for his glory and if it be not for his glory then certainely the power of God must not bee brought downe for the working of it And as it is against his glory so it is against his wisdome for the Lord doth nothing to no purpose hee doth nothing in vaine hee never wrought miracles when they might be spared where the thing might be done without a miracle Since this might be done without a miracle all that we have by Christ all that is represented in the Sacrament what necessity is there and if there be no necessity it beseemes not the wisedome of God to doe it Againe would not the smallest miracle really and visibly exposed to sense helpe more than such a miracle as this Besides all this I say it is not possible make your owne senses judges you see nothing but bread now this is a sure rule that of all demonstrations of reason that we have to prove things nothing is so firme as that which is taken from sense to prove the fire is hot we feele it hot or honey to be sweet when we taste it to be sweet There is no reason in the world makes it so firme as sense As it is true in these cases so it is an undoubted truth in Divinity that in all matters of sense sense is a competent judge Indeed if it be a matter of reason there sense is not able to judge the eye is able to judge of his owne sense of sounds it cannot judge but I say objects proper to sense peculiar to sense in these sense is a competent judge And therefore Christ himselfe in this very businesse when he would prove that he had a true bodie he sends them to their senses A spirit hath not flesh and bloud as you see me have And Thomas he bids Put thy hand into my side and feele c. He sends them to their senses Looke thorow the Scriptures and see if there be one miracle there if sense be not a competent judge according to that part of the miracle that concernes the sense would you not thinke it strange if Christ should have come to the master of the feast when he wrought the miracle and have said Sir you must beleeve that this is wine though you see nothing though you taste nothing but water yet you must beleeve that it is turned into wine And if GOD should have said unto Moses Though you see nothing but a Rod thou must beleeve it is turned into a Serpent If there had beene no change indeed and such as sense might see we would think it a ridiculous thing and next doore to an Imposture And therefore certainly in matters of sense sense is a competent judge and therefore when all the senses tell us that it is bread when we taste when the eye and the touch when every thing makes it evident that it is bread why should wee say there is any thing else but bread Besides if we will adde to sense reason it is against reason as well as against sense It is against reason that Christ should be in heaven and yet have ten thousand bodies on earth and yet Christ hath but one body and a body can be but in one place And againe this body must be without all circumscription and qualities and properties of a bodie And again that the bread that we see should be no bread say they there is the whitenesse of bread there is the taste of bread there is the quantitie of bread and that is all I would but aske them one thing when this bread is eaten since there is nothing there but these accidents there is nothing but the meere quantity and the like I would aske whether it nourish the body or no they must needs answer no if they follow their principles because the body of Christ is not there they say it is removed as soone as the bread is destroyed when it begins to turne into flesh it loseth these accidents well the bread returnes not againe there is nothing but accidents of the bread and yet certainly it doth nourish for it is reported by credible Authors that some have beene so holy that they would feed upon nothing else but the Eucharist for a Priest may consecrate a Cellar of wine and as much bread as he will and may feed upon this and with these he may be nourished and yet there is nothing but accidents of bread In a word the Schooles that traverse this so accutely are not satisfied at all in this but they leave it as a wonder as a thing that cannot be explained So it is against reason as it is against sense But you will say faith is beyond sense and reason it is true it is beyond both but it is not contrary to both faith teacheth nothing contrary to reason for sense and reason are Gods workes as well as grace now one worke of God doth not destroy another if they should there must be an imperfection in the workeman and therefore grace and faith contrary not sense and reason indeed it elevateth reason and makes it higher it makes it see further than reason could it is contrary indeed to corrupt reason but to reason that is right reason it is not contrary only it raiseth it higher And therefore faith teacheth nothing contrary to sense and reason But besides these if we shew them Scripture too what will they have then to say when we say it is against sense and reason say they the Scriptures affirme it if it do we will yeeld Let us examine the words if the Scripture affirme it Yes say they the Scripture saith This is my body they are Christs words but if the Scriptures say so yet the Scripture saith no where that that bread is turned into the bodie that no where saith that there is such a Transubstantiation onely those words used which as you heard may have a metaphoricall tropicall figurative sense But besides this what if the Scripture say the contrary you shall finde this in the next Chapter five times called Bread and after it is consecrated too as the Apostle saith The Cup of Blessing that we blesse and the bread that we breake After he had blessed the bread then he tooke it and after hee had tooke it then hee brake it hee thus tooke that which is called Bread Againe they say the body of Christ is not broken but that is broken which is alwayes after the words of Consecration but it is the bread that we breake Againe if it could be understood otherwise you see what a Tautologie would be in the words The Bread that wee breake it is the Communion of the body of Christ if the meaning was that it is the body here the words must be thus rendred The body that we breake is it not the communion of the body But I say five times you shall finde it in this next Chapter that it is Bread after the words of Consecration and you know it is said to
more efficacious in his life A mans weight in the ballance weighes downe the scales but if he put to his strength too that is as much more as his weight So if you have any strong sins you have cause to be humbled for it but when you put your strength to it it intends that originall habit of sin So that the necessity that lyes on thee by reason of thy nature it aggravates thy sinne Ier. 13.23 The Prophet aggravates their sinne from their custome in it they could choose not to sinne no more than the Black-moore could change his skin The Prophet I say brings it in for this purpose to aggravate sin See it in our owne case when a man comes to be accused before a Iudge if he plead he is accustomed to such a sin to swearing or drinking doth it not encrease his condemnation So that though you say I dâ—d slip through frailty yet I say you have cause to be humbled for it I will but name the second use for I have respect to the Time and Weather Secondly not only evill men but good men within the Covenant should make this use of it to humble themselves for they have need of it A man must know this when he is once humbled and come into state of Grace he hath not then done with Humiliation it is to be practised still For there is this difference between a wicked man and another Many are like a land-floud none more ready to be religious than they as your great land-flouds swell though they have no spring to feed them but with a godly man it is otherwise Humiliation is in him as a Spring he hath not done with it at his Conversion but practiseth it still And not only so but he must labour to adde to the measure of it and that will adde to his love and to his faith and drawes him nearer to Christ the more his sin is discovered It is said of the woman she loved much because much was forgiven her Others had as much mercy as she but shee had more sense of it because shee was more humbled the more you see and are sensible of your sins the more it addes to your love it makes you to prise him when you see you are so much beholden to him Againe it will adde to faith I meane not only the act of beleeving but the act of taking Christ. The more a man sees the need he stands in of Christ the more he is convinced of sin the more he takes Christ for there be degrees of taking him When a woman takes an husband there be degrees in her will there may be additions to her will shee may be morefully contented in him and more prise him And so in taking of Christ for our Lord and Husband and Saviour It is true if we will take him in earnest any measure of true faith will save us but we may doe it more abundantly for the more sense we have of sin the more greedy shall we be of him Againe the more empty the soule is the more a man is humbled the more he sees into himselfe as faith comes with an empty hand the faster hold is laid on Christ. Therefore adde still to Humiliation let it be your exercise the worser you be perswaded of your selves and the better you conceit of God it is the more for your advantage the more you can hate and abhorre your selves the more you are improved thereby for the flesh in you must be abhorred and it is our fault we doe it not enough and againe the more you apprehend Christ the nearer you draw to him And take this withall Humiliation doth not weaken assurance but workes the contrary Indeed the lesse sincerity and the lesse mourning for sin and the lesse Humiliation the lesse assurance But reckoning up and thinking on thy sinnes encreaseth it If I have so many sins how can I be saved Yes so much the rather the more thou canst see and be humbled for them the more thou addest to thy assurance and so to thy love and faith Therefore a man should make a daily practise of Humiliation for it is to a mans great advantage it is a thing too much omitted we should take time for it And thinke it your advantage to be able to see what we have in our nature how much guilt we have contracted by sinne and how our sins may bee aggravated for this will teach us to prise Christ. And so much for this point The end of the First Sermon CERTAINE SERMONS VPON HVMILIATION The second SERMON ROMANS 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men which with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse WE come now to the matter of Humiliation contained in these words which I have already opened and shew'd the points that may thence be drawn The first wherof which we will begin with is this That the Nature of man is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse You know by that which you heard before how it is gathered It will be a vaine labour to goe about to prove it you know how plentifull the Scripture is in it and you are not so ignorant of the Grounds of Divinity as not to confesse it The businesse will be to shew wherein it consists and how the Nature of man is corrupted for by making this evident we shall by the same labour prove and confirme it to you Now the way to evidence this that the Nature of man is full of all unrighteousnes and ungodlinesse is to look to the rule If you will find out the disorder and distemper that any thing is subject to the way is to looke to the rule to amend it by Now every Creature hath a law the Fire the Water the Sea yea every Creature sensible and insensible hath a law given to it which as they observe they continue in perfection and looke how farre they goe aside that so farre they be imperfect Now the Law given to man is the Morall Law and the Gospell and these two he is to observe And if you will find out the truth of this That the nature of man is full of all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse looke to these two First looke to the Law of God and see if that doe not conclude all men under sin looke therein to both the Tables It is true Hypocrites make a good shew of keeping the first Table they seeme to be forward in the duties belonging to God but looke to the second Table and that discovers them Civill men seeme to be exact in the second Table in performing duties to man but look to the first Table what their carriage to God is what little conscience they make of taking his Name in vaine of sanctifying his Sabbath of performing holy duties in an holy manner of love and feare This discovers civility that is when there is nothing else but civility Againe looke to sins of all sorts some
not of it every houre of that day that you spend in common speeches and actions you rob the Lord of that houre for all the day is his And doe not thinke that men were tied to this observance onely under the Old Testament but know that it continues still for doe but consider with your selves if the Lord should have left it meerely in the power of the Church to appoint a Sabbath day it might have been brought from a week to a moneth and from a moneth to a yeare and so if of meeting together had bin no necessity put upon us by God himseâ—fe where would religion have bin And do you think God would not have provided for his Church better than so Besides why should it be questioned when it is transmitted to us from the most ancient times Iustin Martyr sayes that on the day which we call Sunday the Christians met together to worship God and the people came out of the Countrey for that end and it was a Solemne day Tertullian in his Apologie saith as much and therefore because they spent that day in worshiping God all the Heathen called it Sunday And in all ancient times it was never controverted never called into question Againe doe we not need such a day Therefore the Lord saith Sabbath was made for man as if hee had said I could have spared the Sabbath It is not for my owne sake and for my worship sake but for mans sake that is lest he should forget God and bee a stranger to him which would redound to our own hurt And therefore shall not wee be willing to keepe it when it was for our owne sakes that the Lord appointed it What gainers might wee be in grace and holinesse if wee would sanctifie every Sabbath as we should Should we be losers by it but this is a digression and I speake it by the way But marke it I say if you keepe the Commandements of God What meanes this bleating of the sheepe These acts of disobedience on his owne Day We will goe on in the examination If indeed we thinke that it is the Lord that doth good and evill why are we so inobservant and negligent of him why do we reckon it a wearinesse to serve him why turne wee Religion into formalitie posting over holy duties in a carelesse and negligent maner when we should be carefull and fervent in the same Why is there so little growth in religion so much barrennesse in good workes the price whereof is more than gold and silver In a word Why doe we turne the maine into the by and the by into the maine That is why goe we about all other businesse as our maine and chiefe scope and take in holy duties by the way more to stop the mouth of naturall Conscience as carnall men may doe than for any delight weâ— have in them If we thinke God to be the Author of good and evill why are these things so Every man is ready to professe his faith in the Truth hereof but if wee did beleeve it wee should be more carefull to please the LORD in all things Againe if we thinke that God only doth good and evill why have not wee our eyes on him altogether why doe wee not feare him and nothing els trust in him and in nothing besides depend on him and upon no other In all our calamities and dangers why doe not wee seeke to him as to one that onely can helpe us and heale us You will say we doe depend on God wee trust in God and none but him It is very well if you doe but consider that to trust in God is to part with all for his sake and to have an eye only unto the recompence of reward to be willing to deny our selves in our profits and credits and pleasures to be content to have him alone Thus Saint Paul expresses it 2 Tim. 1.13 Therefore saith he have we suffered these things for we know whom wee have trusted As if he had said we have parted with all we are content to be led from prison to prison we are content with God alone for wee know the power and faithfulnesse of him whom we have trusted Againe to trust in God is then to rest on him when the case is such marke it that if we faile we are undone then to build on him as a sure rocke that is the nature of true holinesse and exact walking when God puts us into an exigent removes from us friends takes away worldly helpes yet in this case to trust him Thus Hester trusted God when she undertooke that dangerous enterprize If I perish I perish when if the Lord had failed her shee had lost her life So Daniel trusted God when he would put himselfe upon him being in such danger for the open profession of his Religion which by death they would have forced him to deny Thus Asa trusted God when hee went with a small number against a great multitude the Text saith of him That he trusted in God Now doe we thus trust him Surely we doe not but when faith and sense come into competition when they meet together on a narrow bridge we are readie to byas our conscience the wrong way to goe aside and decline the blow that is we are ready in such a case though with breach of a good conscience so to trust in God that withall we will keepe a sure foot on some outward probable sensible meanes that if God failes us yet wee may know what to trust to The truth is we doe not leane to the Lord. For what â—â— it to leane to him You know a man is then â—â—id to leane when hee stands not on his ownâ—â—eet but so rests the buâ—ke of his body on a raâ—â—e or staffe or the like that if it faile him he fals downe To rest on God in this manner is to leane to him and did wee thinke that hee had all power to doe good and hurt to the Creature we should thus trust in him but in that we doe it so little and so seldome it it an argument that whatsoever wee professe we doe not indeed beleeve it Last of all to make an end of this examination if we think indeed that the Lord only is able to doe good and evill why do we not that which is a necessary consequent thâ—râ—of which you shall finde in Gen. 17.1 it is Gods speech to Abraham I am God all-sufficient therefore walke before mee and bee perfect Marke that when any man thinkes God to be Al-sufficient that he hath all power in his hands that he is Almighty for so the word signifies that which will necessarily follow on this beliefe is this he will be perfect with the Lord. You will say I hope we are perfect with God But if we be why are our actions so dissonant why doe wee serve God so by halfes and by fits why are we
in the world what outward imployment soever wee exercise our selves in yet our maine businesse is in heaven we be ready on all occasions to look to the face of the Ruler of the Physition of men and creatures but we forget that the swaying of the ballance this way or that way is from the Lord When Iacob had prayed earnestly to be delivered from Esau God answers him thou hast prevailed with God and thou shalt prevaile with men so whatsoever businesse you have on earth if you will bring your enterprize to passe prevaile with God and you shall be sure to prevaile with men turne him and all is turned with him for all depends upon him Whatsoever is done on earth is first done in heaven and concluded there and then we feele and taste the fruit of it here From this generall we may descend to particulars and from hence you may learne That it is not our Army by Land nor our Navy at Sea that shall secure us at home or prevaile abroad though it bee well that these things bee done and therefore you doe well in contributing cheerefully to his Majesty for the maintenance thereof for the common good yet still remember that all your businesse is in heaven and that you must trust more to your faithfull prayers then to your preparations for successe in all enterprises It is not our woodden wals that will guard us it is not the Sea wherewith you are invironed nor our policy counsell and strength that will secure us and defend us but it is turning to the Lord and cleansing the Land from the sinnes wherewith he is provoked that will doe the deed Turne to him and then he will turne to you that shall bee a blessing on us and all our enterprises This is to see God in all things this is to sanctifie and exalt him for God in our hearts and without this all is nothing I will end this point with this briefe direction you know there is in every man I speake now of every man that is holy and not of others who are strangers from God the flesh and the spirit there is faith and sense and one of these two every man sets on worke to take a view of the things that are before them If you set faith and the spirit on worke to looke on things they will tell you it matters not what outward things are what the Creature is for it is God that doth all set the flesh on worke set sense and carnall reason on worke and they will bring quite contrary newes like the wicked Spies that were sent into the Land of Canaan who when they did but cast their eye on the state of things there they were first discouraged themselves and then discouraged the hearts of the people Oh there bee Gyants and wals reaching up to heaven Whereas the good Spies that looked on things with another eye brought another kinde of message Iust thus it is with us in sending out our Spies to looke upon the state of things before us if we send forth the Flesh Sense and Reason they bring report of terrible Wals and cruel Giants their power is so great their forces so strong that there is no medling with them but send Faith and the Spirit and the Will like good Spies looke on things with a right Iudgement and indeed that is all the difference betweene an holy man and another the one lookes on things with another eye hee sees a vanity in the Creature which the other doth not he sees an All-sufficiencie in God which the other cannot And therefore he hath onely an eye to the Lord all his care is to serve him and please him in all things So he hath no ill newes from heaven he cares for nothing on earth The other cares not how matters stand betwixt God and him so all things bee well below so his Mountaine stands strong and therefore that we may judge of things with a righteous judgement we must be carefull to see them in their true nature which onely Faith and the Spirit will present And so much shall serve for that point You see then that it is the wrath of God that doth all hurt and the favour of the Lord that doth all the good We come now to the second point which will come in well upon the former That it is sinne that causes wrath sin and wrath are knit together they are inseparable So that as Elisha said when Iehoram sent a messenger unto him to take away his life when he was sitting in the house with the rest of the Elders Shut the doore upon him and hold him fast for is not the sound of his Masters feet behind him So I say to every man If sinne and wrath come together then first shut the doore of sin which is the Messenger suffer it not to come in give it no entertainment for is not the sound of his Masters feet behinde him Doth not the wrath of God follow And shall not that wrath take away our head as Elisha said Therefore if you will keepe out GODS anger keepe out sinne But you will say I feele no such thing I have committed sinne and yet have no experience of his wrath following so close upon it I answer you must know this that as diseases must have a time of ripening so must sinne You know the poison of a disease enters not into the heart at first Sin hath certaine Vestigia which are set downe Iames 1.14 When Lust is conceived it brings forth sinne and when sinne is ripened and perfected it brings forth death The reason why it brings not death presently is because it is not perfect because it is not ripe The sinnes of the Amorites saith God are not yet full Ahab had committed a sinne he had got the Vineyard and slaine Naboth and yet heard nothing of it but when he had killed and taken possession too then came the Messenger of wrath and execution followed God let Iudas goe on till he had made the match taken recompence and betrayed his Master but than wrath came in upon him God stayed a great while till the sinne of Pharaoh was perfected till his hardnesse of heart was come to a ripenesse and then he was drown'd in the Red-sea Therefore in the second to the Romans it is said There is a Treasure of wrath Now in a Treasure there are three things First when a man is once able to treasure up any thing he is still adding to it and by degrees it growes and in that sense the Lord hath a Treasure of wrath as we adde sinnes he addes drops to the viall of his wrath till it be full Secondly it is a Treasure for a Time it lies still a while for else it were not Treasure And thirdly when the time of expence comes then it is opened And so it is with the wrath of the Lord it is gathered by
condition But you will say these are but Notions imaginary Assertions we feele not such things give me that man that hath the sense of this that feeles more sweetnesse in this than Adam did in all his outward Paradise which he had To this we answer First that there is a sense of it though spirituall Grace be a thing that is not exposed to the senses yet there is as true and as quicke a sense as there is of outward and corporall delights because when you are made New Creatures you have a new life and that hath new senses in it It hath a taste hunger and thirst it hath as quicke a sight it hath every thing that the other hath you know the apprehension of all the comforts wee have is not that which stands in the outward senses that is not worthy the name but the apprehension that the will and understanding hath of things it is every mans minde that makes a man to live happie or miserable that is his apprehension of things when thou livest a new life and thy apprehension is altered and changed thou hast as quicke a sense of those spirituall priviledges in Christ of peace of Conscience of joy in the Holy Ghost of all the benefits that rise from his Passion thou wilt have as quicke a sense as ever thou hadst of outward delights Againe if thou wouldest have such a sense let me say this to thee the time is not yet come thou shalt have it and have it in abundance but as yet as it is said We are the sonnes of God but it appeares not what wee shall bee It is true on both sides those worldly men that bragge so much of their present sense that they have and that others want it appeares not yet what either shall be but you are mingled together and there is one common condition to all because this is the time of trial Mark the wise General he doth not like of a Souldier at the first but when he hath tried him and hath suffered both to runne out their course the valiant man and those that are cowards when their course is finished and when the battell is done that is the time of conferring of honours The wise Master doth not reward his servants at the first but hee lets them alone the good servant and the bad till their time be out till the time of their wages come that is the time when hee makes the difference So doth the Lord for this time the Battell is not to the strong that is men have not their reward here for the present time Even as it is upon a Stage both are let alone till they have acted their part there is no alteration but when they come off from the Stage that is the time when the one is commended and the other is discommended So it is with the Sonnes of God and the Sonnes of men God lets you both alone for the time till you be gone off the Stage that is the time that you must looke for the difference therefore be not preposterous in your expectation be not discouraged because you have not such outward contentments because you are not above but below for the present life the time is not yet come for God doth not yet rule the world as he will do he hath as it were left the world to be ruled by others he hath left men to rule now errour comes from the face of the Ruler as the Wise-man saith that is there is that obliquity in the hearts of men those that are in place of government generally That Servants ride on Horse-backe and Princes and Wise-men goe as Servants on foot The Reason is because men rule the world For errour saith Salomon is from the face of the Ruler But now when God shall take all the government into his owne hands when he shall be absolute King in the exercise of his dominion then he will set all straight and not before then Servants shall goe on foot and Princes and Wise-men shall ride on Horse-backe therefore expect not thou it yet the time is not yet come that thou shouldest be on Horse-backe thou must be content to goe on foot yet And therefore though you have not the present sense goe on notwithstanding hold out thy expectation a while though it appeare not yet what thou shalt be yet it will come when thou shalt have the sense of it in abundance Thirdly and lastly though thou have it not fully though the time be deferred till the day of the declaration of the wrath of God on the one hand and of his favour to the Saints on the other yet by being New Creatures you shall have outward comforts in great abundance you shall not fare the worse but much the better for it for the Promise is sure to those that feare the Lord To humility and the feare of God to them is promised Riches and Honour and Life And God performes it in this life though the full harvest bee kept for afterwards though you have but the first fruits of the reward as well as you have but the first fruits of the Spirit yet in this life as you walke more perfectly with him so he will with you and the lesse you walke with him the lesse hee will walke with you that is such an evennesse you shall finde in the wayes of God to you such a measure of Iudgement and mercy as there is evennesse or unevennesse of your hearts as there is so much new or so much old Let us labour to make our wayes more perfect and we shall be more perfect in our outward estate we shall be better in our wealth we shall be blessed better in our name thou shalt bee more cheerefull in thy Spirit thou shalt be blessed in thy wife and in thy children at thy going out and at thy comming in in every thing so that the present wages that you shall have set aside that which is deferred for the future it is exceeding large to the New Creature there is comfort enough in the thing holinesse is reward enough to it selfe if you should have no more If a man be in strength and in health what if you put him into a Cottage what if he be put into prison he can beare it well enough If there were no more but to be made a New Creature it were enough to make your hearts to desire that condition but besides that it brings outward comforts in abundance or if you have not abundance it will make a little instead to you of a great deale So much for this because I have other things to deliver Thirdly are they inseparable Then take heed of challenging the one without the other doe not thinke that you are in Christ if you finde not that New Creature And this Doctrine is of much moment for this is that that we shall all be tried by at the last day and it is that peremptory Sentence
beyond that which is present and faith carries you beyond that and therefore you should have an eye to things future to things to come and not be occupied in things present and therefore though you have not those things for the present you shal have them and you should be content to want a little that you may enioy the more for the future you should consider things future and not present if reason teacheth you to doe so much more will faith But it will be objected againe It is true but these things that you tell us of they are not reall things they are things that consist but in notion and speculation It is not so you must know that these spirituall Priviledges are reall All that are in Christ are as truely Kings and Priests they are as truly Sonnes and Heires apparant and have all the promises of God intailed upon them and theirs as any Princes in this world and there is no regenerate man that knowes this that will change that glory that is reserved for him in heaven for any earthly kingdome But we have no feeling of these things We answer againe that there is a sense of them as quicke a sense and apprehension of them as there is of any other for what is it that makes men sensible of these outward riches and kingdomes and honours nothing but this because the understanding magnifieth such things and the affection loves and desires such things when you enjoy them then you are refreshed with them for pleasure is nothing else but the suting of a mans desires whatsoever they be No man would take pleasure in any outward things but because first he desire them and the satisfying of that is that that breeds a pleasure now when you come home to Christ you must know that you shall have other desires as you have it in this Text You shall be made New Creatures you shall have other affections than you had before and when these are satisfied you shal have as true Pleasure and rejoycing as ever you had in the other for if that be a true definition of Peasure and rejoycing that it is a satisfying of the desire a satisfying of the appetite whatsoever it is when that is changed Why should you doubt that you shall not have as much sense and as quicke an apprehension yea why may we not say you shall have more For this I will be bold to affirme that the object is greater and the faculty is more capacious and apprehensive The object is greater for it is durable riches it is durable honour a durable kingdome greater than any kingdome upon the earth Looke on all things that God propounds to the sons of men and they are far beyond the things that are here below To be the son of God is more than to be the son of any King to be an heire of heaven to be an heire of all things is more than to be an heire apparant to a Crowne whatsoever is propounded I say it is beyond it therefore the object is greater Then come to the faculties they are more capacious they have a more quicke and lively sense and apprehension as the rationall faculties the understanding and the will their apprehensions are deeper than those of phansie of sense or sensuall appetite and therefore you see the griefe of the reasonable part is more than that of the senses and hence it is that the misery of those that are in hell goes beyond the miseries of any in this life and so the joyes of those that are in heaven is beyond the joy of any in this life Man as he is more happy so he is more miserable than the Beast and why so because the faculty is larger and therefore a man that is heavenly minded a man that lives by faith that is in Christ hee hath greater things to enjoy than a worldly man hath or can have Againe the thoughts the faculties that are taken up about them they are of a larger apprehension and have a more deepe and quick sense than the others have and therefore in matter of sense we cannot yeeld that these things are not sensible For it is Peace of Conscience that passeth all understanding it is joy unspeakable and glorious It is said so of no outward thing and therefore these are farre beyond them that shall serve to answer that objection And so we have gone thorow three of them that they are things absent that they are things that are not reall that consist in notion and speculation that they are things not sensible Now there is a fourth objection but I must lose present things for them if we might have him and enjoy our pleasures if we could have him and enjoy riches and honour we would be content but we must be at a losse But to this we answer that you shall be no losers no not for this life you shall but make an exchange and change for the better What is it that Christ requires of you it is but to do some thing for his sake and to suffer something if you doe it is but seed sowen to the Spirit and as in other seeds every seed bringeth forth more abundantly it riseth with a greater plenty so every good worke you doe it wil doe you good at one time or other you shall be sure to have present wages for it and for that you suffer Mark 10. You shal have an hundred fold in this life and set aside eternall life for every thing that you lose for Christs sake you shal have an hundred fold Many particulars there he reckons up if you lose friends or goods whatsoever you lose you shall have an hundred fold in this life with persecution for there is the objection O but we see they are persecuted they are beneath and not above they are trampled on they are miserable Why though they be yet with persecution you shall have an hundred fold that is you shall have an hundred fold more comfort As I will give you but this instance Take Paul he was persecuted and afflicted had not he an hundred fold Take a man that lives in abundance and in plenty of all things compare his condition with that Apostles and see whether he have not more joy of heart more comfort in those afflictions when he went from Prison to Prison from affliction to affliction than Nero had in his Palace or that men have that enjoy outward things in abundance for they are not outward things that will comfort us them a man may have in plenty and yet want the comfort of them as many thousands have had So much shall serve for the answering of these objections Therefore since there are so many motives to move you to come into Christ the impediments which you finde in the way the objections of the flesh and the objections that come from Satan are but delusions Why should you not come in He is the ground of all
comfort have him and have all want him and want all things 1 Iohn 5. He that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son the wrath of God abides upon him That is he that hath the Son hath life and all things that pertaine to life that is it that makes a man happie as you know every thing is said then to be happie when it hath that which is agreeable to that being agreeable to that life that it leads A man that leads the life of nature is happie for this world according to his condition when he hath every thing that belongs to this life when hee hath wealth when he hath houses when he hath all conveniences Now when a man hath the Son he hath spirituall life and all things pertaining to it there is nothing wanting to make him happie when he hath not that The wrath of God abides on him that is the Lord is his Enemie that is the Governour of the world and he is not his enemie for a fit but the wrath of God abides on him for ever And therefore since the Lord is the cause of all our comfort he is the ground of all Salvation both of all the graces and of all the Priviledges that follow upon it this should move us to come in and to take him those two arguments I say the misery that you are in out of him and the happinesse you shall have by him but I will urge this no further so much shall serve for this Text. FINIS THE CVPPE OF BLESSING DELIVERED IN three Sermons upon 1 COR. 10.16 By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of IESUS CHRIST IOHN PRESTON D. in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolns INNE LONDON Printed by R. B. for NICHOLAS BOURNE and are to be sold at his shop at the Royall Exchange 1633. draw nearest to him as we doe in this holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper And therefore nothing concernes us more than that we doe not receive it unworthily because the Lord will be sanctified in those that draw nearest unto him that is either in the holinesse of their hearts or in executing his just judgement upon them And therefore that at this time and others also you may not come unprepared to the holy Sacrament we have purposely pitched on these words The Cup of blessing that we blesse c. In which ye shall finde these three parts First that in this Sacrament there is a true communicating of the body and bloud of Christ. Secondly the meanes whereby this communication is made to us it is the breaking of the bread and by powring out the wine Is not the bread that we breake the Communion of the body of Christ c. And thirdly the setting apart or the blessing or sanctifying of these elements to such a purpose The Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ Now for the first of these I say in the Sacrament there is a communication of the very body and bloud of Christ The Papists affirme the same but all the question is in what manner there is this communicating of his body and bloud they say corporally that there is Transubstantiation there we say the thing is really done but it is done spiritually it is done mystically it is done sacramentally The reason of our difference is because of these words of our Saviour This is my body And the Popish indeed is so strange an opinion that I would not waste time in confuting of it but that I know there are divers amongst our selves that doe willingly leave the Papists in other points yet they are held with some scruple with this they know not how to contradict such plaine words This is my body and therefore they cannot be perswaded but that there is somewhat in it more than our Divines affirme and therefore it shall not be needlesse to spend a little time in shewing you the falsenesse of this opinion First I would aske this question whether there be necessity or no that there should be such a Transubstantiation for surely if there be not necessity if that be but an arbitrary thing wee may as well deny it as they affirme it Againe such a monstrous conceit as this compounded of so many ingrediences of so many strange miracles the least of which goes beyond the highest in all the Scriptures I say is not to be put upon us without necessity themselves grant that unlesse there be a necessity we have no reason to receive it at their hands And therefore we will enquire first and see what necessity there is First I say there is no such necessity that there should be any such Transubstantiation any such corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament neither in regard of the thing nor in regard of the words This is my body I say it is not necessary in regard of the thing looke to all the ends of the Sacrament you shall finde that you may have all without such a Transubstantiation First if the end of the Sacrament bee to bring Christ to our remembrance as himselfe saith that it was his end Doe this saith he as often as you doe it in remembrance of me certainly it is not necessary that there should be a change of bread into his body for that purpose because the Sacrament it selfe with those words instituted are enough for his remembrance And besides this the very word Remember shewes that he is rather absent than present for we remember not things present but remembrance is of things absent Besides the other Sacrament represents Christ and cals him to remembrance where there is no such Transubstantiation and therefore it is not for remembrance that it is needfull that Christ should be corporally present Or secondly is it needfull for this the shewing forth the Lords death till he come Surely for this it is not needfull neither for in preaching we shew forth the Lords death as the Apostle saith to the Galathians Christ was so plainly preached that hee was as good as crucified amongst them And therefore it is not needfull for the shewing forth of the Lords death till he come Besides there is a particle put in there that may helpe us a little till he come which presupposeth that he is not yet here and therefore it is not necessary for that end But againe is it necessary for our union with Christ for that is another end of the Sacrament that we may be united to him surely if the union were corporall then indeed there might seeme some necessity of it if we were so united to Christ as when two boards are clapt â—ogether where one toucheth another but you know there is no such corporall union it is spirituall and not corporall it is by faith and not by sense What is the union betweene Christ and us Partly relative as the union betweene the husband and the wife
and you know if the husband and the wife be a thousand miles asunder there might be such an union And partly it is reall a true reall unity when Christs Spirit dwels in us which may be done without the corporall presence of Christ And therefore certainly it is not needfull for the uniting of us to Christ because this union is spirituall it is done by faith by communicating the Spirit of Christ in us and therefore in this regard it is not necessary that there should be a corporall presence in the Sacrament Last of all is it necessary to encrease our faith for that likewise is one end of the Sacrament that our faith may be strengthned Why surely it is not needfull for this purpose no I say it cannot strengthen faith because the meanes you know is subordinate to the end it is lesse than the end whereas the faith that is required to beleeve Transubstantiation is far beyond the highest pitch of faith expressed in all Scripture I say it cannot be that that should be made a meanes to helpe faith that is beyond the thing that is to be beleeved marke it consider what it is we are to beleeve we are to beleeve that Christ tooke mans nature on him for us that his sufferings and crucifying belong unto us c. Is it not much easier to beleeve this than to beleeve that a peece of bread is turned into the body of CHRIST Though you see nothing though you taste nothing but bread I say it is much easier Now as we say we must not blow a sparke too much for putting it out now to have such meanes as these to helpe faith that cherisheth not the sparke of faith but blowes it out it doth not helpe faith but over-whelmes faith when the meanes used to strengthen are such as are beyond the thing to be strengthned Therefore in regard of the thing there is no necessity that there should bee any corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament But let us consider whether there be any necessity in regard of the words This is my body Surely there is not any necessity here for the words may have another meaning This is my body that is this is the figure of my body or this is the Sacrament of my body and therefore it is not necessary specially seeing it is so frequent with Scripture to use metaphors in this kinde I need not name them to you you know Christ is called a Rock he is said to be a Lambe to be a Lion and in another case Iudas is said to be a Devill the Seed is said to be the Word nothing more frequent Christ is said to be a Vine I need not give you more instances Herod Christ cals him Fox The meaning of all this is that they are types and signes like such and such things But yet it is the manner of the Scriptures speech and therefore it is not of necessity that those words should be so taken for words are like cloaths that may fit more backes than the owners the words may agree to somewhat else there is not a word here but it may agree to divers things Body it signifies divers bodies the word This signifies as many things as you point to and therefore there is no necessity that they should signifie a corporall presence of Christ. But you will object I but in a matter of this moment as the Sacrament the Lord speakes distinctly and expresly there he useth no metaphor though in other cases he doe To this I answer briefly it is so farre from being true that he useth them not in the Sacrament that there are none of all the Sacraments but it is used In the Sacrament of Circumcision This the Covenant c. In the Sacrament of the Passeover which were the Sacraments of the old Law the Lambe is the Passeover in this very Sacrament To goe no further for instances take but the second part of it This is the Cup of the new Testament in my bloud where you shall finde two types and figures this Cup taken for this Wine This is the Cup of the new Testament that is the Sacrament of the new Testament And therefore we see there is no necessity in regard of the words And there is no necessity since with a little buckling and swarving This is my body that is this is the figure of my body we may have a convenient sense why should we faine such a monstrous thing that bread is turned into the very body of Christ and the wine into the very bloud What needs such a monstrous fetch as this to helpe the words to a meaning What need or necessity is there that they should be so interpreted And therefore we see in the first place that there is no necessity and if there be no necessity it is not to be put upon us for if that be an arbitrary thing we may aswell deny it Secondly as there is not necessitie so there is not possibilitie though it were possible they would not get much for there are many things that are possible that are not done But it is not possible if it were possible then it must stand with the power of God But the power of God is not used but where the glory and wisdome of God goe before for it is the harbinger of his glory and wisdome The power of God is not used but if it be for his honour therefore it is said God cannot lye because it is not for his honour and he cannot deny himselfe because it is not for his wisdome and his glory Now I say since this is not for the glory of God for it is against his glory that there should be such a conversion of the bread into the body of Christ and it is against his wisedome And if it be against these then certainly the power of God must not be called to it Now I say it is against his glory because whensoever the Lord appeared he appeared alway in glory though sometimes he appeared as a man yet there was such a majestie that caused them to tremble that beheld him Shall we see God and live You see when he appeared to Elias what majestie he came in what harbengers he sent before him the Wind that rent the Rockes and a Fire c. But you will say Christ humbled himselfe to death as a man therefore he doth not alwayes appeare in glory It is true and that was the lowest degree of Humiliation and yet when he appeared as man there was some sparke of his Divinitie appeared there But that Christ should appeare in the likenesse of a peece of bread that thou mayest put in thine owne mouth surely this is a monstrous thing it is against the glory of God Doe you thinke if Christ should come downe upon the earth after his Ascention and exhibite himselfe to be worshipped amongst us that he would present himselfe in the forme of a peece of bread It is impossible it is not