not uniforme among themselfes in the words uttered at deliverie of the elements If we may sit or stand or kneel in time of prayer then kneeling is not enjoyned in regard of prayer but some other thing intended But as I have said we are not direct by the act to lift up our hearts or pray and therefore I need not as yet to insist upon this pretext Giving that in the conclusion these words In remembrance of so mysticall an union â—e answerable in the narrative the meditation and lifting up of our heart then by meditation and lifting up of the heart is meant not prayer but remembrance And what is that to say to kneel in remembrance that were to kneel for a memoriall But suppone it were thus when we remember and as he addeth consider to remember and consider is not to pray Shall we kneel whensoever we are put in minde of that mysticall union And what is meant by this mysticall union It may meane as well a materiall conjunction as they call it or corporall union of the body of Christ with the bodies of the Communicants by touch in the mouth swallowing downe to the stomack and mixture with the bodies of the communicants as spirituall with the soule O Lord let thy bodie which I have taken and bloud which I have drunken câ—eave uutâ— my guts and enâ—rals saith a Romane missall But the spirituall eating of Christs flesh and drinking of his bloud and the mysticall union between Christ and us wrought by it is as well done out of the sacrament as in it saith Master Downe Wee are not united with Christ by receaving his flesh into our mouthes but by faith which may be done without ever participatâ—ing the sacrâ—ment That the Reader may perceave the better how the act is contrived let him read it without the two lies closed within the parenthesis seeing the act is whole and entire without them and he shall see that it may passe among Papists and Lutherans not one word or syllable sounding against a reall presence in the signes and that we are directed to kneel not in regard of any prayer but in due regard of so divine an action or mysterie as is the sacrament or sacramentall receaving of Christs bodie and bloud Wee may also consider the intent of the Church of England or rather of their prelats and adherents that wee may take up the better the intent of our act For conformitie with them is intended At the first Kneeling was left free in the dayes of King Edward the sixt The Papists making a stirre for want of reverence to the sacrament at the second reviewing of the booke of common prayer Kneeling was enjoyned upon this reason That the sacrament might not be prophaned but holden in a holy and reverent estimation this was done by the directours and contrivers of the booke partly to pacifie the Papists partly because their judgement was not cleare in this point They could not see every thing throughly at the dawning of the day Yet it was not altered but by a staâ—ute 1. Elizabeth that second booke of King Edwards was confirmed Doctour Burges bringeth in a passage to explaine the matter which saith he is left out by negligence of the printer But it is more likely that it hath beene done of purpose by such as were directours Doctour Mortoun saith That their Church thought it fit by outward reverence in the manner of receaving the eucharist to testifie their due estimation of such holy rites to stop the mouths of blasphemous Papists vilifying the sacrament with the ignominious names of bakers bread vintners wine profane elements ale-cakes But Doctour Ames in his reply to Doctour Mortoun answereth That it was not so much for the stopping of the mouths of Papists but that some close dissembling adversaries did hinder the worke of reformation so much as they could and that they have done so ever since and do so still to this day It may be such pretended the scoffing of Papists buâ— what matter of any glosse if kneeling be directed that the sacrament be not prophaned but hold in reverent estimation Then the sacrament is prophaned belike if wee either sit or stand and kneel not Master Huâ—ton saith They kneel to put a difference betweene the ordinarie bread and wine and these sacramentall to which they give the more reverence because it is more then ordinarie bread and wine What more plaine They say not they kneel to God that the sacrament may not be prophaned but holden in reverence c. But simply they are enjoyned to kneel that the sacrament be not prophaned c. And suppose they were it were no better shift then the Papists use when they say they dedicate temples to God in honour of this or that Saint And yet wee kneel not to God but in prayer and thanksgiving which are not compatible with the act of receaving eating and drinking of which more afterward A bare kneeling can not be presented without some signe of extraordinarie presence or apparition Some of their formalists pretend they kneel because of the prayer uâ—tered at the deliverie of the elements The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee preserve thy body and soule unto everlasting life I answer That it is already proved that kneeling is enjoyned for the sacraments fakâ— Next Christ prayed not at the deliverie of the elements but in an enunciative forme uttered the word of the promise This is my body This cuppe is the new testament 2. The word of promise is the speciall clause of the charter The sacramentall signes are like seales hanging at the charter If at any time therefore the word of promise should be uttered then specially when the seales are delivered The Evangelists Matthew Mark Luke and the Apostle Paul repeat precisely and constantly that word so that any man may perceave the sacramentall forme of words ought precisely to be observed and uttered in the name of Christ without change into a prayer in name of the Church The sacramentall forme of words is observed in baptisme why not here Our formalists forbeare to to utter the word of promise to the Communicant They say They have uttered it before It is not enough that they were uttered before narrâ—ivâ—ly or 〈◊〉 in rehearsall of the words of institution For this sacrament is an imitation of Christ not a recitall of his words and actions It is to doe as he did and not to report what he did saith Mouline The rehearsall of the words of the institution leâ—terh us see what warrant wee have to celebrate such an action and in generall of use I read and wine But it can not bee said demonstratively of this bread and wine in particular set on the table that it is the body and bloud of Christ till it be first sanctified by prayer and thanksgiving to that use and after delivered to the communicant with command to take eat and assurance
which is a begging of the question and yet hee can not prove kneeling at the hearing of the word let bee in the act of receaving the sacramentall elements but out of a misprinted place in Perth assembly pag. 45. where in is put for after Farre lesse can our Formalists pretend the respect of prayer For we have no act enjoyning either any vocall prayer to be uttered by the minister or mentall by the Communicant when he is to receave the elements Nor doe our Formalists observe one forme of words at the deliverie either for prayer or otherwise Wheresoever the publike intent of a Church is to kneel for reverence of the sacrament every Communicant following her direction is an idolater Howbeit his privat intent were divers from the intent of the act which is urged as the publike intent of the Church yet he is interpretativè an idolater and to be so construed both before God and man If any man receave the sacrament upon his knees at Rome or in any other Popish Church whersoever were his privat intent yet he must be interpreted to kneel according to the intent of the Church of Rome The heart may be carried one way and the outward action another way for feare or other respects but that outward action must be interpreted not according to the intention of the minde but the intent of the injoyner If ye fall downe before an idol in Spaine suppose for feare of the inquisition ye commit idolatrie and honoureth that idol in the sight of men If it be asked after what manner the Communicant must be interpreted to adore I answer That upon better consideration of the act then before I thinke the Communicant may according to the act kneel with a Popish intent carring both the inward motion of his spirit and outward submission of his body to the sacrament upon opinion of transubstantiation or with the Lutherans intent upon opinion of consubstantiation and that for two cases first because the words of the act make mention only of the body and bloud of Christ and of the blessed sacrament but not one word of the elements of bread and wine Next because some of our ministers the chief urgers of kneeling are popish and have taught in publike in the pulpits of Edinburgh that wee ought not to contend or descant curiously upon the manner of Christs presence in the sacrament and that he is present after an unknowne manner To this purpose they cite a saying of Durandus It is current among the English prelats The bishop of Rochester in his defence of kneeling commendeth the simplicitie of the ancients who disputed not whither Christ were present Câ—n sub in or trans in the supper See Hooker likewise in his fift booke of ecclesiasticall policie And Sutton on the Lords supper in his appendix They will talke more plainly when they shall see their time Our Doctour commendeth them for this They would have us beleeve that the manner of the presence of Christs body at the sacrament is unknowne whereas we know very well that Christs body is present after a spirituall manner to the soules of the godly receaving by faith â—ut to the sacrament or elemenâ—s only after a sacramentall manner that is relatively as things signified are to signes howbeit farre distant That incomprehensible or unsearchable manner whereof they talke is a lurking hole for adversaries to the truth as Beza can tell him Our Doctour from Christs personall omnipresence inferreth page 142. the flesh and bloud of Christ may be worshipped in the sacrament because wheresoever his person is his humanity is corjoyned with his divinitie By this Popish reason Christs flesh and bloud may be worshipped in a stone in the moone the sunne or any other thing else His argument is borrowed from the Rhemists note upon Heb. 1. 8. Our doctour rejecteth the Vbiquitaries conceat of Christs humanitie extended and diffused through every place yet notwithstanding of this personall omnipresence he hideth himself in the lurking hole of the imperceptible manner of the sacramentall presence He acknowledgeth a spiritual presence of Christs body in the sacrament Bâ—llarmine acknowledgeth as much for saith hee Non habet Christus in Eucharistia modum existendi corporum sed spirituum If ye will bear the word Bodily so will Bellarmine he content because saith he Christ is not present after that manner that bodies have existence of their own nature unlesse the right explication bee added He commendeth the expression of the councell of Treâ—â— Verè realiter substantialiter Truely reallie substantiallie as the best and surest For the popish sence When our doctours will not have us to contend about the manner of presence whither by consubstantion or transubstantiation yet this taketh not away Substantially in generall but leaveth place to substantially in an unknown manner But wee proceed If any will extend the words of the act to the elements of bread and wine and interpret the receaving of Christs bodie and bloud of the souls inward receaving then howbeit hee kneeleth not upon opinion of the reall presence of Christ in the sacrament yet his adoration is terminated and resteth someway upon the sacrament or sacramentall elements otherwise hee cannot bee said to kneel for receiving of the sacrament Now as the papists agree not among themselves about the manner of worshipping their images so the Communicants may differ in the manner and way of terminating that adoration or worship Therefore suppose he believe not the reall presence or existence of the body of Christ in the bread yet hee may in his apprehension and imagination unite them as the papist doth his image with the prototype and so adore the thing with the thing signified as the purple robbe with the King is coadored or adored per accidâ—ns or hee may consider the signe as substitute in the roome of the thing signified howbeit absent and performeth before it or about it that adoration which hee would bestow upon the thing signified and by it or in it honoureth the thing signified properly but the signe improperly As when a Kings Ambassadour or Vice-gerent is honoured at some solemnitie with the honour of his Master but improperly for the King is properly honoured Or as Vasâ—uez will have images to bee adored to wit with the inward motion of the minde to the thing signified the bodie of Christ and the exterior or outward signe of submission to the signe to bee transmitted to the thing signified or considering the signes as things sacred and in relation to God whom we are serving in the use of them So howbeit the way and manner of terminating the reverence in the Sacrament bee different according to the conceat of the Communicant all come to one end to wit to kneel for reverence of the Sacrament Now to kneel for reverence is a gesture of adoration and soveraigne worship as L. ackowledgeth It is nothing to the devil whether a man erre this
out of the hand of the minister not out of Christs owne hand Multum interest inter actionem Filii Dei perse per ministrum Illa enim est actio immediatè producta à divino supposito ista ab humano Bellarm. de Missa lil 2. cap. 4. Yea the Apostles at the first supper adored not on their knees when Christ himselfe ministred the sacrament howbeit upon occasion and at other times they adored not did they adore God the Father upon their knees for the benefite they were receaving The inward benefite Christs body and bloud are receaved by the soule not by the body by the godly only not by all that receave the sacrament by faith embracing Christ present by his spirit in the soul. The godly under the law receaved the same gift the same spirituall food and drink and yet kneeled not The D. pag. 113. saith that in the law they had but the shadow of the gift a popish speach whereas the Apostle saith the same food If the clearer revelation make the difference which is without ground or reason then adoration is not in respect of the gift The godly take eat and drinke Christs body and bloud by the act of faith and beleeving Now the act of faith or beleeving is not an act of adoration as the schoolmen acknowledge nor is it expressed outwardly by kneeling In a 〈◊〉 fidei non potest apprehendi aliqua submissionis nota propria religionis exhibenda ipsi excellentie Dei sicut nec ratio sacrificii aut laudis saith Vazquez Never man yet adored upon his knees if his principall work was actuall beleeving desire Christ short ejaculations of the soule and the acts of other graces concurre as concomitants to remove impediments that faith may put forth its act with greater strength which is the principall worke of the soule in the act of receaving the elements All dispositions which are required unto right receaving can not distinctly and solemnely bee expressed at the same time by outward gestures except wee would use divers gestures together saith P. 195. The principall therefore must be considered Next wee receave eat and drinke Christs body and bloud as soone as we are effectually called and beginne to beleeve and as oft as we heare the promises of the Gospell read and exponed and doe beleeve Christs body is as farre absent from us at the receaving of the sacrament as at the hearing of the word The symbols when they are added to the word while the mystâ—râ—s are celebrated I doubt not saiâ—h Pâ—ter Martyre serve very much for assurance for thâ—y sâ—ale the promise tamen illa Christi nobis praesentiam magis constituere quam verba aut promissiones constanter pernego That is but that they make Christ more present to us then the word and sacraments doe I utterly denie The Formalist speaketh as if Christs body were present in the sacrament or as if wee had never receaved Christs body till wee receaved this sacrament or never but when we receave this sacrament Whereas Augustine saith There is no doubt but every one of the faithfull is made partaker of the body and bloud of Christ when in baptisme he is made a member of Christ as ye may see in Gratians decree Againe he saith Credere in eum hoc est panem vivum manducare to beleeve in him is to eat the living bread The glosse saith Christ is eaten spiritually by faith without the sacrament We are united with Christ and made members of his body before we come to this sacrament and doe not receave his body of new at every communion as if wee had lost it since the former and yet there is but one body receaved at all the times The celebration of the Lords supper is not a new institution of the testament but a repetition of the same This sacramâ—â—◠〈◊〉 authentike instrument of the testament and as of as it â—s ministred the same authentike instrument is 〈◊〉 over â—gain See this illustration in Bellarmine and â—â—â—anus Wee are said then to take eat drinke Christs body and bloud at every celebration of the holy supper because wee put forth our faith in act at that time and renewing the act of faith wee take eat and drink by beleeving that same body and bloud which before our faith being strengthened by the outward signes and seales to that end and so grow in faith and by faith in union with Christ The holy mysteries do not beginne saith Jewel but rather continue and confirme this incorporation Whitaker saith Familiarâ—â— loquendi modus est ut fieri dicatur quod factum obsignaâ—ur That is It is a familiar kinde of speaking to saâ—â— that thing is in doing which being already done is sealed and confirmed Thirdly the manner or forme of receaving a 〈…〉 be answerable to the manner of the offering the nâ—ture of the gift and the will of the giver If a King call his nobles to a banket it is his will that they sit at table David and Jonathan sate at table with King Saul as you may see 1 Sam 20. Such as were called the Kings friends or companions for the originall word signifieth as well the one as the other Sociuâ— â—s amicus I take to have sitten ordinarily with Kings as Zabud 1 King 4. 5. and Hushaâ— the Archite who is called 2 Sam. 15. 37. Davids friend and 1 Chron. 27. 33. by the same translaters the Kings companion Such an one was Daniel to the Babyloniah Emperour as the Apocrypha historie of Susanna reporteth cap. 14. 1. To this Christ alludeth Joh. 15. 15. when he saith to his disciples at table Hence forth I call you not servants but I have called you friends Abraham for his faith was called Gods friend Jam. 2. 23. By the same reason all the faithfull are preferred to this dignity As wee are friends and fellow-heires with Christ so hath hee instituted this holy feast the onely feast in the Christian Church to assure us of our preferment and fellowship with him Howsoever then otherwise and at other occasions wee behave our selves as supplicants we are now according to our Lords will and pleasure to observe that externall forme of a feast which he hath left to his Church and to act thereat in our outward carriage the persons of guests and friends And therefore howbeit the inviter be a great person the manner of invitation is familiar and our not acceptance the more offensive Chrysostome declaiming against such as were present and did not approach to communicate saith The King table is here the King himselfe is present Why standeth thou yawning If thy garments be cleane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit downe and participat In the English booke of common prayer there is an exhortation to bee made to the people when they are negligent to come to the table where we have these words Ye know how grievous and unkinde a thing it is when a man hath prepared a rich
Parcus in Rom. 16. 7. 1 Corin. 16. 19. Philemon 2. The names also given to this sacrament may teach us that tâ— should bee celebrated in the publicke assemblie The name synaxis importeth a gaâ—â—ering or assembling together Casaubon saith synaxis and synagogue are all one because derived from one word Liturgie signifieth a publicke service or ministrie both the names import the celebritie of the assembly and the solemnitie of the administration before the assembly The elements were sent to the absents in time or immediately after the action in Justinus Martyrs time Which was the first abuse we read of After followed reservation of the eucharist for the use of the sicke which was a greater abuse and carrying of it home to their houses The opinion of the necessitie of privat communious did grow to such an hight that the eucharist was given not onely to aged persons departing this life for their Viaticum to bee their voyage victuall as they call it but also to infants and babes and this indured for the space of 600. yeares The Papists themselves are ashamed of it and expresly inhibit it Yea of old in some parts it was the practice to use Master Perkins words to cram the eucharist into the mouth of them that were deceased or to lay it upon the breast and burie it with the corps Such horrible prophanations arose from the opinion of necessitie engendred upon these reservations and giving of the eucharist to the sicke The continuation of the like customes doth foster and entertaine the same opinion of necessitie The ignorant are fostered in superstition as if the grace of God were tyed to the sacrament and no comfort could be had by there receaving of it in former times but they must have it now for their voyage victuall whereby they may bee enabled to attaine to life eternall without fainting in the way Polyander after he hath concluded that the Lords supper should not bee celebrated in privat either for sicknesse of any person or other case of necessitie whatsoever granteth that not long after the Apostles times for condescending to the weaknesse of some this custome prevailed to send to the sicke the elements of bread and wine in the time of administration Sed hoc medium atque admâ—niculum quod infirmioribus juvandis ac consolandis ex zelo irregulari absque Christi mandato patres exhibuerunt paulatim in eam transiit idololatriam â—nt aliqui non minùs administrationi sacra coena quà m baptismi salutemex opere operato tribuerint That is The helpe and nemedie they used out of irregular zeale without Christs precept for the comfort and helpe of the weaker ended at last into such idolatrie that they ascrived no lesse their salvation to the administration of the holy supper then of baptisme and that by vertue of the worke wrought or deed done Therefore he adviseth us to beware that we foster not men in a superstitious opinion by privat or domestick administration of the Lords supper Calvin saith Difficillimum est hic cavere ne alios superstitio alios ambitio vanaâ—ostentatio ad petendum solliciter That is It is verie hard to bee avoided that superstition stirre not up some ambition and ostentation others to crave it Bullinger saith If wee bee contentious in the defence of this viaticum there will bee bred againe that which wee have seene receaved in some ages before a relying npon the very receaving it selfe of the sacrament as if for it wee were acceptable to God and departing out of this world did flie straightway to heaven and without it were carried straightway to hell And many 〈◊〉 errours will spring up Tilenus saith in his syntagma Whatsoever necessitie be pretended hardly cast any sufficient cause be rendered wherefore the publicke action should passe in a privat Because he ordâ—nance of God is supreme necessitie which wee must obey rather then faster the infirmitie of man Illa enim infirmorum levamenta ex â—â—ordinem olim adhibita infirmitatem publicam totius ecclesia magis foverunt auxerunt quà m privatam agrotan ium sanarunt That is The ease tendered by the cont non order upon the infirme dâ—d rather cherish and augment the publicke disease of the whole Church then heal the privat disease of the sicke As for the pretended necessitie of comfort to the sicke that same answer may be given that the English service book giveth when none can be had to communicate with the sicke or for extremitie of sicknesse or other just impediment he cannot communicate The carat shall instruct him that if hee doe truly repent him of his sinnes and stâ—edfastly beleeve that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the crosse for him and shed his bloud for his redemption earnestly remembring the ben sits he hath thereby and giving him hartie thankes therefore hee doth eat and drinke the body and bloud of our Saviour Christ profitably to his soules health although he doth not receave the sacrament with his mouth May not the like bâ—e said to the sicke in body but ignorant or superstitious in minde when the sacrament may not bee celebrated at their bedside without breach of Gods ordinance The Rhemists do acknowledge that they doe eat the flesh and drinke the bloud of Christ which joyne in hart and desire with the part 〈◊〉 of the sacrament A man may die a martyr before he receave either baptisme or the Lords supper How many Catechumeni have died before they were baptized The comfort and benefit wee receave at any publicke communion is not restrained to the present time but serveth at all times for our use Wee were but once baptized yet the comfort and benefite endureth all our life long Our spirituall communion with Christ and to eat his flesh and drinke his bloud by faith is ever so necessarie that otherwise we cannot be safe but so is not the participation of the Lords supper Onely wee must beware of neglect and contempt of the publicke administration The godly know in their agonie they never want shall which is chiefe and onely necessarie where in they so acquiesce that they will not without the Lords institution trouble the comlinesse and order of the Church for their owne privat satisfaction Norunt pij in agone nun quaâ—ijs dâ—esse quod praecipuum est soâ—ùm necessarium in quo ita acquiescunt ut extra Dom ni institutionem nolunt ecclesia ordinem decorum turbare ut sibi privatim satisfaciant This pretended necessitie grounded upon superstitious conceats hath drawne on a neglect of the publicke communion because in time of their need they looke for it in privat Ab ista manducatione clinica cui quisque in papatufidit ortho est in plerisque communicandi contemptus cum prospera valetudine fruuntur ad quod semel tantum in anno ex ecclesiae sua praescripto obligantur The whole congregation hath interest in the celebration and is