CHAP. 1.

THe holy Apostle Saint Paul hauing reprehended the Corinthians for sun­dry misdemeanors amongst them; one whereof was their disorderly receiuing of the Lords Supper; he doth in these words prescribe a remedy for the [Page 2] same. For correction is not ynough without direction, and reprehension is defectiue without instruction. A kinde Chiruigian will not onely discouer the woūd, but apply the salue. A faithfull friend will not onely shew his friend his fault, or errour, but he will also giue his best aduise vnto him, that he might see to correct and preuent it for the time to come. The of­fice of a true teacher is as well to teach the truth, as to confute and refell falshoods: & as he must re­prooue and condemne euill man­ners, so should he also be carefull to shew what is good & how the euill may be preuented, & amen­ded. We count him a bad Guide, that onely tels the Trauellers of their wandring, and not of their way: and we iudge it the duty of a [Page 3] Maister-Mariner, to shew his folo­wers in the Arte of Nauigation, not onely syrts, & sands, & rocks, and the danger of them, but also the course to escape them: so a good Minister ought not only to shewe his people their sinnes, and the daunger of them, but also the means to mend, & the way to per­forme their dueties, as GOD re­quireth. This Paul hath done.

The Doctrines followe,

THat it is our duetie to search and Doct: 1 to prooue our selues before wee come to the Lords Table,

I wil here shew first, the reasons why we should make this triall: secondly, by what we ought to make it: thirdly, wherof it must be made: fourthly, how it ought [Page 4] to be done. The reasons that sho­uld mooue vs to make this triall are many.

First, it is the expresse cōmand­ment of God, Let a man examine him-selfe. Now the will of GOD must bee the rule of our workes. What God biddeth, that must we bend our selues to do: And in his seruice wantes no solace. For as Paul saith (1. Cor. 7. 19.) Circum­cision is nothing, nor vncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of Gods commandements. And the Scrip­ture further saith (Reuel. 22. 14.) Blessed are they that doe his command­ments, that their right may be in the tree of life, & may enter in through the gates into the Citie: Now one of his Commandements is, that we doe examine our selues before we come to the Lords Table.

Secondly, another argument may be borowed from the verse next before going, and next ensu­ing, and may be thus framed.

If he, that shall receiue this sa­crament vnworthily, be guiltie of the body and blood of Christ, & shall eate and drink his owne dam­nation, then it behooueth euery man to search and examine how he stands, and in what manner he commeth: this will all men graunt. But he that receiueth this sacra­ment vnworthily, is guiltie of the body and blood of Christ (a hay­nous sinne) and eates & drinkes his owne damnation (a fearefull pu­nishment.) Therefore it behoueth all men to trye their standing, and to examine in what plight they come.

Thirdly, a wise man will not [Page 6] come to the banquet of an earthly Prince without some competent preparation; why then should any man presume to present himselfe in the presence of God and his Angels, and to come to the ban­quet of the great Prince of all the worlde, there to eate the flesh and drink the blood of his onely Sonne, without due preparation, and fit­ting of himselfe, which cannot be without this search and examina­tion.

Fourthly, as preparatiues are necessarie before phisicke for the body: so this examination pre­pares a way by Gods blessing for ou [...] right receiuing of those sa­cred elements, as the phisicke of our souls. For by it we shal knowe our estates, & discerne our harts: by it we shall knowe how to [Page 7] discerne the Lords body: and we shall perceiue the loue of God in Christ vnto vs, who ordained this Sacrament for the confirmation of our faith; & the most entire aff­ection of Christ vnto vs, in that he gaue him-selfe to a shamefull and cursed death to redeeme vs, being in bondage to sinne and Sathan, as the Israelites were to the Egiptians, and to Pharoah their King.

Fiftly, this examination will oc­casion in vs both thankfulnes, & greater heede and watchfulnes. Thankfulnes I say; for after exa­mination, if a man perceiue his e­state to be good, & that he com­meth fitted and furnished in some competent measure, he is stirred vp to magnifye the Lord, who hath vouchsafed them this grace. If on the contrarye he finde him­selfe [Page 8] wretched or vnfit, he hath occasion to praise the Lord, that gaue him grace to search and see his condition, and that hee hath winked (as it were) at his wicked­nes and vnpreparednes, and hath not dealt with him, as he hath de­serued. And will it not also be an occasion of greater heed and vi­gilancy for the time to come? For euen as a man viewing and consi­dering well by day, how danger­ous a Bridge ouer some very deep water, he had safely passed in the darke, wilbe strucken with amaze­ment, and wilbe made more care­full thence-forward of his way; so when a man after examination of himselfe, shall perceiue what infi­nite danger by reason of his sins, he hath escaped through the mer­cie of the Lord, he shalbe prouo­ked [Page 9] to admire the goodnes of God and to become more circumspect in the time to come.

Sixtly, we are bound to search and examine our selues at other times: & in truth we ought to doe it daily; for we sinne daily, and Sa­than siftes and shakes vs daily, and with the Sun we doe still either as­cend or descend, and with the salt waters continually either ebbe or flowe. Now if we ought to proue our selues at other times, how much more at this, when we are to conuerse and deale, not with mortall man but with God, and that more neerely, and in a moste speciall and weightie businesse? Men should make the weightines of their affaires the rule of their care and labour.

Lastly, a man will not build an [Page 10] house, but he will examine and search his ground to see whether it be firme or false, sound or sandy.

There is no good husband but will suruey his grounds, & search their nature: a faithful Shepheard will duely obserue and search his sheep: an honest Lawyer will tru­ly examine his Clients cause: and a skilful and carefull Surgeon will throughly search his patients wo­und: wherefore then should not we exactly & curiously search and examine our selues, that we rush not without reason, vpon these holy mysteries? Hee that comes without this examination, may pertake of the type, but not of the truth: he may meet with the sha­dow, but he misseth the substance: Christ will not be eaten of those that come with foule hands, and [Page 11] filthy hearts: He wil not giue him selfe to them, that giue themselues from him to serue sin, & Sathan, and their sinful lusts. To conclude this first poynt; The wicked pro­ceed from one degree of wicked­nes to another, Cain (Gen. 45. 8. 9) was offended that God accepted not his offering: then he grewe in dislike with his brother: after that he shewe him: after that he tolde God a lye, in saying that he knew not where his brother was: thence he fell to saucy language with the Lord, Am I my brothers keeper? And after all this to dispaire, My sinne is greater then can be forgiuen. So like­wise Herod (Act. 12.) killed Iames, and clapt Peter vp in close prison, & after this approued the wicked and atheisticall acclamation and applause of the people, to Gods great di­shonour. [Page 12] Now if it be the marke of the wicked, thus to adde sinne vnto sinne, ought not Gods cho­sen to adde grace vnto grace, one good motion, & one good worke vnto another? To desire to come to the Lords Table is good in it selfe, and wil be also good in and vnto thee, if this thy good motion & intent, thou second with ano­ther worke as good; by examining thy selfe, & searching thy state, and so preparing thy selfe vnto it. In a word, as no wise man will vnder­take any businesse, vnlesse he per­ceiue himselfe fit to goe through with it; so let no man heer assem­bled be so bolde as to meddle in these matters, vnles he finde and feele himselfe in some good sorte prepared, which no man can be without serious search & exami­nation [Page 13] of himselfe: For as Mar­chants cannot without searching of their bookes, knowe nor make a iust account of their debts and loanes, of their receipts & expen­ces, of what they haue solde and bought; so is it impossible for vs without search and examination of our selues to know our estates. Our memory is weake, & our eye­sight bad: our debts are many, our receipts are many, our accounts are great. We haue to answer for many cogitations & many coūsels, for many works, & for many moe words. But when we come to this. Tryall, we shall finde it like Salo­mons 1. King. 3 24. 27. sworde, which found out the true mother of the childe. It may be God layes claime to thee, it may be Sathan also dooth the same: perhaps the Church challengeth [Page 14] thee for hers, it may be the world doth so too: Thou canst not be both theirs: they are not both thy father (at one time) nor both thy mother. But search thine heart, and thou shalt perceiue by the spi­rit and grace of God whose thou art, and to whome thou dost be­long. By tryall men finde out the nature of mettals: so by trying thy selfe, thou maiest know the mettal whereof thou art made, the foun­der that hath moulten thee, & the mould wherein thou wast cast: The husband-man by searching his ground may come to knowe what is in it, and for what it is fit: so wee, by proouing & searching the ground & gardē of our soules, may knowe their quality, & what growes in them most, whether the sweet & pleasant flowers of Gods [Page 15] graces, or the stinking weedes of sinne. Frō these similitudes these two points are illustrated; first that without examinatiō of our selues we cannot know our estates: now where this knowledge fayleth, there can be no due preparation for the comming to the Lords Ta­ble: and where due preparation is wanting, it were better to stay, then there to be. Secondly, hence appeareth, that by this examinati­on we may come to know our sel­ues, which is an excellent benefit, and a preparatiue to much good. A Captaine cannot be said to haue prepared him-selfe to encounter with a stout and puissant Prince, vnles (besides other dueties) he haue first tryed his owne strength: so no man can be sayd to haue fitted him-selfe for this holy busines, till [Page 16] he haue first examined himselfe. And as euery sicke person that is dis­creet, perceiuing the daunger of Ad medi­cam dubi­us confu­git aeger opem. O­uid. his disease, will seeke abroad for a remedie: so euery man of vnder­standing, perceiuing by his exa­mination the corruption and cra­zines of his condition, will stirre vp himselfe to seek a cure, that his state may be bettered and himselfe amended.

Pharoah no sooner perceiued a Exod. 8. 8, 28. & 9, 28 & 10, 17 plague, but he was by and by vpon Moses, that he would be a suter vn­to God for the remoouing of it. When Elymas was smitten blinde, that he could not see the Sun, he went about seeking some to leade him by the hand (Act. 13. 11.) and no doubt but desired his eye-sight with all his hearts; and shall not we when by this examination of our [Page 17] selues we finde the wretchednes of our states, as that spirits of vn­cleannes, like those Frogs of Ae­gipt, (Ex. 8. 3. 9.) haue crept into the chambers of our hearts, and that we are pestered with whole swarmes of sinnes, as the Aegipti­ans were with swarmes of Flies & Grashoppers; that our soules are polluted with the botches & bli­sters of iniquitie, as their bodies were with scabs (Ex. 9. 10.) And that worse then Elymas his blinde­nes, we are destitute of the eyes of our mindes, vnable to behold the Sun of righteousnes, and to looke v­pon & let in the light of Gods loue: and finally that we are as blinde of minde, & ignorant (as concerning true light, and sauing knowledge) as Aegipt was blacke, when it was couered with darkenes, which [Page 18] [...] [Page 19] [...] [Page 18] might be felt, (Exo. 10. 21.) I say, shall we not, nay can we but seeke about for comfort, for counsell, for cure, and for recouery? Haue we not good cause to goe to Chr­ist our Moses: & to flye to God by earnest suplication, that he would remoue these plagues, eiect those spirits, disperse those Frogs, dis­pell those swarmes, salue those sores, and restore our eye-sight? As he permitted that strong man Sathan to work these works with­in vs, so he is able to vnarme and binde him, to cast him out, and to cast downe his workes.

Thus we see the benefite of this examination, and the rea­sons, which should perswade vs to make it.

CHAP. 2.

THe second point to bee conside­red, is the thing, by which wee must examine our selues. For if the Mason build by a wrong line, or the Carpenter cut by a wrong squire, their labour is but lost, and their time consumed: so if we try our selues by a false Touch-stone, and examine our estates by partial or vnfit iudges, wee shall delude our selues, & deceiue our soules: we shall wrong our cause, and shal not see our case. Therefore especi­ally take heede of these three that followe: trye not your selues by them, neither in their sentence, nor example.

The first is within thee, but not of thee, neither ouer thee, if thou [Page 20] be Christes, and if Christ bee in thee: and that is thy Flesh, thy Con­cupisence, thy Corruption.

This seekes for shelter in thy soule, and for harbour in thine heart, and therfore cannot indure that thou shouldest search thy selfe, least finding of her out, and perceiuing her noy somnes, thou shouldest either turne her out, as a saucie guest: or seeke to kill her as a secret foe.

Secondly, Paul saith (Rom. 8. 1.) that those which are in Christ Ie­sus (as we al professe our selues to be) doe not walke after the flesh, but after the spirit: like men that are absolued by the Iudge, and haue discharged what the lawe requi­reth, who do now no more walke in the prison, but in the open ayre, and are no longer ruled by [Page 21] the Iaylor, but liue at liberty; yet perhapps sauouring of the Dun­geon, and carrying the prints of their Bolts and fetters, and not wholye stripped of their prison garments.

Now, if we be in Christ, as we say, and if wee either doe or (at least) ought to walke after the spirit, and not after the flesh or corruption of our hearts, what reason haue wee to make her our Iudge in the tryall of our states?

Thirdly, wee promised God in our Baptisme that wee would forsake and detest the flesh: but if wee make her our Iudge, wee shewe that we doe not for­sake her, but fauour her, and that we doe not hate her but ra­ther harbour and hearten her.

Fourthly, the wisdome (euen the best part) of the flesh is death, Ro. 8. 6. and therfore her sentence can in no wise be iust and good. Who would meddle with that which is the cause of death, and make it his Iudge? and if the wisdome of the flesh be folly with the Lord, as sure it is, then is the flesh a verie foole, and makes those foolish, that are ruled by her; therefore wicked men are tearmed fooles in the Scripture.

Now, who would bee iudg­ed or examined by a foole, whose wisedome is folly, yea and death; working death and destruction, to those that subscribe vnto it and will not renounce it?

Fiftly, Saint Paul saith, Rom. 8. 5 That they that are after the flesh, doe sauour the things of the flesh, but they [Page 23] that are after the spirit, the thinges of the spirit. But if wee will needes be tryed by the flesh, and wilbe con­tent with her determination, we plainely demonstrate that we sa­uour not the thinges of the spirit, but that we are bewitched with the flesh, and therefore that we are not guided by the holy Ghost but gouerned of the flesh.

Sixtly, the very wisedome of the flesh, is not onely an enemie, but enmity against God, Rom. 8. 7. wherefore doubtlesse if the flesh be our iudge, her sentence will be against God, not for him, but most odious in his sight.

Furthermore it is no childe-like affection, nor property of a graci­ous sonne, to rest in her, who is a flat, fierce, and irr [...]onciliable e­enemie to his father But such is [Page 24] our flesh to God: yea, and he also, that in will and worke doth with a full resolution subscribe vnto it, cannot but bee an enemy vnto him.

Seauenthly: the wisedome of the flesh is not subiect to the law of God, neither indeede can it be, Rom. 8. 7. Now such is the tree as are the fruites: the vvisedome of the flesh is an vtter and most desperat rebel against the law, therefore al­so the flesh it selfe. For, for what a­ny thing is thus or thus, that thing for which the thing is so, is it selfe much more so. Now if the flesh rebell a­gainst the law, and cannot be ru­led by it, vve must needes con­fesse that it is an vncompetent Iudge for vs; for it will not con­demne it selfe, nor speake wel for the law: it vvill not discouer her [Page 25] ovvne vvorkes, vvhich are bastard plants set by sathan in the semina­ry of our soules, and fructifiing in our liues: no nor let vs see the vvorkes of God vvithin vs (if any be) nor commend them to our loue.

Eightly, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, Rom. 8. 8. But he that makes his flesh his Iudge, or the Touchstone to try himself with­all, and doth with full consent of heart, subscribe vnto her iudge­ment, and liue acording vnto her lust, this man is in the flesh, there­fore he cannot please God. Now what true pleasure can any man take, when God the fountaine of all true pleasures, is not, nay can not be pleased? what pleasure cā Man take to liue in that estate, wherin God the Lord of life can­not [Page 26] be pleased? what peace can please, or what ioy can any man enioy, while he hath no peace with God, & while the wel-spring of all constant ioyes is grieued & displeased with him? If thou wouldest not be in the ranke and roll of those, that can not please God, and doe not serue him, then make not thy flesh thy Iudge, sub­scribe not to her sentence, and liue not as she lusteth.

Ninthly, the flesh makes vs doe that we wold not, & leaue vndon that we neither wold nor should omit. Paul calleth it a body of death, and cryeth out, O wretched man that I am I who shall deliuer mee Ro. 7, 24 from the body of this death? It is the bane of the soule, and the poyson of the sinner. It is like the worme that eates the wood, wherein it [Page 27] was bred. Pliny writeth that the Leontophone breedeth in no coun­trie but where there bee Lyons, & Plin. Naet. Hist. 8. & 38. sin among all corporal creatures is ingēdered in none but in man. And as that little creature is so venemous, that the Lyon (king of beastes) dieth presently, if he taste neuer so little of his venome: so our flesh (the corruption of our natures) is so corrupt and deadly, that as so one as man (the chiefest of creatures) is polluted with it, hee becomes obnoxious vnto death, both temporall and aeter­nall.

Therefore as the Lyon dooth abhorre that beaste, and crusheth him with his pawes, so soone as he doth espye him: so ought wee to detest and hate this Sinne, ab­hor this Flesh, accurse this corrup­tion, [Page 28] and labour to crush and kil [...] it; so farre we ought to be from electing her to bee our iudge▪ This were not to hate the flesh▪ but to honour it, and not to figh [...] against it, but to foster it. Moreo­uer, Paul accounted himself wret­ched, because he was turmoy­led with his flesh; as with a yoake about his necke, a chaine about his legge, and a burthen vpon his backe, & wished to bee deliuered from it; as the tyred Oxe dooth from his yoke, the prisoner from his fetters, and as men wearied doe from their burthens which they beare.

It is therefore against reason, right, & all religion, for any man to giue consent vnto his flesh, or to trye his state and to prooue himselfe by her.

Nay, rather as Christ scour­ged those out of the Temple, which did prophane it: so wee Ioh. 2, 15. should scourge this Sinne, and also scowre out this corruption out of the temple of our hearts, which ought to bee (as they were by creation) Houses for the Lord to dwell in, and not Holes for this Theefe to lurke in, this deceitfull and double-harted De­lilah, which beguileth and abu­seth vs, as shee did Samp­son. Iu. 16. 18

It is true that Paul saith, Ephe­sians 5. Chapter, 29. verse. No man euer yet hated his owne flesh: but yet wee may, yea, wee must hate and detest this flesh, for it is the Seede of that olde ser­pent Sathan, whereof he dooth ingender children like vnto him­selfe. [Page 30] If the Iewes iniustlye stirred vp sundrie of the chiefest Citizens in Antiochia a­gainst Actes. 13 15 Paul and Barnabas, for prea­ching of the Gospell, and ex­pelled them out of their coastes; with good reason may wee by prayer made in the name of christ incense the Lord against this sin, and striue our selues by our spi­rituall armour to subdue & driue it out of our hearts. If the king of Ammon did disgrace the Messen­gers that Dauid did in curtesie send vnto him. 2. Sam. 10. 2. 4. Wel may we both disgrace and deface our flesh, (this original corrupti­on) the messenger & minister of Sathan, an vtter enemye to the glorie of God, a rebell against his law, a burthen to the soule of a true Christian, and that which [Page 31] worketh the death and destructi­on of al men by desert, but of the reprobates indeed and truth.

Tenthly, The flesh lucteth against the spirit, or the illumined and re­generate part of man: and the spi­rit against the flesh: and these are con­trary one to another. Gal. 5. 17. First, it is saide to lust or striue against the spiritul part of a man regene­rated by the holy spirit; like two mortall and implacable enemies, and this conflict is without limi­tation of time: so long as they liue together, so long they doe one lust against another, onelye death doth end the combate, ma­king a full and finall destruction of the flesh.

Now shall wee take part with our flesh against our spirit? with the worke of Sathan against the [Page 32] work of God? This wee shall do if wee chuse her for our Iudge, and listen to her voice, who like a Gnat begins with singing, and endes with stinging, soothing vs vp with her Syrenian songs, but seeking indeede to destroy our soules, and to quel the Graces of God within vs: yea, rather as the Lord promised his people (Exo­dus 23. 30) to driue their enemies out of their land by little & little, so we ought to desire his Maiestie to consume and to driue out this euemy out of our hearts.

And as the Israelites were in expresse tearmes forbidden to make any couenant with those their enemies (verse 32.) so wee must make no couenant with our flesh, no contract; no peace at al, neither of amitie nor of concord, [Page 33] if I may thus speake; which wee cannot auoide, if wee trye our selues by her, and rest in her de­termination.

Secondly, Paul saith that these are contrarie one to another, as fire to water, and light to darkenesse: and yet mixed together in one man, as heate and colde in luke­warme water.

If now the corruption of our hearts (the flesh) bee flat contrary to the worke of grace, within vs, created in vs by the holy Ghost, it were greate impietie for vs to shew the least fauour vnto it, how much more wicked were it to set it on the Bench, and to lend our eares vnto it? Doth Paul count it a fault in the Corinthes to try their 1. Cor. 6. 6 causes vnder heathen Iudges, and shal not we cōdmn it as a capital [Page 34] and grieuous sinne to try our states, and proue our selues by our flesh, which makes men hea­then, Athists, & aliants from the Common-wealth of Israel? Haue we none to be our Iudge but her, that is an enemy to God, and to his grace within vs? The flesh is contrary to the spirit, not in con­dition only, but in practise also: not so much in name, as she is in nature.

Eleuenthly, Paul reckoneth vp Gal. 5. 19 (not seauen, but) seauenteen mortal sinnes, which flow from the flesh as from their Fountaine. All which are Make-bates betwixt God and man, and are ful of pest­ilent & pernicious effects; there­fore it is vnfit to make the flesh our Iudge. For vndoubtedly, she will not condemne her owne [Page 35] workes, neither can she indure to see them dispised & forsaken. Be­sides, considering that her fruits are very poison to them that taste them, we ought rather to labour that she may be stubbed vp, then to shade our selues vnder her bowes or to shewe her the least grace or smallest curtesie. Lastly, they that are Christs, haue crucified the Gal. 5. 24 flesh with the affections and the lusts. We do all professe our selues to be Christes: but if we make the flesh our Iudge and follow her de­sires, we shall not crucifye the flesh, but rather indeed take her from the crosse, and put life and spirit into her, yea and promote her highly. For to be a Iudge or Counsellour, is a state of dignitie and honor: and if we followe her fancie, and do as she prescribeth, [Page 36] we plainely shew that we are not Christs, but hers: not his seruāts, but her slaues: Neither haue we crucified her lusts: If we will needes be ruled by her, & set her vp for a Iudge in the triall of our states. For it is her desire that we should so do, and it is her worke, if we either will so, or worke so.

Thus we haue heard many rea­sons why we should not try our selues, and examine our estates by our flesh: against whome I haue much contended, because very many are carried headlong by her into a gulfe of securitie, flat­tering themselues, and accoun­ting their conditions good e­nough, because the lawes can take no hold vpon them, being in the meane while most miserable, de­stitute of true faith, and the filiall [Page 37] feare of God; yet crying out peace, peace, and being ready to say as A­GAG said to SAMVEL, Truly the bit­ternes of death is passed, when they are in dāger to be hewed in peeces with the sword of vengeance, as A­GAG was indeed by SAMVEL, 1. Sam. 15. 32. 33. Thus much for the flesh.

CHAP. 3.

SEcondly, in the Examination of our selues, we must take heede that we be not led by the counsel or custome of the world, and mul­titude of Professours. in those places wherein we liue. For first, what is the world but a Labyrinth of er­rour, a Mirour of madnes, an Ocean of iniquitie, a shop of deceit, and a Theater of wickednesse? IOHN [Page 38] saith that this whole world lieth in 1. Iohn. 5 19. wickednesse. Therefore the world is no fit touch-stone for vs to try our selues by. Secōdly, the multitude (as cōmon experience teacheth) is vsually most ignorāt, prophane and godles, hauing the forme of godlines, but denying the force thereof, and making a profession, but yet hating reformation. They heare the word audible, and re­ceiue the word visible, without ex­amination or preparation. Many cannot, their ignorāce is so great: many can, but will not, their cor­ruption is so violent: many can, and make shew of wil, but do not, their negligence is so rooted: many do examine themselues, but yet very superficially, & minsing­ly, as if they were to goe ouer a quag-mire. And it may be well [Page 39] supposed that the most which do receiue, come vtterly vnfit, vnfur­nished, and eat and drinke to the dishonour of God, and increase of their sinnes. For Christ saith, Mat. 20. 16. Many are called but few are chosen: if the elect be few in comparison of those that are called, then but a few in comparison can come pre­pared; for it is impossible for any of the reprobate to prepare him­selfe aright, and to examine him­selfe as God requireth, seeing he wanteth true faith and refined af­fections. Neither do all the elect come fit them selues; because some that are elected, are not as yet effectually called and conuer­ted: and yet no doubt many of these presume to come. And of those that do indeede beleeue, come some without meet prepa­ration, [Page 40] now and then through negligence and obliuion of their duety, as some in the Church of CORINTH did. Therefore we must take heed that we do not as the most do. If the most be per­uerse or careles, I must not be so. If DAVID commit adultery, and though PETER deny his Maister, yet I must not. For we are to liue by Legibus vinitur [...]on ex [...]m plis. Ex 23. 2. lawes and not by examples: neither may we followe a multitude in or vnto that which is euill. Thus much for the multitude.

CHAP. 4.

THe third enemy to be auoi­ded in this our examinatiō, is the Church of Rome, and that for two waightie reasons; For first she is not the Church of [Page 41] God, but a Sinagogue of Sathan: not the Spouse of Christ, but the Minion of the Deuil, out of whose braine she did proceed, as Minerua is fained to haue proceeded out of Iupiters.

She hath bewitched the world a long time, with her sugred in­chantments: she hath made drun­ken the inhabitants of the earth, with the wine of her fornication: she hath corrupted and adultera­ted the holy Scriptures with her partiall, blasphemous and redi­culous interpretations. Her al­lurements are pleasant, her voice is sweet, her face is amiable: and as wisedome saith of the strange woman; Her lippes drop as an hony Pro. 5. 3. 4. 5. combe, and her mouth is softer then oyle, but her end is bitter as woorme­wood, & sharp as a two edged sword: [Page 42] her feete goe downe to death, and her steps take hold on hell. Therefore as the holy ghost saith in the case of indiscreet suertiship, so let me speake concerning this Church; Deliuer thy selfe from her as a Doe Pro. 6. 5. from the hand of a hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. Make her not thine vmpire, thy Iudge, thy Touch-stone. Suspect her voice, for she is long since de­uorced from the Lord, and hath long agoe contracted, yea and wedded herselfe to the Deuil. It is true indeede that she speaketh some truthes; but therfore it doth not followe that all her wordes are true. For euen the father of lies doth speake the truth some­times: and if all her words were false, she could not haue so ma­ny friends. Moreouer, we do not [Page 43] belieue an harlot or noted Iyar, when they speake the truth, be­cause they do speake it, but be­cause we knowe it to be so: so we must not belieue that skarlet har­lot, when she speakes the truth, because she saith it, but because by Gods word we know it so to be: we must therefore be wary & try before we trust.

PLINY writeth of the Fox in Thracia, that he will not passe o­uer any riuer that is frozē, before he try the thicknes of the yce, by laying his eare close vnto it, and so gessing how thicke the water is frozen: so ought we neuer to approoue the sentence of that Church, till we haue examined it by the word of God, that so we may do with it as MOSES did Exo. 4. 3. with his rod, which whilst it re­mained [Page 44] a rod, he vsed it familiar­ly, but when it was turned into a Serpent he fled from it.

Secondly the Church of Rome is haererical and erronious, in the chiefest of those points, whereof we are principally to make our examination: as may appeare by the consideration of these her o­pinions following.

First, concerning the sacra­ment it selfe, her chiefest cham­pions teach. 1. that it dooth not onely seale and signifie, but also properly conferre holines and righteousnes (ex opere operato) e­uen by the work wrought. 2. That the entention of the Priest is es­sentiall to the sacrament: so that if the Priests intention be absent, when the words of consecration are read, there is no sacrament; so [Page 45] that the receiuers worship they knowe not what, being ignorant of the Priests intention, whose minde may wāder from his work, though his tongue be on it. 3. That the bread and wine by vertue of the words of consecration, are truely turned into the very body and blood of Christ. 4. That the true and substantiall body of Christ, is truely receiued and ea­ten of All the Communicants, though prophane and vnbelie­uing: Indeed they confesse that they doe themselues hurt therby. 5. That this Sacrament is to be a­dored with deuine worship, wher­soeuer it is seene. 6. That Christ in his owne person doth offer vp himselfe by the Priest, to God the Father, a true, real, and external sa­crifice for our sinnes, truely and [Page 46] properly, and that vnder the formes of bread and wine, but yet after an vnbloody manner.

Secondly, concerning faith, she teacheth that it is no confidence in Gods mercy, or speciall appli­cation of Christs merrits to a mans heart in particular, but a meere and pure assent vnto the word of God. 2. That no man can in this life be certein of the remis­sion of his sinnes, by the certain­tie of faith, but onely by a con­iecturall perswasion. 3. That true iustifiing faith may be lost totally and for euer. 4. That it is proud presumption in a man to say that he is certaine of present grace & future glory.

Thirdly, as touching repen­tance, she teacheth, 1. That it is a sacrament of the new testament [Page 47] 2. That cōtrition is a meritorious cause of the pardon of sins. And for sinne it selfe she teacheth. 1. That originall sin after Baptisme is so abolished, that it neither hath the nature, nor may properly haue the name of sin; being now but as tinder, apt to receiue the fire of sinne, or as a punishment of sinne. 2. That some sinnes (mor­tall indeed) are in their owne na­ture venial, and being not proper­ly against the lawe and loue of God, & that they are not perfect­ly and simply sinnes.

Lastly, concerning the workes of obedience and loue, she tea­cheth 1. That the works of righte­ous men do merrit eternall life, in respect of their owne dignity. 2. That works of men iustified, do deserue increase of grace, and in­haerent [Page 48] righteousnes. 3. That almes done without loue haue power to prepare vs to our Iusti­fication: but being done in faith and loue, are truely satisfactory before God. In a word, her chie­fest champion (and now a Cardi­nal) affirmeth that the confession of sinnes, made by the communi­cants in the Priests eare, and the Priests absolution, is their onely lawfull probation of themselues, or praeparation which they ought to make, that they may be fit receiuers. And wh [...]ch with the former I should haue set and said before) he teacheth that the communion vnder both kindes, is not onely not necessary for the layty, but al­so nowvnlawful, seing the church (of Rome) hath so decreed, Bellar. Tom. 3. P. 3. c. 18. 19. 20.

This is the Romane lauguage: this is the tongue of Babel: these are the doctrines of the greatest Papists; most false, blasphemous, and abhominable, as may by the word of God appeare, to any that haue not tasted of the Romish grape, and doe not pinne their faith vpō that harlots sleeue. Ther­fore as Salomon saith of the wo­man with whorish behauiour, Let not thy heart decline to her waies: wander thou not in her pathes: So say I concerning this Church, decline not to her waies, listen not to her voice, atend not to her doctrines. She is another MEDEA, or GIRCE who by her sorceries & spirituall incantations, transformeth men into Monsters: therefore beware of her, and eschew her. CIRCE could not metamorphize Vlisses, [Page 50] as she did his cōpanions, because he had about him the hearb Moly. But surely if we do cary with vs the word of God, and weare it a­bout our hearts and heads (belie­uing, remembring, and vnderstan­ding of it) as an amulet or counter­poison, she shal not be able to trans­forme or bewitch vs, to peruert or change vs. And although she tell vs, that we can not chuse but perish, vnlesse we will subscribe vnto her iudgement, yet we are to respect her speech no more, then their opiniō that said, men could not be saued except they were circumcised, Act. 15. 1. Thus now we see the things to be reiected and auoided in this our exa­mination. In the discussing of which point, I haue bene some­thing long: for as a captaine see­ing [Page 51] a towne or Castle commit­ted to his custody to be begirt of the enemie, doth spend most care and paines on that place which is most subiect to inuasion, and a­gainst which the aduerse Gene­rall hath pitched his fiercest and strongest souldiers: euen so, con­sidering Sathan, the arch-enemie to mans felicitie, doth endeauour to hinder men in the performāce of this duty, by these his surest & strongest instruments, by the Flesh as by a Cananite and traytour with­in them, and by the example and custome of the multitude, the tentations of the world, and the damnable doctrines of the Romish sinagogue, as by Philistines with­out; al being tyed together by the tailes like Sampsons foxes, though loose in their heads; I haue vsed [Page 52] the more labour to fortifie our selues, and to disswade vs from yeelding to them, or any way to withhold our selues throgh them from the performāce of so weigh­tie a worke. These are all plea­sing in appearance, like the fisher­mans bayt, but there is a hook in­closed in them, wherwith Sathan seekes to take vs. They are not much vnlike a Fowlers Call, for as by it he drawes the birds into his net, or to his bush: so by these the deuill draweth vs from our duety, and allures vs to his nets, that he might destroy vs. He that maketh any of these the Rule of his Examination, doth much abuse himselfe: he may sowe in mirth, but he shal reap inmourning: plāt he may, but his fruits shall set his teeth on edge: build he may, but [Page 53] it cannot stand: he may * receiue Panē Chri­sti, non pa­nem Chri­stum. but no Christ, no comfort, no growth in grace: a shadow, but no body: bread but no strength: wine but no refreshment: corpo­rall creatures but no spirituall nourishment. And so much for them.

CHAP. 5.

IT remaineth now to shew by what we ought to examine and proue our selues. A Shepheard must not onely keepe his sheepe from bryars and rotten grounds, and from other thinges which may annoy them: but he must al­so lead them into wholesome pa­stures, and hold them there. The thing then by which we must ex­amine our selues, is the word of God, conteined in the sacred scrip­tures. [Page 54] The reasons are these. First, the word of God will affoord vs help to reforme both the Head & the Heart. The former, because It is profitable to teach vs the truth, and to conuince, and to batter downe (like a warlike engine) the walles of errours, and the muniments of all falshoods. The latter, be­cause it serueth to correct and a­mend Psa. 119. 9 the corruptions and sins of heart and life, as also to instruct in righteousnes, and to teach vs those 2. Tim. 3. 16. things which are pleasing vnto God. It shewes vs what is vertue, Rom. 2. 18 and what vice: what we ought to loue and what to leaue: what we must respect, & what we must re­iect. The Philistines by DELILAH found out where SAMPSONS strength did lve, Iudg. 16. 5. So we by Gods word may knowe [Page 55] wherein consists the strength and sting of death: to wit, in sin, which will appeare by proouing of our 1 co. 15. 56 selues; euen as drosse by melting mettal. And as DAVID tooke out 1 Sam. 17. 40. 50. of a brooke the stone where with he slew GOLIAH, so may we haue stones in aboundance out (of the brooke) of Gods booke, where­with we may smite downe sin, and put to flight al those our enemies which would hinder vs from the due performance of this present duety. Secondly, the word of God is sufficient to make the man of God absolute, and to furnish him for euery good worke. 2. Tim. 3. 17. Therefore it is fit to be our di­rection in this good work of try­ing our estates, and preparing vs for the Lords table.

Thirdly, Thy word (saith DAVID [Page 56] is a lanterne vnto my feete, and a light vnto my paths: SALOMON saith, The Commaundement is a lan­terne, and Instruction a light. But this examination is one of our pathes, wherein we are to walke: and we stand in need of a light or lamp to guide vs; therefore it is wisedome to chuse the word, be­ing a shining Light and a burning Lamp, flaming alwaies maugre all aduerse blasts of the Deuil and all his Complices.

Fourthly, this examination re­quireth wisedome & discretion, and we by nature are too too sim­ple and ignorant; easy to be de­ceiued, & to deceiue our selues in the performance of our duety. Now, the word of the Lord is sure, and giueth wisedome vnto the simple. Psalm. 19. 7.

Fiftly, considering that we are corrupted in sinne, we had neede to prooue our selues by that which is voide of all corruption, and which is no way partiall: But the words of the Lord are pure, as the psa. 12. 6 siluer, tryed in a furnace of earth, fined seauenfold. The lawe of the Lord is Ps. 19. 7. 8. perfect: the statutes of the Lord are perfect. All thy commaundements are Psa. 119. 86. verse 140. true. Thy word is prooued most pure. Gold had need to be fined, but Gods word is without all drosse. And therefore it is the fittest rule for all our actions.

Sixtly, The word of God is liuely, and mightie in operation, and sharper then any two-edged sword, & entreth through euen vnto the deuiding asun­der of the soule and the spirit, and of the ioynts and the marrowe, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the in­tents [Page 58] of the heart. Heb. 4. 12. Ther­fore fit to be our Iudge, and the Touch-stone of our tryall. As in a Non co [...]i­tationes so­lum, et me [...] ­tis tuae consi­lia, sed acti­ones etiam, et vi [...]aeinsli­tuta, adeo (que) te ipsum tibi tanquam a­liquod illu­stre specuiū oftendet et demonstr­bit. Mirrour or looking-glasse, a man may discerne his face, so by the word of God we may discerne our selues and see the faces of our soules. As the Gold-smith doth iudge of gold by touching it with his stone, so by viewing our selues by Gods word, we may iudge of our states: As the Corn-dresser may by his Fanne discerne the wheat from the chaffe: so we by the word of God may distinguish betwixt vice and vertue, and see whether there be more wheat of grace or chaffe of sin, in the heape of our heart: and whether the chaffe of fin and dust of corrupti­on, as ashes [...]o the fire sō ­times, & as chaffe doth wheat. doth * couer and ouer-lay the good corne of Gods graces; and whether they be mixed together, [Page 59] as light and darkenesse in the twi­light. When REBEKAH felt the twins strugling in her wombe, she went to aske the Lord: so when thou art in conflict with thy self, when doubts arise within the womb of thy heart, not knowing what to do, or what to determine or think of thy selfe, aske counsell of the Lord in his word, and thou shalt in due time receiue an answere, as by Oracle from heauen. Dauid saith that the testimonies of the Lord were his Counsellours, Ps. 119 24. To conclude; wouldst thou know whether thine examinati­on and preparation be right and good? then consider the word of God, for it is the * mouth, the tongue Vox summi sensu [...] (que) Dei, quem fudit abalta mē ­te Deus. the voice, and sentence of the Lord: the line of our loue, the rule of repentance, the squire of obei­ence, [Page 60] the touch-stone of faith, the determiner of truth, and the surest Iudge both in and of our examina­tion. The word of the Lord is Pro. 30. 5 Ps. 59. 8. Lex Ctristi est lux Chri­stiani, et speculū hu­manae ani­mae. pure in it selfe, and giueth light vn­to the eies of those that search, be­lieue and obey it. It is as a bright shining torch, or candle, in a darke night, lending vs light both to try our selues, and to discerne whe­ther our tryall be as it should be; right and good. And so much for the second generall point; By what we ought to prooue our selues.

CHAP. 6.

THe third point is, of what things we must examin our selues. For it were absurd for a man to seeke he knowes not what, or to cast his angle into the water, not [Page 61] knowing why. A Magistrate can­not examine a man of nothing: neither can we make tryall of our selues of nothing. Examination presupposeth aswell the thing to be examined, as the person vpon whome it is to be made. The thinges then wherof we ought to examine our selues, that we may come well prepared to the Lords Table, are these especially, which I will propound in order, and do cōmend to your christian conside­ration. They are in number eight. First we must examine our selues concerning our knowledge; for it is fit that euery receiuer should haue a three-fold knowledg. First of God: to wit, that there is a God, a Iehouah, that there is but one God; that he is a spirit; that he is infinite for goodnesse, mercy, iustice, [Page 42] wisedome, power, time and glo­ry, that he is the Creator and Go­uernour of the world; that he is distinguished into three persōs, the Father begetting, the Sonne begot­ten, the Holy ghost proceeding from them both: that these three are one in nature, and essence, and will, but three really distinguished in their maner of subsisting: the Father of himself, the Son of the Father, the holy ghost from both, and this from all eternity; finally, that all these are one in worship, & will haue onely that worship per­formed to them, which is prescri­bed in the holy scriptures, and that in spirit and truth.

Secondly, it is meete that he should not be ignorant of the three fold estate of man; the state by creation, the state of the fall, the [Page 63] state of grace. As first that man was created righteous and good yet mutably: Secondly, that he fel Eccl. 7. 31. voluntarily away at the suggestiō of the Deuill, and so lost his ori­ginall purity, and withal plunged himselfe into a gulfe of misery. First, in that he is become prone to all manner of wickednesse: se­condly in that he doth now day­ly transgresse against God, both by omitting good and commit­ting euill: Thirdly that he is now subiect to the curse of the lawe, Gal. 4. 10. both in this life, and in the end of it, and in the life to come. In this life, in the body to diseases, in his goods to losses, in his good name to ignominie; in the end of his life to death, which hauing cut a­sunder the threed of life, & made a deuorce between the soule and [Page 64] body, doth immediately set open Hell gate for his soule to enter in. In the life to come, in a dying life and a liuing death, euen to e­uer lasting confusion of soule and bodie from the presence of God, liuing alwaies (like flesh) in the waters of Gods wrath, and neuer drowned: liuing alwaies in Hell fire (like a Salamander) and yet ne­uer consumed, alwaies in dying & yet neuer dead, alwaies aliue and yet alwaies dead. Thirdly, for the state of Grace, we must first know that we are redeemed from this misery onely by Christ, who fulfil­led the law for vs, & by his death hath defaced death, and sin the sting of death, and satisfied for all our sins to the full.

Secondly, we must know that we are regenerated by the Holy [Page 65] Ghost, who is therfore called the Spirit of sanctification or holines. It is he that by the fire of his ope­ration Rom. 1. 4. eateth out the drosse of sin, and purgeth our soules from wic­kednesse. He is the water which washeth away the filth of our hearts: and as salt, he seasonethvs throughout with sauing graces. If we either will well, or worke well, it is of the Lord onely, who worketh in vs both the will and deede Phil. 2. 13 of his owne good pleasure, & not for any present, future, or foreseene merit of ours. If we conquer our selues, or offer vp any sacrifice ac­ceptable vnto God, we must giue the praise to Christ, who hath made vs Kings & Priests vnto his Father. He is the Altar that sanctifieth all Re [...]. 1. 6. our sacrifices: he with the vaile of his most precious blood doth [Page 66] couer al their imperfections. And by his death he hath changed the nature of our death, so by the ver­tue of his death he doth conquer sin within vs, the cause of death vnto vs.

Thirdly, we must knowe, that those that are in this state of grace redeemed by Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, shal so continue (without finall or to­tall falling away, till they atteine to the full fruition of the state of glory. For the guifts of God are giuen without repentance. Christes Ro. 11. 29. sheepe shal neuer perish: for he gi­ueth them euerlasting life. Sa­tan may batter vs, but he cannot beat vs downe. Peccatem in est, non praeest, sin is in the regenerate, but Io. 20. 28. not ouer them: Viuit, non vincit: it liues, but subdues not: Remanet [...] [Page 59] non regnat: it remaines but rules not: Bellat non debellat, it warres but winneth not, For God vpholds Psalme 37. 17. 24. and defends them by his grace: his loue is Ieri. 31. 3. & [...]2 40 constant, & his coue­nant euerlasting. The Sun shineth alwaies, though it be not alwaies seene: so the light of Gods loue Iohn 13. 1 continueth constantly to all his children; though they do not al­waies discerne it.

The graces of a man regenera­ted may be couered, as a Rocke may be with water in a mightie tide, and yet remaine as touching their habit or nature, aswel as the Rocke dooth remaine a rocke: A knife may scrape the adamant but not cut it: and Sathan may vexe him but he cannot vanquish, cut but not kill: because the Lord of Heb. 13. 5. life will not forsake him.

CHAP. 7.

THe third part of knowledge, which becommeth euery cō ­municant, concerneth the sacra­ment it selfe. And heere it is re­quisite for euery such person to know, 1. What a Sacrament is, 2. what this Sacrament is, & why it was ordained; otherwise he shal take in hand he knoweth not what, and come like an vnbidden guest to a banquet before he be inuited. And yet it is to be fea­red, that many do, comming and know not well about what, nor why; like that confused concurse of people at Ephesus, who for the greater part knew not wherefore they were come together, Act. 19 32. But to the point in hand: a [Page 69] sacramēt is a visible signe of Gods inuisible & sauing grace, or a cor­porall, a visible & outward signe & seale, instituted from aboue to represent and ratifie Gods grace vnto vs in Iesus Christ.

There be two Sacramen­t is [...]n a sacrā ­do dicitur: quia per sa­cramenta deo quasicē ­secramur. Sacraments of the new Testamēt, Baptisme & the Supper of the Lord. It is called a Supper ( [...], caena) first in respect of the time, when it was first insti­tuted, which was the night before Christ was crucified: secondly because it is a sacred feast or ban­quet for the soule. Now in olde time their feasts were vsually at night. The Greeke & Latine words aboue named, signifie not onely a bare supper, but also a solemne feast, or night-banquet. Further­more, it is called the Lords supper: First, because it was instituted by [Page 70] the Lord. Secondly, because it was ordained for to be a memori­all of our Lords death. Thirdly, it may be also because it was wont to be celebrated on the Lords day. Act. 20. 7. Now the Supper of the Lord is a Sacrament, whereby God doth signifie vnto, and assure eue­ry one that commeth aright prepa­red vnto it, that as he receaueth, eateth and drinketh the bread and wine, so surely he shall be made partaker of the body and blood of Christ, yea of whole Christ with all his merrits, for his preseruation & spirituall sustentation and foode vnto eternall life.

The Author, and principall effi­cient cause, of this Sacrament, is the Lord [...]esus, the high priest and the king of his church. The mini­strant Efficients, are onely the Mi­nisters [Page 71] of the word lawfully cal­led, to whome the Keies of the Church are committed. The mat­ter of this Sacrament, whereof it doth consist, is two-fold, one earthly, outward and visible: the other is heauenly, inward and spi­rituall. That is commonly called the signe, and this the thing signi­fied. By the signe we are to vnder­stand both the element or corpo­ral substance seene with the eyes, & also the actions or rites vsed ac­cording to the deuine institutiō.

The Elementary signes in this sa­crament are two, Bread and Wine, which two make but one sacra­ment: for they do declare but one action of Christ, to wit, our whole spirituall nourishment: and we know that in one feast there may diuers dishes & varietie of drinks [Page 72] be vsed. One man hath two parts; one body many members; & one tree sundry brāches: moreouer, that is not onely said to be one, which is simple & indiuisible, or continued, but that also which is perfect. Now this sacrament is one as touching perfectiō; in as much as by those two signes our perfect foode or reliefe is signified and sealed to vs. Moe signes need not, because these are sufficient to shew perfect refection: and again if one were wanting, the sacra­ment of perfect nourishment were maimed & defaced. It is an hun­gry dinner where there is no meat, and a dry feast where there is no drinke.

The Actions vsed in the lawfull administration of the Lords sup­per are of two sorts: some are of [Page 73] the Minister, some of the Receiuer, and all significant and liuely: The action of the Minister is foure­fold: the first is his taking of the bread and wine into his owne hands. The second is his blessing of them. The third is the breaking of the bread and powring out of the wine. The fourth is destribu­ting of them.

The action of the Receiuer is two-fold. The first is his taking of the bread and wine of the Mini­ster, the second is the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine: & thus much for the signe. The thing signified is that which is meant by the signe, and it is two-fold: the former answering to the corporall and elementary signes: the latter answering to the fore­said actions. Of the first sort are [Page 74] the body and blood of Christ, signi­fied by the bread and wine. Nei­ther must we exclude his whole person, for neither the deuinitie without the humanitie; nor the humanitie without the deuinitie can performe the worke of me­diation. But because he suffered only in his humane nature, ther­fore it is only expresly resembled; though whole Christ and all his merrits must be vnderstood and not excluded: For the merrit and efficacy of his death floweth from his deity, & from the dignitie of his person, as from their proper fountaine. And the scriptures by the death of Christ do sometimes meane by a figure his whole obe­dience actiue and passiue, and the benefits that arise from the same. The second kinde of things signi­fied, [Page 75] are those things which are resembled by those actions of the Minister, and communicants.

According to the foure-folde actions of the Minister, foure o­ther thinges are signified.

First his taking the bread and wine into his hands, doth repre­sent an action of God the father, by which he did from all eternity seperate and elect his sonne to per­forme the office of a Mediatour betwixt God and man.

Secondly his blessing of the Ele­ments, wherebe he doth prepare, destinate and sanctifie them to be a sacrament of the body & blood of Christ, doth signifie a second action of the father, by which he did in the fulnesse of time send his son to execute the office of a Me­diatour, vnto which he was be­fore [Page 76] ordained. Thirdly the brea­king of the bread and powring of the wine, doth signifie the bitter passion of Christ, the piercing of his body, and the shedding [...] of his blood, and the rending (as it were) of his soule for our sins: for (as E­say speaketh he was wounded for our transgressions, and broken for our ini­quities: he was plagued for our wickednes. Isai. 53. 5. 7.

Fourthly, his destributing of the bread and wine vnto the commu­nicants signifieth an action of the Father, offering his Sonne to all, but giuing him only to the faith­full. To proceede; according to the two-folde action of the com­municants, two things are resemb­led. First the receiuing of the bread and wine, signifieth a spirituall action of the receiuer; to wit, his [Page 77] receiuing of Christ by the hand of faith. Secondly their eating and drinking of them, signifieth and sealeth their application of Christ to their hearts by faith, or their inward and spiritual eating and drin­king of his body and blood, and feeding vpon him (as vppon a most delicate and wholesome dish) for the nourishment of their soules: For as there are two parts of man, body and soule; so there are two sorts of feeding; the one outward or sacramentall, the o­ther inward or spirituall: the for­mer is ordained of Christ to re­semble and expresse this latter. So much of the material cause of this Sacrament.

The internal and proper forme thereof, is the relatiue & sacramen­tall coniunction of the signes and [Page 78] things signified, whereby they are made one, in respect of resem­blance, proportion, & a recipro­cal relation and affinity one with another.

The end of this sacrament is manifold. 1. That the death of Christ may be reteined in re­membrance, 1. Cor. 11. 24. 26. Luke 22. 19. Do this (saith Christ) in remembrance of me. By which a­peareth first, Christs loue vnto vs; for the property of loue is to make the louer desire to liue in their memories whome he doth loue: secondly his faithfull fore­sight is hereby cleared, in proui­ding that his benefit conferred might truly profit vs: for as by forgetting, benefits are lost: so by remembring of them they are conserued.

2. That God might visibly re­present his inuisible guifts to our outward sēces, our sight, taste & touch, that the whole man being stirred vp both in soule & body, might with great chearefulnes & ioy celebrate this sacred and sumptuous banquet.

3. That it might be a signe, seale and confirmation of our commu­nion, coniunction and incorpo­ration with Christ our head, and by him with the father and holy spirit. 1. Cor. 10: 16. Ioh. 6, 56.

4. To signifie and seale vnto vs our spirituall feeding vpon, and foode by Christ: prouided that we come prepared. For as meat or medicines for the body are not onely vnprofitable but also hurt­full, if they be not taken as they should: euen so it is with the sup­per [Page 80] of the Lord, a meat or medi­cine for the soule; if it be not a­right receiued, we harme our selues.

5. That it might be a token and seale of the new testament or co­uenant betweene God and vs, wherein God doth testifie that he doth receiue vs to fauor, and re­mit our faults for the righteous­nes of Christ, and for the merrit of his death, liuely set forth and shadowed by this sacrament.

6. To signifie and seale vnto vs the resurrectiō of the soule from sin, & the bodie from the graue.

7. That it might be a token and Iohn. 6. 54 pledge of our communion one with another. We all eat of one bread, and drinke, of one cup or drinke; as fellowes in one family, and seruants of one Lord.

8. That it might be a publike te­stimony of our profession, and se­peration from pagans and Infi­dels.

Thus we see the nature of this sa­crament: these things we ought all to know: and we ought to prooue our selues before we do receiue, whether wee doe know these things, or the substance of them yea or no. If not; we must vse meanes to get this knowledge least we come vnprepared, and so prouoke the Lord against vs: thus much for the first thing whereof we must examine ourselues.

CHAP. 8.

THe second thing whereof we must examine our selues, is true faith: which is a certaine and perticuler knowledge of, & con­fidence [Page 82] in Gods speciall mercy: or a sure apprehension, and ap­plication of Christ and his mer­rits vnto our selues in particular. Prooue your selues (saith Paul. 2. Cor. 13. 5) whether ye are in the faith. This duety is at no time vnnecessary, but then very necessary, when we are to come to the Lords table. For faith is the eye whereby we looke vppon Christ hanging vppon the crosse, who is that bra­zen serpent, which cureth our soules, in ridding thē of the stings of sin, & of the poyson of the ser­pēt Satan. Faith is the hand which apprehendeth Christ in the sacra­ment, the mouth which receiues him, the tongue that tasts him, the teeth that chew him, the throate that swalloweth him, and the sto­macke which digests him. There­fore [Page 83] it must in no case be wanting in those, that intend to receiue the Sacrament. Now as a tree may be knowne by her fruits, so may faith be discerned by the fruits and signes thereof. He that goeth vp the riuer may in time come to the spring: and he, that followeth the heat, may soone perceiue where the fire is. There are three infallible tokens of true faith, that I may not number ma­ny. The first is Loue, which as Paul teacheth 1. Timot. 1. 5.) proceeds from faith vnfaigned. The second is Feare: for if a man be perswa­ded that God doth loue him, and that Christ was crucified for his sinnes, he wilbe afraid to displease them by his sinnes, and will stand in a reuerentawe. The third is a vehement and constant desire to [Page 84] haue perfect fellowship with, and a full fruition and sight of God, Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost. VVhen a man shall vnderstand that some great Prince did so af­fect him, as that he gaue his only sonne to death, to saue him from death, and that he continueth in his affection stil vnto him; he wil long to see him, and will willing­ly bestow himself vpon him that he might inioy his presence, and haue continuall conuersation and company with him; he doth so co [...]et to see his face, and to haue his fellowship. So if a man do truely belieue and know that God the Prince of all Princes did giue his owne and onely sonne to death, to preserue him from death eternall, and that this his sonne did die most willingly for [Page 85] him, and that the Holy Ghost doth regenerate and sanctifie him, flinging the gates of Hell from off their hinges within him, and refining his soule from the drosse of sinne, and printing a fresh the image of God within him; he can not but sincerely and incessantly desire the societie of this blessed Trinitie: He cannot but e [...]rnestly couet to see God: He will wish with all his heart to see Christ, & to bemore familiarly acquainted with him. The consummation of the world and his comming to Iudgement would be most wel­come to him, as being much wished of him.

CHAP. 9.

THe third thing whereof this examination must be made, is our Repentance, which is a turning [Page 86] from all euill vnto God. For auersi­on from sin and conuersion vnto God, are the two poles or hinges, whereon Repentance turneth. Now repentance is meet to be made at all times of sinne: For sinne ingen­dreth death, buthe that repenteth of his sinne shall not dye, but liue, Eze. 18. 21. But if a man repent not, God remits not. God giueth pardon onely to the penitent. Pli­ny Hist nat. l. 16. c 34 saith, that Iuy is good onely to harbour serpents, and most com­fortable for their cold constituti­ons: so the heart of man, before he doe vnfaignedly repent of his sinnes, is in a manner fit for no­thing, but to make an harbour for the serpent Sathan, and a lodge for vncleane spirits. But especial­ly must we repent or renew our repentance, when we come to [Page 87] the Lords Supper; For otherwise we shall come vnprepared. He which commeth in his sins, com­meth to his sorrow; He doth not rightly remember Christs death, that dieth not to his sinne, but li­ueth therin without repentance. He makes himselfe vnworthy to receiue Christ, that doth offend him without remorce, and sinne without sorrow for sinne. The paschall lambe, was commaunded to be eaten with sower hearbs, Exo. 12. 8. They that would feele the sweetenes of Christs blood, must the tartnes of their own sinnes. Dauid saith I will washe my hands in inno ency, o Lord & compasse Psal. 26. 6 thine alter: so must we do before we come to the Lords Table. Men do not vsually receiue their bodi­ly foode without washing their [Page 88] hands from bodily filthines: so we ought to wash our hands and hearts from the filth of sinne, whē we are about to receiue Christ Iesus, our true spirituall food and heauenly M [...]nna. No prophane person is fit for this businesse: Proc [...] hinc, pr [...]culite propham. Men prouide not good meat and dain­ty dishes for Kites or Crowes to feede vppon; c [...]ryon is good i­nough for them. No vncircumci­sed Exo. 12. 4 [...] person might eat of the paschal lamb: so none that are of vncir­cumcised hearts, ought toreceiue the Lords Supper. It is therefore requisite that before we receiue we examine whether we repēt or no whether we be dead to sin or dead in sin: whether we b [...] in sin or whether only sin be in vs. This will apeare, if we finde in vs these [Page 89] three workes of the Spirit appro­priated to the penitent. First, if we hate sin because it doth ( [...]) hurt, being an vtter enemy to Gods glory and our owne salua­tion: secondly, if we do heartily desire God to for giue it, and to rid vs from it, that it may neither condemne nor conquer vs: third­ly, if we do striue against it, & la­bour to leaue it, if we take heed of all occasions and causes therof, being also grieued that we do forsake it no more. And in one word, if we Scel [...]rum si bene penite [...] Eradenda cu [...]idinu prauisunt a [...]imenta. Hor. be carefull to preuent and auoid falling into the same sins againe, labouring against the custome of many men, who returne like dogs to their vomit, and fall to their old trade and bias, resembling the Lizards called Stelliones, who Pli. 18. c 31 cast their old coats (as Theophrastus [Page 90] writeth) & after that eat them vp againe. He that hath performed, and as yet doth performe these things truely, may assure himselfe that he doth truely repent of his sinnes.

CHAP. 10.

THe fourth thing whereof a man must examine himselfe, is of his spiritual hunger and thirst. For it be hooueth euery one that cōmeth to this banquet to come with a good stomack or appetite. The more hungry and thirsty a man is, the more welcome he is to the Lord. He that comes with a good appetite, shal not returne empty. The way to get this good stomack is to pray to God for it: secondly, to labour to feele the want of grace & goodnes: thirdly [Page 91] to consider what a danger it is to famish, or to pine away for lacke of food to susteine or relieue the soule: fourthly, to consider how vertuous and wholesome the bo­dy and blood of Christ are to feed and refresh it, how pleasant they are to the taste of the soule, and how comfortable & refecto­ry to the heart. Lastly, as the emp­tying of the stomacke of flegme and bad humors procureth an ap­petite to meat, so if we would p [...]rge our selues of our sinnes, & clense our stomacks of the flegme of wickednes, we should haue a great deale better appetite to the foode of our soules.

CHAP. 11.

THe first thing wherof we must make our examination, is of [Page 92] our hum [...]lity. For we must come in all lowlinesse of spirit. First, therefore we must humbly con­fesse with Nehemiah, that we haue Nehe. 1. 7. grieuously sinned, and with Dani [...]l that we haue committed iniquity Dani [...]l. 9. 5 and rebelled against God, and that we are by nature children of wrath, Ephe. 2. 3 as Paul a [...]irmeth; nothing belong­ing to vs but open shame & con­fusion of [...]ce, as Dani [...]l confesseth Dani. 9. 7 of himselfe and his country-men. Secondly, we must ascribe all good things in vs (if any) to the grace of God, from whome they [...]low as from their fountaine. For we are naturally con [...]eiued in sin, (as David acknowledgeth) & borne Psal 51. 5 in iniquity, and are dead in tres­passes, as Paul doth testifie. Third­ly, Ephe. [...]. 1 we must go out of our selues & must strip our selues of al suppo­sed [Page 93] righteousnes, and opinion of personall merits, and wholy relie vpon Gods mercy & christs me­rits. VVe must freely confesse in all humility, that we are vtterly vnworthy of Gods loue, and of the benefits procured by the death and obedie [...]ce of christ, & that we are vnworthy to pertake of those elements consecrated to such an holy vse. I [...]co [...] ingeniously confesseth, that he is not worthy of the least of all Gods mercies. Finally, Gen. 33. 10 we must humbly confesse that our purest actions are pudled with sin, and that we do but our duety, if we examine and prepare our sel­ues before we receiue this sacra­ment: yea & that God (if he plea­sed) could finde matter enough for his iustice to worke vpon, for the finall confusion of our soules [Page 94] out of our best preparation and strictest examination: and that it is his grace and not our goodnes, his mercy and not our merit that his wrath doth not kindle against vs, while those creatures are in our mouthes, and consume vs, as it did against some of the Israelites whiles the flesh they coueted w [...]s yet betwene their teeth vnchewed, as Nom. 11. 35 Moses hath recorded: For our sins are great and grieuous, and our worthines is worthy of no better.

CHAP. 12.

THe sixt thing wherof we must examine our selues, is thanke­fulnes. For it is meete that we should thank God for ordeining his sonne to be the ( [...]) price of our redemption from sin, Sa­than, [Page 95] and hel-fire: Secondly, we ought to praise his name for pro­ffering and offering his son vnto vs in the Sacrament, and inuiting vs to come and feede vpon him for the preseruatiō of our soules. T [...]irdly, we must giue thankes to christ for giuing himselfe volun­tarily to death for vs, and for be­ing content to be eaten or recei­ued of vs by faith for our spiritu­al reliefe: as also for instituting this sacrament for the manifesta­tion of his loue, the memoriall of his death, and confirmation of our faith. Fourthly, we ought to thanke the Lord for directing vs in his word, how we may receiue the Sacrament aright, and shew­ing how great the dāger is of vn­worthy receiuing, thatso we may be terrified from offending in [Page 96] this businesse by vnworthy recei­uing, and also prouoked to pre­pare our selues in some accepta­ble manner. Lastly, we must search [...] selues whether we come with a purpose to be truely thankf [...]ll vnto God for his kindenesse, and vnto christ for his loue after we haue receiued, and to manifest our thankefulnes afterwards by the reforming of our liues, and cōforming our selues to the will of God, reuealed in his word. Vn­thankefulnes is In [...]ra [...]t [...] d [...] [...]s [...] m [...] ruin metro­po [...]s et [...] ­ou [...] fasci­culus. a mother of much euill. As the roote conuei­eth nourishment to the branches, so doth ingratitude affoord food to many sins, which are as bran­ches o bowes thereof. He that is not thankefull for the foresaide benefits is like the Hog that eats the mast, but lookes not vp to the [Page 97] Oake, & makes himselfe vnwor­thy to receiue christ, who hath done so much so many, and so great things for him.

CHAP. 13.

THe seuenth thing wherof we must make our examination, is whether w [...] do seriously pur­pose to serue and obey God. This obedience must be sincere, not hypo­criticall; therefore Dauid praieth 2. Chr [...] [...]121 (Psa. 119. 80.) Let my heart be vp right in thy statutes, that [...]be not a shamed: Secondly, it must be spee­dy, without delay: Dauid saith I made bast and delaied not to keepe thy com­maundements. Psa. 119. 60. Third­ly, it must be performed willingly and with delight. Dauid commands 2. Chro. 139. his sonne Salomon to serue God [Page 98] with a perfect heart and a willing minde. Blessed is the man (saith the Psalmist) that delighteth greatly in Psa. 112. 1 Gods commaundements. Dauid saith, I haue had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies, as in all ri­ches. Ps [...] 119. 14 Fourthly when it is once be­gun, it must be performed with al diligence. Dauid saith, thou hast commaunded to keepe thy pre­cepts Psa [...] 119. 4 dilligently. Fiftly, it must be vniuer sall and absolute, to all the Luke 1. 6 commaundements of God: walk ye in all the waies which I haue commaunded you, Ier. 7. 23. Da­uid saith Psam. 119. 6. Then should I not be confounded, when I haue respect vnto All thy commaunde­ments. Lastly, it must be constant, continuing the whole course of our liues. Blessed are they that do righteousnes at al times, Ps. 106. 3 [Page 99] Gods loue is constant towards vs therefore our obedience ought to be constant vnto him. It is a shame to begin in the spirit and to end in the flesh: disobedience doth deserue death at all times, and rebellion is alwaies as the sin 1. Sam. 15 23 of wich-craft. The obedience of children to their earthly parents, (so farre as it is in the Lord) must be constant, therfore much more ought our obedience to be to God our heauenly father.

CHAP. 14.

THe eight and last duety wher­of we ought to examine our selues, is our Loue. We must proue our selues whether we be in loue with all men yea or nay. For, he is vnworthy to receiue [Page 100] the head, that hateth any of his members. If a man be out of loue with his neighboure, his loue is crazed towards God himselfe: do we thinke that he loueth Christ, that cōtemneth his seruants, that derideth, maligneth, or hateth them? doth not the Sacramēt pict ture out the death of Christ? doth not his death declare his loue? and doth not his loue vnto vs de­serue that we should loue one a­nother, yea and all, for whome he dyed, and whome he loueth? Are not those then forgetfull of his loue, & vnmindefull of his death, & therefore vnworthy of the sa­crament, that are not in loue with their bretheren? We must there­fore repent of this sin, and turne our hatred or non-louè into true loue, if we meane to keep in Gods [Page 101] loue, or if we desire to be guests for the Lords Table. It is the on­ly debt which God would haue Rom. 13. 8 vs owe one to another; therefore we ought to be continually pay­ing it, as we must cōtinually owe it. Moreouer our Sauiour Christ saith, (Mat. 5. 23. 44.) If thou bring thy guift to the Altar, and there re­membrest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leaue there thy offering before the Altar & goe thy way: first be recōciled to thy brother, & then come & offer thy guift. The like we must performe before we offer vp our spirituall sacrifices of praier and thanksgiuing vnto God, which we vse to make at the receiuing of the Lords supper. With what face can we desire God to forgiue vs our sinnes, while we lye in any knowne sinne and will not leaue [Page 102] it? How darest thou sue to God for his loue to thee, whilst thou art out of loue with thy neighbor? How dare any come to this ban­quet of loue, and there present himselfe before God, who is Loue it selfe, carrying a cankered and rancorous hart towards his bro­ther, the image of God, the work of God, and the redeemed of Christ? How dare we pray, forgiue vs our trespasses, as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs, if we shall with a spitefull spirit seeke to be reuenged of those haue iniured vs, and will not forgiue them? Let euery man therefore before he commeth to the Lords Table there to pray to God & to praise him, and to receiue the signes & seales of Gods grace, and Christs loue, and the benefits proceeding [Page 103] from the same, leaue & lay down all hatred, spleene and malice, & take vp the spirit of meekenes, mercy, gētlenes & loue. Obi. Then it seemes a man may not receiue the sacrament, if he be at law with his neighbour. Ans. Yes if he go to law as he ought to do; with­out hatred of his neighbours per­son, and onely to defend his iust cause, to try the truth, or to main­taine it, neither suing his neigh­bour for trifles and toies, nor v­sing the law when a remedie may be had without it, nor intending to beggar his poore neighbour by holding him in suite. Obi. If I may not come to the Lords Ta­ble vnles I forgiue and forget iniu­ries, and purpose to let passe all re­uenge, I will absteine from com­ming. Ans. If thou dost not come [Page 104] because thou wilt not leaue thy grudge, thou offendest God: for thou must rather forsake thy mal­lice then forbeare to come, be­cause thou wouldst be malicious. And secondly, the longer thou reteinest thy malice, the more vn­fit thou makest thy selfe to repent of it and to forsake it; the longer it tarrieth, the deeper roote it ta­keth. Thirdly, so long as it lasteth Sath á leapeth, thy flesh reioyceth, thy grace is foiled, and thou ma­kest thy selfe vnfit to performe a­ny duety in any acceptable man­ner. Lastly death is Nilcertius morte, h [...] a mortis nil incertius. Barnard certaine, the comming of death is vncertaine: now iudge what a dangerous thing it were to be taken away by death in thy malice. How canst thou expect Gods mercy, that woldst not forsake thine own ma­lice? [Page 105] How cāst thou look for par­don of him, who wouldst not par­don thy brother? How canst thou hope that he will forget thy ma­ny-fold and grieuous offences, committed against him, if thou wilt not forget one, (it may be) & a small offence admitted against thee? Or how darest thou desire him, that he would not beare the least ill will to thee, or withdraw the light of his countenāce from thee, though but for a moment, if thou wilt not striue with all thy strength against thy venemous & reuengefull spirit, but wilt retein and foster it? Let all men therfore as they tender Gods glory, or as they respect either his grace or their owne peace & welfare, re­linquish & with speede abandon all hatred, malice and spite, and [Page 106] withall, imbrace and cherish the spirit of concord, loue, patience, and humanity. This shall suffice for the third generall point, to wit, for the things whereof we ought to examine our selues.

CHAP. 15.

THe fourth, concerneth the manner how this examination should be made. For the manner of working doth helpe much to the making or the marring of the worke. God requires that all our worke should be both good and Bonae. Baenc. well wrought. An action good in it selfe may be euill in the agent, & indeed is, vnles it be well acted. A good worke ill wrought, a good deede ill done, a good word ill vttered, a good speach ill spoken, [Page 107] is no better at the bestthen (Splen­didum peccatum) a beautifull sin; like a tree without pith, like a bone without marow, a body without a soule. First therefore, this exa­mination must be made in faith, for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne. Ro. 14. 23 But we haue warrant sufficient out of the word for this examina­tion so that in performing of it, we conteine our selues within the compasse of the worde, and take direction from thence for right performance of it. Moreo­uer we ought to belieue assured­ly that God will for the sake of Christ accept of our examinati­on, and will winke at the imper­fection of it, Or at least we ought to belieue that God can pardon our weakenes in the doing of it, and to desire with all our hearts [Page 108] that the weakenes may be pardo­ned and the worke approoued. Secondly we ought to examine our selues in conscience of Gods commaundment, euen because God would haue vs to do it. Obe­dience is better then Sacrifice, and to 1. Sam. 15 22 hearken is better then the fat of Rams. Now the best obedience is, when the person that obeies, performes the worke commaunded in the way of obedience, that is with an intent and purpose to obey the person that doth commaund it.

Thirdly our examination must be made in truth; truely, not fei­nedly, or in shew onely. Our minde must be vpon it, we should haue a heart to examine our sel­ues. Sincerity is as Salt to season an action, and to make it sauory: it is the ax-tree whereon it tur­neth, [Page 109] and the wheele whereon it runneth. A worke wrought with­out sincerity is like a scul without braines, or to a painted Sepul­chre, faire without but foule within. There is none more vilde thē an hypocrite, his heart is false, his punishment horrible, and his hypocrisie most abhominable. His cōscience accuseth him, God doth accurse him, and man doth abhorre him. Let vs therefore in all our actions beware of hypo­crisie. Peter would haue all the faithfull to lay downe all deceit 1. Pete. 2. 1 and hypocrisies.

Fourthly, our examination must be made in loue to God, and in feare of his dreadfull name. The childe worketh vpon his fathers commaundment, because he lo­ueth his father and feareth to dis­please [Page 110] him. So we, that professe our selues to be the children of God, must do this duety heere inioyned, because we loue God, and because he sheweth his loue to vs, and because we are afraid to offend him by our disobedience heerein; as being vnwilling to loose his loue or loue-tokens, or to venture his displeasure, and so to kindle the coales of his wrath against vs.

Fiftly, we must proue ourselues throughly: our tryall must be strict and our search narrow: we must so proue, as that we may approue our selues, which cannot be by parti­all and superficiall examination. The heart is deceiptfull and wicked a­bóue Ieri. 17. 9 all things, who can know it? Sin is so smooth, our flesh is so false, Sathan is so subtill, and we so [Page 111] simple and so silly, that vnlesse we search our selues to the quicke & examine narowly, we shall neuer truely discerne our estates. Mettal lyeth in the bowels of the earth, & sin in the bowels of the soule; a man must dig deep that meanes to finde it out. We must be wise as Mat. 10. 16 Serpents: but it is a maine poynt of wisedome to try throughly be­fore we trust, to prooue well and warily before we do approoue: we must turne throughly from all our sinnes, we must turne out of all our sinful waies; it is therefore necessary that we should examin our selues throughly: we must keepe Prou. 4. 23 our hearts with all dilligence, so we must examine them with all dilli­gence. Iob saith, that when he knew not the cause he sought it out dilligent­ly. Iob 29. 16, So, that we may see [Page 112] our case and know our selues, let vs examine our selues dilligently with all care and conscience. When a Magistrate examines a­ny matter or any man loosely and but superficially, it is by reason of ignorance, negligence, or partia­lity: so we shall bewray one of those euils in vs, if we do not di­ligently and throughly try our e­states, and examine our selues. Thus we see how we ought to ex­amine our selues. As Christ saith Take heed how ye heare: so I say take heede how ye examine. There is Luke 8. 18 an ill manner of hearing, and an ill manner of examining: he that will examine and try himselfe a­right, must not onely try by the right touch-stone, but in the right fashion. It wil not be here amisse to declare also the end why we [Page 113] must prooue our selues. The end is two-folde, principall & inferi­our. The principall end is the glory of God, which ought aboue all things to be sought for of all men in all their actions, therfore Paul saith (1. Cor. 10. 31) Whether ye eat or drinke, or whatsoeuer ye do, do all to the glory of God. The inferiour end is two-folde: First that we might know our selues and the case we are in, that so we might prepare our selues for the recei­uing of the Lords supper. Secōd­ly, that we might confirme the good assurance or perswasiō that we haue of our good estate be­fore God, For true & new obedi­ence vnto the commaundments of God, doth plainely demon­strate that the obeier is the childe of God, the member of Christ, [Page 114] within the kingdome of grace, and an heir apparent of the king­dome of glory. But obedience performed to this one commād­ment of examination in the right manner, which I haue before de­clared, is true and new obedience, & is in him onely that is carefull to obserue all other commaunde­ments, which he knoweth to be Gods. Therefore he that obeieth this one precept as he ought to do, may assure himselfe that his state is good before God in this world, and shalbe glorious with God in the world to come. And so much for the fourth generall point & for the doctrine it selfe. The vses thereof come now to be deliuered.

CHAP. 16.

FIrst we are taught to take heed that we do not come to the Lords table without serious & sound examination of our selues. How can we know that we goe prepa­red if we do not proue ourselues? And how can we know the depth of our hearts vnles we soūd them to the bottome? A man shall re­ceiue very litle heat from the fire, if he stay not at it, but passe hastily by the hearth: So we shall but ill discern & vnderstand our hearts, if we do but glance at them, as by the way, and search them onely superficially, and not narrowly. Who can know the nature and course of the sunne without seri­ous search and study? Euen so no man can rightly know the nature [Page 116] and course of his soule, and the disposition and motions of his hart, except he do very diligently, seriously, & laboriously, search & examine them. For mans heart is a mine of wickednes, and a gulfe of deceit. It is full of secret cor­ners and winding staires, and wil apeare often more glorious then indeede it is. All is not currant mony which hath the Kings pic­ture vpō it: neither are our hearts alwaies good mettall when they seeme good: therefore if we will not be deceiued let vs search them truely, and touch them throughly, and neuer cease pro­uing them, till we may with good warrant approoue them. For as winde and fire gather strength in proceeding: so the further we proceede in the diligent perfor­mance [Page 117] of this duery, we shall be made more able to goe through­stitch with it. And as naturall bo­dies, the nearer they come to their places, do moue so much the more swiftly: so shall we in the course of this examination, to our great comfort and commo­dity. And thus by our carefull & constant tryall of our selues, we shal manifest our obedience vnto God, we shall declare the care we haue of our owne welfare and welldoing, and the more eager we shall make our selues vpon this duety, and procure such an appetite & affection to it, as that we shall be more swift and nim­ble in performing of it; and not easily driuen from it, till we haue finished it in some honest and laudable manner.

Secondly, as we must in exami­ning our selues beware of the cōmon custome of many, which slubber ouer this and all other christian dueties, or else passe by it without any regard therof at al:so also we must take heed of the wi­ly stratagems & pleasant inchant­ments of Sathan and our owne Flesh, which are false hearted and full fraught with fraud and sub­tilty. Lastly we must beware that we do not conceiue of this sacra­ment, and of those other things (whereof we must examine our selues) according to the sentence & determination of the Romish Sinagogue, which is the chaire of pestilence, & the throne of An­tichrist. Beware of the leauen of the Pharises: take heede of her partie­coloured & linsi-wolsi doctrines, and [Page 119] because the Light (o [...] word) of the Pro. 20. [...]7 Lord is the breath of man, & searcheth the bowels of the belly, & is a discerner Heb. 4. 12 of the thoughts & intents of the heart and therefore the fittest touchstone Occultum nil esse sinit latebra [...]e; per ov [...]nes intrat, & obstrus [...] ex­plorat qu [...]s (que) [...]e [...]ssus. to try our selues withal; it is meet that we should acquaint our sel­ues with it. The more we are ig­norant in Gods word, the more vnfit we are, and vnable to per­forme this duety. For it is the on­ly true rule of our examination: And as the Marigolde or Dazie doth open and shut with the day­light, so should our examination begin and end with and in the word. The loue of ignorance, is the life of ignorance, and the life of ignorance is the death of the ignorant: for the wages of euery sinne is death, yea an [...]uer-li­uing and an euerlasting death. For Eze. 18. 31 Rom 6. 23 Is 66. 34 [Page 120] this death is life, and that life is death, a life of horrour, and an horrible death, a death of terror & a terrible life. Now what wise man would indanger his soule, & expose both soule and body to such infinite & such inextricable misery by taking delight in igno­rance in Gods word? Men are carefull to shun small and mo­mentary dangers, were it any wisedome then to thrust themsel­ues vpon this, that is so great, as it can neither be described with pen, nor vttered with tongue, no nor yet conceiued of the minde? Many men bend their thoughts vpō the search of naturall things, and many spend much time in la­bouring to know the states and fa­shions of countries and king­domes, and to haue vnderstand­ing [Page 121] in liberall & illiberall, sordid yea and impious arts & sciences; and shall not we study to vnder­stand the sacred scriptures, which are the Oracles of God and his Law-booke, by which we may see and sift our selues, and learne to direct our feete, to gouerne our very thoughts, and to prepare & dispose our selues for euery good worke whatsoeuer, whether it concerne God immediately, or our neighbour, or our selues in speciall?

Those which affect the know­ledge of things naturall, and po­litique or ciuill, and neglect or respect not the knowledge of Gods word, are not vnlike those foolish childrē, which busie them selues in turning ouer the leaues of their bookes to looke for fine [Page 122] letters and painted babies, no­thing regarding the solide & sub­stantiall matter, which is contei­ned in their bookes: and not much vnlike Martha, who was bu­sied Luk. 10. 41 about many things but not about the best: or the Pharisees, who tythed Mint and Commin, but omitted the waightiest matters, M [...]t. 23. 23 which the law required. Let vs therefore search the scriptures, as our Sauiour commaundeth, and labour to vnderstand the will of Iohn. 5. 39 God reuealed in them, and so we shall be able to vnmaske our sins, and discouer our soules, and fit our selues for the Lords Table. Dauid saith, I wil meditateon thy pre­cepts, Psalm. 1 [...]9 [...]5 54 and consider thy waies: thy sta­tutes haue bene my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. And praieth, Bles­sed 12 art thou o Lord, teach me thy sta­tutes: [Page 123] open mine eyes that I my see the wonders of thy law: and make me to vnderstand the way of thy precepts. And the Holy ghost describing a blessed man, saith, that his delight is in the law of God, & that he dooth meditate therin day and night: As Psalm. 1. 2 we therefore respect the com­maundment of Christ, and the practise and resolution of Dauid, and as we desire to be in the rolle of the blessed, & assured that we are out of the rank of reprobates, & of vnprepared communicants, let vs acquaint our selues with the word of God, and make it alone the Touch-stone of our tryall, and the line to measure all our acti­ons, and the Iudge to determine of all our waies and of our whole estates.

Thirdly, forsomuch as we are [Page 124] commaunded to vse this exami­nation, as a meanes to make vs fit for the Lords table, we are all taught, to take heed that we make not Gods decree a meanes to make vs negligent and se­cure.

For there are some despe­rate and prodigious wretches, who make conscience of no duety nor of any religious acti­on, because (they say) it is to no purpose, seeing God hath set all thinges downe in an vn­changeable, vnresistable, & irre­uocable decree. It is true indeed that Gods decree is eternall, con­stant, and immutable, and yet ne­uerthelesse, we may, yea we must vse all honnest & lawfull meanes, for the effecting of that which is conuenient and good. Because as [Page 125] God hath ordained the end, so he hath also subordained the meanes, wherby it shal be brought to passe. Because God hath de­creed either the victory or the o­uerthrow vnto an army, must the captaines therefore be negli­gent, supine, and lazye? Must the Souldiers therefore cast away or not vse their weapons? Must they therefore abstaine from praier & from fighting? God hath decreed the destruction and desolation of the whore of Babilon: so he hath also ordained the meanes to effect it. Ten Kings shall hate her, and make her desolate and naked, Reu. 17. 16. In like man­ner as the Lord hath decreed that a man shal receiue the Lords supper aright, so he hath also to that end decreed that the [Page 126] same man shall prooue and pre­pare himselfe. Paul was not igno­rant of Gods decree, yet we see that he requireth the performāce of this duety, which he would ne­uer haue done, if he had iudged it needelesse and of no vse. And in­deede we must not make Gods de­cree or secret will the squire and rule of our actiōs, but his reuealed wil. Whatsoeuer God commaundeth vs in his word to do, that we must do with all lowlinesse of spirit, without grumbling & disputing. His word is our warrant: and his precepts must be our practise. Abraham must go when God bids him goe, though he knowe not whether: euen so we must proue our selues, seeing God com­maunds vs, though But wee know [...] hy [...] a [...] be [...]ore w [...]s [...] we knew not why. For God is our supreme & [Page 127] absolute Lord, his commaunde­ments are not idle or vnreasona­ble: and as Pliny writeth of the Pi. Rom. 13. 8 ralis or Fire-fly, that it liueth so so long as it abideth in the fire, & dyeth if it leape out, and fly any thing farre into the ayre; so it may be said of vs, that by desart we die so soone as we do transgresse any of Gods commaundements, and either break downe or leape ouer the pales of his precepts. Reue 22. 14 But blessed are they that keepethem, for they shal liue: they do liue the life of grace, and shall liue the life of glory, Ezek. 18. 22.

Fourthly, all those communi­cants verse. 4 are in fault, who receiue the Sacrament without due tryal be­fore they come. They neither re­spect the thing they take in hand, nor regard the Apostles exhorta­tion: [Page 128] and therefore they bewray their disobedience and disloyall hearts, and shew themselues neg­ligent and carelesse of their owne peace & welfare. For what peace is there, or what comfort can there be in sinning against God, and leauing those things vndone which he willeth to be done? Those which know their Maisters will, and Iame. 4. 17 will not do it, shall be beaten with ma­ny stripes, Luke 12. 47. And to him that knoweth how to do well, & doth it not, to him it is a sinne.

Fiftly, seeing that examination Verse 5. of a mans self is commaunded to be made before this sacrament be receiued, we see plainely that those ought not to be admitted vnto it, which are not able to exa­mine themselues; as mad men, and children, and all such as haue [Page 129] either no knowledge of Christ at all, or not sufficient, albeit they do professe Christian religion. Ebrius infa­mis, errone­us, atq, fu­rentes; [...]u [...] pueris domi­ni no [...] de­bent, sumery corpus. For not onely Drunkards, Theeues, Mad-men, Heretiques, & such as are infamous for some notorious vice, but children also and ignorant persons (though for conuersation ciuill) must not be permitted to receiue this Sacra­ment. For first, examination is required of euery receiuer: se­condly, 1 Cor. 11. 25 meditation and remem­brance of Christs death: thirdly the rites or actions vsed in this sa­cramēt are not fitting to infants; as receiuing, eating, drinking. Lastly, circumcisiō was vnder the old testament apointed for chil­dren, (& so acordingly we baptize children) but the Pasouer belon­ged to those onely that were of [Page 130] age at least to aske what it meant. It is true indeed that the Sacra­ment or signe & seale belongeth to those to whome Christ (the thing signified) doth appertaine, but yet onely according to Gods determination and appointment propper to each Sacrament, to wit, so as that the sacrament of initiation, admission, or entrance into the church be giuen both to children, and men of yeares, bu to the male onely in the olde testa­ment, and that also not before the eight day, but in the new testa­ment (that is now) both to male and female, without limitation of time, and that the sacrament of Nutrition and continuance in the Church be giuen to those onely, that are of yeares and discretion, and that by reason of one peculi­ar [Page 131] end (to wit, the annuntiation of Christs dcath) and of the diffe­rent circumstance of the action. And albeit our Sauiour saith that none shall haue life in them, vn­les they eat his flesh and drink his Iohn 6. 53 blood, yet it doth not follow that the sacrament of his body and blood should be giuen vnto in­fants: for he speaketh not of sa­ [...]ramentall eating and drinking, but of that which is meerly spiri­tuall or by faith. Neither doth he there meane infants at all, seeing they are vtterly destitute of actu­all faith, which none haue, none can haue, but those that haue dis­cretion, knowledge and vnder­standing. This shall suffice for the first Doctrine: a second followeth.

CHAP 17.

SEcondly, forsomuch as the A­postle commaundeth a man to examine himself, I conclude that a mans principall and chiefest care must be to prepare and proue him­selfe in porticular. The reasons of this concl [...]sion are many. First, the Scriptures both heere & else where doe proue it by expresse precepts. Dauid saith, Examine your owne heart. HAGGAI saith, Psalm 4. 4 Hag. 1. 5. Cōsider your own waies in your harts. PAVL saith, Let euery man proue his Galat. 6. 4 owne worke. And againe, Proue your selues, examine your selues, know yee 2 Cor. 13. 5 not your owne selues? Now the holy scriptures a [...]e Gods own oracles, giuen by inspiration of God. For these 2 Ti. 3. 16 and all the other holy men of God 2. Pet 1. 21 [...] [Page] [Page] [Page 145] our selues in special, & that by our Vse. 1 selues. The lord wil haue mē diligēt to know the state of their flocks, and biddeth thē take heed to their herds; Pre. 27▪ 23 therefore good cause haue we to be diligēt to know the state of our harts, & to take heed to our selues Shall mē prooue their oxē, & try their horses, & shal not we proue & try our selues? shall an honest & painfull sheepherd obserue & at­tend vpō his sheep? shal he proue and veiw them diligently, that he might haue a sound and fruitfull flock, & shall not we obserue and attend vpon our selues, that wee might haue sound soules? shal not we ponder & prooue our hearts throughly that we might be fit to receiue Christ, & that wee might approoue our selues vnto God, and present our selues vnto him [Page] [...] [Page 145] [...] [Page 146] (as we vse to do at the Sacrament in the way of thankfulnesse) as an holy and liuely sacrifice accepta­ble vnto him by Iesus Christ? Shal men fit their cattell for faires and markets? and shall wee dresse vp our selues, when we go to feasts and publike meetings? And shall we not prepare and fit our selues, and trim vp our soules, when we come to this spirituall banquet and market, in which we set our selues before the great God and graund Commander of all the world; and wherein Christ Iesus and his inualuable and all-suffici­ent merits are set before our eies, and offered to vs: which we may buy without golde, without mo­nie, without marchandize: and which wee may touch, wee may taste, we may eate and drinke [Page 147] faith, freely without surfetting, without fulnesse, and yet to the full: We can neuer be so full of them, but we may well desire to feele them more, & to feed and fil on them still; They are so swee [...]e in the mouth, and so plea [...]ant in the maw, so good of taste, and so easie of digestion. Finally, shal we dresse vp our houses, shall wee in our own persons see al things set in order, when we are to receiue and entertaine some great man; as the King, some noble person, or our Land-lord? And shall wee not our selues labour to decke and dresse vp our heartes and to order all things aright within vs, when wee meane to receiue the Sacrament, yea, to welcome and entertaine the King of glory, the Lord of life, on whom wee doe [Page 148] depend, and by whom wee haue and hold our liues naturall, spiri­tuall and aeternall, and the true title vnto, and the right vse of all our lands and goods: who is also our King to gouerne vs, our Inter­cessour to sue for vs, our Shield to protect vs, our frieud to counsell vs, our food to releiue vs, and our God to saue vs. Yea, we desire to bee fitly dressed and prepared: therefore let vs ransacke & proue our selues, And let vs doe it our selues. For wee can best doe it: and it will be best done, when wee doe it our selues. The heart is best acq [...]ainted with it selfe: and ei­ther is, or should bee most faith­full to it selfe, and more studious of her owne good then another either is or can be. Thus much for the first vse.

Secondly, this Doctrine serues to correct the curiositie of many men, who spend much paines in examining & iudging of others, but neuer call themselues to a reckoning. There are some as quicke sighted a [...] Eagl [...]s, to dis­cerne and spie out the sinnes of other men but as blind as Beetles, when they haue to do with them­selues. But if it would please them to looke vpon themselues, to turne their eyes into their owne breasts, & to examine and weigh themselues, they would not haue so much leasure to censure and search others. If they would take due & true notice of themselues, they would haue worke enough within doores, and might well spare their curious inquisition, and vnnecessarie prying into o [Page 150] ther men. Wee haue yrons y­nough of our owne in the fire: we need not curiously and ouer­busily meddle with other mens, least our own should be burnt in the meane time. I doe not taske those, that are called to examine others, & do containe themselues within the lists and limits of their callings: but those onely, that are curiously & without any calling occupied in this worke, or which are wholly taken vp with exami­ning and preparing of others, ne­uer thinking seriously of them­selues, or sildome, and not so of­ten as they should. He which ex­amineth others, or councels thē to examine themselues, & shew­eth them how to doe it, and in the meane while forgets, or lets passe himselfe, is like the man, [Page 151] that directeth an other, and er­reth himselfe ▪ hee may bee a meanes of good vnto others, as those were, that built the Arke, and yet perish himselfe (if he take not heed) as they did. Thus much for this second Doctrine. A third followeth.

CHAP. 18.

ANd so let him eat. In that the Apostle hauing exhorted vs to examine our selues before we come to the Lords Supper, doth immediatly adde a newe Com­mandement, or exhortation say­ing; And so let him eate, &c. I ga­ther these three Doctrines.

First; that it is not sufficient for Doct. 3 a man to examine himselfe, and so to rest: but that he ought also [Page 152] to allow of himselfe, to approoue himselfe to God and to his owne conscience, and to be perswaded in his heart that hee may come. For whatsoeuer is not of f [...]ith is sinne: but no man hath any sure warrant out of Gods word to come, vnlesse hee doe approoue himselfe before.

Pro [...]ation without Approbation will stand vs in little stead: yea, it will bereaue vs of all excuse. For if we will not labour that we may approoue our selues, and that wee may bee approued of God, when by proouing of our selues wee finde our heartes amisse, and our states but euill and vnor­derly, wee shew our selues, de­sperately negligent and secure, we tempt the patience and long suffering of God, wee make our [Page 153] selues more guiltie of our owne destruction, wee sinne the more grieuously if wee come to the Lords Table, and wee leaue our selues without excuse before God, if he iudge vs for comming so. We knew our dutie: we sawe the danger: wee were priuie to our defect and vnpreparednesse: Wee neglected our dutie: wee weighed not the daunger: wee sought not to prepare and ap­prooue our selues: we yet went, we would goe: and so we wit­tingly ran, and rushed vpon the sword of vengeance, euen the pike of our owne destruction.

Moreouer, the Greeke word, [...] translated examine or proue, doth also signifie, to approue or allow, and is so taken and trans­lated, Rom. 14. 22. and 1. Cor. 16. 3. [Page 154] A man may prooue himselfe and yet not approoue. But surely Paules meaning was that a man should approoue himselfe before he came to the Sacrament. Ther­fore I see not but that the word in this place may be taken in both sences, to prooue and approue our selues; and so it may bee vnder­stood in Gal. 6. 4. Now that wee wee may approoue our selues rightly, wee must labour that all our works be according to Gods will, performed with an honest heart in the name of Christ vn­to the glorie of God. And that we may doe thus, we must labour to bee bathed in the blood of Christ, and to be pertaker of his Spirit, who may informe our iudgements, and reforme our hearts, and make vs conformable [Page 155] to the will of God, and for to striue to please him in doing that which is good, and abandoning that which is euill.

Let vs therefore (brethren) not onely prooue, but also approoue our selues. For one ende of our proouing, is that we might labor to approoue our selues, and that we might bee approued of God, and accounted meete to receiue the Sacrament of his sonne. And further, we shal reape great com­fort to our soules, gathering assu­rance that wee are in Gods fa­uour, in the state of grace, & out of the state of damnation, out of the ranke & rabble of reprobates, and in the number of Gods elect.

Secondly, I gather that it is not Doct. 4 ynough for vs to haue prooued, and approoued our selues before [Page 156] we come: but that we ought also in the very act of receiuing, or in the very time therof to approoue our selues. Paul saith; So let him eate: that is approouing himselfe, and finding himselfe meete, and prepared to receiue. For a man may examine, and approoue him­selfe also, and yet receiue vnwor­thily, if after his examination and app [...]obation hee should fall into some capitall and grieuous sin, and so receiue before he haue re­newed his faith and repentance, by apprehending & applying the blood of Christ for the remission of it, and by the desiring pardon of it, and by sobbing and sorrow­ing for it, and accursing it to the pit of hell from whence it came. Therefore Pauls meaning is, that wee must not onely prooue and [Page 157] approoue our selues before wee doe receiue, but also wee should approoue our selues when we do receiue, allow of our selues as of prepared Guests in the act and article of receiuing.

Thirdly, I gather that, when a Doct. 5 They that contemne or neglect this holy [...]anquet, contemne and neg­lect, first the com­m [...]ndement of God: Se­condly the memorial of Christs death. Thirdly, the com­munication of the body and blood of Christ: F [...]urthly a meane to strengthen th [...]ir faith. Fiftly, they a [...] not to be reputed good disci­pl [...]s. man hath once prooued and ap­proued himselfe, and opportuni­tie serueth, that it is not at his choice and libertie, either to re­ceiue or not to receiue, to goe or to tarry. Hee must goe, hee must receiue. Let him eate, saith Paul. It is a Precept, and not a bare per­mssion. He doth not say, Let him eate and drinke if he so please. The former wordes are a commande­ment wherefore then should not these be so likewise? The Greeke wordes are of one person, and of one mood: they are of the com­manding [Page 158] or imparatiue mood: and they are vsed in one verse, about one matter, and one in the necke of another. It followeth;

CHAP. 19.

EAte of this bread and drinke of this cup. The word bread, hath diuers significations in the Scrip­tures.

First, it is taken for bread pro­perly, as in Gen. 14. 18. And Mel­chizedech brought foorth bread and wine.

Secondly, by it is sometimes meant bread corne, or corne where­of bread is made, Iob 28. 5. Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it there is as it were fire turned vp.

Thirdly, it is put for Manna, Ex. 16. 12. And in the morning yee [Page 159] shalbe filled with bread, that is, with Manna, as Moses doth expound it in the fifteene verse.

Fourthly it signifieth sacrifices, as in Mal. 1. 7. Ye offer vncleane bread vpon mine Alter.

Fifthly, it is taken generally for all things necessarie for the maintenance of this present na­turall life. And so it is vsed in the Lords prayer, and in Gen. 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eate thy bread; that is, thou shalt get thy liuing.

In this place it is vsed in his proper and naturall signification. Now our sauiour ordained bread to be the Sacrament of his body, by reason of the analogie and si­militude of the properties and ef­fects of the signe, and the thing signified. For;

First, as corporall bread is made of corne, so spirituall bread is made of the body of Christ.

Secondly, as bread is baked in the ouen with the heat of the fire: euen so the body of Christ was (as it were) baked with the fire of the Crosse, and prepared to bee the foode of the soule.

Thirdly, as bread asswageth hunger, and strengtheneth the heart, and preseruet [...] the life of the body: so the merits of Christs body stayeth the hunger of the soule, and strengthneth it to eter­nall life.

Fourthly, as bread profiteth the hungrye, and not those that are full: so the merit of Christs body doth benefit those only, that hū ­ger after righteousnes, but those neuer a whit, which swell with [Page 161] the opinion of their owne righ­teousnesse and perfect puritie.

Fiftly, as bread distributed a­mongst many is a token of con­cord: so also the body of Christ sacrificed for the sinnes of many, is a token and pledge of his good will towards vs, and of mutu­all good amongst our selues.

Sixtly, as one & the same bread is made of many graines: so wee many, who pertake of one bread, (one in a common notion of the Sacrament, and receiued to one ende, but not one in number) are one mysticall body of Christ.

And it pleased him to make choyce of bread rather then of flesh, because he did not respect the colour or externall forme (in which regard flesh is likest to flesh) but the strength or vertue [Page 162] to releiue and nourish, which is greater in bread (the staffe of life) then in the flesh of any creature whatsoeuer.

By Cup, the Apostle vnderstan­deth the wine in the cup. Now Christ instituted wine to bee the signe of his blood for the resem­blance, that is between the pro­perties and effects of wine and his blood. For;

First, as wine is a most sweete liquor comming out of the vine: so the blood of Christ is a most delicate drinke for the soule: hee is the Vine from whence it came, Iohn 15. 1. and the Grape ou [...] of which it was squized.

Secondly, as wine slaketh the thirst of the body: so the merite of Christs blood quencheth the thirst of the soule.

Thirdly, as wine maketh the Psal. 104. 15. heart merrie, so the blood of Christ receiued by faith doth cō ­fort the soule, and maketh the heart ioyfull.

Fourthly, as wine warmeth the body and driueth away cold: so the blood of Christ expelleth the coldnesse of charitie, and heateth our hearts with zeale and loue.

Fiftly, as Wine causeth the countenance to shine, & remoo­ueth palenesse: so the merite of Christes blood taketh away the palenesse of the soule, and makes it looke fresh and faire as a rose. It layeth the stormie windes of the conscience, and makes vs seeme comely and amiable in Gods sight. Whatsoeuer a man seeth through red glasse, will ap­peare [Page 164] red, [...]o whatsoeuer God beholdeth through CHRISTES blood seemes louely, faire and beautifull.

Sixtly, as wine makes a man cheerfull, stirring and actiue: so the blood of Christ receiued by faith, stirreth vp the soule and makes it cheerefull, quicke and nimble, about good workes.

Seuenthly, as wine procureth speach, and causeth the heart to breake out into Songs: so the blood of Christ makes vs [...]lo­quent and musicall in the confes­sion, and commemoration of his benefits conferred freely to vs.

Lastly, as wine stirreth vp the spirits, and maketh men bold and hardie: so the blood of Christ ap­plyed by faith to the heart, will make men stout, valorours, and [Page 165] constant, and fill them with spi­rituall fortitude and magnani­mitie.

By this Bread and this Cuppe, the Apostle meaneth sacramen­tall bread and wine: that bread and wine, which is appointed and set apart to be the sacrament, the signe and seale of the body and blood of Christ, and to bee receiued of the Church, in me­moriall of his bloody death, for the redemption of the Church. This shall suffice for the explica­tion of these words.

The Doctrines, which remaine to bee collected from them, and to bee propounded, are especial­ly two.

CHAP. 20.

FIrst, I conclude out of these wordes of PAVL, that they, Doct. 6 which eate the bread, ought also to drinke of the cup in the Sup­per of the Lord; bee they what they may be, Ministers or others, men or women, of what state, place, or countrey soeuer, with­out exception of any; prouided alwayes, that they bee baptized, and do prepare, prooue and ap­prooue themselues as hath beene heretofore deliuered. The Apo­stle expresly saith; let him eat of this bread, and drinke of this cuppe. Hee will haue them to drinke as well as to eate. Secondly, the Greeke word, which in the beginning of the verse, is trāslated Man, is com­mune [Page 167] to both Sexes, signifying women as well as men. Thirdly, the Apostles writeth to all Chri­stians in Corinth, and reprooueth the vnworthy receiuing of ma­ny, and prescribeth a remedie to them all. But the greater number were of the Laity or people, and not ministers: it was not a church consisting wholly of Pastors, or Praelates and Ministers. There­fore not onely Ministers, but o­thers also, whether men or wo­men, may receiue the wine as wel as the bread, and the bread as wel as the wine. Yea, when they doe receiue the one, they must re­ceiue the other: not one onely, but both. For so they are com­manded. Christ saith. Take, eate, Mat. 26. 27 drinke yee all of it. And according to his commandement, They All Mar. 14. 23. [Page 168] dranke of it. Fourthly, Christ in­stituted an entire Sacrament con­sisting of two signes, kindes, or parts; to wit, bread and wine: and according to Christs Institution, our Apostle prescribeth the re­ceiuing therof vnder both kinds. But it is horrible rebellion to re­peale & impugne the ordinances of Christ, & no small sin not to follow so great an Apostle in that wherein he followeth his Lord; but to disobey his prescript and precept, giuen vnto vs by Gods speciall inspiratiō. Fiftly, the new Testament, remission of sins, and the commemoration of Christes death, doth belong not onely to Ministers, but to Laye men, and women also: why then should they not be partakers of the cup, or the wine in the cup, seeing it [Page 169] is a signe and pledge of the newe Luk. 22. 20 Matth. 26. 28. Testament, & of his blood which was shed for the remission of the sinnes of many and doth notably resemble the effusion thereof vp­on the Crosse? Sixtly, it was the Commu­nicating vnder both kindes, was in the Church 1300. years The Cuppe was first (by publike de­cree) taken from the people in the counsell of Con­stance, 1484 custome of the ancient Church to minister and receiue both the elements. Chrysostome saith; Non est apud nos vt in lege veteri, vbi a­liae partes ex Hom. 8. [...]ri. Cor. 11. victimis dabantur Sa­cerdotibus, aliae vero cedebant offerē ­tibus: sed nobis Omnibus idem Christi corpus proponitur atque idem pocu­lum: Vnto vs All is proposed the same body of Christ, and the same Cuppe. Ignatius, saith to the Philadelphi­ans; One bread is broken to All [...], & one cup was distributed to All. Gelasius saith, that the Diuision of one and the same mysterie cannot be made (sine grandi [Page 170] sacrilegio) without great sacriledge. Licet Chri­stus suis d [...]scip [...]lis administ ra­uer it sub [...]traqu [...] pa­nis & [...]in [...] specie &c. And the Councill of Constance, (though it tooke the Cup away) cōfesseth plainely that the Com­munion vnder one kind, was nei­ther instituted by Christ, nor v­sed in the Primitiue Chuch. Therefore the Church of Rome committeth sacriledge in rob­bing the people of the cup, and sheweth her selfe to be of a rebel­lious, arrogant, & refractary spi­rit (ill beseeming a loyall and obe­ent wife) in ouerth warting and crossing the holy ordinance of Christ and the practise of the an­cient Church. Therefore [...]et vs heerein giue care to him that saith; Come out of her my people, reu. 18. 4 Her argumēts are very fee­ble and ridiculous, and cannot a­bide the touchstone of sound [Page 171] reason, and the sun-light of the Lord. False Wares are not for light shops: and a true Touch­stone will discrie copper.

CHAP. 21.

SEcondly, in that the Apostle saith, let him [...]ate of this bread, and drinke of this Cup, I conclude Doct. 7 that the Bread and VVine in the Sacrament, are not turned into the very body and blood of Christ, but doe still remaine, as they were before, as touching their nature and substance; being changed onely in respect of their vse, for so much as they are now consecrated to signifie and seale vnto vs the body and blood of Christ, yea, whole Christ with all his benefits. For the confirmati­on [Page 172] of this conclusion, wee haue first (besides this) other expresse phrases of Scripture: secondly, other arguments grounded vpon the word, and vpon good reason: thirdly, the iudgement of the Pri­mitiue Church for many hundred yeares together after Christ.

For the first, Paul saith; The cup of blessing which wee blesse, is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we breake, is it not the Communion of the body of Christ? For wee that are many, are one bread and one body, because we are all parta­kers of one bread, 1. Cor. 10. 16. 17. And againe, As often as yee shall eate this Bread and drinke of this Cup, ye shew the Lordes death till hee come. Wherefore, whosoeuer shall eate this Bread, and drinke the Cup of the Lord unworthily, shall he gu [...]tie of the bo­dy [Page 173] and blood of the Lord. 1. Cor. 17. 26, 27. Here is not a word of any transubstantiating, or turning the bread and wine, into the substan­tiall and true body and blood of our Lord, but a plaine distinction made betwixt the signes and the things signified without annihi­lation or corporall alteration. And Christ himselfe, saith at his last Supper, after that he had bles­sed the cup; I will not drinke hence­foorth Matth. 26. 29. of this fruite of the vine, &c. By which it is euident, that hee and his disciples dranke true wine. It is true (I confesse) that Christ saith expresly, This is my body: but Matth. 26. 26. Christs bo­dy is three­fold: natu­rall, mysti­call, and Sacramen­tall. without doubt his meaning was not, that the bread was truely turned into his body. For first, it were very absurde to imagine, that Christ did eate his owne bo­die: [Page 174] and therefore also as absurde to say that the disciples did eate it. Now the bread is his sacramen­tall bodie, that is, the Sacrament, the signe and seale this bodie: and the word (I [...]) is as much as signifieth as in Luke 8. 21. For he and they did eat of one thing. Secondly, there are other places of the Scripture like vnto this, which shew that his speech was not proper, but figuratiue: and it is strange that they, which stand so much vpō figures, could perceiue none heere. Gen. 17. 10. Circumcision is the Couenant, that is, a signe of the couenant. Ex. 12. 11. The Lambe is the Lordes Passeouer, that is, a signe and pledge thereof. 1. Cor. 10. 4. The rocke was Christ, that is, a signe of Christ. Thirdly, wee must needes vnderstand a fi­gure in the word Cup: and a figure is granted of all, euen of the Ad­uersaries of this doctrine; where­fore then should it sound against reason to hold that speech to bee [Page 175] vnderstood by a figure?

For the second: It is against common sense, that Christs bo­die, which is finite and circum­scriptible, should bee in so many places together so farre distant one from an other: and that ac­cidents should remaine without a subject, as if the whitenesse of the snow should continue, when the snow it selfe is melted. It is true indeed that the power of God is great: but yet hee neither doth, nor wil doe, whatsoeuer he is able by his power for to doe. He can of stones make children vnto Abraham: hee can consume the world at one instant, but hee doth not, neither will doe. And againe: there are some things which God cannot doe. He can­not lie, he cannot deny himselfe. [Page 176] hee cannot breake his promise, and goe against his word. Hee hath said that the heauen must con­taine Act. 3. 27. Christ, till the time that al thngs be restored: therefore he shall bee there aboue, & is not here below. Yea further, God cannot make one thing to be, & not to be at one instant. He cannot make the aire to be wholly both fire and water at one moment. God cannot make the body of Christ to bee both a true bodie, and not a true bodie, circumscribed & not cir­cumscribed to haue dimensions, and to bee without dimensions: to bee in heauen, and vpon the earth also in a thousand distinct places at one and the same Arti­cle of time, and to be as long, as broad, and as thicke in a peece of bread as it was, when it hanged [Page 177] vpon the Crosse.

Secondly, wee beleeue that Christes bodie was conceiued in the wombe of the Virgine Marie, therefore sure it is not made of Bakers bread.

Thirdly, the nature of a Sacra­ment requireth that there should be an outward, visible, and cor­porall signe, as well as an inward, and spirituall thing signified: but the doctrine of Transubstantia­tion doth ouerthrow the signe.

Fourthly, if wee allow of tran­substantiation, wee shall not re­ceiue the body, that was deliue­red to death for vs: but some o­ther thing, which an houre be­fore was not a bodie, but plaine bread.

Fifthly, when a Mouse eateth hallowed bread, what eates she? [Page 178] doth shee eate the shadow, the shape and likenesse of bread? For those Alchimists hold, that the sub­stance of the bread is gone. Now it were absurd to say, that a mouse could feed vpon naked accidents or mere colours. What thē doth she eate? the body of Christ? How absurde and impious were it to imagine? It remaineth therefore that the substance of the bread doth still continue. If the bread after Consecration bee burnt to ashes, and the wine cast into the fire, whence come the ashes? And whence is the smoke & hiz­zing? Surely they cannot come of mere accidents, as shape, colour, dimensions, &c. Therefore it is safest to hold the continuance of the Elements, as touching their substance. For the third, we haue [Page 971] herein also the consent of the an­cient Church. Ambrose saith, that the signes are the same (Quaeerant) which they were ▪ De sacra. l. 4. c. 4.

Theoderet saith, that those mysti­call signes do not goe from their na­ture after consecration: Post sanctifi­cationē nō recedūt a natura s [...]a. Di [...]. 2.

Gelasius saith, that the signes re­maine in the propertie of their owne nature, Gelas-contra-Eutye.

Augustine saith, we cannot with the hand touch Christ sitting in the hea­uens but by faith we can touch and ap­prehend him. In Ioh. Tract. 1.

Irenaeus saith, that a Sacrament requireth two things: the one earthly and the other heauenly.

Walefridus saith, that Christ deli­uered the Sacraments (or signes and seales) of his body and blood to his dis­ciples (In panis & vini substantia) in the substance of bread & wine. cap. 16.

And because many stand vpon the bare words of Christ, saying; This is my body, & will admit no ex­position but the literall, acknow­ledging no figure in them, let vs obserue the iudgement of two or three ancient Doctours.

Augustine saith, that the Lord stucke not to say, This is my body, in so much as hee did giue the signe of his body Contra Adimant. c. 12.

Cyprian saith, that the Sacramēts haue the names of those things, which they signifie Epist. 102. ad Euod.

Chrysostome saith, that the bread after consecratiō is counted wor­thy of the name of the Lords bo­die, Etiamsi natura panis in ipso per­mansit, although it haue the nature of bread still remaining in it. Epist. ad. Caesar. Mon [...]ch.

Theodoretus saith, that the Lord hath honored those visible signes [Page 180] with the name of his body and blood, [...] not altering their nature, but adiecting grace vnto nature. Now that grace, which is added to their nature, is in that those outward elemēts are made Sacraments, or outward meanes and instruments of Gods spirit, for the confirmation conseruati­on & augmentation of the Com­munion of Christ in vs, & signes and seales of the loue of God vn­to vs in Christ. And whereas the ancient and orthodoxall Fathers doe vse the wordes of Conuersion, mutation & trans [...]usion, when they speake of the sacrament, we must know that they vnderstād a chāge or alteration in respect of vse, and not of substance. And albeit, Cyprian say, that the bread is natu­ra mutatus changed as touching the nature of it, yet hee meaneth [Page 182] onely that it is changed in the Sa­crament, in regard of the natu­rall and common vse thereof (be­ing set apart and sanctified to sig­nifie the body of our Lord) and not in respect of the naturall sub­stance a [...]d essence: and therefore in the same place he saith it is not effigie mutatus changed in shape and likenesse. Now Cyprian neuer was acquainted with that lear­ning, which maketh accidents to subsist without their subiect. For the old learning, which was in his time and long before, was (that Accidentisesse est in esse, & that Sub­blato subiecto tollitur [...]ccidens) that no accident, no shape or fashion could cōtinue without the thing wherein it doth subsist, and on which it doth depend. For to say otherwise, were as if a mā should say, that the rednesse of the face [Page 183] can continue, when the face is quite defaced and consumed: or that the colours of the rainbow may remaine, when the cloud is vanished & dissolued. It may bee then demāded, why christ should rather say, This is my body, then this (that is, this bread) signifieth my bo­dy? I answere, that hee vsed that speech, because it was his plea­sure to declare more expresly, that the breàd is not set before vs to be considered as it is in it selfe; that is, as it is bread, but that wee ought to behold and lay hold vp­on that with the eye & hand of a liuely faith, which is represented & signified by the bread, as if the bread were not the signe thereof, but the thing it selfe, which is sig­nified by it.

And albeit we deny both tran­substantiatiō, that is to say, that the [Page 183] bread & wine are turned into the body and blood of Christ, & that he is bodily presēt in, with, vnder, or about the elements, vet we hold & teach, that he is truely & really present, and not absent from h [...]s Supper: but marke how. Not bo­dily, for his bodie is in heauen, & there shall continue till he come vnto iudgement. How then? I an­swere. Christ is present in respect of his grace, powe [...] [...]aiestie and operation, communicating him­selfe & all his merits to vs truely, but spiritually, and lifting vp our hearts vnto himself into the very heauens, that there we might be­hold him (that was our sacrifice of reconciliation) in his coelestiall sanctuarie, and feed vpon him with a liuely faith. In one word, hee is present in respect of our faith, which ioyneth things that [Page 184] are far distant in place one from another. We do not therfore de­nie the reall and true presence of Christ, but wee doe onely denie that hee is present in a bodily manner.

The consideration of these things, serueth to condemne the doctrine of the Church of Rome, which teacheth that the elements after the words of consecration are truely turned into the body and blood of Christ: so, as that nothing remaineth of the Ele­ments at all, sauing nak [...]d and mere accidents, which are per­ceiued by seeing, tasting, and touching. And according to this her doctrine she squareth out her practise; persecuting with fire and fagot, with sword and word, those that will not subscribe vnto it: and yet there is no footing for [Page 186] it in the word of God; not one sentence nor syllable, which vp­holds or fauours it.

Let vs therefore detest and ac­curse it, and let vs desire the Lord of his mercie to open their eyes that hold it, daily increasing the number of true Christians, and weakening the kingdome of An­tichrist, that the Gospell may flou­rish, and that the Kingdome of Christ may bee enlarged to the consolation of the faithfull; and glory of God; vnto whom, Fa­ther, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, be rendered all honor, laud and power, for e­uer and euer. Amen.

Trin-vni Deo gloria.