<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2010-08-11</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Simon Charles</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="B00431">
<STC T="S">17845</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">44920371</BIBNO>
<VID>173817</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE DIVINE POVRTRAIT. <HI>OR,</HI> A true and liuely Repre|&s;entation of the ble&s;&s;ed Sa|crament of the Lords Supper: with our due Preparation how to receiue the &s;ame worthily. Delivered in a Sermon, at the Reformed Church of <HI>Paris</HI> (on Ea&s;ter day la&s;t:) By
<HI>Mon&s;ieur Iohn Me&s;trezat,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Word of God there: Vpon the&s;e words of our Sa|viour, <HI>This is my Body.</HI></P>
<P>Engli&s;hed by <HI>John Reynolds.</HI></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>A. M.</HI> for <HI>G. Baker,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop neere Charing-cro&s;&s;e. 1631.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HO|nourable, Mo&s;t Re|ligious, and Vertuous Lady, MARIE, Counte&s;&s;e of DORSET, Gouerne&s;&s;e to our High and Hopefull young Lord, and Ma&s;ter, Prince <HI>Charles.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAME,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_KNovving, and con&s;ide|ring, that your <HI>Ho|nour,</HI> (as a &s;anctified <PB REF="3">ve&s;&s;ell of <HI>Pietie,</HI> and as another
<HI>Elect La|die</HI>) &s;pendes the grea|te&s;t part of your time, and of your Selfe, in Prayer, and in the &s;weet and &s;acred calmes of Heavenly Medita|tions, and Contempla|tions; And that you make, and e&s;teeme the fir&s;t to bee, (as indeed it is) your chiefe&s;t <HI>Ioy;</HI> the &s;econd, your grea|te&s;t <HI>Delight,</HI> and both <PB REF="3">of them your divine&s;t
<HI>Ambition,</HI> and <HI>Feli|citie</HI> heere on Earth. I therefore (according to the dignitie of your merits, and the qualitie of my duetie) doe heere embolden my &s;elfe, mo&s;t humbly to pre&s;ent, and Dedicate to your
<HI>Ho|nour,</HI> a &s;mall Tran|&s;lation of mine from <HI>French,</HI> Of a
<HI>Sermon</HI> lately delivered (by a worthie Servant of the <PB REF="4">Lord) in the Prote|&s;tant Church of <HI>Paris,</HI> vpon the firme&s;t poynt of our
<HI>Faith,</HI> and the greate&s;t, and mo&s;t Sa|cred My&s;terie of our Salvation, <HI>The Lords mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed Supper;</HI> And if my affection to the <HI>Authour</HI> thereof, doe not deceiue my iudg|ment, He hath drawen this
<HI>Divine Pourtrait</HI> of that ble&s;&s;ed Sacra|ment, &s;o divinely, and
<PB REF="4">&s;o artificially and cu|riou&s;ly depaynted it at life, according to the &s;acred <HI>Will</HI> and <HI>Te|&s;tament</HI> of the Great and Heavenly In&s;titu|tour thereof, Our Lord and Saviour <HI>CHRIST IESVS;</HI> as I both hope with confidence, and pre&s;ume with &s;afetie, that your Honour will receiue it graciou&s;ly, behold it affectionate|ly, and loue and che|ri&s;h <PB REF="5">it religiou&s;ly; and (con&s;equently) that all other
<HI>Readers</HI> will doe the like, by the power|full Influence of your
<HI>Honourable</HI> Pre&s;i|dent, and pious Ex|ample.</P>
<P>And in regard, that your con&s;tant <HI>Pietie,</HI> and inflamed
<HI>Zeale</HI> towards <HI>God,</HI> (as the <HI>Queene</HI> of all your o|ther relucent <HI>Vertues</HI>) generally makes you to <PB REF="5">bee, rather admyred, then imitated of the be&s;t and Noble&s;t La|dyes of <HI>Great BRI|TAINE;</HI> Therefore (neither to flatter your <HI>Honour,</HI> or to infringe the truth) I confident|ly beleeue, that this <HI>Pietie,</HI> and this
<HI>Zeale</HI> of yours, was the pri|marie cau&s;e, which fir&s;t mooved
<HI>God,</HI> to mooue and inspire the heart of our Potent and Pru|dent
<PB REF="6"><HI>King,</HI> to giue you the Superintenden|cie over his young Son, our <HI>Prince;</HI> A &s;ingu|lar favour of <HI>God,</HI> a mo&s;t &s;peciall honour of our <HI>Soveraigne</HI> to|wards you, which yet your
<HI>Honour</HI> de&s;er|ved before de&s;ired, and received before you (a|ny way) expected, or dreamt thereof; And the which &s;o infinitely reioyceth the hearts and <PB REF="6">and &s;oules of the most and be&s;t of all his Sub|iects, that they try|umph in this his <HI>Maie|&s;ties</HI> happie choyce and election of you, and in your <HI>Honourable</HI> and Vertuous Administra|tion over this our Roy|all <HI>Faglet;</HI> As fully hoping, and therefore perfectly a&s;&s;uring them|&s;elues, that as you are now made Governe&s;&s;e to the fir&s;t Sonne, of <PB REF="7">one of the fir&s;t and greate&s;t Kings of the world: So that, your Illu&s;trious vertues in your &s;elfe, your watch|full eye over him, and vigilant care of, and for him, will (by <HI>Gods</HI> propitious Fa|vour and A&s;si&s;tance) infallibly crowne his Royall Parents, with true <HI>Content,</HI> and their Kingdomes and Subiects with perfect <PB REF="7"><HI>Felicitie,</HI> to &s;ee this <HI>Princely Blo&s;&s;ome,</HI> and <HI>Royall Plant,</HI> fu|turely flouri&s;h, and &s;prout foorth to be one of the loftye&s;t <HI>Cedars</HI> of
<HI>Chri&s;tendome,</HI> and (next to our Sacred <HI>Soveraigne,</HI> King
<HI>CHARLES</HI> his Fa|ther,) the greate&s;t <HI>Champion</HI> of
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> and the True&s;t
<HI>Defen|der</HI> of his Heavenly <PB REF="8"><HI>Spou&s;e</HI> the Church.</P>
<P>And <HI>Madame,</HI> be|cau&s;e if wee make <HI>Pie|tie</HI> and
<HI>Religion</HI> the Soule of our life heere on Earth; That wee are therefore a&s;&s;ured, God will then heereaf|ter infallibly make it the life of our Soules in Heaven; was like|wi&s;e a &s;trong motive, and a mo&s;t plea&s;ing and acceptable Inducement to me, to make this <HI>Ser|mon,</HI> <PB REF="8">(or
<HI>Divine Pourtrait of the ble&s;|&s;ed Sacrament of the Lords Supper</HI>) to &s;peake <HI>Engli&s;h;</HI> for that this &s;pirituall and cele&s;tiall Banquet, (gi|ven by our great Lord and Saviour <HI>IESVS CHRIST</HI> to his belo|ved Apostles, and in them to vs, a little be|fore his glorious depar|ture, and a&s;cen&s;ion from Earth to Heaven) is <PB REF="9">the very true life and e&s;&s;ence, yea, the &s;piritu|all Food, and &s;acred Manna, whereby all faithfull and regenerate <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> are eter|nally incorporated into <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in|to them A &s;weet and &s;acred Meditation, for every one to know and contemplate, and al&s;o mo&s;t infinitely nece&s;&s;a|rie for all, (by a liue|ly Faith) verie often <PB REF="9">and frequently to apply vnto their Con&s;ciences and Soules, becau&s;e it is a matchle&s;&s;e Iewell, and an ine&s;timable Trea|&s;ure, which includeth all earthly riches, and com|pri&s;eth and containes all Heavenly benefits and felicities in it.</P>
<P>Neither am I, or &s;o Ignorant, or &s;o Pre|&s;umptuous, to direct this <HI>Sermon</HI> of the <HI>Lords Supper</HI> to your <PB REF="10">Honour, out of the lea&s;t &s;hadow of any premedi|tated intent or purpo&s;e, thereby to in&s;truct, or teach you in this &s;acred <HI>My&s;terie</HI> of your Sal|vation; becau&s;e contra|riwi&s;e I firmely know, that your Honour is truely able to teach, and infinitely capable to in|&s;truct others therein: But I did it purpo&s;ely to recreate your <HI>Zeale,</HI> and to foment and che|ri&s;h <PB REF="10">your <HI>Pietie,</HI> in this your &s;olemne Prepara|tion to receiue that ble&s;|&s;ed Sacrament, now at this approaching, great and ioyfull Fea&s;t of <HI>Ea|&s;ter,</HI> and next there|vnto, as an eternall pledge and testimony of my dutie to your <HI>Ho|nors</HI> Service. The o|peration, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ind benefite, which the reading and meditating of this &s;mall Booke, may worke in <PB REF="11">your heart and &s;oule, I wholly leaue to the Di|vine <HI>Providence</HI> and
<HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> of Almightie God, whom I religiou&s;|ly pray, may ever ble&s;&s;e your Honor (and yours) with all true pro&s;peritie and happine&s;&s;e in this life, and with all perfect felicity and glory in that to come.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>Aprill 2. 1631.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Honours humble&s;t &s;ervant, <HI>Iohn Reynolds.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="translator to the reader">
<PB REF="11">
<PB REF="12">
<PB REF="12">
<HEAD>THE TRANSLATOR his Preface to the Chri&s;tian Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_IT was with a holy admiration, and a religious and &s;an|ctified zeale, that the Roy|all Prophet King <HI>David</HI> (contemplating on the ex|cellency of Gods creatures, and meditating on the pre|heminence and dignitie which hee gaue man over them) Cryed out,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 8.4.</NOTE> <HI>O Lord, our God, how excellent is thy <PB REF="13">name in all the world, And what is man, that thou art &s;o mindefull of him, and the Sonne of man that thou vi|&s;ite&s;t him.</HI> If <HI>David</HI> (who was a liuely <HI>Type</HI> and <HI>Figure</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>) were rapt into this &s;pirituall exta&s;ie of ad|miration and ioy, when he con&s;idered of Gods power and providence, in the workes of his creation; How much more infinitly and thankfully &s;hould wee poore mi&s;erable &s;inners, re|ioyce with true admirati|on, and admire with per|fect ioy, at the vn&s;peakable and incomprehen&s;ible love of God towards mankinde;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2.8. Col. 1.14.</NOTE> In giving vp his onely be|gotten Sonne <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> to death; yea, to the &s;hame|full <PB REF="13">death of the <HI>Cro&s;&s;e</HI> for our redemption, and that he was &s;o gracious a God, and &s;o mercifull and indul|gent a Father to vs, that he &s;uffered his ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Sonne</HI> to dye for vs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 2.14.</NOTE> <HI>That hee might redeeme vs from all iniquitie, and purge vs, to be a peculiar people to him&s;elfe.</HI> For, wret|ched &s;inners that we are; In <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI> where our Forefa|thers gained their life, there (by their wilfull di&s;obedi|ence and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion) they lo&s;t their righteou&s;nes and we in them; becau&s;e the foule &s;taine and Lepro&s;ie of that their originall &s;in, hath &s;ucce&s;&s;ively and actually, made vs, their vnfortunate &s;eede and po&s;teritie, guilty both of Death and Hell; and <PB REF="14">there iu&s;tly adiudged <HI>to haue our Portions with the Devill and his Angels.</HI> But notwith&s;tanding all this; God (yet) hath beene as mercifull to vs, as we have bene &s;innefull to him; for although wee were lo&s;t in <HI>Adam,</HI> by
<HI>Nature,</HI> yet we are againe, both found and &s;aved in <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t by grace;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2.6.</NOTE> <HI>Who hath given him|&s;elfe a ran&s;ome for all men;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai 53.4,5</NOTE> <HI>Hath borne our infirmities, and carried away our &s;innes and &s;orrows, by &s;uffering him|&s;elfe to bee wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and broken for our iniquities.</HI> So that it is the pre&s;ent ioy of our hearts, and the future happine&s;&s;e of our &s;oules,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.4,5.</NOTE> <HI>That God, who is rich in mer|cie,</HI> <PB REF="14"><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph 2.4,5</NOTE> <HI>(through the great loue wherewith he loved vs) when we were dead by our &s;ins, hath quickned vs together in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, by who&s;e grace we are &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P>And to the ende that all true <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> &s;hould not de&s;paire of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> promi|&s;es vnto them nor &s;o much give them&s;elues over, ei|ther to the reprobate &s;en&s;e and plea&s;ures of &s;inne, or to the &s;ugred in&s;inuations and trecherous temptations of Satan, as any way to doubt of their &s;alvation in the <HI>Lord:</HI> Why, this our &s;a|cred Lord &amp; Ma&s;ter, <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> (the great Shepheard of his Flocke, and <HI>Saviour</HI> of his people) who by in|corporating his Divinitie <PB REF="15">with his humanitie) was wholly compo&s;ed of loue &amp; mercy toward them. Hee, I &s;ay, a litle before his bloody, yet ble&s;&s;ed death and pa&s;&s;i|on on the Cro&s;&s;e) was gra|tiou&s;ly plea&s;ed, to honour and &s;anctifie his Apo&s;tles, and, in them vs, who are of the true &s;eed of <HI>Abraham;</HI> with the holy Sacrament of his mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed Supper, as a diuine pledge, and a firme &amp; authenticall confir|mation of his ine&s;timable loue towards vs, and of his watchful care and vigilancy for our &s;aluation; I meane for the full perfecting and accompli&s;hing of our glori|fication in Heaven with God his father:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 6.4.</NOTE> <HI>That &s;in might haue no more domi|nion <PB REF="15">over ver vs; becau&s;e we are now no longer vnder the Law, but vnder Grace;</HI> but that by the worthy recei|ving, and holy partaking thereof <HI>(In the imitation of Chri&s;t and his ble&s;&s;ed A|po&s;tles)</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2.6.</NOTE> <HI>wee might be ray&s;ed vp together with him in hea|venly places.</HI></P>
<P>It is therefore not our owne merits, but onely Gods mercies, not our own workes which are &s;infull, but onely the ble&s;&s;ed death and pa&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us which is &s;acred, that mu&s;t be, both the triumph, and glory of a Chri&s;tian: And I confe&s;&s;e with ioy, and ac|knowledge with Confi|dence and Con&s;olation, that this holy Sacrament of his <PB REF="16">mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed Supper (wher|in the bread of his body was broken, and the wine of his blood powred out and &s;hed, for the &s;innes of all mankind) is the perfect pledge, the &s;acred &s;eale, the full ran&s;ome, and the divi|ne&s;t my&s;terie of our re|demption in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: And that as wee are ab&s;o|lutely clean&s;ed and wa&s;hed from our originall &s;inne, by the water of Bapti&s;me, when wee enter into the State of Grace, in the Church militant heere on earth; That &s;o by the blood of this Pa&s;chall Lambe, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us (in the Sacra|ment of his ble&s;&s;ed Supper) our &s;innes are wholly defa|ced, and wa&s;hed away and <PB REF="16">con&s;equently, that there|fore wee &s;hall enter into the &s;tate of glory, in the Church triumphant in hea|ven; So that fighting vn|der the banner of Chri&s;t his Cro&s;&s;e, and being &s;piri|tually armed with the&s;e two &s;acred Sacraments, we may boldly beleeue, &amp; con|fidently a&s;&s;ure our &s;elues, that neither Sathan, nor hell &s;hall have power to pre|vaile again&s;t vs.</P>
<P>And here (Chri&s;tian Rea|der) before I proceed far|ther in this my Preface to thee; I give thee to vnder|&s;tand, That I am not igno|rant, with what a great world of different opinions and controver&s;ies this our little world of Chri&s;ten|dome, <PB REF="17">is perplexed and troubled with, about this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament of the Lords Supper, betwixt the Prote&s;tant, and the Papi&s;t, &amp; e&s;pecially about Tran&s;ub|&s;tantiation, the Reall Pre|&s;ence, and communicating in one kind: In &s;o much that an infinite number (yea too great a number) of pens, pulpits, and pre&s;&s;es, are pittifully (becau&s;e vn|profitably) oppre&s;&s;ed ther|with: and that Chri&s;ts ble&s;&s;ed body in this Sacra|ment (without pietie, rea|&s;on, or charity) is daily di|lacerated and torne in pee|ces with the&s;e contentions, whereas his owne Coate, (or ve&s;ture) was without peece or &s;eame; So that our <PB REF="17">&s;illy &s;oules may well feare drowning, when the barke of our weake faith (ma&s;ted and rigged with curio&s;itie) &s;ayleth in &s;o dangerous and turbulent an Ocean, that hath neither bottome nor &s;hoare; and which is daily and hourly to&s;&s;ed, and rea|dy to be &s;plit, and da&s;hed in peeces, either with the wa|vering waves of levity and incon&s;tancy, or with the boy&s;terous winds of pro|pen&s;d malice, or &s;candalous and erronious virulency: without looking vp to the true day-Starre of their hope, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; or to the Sunne of their &s;aluati|on, God; or without ende|voring or thinking, &s;afely to arrive, and ca&s;t anchor <PB REF="18">in the Cape of good hope; Heaven. O that the &s;pirit of Pietie, &s;hould (without piety) thus bee conuerted, and transformed into the &s;pirit of Contention. And as for mee (who am the meane&s;t, and mo&s;t vnwor|thie of all Gods Seruants and Children) bingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e and acknowledge; that in &s;ome few languages I have read &s;o many of the&s;e intemperate Contre|ver&s;ies, and vntimely Con|tentions, that I am wearie of reading them; And yet &s;o, That I rather pitie, then maligne, fir&s;t their Authors for their &s;akes, and then them for their Authors &s;akes; and my witne&s;&s;e is in heaven &amp; in mine own be|&s;ome, <PB REF="18">that with my heart &amp; &s;oule I wi&s;h, that all the&s;e vn&s;pirituall quarells might be compo&s;ed in peace and amitie, and that the&s;e vn|fortunate di&s;putes and lynes might terminate in one, and the &s;ame Centre, Cha|ritie, and that their learned Authors, (having their cu|rio&s;ity vanqui&s;hed with the honour and glory of God) as Chri&s;tian mem|bers, might bee in&s;epara|bly fa&s;t knit and vnited to their Head, and grand Cap|taine, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: and be|cau&s;e contention is not the way to heaven, and that God was found in the &s;till and quiet, and not in the whirle and tempe&s;tuous winds; As al&s;o that where <PB REF="19">the great Lamps of learning and lights of the Church, contend &amp; fight about mat|ters of faith, that there a&s;&s;u|redly the weake ones, and the more illiterat Chri&s;ti|ans doe infinitly &s;uffer in this quarell: That therefore (in the name and feare of God) they would plea&s;e to take vp, and embrace this &s;aying of the ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tle
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.14</NOTE> <HI>Follow peace with all men, and al&s;o holyne&s;&s;e, without which no man &s;hall &s;ee God:</HI> and a|gaine to the &s;ame purpo&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4.15</NOTE> <HI>Let vs fellow the truth in loue, and in all things grow vp in him, who is the Head, (to wit) Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>To call our religion in que&s;tio~, is to doubt therof, and to halt betweene two <PB REF="19">opinions in matters of &s;aith is <HI>(with the Luke-warme La|odicean)</HI> to be of neither: I know wee are commanded by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>To make our election &s;ure, and taught by the Prophet,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;h. 4.14.</NOTE> <HI>That the people who doe not vnder&s;tand &s;hall fall.</HI> I likewi&s;e know, that curio&s;itie in matters of Faith and Religion is dan|gerous, and that for being too curious in prying into the &s;acred &s;ecrets of God, it is a fatall Rocke, where|on &s;ome excellent iudge|ments have &s;uffered Ship|wracke wilfully, and a world of weake wits igno|rantly. That Gods vnre|vealed my&s;teries and pur|po&s;es are as &s;ecret, as &s;a|cred, and as occult, and <PB REF="20">ab&s;tru&s;e, as they are divine, and that wee are po&s;itively told, and taught by the Pro|phet,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40.28.</NOTE> <HI>That there is no &s;earching out of Gods vnder|&s;tanding;</HI> VVherefore as I envy no man for his religi|on; &s;o (I pray&s;e and ble&s;&s;e my Redeemer) I am not &s;o wretchedly in&s;tructed in piety, as to deny mine to the world: much le&s;&s;e to dare to de&s;emble it to God: It &s;hall &s;uffice mee; that I had rather beleeue the truth, then quarell with it, and farre &s;ooner (and with more alacritie and promptitude) to embrace and follow it, then to con|tend or conte&s;t again&s;t it.</P>
<P>As therefore wee cannot beleeue in God, before wee <PB REF="20">fir&s;t know him; So wee cannot perfectly know this Sacrament of his ble&s;&s;ed Supper, except we fir&s;t be|leeve in it, and in the pure truth, and naked vertue and integritie thereof. I am not therefore of the vnion or communion of tho&s;e vn|catholique Romani&s;ts, who are carnall, and not &s;piritu|all eaters of this ble&s;&s;ed Sa|crament, and who tye their implicite faith onely to the bare letter, not to the true &s;en&s;e, and to the &s;ight, not to the figure or commemo|ration, which this heavenly my&s;terie infoldeth and con|taines; VVho can di&s;pen&s;e with their con&s;ciences (yea with their &s;oules) rather to eat their God, then to obey <PB REF="21">him; and daily to teare his ble&s;&s;ed body in peeces with them teach, as they doe hourly with their &s;innes; and who rely on their own poore &amp; wretched merits, rather then on Chri&s;ts rich promi&s;es, or on the ine&s;ti|mable trea&s;or of his ble&s;&s;ed death and pa&s;&s;ion, premi&s;ed and prefigured vnto vs, in the bread and wine of his &s;acred Supper: But for my part; I really and confident|ly beleeue, that Chri&s;ts owne words, <HI>Take, eat, and drinke this in remembrance of me;</HI> doth make this Sa|crament of his holy Sup|per to bee a my&s;ticall, not a corporall, a &s;pirituall, and not a carnall &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>But to leave Controver|&s;ie <PB REF="21">and contention, to tho&s;e who love them, (in and a|bout this divine doctrine of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper) and to come to that which more neerly and narrowly concearnes our edification to Chri&s;t, and &s;anctification by Chri&s;t; I ioyfully affirme, and a|verre, That it hath bene a great part and degree of my earthly &s;elicity, to have heard many excellent Ser|mons, and &s;eene, and read many comfortable Tracts vpon this &s;acred Supper of the Lord, a&s;well on this &s;ide, as beyond the &s;eas; and preached and written, a&s;|well by the Samts of God abroad, as by our owne Engli&s;h Saints and Seruants <PB REF="22">of the Lord here at hom<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> who have mo&s;t painful<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> and indu&s;triou&s;ly travell<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> heerein, with much tru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> glory to God, with infini<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> pray&s;e and honour to the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;elues; and with a world o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> con&s;olation and happine&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> to their Chri&s;tian Auditor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> and Readers; have piou&s;ly chalked them out the tru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> and &s;afe way to Heaven, and mo&s;t divinely pointed and &s;hewed them the righte|ous path-way, and glorious narrow way to God.</P>
<P>And now (by Gods pro|vidence and mercy) mee|ting very lately with a Ser|mon of that heavenly na|ture, preached (on Ea&s;ter day la&s;t) to the famous and flouri&s;hing a&s;&s;embly of the <PB REF="22">Prote&s;tants in the refor|mned Church of <HI>Paris,</HI> (at <HI>Charenton</HI>) vpon the&s;e words of our Lord and Sa|viour (in the ble&s;&s;ed Sacra|ment of his la&s;t Supper)
<HI>This is my body:</HI> By the lear|ned and reverend Seruant of the Lord,
<HI>Mon&s;ieur Iohn Me&s;trezat,</HI> the fir&s;t Pa&s;tor and mini&s;ter of that great, and godly congrega|tion, and the worthy Suc|ce&s;&s;or of that famous di|vine, <HI>Mon&s;r. P. Du. Mou|lins,</HI> the great light of his time, and Ornament of his Church. I &s;ay, I no &s;ooner &s;eriou&s;ly peru&s;ed and religi|ou&s;ly con&s;idered it; but finding it to bee pend in an elegant &amp; excellent phra&s;e, and dige&s;ted and ca&s;t into <PB REF="23">a mo&s;t &s;pirituall order a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> method; at la&s;t (after <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hort parlie with my &s;oul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> and a little reluctation wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> my re&s;olutions) God n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> only &s;ugge&s;ted, but co~ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">+ded me to teach it to &s;pea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> Engli&s;h, and e&s;pecially fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> the&s;e two rea&s;ons, and con+&s;iderations.</P>
<P N="1">I. That the tran&s;latio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> thereof, infinitly tended t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> Gods honour and glory, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> being a perfect and a pro+mi&s;ing way to draw many &s;oules to God, a&s;well by their &s;eeing and knowing of it, as by practi&s;ing and putting into execution, that &s;acred di&s;cipline, and do|ctrine which it containes.</P>
<P N="2">II For that the Au|thor and Preacher of it, is <PB REF="23">&s;o worthy a Mini&s;ter of Gods word, as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> wi&s;hed and coun&s;elled his beloved <HI>titus</HI> to bee, (to wit)
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Titus. 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>That his life is a Pat|terne and example of good workes, and of vncorrupt doctrine, gravitie, and inte|gritie;</HI> for to my know|ledge (as al&s;o to all others, who know him, or his en|dowments and abilities) he is &s;o learned, and of &s;o meeke, and Saint-like a con|uer&s;ation, that it is a di&s;pu|table que&s;tion, whether his doctrine doe more crowne, and grace his life, or his life his doctrine: And that thorefore it might well &s;tand with Gods plea&s;ure (as it doth referre, and con|duce to his honour) that <PB REF="24">the reading heereof might refre&s;h, and profit &s;ome Chri&s;tians heere in <HI>Eng|land,</HI> as well as the preach|ing thereof hath done ma|ny in <HI>France.</HI> As al&s;o, that as (at my re&s;idence in <HI>Paris</HI>) I have taken &s;ingular de|light and comfort to have often heard him preach, &s;o con&s;equently that others might doe the like here, by vi&s;ibly reading, or tacitly &s;eeing, and hearing him preach in this his Sermon, <HI>(or Divine Pourtrait)</HI> which &s;o lively (yea &s;o tru|ly at life) repre&s;enteth the Sacrament of the Lords ble&s;&s;ed Supper vnto vs, I being as confident of this truth, as of this pre&s;ump|tion; That as in mo&s;t of <PB REF="24">his Sermons hee excelleth and &s;urpa&s;&s;eth others, &s;o in this; that hee hath infi|nitly both &s;urpa&s;&s;ed and ex|celd him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>And although <HI>(Chri&s;tian Reader)</HI> I have formerly in this my Preface, expre&s;|&s;ed and &s;ignified to thee, that this little, (yet mo&s;t excellent) Sermon of his doth mo&s;t &s;weetly &s;hew thee, the &s;ure, the righte|ous way to heaven and to God, and with a happines (peraduenture) beyond ex|pectation, hath mo&s;t fully performed, and mo&s;t diuine|ly acted thee that part, (whereunto I will referre and commend thee in the Lord) Yet becau&s;e I am an humble Seruant to Chri&s;t <PB REF="25">(both in my de&s;ires and affections) a&s;well as I am the &s;haddow, and Echo of my Author in this my tran&s;lation: Therefore I tru&s;t in the goodne&s;&s;e of God, and hope in the inte|gritie of mine owne heart, that I &s;hall rather right thee, then any way wrong him, in pre&s;uming poorly to gleane after his rich har|ue&s;t, by aduenturing to pro|po&s;e and give thee a word or two of &s;pirituall aduice and directions of mine owne, vpon the receiuing of this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament of the Lords Supper, be|fore I commend this <HI>Di|vine Pourtrait</HI> thereof to thee, thee to it, and you both vnto God.</P>
<P><PB REF="25">When therefore thou re|&s;olue&s;t
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 4.8.</NOTE> <HI>to draw neere vnto God, that God may draw neer vnto thee,</HI> by receiving and partaking of this his ble&s;|&s;ed Sacrament, Thou mu&s;t (in the innocency of thy heart, and the purity of thy &s;oule)
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.6.</NOTE> <HI>fir&s;t humble thy &s;elfe vnder the mighty hand of God, that hee may exalt thee.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 4.10.</NOTE> <HI>And ca&s;t thy &s;elfe downe be|fore him, that hee may lift thee vp.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.34.</NOTE> <HI>Thou mu&s;t awake to live righteou&s;ly, and re&s;olue to &s;inne no more;</HI> but hence|forth to become a new man, and a new Chri&s;tian:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.24.</NOTE> <HI>for they that are Chri&s;ts, have crucified the fle&s;h with the lu&s;ts thereof. Thou mu&s;t &s;et thy affections on things which are above, and not on things <PB REF="26">which are on the Earth.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.20.</NOTE> <HI>An<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> thy conuer&s;ation mu&s;t bee i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> heaven, from whence tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> mu&s;t expect thy Sauiour, eve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5.25,</NOTE> <HI>Fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> if thou live in the &s;pirit, tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> mu&s;t al&s;o walke in the &s;pirit,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.4,</NOTE> <HI>Thou mu&s;t tremble, but n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;inne, and thou mu&s;t examin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> thy &s;elfe vpon thy bed:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>Fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> God will try thee, as &s;iluer i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> tryed:</HI> Thou mu&s;t not de+ceive thy &s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Galat. 6.7.</NOTE> <HI>for God wil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> not bee mocked.</HI> Thou mu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> not be hot in thy &s;innes, an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> cold and frozen in thy de+votion and piety toward<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, neither mu&s;t thou &s;eeme now to bee that in thy humility and zeale, which thou art not: Be|cau&s;e Hypocri&s;ie towards God, proves treacherie to|wards <PB REF="26">our owne &s;oules: But runne thou a Contrary Cour&s;e with thy heart and &s;oule, at thy receiving of this great act of thy Salua|tion, this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament; for bee thou the death of thy &s;innes, and then God will a&s;&s;uredly be the life of thy Soule.</P>
<P>As for tho&s;e who either vnworthily receiue, or carele&s;ly deferre, or wilful|ly contemne the receiving of this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament, they doe a&s;&s;uredly &s;pin out the webbe of their owne damnation, and &s;o being dead in the Lethargie of their owne &s;ecuritie and prophane&s;&s;e, they hood|wincked ride po&s;t to Hell: Con&s;ider and remember <PB REF="27">with thy &s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 1.15.</NOTE> <HI>That the day of the Lord is at hand.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.10</NOTE> <HI>And that death and de&s;truction comes from the Lord, as a Thiefe in the night:</HI> That death (the grimme Pur&s;i|vant, and Sergeant of the Lord) d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">th neither &s;pare nor pardon any &s;exe or age, but with his fatall Dart, and Mace (without re&s;pect or difference) are&s;teth as well the King as the begger, the Prie&s;t as the people, and the young as the old.</P>
<P>Wee mu&s;t not therefore put farre from vs the evill day,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos. 6.3,4,5.</NOTE> <HI>nor &s;tretch our &s;elues on our beds of Ivorie, nor &s;ing to the &s;ound of the Violl,</HI> wher|by the Prophet meanes all exce&s;&s;e of riot, and vnder|&s;tandeth all degree of ob|&s;cene <PB REF="27">plea&s;ures, and bea&s;tly voluptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e: For if we love God, we mu&s;t honour him, and if we will honour him, wee mu&s;t loue him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 6.3,4,5.</NOTE> <HI>And not wearie him with our &s;innes, nor pre&s;&s;e him downe with their burthen, as a Cart is with Sheafes.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;ider wee againe, That as there is but one way forvs to come into the world, &s;o that there are a thou&s;and waies to go out of it. That we are &s;ubiect to as many di&s;ea&s;es as &s;innes; yea, and that di&s;ea&s;es doe as fre|quently, and as in&s;en&s;ibly &s;teale into our bodyes, as &s;innes doe into our &s;oules; That wee are never neerer death, then when we think our &s;elues farthe&s;t from it, <PB REF="28">and that when we &s;uppo&s;e our &s;elues to be &s;tronge&s;t in <HI>Nature,</HI> wee commonly are then weake&s;t in <HI>Grace:</HI> As al&s;o, that a theeui&s;h
<HI>Im|po&s;tume,</HI> a poore <HI>Apoplexie,</HI> a Cut-throat Squinancy, or a fierce and furious vi&s;itati|on of the <HI>Pe&s;tilence,</HI> doth many times (in a moment of time) violently &s;natch vs away from the world, and the world from vs, yea, and which is more to be admired, though no le&s;&s;e to bee pittied, That &s;ome times, in the very twinck|ling of an Eye, we are choa|ked with a Fly, a Kernell of an apple, a crumm of bread, or a &s;mall Fi&s;h bone; Or el&s;e have our braynes da&s;hd out with a fall, either from <PB REF="28">a Hor&s;e, or a &s;taire. O (ther|fore) how &s;eriou&s;ly ought we to ponder in our hearts, and how maturely and reli|giou&s;ly to con&s;ider in our &s;oules, how extreame dan|gerous it is for vs, to pro|cra&s;tinate, and deferre: and (con&s;equently) how infi|nitely nece&s;&s;ary, &amp; expedie~t it is for vs frequently to re|ceiue this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrame~t of the Lords Supper.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider wee further,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam 4.14.</NOTE> <HI>That wee cannot tell what &s;hall betyde vs to morrow, for that our life is but a &V;apour, that appeareth for a &s;mal time, and then vani&s;heth away.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.24</NOTE> <HI>That all fle&s;h is gra&s;&s;e, and all the glory of man, is as the flower of gra&s;&s;e, and that the gra&s;&s;e withereth, &amp; the flower <PB REF="29">thereof falleth away,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.14.</NOTE> <HI>That we haue no abiding Citie heere, but mu&s;t therefore &s;eeke one to come, which is aboue: That as the tree falleth it lyes.</HI> That there is no &s;orrowing for our &s;ins in the grave, and that after our death, there is no place nor hope left vs for a &s;econd repentance:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10 31</NOTE> <HI>And that it is a feare full thing to fall into the hands of the li|ving God.</HI></P>
<P>Armed in this manner with a lively faith towards God, and with periect love and Charity towards our neighbour, and having freed and cleared tho&s;e &s;in|full &s;pots of our hearts, and reformed and clean&s;ed tho&s;e foule affections and imperfections of our &s;oules <PB REF="29">by our (vnfeigned) godly repentance and &s;orow; And having now a&s;&s;umed and ta|ken vp a firme re&s;olution, <HI>ever hereafter,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.10.</NOTE> <HI>to approve and doe that which is plea&s;ing to the Lord;</HI> And contracted a &s;olemne Covenant be|tweene God and our &s;ouls,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.11.</NOTE> <HI>never any more to have any fellow&s;hip with the workes of darkene&s;&s;e, but reprove them,</HI> and not henceforth to dare to looke back (with affecti|on) on our forepa&s;t, deere&s;t and darling &s;innes, but with infinite hatred &amp; de|te&s;tation of them. Then, I &s;ay, let vs follow the ad|uice of the Apo&s;tle.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4.16.</NOTE> <HI>Let vs goe vp boldly to the Throne of Grace, that wee may re|ceive mercy.</HI> Let vs goe <PB REF="30">boldly to this table; to this pretious banket of the Lords ble&s;&s;ed Supper, and eat that &s;acred bread of his body, and drinke that hea|venly wine of his blood, in a &s;trong Confidence and Co~memoration, <HI>That Chri&s;t dyed for vs on the Altar of the Cro&s;&s;e,</HI> and for the free reconciliation, and full &s;ati&s;|faction, and redemption of our &s;innes.</P>
<P>And having thus filled our hearts with &s;acred Ioy, and repleni&s;hed our &s;oules with &s;pirituall and heaven|ly gladne&s;&s;e, by receining of this mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed Sacra|ment, we mu&s;t then have an infinite watchfull eye over our hearts, and place a mo&s;t &s;trong and religious guard <PB REF="30">over our &s;oules, that wee doe not hencefoorth once pre&s;ume to hearken to &s;in, or &s;o much as give way, or dare to con&s;ent to looke, or li&s;ten after the treacherous lures and temptations of the world, the fle&s;h or the devill; and &s;o to fall backe into a &s;pirituall relap&s;e of &s;inne, which is ten thou&s;and times wor&s;e, and infinitly more dangerous and perni|tious then that of any Cor|porall di&s;ea&s;e what&s;oever, For it is a wofull, yea a wretched mi&s;ery, which leaues vs no hope of better fortunes, nor place for wor&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.22</NOTE> <HI>If with the Dogge wee returne to our owne vo|mit, and with the Sow, that wee againe wallow in the fil|thie <PB REF="31">mire of our former bea&s;t|ly &s;innes and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions,</HI> For then our end will bee farre wor&s;e then our be|ginning,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s; 4.7.</NOTE> <HI>Then God will change our glory into &s;hame, And then wee &s;hall make our &s;elues guilty of the body and blood of Chri&s;t,</HI> (which without his all &s;aving grace and mercy) is the high way to endle&s;&s;e perdition, and the true way to eternall damnation. No, No, farre be &s;uch vngodly and rebel|lious thoughts from our hearts, and &s;uch vn&s;piritu+all trea&s;on again&s;t God from our &s;oules; And let vs (who are the &s;eed of <HI>Abra+ham</HI> by nature, and the Sonnes of God by Grace)
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 10.12</NOTE> <HI>&s;till breake vp the fallow <PB REF="31">ground of our hearts with a holy repentance and &s;orrow for our &s;innes,</HI> and with a con&s;tant and inuiolable re|&s;olution never to &s;inne more; and as (therefore) we have received Chri&s;t Je&s;us by faith,

<NOTE PLACE="marg">Collo&s;. 2.6.</NOTE> <HI>So let vs walke in him,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The&s;. 1.11,</NOTE> <HI>and walke worthy of him, who now calles vs to his Kingdome of glory,</HI> and, which is more, who in a &s;pirituall Contract,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2.19.</NOTE> <HI>hath vnited and maried vs to him|&s;elfe in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>In which regard and con&s;ideration, becau&s;e wee are &s;o highly beloued of God, and &s;o infinitly hono|red with the name of Chri&s;tians (wherein wee ought more to in&s;ult, and triumph, then in all things
<PB REF="32">el&s;e which are vnder Chri&s;t) Let vs, I &s;ay, for&s;ake the &s;tincking garlicke and vnions of <HI>Egypt,</HI> (I meane our old bea&s;tly &s;innes and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions) and for ever hencefoorth &s;mell to the &s;weet Ro&s;es and Lilies of Heaven, (the delectable love, and promi&s;es of our Saviour Chri&s;t Ie&s;us vnto vs) which are &s;o &s;weetly watred with his pretious blood, and &s;o odoriferou&s;ly perfumed, not with fraga|rant odors, or co&s;tly &s;pices of <HI>Arabia,</HI> but with the rich myrrh of Gods &s;acred mercy, and with the &s;weet and pretious frankincen&s;e of his divine fauour and lo|ving countenande towards vs.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 134.2</NOTE> <HI>Let vs (I &s;ay) lift vp our <PB REF="32">hands to his holy Sanctuary, &amp; pray&s;e the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 31.3.</NOTE> <HI>for that he loves vs with an everla&s;ting love,</HI> and that (by the ble&s;&s;ed death and pa&s;&s;ion of his Sonne Chri&s;t)
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.20</NOTE> <HI>hee is be|come our God, and the God that &s;aveth vs,</HI> The which, If we religiou&s;ly &amp; con&s;tantly performe;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 31.12.</NOTE> <HI>Then our &s;oules &s;hall bee as a watred Garden, and wee &s;hall know no more &s;orrow:</HI> Then wee &s;hall be as the
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14.6.</NOTE> <HI>Dew vnto I&s;rael, and God will make vs grow as Lilies, &amp; will fa&s;ten our roots as the trees of Lebanon;</HI> Then
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3.18</NOTE> <HI>wee &s;hall &s;ee God face to face in his Kingdome of glory,</HI> and there (both) live and raigne with him eternally,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim 4.8.</NOTE> <HI>And then hee will crowne vs with a Crowne of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e <PB REF="33">which hee hath re&s;erued and layd vp for his elect, Chil|dren and Seruants.</HI> Of which ble&s;&s;ed number, I be|&s;eech thee, O God, who art our Creator and Reedee|mer, (for thy promi&s;e &s;ake, for thy <HI>Sions</HI> &s;ake, and for thy <HI>Sonne, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> his &s;ake) to make vs: <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thy Chri&s;tian Friend, IOHN REYNOLDS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="33">
<HEAD>THE DIVINE POVRTRAIT. <HI>OR,</HI> A TRVE AND liuely Repre&s;entation of the ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament of the LORDS SVPPER. With our due Prepara|tion how to receiue it <HI>worthily.</HI> Vpon the&s;e words of our Saviour: <HI>This is my Bodie, &amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="introduction">
<P>_THe Sacrament of the
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Euchari&s;t.</NOTE> <HI>Lords Sup|per,</HI> (becau&s;e of its excellencie) hath bin, <PB REF="34"><GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page"> <PB N="1" REF="34"><GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page"> <PB N="2" REF="35">and is worthily tearmed a My&s;terie; for this Sa|crament collecteth and gathereth together all that the new Te&s;tament hath of mo&s;t admirable, and mo&s;t excellent; and di&s;covereth vnto vs the Trea&s;ures of Wi&s;edome and Intelligence, which are hidden in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; And truely, that which men and Angels them&s;elues have mo&s;t to admire in this new Te&s;tament, are e&s;pecially two things: The one is the meanes whereby Saluation hath beene purcha&s;ed, and procured
<PB N="3" REF="35">to poore &s;inners; The other the meanes wher|by this Saluation being fir&s;t merited, procured and given to them by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, is after|wards applyed, and ad|mini&s;tred to them. In the fir&s;t is &s;eene the height, and depth, the length, and bredth of Gods mercy, in &s;ending here below on Earth his onely Sonne in the forme of &s;infull fle&s;h, and for expo&s;ing him to the &s;hamefull death of the Cro&s;&s;e, for &s;infull Creatures, and con|ioyntly therewith is <PB N="4" REF="36">likewi&s;e &s;eene, the infi|nit vertue of Chri&s;ts blood, to redeeme and expiate the &s;innes of the world, and to obtaine eternall life and glory for tho&s;e who were dan|gerou&s;ly ingulphed, and almo&s;t lo&s;t in the death and mi&s;ery thereof: In the &s;econd is remarked and &s;eene, that by the means of faith &amp; repen|tance, wretched &s;inners, are &s;o vnited to the Sonne of God, as if they were compo&s;ed of that body, whereof hee is the head, and they the members; and by this <PB N="5" REF="36">Communion are made Partakers of all the gra|ces and benefits which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t hath de&s;er|ued and purcha&s;ed for them.</P>
<P>Now this ble&s;&s;ed Sa|crament of the Lords holy Supper, which is as vi&s;ible as his Sacred written Go&s;pell, and Divine Te&s;tament; pro|duceth and expo&s;eth to vs th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e two efficable points and con&s;iderati|ons. One way the bread broken, and wine filled out, pre&s;enteth to our eyes the fir&s;t: To wit the body of Ie&s;us <PB N="6" REF="37">Chri&s;t broken, and his blood &s;hed and &s;pilt on the Cro&s;&s;e, for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of mens &s;innes: And on the other part, mans action in taking and eating this bread, and drinking this wine, denoteth and &s;heweth vs the interiour action of the &s;oule, who being hungry and thir&s;ty, hath iu&s;tly her recour&s;e to this body and blood offered vp to God on the Cro&s;&s;e, and there findes her peace and &s;o|cietie, vniting her &s;elfe by faith vnto Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the Head &s;pring, <PB N="5" REF="37">and fountaine of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e and life.</P>
<P>Wherefore one way to contemplate the wonders of God to|wards vs, and the other, our duties towards him, that hereby wee may partake worthily of this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament, It is needle&s;&s;e for vs to ex|tend the eyes of our vn|der&s;tandings any far|ther, then to this very &s;ame Sacrament, which in it &s;elfe will furni&s;h vs with all things needfull and requi&s;ite for the pertinent di&s;po&s;ition of our &s;oules, in the partici|pation
<PB N="6" REF="38"><GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="5" REF="38"><GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="6" REF="39"><GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="5" REF="39"><GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="6" REF="40">and receiving thereof. But the excel|lencie of this Sacra|ment is fully compri&s;ed and containd, in the ve|ry words wereby our Lord, and Saviour Ie&s;us Chri&s;t doth in&s;titute it to vs, which were a briefe declaration of his owne v&s;e and cu&s;tome; So that, as this Sacra|ment is a &s;hort abridge|ment and epitome of the my&s;terie of our re|demption, &s;o the words which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t hath pronounced therin, con|taine the mo&s;t excel|lent matter, and the mo&s;t <PB N="7" REF="40">nece&s;&s;ary meditations of faith, and to give but a word for all, is the ve|ry true
<HI>Epitome</HI> and <HI>Com|pendium</HI> of all that which Faith ought to contem|plate and behold in Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Wherefore, Since by the Grace of God, wee are heere this day a&s;&s;embled, to prepare and di&s;po&s;e our &s;elues for the celebration of the Lords holy Supper, Wee have now pur|po&s;ely cho&s;en for our text and meditation the words of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, which hee v&s;ed in that
<PB N="8" REF="41">Supper not to &s;tay, or make you li&s;ten to points of Controver|&s;ie, which at the fir&s;t hearing of the text you may conceive or ima|gine, (which is not &s;o re|qui&s;ite for this time and occa&s;ion; wherein wee have more cau&s;e to di&s;|pute, and rea&s;on, to fight again&s;t the obdu+ratne&s;&s;e of our owne hearts, again&s;t our im|penitency, diffidencie, pre&s;umption, and the like vices and &s;innes, then again&s;t our aduer|&s;aries;) But to repre|&s;ent and &s;hew you what <PB N="9" REF="41">meditations and functi|ons, the words of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould produce and propagate in our &s;oules, when wee pre&s;ent our &s;elues to his holy Table to receive this Sacrament. And al|though (as wee have formerly &s;ayd) It be not now my intent or mea|ning to treat of Con|trover&s;ies, yet notwith|&s;tanding, wee are obli|ged to deduce and give you the occa&s;ion, and rea&s;on of the&s;e words, and to &s;hew the cleare and pure &s;en&s;e thereof, thereby to cau&s;e to &s;lide <PB N="10" REF="42">into your hearts, and to di&s;till into your &s;oules, the holy doctrine and In&s;tructions, which they containe: To which end and purpo&s;e by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance we will e&s;pecially treat &amp; in&s;i&s;t on three mayne points and generall heads.
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The Rea&s;on and Sen&s;e of the&s;e words.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The Meditations which the&s;e words ad|mini&s;ter, and furni&s;h vs with.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The Dutie and Functions whereunto they oblige vs.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="point">
<PB N="11" REF="42">
<HEAD>I. Point, or Ge|nerall Head.</HEAD>
<P>The words are; <HI>Take eat, this is my body, which is broken for you;</HI> Where fir&s;t we mu&s;t know, why it was that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;pake of eating, and why hee propo&s;ed this Sacrament vnder the words of Meate, and Drinke. It is not &s;uffici|ent to alleadge that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t did this occa&s;i|onally, that is to &s;ay, be|cau&s;e hee was at Table, as by occa&s;ion he found him&s;elfe neer a well, and <PB N="12" REF="43">demaunding water to drinke of the <HI>Samaritane</HI> woman; that the &s;pake to her of the grace, &amp; effi|cacy of the holy Gho&s;t, vnder the names of wa|ter and drinke. This an&s;were &s;ufficeth, when wee demaund why Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t &s;peaking to the troopes and multi|tude of people, before hee in&s;tituted the Sacra|ment of the <HI>Euchari&s;t,</HI> propo&s;ed him&s;elfe as bread de&s;cended from Heaven; and his fle&s;h as meat, which gave ever|la&s;ting and eternall life; For it is cleare and appa|rant <PB N="13" REF="43">that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;pake &s;o by occa&s;ion, an&s;wering tho&s;e troopes and multitudes which asked him for bread, and who followed him for earthly meate, and for this occa&s;ion hee there|fore a&s;&s;umed the names of tho&s;e things, to the which hee &s;aw them affected: But here, where it concernes and de|pends of the In&s;titution of the Sacrament, the an&s;were drawen and de|rived from the occa&s;ion to bee at Table, is not &s;ufficient; For we may demaund againe, why
<PB N="14" REF="44">Ie&s;us Chri&s;t placed and &s;ate him&s;elfe at Table, to in&s;titute and celebrate this Sacrament: For an|&s;were whereof, they al|leadge, and propo&s;e three rea&s;ons.</P>
<P N="1">I That Ie&s;us Chri&s;t ha|ving already in&s;tituted Bapti&s;me vnder the &s;i|militude of a Birth; It, was likewi&s;e very fit, and expedient, that hee &s;hould in&s;titute his holy Supper vnder the &s;imi|litude of nutriment, or nouri&s;hment; For if the beginning of Grace, and of &s;pirituall life had bin <PB N="15" REF="44">propos'd in the fir&s;t Sa|crament, by a Birth in compari&s;on of a tempo|rall life: It was very re|qui&s;ite and rea&s;onable, that the aduancement, and progre&s;&s;e of Grace, &s;hould by the &s;ame com|pari&s;on, be propo&s;ed by a nouri&s;hment in the &s;e|cond Sacrament. As then Ie&s;us Chri&s;t had in Bapti&s;me given water, which is the principall of the generation of corporall things, to bee a figure of the Holy Gho&s;t, which is the principall, and efficient cau&s;e of the regenerati|on <PB N="16" REF="45">of our &s;oules; So he in&s;tituted the Sacrament of his ble&s;&s;ed Supper, by tho&s;e things from whe~ce we have and receiue our temporall nouri&s;hment, to wit, Bread and Wine; thereby to repre&s;ent vn|to vs the life, which our &s;oules receiue of his bo|dy and blood offered on the Cro&s;&s;e, from whence it followes, that the word of eating is no more meant, or taken of the letter in this Sacra|ment, then that of Birth in the Sacrament of Bapti&s;me, and that hee who thinkes or pretends
<PB N="17" REF="45">to nouri&s;h him&s;elf of Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t, by his bodi|ly mouth, commits the &s;ame errour which <HI>Ni|codemus</HI> did, who be|cau&s;e Chri&s;t &s;pake to him of being borne a|gaine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 3.4.</NOTE> <HI>Asked, if man, when hee were growen old, could reenter into his mothers bel|ly, and be borne anew.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. <HI>Rea&s;on.</HI> That our vnion with Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, being the foundation of the appli|cation which is made and given vs by the me|rits of Chri&s;t (For the death and pa&s;&s;ion of Ie|&s;us
<PB N="18" REF="46">Chri&s;t is not applyed or given, but to tho&s;e who are one, and the &s;ame body with him; according as it is &s;ayd, that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is the Saviour of his body,) It is expedient that this vnion &s;hould bee repre|&s;ented vnto vs: But it cannot more perfectly, or lively be repre&s;ented or figured to vs, then by the vnion of meates with our body, Sith there is nothing which nature doth more &s;trict|ly or efficably vnite to our bodies, then meates by our eating thereof. <PB N="19" REF="46">As then by eating, meats doe become our owne proper fle&s;h and bones, &s;o wee are taught, that by the faith and vertue of Chri&s;ts holy Spirit, wee become one with Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and are made fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, and bone of his bone: And againe, that as by the vnion of meates we receiue our temporall life, &s;o by our vnion with Ie&s;us Chri&s;t wee receiue our &s;pirituall and eter|nall life.</P>
<P N="3">III <HI>Rea&s;on.</HI> That Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
<PB N="20" REF="47">would in&s;titute his holy Supper, at the Sacra|ment of Ea&s;ter, in which Sacrament the Iewes were accu&s;tomed to eat a Lambe. And indeed Ie&s;us Chri&s;t was at the table for the celebration of Ea&s;ter, But at the Sa|crament, or Pa&s;&s;eouer of Ea&s;ter, two things were done and performed, fir&s;t there was a Lambe eaten, and after as for a banquet (and this is ve|rified and recited by tho&s;e who have written <HI>the Iewes Liturgie</HI>) the Father of the family tooke bread, to wit, vn|leavened
<PB N="21" REF="47">bread, which was held cour&s;e and poore bread, and in gi|ving it to every one of his family, which were &s;itting at Table, &s;aid.
<HI>Take, eat, this is the bread of mi&s;ery, which our fathers have eaten in Egypt,</HI> and taking the Cup, ble&s;&s;ed it with a &s;olemne prayer, which done, they ren|dered thankes to God, for that he had brought and e&s;tabli&s;hed them in a Countrey, which abounded with all pro&s;|perity, and plenty of Bread, and Wine, in Compari&s;on of the mi|&s;ery <PB N="22" REF="48">and dearth, wherin their Fathers had lived in Egypt, As in very deed all beleeued and held, <HI>That the vnleauened Bread, which God had ap|pointed and in&s;tituted for Ea&s;ter,</HI> was a true &s;im|bole and figure, of the bread of mi&s;ery and af|fliction, which the <HI>I&s;ra|elites</HI> had eaten during their captivitie in <HI>Egypt.</HI> Now Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, who would not permit or &s;uffer that <HI>Iewi&s;h Ceremo|nies &s;hould any longer re|maine in the Chri&s;tian Churches;</HI> in&s;teed of the Pa&s;&s;eouer or Fea&s;t of
<PB N="23" REF="48">Ea&s;ter, placed and in&s;ti|tuted his ble&s;&s;ed Supper, as hee had formerly ap|pointed and introduced, Bapti&s;me in&s;teed of Cir|cumci&s;ion, leaving in all Chri&s;tian Churches, none but the&s;e two fi|gures and Sacraments in place and &s;teed of all that great multitude, which were formerly vnder the old Law. And ac|cording as the &s;eruice of the new Te&s;tament was &s;pirituall, It was al&s;o conuenient and fitting, tho&s;e few Ceremonies, which Chri&s;t in&s;tituted, were likewi&s;e &s;imple and
<PB N="24" REF="49">ea&s;ie, as depending and having relation to the Nature and Condition of the Evangelical Law and &s;eruice, which is wholly &s;pirituall, and heavenly, whereunto the&s;e Ceremonies were tyed and conioyned; In which regard Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in his Supper, tooke no figure of any formerly prepared meat, procured with co&s;t or care, or which could not be hourly provided, and had, as was the <HI>Pa&s;|chall</HI> Lambe, but tooke &s;implie Bread, and Wine, as in the &s;ame <PB N="25" REF="49">&s;ort and manner that in the Sacrament of Bap|ti&s;me, in&s;teed of the painefull and grievous Circumci&s;ion, hee in&s;ti|tuted the ea&s;ie and &s;im|ple a&s;per&s;ion of water.</P>
<P>Now for that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t hath &s;ub&s;tituted his ble&s;&s;ed Supper in|&s;teed of the fea&s;t of Ea&s;ter: It followes of nece&s;&s;itie, that there mu&s;t bee &s;ome re&s;em|blance and conformitie of the Lords Supper to the Fea&s;t of Ea&s;ter, and of the actions of Chri+&s;tians in receiving the &s;ame, to the actions of <PB N="26" REF="50">the Iewes in eating of their Pa&s;chall Lambe. But as this great Fea&s;t and Pa&s;&s;eover of the Iewes, was a Sacrament and religious my&s;terie; &s;o, notwith&s;tanding, it was yet more to feed the mind then the body; wherefore wee mu&s;t ob|&s;erue and remember, that be&s;ides, yea above the eating of the mouth, there was the eating of the mind, which was a holy and religious me|ditation, whereby their &s;oules &s;hould be refre&s;h|ed and comforted ac|cording to the quality <PB N="27" REF="50">and Condition of the Churches of their time. That which they did eat with their Corporall mouthes, was a Lambe, &s;ome bitter hearbes, and vnleavened bread; And that which their minds and heart ought to me|ditate on, was the grace and favour, which God had be&s;towed on them, in delivering them from the mi&s;erable &s;eruitude and &s;lavery, wherin their Fore-fathers had lived in <HI>Egypt;</HI> and for bring|ing them to enioy the fruits and fatne&s;&s;e of the Land of
<HI>Canaan.</HI> So that <PB N="28" REF="51">at the &s;ame time, which their bodyes did eate; their &s;oules likewi&s;e had their &s;piritall meate and food, and ta&s;ted how good and gratious God was to them, by giving them their deliverance. In the &s;ame manner Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t, in&s;tituting his Ble&s;&s;ed Supper at Ea&s;ter, propo&s;ed to Chri&s;tians a double forme of eating; the one of the mouth, which was that of Bread; and the other of the Soule, which was the medita|tion of the great good|ne&s;&s;e and mercy of God,
<PB N="29" REF="51">whereby Ie&s;us Chri&s;t having beene crucified to death for vs, hath victoriou&s;ly and glori|ou&s;ly delivered vs from all our mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>Now let vs here re|mark &amp; ob&s;erue, the ex|celle~t &s;ympathy &amp; con|formitie, wherevnto the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were called at their Pa&s;&s;eover, (or Fea&s;t of Ea&s;ter) to the medita|tion wherin our Saviour Chri&s;t called Chri&s;tians in his ble&s;&s;ed Supper, to reli&s;h the goodne&s;&s;e of God. The Iewes in their Pa&s;&s;eover, con&s;idered that by the blood of a <PB N="30" REF="52">Lambe, their Forefa|thers were delivered from the de&s;troying and per&s;ecuting Sword of the Angell; the &s;layen and immolated Lambe, being the Ran&s;ome of the fir&s;t borne; And in the fraction (or breaking) and eating of the Bread of the <HI>Euchari&s;t:</HI> wee Chri&s;tians doe con&s;i|der, That the body and blood of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, (as of an immaculate Lambe without &s;pot or blemi&s;h) hath beene offered vp to God in Sa|crifice, and that by this Ran&s;ome wee are deli|vered
<PB N="31" REF="52">delivered from the de|&s;troying Sword of the Angell, (to wit) from all the power and malice of Sathan. <HI>As the Apo&s;tle tels the Corinthians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5.7.</NOTE> <HI>that Chri&s;t our Pa&s;chall Lambe hath beene &s;acrificed vp for vs.</HI> As then the Iewes con&s;idering the Lambe, meditated and celebra|ted the goodne&s;&s;e of God, for giving delive|rance to their Forefa|thers, by the Ran&s;ome of a Lambe: So wee Chri&s;tians &s;hould fea&s;t our minds, and refre&s;h our hearts with the me|ditation of Gods &s;ingu|lar <PB N="32" REF="53">goodne&s;&s;e towards vs, which is infinitly greater and more admi|rable, in that hee hath delivered vp his owne, yea his onely Sonne, to death for the Ran&s;ome of wee poore and wret|ched Sinners, wherein appeares a dilection and loue, which &s;urpa&s;&s;eth all vnder&s;tanding, and wherein (faithfull Ser|uants of the Lord,) you may apparantly &s;ee the excellency of your ad|uantage, and benefits above tho&s;e of the an|cient Te&s;tament: That which they meditated
<PB N="33" REF="53">in their Pa&s;&s;eover, was a temporall deliverance; That which you medi|tate in the Lords Sup|per, is a deliverance both &s;pirituall and eternall: That which they con|&s;idered for a Ran&s;ome and deliverance, from the Angels Sword of per&s;ecution and pe&s;ti|lence, was a &s;imple ter|re&s;triall, and carnall Lambe; But that which you meditate on for your Ran&s;ome in this &s;acred Supper, is the proper body of Gods onely Sonne, crucified and &s;layen for your <PB N="34" REF="54">Sinnes. The Ioy and refre&s;hing which the I&s;|raelites conceived in their hearts and minds by their meditation, was their delight and con|tentment to have beene delivered from <HI>Pharoah,</HI> and to bee brought into the promi&s;ed Land of
<HI>Canaan:</HI> But what is this in Compari&s;on of the Ioy and refre&s;hing, which our &s;oules con|ceiue, to &s;ee, and con|template the vn&s;peaka|ble goodne&s;&s;e of God, whereby you are deli|vered from eternall death, and conducted <PB N="35" REF="54">and brought into a &s;pi|rituall, and heavenly
<HI>Canaan;</HI> O therefore if tho&s;e of the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> would con&s;ider, how great, how excel|lent, &amp; how inexpre&s;&s;a|ble, this feeding and re|fre&s;hing of our &s;oules is by this meditation; They would not then &s;ay, that wee returne empty from this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament; It is then the Church of Chri&s;t, which hath the true ea|ting and true refre&s;hing and &s;acietie thereof, and there onely it is, where true peace and felicity
<PB N="36" REF="55">is to be found; And ther|fore it is, that the word of God teacheth vs con|cerning the ancient I&s;ra|elites, That what con|tent &s;oever they receiued by their Pa&s;&s;eover, there yet remayned in their memories a degree of &s;lavery and &s;eruitude,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.15.</NOTE> whereof they were &s;till afraid, and the Rea&s;on of it was, that the cur&s;e of the Law, &s;till echoed and re&s;ounded aloud in their eares; and that the promi&s;es of remi&s;&s;ion and pardon for their &s;innes, were &s;till concea|led and ob&s;cured from
<PB N="37" REF="55">them, and the death of Chri&s;t crucified for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of men, was hidden, and over-clouded from them by the vaile of Ceremo|nies. Whereas heere (O ye faithfull Chri&s;tians,) Ie&s;us Chri&s;t calles you to the publicke Medita|tion and Contemplati|on of his death, and of the pardon and remi&s;&s;i|on of your &s;innes, to re|fre&s;h and fill your &s;oules with peace and felicity; And for which cau&s;e and rea&s;on hee &s;aith, in Saint <HI>Iohn,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.35.</NOTE> <HI>Who&s;oever comes vnto mee, &s;hall not <PB N="38" REF="56">bee hungry, and tho&s;e who tru&s;t in mee, &s;hall not bee dry, or thir&s;ty.</HI></P>
<P>And, therefore Ie&s;us Chri&s;t taking bread, &s;aid, <HI>Take, eat,</HI> and then hee added, thereunto, <HI>This is my Body;</HI> So that which hee came from taking of, and which he held, (to wit) Bread, he &s;aid it was his body, A thing which hee then &s;pake mo&s;t ea&s;ily, and clearely; For as there was not the &s;male&s;t Child among the Iewes, but vnder&s;tood, when the Father of his family <PB N="39" REF="56">&s;aid, <HI>(Take eat, this is the Bread of mi&s;ery, which our Fore-fathers, did eat in Egypt)</HI> that this Bread was &s;o named and called by the Father of the fa|mily, becau&s;e it was a Commemoration of the bread of affliction, which their Fore-fa|thers had eaten in <HI>Egypt,</HI> according as it is &s;aid in <HI>Deutr.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 16.3.</NOTE> <HI>Vnder the Law &s;even dayes thou &s;halt eat vnleavened Bread, which is Bread of affliction, be|cau&s;e thou did&s;t ha&s;tily de|part and fly away from Egypt:)</HI> So there was none &s;o ignorant, or <PB N="40" REF="57">&s;imple, but vnder&s;tood well, That Chri&s;t &s;aid the bread was his body, becau&s;e hee was the Co~memoration therof, and as the vnleavened bread had beene yearly or dayned for a Memo|riall, (or Comemorati|on) of the mi&s;eries, which the I&s;raelites had &s;uffered in <HI>Egypt:</HI> That Ie&s;us Chri&s;t e&s;tabli&s;hed Bread to remaine till the end of the world, the &s;igne and Commemo|ration of his Body offe|red on the Cro&s;&s;e: which againe was cleare and evident, becau&s;e
<PB N="41" REF="57">they named the Lambe, which they did eat,
<HI>Pa&s;que,</HI> an Hebrew word which &s;ignifieth <HI>Pa&s;&s;eo|ver,</HI> and which every one well vnder&s;tood in that Language; <HI>Where wilt thou</HI> (&s;aid the A|po&s;tles to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t)
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.17.</NOTE> <HI>that wee prepare for thee, the Pa&s;&s;eover.</HI> The Lambe which they eat was &s;o called, becau&s;e it was in|&s;tituted in Memory and Co~memoration of the Pa&s;&s;ing over of the de|&s;troying Angell from above, and beyond the I&s;raelites hou&s;es. And in this &s;ame &s;en&s;e they <PB N="42" REF="58">ea&s;ily vnder&s;tood, that the Bread was called the body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, becau&s;e it was purpo&s;e|ly in&s;tituted to bee the Remembrance or Com|memoration of his bo|dy offred on the Cro&s;&s;e, for the &s;innes of the world: Now although this were &s;ufficiently cleare and palpable of it &s;elfe, yet ob&s;erue heer the &s;ingular bounty, goodne&s;&s;e, and wi&s;e|dome of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, to repell, and prevent the errour which hee fore&s;aw; In that he con|ioyned and added there|unto <PB N="43" REF="58">(as Saint <HI>Luke</HI> and Saint
<HI>Paul</HI> affirme it, in expre&s;&s;e tearmes; <HI>Doe this in remembrance of me;</HI> Is there not heer then, iu&s;t cau&s;e to admire and wonder, that after all this, That Bread &s;hould bee vnder&s;tood by tran|&s;ub&s;tantiation, to be the body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and farre different and otherwi&s;e then by <HI>Re|membrance, or Commemo|ration;</HI> From whence it nece&s;&s;arily re&s;ults and followes; That in the Church of
<HI>Rome,</HI> a mor|&s;ell of Bread, is adored for the body, and per&s;on
<PB N="44" REF="59">of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, The Sa|crament and Remem|brance having beene confounded with that, whereof it is the Sacra|ment and commemora|tion.</P>
<P>So then Chri&s;t Ie&s;us &s;aid, <HI>This is my Body, This is my blood,</HI> and yet not &s;imply &s;o, but according as Saint <HI>Luke</HI> tels vs;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 22.19.</NOTE> <HI>Which is given for vs,</HI> and as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> affirmes, <HI>Which is broken for you,</HI> So then Chri&s;t repre|&s;enting vs his body, vn|der&s;tands thereby, that hee hath beene delive|red vp for vs to the <PB N="45" REF="59">Cro&s;&s;e, that is to &s;ay, that hee hath beene bro|ken, and &s;acrificed, And likewi&s;e for the Cup, he &s;aid, <HI>This is my Blood which is &s;hed for you,</HI> &s;pea+king in tearmes of the time pre&s;ent, and not on|ly for regard of what hee knew &s;hould befall him the very next day, in re&s;pect of the truth thereof; But al&s;o be|cau&s;e hee gave and ren+dred in a pre&s;ent figure, that which &s;hould bee done on the Cro&s;&s;e, the fraction of Bread being a true, and lively repre|&s;entation of the fraction <PB N="46" REF="60">of his body, as a canon of the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> acknowledgeth it in the&s;e words.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">De con|&s;ecr. Di&s;t. 2. Canon Hoc e&s;t quod.</NOTE> <HI>The immo|molation of the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t, which is done by the Prie&s;ts hands, is tearmed the Pa&s;sion, Death, and crucifiing of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, but not by the truth of the thing but by the &s;ignifica|tion of the my&s;tery thereof.</HI> From whence, doth clearly re&s;ult and &s;tream foorth vnto vs two e&s;peciall things; The one, that in the &s;ame manner, that the brea|king (or fraction) of bread in the Lords Sup|per <PB N="47" REF="60">is the breaking of Chri&s;ts body. So in the &s;ame manner the Bread is the body of Chri&s;t: but the breaking of bread in the Lords Sup|per, is the fraction and crucifying of Chri&s;ts body, not by the truth or realitie of the thing, but by the &s;ignification of the my&s;terie, And &s;o likewi&s;e, the bread is the body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, yet not by the truth or realitie of the thing, but by the &s;ignification of the my&s;terie.</P>
<P>The other branch or point, which re&s;ults <PB N="48" REF="61">hereof is, That this ho|ly Supper is the &s;acri|fice of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, not by the truth of the thing, but by the &s;igni|fication of the my&s;terie, and that it is not a &s;acri|fice, but a remembrance and commemoration of a Sacrifice; As indeed Chri&s;t offered vp no ob|lation to God, but brake the bread and gave it to his Di&s;ciples.</P>
<P>From whence (belo|ved in the Lord) you plainely &s;ee that, to e&s;teeme and hold the Lords Supper, to bee a reall &s;acrifice, wherein
<PB N="49" REF="61">Ie&s;us Chri&s;t hath offered him&s;elfe vp a propitia|tory Sacrifice for the &s;innes of the living and the dead, Is a humane Inuention; oppo&s;ite and contrary to the In&s;titu|tion of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and to the v&s;e of this Sacra|ment, which was ordai|ned to &s;hew foorth and proclaime his death and pa&s;sion: And likewi&s;e it is contrary to the onely oblation of the cro&s;&s;e; the Apo&s;tle Saint <HI>Paul</HI> affirming to the Hebrewes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.10</NOTE> <HI>That we are &s;anctified by the oblation once made, of the body of <PB N="50" REF="62">Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and therefore that there is no more obla|tion for &s;inne.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="point">
<HEAD>II Point, or gene|rall Head.</HEAD>
<P>Thus much for the &s;en&s;e of Chri&s;ts words. And now faithfull Chri|&s;tians, (to whom God hath revealed and made knowen the truth, and puritie of the&s;e high and &s;acred my&s;teries) come, and meditate on the&s;e words of the Sonne of God, all which Heaven hath of mo&s;t admirable &s;weet, and delitious; <PB N="51" REF="62">And you (godly &s;oules) who iu&s;tly hunger and thir&s;t for this grace and mercy of the Lord; come you to feed and refre&s;h your &s;elues with the fat of the hou&s;e of God, and to quench your thir&s;t in the River of his delights: But fir&s;t wee here require two things of you, (that is to &s;ay) &s;ome <HI>Meditations,</HI> and then &s;ome <HI>Functions</HI> of the heart proceeding from the&s;e meditations, and both which on the&s;e words, <HI>This is my Body, which is broken for you, This is my Blood, <PB N="52" REF="63">which is &s;hed for you.</HI></P>
<P>This Meditation hath three Points and Ob|iects.
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. The body and blood of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> in the&s;e words. <HI>My Body, My Blood.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>II. The Oblation of this Body, and of this Blood, in the&s;e words, <HI>Which is broken, which is &s;hed.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>III. The Fruit of this oblation, intimated in the&s;e words, <HI>Broken For You, Shed For Many, for the remi&s;sion of Sinnes.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>In the fir&s;t of the&s;e, when you heare Ie&s;us
<PB N="53" REF="63">Chri&s;t propo&s;ing his body, and his blood, the meditation then re|quired of you is, That it being &s;o, that we have &s;o expos'd our &s;elues to the wrath, and &s;o incur|red the indignation and revenge of God, by rea|&s;on of our &s;innes, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, that the Iu&s;tice of God mu&s;t bee &s;atisfied, &amp; con&s;equent|ly, that either wee mu&s;t beare Gods wrath and malediction, and &s;o for ever &s;toop and faint vn|der the heavie burthen thereof, or el&s;e that &s;ome other thing mu&s;t bee <PB N="54" REF="64">&s;ub&s;tituted in our &s;teed and place, to &s;atisfie the Iu&s;tice of God; But no|thing could bee found out in the whole world to bee appointed in the place of man, and wor|thily to &s;atisfie for his &s;innes. From the be|ginning of the world, bea&s;ts have beene offe|red, and the&s;e Sacrifices of bea&s;ts by the &s;en&s;e and feeling, which our con&s;cience hath ever gi|ven to men of a &s;ufficient &amp; valable &s;atisfactio~ for &s;in, have been practi&s;ed in all the whole world: In the old Law, a man <PB N="55" REF="64">came and put his hands on the head of the bea&s;t which was to bee &s;acrifi|ced, as putting her in his place and roome, with an intent and hope to di&s;charge and transferre his &s;innes on her: but contrariwi&s;e natural rea|&s;on &s;heweth, that that could no way appea&s;e or &s;atisfie God; For Gods Iu&s;tice being (of it &s;elfe) mo&s;t perfect, can no way content it &s;elfe, with a payment or &s;atis|faction, &s;o vnequall and imperfect to the Debt, becau&s;e all the bea&s;ts of the Earth, placed and
<PB N="56" REF="65">numbred vp together, are not equivalent or to bee compared in valew to one man; Heer then, O here, is the Sacrifice (or Victime) after which (without knowing it) all the world &s;ighed and re|&s;pired, in offering the&s;e Sacrifices; and this is the Sacrifice, which all others ought to reve+rence and looke on; When therefore you heare Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;ay|ing,
<HI>This is my Body,</HI> you mu&s;t figure, and repre|&s;ent him to you, as proffering and offering vp to God his Father, <PB N="57" REF="65">the&s;e admirable words and &s;peeches, recited by the Apo&s;tle to the He|brewes;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Thou wilt have no Sacrifice, or offering, but thou ha&s;t given and appro|priated mee a body, Thou ha&s;t taken no delight in Sa|crifices, And then I haue &s;aid, heer I am, I come; And in the beginning of the Booke, it is written of mee; that I doe thy will O God.</HI></P>
<P>So heer <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> comming to pre&s;ent him&s;elf in the place and &s;teed of all the&s;e Sacri|fices, which had beene offered vp vnder the Law, and which were <PB N="58" REF="66">daily reiterated &amp; con|tinued, becau&s;e, as the &s;ame Apo&s;tle &s;aid in the &s;ame Chapter,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ibid. v. 4.</NOTE> <HI>That it was impo&s;sible, that the blood of Buls and Goats &s;hould take and wa&s;h away Sinnes;</HI> And therefore (my beloved brethren) ob&s;erue heer, the readi|ne&s;&s;e, and favour, which the providence of God makes and provides for you, of a mo&s;t conue|nient and requi&s;ite Vi|ctime and Oblation. When
<HI>I&s;aac</HI> was to bee &s;acrificed, there was a Ramme found tyed by the Hornes to a bu&s;h, to <PB N="59" REF="66">bee &s;acrificed for him; But here, O Sinners, be|hold in the&s;e words, <HI>This is my body,</HI> that great Sacrifice and Ob|lation, which the won|ders of Gods divine pro|vidence haue addre&s;&s;ed, and &s;ent you: and reioice that heer is the true Sa|crifice (or Victime) which comes to a&s;&s;i&s;t and defend you from Gods heauy wrath and Indignation.</P>
<P>But Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, as being &s;imply God, could not pre&s;ent him|&s;elfe in a Sacrifice for men, for there wanted a <PB N="60" REF="67">humane Sacrifice, be|cau&s;e Sinne had beene committed, and perpe|trated by man, where|fore our Saviour Chri&s;t tels you, <HI>This is my body,</HI> Hee &s;aith not, <HI>This I am,</HI> but, <HI>This is my body,</HI> ther|by purpo&s;ely to conduct and lead you to the my&s;terie of his Incarna|tion, whereby he is de&s;|cended from Heaven, hath taken and a&s;&s;umed a carnall body, and is made man for vs, &s;o that conioyntly with the&s;e words, you at one time &s;ee your great Sacrifice taken from Earth, and
<PB N="61" REF="67">yet de&s;cended from hea|ven; Taken from Earth, for it is a body, de&s;cen|ded from Heaven, for it is, <HI>My Body,</HI> &s;aid our Saviour Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; (that is to &s;ay) of mee true God with the Fa|ther; Heer therefore is the wonder which you ought to meditate on, That nothing being found in all the world, no nor in the infinit mul|titude and infinitie of all Gods Creatures, which could be capable to bee our ran&s;ome towards God; Then loe: <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe, the only <PB N="62" REF="68">Sonne of God, (de&s;cen|ded &s;o low) as he made him&s;elfe man, and a crea|ture, to the end, that hee might bee offered vp a Sacrifice for vs: Hee who&s;e E&s;&s;ence was wholly &s;imple, and &s;pi|rituall, a&s;&s;umed a body, and being materiall, and carnall. Hee who was inui&s;ible to our eyes, hath made him|&s;elfe con&s;picuous, and vi&s;ible to vs, permitted and &s;uffered him&s;elfe, to be beaten, tyed and nay|led to a Cro&s;&s;e, yea to bee runne thorow with a Speare, and in a word, <PB N="63" REF="68">capable to be &s;acrificed. And heer you may know and find, why Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t, holding the Bread, &s;aid not, <HI>This is my Divinity,</HI> but, <HI>This is my Body,</HI> (That is to &s;ay) becau&s;e not his Divine, but onely his Humane nature could bee offered vp in Sacrifice: The Di|vinity is well con&s;ide|red, but &s;till as offering, not as offered, according as the Apo&s;tle &s;aid to the Hebrewes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.14.</NOTE> <HI>That Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t offered him&s;elfe vp to God, by the eternall Spirit;</HI> By which means, It is not the eternall <PB N="64" REF="69">Spirit which hath beene offered (For that which was offered was to die) But the body hath been offered by the eternall Spirit.</P>
<P>And here ari&s;eth vn|to vs another wonder (to wit) that although Chri&s;ts humane nature be offered, neverthele&s;&s;e it is of as great a price and value, as if his Divi|nity it &s;elfe could have beene offered, and the rea&s;on hereof is, becau&s;e this his humane nature compo&s;ed not, but one, and the &s;ame per&s;on with the divine nature.
<PB N="65" REF="69">For this body which was crucified, was per|&s;onally vnited to the eternall Spirit; and this miracle or wonder, is given you for your me|ditation, in that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t holding the bread, &s;aid not indefinit|ly, <HI>This is my Body,</HI> which is broken for you, but <HI>This is my Body,</HI> as if hee &s;aid, <HI>This is a humane Bo+dy, and yet mine;</HI> to the end wee might know that this vivifying, or quickning fle&s;h, that is to &s;ay, to bee a worthy Ran&s;ome for the life of the world. Sith it is the <PB N="66" REF="70">fle&s;h of a man, who is both God and man: In the Leviticall Law <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> &s;prinkling of blood, when God contracted Alliance with the <HI>I&s;rae|lites,</HI> &s;aid, This is the blood of the Te&s;tament, which God hath ordai|ned for you; But this blood was the blood of Bea&s;ts; Now heer in the Sacrament of his Sup|per is propo&s;ed and pre|&s;ented to you the blood of God, according as the Apo&s;tle &s;ayth in the
<HI>Actes,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes 20.28.</NOTE> <HI>That God hath pur|cha&s;ed the Church, by his blood.</HI> And behold my <PB N="67" REF="70">brethren to what a de|gree of glory of the Go&s;|pell caries you in the New Te&s;tament above his faithfull Seruants of the old: wherefore here revoke to your mind and memory, the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages of <HI>Pauls Epi&s;tle to the Galathians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.4,5</NOTE> <HI>God &s;ent foorth his Sonne made of a Woman, and made vnder the Law,</HI> And writing to the
<HI>Romanes,</HI> againe like|wi&s;e &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.3.</NOTE> <HI>God &s;ending his owne Sonne in the Si|militude of &s;infull fle&s;h, and for &s;inne, condemned &s;inne in the fle&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>And before were pa&s;&s;e <PB N="68" REF="71">to the Meditation of the en&s;uing words, I pray ob&s;erue heere againe with mee in the&s;e,
<HI>This is my Body,</HI> the cleare re|futation of all which Super&s;tition, and hu|mane Inuentions pro|po&s;e of the interce&s;&s;ion and meditation of Saints, and of their &s;uffering for the expiation of the
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">emporall paine of our &s;innes; which pretended &s;ufferings and &s;atisfacti|ons are partly the trea|&s;ure, whereof the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Rome,</HI> drawes his In+dulgences, and Pardons, which makes, that the <PB N="69" REF="71">Saints are a peece and part of our Sacrifice; But Ie&s;us Chri&s;t hath de&s;igned it, and the price of our deliverance in the&s;e words, <HI>This is my Body,</HI> for hee &s;aid not,
<HI>This is a part of my Body,</HI> and part of the bodyes of <HI>Saints,</HI> who &s;hall &s;uffer for you; If our Aduer|&s;aries con&s;ider, that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper pre&s;enteth and expo&s;eth to our eyes, our
<HI>Price,</HI> and <HI>Ran&s;ome</HI> (as &s;ome of the Ancients for that cau&s;e and rea&s;on tearme the Sacrament, our Price, and if they
<PB N="70" REF="72">likewi&s;e con&s;ider, that this Sacrament propo|&s;eth not to vs the bodies of men, but the body of Chri&s;t, they &s;hall find that there is no other price for our Ran&s;ome and Redemption, but this body. And although the&s;e people which &s;ay, That this Sacrament of the Lords Supper is the Abridgement of the my&s;teries of the Go&s;|pell, doe they accu&s;e it of Imperfection not to have propo&s;ed or given it all our Price and Ran|&s;ome, And tho&s;e who daily make and create <PB N="71" REF="72">the body of Chri&s;t, and who pretend daily to offer him, wherefore doe they not content them&s;elues. But heer let them vnder&s;tand, and hearken to the thun|dring words of the A|po&s;tle writing to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.13.</NOTE> <HI>Is Christ divided, hath Paul beene crucified for you?</HI> I af|firme that the Bread of this holy Supper &s;hew|eth vs al&s;o a Communi|on of the faithfull with Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; for as the &s;ame Apo&s;tle writes a|gaine to the
<HI>Corinthians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.17.</NOTE> <HI>Wee who are many, are one <PB N="72" REF="73">Bread and one Body;</HI> But it is a Communion with Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>To receive,</HI> and not <HI>To give;</HI> To re|ceive (I &s;ay) of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the expiation and remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes, and not to give or conferre it to other mens merits. A Com|munion to bee freed, bought, and vivified (or quickned) by him, and not to free, buy, and vi|vifie with him.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Obiect of our Meditation, is the Oblation of this body in the&s;e words, <HI>Which is broken; This is my Blood
<PB N="73" REF="73">which is &s;hed.</HI> In the words, <HI>This is my body;</HI> you have &s;eene Chri&s;t Ie&s;us made capable to be this Sacrifice, but in the&s;e latter words, you &s;ee him actually to be a Sacrifice, and here is gi|ven, you, to meditate and contemplate fir&s;t the Immolation, and then the Oblation of the Sa|crifice; The Sacrifice is a &s;overaigne honour gi|ven and yeelded to God, which con&s;i&s;ts in an ex|treame vnmaking and di&s;&s;olution of the Crea|ture, which di&s;&s;olution and vnmaking, is not nor <PB N="74" REF="74">cannot be extreame, ex|cept by the de&s;troying of the thing which is offered; wherefore all things (heretofore) which were offered vp in Sacrifice to God, were fir&s;t to be de&s;troy|ed; For it is one thing to bee offered &s;imply, and another thing to be offered vp in Sacrifice; As for example, The Sacrificators, the <HI>Levites</HI> and the fir&s;t borne of
<HI>I&s;rael,</HI> were offered vp to God, But how not offered vp in Sacrifice, becau&s;e they &s;till remai|ned living: All things <PB N="75" REF="74">then offered in Sacrifice ought fir&s; to be de&s;troy|ed, if they were liquid, or wet things without life, they were to bee &s;hed; If &s;olide things, without life, they were to be burnt; Or if living things, they were to bee killed, and for witne&s;&s;e and Te&s;timony of a true death, there mu&s;t needs bee an effu&s;ion of the Bea&s;ts blood, becau&s;e blood being the &s;eat of the Bea&s;ts life, the &s;epa|ration of blood from the fle&s;h, &s;hewed and fi|gured the &s;eparation of life from the body, and <PB N="76" REF="75">con&s;equently an entire death; And in the expia|tory, and propitiatory Sacrifices this was the more requi&s;ite and need|full, for that the&s;e Sa|crifices were &s;atisfacti|ons for typicall and car|nall &s;inne; But the ab&s;o|lute &s;atisfaction and ex|piation for &s;inne, mu&s;t con&s;i&s;t in the death and de&s;truction of the thing offered; becau&s;e the A|po&s;tle peremptorily and truely tels vs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.33</NOTE> <HI>That the wages of Sinne, is death,</HI> from whence you fir&s;t &s;ee wherefore it was, that of nece&s;&s;ity Chri&s;t <PB N="77" REF="75">mu&s;t die, For the wages of Sinne being death, it mu&s;t needs follow, that he who placed him&s;elfe an Vndertaker for Sin|ners, mu&s;t vndergoe the puni&s;hment ordained for Sinne: Secondly from hence you likewi&s;e &s;ee, wherefore it was, that the blood of Chri&s;t was &s;hed in his death, and &s;e|parated from his body; to wit thereby to ex|pre&s;&s;e and &s;hew the truth of the death, and expia|tion of Sinne, as the A|po&s;tle to the Hebrewes proves by legall figures, that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t mu&s;t <PB N="78" REF="76">die, and &s;hed his blood in Sacrifice, becau&s;e &s;aith hee,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.22.</NOTE> <HI>That according to the Law, all things are purged and purified by blood, and without the effu|&s;ion of blood there is no re|mi&s;sion.</HI> So Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, by &s;hedding his blood, hath accompli&s;hed the figures of the Law, and given vs this Con&s;olati|on, that the Ran&s;ome and expiation of our &s;innes is entire and per|fect. And hence (as it were in pa&s;&s;ing) you learne two things.</P>
<P N="1">I. That it is impo&s;&s;i|ble, that there is any
<PB N="79" REF="76">propitiatory Sacrifice without blood, and con|&s;equently impo&s;&s;ible, that the Ma&s;&s;e, wherein there is neither death, nor effu&s;ion of blood, be a propitiatory Sacri|fice for &s;innes, as our Aduer&s;aries call it.</P>
<P N="2">II In the Lords Sup|per, It was needfull that the body and blood of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, was repre|&s;ented to vs di&s;tinctly and &s;everally, for that there were two &s;ignes, (to wit) <HI>The Bread bro|ken, and the Wine filld out,</HI> which was the Rea&s;on why Ie&s;us Chri&s;t did
<PB N="80" REF="77">not only &s;ay, <HI>This is my Body broken,</HI> but al&s;o takes the Cup and &s;aid, <HI>This is my blood which is &s;hed,</HI> Becau&s;e without effu&s;ion of blood there could be no remi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne, From whence it followes, That the ta|king and cutting away of the Cup in the Lords Supper (which &s;hewes the blood of Chri&s;t to bee &s;eparated from his body) takes away from the my&s;terie of that &s;a|cred Supper, it's pleni|tude, power, &amp; perfecti|on, depriving it of the &s;igne of the Condition
<PB N="81" REF="77">requi&s;ite for the expia|tion of &s;innes, (to wit) the effu&s;ion of blood.</P>
<P>But this is told you but cur&s;orily, and as it were in pa&s;&s;ing: Now the chiefe and principall Meditation, which wee require of you in this obiect, is three things.
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. Of Chri&s;ts great de|ba&s;ing, and making him|&s;elfe as it were nothing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. Of the horror, and grievou&s;ne&s;&s;e of &s;inne, as the direct oppo&s;ition of the perfect &s;anctity, and ab&s;olute holine&s;&s;e of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>III. Of the immen&s;e <PB N="82" REF="78">love and charity of Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t towards vs.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I &s;peake fir&s;t of Chri&s;ts great deba&s;ing, and e&s;teeming him&s;elfe no|thing; For, (if you for|merly vnder&s;tand and remember) Ie&s;us Chri&s;t aba&s;ed him&s;elfe &s;o low, as to cloath and incor|porate him&s;elfe with our wretched nature, and to make him&s;elfe after the &s;imple &s;emblance of men. But here behold him now, hee makes him&s;elfe le&s;&s;e then man, as he &s;aith in the <HI>P&s;almes,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 22.6.</NOTE> <HI>I am a Worme, and no man, the &s;hame of men, and the <PB N="83" REF="78">contempt of the People:</HI> Be|hold how he makes him|&s;elfe a Sacrifice, and a&s;&s;umes and takes on him the condition of Bea&s;ts, which were &s;lain in the ancient Law for the &s;innes of men; O Lord Ie&s;us, who can &s;uf|ficiently comprehend the depth of this thy ex|treame humiliation, and making thy &s;elfe as no|thing, who from the heavenly Throne of thy glory, ha&s;t been placed, in forme of a Victime, vpon the Altar of the Cro&s;&s;e; And that thou woulde&s;t die, yea die a <PB N="84" REF="79">&s;hamefull and mo&s;t ig|nominious death for vs, according as it is writ|ten,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.13.</NOTE> <HI>Cur&s;ed is every one, that hangeth on a Tree.</HI></P>
<P>From this, pa&s;&s;e wee on to the &s;econd thing; which is, the Con&s;ide|ration, of the horrour, grieveou&s;ne&s;&s;e, yea and the odiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Sin: For I pray you, how wicked was it in it &s;elfe, and how execrable in the eyes of God, that the onely Sonne of God mu&s;t needs &s;uffer &s;uch grievous paines and tor|ments; The Law did well &s;hew the odiou&s;nes <PB N="85" REF="79">and abomination of Sin, by the Sacrifices, and A&s;per&s;ions of blood, which it required for the Expiation thereof; But all that is nothing in Compari&s;on of this which the Go&s;pell &s;hewes vs, becau&s;e the&s;e Sacrifices and A&s;per&s;i|ons of the Law were of Bea&s;ts, and of the blood of Bea&s;ts, but heer it is the onely begotten Son of God, who hath beene given to death, to expi|ate &s;inne, and to cover the foulne&s;&s;e and enor|mitie thereof. Behold then, O Sinners, with <PB N="86" REF="80">a&s;toni&s;hment, by the greatne&s;&s;e of the &s;atis|faction; the horrour of this &s;inne, and thereby to learne to hate and de|te&s;t it. Nature, to &s;hew how grievous and odi|ous &s;inne was, &s;ince the fall of
<HI>Adam,</HI> became harried over with thorns and briars, and changed many of her plants into poy&s;ons; The aire grew thicke with &s;tormes, and was many times infect|ed, to puni&s;h &s;inners; The Sea impetuou&s;ly moun|ted her angry waues and &s;urges, and cau&s;ed infi|nite &s;hipwrackes; <HI>A|dams</HI>
<PB N="87" REF="80">owne per&s;on, (and his po&s;terity,) &s;trayed from his temper, and by &s;ickne&s;&s;e and di&s;ea&s;es had drawen the Empire of death into his owne entrailes and bowels; mans wi&s;edome was ob|&s;cured with ignorance, and tormented with ir|regular and extravagant pa&s;&s;ions; and all this befell and hapned to the world for &s;inne. But now behold, Heaven, (who again&s;t &s;inne, and to the end, and intent to expiate and de&s;troy it,) delivers vp to death, that which it had and held <PB N="88" REF="81">deare&s;t, and to reproach, and &s;hame, that which it held and po&s;&s;e&s;t of mo&s;t glorious For here God the Father of heauen ex|po&s;eth his &s;weete&s;t de|lights to the bitter tor|ments of the Cro&s;&s;e. Heere Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, his onely beloved Son, who yeeldeth &amp; abandoneth his life, and who to de|&s;troy &s;inne, (&s;o extream|ly hee hates it) doth vo|luntarily and willingly de&s;troy him&s;elfe. And heere con&s;idering, and meditating further, how odious &s;inne is to God, let vs admire how per|fect
<PB N="89" REF="81">Gods iu&s;tice and &s;anctitie is, &amp; let vs &s;ay, that here it is, where this &s;anctitie manife&s;teth it &s;elfe at full in her brigh|te&s;t Orient; It is in this my&s;terie, that the <HI>Sera|phims</HI> crie, <HI>Holy, holy, holy,</HI> the Eternall of Armies: for if he &s;hew forth his righteou&s;nes and &s;ancti|tie here below, in puni|&s;hing and ruining &s;ome of his creatures by his iudgements; how much more doth hee manife&s;t it by the death of his onely beloved Sonne, to whom &s;inne pre&s;ented it &s;elfe to be puni&s;hed.</P>
<P><PB N="90" REF="82">Come we now to the third mediation which wee require of you, wherein we may behold the exreame deba&s;ing &amp; annihilating of the Son of God; to &s;ee the im|men&s;e Loue, both of this heauenly Father and Sonne towards vs, for that the Son hath beene &s;o grievou&s;ly handled and tormented for vs. What Aby&s;&s;us of affe|ction and mercy is this towards man? Is there any minde or &s;pirit, though angelical, which cannot bee ravi&s;hed and &s;wallowed vp heereat? <PB N="91" REF="82">Prophane Infidells and Athei&s;ts, who are incre|dulous of the my&s;teries of the Chri&s;tian faith. Know ye, that it &s;hewes you the highe&s;t charity, and perfecte&s;t &s;anctitie, that the heart, or wit of man can po&s;&s;ibly com|prehe~d or conceiue. And of God bee a &s;overaigne &s;anctitie, an immen&s;e charity and goodne&s;&s;e, (as his being cannot bee but all perfection) know that the new Te&s;tament &s;heweth God to men, and reveales them this vnexpre&s;&s;able and in|comprehen&s;ible &s;anctity <PB N="92" REF="83">and charity, which is the &s;ame that Saint <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn 4.16.</NOTE> <HI>God is Love, and hee that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God and God in him &amp;c.</HI> That God is Charity, and in this is manife&s;ted his Charity, For that God hath &s;ent his onely Sonne into the world; to the end that wee live by him, and in this a|gaine is Charity, not that we have loved God, but becau&s;e hee hath lo|ved vs, and hath given his Sonne to bee a pro|pitiation for our &s;innes. And heer it is, that the new Te&s;tament, hath <PB N="93" REF="83">many great aduantages and &s;ingular benefits, and prerogatives above the old one of the Law, Seeing that herein God fully di&s;covereth the rich Trea&s;ures of his goodne&s;&s;e. In nature we &s;ee GODS goodne&s;&s;e towards man, for that for a time hee enter|taines and maintaines him&s;elfe in life by the death of Bea&s;ts, who&s;e fle&s;h &s;erues him for food and &s;u&s;tenance; But here God gives and purcha|&s;eth to man, an eternall life by the death of his onely Sonne, Here hee <PB N="94" REF="84">gives to man not his Creatures, as in the cre|ation, but his onely well beloued Sonne him&s;elfe; yea and to &s;infull man. Wherefore it is, that the Apo&s;tle affirmes to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 3.18.</NOTE> <HI>We all behold, as in a Mirrour, the glory of the Lord with open face,</HI> and <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> tels vs, <HI>That none having ever &s;eene God, it is he that hath revealed him to vs.</HI> Faith|full brethren in the Lord, open the eyes of your vnder&s;tandings, and &s;ee how God manife|&s;teth him&s;elfe, and how he makes him&s;elfe pal|pably <PB N="95" REF="84">vi&s;ible to you, by this immen&s;e Love and Charity, which this Sa|crament of the <HI>Euchari&s;t</HI> pre&s;enteth and repre&s;en|teth to your eyes. If then on the&s;e words,
<HI>This is my Body,</HI> you have meditated on the Love, and Charity of Chri&s;t humbling him&s;elfe &s;o low, as to cloth him&s;elfe with our weake body and nature, then medi|tate on this greater de|gree of Charity, which hath cau&s;ed him to a&s;|&s;ume the forme of a &s;er|va~t for vs (which was al|ready exceeding much, <PB N="96" REF="85">to him who was the Creator, and the King of glory) but al&s;o to ex|po&s;e him&s;elfe to death in this forme and &s;hape of a Seruant, yea to the &s;hamefull death of the Cro&s;&s;e, which is the ve|ry meditation of the A|po&s;tle to the <HI>Philippians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Philip. 2.6,7,8.</NOTE> <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, being in the forme of God, thought it no robberie to make him&s;elfe equall to God: But he made him&s;elfe of no Reputation; and tooke on him the forme of a Seruant, and was made like vnto man, and found in the &s;hape of a man, who humbled him&s;elfe, and be|came <PB N="97" REF="85">came obedient to death, yea to the death of the Cro&s;&s;e;</HI> And the &s;ame Apo&s;tle, ravi&s;hed in this medita|tion, &s;aith in another place,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.32</NOTE> <HI>Who &s;pared not his owne Sonne for vs, but gaue him for vs all to death;</HI> Hee &s;aith not &s;imply, that he hath given him, <HI>but that he hath not &s;pared him,</HI> as if he &s;hould have &s;aid, hee made no diffi|culty, to expo&s;e him for vs to extreame paine and torments. A degree of Charity, which the An|gels them&s;elues cannot &s;ufficiently comprehe~d, and therefore the A|po&s;tle
<PB N="98" REF="86">po&s;tle requireth in vs, the Spirit of wi&s;edome and revelation, to wit, that the eyes of our vn|der&s;tanding bee &s;o illu|minated,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 3.13.</NOTE> <HI>that wee may know, what is the length, breadth, height, and depth of this love of God towards vs.</HI></P>
<P>In a word, vpon this obiect, let vs briefly col|lect and con&s;ider again&s;t our adver&s;aries of the Church of Rome, That in this holy Supper and Communion, the body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is not &s;imply propo&s;ed, as vn|der&s;tanding it to bee a <PB N="99" REF="86">body; nor the blood, as taking it for blood, but the body, as vnder&s;tan|ding it to be broken, and the blood, as taking it to bee &s;pilt; Becau&s;e in that con&s;i&s;teth all the merit of our &s;alvation, and all the cau&s;e of our life. From whence it fol|lowes, That the action wherewith wee receiue the body and blood of Chri&s;t, cannot choo&s;e but bee &s;pirituall, to wit, an action of the &s;oule, and no way of the bo|dy, becau&s;e the bodie cannot bee taken as vn|der&s;tood, broken; nor <PB N="100" REF="87">the blood, as meant &s;hed, except by Faith: For tho&s;e forepa&s;t, and beti|ded things on the cro&s;&s;e, that is to &s;ay, the break|ing of the body, and the effu&s;ion of blood, can|not bee giuen or pre&s;en|ted to the &s;oule, but by the meditation of Faith.</P>
<P>The third obiect of our Meditation, is the fruit and benefit of this obligation which were re|ceived by Chri&s;ts body and blood, in the&s;e words, <HI>Broken for you, Shed for many,</HI> for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes. And heere two con&s;iderati|ons <PB N="101" REF="87">againe pre&s;ent them to vs:
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. Of the per&s;ons, for whome Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is offered.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. The profit and benefit which it brings them.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Of the per&s;ons; vn|der&s;tanding, that he offe|reth him&s;elfe for wret|ched and &s;infull crea|tures, who in regard of his excellent being, are nothing but du&s;t and a&s;hes: and as it were for|med but ye&s;terday; but, which is more, for crea|tures infected with &s;inne, guilty of rebellion a|gain&s;t <PB N="102" REF="88">him, and pro|fe&s;&s;ed enemies of his di|vine maie&s;tie, both in their thoughts, and wic|ked workes and actions, which the con&s;ideration of the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Colo&s;sians</HI> thus expre&s;|&s;eth;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1.21.</NOTE> <HI>You which in times pa&s;t, were &s;trangers and enemies; becau&s;e your minds were &s;et in evill workes; he now al&s;o hath reconciled, in that body of his fle&s;h, to make you holy, and vn|blameable, and without fault in his &s;ight.</HI> And al|&s;o writing to the <HI>Romans,</HI> &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.6,7,8.</NOTE> <HI>For Chri&s;t, when we were yet of no &s;trength, <PB N="103" REF="88">at his time, dyed for the vn|godly,</HI> adding againe far|ther, <HI>doutble&s;&s;e one will &s;car&s;e die for a righteous man, but yet for a good man,</HI> but <HI>God &s;etteth out his love to vs, &s;eeing that whiles we were yet Sinners, Chri&s;t died for.</HI></P>
<P>The other con&s;idera|tion, proceeds from the profit and benefit which it brings vs; and Ie&s;us Chri&s;t defines it, whe~ he &s;aith, that it is for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins: And this is the profit and benefit, which to expre&s;&s;e the Prophets aleage, <HI>that our &s;innes have beene throwen
<PB N="104" REF="89">into the bottome of the Sea, and that God remembreth them no more, and that as farre di&s;tant, as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t, &s;o farre from him, the Lord hath ca&s;t away our &s;innes, and the figures vnder the Law, to wit, that of the Goat Hazazel, teaching, that our &s;innes have beene caried in|to a de&s;ert and vnhabitable Countrey, never to returne more in Gods &s;ight and Pre|&s;ence;</HI> Which beleeving, wee &s;ee all evils, as they are paines and torments, to have lo&s;t their being in the faithfull righteous man; yea and that death <PB N="105" REF="89">it &s;elfe is &s;wollen vp in victory, and the Law with his cur&s;es, (which were as a contrary obli|gation) is quite ra&s;ed out &amp; defaced by the blood of the Sonne of God, cleare aboli&s;hed, cancel|led, and fa&s;tened to his Cro&s;&s;e, as the Apo&s;tle teacheth to the <HI>Colo&s;ians:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.14.</NOTE> <HI>Likewi&s;e Sathan, who per|formed nothing, but as the Executioner of Gods iu&s;tice again&s;t Sinners,</HI> by this alone death found all his power to be vanqui|&s;hed and overthrowen, as the Apo&s;tle &s;heweth vs in the &s;ame Chap|ter,
<PB N="106" REF="90">of the &s;ame Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Colo&s;sians,</HI> in the&s;e words,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.15.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t hath &s;poyled the Principalities and Pow|ers, and hath made a &s;hew of them openly, and hath triumphed over them on the Cro&s;&s;e:</HI> But be&s;ides, that our enemies and af|flictions are taken away and defaced, by this ob|lation of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o likewi&s;e all &s;orts of pro|fits and benefits are put in place thereof; as ma|ny prom&s;es as there are; they are &s;o many, <HI>Yeas</HI> and
<HI>Amens</HI> in Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us; life is given, which is a new, &s;pirituall, and <PB N="107" REF="90">divine life by regenera|tion; and the new hea|venly Sanctuary is ope|ned vnto vs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.19</NOTE> <HI>for there wee have leave and liberty to enter by the blood of Chri&s;t:</HI> and therefore it is
<HI>that the earthly vaile of the Templerent in peeces at his death.</HI> The Kingdome of God is given vnto vs, and wee are made chil|dren, and heires, to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e and enioy all the goods and trea&s;ures of God, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.6,7.</NOTE> <HI>That Ie&s;us Chri&s;t having beene made &s;ubiect vnder the Law, hath re|deemed vs from the Law,
<PB N="108" REF="91">to the end, that wee &s;hould receive the adoption of children: and that if wee are children, wee are al&s;o heires of God by Chri&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 17.11.</NOTE> <HI>yea God him&s;elfe is given to vs in his Sonne, to the end, that wee be in him, and he in vs,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 1.</NOTE> <HI>and likewi&s;e that one day, he be all things in all.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="point">
<HEAD>III. Poynt, or gene|rall Head.</HEAD>
<P>The&s;e are the Medita|tions, which the words of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in his Supper requireth of vs; And now come wee to &s;ee the acts &amp; functions, <PB N="109" REF="91">which the&s;e Meditati|ons ought to produce in our hearts, the which likewi&s;e re&s;ult and de|&s;cend from the&s;e words of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: The&s;e actes and functions are fiue, to wit,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. The feeling of our mi&s;ery, and a godly &s;or|row for having &s;inned.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. The beliefe and a&s;&s;urance of the remi&s;&s;i|on of our &s;innes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>III. The &s;anctificati|on of the &s;oule, and par|ticularly, of Loue and Charitie towards our neighbour.</ITEM>
<ITEM>IIII. Our con&s;olati|on, <PB N="110" REF="92">and patience in affli|ctions.</ITEM>
<ITEM>V. Our hope of hea|venly felicitie.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I begin with the fee|ling of our mi&s;erie, and a religious or godly &s;or|row for having &s;inned; that is to &s;ay, by con&s;i|dering by the breaking of Chri&s;ts body, which is propo&s;ed and intima|ted to vs in the breaking of bread, the paine and torments which we haue de&s;erved. For my belo|ved Brethren, it is for vs, that Chri&s;ts body hath been broken with cruell torments on the Cro&s;&s;e; <PB N="111" REF="92">and therefore this &s;ad &amp; wofull &s;pectacle doth both &s;hew and teach vs, that in requitall there|of, wee haue de&s;erved to bee brui&s;ed and broken with torments for ever. Chri&s;ts &s;ufferings, and groanes vnder the bur|then of Gods wrath, is a pourtrait (or mappe) of that mi&s;erie, wherein we all &s;hould haue peri&s;hed for our &s;innes. Behold then, O &s;inner, the terri|ble indignation &amp; cur&s;e of God, which violently was comming to alight and fall vpon thee. Thou who art in&s;en&s;ible of thy <PB N="112" REF="93">mi&s;ery, here behold and &s;ee thy condition in the e&s;tate of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t on the Cro&s;&s;e. See, I &s;ay, thy torments and mi&s;e|ry; and when thou &s;ee&s;t this Bread in the Sacra|ment of his Supper, bro|ken, &s;ay: O Lord, here I am, who haue de&s;erued to bee brui&s;ed, &amp; broken with the rodde of thine anger. It was I who had &s;inned, and therfore me|rited to &s;upport and &s;uf|fer thy fierce indignati|on, &amp; from thence there mu&s;t bee ingendred and borne in our hearts, a holy and a religious &s;or|row, <PB N="113" REF="93">for that wee haue bin the efficient and re|all cau&s;e, that the Sonne of God hath &s;uffered all the&s;e vnde&s;erved tor|tures &amp; afflictions. See&s;t thou, (O Chri&s;tian) the body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t broken on the Cro&s;&s;e? It is therefore requi&s;ite, that thou breake thy heart with &s;orrow, for that thy &s;innes haue pro|duced all this evill, and cau&s;ed all this calamitie. Therefore behold the drops of blood trickling downe the face of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Thou who drin|ke&s;t and &s;uppe&s;t vp &s;inne <PB N="114" REF="94">as water, loe, thy &s;innes are the &s;harpe thornes, which haue pricked and pierced his head. Thee, to whom thy &s;inne is &s;o &s;weet and delicious, be|hold, they are thy &s;innes which haue beene the nayles and &s;peare, that haue tran&s;pierced thy ble&s;&s;ed body. Thou who e&s;teeme&s;t thy &s;ins to bee but &s;ome indifferent or triviall thing; what deep pa&s;&s;ions of &s;orrow &s;hould thy heart and &s;oule con|ceiue, to haue beene the cau&s;e of the death of thy friend, thy brother, thy father, or thy child, by <PB N="115" REF="94">any action or accident of thine owne. But how much more grief &amp; &s;or|row then oughte&s;t thou hereto retaine &amp; feele at the remembrance of thy &s;ins, which haue cau&s;ed thy Creator to be mur|dred, and thy God to be crucified to death.</P>
<P>The II. Act of our hearts, which ought to &s;treame foorth and ari&s;e from that which the Lords ble&s;&s;ed Supper expo&s;eth and pre&s;enteth to our eyes, is the faith and a&s;&s;urance of the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes. Thou &s;aye&s;t to thy &s;elfe, O <PB N="116" REF="95">Sinner, I have offended God, and broken and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed his Law, therefore who &s;hall ran|&s;ome and redeeme mee from his furious wrath and indignation: But be cheerefull and couragi|ous, for loe here is thy ran&s;ome, which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t brings and de|nounceth vnto thee in the&s;e words, <HI>This is my Body which hath beene bro|ken for thee, This is my Blood that hath beene &s;hed for thee,</HI> and wilt thou therefore doubt, when the only Sonne of God is hee who hath &s;atisfied <PB N="117" REF="95">for thee, and that it is not a &s;illy man, but the eternall him&s;elfe, who is both thy righteou&s;nes and thy Redeemer; &s;ay then with the Apo&s;tle, <HI>who is hee, that will con|demne, &s;ith it is Chri&s;t that is dead:</HI> do&s;t thou doubt of Gods love, where his owne Sonne, the onely beloved of his Father, is the propitiation for thy &s;innes. If thou pro|po&s;e to thy &s;elfe, thine owne merits, or the &s;uf|ferings of any other creatures or per&s;ons, thou &s;houlde&s;t feare, that God will not receive <PB N="118" REF="96">them for &s;atisfaction, becau&s;e they are too ba&s;e money, and of a fal&s;e and counterfeit mettall, to be approved and received of God: But wee mu&s;t pre&s;ent him, the body of his onely Sonne broken, and his blood &s;hed, and then hee cannot, but ap|prove thereof as a full and valable &s;atisfaction. God heeretofore knew the blood of the Lambe, vpon the po&s;tes of the doores, when he &s;ent his de&s;troying Angell a|gain&s;t <HI>Egypt;</HI> and will he not then know the blood
<PB N="119" REF="96">of his owne Sonne, as of a Lambe without &s;pot, or blemi&s;h, where|by you have be&s;princk|led your con&s;ciences. Be therefore bold, and confident, and &s;ay with the Apo&s;tle to the He|brewes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 10.21,22.</NOTE> <HI>Seeing wee have a high Prie&s;t, which is over the hou&s;e of God, let vs draw neere, with a true heart in a&s;&s;urance of faith, our hearts being pure, from an evill con&s;cience,</HI> that &s;o wee may obtaine mercy and find grace in due time: And here againe O faithfull Chri&s;tian, two rea&s;ons of thy a&s;&s;u|rance
<PB N="120" REF="97">and confidence drawen from this Sacra|ment. The one is, that as in Bapti&s;me, it is to thy &s;elfe, to thine owne body, that the water is applyed; that thou may|e&s;t thereby know, that thou art wa&s;ht in the blood of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o in this Sacrament of his ble&s;&s;ed Supper; it is to thee that hee gives his body, yea it is into thine owne hands, which hee commits and puts this Sacrament, to a&s;&s;ure thee, that it is onely to thee, which hee gives him&s;elfe, and not to o|thers <PB N="121" REF="97">whom thou may|e&s;t hold and e&s;teeme to be better then thy &s;elfe: In which regard, for that this Sacrament is given to thee, and put into thine owne hands, it is becau&s;e thou mu&s;t e&s;teeme, and beleeue, that Chri&s;ts body is thine, as a Ran&s;ome which is given into thy hands to pre&s;ent vnto God: wherefore doubt not, but it properly be|longs and appertaines vnto thee, for otherwi&s;e thou doe&s;t annull and annihilate the Sacra|ment which Chri&s;t giues
<PB N="122" REF="98">thee, and thou doubte&s;t that he be true in giving it to thee.</P>
<P>The other rea&s;on is, That although there hee a great di&s;tance betwixt Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &amp; vs, as be|twixt the Saint of Saints, and poore and mi&s;erable &s;inners; neverthele&s;&s;e we learne by this Sacrame~t, that wee are incorpora|ted with Chri&s;t, and into Chri&s;t, and that wee be|come his members, his blood, and his bone, as fle&s;h which wee eate be|comes our blood and bone. But to the mem|bers and body, rightly
<PB N="123" REF="98">belongs the power of the Head, which cannot bee denyed her. Thou maye&s;t then inferre, O Chri&s;tian, that the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is thine owne, and that it properly be|longs and appertaines to thee.</P>
<P>The third Act of our hearts in the participati|on of this Sacrament, is the &s;anctifying of our &s;oules, by the loue of God, and the denying and renouncing of our &s;elues, the which is per|formed by three things that are &s;eene, &amp; appeare <PB N="124" REF="99">in this Sacrament, that is to &s;ay:
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. The great Charitie, and loue of God to|wards vs.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. The foulenes and odiou&s;nes of &s;inne.</ITEM>
<ITEM>III. The example of our owne dutie.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">I &s;ay fir&s;t, The great charitie &amp; loue of God: For (my brethren) &s;hould not this infinite love of God, in expo|&s;ing and delivering vp his onely begotten Son to death for vs, repleni&s;h, in&s;pire, and fill vs with a reciprocall love to|wards him; &s;hould wee
<PB N="125" REF="99">have &s;uch &s;tupid and &s;en&s;eles hearts, that the Lords great compa&s;si|on towards vs, &s;hould nothing move, or &s;tirre them vp; and &s;uch fro|zen &s;oules, that the bur|ning charity of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, dying for vs, could not heate and in|flame them in his love. Should wee wilfully of|fend &s;o great a goodnes in him, when we &s;ee, hee hath &s;pared nothing for vs? Or is it po&s;&s;ible, that &s;o great (yea &s;o extream) an ingratitude, hath po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed our hearts, and &s;ei|zed our &s;oules, as to di&s;|plea&s;e <PB N="126" REF="100">God, who hath loved vs &s;o infinitely, as not to &s;pare his onely Sonne for vs.</P>
<P N="2">II. I &s;peak of the foul|ne&s;&s;e and odiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of &s;inne, which appeares in this Cro&s;&s;e: for &s;hal we not hate &s;inne, which is &s;o di&s;plea&s;ing, and odi|ous to the eyes of our heavenly Father, that he would redeeme and ex|piate it with the death of his Son. Of a truth, if we repute &amp; e&s;teeme not <HI>Christs</HI> blood, for a light and triviall thing, needs mu&s;t &s;in bee very odious &amp; grievous vnto vs; and
<PB N="127" REF="100">then needes mu&s;t Ie&s;us Chri&s;t crucified, be vnto vs the powerfull motiue to crucifie the fle&s;h with the lu&s;ts thereof, and to mortifie in vs all, that which is of the old man, and of &s;inne.</P>
<P N="3">III. We haue the ex|ample of our dutie. In this Sacrament (O Chri|&s;tian) thou &s;ee&s;t the &s;a|crifice of the Sonne of God, which is a le&s;&s;on to teach thee to pre&s;ent thy body vnto God, as a living, holy and plea&s;ing &s;acrifice. The patterne and modell of thy &s;an|ctification, con&s;i&s;teth in <PB N="127" REF="101">breaking, and cha&s;ticing in thee the Old man, as thou &s;ee&s;t the body of Chri&s;t broken on the Cro&s;&s;e, and con&s;equent|ly, to dye vnto &s;inne, as thou &s;ee&s;t him dead. What, wilt thou now liue vnto that, for which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t dyed, and his fle&s;h which he cruci|fied on the Cro&s;&s;e, &s;hall it againe reviue, and a&s;|&s;ume life, and full and perfect vigour in thy members?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6 5.</NOTE> Mu&s;t thou not bee made the very &s;ame plant with Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, conformably to his death, to wit, that the <PB N="129" REF="101">body of &s;in be de&s;troy|ed in thee, to the end, that thou no more, nor no longer &s;erue &s;inne.</P>
<P>But among&s;t the parts of &s;anctification, Chari|tie and loue towards our neighbours, is particu|larly requi&s;ite and requi|red in this Sacrament, according to that of the Apo&s;tle:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 4.10,11.</NOTE> <HI>Heerein is that loue, not that we loved God, but that hee loved vs, and &s;ent his Sonne to be a recon|ciliation for our &s;innes.</HI> Ad|ding likewi&s;e thereunto;
<HI>Beloved, if God &s;o loued vs, we ought al&s;o to loue one the other.</HI> Wilt thou refu&s;e, <PB N="130" REF="102">O Chri&s;tian, to loue and a&s;si&s;t thy neighbour, for whom thou &s;ee&s;t that Chri&s;t Ie&s;us refu&s;ed not to &s;hed his blood? Wilt thou refu&s;e to giue bread to him, to whom Ie&s;us Chri&s;t refu&s;ed not his body? See therefore in this Sacrament, that which thou owe&s;t to thy neighbour, to wit, not onely to expo&s;e thy goods, but thy life for him; at lea&s;t, if thou thinke to haue any part in <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> according to that of Saint <HI>Iohn:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Iohn 3.16,17.</NOTE> <HI>Heereby have wee percei|ved love, that hee layed <PB N="131" REF="102">downe his life for vs, there|fore wee ought al&s;o, to lay downe our lives for our bre|thren: and who&s;oever hath the goods of this world, and &s;eeth his brother have need, and &s;hutteth vp his com|pa&s;sion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him;</HI> Thou therefore, who knowe&s;t not what it is, to give vnto the poore, and to comfort the afflicted; art thou not amazed and con|founded in thy &s;elfe, to con&s;ider and behold, that Chri&s;t died for tho&s;e, with who&s;e po|verty and mi&s;ery thou <PB N="132" REF="103">art &s;o little (or rather no|thing at all) moved or touched. Thou al&s;o who contemne&s;t thy neigh|bour, as thy inferiour, and vnworthy of thy company: behold how our Saviour Chri&s;t pla|ceth him at the &s;ame ta|ble with thee, and nou|ri&s;heth him with the &s;ame meat, and gives him his owne Cup, as to thy &s;elfe; and thou who live&s;t in contention and divi&s;ion, with thy neigh|bours, behold how Chri&s;t in this Sacra|ment cals thee to the Communion of one and
<PB N="133" REF="103">the &s;ame body, and will, that wee who are many, be one onely bread, and one onely body parta|king of the &s;ame bread, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Corint.
10.3.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>The fourth Act and duety, which mu&s;t bee ingendered and propa|gated in our hearts by the meditation of this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament, is pa|tience and con&s;olation in afflictions. Do&s;t thou &s;ee Gods Church per|&s;ecuted; <HI>It is the Body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, which is a|gaine broken, and his blood which is &s;hed,</HI> that which <PB N="134" REF="104">was the condition of this body on the Cro&s;&s;e, and which is pre&s;ented to thee in this Sacra|ment, the &s;ame is the condition of the my&s;ti|call body on earth. What my brethren, doe wee &s;o often &s;ee Chri&s;ts body broken by the Sa|crament, to bee after|wards &s;o &s;trangly af|frighted and a&s;toni&s;hed, to &s;ee the Church, which is the body of Chri&s;t, to &s;uffer the like mea&s;ure and fortune here on earth? Let vs therefore learne by this Sacrament,
<HI>That Ie&s;us <PB N="135" REF="104">Chri&s;t crucified,</HI> is our en|&s;igne here on earth, and that wee thereby know, that we are a&s;ommoned and called to his Cro&s;&s;e, and that wee are indeed his true body and mem|bers, if wee &s;uffer with him, to the end, that we may likewi&s;e be glorifi|ed with him; Say then all yee, who &s;ee this Sa|crament;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.13</NOTE> <HI>Let vs goe forth therefore to him out of the Campe, bearing his re+proach.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1.24.</NOTE> <HI>Let vs accompli&s;h and beare the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t in our fle&s;h, for his bodies &s;ake, which is his Church, yea let vs every <PB N="136" REF="105">where,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Corint 4.10.</NOTE> <HI>beare about in our bodies, the death of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and that the life of our Lord Chri&s;t, may bee manife&s;ted in our mortall bodies:</HI> and all in general, let vs comfort our &s;elues in our afflictions; and pre&s;ent and figure this beleife to our hearts and minds, that they come not from God, who pu|ni&s;heth our &s;innes in his wrath and indignation; &s;ith this Sacrament te&s;ti|fieth, that tho&s;e puni&s;h|ments, and revenges have alighted and fallen on Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf, when his body was bro|ken, <PB N="137" REF="105">and his blood &s;hed and &s;pilt on the Cro&s;&s;e; but they proceed &s;imply from God, cha&s;ticing, correcting, approving, and teaching vs as a Fa|ther,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.32.</NOTE> <HI>that wee bee not con|demned with the world;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 12.10.</NOTE> <HI>that here below, being made Partakers of his holyne&s;&s;e;</HI> wee may hereafter in heaven bee made Parta|kers of his felicity and glory.</P>
<P>The fifth Function, which the ble&s;&s;ed Sacra|ment of the Lords Sup|per &s;hould produce in vs, is, our hope of heavenly felicitie, according as <PB N="138" REF="106"><HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> him&s;elfe &s;aid to his di&s;ciples, at the celebration of this Sa|crament,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.29</NOTE> <HI>I will drinke no more of the fruit of the vine, vntill that day that I &s;hall drinke it new with you, in my Fathers King|dome:</HI> by which words <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> will now rai&s;e, and elevate our hearts from the fea&s;t, which he makes vs here below in his favour, to that which he will here|after make vs above in his glory: and whereof he fea&s;t (or banquet) which he makes vs here on earth, in his Sacra|ment <PB N="139" REF="106">gives vs the fir&s;t ta&s;tes and reli&s;hes, be|cau&s;e the peace and ioy of con&s;cience, and the refre&s;hing and repleni&s;h|ing of the &s;oule in God, is a true beginning, and a &s;hining ray of the de|lights and felicities of heaven: wherfore faith|full Chri&s;tian, reioyce thou at the&s;e begin|nings, in hope of that happy &amp; heavenly acco~pli&s;hment, which is pro+mi&s;ed thee, and through the eyes of thy faith, be|hold cheerefully and ioyfully, the tree of e|ternall life, which is in
<PB N="140" REF="107">the <HI>Paradice</HI> of God, and the hidden
<HI>Manna</HI> (the bread of Angels) which thy Lord and Saviour prepares for thee: and behold the fulne&s;&s;e and &s;atiety, which is prepa|red for thee, in the &s;a|cred and glorious face of God, whereof <HI>David</HI> (in the times of the thicke&s;t, and ob&s;cure&s;t &s;haddowes) &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.11</NOTE> <HI>In thy pre&s;ence, O Lord, is fulne&s;&s;e of ioy, and at thy right hand are plea&s;ures for evermore.</HI> And againe in another place,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 65.4.</NOTE> <HI>O how ble&s;&s;ed is hee whom thou choo&s;e&s;t, and cau&s;e&s;t to come vnto thee,
<PB N="141" REF="107">he &s;hall dwell in thy courts, and &s;hall bee &s;atisfied with the plea&s;ures of thine hou&s;e and of thine holy Temple:</HI> and likewi&s;e in another,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 36.8</NOTE> <HI>They &s;hall bee &s;atisfied with the fatne&s;&s;e of thine hou&s;e, and thou &s;halt give them drinke out of the River of thy plea&s;ures.</HI> Contemne, therefore <HI>(O Chri&s;tian)</HI> all earthly plea&s;ures in Compari&s;on of tho&s;e heavenly delights which pa&s;&s;e all vnder&s;tanding; becau&s;e by this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament thou art in|uited and called to the wedding banquet of the Lambe, where thou <PB N="142" REF="108">halt &s;it downe with <HI>A|braham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Iacob,</HI> and where thou &s;halt be &s;atisfied, and ravi&s;hed with God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<P>And the&s;e (my belo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ed brethren) are the me|ditations and functions, which God requires of vs, condignely and wor|thily to receiue the ble&s;|&s;ed Sacrament of the Lords Supper, and to en|tertaine vs religiou&s;ly &amp; piou&s;ly in the expecta~ce of his comming; as this Sacrament was purpo&s;ly in&s;tituted, to declare and foretell vs his death, and the ine&s;timable benefits
<PB N="143" REF="108">which i&s;&s;ue and proceed thereof vnto vs, vntill he come. Let vs therefore examine and prooue our &s;elues, if wee are of this holy di&s;po&s;itio~, for feare le&s;t eating this Bread, or drinking this Wine vn|worthily, wee thereby make our &s;elues guiltie of the Lords body and blood, and con&s;equently eat and drinke our owne damnation: And if wee find not this holy &amp; &s;an|ctified di&s;po&s;ition in our hearts; let vs then effe|ctually endeavor to pro|duce &amp; enkindle it in vs, by the often reading and <PB N="144" REF="109">meditating of the &s;acred Bible, (the divine Ora|cles) and written Word of God; as al&s;o by fre|quent &amp; ince&s;&s;ant Pray|er. For this Word of God (I &s;ay) is the Loo|king gla&s;&s;e, wherin ope~|ly beholding the glorie of the Lord face to face,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.18.</NOTE> <HI>wee are transformed and changed into the &s;ame I|mage from glory to glory,</HI> as &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. I &s;ay likewi&s;e, by Prayer, becau&s;e the Lord mo&s;t benignly, and graciou&s;ly conferres, and giues wi&s;|dome to all tho&s;e who &s;eeke it of him, and hath <PB N="145" REF="109">promi&s;ed his holy &s;pirit to all tho&s;e, who with humble &amp; contrit hearts demand it of him. And let vs po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e and retain this con&s;olation amid&s;t the defects and imperfe|ctions which we feele in our hearts; that if we are di&s;contented or &s;orrow|full, if we are afflicted &amp; heavie laden, that yet notwith&s;tanding, Chri&s;t wil not reiect vs, becau&s;e he &s;aith, <HI>Come vnto me, all yee that are heavie laden:</HI> Or if we hunger &amp; thir&s;t after righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, (for this hunger and thir&s;t is a de&s;ire of Gods grace, <PB N="146" REF="110">proceeding from a liue|ly and &s;en&s;ible feeling of our &s;innes) he promi|&s;eth to repleni&s;h and &s;a|tisfie vs. May it there|fore plea&s;e thee, O our ble&s;&s;ed Lord and Savi|our, to call vs to this &s;a|cred Banquet, to &s;end vs thy holy Spirit, and giue decent and religious di&s;|po&s;itions; and becau&s;e hee now knockes at the doore of our hearts by his holy Word, giue vs grace, that we may open it vnto him in the obedi|ence of our faith, to the end
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel 3.</NOTE> <HI>that hee may &s;up with vs, and we with him;</HI> and <PB N="147" REF="110">that he him&s;elfe may be both our Hoa&s;t, and our Banquet.</P>
</DIV2>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<HEAD>A Prayer, to prepare our &s;elues, before we receiue the holy Supper of the Lord.</HEAD>
<P>O God, how &s;hall I pre&s;ent my &s;elfe be|fore thee, being a wret|ched creature, defiled &amp; polluted with &s;in; If the Angels (who haue never &s;inned) overvaile and co|ver their faces, whe~ they appeare before thy holi|ne&s;&s;e, <PB N="148" REF="111">how much greater ought my a&s;toni&s;hment and confu&s;ion bee, who am guiltie of &s;o many foule faults &amp; tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions, and likewi&s;e my griefe and &s;orrow, &s;ith thy wrath reveales it &s;elf from heaven again&s;t &s;in, and that on every &s;ide we &s;ee the effects therof. Nature is afflicted and troubled, and our bodies are already po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of di&s;ea&s;es and death, and therfore what greater pu|ni&s;hment may our &s;oules attend and expect; and if in this life thy wrath and indignation be thus <PB N="149" REF="111">manife&s;ted, what will it be when we &s;hal appeare before thy Tribunal; and that thou pronounce a &s;harp and heavie &s;entence again&s;t vs: but O Lord in this feareful amazement, here ari&s;eth vp to vs newes of grace, and mat|ter of comfort and con|&s;olation. Thou ha&s;t had compa&s;&s;ion of mankind, thou ha&s;t &s;ent thine on|ly Son here below to re|concile and expiate our &s;innes; the earth had no|thing for the &s;aluation of man, the Angels who have no part of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or of life, but <PB N="150" REF="112">for them&s;elues could not re&s;i&s;t thine anger, but in &s;tooping and &s;incking downe vnder the bur|then therof. But O Lord thou ha&s;t opened thine owne bo&s;ome, from whe~ce alone could come &s;aluation; and from it thou ha&s;t &s;ent thine only Sonne to cloth him&s;elfe with our nature, and to &s;uffer therein the puni&s;h|ment due to our &s;innes, and fully to &s;atisfie thy Iu&s;tice for all our trans|gre&s;&s;ions, &s;o that we haue redemptio~ by his blood (to wit) remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, according to the riches <PB N="151" REF="112">and trea&s;ure of thy mer|cy; and we heare this thy Son to pronounce the&s;e &s;weet &amp; plea&s;ing words in his Go&s;pel, <HI>Come to me all ye that are oppre&s;&s;ed and heauy laden, and I will re|fre&s;h and comfort you.</HI> O|verloaden then as I am, with the heavie burthen of my &s;innes, I come to di&s;charge &amp; disburthen them on thy cro&s;&s;e, be|cau&s;e he hath borne our &s;innes in his body on the wood therof And wher|fore &s;hould not I fully beleeue it, &s;ith this &s;ove|raigne loue, &amp; immen&s;e goodnes was worthy of <PB N="152" REF="113">thee, and that not onely by thy Te&s;tament, but al&s;o by this Sacrament of thy ble&s;&s;ed Supper, thou give&s;t mee this re|demption, and place&s;t it (as it were) before mine eyes: For wherfore &s;er|veth this great Sacra|ment, but to repre&s;ent to my &s;oule, by faith, this great &s;acrifice of Chri&s;ts body, which he hath gi|ven &amp; pre&s;ented thee on the Cro&s;&s;e. So becau&s;e I &s;ee my ran&s;ome and re|demption, have I not therefore iu&s;t cau&s;e, O my God, to reioyce and comfort my &s;elf in thee, <PB N="153" REF="113">that ran&s;ome (I &s;ay) which thine owne &s;elfe ha&s;t freely given me. A divine ran&s;om, of a mo&s;t ine&s;timable price and va|lue, becau&s;e it is the bo|dy of thine only begot|ten Son, true God toge|ther with thee. Heere, heere, O my God, it is, where my &s;oule, (hun|gring and thir&s;ting after thy favour) finds where|withall to freed &amp; refre&s;h her &s;elfe. This body cru|cified, is my true re&s;to|ritie; and this blood &s;pilt and &s;hed on the cro&s;&s;e, is the liquor, wherwith my &s;oule fills her &s;elfe with <PB N="154" REF="114">vn&s;peakeable joy. And heere it is, where thy goodne&s;&s;e is &s;o great, &s;o infinite to all mankind, that thou invite&s;t all tho&s;e who are hungrie and thir&s;ty; Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elfe &s;aying, <HI>Happie are tho&s;e who hunger and thir&s;t after righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, for they &s;hall bee &s;atisfied.</HI> O then, let my &s;oule, which hungreth &amp; thir|&s;teth after righteou&s;nes, (to wit, that righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, wherewith thou ab&s;olve&s;t, and iu&s;tifie&s;t Sinners) obtaine the ful|ne&s;&s;e and refre&s;hing of eternall life and &s;alvati|on. <PB N="155" REF="114">Then depart and flie hence from mee, all my doubts and diffidences, I will confirme and &s;eale it, that God is true, in beleeving in his Sonne. For, &s;hal I offer him this iniury, to doubt that he is good enough to par|don my &s;innes, and mer|cifull enough to haue compa&s;&s;ion of my mi&s;e|ries? If I behold, or looke vp to his Iu&s;tice, I am &s;ure that is appea&s;ed, and &s;atisfied, becau&s;e <HI>Christ is hee, who dyed for mee,</HI> and I cannot doubt, that this death &s;hall bee obiected or approoved <PB N="156" REF="115">again&s;t me; becau&s;e Ie&s;us Chri&s;t became pledge, &amp; defender of all tho&s;e, who with repentant and contrite hearts, had re|cour&s;e to him. To who~ therefore &s;hall I run, or flie, but to him, and why &s;hall I not repent me, to haue offended thee, in that thou art &s;o gracious &amp; mercifull towards vs, and that I &s;ee &s;inne is &s;o execrable, that onely thine owne Son mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;itie die to expiate it; And if my repen|tance bee defectiue, and my faith infirme and weake, I will repre&s;ent
<PB N="157" REF="115">and &s;hew thee that which thou thy &s;elfe ha&s;t &s;ayd, <HI>That thou wilt not breake the brui&s;ed reed, nor quench the &s;moking flax;</HI> &amp; I will &s;ay as he did in the Go|&s;pell, <HI>I beleeue, therefore O Lord, helpe my vnbeliefe.</HI> It is not for my repen|tance and faith to giue, but to receiue &s;aluation, the which is already purcha&s;ed and de&s;erved by thy Son <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> Wee refu&s;e not a rich gift, either from a poore per&s;on, or a trembling hand: therfore, O Lord, I reioyce and comfort my &s;elfe in this, that I <PB N="158" REF="116">am di&s;plea&s;ed with mine owne &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions, and am truly &s;or|rowfull, and infinitly re|pentant, that I can repent them no more. O good God, were I free &amp; ex|empt of &s;in, I the~ needed not this Sacrame~t which thou give&s;t mee, for that it is a remedy again&s;t &s;in, &amp; that thou do&s;t conti|nually invite vs to think and meditate with our &s;elues how odious &s;in is, and ought to bee to vs, becau&s;e of the filthie lu&s;ts, and pernicious in|clinations, which re&s;ide &amp; dwel in our members:
<PB N="159" REF="116">for in heaven, where we &s;hall &s;inne no more, this remedy is needle&s;&s;e; Be mercifull therefore vnto mee, O God, becau&s;e of thy loving kindnes, and according to the infinit|ne&s;&s;e of thy compa&s;&s;ion, deface and doe away my tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions: for I know that my &s;innes are ever before me. O God create in mee a pure heart, and reviue and re|new in me thy holy &s;pi|rit; Clean&s;e &amp; wa&s;h me, O Lord, in the blood of thy ble&s;&s;ed Sonne; feed my &s;oule, which &s;eekes her nouri&s;hment and life <PB N="160" REF="117">in him; and if I am vn|worthy of thy favours, yet refu&s;e not &s;ome crummes of mercy to him, who humbly pre|&s;ents him&s;elfe to thy Table; Denie not (O Lord) the effect of thy mercy to him, who la|ments and weepes vnder the heavy burthen of his owne &s;innes and mi&s;ery, and who is religiou&s;ly and con&s;tantly re&s;olued, for ever to celebrate thy infinite mercy and com|pa&s;&s;ions.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="161" REF="117">
<HEAD>A Prayer of Thank&s;giuing after our receiving of the ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament of the Lords Supper.</HEAD>
<P>O Eternall God, Il|luminate more and more the eyes of my vn|der&s;tanding, that I may conceive and compre|hend what is the height, depth, length, &amp; bredth of thy love towards vs in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; what depth, when thou ha&s;t drawen vs from the bot|tome of death, by the death of thy Son; what height, when thou ha&s;t ray&s;ed and elevated vs
<PB N="162" REF="118">for him and with him to Heaven; what length but the la&s;ting eternitie (from age to age) of all felicity, which thou ha&s;t prepared for vs; what bredth, but as farre as the Ea&s;t is di&s;tant from the We&s;t; &s;o farre thou ha&s;t bani&s;hed &amp; &s;epara|ted our &s;innes from vs; and that as many pro|mi&s;es and ble&s;&s;ings, as thou ha&s;t pronounced vnto vs, they are &s;o ma|ny, <HI>yea, and Amens in Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> O God who cau&s;e&s;t mee to behold this thy &s;o wonderfull a goodnes, and who right <PB N="163" REF="118">now co~me&s;t from &s;hew|ing it to the eyes of my &s;oule, in the receiving of this ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament. Giue me grace, O Lord, to meditate and contem|plate theron, till I am ra|vi&s;hed in a &s;pirituall ex|ta&s;ie, yea, vntill I am transformed into the I|mage of this thine owne love; and that I become all love towards thee; that I live no longer to my &s;elfe, but that thy <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> may live in mee, through the love of thy divine goodnes &amp; beau|ty; and that I may em|brace and retaine no o|ther
<PB N="164" REF="119">de&s;ires, but for thee, and for the Kingdome of Heaven, which thou ha&s;t transferd and given mee by thy ble&s;&s;ed Son <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> O let me be|hold Sinne no more, but with horror and dete&s;ta+tion, becau&s;e it is con+trary to thy e&s;&s;ence and beeing, as al&s;o to the worke of my redempti+on, which thy ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament hath now proffered and pre&s;ented vnto mee. I &s;ee (O God, that thy Son is dead for Sinne; and therfore &s;hall I live who am the vilde&s;t of all Sinners. That thy <PB N="165" REF="119"><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath beene cruci|fied to de&s;troy Sin, and therefore &s;hall I give it &s;trength and vigour, to live and raigne in mee. O then (my mercifull God) let mee no longer live to, or for, the things of this world, but that I may crucifie my fle&s;h with all the &s;infull lu&s;ts thereof, and that the ho|ly Sacrament, which I came now from recei|ving, may bee the exam|ple and pourtrait of my duety, and my continu|all le&s;&s;on, tending and working to the true mortification of &s;inne in
<PB N="166" REF="120">mee, and that it may be bru&s;ed and broken, and left without &s;trength or life, as was the ble&s;&s;ed body of my Saviour
<HI>Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> who died on the Cro&s;&s;e for mee; and that al&s;o conformably to his re&s;urrection, I may hencefoorth live a &s;piri|tuall and heavenly life, &s;till &s;eeking <HI>tho&s;e things which are above, and not tho&s;e which are below on earth.</HI> And indeed, O Lord, by this thy holy Sacrament I &s;ee that I am vnited &amp; incorpora|ted to thy <HI>Son Chri&s;t;</HI> and that I am thereby made <PB N="167" REF="120">fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, and bone of his bone, and beeing thus adioyned with him; mu&s;t I not al&s;o be conioyned with him in the &s;ame functi|ons, and affections. Shall I di&s;honour the body of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> by my &s;innes and filthine&s;&s;e, and &s;hall I take away his mem|bers, to make them the members of the world, or of Sathan. O how carefull ought I to be of my actions and duety, &s;ith in this vnion I reape this con&s;olation: that the obedience of
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is imputed to mee, as if <PB N="168" REF="121">I my &s;elfe had &s;atisfied his iu&s;tice, to wit, That I am now made one, and the &s;elfe &s;ame body with <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who hath fully payed and &s;atisfied for mee. How deare ought this Communion to bee vnto mee, whereby my Soule enioyeth peace, and a&s;&s;urance, &s;eeing the full remi&s;&s;ion of my &s;ins, and my ab&s;olute and free deliverance from Gods heauy cur&s;e, and fierce wrath, and indignation, whereby I &s;ee, that <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> e&s;teemeth, and cheari&s;heth mee as his owne body; a&s;well, to <PB N="169" REF="121">pre&s;erue mee from all e|vils; as to be&s;tow on me all good things, which are nece&s;&s;ary for me, ac|cording as the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes on this &s;ame &s;ub|iect. <HI>That no man ever hated his owne fle&s;h, but doth nouri&s;h and cheri&s;h it, as God doth his Church.</HI> So then let Sathan prac|ti&s;e all his power, and exerci&s;e all his malice again&s;t mee, I (notwith|&s;tanding) cannot but be more then a Conqueror over all things in this body of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and that if this his Commu|nion oblige and tye mee <PB N="170" REF="122">to cro&s;&s;es and afflictions (for here on earth I mu&s;t thus beare the death and pa&s;&s;ion of our <HI>Lord Ie&s;us</HI>) yet it doth a&s;&s;ure mee both of victory, and tri|umph: for the Spirit of God, which conducts &amp; quickneth this my&s;ticall body of
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in vs, is in|finitly greater then that of the world, &amp; the com|munion which I have with the Cro&s;&s;e of my Saviour, is my direct &amp; true way to glory. O my God, who make&s;t me to reli&s;h the&s;e delights of thy loue, and who in this maner feede&s;t &amp; repleni|&s;he&s;t
<PB N="171" REF="122">my &s;oule at thy ho|ly table; Giue me grace, that he~ceforth I may no more tru&s;t the delights and plea&s;ures of &s;in. Let my de&s;ires &amp; delights be to obey and do thy will, and that all the whole cour&s;e &amp; progre&s;s of my life, may bee a &s;anctified preparation to this great wedding banket of the <HI>Lambe,</HI> wherunto we are invited &amp; called, &amp; wher thy holy &amp; &s;acred &s;ight wilbe vnto vs a fulnes of all ioy, &amp; thy right hand an vn&s;peakable delight, &amp; plea&s;ure for evermore. Let me then (O Lord) at <PB N="147" REF="123">this very in&s;tant, clothe my &s;elfe with the wed|ding garment of thy &s;an|ctification, therewith to bee pre&s;ent at this Fea&s;t, whereof this of the Sa|crament, (wherunto thou ha&s;t now invited mee) is an earne&s;t &amp; pledge; and that &s;eparating my &s;elfe from the people of this world, (who&s;e only por|tio~ is in this pre&s;ent life) I may &s;ay with the royal Prophet <HI>Dauid, As for me (O Lord) I &s;hall &s;ee thy face in righteou&s;nes, and I &s;hall be filled with thy image and re&s;emblance, when I &s;hall a|wake.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="123">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
