The practise of pietie directing a Christian how to walke that he may please God.

A sweet Soliloquie to be said betwixt the Consecration and receiuing of the Sacrament.

IS it true indeed that GOD will dwell on earth? behold the Heauen, and the Heauen of Heauens are not able to con∣taine thee, how much more vn∣able is the soule of such a sin∣full c••itife as I am to receiue thee?

But seeing it is thy blessed pleasure to come thus, to asuppe with me, and to bdwell in mee: I cannot for ioy but burst out and say, What is man that thou art so mindfull of him, and the Sonne of man that thou so regardest him? What fauour soeuer thou

vouchsafest mee in the a∣bundance of thy Grace; I will freely confesse what I am in the wretchednesse of my Na∣ture. I am in a vvord; a car∣nall Creature, vvhose very soule is c sold vnder sinne: a wretched man compassed a∣bout with d a body of death: yet Lord seeing thou e cal∣lest, here I come; and seeing thou callest sinners, I haue thrust my selfe in among the rest; and seeing thou callest all with their heauiest loades, I see no reason why I should stay behinde. O Lord I am sicke, and whither should I goe but vnto thee the Phy∣sitian of my Soule? Thou hast cured many, but neuer didst thou meete vvith a more miserable patient: for

I am more leaprous then Ge∣hazi, more vncleane then Magdalene, more blinde in Soule, then Bartimeus vvas in Body: for I haue liued all this while and neuer seene the true light of thy Word. My Soule runnes with a grea∣ter fluxe of sinne, then vvas the Hemorisse issue of bloud. Mephiboseth was not more lame to goe, then my soule is to walke after thee in loue. Ieroboams Arme was not more withered to strike the Prophet, then my hand is maimed to relieue the poore. Cure me O Lord, and thou shalt doe as great a worke as in curing them all. And though I haue all their sinnes and sores; yet Lord so abun∣dant is thy grace; so great is

thy skill; that if thou wilt, thou canst with a word, for∣giue the one, and heale the other. And vvhy should I doubt of thy good will, when to saue mee will cost thee now but one louing smile, vvho shewedst thy selfe so willing to redeem me, though it should cost thee all thy heart bloud, and now offerest so gratiously vnto mee the assured pledge of my redemp∣tion, by thy bloud? Who am I O Lord God? and what is my merit that thou hast bought me with so deare a price? It is meerely thy mer∣cie; and I O Lord am not worthy the least of all thy mer∣cies: much lesse to be a par∣taker of this holy Sacrament, the greatest Pledge of the

greatest mercy that euer thou diddest bestow vpon those sonnes of men, whom thou lo∣uest. How might I in respect of mine owne vnworthynesse, cry out for feare at the sight of thy holy Sacrament, as the Philistimes did, when they saw the Arke of God come into the assembly. Woe now vn∣to me a sinner; But that thy Angel doth comfort me, as he did the women. Feare thou not, for I know that thou see∣kest Iesus which was crucified. It is thou indeed that my soule seeketh after. And heere thou offerest thy selfe vnto me in thy blessed Sacrament. If therefore ELIZABETH thought her selfe so much honoured at thy presence, in the wombe of thy blessed mo∣ther

that the babe sprange in her bellie for ioy; how should my soule leape within mee for ioy, now that thou com∣mest by thy holy Sacrament, to dwell in my heart for e∣uer? Oh what an honour is this that not the mother of my Lord, but my Lord him∣selfe should come thus to vi∣sit me? Indeede, Lord, I con∣fesse with the faithfull Centu∣rion; that I am not worthy that thou shouldest come vnder my roofe: and that if thou didst but speake the word onely, my soule should be saued. Yet seeing it hath pleased the ri∣ches of thy grace for the bet∣ter strengthning of my weakenesse; to seale thy mer∣cy vnto mee by thy visible signe, as well as by thy visible

word. In all thankefull hu∣mili••y my soule speakes vnto thee with the blessed Virgin. Behold the handmaide of the Lord, be it vnto me according to thy word. Knocke thou, Lord, by thy word and Sa∣craments at the doore of my heart, and I will like the Publicane with both my fists knocke at my breast, as fast as I can that thou maiest en∣ter in: and if the dore will not open fast enough; breake it open, O Lord, by thine Al∣mighty power, and then en∣ter in and dwell there for e∣uer: that I may haue cause with Zacheus to acknow∣ledge that this day saluation is come into my house. And cast out of me, whatsoeuer shall be offensiue vnto thee: for

I resigne the whole possession of my heart vnto thy sacred Maiestie, entreating that I may not liue henceforth, but that thou maist liue in mee, speake in me, worke in me, and so to gouerne me by thy spirit that nothing may be pleasing vnto me, but that which is acceptable vnto thee. That finishing my course in the life of grace, I may afterwards liue with thee for euer in thy kingdome of glory. Grant this, O Lord Iesu, for the merits of thy death and bloodshedding. Amen.

When the Minister bring∣eth towards thee the bread thus blessed and broken; and offering it vnto thee, bids thee, Take eate, &c. Then me∣ditate that Christ himselfe

commeth vnto thee, & both offreth and giueth indeed vnto thy faith, his very body & blood with al the merits of his death and passion▪ to feed thy soule vnto eternal life: as surely as the minister offereth & giueth the outward signes that feeds thy body vnto this temporall life. The bread of the Lord is giuen by the Minister but the bread which is the Lord is giuen by Christ himselfe.

When thou takest the bread at the Ministers hand to eate it, then rouse vp thy soule to apprehend Christ by faith, & to apply his merits to heale thy miseries. Embrace him as sweetly with thy faith in the Sacrament: as euer Simeon hugde him with his armes in his swadling clouts.

When thou eatest the bread, imagine that thou seest Christ hanging vpon the Crosse, and by his vnspeakea∣ble torments, fully satisfying Gods iustice for thy sinnes and striue to be as verily per∣taker of the spirituall grace, as of the elementall signes. For the truth is not absent from the signe, neither doth Christ deceiue, when he saith, This is my body, but he giueth himselfe indeede to euery soule that spiritually receiues him by faith. For as ours is the same Supper which Christ administred: so is the same Christ verily present at his owne Supper, not by any Papall Transubstantiation,

but by a Sacramentall partici∣pation, whereby he doth tru∣ly feede the faithfull vnto e∣ternall life: not by comming downe out of heauen vnto thee; but by lifting thee vp from the earth vnto him. According to that old saying, Sursum corda. Lift vp your hearts, and where the carkase is thither will the Eagles re∣s••••t. Mat. 24

When thou seest the wine brought vnto thee apart from the bread: then re∣member that the bloud of Ie∣sus Christ was as verily sepa∣rated from his body vpon the Crosse for the remission of thy sinnes. And that this is the seale of that new coue∣nant which GOD hath made to forgiue all the sinnes of al

penitent sinners that beleeue the merits of his blood••he∣ding. For the wine is not a Sacrament of Christs blood contained in his ••eines: but as it was shed out of his body vpon the Crosse for the re∣mission of the sinnes of all that beleeue in him.

As thou drinkest the wine, and pourest it out of the Cup into thy stomacke; meditate and beleeue that by the me∣rits of that bloud vvhich Christ shed vpon the Crosse, all thy sinnes are as verely forgiuen, as thou hast now drunke this Sacramentall Wine, and hast it in thy sto∣mach. And in the instant of drinking settle thy medita∣tion vpon Christ▪ as he han∣ged vpon the Crosse: as if

like Mary and Iohn, thou did see him nailed, and his bloud running downe his bles∣sed side out of that gastfull wound vvhich the Speare made in his innocent heart: wishing thy mouth closed to his side, that thou mightest receiue that precious bloud before it fell to the dustie earth. And yet the actuall drinking of that reall bloud with thy mouth; vvould be nothing so effectuall, as this Sacramentall drinking of that bloud, spiritually by Faith. For one of the Souldiers might haue drunke that, and beene still a reprobate: but vvhosoeuer drinketh it spi∣ritually by Faith in the Sa∣crament, shall surely haue the Remission of his sinnes,

and Life euerlasting.

As thou feelest the Sacra∣mentall Wine vvhich thou hast drunke, warming thy cold stomach: so endeuour to feele the Holy Ghost che∣rishing thy soule in the ioy∣full assurance of the forgiue∣nesse of all thy sinnes, by the merits of the bloud of Christ. And to this end God giueth euery faithfull soule together with the Sacramentall bloud, the holy Ghost to drinke. Wee are all made to drinke into one Spirit. And so lift vp thy minde from the contempla∣tion of Christ, as hee vvas crucified vpon the Crosse: to consider how hee now sits in glory at the right hand of his Father, making inter∣cession for thee: by presen∣ting

to his Father, the vnua∣luable me••its of his death, which hee once suffered for thee: to appease his Iustice for the sins which thou dost daily commit against him.

After thou hast eaten and drunke both the Bread and Wine: labour that as those Sacramentall Signes do turne to the nourishment of thy body, and by the digestion of heate become one with thy substance: so by the opera∣tion of Faith and the Holy Ghost thou maist become one vvith Christ, and Christ with thee: and so maist feele thy Communion with Christ confirmed and encreased dai∣ly more and more. That as it is vnpossible to separate the Bread and Wine digested

into the bloud and substance of thy body: so it may be more vnpossible to part Christ from thy Soule, or thy Soule from Christ.

Lastly, as the Bread of the Sacrament, though con∣fected of many graines; yet makes but one Bread: so must thou remember, that though all the faithfull are many: yet are they all but one Mysticall Body, whereof Christ is Head. And there∣fore thou must loue euery Christian as thy selfe, and a member of thy body.

Thus farre of the duties to be done at the receiuing of the holy Sacrament, called Meditation.

Notes

• 1 King. 8.27
• a

  Apo. 3.20.
• b

  Ioh. 14.23
• c

  Rom. 7.14
• d

  Verse 24.
• e

  Mat. 9.13. Mat. 11.28.
• 2 Sam. 7.18.
• Gen. 32.10.
• 1 Sam. 4.7.
• Mat. 28.5.
• Lu. 2.43.44.
• Matth. 8.8.
• Luk. 1.38. Apo. 3.20. Luk. 18.13.
• Luk. 19.9.
• Sacramentū requirit sa∣cram men∣tem.
• Christ cals it his body, not the signe of his body, be∣cause this Sacrament was institu∣ted not only to signifie but also to communi∣cate the spirituall graces that they repre∣sent. And by the signes to draw our mindes▪ to the graces signified. So Euthimius in Mat. 26. Non dixit dominus, haec sutu signa corporis mei sed hoc est corpus meum. Oportet ergo non ad naturam eo∣rum, quae proposita sunt aspicere, sed ad ipsorum virtutem & gratiam.
• Non hoc cor∣pus quod vi∣detis mandu∣caturi estis: et bibituri illum sanguinem quem fusuri sunt, qui me crucifigent. Sacramentū aliquod vobis commendaui: spiritualitèr intellectum viuificabit vos. Aug. in Psal. 98. speaking in the person of Christ. The Disci∣ples did not eate Christ corporally and substan∣tially in the first institu∣tion no more do we in the reite∣ration of the same Supper.
• Mat. 26.28.
• If remissi∣on of sinnes and eternall life had bin appropria∣ted to the drinking of the reall bloud, doubtlesse Iohn and Mary would haue made meanes to haue drunke it. But Iohn ascribes the vertue to beleeuing that it was shed.
• 1 Cor. 12.13
• Rom. 8.34. Heb. 7.25. Heb. 9.24.
• 1 Cor. 10.17 Vnus est pa∣nis communi notione Sa∣cramenti, non autem neces∣sario vnus numero.