continēt fidem moresque viuendi Austin saith in that which is clearly set downe in the Scripture are to be found all these things which concerne faith and manners This is manifest by these words of God to his people Deut. 12.32 Whatsoever I command you obserue to doe it Thou shalt not adde thereto nor diminish from it Whatsoever things God commanded those Moses writ in a booke y Deut. 31.24 vntill they were finished And of that booke Moses said a
VIII I. Wee must learne of Christ how he giveth himselfe and how we receiue him II. Christ giveth himselfe vnto vs by his Spirit III. To be in Christ and to haue the Spirit of Christ are equivalent in the Scriptures IV. We haue no reall vnion with Christ in the Sacraments but by the Spirit V. It is easie to the Spirit to vnite vs vnto Christ VI. We must pray for the Spirit WE shall not goe astray if in this point and all others we follow the counsell of S. x Cyrill in Ioh. lib. 4. c. 13. Quaerendum enim ita semper est vt apud cum habitemus ad alienas sententias non defer amur Cyrillus and make inquirie in such sort that we dwell with God and be not caried about with the opinions of men Papists beleeue that they must eat Christ because he hath said it We beleeue it likewise But when he telleth vs also how he giveth himselfe and how we must eate him they stop their eares and will not heare we must not doe so we must say vnto him as Samuel did to GOD y 1 Sam. 3.9 Speake Lord for thy servant heareth He of all can best tell how he giveth himselfe and how we receiue him And what he answereth to both questions must be true TO THE first he answereth in the 63. verse of this Chapter saying It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake vnto you they are Spirit and they are life i. they must be vnderstood of the spirit which is a Rom. 8.2 the Spirit of life quickning the flesh of Christ and b Aug. in Iohan. tract 27. Ergospiritus est qui viuificat Spiritus euim facit viua membra making all the members of his body to liue by a spirituall vnion with him He had said before vers 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him And S. Iohn saith that c 1 Ioh. 4.13 hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in vs because he hath given vs of his Spirit It is then by the Spirit that he giveth himselfe vnto vs and dwelleth in vs. And this giving of himselfe vnto vs by his Spirit is so incompatible with his bodily presence that he averred for a most certaine truth that d Ioh. 16.7 it was expedient that he should goe away For if I goe not away said he the Cemforter will not come vnto you but if I depart I will send him vnto you And what to doe e Ioh. 14.16.17.18 To abide with you for ever And this abiding of his Spirit with vs is his abiding with vs as he saith in the next verse I will not leaue you comfortlesse I will come to you THIS IS so true that in the new Testament to be in Christ and to haue the Spirit of Christ are equivalent The Apostle averreth that f Rom. 8.9.10 if any man haue not the Spirit of Christ he is not his Wherevnto he addeth If Christ be in you because Christ is not in vs but by his Spirit This vnion of Christ with vs extendeth it selfe to our bodies g 1 Cor. 6.15 Know ye not saith the Apostle that your bodies are the members of Christ If ye aske of him How He answereth h Vers 17. He that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one Spirit i. e. he is made one with the Lord by the holy Spirit as he sheweth when he asketh againe i Vers 19. What know you not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye haue of God WE haue no other kinde of vnion with Christ in the Sacraments It is written of our Baptisme that k 1 Cor. 12.13 by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body because it is the Spirit that in our Baptisme incorporateth vs in Christ It is also written of the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 12.13 that we haue bin all made to drinke into one Spirit because that in that holy Sacrament he giveth his body vnto vs by his Spirit Although that his body should come downe from heaven and enter into our bodies it could not vnite vs vnto him as I haue said for the flesh profiteth nothing But that which is impossible to his flesh is easie to his Spirit which if he send from heaven into our hearts it will vnite vs vnto him more truely and neerely then our soules are vnited to our bodies THIS then is the true How Christ giveth himselfe to be eaten 1. Vse wherevnto we must submit our minds and cogitations without any further inquirie following the example of the blessed Virgin who when the Angel had instructed her that l Luk. 1.35.38 the holy Ghost should come vpon her and make her to conceiue brought into captivitie all her thoughts to the obedience of the Word of GOD and said Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it vnto me according to thy Word Behold I pray you how the Sunne budgeth not out of his heavenly tabernacle and neverthelesse darting his beames from heaven to earth communicateth it selfe to all the creatures that are on earth And shall we say that m Mal. 4.2 the Sunne of righteousnesse must leaue his celestiall and glorious palace to make good the word which he hath spoken of our communion with him O blasphemy He hath said that by his Spirit he will come vnto vs and dwell with vs He will doe it as he hath said it n Luk. 1.37 For with God no word shall be impossible WHEREFORE fettering our curiositie with the shackles of the word of God let vs cry to heaven o Veni creator Spiritus Et infunde coelitus Lucis tuae radium Come O most holy and blessed Spirit into our hearts assured that if we pray so earnestly God will heare vs p Luk. 11.13 For saith Christ if ye being evill know how to giue good gifts vnto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father giue the holy Spirit to them that aske him CHAPTER IX I. We must learne of Christ himselfe how we eate him II. Such bread such eating III. Such man such eating IV. Such sences and instruments to apprehend him such eating V. Such end of our eating such eating LET Vs in the next place goe againe vnto Christ and aske and learne of him how we must eate this bread which came downe from heaven For q August in Ioh tract 27 Patitur enim nos non contradicentes sed nosse cupientes he beareth with vs when we aske of him not to contradict but to learne O ye that haue an eare to heare heare r Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong vnto the Lord our God Å¿ 1 Sam. 6.19 Looke not with the men of Bethshemesh into this Arke of the Lord t Iob. 33.13 He giueth not account of any of his matters u Deut. 29.29 But
extra Scripturam de tuo infers I receiue not that which thou bringest of thine owne invention besides the Scripture Yea as S. Iohn when he was in the world being asked who he was confessed saying y Ioh. 1.20 Ioh. 3.28 I am not the Christ I am sent before him So the blessed soules which are now in heaven if they were asked Who they are would answere We are not the living bread we are not Saviours We are come after the Saviour and are saved by him And as S. Iohn to draw away mens eyes from gazing vpon him pointed out Iesus vnto them and said a Ioh. 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sin of the world So they would point at Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father and say Behold the living bread Behold the Saviour of the world And taking their harpes in their hands would joyntly fall downe before the Lambe and sing to his glory the new song which I exhort you all to sing vnto him in your hearts for conclusion of this first part of my Text b Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue glory and honour and power c Rev. 5.8.9.10.11 For thou wast slaine and hast redeemed vs to God by thy bloud out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made vs vnto our God Kings and Priests THIRD CHAPTER I. Bread in the Scripture hath divers significations II. In all these significations Christ is our bread III. Similitudes most frequent in the Scripture IV. Christ did delight in similitudes V. The occasion which moved him to call himselfe Bread VI. Exhortation to an earnest desire of this Bread IT is then Christ Christ alone to whom the Scripture beareth Record that he is the living bread We are now to search in the second part of this Discourse the causes why he called himselfe bread For in all Metaphores which are Epitomes and Abridgements of Similitudes we must not so much regard whence they are taken as those doe which tie their eares to the leaues of the words as dig with our minds into the root of the reason wherefore they are vsed Bread in the Scripture hath divers literall significations When David saith that d Psal 104.14.15 God bringeth forth bread out of the earth and wine that maketh glad the heart of man it is taken in a vulgar sence which is common to all languages so is it taken in the words of the institutiō of the Lords Supper Wherein it is said that e Mat. 26.26 Iesus tooke bread When f 2 King 6.22 Elisha counselled the King of Israel to set bread and water before the Armie of the King of Syria bread is taken for meate without drinke When Iacob called his brethren g Gen. 31.54 to eate bread and they did eat bread he called them to a feast wherein there was both meate and drinke and both are signified by the word Bread When Salomon prayed to God h Pro. 30.8 to feed him with bread convenient for him When he saith that i Pro. 31.14 the vertuous woman is like the marchants ship shee bringeth her bread from a farre off When Christ hath taught vs to pray Giue vs this day our daily bread bread signifieth all things needfull for the sustenance of this our mortall life THAT which bread in all these literall sences is to our bodies the same in a spirituall sence is Iesus Christ vnto our soules The Iewes magnified much the Manna which Moses gaue to their Fathers in the Desert But although it was bread it was not drink vnto them els they had not murmured for want of water But Christ is both meate and drinke k Ioh. 6.35 I am saith he the bread of life He that commeth to me shall never hunger Ye see that he is meate And he that beleeveth in me shall never thirst Ye see also that he is drinke He is bread both to be eaten to be drunke The inhabitants of the Maldiuian Isles cracke much of a tree growing every where amongst them called l Theuet Cosmograph 12 booke chap. 21. Gomarra 3. booke chap. 94. Coco the onely fruit wherof furnishes vnto them bread wine oyle vinegar sugar butter to feed them deliciously physicke to heale their diseases Hemp to make Cables and Sayles for Shippes Lint to make cloths to cover their nakednesse And the tree it selfe hath all the vses that any other tree can haue for fewell or for tymberworke m Peyrard in his nauigations 2. booke One who did liue many yeares in those Isles writeth that he saw a Shippe of two hundreth tunnes whereof all the tymber and nayles were of that tree all the Cables and Sayles were of the outward skin of the fruit thereof and the whole load was of the butter sugar vinegar wine oyle other cōmodities which that fruit doth afford And indeed it is a most wonderfull tree but not to be matched with n Rev. 2.7 the tree of life which is in the middest of the Paradise of God with our Lord Iesus Christ who is all that more then all that to our soules He is here in my Text the whole and intire food of our hungry and dryed vp soules He is not onely o Esa 53.5 the Physick out and p Esa 61.1 Mat. 9.12 the Physition of our sicke and languishing consciences He is q Rom. 13.14 the garment wherewith our nakednesse is covered and our persons are graced He is r 1. Cor. 31.11 the foundation ſ Eph. 2.20 and chiefe corner stone wherevpon we are built He is t Ion. 15.1 the Vine whereof we are the branches u Eph. 4.15 The head wherof we are the members x Ose 2.19 Eph. 5.25 The husband who hath betrothed vs y Heb. 7.22 The suretie who hath answered for vs a 1 Tim. 2.6 The ransom which hath redeemed vs b Zach. 13.1 The water which cleanseth and c Ioh. 4.10 refresheth vs d Ioh. 1.9 The true light e Mal. 4.1 the Sunne of righteousnesse which inlighteneth vs and bringeth vnto vs healing in his wings He is the Prophet who teacheth salvation The high Priest which hath mented it The King fitting at the right 〈…〉 Father who keepeth it in heaven and will giue it vnto vs. In materiall things this is one thing that is another And ye seeke this thing in one place that in another In spirituall things it is not so We haue all things in Christ Christ is all things vnto vs f Clemens Paedag. lib. 1. cap. 6. Cusan Excitat lib. 6. exserm Respice Domine Father mother pedagogue health peace loue the daily bread of the reasonable soule and all in all In a word he is salvation it selfe g 1 Cor. 1.30 For of God he is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption For this cause he is called Bread HERE
downe from heaven WHEN we call to minde the end of his comming When we heare now that he is come from heaven to be our bread to be the salvation of our soules When that truth shall be confirmed vnto vs in the Sacrament if we be not more insensible then stones and rocks we shall all acknowledge our great indignitie all cry vnto God with David r Psal 144.3 Lord what is man that thou takest knowledg of him Or the sonne of man that thou makest account of him When King David called Mephibosheth to eat bread at his table continually Mephibosheth bowed himselfe and said ſ 2 Sam. 9.7.8 What is thy servant that thou shouldest looke vpon a dead dog such as I am confessing his owne vnworthinesse although he was a Kings sonne How much more should we t Eph. 2.3 who are by nature the children of wrath acknowledge our selues to be worse then dead dogs when the King of Kings not onely calleth vs to eat bread at his table but also offereth himselfe vnto vs to be our bread Certainly we should u Origin homil 6. in diversos follow the laudable custom of the auncient Church on the Communion day and say vnto him as the Centurion did x Mat. 8.8 Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come vnder my rooffe Thus farre should goe our humilitie TRVE humilitie is the mother of obedience Behold saith he I stand at the doore and knocke y Rev. 3.20 If any man heare my voice and open the doore I will come to him sup with him and he with me When he knocketh shall I refuse to open vnto him because I am not worthy that he should come vnto me z Ioh. 1.11 He came to his owne That was mercie For they were not worthy that he should come vnto them And his owne received him not That was sinne As he said a Ioh. 15.22 If I had not come and spoken vnto them they had not had sinne but now they haue no cloake for their sinne b Mat. 22.1 The great King made the mariage of his Sonne and sent his servants to call them that were biddē to the wedding That was favour And they would not come That was ingratitude Therefore he was wroth against them and desiroyed them But he gaue good intertainment to the poore blind maimed halt that came For although they were not worthy to be called he was worthy to be obeyed We we are to day those ghefts too too vnworthy to sit at his Table and to eat of his Supper But seeing he saith this day to my sinfull soule as he said once to the Publicane and great sinner c Luk. 19.5 Zacheus To day I must abide at thy house I le make hast as Zacheus did I le leape downe from the Sycomore of pride I le run home with the seete of faith and of obedience to prepare the lodging of my soule for the Lord of glory I le receiue him ioysully into the house of mine heart And he will say to my soule This day salvation is to come to this house O eternall wisedome of the Father thou cryest vnto vs to day d Pro. 9.5 Come eat of my bread and drinke of the wine which I haue mingled O glorious spoufe of the Church thou vouch safest to be our e Cant. 5.1 honey combe and our honey our wine our milke and our bread and thou cryest againe vnto vs Eate O friends drinke abundantly O beloved In this blessed Sacrament thou sayest the third time f Mat. 26.26.27 Take eate This is my body drinke ye all of it This is my bloud And shall we not obey thee Shall we not follow the example of Mephibosheth Shall we not accept with reverence and thankesgiving the honour of thy Table and the benefit of thy meat Papists call not this pride it is humilitie call it not presumption It is obedience WE WHICH are invited to day to eate of this bread know that to obey is a most acceptable sacrifice to God and therefore let vs try our selues and come and eate The scripture as I haue said maketh mention of three commings of Christ Of his comming in the flesh in the Spirit and in glory The first was visible in infirmitie as the Prophet said g Esa 53.2 When we see him there is no beautie that we should desire him The second is invisible but yet most sensisible in the power of the holy Spirit crying in our harts h Rom. 8.15 Abba Father None seeth the Spirit in another But every true Christian feeleth it in himselfe i 2 Cor. 13.5 know ye not your owne selues saith the Apostle how that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates And he saith that k Rom. 8.9 if any man haue not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his because Christ is in vs by his Spirit The third shall be visible in Maiestie when l Esa 52.10 all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord. In the first m Ioh. 1.11 he came vnto his owne and his owne received him not In the second he cōmeth n Vers 23. to them that loue him and keepe his words In the third o Heb 9.28 he shall appeare vnto them that looke for him vnto salvation p Bernard de Adnentu domini serm 5. In primo Christus fuit redemptio nostra In vltimo apparebit vita nostra In isto requies est consolatio nostra In his first comming he was our redemption In the second he is our rest and consolation In the last he shall be our life O then O let vs thanke him for his first comming whereby he hath redeemed vs Let vs examine our selues if we loue him and keepe his words that thereby we may be assured of his second cōming into our hearts by his blessed and holy Spirit to comfort vs. And because he is to come once againe vnto salvation q 2 Tim. 4.8 vnto all them that loue his appearing r Heb. 9.28 and looke for him let vs ioyne our selues with the Church and with the Spirit and cry with heart mouth ſ Rev. 22.17.20 Come quickly Even so come Lord Iesus For then if we be found having the oyle of faith and charitie in our t Math. 25.10 Lampes we shall enter with the bridegroome to the mariage and know by experience that which now we know by faith that u Rev. 19.7 blessed are they which are called vnto the mariage-supper of the Lambe These are the true sayings of God To whom with the Sonne the holy Ghost be all prayse all glory and all honour both now and evermore AMEN THE SECOND PART OF THE EATERS AND OF THE EATING OF THE LIVING BREAD Preached at Otlans before the KINGS Maiestie the twelfth of Iuly 1625. IOHN VI. 51. If any man eate of this bread he shall liue for ever
CHAPTER I. I. Christ nourisheth not till he be eaten II. Foure parts of this Text cōcerning the eaters the bread the manner and the fruit of the eating thereof AS BREAD or any other food how necessary how sweet how excellent soever it be is not vsefull for the preservation of the life of man till he eate it Even so Iesus Christ although he be the living bread which came downe from heaven as he hath said in the first part of this verse although he liue a celestiall and divine life and a Psal 45.2 be fairer then all the children of men giveth not life vnto the dead and preserveth not the life which he hath givē till he be eaten as he himselfe teacheth vs in this second part of this verse If any man eate of this bread he shall liue for ever WHERE he sheweth I. What persons may eate of this bread in these words any man 2. Which is the bread wherof they must eat if they will eate to liue Certainly it must be of this bread which is come downe from heaven 3. What necessitie there is of this eating and what is the manner thereof to be cōsidered in the word Eate 4. The fruit which he that eateth of this bread shall reape thereby he shall liue for ever The sence of these foure parts ioyned with the foure parts of the words going before is as if Christ had said b Tolet. in Loc. Si ergo panis sum manducāter pasco Si vivue sum vitam praesto si viuo vitam immortalem aternam ac coelestem viuere alios facio simili vita Et ideo si quis manducat hunc panem viuet in aternum If I be bread I feed him that eateth If I be living I giue life If I liue an immortall eternall and celestiall life I make others to liue the same life And therefore if any man eate of this bread he shall liue for ever As many words as many mysteries which are able of themselues to stirre vp your religious attention without further encouraging therevnto from me CHAPTER II. I. Christ is bread common to all II. To Gentiles and to Iewes according to the Prophecies III. And types of the Law IV. Fulfilled by the death of Christ and the preaching of the Gospell V. Exhortation to thankesgiving for this benefit TO speake first of the Guests which may come and eat ye may judge by these words of the Text If any man that this bread is not like vnto c Exod. 12.43 the Passeover whereof no forreiner nor hired servant might eate Neither is it like vnto d Exod. 29.33 the Shew bread whereof it was not lawfull for any to eate but for the Priests Levit. 8.31.32 Levit. 24.9 Mat. 12.4 As in it there is no leaven of sinne so is it like vnto e Exod. 12.19 the vnleavened bread of the Passeover whereof the stranger did cate as well as he that was borne in the Land As it came downe from the third heaven so is it like vnto the Manna which rained from the first heaven and was f Exod. 16.16 Num. 12.4 meat not onely to the children of Israel but also to the mixed multitude which came out of Egypt with them For any man may eate of it FIRST any man without exception of Nation Secondly any man without exception of any person in any Nation The Prophets did foretell The Types did figure Iesus Christ did affirme it should be so The calling of the Gentiles ever since the dayes of the Apostles sheweth that it is so g Act. 10.43 All the Prophets saith Peter giue witnesse vnto Christ that through his Name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Did not God say to Eue who is the mother of all living that h Gen. 3.15 her seed should bruise the head of the Serpent Did not Noah prophecie that i Gen. 9.27 God should enlarge or perswade Iaphet and that he should dwell in the tents of Sem Did not God promise to Abraham that k Gen. 22.18 in his feed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed He saith not l Gal. 3.16 in his seeds as of many but as of one And to thy seed which is Christ Did not Iacob foretell that m Gen. 49.60 vnto Shilo should be the gathering of the people Did not Moses forewarne the Israelites that because n Deut. 32.21 they had moved God to iealousie with that which is not God and provoked him to anger with their vanities he would moue them to iealousie with those which are not people and provoke them to anger with a foolish Nation Was not that o Rom. 10.19 Prophecie fulfilled in the Apostles dayes When the Apostle said to the Iewes at Ierusalem that p Act. 22.21.22.23 he was to goe vnto the Gentiles they lift vp their voices cast off their clothes threw dust in the aire and cryd Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should liue When the Iewes of Antiochia saw that he preached the Gospell to the Gentiles q Act. 13.45 they were filled with envie It was to the Messias that God said by David r Psal 2.8 Aske of me and I shall giue thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the vttermost parts of the earth for thy possession It was to him also that he said by Esaiah ſ Esa 49.6 It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise vp the tribes of Iacob and to restore the preserued of Israel I will also giue thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation vnto the end of the earth Which words when the Apostle alledged to the Gentiles of Antiochia t Act. 13.48 they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordeined to eternall life beleeued It was of the Gentiles that God said u Esa 65.1 I am sought of them that asked not for me I am found of them that sought me not I said vnto a nation that was not called by my Name Behold me Behold me For so is this passage applyed by the x Rom. 10.20 Apostle and must be expounded so Of them also God said by Hosea y Hos 2.23 I will haue mercy vpō he that had not obtained mercy and I will say to them which were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God This passage is so formall and cleare that by it both S. a Rom. 9.26 Paul and S. b 1 Pet. 2.10 Peter proved the calling of the Gentiles including them in the new covenant and not excluding the Iewes c Act. 13.48 who were first called and when d Rom. 11.25 the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in shall be called againe and saved with vs according to the Prophecie e Esa 57.19 Peace peace to him that is far off
heauen and earth saith the Lord He is infinite and without going without comming without alteration without generation without corruptioÌ„ without any motion whatsoever x August ad Volusian Epist 3. Nouit vbique totus esse nullo contineri loco Nouit venire noÌ„ recedendo vbi erat Nouit abire non deserendo quo venerat he filleth the whole world not as the water not as the aire not as the light it selfe as if with the lesser part of himselfe he did sill the lesser part of the world and with the greater part of himselfe the greater part thereof He can he all every where and contained no where He can come and not leaue the place wherein he was He can goe away and not leaue the place wherevnto he came IF WE say that he came downe from heaven because he was foreordeined sent anointed approved confirmed of God So were all the Apostles So are all the true Ministers of God Yet the Scripture saith not of any of them that they are come downe from heaven Christ saith that y Mat. 21.25 the Baptisme of Iohn was from heaven And S. Iames saith that a Iam. 1.17 every good gift and every perfect gift is from aboue and commeth down from the Father of lights Yet S. Iohn comparing himselfe with Christ saith of himselfe He that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth But of Christ he saith exclusiuely to all creatures He that commeth from heaven is aboue all All Gods servants are borne on earth and called from heaven but they come not downe from heaven They receiue from heaven but from heaven they bring not the doctrine which they teach vs. Likewise all the gifts of God are created on earth by God who is in heaven And therfore S. Iames saith that they come from him But they are not in heaven nor elsewhere before God create them on earth Whereas Christ was in heaven before he came downe from heaven as he said to his Disciples b Ioh. 6.62 What and if ye shall see the Sonne of man ascend vp where he was before And being on earth he feared not to say to Nicodemus that even then c Ioh. 3.16 he was in heaven Which cannot be said of the gift of God which when they are come from heaven and are on the earth are not in heaven Yea the Angels themselues when they come from heaven vnto vs are no more in heaven till they returne vnto it againe THIS then is a particular speech and a phrase of the Scripture appropriated to God who is said to come downe from heaven when he maketh himselfe knowne vnto the world by some strange and vnaccustomed worke as d Serm. of the righteous mans evils and of the Lords deliveraÌ„ces Serm. 9. Sect. 3. 4. I haue shewed else-where And therefore when Christ saith that he is come downe from heaven he will haue vs to vnderstand and beleeue 1. that he is God 2. that he hath made himselfe manifest to the world by an extraordinary worke even the most wonderfull that ever was or ever shall be in the world He meaneth his Incarnation whereby e 1 Tim. 3.16 God was made manifest in the flesh not by conversion of the Godhead into the manhood or of the manhood into the Godhead not also by confusion of the two natures into one But by that most wonderfull vnion whereby f Paul Aquileienf contra Felicem l. 1. Totus in suo Totus in nostro Idem in vtroque Non alter in suo alter in nostro remaining whole in that which is his and whole in that which is ours he is the same in both Not another in that which is his and another in that which is ours And g Leo in Natiuit domini serm 2. De coelesti sede descendens a paterna glorianoÌ„ recedens c. so coÌ„ming downe from the heavenly seat and not departing from the glory of his Father being inuisible in that which is his was made visible in that which is ours the incomprehensible was comprehended he that was before all times tooke his being in time the Lord of all tooke the forme of a servant God impassible disdained not to be a passible man and the immortall to be subiect to the Lawes of death This is his comming downe from heaven h Bernard de Aduentu demini serm 3. Non venit qui aberat sed apparuit qui latebat He was not absent from vs before he came But he was hid till then and then he appeared TO MAKE this more cleare let vs either learne or remember that the Scripture maketh mention of three commings of Christ the first is past the second is the third shall be Venit His first comming was in the infirmity of the flesh wherein i Heb. 9.26 once in the end of the world he hath appeared to put away sinne Of this comming Saint Iohn saith that k Ioh 13.3 Iesus knew that he was come from God and went to God l Bernard de Coenâ domini serm 2. A deâ— exiuit non eum deserens Et ad Deum vadit non nos derelinqueâ—â— He came from God saith Bernard not leaving him And he goeth to God not leaving vs. He came from God when being the Sonne of God in heaven without a mother he became the son of a woman on earth without a Father For his Father knew not a woman and his mother knew not a man This is a most wonderfull comming And the end of it was to take away sinne or as S. Iohn speaketh * 1 Ioh 3.8 For this purpose the Sonne of God was manifested that he might destroy the workes of the Devill and so redeeme vs He went to God when triumphing over the Divell he carried his glorified body into heaven and sate on the right hand of God When he said to his Disciples Venit that m Ioh. 16.5 he was to goe his way to him that sent him sorrow filled their heart But he to comfort them said n Ioh. 14.18 I will not leaue you orphanes I will come to you Speaking of his second comming by the holy Spirit into our hearts The end of which comming is to be vnto vs o Ioh. 16.13 a Doctor to instruct vs in his truth p Rom. 8.14 A conductor to lead vs in his wayes q Ioh. 14.16 17. A comforter to abide with vs for ever and comfort vs in all our troubles He spake of his third comming Venturus est when he said to his Disciples I will goe and prepare a place for you and I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where I am there ye may be also The end of this comming shall be to saue and glorifie vs For x Col. 3.3 when Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall we also appeare with him in glory THIS Text is of his first
comming and of the end thereof He came from heaven when y Mansit quod erat factus est quod nonerat nunc est vtrumque being still that which he was he became that which he was not and now is both Being God he became man and now is both God and man in one person So ye haue the constitution of his person necessary to the fulfilling of the worke for which he came The end of his comming was to be liuing bread vnto vs that is to redeeme and saue vs. Ye finde in his person all things requisite to do that for which he came He came to be bread Bread he could not be but by his death die he could not for man if he had not beene a man Therefore in that wherein he is equall vnto vs he is bread a Gerhard Lutphan lib. de Reformat virium animae cap. 28. And this must be your first conception of him when ye consider those good things which ye receiue by him and which are all comprehended in this word Bread The breaking of the bread in the Sacrament sheweth vs that he was broken in his death to be our bread And therefore we must say He who is our bread is man The second conception must be that he is also God for this bread is called liuing who is liuing in the sence which I haue explaned but God And therefore in that wherein he is equall vnto his Father he is liuing as he himselfe saith b Ioh. 6.63 It is the Spirit that quickeneth The flesh profiteth nothing The flesh is his humane nature wherein by death he is become our bread The Spirit in his divine nature which maketh his flesh to liue and which giveth a quickening vertue to this bread The third conception must be this The excellencie vertue of this bread floweth from the dignitie of his person And therefore this man this God are in him one person otherwise he could neither be bread to nourish vs nor liuing to quicken vs. As indeed he saith of himselfe not as of two as Nestorius dreamed but as of one Ioam the liuing bread which came downe from heaven Hence it is that whatsoever God did in Christ we beleeue that the man did it because Christ is a man And whatsoever the man did in Christ we beleeue that God did it because Christ is God Example When Christ was on earth speaking to Nicodemus as he was a man he said that even then c Ioh. 3.13 he was in heaven because in him man is God Againe the Apostle saith that d Act. 20.28 God hath purchased the Church with his owne blood because in Christ God is a man Christ in the Sacrament leadeth you to this consideration when he saith This is MY body broken for you This is MY blood shed for you meaning that it is the body and blood of him who is God and therefore it is no wonder if the body of God be bread if the blood of God be drinke If I say the death of so wonderfull and so excellent a person be your life e Luk. 1.37 For with God nothing shall be impossible SIXT CHAPTER I. Seeing Christ is God we must stand in awe of him and obey him II. We should be alwayes rauished in admiration with his comming downe from heaven III. His most wonderfull humiliation should be vnto vs a patterne of humilitie IV. In his comming to be our bread we should acknowledge our owne indignitie V. And neverthelesse accept with obedience of faith the honour of his Table VI. Exhortation and Consolation THIS Doctrine is fertile in instructions comforts which may be taken some from the person of Christ some from the end of his cōming vnto vs. When we consider that he which came downe from heaven is the true God we must with f Esa 6.2 the Seraphims and with the man of GOD g 1 Kings 19.13 Elijah cover our faces stand as we do this day before his Maiestie with feare trembling heare his Word with reverence receiue the Sacrament which he offereth vnto vs with humilitie and thankesgiving and shew a cheerefull and holy readinesse to doe with obedience whatsoever he commandeth vs. WHEN we heare that he who was h Heb. 7.26 higher then the heavens i Eph. 4.9 descended into the lower parts of the earth was there crudled like Cheese clothed with skinne and flesh fenced with bones sinewes When we are taught that he who k Phil. 2.6.7 being the Son of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God yet notwithstanding made himselfe of no reputation and tooke vpon him the forme of a servant how can we chuse but wonder and be astonied at his humiliation whereat the Angels themselues are amazed l Ioh. 1.51 euer ascending descending vpon the sonne of man m 1. Pet. 1.12 ever desiring to looke into this mysterie which passeth all knowledge Because man in his pride n Gen. 3.5.22 would needs be like vnto God God to make amends for that fault by a most wonderfull humiliation would needs be like vnto man yea o Psal 22.6 be a worme no man the reproach of men and the despised of the people p Ioh. 13.6.8 Peter was astonied when he saw Christ comming vnto him with water in a Bason and kneeling at his feete to wash them The Creator to wash the feet of his creature the Lord of his servant the master of his disciple God of man he that made all things of nothing the feete of a worme which he had made of clay Haue we not greater matter of astonishmēt when we heare and see that the same Creator of all things became a creature he who is the eternall possessor owner of heaven earth came downe from heaven and was made man on earth that he might be the bread of man in heaven O wonderfull loue O inestimable bounty O new O never heard of before O peerlesse humilitie WHAT president what patterne of humilitie can we find in heaven or in earth so perfect to follow so worthy to be followed as this is I cannot teach you any better preparatiō to come this day to the Table of the LORD then this is O man the Son of God descēded so low that he came down from heaven and was made the Sonne of man for thee And wilt thou who art nothing but the fonne of a man or rather a man of sin wilt thou heape vp the summe of thy sinnes by taking vnto thy selfe the wings of pride to say with the King of Assur q Esa 14.13.14 I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne aboue the starres of God I will be like the most high Of whom wilt thou learne humilitie if thou refusest to learne it of the author of humilitie These and many moe may be our meditatiōs when we consider the excellencie of the person which is come
and to him that is neere saith the Lord and I will heale him that is to say according to the interpretation of the Apostle peace to the Gentiles which f Eph. 2.12.17 were strangers from the Couenants of promise hauing no hope and being without God in the world and therfore were farre off and peace to the Iewes which had the Covenants of promise and in that respect had g Deut. 4.7 God nigh vnto them THE one and the other was figured by the burnt offerings h Levit. 11.11 the blood wherof was sprinckled round about vpon the Altar to teach the people that the bloud of the Messias was to be shed for the elect which dwell every where vpon the globe of the earth As when the high Priest did i Exod. 20.24 Levit. 7.34 Levit. 10.14 waue the waue offering and shake it to and fro and k Exod. 29.27 heaue vp the heaue offering he figured that which Christ said that l Ioh. 12.32 33. if he were lifted vp he would draw all men vnto him This he said signifying what death he should die WHATSOEVER was prophecied and figured hath beene punctually fulfilled Christ commanded his Apostles m Mat. 28.19 to teach all Nations What he commanded they did At his death n Mat. 27.51 the vaile of the Temple was rent in twaine from the top to the bottome to signifie that by the power of his death o Eph. 2.14 the middle wall of partition betweene vs and the Iewes is broken downe the enmitie is abolished and of twain we are made in him one new man Now the p Rom. 1.16 Gospell is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeueth to the Iew and to the Greeke Now according to the prediction of Christ q Mat. 8.11 many come from the East and West sit downe with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heaven and these many are r Rev. 7.4.9 of all Nations and kindred and people and tongues as well as of Iewes Now ſ Math. 15.26.27 the dogs doe no more eate the scraps of the childrens bread which fall from their Maisters Table But by a most mercifull wonder are of dogs made the children of God and sit with him at his Table The Iewes were first called to this glorious feast Vpon their refusall t Luk. 14.21 the poore the maimed the halt the blind are brought in This was and is to the Iewes a heart-breaking sorrow S u Act. 10.28 Peter himselfe at the first repined against it x Act. 11. ◠2.18 The rest of the Apostles the brethren that were in Iudea contended with Peter about it and when they were better informed they spake of it as of a great wonder S. Paul calleth it y Rom. 16.25.26 a mysterie which was kept secret since the world began for although that now by the Scriptures of the Prophets it is made knowne to all Nations yet the manner thereof that a Eph. 3.3.5.6 the Gentiles should be fellow-heires and of the same body and partakers of the promise of God in Christ by the Gospell not by the Law by faith not by Circumcision without any observation of Iudaicall feasts Ambros ib. fasts abstinences dayes and other elements of the Iewish discipline was not revealed to any of the Prophets was not made knowne in other ages to the sonnes of men was first reuealed vnto the Apostles and Prophets of their time by the Spirit Now our little children see it and know it more clearly then Abraham the Father of the beleevers then Dauid who spake so much of it then all the Prophets did THAT which was to the Iewes a heart-sorrow to the Prophets a booke sealed to the Apostles a mysterie to the first Christians of Iudea a wonder is to vs our salvation Shall it not also be our ioy and the matter of our thāksgiving b Rom. 9.23.24 God hath made knowne the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he afore had prepared vnto glory Even vs whom he hath called not of the Iewes onely but also of the Gentiles And shall not we hearken to the exhortatiō of the Apostle and c Rom. 15.9.11 Psal 117. glorifie God for his mercy As it is written O prayse the Lord all ye Nations Praise him all ye people For his merciful kindnesse is great toward vs and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever When Christ was borne in Bethlehem which is interpreted the house of bread to be the living bread to the dead the Angels of heaven who for their owne particular had no interest in his birth ioyned themselues in a great host to praise God saying and singing d Luk. 2.14 Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men And shall not we who are these men for whom he is come we who feede every day on him sing prayse glory and honour to God who hath sent him to be our bread and hath called vs to eate of this bread Shall we not say and sing with Dauid e Psa 18.49 Therefore will I giue thanks vnto thee O Lord among the Heathen and sing prayses vnto thy Name CHAPTER III. I. All kinde of persons in any Nation may eate of the living bread according to the Prophecies and types of the Law II. And the doctrine of the Gospell III. Three vses of this doctrine IS f Rom 3.29 GOD the God of the Iewes onely Is he not also of the Gentiles Yea of the Gentiles also and of any man amongst Iewes and Gentiles without distinction of persons According to the prophecie of Esaiah g Esa 60.3 The Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising Not Kings onely but Kings aswell as men of meaner sort but men of meane condition aswell as Kings h Psal 22.26.29 The meeke shall eate and be satisfied All they that be fat vpon earth shall eate and worship Vnder the Law there were sacrifices not onely for but also for poore men He which had not l Levit. 1.3.10.14 a bullocke of the heard to offer came with a Lambe or a kid of the flocke and was accepted And m Levit. 12.6.8 the woman which after her purificatiō was not able to bring a Lambe and a Pigeon for her oblation was quit for two turtles or two yong pigeons For Christ is a propitiatorie Sacrifice for rich and poore men and women And as all persons of all qualities which were bitten with the fierie Serpents in the wildernesse were healed when they looked vpon the Serpent of brasse which Moses had set vpon a pole according to the Word of God n Num. 21.8 Euery one that is bitten when he looketh vpon it shall line o Ioh. 3.14 15. Even so said Christ of himselfe must the Sonne of man he lifted vp that whosoever beleeveth in him should
the body and the Spirit the manhood and the Godhead of Christ for he is one with vs in both natures Even as the same author saith that f Idem adv Nestor lib. 4. cap. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are sanctified and revived spiritually and corporally that is to say not onely in our spirits but also in our bodies because saith he g 1 Cor. 15 53. this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortalitie h Ex Theodoreto dialogo 2. So S. Ignace saith that Christ is ioyned to the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carually and spiritually i.e. both in his humane and divine nature and not partly by a carnall partly by a divine manner For the manner of the vnion of Christ with the Father is wholly divine And so also the manner of our vnion with him is altogether divine and spirituall Dare Papists say that we are ioyned with Christ naturally although Cyrillus saith that our vnion with him i Cyril in Iohan lib. 11. cap. 26. is naturall Yet he speaketh so because our nature is ioyned with his natures as he prooveth because k 1 Cor. 10.27 the Church is Christs body and we are members of Christ in particular So then in regard of the obiects which are vnited this vnion is naturall reall substantiall corporall spirituall because his whole person is ioyned with ours And therfore I say that we must eate Christ not onely as bread but also as living And if as man he is bread and as God is living we must eate him in both natures together For in both natures he is our Mediatour and the bread whereby we liue YET in this eating wee must obserue an order Like l Gen. 28.11 Iacobs ladder by his manheed he toucheth the earth By his God head he toucheth heavē And by both vnited together he ioyneth the earth with heaven reconcileth man with God obtaineth to vs the service of the Angels of God which m Ioh. 1.51 ascend and descend vpō him and by him vpon vs But in such sort that by him as he is man they alcend from vs and goto him as he is God and from him as he is God descend vnto vs by him as he is man In the same order doe we cate him and abide in him and he in vs. n Aug. in Ioh. trac 42. Adnentus eius humanitas eius Mansio eius diuinit as eius Diuinitas eius quo imus Humanitas eius qua imus Nisi nobis fieret qua iremus nunquam ad illum manentē perueniremus He commeth vnto vs saith S. Austin by his humanitie He abideth with vs by his divinitie His divinitie is that wherevnto we goe His humanitie is that whereby we goe If he were not vnto vs the way whereby we may goe we should never come vnto him in that wherein he abideth with vs. But because I haue spoken of this bread largely inough vpon the first part of the Verse I leaue it to come to the third part of my division which is OF THE EATING of the living Bread and of the manner thereof CHAPTER V. I. To eate Christ is to be vnited vnto him II. Necessitie of our vnion with Christ III. Expressed in the Scripture by many similitudes and in the sixt of S. Iohn by the similitude of Eating IV. All Papists hold that Christ is eaten in the Sacrament with the mouth of the body V. The liter all sence is not alwayes to be followed VI. When it is lawfull when not to aske How VII Papists agree not among themselues concerning divers circumstances of the bodily eating TO EATE is to chew and worke the meate with our teeth if it be solide and strong to sup and swallow it downe if it be liquid to receiue it into our stomackes to disgest it there till it be turned into blood and changed into the substance of all the parts of our bodies that thereby this our mortall life may be maintained which otherwise should decay and perish Even so saith Christ a Ioh. 6.53.54 Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you And of those that eate him he saith Who so eateth my stesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day Whereby it is easie to be vnderstood that this eating and drinking is a certaine action whereby Christ is vnited vnto vs so neere that we sucke life out of him yea that he himselfe beōmeth b Col. 3 4. our life as the Apostle calleth him c Aug. Confess l. 7. c. 10. Nec tu me in te mutabis sicut cibum carnis tuae sed tu mutaberis in me It is true that the bread of the earth when we eate it cannot feed vs till it be changed into our bodies because we are more excellent then it is But the bread which came downe from heaven is more excellent then we are and therefore that we may be fed by it we are changed into it made members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones Even as the fire turneth into fire all things that feed on it THIS leadeth vs by the hand to the consideration of the necessitie of the eating of this bread that is to say of our vnion and communion with Christ Our felicitie is to be ioyned with GOD d Psal 36.9 with whom is the fountaine of life But e Esa 59.2 sinne separateth betweene vs and our God For f 1 Ioh. 1.1.5 he is light and in him there is no darknesse at all g Eph. 5.8 we are darkenesse and in vs by nature there is no light at all h 2 Cor. 6.15 What communion hath light with darknesse O Lord thou hast made vs for thine owne selfe that sticking fast vnto thee we may be blessed by thee But loe by our sinne we i Eph. 2.11.12.13 are far off and k Psal 73.27.28 loe they that are far from thee shall perish But it is good for vs to draw neere vnto thee neither is our heart at rest till it returne vnto thee Tell vs then ô Lord how shall we be againe ioyned with thee The Sonne the Word the Wisedome of God answereth l Ioh 14.6 No man cōmeth vnto the Father but by me And S. Paul telleth vs why and how saying m Eph. 2.13 Now in Christ Iesus ye who sometimes were farre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Aske ye why Because by the blood of his sacrifice he hath satisfied the iustice of God asswaged the burning fire of his indignation and made attonement for vs as n Heb. 7 22. Suretie and o Heb. 9.15 Mediatour of the new Testament Aske ye how Because we are in him He is our p Exod. 28.11.12.30 high Priest who beareth vs vpon his shoulders and vpon his heart before the Lord q 1
the foundation is artificiall and outward The vnion of the head with the members of the vine with the branches is naturall and inward The vnion of the husband with his wife is ciuill and inforceth not any proximitie or touching of bodies as the rest doe For they remaine one flesh although they be as far separated as the East is from the West If a bodily manner of coniunction with Christ cannot be inforced by those similitudes because it should be at one time outward and inward naturall civill and artificiall which is impossible Let Papists tell why it should be inforced by the similitude of eating If by the similitude of eating why not also by the rest Here they are muffled and cannot answer * Cusan epist 7. ad Bohemos Crâ—dere igitur baptizari manducare bibere et quicquid similiter per Christum dicitur non habet in spirituali intellectu differeÌ„tiam sed vnuÌ„ solum est quodper omnia talia varie exprimuÌ„tur scilicet quotquot receperuÌ„t eum dedit eis potestâ—tem filios dei fieri ijs qui credunt in nomine eius Cusanus one of their owne confesseth that all those similitudes and whatsoever Christ saith after that manner hath no difference in the spirituall vnderstanding but it is one thing which by all such things is diversly expressed to wit As many as received him to them gaue the power to become the Sonnes of God to them that beleeue on his Name SECONDLY in the Sacrament he giveth himselfe not as glorified in heaven but as dead vpon the crosse as he said o 1 Cor. 11.24 This is my body which is broken for you p Mar. 14.24 This is my blood which is shed for many Doe this in remembrance of me Which commandement the Apostle explaineth saying q 1 Cor. 11 26. For as often as ye eate this bread and drinke this cup ye doe shew the Lords death till he come He did giue himselfe to the Apostles so and they received him so For he was not then glorified Should we desire to receiue him otherwayes then they did To receiue him so with the mouth of the body it is impossible because he is not now dead but r Rom. 6.10 liueth vnto God This argument prevents all replyes THIRDLY if Christ were in the Sacrament wicked men yea worms mice dogs asses and other beasts might eate him But that is impossible saith Å¿ Origin in Math. 15. Verus cibus quem nullus malus potest edere Origines because if they did eate him they should abide in him as he saith vers 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him and abiding in him they should liue for ever as he saith in my Text If any man eate of this bread he shall liue for ever and so often in the verses preceeding and following Which moved t De coÌ„secrat dist 2. caÌ„ 65 Qui discordat a Christo nec carnem eius manducat nec sanguinem bibit etiam si tantae rei SacrameÌ„tum ad iudiciuÌ„ suae praesumptionis quotidiè indifferenter accipiat S. Austin to say that he who is discordant from Christ eateth not his flesh and drinketh not his blood although he receiue daily the Sacrament of so great a thing to the condemnation of his owne presumption As likewise he saith of the Apostles that u Idem in Iohan trac 59. Illi manducabaÌ„t panem dominum Ille panem domini contra dominuÌ„ Illi vitam ille poenam they did eate the bread which is the Lord and of Iudas that he did eate the bread of the Lord against the Lord They life he paine FOVRTHLY the Lord himselfe seeing that many of his Disciples tooke his words carnally as if he had spoken of a corporall eating of his body x Athan. de verb. Christi Qui dixerit verbum contra filiuÌ„ hominis Quomodo fieri posset vt totus mundus ederet de carne ipsius quae non sufficeret paucis hominibus Ideo dominus de carnis suae manducatione loquens sui in coelum ascensus meminit vt a corporali eos manducatione abstraheret vel inde discerent carnem Christi esse cibum coelestem et in alimoniaÌ„ spiritualem dare to draw them away from bodily eating and to teach them that his flesh is a heavenly meate and is given to be spirituall food he maketh mention of his ascension into heaven saying vers 61.62 Doth this offend you What and if ye shall see the Sonne of man ascend vp wher he was before arguing This is a strong reason that y IbideÌ„ trac 27. Vel tunc videbitis quod non eo modo quo putatis erogat corpus suum Certe vel tuÌ„c intelligetis quod gratia eius non consumitur morfibus he giueth not his body after the maÌ„ner which they imagined z For the heavens must receiue him vntill the time of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets because there a he appeareth in the presence of God and b maketh intercession for vs and cannot come out of that Holy place till his intercession be ended which will not be till the worlds end For c Heb. 8.4 if he were on earth he should not be a Priest But he is a Priest and therefore saith he himselfe d Math. 24.23.26 If any man say vnto you Loe here is Christ or there beleeue it not Behold he is in the desert goe not forth behold he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 z Act 3.21 a Heb 9.24 in the secret chambers b Ro. 8.34 as when Papists say he is in the chappell on the Altar in the box beleeue it not Beleeue rather S. Paul who saith that e 2 Cor. 5.6.16 whiles we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord and henceforth know him no more after the flesh and according to his exhortatioÌ„ f Col. 3.1 2. seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth on the right haÌ„d of God set your affection on things aboue not on things on earth g Bernard de Aduentu domini serm 1. Incassum laboraret erigere corda nostra nisi collocatuÌ„ in coelis salutis nostra doceret autorem In vaine would he labour to heaue vp our hearts to heaven if the authour of our salvation were not in heaven Yea most preposterously should he endevour to withdraw our hearts from the earth if Christ were on earth For h Math. 6.21 where your treasure is there will your hearts be also Fiftly if the eating of Christ with the mouth of the body were possible his manhood might be separated from his Godhead his soule from his body and the life which is in him from his person Can his Godhead which is infinite be receiued in our bodies Can his soule which is a spirit enter into our stomackes Can his quickning
life which cannot be without his Godhead goe where the Godhead will not goe Certainly if it were possible to eate him the mouth of our body could eat nothing of him but his body And what is a body without a soule but a corps if then Christ i Rom. 6.9 being raised from dead he dieth no more death hath no more dominion over him it is impietie to thinke it is blasphemie to say that his body may be eaten corporally AND why I pray you doth the Priest when he sheweth the hoste to the people cry Sursum corda Why doth the people answer Habemus ad dominū but because they acknowledg that even when the Sacramēt is given Christ is in heaven and is not in his body else-where So all that they prattle of the possibilitie and realitie of his bodily presence in the Eucharist is like a spiders web which is swept away with the first blast of the truth CHAPTER VII I. The bodily eating is indecent and iniurious to Christ II. The reply of the Adversaries impertinent III. The same eating is vnprofitable to the eaters CERTAINLY although it were possible it is vndecent and iniurious to Iesus Christ Are the accidents of a crust a convenient garment to cover the Sonne of God Is it fit that he who vpholdeth all things by the word of his power should be borne betweene the fingers of a Priest who is in perpetuall feare least he fall Are the stomackes of men which are puddles of infection Temples well suting the Lord of glory The Cherubims and Seraphims all the Angels of God worship and serue him in heavē The divels themselues stoop and bow downe their heads before him from the lower hels and men which are no better then Grashoppes put him to an open shame maintaining as I haue said that not onely wicked men but also fowles beasts wormes may eat him l Thom. 3. q. 80. art 3. Quidā dixerunt quod statim cum Sacramentū tangitur a mure vel cane desinit ibi corpus esse Christi quod etiam derogat veritati Sacramenti Alexan. Halens part 4. sum q. 45. in 1. q. 53. in 2. To let you see how farre the God of this world hath blinded them they dare say that this blasphemous divinitie derogateth nothing from the glory of our Lord Iesus Christ WHY m Thom. ibi Because forsooth he was crucified by sinners without any diminution of his dignitie yea was by n Math. 4.5.8 the divell transported from one place to another But these things did befall him in the dayes of his flesh Then he came to be tempted to be abused and crucified by wicked men Then o Heb. 4.15 he was in all things tempted like as we are yet without sinne But now p Eph. 1.20.21 he sitteth at the right hand of his Father in the heauenly places farre aboue all principalities and power and might and dominion Now q Heb. 2.7 he is crowned with glory and honour Now r Phil. 2 9 10. God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is aboue every name that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth And shall he now now be in a worse case then he was in his greatest infirmitie For then he did not enter into mens bellies and did not feare the gnawing of wormes nor the teeth of mice nor the intrals of beasts What say Papists is not God every where and is not defiled True But the body of Christ is not It is a true body Therefore if it be in the body of a man or of a beast it must touch them And it cannot touch them but it must be defiled by them They aske againe Doth not the light of the Sunne inlighten the whole aire Is it not spread over the whole earth Shineth it not in the most infected places and is not infected True also For the light in the Sunne and in the aire is not a body it is an accident But the body of Christ is a true body If the Sunne it selfe were vpon a dunghill it should be soyled as well as the aire wherein the light is So the body of Christ if it touch our bodies must necessarily be contaminated And although it were not I say that it cannot be lodged in the stincking bellies of men or beasts but it must be dishonoured Wherefore I conclude that this eating of the body of Christ is not onely impossible but also indecent outragious to Christ WHAT although it were possible What although Christ were not dishonoured by it I aske cui bono The least of the workes of GOD hath some vse This which is thought to be one of the most wonderfull hath none at all Christ must over-turne the whol order of nature he must be subiect to the intention of a Priest he must be at once in heaven on earth he must contract his body to the capacitie of a little round crust and haue his head in his feete and all the parts of his body pellemelled He must be kept in a boxe and often tarry there till he get a white coate To what purpose so many monstrous wonders To saue men No no. Many men since the beginning of the world till Christ haue benne saved without this eating Many every day goe to heaven without it Many wicked men are damned with it Those who communicate every day reape no profit by it For no meate doth good except it sticke to him that eateth it Whereas the body of Christ doth not continue in them But it must scoure to heaven as fast as it came from it having no longer leaue to stay then till the accidents be consumed and giving no oddes in Paradise to them who are every other day so carefull to receiue it For what end doe wee eate our daily bread To sustaine our liues For what end must we eate the bread which came downe from heaven must Iesus Christ enter into vs He himselfe answereth saying ſ Ioh. 6.57 He that eateth me even he shall liue by me and that for ever as he saith in my Text. And yet Papists confesse that to haue his body in our bodies bringeth no such advantage to any man The Virgin Mary had him nine moneths in her wombe and Elizabeth said vnto her t Luk. 1.45 Blessed is shee that beleeved And when a woman said vnto Christ u Luk. 11.27.28 Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the papes which thou hast sucked he reiected that saying with this answere Yea blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keepe it shewing that it is not the having of his body in our bodies but the having of him and of his word in our hearts by faith and obedience that quickeneth and blesseth vs. Which I will proue declaring first the true manner how CHRIST giveth this bread and next how we receiue it CHAPTER
the living God but the Father which is in heauen and it is as difficile yea as impossible to beleeue in Christ as to resolue to be a Martyr for Christ Therefore the Apostle conioyneth them as two most wonderfull rare gifts of God saying h Phil. 1.29 For vnto you it is given in the behalfe of Christ not onely to beleeue on him but also to suffer for his sake Yea he saith that God displayeth the same i Eph. 1.19.20 might of his power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead to make vs beleeue WHEREFORE let vs all cry to God with David k Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may beholde wondrous things out of thy law Let vs all pray for our selues as the blessed Apostle did for the Ephesians that l Eph. 1.17.18 the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of glory may giue vnto vs the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of our vnderstanding being inlightened that we may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints AND when we haue received this faith from aboue let vs acknowledg the weaknesse of it cry to the Lord with teares as did the Father of the lunatick child m Marke 9.24 Lord I beleeue helpe thou mine vnbeliefe and with the Apostles n Luk. 17.5 Lord increase our faith Yet resting still assured that as the Pilots trembling Diall in a shippe tossed to and fro with the waues of the tempestuous Sea looketh straight to the North Pole as the shaking hand of a poore man sicke of the Palsey stretcheth it selfe forth to receiue the rich almes of a bountifull King and as a dying man will open his wanne and withered mouth to let downe the restoratiue whereby his life is restored So our trembling shaking and weake faith will in the midde◠of the most tempestuous and blustery Sea of temptations fasten her eyes vpon Christ receiue him and eate him that in the middest of death and in the belly of the graue we may be saved by him CHAPTER XII I. The eating of Christ by faith is possible II. It is not hindred by the distance of time III. Nor of place IV. It may be fitted to all the similitudes which expresse our vnion with Christ V. It is decent VI. It is profitable CHRIST said to the father of the Lunarike child o Marke 9.24 If thou canst beleeue all things are possible to him that beleeveth Then say I to him that beleeveth it is possible to eate Christ by his faith I say more that to eate him so is decent and glorious vnto Christ and most profitable to the eater If there were any impossibility in this eating it should come either from the distāce of time or from the distance of place We eate him as dead And wee reckon from his death 1625. yeares which is a long time He died in Golgotha which is far removed from vs and we must goe to his crosse eate him there From thence we must goe vp to heaven where he now is and feed vpon him there Between the heavens where he is and the earth where we are the distance is almost infinite Behold now how all that is not any impediment to faith To BEGIN by the distance of time Between the promise made to Abraham and Christ there is 1927. yeares and he had eyes not in his head but in his heart to see Christ as Christ said p Ioh. 8.56 Abraham reioyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad From the first Passeover which was kept in Egypt till Christ there is 1497. yeares At that time q Heb. 11.27.28 Moses by faith kept the Passeover for sooke Egypt and endured as seeing him who is inuisible At that same time the Fathers in the desert r 1. Cor. 10 3.4 did eate the same spirituall bread and drinke the same spirituall drinke which was Christ How but by faith For Christ is ſ Rev. 13.8 the Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world in the efficacy of his death towards all the faithfull which were from the beginning So the Apostle saith that t Gal. 3.1 Christ is euidently set forth before our eyes and is crucified among vs Crucified certainely to the eyes of our faith which seeeth the things past from the beginning of the world and all those that are to come till the end of the world For u Heb. 11.1 faith is the substance of things hoped for and the euidence of things not seene it giveth a being in the heart to that which hath no being in the world and maketh visible that which is inuisible AND THEREFORE the distance of place also cannot hinder it For although we traile these our mortall bodies on the earth yet x Phil. 3.20 our conversation is in heaven and our y Heb. 6.19.20 hope is an anchor of the soule both sure and steadfast and which entereth into that within the vaile whither Iesus Christ as forerunner is entred for vs. There by faith z Eph. 2.6 wee sit together with him There our faith seeth him eateth him imbraceth all the promises of God in him O the most wonderfull efficacy of faith It seeth all things past and to come It imbraceth the two ends of the world It flyeth backward to Golgotha and according to the saying of Christ a Math. 24.28 Wheresoever the carkasse is there will the Eagles be gathered together like a spirituall Eagle it stoopeth vpon him hanging on the Crosse It fastenth her clawes vpon his wounds it drinketh the blood streaming out of his side it feedeth on him with a greedie stomacke and leaveth him never till it be satisfied and because it is vnsatiable and never hath enough of him it leaveth him never Forthwith and at the same instant it flyeth aboue all the visible heavens it entreth boldly into Gods closet it b Rev. 3 2◠sitteth downe with him in his throne and raigneth with him most gloriously in heaven THE EATING of Papists cannot be sitted to any of the other similitudes this can to them all By what is Christ our head and we his members He the vine and we the members By his Spirit and by our faith By what is he the foundation and we the Temple built on him By his Spirit and by our faith By what doth he giue himselfe to be our Garment By his Spirit By what doe we put him on By our faith By what is he borne in our hearts By his Spirit By what are we borne againe made new creatures in him By our faith By what are we washed in his blood By his Spirit and by our faith By what doth he wed vs to himselfe that we may be his wife By his Spirit By what doe we espouse him that he may be our husband By our faith By what
giveth he himselfe vnto vs to be our meate and drinke By his Spirit By what doe we all eate and drinke him By our faith So ye see that all the similitudes doe agree concurre in the manner of our vnion with Christ CONSIDER now how decent yea how glorious this eating of Christ is Seeing we must eate him is it not more decent and comely to lodge him in our hearts which he hath chosen to be his Temple saying c Pro. 23. â—6 My sonne giue me thine heart then in our bellies which are puddles of infection and stincking sinkes Is it not more glorious to contemplate him in heaven sitting at the right hand of his Father and to feed vpon him there where we are certaine to find him then to seeke him in a crust of bread where he is not to be found AND IP we speake of the profit of this eating is it not more comfortable to feele him living and dwelling in our hearts and quickening them then to haue him in our mouths and to keepe him a short space in our stomackes who can tell for what vse He saith of them that eate him that they shall liue for euer and it is certaine that he speaketh of earing by faith because he said in the 47. Verse Verily verily I say vnto you He that beleeueth in me hath everlasting life This is the fourth and last head of this Text the explication wherof I le deferre to another occasion I say onely that he which eateth Christ liveth already for he hath everlasting life and shall liue for ever otherwayes the life which he liveth could not be called everlasting He liveth already for his sinnes are forgiven him and d Psal 32.1 Rom. 4.6 the blessednesse of man in this life is principally in the forgiuenesse of his sinnes He liveth already For e Gal. 2.20 Christ liueth in him and hath made him f Rom. 6.4.11 aliue vnto GOD that he may walke in newnesse of life He shal liue for ever no more on earth but in heaven where the spirituall life of his soul which is begun here shall be perfected where g Aug. in Iohan trac 26 Videbit quod adhuc noÌ„ videndo credidit Manducabit quod esurijt Satiabitur eo quod sitit he shall see that which now he beleeveth shall eate that which now he hungreth after shall be filled with that whereof now he is a thirst as David said h Psal 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures And in the blessed day of the Resurrection i Phil. 3.21 Christ shall change his vile body that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body So he liveth and shall liue a most glorious and blessed life internally in his soule externally in his body and eternally in body and soule together in the kingdome of heaven k Aug. in Iohan trac 17 Tunc quod viuet noÌ„ morietur Tunc quod sanabitur noÌ„ aegrotabit Tunc quod satiabitur non esuriet neque sitiot Tunc quod renouâ—bitur â—on veterascet Then that which shall liue shall never die that which shall be healed shall never be sicke that which shall be satisfied shall never hunger nor thirst that which shall be renued shall never waxe old CHAPTER XIII I. As this bread is most wonderfull so must we consider the most wonderfull mercy of God in the giving of it II. Papists eate not of this bread III. We must value it at the highest rate and desire no other bread IV. A prayer to God for this bread O MOST wonderfull bread l Aug. to 10. Homil 32. Vt panem Angelorum manducaret homo dominus Angelorum factus est homo This is the food of the blessed Angels in heaven This is the food of all true Christians on earth l That man might eate the bread of Angels the Lord of Angels was made man Of it they of it we eate continually and ô wonder m Ibid. Nec deficit vnde pascantur nec minuitur esca ipsorum it is not diminished By it they by it we liue for ever O most wonderfull mercy of God who giveth vs such wonderfull bread Sion was in a pittifull estate when bewailing it she said n Lam. 4.4 The tongue of the suckling childe cleaveth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst The young children aske bread and no man breaketh it vnto them O then how blessed is our estate whose crying for this bread God hath prevented yea who hath prepared it for vs before wee were borne who hath given it vnto vs before we sought it o 1 Ioh. 4.10 Herein is loue not that we loved God but that he loved vs and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes It is a too too little small thing to his bountie yea it hath beene nothing in his eyes to feed with the bread which commeth out of the earth these our vile and mortall bodies which although they starue not yet they must perish by sicknesse by age or by some other mishap In this he hath displayed all the treasures and riches of grace and mercie that to his spirituall children he hath given the true spirituall and heavenly bread whereof if any man eate he shall liue for ever DEPART from vs Papists which know not this bread Your going your coÌ„ming your trotting your running from one Saint to another from one Angell to another sheweth that ye are ever hunger-starved ever dried vp with thirst like a potsheard and therefore that yee haue never eaten of this bread For if yee did eate Christ he would satisfie your hunger according to his owne saying p Ioh. 6.35 I am the bread of life he that commeth to me shall never hunger O then O abused Christians when will ye turne your faces to him and goe vnto him O perishing soules listen I pray you to the voyce of him who onely giveth the living bread and who cryeth vnto you q Esa 55.1.2 Hoe every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money Come ye buy and eate Yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price Wherefore doe ye spend money for that which is no bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not WHETHER they will heare or whether they will forbeare let vs value this bread at the highest rate and say vnto our Saviour r Psal 73.25.26 Whom haue 1 in heaven but thee and there is none vpon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth But GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Those that are sicke refuse to eate bread and David saith that in his sorrow Å¿ Psal 102.1 he did forget to eate his bread Let vs not refuse to eate this bread when it is offered vnto vs and let let vs never forget to eate it when we haue it It is t Aug. to 10. hom 32 Hac est salus nestra medicina infirmorum Cibus Sanorum Physick to those which are sicke meate to those which be whole strength to those that are weake comsort to those that are distressed life to those that die O EVER-LIVING and most loving GOD thou hast commanded vs u Esa 58.7 to breake our bread to the hungry doe vnto vs that which thou coÌ„mandest vs to doe vnto others and breake this thy bread vnto our hungry soules The Fathers prepare bread for their children And the children looke that their fathers shall giue them the bread which they haue prepared for them x Luk. 11.11 If a Sonne shall aske bread of his Father will he giue him a stone Thou art our heavenly Father and we are thy children Thou hast prepared for vs the most excellent bread that ever was Even thine owne Sonne y RoÌ„ 8.32 Thou hast not spared him but hast delivered him vp for vs all that he might be our bread wilt thou not giue him vnto vs In our bodily necessities we cry vnto thee Giue vs this day our daily bread and thou giuest it not onely vnto vs out even vnto them which know not thee to be the fountaine of all good and therefore cry not for it vnto thee O loving Father thou keepest for vs thy children bread more excellent more rare and more precious Even this living bread which is indeed our bread being sent into the world prepared and given for vs that it may be given vnto vs. This is the daily bread of our soules which thou givest to thy children by thy holy Spirit O Father we are thy children Therefore send thy holy Spirit into our hearts with this our bread and giue vs this day cur daily bread that eating it daily with a true liuely faith we may by it liue with thee for ever To thee who art the giver of this bread To thy Sonne Iesus who is this bread To the holy Ghost who from thee bringeth this bread into our hearts be all prayse glory and honour both now and for evermore AMEN FINIS
them whom he will And again Verily verily I say vnto you the houre is comming and now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue Secondly he rendreth this reason why he giveth life to the dead For as the Father hath life in himselfe so hath he given to the Sonne to haue life in himselfe As the Sunne hath light the fire heat a Well-spring water in themselues not for themselues but for the vse of man and beast So Christ hath life in himselfe that he may giue life vnto vs. For this cause he is called liuing first subiectiuè because he hath life in himselfe Secondly effectiuè because he hath it not for himselfe but giveth it to all those that haue him as S. Iohn saith u 1 Ioh. 5.12 he that hath the Sonne hath life Even as the scripture calleth x Gen. 26.19 a Well of living water that which having abundance of water in it selfe springs and flowes and runnes and imparts it selfe vnto all O MOST wonderfull and powerfull bread No other bread hath life in it selfe This hath No other bread giveth life This doth No other bread is a preservatiue against death This is All other bread y Ioh. 6.27 perisheth This endureth vnto euer lasting life Not only it liveth in it selfe but also it maketh to liue eternally the soules of all those that eate it and shall at the last day of the world quicken the bodies of all those whose soules it hath quickened in this world as he saith a Ioh. 6.54 Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day His flesh and his bloud or rather he himselfe by tearing his flesh and renting it from his soule He by shedding his bloud in his death is the living bread b Cusan Excit lib. 4. ex Sermone Qui manducat Ipse est qui est dator vitae conservator Quare est panis vitae giuer and keeper of life and therefore most worthily called the bread of life RIGHT HONORABLE Reverend Worshipfull and beloved Auditours remember I pray you the exhortation of our Saviour to the Iewes of Capernaum and c Ioh. 6.27 labour not for the meate which perisheth but for that meate which endureth vnto everlasting life Alas it is a pitifull spectacle to behold how men labour for the meate which perisheth d Ps 127.2 they rise vp early they sit vp late they eate the bread of sorrowes e Matth. 15.17 It entreth in at the mouth it goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught If men labour exceeding hard for such bread how should we labour for this living bread Not to purchase it for it groweth not in the earth it is not sold in the Shambles it is not to be bought in the Shops But to reach vnto it where it is but to receiue it where and when it is offered It is offered every where in the towne in the fields in our houses in our closets But namely in the Church when the Gospell is preached and particularly when the blessed Sacrament is given as to you this day The preaching of the Gospell is f Exod. 25.23 the golden Table wherevpon this shew bread is set This holy Sacrament is as it were g Ve. 29.30 the golden dish wherein it is offered vnto vs. We know what we must doe to receiue the outward Sacrament h Panem domini the bread of the Lord If we receiue it from the hand of the Minister for he is no better then i Ioh. 6.32 Moses who gaue not the true bread from heaven When we haue received it we eat◠it we let it downe into out stomacks we disgest it Nothing is more easie But 〈◊〉 receiue k Panem dominum the bread which is the Lord another worke more difficult is required l Ioh. 6.29 This is the worke of God that ye beleeue in him whom he hath sent Your soules must goe vp to heaven There the Table is covered There is the bread which is the Lord set vpon the Table of the Mercie of God There God the Father giveth it by his eternall will and decree There the Sonne giveth it by his merite and consent There the holy Ghost taketh it as it were in his hands entreth with it into your hearts and offereth it vnto your famished soules The Cherubims and Seraphims stand by and wonder Send your faith thither and there your faith shall receiue it This is the worke which God commandeth 1 Ioh. 3.23 This is the worke which God himselfe worketh in you Eph. 1.3 Phil. 1.29 This is the worke which if ye want all your workes are sinnes Rom. 14.23 and it is impossible that yee should please God Heb. 11.6 Which if ye haue by it Iesus Christ will dwell in you Eph. 3.17 and liue in you and quicken you so sensibly that ye shall say as truely as S. Paul said m Gal. 2.20 I liue yet not I but Christ liveth in me And this life of Christ or Christ living in you shall be so powerfull in you that as n 1. Kings 19.20 Elijah by the strength of that bread and of that water which the Angel of God prepared for him went fortie dayes and fortie nights without hunger without thirst without wearinesse till he came vnto Horeb the Mount of God So by the vertue of this living bread which no Angel of God but o Luk 2.31 God himselfe hath prepared ye shall walke couragiously and constantly all the dayes of your life till ye come to the kingdome of heaven where ye shall p Mat. 8.11 sit downe with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob and there be abundantly satisfied with these q Ps 16.11 pleasures which are at the right hand of God for evermore FIFT CHAPTER I. Christ came not downe from heaven as man II. Neither as God by a locall motion III. Neither as sent and approved of God IV. But as God incarnate V. Three commings of Christ VI. What should be the order of our conceptions concerning Christ WE HAVE yet the last part of my text to consider concerning the cause of the excellency of this bread For ye may aske how any bread can be so excellent that it liveth or so powerfull that quickneth And certainely no other bread can But this can because it came downe from heaven What is the meaning of these words Valentin said that he brought his body from heaven But that is false For the Scripture beareth record that r Heb. 2.16 he tooke on him the seed of Abraham ſ Rom. 1.3 was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and t Luk. 1.27.35 was borne of the Virgin Mary IF any say that his divine nature came from heaven by a locall motion That also is false u Iere. 23.24 Doe I not fill