Eiusdem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Lectores Quaeritis a Domino qualis conuiua probâ—tur En vobis qualem finxerit iste liber Lotus cas etlaetus edas gâ—atusque recedas Scilicet hos mores caelica mensa petit Ad Lectorem Christi Christi-colis conuluià lauta parantur Hic recte vt comedant pagina quaeque docet Georgius Taylerus Errata Page 7. line 21. read him Page 18. line 21 read destroy Page 19. line 1â— read by Page 24. line 3. read to a. line 7. read Fifh P. 91. l. 21. read fift p. 136. 5. read commended 1. Cor. 11. 28. Let a man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eat of this bread and drinke of this drinke CHAP. 1. THe holy Apostle Saint Paul hauing reprehended the Corinthians for sundry misdemeanors amongst them one whereof was their disorderly receiuing of the Lords Supper he doth in these words prescribe a remedy for the same For correction is not ynough without direction and reprehension is defectiue without instruction A kinde Chiruigian will not onely discouer the wouÌ„d but apply the salue A faithfull friend will not onely shew his friend his fault or errour but he will also giue his best aduise vnto him that he might see to correct and preuent it for the time to come The office of a true teacher is as well to teach the truth as to confute and refell falshoods as he must reprooue and condemne euill manners so should he also be carefull to shew what is good how the euill may be preuented amended We count him a bad Guide that onely tels the Trauellers of their wandring and not of their way and we iudge it the duty of a Maister-Mariner to shew his folowers in the Arte of Nauigation not onely syrts sands rocks and the danger of them but also the course to escape them so a good Minister ought not only to shewe his people their sinnes and the daunger of them but also the means to mend the way to performe their dueties as GOD requireth This Paul hath done The Doctrines followe THat it is our duetie to search and Doct 1 to prooue our selues before wee come to the Lords Table I wil here shew first the reasons why we should make this triall secondly by what we ought to make it thirdly wherof it must be made fourthly how it ought to be done The reasons that should mooue vs to make this triall are many First it is the expresse coÌ„mandment of God Let a man examine him-selfe Now the will of GOD must bee the rule of our workes What God biddeth that must we bend our selues to do And in his seruice wantes no solace For as Paul saith 1. Cor. 7. 19. Circumcision is nothing nor vncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of Gods commandements And the Scripture further saith Reuel 22. 14. Blessed are they that doe his commandments that their right may be in the tree of life may enter in through the gates into the Citie Now one of his Commandements is that we doe examine our selues before we come to the Lords Table Secondly another argument may be borowed from the verse next before going and next ensuing and may be thus framed If he that shall receiue this sacrament vnworthily be guiltie of the body and blood of Christ shall eate and drink his owne damnation then it behooueth euery man to search and examine how he stands and in what manner he commeth this will all men graunt But he that receiueth this sacrament vnworthily is guiltie of the body and blood of Christ a haynous sinne and eates drinkes his owne damnation a fearefull punishment Therefore it behoueth all men to trye their standing and to examine in what plight they come Thirdly a wise man will not come to the banquet of an earthly Prince without some competent preparation why then should any man presume to present himselfe in the presence of God and his Angels and to come to the banquet of the great Prince of all the worlde there to eate the flesh and drink the blood of his onely Sonne without due preparation and fitting of himselfe which cannot be without this search and examination Fourthly as preparatiues are necessarie before phisicke for the body so this examination prepares a way by Gods blessing for ouâ— right receiuing of those sacred elements as the phisicke of our souls For by it we shal knowe our estates discerne our harts by it we shall knowe how to discerne the Lords body and we shall perceiue the loue of God in Christ vnto vs who ordained this Sacrament for the confirmation of our faith the most entire affection of Christ vnto vs in that he gaue him-selfe to a shamefull and cursed death to redeeme vs being in bondage to sinne and Sathan as the Israelites were to the Egiptians and to Pharoah their King Fiftly this examination will occasion in vs both thankfulnes greater heede and watchfulnes Thankfulnes I say for after examination if a man perceiue his estate to be good that he commeth fitted and furnished in some competent measure he is stirred vp to magnifye the Lord who hath vouchsafed them this grace If on the contrarye he finde himselfe wretched or vnfit he hath occasion to praise the Lord that gaue him grace to search and see his condition and that hee hath winked as it were at his wickednes and vnpreparednes and hath not dealt with him as he hath deserued And will it not also be an occasion of greater heed and vigilancy for the time to come For euen as a man viewing and considering well by day how dangerous a Bridge ouer some very deep water he had safely passed in the darke wil be strucken with amazement and wil be made more carefull thence-forward of his way so when a man after examination of himselfe shall perceiue what infinite danger by reason of his sins he hath escaped through the mercie of the Lord he shal be prouoked to admire the goodnes of God and to become more circumspect in the time to come Sixtly we are bound to search and examine our selues at other times in truth we ought to doe it daily for we sinne daily and Sathan siftes and shakes vs daily and with the Sun we doe still either ascend or descend and with the salt waters continually either ebbe or flowe Now if we ought to proue our selues at other times how much more at this when we are to conuerse and deale not with mortall man but with God and that more neerely and in a moste speciall and weightie businesse Men should make the weightines of their affaires the rule of their care and labour Lastly a man will not build an house but he will examine and search his ground to see whether it be firme or false sound or sandy There is no good husband but will suruey his grounds search their nature a faithful Shepheard will duely obserue and search his sheep an
eternall life in respect of their owne dignity 2. That works of men iustified do deserue increase of grace and inhaerent righteousnes 3. That almes done without loue haue power to prepare vs to our Iustification but being done in faith and loue are truely satisfactory before God In a word her chiefest champion and now a Cardinal affirmeth that the confession of sinnes made by the communicants in the Priests eare and the Priests absolution is their onely lawfull probation of themselues or praeparation which they ought to make that they may be fit receiuers And whâ—ch with the former I should haue set and said before he teacheth that the communion vnder both kindes is not onely not necessary for the layty but also nowvnlawful seing the church of Rome hath so decreed Bellar. Tom. 3. P. 3. c. 18. 19. 20. This is the Romane lauguage this is the tongue of Babel these are the doctrines of the greatest Papists most false blasphemous and abhominable as may by the word of God appeare to any that haue not tasted of the Romish grape and doe not pinne their faith vpoÌ„ that harlots sleeue Therfore as Salomon saith of the woman with whorish behauiour Let not thy heart decline to her waies wander thou not in her pathes So say I concerning this Church decline not to her waies listen not to her voice atend not to her doctrines She is another MEDEA or GIRCE who by her sorceries spirituall incantations transformeth men into Monsters therefore beware of her and eschew her CIRCE could not metamorphize Vlisses as she did his coÌ„panions because he had about him the hearb Moly But surely if we do cary with vs the word of God and weare it about our hearts and heads belieuing remembring and vnderstanding of it as an amulet or counterpoison she shal not be able to transforme or bewitch vs to peruert or change vs. And although she tell vs that we can not chuse but perish vnlesse we will subscribe vnto her iudgement yet we are to respect her speech no more then their opinioÌ„ that said men could not be saued except they were circumcised Act. 15. 1. Thus now we see the things to be reiected and auoided in this our examination In the discussing of which point I haue bene something long for as a captaine seeing a towne or Castle committed to his custody to be begirt of the enemie doth spend most care and paines on that place which is most subiect to inuasion and against which the aduerse Generall hath pitched his fiercest and strongest souldiers euen so considering Sathan the arch-enemie to mans felicitie doth endeauour to hinder men in the performaÌ„ce of this duty by these his surest strongest instruments by the Flesh as by a Cananite and traytour within them and by the example and custome of the multitude the tentations of the world and the damnable doctrines of the Romish sinagogue as by Philistines without al being tyed together by the tailes like Sampsons foxes though loose in their heads I haue vsed the more labour to fortifie our selues and to disswade vs from yeelding to them or any way to withhold our selues throgh them from the performaÌ„ce of so weightie a worke These are all pleasing in appearance like the fishermans bayt but there is a hook inclosed in them wherwith Sathan seekes to take vs. They are not much vnlike a Fowlers Call for as by it he drawes the birds into his net or to his bush so by these the deuill draweth vs from our duety and allures vs to his nets that he might destroy vs. He that maketh any of these the Rule of his Examination doth much abuse himselfe he may sowe in mirth but he shal reap inmourning plaÌ„t he may but his fruits shall set his teeth on edge build he may but it cannot stand he may * receiue PaneÌ„ Christi non panem Christum but no Christ no comfort no growth in grace a shadow but no body bread but no strength wine but no refreshment corporall creatures but no spirituall nourishment And so much for them CHAP. 5. IT remaineth now to shew by what we ought to examine and proue our selues A Shepheard must not onely keepe his sheepe from bryars and rotten grounds and from other thinges which may annoy them but he must also lead them into wholesome pastures and hold them there The thing then by which we must examine our selues is the word of God conteined in the sacred scriptures The reasons are these First the word of God will affoord vs help to reforme both the Head the Heart The former because It is profitable to teach vs the truth and to conuince and to batter downe like a warlike engine the walles of errours and the muniments of all falshoods The latter because it serueth to correct and amend Psa 119. 9 the corruptions and sins of heart and life as also to instruct in righteousnes and to teach vs those 2. Tim. 3. 16. things which are pleasing vnto God It shewes vs what is vertue Rom. 2. 18 and what vice what we ought to loue and what to leaue what we must respect what we must reiect The Philistines by DELILAH found out where SAMPSONS strength did lve Iudg. 16. 5. So we by Gods word may knowe wherein consists the strength and sting of death to wit in sin which will appeare by proouing of our 1 co 15. 56 selues euen as drosse by melting mettal And as DAVID tooke out 1 Sam. 17. 40. 50. of a brooke the stone where with he slew GOLIAH so may we haue stones in aboundance out of the brooke of Gods booke wherewith we may smite downe sin and put to flight al those our enemies which would hinder vs from the due performance of this present duety Secondly the word of God is sufficient to make the man of God absolute and to furnish him for euery good worke 2. Tim. 3. 17. Therefore it is fit to be our direction in this good work of trying our estates and preparing vs for the Lords table Thirdly Thy word saith DAVID is a lanterne vnto my feete and a light vnto my paths SALOMON saith The Commaundement is a lanterne and Instruction a light But this examination is one of our pathes wherein we are to walke and we stand in need of a light or lamp to guide vs therefore it is wisedome to chuse the word being a shining Light and a burning Lamp flaming alwaies maugre all aduerse blasts of the Deuil and all his Complices Fourthly this examination requireth wisedome discretion and we by nature are too too simple and ignorant easy to be deceiued to deceiue our selues in the performance of our duety Now the word of the Lord is sure and giueth wisedome vnto the simple Psalm 19. 7. Fiftly considering that we are corrupted in sinne we had neede to prooue our selues by that which is voide of all corruption and which is no way partiall But the words of
in which regard flesh is likest to flesh but the strength or vertue to releiue and nourish which is greater in bread the staffe of life then in the flesh of any creature whatsoeuer By Cup the Apostle vnderstandeth the wine in the cup. Now Christ instituted wine to bee the signe of his blood for the resemblance that is between the properties and effects of wine and his blood For First as wine is a most sweete liquor comming out of the vine so the blood of Christ is a most delicate drinke for the soule hee is the Vine from whence it came Iohn 15. 1. and the Grape ouâ— of which it was squized Secondly as wine slaketh the thirst of the body so the merite of Christs blood quencheth the thirst of the soule Thirdly as wine maketh the Psal 104. 15. heart merrie so the blood of Christ receiued by faith doth coÌ„fort the soule and maketh the heart ioyfull Fourthly as wine warmeth the body and driueth away cold so the blood of Christ expelleth the coldnesse of charitie and heateth our hearts with zeale and loue Fiftly as Wine causeth the countenance to shine remooueth palenesse so the merite of Christes blood taketh away the palenesse of the soule and makes it looke fresh and faire as a rose It layeth the stormie windes of the conscience and makes vs seeme comely and amiable in Gods sight Whatsoeuer a man seeth through red glasse will appeare red â—o whatsoeuer God beholdeth through CHRISTES blood seemes louely faire and beautifull Sixtly as wine makes a man cheerfull stirring and actiue so the blood of Christ receiued by faith stirreth vp the soule and makes it cheerefull quicke and nimble about good workes Seuenthly as wine procureth speach and causeth the heart to breake out into Songs so the blood of Christ makes vs â—loquent and musicall in the confession and commemoration of his benefits conferred freely to vs. Lastly as wine stirreth vp the spirits and maketh men bold and hardie so the blood of Christ applyed by faith to the heart will make men stout valorours and constant and fill them with spirituall fortitude and magnanimitie By this Bread and this Cuppe the Apostle meaneth sacramentall bread and wine that bread and wine which is appointed and set apart to be the sacrament the signe and seale of the body and blood of Christ and to bee receiued of the Church in memoriall of his bloody death for the redemption of the Church This shall suffice for the explication of these words The Doctrines which remaine to bee collected from them and to bee propounded are especially two CHAP. 20. FIrst I conclude out of these wordes of PAVL that they Doct. 6 which eate the bread ought also to drinke of the cup in the Supper of the Lord bee they what they may be Ministers or others men or women of what state place or countrey soeuer without exception of any prouided alwayes that they bee baptized and do prepare prooue and approoue themselues as hath beene heretofore deliuered The Apostle expresly saith let him eat of this bread and drinke of this cuppe Hee will haue them to drinke as well as to eate Secondly the Greeke word which in the beginning of the verse is traÌ„slated Man is commune to both Sexes signifying women as well as men Thirdly the Apostles writeth to all Christians in Corinth and reprooueth the vnworthy receiuing of many and prescribeth a remedie to them all But the greater number were of the Laity or people and not ministers it was not a church consisting wholly of Pastors or Praelates and Ministers Therefore not onely Ministers but others also whether men or women may receiue the wine as wel as the bread and the bread as wel as the wine Yea when they doe receiue the one they must receiue the other not one onely but both For so they are commanded Christ saith Take eate Mat. 26. 27 drinke yee all of it And according to his commandement They All Mar. 14. 23. dranke of it Fourthly Christ instituted an entire Sacrament consisting of two signes kindes or parts to wit bread and wine and according to Christs Institution our Apostle prescribeth the receiuing therof vnder both kinds But it is horrible rebellion to repeale impugne the ordinances of Christ no small sin not to follow so great an Apostle in that wherein he followeth his Lord but to disobey his prescript and precept giuen vnto vs by Gods speciall inspiratioÌ„ Fiftly the new Testament remission of sins and the commemoration of Christes death doth belong not onely to Ministers but to Laye men and women also why then should they not be partakers of the cup or the wine in the cup seeing it is a signe and pledge of the newe Luk. 22. 20 Matth. 26. 28. Testament of his blood which was shed for the remission of the sinnes of many and doth notably resemble the effusion thereof vpon the Crosse Sixtly it was the * Communicating vnder both kindes was in the Church 1300. years The Cuppe was first by publike decree taken from the people in the counsell of Constance 1484 custome of the ancient Church to minister and receiue both the elements Chrysostome saith Non est apud nos vt in lege veteri vbi aliae partes ex b Hom. 8. â—ri Cor. 11. victimis dabantur Sacerdotibus aliae vero cedebant offereÌ„tibus sed nobis Omnibus idem Christi corpus proponitur atque idem poculum Vnto vs All is proposed the same body of Christ and the same Cuppe Ignatius saith to the Philadelphians One bread is broken to All 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one cup was distributed to All. Gelasius saith that the Diuision of one and the same mysterie cannot be made sine grandi sacrilegio without great sacriledge Licet Christus suis dâ—scipâ—lis administ rauer it sub â—traquâ— panis â—inâ— specie c. And the Councill of Constance though it tooke the Cup away coÌ„fesseth plainely that the Communion vnder one kind was neither instituted by Christ nor vsed in the Primitiue Chuch Therefore the Church of Rome committeth sacriledge in robbing the people of the cup and sheweth her selfe to be of a rebellious arrogant refractary spirit ill beseeming a loyall and obeent wife in ouerth warting and crossing the holy ordinance of Christ and the practise of the ancient Church Therefore â—et vs heerein giue care to him that saith Come out of her my people reu 18. 4 Her argumeÌ„ts are very feeble and ridiculous and cannot abide the touchstone of sound reason and the sun-light of the Lord. False Wares are not for light shops and a true Touchstone will discrie copper CHAP. 21. SEcondly in that the Apostle saith let him â—ate of this bread and drinke of this Cup I conclude Doct. 7 that the Bread and VVine in the Sacrament are not turned into the very body and blood of Christ but doe still remaine as they were before as touching their nature