pertained to the Lord, Acts the eighteenth chapter and the twenty fifth verfe: The Prophet asketh not only whom he shall teach, but whom he fhall teach to understand? not only quem docebo, but quem docebo fcienti am? Ifaiah the twenty eighth chapter and the ninth verfe: He must be a man of knowledge that muft teach; he must not only be a Do&tor, but a fit Teacher: Therefore Chrift promifeth to his Apoftles not only a mouth, but wifedome, Dabo vobis os & Sapientiam, Luke the twenty first chapter and the fifteenth verfe; And therefore it is recorded of them, that when they had received the Holy Ghoft, they did not only did, but also piry, that is, speak great and weighty fentences, Acts the fecond chapter and the fourth verfe. And again, unto thefe is committed the key of David, which fhutteth and no man openeth, and openesh and no man fhusseth, Apocalyps the third chapter and the feventh verfe: Then the force of Gods word must needs pierce very farre, when both the Preacher speaks, and openeth the Scriptures with the key of knowledge, and of David; and the hearer prepares himself, by receiving direction of Gods Spirit, to enlighten his understanding, and open his heart, then doth the word fhew forth its efficacy. Therefore when we have heard the word, we must examine our felves, and ask, Did not our hearts burn?

There are three degrees of operation in Gods word: Contrition, when the heart is broken, Pfalm the fifty firft, Comfort, when it is rent in two pieces, Foel the fecond chapter. Compunction,when it is pricked only, as the fecond chapter. The firftis the perfection. The fecond is a degree under it. And the laft and lowest degree is Com punction, which we fee was not rejected in Peters hearers: So for this fecond effect named in this text. That which is recorded of fofiah, at the hearing ofthe Law, in the fecond of Chronicles, the 34. chapter and the 27. verfe, Liquefactum eft cor Fofia; this melting is the highest degree. The next to that, is that which is reported of these two Difciples, ardebat cor noftrum: But though it neither melt nor burn, yet if it fmoake, the promife that we have from God, as, in the fourty fecond chapter of Ifaiah, and the third verfe, and in the twelfth chapter of Matthew, and the twentieth verse, Linum fumigans non extinguet Deus, The (moaking flax God will not quench; omnis homo igne falietur, Every man must be falted with fire, Mark the ninth chapter and the fourty ninth verfe: If we will have God to accept ofus, we must be facrifices, and facrifices maut be feafoned with fire: There fore when we hear the word, we must indeavour to have a Cenfer of fire in us, fo as wee feel the word, if notto melt our hearts, neither to burn, yet to fmoak. As without repentance we shall all perish, Luke the fifteenth chapter; fo this burning of heart is foneceffary, as except wee fuffer the fire from Heaven to work in our hearts, wee shall fuffer the fire of Hell, that is, of Tophet, which burneth for

ever.

I Cor. 12. 13. Etenim per unum Spiritum nos omnes in unum corpus baptizati sumus, & Fudai, & Graci, & fervi, & liberi: & omnes potati fumus in unum Spiritum.

Novemb, a 1600.

HICH words (And have all been made to drink of one fpirit) cannot have any other reference but to the Sacrament of the Body & Blood of Chrift, which he calls the Cup of blessing, the 1. to the Corinthians the 10. chapter. The end of the Apoftle in taking arguments from the Sacrament, is double, Firft to perfwade Chriftians to cleanness of life, which he doth,in the first to the Corinthians the tenth chapter,re cannot be partakers of the Lords table, and the table of Devils. Secondly, bending him felf here against Schifmes and contentions that were amongst the Corinthians, he takes another argument from the nature of this Sacrament, to exhort them to the unity of the spirit; that forafmuch as they all are partakers of one Sacrament, and drank all of one pirit, therefore they fhould feck to be at unity and concord with themselves: The Apostle fheweth this to be a good confequence from the beginning of the chapter; and we fee an example of this kinde of argument, in the ninth chapter of Luke, where the Difciples fay, Mafter, we saw one caft out Devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because he followeth not us: And this Apostle faith, in the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the first chapter, that because they were divided, fo that fome were Pauls, fome of Apollo, therefore they were no truc Christians: Thus we fee, that as from the Sacrament of cleanness, he exhorts them to cleanness of life; fo from the Sacrament of unity, he moves them to love and concord, and tells them they ought to avoid diffention. To perfwade unto unity and love, nothing is more effectuall than the confideration of the naturall body, which although it have many members, diverfe in quality,fituation,and use ; fo as the one is more noble than the other, yet they grudge not one at another, For the foot doth not fay, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, nor the eare, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, in the first to the Corinthians, the twelfth chapter and the fifteenth verse, neither doe they contemn one another, For the eye which is the most excellent member, doth not fay to the hand, i have no need of thee; nor the head to the foot, I have no need of you, in the first to the Corinthians, the twelfth chapter, and the twenty first verfe; but contrariwife there is a fympathy and fellow feeling. So as if one member be grieved, all the reft are grieved; and if one be honored, all the reft rejoyce with it, verfe the twenty fixt; to if men could be perfwaded that they are one body, there would not be fuch divifions and diffentions in the World as there are; for how foever they be diverse in refpe&of nature, Some Fewes, fome Grecians, as

alfo

allo in respect of cftate, fome bond, some free, as the Apostle here fpeaks, yet their diverfitics are not greater than those which we fee between the members of the body naturall: And now the Apostle goes about to periwade them they are one body, and therefore ought to be at unity, which he doth thus: That body which hath one beginning, and one nourishment, is one body; But all the faithfull have one beginning in the fountain of regeneration, that is, in baptifme, and are all nourished with one nourishment, for they are all baptized into one body by one fpirit, and all made to drink of one fpirit; therefore they are all one body, and confequently fhould live in unity one with another. In regard of which unity, which the body hath not only with Chrift her head, but with the members among themfelves, the Apoftle calleth the body Christ, in the first to the Corinthians, the twelfth chapter and the twelfth verse.

Now to come to the confideration of these things, our way is, Firft, to fet down the neceffity of being of this body Secondly, the means how we come to be of this body; that is, by the fpirit: Thirdly, that the fpirit is the means; fo as withall baptifme and drinking is required, that is, our incorporation into the body of Chrift, which is his Church, is both by the spirit and by bap

tisme.

For the obtaining of the fpirit two things are to be practised, First, that we have a thirsting defire after the fpirit; Secondly, that we ask it of God by prayer.

First, For the neceffity of our incorporation, whereas the Pfal mift faith, Pfalm the eighty ninth, God hath not made all men for nought, we must firft fer down this, that there is a neceffity that fome fhould be faved, for it falls not into a man that is wile to doe any thing in vain, much lefs may we think that God, the fountain of wifedome, will fuffer all men to perifh; and therefore that there are fome elected and chofen out to be faved. Secondly, and therefore our speciall aim fhould be to be of that number, but scattering, renting, and dividing, is an enemie to fafty, and they that will be fate, must be recollected and gathered together under fome head It that which made Mofes pray to God to fet a rule over his people, and that the congregation of the Lord should not be as sheep which have no Shepheard, Numbers the twenty feventh chapter and the fixteenth verfe: When Chrift faw the multitude, he had compassion on them, because they were difperfed & fcattered abroad as sheep having no Shepheard, Matthew the ninth chapter and the thirty fixt verfe; and not only fo, but Chrift did that, that he might gather together in one, the Children of God which were (cattered, Fohn the eleventh chapter and the fifty fecond verfe. Thirdly, before Chrift had a body and before he was manifefted in the flesh, the Congregation was called a Synagogue, because it was then fufficient for them to be gathered together fub uno paftore, though they were not ruled by one fpirit: But now they must be not only under one Shepheard, but must all

be

be one body, and that not a dead Carkaffe, but a living body, fuch a body that liveth not by a foul, but by a fpirit; for that is the difference that the Apoftie makes between Adam and Chrift, in the first to the Corinthians the fifteenth chapter, The fir ft man, Adam, was made a living foul, but the fecond Adam was made a quickning [pirit. This quickning fpirit is it, by which the mysticall body of Chrift liveth, which goeth through the body, and giveth life to every member. This is a myltical incorporation, and is fpiritually to be conceived, and the union between Christ and his myftically bo dy is fo ftraight, that fpeaking of it, he faith. As the ninth chapter, Why perfecuteft thou me? and the Apostle understanding the Church, calleth it Chrift, in the first to the Corinthians, the twelfth chapter and the twelfth verfe; then he that will be faved, muft not be a part, but be gathered, and that into the body of Chrift, be caufe Chrift is only the Saviour of his body, Salvator corporis, Ephesians the fift chapter and the twenty third verfe. So that if a man be out of the body, and be not a member of Chrifts body, he cannot be faved, and fo Chrift himself tells us, Fohn the fifteenth chapter, If the branch abide not in the vine, it cannot bear fruit; so unlesse aman abide in me, he cannot bear fruit, but he is farmentum, a dry branch, and is caft forth into the fire: Whereby we fee that all fhall not be faved, but only they that are gathered into the myfticall body of Chrift, and as members of his body, doe live by his fpirit working in them.

Secondly, This incorporation ftandeth of two points, First, of generation Secondly, of nourishment. For there can be no body except it be begotten; and the body being begotten, diffolves again, and turns to nothing, unleffe it be nourished. Such a thing we are to conceive of our incorporation, both parts whereof are expreffed by ingraffing and watering: For in all things he that will be preferved in any estate, must first enter into it, and then he muft remain in it.

The Analogie of these two we shall finde to be in the mysticall body of Chrift. Firft, he that will be ofthe body, muft come in by regeneration, Tis the third chapter and the fift verle; Hemußt be ingraffed into Chrifts body, Romans the fixt chapter and the fitt verfe; He must put on Christ, as the Apostle faith, Galatians the third chapter,as all they doe that are baptized into Chrift Fefus: Then being, as it were, begotten and ingraffed into the body, he must be nourished and fed, that fo he may continue in that eftate, he must as a new borne babe, defire the fincere milk of the word, whereby he may grow up, the first epiftle of Peter the second chapter and the fecond

verfe; He must be watered, the first epistle to the as the

third chapter, He must eat the fleft of Chrift and drink his blood, that fo he may abide in Chrift, and Christ in him, Fohn the fixt chapter and the fifty fixt verfe. By thefe a man is made partaker of the body of Chrift, by the other of the fpirit: By baptifme we have our incor poration, by drinking the blood of Chrift we receive the spirit.

Thirdly,

Thirdly, Why doth not the blood of Chrift immediatly incorporate us into the Church, without the mediation of water in baptifm, and drinking of Chrifts blood in the Lords Supper?

The ancient Fathers hold two reafons hereof.

First, Taken from the love of Chrift, that ever fince Corpus affumit fibi, Hebrews the tenth chapter and the fift verfe; fince he took part with the Children of flesh and blood, Hebrews the second chapter and the fourteenth verfe, as he confifts of a fpirit and a body; fo he delighteth to work, not only by a fpirit, but by a body alfo and this is an honor that he imparteth to bodily things.

Secondly, He ufeth this courfe to fhew his power; which appears hereby to be great, in that albeit these elements of water, and bread and wine be weak and beggerly elements, Galatians the fourth chapter and the ninth verfe; yet by his power he exalts them and makes them effectual means, to incorporate us into his body, and to fet us in that estate wherein we may be faved. So the one reafon is a teftimony of Chirfts humane love; the other a token of his divine power.

Secondly, If we demand, Why he makes choice of water, bread and wine, rather than of any other elements. It is in regard of the proportion and analogie that they have with the things fignified

The feed Wherewith we are begotten, is a waterish fubftance, and as the Scripture fheweth, water is the feed of the world, for the spirit of God moved upon the waters, Genefis the first chapter. Therefore is water ufed in the Sacrament of our regeneration; and because it is L'umidum, it doth nutrire. The juice and nourishment that we fuck out of the meat digefted, is that which hourifheth our life; and therefore the element of wine is üfed in the Sacrament of our nutrition, that after we are born a new and washed with water in baptifm, to fignifie our new birth then we must receive bread and wine in the Lords Supper, to confirm our faith in the body and blood of Chrift, whereby we are fealed unto eternall life. There is another reason why God worketh our incorporation by the means of thefe elements, and that is, that as out of darkneffe he commanded light to shine, the fecond epiftle to the Corinthians the fourth chapter, fo he might work our falvation by that which was our deftruction. Therefore because the deftruЯtion of the world was by water, wherein, as Peter faith, All the world perished, except a few even eight perfons: So it is his pleasure, by the water of baptifm as an outward means to fave us, the first epiftle of Peter the 3. chapter: That as by water was the deluge of the world; fo by it might be the deluge of fin. It was the eating of the forbidden meat that deffoyed the world; therefore he hath thought it good, by eating to fave men: that as then it was faid, If ye eat, ye dye, Genefis the fecond chapter; fo now it is faid, except ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man, ye have no life in you, John the fixt chapter and the fifty third verle.

Now the mediation of thefe elements are no leffe neceffary to prefeive and keep us as lively members of the mysticall body of Chrift, than

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