A64687:323
Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere
Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere by the most Reverend James Usher ...
London: printed for Nathanael Ranew, 1678
Speedy Conversion The only Means to prevent IMMINENT DESTRUCTION. › Sermon
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now to make this appear; Observe that in every Sacrament there are two acts of the Minister. The one hath Relation to God, a Commemoration of the Sacrifice, in which respect the ancient Fathers called it a Sacrifice: the other, the breaking of the Bread, and pouring out of the Wine; wherein there is a Commemoration of the Body broken, and the Blood shed, not as they are Concomitants, the Wine in the Bread, as the foolish Papists dream, for that were rather a commemoration of his life than of his death, when the blood runs in the veins. The commemoration of Christ's death is made by separation of the blood from the body; and as there is one act of the Minister in consecrating by breaking the body, and pouring out the blood, so there is a second Act which is ministerial. When the Minster saith, Take, eat, ⟨p. 67⟩This is my body; as if Christ were present; and said, Come, Take my body; thou hast as free an interest to it, as when thou art invited to thy friends table thou hast right to the meat before thee. So that as Christ was once offered for thee, so he is, in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, offered to thee: And what now should hinder thee, unless thou art one that will obstinately oppose thy own salvation, and say, I will not have this man to rule over me, thou canst not miscarry. But if thou wilt be thine own Lord, perish in thine infidelity. Here be the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven given unto God's Ministers, unless thou wilfully oppose thine own salvation, and shut that door of salvation which Christ hath opened so wide for thee. See, the ways of God are plain. Christ hath paid a great price for thee; and then, as great as it is, he offers it to thee.
Now for the former of these, which is Christ's satisfaction made unto the Father for us, I made choice of this place of Scripture, which sets it out particularly. Herein two things are to be observed.