Another principal End or Effect of this holy Supper is to signify and obsignate unto the Soul of each Believer his personal claim and title unto the new Covenant of Grace. We are in a state of corruption, sin, though it have received by Christ a wound of which it cannot recover, yet ash beasts commonly in the pangs of death use most violently to struggle and often to fasten their teeth more eagerly and fiercely where they light; so sin here,i that body of death,k that besieging, encompassing evil, thatl Canaanite that lieth in our members, being continually heartened by our arch enemy Satan, however subdued by Israel, doth yet never cease tol goad and prick us in the eyes, that we might not look up to our future Possession, is ever raising up steams of corruption to intercept the lustre of that glory which we expect, is ever suggesting unto the Believer matter of diffidence and anxiety, that his hopes hitherto have been ungrounded, his Faith presumptuous, his claim to Christ deceitful, his propriety uncertain, if not quite desperate; till at last the faithful ⟨p. 111⟩Soul lies gasping and panting for breath under the buffets of this messenger of Satan. And for this cause it hath pleased our good God (a who hath promised never to fail nor forsake us) that we might not be swallowed up with grief to renew often our right, and exhibit bwith his own hands (for what is done by his Officers is by him done) that sacred Body with the efficacy of it unto us, that we might fore-enjoy the promised Inheritance, and put, not into our chests or coffers which may haply by casualties miscarry, but into our very bowels, into our substance and soul the pledges of our Salvation, that we might at this spiritual Altarc see Christ as it were crucified before our eyes,d cling unto his Cross, and grasp it in our arms, suck in his Blood, and with it salvation, put in our hands with Thomas, not out of di••idence, but out of faith into his side, and fasten our tongues in his sacred wounds, that being all over dyed with his Blood, we may use boldness, and approach to the Throne of Grace, lifting up unto heaven in faith and confidence of acceptance those eyes and hands which have seen and handled him, opening wide that mouth which hath received him, and crying aloud with that tongue which having tasted the Bread of Life hath from thence both strength and arguments
Another principall End or Effect of this holy Supper is to signifie and obsignate unto the Soule of each Beleever his personall claime and title unto the new Covenant of Grace. We are in a state of corruption, sinne, though it have received by Christ a wound of which it cannot recover, yet ash beasts commonly in the pangs of death use most violently to struggle and often to fasten their teeth more eagerly and fiercely where they light; so sinne here,i that body of death,k that besieging, encompassing evill, thatl Cananite that lieth in our members, being continually heartened by our arch enemy Satan, however subdued by Israel, doth yet never cease tol goad and pricke us in the eyes, that we might not looke up to our future Possession, is ever raising up steemes of corruption to intercept the lustre of that glory which wee expect, is ever suggesting unto the Beleever matter of diffidence and anxiety, that his hopes hitherto have beene ungrounded, his Faith presumptuous, his claime to Christ deceitfull, his propriety uncertaine, if not quite desperate; till at last the faithfull ⟨p. 111⟩Soule lies gasping and panting for breath under the buffets of this messenger of Satan. And for this cause it hath pleased our good God (a who hath promised never to faile nor forsake us) that wee might not be swallowed up with griefe to renew often our right, and exhibite bwith his owne hands (for what is done by his Officers is by him done) that sacred Body with the efficacy of it unto us, that wee might fore-enjoy the promised Inheritance, and put, not into our chests or coffers which may haply by casualities miscarry, but into our very bowels, into our substance and soule the pledges of our Salvation, that wee might at this spirituall Altarc see Christ as it were crucified before our eyes,d
- hMaximè mortiferi esse solent morsus morientium bestiarum. Flor. lib. 2. cap. 15.
- iRom. 7. 24.
- kHeb. 12. 1.
- lJos. 23. 13.
- lJos. 23. 13.
- aHeb. 13. 6.
- b[Greek or Hebrew] Chrys. in 1 Cor. Ho. 27.〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Chrys. in 1 Cor. Ho. 27.
- cGal. 3. 1.
- dCruci haeremus sanguinem sugimus & inter ipsa Redemptoris nostri vulnera sigimus linguam, &c. Cyprian. de coena D•m.
