it Remember that faith doth set thee as those Lampes under the oyle dropping into thee from the promises of the Sacrament Branch 2 2. Againe try thy faith first in the maine promise If thou finde thou wantest it desist for a time Come not in thy base unbeleefe rather make use of what I have sayd about faith and blesse God that by such an occasion thou maist store thy selfe with it for heereafter and art now convinced of thy want Perhaps thou never hadst knowne it save by such an occasion therefore ply it hard while season lasteth But if thou have got it yet neglect not to consider Gods worke in thy conversion blesse him that thou canst proove by what meane thou camest by it what a promise is what the roote of faith is what the act effects of it are confessing it were hard for thee now to beginne or to bee without it Branch 3 3. Revive it also as oft as thou commest musing of these last trialls or some of them and linne not till thou finde them in thee more or lesse that so the Sacrament may light upon thee as dew upon dry ground and thou mayst count the approach of the Supper joyfull newes above the joy of a feast or banquet Vse 3 Lastly let it be consolation to all poore beleevers Consola The best will soonest complaine Oh! sayth one Heere bee so many Rules that I am confounded to thinke of my selfe or to try my faith by them But I answer Proove but a droppe or dramme of faith unfeigned precious and effectuall and the Lord and thou shall not differ about measure Bee sure thou have any and then know the Supper is an ordinance to make weake ones strong Objections remooved not onely nor cheefely to make strong ones stronger Touching the objections of the weake I have spoken in the Chapter of the tryall of our estate To adde a word more another objection is I cannot finde the promise so powerfull as to overpowre and perswade mee to beleeve with full streame of heart I answer Answ I grant that oft the phrases and similitudes of Scripture imply First by a Concession That faith is a sensible thing and a conviction of heart So it s called Ioh. 16.9 It s called the rayning downe of righteousnesse The receiving of Christ The buying of the pearle The running into the streame Esay 55.6 and the like as drawing neare to God Secondly Solution comming to God Howbeit wee must know the spirituall sense of these phrases imports not alway a reflexe sight and knowledge that we have it and much lesse ought wee to stumble at such phrases as imply the measure of faith as to be carryed with full sayle To rejoyce with joy unspeakeable c. Heb. 1â— 22 Onely let a poore soule beware of resting in any measure till hee have atteyned faith with power and feeling which is a stranger in these dayes But to hasten this I adde Many talke of the over-powring of the heart who know not what it meanes it is not the measure of full assurance but the true drawing of the soule from Idols to the beleeving God Therefore poore soule dismay not thy selfe perhaps thou seest not full light of beleeving nor the whole breadth and length of it as yet nor yet what the Lord meanes to settle upon thee Thou art as one that dreameth yet God was at worke to deliver Israel when they were as they that dreamed Psal 126.1 Exod. 6. â— Long anguish caused them to heare of a Saviour as one that was farre off yet hee was neare Give not the Lord over but even in thy darkest bondage cleave to the meanes seeke the Lord and leave the successe to him be not beaten off from hope by any feare within or without Reade Acts 12. Act. 12 7 8. Peter in his sleepe thought hee saw but a vision of deliuerance yet the Lord was at worke even then He came not at first clearely to consider the matter But what did he Surely he did as he was bidden even in his dreame he arose shooke off his cheynes Verse 8.9 put on cloake and sandales followed the Angell through yron doores and gates and at last when he was past danger the Angell departing hee understood all the businesse So perhaps the Lord will doe by thee When all Angells and proppes are gone and thou left to the bare promise stript of other helpes thou shalt bee as glad to cling to the Lord in it as ever thou were backward to it But in the meane time bee doing as thou art bidden and obey and thou shalt one day see light Receive the Sacrament with weake faith for so God bids thee and more shall be given thee And so I shut up this weighty tryall of Sacramentall faith CHAP. VI. Of the tryall of repentance at the Sacrament Entry upon repentance I Must in the entry upon this point advertise the Reader of some generalls which may make for the better Caveat 1. conceaving of the scope of the whole Chapter First let him remember that which was before sayd That in pressing the tryall of repentance I doe not meane that repentance concurrs to the act of receiving so properly as faith But in a second respect as affording a sweet witnesse to the truth of faith already shaped in the soule as also to honour the purenesse of the ordinance with sutable purenesse of conscience and course The second thing I would have noted is The second That although in this tryall of repentance it is to be supposed that each receiver of the seale must first bee in covenant that is have his heart renewed and in that respect that whole labour might be spared how the substance of repentance may be tryed yet considering that it is not alway with receivers as it ought to be but man still will come without it Therefore as I have done already in the point of faith to shew the true forme and being of it ere I came to handle the renewing of it at the Supper So heere I will doe for the grace of repentance The rather least any should alledge his ignorance what it is or wherein it standeth yet I will be short because I have elsewhere handled it largely viz. in the third part of my Catechisme in the two first Articles The third thing I note is The third That our speciall and mayne enquiry shall be in this tryall about daily exercise and renewed practise of repentance at the Sacrament and not onely as repentance is taken for some penitent affection occasioned but as it is taken for that walking with God which consists in the duties of mortifyed and quickned obedience to God and men and that eyther in an ordinary course of innocency or in the case of some speciall revolt Before I handle the tryall of eyther the substance or the practise hereof Grounds of the point first Scripture I will ground the necessity
were no Sacraments for that which sealeth not up grace can bee no Sacrament signes onely are no Sacraments Error 1 This errour thy run into Ground 1 partly from a profane undervaluing of the ordinance of preaching which being the meane of conviction and conversion they abhorre as threatning ruine to their carnall kingdome and so ascribe all the honour to the Sacraments especially of the Altar as conferring grace of it selfe to good and bad and making for their owne endes Ground 2 Partly by a willing mistake of the Fathers writings who vilify the Iewish Sacrament that they might magnifie the Evangelicall And this they did in imitation it may be of Saint Paul who sometime as 2 Cor. 3. 2 Cor. 3. doth abase the Legall Ministrie under the Evangelicall yet he doth it not to disgrace thâ—ir Ordinances but that he might confute the Iewes of his age who by their overprizing the Legall set Christ and his Ministry at nought But such feare the Fathers had none for few ever dreamt that the old Sacraments excelled the new and therefore their excessive hyperboles of the one and the extinuations of the other they proove an occasion to our Adversaries to justifie their errours by them Error 2 Sutable whereto is the conceit of such as thinke that the old Sacraments did pardon sinne but not conferre grace meaning holinesse as who say that the grace of Pardon is lesse than the grace of Holinesse Error 3 This errour some of the Schoolemen were of Others imagine that the Iewes had them for Characters onely to enter them into the number of outward members and to distinguish them from Heathens as men would set their marks upon their cattel to discerne them from other mens But these conceites are contrary to the Scriptures Their colours answered Iohn 6 31 54. True it is the Papists have colours of Reason out of the word for themselves For say they Christ tells the Iewes That their Fathers had eaten Manna in the Wildernesse and were dead But he that eates my flesh and drinks my bloud shall live for ever I answer This shewes that the Sacraments of the Gospell have more efficacie than the other or rather that those Iewes abused those Sacraments and therefore perished but not that those Sacraments were onely shadowes and no substance For all their bodies fell not in the Wildernesse and under the Gospell Paul affirmeth the same of the bad Receivers 1 Cor. 11 29. That they eate and drink their own damnation Therefore our Saviour compares not the Sacraments but the Receivers and that in their likenesse one to another urging the Iewes to a more spirituall receiving of Christ than their Fathers received Manna Again they say Paul calls the old Sacraments beggerly and sterven Elements Gal. 4 9. But wee must know he speakes of them as now abolished not of themselves or else of their opposition to Christ as they held the Embracers of them from the substance of the same which is Christ Nay moreover Bellarmine so vilifies the Baptisme of Iohn that he saith it was no Sacrament but onely a preparative to it For saith he Iohn himselfe said Math. 3 11. I Baptise you with water but Christ shall Baptise you with the Holy Ghost But that text compares not two Baptismes but two Baptizers with each other He saith not his Baptisme was none but thâ—t the Baptisme of Christ should be attended with greater power than his because it should attend a more powerfull preaching of the Mysteries of the Gospell But yet the substance was one in the Baptisme of Iohn and Christ Iohn Baptized to remission of sinne as well as Christ else Christs Baptisme by Iohn was no Sacrament and there must have been another institution of it after which was not and the Baptisme of the Apostles in Christs life time was no Sacrament because as yet the Holy Ghost and Fire was not falne upon them all which are ridiculous Yet I cannot forget one objection which is common to them with the Anabaptists taken out of Acts 19 15. Acts 19 15. where its said that those twelve disciples at Ephesus who had beene Baptised into the Baptisme of Iohn were againe Baptized into the Name of Christ Which I confesse in shew exceedeth all other Objections Many answers are framed by sundry men some thinking their Baptisme of Iohn to have beene received by some that had no calling to doe it others say That by Baptizing into Christ is onely meant a receiving of the Holy Ghost But the true answer is that which Beza confesseth himselfe to have received from that noble and learned man Marnixius that is that those words in the fifth verse are not the words of Luke as if he related that Paul baptized them the second time but the continued words of Paul saying That forasmuch as Iohn did not baptize save onely into the Name of Christ and such as heard him were really baptized already into Christ therefore there should be no neede of rebaptizing them Only he would lay hands upon them that they might receive the extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghost which Iohns Baptisme could not helpe them with A most acute and no lesse true and full answer Wee therefore abhorre these errors Conclus opposing to them the cleare Text of Scripture Paul saith of circumcision Rom. 4 11. it was the seale of the righteousnesse of faith Than which what can be sayd more effectuall of Baptisme And in 1 Cor. 10.1.2.3.4 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3. he tells the Iewes that those in the Wildernesse had the same Sacraments which they had Which is plaine by the argument of the Apostle which is to convince them of certaine grosse sinnes as Rebellion Vncleanenesse Lust Now whereas they might have alledged We are under greater priviledges than they he prevents them thus Nay they had the same with you The red sea was their baptisme the like was the cloud which directed them and their Manna and water out of the rocke was to them the same spirituall meate and drinke which you have If then they escaped not punishment of such enormities looke not you to escape Many other Texts might be urged all to evince this truth that the old and new Sacraments for substance and signification are one even as their sacrifices were one in substance and sense with Christ crucified The Lord being very carefull that as his Church should never lacke the best helpes to heaven so they should not have new and divers in substance but the selfe same that they might know the way to God and heaven was still one and the same and so goe on in their course comfortably without feare or staggering I conclude then that for substance there is one Christ one faith reconciliation redemption sanctification and eternall life the old and new Sacraments were one The second their Differences in thtee things First Clearenesse But secondly the old and new differ exceedingly notwithstanding this their
thing to such an apt use is the very life bloud and marrow of a Sacrament There is no doubt but as the Scripture teacheth a Christian wise man will picke out holines out of each resemblance an housewife that is godly will not boult out her flower from the bran but her heart will carrie her to our Saviours words Satan hath desired to winnow you Luke 22 31. c. An Husbandman will not use his Fanne or Floore to dresse or cast his corne in but he will muse of that finall separation of the drosse from the Wheate But there is great odds betweene a voluntary act of our owne devotion and an obedience to a Sacramentall charge As the Text saith Luke 4. Luke 4.27 There were many Leapers in Elisha's time and many Widdowes but not many to whom hee was sent So the world yea the world is full of resemblances but not of such as Christ hath set his stampe upon to bee Sacramentall The setting of a young child before the Disciples and the washing of their feete with his owne hands were Christs acts still at this day apishly followed by the Pope but neither appointed to be Sacramentall but onely naturall resemblances to an holy heart which hath a gift to make use thereof of a spirituall grace of humility Appropriation then especially stands in â—â—is determining of the Elements to such an use by the word and ordinance Vse 1 Ere we proceede this first point may be of speciall use 1. To blesse the Lord as for the releefe of our stupor by outward Elements so especially for the aptnes thereof chusing such as without any more adoe might easily acquaint us with such holy things of which before And to teach us to beg of his Majesty heavenly hearts which might be capable of his meaning herein Vse 2 Secondly this must keepe us within holy bounds as concerning our devising and setting up to our selves resemblances of holy things as Crucifixes the Image of the blessed humility of Christ to behold and worship Who allowed us these The Sacraments serve as a Supersedeas from all such inventions All Popish trash of forged Sacraments heere falles to ground Vse 3 Lastly let us learne to familiarize with Gods Sacraments in the point of the institution of Resembling the Lord Iesus Let us not be dull and blockish in appropriating them to their use but learne still to climbe up by them to heaven If the minde be at Yorke instantly at the naming of the Citty when yet the body is an 100. miles distant and no sooner doth a woman heare her husbands name but shee is present with him though he be in a farre Countrey by the velocity speed of the Apprehension stirred up by such a relation Oh! how dull and slow of heart are they who in the midst not of artificiall humane or naturall but divine appropriations are so carnall and heavy that scarsely the Sacrament will ingender one lively representation of the Lord Iesus to nourish us cheere us But as we come so wee sit and so depart as Strangers and Idiots as if Christ and we were devided as farre as heaven and earth The causes of which are these 2 Causes of our dulnesse herein eyther that wee are not those new Creatures in whom God hath renewed the powers of understanding and affection and therefore want the discourse and the spirit of relation in a word want the operation of a new Creature which is faith stirring the soule to a lively meditation of Christ by the word the ordinance and promise of God and then what wonder if Sacraments which should bee the most active meanes become all a-mort dead and dumbe with us and wee being held and taken in all our lims at once like numbâ—â—alsie-ones can neyther stirre hand or foote towards Christ or else wee abuse the gift of faith and the power of the new creature by disabling our selves and disinuring our soules from this worke and disguising that image of God in us which serves to carry us to God by setting it upon trash world profit pleasure ease and sensuality till it seeme tedious unto us to set it upon holy thoughts in the Sacrament Caveat thereto To prevent this it were good counsell to trade our spirits to heavenly things even by earthly occasions as well without as within the Sacraments He shall not finde his spirits so flat loy and lazy in meeting with Sacramentall Christ who inures his dead heart daily to an holy nimblenesse in comparing earthly things with heavenly Hee that cannot see a Pismire but hee will thinke of providence Prov. 6.6 not a garish harlot dressing herselfe for an adulterous wretch but will taxe himselfe for his lesse loving Christ shee that cannot lay a leaven Matth. 13.33 but thinkes of the kingdome of Christ and in a word hath a gift to be heavenly and to turne ordinary properties of the creature or common occasions to holy meditation he shall not have his heart in another world when the Lord presents unto him the Lord Iesus by Sacramentall resemblances And thus much for the first The second part of the forme of Sacraments is union The second part of forme Vnion Which yet comes nearer than the former as more closely conveying exhibiting the Lord Iesus to the soule Yet wee must know the former makes way to this the aptnesse and speciall application of signes to this use helpes much the minde to conceive but this is the more immediate object of faith to fasten upon Christ that the Sacraments are no longer the bread of the Lord but bread the Lord wine the Lord and water the Lord. And this Sacramentall union is an act of Gods ordeining Spirit and Authority by vertue whereof the Lord Iesus in all his merits and efficacy is not onely resembled and presented by apt likenesse to the minde but really made one with the Elements that by them and with them he might be carried into the soule inseparably for assurance of union and Communion with God Hence it is that the Scripture speakes in such a phrase This is my body This is my blood of the New Testament Luk. 22 19. 1 Cor. 5 7. Ioh. 6 32. yea in the Old Testament Christ is our Passeover The Rocke was Christ I am that Manna which descended c. All which phrases denote a realnesse and union with the Elements true and unfaigned And indeede all divine unions are Reall All unions reall although they differ in their severall kinds yet by vertue of the ordinance and the power of him that hath so made them they are no shaddowes of empty things no dumbe Pageants as we may see in other unions Sorts of them There is an intellectuall union in nature betweene the mind and object in which respect we say the mind is all things meaning in and by this comprehension and union The object and the mind are one by vertue of this power of God
the water And the essence of Baptisme in the very symbolicalnesse of it urgeth no lesse For what resemblance of ingrafting putting on of Christ is there in sprinkling what typicalnesse is there of our descending into and ascending out of the water both which are expresly spoken of Christ in his baptisme of Iordan What resemblance of our buriall or resurrection with Christ is there in it So that I doubt not but contrary to our Churches intention this errour having once crept in is maintained still by the carnall ease and tendernesse of such as looking more at themselves than at God stretch the liberty of the Church in this case deeper and further than eyther the Church her selfe would or the solemnenesse of this Sacrament may well and safely admit I doe not speake this as a thing meete to disturbe a Churches peace but as desiring such as it concernes in their places to looke to their liberty and duty in this behalfe The fourth person the infant The fourth and cheefe person yea equall object of Baptisme is the party baptised For not onely the Church may and doth baptise her infants but also adultos growne ones also if any such being bred Pagans and brought within the pale of the Church shall testifie their competent understanding of the new covenant and professe their desire to bee seazed with Baptisme for the strengthning of their soule in the faith thereof professe it I say not basely and slightly but with earnestnesse and entirenesse cutting off their haire and nailes and abhorring their Paganisme A short touch of the baptisme of infants But the truth is the exercise of the Churches baptisme is upon infants Here the Anabaptists rise up pleading the corruption of such baptisme and urging the first baptisme of catechised ones and confessors of sinne and cravers of the seale upon the worke of the Ministry foregoing in knowledge and faith which can be incident onely to Adulti or growne ones They alledge that we seale to a blank to no covenant and therefore it s a nullity Sundry learned men have undertaken to stop their scismaticall mouths to answer their peevish Arguments my scope tends another way in this Treaty so farre as my digression may be veniall I say this for the setling of such as are not willfull that I take the baptisme of infants to be one of the most reverend generall and uncontroled traditions which the Church hath and which I would no lesse doubt of than the Creede to bee Apostolicall And although I confesse my selfe yet unconvinced by demonstration of Scripture for it yet Reasons for it first Sithence Circumcision was applyed to the infant the eighth day in the Old Testament Secondly there is no word in the New Testament to infringe the liberty of the Church in it nor speciall reason why wee should bereave her of it Thirdly sundry Scriptures afford some friendly proofes by consequence of it Fourthly the holinesse of the child externall and visible is from their parents who are or ought to be catechised confessors penitent and Protestants in truth which privelidge onely open revolt disables them from therefore I say The seede being holy and belonging to the Covenant the Lord graciously admits them also to the seale of it in Baptisme 1 Cor. 7 14 Quest Howbeit here a further quaere arises And How it is capable 1 Pet. 3 21. because the Sacrament of Baptisme is here handled by us not as halfe a Sacrament onely including a washing of the flesh but an entire Sacrament holding out and giving an invisible grace by outward meanes By what authority shall we say an infant may be presented to that whereof it is not capable To that I answer Answere First it s not meete that Baptisme being the Sacrament of new birth which can be but once should destroy her owne Analogy by frequent administring therefore if but once the most comprehensive way is to doe it in the infancy when the outward admission of a member is allowed to it Secondly although the child be not capable of the grace of the Sacrament by that way whereby the growne are by hearing conceiving and beleeving yet this followes not that infants are not capable of Sacramentall grace in and by another way Pittifull are the shifts of them that have no other way to stop an Anabaptists mouth save by an errour that an infant may have faith It s easy to distinguish betweene the gift conveyed and the manner of conveying it For if the former be the latter in such case will poore needlesse But if the infant be truly susceptive of the substance of Christ none can deny it the Sacrament Now to understand this marke that infants borne of beleeving parents are of the number of those that shall be saved though dying in their infancy none of our reformed Churches will deny It is enough therefore that such before death doe partake the benefit of Election in Christ together with the benefits of Christ in regeneration adoption redemption and glory Now that the Spirit can apply these unto such infants is not doubted of though the manner thereof to us bee as hidden and mysticall thing yet so it is the Spirit of Christ can as really unite the soule of an infant to God imprint upon it the true title of a sonne and daughter by adoption and the image of God by sanctification without faith as with it Now if the thing of baptisme be thus given it why not baptisme Nay I adde further I see no cause to deny that even in and at and by the act of baptisme as the necessity of the weake infant may admit the Spirit may imprint these upon the soule of the infant Vse Let the use of the point bee to all such as are growne to yeares of discretion to looke backe to their Baptisme Let such blesse the Lord for his bounteous prevention of them with the Sacrament even before they had any strength to conceive it Why should the Lord so doe except to heape hot coales upon thy head oh poore wretch and to teach thee to conclude Esay 65.1 Iam. 4 8. Psal 119.10 that he who was found of thee when thou soughtest him not will much more draw neare to thee when thou art fayne upon him and seekest him with thy whole heart What a mercy is it to know the Lord to be a provoker of the soule to imbrace that covenant the seale whereof hee is content to bestow before hand for the hope of time to come Who should so play the Traytor in coole blood having found the Lord so faithfull in his love and to cavill thus I was baptized and made my covenant when I knew nothing nay I did make none my selfe but others for me Let them looke to their stipulation and promise I made none Can any Trecherous wretch so requite the Lord Rather if any sparke of love be in thee wilt thou not breake thy heart by this early mercy before
and hatefull provokings and wrongs c. The like cavils wee have against all other actions of love as giving lending c. So in Law cases if we be led by the rules of necessitie quitting of our selves from injuries which else we could not also love of peace serving providence for the manifestation of right and although we be losers yet resting in Gods will and learning to deny our selves to be more patient and content to offer and waite upon him who will pleade our cause abhorring all covetous or reuenging ends of our owne Many more trials might have beene added but I referre the Reader to the former grounds to helpe himselfe Vse 4 The last use is consolation encouragement to Gods people of two sorts Branch 1 First to all such as walke in love Consolation and make it their path and way Many a good Christian will say I cannot boast of many evidences but this I thank God I can say that my heart goes with the cause of God to his religion covenant Ordinances I love the Saints c. My affections and endeavours go that way yea when I cannot goe yet I can creepe and methinkes the dogge of a good man is welcome for his masters sake I abhorre that selfe-seeking and selfe-love which reignes in the world I practise compassion and love to all both meane and great knowne and unknowne neere and farre off and my prayers are cast in as a lot among the prayers and petitions of the Church I desire no welfare save in hers and as she fares so doe I desire to doe Oh! rich soule be comforted The Lord hath set his marke upon thee and called thee Hephziba Esay 62.4 one in whom his soule delights his Love his Dove his Vndefiled one Thy name is as a precious ointment therefore the daughters follow and love thee By thine example many have lost their brutish and savage qualities and bene taught to feede with Lambes They say of the Panther that she hath so sweet a breath that she allures all the beasts to her thereby So that hereby she hath her name So is it with thee the savor of thy amiablenesse shall honour thee wheresoever thou becommest till at thy death thy workes shall follow thee Marke 14.9 Act 9.9.36 10.2 Though the Scripture be witten yet as the name of Mary that annointed Christ and Dorcas and Cornelius are in the word so shall thine be in the Church Oh! enjoy thy selfe and come to the Sacrament with comfort for the Lord Iesus stands there ready with open breast to welcome thee Branch 2 Lastly it may also affoord encouragement to such as feare themselves in this triall of their love And I confesse as the manner of the world now is there is so little practise of this grace to be seene that it were enough to quench the love of the first Therefore I wonder not to heare so many to complaine of crackes and flawes in their love and to see that men learne to halt of them that are lame to be froward with the foward sullen testy unkind and unthankefull with such as are so Thy complaining therefore of thy selfe is just yet beware lest hereby thou debarre thy selfe of the Sacrament Tell me then Art thou heavy to feele such scurffe in thee That thou carest not how others fare so thou canst sleepe in a whole skinne And that the practise of gentlenesse and mercy Iames 3.13 doth so hardly fasten upon thee Dost thou combat within thy selfe against all naughtinesse in this kinde and nourish the motions of that spirit which is pure peaceable gentle and full of goodnesse and beare downe the other as much as is possible Deceive not thy selfe and I dare not barre thee from the Lords Table Although thou hadst poore fruits to boast of yet sith our Lord Iesus hath not forgotten a promise of reward to a cup of cold water to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet Math. 10.42 I cannot exclude thee from the benefite of the Supper Onely take heede least thou catch at such an encouragement to any evill end that still thou maist keep thy conscience defiled with the like pangs yet venture to receive But let the Sacrament bring a speciall reviving of love unto thee the very sight of thy brethren at the house of God let it renue that poore sparckle that is in thee Heb. 12.25 Thinke that thou art come to the soules of merifull and holy men and art as in a corner of heaven while thou maist sit among them And if this encouragement belong to thee it shall worke kindely and not by contraries And for this use and the whole triall of love thus much CHAP. VIII Of the desire after the Sacrament and the triall theof WEe are now come to the last The 5. grace Desire Entry but not to the least of those five graces preparing for the Sacrament which is desire or longing after those good things contained in it Concerning the handling whereof I shall not hold the Reader long in the grounds of this grace as I have done in the former Because those points which serve to the opening of desire either concerning Christ himselfe our alsufficient nourishment or else the triall of our owne wants of both which I have both in the former and in this latter Treatise spoken shall not here neede any repeated discourse Onely my method shall be this 1 I will briefely speake a word of the object of this desire 2. I will prove the Doctrine 3. I will make use of it sundry wayes and therein if any thing may be added either for the procuring of or the triall of the soundnesse of this desire I shall mention it and so conclude Affections are strong and vehement things in their pursuite and not stirred up or provoked in us save by objects of great allurement and perswasion especially spirituall affections require eminent objects to raise up to improve them Natural affections of joy love hope sorrow feare or desire must have sutable objects to quicken them up otherwise they lie flat upon the earth How much more must it needs be so here in holy and divine affections whereunto our nature is lesse enclined and the flame for lacke of daily supply of oile and matter to nourish them doth easily decay and vanish Sacramentall desire and longing therefore must needs presuppose some more than ordinary object to excite and maintaine it else neither would a carnall heart easily rise to it nor it a good heart hold appetite and desire to it long together The object of desire is Christ Sundry wayes therfore it pleases the holy Ghost in Scripture to expresse this object to the eye of the soule The thing it selfe being in substance one the Lord Iesus the nourishment of the living soule in grace and goodnesse yet the eloquence of the Spirit appeares in no argument so great as in this one to wit the due laying him