Three sermons upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. By the late faithful and…Three sermons vpon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. By the late faithfull and…

I answer;¹ Two ways in the Sacrament, one way is the very repetition, the very renewing the covenant, the very doing it over again, the resolution of taking him, (for there is a mutual covenant, you know between Christ and us,) it is confirmed to us in the Sacrament, he confirms his, and we confirm ours, as the friendship between Jonathan and David was increased by the renewing of the covenant, or else why was it repeated? They very repetition of the act intends the habit, the habit is increased by the repetition of the act, though it were no more; so the renewing of the covenant exerciseth thy faith, it sets a work thy faith and thy love, when thou comest to receive the Sacrament, the very intention is increased: but this is not all, There is another thing in the Sacrament that much increaseth it, and that is a thing I would have you chiefly to take notice of; That is the very Sacrament it self, the elements of bread and wine delivered to thee, with the very words of the minister,^x Take and eat, this is my body, that was broken for thee; Take and drink, this is my blood, that was shed, &c. For when these words are spoken to us, if we did consider well of them, and think thus with our selves; These words ⟨p. 52⟩that the Lord him himself hath appointed the Minister to speak (for therein is the force of them that they are of the Lords own institution) therefore the strength of every Sacrament lies in the institution; That is a rule in Divinity; the Papists themselves, who have added five other Sacraments, cannot deny, but that every Sacrament must have an immediate institution from Christ himself, even from his own mouth, or else there is no strength in it; so that even as it is with all things that are symbols of other things, (as take marks in fields that stand for the division of several mens rights; take counters that stand for Thousands and Hundreds, the very essence of these things stands in the very institution of them;) So in the Sacrament, except these words were from the Lords own mouth that delivered it, this very delivering of the bread and wine, being a sign to you of the forgiveness of your sins, except the Lord had thus instituted it, there had been no force in it. I say consider, they are words that the Minister speaks not in an ordinary course, but he is appointed by the Lord himself to speak them;