them in their want He shall receive an hundred fold for it He may be confident it shall be paid him again with large interest both on Earth and in Heaven Mark 10.29 30. And who would not wish for such a Creditor § 20. Psalm 41.1 Finally let us only be liberal and we are here assured that we shall not stay for our reward till the next World but that we shall find the benefit of our Charity as soon as ever we begin to need it Paraphrase Blessed and happy shall be te Man that out of a charitable heart z Vatab. marg Qui prospicit agroto provideth for the necessities of the sick and weak in body and considereth and relieveth the wants of the Poor and needy in Estate As his bounty delivereth those poor Creatures in their Calamity so The Lord of Heaven who sees and remembers all such Deeds shall deliver him most readily when he also shall be poor or sick or fallen into any straits in the time of trouble a Visitatio aegrotorum liberat à gehennà RR. God will then think of him and be his surest Comfort *** If the Congregation be large and the Alms long in gathering thou mayst profitably read all or most of these Sentences to enlarge thy heart and quicken thy Charity if the offering be short yet read some of them before it come to your turn and then prepare your own Oblation and the next Section will teach you how to present it § 5. As these Divine Parcels of Holy Writ do move us to Charity and Alms-deeds at all times so especially at the receiving of this blessed Sacrament for which I will now suppose thou hast prepared a large gift according to thy ability and art ready to offer the same with a chearfui countenance and a joyful heart b Offertorium enim olim cantari notant Rupert de divin off c 2. Isidor de Eccl. offic l. 1. c. 14. ut â—im in esse vide 1 Chron. 29 9. 2 Chron. 29.27 28 29. As an acknowledgment of the bounty of the Father who gave thee all that thou hast c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Liturg. S. Chrysost 1 Paral. 29. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo. and of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich became poor that thou through his Poverty mightest be rich Look not therefore on the By-standers but lifting up thy Soul to God and bowing down thy head cast in thy mite into this Treasury with these or the like thoughts O Lord I give thee a small part of thine own who hast given me all my Earthly Comforts yea thy own Son out of thy bosom to become my Salvation and hast not disdained to adopt me an heir of thy Glories Oh that I could give a thousand times more thy love deserves it but this alas I give not as a requital of thy favour but a testimony how much more I owe unto thee but my Charities cannot extend to thee who needest nothing only sweetest Jesus I do gladly embrace my poor Brethren thy Friends whose Souls thou hast purchased with thy dearest blood and made them with me Heirs of the same glory I rejoice that thou accepted so small a matter to them as done to thy own self Behold therefore I beseech thee a Soul so sick and leprous poor and naked that it needs thy mercy more than the miserablest Creature in the World my Charity Oh how many and how earnest Prayers do I need Could I engage all the poor on Earth whose Prayers soonest pierce the Clouds I need all this and much more to make way for mine acceptance But O my Saviour this is a Day of grace in which thou scatterest thy bounties Wherefore remember my Soul which is undone without thy pitty and since thy mercies are infinitely greater than ours Lord do not pass me by Far be it from me to think so meanly of thy love as to esteem my Alms the purchase of it No no I do only by this small token give thee the Livery and Seisin of me and all mine and having vowed to pursue a more plorious interest and to seek thy Kingdom I do renounce the riches of this World which I will never value more than as they may serve to relieve thy members and mak me friends that I may be received into everlasting habitations Oh happy exchange and admirable way of Gain But so thou art wont to deal with us O God to accept trifles from us and give glories to us great and endless and inexpressible I adore thee O my Lord and I love thee infinitely and because no Earthly gift can bear proportion to such unspeakable goodness I will give my Soul also and it shall be thine for ever Amen SECT VII Of the Prayer for the whole Church § 1. AS the people of Israel were wont to bring their gifts and Sacrifices to the Temple and by the hands of the Priest to present them to Almighty God So are we appointed to give our Oblations into the hands of the Minister of Christ who by vertue of his Office may best recommend them with Prayers and Praises to the Majesty of Heaven and yet we must not neglect to join with him in these Supplications both to beg the acceptance of our offering and to shew that our Charity extendeth further than our Alms can reach for the benefit of these is received only by a few of our Neighbours but we ought to love all the World especially our Christian Brethren a Sapientes sapientibus etiam ignotis Amicos esse dixerunt Stoici ap Cicer even those who do not need or cannot have profit by our gifts And how can we express this better than by recommending them all to the mercies of God who is able to relieve them all and of whose bounty all have need Which excellent Duty though it be to be done daily yet at this Holy Sacrament it is most proper because we here behold the Universal love of Jesus and are declared lively Members of his Mystical body and conjoined in the strictest bonds of Union with all our fellow Christians Besides when can we more effectually intercede with God for the whole Church than when we represent and shew forth that most meritorious Passion on Earth b Eucharistia est commemoratio sola quae propitium facit Deum hominibus Orig. Hom. in Lev. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionys Ep. ad Demoph by the vertue whereof our great High-Priest did once redeem and doth ever plead for his whole Church even now that he is in Heaven This Sacrament therefore hath been accounted the great Intercession and accordingly all the antient Liturgies did use such universal Intercessions and Supplications while this Mystery was in hand and in the time of St. Cyril there was a Prayer used c Super illa propitiationis hostia obsecramus Deum pro communi Ecclesiarum pace pro tranquillitate Mundi pro Regibus pro
sees that this Plea is often feigned because few men are so intangled in the World as not to be able upon a Weeks notice to gain a day or two of leisure do not these very men contrive to have some portions of their time for Recreations and Visits for Feasts and discourse with their Friends but if their Prince or their Patron should send notice of their coming they would throw all away to prepare for them or if they received intelligence of a cheap purchase or a good Bargain a few days were easily spared to accomplish those concerns and why have they no time nor leisure for this Sacrament They could not be always so busie at the Sacrament but that instead of contriving their occasions so that they may come God knows that many chuse and design to make appointments just then that so they may have this poor Apology And for the Company that is with us if they be good they will attend us to the Holy Table if but civil they will not hinder us if they perceive we are resolved to receive but if they do keep us back they are neither our Friends nor Servants of God and so no matter for their anger nor shall we lose by their going away it is not therefore our Company that hinders us only we use it to palliate our sloth and wicked aversation Secondly It is always frivolous for if we be now so busie I wonder when we shall be at leisure the World saith not yet the flesh saith the next Sacrament but the Devil saith never and both the former come to this at last for if we will not receive till we are so at leisure as that we have no real business nor can pretend any we shall never receive at all will not Satan find us imployment or excuses think you against the next Communion if he can so keep us off we may be sure to be deprived of this Holy Feast for ever We do more easily allow an excuse now because we hope to come to the next y Qui non meretur quotidiè accipere non meretur post annum accipere Aug. in Math. 6. but how can we expect to live to another opportunity who have so lightly contemned this May not Death seize us before the next Sacrament and then we shall in vain bewail our neglect and curse that business that prevented the minding the Salvation of our Souls Thirdly It is sometimes Impious To say we will not come because we are busie is to cast a great contempt upon this Divine Mystery and is as if we said we will come when we have nothing else to do for if we know but of a Market or an Entertainment an opportunity of merriment or recreation we cannot attend at this Heavenly Feâ—st Do we not witness to all the World that we love our Body better than our Souls our Friends more than God and Earth more than Heaven If we had a due esteem for spiritual things is there any business so necessary as to repent so profitable as to make our peace with God so pleasant as to receive the pledges of his love Or do we think when we chuse the World and leave the Sacrament that the concern which we pretend can make us amends for the loss of our Souls It is plain such persons think Months and Years too little for their affairs and pleasures but as many hours are too much â—o spare to remember Christs love and that they will despise the greatest benefits to their Souls rather than lose the least earthly advantage or delight So that these excuses are so far from being accepted by God that they make the fault worse and discover the Person that useth them to be ordinarily an Hypocrite and despiser of holy things a stupid Worldly wretch and therefore either let us bring a better excuse than this or not dare to stay away for this is nothing before God who knows we might contrive our affairs so as to come if we had a desire to partake hereof § 7. If any man say I am a grievous Sinner and therefore am afraid to come Wherefore then do ye not Râ—pâ—nt and amend The ground of both these objections is an undeniable Truth viz. that unless we have leisure and time to prepare and are in some degrees penitent it is not fit to come to the Holy Sacrament but when we draw false Conclusions from these premises meerly to hide our negligence the consequence is only the more taking and more mischievous because it seems to be deduced from a Truth And if we be wise and careful of our own Salvation we must not rely upon them how specious soever they seem till we have duly examined them As for this second pretence of staying away because of our sinfulness it is alledged by three sorts of Persons First By the scrupulous who think it is humility and a high esteem of this Ordinance that makes them stay away they pretend they are unworthy of it and shew more fear of God and Reverence to the Sacrament because they do not or dare not come to it But sure as St. Ambrose notes z Sed aiunt se Domino deferre reverentiam Quis est qui magis honorat qui mandatis obtemperat an qui resistit Ambr. de poen l. 1. c. 2. it is an odd way to express their Reverence to God by flying from his embraces and living in the neglect of his plain Commands Our Saviour saith Do this Luke 22.19 and if they did honour him as the Centurions Servant did his Master they would do it Math. 8 9. Can any that truly fears Gods displeasure be so confident while they disobey a plain Precept if they were rightly informâ—d they should be as much afraid to stay from the Communion so carelesly as to come unworthily I confess these are dreadful mysteries but it is to the Impenitent and Persevering Sinner whose condition is fearful in it self and every Page in Scripture is terrible to such but why then saith the Church do ye not Repent and turn your scrupulous abstaining into a penitent address and then hâ—re is nothing dismal in this Holy Feast for there are none condemned for unworthy receiving but such as deserve it for other Iniquities and continuing in them had been sentenced if they had never come hither Bullinger complains of the Anabaptists in his time that they had made so many scruples about the Lords Supper and represented this lovely and comfortable Ordinance so horrible as to scare many good and tender Persons from the use of it a Hâc ratione Coenam domini amabilem gaudio plenam horribilem tristem faciunt ac aditum ad eam adeo coarctanâ— ut pii quoque homines ab eâ abhorreant adv Anabap lib. 6. cap. 9. But let our reverence to this holy Communion be shewed rather by diligent preparation than captious scruples for God will never cast any man into Eternal Flames for striving to
to you consider the sound of his Masters feet is behind him wherefore labour to express the same reverence both in Soul and Body as you would do if Jesus were visibly present with a train of glorious Angels say as the Primitive Christians did g Porro moris erat Communicaturis dum accipiebant Eucharistiam dicere Domine non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum Authore Origine hom 6. in divers ap Durant Lord I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof and at the sound of his words let you heart leap within you for joy and say whence is it that my Lord himself should come unto me and then according as you have opportunity you may from these very words be furnished with most pertinent Meditations Meditations before the receiving of the Bread §. 4. The Body of our Lord Iesus Christ An Act of Faith O Eternal word of God by whose power all things were made I will not ask how thou canst give me thy flesh to Eat because I am abundantly satisfyed in thy saying This is my Body since thou canst make it become to me whatsoever thou sayst it is h Oportet igitur non in sumptionibus Divinorum mysteriorum indubitatam retinere fidem non quaerere quo modo D. Bernar. I believe Lord help my unbelief What though my senses assure me the outward substance and its accidents still remain i Corporalis substantiae retinet speciem sed virtutis divinae invisibili efficientiâ probat adesse praesentiam Cypr. de coen Dom. Yet my Faith and my Experience tell me there is an efficacy therein beyond the power of any other thing Alas the flâ—sh would profit me nothing John 6.63 for he that is joined to thee must be one spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 O let these sacred Symbols therefore make me partaker of thy nature and a partner in thy merits let them unite me to thee ingraft me in thee and make that body mine which did suffer Death for me and then I shall seek no further but be more happy than if I could understand all mysteries Sure I am This is thy body in Sacrament it communicates to us the blessings and benefit thereof and though presented in a figure and by a holy Rite yet it is to all its purposes that which it doth represent I will therefore receive it as thy Body and esteem it infinitely above all other food that I may not be judged for not discerning thy Body O let it be unto me according to my Faith Amen An Act of Humility I am a sinful wretch O Lord and yet if I bid thee depart from me I banish all true happiness from my Soul I long for thy presence but how shall I entertain thee thou wast born of a pure Virgin wrapped in clean linnen laid in a new Tomb and dwellest now where nothing defiled can enter but never was there so unworthy an Apartment prepared for thee as my polluted heart into which I durst not presume to bring thee but that I know thou canst make it clean However when by Faith I see that Body which all the Angels of Heaven worship I cannot but abhor myself in Dust and Ashes I am amazed to see such a Majesty come to visit a Sin-sick Soul in so poor a Cottage yea I cannot but tremble at thy presence O thou King of Glory because I am so overspread with the filth of sin But I will lament those corruptions which I cannot fully purge away and beseech thee not to despise me though I do deserve it I do profess my self unworthy but thy condescension in stooping to me will be the more illustrious k Majoris enim pretii beneficium est quod praestatur indignis Salvian and if thou hast less delight in me for the present thou shalt have more glory by me afterwards when thou hast changed my vile body and made it like to thy glorious Body according to thy mighty Power Amen §. 5. Which was given for thee An Act of Love Holy Jesus I am not worthy to touch this blessed Body as it is thine yet I presume to approach because thy Love hath made it mine This is the Sacrifice for my Sins the price of my Redemption and that by which my Soul was ransomed from Hell and rescued from a dreadful Execution it was given for me and it shall now be given to me And hast thou prepared such a propitiation for me and offered it unto me which is dearer to thee than thousands of Gold and Silver Lord I am even ravished with thy Love and transported with affection to thee who hast regarded me a forlorn Creature and disappointed my Enemies that waited to see my fall Dear Saviour I will love thee with all my Powers and strive and pray that I may love thee more and more as fervently as ever any of thy Saints have done I will give my self unto thee and despise all other things in comparison of thee and when I have once tasted of this all-saving Sacrifice which was given for me I am perswaded that neither Life nor Death pleasure nor pain things prâ—sent or things to come shall ever be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen §. 6. Preserve thy Body and Soul to Everlasting Life An Act of Desire O my Coelestial food the Bread that came down from Heaven how doth thy sweetness and my own necessities invite me My body alas is liable to temporal my Soul to Eternal Death and behold here is the Medicine of immortality which will remove the sting of the first and destroy the power of the second Death which will fill me with the graces which I want fit me for the glory which I desire and advance my Soul and Body above the power of Corruption I feel a mighty hunger created in me an Appetite kindled after these incomparable dainties which nothing but this Heavenly Manna can satisfie Behold I despise the meat which perisheth and feedeth for destruction and I long with a great impatience to taste of this Body of Christ of which I may eat and live for ever which will make the Grave unable to hold me and Hell not to dare to shut its mouth upon me O make no long tarrying but give me now and ever this Bread for I desire nothing but Christ and if I want this repast I shall faint or die before I come to the Mount of God A Meditation when the Bread is offered to us §. 7. Take and Eat this An Act of Admiration Whence is it that my Lord himself should come to me No sooner doth his voice sound in my ears but my heart within me leaps for joy Oh blessed tidings to my poor Soul almost famished with feeding on husks and vanity faint and languishing with grief and fear and behold thou sayst Take and Eat thou offerest thy self unto me and commandest me to feast upon thy own flesh
forth the Death of Christ and that homage and service which thou commandest us to perform Wherefore Dear Lord be thou pleased with this so sincere though poor acknowledgment not weighing or considering our merits by which we cannot pretend any right to thy acceptance but pardoning our offences which might cause thee to reject us Oh do thou deal thus with us through the Merits and Intercession of Iesus Christ our Lord by whom as our Mediator and with whom as thy only Son in the unity of and together with the Holy Ghost we desire all honour and glory may be given unto thee O Father Almighty both now in this World and for ever in the World which is without end Amen SECT III. Of the second Prayer in the Post-Communion § 1. WHen we communicate often it may be very grateful and sometimes very helpful to our devotion to vary the form for which cause the Church hath supplyed us with an other Prayer that so according to the temper of our spirit we may make our choice This being more full of praises and acknowledgments will be most fit when our minds have a joyful sense of the benefits received in this Sacrament as the former consisting chiefly of Vows and resolutions is more proper when we would express our selves in love or duty And yet we may use either of them at any time because neither doth the former want Thanksgivings nor this Petitions for Grace The Composition of this also is regular and judicious pious and extracted out of antient forms and as the former Prayer it will not only serve to close our Devotions within the Temple a Non est vera Religio quae cum templo relinquitur Lactantius but it offers very useful Meditations for the Closet also after we return home as the ensuing method will demonstrate The Analysis of the Second Prayer in the Post-Communion § 2. This Second Prayer consists of Four Parts 1. A hearty Thanksgiving for the present Favour describing 1. The Object of our Praise Almighty and everlasting God we most heartily thank thee 2. The Subject thereof for that thou hast vouchsafed to feed us who have duly received these holy Mysteries with the spiritual Food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Iesus Christ 2. A free Confession of the Benefits assured thereby 1. In possession 1. The Love of God And dost assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us 2. Union with the Saints and that we are very Members incorporate into the mystical Body of thy Son which is the blessed Company of all faithful People 2. In reversion Eternal Life And are also Heirs through hope of thy everlasting Kingdom by the Merits of the most precious Death and Passion of thy dear Son 3. An humble Petition that we may retain them shewing 1. The Thing requested And we most humbly beseech thee O heavenly Father so to assist us with thy Grace 2. The Ends why we do request it viz. for 1. Perseverance that we may continue in that holy Fellowship 2. Fruitfulness and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in 3. The Motive to obtain it Through Iesus Christ our Lord 4. A concluding Doxologie to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory world without end Amen A Practical Discourse upon the second Prayer with Meditations after the Communion § 3. Almighty and everliving God we most heartily thank thee for that thou hast vouchsafed to feed us who have duly received these holy Mysteries with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Iesus Christ This Act of Thanksgiving may be expressed in various words but it must not be omitted after the Communion and therefore it is put into both these forms We ought not at any time rudely to ask for blessings from God until we have prepared the way by Praises b Arrogans oratio si ab homine quid petiturus dicas statim da mihi hoc Peto Debet inchoari oratio à laude Dei ut sequatur supplicatio Ambr. de Sacr. l. 6. c. 5. But having so lately received so great mercy it would be unsufferable to pray for more till we have acknowledged that which is already bestowed on us And by confessing the former mercy in the very entrance of this Prayer we do both encourage our selves to ask and expect further blessings c Sequentium rerum certitudo est praeteritorum exhibitio Greg. in Evang. hom 1. and we do also by our gratitude engage the Almighty to give us more d Ascensus gratiarum descensus gratias Cassiod Efficacissimum genus est rogandi gratias agere Plin. Paneg. Indignus est dandis qui ingratus est pro datis Aug. de temp 112. Besides the very gift it self now imparted to us is the greatest and the best the most sweet and most necessary for us in the World we bless God for our daily Bread our common food how much more then ought we to praise him for this spiritual food which nourisheth our Souls unto life everlasting True it is that carnal and unworthy Receivers have little cause of joy e Sacrificia non sanctificant hominem non enim indiget Deus sacrificio sed conscientia ejus qui offert sanctificat hominem pura existens Irenae l. 4. c. 34. for they have eat the Bread and drank the Wine not discerning the Lords Body and Blood but those that prepared themselves by Repentance and received by Faith those I say have fed upon the spiritual part and therefore they have the most reason with all their powers to bless the Lord in this wise An Act of Thanksgiving It is a mighty favour to me O my God that thou hast made bread to grow out of the Earth to nourish my mortal body but O how far hast thou transcended that mercy in giving me the Bread of Life from Heaven to feed my immortal Soul Whom was there in Heaven or Earth that I could have wished for in comparison of Jesus Christ and now thou hast given him to me whom my Soul longed for and in him thou hast given me all for he is all in all He is the fairest of ten thousand for whose sake I will trample upon all that this World accounts desirable O my Soul bless thou the Lord I came not to gaze at or taste of the outward part but to satisfie the longings of my sin-sick Soul by laying hold of the merits of a Crucified Saviour yet I have received the Sacred Elements and thou hast made them to me that which I needed and desired even the Body and Blood of thy Son I have received his flesh in Sacrament but his grace in reality f Ideo in similitudine quidem accipis sacramentum sed verae naturae gratiam virtutemque consequeâ—is Ambr. de sacr l. 6. And O how it fills my Soul with joy to behold thy Majesty
sins of the World receive our Prayer Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father have mercy upon us As the Father is the Object so the Son is the Subject of the Angelick Praises wherefore in the next place we are to glorifie him who is remembred and represented given by God and received by us in this Mystery It is usual at the Entertainment of great Princes by a Herauld to proclaim their Names Stile and Titles with great solemnity Even so the pious Soul which hath now received her dearest Lord doth with a mighty pleasure repeat all the names belonging to his Person to his Nature and his Offices and thereby declare the Majesty and Glory the Mercy and Goodness of him whom she hath now accepted for her Lord and King And whilst we are setting out his glories we do also invocate him by all these honourable and endearing Names that he will imploy his Power his Interest and Merits to make our Persons and our Prayers acceptable We behold him dying for the sins of all the World and we cannot but beseech him to grant our Pardon We discern him sitting at the right hand of the Father interceeding for us and thereby we are encouraged to beseech him to pitty our miseries and accomplish our desires His glory and our necessity makes us beg this with ingeminated cries and a redoubled importunity saying as he once in his Agony did the very same words And thus we do at once provide for our own relief and do honour to the Blessed Jesus for this part is so contrived that it is a Confession of our Faith an acknowledgment of his Glory a Prayer and a Tanksgiving all in one and thus we may reduce it to a practical Meditation How shall we express thy welcom into our Souls Blessed Jesus or how shall we celebrate thy praise We will remember what thou art in thy self and what thou hast done for us for thou art glorious enough in thy own perfections O thou Eternal and only begotten Son of God equal to the Father who art thy self both Lord and God How lovely art thou O thou innocent Lamb of God encircled with millions of redeemed Souls whom thou hast washed in thy blood O how illustrious a brightness shines round about thee whilst thou art in the midst of all thy happiness interceding for poor Sinners I adore thee and long to do thee honour and I delight to see all the Angels of Heaven worshipping thee my Lord and my God Hast thou merited so much on Earth and hast thou so much glory in Heaven sweetest Saviour then sure I cannot perish Behold how many poor Souls are prostrate before thee admiring and publishing the merits of thy Death and the power of thy intercession hear our importunate Supplications and help us all therefore O Lord that we may be able by experience to proclaim thy goodness Amen § 6. For thou only art holy thou only art the Lord thou only O Christ with the Holy Ghost art most high in the glory of God the Father Amen This Phrase thou only art holy with some others in this Hymn are taken out of the Song of Moses and of the Lamb Revel 15.4 as that thou only art the Lord is from the first Ep. Tim. 6.15 g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apoc. 15.4 Vulg. Solus Pius es 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Timoth. 6.15 Non quod non aliis is titulus aliquo sensu tribuatur sed quia hoc quicquid est à Deo venit Grot. in 1 Tim. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Responsor ad Quaest Graec. There are indeed holy Angels and Saints and there are Lords many 1 Cor. 8.5 Yet none of these have a propriety in this Title because their holiness is imperfect and derived Only Jesus is Holy in and of himself and of his holiness all others do receive He is Holy and Hallowed because he halloweth and sanctifieth us as the Liturgy of St. James paraphraseth it h Solus tu sanctus es qui sanctificas sanctificaris Liturg. S. Jacob. He only is that Lord saith St. Augustine i Solus verus Dominus es qui Dominum non habes Aug. Confes l. 10. c. 36. who hath no other Lord above him For he only with the Holy Ghost is equal to the Father God blessed for ever And this is the reason why we exalt him so highly and pass by the Mediation of Saints and Angels because none is so holy none so mighty none so high in the favour of God nor none so gracious and loving to us as Jesus is This we do acknowledge therefore with all possible joy and triumph and it is a mighty rejoicing to our Spirits that he who hath given himself for us and is come to dwell with us is so High and so Magnificent And while it doth chear our hearts to set forth his glory our Enemies are confounded For while the Church triumphs the powers of darkness tremble at the mention of his perfections Let us then refresh our selves with some such Meditation We have exalted thee O Lord as high as we can and yet scarcely so high as really thou art We will apply our selves to thee only for Holiness for thou only art most Holy we will seek for succour and protection from thee for thou art the supream Lord of Lords and we will not doubt of acceptance with our Heavenly Father because thou art a Partner in his Divinity the highest Favourite of the Coelestial Court Thou art the greatest and the best in Heaven and Earth and to my endless comfort whatsoever thou art thou hast made thy self mine so that the greater thy glory is the greater is my happiness now by Faith hereafter by enjoyment 'T is true I cannot see thee with my bodily Eyes but I admire and bless thee I love thee with ecstasies of affection for thou art my Lord and I am thy servant I feel thy influence and I believe thy excellencies so that I can rejoice in thee with joy unspeakable and full of glory Thou art the highest in thy Fathers favour and in my esteem also to thee therefore with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for ever Amen The Paraphrase of the Angelick Hymn § 7. O come let us join with the Heavenly Host and sing Praises for the Redemption wrought by Jesus which bringeth so much Glory to God who dwells on high from all the Saints and Angels and which makes on Earth such a blessed Peace by reconciling us all to God and to one another and which also declares so great good will in the Almighty towards Men who had perished eternally without his Mercy Holy Father it is we that receive the benefit of this thy goodness wherefore We praise thee for the Power and we bless thee for the mercy of this great Salvation We worship thee with our Bodies and we glorifie thee with our Souls for thou hast redeemed them both We give
Christ for its Author than that Divine Prayer which ows its Original to the same person The Lords Prayer must be the most proper Introduction to the Lords Supper It seems our Saviour intended it should be joined to all our Offices of Devotion because he ushers it in with this Injunction Luke 11.2 When ye pray Say Our Father c. In Compliance wherewith as the Church hath again placed it at the entrance into this Service so let us repeat with a fresh Devotion Considering that these being the Words of the Son of a Agnoscat Pater filii verba Cypr. God will if duly repeated make way for the Acceptance of all the rest of our Petitions and Services And as there is nothing can be more agreeably united to the Intercession of Jâ—sus in Heaven in this our great rite of Supplication than that Prayer which himself hath indited So the form it self as the Ancients did explain it doth excellently agree b Oratio illa nihil terrenum habet sed omnia coelestia ad animum tendentia S. Germ. Theor. to this Mystery Wherefore passing by its Analysis and Discourse upon its several parts which we have done before Compan to the Temple We shall now as more pertinent to this Occasion by a brief Paraphrase direct the pious Soul how to apply it to the present duty The Paraphrase of the Lords Prayer § 2. We confess O Lord we are not worthy to be called thy Servants and yet desire so to be united to thy Son by Faith and to one another by Love that thou maist be Our Father in Jesus Christ by the visible remembrances of whose Death on Earth we set forth thy goodness which art in Heaven and not to be seen with mortal Eyes O let us so reverently celebrate this Mystery that Hallowed and adored by us and all the World may â—e thy Name for the Mercies of our Redemption And let us by this Manifestation of our Saviours love be won so fully to thy Obedience that thy Kingdom of Grace being set up in all our hearts we may be ready against thy Kingdom of Glory come where these outward signs shall cease and we shall see thee face to face In the mean time let this and every part of Thy will be done with the like sincerity and Devotion by us thy Servants in Earth as it is by thy holy Angels in Heaven who are now attending upon and desirous to look into these Mysteries But since we want that immediate fruition of thy glorious presence which those blessed Spirits do enjoy Give us at thy Holy Table which thou hast prepared for us â—his day that Bread of Life the Body of Christ c Et corpus ejus in pane censetur panem enim peti mandat quod solùm fidelibus est necessarium Tertul. de Orat. Ita Cypr. Hieron in Math. 6. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophil in Math. 6. which is as necessary for our Souls as our daily Bread is for our bodily sustenance And since thou hast admitted us to Feast upon the remainders of the great Sin-offering Be pleased by virtue of that expiation to pardon And forgive us fully and freely all our trespasses against thy divine Majesty as we moved by the experience of a greater mercy in this holy Sacrament do heartily forgive those that now or at any time in word or deed trespass against us Finally when with the expence of thy Sons blood thou hast reconciled us to thy self and to one another Let not the Enemy renew the breach And lead us not into evil circumstances lest we forgetting our vows should comply and fall into temptation again and so provoke thy Spirit to forsake us We are thine O Lord leave us not but deliver us as Members of thy dear Son from all the snares of the wicked one that we may be preserved from evil spiritual temporal and eternal And as a pledg thereof do thou in this Sacrament to these Petitions set thy Amen SECT II. Of the Collect for Purity § 1. THis Ancient and Devout Collect was retained not without great Prudence as being a most exact and compendious expression of our desires of Purity Nor could it be more conveniently placed since it is not only an excellent entrance for the Communion Office as the Discourse will manifest But a very proper Preface even when there is no Sacrament to the rehearsing of and examining our lives by the Ten Commandments to which it is immediately prefixed For if we hear the Law with an impure heart Sin will take occasion by a Rom. 7.8 Admonent enim saepe dum interdicuntur Cypr. de Spect. the Commandment to cause thoughts of desire after or delight in the very iniquity which is forbidden And then how is it possible we should heartily say Lord have mercy c. Or Incline our hearts c. So that we are obliged upon both accounts earnestly to beg a pure heart And that we may do it with a more knowing Devotion We shall open the particular Form by the following plain Division Discourse and Paraphrase The Analysis of the Collect for Purity Sect. 2. This Collect hath 3. Parts 1. The Reason of the Request Gods Omniscience which is expressed 1 Affirmatively Almighty God unto whom all hearts be open all desires known 2. Negatively From whom no secrets are hid 2. The Request it self viz. 1. The Matter of it Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts 2. The Means By the inspiration of thy holy Spirit 3. The end 1. Internal That we may perfectly love thee 2. External and worthily magnify thy holy name 3. The Argument used to obtain it through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen A Practical Discourse upon the Collect for Purity § 3. Almighty God unto whom all hearts be open all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid Of all the Divine Attributes there are none so likely to make us afraid in this our nearest approach to God of coming with an unclean heart as his Omnipotence and Omniscience And these therefore are in Scripture phrase here set before us to mind us that we b Jerem. 17.9 Psal 38 9. Cui omnis voluntas loquitur Missal Rom. Psal 44.21 Job 42.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Petlaei versio Lit. ex Heb. 4.13 Allusio ad victimas excoriatas suspensas dum sacerdos exta scrutatur come before an Almighty and All-seeing Majesty So that if any wickedness be but imagined in the heart desired by the will or acted by the hand in the darkest night or most secret corner it is apparent to him and he will condemn us for it unless we first condemn our own selves Which Consideration we may improve two ways First To shew how necessary it is for us to labour for pure hearts since we are about to draw near to him who is so able to punish and so sure to discover the most secret sins To whose power all things are subject and to whose
would have men do by us if we were so served we should think we had good cause to be moved and do we well to be angry let us observe whether the Almighty have not higher provocations by our denying to come to this mysterious Solemnity For first Let us consider who it is that invites not our equal nor our superiour in a few degrees but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who shews admirable condescension in that he will admit us and doth grace us by this invitation with the greatest honour of which we are capable Ahasuerus might have taken it ill if his Princes Esther 1.3 and Herod if his Captains Mark 6.21 had not attended their Royal Festivals But for us to reject the Feast with God is more impudent than for a Beggar to slight the relief of an Emperour more base than for a Malefactor to refuse to eat at the Table of that King who had lately sealed his Pardon and were desirous to shew him some more peculiaâ— token of his love Secondly Consider we whaâ— it is which is provided for us in this Feast it is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the World And oh how much it cost to furnish the Holy Table thus Hâ—aven was ransackt and the Son of God taken fâ—om the embraces of his Bosom and cloathed with râ—gs of humanity instead of Robes of Glory but this is not all this Jesus must be slain with most exquisite torments he must smart and bleed and die his body must be all broken and his vital blood poured forth beâ—ore he could become our Sacramental food God could more easily and with less expence have slain all Creatures in the World to treat us but Heaven and Earth with all their store could afford no other food but this at which an offended God and his sinful Creatures could Feast together nothing could make such a Sacrament but the remainders of that Sacrifice which expiated the sins of the whole World And can we dare we refuse to tast of that which was so dearly bought for us Perhaps we think it is but one dish 'T is true but in this one it is verified what the Jews boasted of their Manna Wisdom 16.20 viz. that it contains all kinds of tasts and sutes it self to every Appetite Christ alone is all in all Meat and Medicine Pardon to the Penitent light to the ignorant strength to the weak and comfort to the troubled Spirit he is all that we need or can desire And do we slightly pass it by Thirdly Add to this that we who are the Persons invited do own God for our God and call Jesus our Lord nay we have in our Baptism vowed to be his Servants and Souldiers so that to go back when he calls is treacherously to withdraw t In versione Graecâ Liturg. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Hebr. 10.38 39. h. e. signis relictis è bello aufugere from our Allegiance and to break our Baptismal Vow And besides we do starve our Souls by depriving them of this Heavenly food u Vt perdunt propriam mortalia corporia vitam Si nequeunt escas sumere corporeas Sic animae nisi deliciis rationis alantur Dum verbi aeterni pane carent pereunt Nam quid erit quod dira procul fastidia pellat Cum se ipso refugit Mens saturare Deo Prosp so that we are false to God and injurious to our selves if we come not to this Feast Fourthly Let us weigh the Reason why our Heavenly Father hath invited us hither it is no ordinary Festival but a most mysterious Rite wherein because we are so unapt to be wrought upon unless it be by sensible x In ratione sacrorum par est animae corporis causa nam plerumque quae non possunt per animam fieri fiunt per Corpus Servius ad Aen. things the Symbols which may be seen and tasted are contrived to remember us of our great expiation to encourage us to rely upon it to express the willingness of Jesus to pardon and receive us We come hither to behold the price of our Redemption to embrace Christ with all his graces and that we may with all possible joy and gratitude surrender up our Souls and all our powers to his service for ever We come to praise God to pray for all the World to exercise the graces which we have and to procure those which we want Wherefore let us take good heed lest by abstaining and refusing this Divine Ordinance we be found rejecters of Christ and despisers of the offers of his grace He that neglecteth that Ordinance wherein the whole design of the Gospel is Acted by the prepared Communicant wherein our Saâ—â—our is held out and remembred given and received will scarce acquit himself by pretending that he doth all this by Faith at home for if so why do not we act our Faith in Gods way or why do we omit the solemnity unless we would not be so publickly obliged We pretend we fear we shall offend God if we come But do we not anger him more by staying away without any endeavours to be fitted Is not God tender of having his love abused and his Son despised Can we think he will not be displeased at us whenas in this one act we affront his goodness and slight our own Salvation § 6. It is an easie matter for a man to say I will not Communicate because I am otherwise hindred with Worldly business But such excuses are not so easily accepted and allowed before God If the Lord would dispense with our Obedience as often and as easily as we can find out an Apology for our neglect we should never do any duty at all for he that is unwilling to obey and desirous to be deceived shall never want excuses so long as Satan can suggest them and though they be slight and trifling and such as we would not accept from our Neighbour yet we are so favourable in our own cause that we fancy they are sufficient to clear us before God but alas such excuses do never make the sin less and yet they make the Sinner more apt to do evil and more confident when he hath committed it Wherefore the Church doth prudently vouchsafe to examine the most principal of those poor pretences by which men are wont to put off their Communicating and to give them a particular answer First Our Worldly business and appointments our Company and concerns are such we say as cannot at this time be dispensed with And it is though rarely yet sometimâ—s possible some occasion may fall out which can not be put off nor could not be foreseen and yet must not be neglected and then it may for once excuse us but the Church minds us that this is not so easily accepted by God who knows the true state of our affairs as it is alledged by men to palliate their own unwillingness For First The Almighty
ever since by Jews or Christians or both with the greatest solemnity See how those blinded Jews rejoice over their Paschal Lamb in the midst of all their Calamities for the deliverance of their Fathers But we have a nobler Passover for a greater deliverance Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us therefore let us keep the Feast and that upon the precious Body and Blood of the Lamb of God who was slain but is alive again and behold he lives for evermore Wherefore I will go to thy Altar with joy and tell out thy works with gladness O most mighty Saviour who hast not only died for my sins but risen again for my Justification and indeed what comfort could I have found in this memorial of thy Death if it had not been for thy Resurrection this Sacrament would have only remembred thy sufferings and renewed my sorrow to think that so excellent a Person had perished in the attempt of my deliverance but now it is become a Feast of joy because it is an assurance of thy Resurrection as well as a Commemoration of thy Passion And since thou livest sweetest Jesus we live also thy Resurrection raiseth our hearts from sad despair it gives a new life to our hopes it makes our sorrows light our labours easie our lives chearful and our death advantage because it hath lost its sting and is become the gate into immortality We can charm all our fears and troubles with this one word The Lord is risen yea the Lord is risen indeed For thou hast washed us in thy own blood and made us Kings and Priests to God to offer up at this thy Altar never-ceasing Praises Therefore with Angels c. A Meditation for the Communion on Ascension-Day § 11. I see O merciful Jesus thou art content for our sakes to stay here upon Earth when Heaven longs for thy return thou hast these fourty days denied thy self the full fruition of thy glories to dispel the sorrow and confirm the Faith of thy Disciples and yet at last their tears and embraces shew how loth they are to depart from thee But behold the day of thy Triumph is come and the holy Myriads are sent to wait upon thee the Heavenly Singers that go before cry Open your selves ye everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in to whom the Angels which come out to meet him answer in extasies of amazement Who is the King of Glory and all the Chorus that follow after reply Even the Lord of Hosts he is the King of Glory and thus with hymns and joyful acclamations is Jesus welcomed to his antient and most glorious Throne And now O my soul why standest thou gazing into Heaven he is too high to be discerned too bright to be seen with mortal Eyes since Cherubins are dazled at his splendor He is gone to his proper place and ascended thither whither thy desires carry thee and where ere long thou shalt see him face to face Thou standest like Elisha looking after him and lamenting thy Masters departure but he hath left his Mantle behind him even the mysteries of this holy Sacrament which to thy Faith is the flesh which he was cloathed with all and is designed to convey a double portion of his spirit unto thee so that it appears he hath left his Love with us when his Person was taken from us Away then with these sighs and tears lament no longer the absence of thy Lord for he is in this Blessed Feast he is here in his comforts and graces here in his merits and his love and his spirit can Minister the same benefits hereby which his personal presence would have given thee Go then with all possible speed and taste of this Heavenly Provision delight in it above all the sweetnesses in the World because it contains so many pledges and emblems of thy glorious Redeemers love when thou beholdest him that is thy head so advanced make haste to unite thy self nearer to him by partaking of his Body and Blood that thou maist finally reign with him in the mean time raise up thy thoughts above this lower World declare thy desire to be with Jesus send thy heart before and protest if he had not left thee some little tastes of his sweetness in the repast of this holy Table by the way thou couldst not have endured so long without him There is nothing which he loves comparable with his Throne in Heaven unless it be an humble and thankful heart into which I am about to receive him and as the Coelestial Quire welcomed him thither so will I receive him with joy into my poor Soul Therefore with Angels c. A Meditation for the Communion on Whit-Sunday § 12. I will go to thy Altar O Lord with a New-Sacrifice of Praise because thou hast given me a fresh instance of thy Love this day thou art slow to punish thy Enemies but speedy to comfort thy servants for no sooner was thy misery changed into glory but we received the greatest demonstration of thy affections no sooner didst thou put on thy Crown in Heaven but the Earth felt the bounty of thy Dispensations for it was not possible for thee sweetest Jesus to let thy promise remain long unperformed or the sad expectations of thy Disciples unsatisfied Being assembled therefore this Day with one heart in one place they are suddenly surprized with wonder and inspired with a Heavenly Power such as they had never felt before vigorous as a mighty wind chearing as the morning light inflaming their hearts with zeal and filling their mouths with Anthems indited in the languages of all the World Oh wonderful change their ignorance is turned into learning their mistakes into infallibility their fear into courage their weakness into strength their sorrow into joy and they in a moment made able to confound the Arts and conquer the oppositions of the Heathen World and maugre all the devices of Satan to set up the Kingdom of the Lord Christ And shall not we praise thee for these miraculous dispensations by which the Gospel was made known even to us in these utmost corners and last of times Yes holy Jesus we will also meet with one accord at thy Table not doubting but thou wouldst give us the same measures of thy spirit there if our duty or our necessity did require it it is enough to us that thou knowest our needs more than will supply them we dare not ask less thou wilt not give Thou hast given us thy self wherefore we believe thou wilt not deny us thy spirit without which we can have no interest in thee nor benefit from thee We come not gracious Lord with the carnal Jews to devour thy flesh but to partake of thy spirit which only giveth life the flesh profiteth nothing Behold thy Spirit hath converted Millions let me therefore together with thy precious Body receive here such proportions of thy holy spirit as may suppress my evil affections revive my dead heart comfort
is given for you Our Heavenly Physician being about to cure the Diseases of our Souls having thus prepared the Remedy and presented it to us he doth first direct the use of it a Medicus non tantum curat sed etiam monet Sen. ep 94. and Secondly Tell us what it is We are not taught to carry it about to gaze at and to be adored but to Take and Eat it For Christ having made himself a Sin-offering for us desires that Sacrifice may be accepted as ours and would have us to share in the benefits thereof wherefore he hath made this a Peace-offering as the memorial of it and invited us to take and eat our Portion that so he may be one with us and we with him And when we hear him so lovingly call us to feast with God upon the remainders we may very fitly fall into these Contemplations There is indeed a mighty difference between the feeding of my Body and the refreshing of my Soul that which enters in by the mouth cannot of it self reach thither yet I am commanded when I come for spiritual relief to Take and Eat and I will not enquire but obey because he that prescribes this method can work wonders and at once satisfie both Body and Soul wherefore I will perform the outward part and at the same time lift up my Soul above these visible representations and being sensible of my offences against Heaven while my mouth is chewing the holy Bread my Faith b Quod esca est carni hoc animae fides Cypr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil shall feast upon the satisfaction made by my Redeemers Passion until I find my Soul is nourished with the Joy the Peace and the Comfort which it draws from thence As he hath made his Oblation mine by his designing it for me so I will make it mine also by a particular application O strengthen my hand by a lively Faith and open my mouth by fervent desires so will I take and eat this and rejoice in so lively an Emblem which leads me into that within the vail and while I am performing the bodily part let my soul feel the spiritual efficacy of thy grace that I may not eat unworthily or to Condemnation Lord I feed upon thy love I lay hold upon thy Promises I will take and eat these as well as the material part if thou wilt please to enable me so to do Furthermore lest I should be mistaken and either not understand or not believe the true worth of this incomparable gift he is pleased to tell me what it is This is my Body saith he which is given for you and by that word he makes it to be so to every true Believer wherefore the Minister ought to pronounce this so reverently and so deliberately that the Communicants may have time to exercise their Faith because their senses cannot discover any material alteration For the true understanding whereof let me here digress a little for the satisfaction of such as are not prejudiced nor contentious We know how stifly the Roman Church contends for the literal exposition of this Text and what Tragedies have been acted upon those who did not so understand it but we have great reason to believe That our Saviour did not intend by these words to change the substance of the Bread and Wine into his natural Flesh and Blood For I. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This being Neuter cannot agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bread which is Masculine and it is very probable that our Lord did herein as in other things imitate that Phrase which the Jews used at the Feast of the Passover This is the Bread of affliction which our Fathers did eat c. and This is the Body of the Paschal Lamb which our Fathers did eat c. as the Talmud tract de Pasch declares For as that was not the very Bread nor the very Lamb yet they called it so because it did represent and continue the memorial of that and was used to the same purpose so in like manner He calls this his own Body who was the true Paschal Lamb because This Action doth signifie and remember it and by this Bread we are partakers thereof Secondly St. Paul the best interpreter of his Master expounds This is my Body and Blood by this is the Communion of my Body and Blood 1 Cor. 10.16 that is most plainly This blessed Bread is that which will make you partakers of Christs Body c. and 1 Cor. 11.26 he calls it no more but Bread even after the Consecration ver 24 25. And the same Apostle c Solet autem res quae significat ejus rei nomine quam significat nuncupari ut Petra erat Christus Hebraeis non signum Christi dicit Apostolus Aug. in Levit. Quaest 57. saith That Rock was Christ d 1 Cor. 10.4 not intending to make us believe the Rock was Transubstantiate but only that it was the figure and symbol of Christ and so might be called by his name Thirdly Nor did the most antient Fathers thus apprehend our Saviours meaning when they called this the Antitype of his Body the Type of a great Mystery the Figure of his Body and a Symbol called by the name of his Body e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Mys cat 5. Hoc est corpus meum i. e. figura corporis mei Tertul. in Marc. l. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. Ego sum panis vitae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. Hoc est corpus meum Theod. Dial. cap. 8. and much more to this purpose Fourthly Nor will this opinion of Transubstantiation agree with the most antient Liturgies for in the most genuine part of them the Prayer of Consecration all those forms called from St. James St. Clement St. Basil and St. Chrysostome do pray after they have pronounced the words of Christ This is my Body that the Holy Spirit may descend and make that Bread so they still call it the Body and that Cup the Blood of Christ Yea in the Roman Church it self one of the most authentick parts of the Canon of the Mass hath these words That this Oblation may be made Vnto us the body and blood of thy most beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ Which doubtless may be done without any real change in the Elements themselves Yea and in the last part of the Canon long after the Priest hath said Hâ—c est Corpus meum by which they suppose the substances to be changed they say Through Jesus Christ our Lord by whom thou dost always create sanctifie quicken bless and give us these good things Which words being only applicable to the Bread and Wine do shew f Haeretici hujus seculi rident hanc Canonis particulam eò quod post Consecrationem adjecta sit quasi ea verba intelligi nequeunt nisi de pane vino nam Corpus sanguinem Christi non
shew his all-sufficiency for the life of our Souls And of all kinds of drink he hath chose Wine to represent his most precious blood for this is called the blood of the Grape m Deut. 32.14 1 Macc. 6.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem Alex. paed l. 2. and in colour comes the nearest to it this minds us of Jesus who is the true Vine John 15.1 and of the Wine-Press of his Fathers wrath Isai 63.2 3. wherein he was grievously pressed till all his holy blood yea and his Soul was exhausted And as Wine was given to chear mans heart n Jud. 9.13 Psal 104.15 Duo sunt liquores corporibus humanis gratissimi intus vini foris olei Plin. l. 4 c. 22. item ap Homer Il. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Odyss β. and raise his decaying spirits so was the blood of Jesus shed to revive poor disconsolate sinners with the hopes of the divine favour It was the Custom among the Jews for the Master of the Family after Supper to take a Cup of Wine in both hands and giving thanks to him that created the fruit of the Vine to drink to all the Guests as a Symbol of Charity Fag in Deut. 8.10 and among the Gentiles also their Feasts were concluded o Postremo Graeci Mercurio litabant bono daemoni cui gratias agebant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alex. ab Alex. l. 5. c. 21. Schol. Aristop Mos erat cum mensa auferenda sit bono genio litare Hoc hoc mensa claudatur scypho Sen. with a Cup offered to their good genius But our Lord hath spiritualized these usages and here we may behold him with hands and eyes lift up to Heaven Consecrating this Cup for an Excellent Mystery that it may be a Cup of Salvation and of Charity and may be offered up with praise to the most high when therefore we see the holy Man beginning to bless the Wine also let us say within our selves Oh what preparations is our gracious Master making for us he thinks it not enough to give us his blessed body with the merit of all those torments which he suffered in the flesh but he is pleased to pour out his blood and his life together with it that we might drink thereof and so take as it were his very Soul into us p 〈◊〉 â—7 14 ita 〈…〉 llud Virgil. 〈…〉 vomit ille â—â—â—â—tam Secundum eâ—s inquit qui sanguinem animam dicunt Alas we are faint and feeble ready to die and languish and he hath made us a Cordial with his own hearts blood miserable wretches as we are that nothing less will help us but oh how gracious a Redeemer have we that will not deny us this behold O Lord we thirst and this Wine of joy makes us more q Non facile esuriens positâ retinebere mensâ Et multum saliens incitat unda sitim Ovid. impatient to tast of this Cup of Salvation and Thanksgiving thou that hast prepared it for us make it thy holy blood and then it shall cleanse our Souls and make us thine for ever § 12. He gave it to them saying Drink ye all of this for this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for you and for many for the Remission of Sins Since our Saviour did give the Cup to every one of his Disciples and plainly commands both them and us all to drink of it r Math. 26.27 1 Cor. 12.13 Et Vulg. Editio Pontificiis Authentica 1 Cor. 10.17 addit Et de uno calice we have cause to bless God that we are not of that Church which hath lately Å¿ Secundum antiquam Ecclesiae consuetudinem omnes tam corpori quam sanguini communicabant quod etiam adhuc in quibusdam Ecclesiis servatur Aquin. in Johan 6. robbed the people of half the Sacrament and I wish that as the Legacy is preserved to us intire and a double portion provided for us that we would endeavour to receive with twice as much devotion as they do Furthermore when we hear the most efficacious words of Christ pronounced we must exercise our Faith and not only join our desires that this Wine may become the Blood of Christ but with our hearts say Amen for it is unto us according to our Faith if we believe it is to us the Blood of Christ and that which makes us partakers t 1 Cor. 10.16 communicatio sanguinis Christi Vatab. idem in Margin annotae vel participatio Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the benefits thereof And although it be still Wine unto our senses because we naturally abhor to drink humane blood u Similitudinem pretiâ—si sanguinis bibis ut nullus horror cruoris sit pretium tamen operetur Redemptionis Ambros de sacr lâ—b 4 cap. 4. yet by the power of Jesus and the mercy of God it shall make our attonement be accepted as fully for our expiation as if our own lives had been laid down or our own blood spilt in a Sin-offering For it is now to be esteemed as the blood of the New Covenant or Testament w Math. 26.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h. e. propriè â—â—â—guis novi foederis 〈◊〉 Grot. Ham. annâ—â— in Titul Beza in lâ—cum Latini autem Testamentum vertunt Grotius For the Original word signifies both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the first and common sense it is used for a Covenant and those of old were confirmed with blood x Exod. 24.8 Haustu mutui sanguinis foedus faciunt de Scythis Herodot l. 4. Quod idem refert etiam de Medis ut Solinus Cap. 20. but this New-Covenant between God and Man could not be made without it because God could not in justice grant remission unless some blood were spilt the visible Soul being given as a ransom for the invisible and this most precious Blood of Christ is that which was shed to appease the divine anger and so to engage God to enter into this Covenant with us wherefore it may be called the Blood of the New Covenant Secondly This word also is used for a Testament or Will y Heb. 9.16 17. Testamentum est voluntas defuncti Quintil. Viventis nulla est haereditas Digest Roman J. C. dicunt Testamentum morte confirmatur Grot. by this account we call the Gospel the New-Testament because it contains our Lords Will and therein he hath left us as Legacies his Merits and Graces his Spirit and his Peace and secured them to us by his Promise wherefore when we see this holy Blood it is to us as it were the Seal of the New-Testament because it shews us that the Testator hath dyed and consequently assures us that all those promises shall be made good unto us especially that of the pardon of our Sins for since we and many had deserved Eternal Death by our offences this Blood was poured forth to procure a Pardon not for us alone but for
yea upon all thy Merits and Graces Lord thou reachest out most freely that which I need infinitely and that which I wish for above all things Adored be thy admirable bounty in complyance wherewith unworthy though I am I do stretch out a trembling hand I do open my mouth yea my heart to receive thee Open your Doors O ye Gates of my Soul and the King of Glory shall come in Rejoice and be exceeding glad for behold thy King cometh meek and lowly to visit the meanest of his servants Come Lord Jesus come quickly A Meditation while we Eat the Bread §. 8. In remembrance that Christ died for thee An Act of Contrition O my Soul behold how thou hast incensed the Majesty of Heaven see how he gives up the most innocent and most holy Jesus thy best thy only friend and his own dear Son to be tortured and tormented for thy Sins O how cruelly was he scourged with whips wounded with Thorns loaden with the Cross torn with Nails pierced with a Spear and rackt on the most painful instrument of Death His lovely Face is defiled with blood and spitting his Ears filled with taunts and curses his Eyes drenched in tears for the ruine of his Enemies and his Soul amazed at the terrors of the divine wrath till at length all wounded broken and bloody with many groans yet with admirable patience he breaths out his holy Soul And yet whatever he suffered was my portion My pleasure hath been his pain my wicked life hath caused his bitter death Wretch that I am to live in such a manner that nothing else could satisfie or make my Peace But here I come this day to call my sin to remembrance I will look on thee whom I have pierced with a most tender and sympathizing affection and while I break this holy Bread with my Teeth I will commemorate how thou wast bruised for our iniquities and how our offences did grind thee with grief and pain Holy Saviour I am angry at my self and full of anguish to see what I hâ—ve brought upon thee I am sorry with all my heart that I have given harbour to thy Murtherers but I hope this most dismal spectacle l Est enim tanta vis crucis Christi ut si ante oculos ponatur in mente fidelitèr retineatur ita ut in ipsam mortem Christi intentis oculis adspiciatur nulla concupiscentia nulla libido nullus furor nulla potest superare invidia Origen in 7. ad Rom. shall mortifie in me all desires after Evil and make me abhor all those desperate pleasures which must be so dearly paid for by thee or else stand charged upon my Account for ever No no I will never crucifie thee again by renewing my disobedience for I have done too much already A Meditation after the receiving of the Bread §. 9. And feed on him in thy heart by Faith with thanksgiving An Act of particular Application and Gratitude Hail holy Lamb of God thrice welcome art thou to a poor perishing Sinner was it not enough that thou shouldst suffer so much for me but thou wilt also give all the purchase of those sufferings to me thy loving kindness is truly admirable Thou hast taken my sins on thy self and communicated thy Righteousness unto my Soul Lord while I believe and consider the benefits of thy Passion I am revived and filled with an unwonted vigour My Conscience doth accuse me of many and grievous sins but I do here most humbly and thankfully set forth this perfect Sin-offering before thy divine Majesty and I know thou canst not except against it I believe it is sufficient to attone thy anger what I owe he hath discharged what I have deserved he hath endured so that for his sake I hâ—pe thou wilt set me free Blessed Jesus how is my Soul refreshed that it is thus restored again to thy Fathers Love Let Heaven and Earth praise thee and declare the merit of this glorious Sacrifice and I will bless thee while I have my being I will love thee because thou hast loved me better than thy own life my heart shall feast with joy and Eucharist upon the pleasures and Comforts which I expect to draw from this Coelestial food I have received thine immaculate Body and it shall cleanse my sinful body and teach me by the vertue of so rare an example to relieve my poor Brethren for whom thou hast died and to conquer my Enemies by my Charity for thus thou hast done to me And both my lips and my life shall set forth thy Praise I begin to feel my self one with thee already and I will wait till I am perfectly united to thee in Everlasting Glory Amen Meditations before the receiving of the Cup. §. 10. The blood of our Lord Iesus Christ An Act of Acknowledgment It will not suffice me Dearest Saviour to receive thee in part only for I must be wholly thine and blessed be thy Name thou art willing to be wholly mine also Thou hast already given me thy holy Body to cleanse my nature and now thou art preparing thy precious Blood to wash away my guilt My sins have poured out every drop thereof wherefore thou presentest it to me by it self to shew how truly thou didst suffer Death for me And now O my Redeemer thou hast said this Cup is the Communion of thy blood and thy Truth is unquestionable thy power is infinite and thy love was such that thou gavest thy hearts blood for me I will receive it therefore as the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant the seal of all the Promises of thy holy Gospel I have indeed vile Sinner that I am drunk in iniquity like water and therefore am unfit to taste this Water of Life and yet I shall perish without it for I am all over defiled and this is the fountain which thou hast opened to cleanse us I am scorched with the flames of evil Lusts and unruly Passions and this is the Cup which thou hast provided to cool and refresh us O thou Medicine of immortality my Soul longeth for thee what value is sufficient for me to put upon this Heavenly Cordial how can I reverence it enough since the God of Heaven esteemed it a price sufficient for millions of perishing Mankind Lord let me taste and my soul shall live let me wash in this Laver before I come to thy great Tribunal so shall I be whiter than Snow §. 11. Which was shed for thee An Act of Repentance mixed with Faith Was there ever so base a wretch as I have been who have accounted those sins small and trivial yea and made them my sport and pleasure which have pressed down and wounded the holy Jesus till he is all over drenched in his own blood Woe is me I have easily committed that which nothing but these streams can wash away O ye accursed Lusts ye have by wicked hands taken Crucified and slain the Lord of Life and if he had
made An Act of acknowledgment Part. III. Most merciful Jesus although thou reservest the fâ—ll manifestations of thy love to my Soul till the glorious Resurrection yet as if thou wert impatient of so long a stay thou hast sealed at present thy gracious donative and my comfortable Title to a never-fading Crown Thou hast dearly bought it for me and thou hast freely given it to me wherefore I will vigorously endeavour after it patiently wait for it and chearfully expect it Ah my dearest Saviour I am here vexed with Crosses oppressed with Enemies troubled with corruptions and tossed on the waves of a thousand sins and miseries But it is my comfort amidst all these sorrows to receive this assurance that I shall ere long be translated into a blissful state never to know sin or feel pain to be in danger of Enemies or fear of Evil any more Oh how it enlightens my heart and makes my spirit vigorous to foresee the rest and peace the joy and pleasure to which I am consigned the glorious Society that waits for me Oh how welcom shall be that blessâ—d hour that summons me to enter into the joy of my Lord And whilst I stay I will behave my self O my Saviour as the Heir of thy Kingdom for I will destroy all Murtherers be they harboured in the most private retirements of my Soul I will pluck these Lusts from thence for they have crucified thee and they would still exclude me from those felicities which thou hast offered to me Lord I will hate every thing that keeps me from Heaven and love nothing but what may further me in my way thither I am resolved by the help of thy grace to live as one that is above all the trifling pleasures and sorrows of this lower World and I hope to demean my self as an Heir of Glory as one designed to be a Companion of Angels and to partake of thy bliss for ever and ever Amen So be it § 7. And we most humbly beseech thee O Heavenly Father so to assist us with thy grace that we may continue in that holy Fellowship and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in That goodness which hath bestowed so many and great favours upon us hath encouraged us to ask more Å¿ Ex perceptione praeteritorum munerum firma fit expectatio futurorum Bern. de temp And since we learn from St. John 1 Ep. 1. Chap. ver 6. that we can have no fellowship with Jesus if we walk in darkness and since St. Paul assures us Ephes 2.10 that the end of our Regeneration through Christ is that we may do those good works which God hath prepared for us to walk in Therefore the Church hath taught us in the next place to pray for such grace as may testifie the truth of our Union with Jesus and preserve the good things which we have received and in vain have we taken these pledges of love in vain have we sought to be united to Christ and his mystical Body in vain are all our hopes of Heaven unless we do hereafter persevere and bring forth good fruits t Et fides ipsa ut nativitas non accepta sed custodita vivificat Cypr. Non quaeruntur in Christianis initia sed finis Hieron We were fed with this Heavenly food not to fatten us with pride but to strengthen us for our journey this being given us as a Viaticum or repast to make us travel more chearfully in our way to the Heavenly Canaan u Vt Pascha Hebraeis ante iter per desertum Exod. 12.10 11. unde Philoni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur Sacrificia propter viam vide apud Macrob. Saturn lib. 2. c. 2. There was no other reason of Gods renewing us and giving us new favours but only that we might walk in newness of life Now because we cannot either continue in this blessed Society or do good works agreeable thereto without the help of Gods grace we must most humbly beseech our Heavenly Father who knows our necessity constantly and plentifully to assist us with his Grace that we may be such as Jesus is and do so as the Saints have done to whom we are united He is a root full of all sweetness and they all bring forth much fruit who are engrafted in him so that if we be barren of good works we are dead Branches and have no true Communion with Christ or our Brethren Pray we then with all possible fervency that we may never be cut off from this blessed Society nor want that grace which consolidates the Union O what honour and advantage what pleasure and reward shall we have by our perseverance Let not sinful vanities entice us to leave this sweetness let not the difficulty of obedience the fear of sufferings nor the terrors of Death affright us from it but let us go on in the path which God hath marked out both for us and all good Christians to walk in so shall we come to the same blessed end even Everlasting Glory But because so many men fancy their duty to be at an end as soon as they have praised God made fair promises and prayed unto him for his Grace and so grow remiss w Improbus quoad metuit omnia est promissurus simulatque timere defierit similis est futurus sui Cicer. 2 Phil yea and profane afterwards to the great scandal of this Sacrament and the ruine of their own Souls We must now shew that it is necessary we should practise as well as promise x Coneordet sermo cum vitâ ille promissum suum implevit qui cum videas illum cum audias idem est Sen. ep 75. and endeavour after and exercise the grace of God as well as pray for it y Et oratione operatio operatione fulciatur oratio Hieron in Thren 3.41 or else all our Petitions are Hypocrisie z Tanta sollicitudine petere audebis quod in te positum recusabis Tertul. Interdum enim obnixe petimus quod recusaremus si quis offerret Sen. ep 95. and our carelesness will shew we did but mock the Almighty all the while Let us therefore seriously lay to heart 1. The sin and danger of basely relapsing 2. Let us learn the means of a blessed perseverance 1. The Sin appears by these Considerations 1. It is apparent folly and madness for us to cast away those hopes and comforts which we have obtained with so much pains a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrian in Epic l. 2. meerly by inconsideration or to please a base Lust so that the Scripture compares such to bruit Beasts b Jerem. 8.6 2 Pet. 2.21 Psal 49. ult And verily Man being advanced to this honour and yet not understanding and valuing it is worse than the Beasts that perish for nothing is more bruitish than to lose peace of Conscience the love of God and the hopes of Heaven for the short and miserable