The Christians zodiake, or, Twelve signes of predestination unto life everlasting written in Lattin by Ieremie Drexelius.

The second Paragraph.

IF as often as one received the blessed Sacrament he should improve by some great summe of money his temporall estate, there were no need to perswade any to frequent it oft, none but would bee sensible enough of such golden reasons, nay it would be rather requisite to take some order to represse the multi∣tude of communicants, than to invent motives to incite them for to come. Miserable blindnesse! wee see gold, and are taken with it, and we despise the hid∣den treasures of the Euchari•••• onely because we doe not consi∣der them. And what is all the gold in the world, but a little dust compared to this peerelesse Iewell, which no living crea ure can value to its worth? This

sacred Eucharist protecteth us f••om committing deadly sinnes, it enervates the vitious propensi∣ons of th•• mind, enlightens our understanding, excitates our will, sereneth our conscience, armes us against the assaults of the enemy, enables us to with∣stand adversity, defends us from falling in prosperity, and care∣fully directs not to fail in going right. This holy Sacrament gives us a pledge of future glory, and withall begets in us a con∣tempt of death, and a desire of Heaven, the moderation of our passions, a horror of sinne, a love of vertue, an entire victory over our selves, and perseverance in good. But you will say, perhaps my minde is so aride, vaine, 'tepid, and defiled, as I even tremble to repaire unto it. This excusation is either evill, or none at all, th•• more of these imperfections thou discoverest in thy selfe, the more nec••ssary ••t is thou shouldst frequent this holy Sacrament. Is thy mind polluted? make haste then unto

this Sacrament, which is the ve∣ry fountaine of purity. Art thou ill disposed? it is a soveraigne re∣medy, an approved antidote a∣gainst all the diseases of the mind. Art thou hungry? behold the bread of Angels. Art thou be∣numbed with cold? make speed unto it, it is an ardent fire. Doe thine enemies molest thee? take courage, this Arsenall will furnish thee with all sorts of weapons to defend thy selfe. Art thou sor∣rowfull and afflicted? this is that wine which cheeres the hearts of men. Dost thou seek often dain∣ties? they are no where to bee found but here in this banquet, the repast of Kings. Dost thou long to bee in heaven? here thy charges are defraid, here thou wilt be furni••hed with farre better pro∣vision fo•• thy journey than Elias wa••, travelling towards Mount Horeb: If the very touch of our Saviours garment could stop a bloudy fluxe, what disease is there which the touch of his sacred body cannot cure? But I am un∣worthy you will reply again, who

approach too often to this sacred Communion, which I can never receive with reverence enough. D••are Christians for his blessed sake, let us not entitle our want of reverence to our slothfulnesse: believe St. Thomas that Angeli∣call Doct••r, melias est ex amore ac∣cedere quam ex timore abstinere. It is better to repaire to it out of love, than to abstaine for feare: And Saint Ambrose interpreting th••se words of our Saviour, pa∣nem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, of the blessed Sacrament; If it be our dayly bread (sayes he) why is it a yeare before you re∣cei••e it? rather why doe you not rec••ive that dayly, which dayly will prof••t you? live so as you may worthily receive it every day, for hee who is unworthy to re∣ceive it every day, wil not be wor∣thy to receive it once a yea••e. And in another place, if our Sa∣viours blood (sayes he) as often as it is shed, is shed for the remis∣sion of sinnes, I ought alwa••••s to be receiving, that alwayes my sinnes may be remitted me, and it

behoves me who••ver sinne, to be ever providing ••e•• of a remedy. Gennadius Marsiliensis sayes, I neither praise nor dispraise the custome of communicating every d••y; but this I would advise and counsaile all to communicate eve∣ry Sunday, alwayes provided that wee come with no determinate will of sinning any more, which kinde of pr••paration is more ea∣sily prescribed, than the riddance of our mind of all affection to any vitiousnesse, that is, never thereafter to offend God more; for certainly he should shew him∣selfe very ungratefull towards his Maker, who would not at least have a will for his sake never to staine his conscience with any sin, for touching such as these, the Master of the feast with good reason professed, dico vobis quod nemo virorum illorum gustabit coe∣nam meam. I say unto you, that none of those men shall taste of my Supper. But alas, O Lord, are they not the selfe same men who refused to taste of thy Supper, and dost thou now decree it in punish∣ment

of their offence? Even so it is, that which they desire is their owne torment, and what wicked∣nesse they voluntarily embrace, is nothing else but their owne pu∣n••shme••t Samaria being oppressed with the misery of a grievous fa∣mine, the Prophet Elizius fore∣told that shortly they should see the price of corne incredibly abated: whereupon one of the Nobles in deriding his Prophesie Si nubes pregnantissimae frumenti pluant, nunquid ideo sa••ina tam vi∣lis erit p etii: If the clouds, (said hee) should bee great with co••e and raine it downe upon us, yet it would never be sold at so vile a price; to whom Elize••s answered: Thou shalt see it with thy owne eyes, but shalt not eate of it, and so it came to passe. This is right the punishment of many in these days, they see plenty of this heavenly bread but never taste of it. They see men communicating in every Church they looke into, but Communicate not themselves: They are bid Depart; because they will goe whether the P••iest

will or no. They are excluded f••om this holy Table, for no o∣ther reason, but because they ex∣clude themselves.

Notes

• Lib. de dogm. Eccl. cap. 13.