per illam nam quia ex vnopane partipamus omnes vnum corpus Christi vnus sanguis inuicem membra efficimur concorporati Christo existentes Wee communicate with Christ by the Eucharist and participate his flesh and Deitie and because we communicate wee are vnited among our selues by it for because wee all participate of one bread wee are made one body of Christ and one blood and members one of an other being incorporated with Christ S. Conf. lib. 7. c. 10. Augustine sayd excellently well in the person of Christ Cibus sum grandium cresce manducabis me nec tu me in te mutabis sicut cibum carnis tuae sed tu mutaberis in me I am the meate of strong men growe and thou shalt eate mee neither shalt thou change mee into thee as thou doest the meate of thy flesh but thou shalt bee changed into mee De passione Domini Serm. 14. And S. Leo in like sort Non aliud agit participatio corporis sanguinis Christi quà m vt in id quod sumimus transeamus The participation of the body blood of Christ workes nothing else but this De Sacram. lib. c. 4. that we shall become that which wee receiue S. Ambrose saith Qui vulnus habet Idem Aug. de verbis Domini Serm. 28. medicinam requirit vulnus est quia sub peccato sumus medicina est coeleste venerabile Sacramentum Hee that hath a wound let him require physicke the wound is that we are vnder sinne and the medicine is the heauenly and venerable Sacrament But why doe I trouble my selfe with many authorities When as it is confessed by all that in this Sacrament wee receiue the Body and Blood of Christ Instit l. 4. ca. 17 as Caluin doth most fully proue and Beza in an Epistle to Caluin Epist 309. Ad secundum verò non ponimus inquam pro re significatâ in Sacramentis ipsum tantùm meritum passionis Christi sed ipsissimum corpus cruci affixum sanguinem ipsissimum in cruce effusum pro nobis In summâ Christus ipsemet verus Deus homo nobis significatur per illa signa vt attollamus corda nostra ad illum contemplandum spiritualitèr fide in coelis vbi nunc est atque ita communicamus cum omnibus ipsius bonis thesauris in vitam aâ—ernam idquetam verè tamque cervò quam verum ac certum est nos naturalitèr videre accipere edere bibere signa illa quae videntur à nobis sunt corporea To the second for the thing signified in the Sacraments I say We put not the merit of Christs passion onely but the same bodie that was nailed on the Crosse and the same blood that was shed on the Crosse for vs. In summe Christ himselfe true God and man is signified vnto vs by those signes that we may lift vp our hearts to contemplate him spiritually by faith in the heauens where now he is and so we communicate with all his goods and treasures vnto eternall life and that so truly and certainly as it is true and certaine that we naturally see and receiue and eate and drinke those signes which are seene of vs and are corporall And after Inter. Epist Caluius he addeth the words of the Queene to the Cardinal Audisne Domine Cardinalis non aliam esse Sacramentariorum opinionem quam eam ipsam quam nunc ipse approbasti Doe you heare Sir Cardinall that the opinion of the Sacramentaries is but the same which you haue approued Add to this that Christ neuer commeth alone but is euer attended with a traine of graces and as the Father sendeth the Sonne God of God and Light of light to redeeme vs so the Father and the Sonne send the holy Ghost to sanctifie vs. Rom. 8.32 If God hath giuen vs his Sonne how shall he not with him freely giue vs all things saith the Apostle And that this Sacrament is a Communion or participation of Christs Body and Blood it is apparant in the Apostle 1. Corinth 10. And whereas wee participate of Christs Body and Blood in the preaching of the word and in Baptisme yet this onely Sacrament is called Communio the communication of the Body Blood of Christ there must be some special reason of it namely a more liuely and neere coniunction of our selues to Christ that we should indeed be liuing members incorporated into his mysticall body that liue no longer by our owne spirit but by the Spirit of Christ who is the spirit of our spirit the soule of our soules and the very life of our liues He is the Sun from whose beames we receiue the light of grace the Fountaine from whom we as riuers receiue the water of life The Roote from whom wee as branches receiue the sap of increase and the Head from whom we as members receiue being and life By the force and effect of this Sacrament wee receiue power against sinne and Satan and abilitie to serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse and the neglect thereof giueth aduantage to our spirituall enemies whereby we are intangled in many temptations and fall into many sinnes S. Donatiuitate Christi Cyprian saith Sacramentorum communicatio per quam illius corporis sinceritati vnimur nos in tantum corroborat vt de mundo de Diabolo de nobis ipsis victoriâ potiamur Sacramentali gustu viuificis mysterijs inhaerentes vna caro vnus spiritus simus dicente Apostolo Qui adhaeret Domino vnus spiritus est The Communication of the Sacraments by which we are vnited to the sinceritie of his body doth so farre forth corroborate vs that we obtaine victory ouer the world the deuil and our selues And by this Sacramentall tast adhering to the life-giuing mysteries we are one flesh and one spirit as the Apostle saith He that adhaereth to God is one spirit with him Againe Panis hic azymus cibus verus sincerus per speciem De Caena Domini Sacramentum nos tactu sanctificat fide illuminat veritate Christo conformat sicut panis communis quem quotidie edimus vitaest corporis it a panis iste supersubstantialis vita est animae sanit as mentis This vnleauened bread the true and sincere meat by a shew or Sacrament sanctifieth by the touch illuminateth by faith and by trueth conformeth to Christ and as common bread which we eate daily is the life of the body so this supersubstantiall bread is the life of the soule and the health of the minde S. Ambrose saith Venias ad cibum Christi In Psal 118. Serm. 15. ad cibum corporis Dominici ad epulas Sacramenti ad illud poculum quo fidelium inebriantur affectus vt laetitiam induas de remissione peccati curas seculi huius metum mortis solicitudinesque deponas Come to the meat of Christ to the banquet of the Sacrament to that
of our Natiuitie are layd downe by the Sacrament of Baptisme Caro abluitur vt anima emaculetur Tertul. de Baptismo Caro corpore Christi sanguine vescitur vt anima de Deo saginetur The flesh is washed or Baptized that the soule may bee made cleane or without spot the flesh is fedd with the body and blood of Christ that the soule may be fed and fatted with God Optatus saith Lib. 5. contra Parmentum Baptisma Christianorum Trinitate confectum gratiam confert si repetatur facit vitae iacturam The Baptisme of Christians giuen in the Name of the Trinity conferreth grace marke that word and if it bee iterated it effects losse of life It was S. Tract 80. In Ioan. Augustines question Vnde tanta virtus aquae vt corpus tangat cor abluat Whence commeth this force to the water that it should touch the body and cleanse the soule And surely if this Sacrament consist of two things the signe and the thing signified it must necessarily follow that grace which is the thing signified must bee exhibited in with or by the signe or else it will cease to be a Sacrament for it shall haue but one part And therefore Caluin out of S. Lib. 4. Instit C. 17. Sect. 35. Augustine maketh this collection where he sayth Sacramenta in solis electis efficere quod figurant that The Sacraments doe effect that which they figure onely in the elect Ib. §. 10. And his iudgement is cleare in the point Fateor sane fractionem panis symbolum esse non rem ipsam verùm hoc posito à symbolitamen exhibitione rem ipsam exhiberi ritè colligemus Nisi enim quis fallacem vocare Deum volet inane ab ipso symbolum proponi nunquam dicere audeat I truely confesse that the breaking of the bread is the symbole and not the thing it selfe but this being granted wee rightly gather from the exhibiting of the symbole that the thing it selfe is exhibited For vnlesse a man will call God false or fallacious he will neuer dare to say that God proposeth vnto vs an empty signe or symbole And thereupon hee proposeth a rule to bee held by all godly men that so often as they see the signes or symboles instituted of God Illic rei signatae veritatem adesse certò cogitent ac sibipersuadeant They should certainely thinke and perswade themselues that the trueth of the thing signified is there present And againe Dico igitur in coenae mysterio per symbola panis vini Christum verè nobis exhiberi adeoque corpus sanguinem eius I say then that in the mystery of the Supper by the signes and symboles of bread and wine Christ is truely exhibited vnto vs his body and his blood §. 5. And againe a little before Vbi idipsum intùs complet quod exteriùs designat Where that is in the Sacrament hee doth inwardly fulfill that which he doth outwardly designe Now the spring is on high Grace is desursum Iacob 1.17 from aboue from the Father of lights the channels or conduits are deorsum from below and run in the vallies of humilitie that is in humble soules and humbled bodies so that the Sacrament must bee receiued with reuerence adoration and kneeling Againe the Sacraments are vasa consecrationis or dedicationis the vessels or instruments of our consecration in which we are offered vp and dedicated to God and his seruice In Baptisme we are offered vp and dedicated to bee Christians and members of Christ In the Lords Supper we are offered vp and dedicated as liuing and holy Sacrifices to God And things consecrated dedicated and sacrificed must bee offered vp with all humilitie of soule and body because in them both our soules and bodies are offred vp to God Now before I come to the reasons themselues it shall bee needfull to cleare one point that much troubleth many weake consciences who out of an affected tendernesse refuse to kneele in the worship of Christ for feare they should commit Idolatry with the sanctified creatures But we are so farre from worshipping or adoring the bread and wine after consecration as the Church of Rome doth that wee hold it to bee no better then Artolatry and Idolatry It is true the hypostaticall vnion of the deitie and humanitie in the person of Christ is such that diuine worship is due and was euer tendered to the humanitie of Christ Lignum nudum non est tactui inaccessibile atqui igni coniunctum carbo factum non propter seipsum sed propter coniunctum ignem inaccessibile fit caro secundum sui naturam non est adorabilis adoratur autem in incarnato Deo Verbo non propter seipsam sed propter coniunctum ipsi secundum hypostasin Deum Verbum The wood saith Damascen may be touched of it selfe but being set on fire it cannot be touched and the flesh is not to bee adored for it selfe but being the flesh of Christ and ioyned in hypostaticall vnion with the deitie in one person wee adore not bare flesh vt creatura est as it is a creature Damas lib. 4. Fidei ortho c. 3. but carnem Dei Deum incarnatum the flesh of God and God incarnate Yea we dare not but adore Christs manhood because it is inseparably assumed by his Deitie into the vnitie of his person But in the Sacrament there is no impanation nor incorporation of his deitie with the bread and wine as the Godhead dwelleth bodily with the manhood in his incarnation and therefore it is most easie to make a manifest separation between the adoration of Christs humanitie as he is God and man which is to bee done euery where and the adoration of the Sacrament where Christs flesh and blood is exhibited and receiued by vs which may neuer bee done to the Elements though it must alwayes be giuen to Christ himselfe because there can bee no such vnion of the Godhead with the Elements that they should make one person that is God blessed for euer Adoramus Deum in mysterijs non mysteria in Sacramentis non Sacramenta P. Mornay de Miss l. 4. c. 7. So then though we doe adore Christ when wee receiue the Sacrament as antiquitie did yet wee doe not adore the species or Elements as our superstitious aduersaries doe because there is no colour of proofe that euer the ancient Fathers of the Primitiue and purest Church Vide Beza inter Epist Caluini Epist 309. did giue any such adoration to the Sacraments or externall signes The questions of curiositie de modo of the maner of Christs presence of Con and trans and sub and cum or in and the like which now vexe all Christendome were not then hatched and simple faith then beleeued that God performed his word without doubting or disputing whereas now Magnae scientiae est esse Christianum It is a matter of great knowledge to attaine to
soli seruies and him onely shalt thou serue That the word Soli is added to the latter but not to the former as if it were lawfull to adore others besids God but it were not lawfull to serue any but God But S. Augustine speaketh there of ciuill reuerence and adoration such as Abraham did to the children of Heth Gene. 23.7 but not of diuine adoration such as the Angel for bad S. Iohn to giue him For saith hee the Angel appeared such to S. Iohn that he might bee taken for God himselfe and therefore Corrigendus adorator the adorer was to bee reproued And thus it comes to passe that too much humility or pestiferous flattery doth coÌ„municate that to creatures which is peculiar to the Creator God blessed for euer Now some are called gods quos fecit homo whom mans superstition and folly hath deified and these are no more to be adored then deuils and some are called gods quos fecit Deus whom Gods power and grace hath made gods and these will not endure to be adored with diuine worship But we must adore him with kneeling and weeping who is not Deus factus but factor not a god made by opinion or superstition of man but him that is a God in trueth and being and the maker of all things who giueth being and blessing vnto men And it is no small assurance vnto vs in our inuocation and adoration quiafecit that he made vs for the Creator loues his creature as the Artificer is in loue with the child of his owne braine and he reaches out the right hand of power to create and grace to sanctifie Iob 14.15 and glory to crowne the worke of his owne hands Wee are the sheepe of his hands Veâ—se 7. man buyes sheepe he maketh them not we are Gods sheepe quas fecit quas emit Hee maketh vs by his power and bought vs with the blood of his Sonne His blessings are finite to vs for wee are not capable of Infinitie but his nature is infinite in himselfe as the light of the Sunne is great though the illuminatioÌ„ in vs be little The action quam agit which he performes for vs and in vs is created and therefore finite but the affection quâ agit out of which he createth and blesseth vs is infinite that is his power and goodnesse In which wee must consider not quantum how much it is that he doth for vs though that exceedeth all merit and capacitie but rather à quanto how incomprehensibly great he is that doth all this for vs. And because God hath no neede of vs our adoration is no increase to him and it is impossible to returne to him quod aequale Psal 16.1 that which shall equall his grace and goodnesse much lesse come neere to that immesurable loue wherewith he loueth vs for the creature can neuer requite his Creator nor the childe euer recompence his parents either in nature or grace let vs endeuour to do that which onely remaines in our power that is quod possibile all that is possible for a creature to do that is offer to God the sacrifice of our soules and bodies in Adoration and Prostration and Kneeling and Contrition Ex toto with all our hearts and mindes and power Luk. 10.27 and strength And if we thus obey Dauids venite Come let vs worship and fall downe and kneele and weepe before our Lord and maker in this life when this life shal be ended we shal be partakers of Christs Venite Come ye blessed of my Father Matt. 25.34 receiue the kingdom prepared for you Which God grant c. Amen A DISCOVRSE CONCERNING KNEELING at the Communion THis is the generall doctrine concerning kneeling in the worship of God as it is a transcendent and to be vsed in all the parts thereof to expresse the humiliation of our outward man as well as the humilitie of the inward And at that time when I spake thereof I proceeded no further Since being occasioned to descend to the particular of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I haue added this ensuing discourse giuing such reasons to others as most moued my selfe and as I conceiue the whole Church to tender this duetie of kneeling to God to whom all duety and seruice of soule and body is alwayes due but most specially to be guien when wee are more neerely conioyned to God and participate most of his graces And the Sacraments are Canales gratiae The chanels and conduits wherein Gods mercies and graces doe runne and are conueyed to vs Exhibent quod signant They exhibite that to vs which they signifie and represent For Iohn Baptist saith Marke 1.8 I baptise you with water but he that is Christ shall baptise you with the holy Ghost The grace of the holy Ghost is there signified and there exhibited Else he would haue said ille dabit not ille baptizabit he will giue you the holy Ghost which may be giuen otherwise then by Baptisme not he will baptize you with the holy Ghost so the holy Ghost that is signified by Baptisme is giuen in baptisme and therefore Baptisme exhibiteth that which it signifieth Marke 16.16 And he that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued and saluation is the consummation of grace and Baptisme by water and the holy Ghost maketh a passage or entrance into the kingdome of Heauen Ioan. 3.5 Acts. 2.38 and obtaineth remission of sinnes Repent and bee baptized for remission of sinnes By which Christ doeth cleanse his Church in the lauer of regeneration by the word Ephes 5.26 Ephes 5.26 The Mileuitan Councell said well C. 2. Paruuli qui nihil peccatorum in semetipsis adhuc committere potuerunt ideo in peccatorum remissionem veraciter baptizantur vt in eis regeneratione mundetur quod generatione contraxerant Little children who as yet could not coÌ„mit any sinne in themselues are there truely baptized for remission of sinnes that that may be cleansed in them by regeneration which was contracted by generation In Symbolo Niceno 2. C. 25. As the Councels of Nice and Constantinople said I beleeue one Baptisme for the remission of sinnes And Concilium Arausicanum said Hoc etiam secundum fidem Catholicam credimus quod accepta per baptismum gratia omnes baptizati Christo auxiliante cooperante quae ad salutem pertinent possint debeant si fideliter laborare voluerint adimplere We beleeue that by grace receiued in Baptisme all the baptized Christ helping and working with them may and ought if they will labour faithfully fulfill those things that pertaine to saluation Cyprian saith Sacramenta quidem c. The Sacraments as much as in them is cannot be without their owne vertue neither doeth the diuine Maiestie absent himselfe from the mysteries by any meanes Cyprian de Coena Dom. Hom. 14. in Luc. 2. And Origen saith Sordes natiuitatis per baptismi Sacramentum deponuntur The vncleannesse or spots
meditation is but as prayer and the like which properly offer diuine adoration to God For why The Sacrament is a visible signe of an inuisible grace in which as God offereth to vs his Sonne in his death and passion and the graces of the holy Spirit so wee offer to him our selues In Baptisme the Sacrament of Spirituall generation the water washeth the body and the Blood of Christ washeth the soule there God becommeth our Father by adoption and wee offer vp our selues and our children to be sonnes of God by grace Aug. Tract 2. in loan Dedit vnicum vt non esset vnicus God giueth his onely Sonne to vs that hee might no longer be an onely Sonne but make many brethren vnto himselfe and sonnes and heires to God Christ giueth himselfe to vs to be our head and wee consecrate and dedicate our selues to Christ to be his members God becommeth our Lord and we become his seruants we offer our selues to fight as souldiers vnder his colours and he receiueth vs into his army and protection and armes vs by his grace to fight his battailes so that Baptisme is as a mutuall or reciprocal couenant that he should be our God and we should be his people consecrated and sealed to his seruice The like is done in the Eucharist the Sacrament of encrease there the Flesh and Blood of Christ the meate and drinke of our soules is giuen to vs for our growth and we there giue and offer vp our whole selues a holy and liuing sacrifice acceptable to God which is our reasonable seruice of him The first of regeneration is done of vs being children when wee are not able to promise for our selues in this of nourishment we doe contract by our selues that he shall be our God and wee will be his holy Temple that hee shall be our head and we will be his liuing members that hauing receiued life from his life and spirit from his Spirit we will no more liue to our selues but vnto him that so we may say with the Apostle Viuo ego iam non ego I liue yet not I Gal. 2.27 but Christ liueth in mee we cease to liue the life of sinne that wee may altogether liue the life of grace In which respect the fathers call this Sacrament Latreiam diuine worship Cyril Epist. ad Nectar Actor Concil Ephe. Tom. 1 c. 14 apud Biunium pag. 714. Dum vnigeniti filij Dei hoc est Iesu Christi mortem ex mortuis resurrectionem annunciamus eiusdemque in Coelum assumptionem profitemur incruentum in Ecclesia Dei cultum nos obire mysticasque benedictiones adire eaque ratione sanctificari vtpote sacrae carnis pretiosi sanguinis Christi omnium saluatoris participes effecti While we do shew the death of the onely begotten Sonne of God that is Iesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead and his assumption into heauen we professe to performe the vnbloody worship of God in the Church and come to the mysticall blessings and by that meanes to be sanctified as being made partakers of the sacred flesh and the pretious blood of Christ the Sauiour of vs all Aug. de Ciuit. Dei lib. 10. c. 4. so sayeth S. Cyrill And S. Augustine saith Hinc nos seruitutem quae latria graecè dicitur siue in quibusdam Sacramentis siue in nobis ipsis debemus We do owe to God that seruice which in Greeke is called diuine worship either in certaine Sacraments or in our selues Againe the oblation of sacrifice pertaineth Ad cultum Latreiae to diuine worship August contra Faust Man l. 20. cap. 21. And againe Sacrifice is diuine worship Aug de Trinit l. 3. c. 10. And againe Infantes non nouerunt quod in altari ponitur peracta pietatis celebratione consumitur Infants know not that which is set vpon the Altar and performed in the celebration of pietie where this Sacrament is called pietie But in my iudgement Caluine doeth best expresse this point for hee defineth a sacrament thus Instit lib. 4. cap. 14. §. 1. It is Testimonium diuinae in nos gratiae externo signo confirmatum cum mutua nostrae erga ipsum pietatis testificatione A testimony of diuine grace in vs confirmed by an externall signe with a mutuall testification of our seruice or pietie towards him And that this pietie is to Godward it appeareth in the word erga ipsum And againe when he saith That as God doeth seale the promises of his beneuolence to our consciences by these externall symbols so we in like sort doe testifie our pietie to him as well before him and his Angels as in the sight of men So the Sacrament is an action of our pietie to God and pietie is the inward deuotion or adoration of the soule And therefore Viguerius in his institutions which are a briefe of Schole diuinitie collecteth thus That Viguerius cap. 16. ver 8. Gratia Sacramentalis ad duo ordinari videtur videlicet ad tollendos defectus peccatorum praeteritorum in quantum transeunt actu remanent reatu iterum ad perficiendam animam in his quae pertinent ad cultum Dei secundùm religionem Christianae vitae Sacramentall grace is ordained for two ends 1. to take away the defects of sinnes past in as much as they bee past in acte and remaine in the guilt 2. to perfect the soule in those things that appertaine to the worship of God according to the Religion of Christian life And ver 3. He saith Dicitur signum datum ad sanctificandum hominem in cultum honorem Dei that it is a signe giuen to sanctifie man to the worship and honour of God And after In vsu Sacramentorum duo possunt considerari Cultus diuinus sanctificatio hominis In the vse of the Sacraments two things may be considered The worship of God and the sanctification of man As in the Law Circumcision did consecrate and seale the seed of Abraham to God and the Passeouer did prepare them to the sacrifice of God in the wildernesse Yea and this Passeouer is called Religio Religion What is this seruice Exod. 12.26 and Victima transitus Domini ver 27. the sacrifice of the Lords Passeouer And Exod. 13.10 Custodies huiusmodi cultum thou shalt obserue this ordinance or forme of worship so in the Gospel Baptisme doeth regenerate and consecrate vs to God and the Eucharist doeth offer vs vp in sacrifice to him And this Sacrament may better be called an Act of Religion or pietie and the sacrifice of the Lords Passeouer since that was Typus agni paschalis a type of the Paschal Lambe and here are offered membra agni Paschalis the members of the Paschal Lambe And this offering vp of our selues to him is indeed the true and dayly sacrifice of the Christian Church which being the mysticall body of Christ cannot offer Christs natural body which Christ offered once for all vpon the Crosse but