Meditations on the holy sacrament of the Lords last Supper Written many yeares since by Edvvard Reynolds then fellow of Merton College in Oxford.

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFULL SIR HENRY MARTEN Knight Iudge of the Admiralty, and of the Preroga∣tive Court of Canterbury.

Sir,

SAint Hierom ha∣ving in the heate of his Youth writ∣ten an allegoricall Exposition upon the Prophet Oba∣diah,* 1.1 did in his riper Age solemn∣ly bewaile unto his Friend Pam∣machius both his rashnesse in that attempt, aud his infelicity further heerein, that what hee thought had beene buried amongst his private papers, was gotten into the hands of

a certaine Young man, and so saw the Light. The selfe same com∣plaint am I forced to make tou∣ching this little Manuell of Sa∣cramentall Meditations, which I humbly put into your hands. It was written with respect onely to mine owne private use many yeares since, when I was a young Student in the Vniversity, as my first Theo∣logicall Essay. And now lately, by meanes of a private Copy long agoe communicated unto a Friend, it had without my knowledge received a Licence for the Presse, my earnest care was upon the first notice thereof wholly to have suppressed the Pub∣lication: but the Copy which had beene licenced, being, by I know not what miscarriage lost, I have found

it necessary, for feare of the like in∣convenience againe to review a bro∣ken Copy which I had by mee, and have rather chosen to let it passe forth with some briefe and sudden Castigations of mine owne, than once more runne the hazard of a surreptitious Edition. Mine Apo∣logy shall bee no other than that of the good father, Infanseram, nec dum scribere noveram. Nunc, ut nihil aliud profecerim, saltem Socraticum illud habeo, scio quod nescio. And now since I finde that the Oblation of the first fruits, though haply they were not alwayes the best and ripest, did yet finde favourable acceptance with God himself, I have bin embolden'd to present this small Enchiridion,

(the very first fruits of my Theo∣logicall studies) unto the hands and patronage of so greatly learned, e∣loquent, and judicious a person, and that upon this assurance; That as many times aged men when they walke abroad leane upon the hand of a little Childe, so even in this little and youthfull Treatise, such com∣fortable Trueths may bee, though weakly, delivered, as may help ••n your journey towards a better Coun∣try to refresh and sustaine your aged thoughts. The Blood of Christ, and the Food of Life,* 1.2 are subjects worthy of all acceptation, though brought unto us in an earthen vessell. Eli∣sha was not a whit the lesse valued by that noble Naaman,* 1.3 though it were an handmaid which directed

unto him.* 1.4 Neither was Davids comfort in rescuing of his Wives, and recovering of the spoiles from the Amalakites any jot the smaller because a yong man of Egypt made way for the discovery. The Sove∣raignty of the Gospell is herein most excellently set forth in that it many times leadeth the Soule by the hand of a childe,* 1.5 and is as truly,* 1.6 though not as abundantly powerfull from young Timothy as from Paul the aged. As christ can use weake ele∣ments to exhibite, so can hee also use a weake penne to expresse the ver∣tue and comforts of his Body and Blood. In this confidence I have made bold to prefixe your name be∣fore these Meditations, that there∣in I might make a publike acknow∣ledgement

of my many and deepe engagements for your abundant fa∣vours, and might with most hearty prayers commend you and yours to that Blood of sprinckling, which speaketh better things for us than that of Abe••. In which desires I daily remaine,

Yours in all humble observance, EDVVARD REYNOLDES.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hieron. in Pro∣oem. ad Obad.
• * 1.2

  2 Reg. 5. 2, 3.
• * 1.3

  2 Sam. 17. 17.
• * 1.4

  1 Sam. 30. 13.
• * 1.5

  Isai 1••. 6.
• * 1.6

  1 Tim. 4. 12.