The Christian sacrament and sacrifice by way of discourse, meditation, & prayer upon the nature, parts, and blessings of the holy communion / by Dan. Brevint.

To The RIGHT HONOURABLE The Lady ELIZABETH CARTERET.

THis is one of the many Tracts which I made at Paris on several Subjects, at the instance of those two Incomparable Prin∣cesses, who there for many years continually emploied me in their service. What use they were pleased to make of them, your Ladyship knows best, being often admitted with

some other Persons of Quali∣ty, to their privat Devoti∣ons: Therefore when I pre∣sent you with these Papers, I but repeat and ratify their gift, and by this public Ad∣dress pay that respect which I owe (besides what is due up∣on other accounts) to that sin∣gular Esteem and Kindness which they ever had for your Ladiship.

Those great and holy Souls had no desire, more earnest then to contemplate and em∣brace Christian religion in its

original beauty, & see it freed from the Encombrance which ordinary Controversies most commonly throw upon it. And really tho they did under∣stand all these Scholastic points as well or better then their Teachers, (especially the Princess of Turenne, whose clear and quick Appre∣hension, and neat and unar∣tificial eloquence were won∣derful) yet they cared so lit∣tle for them, that they deplo∣red very often the unhappy necessity that had filled the

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

Church with such weapons; and had so flanck't about (to use here their expression) Jeru∣salem with Bastions, that one could hardly see the Temple.

I can assure you Madam, that upon this account the ho∣ly Communion which is as the tree of life in the Paradise of God, the most generous plant in his Vineyard of the Church, hath bin the worst dealt with. For as it was most despiteful∣ly treated by Popery; the Pro∣testants did spend most of their care this way to secure it,

whereby it could not be well expected that men thus taken up in raising fences, in plant∣ing thorns and quicksets a∣gainst wild Bores, could have much time to dress and im∣prove better plants. Then came from Germany Ana∣baptists, and from other parts Socinians, who pretend that the best way of pruning lu∣xuriant excrescencies, is to cut up by the roots.

Here then Madam, while the Romanists having made havock of the Vineyard, and

laid it wast; the fatness of the ground brought forth that poisonous wild vine of the Ro∣man-Mass: and others left nothing but dead sapless branches and dry leaves, the emty figures of fanatic Heretics; I make it my en∣deavor to rescue it out of the hands of such Husbandmen, and to restore all back again both to the full meaning and institution of Christ, who is the Planter as well as the Master of the Vineyard, and to the Practice of the Holy

Fathers, who for several hun∣dreds of years, dressed it, and made it bear excellent fruit. So here I take no more notice of either Papists or Sectaries, no nor Protestants neither, then as if the former had ne∣ver appeared in the world to trouble and spoil the Church of God, nor the latter to as∣sert and redress it.

The holy Sacrament be∣ing thus set at liberty, and enlarged to its full extent, will appear presently atten∣ded with all its Duties and

Blessings, as the Ladder of Jacob did, with ascending and descending Angels. This may be soon perceived, by any one who will but take the trouble to read this Book, so he do it with some attention, and distinctly in parcels; a caution which I desire may be adverted to. Chronicles, or eloquent Discourses, may best please, when they are curso∣rily run over. But Mysteries must be studied, or they can∣not be well understood; and God knows how much more is

here required at our hands besides bare understanding. Therefore I have added to the Discours that refers to the advancing the mind in knowledg, Meditation and Prayer, the two usual atten∣dants on devotion; which be∣ing joined together, are the only probable means of deal∣ing succesfully with holy things, and of attaining by the use, to the true end of this Sacrament, which aims at nothing less then a mu∣tual Communion between us

and Christ, even here on earth while we seem to be absent from him: and withall at such a reciprocal correspondency between God and his Church, as may both open our hearts toward him in holy Duties and Performances, and open his hand and bowels toward us in all necessary Mercies.

I know Madam that for the confirming of all this, I need but appeal to your own experience. And tis part∣ly on this account, that with∣out so much as asking leave, I

have made bold to put your Name before this Book: be∣cause it having bin first writ∣ten for the peculiar use of two Persons, whom God had san∣ctifyed in all respects much a∣bove the rate of these Times; it seems to claim a special Ti∣tle to their acceptation and reading, who intimately knew the worth of those Princesses, and walk after their steps, at so neer a distance as your La∣diship doth, to whom I am

MADAM

A most Humble and Faithful Servant, DAN. BREVINT.

Durham Jan. 24. 1673.