Works, Part 2 · Treatise 7
A TREATISE OF EXAMINATION BEFORE AND AFTER THE LORDS SVPPER.
1. Cor. 11. 28.
Let a man therefore examine himselfe, and so let him eate of this bread, and drinke of this cuppe.
THese words are ordinarie and well knowne: and they containe a sanction or decree, whereby the Apostle taketh order for eueryevery mans examination before the participation of the mysterie of the Supper. And two things chiefely are to be stood vponupon in these words. First, the necessitie of examination,Two poynts to be considered in examining our selues. foreign. and then the manner of it. For the first, it may seeme, speaking in the phrase of our teaching: Let a man examine himselfe, that it is but an aduising, or a counsell rather than a commaundement: yet in the originall tongue, the word runnes in that tearme that Princes Parliament lawes, and commaundements doe vse to runne in: the word, I say, is as much as if it were said: Be it enacted, be it decreed, or prouided; so that the indifferencie in our tongue, in the originall seemeth a necessitie. Now albeit the commaundement ought to be of sufficient credite with vsus, and we without all adoe to yeeld vntounto it: yet hauing receiued it by faith, we are to enter into the reasons of this streight examination, and finde out the causes of the execution hereof.
The reasons may be reduced into two heads: it standeth either vponupon a great reuerenceTworeasons why eueryevery one is to examine himselfe. of the person with whom we are present, as we see men busilie prepare themselues when they are to come before some honourable personage: or beside the dignitie of the person, vponupon the excellencie of the profit of the things receiued, in respect whereof we are also to prepare our selues, as in receiuing Physicke we prepare our selues that the prescript may more effectually worke vponupon vsus, so that for both these things we prepare our selues, and they both meete together in the Lord his Supper.
For though we should not hauehave an eye at all to the profit, yet the very reuerence of theGods presēce must mooue vsus to examination. person with whom we sit, ought to make vsus hauehave regard to this thing according to that rule, Prou. 23. 1. When thou sittest at meate with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee, and prepare thy selfe well to sit at the table with such a man. Albeit Ioseph when Pharaoh sent for him, knew not why he was sent for, and thought little of that successe of his going whichGen. 41. 14. sell out afterward; yet because he was to stand before a King, and because he was a miserable prisoner, he shaued his head and changed his raiment, to go to so high and royall a personage. The same is confirmed vntounto vsus in that parable, where we see that not only they are reiected which make excuses and refuse to come, but such also as hauing once been admitted,Matth. 22. 1. 2. Luk. 14. 1…. come vnprepared without their mariage garmēts to honour the mariage of the Kings Sonne, because they did not orderly addresse themselues. Therfore this table in the Church being but a representation of the table, whereat our hearts doe communicate in the kingdome of heauen, where is present not only the beloued spirits & hoast of Angels, but the glorious Trinitie, we are, I say in respect of God the Father, the Sonne, and the holie Ghost, and all the Court of heauen with great solemnitie to prepare our selues.
But yet we ought to do it more, if we consider what great preparation hath been vsed in things inferiour to this in the law; though then there were no commaundement for this, yet by right of proportion a most reuerent respect should be had thereof, & therefore we ought to yeeld vntounto it. As for example, thus we are to thinke, that if it be eating of the2. Chro. 35. 6. Pascall Lambe (which seale cōpared with this seale in the Gospel, there is no comparison indeed) they were some daies before prepared: the same regard of reuerence should be had of vsus in the participation of the Lords table, & so reasoning from the lesse to the greater, from the Law to the Gospel, from the passeouer to the Supper, it may be an argument vntounto vsus to prepare our selues thereunto. We need not stand long on this comparison, seeing a thing of lesse account, I meane the shew-bread, would not be giuen to Dauid without1. Sam. 21. 4. some stipulation, that is, without he were in some respects made fit to receiue it; so that here we are gone a degree lower. But if we will go yet lower than this, come to the Arke it2. Sam. 6. 6. 7. selfe, and see how he handled Vzzah, who put his vnprepared hands to the Ark, for which the Lord was so mightily displeased, that he slew him for it. Nay which is more, if we shallExod. 40. 10. 11. 12. & 27. 3. 4. 5. &c. come downe to the very ground of Gods presence, where Moses could not appeare vntill his shooes were off: nay if we go to the snuffers and pannes and candlestickes, which none could meddle withall without sanctification: we may rise now vpward as before we came downe, and we may reason from these small things to the Arke, and from the Arke to the shew-bread, and from the shew-bread to the Passeouer, & from the Passeouer to the thing we hauehave in hand to learne an argument of preparation. And if Ioseph of Arimathea and othersIohn. 19 38. 39. 40. of the godly men and women which were with him, committing the body of Christ to the graue, would wrap it not only in a cleane cloth, nor in eueryevery kind of linnen, but in a cleane syndon, which is a very fine linnen: then what reuerence are we to vse in taking not the dead body, but the liuing body, yea the glorified body of the Lord in heauen?
But if the Lord take vsus a degree lower, and leaue his owne presence to perswade vsus, and shall come to our owne priuate practise: if we put not our owne commo… meate, our prophane meate (for so I thinke I may call it, and worse too, in respect of that holy mysterie)Simile. into an vnwashen platter, nor a drop of drinke into a cup vncleansed; then he that shall put the things exhibiting the very body of Christ into an vnprepared heart, and vnsanctified soule, shall be most guiltie of that iudgement which is pronounced for him, that is, He is guiltie of the body and blood of Christ: yea, as our Sauiour Christ, and the Prophets complaine1. Cor. 11. 27. Matth. 16. 3. Matth. 15. 17. We can neuer end when we prepare to feast with men: we can neuer begin well any preparation to feast with God. that men are too skilfull in skie poynts and in humane statutes to take the best aduantage they can, but the matters of the law are strange vntounto them: so may he complaine that this is vile meate, and which he himselfe saith is after cast into the draught, receiueth such estimation at our hands, that we prepare so diligently the very instruments of them; yet when we come to sanctified things, we shew our selues as carelesse in them, as in the knowledge of his commandements. Thus then we see how in these respects the Lord may require due reuerence in regard of the things pertaining to him, comparing them especially with the care that we hauehave in our owne things.
Now to set the presence of God aside, and to looke to our owne profit, as before we put apart our owne profit to consider of so great a presence: the fruite is great, and so great, that the writers of the Primitiue Church, hauehave cōpared the mysterie of the Supper to the tree of life which was in Paradise, and the abuse of this mysterie vntounto the vnlawfull eating of that tree, because I say they doe make Christ that tree of life; so that who so eateth ofOur owne profite must moue vsus to examination. Gen 3. 22. Matth. 9. 20. 21. 22. Christ, shall eate of life. And to the profit, if to the faith of the toucher, the very hemme of the garment of Christ did affoord such a benefit, as the healing of so grieuous a sicknes; then we may rise to consider the profit which the touching, nay which more is, the receiuing of the body and blood of Christ doth bring vsus: setting the faith equall in both, it is like that this exceedeth the other by many degrees, and yet few, I doubt, receiue the fruite of this woman. We come then now to say that all these profits are lost without preparation; and as one of the Fathers saith, they that come vnprepared find not Christ, that is, the body of Christ, but with Iohn they light vpō the napkin or the clothes of Christ, wherin heIohn. 20 4. 5. 6. 7. …. Hag. 2. 13. 14 was wrapped so little fruit they hauehave that come vnprepared. The reason is (as Aggeus saith) that if a man be polluted and touch an holy thing, it is certaine the thing that is holie becommethThe polluted per…on polluteth all things Tit. 1. 15. 16. polluted too, and vnlesse he be holie that commeth to the holy thing, the thing hallowed doth him no good. So that hee that commeth to these holy things vnprepared, shall turne the nature of them to himselfe, & it shalbe vntounto him as it fareth with them that take Physicke; if a purgation taken to purge choler, doe not worke & purge the choler, beside the losse of the benefit, it turneth into a worse choler, and the humor is not onelyonly notSimile. lessened, but much encreased: So if your minde remaine polluted and vnprepared, those things in the Sacrament besides your not profiting by them (which is to be wished) make vsus far worse then we were before, & for our vnworthy receiuing of them bring either temporall or eternall iudgements vponupon vsus. Therfore for this cause in the Leiturgies of the Primitiue1. Cor. 11. 30▪ Church: the first word was a proclamation of holy things, to wit, that here are Sanctasanctis, that is, holy things for holie men. But is this losse all…no, there is losse of other things, there is I say, a punishment ioyned with the losse, for it is not as in outward things, if that your enterprise take not effect, it is but the losse of so much labour, but here is purchased an vnspeakable punishment, which the Apostle after specifieth, that wee eate and drinke iudgement to our selues, according to the proportion of the fault, as either for neglect of the1 Cor. 11. 29. meane, in which manner Moses offending for not circumcising his sonne, was corrected: or else for contempt of it: and then are we not acquitted from condemnation, & wee are inExo. 4. 24. 25. danger to be with Iudas in the full and entire possession of the diuell. So then in both these respects iointly now considered, both in respect of the reuerence of God himselfe, and in regarde of the profit that wee shall surely hauehave, it shalbe good for vsus, duely to prepare our selues, knowing as it is 2. Chro…. 20. that the want of successe in things of the Church, dependeth2. Chro. 20. … on the want of preparation. For this cause these holy men the vertuous predecessors, were alwaies carefull in eueryevery particular meane to be prepared, as namely going about to pray, they had their eiaculationes, that is, certaine short prayers, before they entred intoMark. 15. 42. Preparation for the Sabbath. the solemne action, and they tooke halfe the day before the sabbath to prepare them to it. Now if preparation be necessary at these things in seuerall, seeing all these concurre in the Sacraments, excuselesse must hee bee that runneth to the Sacraments vnprepared. Now as the Commaundement doth binde vsus to this Examination: So the contrarie inferred,1 Foure sorts barred from the Lords supper, Children, Fooles, ignorant persons, & impenitent persons. shuts out foure sorts of people. First, if anie for want of yeares, as children, bee not able to examine themselues, all such are remoued: Secondly, if anie for want of wit, discretion, iudgement, the vse of r…sa…on, and such internals, the defect whereof (howsoeuer they are in age) makes them as children, cannot trie themselues, as foolish and furious persons, these are also excluded: Thirdly, if they hauehave a naturall conceiuing with gifts of reason and humane vnderstanding, and yet are ignorant in the grounds of Religion, and in the doctrine of the Sacraments, which chiefe points of saluation are necessarie to be knowne; if I say, they hauehave not attained to these rules, all such are debarred; And last of all, if they hauehave a generall notion of these things, and vnderstanding of these rules, and in the abuse of their knowledge remaine wicked, stubborne, and impenitent persons, that neuer goe about2 to proue themselues, all these also are to be separated, as vnfit, and vnworthie Guests of this Table.34
The subiect of Examination is our selues and not others, as the Apostle saith, Let eueryevery one examine himselfe: As eueryevery one looketh to the preparing of his owne meate, so mustThe subiect of examination is our selues. eueryevery one looke to the sanctifying of his owne heart; for this spirituall meate is better than the heauenly Manna; if we spoyle it not through our owne malignitie And because if there bee but one Publican in the Church wee looke to him, and our eye cannot easilie goe from him; therefore the Apostle would hauehave our examination reflexed on our selues, as the Sunne-beames in the ayre.
Touching the manner of examination we must consider the nature and vse of the word. The Word in it proper tongue is taken from the Gold-smiths shop, and it is a trying, as it were of mettalles, and therefore the learned would hauehave vsus trye our selues by the rules of Gold-smiths; and this is not by the sound or Eccho that it maketh, (for in the best it is deceiuable) but setting aside this, they come to the touchstone and furnace (which are two things of proofe to trie withall) and they match with the touchstone the word, and compareSimile. with the furnace the crosse. But because those be more vniuersall, I thinke they may rather trie the whole course of a mans life in generall, than this seuerall poynt in hand. Others, because the bread and the wine be foode, follow herein the rules of the physitians. If a man hauehave a full body, though his repletion come of a very good humour, as of blood,Simile. it needeth not filling but emptying; againe, full bodies, if their fulnes come of euill humours, are not to be nourished but rather they must be purged, as flegmatike bodies which are full of moysture: Euen so fareth it with all those which thinke themselues full enough of their own righteousnes, and such as are stuffed with corrupt humours & grosse sinnes, are not to come hither hauing no interest or claime therein, vntill the one be emptied of the fond conceit of his own righteousnes, & the other purged of the loathsome disease of1. Cor. 11. 31. 32. his owne wickednesse. Notwithstanding, if we consider the words that follow, If wee would iudge our selues, we should not be iudged; and againe, but when we are iudged, we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world, it may appeare, that the Apostle vnderstandeth it of a iudiciall examination, as before a iudge. And the very word though it were deriued from the gold-smiths, yet the vse of it is from a iudiciall manner of proceeding.Simile. Well then, let vsus take it this way, that in this triall wee must so proceed with our selues in iudgement, and when we are by our selues alone, wee must erect our iudgement seate in our selues, and examine our selues precisely whether we eate worthily or vnworthily. For the plainnes of it, we cannot be better directed than by that rule, 2. Cor. 13. Proue your selues whether ye are in the faith. that is, (as I interpret it, and most men of sound iudgement thinke with me,) whether the faith be in thee, and whether yee hauehave receiued the spirit of Christ which is his vicar. For by this yee shal know whether yee are worthy or vnworthie, for surely hee shall eate Christs fleshe and drinke his blood, that hath his spirite, But how shall wee trie our selues whether wee hauehave the spirit, or no? I answere according to that saying Ephes. 3. 17. When Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith. And this now is enough, for hauing this, wee hauehave Christs spirit, and so Christ himselfe, and consequently wee neede not doubt of the other. Here it is good to take this word faith as largely as wee can, and take it in as generall a sense as the law, that is, for the whole word.Reade as it were an inditement to our selues against our selues. And so first wee are to sit in iudgement on our selues according to the whole forme of Gods iustice, and it is good to take the record of our selues, and that catalogue which the diuell himselfe hath in store against vsus, which yet indeed he hideth & will bring forth, because he reserueth it to lay it to our consciences in the houre of death, when all our sins shall flocke together against vsus to driue vsus to despaire▪ It is good I say according to the ten words of the law to frame ten seuerall actions, enditements, arraignments, and so many seuerall sentences of condemnation, and then wee shall finde a great spoyle of obedience in vsus, and we shal see our selues marueilously to bee defectiue, Thus hauing arraigned our selues, we must further consider how vnkindly we hauehave dealt with so kind a Sauiour since our calling, and so pronounce a perpetual confusion due to vsus with a shame for that which is past, with a greefe for that which is present, and with a feare of that which may comeBucerus. Tunc optime habet qui pessim… habet. hereafter. And when wee can bring our selues out of conceit with our selues, and hauehave brought our selues into the worst taking that can bee, then hee is in the best taking, that taketh himselfe to be in the worst. For the principall purpose of our examinatiō is to shew vsus our indignitie, and to bring our selues into the lowest conceit of our selues that can be. Hauing in truth pronounced this shame and confusion of face to be due vntounto vsus, God will suspend his iudgement and cease from his sentence of anger, nay hee will say, This man behold, hath condemned himselfe, I neede not to condemne him: he hath done enough, let my sitting in iudgement vponupon him cease, seeing he hath so straightly examined himselfe, I remit all, I will examine no further, hee is free, let him come and so let him eate and drinke. Thus I say our examination must be in a iudiciall forme, that is, we must enquire of our selues whether we be guiltie orWherein the examination of our selues consisteth. not guiltie, worthie or vnworthie. And because eueryevery man is readie to perswade himselfe that he is worthie, to beare out this point we are to trie our selues, whether we hauehave faith; and because faith hath relation to the truth, and the truth must try vsus, which saith, Cursed is hee that continueth not in eueryevery poynt of the Law to doe it: wee must search our bookes of remembrance,Galath. 3. …0. considering what God hath against vsus, and examine our selues according to eueryevery word thereof. Then because we must be constrained to conclude that we be vnworthie, we must in the next place goe out of our selues, and faint after the righteousnesse that can make vsus worthie. For a man that findeth himselfe to be left in the estate of condemnation,Matth. 5. 3. 4. to him will seeme a good saying, & worthie to be receiued, That IESVS CHRIST came into the world to saue sinners: and to him the name of a Redeemer will be most precious. And therefore at this second returne commeth to be considered of, that Faith which commeth1. Tim. 1. 15. by the blessing of the Gospell, whereby wee seeing our owne ignorance, doe seeke wisedome out of our selues, being conscious of our owne vnworthinesse, and sue for obedience in the Sonne of GOD: and seeing we are altogether aliants from God by reason of these things, we seeke for our perfection in CHRIST, & vponupon this condition is righteousnes giuen vntounto vsus. Then because the examination of this standeth in another point, for that a condemned person will redeeme his pardon by a price, be it neuer so great, if by any meanes he be able to make it, and a man spareth no cost for that which indeede hee doth louelove, as wee may see in the example of a vile louelove of Esau, who setting his louelove euen vponupon meate, was content with the losse of his birthright to buy it, if we truely esteeme Christ his death, wee will giuegive any thing for it. And truely God requireth nothing at our hands, but euen that small condition Ephes. 4. 52. To be curteous one to another, and tender hearted, forgiuing one another euen as God for Christs sake for gaue vsus. Where we see that as God hath for. giuen vsus, so we should forgiue others▪ …or a man that purposeth truely to hauehave Christ, it is little to giuegive …oue: that as the Godhead head wrought in louelove towards vsus, so we must worke inChristian charitie required. louelove toward others. This as a necessary thing is first to be required, the rather for that we escaping the sentence of condemnation, and that by no other meanes but by remission, which is as a bridge to escape by, it were very rigorous and hard dealing, we our selues hauing gotten ouer, & others being as desirous to come ouer, if we should pull vp the bridgeSimile. from them: this would be too sauage euen among the heathen. This point of louing others, God so loueth, and so accounteth of, that if a man were readie to come to the Lord his immediate worship, hee is content this dutie should rather be left to him vndone, then that dutie should be vndone to our brethren. And in the parable of the debtor we see this more effectually. For so long as the debt is directly the Lords, hee breaketh out into noMath. 18. 28. 32 such words, as hee doth when the seruant taketh his fellow seruant by the throate: saying, Pay mee that thou owest; So that the retaining of enmitie to our brethren doth after a sort more offend God, then our offending against God himselfe. This is all the Examination before hand.How we may e…te & drink in the Eucharist.
When a man hath by due Examination found himselfe vnworthie, and vnworthy in respect of himselfe, then is hee to be transformed. And here note a thing contrarie to our common diet. Though in our ordinary foode our meate is changed into vsus, and becommeth of our substance, not we are changed into it: here in this meate, I say, it is contrarie, we are transformed into it, not it into vsus; so that we may say of this spirituall food, as of the nature of the leauen. The leauen is not vnleauened and changed into the meale, though itSimile. …eth hid in the meale, but the meale is transformed into it, and leauened by the leauen. So may we say of this sacramentall food, we are trāsformed into it. Wherfore seeing the Apostle saith, Le… a man examine himselfe, and so let him eate; our examination must end in eating and drinking, and not in abstaining. They then, that thought they honoured the Sacrament with abstinence, they by this rule plainely dishonour it: for it is saide, Let him examine himselfe, and so eate: not so let him abstaine. And the Sacrament is abused, as well by forbearing, hauing examined our selues, as by receiuing it vnworthily.
The things receiued are called Bread and Wine. Concerning the nature whereof, betterWhat we receiue in the Eucharist. relation we cannot hauehave, then Psalm. 104. where seeing the vse of Bread and Wine to bee to nourish, to strengthen, and to comfort, wee shall the better marke the Analogie in this. The bodie of Christ represented by Bread, must hauehave that effect in the soule, which bread hath in the bodie; but bread hath this effect, to strengthen the body of man, as appears by the cited testimonie of the holie Ghost, therfore our soules by CHRIST receiue strength against sinne. We reade in Genesis, that Abrahams seruant returning from their pursuite,Gen. 14. had their hearts strengthened by bread, which they had of Melchisedech, and we know that the Paschall Lambe was to giuegive strength to the eaters thereof; so our Sauiour CHRIST calleth vsus vntounto him, that hee may giuegive vsus spirituall strength for newnesse of life, in the strength whereof wee must so labour for righteousnesse, as if heauen were to bee purchased by our works. For CHRIST his bodie is not only quickened, but quickening, not onlyChrists body sanctified, but sanctifying. And as in the bodie, such be the humours, as in the mea…e; so in the soule, in the actiue parts of righteousnes, wee receiue such meate as may enable vsus to labour for the kingdome of heauen. This is that, which the holie men did take in the Sacrament. On the other side, the blood of CHRIST must worke that effect in our soules, which wine doth in our bodies. The effect of wine is also set downe, Psalm. 104. but moreChrists blood liuely, P…ou. 31. it is said, wine is to comfort them that are in the present estate of death: for such wine was ordained, Then looke what the gladnesse is of the bodie after the wine receiued, so there is the same analogie by spirituall comforts in the blood of Iesus Christ, seeing that wee can no more goe through that*or actiue. absolute righteousnesse than the Angels, than the heauens, which are impure in the sight of God, and in whom he findeth imperfection. We must therefore come to the passiue righteousnesse, wee must hauehave the blood of Christ sprinkled abroad in our hearts. By the one we must labour so, as if we would ouermatchRighteousnes actiue & passiue before God & m…n. the righteousnes of the Pharisies, & of the most Iu…ticiaries in the world: but when it comes before God, to liue or to die by our righteousnes, then wee must let goe the olde Testament, and take care for the blood of the New Testament, which is giuen vsus by the ministerie of Faith. For our action of eating and drinking, as the Church hath retained it, there is a commandement giuen, that we lift vp our hearts vntounto the Lord, and we must be as Eagles flying vp to heauen, by hauing carefull meditation at that time of things inuisible, of setting before vsus the suffering of CHRIST, in breaking of the bodie▪ in shedding of the blood of CHRIST, which being ruminated, is the sending vp of our Faith, by the working of the HOLY GHOST.
The principall end, is the remembrance of the death of CHRIST, which he did commendWhy we receiue the Eucharist. to vsus, at his last parting from vsus, which ought much to sticke in our mindes, because the last words of a friend, readie to depart, doe oft leaue both impressions and affections in vsus. Indeede, when wee reade of his death, it doth somewhat moue vsus; when we heare of it, itMeditations of Christs death. moues vsus more; to meditate of it, moues vsus in a third degree; but besides all these, to hauehave as it were before our eyes a visible Crucifying of Christ, doth mooue vsus most of all. This in wisedome he vsed, that we might not forget him, as before, GOD the Father after the great deluge drowning the whole world, for a remembrance of the worke of deliuering vsus from water, he left vsus a Rainebow. And when hee had supernaturally fed the Israelites with Manna from heauen, he would hauehave a pot full of it reserued in the Arke of remembrance, for a memoriall of so great a worke. Wee being deliuered by the blood of Christ from the floods of our sinnes, hauehave receiued Baptisme to keepe vsus in remembrance thereof. We being nourished with the Manna of Christ his bodie, are commanded to vse this mysterie, to continue an holy remembrance of the same.
Now for that vnion, which is betwixt CHRIST and vsus, as wee hauehave nothing in Adam, How wee are united with Christ & his mēbers in the Eucharist.but that which conueyth death to vsus: so it is needfull that we should be ioyned to one that may giuegive light to vsus, the means to be thus vnited, is this sacrament. And what vnion can be greater then that, which is betweene the thing nourishing, and the thing nourished? This vnion, though by no reason it can be expressed, must bee beleeued, how Christ by being borne of Mary, hath vnited our nature to him: and this vnion hath eueryevery reprobate with Christ, in that he hath taken vponupon him the shape of man: and so farre any cast-away may be said to hauehave interest in the flesh of Christ. Where is then the difference? Truly here is a difference, if the arme ioyned to the body hauehave no life, no sense, no benefit of vitall spirits, it may be indeed vnited to the bodie: but it is not a part of the bodie▪ so the wicked liuingSpirituall union & communion with Christ. without Faith, hauehave no soule as it were, but are as it were senslesse, and liuelesse hang-byes, and therefore are no true members of Christ. We must not then thinke it sufficient to be ioyned to the flesh of Christ, as the kinsmen of Christ, who speaking of this spirituall coniunction with him pointed vntounto them, that by faith receiued his word, saying, These are my brother, my sister, & my mother: These hauehave the true vnion with Christ: the other hauehave affinitie with Christ in his flesh onelyonly, in his incarnation. Therfore with the symbols, to a true receiuer Christ is really giuen, & so all whatsoeuer belongeth to Christ in the purchase of his redemption. Neither are we to looke only to our vnion with Christ, but to that ioyningCommunion with the mē bers of Christ of our selues with them, that are of the same mystical body, be they neuer so many, that receiue with vsus. For this tries all, and it is an vnion of louelove, and in respect here of this mysterie hath been called a Communion. And because our vnion with Christ doth nothing profit God, though a thousand worlds of men were vnited to him, he hath set ouer the profit to others; so that (if I may so say) is Christ is meate and drinke to vsus, so we should be meate and drinke as it were to others: for that whatsoeuer wee hauehave in wisedome, wee should bestow to the behoofe of the ignorant; whatsoeuer we hauehave in holinesse, we should make the best of it to the winning of others; whatsoeuer we hauehave in outward things, we should communicate it to others, according to the quantity of their wants & our aboundance. So shall we be members not onelyonly of the naturall, but also of the mysticall bodie of Christ. There is yet another ende, Seeing there is such a nature in the creatures, that the outward things hauehave suffered many iniuries, before they became good food, as the corne being cut down in it per…ite age, pressed out of the huskes with the flaile, loosing all his intralles with the violence of the Mill, and after passing through the parching heate of the Ouen, is madeSimile. good bread: so the flesh of Iesus Christ went vnderunder many paines, and the blood of Christ as the grape in it most flourishing estate was pressed out of the veines, and sustained hard passions, and shall nothing of vsus then suffer with him? Because we cannot wreake ouranger on the Iewes, as Pontius Pilate, as Caiphas, and the rest, for that they are dead and gone, andThe Iewes did no more crucifie Christ then the nayles, the crosse and the hammer, but our sins. Zach. 12. 10. 11. yet to say the trueth, they were no more the crucifiers of Christ than the nailes, the crosse or the hāmer, but it was our sins which did crucifie him, it was our vile thoughts, our corrupt speeches, and our own sins which did set Caiphas, Pilate and Iudas, on worke, and they were but our seruants and hirelings in the action of his crucifying. Therefore as we would wreake our anger on them, seeing they I say, were but hired, and we hauehave the things in our selues, which did chiefly crucifie him, let vsus doe that despite to our sins, let vsus arraigne thē, let vsus crucifie them, let vsus naile them to the crosse, let vsus kill them, & burie them for euer. This is that, wheron we should spend our choler, and let vsus beware of crucifying of Christ againe, which thing though it cannot be indeede, because all the Deputies & high Priests are gone, yet we may be truely saide to crucifie him againe, when we bereauing him of the fruits of his death, put new passions of griefe vpō him. For though it was no grief to Christ to dye, so he might enioy the thing he died for; yet to loose the fruits of his torments, this doth in a second degree torment him. This is an actiue crucifying, now comes in a passiue crucifying. And this is a cuppe not of the Communion (for that needs the sonne of thunder, the child of Zebedeus) but it is the cuppe of the crosse, whereof he himselfe did drink: this is the Baptisme, wherewith wee must be baptized as he was, that is, not with the water of Iordan, for eueryevery child of a seuen-night old may bee washed with it, but of affliction, whereof wee must taste. And as Christ hath now a Crowne of glorie, but hee had another crowne before, euen a crowne of thornes: so in this feast we hauehave a cup without bitternes, but there is a cuppe of bitternes, which either we hauehave drunk or must drink, or both. The drinking of that cup binds vsus to drinke of this. And surely suffer we must, some hauehave their passion in death and inwardly, and that is most sore; better it is to hauehave it before death and outwardly, for surely drinke we must: if we participate of the one, we must also participate of the other.
But as it is good to vse this trial before, so there is another examination more profitableOf examination of our selues after the receiuing of the Lords Supper. that followes after. A man may by the sight of the soile gather by some gesse what fruit wil come vp, and what it wil beare; A man may by the ingredience of the medicine coniecture what effect will ensue vponupon it: But when we see the fruite come vp, it is farre more sure; and when the purgation hath wrought, wee may more certainely iudge of the effect of it. And because these accidēts of repentance from dead works, faith in Christ, & louelove toward men going before, may deceiue vsus: it is good to put the matter out of all doubt to trie our seluesSimile. afterward, if we can heare the word more ioyfully, if we trauell for righteousnes of Faith more soundly, and make the skore of our sinnes lesse then they were before, they are comfortable fruites of the truth of our hearts.
Now if any say that these signes antecedent, the beginning whereof is in repentance andObiection. sorrow for sinne, the end whereof is charitie, and these also that follow after are very good things, and yet entring with himselfe into the triall, he findeth himselfe more discouraged than encouraged: to him I say, if a man had Repentance and Faith in most perfect andAnswere. ample manner, that man were not to receiue with the Saints: for these mysteries were prouided for their helpe which hauehave wants, and therefore for imperfections no man must discourage himselfe to come hither. OnelyOnly let him looke to this, that he doe whatsoeuer he doth, though not perfectly, yet sincerely. Then as it is most sure that by our examination we should fall into the agonie of Christ to sweate blood, and if it were possible euen to be couered with the drops of blood: so because mans nature cannot bee brought to this, by reason of that cold sweate and cold repentance that is in vsus. Christ therefore was brought into this sweate by a glooming heate: Christ I say, who enduring this agonie, became not onelyonly a satisfaction for our sinnes, but also for our imperfections in good things, he doing good things absolutely; therefore Christ fell into these bathes, that his perfection in suffering might satisfie for our imperfection in well doing. The rather we are to sticke to this, because if we cannot bring our selues immediately into the first degree of sorrow, yet thatWee must be grieued that we can be no more grieued 2. Chron. 30. 18. …9. we stay not to come to the second degree; that is, that wee be grieued, that wee can be no more grieued, and if wee come to this, this shall be sufficient. And to all such as thus in truth shall prepare themselues, doe those prayers of Hezekiah, 2. Chron. 30. belong, that the Lord will fulfill the measure of their righteousnesse, and pardon their sinnes that prepare their whole hearts to seeeke him. And thus much for the triall before and after the Lords Supper.
FINIS.