The communicants guide directing the younger sort, which have never yet received, and the elder, and ignorant sort, which have hitherto received unworthily, how they may receive the sacrament of the Lords Supper to their souls comfort together with a treatise of divine truths, collected out of ancient and moderne divines / by R. Gove ...

Title

The communicants guide directing the younger sort, which have never yet received, and the elder, and ignorant sort, which have hitherto received unworthily, how they may receive the sacrament of the Lords Supper to their souls comfort together with a treatise of divine truths, collected out of ancient and moderne divines / by R. Gove ...

Author

Gove, R. (Richard), 1587-1668.

Publication

London :: Printed by J.G. for Richard Royston ...,

1654.

Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms

Lord's Supper.

Link to this Item

https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A41720.0001.001 content_copy

Cite this Item

"The communicants guide directing the younger sort, which have never yet received, and the elder, and ignorant sort, which have hitherto received unworthily, how they may receive the sacrament of the Lords Supper to their souls comfort together with a treatise of divine truths, collected out of ancient and moderne divines / by R. Gove ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A41720.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 8, 2025. content_copy

Contents

• title page
• dedication
• A CATECHISME. Short for Memory, and plaine for Capacity, containing the Grounds, and Principles of the Christian Religion in generall. Which every one should know, that desires to receive the Sacra∣ment of the Lords Supper worthi∣ly, and to his Souls comfort.
• THE Communicants Guide, Directing The younger sort, which have never yet received, and the elder and igno∣rant sort, which have hitherunto received unworthily, how they may Receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper worthily, and to their Soules comfort.
• CERTAINE Cases of Conscience, About the Receiving of the Sacra∣ment of the Lords Supper cleared, and resolved.
  • I. Case. WHether a man, who (after exami∣nation of himselfe) findeth in him∣selfe much weaknesse, and many defects, in respect of those things, which should be in a worthy Receiver, may yet adventure to come to Receive?
  • II. Case. Whether we are bound to come fasting to the Communion?
  • III. Case. Whether must that man stay from the Sa∣crament, who having wronged, and injured his Neighbour, hath sought forgivenesse, and Reconciliation at his hands, but can∣not obtaine it?
  • IV. Case. Whether a man be bound to forgive him that hath wronged him, if hee seeke not for Reconciliation at his hands; and if hee do not forgive him, whether hee must for this cause stay from the Sacrament?
  • V. Case. Whether hee, whose heart is full of feares, and doubtings, may adventure to come to the Sacrament?
  • VI. Case. What is to be done by him, that in the very instant of Receiving, feeles his heart so hard, that hee cannot lift it up unto God?
  • VII. Case. Whether a man may with comfort of Con∣science, partake the Sacrament with those Assemblies; wherein open finners are to∣lerated to participate, so that he shall not partake with them in their finnes, nor any way hinder his owne benefit by so doing?
  • VIII. Case. Whether the wickednesse of the Minister, who administers the Sacrament, may im∣peach the sufficiency, and efficacy of the Sacrament to a believing Communi∣cant?
  • IX. Case. How often is a man bound in Conscience to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper?
  • X. Case. What quantity of Bread, and Wine must be taken by him, that Receiveth?
  • XI. Case. Whether such persons, as are at contention, and goe to Law one with another, may with good conscience come to the Lords Table?
• Certaine EXCƲSES Made, and pretended by Ignorant People for not Re∣ceiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper so often as they should do, removed.
  • I. Excuse. They have no leisure.
  • II. Excuse. They want Cloathes.
  • III. Excuse. They are not in Charity.
  • IV. Excuse. They are not prepared.
  • V. Excuse. Their Wives are sick, or lie in, or their Husbands are from home, or not well, and therefore they will stay till they be retur∣ned, or well againe, and then they will come, and receive together.
  • VI. Excuse. They use to Receive at Easter every yeare, and they hope that it is sufficient.
  • VII. Excuse. They would come, and Receive, but their Ministers will not suffer them.
  • VIII. Excuse. That they are conscious to themselves of some great, and crying sinnes, which they have committed, and of which they have not yet sufficiently repented, and therefore they will stay till the next op∣portunity of receiving, hoping by that time to have more fully repented of them, and to be better prepared.
• Plaine EXPRESSIONS OF Sacramentall Truths TO Uulgar Capacities.
  • EXPRESSION I. Of this, That the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doth truely, and really exhibite to the wor∣thy Receiver, the Body and Bloud of Christ, with all the benefits of his Death, and Passion.
  • EXPRESSION II. Of this, That a wicked man, and an unworthy Re∣ceiver, may at the Sacrament Receive the outward Elements of Bread, and Wine, without receiving any benefit by the Body and Bloud of Christ.
  • EXPRESSION III. Of this, That the consecrated Bread and Wine, are not to be taken as common Bread, and com∣mon Wine.
  • EXPRESSION IV. Of this, What a shamefull thing it is to come unpre∣pared to the Lords Table.
  • EXPRESSION V.
  • EXPRESSION VI. Of this, That ignorant persons, though they pretend never so much their good meanings, and their good minds, cannot be worthy Re∣ceivers.
  • EXPRESSION VII. Of this, That without Faith we can be no worthy Receivers.
  • EXPRESSION VIII. Of this, That impenitent sinners are not fit Guests for the Lords Table.
  • EXPRESSION IX. Of this, That impenitent persons comming to the Sacrament in their sinnes instead of do∣ing themselves good, doe themselves a great deale of harme.
  • EXPRESSION X. Of this, That no Man can grow, thrive, or be nou∣rished by the use of the Sacrament, that is not in Charity when he cometh to Re∣ceive.
  • EXPRESSION XI. Of this, That they, that would be partakers of the Body, and Bloud of Christ in the Sa∣crament, must come thereunto with Hungring, and Thirsting desires after Christ, and the benefits of his Death, and Passion.
  • EXPRESSION XII. Of this, How that Gods Admeasurements of grace, and spirituall good in the Sacrament, are suitable to the inlargements of Mens hearts, and their hearty desires for grace therein.
  • EXPRESSION XIII. Of this, That a worthy Receiver ought to be as care∣full of his behaviour, and demeanour at the Sacrament, as of his preparation be∣fore he commeth to it.
  • EXPRESSION XIIII. Of this, That it is not enough to come to the Sacra∣ment, and to see what is there done, un∣lesse wee can by Faith applie them to our selves, and get the efficacy and vertue of Christs Death to become ours.
  • EXPRESSION XV. Of the same,
• A Catalogue of certaine grosse Ignorances touching the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, yet remaining, and reigning in the hearts and mindes of the vulgar sort of Communicants in most places, and Parishes of this Land, Purposely Set downe, that such ignorant Soules may see their Errours, and learne to amend them.
  • The I. Ignorance. Touching Preparation.
  • The II. Ignorance.
  • The III. Ignorance. Touching their comming at certaine times to Receive, though never so unprepa∣redly.
  • IV. Ignorance. Touching their good meanings, as if that were a sufficient Preparation.
  • The V. Ignorance. Touching their Repentance.
  • The VI. Ignorance. Touching their comming to the Communi∣on without Charity.
  • The VII. Ignorance. Touching their not Receiving oftner.
• A Catalogue of some new Bookes Printed for R. Royston, at the Angel in Ivy-lane.