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<DATE>2011-11-25</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>TWO Treati&s;es. </P>
<P>1. The holy exerci&s;e of a true Fa&s;t, de&s;cribed out of Gods word, Written by T. C.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Joel.</HI> 2.12.13.</BIBL>
<P>Turne you vnto me (&s;aith the Lord) with all your heart, and with fa&s;ting, and with weeping, and with mour|ning: And rent your heart and not your clothes; and turne vnto the Lord your God, for he it gracious, and mercifull &s;low to anger, and of great kindne&s;&s;e, and repenteth him of the euill.</P></Q>
<P>2. The &s;ub&s;tance of the Lordes Supper. Written by T. W.</P>
<P>Imprinted at London for <HI>I. Hari&s;on,</HI> and <HI>T. Man. Anno.</HI> 1610.</P>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB REF="2">
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE HOLY EXERCISE OF a true Fa&s;t, de&s;cri|bed out of Gods word.</HEAD>
<P>_IT IS AN euident de|claration, of a marueilous blindne&s;&s;e which is in vs, to order our &s;teppes to|wardes the kingdome of heauen; that like children new come into the world, we know not when to eate, and when to forbeare ea|ting, no further then wee haue our direction out of
<PB N="2" REF="3"> Gods word: But it is yet more maruaile, that in &s;o &s;mall a matter, &s;car&s;e the hundred per&s;on, of tho&s;e which profe&s;&s;e the name of Chri&s;t, know either how to enter into this way, or how to turne them in it when they are entred, to any glo|rie of GOD, or profite of them &s;elves. For to let the Papi&s;ts goe, which through a &s;hamefull &s;uper&s;tition in it, rather pine away their &s;oules, then take downe their bodies: it is a &s;hame to &s;peake, how few there are of tho&s;e which beare the name of Go&s;pellers, that haue &s;o much as the know|ledge of this exerci&s;e; &s;o farre are they from any lawfull and right practi&s;e of it. For a great number,
<PB N="3" REF="3"> as a needle&s;&s;e thing, reiect it altogeather; For &s;haking off the Popi&s;h yoke, from their owne necks, by v&s;ing, or rather abu&s;ing their li|bertie; they &s;uffer their &s;er|uants to remaine &s;till vnder it. Which cu&s;tome, vnle&s;&s;e it be through infirmitie of body, or &s;ome other weigh|tie cau&s;e; it can hardly e&s;|cape the hotte and vehe|ment &s;u&s;pition, either of belly-Gods, if thinking it religious in their &s;eruantes, they them-&s;elues will not ob&s;erue it: or of a couetous minde, if hauing no &s;uch opinion of it, they doe notwith&s;tanding con&s;traine their &s;eruantes therevnto. An other &s;ort there bee, which being afraide of the reproche of Belly-gods,
<PB N="4" REF="4"> and thinking it fitting to the Chri&s;tian profe&s;sion, to keepe the fle&s;h in &s;ome bri|dle; allow (in deede) of the exerci&s;e of Fa&s;ting; but for want of knowledge of a better, they &s;ticke &s;till in the mire of the Popi&s;h fa&s;t. For remedie whereof, there fol|loweth a Treati&s;e, whereby the true Fa&s;t being vnder|&s;tanded; as well the pro|phane opinion of tho&s;e which reiect this exerci&s;e, as the fooli&s;h &s;uper&s;tition of tho&s;e, which content them &s;elues with a &s;hadow there|of, is laid open.</P>
<P><Q>Fa&s;ting therfore, is an ab|&s;tinence commanded of the Lord, thereby to make &s;o|lemne profe&s;sio~ of our repe~|tance.</Q> Wherein, that which is &s;ayd of the Lord com|maunding
<PB N="5" REF="4"> it, is to be con&s;i|dered again&s;t tho&s;e, which would thru&s;t this exerci&s;e, out of the doores of Chri&s;ti|an Churches. For the re|pre&s;sing of which errour, let that be called to remem|brance, which the Lord commanded by <HI>Mo&s;es:</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Leuit 16.29, 30, 31, &amp; 23.27 to 33 Num. 29.7.</NOTE> That euery &s;oule once a yeare &s;hould humble it &s;elfe, in fa&s;ting before the Lord, in one of the great a&s;|&s;emblies of his people. For although the ceremonie of the day be taken away by the co~ming of our Sauiour Chri&s;t; yet the thing it &s;elfe is no more taken away, the~ a re&s;t for Gods &s;eruice is ba|ni&s;hed, becau&s;e the <HI>Iewes</HI> Sa|both is aboli&s;hed. For, when as (no doubt) the con|&s;ideration of the Fa&s;t was,
<PB N="6" REF="5"> that the wrath of GOD &s;hould not breake out a|gain&s;t them; or being bro|ken out, &s;hould be cau&s;ed to returne home againe: the &s;ame cau&s;e remaining, there is good rea&s;on the &s;ame ef|fect &s;hould continue. And when it is an humbling of a man before his God; was there any degree of ca&s;ting downe, nece&s;&s;arie for that people, which is not nece&s;|&s;arie for vs? Either ought they to haue gone downe lower into the conceite of their vnworthine&s;&s;e, then we, into the con&s;cience of our guiltine&s;&s;e; Who&s;e be|nefites, as they are greater then theirs; &s;o the abu&s;e of them, &s;hould driue vs to the lowe&s;t humiliation that can be; &s;o it be lawfull &amp; war|rantable
<PB N="7" REF="5"> by the word of God.</P>
<P>But if this holy exerci&s;e of Fa&s;ting, doe not clearely enough appeare, to be no fading or &s;hadowing cere|monie, by this &s;et and ordi|narie Fa&s;t, becau&s;e the like doth not agree with the time of the Go&s;pell: yet by other moueable and vncer|taine Fa&s;tes, which were holden vpon occa&s;ion, the &s;ame may bee more &s;trongly &s;trengthened. For where we &s;ee the like occa|&s;ion of fa&s;t, that was then; there we may be a&s;&s;ured of the &s;ame commaundement to fa&s;t, that was giuen them: commaundement I &s;ay, lea&s;t any man thinking it to be a will wor&s;hip, taken vp at
<PB N="8" REF="6"> the plea&s;ure of men, might thinke he had as good (or better) right to lay it downe, then they had, to take it vp. For proofe whereof, that one place of the Prophet <HI>Ioel</HI> &s;hall &s;uffice;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2.22.</NOTE> which, vpon occa&s;ion of a great dearth in the Land, com|maundeth in the Lords be|halfe, to &s;anctifie a Fa&s;t. By which one commaunde|ment, it is euident, that o|ther Fa&s;tes, which were kept, either by the Chur|ches publiquely, or by &s;ome of the faythfull pri|uatly; were done in obedi|ence, and not at the randon of mans inuention. If this be not &s;ufficient, to &s;ubdue our &s;turdie affections, to this &s;o holy an exerci&s;e; yet at the lea&s;t, let them &s;toupe
<PB N="9" REF="6"> vnder &s;o manife&s;t, both doctrine &amp; examples here|of, by the Churches of God vnderneath the Go&s;pell. For when as our Sauiour Chri&s;t, being charged by the <HI>Phari&s;es</HI> and <HI>Iohns</HI> Di&s;|ciples,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 5.33.</NOTE> that his Di&s;ciples fa|&s;ted not; &s;o an&s;wered, that he did not onely not con|demne it, but highly al&s;o commend it; &s;o it were done &s;ea&s;onably: It is plaine, that the libertie which the Go&s;|pell bringeth, hath not re|moued the auncient bound of a Chri&s;tian Fa&s;t. And if we looke into the practi&s;e, whereby the way chalked out by his doctrine, is tro|den and beaten plaine vnto vs by examples; it will &s;oone be &s;eene, how great|ly they deceiue them &s;elues,
<PB N="10" REF="7"> which vnder the colour of greater perfection attained vnder the Go&s;pell, ca&s;t a|way the a&s;si&s;tance, that the Lord offereth by this exer|ci&s;e. For if we enquire of the Churches &amp; Apo&s;tles fa&s;t|ing, then was it mo&s;t often, when they were fulle&s;t of the graces of God: that is, after the &s;olemne &s;ending of the holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P>If wee thinke then, that this exerci&s;e of fa&s;t, be too ceremonious, becau&s;e it was tied to a certaine day: the commaundement to hold it without any &s;uch re&s;traint, vnto a certaine time, ought to correct that thought of ours. If we &s;tand in feare, that it &s;hould be too Iewi&s;h; the doctrine of the Go&s;pell is ready to pull vs out of
<PB N="11" REF="7"> that feare. If pre&s;umption of greater graces, then tho&s;e which &s;hould neede &s;uch a &s;upplie, doe bring this Fa&s;t out of conceit with vs: the practi&s;e of it by the holy Apo&s;tles, at the highe&s;t toppe of their perfection in this world, will ea&s;ily &s;et vp the credite thereof againe. But if Fa&s;tes, neither &s;tan|ding nor &s;itting, neither vn|der the Law, nor vnder the Go&s;pell, neither of the wea|ker, nor of the &s;tronger, can draw vs into loue, and (in loue) into practi&s;e thereof; it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that there is a maruellous poi&s;on of rebellion in our natures, which all this tri|acle of the Lords high au|thoritie, and of &s;uch autho|rized examples of the chil|dren
<PB N="12" REF="9"> of God, will not ca&s;t foorth. Howbeit, the Lord leaueth vs not here, but vn|to his Lordly authoritie, of commaunding this exerci&s;e of Fa&s;t, hath added fatherly promi&s;es, to allure vs vnto the &s;ame: as towardes the end of this Treati&s;e, &s;hall plainely appeare.</P>
<P>This exerci&s;e therfore of Fa&s;ting, being both of &s;uch authoritie, and of &s;o great weight to pull wrath vpon vs, if it be neglected; let vs now &s;ee in what things (e&s;|pecially) it doth con&s;i&s;t. And they are in number two. The former is of the outward, and (as the Apo|&s;tle calleth it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4.8.</NOTE>) of the bodily exerci&s;e: the other is of the inward vertues, helped for|ward by the bodily exerci|&s;es.
<PB N="13" REF="9"> For the outward cere|monie, it is an ab&s;tinence for a time, from the com|modities and plea&s;ures of this life, thereby to make vs the apter to the inward ver|tue. <Q>And this outward ab|&s;tinence is therefore com|maunded, that wee &s;hould both feele, and in feeling, profe&s;&s;e that we are vnwor|thy either of life, or of any thing that belongeth to the vpholding thereof.</Q> And al|beit, it may appeare but a childi&s;h thing to carnall men, and a thing vnworthy the wi&s;edom of the Go&s;pel, to place any thing in this bodily exerci&s;e, &s;eeing that the Lord is a Spirit, &amp; will be wor&s;hipped in &s;pirit &amp; trueth; and &s;eeing that they being of their owne nature,
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<PB N="14" REF="10"> neither good nor euill, can not make vs either better or wor&s;e: yet if wee con&s;i|der that it is the Lordes or|dinance, who hath &s;o com|maunded it, we can not be but mo&s;t a&s;&s;ured, that the Lord who hath &s;o in&s;titu|ted it, will giue it a ble&s;sing, and cau&s;e it to pro&s;per, to that end whervnto he hath ordeined it; if wee vnder|take it in his feare, and in a con&s;cience of obeying the Lordes commaundement. Tho&s;e which came either to runne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 9.25.</NOTE> or to wra&s;tle for the be&s;t Game, were wont to ab&s;taine fro~ &s;uch things as might hinder their exer|ci&s;e, or make them le&s;&s;e able to performe the~ with prai&s;e: And what&s;oeuer, either pith in their armes, or &s;wiftne&s;&s;e
<PB N="15" REF="10"> in their legges, they had o|therwi&s;e; yet as they neg|lected not that ab&s;tinence, &s;o they found that it greatly profited them, to the better breathing and other inhab|ling of them, to their exer|ci&s;es. And &s;hall we thinke, that the dyet which the Lord him &s;elfe hath ap|poynted, to the fitting of vs towardes the &s;pirituall wra&s;tling with our fle&s;hly minde, &s;hall not haue a &s;in|gular fruite? And if there were no other fruite of this Ab&s;tinence, but that the enimies mouth &s;hould thus be &s;topped, which charge the Go&s;pell, to &s;et open a &s;choole to all licentiou&s;nes of eating, and to giue (as it were) a &s;auce to prouoke mens appetites therevnto,
<PB N="16" REF="11"> which are otherwi&s;e too &s;harpe &s;et of them &s;elues: it &s;hould be no &s;mall effect of our Ab&s;tinence. In deed the Papi&s;tes charge vpon vs, is heere the &s;ame and no other,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 5 33.</NOTE> then the Phari&s;es, a|gain&s;t the Di&s;ciples of our Sauiour Chri&s;t: But why &s;hould not we, if we de&s;ire that the Go&s;pell &s;hould be well &s;poken of, take away the occa&s;ion of &s;uch &s;pea|ches?</P>
<P>But let vs &s;ee wherein this Ab&s;tinence doth con&s;i&s;t; where fir&s;t of all commeth to be con&s;idered, the Ab&s;ti|nence from Meates and Drinkes; whereof (as the principall of the outward Ob&s;eruations) the whole exerci&s;e tooke the name.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 12.16.17. Ezr. 10.6. Leui 23.32. Iudg. 20.26</NOTE> <Q>And the word it &s;elfe with
<PB N="17" REF="11"> the practi&s;e, declare, that it is not onely a &s;ober v&s;e of Meates, which ought to be continuall all the life long, or a more &s;paring diet then at other times: but an vt|ter Ab&s;tinence from eue|ning to euening, from all kind of meates &amp; drinkes.</Q> Whereby it appeareth, that the <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Fa&s;t is nothing le&s;&s;e, then the Fa&s;t which the Scripture teacheth: for they breake the necke of this Ab&s;tinence both by fulne&s;&s;e and by delicacie. By fulne&s;&s;e, in that it is law|full (as other dayes) at Din|ner, to fill them &s;elues with anything, fle&s;h only excep|ted: at euening &amp; morning, to fill the~ &s;elues with Bread and Drinke. By delicacie for that, where men on that
<PB N="18" REF="12"> day, &s;hould content them|&s;elues with common and cour&s;e meats, &s;ufficient one|ly for pre&s;eruatio~ of health: the <HI>Papi&s;tes</HI> in their ab&s;ti|nence, did either not &s;o much as aime at this marke, or el&s;e they &s;hotte gro&s;&s;ely wide. For in permitting the v&s;e of all thinges at their Dinner, be&s;ides Fle&s;h; it is euident, that they left grea|ter dainties, &amp; greater &s;tir|rers of fle&s;hly lu&s;tes, then they did cut off. And be|&s;ides, the dainties in meates; Wine, (then which there is nothing more prouo|king) was as v&s;uall that day, as of others. And at euening, when they would giue the cleare&s;t te&s;timonie of their Ab&s;tinence, and when they did light their
<PB N="19" REF="12"> candles (as it were to &s;hew their ab&s;tinence by; the greate&s;t part of tho&s;e that were both able and might finde in their heartes, to be|&s;tow it of them &s;elues, had their Tables furni&s;hed with Spice-bread, with Fruites of this &s;ide and beyonde the Seas, with Marmelet and Sucket, and &s;uch like: then which dealing, what could be more childi&s;h? to deny the ta&s;ting onely of one mor&s;ell of Fle&s;h, and to per|mit a fulne&s;&s;e of bread: to forbid the cour&s;er Meates and Table, which might haue bin furni&s;hed for two pence, and to draw in the delicate&s;t Meates, which could not be prouided for twentie &s;hillinges: to re|&s;traine the v&s;e of thinges
<PB N="20" REF="13"> bredde at home, and to leaue the v&s;e free, of thinges fetched out of <HI>Barbarie:</HI> finally to condemne the eating of a peece of &s;moa|kie and rea&s;tie Bakon, and to iu&s;tifie the banqueting and iunqueting Di&s;hes, which are before mentio|ned. That I &s;peake nothing of &s;ome of the poorer &s;ort, which vpon the Thur&s;day at night, and Fryday at din|ner, would fill their bellies the fuller, that they might pa&s;&s;e ouer their ab&s;tinence, with le&s;&s;e feeling the want of their accu&s;tomed diet. All which thinges, as wee condmne in the <HI>Papi&s;tes;</HI> &s;o we mu&s;t carefully take heed that they be not found in vs:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.1.</NOTE> vnle&s;&s;e we haue forgot, that in iudging them, wee
<PB N="21" REF="13"> condemne our &s;elues, when as we doe the &s;ame thinges, which we finde fault woor|thy in them.</P>
<P><Q>An other of the&s;e corpo|rall exerci&s;es is watching, or a cutting &s;hort of our ordinarie &s;leepe: which we may apply to the fur|therance of this exerci&s;e.</Q> For be&s;ide that this Ab&s;ti|nence, is a remouing of or|dinarie plea&s;ures and com|modities; it appeareth, that &s;ome thing al&s;o &s;hould be pared from it. For be&s;ide that, it is meete that there &s;hould be a certaine con|formitie and &s;utablene&s;&s;e of our whole behauiour, all the time of the Fa&s;t. The Prophet <HI>Ioel</HI> exhorting the Prie&s;tes to this holy exer|ci&s;e of Fa&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 1.13.</NOTE> biddeth them
<PB N="22" REF="14"> that they &s;hould continue in Sackcloth in the night time, extending this exer|ci&s;e (at the lea&s;t) to &s;ome part of the night. When notwith&s;tanding it is to be noted, that as wel in the for|mer ab&s;tinence from meate as in this withdrawing of &s;ome part of &s;leepe; that nei|ther is &s;o &s;treightly requi|red of the Lord, but that tho&s;e who&s;e either di&s;ea&s;e or other infirmitie will not beare this ab&s;tinence, with|out hazard of their health may v&s;e &s;o much libertie, as &s;hall &s;erue for the pre&s;erua|tion of their health: &s;o they take heed they v&s;e not this gentle dealing of the Lord, as a cloake to hide the lu&s;tes of their fle&s;h withall&punc; <Q>A third kind of ab&s;tinence
<PB N="23" REF="14"> is in the apparel, that albeit they put not on Sackcloth and A&s;hes, as the holy Fa|thers did in times pa&s;t; yet that they content the~ &s;elues with a common kind of at|tire, auoyding all &s;uch co&s;t|line&s;&s;e &amp; curio&s;itie, where|by in tricking &amp; trimming vp them &s;elues,, the fle&s;h may take occa&s;ion of being proud.</Q> Thus the Lord, whe~ he would haue the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to humble them &s;elues before him, &s;pake to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;aying;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 33.5.</NOTE> Speake vnto the children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that for the pre&s;ent time, they lay a&s;ide their Iewels and Ornamentes, that I may know what I &s;hall doe with them. And thus farre hath it been &s;poken of the out|ward Exerci&s;es, which are
<PB N="24" REF="15"> generall, and to be done of al, which make this &s;olemne profe&s;sion of repentaunce. There is one yet which is more &s;peciall, belonging vnto married per&s;ons alone, which is, that they for the time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 7.5.</NOTE> &s;hould with con&s;ent <Q>ab&s;taine from the mutuall felow&s;hip one of an other; which is &s;o &s;traitly requi|red,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2.16.</NOTE> that euen the Bride|grome &amp; the Bride, (which of all other, ought to haue the greate&s;t priuiledge in that poynt) are bidden at &s;uch times, to come out of their chambers.</Q></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14.17.</NOTE>But for as much, as the kingdome of heauen &s;tan|deth not in the&s;e thinges; and the Lord being a Spi|rit, will be wor&s;hipped in &s;pirite and trueth: either
<PB N="25" REF="15"> the&s;e exerci&s;es mu&s;t lead vs to &s;ome farther thing, or el&s;e the &s;ame accu&s;ation will lie again&s;t vs, where|with the Prophet charged the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> who conten|ting them &s;elues with the outward ceremonie of ab|&s;tinence,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 58.3.</NOTE> were &s;ent home as emptie as they came. And indeed, vnle&s;&s;e we bring more with vs, then this our ab&s;tinencie, our Fa&s;tes may be matched with the Bea&s;ts Fa&s;t of <HI>Niniuie;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionas. 3.7.</NOTE> for they al|&s;o both eate nothing, and were couered with Sack|cloth: yea the Bea&s;tes Fa&s;t, may be &s;o much better then ours, as there be &s;ome kinds of Bea&s;tes, that can longer endure without meate and &s;leepe then we. Where the <HI>Papi&s;tes</HI> fa&s;t, which was &s;he|wed
<PB N="26" REF="16"> before to be childi&s;h, may heere be prooued to be bea&s;tly and bruti&s;h: For if they did onely ab&s;taine from Meate, they iudged them &s;elues to haue holden a good Fa&s;t vnto the Lord. There follow the inwarde vertues helped forward by the bodily exerci&s;e; which in the number<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ezdra. 6.21.</NOTE> two. <Q>The one is the humbling and ca&s;ting downe of our &s;elues before the high Maie&s;tie of God, with &s;orrow for our &s;innes: The other, is the a&s;|&s;uraunce that we haue, that with forgiuene&s;&s;e of them, we &s;hall obtaine the thing that we &s;tande in need of, and make &s;uite for.</Q></P>
<P>Here therefore, fir&s;t com|meth to be con&s;idered, our hu~bling &amp; ca&s;ting downe,
<PB N="27" REF="16"> which is a vile e&s;teeming of our &s;elues, an&s;wering to the outward exerci&s;e. <Q>For ther|fore doe we ab&s;taine for a time, that we might there|by haue a quicker feeling of our owne vnworthines. Therefore we bring downe the body, that the minde may be likewi&s;e brought downe.</Q> Therefore we cru|cifie the fle&s;h, that the de|&s;erued death of the &s;pirite, may be the better knowen. <Q>Therfore we ab&s;taine from our plea&s;ures and commo|dities,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark. 2.20. Luk. 5.35. Math. 9.15.</NOTE> that through con&s;ci|ence of &s;inne, and feeling of the wrath of God, either pre&s;ent, or to come, for the &s;ame, we might draw our &s;elues to a greater &s;orrow.</Q> In which re&s;pect, the exer|ci&s;e which the other Euan|geli&s;tes
<PB N="28" REF="17"> call Fa&s;ting, Saint <HI>Mathew</HI> calleth Mourning. <Q>Herevpon it commeth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2 17. 1. Sam. 7.6.</NOTE> that weeping, which is a wit|ne&s;&s;e of our &s;orrow, is an|nexed vnto the Fa&s;t;</Q> which the children of God haue done &s;o plentifully in this exerci&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 7.6.</NOTE> that they haue bin &s;ayd, to haue drawne whole Buckets of Water; which the deapth of the &s;orrow for their &s;innes, and the an|ger of God again&s;t them hath mini&s;tred. And as the&s;e outward exerci&s;es are com|maunded, to draw vs to a feeling of our vnworthines; &s;o in the feeling thereof, by them wee make a &s;olemne confe&s;sion of the &s;ame. <Q>For the children of God in time pa&s;t, by their ab&s;tinence from meate &amp; drinke, con|fe&s;&s;ed
<PB N="29" REF="17"> them &s;elues vnwor|thy &s;o much as of a crumme of bread, or drop of water: by putting on Sackcloth, vnworthy of the wor&s;t rag to couer their &s;hame with. So that if common hone&s;tie and health would haue &s;uf|fered, they wold haue &s;trip|ped them &s;elues &s;tarke na|ked. The &s;ame is to be vn|der&s;tanded of the benefite of Sleepe, and company of Mariage; as al&s;o of all other the commodities of this life: whereof they did not one|ly confe&s;&s;e them &s;elues vn|worthy, but in that they put Du&s;t and A&s;hes vp|on their heades, they gaue to vnder&s;tande, that they were vnworthie of the life it &s;elfe, and that they de&s;erued to bee as farre
<PB N="30" REF="18"> vnderneath the ground, as they were aboue it: yea if there had been any thing, apter to haue &s;et forth their euerla&s;ting condemnation in Hell, of that al&s;o would they haue borne the marke, thereby to declare their guilt &amp; de&s;ert of the &s;ame. So that hereby they do iu&s;|tifie the Lord, in that ven|geance again&s;t the~: where|of by this humbling of the~ &s;elues, they &s;eeke redre&s;&s;e.</Q> If then we keepe a holy Fa&s;t vnto the Lord, wee mu&s;t thereby be humbled in our &s;elues before the Lord: but if vpo~ confidence of our fa&s;t|ing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 5.33. Luk. 18.11.</NOTE> wee waxe bolder to &s;inne, in a per&s;wa&s;ion that through obedience giuen vnto him, in this one poynt, we may be bolder to be di&s;|obedient
<PB N="31" REF="18"> in others: or if the v&s;e hereof do make vs &s;well again&s;t our brethren, and after the example of the <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> de&s;pi&s;e the~ which doe not Fa&s;t, as wee doe: then is the Fa&s;t, appoynted of the Lord for our medi|cine, become our bane and poy&s;on.</P>
<P>And therefore here now, we giue a new charge vp|on the Popi&s;h Fa&s;t, a great deale more hotte then the former: For &s;eeing that they with the proude <HI>Phari&s;ee,</HI> boa&s;t of the merite of their fa&s;tes, &s;etting the&s;e fa&s;tes (as other workes) in the place of the Blood of Chri&s;t. It is manife&s;t, that their Fa&s;tes are &s;o farre from humbling them, that through the opi|nion of them, they ri&s;e vp
<PB N="32" REF="19"> again&s;t the Lord, and doe their be&s;t to &s;et them &s;elues, euen in the throne of God: &s;o that vnto the childi&s;h|ne&s;&s;e and bruti&s;hne&s;&s;e of their Fa&s;t abouementioned, heere they haue added an horrible and bla&s;phemous &s;acriledge. <Q>To the compa&s;|&s;ing of this true humbling of our &s;innes, is annexed ne|ce&s;&s;arily, an information and meditation of the filthi|ne&s;&s;e of our &s;innes, and of the iu&s;t vengeance of the Lord again&s;t them, declared in the threatninges of the Law, and execution of the iudgements of God again&s;t the wicked; and namely a|gain&s;t our Sauiour Chri&s;t, who putting vpon him&s;elfe our wickedne&s;&s;e, &s;uffered Hell paines for it: and &s;pe|cially
<PB N="33" REF="19"> an information and meditation of tho&s;e, both &s;innes and puni&s;hmentes, which the pre&s;ent time and per&s;ons doe giue occa&s;ion of.</Q> And thus farre touching the fir&s;t part of the inwarde vertues in Fa&s;ting, &s;tanding in the ca&s;ting downe of our &s;elues before the Lord.</P>
<P><Q>There followeth the o|ther part, which is a profe&s;|&s;ion of our Fayth, that wee &s;hall be lifted vp as high, through the grace of the Lord our God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, as the con&s;cience of our &s;innes doth ca&s;t vs downe:</Q> and that wee &s;hall obtaine the remoouing of the euilles tending to our de&s;truction, (through the woorthine&s;&s;e of our Saui|our Chri&s;t,) which either
<PB N="34" REF="20"> pre&s;ently pre&s;&s;e vs, or hang ouer our heads, through our owne vnworthine&s;&s;e. For as true repentance, ca&s;ting vs downe with one hand, both in &s;orrowe for our &s;innes, &amp; confe&s;sion of the &s;ame, leaueth vs not in our downfal, but through faith, reacheth vs the other hand, to lift vs vp againe: &s;o this &s;olemne profe&s;sion of our repentance, carying vs fir&s;t to the valley of trouble, af|terward bringeth vs backe againe, to the gate of hope. In which re&s;pect, wee al|wayes finde in the holy Scriptures,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ezra. 9.5. Nehe. 1.4. Dan. 9 3. Iudg. 20.26. Luk. 5.33. 1. Cor. 7.7.</NOTE> that Fa&s;ting is ioyned with praier;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2. Chron. 20.6. Iames. 1.6. Iohn. 16.23</NOTE> which can neuer be truly made, without hope of obtaining the grace, that is praied for. But for as much as prayer is
<PB N="35" REF="20"> a dayly and ordinarie exer|ci&s;e of Gods children; it is manife&s;t,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ionas. 3.8. E&s;ay. 58.4.</NOTE> that by the pray|er which is coupled with Fa&s;ting, there is vnder&s;tan|ded a &s;peciall or peerele&s;&s;e kinde of Prayer, both in zeale and &s;trength of Pray|er, as al&s;o in continuance of the &s;ame. <Q>Whereby appea|reth, that here is an other v&s;e of the outwarde ab&s;ti|nence, that it might be as it were a wing, wherewith the Prayer, that otherwi&s;e through earthly affections, creepeth vpon the ground, might the ea&s;ier flee vp in|to heauen: and that it might be a Grinde&s;tone, to make a poynt of it, that it may pierce; and to &s;et an edge, that it may cut, both the vi|&s;ible and inui&s;ible enimies,
<PB N="36" REF="21"> which wee pray again&s;t. And therefore the outward ab&s;tinence that pulleth downe the body, helpeth to lift vp the minde; and cruci|fying the fle&s;h, it quickneth the &s;pirite, and maketh it more liuely to this exerci&s;e.</Q> Where yet againe the <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Fa&s;t is founde in&s;ufficient, which vpon the dayes of their Fa&s;tes, had no extra|ordinarie exerci&s;es of pray|er; more then other dayes which were not fa&s;ted. <Q>To the better performance al|&s;o of this part, is annexed an information and medita|tion of the gracious promi|&s;es of God, e&s;pecially &s;uch as may &s;erue for reliefe of the pre&s;ent occa&s;ions.</Q></P>
<P>Wherein the better to correct our dulne&s;&s;e &amp; hea|uine&s;&s;e
<PB N="37" REF="21"> to this &s;o holy an exerci&s;e; let vs remember, that it is to obtaine &s;ome &s;peciall grace at the hand of the Lord. Whereby it is giuen vs to vnder&s;tand, that vpon due holding of this Fa&s;t vnto the Lord, there be excellent promi&s;es, and a mo&s;t &s;ingular rewarde.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2.13. &amp; 19.20.</NOTE> Whereof the place of <HI>Ioel,</HI> as it &s;pake before, for the commaundement of all the Fa&s;tes, which the people of God v&s;ed; &s;o will it vnder|take for the promi&s;es, which the Lord hath made, to all tho&s;e which &s;ubmit the~ &s;el|ues to the obedience there|of. The truth of which pro|mi&s;es is &s;o manife&s;t in the Scriptures; as the Sunne (at noone dayes) can be no clearer. For let all the
<PB N="38" REF="22"> Fa&s;tes of the holy Chur|ches, and of godly men layd out in Scripture, both of the old and new Te&s;tament, be<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Iudg 20.23. Ezra. 19.6. He&s;t. 4.16. 2. Chron. 20.3.</NOTE> turned ouer; and it &s;hall be &s;eene, that the ende of their Fa&s;t (which kept it in any mea&s;ure of trueth and &s;implicitie) was a Fea&s;t, and the i&s;&s;ue of their mourning, great reioycing.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9.20. Ionah. 2.10.</NOTE> For albeit the ordinarie Prayers of the faithfull, returne not empty vnto them againe; yet ha|uing regarde vnto the&s;e, which are ioyned with this Exerci&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 12.5. Act. 13.2.</NOTE> they may worthi|ly &s;eeme to be barre~, which are otherwi&s;e fruitfull; and to be bla&s;ted, which other|wi&s;e &s;eeme full cared. Yea, the Fa&s;t of the wicked king <HI>Achab,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Regu~. 21.27.</NOTE> ioyned with no true repentaunce, nor &s;o
<PB N="39" REF="22"> much as with any true knowledge how to &s;erue the Lord, but performed in &s;ome &s;ort onely in keeping of the outward and bodily ceremonie, went not vnre|warded from the Lord. For euen by the very &s;hadow of his exerci&s;e, the executi|on of that iudgment, which was awarded again&s;t him, touching his vtter ra&s;ing from the kingdome of <HI>I&s;ra|el:</HI> was deferred vntill his &s;onnes dayes. Now, if the comming within the &s;ha|dow of this exerci&s;e, doth heale &s;ome di&s;ea&s;es: what will it doe if wee come to touch the body thereof? And if the leaues of it, haue &s;ome vertue to pre&s;erue men from the vengeance of God; how &s;oueraigne is the
<PB N="40" REF="23"> fruite, to deliuer vs from the wrath to come? And if the ordinarie obedience of the children of God, goeth not emptie, and vnrewarded from the pre&s;ence of God: this extraordinarie obedi|ence &amp; exerci&s;e in the wor|&s;hippe of God, mu&s;t needes receiue &s;peciall, and extra|ordinarie ble&s;singes from his hand.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Regum 20.29.</NOTE> When <HI>Benhadab</HI> the <HI>Syrian</HI> King, ouercome by <HI>Achab</HI> king of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> was out of hope of any &s;afety; at the length, by the ad|uice of his &s;eruantes, he put him &s;elfe and his company in Sackcloth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 20.31. to 35.</NOTE> with Ropes about their neckes; think|ing by humbling them|&s;elues before the King, to obtaine pardon: which came to pa&s;&s;e accordingly.</P>
<PB N="41" REF="23">
<P>If therefore, men in hope of obtaining pardon, will humble them&s;elues to them of whom they haue no promi&s;e, that they &s;hall ob|taine any thing: how much more ought wee to doe it, which haue &s;o &s;ure Promi|&s;es of good &s;ucce&s;&s;e? And if mercie was obtained of men, in whom there is &s;cant a droppe of that pittie and compa&s;sion, which is &s;ea|full in the Lord; we may be well a&s;&s;ured, that wee &s;hall not mi&s;&s;e of it at his hand. And if one enimie, can looke for it at the hand of an other; wee may with greater a&s;&s;uraunce, looke for it at the hande of the Lord; to whom we are al|readie reconciled, by the blood of his Sonne.</P>
<PB N="42" REF="24">
<P>Therefore, if the authori|tie of the Lord &s;hould not compell vs; yet the mo&s;t li|berall and certaine promi|&s;es, &s;hould allure vs to this exerci&s;e. <Q>Which if wee doe not, what remayneth, but that &s;uch as will not Fa&s;t, with the children of God, mu&s;t eate and drinke of the furious wrath of God, with the wicked: they that will not weepe with the one, mu&s;t howle with the other.</Q> And finally, they that will haue no part in the obedi|ence of the commaunde|ment giuen hereof, to both the peoples, vnder the Law and vnder the Go&s;pel; mu&s;t haue no part in the Promi|&s;es made to any of them: ac|cording as the Lord threat|neth;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leui. 23.29. Luk. 5, 35.</NOTE> that who &s;o euer &s;hall
<PB N="43" REF="24"> not afflict or humble his &s;oule with the re&s;t, that he will de&s;troy them from a|mong his people.</P>
<P><Q>The time of Fa&s;ting, is the time of affliction, either for want of &s;ome great benefite needfull, or through feeling of &s;ome great iudgement pre&s;ent, or to come.</Q> Where the <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Fa&s;t mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e an other condemnation, which maketh no diffe|rence or choyce of time; but appoynteth euery Fry|day, and other &s;et Euens yearely, whether the time be pro&s;perous or vnpro&s;|perous; whether it be peace or warre, health or &s;icknes, dearth or plentie: Which is all one, as if the Phy&s;ition &s;hould now appoynt his patient, this day twentie or
<PB N="44" REF="25"> fourtie yeares hence, to take a Purgation, or to be let blood: In which ca&s;e, either he mu&s;t be a Prophet, ra|ther then a Phy&s;itian, to know that he &s;hall on that day, haue need, of it: or el&s;e he mu&s;t be a Phy&s;itian of no value, ignorant, or vn|faythfull. As therefore the Phy&s;itia~ openeth no vaine, but with ob&s;eruation where the &s;igne is; giueth no Pur|gation, without heede ta|king to the time of the yeare, whether it be Spring or Fall; whether it be hot or cold: &s;o it behooueth the &s;pirituall Phy&s;itian, to haue an eye vnto the time, when this Medicine is in &s;ea&s;on: And &s;o much the more, heere, rather then there; as the danger is greater. For
<PB N="45" REF="25"> as a new peece of Cloth ad|ded to an olde Garment, taketh &s;omething from the olde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 5.36.</NOTE> &amp; cau&s;eth the rent to be wor&s;e then before: &s;o Fa&s;ting, vnfitly applyed to the &s;tate of tho&s;e that are enioyned to keepe it, maketh them wor&s;e then they were before the Fa&s;t. Yea, that which more is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 5.37.</NOTE> as the new Wine put into olde ve&s;&s;els, doth not onely make them wor&s;e, but breake them all to peeces: So this Fa&s;t thru&s;t vpon tho&s;e, which are not, ei|ther for the time, or for &s;ome other cau&s;e apt for it; doeth vtterly de&s;troy them. Whereby men may perceiue, what cau&s;e wee haue to make a great con|&s;cience of the Popi&s;h Fa&s;t,
<PB N="46" REF="26"> as that which is able of it &s;elfe (if there were no other corruptio~s among&s;t them) to driue a man to eternall de&s;truction.</P>
<P>According al&s;o to the greatne&s;&s;e of the affliction,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leui. 23.27, 28.</NOTE> the time of the Fa&s;t is taken, by the di&s;cretion of tho&s;e to whom it belongeth; at the lea&s;t for a whole day. <Q>And if the wrath of the Lord be hotter, then two dayes or<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">E&s;ter. 4.16</NOTE> el&s;e three, as it appeareth by the example of the <HI>Iewes</HI> in <HI>He&s;ters</HI> time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 9.9.</NOTE> and of Saint <HI>Paul.</HI> And this time (what &s;o euer) hath the nature of a Saboth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 23.30.31.</NOTE> For therein men are bound to ab&s;taine from their bodily labours, according to the &s;ame &s;traightne&s;&s;e, &amp; with the &s;ame exceptions, that
<PB N="47" REF="26"> they are bounde to ob&s;erue the Saboth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2.12. Leui. 23.32.</NOTE> And therefore the Prophet willeth them to &s;anctifie a Fa&s;t. And the Lord threateneth, that who &s;o euer &s;hall doe any worke on that day, him &s;hall he cut off from amonge&s;t his people. The end whereof is, that men &s;etting them &s;elues apart from their day|ly occupations, might be wholly be&s;towed in the &s;pirituall exerci&s;es aboue &s;pecified.</Q> Whereby that we may know, that there was neuer a Thread in the olde Cloth of the <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Fa&s;t, which was not throughly infected with the &s;pirituall lepro&s;ie of di&s;obedience vnto the Lord: It is to be noted, that where they or|dayned many, both wicked
<PB N="48" REF="27"> and vnnece&s;&s;arie Holy dayes, this * one (and be|&s;ides the Saboth, the onely Holy day appointed of the Lord) they quite ra&s;ed out of their Kalender. And of the Fa&s;t in generall, thus farre.</P>
<P>The kindes or &s;ortes of Fa&s;tes doe follow: which are either priuate or pub|lique.</P>
<P>The priuate Fa&s;t is that, which is vndertaken vpon &s;ome particular calamitie, by the di&s;cretion of them a|gain&s;t whom the calamitie is &s;ent. And it is either of a particular man, or hou&s;e|holde. In the former wher|of, it is to be ob&s;erued, that for as much as the Fa&s;t is ioyned with a &s;eparation from their dayly occupati|ons:
<PB N="49" REF="27"> that neither Children, nor Scholers, nor Seruants, nor any other which be at the di&s;po&s;ition &amp; gouerne|ment of others, can chu&s;e any &s;uch day appointed for commo~ occupations, with|out the con&s;ent of tho&s;e that haue commaundement ouer them. Without which con&s;ent, they mu&s;t be for|ced to hold their Fa&s;tes vp|on the Lordes day, or other dayes of re&s;t, e&s;tabli&s;hed in the places of their abode. For heere the Law of the Lord hath place, that if the Wife, Sonne, or Daughter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 30.4.</NOTE> vow a Vow vnto the Lord; that the Husband or Father &s;hall haue power to breake it.</P>
<P><Q>The publique Fa&s;t is that, which is vndertaken vpon
<PB N="50" REF="28"> &s;ome more generall cala|mitie of the Church, at the appoyntment of them, which (vnder Chri&s;t) haue the gouernement of the pla|ces,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2.15.</NOTE> where the fa&s;t is holden.</Q> In this Fa&s;t, becau&s;e a pub|lique a&s;&s;embly is co~maun|ded; it followeth, that the chiefe in&s;truction of the fore&s;ayd profe&s;sion of re|pentance, is to be fetched from the publique preach|ing of the word.</P>
<P>Now leauing the cau&s;es of the priuate Fa&s;tes, to the examination of euery one, which can be&s;t iudge of their owne e&s;tate; let vs con&s;ider what cau&s;es there be of a generall Fa&s;t amon|ge&s;t vs. Wherein that it may be &s;eene, that the Trumpet of Fa&s;ting is blowen rather
<PB N="51" REF="28"> by the breath of God, then by the mouth of man: let vs take a &s;hort view of the cau&s;es, of the Fa&s;tes menti|oned in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e of the Fa&s;t, is the wrath of God again&s;t the Church: where is to be con&s;idered, that the people of God haue not onely re|garded this wrath again&s;t them &s;elues particularly, but again&s;t others al&s;o, of the &s;ame &s;ocietie &amp; fellow|&s;hip in religion that they were of, through a mutuall feeling and compa&s;sion which they haue one with an other: as in the example of the Church of <HI>Antioch,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 13.2.</NOTE> who&s;e Fa&s;t appeareth to haue been taken in hand, ra|ther for the mi&s;erie of the Church of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> then
<PB N="52" REF="29"> for them &s;elues. Now the Churches rounde about vs, being fallen into great de|cay, partly by the &s;pirituall mi&s;eries, as well of the he|re&s;ies of <HI>Papi&s;tes, Arrians, Anabapti&s;tes,</HI> the <HI>Familie of loue,</HI> &amp;c. as al&s;o of the Schi&s;me of <HI>Lutherani&s;me,</HI> dayly preuayling, partly by bodily plagues of the Pe&s;tilence, almo&s;t in all pla|ces: of the Sworde in our neighbour countries, and of the Famine which waiteth commonly vpon the &s;ame: It is euident that thereby groweth one cau&s;e of hum|bling our &s;elues before our God. And when this wrath is con&s;idered, either in that which is already come, or in that which may be fea|red &s;hortly to come: to
<PB N="53" REF="29"> whether &s;o euer of the cau|&s;es we looke, we &s;hall finde, that we haue cau&s;e to Fa&s;t. For what &s;pirituall euill is in any of al their Churches, which are not altogeather in ours? not one of tho&s;e dete&s;table Here&s;ies, but are lodged among&s;t vs. And although the Schi&s;me of <HI>Lutherani&s;me</HI> be not among vs, yet there is almo&s;t a great di&s;traction of mindes for the Church gouerne|ment, be&s;ide the diuer&s;ities of iudgementes in many o|ther matters. And among bodily puni&s;hmentes, the Plague hath indifferently fedde, and yet doth feede vpon vs. The Sword hath been &s;haken at vs both in the North by Traytors, and in the South by di&s;ordered
<PB N="54" REF="30"> wicked per&s;ons. And &s;hold it not &s;trike vs, that her Maie&s;tie was of late in dan|ger of her life by a Shotte? Which that it was not meant towardes her, ought not to abate our care for her maie&s;tie, but rather encrea&s;e it: as that which was more neerely directed again&s;t her of the Lord, to make both her and vs, to cry for his gratious couer and protec|tion ouer her. And if we con&s;ider the wrath that hangeth ouer our heads, the notes thereof are taken by the example of the people of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezra. 9.3.</NOTE> and fir&s;t of <HI>Ezra,</HI> who vnder&s;ta~ding that the people had married &s;trange women, fa&s;ted: where vp|on wee haue this note of the wrath to come, that
<PB N="55" REF="30"> con&s;idering how that &s;inne is committed openly in the land in diuers &s;ortes, that therefore anger is at hand. Here may be handled with godly and di&s;creete wi&s;e|dome the Sinnes of the Land.</P>
<P>The &s;econde note to know the tempe&s;t to come, is taken from the <HI>Niniuites</HI> Fa&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionas. 3.5.</NOTE> Wherevpon wee ga|ther, that for &s;o much as we are grieuou&s;ly threatened, as well by the Mini&s;ters and Seruantes of the Lord, that &s;peake in his name vn|to vs, as al&s;o by his late &s;haking of the Earth: that &s;harpe iudgement (with|out repentaunce) mu&s;t &s;pee|dily come vpon vs.</P>
<P>The third is taken from &s;ignes of the wrath of God,
<PB N="56" REF="31"> which may breake out a|gain&s;t vs:<NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;ter. 4.6.</NOTE> as in <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> where it was concluded at the reque&s;t of <HI>Hamon,</HI> of the de&s;truction of the whole Church; wherewith may fitly be compared the Holy League (as they &s;ay) and Decree of the late Coun|cell of <HI>Trent,</HI> again&s;t the whole Church, and again&s;t ours particularly.</P>
<P>An other &s;igne, is the pre|paration made again&s;t the Church, or an indeauour to execute malice: which draue <HI>Jo&s;aphat</HI> and other moe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Paral. 20.</NOTE> to a Fa&s;t. Here the lof|tie countenaunces, and vn|duetifull demeanour of the <HI>Papi&s;tes,</HI> may be con&s;ide|red, with their rebellious attemptes in <HI>Ireland;</HI> as al|&s;o the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Nauie, and
<PB N="57" REF="31"> great preparation made a|mong&s;t them of the Holy league, with the troubles in <HI>Scotland,</HI> and Gun-pouder trea&s;on in <HI>England;</HI> and like accidentes, &s;ufficient to procure the practi&s;e of this holy exerci&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="58" REF="32">
<HEAD>A GENERAL CONFESSION OF Sinnes, to be made at the exerci&s;e of Fa&s;ting, the more particular confe&s;sion being ta|ken according to the e&s;tate of the &s;euerall Churches, by the good di&s;cretion of the mini&s;ter, vpon the knowledge thereof.</HEAD>
<P>O Lord which art glo|rious in power and holine&s;&s;e, wee being but Du&s;t and A&s;hes, with the ca&s;ting of our &s;elues downe, at the foote of thy high Maie&s;tie: confe&s;&s;e that wee are mo&s;t vile &s;in|ners, conceiued &amp; borne in &s;inne, &amp; that we are by na|ture nothing el&s;e, but a lumpe of all wickedne&s;&s;e, who&s;e natural propertie is, to grow in &s;in, as wee grow in yeares, &amp; to waxe &s;trong
<PB N="59" REF="32"> in wickedne&s;&s;e, as the pow|ers of our mindes and bo|dies receiue &s;trength. There is in vs, no hole&s;ome nor &s;ounde knowledge how to obey: there is no manner of good will or affection to plea&s;e thee: finally, there dwelleth no good thing in our fle&s;h. And although our cur&s;ed e&s;tate doth here|in greatly appeare, yet our &s;inne is made out of mea|&s;ure &s;infull, through the ex|ceding grace which thou offere&s;t by the Go&s;pell of thy deare Sonne; whereby wee are &s;o farre from pro|fiting, that of our &s;elues we &s;hould waxe wor&s;e and wor&s;e. For the more light of knowledge is &s;hewed, the blinder would we remaine: the greater obedience is
<PB N="60" REF="33"> taught, the frowarder and &s;tubberner would wee be|come, if thou by the migh|tie working of thy holy &s;pirite, &s;houlde&s;t not cau&s;e it to be fruitfull. And al|though we haue this natu|rall corruption in common, with the whole rotten race of <HI>Adam;</HI> yet wee con|fe&s;&s;e, that in vs it hath bud|ded, &amp; &s;hot foorth &s;o much more then in others, as we haue had moe meanes to kil it, and to cau&s;e it to wither, then others haue had. Where fir&s;t of all, the gra|cious offer of the trea&s;ure of thy holy Go&s;pell vnto vs, maketh vs guiltie many waies. For where pa&s;sing by many other nations, thou ha&s;t tru&s;ted our natio~ with|all: yet with a number of
<PB N="61" REF="33"> vs, hath it found as &s;mall en|tertainment, and felt as great re&s;i&s;tance, as among&s;t them, at who&s;e Gates it neuer knocked. For a great porti|on of the land, partly neuer yeelding them &s;elues to the obedience therof; and part|ly falling from it, after they had once yeelded; &s;tande proudly as it were at the &s;taues end with thee. The re&s;t which make profe&s;sion of their &s;ubmittaunce vnto it, doe it not accordingly. For fir&s;t, there be heapes of our people, which either through an yrck&s;omne&s;&s;e of the yron-yoke of the <HI>Po|pi&s;h</HI> Religion, or through a wicked opinio~ which they nouri&s;h, of embracing any Religion &s;et foorth; &s;o ca&s;t a&s;ide the former <HI>Poperie,</HI> as
<PB N="62" REF="34"> they &s;til abide in an vtter ig|norance of the truth it &s;elfe; in &s;uch &s;ort,) that through want of Preaching) they are as raw in the knowledge of the true &s;eruice of thee, as they were expert before, in the &s;eruice of the Deuill. And where knowledge is, to any &s;uch &s;ufficiencie as is requi&s;ite for the inheri|tours of the kingdome of Heauen: there is it (for a great part) ioyned with &s;uch hypocri&s;ie, as maketh them more dete&s;table be|fore thee, (which &s;earche&s;t the very Raines,) then if they had &s;till continued in their ignoraunce. Now, for the remnant of vs, which through Grace, haue truly and faythfully beleeued, it is with &s;o great weakne&s;&s;e
<PB N="63" REF="34"> of Fayth, and &s;o &s;mall refor|mation of Manners; that our glorious profe&s;sion of the Go&s;pell, &s;upported and borne out with &s;o &s;mall &s;hew of the fruites, which the excellencie thereof doth require, maketh not onely the enimies to condemne vs, but our &s;elues to &s;u&s;pect one another, whether wee belong vnto thee or no. Wherein, O Lord, wee ac|knowledge that to be our great and horrible &s;inne, that being put in tru&s;t with this vn&s;peakable trea&s;ure of thy holy Go&s;pell, and pre|ferred to our neighbours, profe&s;&s;ours about vs; yet we are in thankfull obedi|ence vnto thee, behind them all: fir&s;t, in knowledge; la&s;t, in zeale: before them in the
<PB N="64" REF="35"> doctrine of thy holy Go&s;|pell; behinde them in the di&s;cipline of the &s;ame. The yoke of the &s;lauerie of our bodyes, which the <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Religion layed vpon vs, we willingly &s;hake off: but the holy bandes of thy Law, whereby our riotous life and affections, &s;hould be brought into bondage, wee do hardly, and heauily ad|mitte. The Go&s;pell which brought a freer v&s;e of our lawfull honors, plea&s;ures &amp; commodities, was welcome vnto vs: but the &s;ame Go&s;|pell, which re&s;traineth the vnlawfull licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of our ambition, intemperan|cie and couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, is not &s;o. Finally &s;o much of the Go&s;pel, as doth more neere|ly re&s;pect our &s;aluation, we
<PB N="65" REF="35"> &s;eeme to haue &s;ome care to retaine: but &s;o much of it as doth more directly re&s;pect thy glorie, and the profite one of an other, (tho&s;e e&s;|pecially which are not of the &s;ame lande with vs) wee make &s;mall accompt off. And &s;eeing the naked trea|&s;ure of the holy Go&s;pell, had beene a rich reward of a mo&s;t &s;eruiceable &s;ubiecti|on: it comming vnto vs not alone, but accompanied with &s;o long a peace, with &s;o great a wealth, &s;o plenty|ful aboundance of al things, as this Land hath neuer or &s;eldome v&s;ed, other Landes about vs haue long looked after: maketh our guilt a great deale more, becau&s;e that in thy &s;o great a largis towards vs, we haue been
<PB N="66" REF="36"> &s;o vngratious towards thee againe. Here therefore is an other Stayer, whereby our &s;inne clymeth higher: For that wee, in the commodi|ties of this life, &s;urmounting our aunce&s;tours of the &s;ame profe&s;sion of the Go&s;pell, in King <HI>Henrie</HI> and King <HI>Edwardes</HI> time; are, for the fruites that &s;uch a liberalitie asketh at our hands, a great deale wor&s;e then they: and going beyond (other landes in the&s;e outward ble&s;singes, are out-run of them, euen in the very outwarde te&s;timo|nies and tokens of our obe|dience towardes thee. And be&s;ides this huge heape, and (as it were) reeke, of our generall &amp; common &s;innes, we haue to confe&s;&s;e (at the barre of thy iudgement
<PB N="67" REF="36"> &s;eate) the particular &s;innes that we haue kocked vp in our &s;euerall e&s;tates. For our gouernours, O Lord, for the mo&s;t part, beeing more mindfull of the fulfilling of their affections, then either of thy glory, or of their good e&s;tate, which are committed vnto them, haue not helde &s;o &s;teadie a hande as they ought to haue done, either for the &s;tabli&s;hing of the Lawes, by which (vnder thee) they &s;hould haue ruled vs; and we by them, &s;hould haue bin gouerned of thee; or for the thorough execu|tion of &s;o many, and &s;o farre foorth as they haue been wel e&s;tabli&s;hed. Our Iudges and other Mini&s;ters of Iu|&s;tice likewi&s;e, haue either ignorantly, or corruptly
<PB N="68" REF="37"> declyned from righteous iudgement: or giuing &s;en|tence for the trueth, they haue done it (diuers of the~) with no con&s;cience of thy true feare, or loue of trueth; but for re&s;pect, either of vaine glorie, or of per&s;ons. The Mini&s;ters, which &s;hould haue been Lightes vnto all e&s;tates, haue for the mo&s;t part, no light in them|&s;elues: and their e&s;tate, in who&s;e good con&s;titution and &s;ound health, the re&s;t &s;hould haue recouered their health, is of all other, the mo&s;t &s;icke vnto death. For if the whole number be &s;ur|ueyed, &s;carce the hundred wil be found, to be in the lot of a faythfull Mini&s;terie. For ah alas, how many are there, which occupying the
<PB N="69" REF="37"> place of Amba&s;&s;adours, ei: ther for want of abilitie, or for that they loue ea&s;e and &s;leepe, carrie no tollerable Amba&s;&s;age at all: how ma|nie which carrying the light of the Go&s;pell in their mouthes, carry al&s;o in their handes, the filthy water of ambition &amp; coue|tou&s;ne&s;&s;e to quench it with. And tho&s;e which by thy grace, are for their might and will in &s;ome good mea|&s;ure iu&s;tifiable: notwith|&s;tanding, for the mo&s;t part, beare it with &s;uch infirmi|tie, through &s;lippes, a&s;well in a &s;ound and &s;ub&s;tantiall maner of teaching, as al&s;o in an euen life an&s;wering ther|vnto, that if thy ble&s;&s;ing were not marueilous vpon their labours, we &s;hould not
<PB N="70" REF="38"> need to feare, the quenching of this fire of the holy Go&s;|pell, kindled among vs, by the enemies: as that which hauing &s;o &s;mall attendance of blowing, would die of it &s;elfe. Finally, the people beare &s;o &s;mall loue vnto their Gouernours of all &s;ortes, in loue &s;o &s;mall reue|rence, &amp; in them both &s;o lit|tle willing obedience: that it may be not (vnea&s;ely) &s;eene, that all the practi&s;e of the Church and common wealth, haue con&s;pired to prouoke thee Lord again&s;t them. The&s;e our great and ouergrowen &s;innes, albeit they are gotten aboue our heades, yet re&s;t they not heere. For where thou ha&s;t by thy holy Seruantes, the Mini&s;ters of thy ble&s;&s;ed
<PB N="71" REF="38"> worde, &s;harpely chidden with vs, and in a &s;euere de|nouncing of thy iudgments due vnto them, fearefully threatened vs for them: yet haue we not trembled at thy voyce; at which the Moun|taynes doe melte, and the Rockes doe rent a&s;under. A &s;trange thing, that the Lion &s;hould roare, and the weake Lambes &s;hould not be affraide: that the Lord of Hoa&s;tes &s;hould pro|claime Warre again&s;t vs, &amp; we &s;hould not goe foorth and meete him, for intrea|tie of peace. Nay, his wrath (as hath been &s;hewed) hath been, and yet is kindled a|monge&s;t vs: and yet as &s;encele&s;&s;e men, and as dead fle&s;h we are not mooued. Wee are pricked, and wee
<PB N="72" REF="39"> feele it not. Wee are woun|ded, and wee doe not &s;o much as aske, Who hath &s;tricken vs? The tempe&s;t that is comming towarde vs, threateneth our vtter drowning: and yet as a drunken man, we lie &s;leep|ing in the verie toppe of the Ma&s;t. Whereby it is eui|dent again&s;t our &s;elues, that vnto the multitude of our &s;innes, wee haue added an other degree of wicked|ne&s;&s;e; which is, the conti|nuaunce in them: vnto our di&s;obedience, we haue ioyned &s;tubborne&s;&s;e, and the Byles and Botches of our rebellion, being ougly in thy &s;ight, doe through the putrifaction &amp; fe&s;tred|ne&s;&s;e of them, ca&s;t out &s;uch &s;tincke, as the earth which
<PB N="73" REF="39"> we tread vpon, the waters which we drinke, and the ayre which we breath, are tainted and poy&s;oned with the infection of them. Yea Lord, taught by the won|derfull iu&s;tice of thy righ|teous Law, we charge vpon our heads all the &s;innes of our Fathers and Graund|fathers, to the vttermo&s;t of our generations which are pa&s;t: as tho&s;e wherevnto wee are iu&s;ter inheritours, then vnto any Landes or Goods that they haue left vs. Whereby it falleth out again&s;t vs, that our &s;innes touch the Cloudes; yea, breake into the Heauens of thy Maie&s;ties owne re|&s;idence: who&s;e mea&s;ure be|ing alreadie (as it &s;eemeth) filled, there remaineth no|thing,
<PB N="74" REF="40"> but that it &s;hould be turned vpon our heades. wherevpon wee make a|gain&s;t our &s;elues an other confe&s;&s;ion, that we are vn|worthy of all the benefites of this life, or of the life to come: both tho&s;e which wee either haue, or yet hope to enioy, from the greate&s;t to the &s;male&s;t; from the kingdome of heauen, to one onely drop of Water. That we are worthie of all the Plagues, which either haue heretofore cea&s;ed, or been yet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of vs. Yea if thou &s;houlde&s;t ran&s;ake all the hid, and &s;ecret trea&s;ures of thy fearefull iudgmentes, which in thy Lawe thou threatne&s;t again&s;t the brea|kers thereof, not only to the ra&s;ing and &s;weeping
<PB N="75" REF="40"> vs from the face of the earth, but al&s;o to the throwing of vs headlong into the bot|tomle&s;&s;e pitte of hell: yet would we therein al&s;o ac|knowledge thy righteous iudgementes: for vnto vs belongeth &s;hame &amp; confu|&s;ion of faces, but vnto thee, glory and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. All which both guilt of &s;inne, and de&s;ert of puni&s;h|ment, notwith&s;tanding, (O father of mercies, and God of all comfort) wee tru&s;ting vnto the Promi&s;es which thou ha&s;t made vs in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, are bold through him, humbly to call for the performaunce of them. And fir&s;t we humbly de&s;ire thee, to forgiue vs all our &s;innes. Thou ha&s;t &s;aid, that if wee confe&s;&s;e our &s;innes, thou art
<PB N="76" REF="41"> faithfull to forgiue vs them. We acknowledge the debt, cancell therefore the Obli|gation: let not the multi|tude of them preuaile a|gain&s;t vs; but where our &s;inne hath abounded, let thy grace more abound; and as we haue multiplyed our &s;innes, &s;o wee pray thee to multiply thy mercies: and although we haue by con|tinuance in them, &s;o &s;oaked our &s;elues, that thereby we are not onely lightly &s;tai|ned, but al&s;o haue gotten as it were the Scarlet and Pur|ple die of them: yet let them all (wee pray thee,) beeing wa&s;hed in the blood of thy deare Sonne, be made as white as the Snow in <HI>Sal|mon,</HI> &amp; as the Woolle of the Sheepe which come from
<PB N="77" REF="41"> wa&s;hing.</P>
<P>And to conclude as our &s;innes haue magnified the~|&s;elues in an infinite length, breadth, depth, and height, &s;o let thy mercies (which pa&s;&s;e all vnder&s;tanding,) of all &s;ides, and all a&s;&s;aies, out-reach them. There|fore al&s;o wee mo&s;t humblie de&s;ire thee, &ocirc; Lord, that the &s;inne being pardoned, thy wrath, which is alreadie declared, may be appea&s;ed towardes all the Churches of our profe&s;sion, and e&s;|peciallie towardes vs, that the manifolde breaches of the Churches and Com|mon wealthes may bee made vp, that tho&s;e be|ing receiued into the bo|&s;ome of the Church, which belong to thy electi|on:
<PB N="78" REF="42"> the re&s;t of the <HI>Papi&s;tes</HI> &amp; <HI>Heretikes,</HI> may be vtterly rooted out; and that the enimies in religion, being &s;laine, we may to the vtter|mo&s;t thinke all one thing, in the hone&s;t and peaceable gouernement of the Com|mon wealth. Vpon which vniting of vs in all trueth and hone&s;tie, the cur&s;es of the Plague, and barrenne&s;&s;e being remooued, a way may be made to thy ble&s;|&s;inges; which (as the Hilles doe the Vallies) may make our land hole&s;omely fruite|full. And that not onely the wrath which is alreadie kindled, may be quenched, but that which hath been lately threatened, may be cau&s;ed to retyre. For the graunt wherof vnto vs, we
<PB N="79" REF="42"> be&s;eech thee to remember, that how vnworthy &s;oeuer, yet are we thy people, &amp; the Sheepe of thy pa&s;ture, who~ thou ha&s;t redeemed with thy mo&s;t precious blood, watched ouer with a care|full eye, defended with a mightie hand: de&s;pi&s;e not therfore, &ocirc; Lord, the works of thy handes. And &s;eeing thou ha&s;t loued vs, when we hated thee; vi&s;ited vs, when we de&s;ired thee not; then acknowledged vs, when we knew not thee: now that there be a number of vs, which loue thee, de|&s;ire thine aboade, and ac|knowledge thee: hold on thy loue &s;till, depart not from vs, deny vs not, &ocirc; thou God of trueth, which art the God that change&s;t not.
<PB N="80" REF="43"> And if thou woulde&s;t or coulde&s;t forget vs, calling vpon thee: yet what &s;hould become of thy great name, which is called vpon by vs? And therefore for thy glo|ries &s;ake, and for thy ble&s;|&s;ed names &s;ake, which in our de&s;truction &s;hould be rent and runne through; &s;pare vs, &s;pare vs, good Lord, according to the v&s;u|all dealing, which thou ha&s;t euer kept with tho&s;e, which in prayer haue had recour&s;e vnto thee; and according to the old and vnchange|able nature, of a mercifull, kind, &s;paring, and long &s;uf|fering God. Which mer|cie wee doe not (&ocirc; Lord) de&s;ire, to the end that wee &s;hould tumble and wallow our &s;elues in our accu&s;to|med
<PB N="81" REF="43"> neglect, and contempt of thy holy word: but to|geather with mercie for our &s;innes, and the rewarde of them, wee mo&s;t hum|blie craue vpo~ the knees of our heartes; that for the time to come, (how long or how &s;hort &s;oeuer) wee with deniall and dete&s;tati|on of our &s;elues, and of our wicked lu&s;tes, may offer vp vnto thee in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, our &s;elues, our bodies and &s;oules, to be &s;eruantes at thy holy commaundement, in that rea&s;onable &s;eruice, which the high rea&s;on of thy holy word doth pre|&s;cribe: and to be weapons, or in&s;trumentes of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e and holine&s;&s;e, as they haue been heretofore, of the contrarie.</P>
<PB N="82" REF="44">
<P>All which thinges, as what|&s;oeuer thou knowe&s;t to be further needfull for vs, or for any of the Churches, we pray thee, as our Sauiour hath taught. &amp;c.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="83" REF="44">
<HEAD>A Confe&s;sion of Sinnes, with Faith <HI>and Repentance.</HI></HEAD>
<P>O Mercifull and hea|uenly Father, we thy &s;eruantes doe hum|bly pro&s;trate our &s;elues before thy Maie&s;tie, ackowledging heere in thy &s;ight, our hainous offences committed again&s;t thy Ma|ie&s;tie, &s;eeing &amp; beholding thy heauie wrath again&s;t them: We feele our &s;elues laden (&ocirc; Lord our God) with a huge companie of horrible &s;innes, wherof euen the very lea&s;t, (being but conceiued in thought,) is &s;ufficient in iudgement, to throw vs down to the euer|la&s;ting burning lake. Our
<PB N="84" REF="45"> owne con&s;ciences (&ocirc; Lord) doe beare witne&s;&s;e again&s;t vs, of our manifolde tran&s;|gre&s;sions of thy ble&s;&s;ed Law, of our &s;ecuritie and &s;encele&s;&s;e blindne&s;&s;e, run|ning headlong to de|&s;truction, co~mitting &s;inne after &s;inne, although not notorious to the world, yet horrible before thine eye. The thoughtes of our hearts ri&s;e vp in iudgement a|gain&s;t vs: the vanitie of our talke before thy Maie&s;tie, condemneth vs: the wic|kedne&s;&s;e of our deeds from thy &s;ight, reiecteth vs: all our wicked thoughtes, wordes, and deedes, with the inwarde corruption of our nature, doe altogeather as it were a whole lumpe and load of &s;inne, lie heauie
<PB N="85" REF="45"> vpon vs, and with their in|tollerable weight, doe euen pre&s;&s;e vs downe to Hell.</P>
<P>We doe daily grone vn|der the burthen of them, in|wardly lame~ting our owne follie, &s;o greedily running into them. In heauen, earth, or hell, we &s;ee none able to &s;u&s;taine the weight of them, but euen thy dearely belo|ued &s;onne Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, who in mercie infinite, and com|pa&s;sion endles, hath &s;u&s;tai|ned and ouercome that endle&s;&s;e puni&s;hment due vnto them: in him there|fore, in him mo&s;t mercifull Father, and through him, wee come to thee, beeing fully a&s;&s;ured according to thy promi&s;e, that thou wilt accept and take that full recompence, which hee
<PB N="86" REF="46"> thy deare Sonne hath made for vs, as a iu&s;t ran&s;ome for all the &s;innes of all tho&s;e, who with a true fayth take hold on him. In him there|fore we &s;ee thine anger to|wardes vs appea&s;ed, thy wrath &s;atisfied, &amp; our debts paied.</P>
<P>Increa&s;e in vs, (good Lord) we be&s;eech thee, this liuely and feeling Fayth; for we feele it oftentimes in vs very weake, and troubled with many doubtes: in|crea&s;e it in vs (&ocirc; Lord,) that we may through thy holy &s;pirite be a&s;&s;ured, that the puni&s;hment of our &s;innes is fully in thy Sonne di&s;char|ged. Make vs, &ocirc; Lord our God, to feele this &s;ame in our &s;oules and con&s;ciences, that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is ours,
<PB N="87" REF="46"> and all that he hath done: that we are grafted into his body, and made one with him; and therefore fellow heires with him of euerla|&s;ting life. Let vs not onely haue the&s;e wordes in our mouthes (good Lord) but through thy holy &s;pirit, let vs feele the comfort of them in our heartes fully &s;ealed, and &s;etled in vs: that wee feeling our &s;elues inwardly before thy iudgement &s;eate di&s;charged, and our con&s;ci|ences towardes thee appea|&s;ed; may be &s;wallowed vp with an vnfaigned loue to|ward thy heauenly Maie|&s;tie, and towardes our brea|thren for thy &s;ake. Make &s;inne to die in vs dayly more and more, that wee may hate, dete&s;t, and vtter|ly
<PB N="88" REF="47"> abhorre all &s;inne &amp; wic|kedne&s;&s;e in all men, but e&s;|pecially in our &s;elues: that we may &s;trongly (through thy holy &s;pirite) &s;et our &s;elues in open warre and defiance again&s;t all &s;inne &amp; wickednes; that we plea&s;e not our &s;elues in our &s;innes, but &s;traightly examining &s;inne by the iu&s;t rule of thy holy Lawes, we may vtter|ly from the bottome of our heartes, condemne euen the lea&s;t &s;inne in our &s;elues, ha|uing our whole ioy, com|fort, and con&s;olation vpon tho&s;e thinges which be a|greable to thy ble&s;&s;ed will, alwayes being afraide to doe any thing contrarie to the &s;ame: that wee may euen from the bottome of our heartes, examine and
<PB N="89" REF="47"> trie our thoughtes before thy pre&s;ence, that they be vpright and vnfaigned, not hypocriticall in out|warde &s;hew onely, and ap|pearaunce, but that euen all corners of our heartes being opened and di&s;clo|&s;ed before thee, wee may euen as though it were openly before the face of the whole World, bring them in &s;hew, knowing that a double heart is de|te&s;table in thy &s;ight: and that wee may walke al|wayes as before thine eyes; not only before the eyes of man, being more carefull to walke circum&s;pectly, in this re&s;pect, that we haue thee to be a viewer of our doings, a thou&s;ande-folde more then the eyes of man:
<PB N="90" REF="48"> that thus we may walke as becommeth thy children, not onely in outward &s;hew, but al&s;o in &s;inceritie of hart, abhorring euen the lea&s;t &s;inne in our &s;elues; &s;triuing, re&s;i&s;ting, and fighting a|gain&s;t &s;inne, not delighting our &s;elues in &s;inne, nor nou|ri&s;hing the &s;ame in our bre&s;t, but earne&s;tly embrac|ing, and &s;tudiou&s;ly &s;eeke|ing after tho&s;e things which be plea&s;ant in thine eyes: that neither the feare of man, nor lo&s;&s;e of goods, life, landes, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, or friends, draw vs away from thee, to doe any the lea&s;t thing contrary to thy will and plea&s;ure: neither the fauour or friend&s;hippe of man, nor yet the flattering enticement of this world,
<PB N="91" REF="48"> nor the vaine promotions of the &s;ame, doe mooue vs any whit from the true and endle&s;&s;e ioy, delight, and plea&s;ure which wee ought to haue in tho&s;e thinges which be agreeable to thy will, and the con&s;tant per|formance of the &s;ame: but that alwayes to the end of our life we may continue in thy pathes, growing and increa&s;ing from faith to fayth, from &s;trength to &s;trength, till at the length we &s;hall come to thy euerla&s;ting re&s;t. Amen.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="92" REF="49">
<HEAD>A Prayer for the KING.</HEAD>
<P>O Gratious Lord, and mo&s;t mercifull Fa|ther, wee acknow|ledge thee the Lord of Lordes, and the King of Kinges, creating at the be|ginning, &amp; ruling all things euermore in Heauen and Earth, according to thy wonderfull wi&s;edome and power: and our &s;elues to be thy poore &s;eruantes, the worke of thy hands, and the &s;heepe of thy pa&s;ture, &s;ub|iected to thy Maie&s;tie, and depending vpo~ thy father|ly prouidence for al things. Neuerthele&s;&s;e, &s;eeing thou in thy wi&s;edome annoyn|te&s;t Kinges and Queenes,
<PB N="93" REF="49"> appointing them to rule ouer thy people, to &s;it as Lieutenants in thy &s;eate, to mini&s;ter iu&s;tice, and mo&s;t of all, as Fathers and Nur&s;es to maintaine and cheari&s;h thy Church; commanding vs not onely to obey &amp; ho|nour them: but moreouer to pray for them, as watching ouer vs for our good. We therefore be&s;eech thee for thy great mercies &s;ake, and for Ie&s;us Chri&s;tes &s;ake, to &s;hew thy mercy to al Kings and princes, that maintaine thy glorious Go&s;pell: but e&s;pecially we pray thee to ble&s;&s;e our gratious King, in all &s;pirituall ble&s;singes in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us; and in all temporall ble&s;singes, accor|ding to thy good plea&s;ure, that in the great mea&s;ures of
<PB N="94" REF="50"> thy effectuall loue, he may more and more finde great increa&s;e of vertue, &amp; wi&s;e|dome, &amp; &s;trength in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, to the faythfull and happy di&s;charge of his due|tie, that his holiene&s;&s;e, and ioy, and zeale of thy hou&s;e, may be multiplied, and e|uerla&s;ting.</P>
<P>And &s;eeing it hath plea|&s;ed thee, of thy &s;ingular mercy, to giue him this &s;pe|ciall honour, miraculou&s;ly deliuering him out of the handes of his enimies, to &s;et a double Crowne vpon his head, and to make him the in&s;trument to aduaunce thy glory, &amp; Go&s;pell among&s;t vs. As wee giue thee mo&s;t heartie thanks for the&s;e &s;in|gular benefites, &s;o we be|&s;eech thee to make him and
<PB N="95" REF="50"> vs euermore thankefull for it, and in thy good plea&s;ure &s;till to pre&s;erue him, for the continuance of the&s;e ble&s;|&s;inges towardes vs, with all increa&s;e from time to time, to thy glory, the benefite of the Church, and his infi|nite peace in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, the prince of peace. And furthermore, wee pray thee for him, and the e&s;tate, that &s;uch as be enimies of the Go&s;pell, and his enimies al&s;o, for the defence thereof, may not de&s;pi&s;e the peace offered them to repen|taunce, but that they may account thy long &s;uffering, and his peaceable and vn|bloudy gouernement, an occa&s;ion of &s;aluation to their &s;oules, and vnfeined loue to the trueth, and
<PB N="96" REF="51"> their mercifull &s;oueraigne. Otherwi&s;e if they &s;till re|maine di&s;obedient to the trueth, di&s;obedient to his Highne&s;&s;e and daungerous to the State; then (O God of our Saluation) as thou ha&s;t di&s;couered them, &s;o di&s;couer them &s;till; as thou ha&s;t preuented them, &s;o preuent them &s;till; and let their eyes waxe weary with looking, and their heartes faint with wayting for the comming of that, which yet commeth not, neither let it come (O Lord) we be|&s;eech thee, but a ble&s;&s;ed and a long raigne to him, and peace to <HI>Sion</HI> for euermore. Al&s;o (deare father) &s;o ble&s;&s;e, &s;o loue, &s;o in thy &s;pirite &s;anctifie and keepe him, that he may in the &s;pirit of
<PB N="97" REF="51"> coun&s;ell and fortitude &s;o rule that other &s;i&s;ter al&s;o, namely this co~mon wealth, that they may flouri&s;h to|geather, and grow vp to|gether as Palme trees, in beautie, and in &s;trength, giuing ayde and helpe one to an other; that in the Church the glory of God may appeare, as the Sunne in his brightne&s;&s;e, and that the lande may flow with Milke and Honie, and true peace abound therein, as in the triumphant reigne of <HI>Salomon.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e garces (O Lord) are great, and we mi&s;erable &s;inners, vnworthie of the lea&s;t of them: therefore looke not to vs, but to thy &s;elfe; not to our iniquities, but to thy great mercies,
<PB N="98" REF="52"> accepting the death &amp; pa&s;|&s;ion of thy Sonne, as a full ran&s;ome for al our offences: throwing them into the bottome of the Sea, and ma|king his Cro&s;&s;e and Re&s;ur|rection effectuall in vs to al obedience and godline&s;&s;e, as becommeth thy Saintes: that to all other thy good ble&s;sings towards our gra|tious Soueraigne; this may be added, that he gouer|neth ble&s;&s;edly, ouer a ble&s;|&s;ed people, a people ble&s;|&s;ed of the Lord, and belo|ued of the Lord; &amp; that thy graces may abounde as the warers of the Sea, in the King, and in the people; in the Church, and in the Common wealth, from day to day, till the day of our tran&s;lation into thy king|dome;
<PB N="99" REF="52"> where iu&s;tice Inha|biteth; where al&s;o we &s;hall inhabite and reigne with thee, according to thy pro|mi&s;e, for euer. Graunt the&s;e things (O mercifull Father) for thy deare Sonne our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t his &s;ake: in who&s;e name, we craue them at thy mercifull hand, praying furthermore for them, as he hath raught vs to pray. Our Father which art in hea|uen, &amp;c.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="53">
<PB REF="53">
<P>The &s;ub&s;tance of the <HI>Lordes Supper.</HI> Shortly and &s;oundly &s;et foorth; togeather, with the <HI>principall poyntes in contro|uer&s;ie,</HI> concerning that <HI>que|&s;tion, &s;ufficiently di&s;cu&s;|&s;ed,</HI> for the in&s;tructi|on and comfort of all Chri&s;tian readers. Nece&s;&s;arie to be read at all times, but e&s;pecially, before the ad|mini&s;tration and recei|uing of the &s;ayd Supper.</P>
<Q><BIBL>2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.5.</BIBL>
<P>Prooue your &s;elues, whether yee are in the fayth: examine your &s;elues. Know yee not your owne &s;elues, how that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is in you, ex|cept ye be reprobates?</P></Q>
<P>Imprinted at London for <HI>T. Man.</HI> and <HI>I. Hari&s;on, Anno.</HI> 1610.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="54">
<PB REF="54">
<HEAD>To the right wor&s;hip|full, and my verie good friendes, &s;ir <HI>William Peliam</HI> Knight, her Maie&s;ties Lieuetenant of the Ordinance; and the Ladie <HI>Dorothie</HI> his wife, <HI>T.VV.</HI> wi&s;heth in this life, all &s;ound knowledge of Gods trueth, with an a&s;&s;ured fayth in the trueth of his promi&s;es: and after the weari&s;ome dayes of this pilgrimage &s;hall be en|ded, eternall bl &s;&s;ed|ne&s;&s;e in the life to come, through Chri&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>_AMonge&s;t many rea&s;ons, (need|le&s;&s;e nowe to rehear&s;e) in|ducing mee, to offer this &s;mal Treati&s;e vnto your Wor&s;hippes; this was not the lea&s;t, to weet, that thereby, I might te&s;tifie, as my vnfeigned good will
<PB REF="55"> towardes you in the Lord, &s;o the care that I haue in all holy loue, to buyld you vp in the &s;incere iudge|ment of the pointes and princi|ples of Chri&s;tian religion. For, though I doubt not, but that you are in &s;ome good mea&s;ure endued, with &s;undry good giftes and graces form God, which &s;hould be con|tinuall &s;purres and prouocations vnto you, to imploy your &s;elues to the vttermo&s;t of your powers, in the &s;eruice of his Maie&s;tie, and the obedience of his will: yet, in re&s;pect of the corruption of mans nature, and the &s;tumbling blockes, which Sathan our common aduer&s;arie ca|&s;teth in our way, to hinder vs, in the ra&s;e and cour&s;e of godline&s;&s;e I know that all Gods children, and therefore you amonge&s;t the re&s;t, haue neede of continuall remem|brancers, not onely to put you in minde, but al&s;o to prouoke you, to pa&s;&s;e the dayes of your pilgri|mage in the reuerent feare of Gods great Maie&s;tie: and being &s;ound in zeale, &s;incere in knowledge, and carefull in practi&s;e, to fini&s;h your cour&s;e in his fayth, that &s;o at the
<PB REF="55"> la&s;t, you may be made thorough Chri&s;t, partakers of eterrall &s;alua|tion, which is the end of our hope a d fayth, yea, the verie ende of our life in this life: and therefore good rea&s;on, that wee &s;hould im|ploy our whole life thereto, and to the continuall v&s;e &amp; practi&s;e, of all the meanes that God hath or|deined for our better attayning thereof, and namely that we &s;hould be often and earne&s;t with him in prayer: that we &s;hould delight in, and labour to profite by the daily hearing, reading, meditating, and conference of &amp; in his holy word; and that wee &s;hould frequent the reuerent and ordinarie v&s;e of his Sacramentes, appoynted for the &s;trengthening of our fayth, in the trueth of his promi&s;es, growing, euen to this narrowne&s;&s;e and &s;treightne&s;&s;e of on&s;cience, that we &s;hould thinke euery day and eue|rie hower of a day ill &s;pent, where|in we haue not profited &s;omewhat towardes godline&s;&s;e and hone|&s;tie.</P>
<P>True is it, that here is handled but onely one poynt of our Reli|gion:
<PB REF="56"> yet notwith&s;tanding, I be|&s;eech your Wor&s;hippes, by this to gather the readie good will that is and &s;hall bee in mee, through Gods goodne&s;&s;e: further to write or &s;peake, in this, or any other ground, whereby your knowledge may be increa&s;ed, and your fayth &s;trengthened in the trueth of Gods eternall Word and Promi&s;es: yea, I doe further reque&s;t you, and in you, all tho&s;e that &s;hall read this little Di&s;cour&s;e, to con&s;ider, not the &s;malne&s;&s;e of the Treatie, but the waightine&s;&s;e of the matter propounded in the &s;ame, which is one of the principles of our Re|ligion, wherein wee cannot be ig|noraunt without our great hurt: and to which wee can not vnwor|thily repaire (a fault ouer com|mon in the&s;e our dayes,) without iudgement and condemnation a|gain&s;t our owne &s;oules: which hath made mee to annex at the ende thereof, &s;undry &s;hort medi|tations, for the better direction of the ignoraunt and vnskilfull in this behalfe.</P>
<P>In all this that I write, what&s;o|euer
<PB REF="56"> it bee, I deale with them (I hope) that be both charitable and wi&s;e inough to conceaue my mea|ning; and therfore &s;hall not neede to v&s;e many words to per&s;wade that, wherevnto you your &s;elues bee in &s;ome mea&s;ure, thorough Gods goodne&s;&s;e, inclined, and to the perfourmaunce whereof you are bound, by the great grace and excellent calling, that the &s;ame God in mercie hath be&s;towed vp|on you.</P>
<P>This onely I wi&s;h, and will pray or, all the dayes of my life, that this my poore labour, and what&s;o|euer other thing el&s;e it &s;hall plea&s;e him, by me or any other to pub|li&s;h, either for your good, or the good of his Saintes where&s;oeuer, may be profitable, not vnto you onely for your &s;aluation, but vnto all his elect and cho&s;en children, that the number of his faythfull being accompli&s;hed, and the dayes of &s;inne vtterly cut off, wee may be gathered to tho&s;e eternall and heauenly Tabernacles, which Chri&s;t our &s;auiour hath purcha&s;ed and prepared for vs: and that wee
<PB REF="57"> might be the better a&s;&s;ured there|of, is entred before hand there into, to take po&s;&s;e&s;sion thereof in our name: there to raigne with him for euer, and euer. So be it.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Wor&s;hips alwayes readie and humble in Chri&s;t, <HI>T. VV.</HI> the Lords mo&s;t vnworthy &s;eruant.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="57">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_AT the motion and reque&s;t of &s;undrie my deare friendes in the Lord, I haue thought good to putte dovvne tvvo Prayers at the latter ende of this Treati&s;e, not thereby min|ding either to tie any per&s;on to the v&s;e of them onely, for they may accor|ding to their &s;euerall nece&s;&s;i ies con|ceiue &s;ome other of their ovvne, or practi&s;e &s;ome better forme already &s;et dovvne, by men of greater giftes, and feeling: nor yet, &s;o to bu&s;ie their mindes, and to occupie their heades, as that they should be imployed in the&s;e, vvhen the publike Prayers and exerci&s;es of the Church, performed by the Mini&s;ters are in hand (for be it farre fro~ vs, vvhen the Mini&s;ter Gods mouth &s;peaketh from the Lord to vs or vvhen he as our mouth &s;peaketh to the Lord for vs, to haue either our heartes
<PB REF="58"> or our mouthes occupied about any o|ther thing, than the reuerent hearing and con&s;enting vnto, of &s;uch thinges as he vttereth) but that ayding the infir|mitie of our breathren, &s;uch as haue not the gifte to conceiue Prayer, might haue a forme to exerci&s;e them|&s;elues in, both before they repaire to the publike exerci&s;es of the Church, and after the celebration of tho&s;e reuerent my|&s;teries, &s;hall he fini&s;hed.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="1" REF="58">
<HEAD>The &s;ub&s;taunce of the Lordes Supper, &s;horly and &s;oundly &s;et foorth, for the in&s;truction and comfort of all Chri|&s;tian readers.</HEAD>
<P>_TO cleare, yea, to voyde all the con|trouer&s;ies that fro~ time to time haue crept into the Church, con|cerning the matter of the Lordes &s;upper, the&s;e three circum&s;tances, in the fir&s;t place are meete to be con&s;i|dered.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, who ordeined it; to witte, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our Sauiour, which is an euident proofe of his eternall Deitie or Godhead, becau&s;e it be|longeth to God alone, to in|&s;titute and ordeine Sacra|mentes
<PB N="2" REF="59"> in the Church.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, when it was in&s;tituted, to wit, before his death and &s;uffering, by which it is plaine, that the bread in the &s;upper, cannot be the &s;ame naturall body, that was borne of the Vir|gin Marie, crucified on the Cro&s;&s;e, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, wherefore it was ordeined, to witt, for the &s;trengthening of our faith in the trueth of Gods promi&s;es, and to put vs in remembra~ce of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t ab&s;ent: now a remembrance of a thing it could not bee, if the thing it &s;elfe were pre|&s;ent. And all the&s;e three pointes are prooued out of 1. <HI>Corinth.</HI> 11. ver&s;. 23.24.</P>
<P N="2">2 In the &s;econd place, the con&s;ideration of the&s;e three
<PB N="3" REF="59"> circum&s;taunces following, will &s;erue much for the clea|ring of the que&s;tion al&s;o.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, which be the &s;ignes in the Sacrament, to wit, Bread and Wine, which haue that nature and force in them, not of them&s;elues, for then all Bread and Wine &s;hould haue the like; but in re&s;pect of the Lordes in&s;ti|tution, who alone hath po|wer to ordeine &s;ignes or Sa|cramentes, and to giue them that effect and propertie.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, what be the things &s;ignified thereby, to witt, the ble&s;&s;ed body of Chri&s;t crucified, and his precious bloud &s;hed, for the benefite and good of all tho&s;e that by a liuely and &s;tedfa&s;t faith, do apprehend and take hold of him and all
<PB N="4" REF="60"> his merites.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, the analogie, proportion and agreement, which is between the &s;ignes and the things &s;ignified, the Lord no doubt choo&s;ing &s;uch elements as might mo&s;t aptly and fitly expre&s;&s;e the thinges &s;ignified and &s;ealed by the &s;ame. Which like|wi&s;e may be brought into three e&s;peciall heades or pointes.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, that as verily as that Bread is broken, and the wine defu&s;ed or &s;pread abroade, becau&s;e many bee partakers of it: &s;o verily was Chri&s;t wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;sions, and bro|ken for our iniquities, as <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;aith, Cap. 53.5. and his body crucified, and his blood &s;hed vpon the cro&s;&s;e
<PB N="5" REF="60"> for many, for the remi&s;sion of &s;innes. <HI>Math.</HI> 26.26.22.28. 1. <HI>Corinth.</HI> 11.24.25.26.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, that as Bread hath his propertie through Gods ble&s;sing giuen it, to feede and &s;trengthen our naturall bodies in this life: &s;o his body being repre|&s;ented effectually vnto vs by that bread; hath the &s;elf|&s;ame propertie, touching our &s;oules, to &s;trengthen and to nouri&s;h them &s;piritu|ally. And euen as the Wine comfort and make mans heart glad, as appeareth by &s;undry. Scriptures: &s;o our full ioy and &s;pirituall com|fort is, to be found in him alone. And (to ioyne the&s;e two togeather, of which we haue &s;poken &s;euerally) this wee mu&s;t know and
<PB N="6" REF="61"> beleeue further, that as our diet is then full, whole, and perfect, as it were, when it con&s;i&s;teth of the&s;e two thinges, Bread and Wine, or Drinke: &s;o wee might know, that the fulne&s;&s;e and prefection of all &s;pirituall nouri&s;hment is to be found in Chri&s;t alone, &amp; no where el&s;e, while&s;t that hee is be|come, as well the Drincke, as the Meate of our &s;oule, not onely in this double &s;igne, helping our infirmi|tie as it were, but al&s;o tea|ching vs to &s;eeke the hea|uenly refection and nou|ri&s;hment of our &s;oules, ful|ly and wholly in him, and no where el&s;e. Wherevnto al&s;o he him &s;elfe in &s;ome &s;ort alludeth. <HI>Math. 11.</HI> ver&s;. <HI>28.</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Ioh. 6, 35. Ioh. 7.
<PB N="7" REF="61"> 37.38.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, that as the Bread is made of many Graines, and the Wine of &s;undry &amp; &s;euerall Grapes, and yet all make but one Bread and one Wine: &s;o all the faythfull &s;hould be in&s;tructed thereby, that though they be &s;euerall and di&s;tinct per&s;ons one of the~ from an other, as the mem|bers in the body are, yet they all compacted togea|ther, make but one body; as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> plainely prooueth, <HI>Rom. 12.4 5.</HI> but &s;pecially, <HI>1. Corinth. 10.16, 17.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e three things then, out of all that hitherto hath been &s;poken, I would haue to be ob&s;erued and noted.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, that though it be true, that euen by the mini|&s;terie
<PB N="8" REF="62"> of the Go&s;pell, wee receiue Chri&s;t with all his benefites, of which Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh <HI>Galat. 3, 1.</HI> that Chri&s;t was de&s;cribed in their &s;ight, and crucified a|mong them; yet that wee haue this, more plainely and plentifully &s;et foorth vnto vs in the v&s;e of the Supper, while&s;t that we by fayth feeding on him, that is the Bread of life, which came downe from heauen. <HI>John 6.51.</HI> are by that means become bone of his bones, and fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, <HI>Ephe&s;. 5.30.</HI> and made one in him, euen as the Father and hee are one. <HI>John. 17.21.22.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, that this holy Sacrament, doeth not onely direct vs to the death and pa&s;sion of our Sauiour
<PB N="9" REF="62"> Chri&s;t, which was perfor|med many hundred yeares agoe, as the one &amp; the onely Sacrifice for &s;inne, neuer to be reiterated; becau&s;e that thereby he being the onely High prie&s;t and eternall Sacrificer, hath con&s;ecrated for euer all them that are &s;anctified: <HI>Hebr. 9.28. Heb. 10.14.</HI> but al&s;o, yea chiefly and e&s;pecially, to the gra|cious fruites and effectes, that we receaue thereby: as the forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, the a&s;&s;ured pledge of eter|nall life, and &s;uch like: which are liuely &s;et foorth, and preached vnto vs in the &s;ame, to the ende that wee may bee made partakers thereof.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, that we mu&s;t know and beleeue, that
<PB N="10" REF="63"> though this Sacrament doe &s;pecially and chiefly direct vs to Chri&s;t, his death, me|rites, obedience, and the fruites thereof: yet not|with&s;tanding al&s;o, it doeth in&s;truct vs of the &s;peciall dueties of Loue, that in Chri&s;t, and for Chri&s;t, wee as the members of that bo|die, whereof he is the onely head, ought vnfeignedly to performe, one of vs to|wards an other, not onely as profitable and nece&s;&s;arie for the partes, to whom &s;uch duties are performed, but comfortable al&s;o to our &s;elues, while&s;t by that, as by a badge or cognizaunce, we are knowne to be Chri&s;tes Di&s;ciples, <HI>Iohn 13.35.</HI> and haue &s;ealed vp in our hearts, the free pardon and full for|giuene&s;&s;e
<PB N="11" REF="63"> of all our &s;innes, &amp; an a&s;&s;ured pledge of our tran&s;lation out of darke|ne&s;&s;e into light: &s;ee <HI>Luke. 7.47.</HI> Al&s;o <HI>1. John 3.14.</HI></P>
<P>In the third place for the clearing of this controuer|&s;ie, we mu&s;t haue a watch|full eye to Sathans &s;ubtle|tie, who laboureth in this poynt, as in all other points of Chri&s;tian religion, by extreamities to draw vs in|to all corruption. Now the extreamene&s;&s;es that in time hertofore, haue bur&s;t foorth and are yet in many places &s;toutly and &s;tiffely main|tained, are &s;pecially three.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, that of the Sacra|mentaries, who holde and defende, that there is no|thing in the Supper left vs, &s;aue the bare and naked
<PB N="12" REF="64"> &s;ignes of Chri&s;tes death and pa&s;sion. But the trueth is &s;o farre off fro~ allowing this, that we feare not to affirme, that be&s;ides the &s;ignes, wee haue the thinges them &s;elues &s;ignified, truly and effectu|ally exhibited vnto vs; be|cau&s;e it is mo&s;t certaine that our Sauiour Chri&s;t who is the trueth it &s;elfe and can not lye, doeth in+deed and a&s;&s;uredly accom|pli&s;h vnto vs, all the promi|&s;es which he made vnto vs, and &s;ealed vnto vs, by the v&s;e of the &s;ignes in the Sa+crament, making vs parta|kers euen of his very &s;ub|&s;taunce, that we might al&s;o grow vp into one life with him. And though this can not be comprehended by the eye of mans rea&s;on and
<PB N="13" REF="64"> vnder&s;ta~ding, yet we know that this is &s;en&s;ibly &s;et foorth vnto vs, by &s;euerall meanes and in&s;trumentes: &s;ome outward, as the Ele|mentes in the Sacrament; and &s;ome inwarde, as the &s;pirituall Grace repre&s;en|ted thereby. For we are not Angels, but men, con&s;i&s;ting of bodie and &s;oule: and therefore the Lord by the v&s;e of his Word and Sacra|mentes, hath prouided for both partes; as the Word for our Eares; and our Eares for hearing of the &s;ame, that &s;o Fayth might be wrought in our heartes. <HI>Rom. 10.17.</HI> and the Elementes in the Sacramentes for our ta&s;te, &s;ight, feeling, &amp;c. and yet our &s;oules to be nouri&s;hed not with any or all of
<PB N="14" REF="65"> the&s;e outward thinges (for how can outward and cor|ruptible things nouri&s;h in|ward and immortall &s;ub|&s;taunce?) but onely with the &s;pirituall graces offered vn|to vs therein; &amp; this al&s;o to be wrought in vs (though our Sauiour be in Heauen in re&s;pect of his body; and wee heere as Pilgrimes and Strangers on the Earth) by the wonderfull &amp; vn&s;earch|able working of his holy Spirite in vs, and by the meanes of a liuely and a&s;&s;u|red Fayth: both which be|ing knit togeather, doe ea|&s;ily ioyne togeather things, that be as farre a&s;under, in re&s;pect of di&s;taunce of place, as one ende of the earth is from the other; and as farre a&s;under, as heauen
<PB N="15" REF="65"> and earth them &s;elues are: or el&s;e how could we either beleeue the holy Catholike Church, and feele the com|munion of Saintes, &s;eeing it commonly falleth out, that the members of that holy fellow&s;hippe, are &s;undered one of them from an other, in re&s;pect of great di&s;tance of place? or be a&s;&s;ured that Chri&s;tes righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is become ours, &s;eeing he is in heauen, &amp; wee on the earth, if by Fayth we did not take hold of the &s;ame, and apply it vnto our &s;elues? Be&s;ides, if men &s;hould imbrace this &s;acramentarie opinio~, what were it, but to euert, as the trueth of Chri&s;tes promi&s;es; &s;o the certaintie and a&s;&s;u|redne&s;&s;e of his word, who in plaine tearmes, calleth
<PB N="16" REF="66"> this holy Sacrament, <HI>His bodie?</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 The &s;econd extreami|tie is, that of con&s;ub&s;tantia|tion, &s;ome affirming, that there is deliuered to the people, and they receiue to|geather with the &s;ub&s;tance of Bread, the yery &s;ub&s;tance of Chri&s;tes very naturall body; &s;o that there is (as it were) an intermingling of both the &s;ub&s;taunces in the action of the Supper. This opinion is iu&s;tly to be di&s;li|ked and reproued, not one|ly becau&s;e of the ab&s;urdi|ties which it hath common, with the here&s;ie of tran&s;ub|&s;tantiation; whereof wee will &s;peake in the next place: but al&s;o, becau&s;e it is quite and cleane contrarie to common &s;en&s;e and rea|&s;on,
<PB N="17" REF="66"> confounding and ium|bling togeather, two &s;eue|rall and di&s;tinct &s;ub&s;tances and making the le&s;&s;e; to witt, the &s;ub&s;tance of bread, to comprehende the grea|ter, that is, Chri&s;ts humaine body; yea, euen his verie Godhead: which heauen and earth is not able to containe.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, it doth vtterly take away an e&s;&s;entiall pro|pertie of Chri&s;tes body: for if Chri&s;t, in re&s;pect of his humanitie, be like vnto vs in all thinges, &s;inne onely excepted; and we know by the light of rea&s;on and vn|der&s;tanding that God hath be&s;towed vpon vs; yea, by verie experience, that our bodies are circum&s;criptible and tyed to a place: it mu&s;t
<PB N="18" REF="67"> needs follow, that Chri&s;t in re&s;pect of his Manhood; or Chri&s;t, as he is Man, is and mu&s;t be tyed to a place, and not be in euery place; as he mu&s;t be, if the&s;e mens a&s;&s;er|tions be true; which is no|thing els indeed, but vtterly to de&s;troy Chri&s;tes body: which I proue again&s;t them thus. Who&s;oeuer taketh a|way the e&s;&s;entiall propertie of any thing, taketh away the thing it &s;elfe: this Pro|po&s;ition is prooued by this Maxime in Logike: If the definition of a thing, which chiefly con&s;i&s;teth of the e&s;|&s;entiall propertie of euerie thing be taken away, then the thing defined it &s;elfe, al|&s;o falleth: As for example; If a rea&s;onable liuing crea|ture, which is the definition
<PB N="19" REF="67"> of a man, be taken away, what &s;hall become of man, or where &s;hall he appeare, which is the thing defined? But the&s;e men take away the e&s;&s;entiall propertie of a thing, to witte, of a body, which is to be circum&s;crip|tible or tyed to a place; which is indeed an e&s;&s;enti|all propertie of the body of man, and therefore of Chri&s;tes body, as he is man. If any will denie this, it may ea&s;ily be prooued, both by the definition of a body, which is a quantitie, that may be deuided, according to the threefold mea&s;uring, receiued among&s;t men, that is, length, breadth, &amp; thick|ne&s;&s;e; and al&s;o by the de|&s;cription of a place, which is defined to be a nighne&s;&s;e
<PB N="20" REF="68"> or touching, of the thing containing, and the thing conteined. The conclu&s;ion therefore is, that in taking away place from the body of Chri&s;t; which they doe, while&s;t they place it in eue|rie place, whereas in the na|ture thereof, it can be but in one place at one time; they doe vtterly de&s;troy the body or humanitie of Chri&s;t; or at the lea&s;t con|found it &s;o with the God|head, as <HI>Eutyches</HI> did, that they make a confu&s;ion (whereas in all trueth and vprightne&s;&s;e, there &s;hould remaine a di&s;tinction) of the proprieties of either na|ture in his ble&s;&s;ed per&s;on. But of this ynough in this place, becau&s;e it is &s;ome|what philo&s;ophicall, and
<PB N="21" REF="68"> becau&s;e al&s;o in the next <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ection, we &s;hall haue occa|&s;ion to deale with the like.</P>
<P N="3">3. The third extreamitie is, that of tran&s;ub&s;tantiati|on, maintained altogether by the Romi&s;h Catholikes, which hold that the Bread and Wine, (the &s;ub&s;tance thereof vani&s;hing away, and nothing being left but the accidentes or qualities thereof, as roundnes, white|ne&s;&s;e, redne&s;&s;e, moy&s;ture, &amp;c.) are changed, and that by the power of certaine wordes, &s;poken by the Prie&s;t (as they cal him) ouer the Elements, they are tur|ned into the verie naturall body and bloud of our Sa|uiour.</P>
<P>Concerning this point, and the branches thereof, I
<PB N="22" REF="69"> will &s;peake particularly and, fir&s;t for the name Tran&s;ub&s;tantiation, I fear not to affirme, that it is ve+rie new, and neuer heard of before the dayes of Pope <HI>Innocent</HI> the third, who was about the yeare of our Lord 1205. much le&s;&s;e was it con|firmed as an article of faith before the Councell of <HI>Con|&s;tance,</HI> a Citie &s;o named in <HI>Germanie,</HI> in the dayes of Pope <HI>John</HI> the xxiii. which was about the yeare of our Lord 1415. and therefore by the Popi&s;h rea&s;on of reiect|ing new thinges, ea&s;ily ynough reiected for the noueltie thereof.</P>
<P N="2">2 That there is a change I doe not deny; but this is not in re&s;pect of the nature of the thinges them&s;elues
<PB N="23" REF="69"> but in re&s;pect of the v&s;e and ende whereunto they are applyed, becau&s;e that they are by the Lordes in&s;titu|tion &s;eparated from the common v&s;e, yea, and from common Bread and Wine, and applyed not onely to a holy v&s;e, but dedicated al&s;o to a holy ende, that is, to be &s;ure &s;eales and pled|ges of holy things, to witt, of Chri&s;ts body and bloud, and of the effectes, that by his death and pa&s;&s;ion we receiue. But that this change &s;hould be wrought by any wordes, I am &s;o farre off fro~ allowing it as true, that I am verily per&s;waded, that it &s;auoureth very &s;trongly of a Magicall incantation: and I am &s;o much the more confirmed in this, becau&s;e
<PB N="24" REF="70"> the Papi&s;tes reioycing as Inchaunters and Sorcerers doe, in their odde numbers: haue added one word; that is <HI>(enim)</HI> to the wordes of in&s;titution, &s;aying: <HI>Hoe e&s;t enim corpus meum:</HI> as may appeare in their Mi&s;&s;all or Ma&s;&s;e booke.</P>
<P N="3">3 The gro&s;&s;e and palpa|ble ab&s;urdities which fol|low this opinion of Tran|&s;ub&s;tantiation, are &s;ufficient and &s;trong inough of them &s;elues, to make it out of cre|dite, with al per&s;ons indued with holie wi&s;edome and vnder&s;tanding, &amp; to cau&s;e them to e&s;teeme of it, not onely as a thing fal&s;e and erronious but very vngod|ly and bla&s;phemous al&s;o. To reckon vp all, or large|ly to di&s;cour&s;e vpon the
<PB N="25" REF="70"> particulars, it is not my purpo&s;e, but onely to touch &s;ome &s;hortly, yet &s;o as the vanitie and fal&s;ehood of this great corruption may thereby ea&s;ily appeare.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t I &s;ay, that this doth vtterly de&s;troy the na|ture of a Sacrament, which mu&s;t euer con&s;i&s;t of two partes; to wit, of vi&s;ible ele|ments, and inui&s;ible graces; which can not be, if &s;o be it that the nature and &s;ub|&s;taunce of the elementes, be either chaunged, or vani&s;h away, and the things repre|&s;ented by the &s;ame, come in their place; becau&s;e that the one part of the Sacrament (to witt, the vi&s;ible &s;igne) is then and there wanting.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, I affirme, that it is iniurious to the
<PB N="26" REF="71"> glorified bodie of our Sa|uiour, not onely while it bringeth him from heauen, the place of all ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, into earth, the place of all mi&s;erie &amp; wretchedne&s;&s;e; but al&s;o while&s;t it maketh it to be rent and torne in peeces, not onely with the teeth of good men, (a mat|ter which Nature abhor|reth) but with the teeth of the wicked and vngodly; yea with the teeth of Mi&s;e, Dogges, and other vnrea|&s;onable creatures: yea, whi|le&s;t it maketh it, which is immortall, in immortal glo|rie, &s;ubiect to putrifaction, corruption, and Wormes, by rea&s;on of the long re|&s;eruation thereof, and at the la&s;t, to con&s;uming in the fire, (a fact of horrible cru|eltie,
<PB N="27" REF="71"> if it were Chri&s;tes fle&s;h) becau&s;e it may not o|therwi&s;e be made away, (as they them &s;elues confe&s;&s;e) if it be ouertaken with ho|rine&s;&s;e, moldine&s;&s;e, or any &s;uch like.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly I &s;ay, that by a con&s;equent it doth won|derfully confound (if not vtterly de&s;troy) the huma|nitie of our Sauiour with his Godhead, while&s;t that which is proper and pecu|liar to his eternall Deitie, to witt, to be euery where, is attributed and a&s;cribed to his humanitie; which as hath been before &s;hewed, and &s;hall be more plainely prooued hereafter, is, and mu&s;t of nece&s;sitie, &s;ince his a&s;cen&s;ion, be circum&s;crip|tible and tied to a place.
<PB N="28" REF="72"> For otherwi&s;e, if the glori|fication of Chri&s;tes bodie, haue taken away that propertie of tying to a place, then the like &s;hall be perfourmed in all the bodies of the faythfull, becau&s;e he &s;hall change our ba&s;e and vile bodyes, that they may be fa&s;hioned like vnto his glorious body. <HI>Philip.</HI> 3.<HI>21.</HI> But to &s;ay that our bodyes &s;hall be euery where, were a bea&s;tly and bla&s;phemous a&s;&s;ertion; becau&s;e it &s;hould a&s;cribe that vnto vs, which is proper and peculiar one|ly to God: For vnto him alone it pertaineth, to fill heauen, earth, and all places. Therefore this a&s;&s;ertion concerning Chri&s;tes glori|fied body, mu&s;t of nece&s;sitie be &s;uch likewi&s;e.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="72">
<P N="4">4 Fourthly, it doth de|&s;troy all the Articles of our Fayth, which concerne Chri&s;tes a&s;cen&s;ion in hea|uen, &s;itting at the right hand of the Father, and his com|ming againe, together with all the places of Scripture, that confirme tho&s;e mo&s;t holy, comfortable, and ne|ce&s;&s;arie poyntes. For if he be heere in re&s;pect of his bodily power &amp; pre&s;ence, how can he be iu&s;tly &s;aid to haue a&s;cended in re&s;pect of his bodie, into heauen, and to &s;it there at the right hand of his Father, making continuall interce&s;sion for vs? Or how can it be affir|med, that from thence hee &s;hall come with great pow|er and glorie, to iudge the quicke and the dead, &s;eeing
<PB N="30" REF="73"> he is heere on earth already? Let men of the world deeme what they li&s;t, this is the truth that God hath &s;ancti|fied vnto vs in his word, and doe &s;teadfa&s;tly beleeue it in my heart, and will through Gods goodne&s;&s;e and &s;trength, alwayes con|fe&s;&s;e the &s;ame with my mouth, that from the time of his a&s;cen&s;ion, the heauens mu&s;t containe Chi&s;tes na|turall bodie, vntill the time that all thinges be re&s;tored, <HI>Actes 3.21.</HI> that is, euen to the worldes end.</P>
<P N="5">5 Fifthly, I &s;ay that this opinion doth depriue vs of all the &s;pirituall graces and comforts, that God the father in his &s;onne Chri&s;t, by &s;ending the holy Gho&s;t the third per&s;on in the Dei|tie,
<PB N="31" REF="73"> hath be&s;towed vpon the whole Church generally, and euery particular mem|ber thereof. For, doeth not our Sauiour Chri&s;t &s;ay? <HI>Iohn. 16.7.</HI> I tell you the trueth: It is expedient for you that I goe away; for if I goe not away, that Com|forter will not come vnto you: But if I depart, I will &s;ende him vnto you. Either this then mu&s;t be true, that we haue the holy Gho&s;t by the bodily ab&s;ence of our Sauiour Chri&s;t giuen to the Church, as before is &s;ayd; or el&s;e if Chri&s;t be heere bodily pre&s;ent, the holy Gho&s;t is not yet come; which you may &s;ee plaine|ly ouerthrowne. <HI>Act. 2.</HI>1.2.</P>
<P N="6">6 Sixthly, this a&s;&s;ertion accu&s;eth Chri&s;t of manife&s;t
<PB N="32" REF="74"> lying and vntrueth. For he him&s;elfe hath &s;aid, <HI>Math. 26.11.</HI> The poore yee haue al|wayes with you, but me ye &s;hall not haue alwaies. And yet this people dare af|firme, that wee haue him continually, not in re&s;pect of his &s;pirituall power and pre&s;ence onely, in which re&s;pect he filleth all places, both in heauen and in earth, and is &s;ayd to be with the beleeuers euen vnto the end of the world <HI>Matth. 28.20.</HI> But in re&s;pect of corporall and bodily pre&s;ence, then the which nothing can be more ab&s;urde, as hath been before &s;hewed.</P>
<P>But heere ari&s;e vp three &s;peciall obiections, to be an&s;wered: two whereof, are taken for the wordes of
<PB N="33" REF="74"> the text of holy Scripture, &amp; the third from the omni|potencie &amp; almightie pow|er of our Sauiour Chri&s;t: common thinges indeede, and might as ea&s;ily be re|iected as obiected: but yet both for the &s;trengthening of them that &s;tand, &amp; for the &s;atisfying &amp; in&s;truction of them that be weake and ig|noraunt. I will in a word or two, as it were, make a &s;hort, yet a &s;ound, &s;ufficient, and true an&s;were I hope, to euery one of them &s;euerally and by them &s;elues.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t place obiected, were the&s;e wordes out of <HI>Iohn. 6.13.</HI> Except yee eate the fle&s;h of the Sonne of man, and drinke his blood, yee haue no life in you. Wherevnto I an&s;were, fir&s;t,
<PB N="34" REF="75"> that neither the&s;e wordes, neither the re&s;t of the Chap|ter, can properly be vnder|&s;toode of the Lords &s;upper; becau&s;e that was not at that time in&s;tituted and ordei|ned, but rather of our com|munication or partaking with Chri&s;t, by the meanes of fayth apprehending the worde, and applying parti|cularly vnto our &s;elues, all the gracious and &s;weete promi&s;es, that the Lord hath made and offered vnto vs therein: which may ap|peare, partly becau&s;e hee per&s;i&s;teth by a a continuall threed of &s;peach as it were, in the metaphor of Bread or Meates, mentioned ver&s;. 26.27 v&s;ing &s;undrie boro|wed &s;peaches agreeing well to the circum&s;taunce of the
<PB N="35" REF="75"> matter, wherein he was to deale: and partly, becau&s;e he &s;peaketh &s;o often not of eating onely, but al&s;o of beleeuing; as ver&s;. 23.40. &amp;c. Which cannot be pro|perly attributed to any outward or materiall thing; as may be gathered, <HI>Rom. 8.24.</HI> Al&s;o <HI>2. Corinth. 5.7.</HI> But let vs graunt that it were to be vnder&s;tood of the holy Supper; yet it doth not for all that, e&s;tabli&s;h any gro&s;&s;e and carnall eating of the naturall fle&s;h or body of our Sauiour Chri&s;t: for if it were &s;o, then had not our Sauiour &s;ufficiently aun|&s;wered the <HI>Capernaites,</HI> who did gro&s;&s;ely dreame and doate of &s;uch a carnal man|ducation or eating, but ra|ther had yeelded vnto the
<PB N="36" REF="76"> &s;ame. Be&s;ides, if that &s;hould be allowed, in what a mi&s;e|rable e&s;tate &s;hould we leaue the holy Fathers; who were long before the time of Chri&s;tes taking our fle&s;h vpon him, and therefore could not eate it? And yet our Sauiour affirmeth <HI>Mat. 8.11.</HI> that they were in the kingdome of Heauen: and Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith <HI>1. Corinth. 10.3.4</HI> that they did all eate the &s;ame &s;pirituall meate that we doe, and did all drinke the &s;ame &s;pirituall drinke that we doe; there being no difference at all in re&s;pect of &s;ub&s;taunce and effect be|twixt their Sacraments and ours, but onely in time, and in outward Elementes: yet in what a mi&s;erable e&s;tate were Infantes that &s;hould
<PB N="37" REF="76"> die before they could com|municate or partake in that holy Sacrament? One of the&s;e two mu&s;t needes be graunted; either that they mu&s;t haue the Communion mini&s;tred vnto them; which thing indeed <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> did once fanta&s;tically imagine: but S. <HI>Paul</HI> is flatly again&s;t it, <HI>1. Corinth. 11.28.</HI> who will haue none admitted there|to, but &s;uch as can examine and trie them&s;elues, whe|ther they be in the Fayth or no; which Infantes can not doe: or el&s;e that with|out it, they are all con|demned alreadie: Both which are verie ab&s;urde and bea&s;tly. So that you &s;ee for the auoyding of the&s;e ab&s;urdities, it can at no hande bee vnder&s;toode,
<PB N="38" REF="77"> either of the Sacramentes, of the gro&s;&s;e and carnall ea|ting of Chri&s;tes body in the &s;ame, but of the appre|hen&s;ion or laying hold of him, togeather with the par|ticular application of him to our &s;elues by the hand or in&s;trument Faith propoun|ded and &s;et foorth vnto vs, by the mini&s;terie of his Word and Go&s;pell, or (if you wil for rea&s;oning &s;ake) offered vnto vs in the v&s;e of the Supper, becau&s;e there is in that re&s;pect, but one meane giuen vs to take hold of him by; and that is the great grace and gift of Fayth, which we mu&s;t v&s;e in the Word &amp; Sacraments, as men doe in the oppre|hending of Chri&s;tes righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e; which though it
<PB N="39" REF="77"> be not e&s;&s;entially dwelling in vs, yet it is effectually made ours, while&s;t wee ap|prehend and lay hold of the &s;ame by a &s;ounde and &s;ure Fayth: And euen in like &s;ort is Chri&s;t God &amp; Man togeather with all his me|rites, not onely offered, but laide hold of in the Word and Sacramentes: For of like things, there is alwayes a like con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>The &s;econde place, is that &s;entence reported by the three Euangeli&s;tes, <HI>Mat|thew, Marke,</HI> and <HI>Luke;</HI> and S. <HI>Paul</HI> him&s;elfe al&s;o, reci|ting the in&s;titution of the Supper, which our Sauiour Chri&s;t v&s;ed, &s;aying: This is my body: which they vrge in the letter, after this &s;orte: Hath not Chri&s;t &s;aid
<PB N="40" REF="78"> it in plaine tearmes? and &s;hal I not beleeue it, though that my carnall vnder&s;tan|ding cannot conceiue the &s;ame? To all this I an&s;were: Fir&s;t, that the que&s;tion is not of the wordes, for wee as well as they confe&s;&s;e the &s;ame; but of the &s;en&s;e: of which wee will &s;peake a|none. Secondly, that wee, are bounde to beleeue all &s;uch thinges as are compre|hended in Gods Worde, though indeed our &s;en&s;uall rea&s;on, can not compre|hend them; yet in &s;uch &s;ort mu&s;t we beleeue the &s;ame, and to &s;uch endes as the Lord him&s;elfe hath appoin|ted, not yet &s;tretching them further, then the Lorde would haue vs; nor re&s;trai|ning them to narrow or
<PB N="41" REF="78"> purpo&s;es, then the Lord hath appoynted; neither yet fayling in the allegati|on of them, either in the matter, manner, or end: for if we doe, wee doe nothing el&s;e thereby but heape vp iu&s;t condemnation again&s;t our owne &s;oules. Concer|ning the wordes, and the plainenes of them; I &s;ay that other words are as plaine as they, both in the old and new te&s;tament, which mu&s;t yet notwith&s;tanding, be o|therwi&s;e interpreted, then the words them&s;elues &s;eeme to import. For example in the 17 of <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 10. Cir|cumci&s;ion is called the Co|uenaunt betwixt GOD and his people, whereas it was but the &s;igne of the Couenaunt: For the Coue|naunt
<PB N="42" REF="79"> it &s;elfe was, that hee would be the God of <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> and in him of all the Faythfull, and of their &s;eed after them. So in the new Te&s;tament, Chri&s;t &s;ayth of him &s;elfe, <HI>Iohn 15.5.</HI> I am the Vine; whereas wee know and beleeue, that Chri&s;t was no Vine, but that hee calleth him &s;elfe &s;o in a cer|taine re&s;emblance; becau&s;e looke what propertie the fruite of the Vine hath in re&s;pect of our bodies, to witt, to comfort men, and ro make them glad heartes: the &s;ame hath Chri&s;t, and the fruites of his grace re|ceiued by Fryth, in re&s;pect af our &s;oules: and as the Branches of the Vine haue nothing of them &s;elues, but all that they haue, they haue
<PB N="43" REF="79"> it from the Vine it &s;elfe: &s;o none of his members can bring foorth fruite, but by abyding in him; and being made fruitfull through his grace. In like manner is the Bread of the Lords Supper, called his Body, becau&s;e, as we haue &s;ayd before, looke what proper and peculiar office the Bread hath or yeeldeth to our naturall bo|dies; the &s;elfe &s;ame doth Ie|&s;us Chri&s;tes body broken, taken hold of by Faith, &s;pi|ritually communicate vnto our &s;oules. And this &s;peach is v&s;uall in the Scriptures, to attribute that to the &s;igne, which is proper and pecu|liar to the thing &s;ignified, by rea&s;on of the &s;tre ght analogie, proportion, and agreement, which is be|tweene
<PB N="44" REF="80"> the &s;igne, and the thing &s;ignified; and not in any other re&s;pect, of con|&s;ub&s;tantiatio~, tran&s;ub&s;tan|tiation, or any other &s;uch like fanta&s;ticall dotage.</P>
<P>Be&s;ide, the verie circum|&s;tances of time, place, per|&s;on, and manner of doing, doe &s;ufficiently prooue the vanitie and vntruth of this gro&s;&s;e interpretation. For this Sacrament being in&s;ti|tuted by Chri&s;t him &s;elfe a little before his death, in the pre&s;ence of the Apo|&s;tles (who had all their &s;en|&s;es &s;atisfied in the behol|ding, hearing, and feeling, of the naturall body of our Sauiour Chri&s;t) he him &s;elfe &s;itting at the Table with them, and &s;peaking the&s;e words in their pre&s;ence and
<PB N="45" REF="80"> hearing; it could not bee, that that bread, offered vnto them as the pledge of his body, &s;hould be his naturall bodie, or bodie of fle&s;h, vnle&s;&s;e you will &s;ay, that Chri&s;t had two bodies: one &s;itting at the table, in&s;titu|ting the action of the Sup|per; and an other borne in his handes, and deliuered vnto his Apo&s;tles: then the which, what can be, not onely more ab&s;urde and bla&s;phemous, in re&s;pct of our Sauiour Chri&s;t him &s;elfe; but al&s;o more vnpro|fitable and vncertaine to vs, as which might prouoke vs to doubt, whether of his bodies were crucified for our tran&s;gre&s;sions? Now, as we doe iu&s;tly reiect this gro&s;&s;e &s;en&s;e, &s;o for the in|&s;truction
<PB N="46" REF="81"> of the ignoraunt, and &s;trengthening of the weake, we wil in a few lines put downe the true mea|ning of the&s;e wordes. For the better performaunce whereof, I would haue this to be noted.</P>
<P N="1">1 In he fir&s;t place, which I am &s;ure al&s;o no man of &s;ounde iudgement can well denie, that all wordes, and therefore the&s;e of the Sup|per, mu&s;t be expounded according to the &s;ubiect, argument, or matter where|of they intreate: and there|fore their &s;peaking particu|larly of the Lordes Supper, mu&s;t of nece&s;sitie be vnder|&s;tood of the Sacrament of the body and blood of our Sauiour Chri&s;t, exhibited vnto vs in that Supper.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="81">
<P N="2">2 Secondly, I would haue this to be remembred, that &s;eeing all confe&s;&s;r the&s;e wordes to be &s;poken of the Sacrament, we mu&s;t not ga|ther, that the word Body, is otherwi&s;e attributed to the Bread, then the nature and qualitie (as it were) of Sa|cramentes will beare; for then if wee &s;hould graunt that, wee &s;hould ea&s;ily de|&s;troy and ouerthrow all Sa|cramentes of the Church what&s;oeuer; becau&s;e in this behalfe, or re&s;pect, there is a like proportion to be ob|&s;erued in one, as in all: And if one be defaced in re&s;pect of a wrong &s;en&s;e, the lea&s;t can hardly, or not at all &s;tand vpright.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, that this is the nature of all &s;acraments,
<PB N="48" REF="82"> that the elementes and rites v&s;ed in the &s;ame, be true and effectuall, not &s;ignes onely, but te&s;timonies and pledges of the&s;e things, for the &s;ig|nifying and &s;ubiecting of which vnto our &s;en&s;es they were ordained: and yet when I v&s;e the word, Signe, I would not bee taken as though I meant that they are bare, vaine, or vnprofi|table Signes, &s;uch as Pain|ters co~monly v&s;e to make, but euen thus farre-foorth effectuall, that it is no more true &amp; certaine, that we &s;ee the &s;ame with our eyes, touch them with our hands, receiue them with our mou|thes &amp; eate them; then that is al&s;o as true and certaine, that the Lord exhibiteth and offereth vnto vs, what
<PB N="49" REF="82"> &s;o euer they repre&s;ent vnto vs; that is, the verie bodie and bloud of our Sauiour Chri&s;t. The&s;e rules being thus then ob&s;erued, I gather and put downe this true &amp; holie &s;en&s;e of the&s;e wordes: This is my body: that is to &s;ay, This Bread which Chri&s;t tooke, ble&s;&s;ed, brake; &amp; gaue vnto his Di&s;ciples, and appoynted to be the element of this action, is &s;a|cramentally &amp; &s;piritually, being receiued &amp; eaten by Fayth, a &s;ure &s;igne &amp; an ef|fectuall pledge, that Chri&s;ts body is become the &s;piritu|all food &amp; nouri&s;hment of our &s;oules. And I v&s;e the&s;e words, &s;acramentally &amp; &s;pi|ritually, that therby I might meete with their gro&s;&s;e &s;launder, who when they
<PB N="50" REF="83"> heare of a &s;igne, and a thing &s;ignified, &s;ay that wee doe euacuate and make of no force the Lordes Supper. No, we are &s;o farre off from holding any &s;uch conclu|&s;ion, that we know and be|leeue, that the beleeuers, doe be&s;ide the outward &s;ignes and elements, truely receiue by the meane of fayth, after a &s;pirituall &s;ort, that which is repre&s;ented by the out|ward elementes; to witte, whole Chri&s;t, with all his giftes and graces. And yet we doe not imagine, either tran&s;ub&s;tantiation, or any &s;uch like deui&s;e; but onely thinke vpon and beleeue, the &s;acramentall coniuction of the &s;igne and the thing &s;ignified, For tho&s;e thinges can not &s;tand with the truth
<PB N="51" REF="83"> of Chri&s;tes humanitie; as hath been bef re &s;hewed: neither indeed are they ne|ce&s;&s;arie for &s;aluation. For, that we may be made par|takers of Chri&s;t, it is not of nece&s;sitie required, that his Body &s;hould be really pre|&s;ent vpon the earth; but it rather behooueth vs, by the power of the holy Gho&s;t, &amp; through Fayth, to mount vp into Heauen, and there to lay hold of him, that we may &s;it with him in the hea|uenly places, which in this life can not be performed in any other &s;ort, then in a &s;pirituall maner, &amp; through fayth: which fayth is be|gotten and confirmed in vs by the holy Gho&s;t; where|vnto hee v&s;eth as in&s;tru|mentes, the preaching of
<PB N="52" REF="84"> Gods word, and the admi|ni&s;tration and v&s;e of the Sacramentes, by which all our &s;en&s;es are eue~ as it were prouoked &amp; pear&s;ed, whol|ly to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e Chri&s;t him &s;elfe. So that you &s;ee, I doe figuratiuely expound the&s;e wordes, and not gro&s;&s;ely; wherevnto I am drawne partly by the&s;e three gene|rall Rules heretofore put downe, and partly by the verie dealings of the <HI>Papi&s;tes</HI> them&s;elues; who doe not, neither in the Wine of the Supper, the other part of this Sacrament: neither in Bapti&s;me, the other Sacra|ment of the Church (which two alone God hath giuen vnto it) acknowledge any &s;uch gro&s;&s;e tran&s;ub&s;tantia|tion or change; and yet I am
<PB N="53" REF="84"> &s;ure, there is as great rea&s;on why that alteration &s;hould be as well in the Water of Bapti&s;me, &amp; in the Wine of the Supper, as in the Bread thereof: If there be not, let them &s;hew any cau&s;e, to the contrary if they can.</P>
<P>There re&s;teth now the third obiection, take~ fro~ the omnipotencie or almightie power of our &s;auiour Chri&s;t pre&s;&s;ed after this manner. Is not Chri&s;t God, and &s;o by that meanes omnipotent? And can not hee performe the trueth of that hee hath &s;poken? To this I an&s;were; that though we &s;hold grant it as true, that Chri&s;t, as he is God, can doe all thinges, and be euery where: yet we know that as he is Man, he can not, and therefore the
<PB N="54" REF="85"> que&s;tio~ betweene the tran|&s;ub&s;tantiators &amp; vs, being now not of the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;tes deitie in the Sacra|ment, but of the pre&s;ence of his humaine body, wee &s;ay, that if wee &s;hould graunt this, yet could it no whit at all preiudice vs; neither could they gaine their cau&s;e thereby: for vnle&s;&s;e they can prooue Chri&s;t as hee is Man, to be omnipotent, and euerie where (which thing they &s;hall neuer bee able to doe) they haue &s;ayd as much as if they had &s;ayd nothing.</P>
<P>But let vs for rea&s;oning &s;ake graunt, that Chri&s;t as hee is Man, were omnipo|tent, euen as God the Fa|ther is; doth it therefore follow, that becau&s;e he can
<PB N="55" REF="85"> doe euerie thing, hee there|fore either will do the &s;ame, or indeed doth it? I &s;uppo&s;e no. For be&s;ides, that in Scholes it is commonly &s;aid, <HI>&agrave; po&s;&s;e ad e&s;&s;e,</HI> the con&s;e|quence or rea&s;on is not good, which were &s;uffici|ent aun&s;were to this friuo|lous and vaine obiection. Be&s;ides this I &s;ay, wee that are truely taught of God; doe know, that though we beleeue that the Lord can doe what &s;o euer plea&s;eth him both in heauen and in earth; which &s;erueth won|derfully to magnifie his al|mightie power, and greatly to &s;trengthen our weake fayth; yet we beleeue firme|ly, that he will not onely doe nothing, but that hee can not doe any thing in re|gard
<PB N="56" REF="86"> of vs, contrarie to that will of his, that he hath re|uealed for vs in his word. And the rea&s;on of this is not the abridgement or &s;hortning of his power (for be it farre fro~ mortall men, to pre&s;ume in any thing, though neuer &s;o little, to re&s;traine the eternall pow|er of the immortal God) but becau&s;e his will and power in re&s;pect of vs, be &s;o con|ioyned and knit togeather that looke what&s;oeuer he will do, that he can do; and looke what&s;oeuer hee can doe, that he will doe. To make this plaine by an ex|ample. We all know, that God in re&s;pect both of his &s;elfe, and that all thinges are po&s;sible with him, can if he would, &s;aue all men: and
<PB N="57" REF="86"> yet we feare not to &s;ay, that in re&s;pect of vs he can not &s;aue all men, becau&s;e wee know by his reuealed will, that hee will not &s;aue them all: For &s;ome mu&s;t be the ve&s;&s;elles ordeined for de|&s;tructio~, as well as others, ve&s;&s;els of &s;aluation and e|ternall life. The like may we &s;ay for this matter of the Supper; that though wee were per&s;waded, that Chri&s;t as he is man, might be euery where; yet becau&s;e he hath reuealed in his Word, that he will haue his bodie to be circum&s;criptible and tyed to a place, to witt, Heauen; yea, which is more; to a cer|taine place in Heauen, that therefore it can be no iniu|rie at all to him, neither any deba&s;ing of his omnipo|tent
<PB N="58" REF="87"> power, to &s;ay that now he cannot be bodily in the Sacrament, much le&s;&s;e bo|dily in &s;o many &s;acraments, as be celebrated and mini|&s;tred, in &s;o &s;undry and infi|nite places at one time. And this I thinke &s;ufficient to all the&s;e Obiections, be|ing willing heere, to fini&s;h this pre&s;ent &s;hort Treati&s;e, &s;auing that I haue thought good in this place, to adde (euen as a challenge to the aduer&s;e partie, and as mat|ter of nece&s;&s;ary in&s;truction, to &s;uch as alreadie &s;ee the trueth) the&s;e three poyntes following.</P>
<P N="1">1 FIr&s;t, that I am readie in all holy loue, further to aun&s;were any thing, that Chri&s;tianly &s;hall be further
<PB N="59" REF="87"> obiected concerning this Que&s;tion: I &s;ay Chri&s;tian|ly obiected; for if any &s;hall either curiou&s;ly or capti|ou&s;ly propound any thing, I thinke it mo&s;t conuenient, rather to leaue &s;uch in their owne folly, for a &s;ea&s;on, till it plea&s;e God at &s;ome one time or other, euen extraor|dinarily as it were, to make them to &s;ee the &s;ame, if it &s;hall &s;o plea&s;e him, then to &s;pend time, and to trauaile in &s;atisfying of their vaine curio&s;itie.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, that though this point of Tran&s;ub&s;tan|tiation brought in by <HI>Pa|pi&s;tes,</HI> be great and gro&s;&s;e, concerning the matter of the Supper, yet that they faile not alone herein, in that behalfe, but hold many
<PB N="60" REF="88"> mo errours concerning that point, &s;ome of them as pal|pable, if not more gro&s;&s;e and bla&s;phemous then this, and &s;ome of them le&s;&s;e: A few I will rehear&s;e, de&s;i|ring others to con&s;ider of the re&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, in that they make it a &s;acrifice Propitiatorie for the quicke and the dead, vtterly euacuating by that meanes, and making of no force, the eternall Prie&s;t|hood of our Sauiour Chri&s;t, which con&s;i&s;teth in this, that he hath once for all, vp|on the Alter of the Cro&s;&s;e, offered vp him&s;elfe vnto God the Father, a full and &s;ufficient Sacrifice, for the &s;innes of the people, as the Apo&s;tle plainely prooueth in the 7.8.9. and 10. Chap|ters
<PB N="61" REF="88"> of his Epi&s;tle to the <HI>He|brewes:</HI> But no maruell, that they &s;hould annihilate his Offices, which de&s;troy his per&s;on; as the&s;e men doe, by confounding the pro|prieties of either nature, as hath been before decreed.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, there is but a little le&s;&s;e Leuen in that matter, that they holde of <HI>Concountancie,</HI> by which they haue &s;poyled the peo|ple of the v&s;e of the Cuppe; which both by Chri&s;tes owne in&s;titution, and by his expre&s;&s;e Commaunde|ment, &s;aying; Drinke yee all of this; doth in all trueth and vprightne&s;&s;e belong vnto them: and all this they haue done vnder this &s;ha|dow, that becau&s;e no body is without blood, and they
<PB N="62" REF="89"> haue before (pre&s;uppo&s;ing, that the Bread is turned in|to the Bodie; as indeede if men will pre&s;uppo&s;e, ei|ther vnpo&s;sible or vntrue things, euery thing will fol|low of it) eaten the bodie, therefore mu&s;t it needes fol|low, that they haue drunke al&s;o his blood. But I know not, whether I &s;hold blame them for their bea&s;tline&s;&s;e, or reprooue them for their pride, that dare thus pre|&s;u~ptuou&s;ly alter the Lordes very Ordinaunce and In|&s;titution.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, their Adora|tion is as corrupt and fil|thie, while they make men to co~mit gro&s;&s;e &amp; palpable Idolatrie, in falling downe before a peece of Bread: (what doe I &s;ay? I know
<PB N="63" REF="89"> not whether I may call it by that name or no, for it may be di&s;puted of whether their Ma&s;&s;e-cake be Bread) and wor&s;hipping a Wafer-cake, the worke of mens hands. But &s;uppo&s;e it were Chri&s;tes body as they &s;ay; yet I affirme that they may not adore Chri&s;tes body a|lone, yea, and that they can|not wor&s;hip the &s;ame of it &s;elfe, without horrible ido|latrie, becau&s;e it is a crea|ture. For though it be true, that Chri&s;t as he is God, is to be wor&s;hipped as his Fa|ther; yea, and Chri&s;t God and Man in one per&s;on is to be adored, yet we cannot without great &s;inne, and grieuous offence again&s;t God and his word, wor|&s;hip the humanitie or man|hood
<PB N="64" REF="90"> of our Sauiour Chri&s;t onely.</P>
<P N="4">4 To &s;peake of the re|&s;eruation, circumge&s;tation, or carrying of it about, with many other odde toyes of their owne inuention, and largely to lay out the incon|ueniences thereof, would require &s;ome proper and fit di&s;cour&s;e for that purpo&s;e; but I will re&s;erue it till ano|ther time, making ha&s;te now, to that which &s;halbe, as the la&s;t, &s;o in my iudge|ment, not the lea&s;t profita|ble part of this Treatie: And that is, how a man &s;hould draw neere vnto &s;uch reuerent my&s;teries, wherein &s;uch excellent gra|ces are offered vnto him, and how he may be&s;t come to reape and receiue fruite
<PB N="65" REF="90"> and comfort by the &s;ame. All that a man is to deale in, concerning this la&s;t point, may be well reduced into three &s;hort heades or Ti|tles.</P>
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, what he is to doe before communicating or receiuing of this Sacra|ment: and this I will call in one terme, Preparation.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, what hee is to doe or thinke vpon in the time, and at the very in&s;tant of receiuing: and this I will name, Meditati|on</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, what he is to doe after the time of recei|uing: and this I will call, Action or Practi&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1 Preparation, which is the fir&s;t, re&s;pecteth either God or man: Now, that
<PB N="66" REF="91"> which concerneth God, is comprehended vnder true Fayth, and vnfeigned Re|pentaunce, as that which concerneth man, is com|pri&s;ed vnder &s;ounde loue. And I call them &s;ound true, and vnfeigned, and yet not perfect, becau&s;e per|fection properly &s;ignify|ing that, vnto which no|thing can be added, cannot be founde in man during this life. And this I &s;peake, partly to &s;top the mouthes of &s;uch as dreame of a per|fection in this life; and part|ly to teach vs that our im|perfections &s;hould not hin|der vs from drawing nigh thereto, (&s;o that we doe not fo&s;ter and foode our &s;elues in them,) &s;eeing that other|wi&s;e the Sacrament &s;hould
<PB N="67" REF="91"> &s;tand vs in &s;tead, if we were not vnperfect; for it is a helpe and &s;uccour ordeined by God, again&s;t our natu|rall infirmitie and weake|ne&s;&s;e. By Fayth, I meane not onely a generall beliefe, of all the Canonicall books of the old and new Te&s;ta|ment; or a grounded know|ledge alone of the poyntes and principles of Chri&s;tian religion, but an a&s;&s;ured per|&s;wa&s;ion, that what&s;oeuer the Lord hath reuealed in his Word, as hee hath done the &s;ame for others, &s;o he hath done it particularly for mee. So that this Fayth is nece&s;&s;arie to him that &s;hall communicate, both becau&s;e that otherwi&s;e hee being on the earth, cannot take hold of Chri&s;t in hea|uen:
<PB N="68" REF="92"> for faith is it by which he may apply vnto him|&s;elfe particularly Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us and all his merites, to the a&s;&s;ured feeling of the free pardone and full forgiue|ne&s;&s;e of all his &s;innes of the one &s;ide, and the imputati|on of Chri&s;tes righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e on the other &s;ide, and al&s;o that thereby he may be a&s;&s;ured, that that which hee doeth, either in the admini|&s;tration or participation of that holy action, is accep|table before God: for with|out Fayth, it is impo&s;sible to plea&s;e him. Which pro|perties indeed, or effectes rather, if a man onely haue them, &s;hall make his Fayth to differ from all the vaine imaginations of Diuels and wicked men what&s;oeuer.</P>
<PB N="69" REF="92">
<P>By Repentance, I vnder|&s;tand a &s;yncere hatred of all our former &s;innes and ini|quities what&s;oeuer, and a &s;ound loue of all righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e and well doing, pro|ceeding from the right re|uerence and louing feare of the maie&s;tie of God in our heartes: which holy affecti|on, doth euery day by little and little worke in vs, the for&s;aking of our &s;elues, and the &s;ubduing of the &s;infull lu&s;tes and affections of our owne fle&s;h, to the end, that wee may wholly re&s;igne our &s;elues, to be guided and gouerned by the &s;pirit of God, in the &s;yncere &s;eruice, &amp; wor&s;hip of his Maie&s;tie. So that hee which feeleth him&s;elfe truely and vnfeig|nedly &s;orrowfull for his
<PB N="70" REF="93"> former iniquities, not onely loathing his &s;innes, but euen him&s;elfe for his &s;innes &s;ake, and caryeth with him this holy purpo&s;e, neuer through Gods a&s;si&s;taunce, to commit the &s;ame, or any &s;uch like: may not onely be a&s;&s;ured of his vnfeined re|pentaunce, and &s;o by con|&s;equent of the forgiuene&s;&s;e of his &s;innes, but al&s;o with boldne&s;&s;e, &amp; yet not with|&s;tanding with reuerence in re&s;pect of God, and with humblene&s;&s;e of minde, in re&s;pect of him&s;elfe, draw neere to the partaking of the&s;e holy my&s;teries.</P>
<P>By Loue, which is the thing that concerneth men, I doe not onely vnder&s;tand the vnfeigned pardoning and forgiuing of others,
<PB N="71" REF="93"> that haue any maner of way tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed again&s;t vs, which is a &s;ure &s;eale and earne&s;t pennie as it were, that our &s;innes are forgiuen vs be|fore God: but al&s;o &s;ound reconciliation, after offen|ces committed, one of vs towardes another, which is a certaine pledge, that our prayers, and all other good thinges that come from vs, are in Chri&s;tes obedience accepted before God: yea, I meane further by Loue, which is an inward affecti|on of the heart, the &s;incere and outwarde te&s;tifying of the &s;ame, by wordes, deeds, countenaunces, and other meanes, as the Lord &s;hall giue occa&s;ion, and our abi|litie will &s;erue to expre&s;&s;e the &s;ame, and that not to
<PB N="72" REF="94"> our friendes onely, or to our enimies al&s;o, which is &s;omewhat more; but gene|rally to all men, though to &s;ome in greater mea&s;ure; as to the Hou&s;ehold of fayth, our Wiues, Children, and Parentes, &amp;c. and to &s;ome in le&s;&s;e mea&s;ure, as to tho&s;e that be yet without and be &s;omwhat further off by na|ture and kindred.</P>
<P>Meditation, which is the &s;econd thing, and is to be v&s;ed &s;pecially in the time of the celebration of the Lords Supper, con&s;i&s;teth chiefely in the&s;e poyntes: <MILESTONE N="1"> In regar|ding the outward elements, and the rites v&s;ed in the &s;ame, as the breaking of the Bread, &amp;c. by which is &s;et foorth vnto our &s;oules, the crucifying of Chri&s;ts body,
<PB N="73" REF="94"> the &s;hedding of his bloud, &amp;c. and all for our tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ions. <MILESTONE N="2"> And then be|cau&s;e wee mu&s;t not &s;tay be|low, but mu&s;t by Fayth ri&s;e vp to Heauen as it were, we are deeply to con&s;ider what great graces the Lord offe|reth vnto vs in that holy and &s;pirituall Banquet; which in my minde may be brought into the&s;e few pointes.</P>
<P N="1">1 God &s;etteth before the eyes of our Faith in that holy action, fir&s;t, Chri&s;tes death and pa&s;sion, togea|ther with the benefites and effectes which wee reape thereby; and namely, the remi&s;&s;ion and forgiuene&s;&s;e of our &s;innes.</P>
<P N="2">2 Secondly, the full and &s;pirituall nouri&s;hment, that
<PB N="74" REF="95"> thorow Chri&s;t wee haue, both in the outward and inwarde man, euen to the hope of eternall life.</P>
<P N="3">3 Thirdly, the my&s;ticall vnion, that is betwixt Chri&s;t and his Church, hee dwelling in our heartes by faith, and we thereby be|ing made members of his bodie, of his fle&s;h, and of his bones.</P>
<P N="4">4 Fourthly and la&s;tly, the holy vnitie and agreement, that is &amp; ought to be conti|nued among&s;t all the mem|bers of his Church, what|&s;oeuer, or where&s;oeuer they be.</P>
<P>The third and la&s;t thing, which I call Action, and is to be performed after the receiuing of the Lords Sup|per, con&s;i&s;teth,</P>
<PB N="75" REF="95">
<P N="1">1 Fir&s;t, in earne&s;t Prayer vnto God not onely for the liuely feeling of the&s;e gra|ces exhibited, but al&s;o for the fructifying of the word of God and his Sacraments in our heartes; and that not for the time pre&s;ent alone, but euen for the whole ra&s;e and cour&s;e of our life.</P>
<P>Secondly, in humble thankes-giuing, for the vn|e&s;timable riches and trea|&s;ures of grace and of good|ne&s;&s;e, which it plea&s;eth him in his Church, and namely by the v&s;e of his Worde and Sacramentes, not onely to offer, but al&s;o to be&s;tow vpon his people, the particulars whereof, are before recited. And hereunto wee may be pro|uoked
<PB N="76" REF="96"> by con&s;ideration of this, that the Lord freely and of his owne goodne&s;&s;e, giueth vs tho&s;e merites, not onely when we had not de|&s;erued the lea&s;t of them, but euen then when euerie one of vs, had de&s;erued eternall death and condemnation to be powred foorth vpon vs and ours.</P>
<P N="3">3 And la&s;tly, in care and con&s;cience of a holy con|uer&s;ation, that &s;eeing Chri&s;t dwelleth in our heartes by fayth, and we haue our &s;pi|rituall life and beeing from him, that therefore wee &s;hould &s;o liue, as wee may not onely glorifie him in this life, but that when the dayes of our weari&s;ome pil|grimage &s;hall be ended, we may be glorified with him
<PB N="77" REF="96"> in eternall ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e: which thing, the Lord graunt vs, euen for his cru|cified Chri&s;tes &s;ake: to whom with the Father and the holy Gho&s;t, three per|&s;ons and one eternall God, be giuen all honour, pray&s;e, power, and glorie, both of vs, and of all people, euen now and at all times, for euer and euer. So be it.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayers">
<PB REF="97">
<DIV2 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="79" REF="97">
<HEAD>A Prayer to be &s;aid before a man repaire to the parta|king of the Lords Supper.</HEAD>
<P>O Eternall GOD and mo&s;t mercifull Fa|ther, I thy poore &amp; vnworthy &s;eruant, doe mu&s;t humbly be&s;eech thee, in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t thy deare Sonnes name, and for his &s;ake, gratiou&s;ly in his death and obedience, to pardone and forgiue mee all my &s;innes what &s;o euer, which at any time, or by any manner of meane, I
<PB N="80" REF="98"> haue committed again&s;t thy Maie&s;tie, or any other. Seale vp in my heart, O Lord, this great benefite of the free pardon and full for|giuene&s;&s;e of all my &s;innes, by the a&s;&s;ured te&s;timonie of thy ble&s;&s;ed &s;pirit, bearing record vnto my &s;pirit, that I am thy Child, &amp; by vnfeig|ned pardoning &amp; forgiuing of others, which any maner of way haue offended a|gain&s;t mee. Make the death &amp; re&s;urrectio~ of thy Sonne &s;o effectuall in mee, that I may not onely feele and finde in the &s;ame, the for|giuene&s;&s;e of my &s;innes, and the hope of eternall &s;alua|tion: but that I may be in|&s;tructed thereby all the dayes of my life, more and more to die vnto &s;inne, and
<PB N="81" REF="98"> daily more and more to liue vnto righteou&s;nes of life &amp; holie conuer&s;ation. And for as much as through thy goodne&s;&s;e I haue purpo&s;ed this day, to communicate in the v&s;e of thy Word and Sa|cramentes, I be&s;eech thee good Father, to prepare my heart, and to open the eares of my vnder&s;tanding, that I may not onely reue|rently and profitably hear|ken to thy voyce, &s;peaking vnto mee out of thy word, labouring all the dayes of my life, to conforme my &s;elfe in practi&s;e to the obe|dience thereof; but al&s;o, that I may fruitfully bee partaker of the fruites and effectes of the death and pa&s;sion of thy deare Sonne, which it plea&s;ed thee in this
<PB N="82" REF="99"> Sacrament to offer vnto me. To this end and purpo&s;e, I be&s;eech thee to graunt, that I be not carried away in the contemplation and con&s;ideration of the earth|ly and corruptible thinges obiected therein to my &s;en&s;es, but that my Fayth may be &s;et vp and rai&s;ed, to the beholding and a&s;&s;ured feeling of tho&s;e Graces, which it plea&s;eth thee by the &s;ame, to offer vnto mee. Giue me grace, good Lord, to bring with me a &s;teadfa&s;t Fayth in the trueth of thy promi&s;es, that by it as by an eye, I may behold, &amp; by the &s;ame, as by a hand, I may apprehend Ie&s;us Chri&s;t thy Sonne, &s;itting at thy right hand, to be my onely and continuall iu&s;tifier, &s;ancti|fier,
<PB N="83" REF="99"> and redeemer. Graunt me grace al&s;o, to bring with me, as an earne&s;t, hatred of all my former euilles what|&s;oeuer; &s;o a &s;yncere loue of all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and wel-doing, that I by the power of thy &s;pirite, crucifying the Old man with the lu&s;tes and concupi&s;cences therof, &s;pecially &s;uch as beare the greate&s;t &s;way in mee, may be &s;trengthened in the new man; dayly to thinke, &s;peake, &amp; doe tho&s;e things, which may be acceptable and well plea&s;ing in thy godly pre&s;ence. And I be|&s;eech thee further, to giue me grace to bring with me, &s;ound and &s;yncere loue to|wardes all, yea, euen to|wardes mine enimies, that I may not onely forget and
<PB N="84" REF="100"> forgiue all the iniuries and wronges that they haue de|ui&s;ed, &s;ayd, or done, again&s;t mee: but al&s;o pray earne&s;t|ly vnto thy Maie&s;tie for them, and purcha&s;e and procure their welfare and good, by all the meanes I can. Graunt, O deare Fa|ther, that I being purged from the filth of &s;inne, may be made a fitte receptacle and dwelling place for thee and thy Sonne, to come and dwell in; &s;o that &s;pending my dayes in reuerence of thy Maie&s;tie, in the bene|fiting of my breathren, and procuring mine own good, I may fini&s;h my cour&s;e in thy fayth, and &s;o be made partaker of eternall glorie, through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t thy Sonne, my Lord and onely Sauiour. So be it.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="85" REF="100">
<HEAD>A prayer to be priuate|ly v&s;ed, after the publike exerci&s;es of the Church; as the preaching of the word, &amp; the admini&s;tra|tion of the Lordes Supper &s;hall be ended.</HEAD>
<P>I Doe vnfaignedly con|fe&s;&s;e (good Father) that the graces are very great, yea, mo&s;t excellent, which thou ha&s;t vouch&s;afed this day to be&s;towe vppon mee, wretched &s;inner that I am, by the v&s;e and parta|king of thy holy Word and Sacramentes: and namely for that it hath plea&s;ed thee thereby to increa&s;e my knowledge, to confirme my Fayth, to a&s;&s;ure me that Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t thy deare Sonne,
<PB N="86" REF="101"> hath not onely died for me, but al&s;o giuen him &s;elfe to be my &s;pirituall nouri&s;h|ment to eternall life and &s;aluation, with innumera|ble &s;uch other benefites and ble&s;singes: For the&s;e, and what&s;oeuer other mer|cies, which thy Maie&s;tie hath freely be&s;towed vpon me, I doe yeelde thee the humble&s;t thankes and hear|tie&s;t pray&s;e, that po&s;sibly I can; be&s;eeching thee to accept mee, and this my Sa|crifice of pray&s;e &amp; thanks|giuing, according to the mea&s;ure, that thou merci|fully ha&s;t be&s;towed vpon me. And becau&s;e I feele my &s;elfe, thorough the cur&s;ed corruptio~ of mine owne na|ture, woonderfully inclined to the forgetfulne&s;&s;e of thy
<PB N="87" REF="101"> goodne&s;&s;e, I be&s;eech thee to graue the&s;e thinges in my heart with a claw of Ada|mant, and to imprint them there, that by the &s;ight thereof, and meditation therein, I may bee prouo|ked, daily more and more to magnifie the multitude of thy mercies, which doe&s;t not onely be&s;tow vpon me, the&s;e great and wonderfull graces; but euen then, when by the meanes of my &s;innes, I had de&s;erued eternall con|demnation, ha&s;t gratiou&s;ly giuen mee the &s;ame. And I pray thee further, to giue me grace (good Lord) to expre&s;&s;e this my thankful|ne&s;&s;e towardes thee, not in wordes onely, but al&s;o in the deedes of a holy con|uer&s;ation, that I daily in|crea&s;ing,
<PB N="88" REF="102"> and growing in a &s;ound Fayth, which wor|keth by loue, and bringeth foorth all good workes, may order and direct my whole life, to the aduaunce|ment of thy glorie, the edi|fication of my breathren, and mine owne eternall comfort at the la&s;t, through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t thy Sonne, my Lord and one|ly Sauiour. Amen.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="102">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</GROUP>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
