Greenham - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .G82 1601

andafter the Lordslispper. ¢79 him examine himfelfe, and foeae; not fo lec himabf'caine. And the Sacrament is abufed, aswell by forbearing hauingexainined our felues,asbyreceiumgitvnworthily. tvhatroere- The things receiued,are called Breadand Wine. Concerning-the naturewhereof, better ceiae in the relationwecannot haue, then that Pfal. rod..where feting thevfe of ' bread and wine tobe'E tbmiJt. to nourifh,to flrengthen, and to comfort,wee (hall the bettermark; theAnalogie inthis. Thebodie of Chriftreprefented by bread, }mutthaue thateffe&in thefoule, which bread hub in the bodie;but bread bath thiseffcL3,to ftrengthen the bodieof man,asappeares by thecited teflimonie of the holyGholt, therefore our foules byChrift receive Strength a gainitfinne. We readein Genefis, thatAbrahams feruants returning from their purlisite, Gen,rq, had their hearts Strengthenedby bread, which they had of Melchifedech, and wee know, that thePafchall Lambewasto vise ltrength to the eaters thereof ; foour SauiourChrift calleth vs unto him that hemay giue vs fpiritual ltrength for newnes oflife,in the ltrength whereof weemutt fo labourfor righteoufnellè, asif heauenwere to bee, purchafed byour workes. For Chrifthis bodie is not onely quickened,but quickening, notonely fanEtifì- chrifisbodie. ed, but fanélifying. And as in the} odie , Suchbe thehumours , as isthe mease ; fo in the foule, in theattiueparte ofrighteoufnellè,weerecriar fuch meate,as mayenable vs to la- bourforthe kingdomeoEheauen. This is that,which the holymen did take inthe Sacra- ment. On the other fide, the bloodof Chrift molt worke that eff et in our foules, which fhrißs blood. wine doth inour bodies. The cifefib of wine is allo let downe,Plil.so4,bntmore liuely, Prou.3t.it is faid, wine is tocomfort themthat are in theprefent elate ofdeath : for fuels winewas ordained.Then looke whatthe gladnes is oldie bodie after the wine receiued,fo there is thefameanalogie by fpirituall comforts in the blood ofIefus Chrift,feeingthat we can no more go thorough that*abfolute righteoufnes receieed,than theAngels,than the *or aaisie. heauens,which are impurein the fightof God,andin whomhe flndeth imperfeótion. We mull therefore come to thepaffiue righteoufnes,we mutt have theblood of Chrift fprink-Righteoufrres ledabroad in our hearts. By the one wee mutt labourfo, as ifwee would oucrmatch the affirmandpal righteoufnes ofthePharilers,and ofthe molt lufliciaries in the world : but when it conies foe beforeGod beforeCod, to hue or todye by our righteoufisefle,thenweemutt let goe the oldTefta- a"d men. ment,ard cake carefor the bloodofthe new Teflament, which is giuenvs by themiuille- rie offaith. For our astlion ofeating`and drinking, as the Church hatis reteined st,there is a cemmandement giuen,that welift vp our hartsvnto theLord,and wemuff be asEagles flying vp to heauen,by having careful)meditations atthat timeof thingsinuifible, of Set- tingb forevsthefiuffringsofChrilt, inbreakingofthebodie ,inflheddingofthebloodof Christ, which being ruminated, is diefendingvp of our faithby the working of the holy Gholt. The principallendli the remembranceofthedeath ofChriff,whichhedid commend tovse'i ywerr at his ladpartingfrom vs,which ought much to flickinour minds,becaufe thehit words ceiúetheErr- ofafriend,readie to departgdoe oft leave both iinpreffionsand affeflions in vs. Indeede, cl'a>iIl when wereade of hisdeath,it Bothfomewhat moue vs ; when wee heare-ofit,it moues vs ehriasions more ;to meditate ofit mouesvs in a third degree : butbefides all thefe,to bane as it eash, were before oureyes avifrble crucifyingof Chrift, dothmouevsmoftdull. This inwife- dome he vled,that wee mightnot forgethim,as before,God the Father after the great de- lugedrowning thewhole world,for aremembranceof the worke of deliuering vs from water,he leftvs aRainbow. And when he had fupernaturally fed the Iliaeliteswith Manna from heauen, hee would haueapot full ofitreferuedin theArkeof remembrance, fora memoriall of fogreata worke. We beingdeliueredbythe blood ofChM frointhefloods ofour finnes, haue receiuedBaptifine to keepe vs in remembrance thereof. We, being nouriílied with theManna of Chrift hisbodie, are commanded to vfethis myfterie,to continueanholyremembrance ofthefame. Now for that vnien, which is betwixt Chriftand vs, asweehauenothing inAdam,but Hovvvve are that whichconueieth deathtovs : to it is needful}wee lhould be ioyned toone, that may vnitedvvitb giue life to vs,the means to be thus vnited is this Sacrament. And what vision canbe mhrtand"io greater than that,which is betweene the thing nourilhing,andthe thingnourilhed? This theEUChariii. union, though by no reafon it can be expreffed, mutt Ee beleeued,how Chrift by being borne

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