is a vvretched and a miserable thing to see a Christian maÌ„s heart disposed noe better then the heart of a prophane heatheÌ„ that his labour trauaile should be employed for no higher end for no greater nor better things then a blind ignorant pagan labours for It must needs argue a mind not truly enlightned as yet vvith the sauing knowledge of spiritual things vvhen as it can mind nothing else but earthly things And this is the cause vvhy so fevv professing Christianitie doe manifest any strong desires or carefull sollicitude For things eternall euen because they lye yet in darkenesse and ignorance of them Not hauing the eyes of their vnderstanding opened to see the spiritual Ioy glory fellecitie of Gods chosen In Christ for if they did once see them it vvere impossible that they could esteeme so much of earthly or transitory pleasures but that their hearts vvould be rauished tovvards heauen and all things in this vvorld vvould be as dung in their eyes for vvhat man is there vvho getting a sight of a princely pallace full of inestimable treasures and pleasures vnto the vvhich he is invited vvhen hee himselfe dvvells in a poore miserable cottage in the mids of a barren wildernes that vvould not gladlie forsake this poore cottage enioy this princely pallace and yet there is much more difference betvveene heauen and earth the things of this life and the things of the life to come the foode of our bodies and the foode of our soules VVhat vvretched and miserable fooles are these vvhich knovving that Heauen is infinitlie aboue this earth and that to liue vvith God is vnspeakeablie better then any estate can be in this life that still their thoughts should be drovvned in the cares of this life and neuer lifted vp to those vnspeakable ioyes vvhich are at the right hand of God vvhere Christ is The point then is this Christ vvill haue vs to knovv that our hearts must be freed from the cares of this vvorld before vve can set our selues to seeke things that are spirituall and heauenly Euen as a man if he vvill transplant a tree and set it in a better ground he must first loose it from the earth vvhere in it groweth and in vvhich it is rooted for othervvise he may vvell breake it or destroy it but transplant it he cannot euen so mans heart that is rooted in the things of this life and naturally set vpon them it is in vaine to thinke that it can be set vpon things that are aboue vntill this stronge hold it hath on earth be first loosed for no tree is so fast rooted in earth as mans heart is in earthlie things and it is a greater difficultie to plucke the thoughts of mans heart from the care of earthlie things then to â—ayse the deepest tree that euer vvas in the earth let men therefore take this vvarning from Iesus Christ that if they vvill seeke the bread of eternall life they must first haue their hearts free from the careful seeking of the bread of this life Novv let vs come to speake of that for vvhich vve should labour The discription vvhereof is set dovvne in these vvorlds Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that meat vvhich endureth vnto eternal life In this description is set dovvn not only that for vvhich vve should labour but a forcible argument to moue vs to labour for it and to dissuade vs froÌ„ labouring for the other this argument is taken from the nature of the meat For vvhich vve should not labour and from the nature of that meat for vvhich vve should labour vvhich shevves then to be in nature contrarie the one to the other and it stands in this that the one perisheth and the other endureth so that Christs reason is after this manner labour not for temporal meat because it perisheth but labour for spirituall meat because it endureth Let vs novv briefly consider these reasons Touching the first it cannot be but a sore vexation to a mans heart vvhen God giues him eyes to see it that of all hee labours for vnder the sunne during all the dayes of his life ther is nothing of it that vvill remaine vvith him but it vvill perish and decay but this is one of the greatest vanities argues the most miserable corruption of mans heart vnder the sunne that either they cannot or they vvil not see this that all things of this vvorld are perishing vanities men naturallie are giuen to think that both themselues their substance shall endure long and continue for euer euen as the â—ich glutton that pulld dovvne his barnes and built them bigger said vnto his soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid vp for manie yeares he neither dreamed of dying himselfe nor of the decaying of his transitorie substance yet poore vvretch it vvas told him that to morrovv he should dye if vvee could therefore thinke vpon this that euerie moment vvee stand in danger either to be taken from the things of this vvorld or to haue them taken from vs it were impossible that we should take such care for vvhat vve should eate or vvhat vve should drinke c. yea if vvee vvould but marke that vvhich the Apostle speaks to the Col. concerning the food of our bodies it vvould be an argument to make vs lay aside the solicitude and care for them seing as the Apostle saith they perish euen in the very vsing of theÌ„ and therfore the same Apostle in the 1. Cor. 7. vvills them that marry to be as if they married not and them that possessed as if they possessed not Because saith hee the fashion or shape of this vvorld passeth a vvay and all shall once come to an end therfore it vvere happy for vs if vve could know thus much that vve are but Pilgrims in this vvorld therfore must vse all things in it as Pilgrims vse their lodgings that is not setling vpon them nor resting in them as though vvee could dvvel heer for euer for our habitation is prepared for vs in heauen therefore vvee should passe through this earth as the Pilgrims doe their iourney vsing all things in this vvorld as trauellers doe to make them serue to further our iourney to heauen and not as clogs to hinder vs seing all that is heere vvill perish And yet further to consider this point mark hovv the Apostle makes it a strong reason in the 1. Cor. chap. 6. vers 13. vvhy men should not eate of any meat vvith offence of their brethren saying meat is ordained for the belly and the belly for meat and God shall destroy them both if men had hearts to consider this what reason could they haue to be carefull for meat which serues to satisfie their bellie vvhen both meat and bellie shall perish It is an ydle dreame for men to thinke that these parts of our bodies vvhich are only giuen for temporall vse in this life That I say vvee shall
haue any vse of them in heauen for there vve shall haue no vse of stomacks to disgest or bovvels to make convayance of our meat for nourishing these our bodies seing our bodies in heauen shal be immortall glorious like vnto the glorious bodie of the Sonne of God vvhen therefore vve are feeding our bodies and satisfying our bellies it is good for vs to thinke and remember that vve are feeding that vvhich shal perish that with food which shall likevvise perish that vve may learne neither to care too much for the bellie nor for food requisite vnto it Novv let vs consider the argument of the contrarie parte vvherby Christ perswades vs to labour for spirituall meat in vvhich vve are to obserue tvvo things The first is the nature of this heauenly food in it selfe all though vve neuer do enioy it vvhich is declared by this that it endureth The second is the effect of it in thē that get it vvhich is that it makes thē also to indure to liue eternally For the first vvee are to consider that all the spirituall gifts that God giues vs in Christ Iesus are all eternall and such as shall neuer perish vvhatsoeuer God gaue by creation it might be defaced and vtterlie vndone yea euen the chiefest gift that euer vvas giuen in nature to Adam vvhich vvas Gods Image vvas by Sathan extinquished and defaced and as the Scripture tells vs at the comming of Christ to iudgement the elements shall melt vvith fire and the earth and all the vvorks thereof shall perish and the heauens shall vvax ould as a garment and this vvhole vvorld shall come to an end but the gifts of sauing grace giuen vs in Christ can neuer be extinquished or defaced for as it is impossible to destroy the Sonne of God himselfe or that the sorrovves of death should haue held him vnder them or that the graue should haue povver to retaine him so is it impossible that Christ giuen vnto vs and his flesh vvhich vve eate and his blood vvhich vve drinke or the vertue of them in vs can euer possiblie bee defaced in vs and this is the reason that Christ saith that his flesh is meat in deed and his blood is drinke in deed for his flesh is not a perishing meat nor his blood a decaying drinke vvhich cannot endure as the nature of all other meat and drinke is but his flesh is euerlasting food and his blood euerlasting drinke and his grace as a vvell springing continuallie to euerlasting life men might thinke that by the death of our bodies the vertue of Iesus Christs flesh and blood vvere vtterlie perished but it is not so they that eate this flesh and drinke this blood shall find the vertue of his flesh blood euen vvhen they are rotten in the graue by the same povver vvhere vvith he raysed himselfe from the dead hee shall likevvise rayse them from the povver of death this then is the first thing vvhich vve are to consider in this food that it is an enduring meat But the next thing is a greater comfort vnto vs for this is not all the blessednes of this food and comfort of this argument to knovv that the flesh and blood of Christ are in themselues permanent and eternall but that vvhich chiefly refresheth our soules is this to know that vvhosoeuer pertakes of them shal pertake of eternall life vvith them this is a blessed thing in deed vvhen I knovv that not only the things vvhereof I am made pertaker are eternall but that I my selfe by pertaking of them shall be eternall as vvell as they VVhat can moue a man to seeke this meat if this doe it not vvhen vvee vnderstand that it hath this povver to vvork such a blessed effecte in him that is pertaker of it It is vndoubtedlie the miserable ignorance of this benefit vvhich comes by the flesh blood of Christ that makes men so careles to enioy them there is nothing in the vvorld that a man more desires then to liue for euer all that euer a man hath he vvill giue for his life that he may not see death but as Dauid saith in the 49. Psal No man can by any means redeeme his brother nor giue to God a ransome that he should liue for euer Indeed it is no temporall thing that can procure eternal life no not all the means that can be diuised eate vvhat a man can eate drink vvhat a man can drink yet he shal dye but heere is the comfort of a Christian that frō Christ he is fed vvith that meat that shall make him to liue for euer in such sorte that the gates of hel shal not preuaile against him neither death nor the graue shal haue povver ouer him but he shall haue a glorious triumph ouer them both so as he shall sing that ioyfull song o death where is thy sting o graue vvhere is the victory And this is no vvōder seing the causes of this life are eternall it cannot be but that the life that flovveth frō them must be eternall and they that are fed vvith him must needs liue eternally for all that we receaue from Christ is eternal the peace eternall the ioy life eternall this is that vvhervvith Christ comforts his disciples Iohn 16.22 saying Your ioy shall no man take from you Thus a child of God in the midst of all his troubles in the midst of the valley of the shadovv of death vvill feare no euill but can still reioyce in God his sauiour O hovv should this stir vp our hearts to seeke after this meat euē as the vvoman of Samaria in the 4. of Iohn the 15. vvhen Christ told her of vvater vvhich he had to giue vvhich vvhosoeuer did drink of should neuer be more a thirst she said Lord giue me of that vvater that I may not thirst any more nor come hether to draw Likevvise the Ievves in this same chapter vvhen Christ told them that the bread of God giues life to the vvorld they said vnto Christ Lord giue vs euer more of this bread euen so vvhen vve heare that they that eate the flesh and drinke the blood of Christ shall liue eternallie Should vvee not in our hearts desire it and beg of Christ to make vs pertakers of it and earnestly long to enioy it surely it must needs be a most lust thing vvith God to povvre dovvne heauie iudgment vpon this senceles age and sinfull generation of men vvho take greater pleasure to seeke after the stinking delights of this flesh and to vvallovv in their beastly lusts then to enioy this blessed bread that endures to euerlasting life for it is impossible for any man to haue perpetuitie of being vvithout this vvhen therefore vvee see other men to call their lands by their names so to perpetuate their names on earth let vs not follovv their foolish footsteps but if vve desire to liue for euer let vs labour for this meat vvhich endures to
suffered the chasticement of our peace in the full possession of the kingdome life and glorie vvhich hee hath purchased vnto vs filling him in that his man-hood vvithall fullnes of grace and glorie that out of his fullnes vvee might dravv grace so fitting this his flesh thus glorified to be the effectuall means of communicating life and glorie vnto vs in our flesh and for this cause it is that the Apostle doth proue that God shall iudge the vvorld by Christ the man by this argument to vvit because God had raised him vp from the dead Acts. 17.31 and the Apostle for this cause makes this the chiefe point of the knovvledge of Iesus Christ to vvit that vve haue such a high Priest that sitteth at the right hand of the throne of the maiestie in heauen Hebrevves the 8. and the 1. for allthough hee had beene man and in mans nature had suffered all punishments due to vs for our iniquities yet not vvithstanding if he had neuer beene raised from the dead and triumphed ouer the graue vvee could neuer haue hoped to haue attained to eternall life by his flesh for if that flesh of his had beene ouercome by death vve could neuer haue ouercome death in our flesh therefore it is that the Apostle builds our hope of life vpon the resurrection of Christ from the dead 1. Pet. chapt 1. vers 3. saying Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ vvho according to his aboundant mercie hath be gotten vs againe to the hope of life by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead And againe in the same chapter vers the 21. he saith thus that God raised him from the dead and gaue him glorie that our faith and hope might be in God and this is the fourth part of this seale The 5. and last part of this seale vvhich is the ground and foundation of the rest is this That this man in his flesh is not only by Gods eternall decree appointed and by the Fathers voyce from heauen ratified to be the only redeemer and life of the vvorld and confirmed to be this by his vvorks his suffrings and his glorious exaltation at the right hand of God but chiefly and principally because in this his manhood thus abased and againe exalted doth dvvell all the fullnes of the God head bodily Colos the vers 2.9 for if this vvere not all the former part of this seale vvere not sufficient to make his flesh the bread of life for immortall life cannot come to vs but from that flesh vvhich hath immortall life in it selfe and this is the reason that Christ vses that speach in the 6. of Iohn vvhen he vvould proue that he that eats his flesh and drinks his blood hath euerlasting life saying as that liuing Father hath sent me and I liue by the Father euen so hee that eats my flesh euen he shall liue by me in the 57. vers this therefore is the greatest parte of this seale vvherevvith God the Father hath sealed Christ the man to vvit that he hath stamped the flesh of Christ vvith the Diety it selfe and so consequently vvith life it selfe it is no vvonder therefore that this flesh and this blood do giue life to those that eate and drinke it seeing it is the flesh and blood of God himselfe therfore it is said in the 20. of Acts. vers 28. that God hath purchased his church by his owne blood no man therefore that is not a most vvretched infidell can deny that this flesh and blood of Christ is able to giue eternall life to him that doth receaue it and this point is carefully to be marked of vs because the Apostle in the 1. Corint the 11. chapt shevving the reason why the Corinths in eating the Lords supper did eate vnvvorthily yea did eate iudgment vnto themselues doth plainely shevv vs that it consisted in this that they did not discerne the Lords body vers the 29. for the banquet of the Lords supper is not a bāquet of the flesh of a meere man but it is of the flesh and blood of the euerlasting King and Lord of heauen and earth euen of the eternall God himselfe and therefore no maruell that all those vvho eating it not discerning it so are counted guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord. VVee see then vvhat comfort vvee haue in the consideration of this point to vvit that God the Father hath sealed Christ the man to be the bread of eternall life to all that eate his flesh giuing vs full assurance heere by in all the testimonies vvhich he hath giuen of him and all the vvorks vvhich hee hath vvrought by him and all that hee hath effected in his humanity and in that he hath made his humanity the euerlasting tabernacle of the Godhead that novv vvee need no more doubte but that hee it is vvho not only is vvilling but also able to giue vs that food that endures to eternall life therfore let vs come with bouldnes and chearefullnes and labour to be pertakers of this flesh and blood of the Sonne of God vvhich if vve receaue as vve ought vve may be sure our soules shall neuer perish FINIS