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than bread and wine are to maintain natural life. The People whom Saul commanded to cate no bread, were so faint with fafting, that their foul was ready to go out of them, the first book of Samuel the nineteenth chapter: Therefore when David and his men were hungry and weary and thirsty in the wildernesse, Barzillai and others came and brough provision, the fecond book of Samuel the feventeenth chapter and the twenty ninth verfe: When Abraham returned from the flaughter of five kings, Melchifedeck met him with bread and wine, Genefis the fourteenth chapter. So it is with the faithfull, unleffe this fpiritual life be fu fteined with thefe outward helps : Therefore the Apostle faith, We are all made to drink of the fame spirit.

Out of which words for matter of Doctrine, where Chrift faith, Drink ye all of it, the Adversary faith, that it was spoken to the Disciples; and therefore it is lawfull for none but Priefts to receive the Cup in the Supper. But Paul (peaketh more generally, Nos omnes potati fumus, not only the Clergy but Lay men: And that both parts of the Sacrament was adminiftred to all forts, appears by D. Aropagita, and as the Apostle faith, We are all partakers of one bread, the firft epiftle to the Corinthians the tenth chapter and the feventeenth verfe, he doth not exclude the other part: So here by drinking he understands both parts of the Sacrament.

Secondly, We fee there is a neceffity of eating, in as much as God appoints that the means whereby he will communicare his fpirit, 47s the fift chapter. He gives the fpirit to none but fuch as obey him Therefore we must obey him when he commands us to ule this means, efpecially fecing he commands them with a nifi, John the third chapter, Except a man be born again of water; and John the fixt chapter, unleffeye cate the flesh and drink the blood of Chrift,ye have no life in you: With these conditions and for thefe ufes are we commanded to drink of the fame fpirit. If we drink the blood of Chrift, we shall drink the fpirit of life, which it gives, and fo fhall we live by him, John the fixt chapter and the fifty leventh verse; Christ shall live in us, Galatians the fecond chapter.

There are that doe not potare in eundem fpiritum. Water of it self is not able to purge from original corruption without the. fpirit; and Potus vappa fine fpiritu, The flesh profiteth nothing, it is the spirit that gives life, John the fixt chapter; The word it self preached profiteth not, unleffe God giveth increase, the firft epiftle to the Corinthians the third chapter: nay, this fpiritual food kills fome; for they eat and drink their own damnation, the first epiftle to the Corinthians the ele yenth chapter. Therefore, if we will drink the fpirit, it is required First, That he thirst after spiritual things no leffe than after worldly things; John the feventh chapter, Si quis fitit ad me veniat & bibat, verfe the thirty feventh. Secondly, He must pray for the fpirit; for God giveth his spirit to them that askit, Luke the eleventh chapter: So while Jefus was baptized and prayed, the Heavens opened and the holy Ghost came down upon him, Luke the third chapter and the 21. verse. We must both thirst after the fpirit, and pray for it, elle we cannot

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have it. But if we come non fitientes omnino without any sense of our Own want, or come only with a form of Godlineffe, the fecond epiftle to Timothy the third chapter and the fitt verie; we may drink the outward object, but not the fpirit; for they that come thus pray not to God to be made partakers of the spirit, as of the object. And to this we may add, as a reafon of our unprofitable drinking, how can we reap the fpirit, fecing we fow only to the flesh, Galatians the fixt chapter. In as much as we fow no fpiritual works, we cannot be partakers of the fpirit. These are the means to obtain the fpirit. Then when we have drunk, we must examine our felves, whether we have drunk the spirit; which we shall know thus: A drink and potion is either for recovery of health, or for comfort or refreshing. If we finde that the blood of Chrift hath purged our confciences from dead works, Hebrews the ninth chapter; and that we mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit, Romans the eighth chapter, then have we drunk of the fame fpirit. If we finde the power of finne abated in Baptifm, and the will of finne by this Sacrament, then have we drunk the fpirit. Secondly, For refreshing, which is the other use of drinking, as Pfalm the feventy eighth and the fixty fift verse, The Lord arofe out of fleep, as a Gyant refreshed with wine there comes courage to a man by drinking of the fpirit; fo as he hath a defire to fpiritual drink: Ephefians the fift chapter, Be not. drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit. Now they call the holy Ghost new wine, Acts the fecond chapter, these men are filled with new wine: For indeed as the one, fo the other gives greater alacrity and cheerfulneffe.

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In refpect of these two effects, it is termed the holy fpirit of God and therefore, Firft, He that having drunk findes in his foul a comfortable anointment, the firft epiftle of John the fecond chapter, the feal of the spirit, Ephefians the first chapter and the thirteenth verfe, and the earnest, the fecond epiftle to the Corinthians the first chapter and the twentieth verfe, he hath a figne that he hath drunk the fpirit. But these fenfualiter, are not enough; they may deceive us; there were that cat and drank in Chrifts prefence, but he told them, I know you not, Luke thethirteenth chapter. Therefore to the comfort of the fpirit we must add the holy spirit, and see what operation he hath ; we must see if we can finde fanctificationis fpiritum, the second epiftle to the Theffalonians the fecond chapter, and the fruits of the fpirit wrought in us after we have drunk, Galatians the fift chapter and the twenty fecond verfe, whether we be transformed by the fame fpirit, the fecond to the Corinthians the third chapter. Thus we fee the Apo. fle in this place, against the spirit that lufteth after envy and contention, James the fourth chapter, ufeth the Sacrament of unity, to perfwade men to unity and love; and against the unclean spirit, he ufeth the Sacrament of cleanneffe, as, in the first epiftle to the Corinthians the fixt chapter, Shall I take the members of Chrift and make them the members of an Harlot?

By the effects that the fpirit worketh in us, we may know whether we have the fpirit; for we are not only made partakers of Chriftsbo

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dy in Baptifm, but of the fpirit in the Lords Supper; If we cleave to the Lord Chrift, we are made one fpirit, the firft epiftle to the Corinthi thians the fixt chapter: Whereupon this enfueth, That as he and his Father are one, so are we one with Chrift; and confequently, being one with him, we can want no happineffe; for his will is, That we should be with him where he is, and behold his glory, John the feventeenth chapter and the twenty fourth verfe.

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Ex eo quòd maxima illa nobis ac pretiofa promiffa donavit, &c.

Scripture applyed to this time wherein we folemnize the memory of his taking of our nature, as we have here a promise of being partakers of his ; and it conteins, as all other Scriptures of comfort, a Co. venant between God and us.

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That which is performed on Gods part is, That he hath made us most great and pretions promises: The condition on our partie is, That we efchue the corruption that is in the world through lust.

In the former part there is a thing freely beftowed on us. Secondly, That is a promife. Thirdly, The promise is, That we shall be partakers of the divine nature.

Concerning which, A promife being once paft, is no more a free thing, but becomes a debt, and in juftice is to be performed; in which refpect the Apoftle faith, in the fecond epiftle to Timothy the fourth chapter, There is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse, which the Lord, the just judge, fhall render to me; and hence the Prophet is bold to challenge God with his promife, Pfalme the hundred and nineteenth, Perform thy promife, wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust; and therefore Auguftine faith, Redde quod non accepifti, fed quod promififti.

Promiles doe affect two wayes, because they ftand upon two points; Firft, The party promifing: Secondly, The thing promiled.

If it were the promise of a man, it were to be doubted of for all men are lyars, Pfalm the hundred and fixteenth; They either promife that which they cannot perform, as being weak, as Pfalm the twenty first and the teath verle; or which they will not perform, as Naball in the first book of Samuel and the twenty fift chapter. But if we can finde one that is both able and willing to keep his promise, that is a great kindneffe, not to be diftrufted. And fuch a one is God; who, of his own goodneffe, is become indebted to us, by making us most great and pretious promises: he is true of his word; for he is Deus mentiri nefciens, Titus the first chapter, he cannot lye: And for his power and ability, Apud eum non erit impoßibile omne verbum, Luke the first chapter: And for his willingneffe the Angels teftifie of it, that there

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is in God good will towards men ; even the fame which he beares to Christ his own Sonne, of whom he witneffeth from heaven, in the third chapter of Luke, This is my wellbeloved Sonne, & à nuova

Secondly, For the thing promifed: Though it be God that promifeth, yet if the thing promifed be a matter of no great value, wee refpect it the leffe, but this is a great and most pretious promife. Now that is pretious, for which a man will give any thing, as for a pearle, a man will fell all that he hath to compasse it, Matthew the thirteenth chapter; and what will not a man give for the ransome of his foul the whole world, nay a thousand of worlds, is little enough to give for it, Mat them the fixteenth chapter, and the fixteenth verfe: So then, this promife is pretious, in refpect of the thing promifed.

Secondly, It is pretious in regard that it coft dearly; For wee are bought, not with corruptible things, as filver and gold, but with the pretious blood of Chrift, in the first epistle of Peter, the first chapter and the eighteenth verse.

Thirdly, It is a pretious promife in this refpect, because our blef fedneffe here promised, stands, not only in having our finnes forgiven, or in being made righteous; that is not the thing we are fatisfied with, or to be with God, which was the defire of our first Parents, Genefis the third chapter; and of Lucifer, Ifaiah the fourteenth chapter, ero fimilis Altißimo; but it stands herein, that we fhall be made partakers of the Divine nature, and enjoy those things which ege bath not feen, &c. in the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the fecond chapter and the third verfe; he doth not promife that we shall be partakers of Gods glory, joy, and felicity, as Zebedees fonnes would have been, Matthew the twenty firft chapter, but partakers of his nature: That as we are fubje&to fickneffe, death, and all croffes, by being partakers of the nature of the firft Adam; fowe fhall be partakers of glory, joy and immortality: And being partakers of the fecond Adam, as the branches receive life from the vine, John the fifteenth chapter, so it fhall be between Chrift and us, he will derive his benefits to us As the root is holy, fo wee that are branches, ingraffed into him, fhall be boly, Romans the eleventh chapter and the fixteenth verfe: As we partake of the miferics of the firft Adam; fo of the joy and felicity of the second Adam: As we have been partakers of the earthly, fo of the beavenly, in the firft epiftle to the Corinthians, and the fifteenth chap

ter.

Fourthly, Ifwe confider from how base estate we, to whom this promife is made, are exalted; not only from the nature of beafts, Pfalm the fourty ninth; of wormes and rottennelse, Fob 17. and,which is more bafe, from being the Children of wrath, Ephefians the fecond chapter, and Children of the Devil, Acts the thirteenth chapter, to be partakers of the divine nature; that will appear to be a prerious promife, containing matter of fo great comfort; whereby, that is, by the knowledge of God, that hath called us to glory and virtue, or by whom, that is, by Chrift taking knowledge of him, as in the fifty third chapter of Ifaiah, My righteous fervant, by his knowledge, fhall ju

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ftifie many and in the feventeenth chapter of John, and the third verfe, This is eternall life, to know thee and Fefus Chrift. The Heathen and Turkes are not capable of this pretious promife, because they take no notice of Chrift: It is a promise made to Chriftians, for, because they are partakers of flesh and blood, He also took part with them, Hebrews the fecond chapter: As Chrift took part of our nature, fo he makes us partakers of his. It is the Chriftian only that beleeves this and therefore he is capable of this fo pretious promise; for albeit Chrift were man, yet it pleafed God, that the fulneffe of the God bead fhould dwell in bim bodily, Coloẞians the second chapter and the ninth verfe; and as he is in us by his humanity, fo are we in him in refpect of his Divinity. God partakes with Chrift because of his Divine nature, and man partakes with Chrift in as much as he hath affumed our humane nature: He is partaker of our humane nature, for he is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, Ephefians the fifth chapter; and we, by his Spirit, are partakers of his Divine nature; for in the firft epiftle to the Corinthians the fixth chapter, Hethat cleaverb to the Lord is one fpirit: Hereby we know, that we dwell in him, and he in us, by the Spirit which he hath given me, in the first epistle of St. John, the fourth chapter and the thirieenth verfe.

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Chrift imputeth his nature two wayes; First, by regeneration in Baptifin; for except ye be born again of water and the holy Ghost, Fohn the third chapter Secondly, by eating and drinking in the Sacrament: In which refpect the Apostle faith, that we must bibere fpiritum, the firft epifle to the Corinthians the twelfth chapter and the thir eenth verfe. In this life we must seek for Gods grace and glory; and he hath promised to give both, Pfalm the eighty fourth, and then we fhall Intrare in gaudium Domini, Matthew the twenty fift chapter, and fo we shall be alwales with him, the first epiAle to the Theffalonians the fourth chapter, and fee him as he is, the first epistle of John the third chapter and the first verfe; that is, be partakers of his divine nature and which goes beyond all, he shall not be glory in one and joy in another, and immortality in a third, but he thall be omnia in omnibus, the first epistle to the Corinthians, the fifteenth chapter and the twenty eighth verfe. Now the promife is with a restraint, nobis qui, that is, to us which efchue the corruption: The like we have in Fohn the third chapter and the fixteenth verse, ut omnes qui credant, and Matthew the eleventh chapter, Come to me omnes qui: And great reafon it is, that if we will have God to perform his promise to us, we keep the condition on our part towards him; fo the Apostle difpures, in the fecond epistle to the Corinthians, the feventh chapter and the first verse, seeing we have so great promifes, let us cleanfe our felves; for the Divine effence is incorruptible, and it is impoffible that corrup ion should inherit incorruption, the first epistle to the Corinthians the fifteenth chapter: therefore albeit our outwa`d man corrupterh daily, yet we must labour to be renew. ed in the inner man, the fecond (piftle to the Corinthians the forth chapter. But whence is this corruption? From luft So faith the

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