that it sauoureth very strongly of a Magicall incantation and I am so much the more confirmed in this because the Papistes reioycing as Inchaunters and Sorcerers doe in their odde numbers haue added one word that is enim to the wordes of institution saying Hoe est enim corpus meum as may appeare in their Missall or Masse booke 3 The grosse and palpable absurdities which follow this opinion of Transubstantiation are sufficient and strong inough of them selues to make it out of credite with al persons indued with holie wisedome and vnderstanding to cause them to esteeme of it not onely as a thing false and erronious but very vngodly and blasphemous also To reckon vp all or largely to discourse vpon the particulars it is not my purpose but onely to touch some shortly yet so as the vanitie and falsehood of this great corruption may thereby easily appeare 1 First I say that this doth vtterly destroy the nature of a Sacrament which must euer consist of two partes to wit of visible elements and inuisible graces which can not be if so be it that the nature and substaunce of the elementes be either chaunged or vanish away and the things represented by the same come in their place because that the one part of the Sacrament to witt the visible signe is then and there wanting 2 Secondly I affirme that it is iniurious to the glorified bodie of our Sauiour not onely while it bringeth him from heauen the place of all blessednesse into earth the place of all miserie wretchednesse but also whilest it maketh it to be rent and torne in peeces not onely with the teeth of good men a matter which Nature abhorreth but with the teeth of the wicked and vngodly yea with the teeth of Mise Dogges and other vnreasonable creatures yea whilest it maketh it which is immortall in immortal glorie subiect to putrifaction corruption and Wormes by reason of the long reseruation thereof and at the last to consuming in the fire a fact of horrible crueltie if it were Christes flesh because it may not otherwise be made away as they them selues confesse if it be ouertaken with horinesse moldinesse or any such like 3 Thirdly I say that by a consequent it doth wonderfully confound if not vtterly destroy the humanitie of our Sauiour with his Godhead whilest that which is proper and peculiar to his eternall Deitie to witt to be euery where is attributed and ascribed to his humanitie which as hath been before shewed and shall be more plainely prooued hereafter is and must of necessitie since his ascension be circumscriptible and tied to a place For otherwise if the glorification of Christes bodie haue taken away that propertie of tying to a place then the like shall be perfourmed in all the bodies of the faythfull because he shall change our base and vile bodyes that they may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body Philip. 3. 21. But to say that our bodyes shall be euery where were a beastly and blasphemous assertion because it should ascribe that vnto vs which is proper and peculiar onely to God For vnto him alone it pertaineth to fill heauen earth and all places Therefore this assertion concerning Christes glorified body must of necessitie be such likewise 4 Fourthly it doth destroy all the Articles of our Fayth which concerne Christes ascension in heauen sitting at the right hand of the Father and his comming againe together with all the places of Scripture that confirme those most holy comfortable and necessarie poyntes For if he be heere in respect of his bodily power presence how can he be iustly said to haue ascended in respect of his bodie into heauen and to sit there at the right hand of his Father making continuall intercession for vs Or how can it be affirmed that from thence hee shall come with great power and glorie to iudge the quicke and the dead seeing he is heere on earth already Let men of the world deeme what they list this is the truth that God hath sanctified vnto vs in his word and doe steadfastly beleeue it in my heart and will through Gods goodnesse and strength alwayes confesse the same with my mouth that from the time of his ascension the heauens must containe Chistes naturall bodie vntill the time that all thinges be restored Actes 3.21 that is euen to the worldes end 5 Fifthly I say that this opinion doth depriue vs of all the spirituall graces and comforts that God the father in his sonne Christ by sending the holy Ghost the third person in the Deitie hath bestowed vpon the whole Church generally and euery particular member thereof For doeth not our Sauiour Christ say Iohn 16.7 I tell you the trueth It is expedient for you that I goe away for if I goe not away that Comforter will not come vnto you But if I depart I will sende him vnto you Either this then must be true that we haue the holy Ghost by the bodily absence of our Sauiour Christ giuen to the Church as before is sayd or else if Christ be heere bodily present the holy Ghost is not yet come which you may see plainely ouerthrowne Act. 2.1.2 6 Sixthly this assertion accuseth Christ of manifest lying and vntrueth For he himselfe hath said Math. 26.11 The poore yee haue alwayes with you but me ye shall not haue alwaies And yet this people dare affirme that wee haue him continually not in respect of his spirituall power and presence onely in which respect he filleth all places both in heauen and in earth and is sayd to be with the beleeuers euen vnto the end of the world Matth. 28.20 But in respect of corporall and bodily presence then the which nothing can be more absurde as hath been before shewed But heere arise vp three speciall obiections to be answered two whereof are taken for the wordes of the text of holy Scripture the third from the omnipotencie almightie power of our Sauiour Christ common thinges indeede and might as easily be reiected as obiected but yet both for the strengthening of them that stand for the satisfying instruction of them that be weake and ignoraunt I will in a word or two as it were make a short yet a sound sufficient and true answere I hope to euery one of them seuerally and by them selues The first place obiected were these wordes out of Iohn 6.13 Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood yee haue no life in you Wherevnto I answere first that neither these wordes neither the rest of the Chapter can properly be vnderstoode of the Lords supper because that was not at that time instituted and ordeined but rather of our communication or partaking with Christ by the meanes of fayth apprehending the worde and applying particularly vnto our selues all the gracious and sweete promises that the Lord hath made and offered vnto vs therein which may appeare partly because hee persisteth by a
TWO Treatises 1. The holy exercise of a true Fast described out of Gods word Written by T. C. Joel 2.12.13 Turne you vnto me saith the Lord with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning And rent your heart and not your clothes and turne vnto the Lord your God for he it gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the euill 2. The substance of the Lordes Supper Written by T. W. Imprinted at London for I. Harison and T. Man Anno. 1610. THE HOLY EXERCISE OF a true Fast described out of Gods word IT IS AN euident declaration of a marueilous blindnesse which is in vs to order our steppes towardes the kingdome of heauen that like children new come into the world we know not when to eate and when to forbeare eating no further then wee haue our direction out of Gods word But it is yet more maruaile that in so small a matter scarse the hundred person of those which professe the name of Christ know either how to enter into this way or how to turne them in it when they are entred to any glorie of GOD or profite of them selves For to let the Papists goe which through a shamefull superstition in it rather pine away their soules then take downe their bodies it is a shame to speake how few there are of those which beare the name of Gospellers that haue so much as the knowledge of this exercise so farre are they from any lawfull and right practise of it For a great number as a needlesse thing reiect it altogeather For shaking off the Popish yoke from their owne necks by vsing or rather abusing their libertie they suffer their seruants to remaine still vnder it Which custome vnlesse it be through infirmitie of body or some other weightie cause it can hardly escape the hotte and vehement suspition either of belly-Gods if thinking it religious in their seruantes they them-selues will not obserue it or of a couetous minde if hauing no such opinion of it they doe notwithstanding constraine their seruantes therevnto An other sort there bee which being afraide of the reproche of Belly-gods and thinking it fitting to the Christian profession to keepe the flesh in some bridle allow in deede of the exercise of Fasting but for want of knowledge of a better they sticke still in the mire of the Popish fast For remedie whereof there followeth a Treatise whereby the true Fast being vnderstanded as well the prophane opinion of those which reiect this exercise as the foolish superstition of those which content them selues with a shadow thereof is laid open Fasting therfore is an abstinence commanded of the Lord thereby to make solemne professiō of our repētance Wherein that which is sayd of the Lord commaunding it is to be considered against those which would thrust this exercise out of the doores of Christian Churches For the repressing of which errour let that be called to remembrance which the Lord commanded by Moses * Leuit 16.29 30 31 23.27 to 33 Num. 29.7 That euery soule once a yeare should humble it selfe in fasting before the Lord in one of the great assemblies of his people For although the ceremonie of the day be taken away by the cōming of our Sauiour Christ yet the thing it selfe is no more taken away thē a rest for Gods seruice is banished because the Iewes Saboth is abolished For when as no doubt the consideration of the Fast was that the wrath of GOD should not breake out against them or being broken out should be caused to returne home againe the same cause remaining there is good reason the same effect should continue And when it is an humbling of a man before his God was there any degree of casting downe necessarie for that people which is not necessarie for vs Either ought they to haue gone downe lower into the conceite of their vnworthinesse then we into the conscience of our guiltinesse Whose benefites as they are greater then theirs so the abuse of them should driue vs to the lowest humiliation that can be so it be lawfull warrantable by the word of God But if this holy exercise of Fasting doe not clearely enough appeare to be no fading or shadowing ceremonie by this set and ordinarie Fast because the like doth not agree with the time of the Gospell yet by other moueable and vncertaine Fastes which were holden vpon occasion the same may bee more strongly strengthened For where we see the like occasion of fast that was then there we may be assured of the same commaundement to fast that was giuen them commaundement I say least any man thinking it to be a will worship taken vp at the pleasure of men might thinke he had as good or better right to lay it downe then they had to take it vp For proofe whereof that one place of the Prophet Ioel shall suffice Ioel. 2.22 which vpon occasion of a great dearth in the Land commaundeth in the Lords behalfe to sanctifie a Fast By which one commaundement it is euident that other Fastes which were kept either by the Churches publiquely or by some of the faythfull priuatly were done in obedience and not at the randon of mans inuention If this be not sufficient to subdue our sturdie affections to this so holy an exercise yet at the least let them stoupe vnder so manifest both doctrine examples hereof by the Churches of God vnderneath the Gospell For when as our Sauiour Christ being charged by the Pharises and Iohns Disciples Luke 5.33 that his Disciples fasted not so answered that he did not onely not condemne it but highly also commend it so it were done seasonably It is plaine that the libertie which the Gospell bringeth hath not remoued the auncient bound of a Christian Fast And if we looke into the practise whereby the way chalked out by his doctrine is troden and beaten plaine vnto vs by examples it will soone be seene how greatly they deceiue them selues which vnder the colour of greater perfection attained vnder the Gospell cast away the assistance that the Lord offereth by this exercise For if we enquire of the Churches Apostles fasting then was it most often when they were fullest of the graces of God that is after the solemne sending of the holy Ghost If wee thinke then that this exercise of fast be too ceremonious because it was tied to a certaine day the commaundement to hold it without any such restraint vnto a certaine time ought to correct that thought of ours If we stand in feare that it should be too Iewish the doctrine of the Gospell is ready to pull vs out of that feare If presumption of greater graces then those which should neede such a supplie doe bring this Fast out of conceit with vs the practise of it by the holy Apostles at the highest toppe of their perfection in this world will easily set vp the credite thereof
the eye of mans reason and vnderstaÌ„ding yet we know that this is sensibly set foorth vnto vs by seuerall meanes and instrumentes some outward as the Elementes in the Sacrament and some inwarde as the spirituall Grace represented thereby For we are not Angels but men consisting of bodie and soule and therefore the Lord by the vse of his Word and Sacramentes hath prouided for both partes as the Word for our Eares and our Eares for hearing of the same that so Fayth might be wrought in our heartes Rom. 10.17 and the Elementes in the Sacramentes for our taste sight feeling c. and yet our soules to be nourished not with any or all of these outward thinges for how can outward and corruptible things nourish inward and immortall substaunce but onely with the spirituall graces offered vnto vs therein this also to be wrought in vs though our Sauiour be in Heauen in respect of his body and wee heere as Pilgrimes and Strangers on the Earth by the wonderfull vnsearchable working of his holy Spirite in vs and by the meanes of a liuely and assured Fayth both which being knit togeather doe easily ioyne togeather things that be as farre asunder in respect of distaunce of place as one ende of the earth is from the other and as farre asunder as heauen and earth them selues are or else how could we either beleeue the holy Catholike Church and feele the communion of Saintes seeing it commonly falleth out that the members of that holy fellowshippe are sundered one of them from an other in respect of great distance of place or be assured that Christes righteousnesse is become ours seeing he is in heauen wee on the earth if by Fayth we did not take hold of the same and apply it vnto our selues Besides if men should imbrace this sacramentarie opinioÌ„ what were it but to euert as the trueth of Christes promises so the certaintie and assurednesse of his word who in plaine tearmes calleth this holy Sacrament His bodie 2 The second extreamitie is that of consubstantiation some affirming that there is deliuered to the people and they receiue togeather with the substance of Bread the yery substance of Christes very naturall body so that there is as it were an intermingling of both the substaunces in the action of the Supper This opinion is iustly to be disliked and reproued not onely because of the absurdities which it hath common with the heresie of transubstantiation whereof wee will speake in the next place but also because it is quite and cleane contrarie to common sense and reason confounding and iumbling togeather two seuerall and distinct substances and making the lesse to witt the substance of bread to comprehende the greater that is Christs humaine body yea euen his verie Godhead which heauen and earth is not able to containe Besides it doth vtterly take away an essentiall propertie of Christes body for if Christ in respect of his humanitie be like vnto vs in all thinges sinne onely excepted and we know by the light of reason and vnderstanding that God hath bestowed vpon vs yea by verie experience that our bodies are circumscriptible and tyed to a place it must needs follow that Christ in respect of his Manhood or Christ as he is Man is and must be tyed to a place and not be in euery place as he must be if these mens assertions be true which is nothing els indeed but vtterly to destroy Christes body which I proue against them thus Whosoeuer taketh away the essentiall propertie of any thing taketh away the thing it selfe this Proposition is prooued by this Maxime in Logike If the definition of a thing which chiefly consisteth of the essentiall propertie of euerie thing be taken away then the thing defined it selfe also falleth As for example If a reasonable liuing creature which is the definition of a man be taken away what shall become of man or where shall he appeare which is the thing defined But these men take away the essentiall propertie of a thing to witte of a body which is to be circumscriptible or tyed to a place which is indeed an essentiall propertie of the body of man and therefore of Christes body as he is man If any will denie this it may easily be prooued both by the definition of a body which is a quantitie that may be deuided according to the threefold measuring receiued amongst men that is length breadth thicknesse and also by the description of a place which is defined to be a nighnesse or touching of the thing containing and the thing conteined The conclusion therefore is that in taking away place from the body of Christ which they doe whilest they place it in euerie place whereas in the nature thereof it can be but in one place at one time they doe vtterly destroy the body or humanitie of Christ or at the least confound it so with the Godhead as Eutyches did that they make a confusion whereas in all trueth and vprightnesse there should remaine a distinction of the proprieties of either nature in his blessed person But of this ynough in this place because it is somewhat philosophicall and because also in the next â—ection we shall haue occasion to deale with the like 3. The third extreamitie is that of transubstantiation maintained altogether by the Romish Catholikes which hold that the Bread and Wine the substance thereof vanishing away and nothing being left but the accidentes or qualities thereof as roundnes whitenesse rednesse moysture c. are changed and that by the power of certaine wordes spoken by the Priest as they cal him ouer the Elements they are turned into the verie naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Concerning this point and the branches thereof I will speake particularly and first for the name Transubstantiation I fear not to affirme that it is verie new and neuer heard of before the dayes of Pope Innocent the third who was about the yeare of our Lord 1205. much lesse was it confirmed as an article of faith before the Councell of Constance a Citie so named in Germanie in the dayes of Pope John the xxiii which was about the yeare of our Lord 1415. and therefore by the Popish reason of reiecting new thinges easily ynough reiected for the noueltie thereof 2 That there is a change I doe not deny but this is not in respect of the nature of the thinges themselues but in respect of the vse and ende whereunto they are applyed because that they are by the Lordes institution separated from the common vse yea and from common Bread and Wine and applyed not onely to a holy vse but dedicated also to a holy ende that is to be sure seales and pledges of holy things to witt of Christs body and bloud and of the effectes that by his death and passion we receiue But that this change should be wrought by any wordes I am so farre off froÌ„ allowing it as true that I am verily perswaded
blasphemous in respct of our Sauiour Christ him selfe but also more vnprofitable and vncertaine to vs as which might prouoke vs to doubt whether of his bodies were crucified for our transgressions Now as we doe iustly reiect this grosse sense so for the instruction of the ignoraunt and strengthening of the weake we wil in a few lines put downe the true meaning of these wordes For the better performaunce whereof I would haue this to be noted 1 In he first place which I am sure also no man of sounde iudgement can well denie that all wordes and therefore these of the Supper must be expounded according to the subiect argument or matter whereof they intreate and therefore their speaking particularly of the Lordes Supper must of necessitie be vnderstood of the Sacrament of the body and blood of our Sauiour Christ exhibited vnto vs in that Supper 2 Secondly I would haue this to be remembred that seeing all confessr these wordes to be spoken of the Sacrament we must not gather that the word Body is otherwise attributed to the Bread then the nature and qualitie as it were of Sacramentes will beare for then if wee should graunt that wee should easily destroy and ouerthrow all Sacramentes of the Church whatsoeuer because in this behalfe or respect there is a like proportion to be obserued in one as in all And if one be defaced in respect of a wrong sense the least can hardly or not at all stand vpright 3 Thirdly that this is the nature of all sacraments that the elementes and rites vsed in the same be true and effectuall not signes onely but testimonies and pledges of these things for the signifying and subiecting of which vnto our senses they were ordained and yet when I vse the word Signe I would not bee taken as though I meant that they are bare vaine or vnprofitable Signes such as Painters cōmonly vse to make but euen thus farre-foorth effectuall that it is no more true certaine that we see the same with our eyes touch them with our hands receiue them with our mouthes eate them then that is also as true and certaine that the Lord exhibiteth and offereth vnto vs what so euer they represent vnto vs that is the verie bodie and bloud of our Sauiour Christ These rules being thus then obserued I gather and put downe this true holie sense of these wordes This is my body that is to say This Bread which Christ tooke blessed brake gaue vnto his Disciples and appoynted to be the element of this action is sacramentally spiritually being receiued eaten by Fayth a sure signe an effectuall pledge that Christs body is become the spirituall food nourishment of our soules And I vse these words sacramentally spiritually that therby I might meete with their grosse slaunder who when they heare of a signe and a thing signified say that wee doe euacuate and make of no force the Lordes Supper No we are so farre off from holding any such conclusion that we know and beleeue that the beleeuers doe beside the outward signes and elements truely receiue by the meane of fayth after a spirituall sort that which is represented by the outward elementes to witte whole Christ with all his giftes and graces And yet we doe not imagine either transubstantiation or any such like deuise but onely thinke vpon and beleeue the sacramentall coniuction of the signe and the thing signified For those thinges can not stand with the truth of Christes humanitie as hath been bef re shewed neither indeed are they necessarie for saluation For that we may be made partakers of Christ it is not of necessitie required that his Body should be really present vpon the earth but it rather behooueth vs by the power of the holy Ghost through Fayth to mount vp into Heauen and there to lay hold of him that we may sit with him in the heauenly places which in this life can not be performed in any other sort then in a spirituall maner through fayth which fayth is begotten and confirmed in vs by the holy Ghost wherevnto hee vseth as instrumentes the preaching of Gods word and the administration and vse of the Sacramentes by which all our senses are euē as it were prouoked pearsed wholly to possesse Christ him selfe So that you see I doe figuratiuely expound these wordes and not grossely wherevnto I am drawne partly by these three generall Rules heretofore put downe and partly by the verie dealings of the Papistes themselues who doe not neither in the Wine of the Supper the other part of this Sacrament neither in Baptisme the other Sacrament of the Church which two alone God hath giuen vnto it acknowledge any such grosse transubstantiation or change and yet I am sure there is as great reason why that alteration should be as well in the Water of Baptisme in the Wine of the Supper as in the Bread thereof If there be not let them shew any cause to the contrary if they can There resteth now the third obiection takē frō the omnipotencie or almightie power of our sauiour Christ pressed after this manner Is not Christ God and so by that meanes omnipotent And can not hee performe the trueth of that hee hath spoken To this I answere that though we shold grant it as true that Christ as he is God can doe all thinges and be euery where yet we know that as he is Man he can not and therefore the questiō betweene the transubstantiators vs being now not of the presence of Christes deitie in the Sacrament but of the presence of his humaine body wee say that if wee should graunt this yet could it no whit at all preiudice vs neither could they gaine their cause thereby for vnlesse they can prooue Christ as hee is Man to be omnipotent and euerie where which thing they shall neuer bee able to doe they haue sayd as much as if they had sayd nothing But let vs for reasoning sake graunt that Christ as hee is Man were omnipotent euen as God the Father is doth it therefore follow that because he can doe euerie thing hee therefore either will do the same or indeed doth it I suppose no. For besides that in Scholes it is commonly said à posse ad esse the consequence or reason is not good which were sufficient aunswere to this friuolous and vaine obiection Besides this I say wee that are truely taught of God doe know that though we beleeue that the Lord can doe what so euer pleaseth him both in heauen and in earth which serueth wonderfully to magnifie his almightie power and greatly to strengthen our weake fayth yet we beleeue firmely that he will not onely doe nothing but that hee can not doe any thing in regard of vs contrarie to that will of his that he hath reuealed for vs in his word And the reason of this is not the abridgement or shortning of his power for be it
I meane not onely a generall beliefe of all the Canonicall books of the old and new Testament or a grounded knowledge alone of the poyntes and principles of Christian religion but an assured perswasion that whatsoeuer the Lord hath reuealed in his Word as hee hath done the same for others so he hath done it particularly for mee So that this Fayth is necessarie to him that shall communicate both because that otherwise hee being on the earth cannot take hold of Christ in heauen for faith is it by which he may apply vnto himselfe particularly Christ Iesus and all his merites to the assured feeling of the free pardone and full forgiuenesse of all his sinnes of the one side and the imputation of Christes righteousnesse on the other side and also that thereby he may be assured that that which hee doeth either in the administration or participation of that holy action is acceptable before God for without Fayth it is impossible to please him Which properties indeed or effectes rather if a man onely haue them shall make his Fayth to differ from all the vaine imaginations of Diuels and wicked men whatsoeuer By Repentance I vnderstand a syncere hatred of all our former sinnes and iniquities whatsoeuer and a sound loue of all righteousnesse and well doing proceeding from the right reuerence and louing feare of the maiestie of God in our heartes which holy affection doth euery day by little and little worke in vs the forsaking of our selues and the subduing of the sinfull lustes and affections of our owne flesh to the end that wee may wholly resigne our selues to be guided and gouerned by the spirit of God in the syncere seruice worship of his Maiestie So that hee which feeleth himselfe truely and vnfeignedly sorrowfull for his former iniquities not onely loathing his sinnes but euen himselfe for his sinnes sake and caryeth with him this holy purpose neuer through Gods assistaunce to commit the same or any such like may not onely be assured of his vnfeined repentaunce and so by consequent of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes but also with boldnesse yet not withstanding with reuerence in respect of God and with humblenesse of minde in respect of himselfe draw neere to the partaking of these holy mysteries By Loue which is the thing that concerneth men I doe not onely vnderstand the vnfeigned pardoning and forgiuing of others that haue any maner of way trespassed against vs which is a sure seale and earnest pennie as it were that our sinnes are forgiuen vs before God but also sound reconciliation after offences committed one of vs towardes another which is a certaine pledge that our prayers and all other good thinges that come from vs are in Christes obedience accepted before God yea I meane further by Loue which is an inward affection of the heart the sincere and outwarde testifying of the same by wordes deeds countenaunces and other meanes as the Lord shall giue occasion and our abilitie will serue to expresse the same and that not to our friendes onely or to our enimies also which is somewhat more but generally to all men though to some in greater measure as to the Household of fayth our Wiues Children and Parentes c. and to some in lesse measure as to those that be yet without and be somwhat further off by nature and kindred Meditation which is the second thing and is to be vsed specially in the time of the celebration of the Lords Supper consisteth chiefely in these poyntes In regarding the outward elements and the rites vsed in the same as the breaking of the Bread c. by which is set foorth vnto our soules the crucifying of Christs body the shedding of his bloud c. and all for our transgressions And then because wee must not stay below but must by Fayth rise vp to Heauen as it were we are deeply to consider what great graces the Lord offereth vnto vs in that holy and spirituall Banquet which in my minde may be brought into these few pointes 1 God setteth before the eyes of our Faith in that holy action first Christes death and passion togeather with the benefites and effectes which wee reape thereby and namely the remission and forgiuenesse of our sinnes 2 Secondly the full and spirituall nourishment that thorow Christ wee haue both in the outward and inwarde man euen to the hope of eternall life 3 Thirdly the mysticall vnion that is betwixt Christ and his Church hee dwelling in our heartes by faith and we thereby being made members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones 4 Fourthly and lastly the holy vnitie and agreement that is ought to be continued amongst all the members of his Church whatsoeuer or wheresoeuer they be The third and last thing which I call Action and is to be performed after the receiuing of the Lords Supper consisteth 1 First in earnest Prayer vnto God not onely for the liuely feeling of these graces exhibited but also for the fructifying of the word of God and his Sacraments in our heartes and that not for the time present alone but euen for the whole rase and course of our life Secondly in humble thankes-giuing for the vnestimable riches and treasures of grace and of goodnesse which it pleaseth him in his Church and namely by the vse of his Worde and Sacramentes not onely to offer but also to bestow vpon his people the particulars whereof are before recited And hereunto wee may be prouoked by consideration of this that the Lord freely and of his owne goodnesse giueth vs those merites not onely when we had not deserued the least of them but euen then when euerie one of vs had deserued eternall death and condemnation to be powred foorth vpon vs and ours 3 And lastly in care and conscience of a holy conuersation that seeing Christ dwelleth in our heartes by fayth and we haue our spirituall life and beeing from him that therefore wee should so liue as wee may not onely glorifie him in this life but that when the dayes of our wearisome pilgrimage shall be ended we may be glorified with him in eternall blessednesse which thing the Lord graunt vs euen for his crucified Christes sake to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost three persons and one eternall God be giuen all honour prayse power and glorie both of vs and of all people euen now and at all times for euer and euer So be it A Prayer to be said before a man repaire to the partaking of the Lords Supper O Eternall GOD and most mercifull Father I thy poore vnworthy seruant doe must humbly beseech thee in Iesus Christ thy deare Sonnes name and for his sake gratiously in his death and obedience to pardone and forgiue mee all my sinnes what so euer which at any time or by any manner of meane I haue committed against thy Maiestie or any other Seale vp in my heart O Lord this great benefite of the free pardon