The New Covenant, Book 3 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of the ſecond inward part of the Lords Supper.
THe ſecond inward part is theaThe ſecond inward part of the Lords Supper, is the holy Spirit. holy Spirit, who aſſureth vsus of the truth of Gods promiſe. As we hauehave in the word of truth, the forgiuenes of ſins, increaſe of faith, groweth in ſanctification, a great meaſure of dying to ſin, and a greater care to liue in newnes of life, promiſed vntounto vsus: ſo doth the Spirit worke theſe thingsbRom. 8, 15. Gal. 3, 2, 5. in the hearts of all the faithfull. This appeareth in many places, Rom. 8. Ye hauehave receiued the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father: the ſame Spirit beareth witneſſe with our ſpirit, that we are the children of God. To one is giuen by the Spirit the word of wiſedome, & to another the word of knowledge, by the ſame Spirit: to another is giuen faith by the ſame Spirit: all theſe things worketh one and the ſelfe ſame Spirit, diſtributing to eueryevery man ſeuerally, as he will. So then as we are weake in faith and ſlow to beleeue: ſo wee hauehave the Spirit giuen vntounto vsus to helpe our infirmities and to open our hearts to receiue the promiſes. For the Lord Ieſus raigning continually in his Church, and performing the office of a Prophet, doth make the words of his Miniſters liuely by his Spirit in our hearts, and cauſeth them to be of perpetuall force and efficacy, aſſuring vsus of his promiſes made vntounto vsus, and vniting the ſigne with the thing ſignified. This truth being cleared, the vſes offer themſelues Vſe 1 to be c…nſidered. And firſt of all, inaſmuch as the Spirite worketh theſe things in the hearts of all the faithfulll, from hence we gather, that ſuch as neuer finde any change or renewing of the minde, or reformation of life after the receiuing of the Sacraments, may iuſtly ſuſpect themſelues, whether euer they had faith or not, and whether euer they repented or not: and therefore ought to vſe the meanes to come by faith and repentance. For the worke of the Spirite accompanieth the outward worke in the elect of God, as alſo we ſee in the hearing of faith preached, he muſt open the heart that is cloſed vp, before wee can receiue with meekeneſſecIam. 1, 21. the word of that is grafted in vsus which is able to ſaue our ſoules.
Indeed eueryevery perſon preſent may heare the words of inſtitution, may ſee the wine poured out, may eat of that bread and drinke of that cup, as they may alſo heare the ſound of the voice that commeth vntounto them: but the whole force, effect, and power, reſteth onelyonly in the Spirit of God, ſealing vp the truth and ſubſtance of thoſe things in the hearts of all the Children of God.
Vſe 2 Againe, ſeeing theſe things are done and performed by the working of the Spirit: they are confuted and conuinced, that thinke they cannot be made partakers of the body and blood of Chriſt, and be vnited to his fleſh, vnleſſe his body be ſhut vp vnderunder the accidents of bread and ſhewes of wine, and ſo his fleſh be giuen vntounto vsus carnally, that we may eate him with our mouths, and conuey him into our ſtomackes. But we ſee heere the Holy-Ghoſt is the bond of this vnion, he worketh in vsus faith, which pierceth the heauens, and layeth hold on Chriſt. It is ſaid of Abraham the Father of the faithfull, thatdIoh. 8, 56. he reioyced to ſee the day of Chriſt, he ſaw it and was glad. For as we cannot ſee him with our bodily eyes, nor heare him with our bodily eares, nor touch him with our bodily hands: no more can wee taſte or eate him with our bodily mouths. By the hand of faith we reach and apply him: by the mouth of faith we receiue and eate him. Let vsus beleeue in Chriſt, and weeAug. tract. in Iohn. 26. & 27. hauehave eaten Chriſt: let vsus not prepare our teeth and our belly, but a liuely faith working by louelove. Wherefore albeit the humane nature of Chriſt goe not out of the higheſt heauens: yet we that liue vponupon the earth are partakers of his bodye contained in the heauens, and his fleſh and blood are communicated to vsus as truely and effectually, as if he were there preſent with vsus. If any ſay, How can this be? Obiection. Can that which is abſent from vsus be preſent with vsus? Can heauen be in earth, or earth be in heauen? Heereunto I may moſt iuſtly anſwere, Anſwere. although this be a great myſtery and maruellous in our eyes, yet we muſt confeſſe and conſider that the Holy-Ghoſt is the author of this vnion, and as it were the Conduit-pipe of this coniunction, who by his diuine power ioyneth together things that are ſeuered in place, & begetteth faith in vsus, which is the inſtrument & handf1 Ioh. 17, 20. whereby we receiue and apply Chriſt with all his guifts vntounto our ſelues, as Ioh. 17. Father I pray thee for ſuch as beleeue in mee, that they may be one, as thou O Father art in me, and I in thee, that they alſo may be one in vsus. Heereunto commeth the ſaying of Paul, Ephe. 3. Chriſt dwelleth in our hearts by faith. Likewiſe Acts 13. By him eueryevery one that beleeueth is iuſtified, that is, abſolued and diſcharged. And Iohn 3. So many as beleeue in him ſhall not periſh, but hauehave euerlaſting life. Thus we ſee our fellowſhip with Chriſt, is from the Spirit, and by our faith. The Spirit is the principall worker: faith is the meanes and the inſtrument. Neither muſt this coniunction ſeeme vntounto vsus impoſsible, through the great diſtance and diſtinction of place.
For there are diuers manners of preſences: that which is preſent to the ſight is not preſent to the hand,Molin. de Euchariſt. cap. 2. and that which is preſent to the eare is not preſent to the eye: that which is preſent to the body is not preſent to the ſoule; and things preſent to the ſoule are oftentimes abſent from the body. Things are ſaid to bee preſent with vsus according as they cauſe themſelues to bee perceiued of our ſenſes or of our ſoules. Whereby it appeareth very plainely, after what faſhion Chriſt may be ſaid to be preſēt with vsus in his Supper, to wit, according as he communicateth himſelfe vntounto vsus, which is to our ſpirits, not to our bodies, and therefore his preſence is ſpirituall, and not corporall. And the Apoſtle telleth vsus, Romanes 8.Rom. 8, 9, 11. that the Spirit of Chriſt dwelleth in vsus, which teacheth vsus how we are vnited to Chriſt, namely, by the bond of one and the ſame Spirit dwelling both in him and in vsus. Thus is the coniunction wrought betweene him and vsus: ſo that there is another preſence which is true and in deed, beſides that which is bodily. This is that which we reade in the Apoſtle Iohn, 1 Ioh 4, 13.Heereby know we that wee dwell in him, and hee in vsus, becauſe he hath giuen vsus of his Spirite. And Paul ſaith, Romanes 8.Rom. 8, 9. Hee that hath not the Spirite of Chriſt, hee is none of his. For as by one and the ſame ſoule all the members of the body are knit and coupled with the head and ſo doe liue: in like manner all the faithfull albeit they remaine vponupon the earth, and their head be in the heauens, are really vnited with him through one and the ſame Spirit, and being vnited do liue thereby.Ioh. 6, 63. The like wee may ſay of faith, whereby Christ dwelleth in our hearts, Epheſians 3, 17.Eph. 3, 17. And our Sauiour teacheth, that by beleeuing in him we eate his fleſh and drinke his blood, Iohn 6, 35.Ioh. 6, 35. If then any aske how we may obtaine and hold faſt Chriſt Ieſus, ſeeing hee is abſent from vsus? Or how wee may put forth our hands to take him ſitting at the right hand of his Father in heauen? I anſwere with Auſtine, Auguſt tract. 50, in Iohan.fide mitte, et tenuiſti: Send forth thy faith, and thou holdeſt him faſt. Thus Chriſt being abſent from vsus, is preſent with vsus: for except he were preſent with vsus, he could not be poſſeſſed of vsus, nor communicated by vsus. Theſe are the two hands giuen vntounto vsus, which the ſoule hath, to wit, the Spirit and faith. The hands of the body lay hold on bodily things; the hands of the ſoule lay hold on ſpirituall things. There is a preſence alſo to the ſight.
We ſee the Sun daily with our eyes, which though it be ſcituate in the heauens, & ſeparated frō vsus in place cōmunicateth his effect & power to vsus that dwel on the earth, neither doe we maruell thereat, and yet is the Sunne but a creature ſubiect vntounto vsus, and diſtributed to all the people vnderunder the whole heauen to ſerue their vſe. Shall not Chriſt then the Sonne of righteouſnes make vsus truely partakers of his fleſh by the vnſearchable power of his Spirit, and the ſupernaturall guift of a liuely faith, who can as eaſily ioyne together things farre off, as thoſe that are nigh? Are not the faithfull ſeuered in place, and ſcattered through the world, ioyned as neerely together as the mēbers are,h1 Ioh. 1, 3. to become one body whereof Chriſt is the head? As the Apoſtle teacheth, That which we hauehave ſeene and heard, declare wee vntounto you, that ye may alſo hauehave fellowſhip with vsus, and that our fellowſhip alſo may be with the Father, and with his Sonne Ieſus Chriſt. We ſee this likewiſe liuely laid out before vsus in the eſtate of marriage, though the husband and wife be ſundred for a time and ſeparated one farre from another, yet the band of matrimony doth ſo ioyne and vnite them, that the wife is one fleſh with her husband, albeit he be a thouſand miles diſtant from her; ſo is it betweene Chriſt and the faithfull, he loued the Church and gaue himſelfe for it, and they are members of his body, of his fleſh, and of his bones, which coupling and combining together with Chriſt is wrought (as we hauehave ſhewed) by the Spirit principally, by faith inſtrumentally, by both moſt effectually. Wee neede not therefore any carnall & bodily preſence of Chriſt to ioyne vsus to him, ſeeing it is truely and certainely performed by theſe meanes, whereby we grow to a perfect man in him. For as the Sunne is more comfortable to the world by his refreſhing beames and ſweete influence being abſent, then if his naturall body and compaſſe lay vponupon the earth: ſo the fleſh of Chriſt being in the glory of his Father, much more comforteth and refreſheth our ſoules and bodies by his heauenly grace and ſpirituall influence, then if he were preſent fleſhly before our eyes. And as the Sunne, not diſcending from heauen nor leauing his place, is notwithſtanding preſent with vsus in our Chambers, in our houſes, in our hands, and in our boſomes: ſo Chriſt being in the higheſt heauens, not comming downe, nor forſaking his glorious habitation, yetiMat. 28, 20. neuertheleſſe is preſent with vsus in our congregations, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our meditations, and in the Sacraments. But of this we ſhall hauehave occaſion to ſpeake more in the chapter following, and wee hauehave already ſpoken ſome-what of it in the former bookes.