THE FIRST SERMON, VPON THE SA­CRAMENTS IN GENE­rall: Preached the first of Fe­bruary. 1589.

THAIR is nathing in this warld, nor out of this warld, mair to be wished of euerye ane of ȝou, mair to be craued & sought of euerie ane of ȝou; nor to be cō ­joyned with Christ Iesus, nor anis to be maid ane with the God of glory, Christ Iesus. This heauenly & celestiall coniun­ction is purchased & brought about, be [Page] twa speciall meanes: It is brought about be the mean of the word, & preaching of the gospell: & it is brought about be the meane of the Sacraments and ministrati­on thairof. The word leads vs to christ be the ear: the sacraments leads vs to Christ be the eie; Twa senses of al the rest, quhilk God hes chosen, as maist meete for this purpose to instruct vs, and bring vs to Christ. For that doctrine mann be maist effectuall and mouing, that walkens and steirs vp moniest of the outward senses: that doctrine that walkens not onely the eare, bot the eye, the taist, the feeling, and all the rest of the outwarde senses, mann moue the hart maist, mann be maist effe­ctuall and pearcing in the saul: Bot sa it is, that this doctrine of the Sacraments mouis, steirs vp, & walkins moniest of the outward senses; Therefore it mann be (gif we cum weil prepared to it) maist effectu­al to steir vp the inward senses of the dull hart. But thair is a thing, that ȝee mann euer remember; Thair is na doctrine, na­ther of the simple word, nor ȝit of the sa­craments, gif Christ abstract his haly Spi­rit, that is able to moue. Therfore, quhen euer ȝe come to hear the doctrine, quhi­der [Page] it be of the Sacraments, or of the sim­ple word: craue of God, that hee wald be present be his haly Spirit, or vtherwais al the doctrine in the earth will not availe ȝou. Alwaies, this doctrine of the Sacra­ments, steires vp, and walkens moniest of the outward senses, and therefore there is na questioun, but it is ane effectual and potent instrumēt to walken, prepare and steir vp our harts.

Then to lat ȝou see, quhat the worde Sacrament meanis: and to remooue the The diuers taking of the word Sacrament. ambiguitie of it; It is certaine, and out of all questioun, that the Latine Theologs, quha were maist auncient, did interprete the Greeke worde [...], be the word Sacrament, & thay vsed the greeke word, not only to signifie the hail action, as the hail action of Baptisme, & the hail action of the Supper of the Lord: but thay vsed the word mystery, to signifie quhatsoeuer is darke, & hid in it self, & not frequented in the commoun vse of men: as efter this maner, the Apostle Ephes. 39 callis the vocation of the Gentils a mystery. Ephes. 5. 32 This coniunction quhilk is begun heir betwixt vs & Christ, is called a Mysterie, and the Latine inter­preters, callis it a Sacrament, and to bee [Page] schort, ȝee will not finde in the booke of God, a word mair frequent, nor the word Mysterie. But as to the word Sacrament, quhairby they signifie the Greeke word, we find not this word be the same Theo­logs to bee tane sa largelie: nather is it tane sa largely in ony pairt of the booke of God. Alwayis, the word Sacrament, is very ambiguous in it self, and there raise about the ambiguitie of this word, many tragedeis, quhilke are not ȝit ceased, nor wil not cease, quhil the warld lasts: quher vtherwais, gif they had keeped the Apo­stles words, and called thame as the Apo­stle callis tham, signes and seales: all this digladiatioun, strife and contention, ap­pearandly had not fallen out. But quhere men will be wiser nor God, & giue namis to thinges beside God, vpon the wit of man, quhilk is but meere folly: all this cummer fallis out. Weill than, to come to the purpose. The auncient Theologs, tooke the worde Sacrament, as wee may perceaue, in a fourfauld maner. Somtime they tooke it for the hail actioun, that is, for the haill ministerie of the Elements. Somtime, they tooke it not for the haill actioun: but for the outward things, that [Page] are vsed in the action of Baptisme, and of the Supper, as they took it, for the water and sprinckling of it: for the Bread and Wine, breaking, distributing, and eating therof. Thirdly againe: they tooke it not for the hail outward things, that are vsed in the actioun; but onely for the material and earthly thinges, the Elements: as for Bread and Wine in the Supper, and water in Baptisme. And efter this sort, sayis AV­GVSTINE: The wicked eats the body of our Lord, concerning the Sacrament on­lie, that is, concerning the Elements one­ly. Last of all: they tooke it not onely for the Elements, but for the things signified be the elements. And efter this maner, I­RENEE sayis, that a Sacramēt stāds of twa things, the ane earthly, the vther heauen­ly. The auncients then, taking the worde efter thir sorts, na question, all thir wayis they tooke it rightly.

But leuing the ambiguitie of the word, I take the worde Sacrament, as it is tane and vsed this day in the Kirk of God, for a haly signe and seale, that is annexed to the preached word of God, to seale vp and confirme the truth, contained in the same word, in sick sort, that I call not on­lie [Page] the seale separated fra the word, a Sa­crament: For as there cannot be a seale, but that quhilk is the seal of ane euident, & gif the seal be separated fra the euidēt, it is not a seal; Bot looke quhat it is be nature, it is na mair: sa ther can not be a Sa­cramēt, except it be hung to the euident of the word; Bot look what the Sacramēt was be nature, it is na mair. Was it a com mō peece bread, it remains cōmon bread except it bee hung to the euident of the word. Therfore the word only cannot be a Sacrament; nor the elemēt only cannot be a Sacrament; bot word & element con iunctly man make a Sacrament: & sa AV­GYSTINE said weill, lat the word come to the element, & sa ȝe sal haue a sacrament: in sick sort, that the word mann come to the element, that is the worde preached distinctly, and al the parts of it opned vp, man ga before the hinging to of the sacrament, and the Sacrament, as a seale mann follow and be appended therefter. Then I call a Sacrament, the word and seal con­iunctlie, the ane hung to the vther.

It is without all controuersie, and there is na debait in it, that all Sacraments are signes. Now gif a Sacrament be asign, as [Page] the sign is in a relation, in that Category; for sawe man speake it: Sa the sacrament man be placed in that same Categorie of relation. Now euery relation again man stand of force betwixt twa things, for an thing cannot be the correlatiue of it self: but in a lawfull relatioun, of force there man be twa things, quhilk twa, hes euer a mutual respect, the ane to the vther. Therfore in every sacramēt that hes a relation, thair man be twa things, quhilk twa hes euer a mutual respect the an to the vther. Take me away ane of thir twa things fra the Sacrament; ȝe tine the relation, & ty­ning the relation, ȝe tyne the Sacrament. Confound me ane of thir twa, with the v­ther: make ather a confusion or permixi­on of tham, ȝe tine the relation, & tyning the relation, ȝe tine the sacrament. Turne me over the an into the vther, sa that the substance of the ane, starts vp and euani­shis in the vther: ȝe tyne the relation, and sa ȝe tyne the Sacrament. Than as in eue­ry sacrament, ther is a relation, sa to kepe the relation, ȝe man euer kepe twa things seuerally in the Sacrament.

Now for the better consideration and vnderstanding of thir twa diuers thinges [Page] quhilk are relatiue to vthers, we sal kepe The heads to be entre­ted in this Sermon. this ordour by Godis grace: First, we sal lat ȝou see, quhat is meaned be a signe in the Sacrament. Nixt we sal let ȝou vnder­stand 1 quhat is meaned be the thinge sig­nified. 2 Thirdlie, howe thir twa are cou­pled, 3 be quhat power and vertue they are 4 conjoyned, and quherfra this power and vertue dois flowe. Fourtlie, and last of al; we sall let ȝou vnderstand, quhither ane and the selfe same instrument, geuis the signe and the thing signified or not, quhi­ther they be geuin in ane actioun or twa, quhither they bee offered to ane instru­ment or twa, or gif they be giuen efter a maner or twa to baith the instruments. Mark thir diuersities, the diuerse maner of receauing, the diuersitie of the instru­ments, and the diuersitie of the geuaris: and ȝee sall finde litle difficultie in the sa­crament.

Now to begin at the signes: Seeing all 1 sacraments ar signes, quhat call wee the The signes in the Sa­crament. signes in the sacrament? I call the signes in the Sacrament, quhatsoeuer I perceaue and takis vp be my outwarde senses, be myne eie especially. Nowe ȝee see in this Sacrament, there is twa sortes of thing is [Page] subject to the outward senses, and to the eie especially; ȝe see the elemēts of bread and wine are subject to myne eie: There­fore they man be signs. Ȝe see again, that the rites and ceremonies quhereby thir elements are distributed, broken and gi­uen, are subject to myne eie also. Then I mann mak twa sortes of signes, ane sorte of the breade and the wine, and wee call thame elementall: ane vther sorte of the rites and ceremonies, quhereby thir are distributed, broken and giuen, and we cal thame ceremonial. Be not deceaued with the word ceremonie, think not, suppose I call the breaking of the breade, the ea­ting of the breade, and drinking of the wine ceremonies, think not that they are vayn, as ȝee vse that word ceremonie for a vayne thing, quhilk hes na grace, nor profit following efter it: na, suppose I cal thame ceremonies, there is neuer a cere­monie quhilk Christ instituted in this supper, but it is als essential as the bread and the wine are, and ȝee cannot leaue a jote of thame, except ȝe peruert the hail institutioun. For quhat euer Christ com­manded to be done, quhat euer he spake or did in that hail actioun, it is essentiall [Page] and mann be done, and ȝe cannot leaue a jote thereof, but ȝee will peruert the hail actioun.

The reasoun, quherefore I call thame Quhy they are called signes. signes, is this: I call thame not signes, be that reason that men commonlie call is thame signes: because they signifie only, as the bread signifies the body of Christ, & the wine signifies the blood of Christ. I call thame not signes, because they re­present only, but I call thame signes be­cause they haue the body and blood of Christ conjoyned with thame, ȝee sa tru­lie is the body of Christ conjoyned with that breade, and the blood of Christ con­joyned with that wine, that als soone as thou receauis that bread in thy mouth, (gif thou bee a faithfull man or woman) als sone thou receuest the body of Christ in thy saull, and that be fayth. And als soone as thou receauis that wine in thy mouth, als sone thou receauis the blood of Christ in thy saul, and that be faith. In respect of this exhibitioun cheiflie, that they are instruments to deliuer, and ex­hibite the thing that they signifie, and not in respect onely of there representa­tioun, they are called signes. For gif they [Page] did nathing bot represented or signified a thing absent; Then ony picture or dead Image, suld be a Sacrament: For there is na Picture, as the Picture of the King, but at the sight of the Picture, the King will come in ȝour minde, and it will signifie to ȝou, that that is the Kings Picture. Sa, gif the signe of the Sacrament did na fur­ther; all Pictures suld be Sacraments; but in respect the Sacrament exhibites and deliuers the thing that it signifies to the saul and hart, sa sone as the signe is deli­uered to the mouth: for this cause espe­ciallie, it is called a signe. There is na Pi­cture of the King, that will deliuer the King vnto ȝou: there is na vther Image that will exhibite the thing quhair of it is the Image: therefore, there is na Image can be a Sacrament. Then in respect, the Lorde hes appointed the Sacraments, as hands to deliuer and exhibite the thing signified: for this deliuery and exhibiti­oun chieflie, they are called signes. As the woorde of the Euangell is a mighty and potent instrument to our euerla­sting saluatioun: sa the Sacrament, is a potent instrument appointed bee God, to deliuer to vs Christ Iesus, to our euer­lasting [Page] saluatioun. For this spirituall meate is dressed, and geuen vppe to vs in spirituall disches, that is, in the Ministe­ry of the word, and in the ministery of the Sacraments. And suppose this Ministery be externall, ȝit the Lord is said, to deli­uer spiritual and heauenly things, be thir externall thinges: Quhy? Because he hes appointed thame as instruments, quhair­by, he wil deliuer his awin Sone to vs. For this is certaine, that nane hes power to deliuer Christ Iesus to vs, except God and his halie Spirit: and therefore, to speake properly, there is nane can deliuer Christ bot God be his awin Spirit: he is deliue­red be the Ministery of the halie Spirit: it is the halie Spirit that seals him vp in our harts, and confirmis vs mair and mair in him: as the Apostle geuis him this stile 2. COR. 1. 22. To speake properly: there is nane hes power to deliuer Christ, bot God the father, or himselfe: there is nane hes power to deliuer the Mediatour, bot his awin Spirit: Ȝit it hes pleased God to vse sum instruments and meanis, quhair­by hee will deliuer Christ Iesus to vs: the means are thir: the ministery of the word and the ministery of the Sacraments: and [Page] in respect hee vses thir as meanis to deli­uer Christ, they are said to deliuer him. But heir ȝee haue to distinguish, betwixt the principall efficient deliuerer, and the instrumentall efficient, quhilk is the word and the Sacraments: Keeping this distinction, baith thir are true, God be his worde, and God bee his Spirit, deliuers Christ Iesus to ȝou. Then I say, I cal tham signes, because God hes maid thame po­tent instrumentis to deliuer that same thing quhilk they signifie.

Nowe I ga to the thing signified, and I call the thing signified bee the signes in the Sacrament, that quhilk IRENEE, that auld writer, call is the heauenly and spiri­tuall thing, to wit: haill Christ, with his hail giftes, benefites and graces, applied and geuen to my saul. Then I call not the 2 thing signified be the signs of bread and Quhat is the thing signi­fied in the Sacrament. wine: the benefits of Christ, the graces of Christ, or the vertue that flowis out of Christ onlie; But I cal the thing signified, togidder with the benefites and vertues flowing fra him, the verie substaunce of Christ himself; quherefra this vertue dois flow: The substāce, with the vertues, gifts and graces, that flowes fra the substance, [Page] ar the thing signified heere. For as to the vertue & graces, that flows fra Christ: It is not possible, that thou can be partaker of the vertue, that flowes fra his substaunce, except thou be first partaker of the sub­stance it selfe: For how is it possible, that I can be partaker of the iuyce that flowes out of ony substance, except I bee parta­ker of the substance it selfe first. Is it pos­sible that my stomach can bee refreshed with that meat, the substaunce quhairof, come neuer in my mouth? Is it possible, that my drouth can be slokned with that drinke, that passed neuer ouer my halse? Is it possible, that I can sowck ony vertue out of onye thing, except I get the sub­stance first: Sa it is impossible, that I can get the iuice and vertue, that flows out of Christ, except I get the substance, that is, himselfe first. Sa I call not the thing sig­nified, the grace and vertue that flowes fra Christ onelie, nor Christ himselfe and his substance, without his vertue and gra­ces onelie: But ioyntly the substance with the graces, haill Christ, GOD and man, without separatioun of his natures, with­out discretioun of his substaunce fra his graces, I call the thing signified, bee the [Page] signes in the Sacrament. For quhy? Gif na mair bee signified bee the bread, bot the flesch and bodie of Christ onelie, and na mair be signified be the wine, but the blood of Christ onelie, thou can not say, that the bodie of Christ is Christ, it is but a cowpon of Christ: thou cannot say that the blud of Christ, is hail Christ, it is bot a part of him, & a cowpō of thy Sauiour, sa­ued thee not, a part of thy sauior wroght not the wark of thy saluation: and sa sup­pose thou get a cowpon of him in the sa­crament, that cowpoun wald do thee na good. To the end therfore, that this sacrament may nurish thee to life euerlasting; thou man get in it thy haill Sauiour, haill Christ God & man, with his haill graces & benefits, without seperation of his sub­stance fra his graces, or of the ane nature fra the vther. And how get I him? Not be my mouth. It is a vaine thing to thinke, that we will get God be our mouth: but we get him be faith: As hee is a Spirit, sa I eat him bee faith & beleif in my saul: Not be the teeth of my mouth, that is a vaine thing. I giue the, that thou might eat the flesh of Christ with thy teeth, & this were a cruel maner of doing: ȝit thou may not [Page] eat the God head with thy teeth: this is a grosse faschioun of speaking. Sa, gif euer ȝe get good of the Sacrament, ȝee mann get haill Christ, and there is not ane in­strument to gripp him, bot be faith one­lie: therefore come with a faithfull hart.

O! but ȝe will speere at me, and appea­randlie the definitioun layd doun of the thing signified, giues a ground to it; gif the flesch of Christ, & the blood of Christ be a pairt of the thing signified: how can I call his flesche a spirituall and heauenly Question. thing, and Christ in respect of his flesche a heauenly thing? Ȝe will not say that the substance of Christs flesch is spirituall: or that the substance of his blood is spiritu­all, quherefore then cal ȝe it ane heauen­ly and spirituall thing? I will tell ȝou: the, flesch of Christ is called a spiritual thing, and Christ is called spiritual, in respect of his flesh, not that his fleshe is becomd a spirit, or that the substance of his flesh is becomd spirituall: Na, it remaned true fleshe and the substance of it is ane; as it was in the wombe of the virgin, his fleshe is not called spirituall nather, in respect it is glorified in the heauens at the right hand of the father: be not deceaued with [Page] that, for suppose it be glorified; ȝit it re­mains true flesh, that same flesh quhilk he tooke out of the wombe of the Virgin. It is not spiritual nather, because thou seeis it not in the Supper, gif thou war quhere it is, thou might see it: but it is called spi­rituall, in respect of the spirituall ende, quherunto it seruis to my body and saul: Answer. because the flesch and bloode of Christ, seruis to nurish mee; not to a temporall life: but to a spirituall and heauenly life. Nowe, in respect this flesh is a spirituall food, seruing me to a spirituall life; For this caus it is called a spiritual thing. Gif it nurished me, as the flesh of beasts dois, but to a temporall life, it suld bee called but a temporall thing: But in respect, it nurishes my saull, not to ane earthlie and temporall life, but to ane heauenly, cele­stiall, and spirituall end: In respect of this end, the flesh of Christ, and Christ in re­spect of his fleshe, is called the spirituall thing in the Sacrament. It is called also, the spirituall thing in the Sacrament, in respect of the spirituall instrumēt, quher­by it is receiued. The instrument quhere­by the flesh of Christ is receaued, is not a corporal instrument, is not the teeth and [Page] mouth of the body; but it is spirituall, it is the mouth of the saull, quhilk is faith: and in respect the instrument is spiritu­all: Therefore Christ, quha is receaued, is also called spirituall. In respect also, that the maner of receauing, is a heauen­lie, spirituall and celestiall maner, not a naturall, nor externall maner, in respect that the flesh of Christ, quhilk is giuen in the Sacrament, is receiued be a spirituall and secreet maner, quhilk is not seene to the eies of men. In all thir respects, I call Christ Iesus the heauenlye and spirituall thing, quhilk is signified be the signes in the Sacrament.

Now: I say in the end, the thing signi­fied [...]he thing [...]gnified, [...]an be ap­ [...]ied. mann be applied to vs. Quhat auails it me, to see my health in a buist, standing in ane Apothecaries booth? quhat can it worke toward me, gif it bee not applied? Quhat auails it me, to see my saluatioun afar off, gif it be not applied to me? Therfore it is not aneugh to vs to see Christ: bot he mann be giuen vs; or els hee can­not work health and saluation in vs. And as this saluatioun is giuen vs; wee mann haue a mouth to take it. Quhat auails it me to see meat before me; except I haue [Page] a mouth to take it? Sa, the thing signified in the Sacrament, mann bee giuen vs be God, be the three persons of the Trinity, a God, be Christ lesus, quha mann giue himselfe, and as he giues himselfe; sa wee man haue a mouth to take him. Suppose hee presents and offers him selfe: ȝit hee can profite or auaile nane, but thame, quha hes a mouth to receaue him. Then ȝee see, quhat I call the thing signified: haill Christ applied to vs, and receaued be vs: hail Christ God and man, without separatioun of his natures, without di­scretioun of his substance fra his graces, all applied to vs. Then I say, seeing wee come to the Sacrament, to bee fed bee his flesh, and refreshed bee his blood, to be fed to ane heauenly and spiritual life: and seeing there is na profite to bee had of this Table, without some kynd of pre­paratioun: Therefore lat na man prease to ga to that halie Table, except in some measure hee be prepared. Some will bee prepared in a greater measure thē vthers. Alwayis, lat na man presume to ga to it, except in some measure his hart bee san­ctified. Therfore my exhortation concer­ning the way, quhairby euery ane of ȝou [Page] ought to prepare ȝour selfis, that ȝe may dresse ȝou the better to the table, is this: There is neuer ane of ȝou, that comes to the Table of the Lorde, to cast before the Lord, ȝour integritie, iustice and vpright­nes: But quhasoeuer gais to the Table, he ought to ga with the acknowledging and confessioun of his miserie: hee ought to ga with a sorrowfull hart, for the sinnes quhairin he hes offended God: he ought to ga with a haitrent of thay sins; not to protest, that he is halie, iust, and vpright: But to protest and confesse▪ that he is mi­serable, and of all creatures, the maist mi­serable. And therefore, he gais to that ta­ble, to get support for his miserie, to get a gripp of mercie at the throne of grace: and to get remissioun and forgiuenes of his sinnes; to get the gift of repentance, that mair and mair, he may studie to liue vprightlie, halilie and soberlie in all time comming. Therefore, except ȝee haue en­tred in this course, and are of purpose to continue in this course, to amend your life bigane, to repent ȝou of ȝour sinnes, and be the grace of God, to liue mair vp­rightlie and soberlie, nor ȝee haue done, for Gods cause ga not to the Table. For [Page] quhere there is not a purpose to do weil and to repent, of necessitie, there mann be a purpose to doe ill: and quhasoeuer coms to that Table, with a purpose to do ill, and without a purpose to repent: hee comes to mocke Christ; to skorne him in his face, & to eat his awin present condē ­natiō. Sa, lat na man come to that table, that hes not in his hart a purpose to doe better: that hes not a hart to sorrow for his sinnes bigane: and thinks not his bi­gane folie and madnes ouer meekle. Lat na man come to that table without this, vnder the paine of damnatioun. But gif ȝe haue in ȝour hart, a purpose to do bet­ter, suppose ȝour bigan life hes bene dis­solute and loose: ȝit gif ȝe be tuitched in ȝour hart, with ony feeling or remorse of ȝour bigane life, ga not fra the table, but come with a protestatioun of thy miserie and wretchednes, and come with a hart to get grace. Gif with a dissolute life, I meane not of open slaunders, thou haue also a purpose not to amend, but to doe war, for Gods sake absteine. This far for the thing signified.

Into this generall consideration, there rests thir thinges ȝit to bee maid plaine [Page] vnto ȝou. Firste, howe the signes and the thing signified are coupled togidder, and how they are conioyned. Nixt, it rests to be tauld ȝou; how the signe is deliue­red, and how the thing signified is deliue­red, and how baith are receaued, als weill as they are deliuered. This being done, I fall speake shortly of the vther part of the Sacrament, quhilk is the worde: And last of all, wee sall lat ȝou see, quhat sort of faultes they are, that peruerts the Sacra­ment, and makes it of na effect. And gif time sall serue, we sall enter in particular, to this sacramēt, quhilk we haue in hand.

Then to come backe againe. In the third roume, it coms in to be considered; Howe the signe and the thinge signified are jovned to­gidder. how the signe and the thing signified are coupled: For about this conjunction, all the debait standes: all the strife that wee haue with thame, that varies fra the streight trueth, standes about the maner of this coniunction. Some wil haue tham conioyned efter ane way, and some efter ane vther way; and men striues verie bit­terlie about this mater, and continues sa in strife, that thorow the bitternes of contention, they tyne the trueth. For quhen the heat of contentioun rises, and speci­ally [Page] in disputation, they take not tent to the trueth, but to the victorie: Gif they may bee victorious, and it were but be a multitude of words, they regard not sup­pose they tyne the trueth. Reade their works, and books about this coniuncti­oun, and ȝee sall craue, rather conscience nor knawledge: ȝea, gif they had the quarter of the conscience, that they haue of knawledge: na questioun, this contro­uersie might bee easilie tane vp; but men laking conscience, & hauing knawledge, an euil conscience peruerts the knawlege and drawes thame to ane euil end. To tel ȝou now, how thir twa are conioyned: it will be farre easier for me, and better for ȝou to vnderstand, to tell ȝou first, howe they are not conioyned: for I sall make it very cleare vnto ȝou, be letting ȝou see how they are not conioyned: but it is not possible, to make it so cleare, by telling ȝou the maner how they are conioyned. Ȝee may perceaue clearelie be ȝour awin eies, that the signe & the thing signified are not locally conioyned, that is, they are not baith in ane place. Ȝee may per­ceaue also be ȝour outwarde senses, that the body of Christ, quhilk is the thing signified, [Page] and the signes are not conioyned corporallie: their bodies tuitches not v­thers. Ȝee may perceaue also, they are not visiblie conioyned, they ar not baith subject to the outwarde eye. Sa it is ea­sie to lat ȝou see, howe they are not con­ioyned. For gif the signe and the thing signified were visiblie & corporally con­ioyned, Quhat misterd vs to haue a sign? Quherefore suld the signe in the Sacra­ment serue vs? Is not the signe in the Sa­crament appointed to lead me to Christ? Is not the signe appointed, to point out Christ to me? Gif I sawe him present be mine awin eye, as I doe the bread, quhat mister had I of the bread? Therefore ȝee may see clearlie, that there is na sik thing as a corporall, naturall, or ony siclike physicall coniunction, betwixt the signe, and the thing signified. Sa I say, it is easie to let ȝou see, howe they are not conioy­ned. Then come on, how are they con­ioyned? We cannot craue here any vther sort of coniunctioun, nor may stand and agree with the nature of the Sacrament: For na thing can be conioyned with ane vther efter ane vther sort, nor the nature of it will suffer. Therefore there cannot [Page] be heir ane vther sort of coniunction, nor the nature of the Sacrament will suffer. Now the nature of the sacrament, wil suf­fer ane sacramentall coniunction. O but that is als hard ȝit: Ȝe are neuer the bet­ter of this: but I sall make it cleare bee Gods grace. Ȝee knaw, euery Sacrament is a mysterie; there is not a Sacrament, but it conteinis a high and diuine myste­rie. In respect then, that a Sacrament is a mysterie, it followes that a mysticall, se­crete and spirituall coniunctioun, agreis weill with the nature of the Sacrament. As the coniunctioun betwixt vs & Christ is full of a mysterie, as the Apostle lets ȝou see, EPHES. 5. 32. as it is a mysticall and spiritual coniunction; Sa na dout, the coniunction betwixt the Sacrament, and the thing signified in the Sacrament, man be of that same nature, mysticall and spi­rituall. It is not possible to tell ȝou be na ocular demonstratioun, how Christ and we are conioyned. But quha euer wald vnderstand that coniunctioun, his minde mann be enlightned with ane heauenlie eie, that as he hes ane eye in his head to see corporall things: Sa he mann haue in his minde and hart, ane heauenlie eye, to [Page] see this mysticall coniunction. A heauen­lie eye to take vp this secret coniunction, that is betwixt the Sonne of God and vs, in the Sacrament. Sa I mister not to in­sist; Except ȝee haue this heauenlie illu­mination, ȝee can neuer vnderstand, na­ther ȝour awin coniunction with Christ, nor ȝit the coniunction betwixt the signe and the thing signified in the Sacrament. But I keepe my ground: As the Sacra­ment is a mysterie: Sa the coniunctioun that is into the Sacrament, na dout, man be a mystical, secret and spiritual coniun­ction. Beside this, I lut ȝou see, be the ge­nerall deduction, that in euery Sacrament there is twa things: quhilk twa, hes a re­latioun, and a mutuall respect the ane to the vther. Sa that a relatiue coniunction, agrees weill with the nature of the sacra­mēt. Then speirs thou quhat kind of con­iunction it is? I giue thee the coniunction that agrees with their nature, to wit, a re­latiue and a respectiue coniunction, sik a coniunction, quhairin the sign hes a con­tinuall respect to the thing signified, and the thing signified to the signe. Then crauis thou in a worde, the sort of con­iunction, that is betwixt the signe & the [Page] thing signified? I call it a secret and a my­sticall This con­junctioun is maid cleir, be the con­junction be­twixt the word, and the thinge signified thereby. coniunctioun, that stands in a mu­tuall relatioun, betwixt the signe and the thing signified. There is ane vther con­iunction, beside the coniunctioun that is betwixt Christ and vs, that may mak this coniunctioun betwixt the signe and the thing signified in the Sacrament mair cleare: and this is the coniunction quhilk is betwixt the word that ȝe hear, and the thing signified be the same word. Looke quhat sort of coniunction is betwixt the word quhilk ȝee heare, and the thing sig­nified that comes in ȝour mind: the like coniunctiō is betwixt the sign that ȝe see, and the thing signified in the Sacrament. Ȝee may perceaue easilie: there is a con­iunction be the effect, suppose ȝee cannot knaw the sort of coniunction. For quhy? Ȝee heare not the word sa sone spoken be me, but incontinent, the thing, quhilk my worde quhairof I speake signifies, comes in your mind: speake I of things bigane, of things to come, or of thinges that are neuer sa far absent: I cannot sa sone speak to ȝou of thame in this language, but the thing signified comes in ȝour minde; Na doubt, because there is a coniunction [Page] betwixt the worde & the thing signified▪ Sa, euery ane of ȝou may easily perceaue, that there is a coniunctioun betwixt the word, & the thing signified be the word. As for example, suppose Paris bee far di­stant fra vs; Ȝit speake I of Paris, the word is not sa sone spoken, but the toune will come in ȝour mind: Speak I of the King, suppose he be far distant fra vs, the word is not sa soone spoken, but the thing sig­nified will come in ȝour minde. Sa this comming of the thing signified in the hart and mind, lats ȝou see clearlie, that there is a coniunction betwixt the word, and the thing signified bee the word. To tell ȝou of this sort of coniunctioun, it is not sa easie: Because the thing signified is not present to the eye, as the worde is to the eare. Gif euery thing signified, war als present to ȝour eye, as the word is to ȝour eare; it were easie to see the coniun­ction. But seeing the coniunction is my­sticall, secrete and spirituall: therefore it is hard to make ȝou to vnderstand it. Al­ways looke quhat coniunction is betwixt the simple word, & the thing signified be the word: that same sort of cōiunction is betwixt the sacrament and the thing sig­nified [Page] bee the Sacrament. For the Sacra­ment is na vther thing, but ane visible word. I call it a visible word, quhy? Be­cause it conuoyes the significatioun of it, be the eie to the minde. As this is ane audible worde, because it conuoyes the signification of it be the ear to the mind, in the same sacrament, sa oft as ȝee looke on it, ȝee sall not sa soone see that bread with ȝour eie, but the bodie of Christ sall come in ȝour mind: Ȝee sall not sa soone see that wine, but efter the preaching & opning vp of the parts of the Sacrament, the bloode of Christ sall come in ȝour mind. Now this coniunction betwixt the signe and the thing signified in the Sacra­ment; stands chiefly, as ȝe may perceaue, in twa points: First in an relation betwixt the sign & the thing signified, quhilkrises of an likenes & proportion, betwixt thir twa: for gif there were na proportion & analogie, betwixt the signe and thing sig­nified be the signe; there could not bee a Sacrament or ane relatioun. Sa the first pairt of this coniunction stands in a rela­tion, quhilk rises vpon ane certaine simi­litude & likenes, quhilk the ane hes with the vther. And this likelines may be easi­lie [Page] perceaued. For looke howe able the bread is to nurishe thy body to this life earthlie and temporal, the flesh of Christ, signified be the bred, is als able to nurish baith body and saull to life everlasting. Sa ȝee may perceaue some kinde of pro­portion betwixt the signe and the thing signified. The secound point of the con­iunction, stands in a continuall and mu­tual concurring of the an with the vther, in sik sort, that the signe, & the thing sig­nified, ar offered baith togither, receaued togither, at ane time and in ane actioun: the ane outwardelie, the vther inwardly, gif sa be that thou haue a mouth in thy saull, quhilk is faith, to receaue it. Then the secound point of the conjunctioun stands in a joynt offering, and in a joynt receauing, & this I call ane concurrence. Then speere ȝee, quhat sort of conjuncti­on is betwixt the signe and the thing sig­nified? I say, it is a relatiue conjunction, a secret and a mystical conjunction, quhilk stands in a mutuall relatioun.

There is na farther to be obserued heir, except only this: that suppose ȝe conjoin thir twa, be war that ȝe confound thame not, bee war that ȝee turne not over the [Page] ane in the other: but keepe every ane of thame in their awin integritie, without confusion or permixtion of the ane with the other, and sa ȝee sall haue the lawfull conjunctioun that sulde bee in the sacra­ment. There is not a lessoun that can be learned of this, at least that I can marke or gather, except onely the lessoun of the kindenes and goodnes of the everliuing God; quha hes invented sa mony won­derfull sortes of conjunctioun, and all to this purpose, that wee might be conjoy­ned, to aduance this great and mysticall conjunctioun, betwixt the God of glorie and vs: In the quhilk conjunctioun, our weil, felicity and happines in this life, and in the life to come, dois only stand: That he is sa cairfull to conjoine himselfe with his worde and Sacraments, that wee, in his word and Sacraments might be con­joyned with him. Gif wee were moued with the care and loue of God, vttered in thir conjunctiones, and it were neuer sa litle on our pairts: assuredly we wald not defraud our selfs, of the fruit of that hap­py conjunction, nor bring it in sik a loath and disdaine as wee do this day: for wee be folowing and preferring of our plea­sures [Page] to Christ and his counsell, hes made the stomachis of our saules sa foule and ill disposed, that ather they receiue him not at all, or gif he be receaued, he is not able to tary: And quhy? because ane foul stomach is not able to keepe him, for in­continent we chok him sa, ather with the lustis of the flesh, or with rhe cares of this warlde, that hee is compelled to depart: & gif Christ be not baith, deuoured and digested, hee can doe vs na good: And this digestion can not be quhere there is not a gredy appetite to the receit of him; for gif thou be not hungry for him, he is not ready for thee. And I am assured gif all the men in this countrie were exami­ned efter this rule, that there were nane that receuis Christ, bot he that hes a sto­mach and is hungrie for him, it fearis me that few suld bee found to receaue him. It fears me, that we haue tane sik a loath and disdaine of that heauenlie food, that there is not sick a thing, as ony kinde of hunger, or appetite of it in our saules. And quhat is the cause of this? I will tell ȝou: Suppose wee haue renounced the corporall and grosse Idolatrie, wherein our fathers were drowned and plunged [Page] of before, and quhilk men in some parts gais about to erect now: Ȝit as the ma­ners of this countrie, and the behauiour of every ane of vs testifies, there is neuer a man that hes renoūced that damnable Idol, that he hes in his awin saul, nor the invisible Idolatry, that he hes in his awin hart and mynd. There is neuer a man but to that same Idoll quherewith hee wes conceaued and borne, and wherevnto he addicted himselfe and wes a slaue off be­fore, but to that Idoll he geuis his seruice ȝit: and therefore meruell not, quhen thou hes addicted thy seruice: set thy af­fection, & powred out thy hart vpon that pleasure of thine awin, vpon that Idoll of thy awin, vpon that lust & mischief of thy awin: meruell not, suppose thou haue na appetite of Christ, nor of that heauenlie food. Quhen thou hes thy saull powred furth on some villany & wickednes, & hes send it far a feild: how is it possible to the, to retire it, or draw it hame againe, to im­ploy it quhere thou suld on Christ Iesus? Then let euery ane in his awin ranck, tak heed to his awin domestik Idoll, that lud­ges within his awin heart, and prease to cleare him of it, or vtherwayis, ȝe cannot [Page] see the face of Christ, nor be pertakers of his kingdome. There is not ane vther les­soun in christianitie but this: this is the first and the last lessoun; to shake off ȝour lustis and affectiouns, peece and peece, and sa peece and peece renounce thy self, that thou may embrace Christ. I grant, there is greater progresse in this point, in some nor in vthers, some lesse, some mair profites in this; But except in some mea­sure ȝee cast of ȝour selfe, or quhatsoeuer in ȝour awin eies, ȝee compt maist preci­ous, to come be Christ; ȝee are not wor­thie of him: And this is verie hard to be done. It is verie easie for a man to speake it, to bidd a man renounce his awin I­doll, quhilk I call his affections; but it is not sa sone done. Assuredly the stronger mann come in, to ding out the affection: ȝea the stronger nor the deuil, man come in to ding out the deuill, quha makes re­sidence in the affection; or els hee will re­maine there for euer. Therefore, there are not mony that hes renounced thame selfis, and examin thine hart quhen thou will, gif there be ony thing in the warld, that thou louis better nor christ, gif thou bee not content, to leaue father and mo­ther, [Page] to leaue wife and children, or quhatsoeuer is dearest to thee in this warld, for Christ, thou art nor worthie of him. Gif thou be not content to cast off, quhatso­euer maks thee a stranger to Christ, thou art not worthie of him. And is this onie little matter, seeing there is na part nor power of our saul, but it is enemy to this, and repines to this heauenlie coniuncti­on; Is this onie litle mater, to cast off and renounce our selfis, that we may come to Christ? Ȝe saw neuer a greater matter nor this. It hes not entred into euery hart to consider of this, for this wark of our new creatioun, is ten thousand times greater nor the warke of our first creation. And therefore it were very necessary, that eue­rie man tooke tent to himselfe: For the Deuill is so craftie in this point, that hee erects euer ane Idoll or vther in our saul, and sometimes vnder the shew of vertue, quhilk of all is maist dangerous: And in euerie wark that is in our hand, gif it war neuer sa halie, hee is at our right hande, and maks him to haue interest in it. And hee contents himselfe not with this, vn­der the shewe of vertues to dissaue ȝou: But he is sa walkrife, that euen in the best [Page] turne, and quhen ȝe are best occupied in ȝour maist vertuous actions, hee mixes thame with sinnes, and sa dois the thing that lies in him, to make ȝou tine ȝour profit, and loose ȝour reward. For quhen ȝee are best occupied, hee gais about to engender in ȝou an opinion of ȝour selfis and sa defraud God of his glory. Or v­therwayis in doing of good turnes, hee makes ȝou sa slacke and negligent, that gif ȝe do thame, ȝee do thame caldlie, or sa indiscreetly, that he maks ȝou begin at the last first, and makes it that suld be first last; and sa as MARTHA wes, to be occupi­ed, and ouer bissie in thay things, quhilk are not sa necessar, as the things quherin MARIE wes occupied. For she suld haue preferred first the hearing of the worde, to the preparing of Christs Supper. This is but to giue ȝou ane insight, and to lat ȝou see, that the deuil is sa craftie, that a­ther he casts in a false conceat of our selfs in doing ony turne, or els makes vs to do that last quhilk suld be first, or then maks vs altogidder sa sluggish and sa negligent that we do the warke of the Lord caldly, and sa ane way or vther, he halds vs euer in a continuall busines. Sa that we cannot [Page] be halfe walkrife: For we haue to do with principalities and powers, with spirituall wickednes, quhilk are aboue vs, & with­in vs also. For he is not, that hes corrup­tion within him, but Sathan is in him: Sa wee cannot bee halfe walkrife, euer studi­ing to cast out the Deuill, to renounce our selfis, and to submit vs to the obedi­ence of Christ. This farre concerning the coniunction.

Now, seing that the signe and the thing Howe the signe and the thing signified are giuen and receaued. signified, are diuers: it rests to bee consi­dered how the sign is deliuered, and how the thing signified is deliuered; and efter quhat manner they are receaued: And Considera­tions there­of. therefore of this consideration, ȝee haue thir things to wey. Ȝee haue first to con­sider, quhidder baith the signe, and the 1 thing signified, be deliuered to ȝou be ea man or not. Secondly ȝee haue to consi­der, 2 quhidder the signe and the thing sig­nified, be deliuered to ȝou in ane actioun or not. Thirdly, ȝee haue to consider, 3 quhidder baith thir things bee giuen to ane instrument or not. And fourtly, ȝee 4 haue to consider, quhidder the signe and the thing signified, be offered & receaued efter ea maner or not. Now efter that ȝee [Page] haue considred all thir, in the ende ȝee sal find that the sign & the thing signified, ar not giuen be a man; ȝe sal find nixt, that they are not giuen in a sort of actioun. Thirdly, ȝe sal find, that they ar not baith offered and giuen to ane instrument. And fourtly, ȝee sall finde, that they are not baith giuen and receaued efter ane ma­ner. Sa finding this diuersitie, ȝee haue this to doe: Marke mee the diuersitie of the propiners and giuers: Marke me the diuersitie of the actions: Mark me third­lie, the diuersitie of the instruments, and marke fourtly, the diuers manner of re­ceauing. Mark me all thir diligently, and ȝee sall finde litle difficultie in the Sacra­ment. For first to mak it cleare vnto ȝou, I say, that the signe, and the thing signifi­ed be the signe, are not baith giuen be ea man; and this ȝee see clearely. For as to the signe, that bread, and that wine, ȝe see ȝour selfe, that the Minister offers vnto ȝou the signe, hee giues ȝou that Sacra­ment: as that sign is ane earthly and cor­porall thing, sa it is ane earthly and cor­porall man that giues it. Now the thing signified is of ane vther nature: For it is ane heauenly and spirituall thing; there­fore [Page] this heauenly thing, is not giuen be an earthly man, this vncorruptible thing, is not giuen be ane naturall and corrup­tible man; But Christ Iesus hes locked vp and reserued the Ministerie of this hea­uenly thing to himselfe onely. Therefore there is twa giuers in this sacrament: The Minister giues the earthly thing, Christ Iesus the Mediatour, giues ȝou the hea­uenlie thing in the Sacrament: For Christ in giuing the earthly thing, will not vse his awin Ministerie immediatlie, nor the Ministerie of ane Angell: but onelie the Ministerie of ane earthlie man. And as to the dispensatioun of his awin bodie and blood, hee will not giue it to na hea­uenlie creature, lat be to ane earthly man; but he hes keeped this Ministerie to him selfe, and he dispenses his awin body and blood, to quhom & quhen he pleasis: For quhy? gif ony man in the warld, had pow­er to giue Christs body & blood, na que­stion this man suld haue power, to cleanse the hart and conscience; For the blood of Christ hes this power with it: and conse­quently suld haue power to forgiue sins. Now it is onely GOD that may forgiue sinnes: and therefore it is not possible, [Page] that the Ministerie of the heauenly thing, can be in the power of ony man. Exem­ple we haue in IOHN the Baptist, MAT. 3. 11. Sayis he not, the ministery that I haue is of the element, I am commaunded to Minister the elemēt of water only: but as to the Ministerie of the fire & of the spirit, Christ hes reserued it to himselfe. There­fore looke not to get the spirit at mans hand, but at the hands of Christ himselfe onelie, and without this inward Ministe­rie, I wil not giue a straa for the outward Ministerie. For my outward Ministerie: Ȝea, suppose it were the Ministerie of ane Angell, and suppose Christ were present in his flesh, to minister vnto ȝou thir out­ward things: except he conjoyne the in­ward ministerie of his spirit therewith, it auailes nathing: It may weill make vp a dittay & proces against ȝou, against the day of that generall assemblie: but to ȝour saluation, it will neuer profite ȝou. Therefore this ȝee suld ay craue, that the Lord wald water ȝour harts bee his halie spirit, as he waters ȝour eares be the hea­ring of the word. Then there is twa offe­rers: the Minister offers the signe, Christ Iesus offers himselfe, the thing signified. [Page] The three persons, ea God, offers the Me­diatour, or the Mediator offers himselfe, and that bee the power and vertue of his awin spirit.

As there is twa propiners, twa persons The signe & the thing signified are offered in twa actions to twa in­struments, and efter twa maners that offeris and geuis the Sacrament, and the thing signified be the Sacrament: Sa thir twa ar offered and giuen in twa acti­ons. Christ, quha is the heauenlie thing is offered & giuen to ȝou, be ane inward secreet and spirituall actioun, quhilk is not subject to the outward eie. The signe againe is offered and giuen, in ane out­ward actioun, efter a corporal and visible maner. As there is twa sortes of actions, sa there is twa sortes of instrumentes, quherevnto the signe and the thing sig­nified are offered: for the thing signified, that is, Christ: is neuer offered to the mouth of my body. The blood of Christ, the flesh of Christ, haill Christ, or the spi­rit of Christ is not offered, nather in the word nor in the sacrament to the mouth of my body, get me that in ony parte of the Bible, that there is ony vther maner of receauing of Christ, bot be faith, and tak it to thame. Sa there is not an instru­ment, as I taulde ȝou, nather hand nor [Page] mouth to grippe Christ, bot faith onely. As Christ, quha is the thing signified, is gripped be the hand and mouth of faith: sa the signe that signifies Christ, is grip­ped be our awin naturall mouth & hand. Ȝee haue a mouth in ȝour head, and in ȝour body, als proper to gripp the signe, as fayth is to grippe Christ. Swa the signe and the thing signified ar offered and gi­uen, not to ane instrument, but to twa: the ane to the mouth of the bodie, the v­ther to the mouth of the saull. Now look be quhat way thir things are offered and giuen, be the same way they ar receaued. As the signe is corporall, and naturally offered to a corporall instrument: sa is it receaued efter a corporall and naturall maner. For thou man tak the bread and the wine, ather bee thy hand, or bee thy mouth: the thing signified is not tane ef­ter a corporall maner, bot efter a secreet and spirituall maner: and as it is offered, sa it is tane: there cannot be a thing clea­rer, the ane is tane efter a natural maner, the vther efter a secret and spirituall ma­ner. Sa in this last part ȝe haue thir things to mark: distinguish me betwixt the out­ward action and the inward, betwixt the [Page] signe and the thing signified, and keepe mee a proportion and analogie, betwixt the inwarde and the outward actions: Thinke weill with ȝour selfe, that gif ȝee bee a faithfull man, Christ is als bissie working inwardlie in ȝour saull: as the Minister is working outwardlie toward ȝour bodie. Looke how bissie the Mini­ster is in breaking that bread, in powring out that wine, in giuing that bread and wine to thee; als bissie is Christ in brea­king his awin body to thee, and in giuing thee the iuyce of his awin bodie, efter a spirituall & ane inuisible maner. Sa keepe me this distinction, and thinke weill with ȝour selfs, that be faith, Christ is als weill ocupied towards ȝour saul to nurish it, as the Minister is outwardly towardes ȝour body. Keepe me this, & thou hes the hail sacramēt. Then of this discourse & dedu­ction: ȝe maytak vp a doble mater, quher of the Sacrament stands. It stands of twa sorts of materials: that is, of ane earthlie mater, and of ane heauenly mater: The sign and the thing signified; And as there is a double mater in the Sacrament, sa the Sacrament mann bee handled efter a double maner, be ane outward actioun, [Page] and ane inward action. Keepe the distin­ction in thir things, betwixt the sign and the thing signified, & ȝe sal not easilie slip in the vnderstanding of the Sacrament.

This being sayd, concerning the gene­rall of the vther parte of a Sacrament quhilk is the worde. consideration of the elements (for al this apperteins ȝit to the elements.) It rests that wee speake somequhat concer­ning the word, quhilk I cal the vther part of the Sacrament. Quhat we meane and vnderstand be the word, I take the word quhairvnto the elements are annexed, for that thing, quhilk quickens this haill action, quhilk serues as it were a saul, and giues life to the haill actioun. For be the worde, and the appointment of Christ in the worde, the Minister knawis quhat is his part, the hearer knawis quhat is his part, and euery ane is prepared, howe to deliuer and how to receaue: the Minister how hee suld deliuer, and the hearer how hee suld receaue. Sa the institutioun of Christ, is the quickning of the haill acti­on. For all the action hes the warrand fra the institution set down in his word. In the institution of Christ, there is twa things chieflie to be considered. Ȝee will finde in the institutioun of Christ a com­mand, [Page] and ȝee will finde in it a promise: The commaund is this, quhere hee sayis, take eat: the command oblishes ȝou to o­bey, and craues obedience. There is a promise also in the institution, and it is conteined in thir wordes, This is my bo­die. The promise craues faith. As the command craues obedience; sa the pro­mise craues beleife: Therefore come not to the Sacrament, except ȝee bring baith faith and obedience with ȝou. Gif thou come not with a heart minded to obey Christ, at least, mair nor thou was wont to doe, thou comes to thine awin dam­nation. And gif thou bring a hart alwais voyd of faith, thou comes to thine awin damnation. Sa, lat euery ane that comes to the Sacrament, bring with him a hart minded to do better, that is, to obey and beleiue Christ, better nor he did off be­fore. Except ȝee bring thir twa in some measure, come not to the Sacrament: for whatever thou do, except it flow of faith, can profite nathing. This far concerning the word shortly.

Nowe there rests onely this, and it wald bee speered, quhat mister is there, that thir Sacraments and seales suld bee [Page] annexed to the worde? Quherefore are they annexed, seeing wee gat na mair in the Sacrament, nor we get in the worde: and we get als meekle in the very simple word, as we gat in the Sacrament: Seeing then wee get na newe thing in the sacra­ment, but the same thing, quhilk wee gat in the simple word, quherefore is the Sa­crament appointed to bee hung to the word? It is true certainly, we get na new thing in the Sacrament: nor wee get na vther thing in the Sacrament, nor we gat in the worde, for quhat mair walde thou craue, nor to get the Sonne of God, gif thou get him weill? Thy hart cannot wish nor imagine a greater gift, nor to haue the Sonne of God, quha is King of hea­uen and earth. And therefore I say quhat new thing walde thou haue? For gif thou get him, thou gettis all things with him, thy hart cannot imagine a newe thinge beside him: quherefore then is the sacra­ment Answere. appointed? Not to get thee a new I thing. I say it is apointed to get thee that Be the sacrament wee possesse Christ mair fully nor be the simple word. same thing better, nor thou gat it in the word. The Sacrament is appointed, that we may get a beter grip of Christ, nor we gat in the simple word, that we may pos­sesse [Page] Christ in our harts and mindes mair fullie and largely, nor wee did off before in the simple worde. That Christ might haue a larger space, to make residence in our narrowe hearts, nor hee could haue be the hearing of the simple worde: and to possesse Christ mair fullie, it is a bet­ter thing. For suppose Christ be ea thing in him selfe: ȝit the better grip thou haue of him, thou art the surer of his promise. The Sacramentes are appointed, that I might haue him mair fullie in my saull, that I might haue the bounds of it enlar­ged, that hee may make the better resi­dence in mee: This na doubt is the cause, quherefore thir seales are annexed to the 2 euident of the simple word. They serue to They serue to confirme the trueth contained in the word. this end also, to seale vp and confirm the trueth, that is in the word; for as the of­fice of the seale hung to the euident, is not to confirme ane vther trueth, nor that quhilk is in the euident; and suppose ȝee beleeued the euident off before; ȝit be the seales ȝee beleeue it the better. E­uen sa, the Sacrament assures mee of na vther trueth, nor is conteined within the word: Ȝit because it is a seale annexed to the word, it perswades mee the better of [Page] the same, for ay the maa & the mair that the outward senses be walkned, the mair is the inward hart & mind, perswaded to beleif. Now the sacrament walkens al the outward senses, sick as the eie, the hand, and all the rest: And the outward senses beeing mooued, na question, the spirit of God concurring therewith, mooues the heart the mair. The Sacraments are then annexed to the word, to seal vp the truth conteined in the worde, and to confirme it mair and mair in thy hart. Then quhat haue ȝee to doe, the worde is appointed to worke beleife, and the sacrament is ap­pointed to confirme ȝou in this beleife: but except ȝee feele the trueth of this in­wardly in ȝour harts, except ȝe haue ȝour harts als readie as ȝour mouth, think not that ony thing will auaile ȝou; All the seales in the warld will not worke, except Exhortation the spirit of God concurre, and seale the same trueth in ȝour harts, quhilk the Sa­crament seales outwardlie. Except hee mak cleare the sight of thy mind inward­lie, and worke a feeling in thy hart, baith word and Sacrament, sall tyne their fruit and effect quhilk they suld haue. All the Scriptures are full of this. The hail Scrip­tures [Page] of GOD are but a slaying letter to ȝou, except the spirit of God concurre to quicken inwardlie. Sa ȝour haill endeuor suld be, to prease to feele Christ quicke in ȝour awin harts: that finding him in ȝour harts, and seing him in ȝour minds, baith word and Sacraments may be effectuall: gif not, ȝour sauls remaines dead, ȝee are not translated fra that death quhairin ȝe were conceaued. Therefore all the study of a Christian suld be, quhen they see the Sacraments, and heares the worde, to la­bour to find and feele in their hearts and mindes, that, quhilk they heare and see, and this I cal to find Christ quick in ȝour awin sauls. This cannot bee, except ȝee sanctifie his ludging: For gif al the nukis of thy saul remaine a midding, Christ can not dwell there. And sa, except ȝe study to a continuall sanctification, and seuer ȝour selfe fra euery thing that seuers ȝou fra Christ; It is not possible, that hee can liue or dwel in ȝou. This is a great lesson, and it is not possible to doe this, except, as I haue said, a stronger come in & pos­sesse vs, & make vs to renounce our selfs. Then, the seals had not bene annexed to the word, except for our cause. For there [Page] is na necessitie on Gods part, that God suld ather sweare, or confirme bee seales, the thing that hee hes spoken. For his word is als good as ony aith or seale: but the necessitie comes of vs. There is sick a great weaknes in vs, that quhen hee hes sworne, and set his seales to his word, wee are als new to beleife, as gif he had neuer spoken a worde. Sa to helpe our beleife, our weaknes and inhabilitie that is in vs: For wee are sa vnable be nature, that wee can beleeue nathing, but that quhilk is of our selfis, and the mair wee leane to our selfis, the farther we are fra God. I say, to helpe this wonderfull weaknes, quhairby wee are readie to mistrust God in euerie word, he hes hung to his sacraments, and beside his Sacraments, hee sweares the things that concerns maist our saluation; As ȝee hard in the Priesthead of Christ, PSAL. 110. 4. Hee will not speake onely, but he sweares, and that for our weaknes and infirmitie; but gif hee abstract ȝit the Ministerie of his spirit, all thir means will do na good.

Now, quhat is the last thing? The last is, how the Sacrament is peruerted, and [...]ults that per [...]erts the Sacra [...]ent. how we are defrauded of the fruit and ef­fect [Page] thereof. Twa sort of faults peruerts the Sacrament, & defrauds vs of the pro­fite and vse thereof, and thir faults are a­ther in the forme or in the person: In forme, gif the essential forme be spoyled, we get nathing: for quhen the sacrament is spoyled of the essentiall forme, it is not a Sacrament. There is ane essential forme in Baptisme, and ane essentiall forme in the Supper, quhilks gif they bee tane a­way, ȝee tyne the vse of the Sacrament. The essentiall forme of Baptisme is, I bap­tize thee in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the halie Ghaist: Leaue ȝee out ane of thir three, or do ȝee it in the name of ony ane of the three persons onely, ȝe tyne the essentiall forme of Baptisme: In the Supper, gif ȝee leaue out the least ce­remonie, ȝe tine the essentiall forme; and sa it is not a Sacrament: I speake of the es­sentiall forme, in respect of the Papists, quha keeped the essentiall forme in Bap­tisme; suppose they haue broght in trifles of their awin & mixt with it: ȝit in respect they keeped the substantiall forme: It is not necessar, that they quha were bapti­tized vnder thame, be rebaptized. Indeed gif the vertue of regeneration flowed fra [Page] the person, it were some thing: but in re­spect, Christ hes this to giue to quhome, and quhen he pleasis, the essentiall form being keeped; it is not necessare, that this Sacrament be reiterated. Now quhat are the faults in the person that peruerts the sacrament? The fault may be, ather in the persoun of the giuer, or in the persoun of the receauer. (I speake not of they com­mon faults, quhilk are common to all: but of sik faults as inhables the person of the giuer, to be a distributer of the sacra­ment, & taks the office fra him.) Sa quhē the person of the giuer, is this way inha­bled, na question, it is not a Sacrament. Then againe, in the person of the recea­uer, the fault may bee, gif their children be not in the couenant, but out of it, they get not the Sacrament. Indeed, if the Pa­rents efterward comes to the couenant, the children, suppose they be gotten out of the couenant, may be receaued. Sik­like in the Supper, gif a man be ladened with ony burthen of sinne, without ane purpose to repent, hee aught not to re­ceaue it. Sa then, gif ȝee lack a purpose to repent, ȝe tine the vse of the sacrament. It is only this purpose to repent, that maks [Page] me, quha receauis the sacramēt, to get the fruit and effect thereof. Therefore euerie ane that gais to that Sacrament, looke quhat purpose hee hes in his heart: Hes thou a purpose to shed blood, to ga to harlatry, or to commit ony vther ill vice, or ill turne that is in thy heart, and is not of purpose to repent: in shewing thee to be without repentance, thou shewes thee to be without faith: And consequentlie thou coms to thy damnation, and not to thy saluation. Now take heed quhat is ȝour purpose, for gif with a dissolute life ȝee haue a dissolute purpose, ȝee come to ȝour damnation.

I wes of mind, to haue entred particu­larly Conclusion with an ex­horration. to this sacrament, quhilk we haue in hands: but becaus the time is past, & som of ȝou (I dout not) are to cōmunicate only this: Remēber that ȝe addres not ȝour selfs to that table, except ȝee finde ȝour harts in som sort prepared. The first gree of preparation stands in contrition, in so­rowing for sin, in a feeling of ȝour awin sins, quhairin ȝee haue offended God. A sorow in ȝour harts, that ȝe haue offēded sa gratious a God: gif ȝe bee able, as that woman wes, be the tears of a contrit hart [Page] to wesh the feet of Christ, humbly to kisse his feet, and to get a grippe of the foot of Christ, suppose ȝee dare not presume sa high, as to get him haill, ȝe are in a good case. But gif thou want all thir, and hes thame not in some measure: thou lacks all the grees of preparation: Therfore lat nane ga to the table, except hee haue thir in som measure. But quhere there is a dis­pleasure for sin, a purpose to do better, & an earnest sobbing and sighing to get the thing that thou wants: In that saul quher God hes placed this desire of Christ; It is the worke of Gods spirit, & Christ wil en­ter there. And therfore suppose that saul, be far fra the thing that he suld be at: lat him not refuse to ga to the table, but lat him ga with a professioun of his awin in­firmity & weaknes, & with a desire of the thing that he wants. Euery an of ȝou that finds ȝour selfs this way disposed, lat him ga in Gods name to the Table. And the Lord work this in every an of ȝour harts, that this Ministerie may be effectuall in ȝou at this time, and that in the righteous merits of Iesus Christ: To quhom with the Father and the halie Ghaist, be all honor, praise and glory, for now and ever,

Amen.

THE SECOND SER­MON, VPPON THE LORDS Supper in perticular: Preached the eight of Februarie. 1589.

WE ended the consideration of the Sacraments in gene­rall, in our last lesson: (weil­beloued in Christ Iesus) Of the Sup­per of the Lord in par­ticular. Now it rests, that we dresse vs, to the consideratioun of this sacrament of the Supper in particu­lar. And that ȝee may the better attaine to the knawledge, and consideratioun of the great variety of mater, that is contei­ned in this Sacrament of the Supper: I sal prease, as God will giue me the grace, to premit certaine things, for the easier vn­derstanding Heads to be intreated of it. And first of all, I sall lat [Page] ȝou see, quhat names are giuen to this sa­crament in the Bible, and I sall shew ȝou some names, that are giuen to the same sacrament be the Auncients. Nixt wee sal 2 lat ȝou vnderstand, for quhat chiefe ends and respects, this Sacrament wes institu­ted & appointed be Christ Iesus. Third­lie, 3 wee sall come to the thinges, that are conteined in the Sacrament, howe thir things are coupled, how they are deliue­red, & how they are receiued. And last; we 4 sall meet certaine objections, quhilk may be casten in the contrare of this doctrin; and, as GOD sall giue the grace, wee sall loose thame, and swa end this present ex­ercise. Now, we find sundry names giuen [...]irst head [...]enerall. to the Sacrament of the Supper, in the booke of God, and euery name, caries a Of the [...]ames giuen [...] this sacra [...]ent, baith [...] the Bible [...]nd be the [...]ncients. special reason with it. We find this Sacra­ment, called the body & blood of Christ. This name is giuen it, na doubt, because it is a heauenly and spirituall nuriture; It conteins a nuriture of the saull, that is a­ble to nurish and traine vp the saull, to a life spirituall, to that life euerlasting: For this cause it is called the body and blood of Christ. It is called also the Supper of the Lorde, to put a difference betwixt it [Page] and ane prophane Supper: for this is the Lords Supper, a halie Supper, not a pro­phane nor common Supper; a Supper ap­pointed for the increase of halines, for the foode of the saull in halines, to feede the saul to life euerlasting. Not a Supper appointed for the belly, for he had ended that Supper, that was appointed for the bellie, or euer hee begouth this Supper, quhilk was appointed for the saul. A sup­per, na doubt, hauing respect to the cir­cumstaunce of time, be reason it was first instituted in the article of that time, whē they vsed to suppe. It is called also in the Bible, the Table of the Lord: It is not cal­led the Altar of the Lord, but the Apostle cals it a Table to sit at, and not ane altar to stand at, a Table to take and receaue, and not an Altar to offer & propine. It is called also the Communion, & participa­on of the bodie and blood of Christ: We haue thir names giuen to it, beside some vthers in the Scriptures of God.

The auncients of the Latine, and of the Greeke Kirks, gaue it sundry names, for sundry respects: They called it a publict action. And this was a very general name; Sometimes they called it a thanksgiuing: [Page] Sometimes they called it a Banquet of loue: & sometimes they gaue it ea name, and somtimes ane vther. And at the last, in the declining estait of the Latine Kirk, and in the falling estait of the Romane Kirk, this Sacrament begouth to be per­uerted, and with this decay, there comes in a peruerse name, and they called it the Masse. They trouble thameselfs meekle concerning the deriuation of this name, quherefra this worde is driuen: Some­time they seeke it fra ane Hebrue ori­gine: Somtime fra an Greeke, and some­time fra ane Latine origine. But it is plaine, as the word sounds, that it is tane fra ane Latine origine. And it is a worde quhilk might haue bene tolerable, quhen it was first instituted: For na doubt, the Sacrament at the first institutioun of this word, wes not then halely peruerted: but now, seeing that be the processe of time, corruption hes preuailed sa far, that it hes turned over our Sacrament in a sa­crifice: And quhere wee suld take fra the hand of God in Christ, they make vs to giue: This is plaine Idolatry: And there­fore quhere the word was tolerable be­fore; Nowe it ought not to bee tolerable [Page] in ony way; It aught not to bee suffered. And out of questioun, gif wee had eaten and drunken, als oft the body and blood of Christ in our harts and saules, as wee haue eaten that bread, and drunken that wine, quhilk are the signes of his bodie and blood: wee wald not haue thoiled this word of the masse; lat be the very ac­tion of it, to be sa rife in this Countrey: But in respect, wee haue but played the counterfait, and defrauded our sauls of the bodie and blood of Christ, and tooke onely the outward Sacrament: Therefore it is, that our zeale decayis: Therefore it is that our loue decayis: Therefore it is that our knawledge and light decayis. And for fault of zeale, loue, and knaw­ledge, the worde of the masse is become customable vnto ȝou, and not onely the word, but the very action. I will not run out heir, I am onely tell and ȝou, quhat comes of the abuse of the hearing of the worde, quhat iudgement followes vpon the abuse of the perception of the Sacra­ments.

I ga to the nixt, that is, to the endes Second he [...] generall. quherefore the Sacrament wes appoin­ted. This Sacrament was instituted in the [Page] signes of bread and wine, and wes ap­pointed Of the ends quhy this sacrament wes institu­ted. chieflie for this end, to represent our spirituall nuriture, the ful and perfite nuriture of our saull. That as he quha hes bread and wine, lacks nathing of the full nuriture of his bodie: sa he, or that saul, quha hes the participation of the bodie and blood of Christ, lacks nathing of the full and perfite nuriture of the saull: To represent this full and perfite nuriture, the signes of bread and wine in the sacrament, were set downe and instituted. The second ende, quherefore this Sacrament wes instituted, is this; that wee might te­stifie to the warld, and to the Princes of the warld, quha are enemies to our pro­fession, that we might openly avow, and testifie vnto thame our religion, and our maner of worshipping: in the quhilk wee avow and worship Christ: And that wee might also testifie our loue towardes his members, our brethren; this is the se­cond ende quherefore it wes instituted. The third end, quherefore it wes institu­ted, is this; to serue for our speciall com­fort and consolation, to serue as a soue­rain medicin for al our spiritual diseases, as we find our selfs ather ready to fall, or [Page] prouoked to fall bee the Deuill, the flesh or the warld; or efter that we haue fallen, and are put to flight bee the Deuill, and wald faine flee away fra God; God of his mercie, and of his infinite pitie, and bo­thomles compassion, hes set vp this Sa­crament, as a signe on a high hil, quhair­by it may be seene on euerie side, far and neare, to call all thame againe, that haue run shamefully away; and hee clockes to thame, as a Hen dois to her chickens, to gather thame vnder the wings of his infi­nite mercie. The fourth end, quherefore this sacrament wes instituted, is this; that in this action, wee might thanke him for his benefites, and rander to him heartie thankes, that hee hes come downe sa fa­miliarlie to vs, bowed the heauens, as it were, and giuen vs the body and blood of his awin Sonne, that we might rander vnto him hartie thankes, and sa sanctifie his benefits to vs: for this thanksgiuing, this Sacrament wes also instituted. This far concerning the ends shortly.

Now I come to the things conteined in Thrid head generall. this Sacramēt. Ȝe see with ȝour eies, ther is casten before ȝou corporall thinges, visible thinges, sick as the bread and the [Page] wine. There is againe hid fra the eie of of the things conteined in this Sa­crament out ward and inwarde, quherein sundric heads are intreated. ȝour body, but present to the eie of ȝour mynd, spirituall things, heauenly and in­ward thinges, baith thir are in the Sacra­ment. The corporal, visible, and outward things, they are the thinges that are ap­pointed, to signifie the spiritual, heauenly and inwarde things: And quhy? Nathing without a reasoun. Thir corporall signes are appointed to signifie the spirituall things, be reasoun wee are corporall, we are earthlie bodies, wee haue our saull ludging within ane carnall body, in a ta­bernacle of claye, a grosse tabernacle, quhilk cannot be walkned nor mooued, except bee the things that are like to it selfe: It cannot be induced to the consi­deration of heauenlie things, except, be gros, temporall and corporal things. Gif wee had beene of the nature of the thing signified, that as the thing signified is spi­rituall and heauenlie, sa wee alway had bene spirituall and heauenlie; we had not mistered a corporal thing. Siclike, gif the thing signified had bin as we are, corpo­rall, earthlie and visible; wee had not mi­stered a signe, to cary vs to the considera­tion of it. But be reason the thing signi­fied [Page] is spirituall, and wee are corporall; therefore to bring vs to the sight of thir spirituall things, he vses a corporal mean and an outward signe. This is the resoun quherefore thir corporall signes are ap­pointed, to signifie the spirituall thing. The spirituall thing in baith the Sacra­ments, is ane & the selfe same Christ Ie­sus, signified in baith the Sacraments: Ȝit in diuers respects, he is the thing signified in Baptisme, and he is the thing signified in the Supper. This Christ Iesus in his blood chiefly, is the thing signified in the Sacrament of Baptism; for quhy? be reson that be his blood hee weschis the filth of our sauls; bee reason that be the vertue of his blood, he quickens vs in our sauls, with a heauenlie life; be reasoun that bee the power of his blood, he ingrafts and imps vs in his awin body: for that sacra­ment is a testimonie of the remissioun of our sinnes; that is of the cleanes of our conscience, that our consciences be that blood, are weschen inwardly. It testifies siklike, of our new birth, that wee are be­gotten spiritually to a heauenly life: It te­stifies sicklike, of the joyning of vs in the body of Christ. As it is a testimony, sa it is [Page] a seale; It not only testifies, but seales it vp in our harts, and maks vs in our harts, to feele the taist of that heauenly life begun in vs; that we are translated fra death, in the quhilk we war conceaued, & imped in the body of Christ. Tak heed then, Christ in his blood, as he is the lawer of our re­generation, is the thing signified in Bap­tisme. In this sacrament of the Supper a­gane, this same Christ, is the thing signifi­ed in ane vther respect; to witt, in this re­spect, as his body and blood serues to nu­rish my saul to life everlasting; for this sa­crament is na vther thing, but the Image of our spirituall nuriture, God testifing howe our sauls are fed, and nurisched to that heauenly life, bee the Image of ane corporal nuriture▪ Swa, in diuers respects the same thing; that is, Christ Iesus, is sig­nified in baptisme, and is signified in the Supper. In this Sacrament the fruits of Christs death, quhereof I spake, the ver­tue of his sacrifice, the vertue of his passi­oun: I call not thir fruits nor thir ver­tues onely, the thing signified in the Sa­crament of the Supper; but rather I call the thing signified, that substance, & that person, out of the quhilk substance, this [Page] vertue, and thir fruits dois flow and pro­ceed. I grant to thee, and it is maist cer­taine, that bee the lawfull vse and partici­pation of the Sacrament, thou art parta­ker of all thir fruites, ȝit thir fruites are not the first & cheife thing, quherof thou art partaker in this sacrament; but of force thou man get ane vther thing first. It is true, that na man can be partaker of the substance of Christ, but the same saul mann be also partaker of the fruites that flowis fra his substance: Ȝit notwithstan­ding, thou man discerne betwixt the sub­stance, and the fruits that flowis fra the substance, and thou mann be partaker of the substance in the first roume. Then in the nixt roume, thou mann bee partaker of the frutes that flows fra his substance. To mak this clear in baptisme, the frutes of baptisme, are remission of our sinnes, mortification, the slaughter of sinne, and the sealing vp of our adoptioun to life e­verlasting. The substaunce, out of the quhilk thir fruites dois flow, is the blood of Christ: Ȝe mann heir of force discerne betwixt the blud quhilk is the substance, and betwixt remissioun of sinnes, wesch­ing and regeneratioun, quhilk are the [Page] fruites that flowis fra this blood. Sicklike in the sacrament of the supper. The fruits of the Sacrament, ar the growth of fayth and the incres in halines. The thing sig­nified, is the substance; that is, the body and blood of Christ is the substance, out of the quhilk, this growth in faith & hali­nes dois proceed. Now see ȝee not this; ȝee mann discerne then betwixt the sub­stance and the fruits, and ȝe mann place the substance in the first roume, sa that the substance of Christ, that is, Christ him selfe is the thing signified in this Sacra­ment; for ȝour awin experience makis this cleare vnto ȝou: or ȝour stomach be filled with ony foode, ȝee mann eat the substance of the food first, or ȝee bee fil­led with bread, ȝee man eat the substance of that bread first: Or ȝour drowth bee quenched with ony drinke, ȝee mann of force, drinke the substance of the drinke first. Euen sa, efter this samemaner, or the hunger of ȝour saules bee satisfied, and the thirst thereof quenched, ȝee man eat the flesh of Christ, and drinke his blood first, and that be faith. Sa consider the ane be the vther; looke to quhat vse bread & wine serues to thy body, to the same very [Page] vse, the body and blood of Christ serues to thy saull, and hee that appointed the ane to serue for thy body, the same God appointed the vther to serue for thy saul. Swa look how impossible it is to thee, to be fed with that foode that coms neuer in thy mouth, or to recouer helth of that drog quhilk wes neuer applied, nor come neuer out of the Apothecaries booth: It is als impossible to thee, to bee fed vpon the body of Christ, and to get thy health of the blood of Christ, except thou first eat his body and drinke his blood. Then ȝe see, that the thing signified in the sup­per, is not the fruit sa meekle, as the bo­die & blood of Christ Iesus, quhilk is the fountaine and substaunce, quhairfra thir fruits dois flow and proceed.

Now I say, suppose Christ quha is the The thing signified in baith the sacraments is an, the signs are not ane. thing signified, remaine ay ane, and the same in baith the Sacraments: ȝit the signes quhairby this ane Christ is signifi­ed in the Sacraments are not ane, nor of ane equall number nather: for in Bap­tisme, the thing that represents Christ, is water: Into the supper, the things that re­presents Christ, are bread & wine. Water is appointed to represent Christ in Bap­tisme, [Page] and quhy? Hee hes chosen out water, because it is meetest to represent the blood of Christ, to represent our we­shing with the blood of Christ. For quhat is meeter to wesh with, nor water? Sa there is nathing meeter to wesh the saull, nor the blood of Christ. Into this Sacra­ment, he hes appointed bread and wine; quhy? Because there is nathing meeter to nurish the bodie, nor bread and wine. Sa the Lorde hes not chosen thir signes without a reason. As the signes in the sa­craments are not alwayis ane; sa the same in baith, are not of ane number: For in Baptisme, wee haue but ane element, into this Sacrament wee haue twa elements. Now quhat is the reson of this diuersity, Qahy in baptisme there is but ane signe, and in the Supper twa. that the Lord in the ane Sacrament, hes appointed twa signs, and in the vther but ane signe? I sall giue ȝou the reason: hee hes appointed only ane signe in Baptism, to wit, water: because water is sufficient aneugh to doe the haill turne. Gif water had not beene sufficient to represent the thing signified, hee wald haue appoin­ted ane vther signe: but in respect, wa­ter dois the turne, and represents fullie the weshing of our sauls, with the blood [Page] of Christ: quhat mister then haue wee of ane vther signe? Now in this Sacrament, ane signe will not suffice, but there mann be twa: for quhy? Wine cannot be suffi­cient alane, nor breade can not bee sufficient alane: For hee that hes bread onely, and wine onely, hes not a perfite nuriture corporall; therefore, that they might represent and lat vs see, a per­fite nuriture, he hes giuen vs, baith bread and wine: (For the perfite nuriture cor­porall, stands in meat and drinke) to re­present the full and perfite nuriture of the saul. Looke how full and perfite a nu­riture, he hes to his bodie, that hes store of bread and wine; sa hee that hes Christ, laks nathing of a full and perfite nuriture to his saul. Then ȝe see the reason, quher­fore there is twa signes appointed in this Sacrament, and onelie ane signe in Bap­tisme.

There rests ȝit concerning thir signes, Twa quest [...] ons. Quhat power hes that bread to b [...] a sign in th [...] sacrament, & how lang that powe [...] endures. twa thinges to bee speered: First, quhat power hes that bread in this Sacrament, to bee ane signe, mair nor the bread that is vsed in commoun houses: quherefra flowes that power? Nixt, gif it hes a pow­er; howe lang indures and remains that [Page] power with the bread? As to the first, concerning the power quhilk that bread hes, beside ony vther bread. I sall tel ȝou, that bread, hes a power giuen to it bee Answere [...]hat bread [...]es that po­ [...]er fra Christes in­ [...]itutioun Christ, & be his institution, be the quhilk institution, it is appointed to signifie his bodie, to represent his bodie, and to de­liuer his bodie. Then speeres thou of the power? That bread, hes a power flowing fra Christ and his institutioun, quhilk v­ther common bread hes not: Sa that, gif ony of ȝou wald speere, quhen the Mini­ster in this action, is breaking or distribu­ting that bread, powring out, and distri­buting that wine: gif ȝou wald speare, quhat sort of creatures are ȝone? A ready answere heere; they are halie thinges; ȝee mann giue this name, to the signes and seales of the bodie and blood of Christ. That bread of the Sacrament is ane halie bread, & that wine is an haly wine, quhy? Because, the blessed institution of Christ, hes seuered tham fra the vse, quhereunto they serued of before, & hes aplied tham to an haly vse; not to feed the bodie, but to feed the saull. This far concerning the power of that bread: It hes a power, flow­ing fra Christ & his institution. Now the [Page] second thing is this: how lang continues this power with that bread? Howe lang hes that bread this office? In a worde, I 2. Answer That power continues induring the seruice of the table say, this power sticks with that bread, in­during the time of the actioun, induring the seruice of the table. Looke how lang that action continues, and that the ser­uice of the Table lasts: sa lang it conti­nues ane halie bread, sa lang continues the power with that bread: but looke how soone, the action is ended; sa soone ends the halines of it: Looke how soone the seruice of the Table is ended; that bread becomes common againe, and the halines of it ceasis. Then this power con­tinues not for ay, but it continues, onely induring the time of the action and ser­uice of the Table: this far concerning the elements.

There is beside the elements, an vther Of the cere­monial signs sort of signes in the Sacrament: there is not a reat nor ceremony in the Sacra­ment of the Supper, but euerie reat and ceremonie is a signe, and hes the awin spirituall signification with it: As name­lie, looking to the breaking of that bred, it represents to thee, the breaking of the bodie and blood of Christ: not that his [Page] body was broken in bone or lith, but that it was broken with dolour, with an­guish and distres of hart, with the weight of the indignation and furie of God, that he sustained for our sins quhilk hee bure. Then the breaking is ane essentiall cere­monie: the powring out of the wine, also is ane essentiall ceremonie: For quhy? as ȝee see clearlie, that be the wine, is signi­fied the blood of Christ: sa bee the pow­ring out of the wine, is signified, that his blood was seuered fra his flesh, and the seuering of thir twa, makes death; for in blood is the life, and consequentlie it te­stifies his death. The powring out of the wine, then tels thee, that hee dieth for thee, that his blood was shed for thee: Sa this is an essential ceremonie, quhilk man not be left out. Siclike, the distribution, giuing & eating of that bread, are essen­tiall ceremonies: And quhat dois the ea­ting testifie to thee? The applying of the bodie and blood of Christ to thy saul: Sa that there is neuer ane of thir reits, but they haue there awin significatioun, and there can not ane of thame bee left out, but ȝee sall peruert the haill action. This far concerning the signes.

[Page]Nowe quhat profite can ȝee make of An obserua­tion. all this discourse? Cary mee this lessoun with you, and ȝee sall make ȝour profite of thir things: In respect that every signe and ceremonie, hes the awin spirituall significatioun: Sa that there is not a ce­remonie in this haill actioun, that wants the awin spirituall significatioun. Take vp this consideratioun, and thinke with ȝour selfes in that time especially, quhen ȝee are at the Table, and in the sight of that actioun; that looke quhat thou sees the Minister dooing outwardelie, quhat ever it bee: Is hee breaking that bread, is hee dealing that bread? Is hee powring out that wine, and distribu­ting that wine? Thinke weill with thy selfe, that Christ is als bissie doing al thir thinges spiritually to thy saul; hee is als bissie giuing to thee his awin bodie, with his awin hand: hee is als bissie giuing to thee his awin blood, with the vertue and efficacie of it: Siclike in this actioun, (gif thou bee an faithfull communicant) looke quhat the mouth dois, and howe the, mouth of the bodie is occupied out­wardelie: Sa is the hand and mouth of the saul (quhilk is fayth) ocupied inward­lie. [Page] As the mouth takis that bread and that wine, sa the mouth of thy saull takis the bodie and blood of Christ, and that bee faith: for bee faith, and a constant perswasioun, is the onely way to eat the bodie, and drinke the blood of Christ in­wardlye, and doing this, there cannot but followe a fruitfull manducatioun. This farre, for the consideratioun of the signes.

Nowe comes in the matter, quherein gretest difficultie standis, quhereof I spak Howe the signes and the thing signified are conjoyned in the Sa­crament. the last day as God gaue me the grace, ȝit in the particular wee man speake, as weil as in the generall, but somequhat mair schortlie. Then ȝee haue to vnderstande for the better informatioun of ȝour con­science, and for the better preparation of ȝour sauls: ȝee haue to vnderstand how that bread and that wine, quhilk are the signes, are cowpled with the bodie and blood of Christ, quhilk are signified ther­by; quhat sort of conjunctioun is this, & quherefra flowes this conjunctioun, I sall be short in it, becaus I spak of it at great length the last day. Take heede, for and ȝee giue not attendance, it is not possible that ȝee can take vp this conjunction. As [Page] to this sort of conjunction, how thir twa are cowpled, wald ȝee knawe it? Doe this first. Take tent first of all, to the nature of the signes, and to the nature of the thing signified, ȝe man take tent to baith their natures, and quhy? Be reson nathing can be coupled nor conjoined with an vther, but in sa far as the nature of it will suffer: gif the nature of it wil not suffer ane con­junctioun, they cannot be conjoyned: or will the nature of it suffer a conjunction, looke how far it will suffer a conjunction, sa far are thay conjoyned. Nowe mann I looke to the nature of the things that ar conjoyned? Ȝis: First of all then, looke to the thing signified, quhat is the nature of the thing signified; looking to this, thou seeis that the thing signified is of a spiri­tuall nature, of a heauenlie and misticall nature; Then conclude, na questioun this spirituall thing wil suffer a spirituall con­junction, a mysticall and secreet conjun­ction. Looke over agane to the signe: The signe of his nature, as I taulde ȝou in the beginning, hes a relatioun to the thinge signified. And the thing signified of his nature, hes a relatioun to the signe. Swa then the signe and the thing signified wil [Page] suffer to be conjoyned be ane mutual re­latioun: Baith the sign and the thing sig­nified, in respect they haue a mutuall re­latioun the ane to the vther, they wil suf­fer thame selfes to be conjoyned be a re­latiue conjunction. Now speer ȝe at me, quhat sorte of conjunctioun is betwixt that bread and that wine, and the bodie and blod of Christ. To tel ȝou in a word, I say it is a secreet and spirituall conjunc­tioun, sick a conjunction as stands in a mutuall respect, betwixt that bread and the bodie of Christ, & betwixt that wine, and the blood of Christ. Then I say, it is a secreet and a spirituall conjunctioun. Thou wald not bee sa inquisitiue of this conjunction, gif it were corporal, visible, or local, gif thou saw thame baith before thine eies, thou wald not speer how they are conjoyned: Or gif thou sawe thame baith in an place; but in respect thou sees but the ane with thine eie, & the vther is hid: this makis the conjunction the mair difficill to be vttered and vnderstanden. And howe is it possible that ȝee can take vp this secreet and hid conjunctioun▪ ex­cept ȝee haue the eies of ȝour mind illu­minat bee the spirit, quhereby ȝee may [Page] come to the right vnderstanding of it: But gif ȝee haue ony insight in thir spiri­tuall maters that comes bee fayth, this conjunction sall apeare als cleirly be the eie of ȝour faith, as the Phisicall conjun­ctioun dois to the eie of ȝour body. Now will ȝee haue this mater maide plaine. There is ane vther conjunctioun quhilk serues to make this conjunctioun very clear: To wit, the conjunction betwix the worde quhilk I speake, and the thing sig­nified bee that same worde. Speake I of things to ȝou in a language that ȝee vn­derstand: As be gods grace ȝe vnderstād this language now; speake I of things bi­gane, and it were neuer sa lang syne: speake I of things to come, and they were neuer sa far off: speake I of things absent and they were neuer sa far distant: Ȝit sa sone as I speake the word; quhither it be of things bigane or to come, the thing it selfe will come in ȝour minde. The word streiks not sa soone in ȝour eire, but the thing signified be the same worde come in ȝour mind. Quhat maks the thing sig­nified, suppose it be absent, to com in my minde? This could not be, except there were a conjunction betwix the word and [Page] the thing signified bee the worde: As for exāple, speake I of the King, quha is now a good peece distant from vs, (I pray god saue him) ȝee will not sa soone hear the word, but the King quha is the thing sig­nified bee this worde, will come in ȝour mynd. Speake I of things bigan, suppose they be already expired, ȝit the thing sig­nified wil ay com in your mind: Sa there is a conjunction ȝe see, betwixt the word and the thing signified be the word. Tak heed to this conjunctioun, and ȝe sal get the nature of the conjunction, and cow­pling of the sign with the thing signified in the Sacrament: for looke quhat sorte of conjunctioun is betwixt the word and the thing signified be the word, that sam sort of conjunction, is betwixt the sacra­ment, quhilk is sene to the eie of ȝour bodie, and the thing signified bee the sacra­ment, quhilk is seene to the eie of ȝour saull onely. As for example, sa soone as thou seeis that bread tane in the hand of the Minister, thou seeis it not sa soone, but incontinent the bodie of Christ man come in thy minde: thir twa are sa con­joyned, that thay come baith togither: the ane to the outwarde senses, the vther [Page] to the inward senses. This is not aneugh now, but becaus in the institution, ȝe are commanded to ga farther, and not only to look to that bread and that wine, but to take that bread and that wine: Incon­tinent as ȝour hand taks the ane, sa ȝour hart taks the vther: as ȝour teeth eats the ane, sa the teeth of ȝour saull quhilke is faith, eats the vther, that is▪ applies Christ to ȝour saull. Swa ȝee see, there is a con­junctioun heir, secreet and mysticall: and therfore Christ cannot be conjoyned but be a secreet and mysticall conjunctioun. The conjunction betwixt Christ and vs, is a secret and mystical conjunction, quhilk the Apostle EPHES. 5. cals that spirituall conjunctioun, full of ane high mysterie. This conjunctioun cannot be tane vp at the first: Sa seeing the conjunctioun is se­cret and spiritual, and not perceaued but be the spirit of God: All is for nocht, ex­cept ȝee haue some portioun and mesure of his spirit; Al that is taught in the word and sacraments, will neuer do you good; will neuer cary ȝour saull to heauen, ex­cept the spirit of GOD illuminat ȝour mindes, and make ȝou to finde in ȝour sauls, the thing that ȝe hear in the word. [Page] Then learne this, seeing the worde can­not bee vnderstand, but bee the spirit of God: craue that the Lord wald illuminat the eies of ȝour mindes be his spirit: and be ȝee als cairfull to get the spirit, as ȝee are cairfull nowe in the hearing of the word. This far concerning the conjuncti­oun.

Now ȝe haue hard, how the signe is con­joyned Howe the signe and [...]he thing signified ar receaued. with the thing signified: Quhat rests there for ȝou to knaw? There rests to knaw, how the signe is receaued, and how the thing signified is receaued; quhi­der they bee baith receaued with ane mouth or not: quhider the signe and the thing signified, bee receaued efter ane fa­shion & maner or not: And marking me the diuers manner of receauing, and the diuersitie of the instruments: ȝee sall not easilie erre in the Sacrament. The signe and the thing signified, are recea­ued bee twa mouthes, for ȝee see the signs, that is, that bread and wine, quher­vnto thay are geuin, they are giuen to the mouth of the body: Then the mouth of the bodie is the instrument that re­ceuis that bread and that wine, quhilk are the signes. As that bread, and that [Page] wine, are visible and corporall; sa the mouth and instrument quherby they are receaued, is visible and corporall. The thing signified bee the bread and wine, is not receaued be the mouth of the body: Na, the Scriptures denies that plainelie; but hee is receaued, be the mouth of the saull. Then there is twa mouthes; that bread, & that wine, quhilk are the signs, are receaued be the mouth of the bodie: Christ, quha is the thing signified, is re­ceaued be the mouth of the saul; that is, be a true faith. Swa, bring me not to the Table, ane mouth onely (for gif ȝee bring the mouth of ȝour body only, al is wrāg) but bring with ȝou also, the mouth of the saull, a constant perswasion in the death of Christ, and all gaies weill. Now, as to the maner, how the signs are receaued, & the fashion how the thing signified is re­ceaued: Ȝee may easilie knawe, that thir corporall and naturall signes, mann bee receaued efter a corporall and naturall maner: They mann bee taken, with the hand or mouth of the bodie. Againe, a supernaturall thing mann bee receaued, efter a supernaturall maner: A spirituall thing, mann be receaued, efter a spiritual [Page] maner. Swa, as the signes are corporall, & receaued efter a corporall maner, with the hand, or the mouth of the bodie: sic­like, the thing signified is spirituall, and receaued efter a spiritual maner, with the hand and mouth of the saull; quhilk is true faith. Then ȝe haue shortly tane vp vnto ȝou, the hail preparation, that is ne­cessarie for the vnderstanding of this Sa­crament.

Now, quhat doctrin gather I of this? Of this last point, quhere I say, that Christ is Quhat kind [...]f perception [...] established [...] the sacra­ment, the thing signified, and cannot bee per­ceaued, but be faith, cannot be receaued nor digested, but bee ane faithfull saull: quhat kinde of perception establish I, in this sacrament? I establish na kind of per­ception of Christ, but a spirituall percep­tion; hee cannot be receaued, nor percea­ued but bee faith; and faith is spirituall. Therfore in the Sacramēt, I establish only a spirituall perception of Christ, and not ane orall, carnall, or fleshlie perceptioun. This is the ground: now lat see, quhat in­conuenient can folow vpon this ground? The Papists sayis, that vpon this ground, this inconuenient sall folowe: gif there be na perception of Christ, but a spiritu­all [Page] perception (say they) then ȝour sacra­ment Inconueni­ents, caste [...] in be the papists against the spiritual perception of Christ in the sacre­ment. is in vaine; this Sacrament of the Supper, was instituted for naught. And quhat is their reason? Gif there bee na way, sayis the Papists, to perceaue Christ, but be faith; quhat misters ȝou a Sacra­ment? Ȝee perceaue Christ be faith in the word, be the naked and simple preaching of the worde ȝee get faith; sa the simple word may staike ȝou; quhat mister haue ȝee of a Sacrament; gif ȝee get not some newe thing in the Sacrament, quhilk ȝee culd not get in the word? This is their ar­gument, quherof ȝe see their cōclusion to be this: we get na vther new thing in the First incon­uenient. That the sacrament is superflu­ous. Sacrament, vther nor we do in the word: gif there be na perception but spirituall: Ergo, the Sacrament is superfluous. Wee admit the antecedent to be true, wee get na vther thing, nor na newe thing in the Sacrament, but the same thing, quhilk we gat in the word. I will giue thee to deuise, and imagine with thy selfe, quhat newe thing wald thou haue: Lat the heart of man deuise imagine, and wish; hee durst neuer haue excogitat, to haue sik a thing, at the Sonne of God, he durst neuer haue presumed, to haue pearsed the clouds, to [Page] haue gane sa heigh, and to haue craued the Sonne of GOD in his flesh, to bee the food of his saull; hauing the Son of God, thou hes him, quha is the air of al things; quha is King of Heauen and Earth, and in him thou hes all thinges; quhat mair then can thou wish? Quhat better thing can thou wish? Hee is equall with the Fa­ther, ane in substaunce with the Father, true God, and true man; quhat mair can thou wish? Then I say, wee get na vther thing in the Sacrament, nor we get in the word; content thee with this: But suppose it bee sa; ȝit the Sacrament is not super­fluous. But wald thou vnderstand, quhat Refutation of their first inconueni­ent. newe thing thou gets, quhat vther thing thou gets: I will tell thee; suppose thou get that same thing, quhilk thou gat in the worde; ȝit thou gets that same thing better: quhat is that better? Thou gets a better grip of that same thing in the sa­crament, nor thou gat be the hearing of the worde. That same thing, quhilk thou possessed, be the hering of the word, thou possessest now mair largely, he hes a grea­ter bounds in thy saull, be the receauing of the Sacramēt, nor vtherways he could haue, be the hearing of the worde onelie. [Page] Then speers thou, quhat newe thing wee get? I say, we get this new thing, wee get Christ better nor we did before, wee get the thing that we gat, mair fullie, that is, with a surer apprehension, nor we had off before; wee get a better grippe of Christ nowe: For be the Sacrament, my faith is nurished, the bounds of my saull is enlar­ged, and sa, quhere I had but a little grip of Christ before; as it were, betwixt my finger and my thoumbe; nowe I get him in my haill hande, and ay the mair, that my faith growes, the better grip I get of Christ Iesus. Sa the Sacrament is felloun necessarie, and it were na mair, but to get Christ better, and to get a faster appre­hension of him be the Sacrament, nor we culd haue off before: For gif it were true, that the Sacrament is superfluous: be the same reason it sall follow also, that the re­petition of the Sacrament, is superfluous; for quhen ȝe come to the Sacrament the second time, ȝee gat na vther thing, nor ȝee did the first time: quhen ȝee come to the Sacrament the third time, ȝee gat na vther thing, nor ȝee did the first time: and ȝit na man wil say, that the third and second comming is a superfluous thing; [Page] and quhy? Because in the second com­ming, my faith is augmented: I vnder­stand better, I grow in knawledge, I grow in apprehensioun, I grow in feeling; and getting the grouth of all thir, als oft as I come: There is na man will say, that the oft comming to the Sacrament is super­fluous, and it were, ilk day ains; Sa their first inconuenient, availes not; wee get na newe thing in the Sacrament: Ergo, the Sacramentis superfluous. This farre for the first.

Then there comes on ane vther thing on the same ground: Gif Christ bee not perceaued but be faith; then say wee, na wicked bodie can perceaue him; hee that lacks faith, cannot perceaue him; he that lacks faith, may perceaue that Sacrament of that bread, and that wine, and may eat of that bread, and that wine; but he that lacks faith, may not eat of the bodie and blood of Christ, signified bee that bread, and be that wine. Sa there is the ground: Na faithles people can perceaue Christ, Second in­conuenient nor eat the bodie of Christ in the Sacra­ment. Against this ground, they delash their artillerie siclike, and they bring their argument out of the same wordes [Page] of the Apostle quhilk I haue read. The words are thir: He that eats of this bread vnworthely, sayis the Apostle, and drinks of this cup vnworthely, is guiltie of the body and blood of Christ: Theris their ground; Sa that their argument will suffer this forme, as gif they wald say, efter this ma­ner: Na man can bee giltie of that thing, quhilk hee hes not receaued; they haue not receaued the bodie and blood of Christ: therefore they cannot be giltie of the bodie and blood of Christ: but sa it is; the Apostle sayis, they are guilty: therfore they haue receaued the bodie and blood of Christ. I answere to the proposition, Refutation of the se­cond incon­nient obie­cted, quhere in, are sun­dry reasons giuen, quhy the wicked are counted guilty of the body and blood of Christ▪ and I say, it is very false: They could not be giltie of that bodie and blood, except they had receaued it: For they may bee guiltie of that same bodie, and of that same blood, suppose they neuer receaued it, but tak heed to the text. The text sayis not, that they eat the bodie of Christ vn­worthelie, but it sayes that they eat that bread, and drinks that wine vnworthely. And ȝit because they eat that bread, and drinks that wine vnworthelie, they are compted before God, guilty of the body [Page] and blood of Christ. Now quherefore is this? Not because they receaue him, for gif they receaued him, they culd not but receaue him worthelie, for Christ cannot be receaued of any man, but worthelie. But they are compted guilty of the body and blood of the Sonne of God, because they refused him: For quhen they did eat that bread, and drinke that wine, they might, gif they had had fayth, eaten and drunken the flesh and blood of Christ Ie­sus: Now because thou refuses the bodie of Christ offered to thee, thou contemns this body offered to thee, gif thou haue not ane eie to discerne and judge, vpon this bodie that is offered: For gif they had had fayth, they might haue seene his bodie offered with the bread, bee fayth they might haue tane that same bodie, & be faith they might haue eaten that same bodie; therefore lacking their spowsing garment, lacking faith, quhereby they suld eat the bodie, and drinke the blood of Christ: lacking faith quhilk is the eie of the saul to perseaue, and the mouth of the saull to receaue that bodie, quhilk is spiritually offered, they ar compted guil­tie of that same bodie and blood. Nowe [Page] come on, this may be made mair clear be a similitude▪ Ȝe see amangs warldly prin­ces, their custome is, they will not suffer their majestie to be interest in the smalest thing that they haue: Quher can there be a smaller thing, that concernis the maje­stie of a Prince, nor a seall, for the sub­stance of it is but wax, ȝit gif thou dis­dainfully vse that seall, and contemne it, and stampe it vnder thy feete, thou art compted als guiltie of his bodie & blood as hee that puttis hand in him, and thou wil be handled efter ea way: meikle mair, gif thou come as ane Sow, or as ane Dog to handle the seals of the body & blood of Christ, mekle mair may thou be comp­ted to be guiltie of his body, and of his blood. This far for the eating of the bo­die of Christ: The wicked cannot eat the bodie of Christ, but they may be guiltie of it. The Apostle maks this speach mair clear ȝit, bee ane vther speach quhilke I haue sometime handled fra this place: I remember that in the 6. Heb. 6. it is said, that Apostats, they that makis filthie de­fection, they crucifie the sonne of God a­gane, and their falling away, maks thame as guilty as they wer quha crucified him. [Page] Hee is now in the heauens, they cannot gett him out of the heauens to crucifie him, ȝit the Apostle say is they crucifie him: Quhy? Because their malice is als great as theirs that crucified him, becaus they match in malice with thame that crucified him; sa that gif they had him in the earth heir, they would doe the like: therefore they are said to crucifie the son of GOD: Sicklike in HEB. 10. 29. there is ane vther speach, the wicked are sayd to stramp the blood of christ vnder their feet: Quhy? because their malice is als great as theirs that stramped his blood: Now, they ar compted for this reason to be guilty of the bodie & blood of Christ, not because they eat his bodie, but be­cause they refuse it, quhen they might haue had it. Now the time remaines ȝit, quherein wee may haue the bodie and Exhortation blood of Christ, this time is very preci­ous, and the dispensation of times is very secreet, and hes their awin boundes: Gif ȝee take not this time now, it will away. This time of grace, and of that heauen­lie foode, hes bene dispensed to ȝou very lang, but how ȝee haue profited, ȝour life and behauiour testifies: Take vp there­fore [Page] ȝour selues in time, take ȝour penni­worthes of it: for ȝee watt not howe lang it lasts. Craue a mouth to receaue, als wel the food of ȝour saull that is offered, as ȝee do the foode of ȝour bodie: and take this time quhile ȝee may haue it, or assu­redly the time sall come, quhen ȝee sall cry for it, and sall not get it: but in place of grace and mercie, sall come judgment, vengeance, & the dispensation of wrath.

They will not leaue this mater sa, but Thrid in conuenience they insist ȝit, & they bring ma argumēts to prooue that the wicked are partakers of the bodie and blood of Christ. That bread, say they, ȝee will grant, quhilk the wicked man eats, is not naked bread, but is that bread, quhilk is the Sacrament: Now they make their argument: the Sa­crament hes ever conjoyned with it, the thing signified: but the Sacrament is gi­uen to all, therefore the thing signified is giuen to all. Quhat gif I grant to thame all this argument? There suld na inconve­nient followe: for the thing signified may be giuen to all, that is, offered to all, as it Refutation of ths thrid inconveni­ence. is offered to all men, and ȝit not recea­ued of all: Giuen to all, therefore recea­ued of all, it followes not. I may offer ȝou [Page] twa things, ȝit it is in ȝour awin wil, quhi­ther ȝee will take thame or not, but ȝee may take the ane and refuse the vther, & ȝit hee that offers, offered ȝou the thing that ȝee refused, as truely as the thing quhilke ȝee tooke. Sa God deceauis na man nor woman, but with the word and sacraments, assuredly he geuis twa things gif they wald take thame: Into his word, hee offers the word to the eare, he offers Christ Iesus to the saull: Into his Sacra­ments; he offers the Sacraments to the eie, he offers Christ Iesus to the saul. Now it may be, that quhere twa things are tru­ly and conjointlie offered, a man may re­ceaue the ane, and refuse the vther, he re­ceauis the ane because he hes ane instru­ment to take it, hee refuses the vther be­cause he lacks ane instrument: I hear the word, because I haue ane eare to heare it with: I receaue the Sacrament, because I haue a mouth to receaue it with: but as to the thing, quhilk word and Sacament represents, I may refuse it, because I haue not ane mouth to take it, nor ane eie to perceaue it; and therefore the falt is not vpon Gods part, but vpon our part. The wicked gets the bodie & blood of Christ [Page] offered to thame conjointlie, with the worde and Sacraments: but the faulte is vpon their parte, they haue not a mouth to take him, and GOD is not bound to giue them a mouth: (Take heed to that) And were not of his speciall grace and mercie, hee geuis me ane eie to perceaue him, and a mouth to receaue him, I wald refuse him, as weill as they do. Sa this ar­gument dow not, Christ is offered to all, ergo, he is receaued of all, happy were they, and they receaued him. This far for the third argument.

Quhat rests nowe for the full vnder­standing Howe the saul is said to eat the body and drinke the blood of Christ. of the Sacrament? There rests ȝit some things, we man vnderstand now the sacramental speaches, that are vsed in the sacrament: for ȝe see, we vse to speake of thame, God vses to speake of thame, and the Ancients vses to speake of tham: Wee vse to say, that the saull eats the bo­dy of Christ, and drinkes the blood of Christ. Thir speaches wald be opened vp to ȝou, howe the saull is said to eate the bodie, and drinke the blood of Christ. Thir speaches are sacramentall; ȝee are not the wiser ȝit, but I sall make it cleare to ȝou, bee Gods grace. They are sacra­mentall, [Page] quhat is that? ȝe know it is pro­per to the bodie to eat and drink, thir ar the proper actiōs of the body only: Now he ascriues them to the saul, be ane tran­slation, be ane figuratiue maner of speak­ing, that quhilk is proper to the bodie, is ascriued to the saul, and it is said that the saull eats and drinks. The eating of the saull man resemble the eating of the bo­dy: then the eating of the saul is na vther thing, but the applying of Christ to the saul, to beleue, that he hes shed his blood for me, that he hes purchased remissioun of sinnes to me. Nowe come on, quhere­fore cal ȝou this ane eating? Quhat cal ȝe the eating of the bodie lat see? Eats thou not the bodie, quhen thou applies the meat to thy mouth? Gif then the eating of the bodie bee na vther thing, but the applying of meat to the mouth, the eat­ing of the saull mann be na vther thing, but the applying of the nuriture to the saull. Then ȝe see quhat is meaned be the eating and drinking of the saul: Na vther thing, but the applying of Christ to my saull, and the applying of his death and passion to my saull, and this is only done be faith: therfore he that lacks faith can­not [Page] eat Christ. This far for the eating and drinking of the saull, quhilke are sacra­mentall speaches.

Quhat rests now of al thir great things, Obseruati­on. & of al this doctrine that hes bin taught? learne me but this ane lesson, learne me to apply Christ rightlie to thy saull, and thou hes win all, thou art a great Theo­log, and thou haue learned this weil. For in the right application of Christ, to the sicke saull, to the wounded conscience, & diseased hart; heir beginnes the fountain of all our felicitie, and the welspring of al our joy. And I sall tell ȝou, quhat this ap­plication workes, looke quhat the pre­sence of thy saull within thee, (suppose thou want Christ in thy saull) dois to this earthlie bodie, to this lump of clay, as be the presence of the saul, it liues, it moues, it feiles, as the saull giues to the bodie, life, mouing, and senses: that same verie thing dois Christ to thy saull. Hes thou ains gripped and applyed him to thee? As the saull quickens the bodie: sa hee quickens the saull, not with an earthly or tēporal life, but with the life quhilk he li­ues in heuē: he maks the to liue that same life quhilk the angels liues in heauen: he [Page] maks the to moue, not with warldly mo­tions, but with heauenly, spirituall, & ce­lestial motiōs: Again, he inspyres in thee, not outward senses, but heauenly senses; he warks in thee a spirituall feeling, that in thine awin heart and conscience, thou may find the effect of this word. Swa, be the conjunction of Christ with my saull; I get a thousand times a greater benefit, nor the bodie dois bee the saull: For the bodie, bee the presence of the saull, gets onlie ane earthly and temporall life, sub­ject to continuall miserie; but be the pre­sence of Christ in my saull, I see a blessed life, I feele a blessed life, and that same life takes daily, mair and mair increas in me. Then the ground of all our perfecti­on and blessednes, stands in this conjun­ction; & sa, suppose thou liued METHVSA­LEMS daies, & were euer crauand: Ȝit, gif in the last houre, thou get this conjuncti­on, thou may thinke thy traueill weil wa­red, thou hes gotten aneugh: Sa suld ȝee not bee bissie in crauing, gif ȝee were to liue a thousand yeare: for gif ȝe get him in the last houre, ȝe haue gotten aneugh: gif ȝee haue gotten Christ, ȝee haue got­ten all with him: Sa the aplying of Christ [Page] to my saul, is the fountaine of all my ioy and felicitie.

And how get we this conjunction, lat see? This is a spirituall conjunction; a conjunction, hard and difficile to be pur­chased, obtained, and gotten of vs: How then is this conjunction brought about, quhilk ar the moyaners of this cōjuncti­on, vpon the part of God; and quhilk are the moyaners vpō the part of man; to get me Christ, to put Christ Iesus in my saul, and to make Christ Iesus ane with mee? There is ane moyaner vpon the part of God, that helps to get vs Christ; and ther is ane vther vpon our part: vpon the part of GOD, there is the halie spirit: quhat doth he? He offers the body and blood of Christ to mee. Nowe vppon our part, there mann be a moyaner; or els, suppose he offer, we will not receaue: Therefore, of necessitie, there mann bee faith in our sauls, to receaue that quhilk the halie spirit offers, to receaue that heauenlie foode of the bodie and blood of Christ, quhilk the halie spirit offers. Then faith and the halie spirite, are the twa moya­ners of this spirituall and heauenly con­junction. Be thir twa moyaners; be faith, [Page] and be the halie spirit; I get the bodie of Christ; the bodie of Christ is mine, and he is giuen to my saul. Now heere coms in the questioun: how can thou say, that the bodie of Christ, is giuen or deliue­red to thee, seeing the bodie of Christ, is sittand, at the right hand of God the Father? and looke how great distance, is betwixt heauen and earth; als great di­stance is ther, betwixt the body of Christ, and thy bodie: how then say ȝee, that the bodie of Christ is giuen to ȝou? The Pa­pistes cannot get this vnderstoode; and therfore they imagin, ane grosse and car­nall conjunctioun: except the spirite of God reueale thir things, they cannot be vnderstand; the spirit of God, mann illu­minate our minds, and be bissie in al our hearts, or we come to the vnderstanding of this. Then wald thou vnderstand, how Christ is giuen thee? This ground is true, that the bodie of Christ, is at the right hand of the Father, the blood of Christ, is at the right hand of the father: Ȝit not­withstanding, suppose there be als great distance, betwixt my bodie, and the body of Christ, as is betwixt heauen and earth, Ȝit Christs body is giuen to me: and how [Page] is he giuen to me? Be reason, I haue ane title of his body giuen to mee: the right and title, quhilk is giuen to me of his bo­die and blood, makes mee to possesse his bodie and bloode: The distaunce of the place, hurts not my title, nor my right: For gif ony of ȝou, haue a peece of land, liand in the fardest part of Orknay; gif ȝee haue a good title to it; the distance of the place cannot hurt ȝour title. Sa I say, the distance of place, hurts not my title, and my right, that I haue to Christ: But suppose, he be sitting at the right hand of the Father; ȝit the title and right, that I haue to him, makes him mine; sa that I may say trulie, this man is my propertie: Then Christ is not made mine, because I pike him out of the heauens: but hee is mine, because I haue an sure title & right to him, and hauing a sure title, and a just right to him, the distance of place, howe far soeuer it be, can on na ways hurt my title, nor my right; but quhaireuer he be, he is mine, because I haue a right and ti­tle to him. Ȝea, not onely, haue I a title to him, but this title is confirmed to me: for as I get a title to him in the worde, (and gif I gat not a title to him in the word; I [Page] durst not come to the Sacrament.) Sa in the Sacrament, I get the confirmation of my title, I get the seale quhilk confirmes my title. Then to come to the point: Christs bodie is sittand at the right hand of the Father; and ȝit hee is mine, and is deliuered to me, because I haue right to his bodie, be quhere it will; he was borne for me, giuen to me, and deliuered to me. Swa distance of place, hurts not the sure­ty of my title, as propinquitie of place, helps not the surety of the same. I giue thee, that Christ wald bow the heauens, and twitch thee with his body, as he did IVDAS: Ȝit this could not helpe thee a quhit; for gif thou had not a title to him, thou durst not call him thine. Swa it is not the nearenes, nor proximitie of places, that makes Christ mine: It is onely the right that I haue to him. I haue right to him, onelie be faith: Sa bee faith onelie, Christ is made mine. But they think they haue gotten a great van­tage of vs, gif wee bee sa far fra Christ, as the heuen is fra the earth; but that sal be tane fra tham also, be gods grace. I haue a title to his bodie; his bodie is distant fra my bodie; ȝit his bodie is not distant [Page] fra me; that is, fra my saull: I say, his bo­die, and my saull are conjoyned. That is a strange ledder, that will climbe betwixt the heauen and the earth; I get a cord Faith is th [...] cord that couples vs and Christ that gais betwixt the heuen & the earth, that couples mee and him togither; and this is only true faith. Be true faith, christ suppose he be in the heauens, is coupled and conjoyned with mee, quha am heere on earth: How can this be? I sall shew ȝou Similitude tane fra the sunne. how: Is not the bodie of the Sunne in the lift? It is impossible to ȝou, to twitch the bodie of the Sunne; ȝit the bodie of the Sunne and ȝee are conjoyned: howe? Be thay same beames that shines on ȝou, be that light that shines on ȝou: Quhy may not the bodie of Christ then, sup­pose it be in the heauens, be conjoyned with me that am in the earth, to wit, bee the beams, be the light and gladnes, that flowis fra his bodie? my bodie and the body of Christ, are conjoined be the ver­tue and power that flowis fra his bodie; quhilke vertue and power quickens my dead saull, makis mee to liue the life of Christ, to begin to die to my selfe, and ay the mair I die to my selfe, the mair I liue to him. This conjunctioun nowe is the [Page] ground as I tauld ȝou, of all our felicity and happines, and I haue made it clear to ȝou for the present, sa far as God hes ȝit giuen me insight, gif he geuis ony far­ther heirafter, as he communicats it, ȝee sall haue it. Alwaies ȝee see this conjunc­tion is moyaned, be twa speciall moyans, be the moyan of the halie spirit, and bee the moyan of faith: Gif there bee na v­ther moyaner, but thir twa, quhy craues thou a carnall or a visible conjunctioun? Faith is invisible, and the spirit is inuisi­ble: therefore thou cannot see it nor tak it vp with the eie of thy bodie, the power of the halie spirit is sa subtill, secreet, and invisible, that thou cannot perceaue it, nor take it vp with the eie of thy bodie, and he wil work great effects in thy saul, or ever thou take vp his working. In re­spect therefore, that the moyaners of this conjunctioun are sa subtill, secreet, & spiritual, quhy thinks thou to get a sight of this conjunctioun with the eie of thy bodie? Quhy imagins thou sick a carnall conjunction, as this quhilk wald not do thee good, suppose thou had it? Knawis thou not that the spirit, that cowples vs and Christ is infinite, sa that it is als easie [Page] to the spirit, to couple Christ and vs, how far distant that ever wee be, as it is easie to our saull to cowple our head, and the feet of our body, suppose they be distant. Then, seing this conjunctiō is the ground and fountaine, of all our happines, and seeing this ground of happines is sa sub­till, and sa spirituall, quhat is ȝour parte? [...]xhortation Remooue all ȝour outward senses: Re­mooue al ȝour natural motions, remoue ȝour naturall discourses, and ȝour natu­rall reason, and followe the sight and in­formatioun of the spirit of God: Craue that it wald please him to illuminat ȝour vnderstanding, that bee the light of his spirit, ȝe may se cleirly the spirituall con­junctioun. Except the eie of the spirit be giuen ȝou to take vp this spirituall con­junctioun: It is not possible that ȝee can get any insight in it. But will the Lord of his mercy bestowe some measure of his halie spirit vpon ȝou, out of question, ȝe sall sone come to the vnderstanding of it, & ȝe sall thinke the time happy, that ever ȝe heard this word. Except ȝe haue some parte of this spirit, it is not possible that ȝee can be spirituall: that quhilk is born of flesh and blood, man remane flesh and [Page] blood, except the spirit come in & make it spirituall: therefore ȝee man be borne agane of the spirit, ȝee man be borne in the bodie of Christ, his spirit man quick­en ȝou. This is called the quickening and liuing spirit of Christ bee IOHN, & sa sone as this spirit coms in vs, quhat dois it? It chases away darkenes out of the vnder­standing: quhereas before I knewe not God, now I see him not onely generallie, that hee is a God, but that hee is a God in Christ. Quhat mair dois the halie spi­rit? He opins the hart as wel as the mind: & quhat dois hee there? That same thing quherevpon I bestowed the affectioun of my hart, and imployed the loue of my saull, is be the working of the halie spirit made gaull to me, he maks it vennome to me, and to bee as deadlie hated of me, as poyson. He workes sick ane inward dis­position in my saull, that hee maks me to turne & flie from that same thing, quher­vpon I imployed my loue of before, and to imploy it vpon God. (this is a greate perfectioun) Alwaies in some measure, he maks me to loue God, better then any v­ther thing: hee changes the affections of my saull, hee changes the faculties, and [Page] qualities of my saull, and suppose our hartes and mindes be made newe, ȝit the substance of thame is not changed, but only the faculties and qualities are chan­ged, in respect of the quhilk change, wee are called new creatures, and except ȝee be found newe creatures, ȝee are not in Christ.

Conclusion with ane exhortation,Now to come to the point, this secret conjunction is brought about be fayth, and be the halie spirit; be faith wee gripp the body & blood of Christ: and suppose wee be als far distant, as Heauen & earth ar, the spirit serues vs as a ledder to con­joyn vs with Christ: As the ledder of IA­COB, quhilk reached fra the grounde to the Heauen, to the selfe same vse serues the spirit of God, to conjoyne the bodie of Christ with my saull. Then take vp all in a word: quhat maks ȝou to haue ony right, or title to Christ? Nathing but the spirit, nathing but faith: Quhat suld bee ȝour studie then? Prease be al means pos­sible to get faith, that as PET. Act. 15. 9. saies, ȝour harts and consciences may be sanctified be faith. And gif ȝee prease not as weill to get faith in ȝour hartes, as in ȝour minds, ȝour faith avails not. Quhat [Page] avails the faith, that fleets in the fantasie, and brings a naked knawledge, without the opening of the hart, and consent of the will; Swa thair man be ane opening▪ of thy heart, and ane consent of thy will, to doe that thing that GOD bids doe, or thy faith availes not. Then prease to get faith in ȝour harts and minds, and doing sa, ȝee do the dutie of Christians. This is not done without the diligēt he­ring of the word, and diligent percepti­on of the Sacraments. Sa, bee diligent in thir excercises, and be diligent in prayer: Praying in the halie Ghaist, that he wald nurish ȝour saules inwardly, with the bo­die and blood of Christ, that he wald in­crease faith in ȝour hartes and mindes, & make it to grow vp mair and mair daily, quhill ȝe come to the ful fruition of that blessed immortalitie. Vnto the quhilk, the Lord of his mercie bring vs, and that for the righteous merits of Christ Ie­sus. To quhome with the Father and the halie Ghaist, be all ho­nor, praise, and glory, for nowe and ever

Amen.

THE THIRD SERMON, VPON THE LORDS SVP­per, preached the 15. of February, 1589.

WE heard (welbeloued in Christ Iesus) in our last lessoun, quhat names was giuen to the Sacra­ment of the Supper, als wel in the book of God, as bee the Auncients of the Latine and Orient Kirks. Wee heard the cheife ends, quherefore, and quhere­vnto this haly Sacrament was instituted. We heard the things that were contained into this sacrament, quhat they war, how [Page] they are coupled, how they ar deliuered▪ and how they are receaued. Wee heard also some objections, that might bee ca­sten in the contrair of this doctrine: wee hard thame proponed, and as God gaue the grace, refuted. And last of all, we hard how the faithful saul, is said to eat Christ his bodie, and to drink his blood: Wee heard the maner how Christ is, or can be receaued of vs: And we concluded in this point; that Christ Iesus, the Sauiour of mankind, our Sauiour, cannot be percea­ued, nor ȝit receaued, but bee a spirituall way and apprehension; nather the fleshe of Christ, nor the bloode of Christ, nor Christ himselfe; can be perceaued, but be the eie of faith; can bee receaued, but bee the mouth of faith, nor can be gripped, but be the hand of faith. Nowe faith is a spirituall thing: for faith is the gift of GOD, powred downe in the hearts and mindes of men and women, wrought in the saull of euery ane, and that bee the mightie working, and operatioun of the halie spirite. Sa, the onely way to grippe Christ beeing bee faith: and faith of the awin nature beeing spirituall; it folowes therefore, that there is not a way to get [Page] a grippe of Christ, but ane spirituall way▪ There is not a hand to grippe Christ, but ane spirituall hand, there is not a mouth to digest Christ, but ane spiritual mouth. The scriptures familiarly be al thir terms, points out the nature & efficacie of faith.

Wee are saide to eat the flesh of Christ How we are saide to eat the fleshe & drinke the blood of Christ. be faith, and to drinke his blood be faith in this Sacrament, cheifly in doing of twa thinges. First, in calling to our remem­brance, the bitter death and passioun of Christ, the blood that hee shed vpon the Crosse, the Supper quhilk hee instituted in remembrance of him, before hee gaid to the Cros. The commandement quhilk he gaue: Do this in remembrance of me: I say, we eat his flesh, & drinks his bloodspiritually. First, in this point, in recording and remembring faithfully, how he died for vs, howe his blood was shed vpon the Crosse. This is the first point; a point that cannot be remembred trulie, except it be wrought be the mighty power of the ha­lie spirit. The second point of the spiritu­all eating, stands in this; that I, and euery ane of ȝou, beleeue firmlie, that he died for me in particuler: That his blood was shed on the Crosse, for a full remissioun [Page] and redemptioun of mee, and my sinnes▪ the cheife and principall point of the ea­ting of Christ his fleshe, and drinking of his blood; standes in beleeuing firmlie, that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sins, that that blood of his, was shed for the remissioun of my sinnes: and ex­cept euerie saull come neere to him selfe, and firmly consent, agree, and be perswa­ded that Christ died for him, that saull cannot be saued; that saull cannot eat the flesh, nor drink the blood of Christ. Then the eating of the fleshe, and drinking of the blood of Christ; stands in ane faith­full memorie, in ane firme beleife, and in ane true applying of the merites of the death and passioun of Christ to my awin conscience in particular.

There was sundrie things objected a­gainst this kind of perception; and I will not insist to repeat thame, but beside all the objections, quhilk ȝee heard obje­cted against this kinde of spirituall per­ceptioun bee faith: They say, gif Christ his fleshe, nor his bloode, bee not perceaued, nor receaued but be the spi­rit; bee faith in the spirite, then say they, ȝee receaue him but be ane imagination. [Page] Gif he be not receaued carnally, nor cor­porally, but onely bee the spirite, and bee faith: then is he not receaued, but be way of imagination, conceat, and fantasie. Sa they count faith, ane imagination of the mind, ane fantasie and opinion, fleeing in the harnes of man. I cannot wite thame to think sa of faith: for as nane can judge of the sweetnes ofhony, but they that hes taisted of it: Sa, there is nane can discerne nor judge vppon the nature of faith, but they that hes felt, & taisted in their harts quhat it is. And gif they had taisted and felt in their sauls, quhat faith brings with it; alace, they wald not call that spiritu­all iewell, and onelie iewel of the saul, ane imaginatioun; they call it ane imaginati­on, and the Apostle descriuing it HEB. 11 1. cals it ane substance, and ane substan­tiall ground: Looke howe weill thir twa agrees, an imagination, and ane substan­tiall ground; they call it ane vncertaine opinioun, fleeting in the braine and fan­tasie of man: He cals it ane euidencie and demonstration in the same definition. See howe plat contrary, the Apostle and they are in the nature of faith. Vpon this, they inferre, that as it is true in the generall, [Page] hee cannot bee deliuered nor giuen, but that same way that hee is receaued; and looke quhat way, any thing is receaued, that same way it is giuen & deliuered: sa efter thame, he being receaued be way of imagination, hee is also in their fantasie giuen and deliuered, be way of imagina­tion. For gif he be not giuen, say they, to thy hand, to thy mouth, nor to thy sto­mach corporall; hee cannot be giuen, but be ane imaginatioun, and fantastical opi­nion. The reasoun that mouis thame to thinke, that Christ cannot be theirs, nor giuen to thame truly, in effect and really, except he be giuen carnally, is this: that thing quhilk is sa far absent, and sa far di­stant fra vs: as the heuen is fra the earth; cannot be said, to be giuen to vs, nor to be ours: But with ȝour awin confession, say they to vs, Christ his bodie, is als far absent from vs, as the heauen is from the earth: therefore Christ his bodie, nor his flesh, cannot bee giuen to vs, except bee way of imaginatioun, and so not truelie nor in effect. This argument framed in this sort, wald appear to haue some force, and moment in the entrie: Ȝit let vs ex­amine the proposition of it. The proposi­tion [Page] is this: that thing quhilk is so far ab­sent from vs, as the Heauen is from the Earth; cannot be said to be deliuered to vs, to bee giuen to vs, or any way to bee ours. Now quhither is this propositioun true or fals? I say this proposition is flat fals, and the contrair is maist true; a thing may be giuen to vs, & may become ours, suppose the thing in person it selfe be as far distant from vs, as the heauen is from the earth. And how proue I this? Quhat maks ony thing to be ȝours? Quhat ma­kis ony of ȝou to count a thing to be gi­uen to ȝou? Is it not a title, is it not a just right to that thing? And gif ȝee haue as just right giuen vnto ȝou, bee him, quha hes power to giue it, and ane sure title made to ȝou, be him, quha hes the pow­er: suppose the thing that he geuis ȝou, be not deliuered into ȝour hand, ȝit bee the right and title, quhilk hee makis to ȝou, is not the thing ȝours? This is out of questioun, for it is not the nearnes of the thing to my bodie and to my hand, that makes the thing mine: for it may bee in my hand, and ȝit not appertaine to me; Nather is it the distance, nor absence of the thing that makes it not to bee mine, [Page] but it may be far absent from me, & ȝit be mine; because the title is mine, and be­cause I haue gotten a right to it, of him quha hes power to giue it. Sa this ground is true, it is a sure title, and an just right, that makis a thing, suppose it bee far ab­sent and distant fra vs, to bee ours. Now subsume: But sa it is, that a liuely & true fayth, in the blood and death of Christ, makes vs to haue ane sure title, and ane good right to the flesh & blood of Christ, and to his merites, looke quhat he me­rited be his death, & sheding of his blood vpon the cros, al that, togither with him­selfe also, apperteins to me, and that be a title & ane right, quhilk I haue gotten to him of God, quhilk is faith: And the surer that my title be, the mair sure am I of the thing, that is giuen me be the title. Now this Sacrament of the Supper wes institu­ted to confirme our title, to seale vp our right, quhilk wee haue to the bodie and blood, to the death & passioun of Christ, and sa the bodie of Christ is said to bee giuen to vs: the blood of Christ is said to be deliuered to vs, quhen our title, quhilk we haue of him, of his death, of his body and blood, is confirmed in our hartes▪ for [Page] this Sacrament wes instituted, for the growth and increase of our faith, for the increase of halines and sanctificatioun; quhilk faith, the greater that it be in our hartes, the mair sure are wee, that Christ his death apertains to vs. I grant to thee, as I haue saide, that the flesh of Christ, is not deliuered in my hand, his flesh is not put in my mouth, nor enters not in my stomach: Ȝit, God forbid, that thou say, he is not truly giuen. For suppose Christs flesh bee not put in thy hand, nor mouth of thy bodie (and quherefore suld it? Hes he not appointed bread and wine for the nuriture of the body, and may they not content ȝou? are they not sufficient to nurish ȝou to this earthly and temporall life? hee hes appointed Christ to be deli­uered, to the inward mouth of the saull, to be giuen in the hand of thy saule, that thy saull may feed on him, and be quick­ned with that life, quherewith the An­gels liues, quhairwith the Son of God, and God himselfe liues: Sa the flesh of Christ, is not appointed to nurish thy bo­dy, but to nurish thy saul in the hope, ȝea in the growth of that immortall life) And therefore I say; suppose the flesh of Christ [Page] be not deliuered in the hand of my body; ȝit it is deliuered to the part that it suld nurish; the saull is the part that it suld nu­rish: Therefore to the saul it is deliuered: ȝea that bread, & that wine, are na mair really deliuered to the body, and to the hand of the body; nor the flesh of Christ, is deliuered to the saul, & to the hand & mouth of the saul, quhilk is faith. There­fore, craue na mair a carnal deliuerie, nor panse not vpon an carnal receuing. Thou man not think, that ather God giues the flesh of Christ, to the mouth of the body, or that thou, be the mouth of thy bodie, receauis the flesh of Christ. For ȝee man vnderstād this principal in the Scriptures of God; our saull cannot bee ioyned, nor bound with the fleshe of Christ, nor the flesh of Christ cannot be ioyned with our saull, but be ane spirituall band; not by ane carnall band of blood or allya, nor bee the twitching of his fleshe, with our flesh. But he is conjoyned with vs, be ane spirituall band; that is, bee the power and vertue of his halie spirit: And there­fore the Apostle sayis, 1. COR. 12. 13. that be the moyan of his halie spirite; all wee quha are faithfull men and women, [Page] are baptized in one bodie of Christ; that is, we are conjoyned, and fastned vp with ane Christ, bee the moyan (sayis hee) of ane spirite; not bee ane carnall band, or be ane grosse conjunction; but anelie be the band of the halie spirite; that same halie spirit that is in him, is in every ane of vs in some mesure: And in respect ane spirit is in him, and in vs: Therefore wee are counted al to be ane body, and to be members of ane spirituall, and mysticall bodie: and in that same vers he sayis; We are all made to drinke in ane, and the selfe same spirit, that is: Wee are made to drinke of the blood of Christ, and this blood is na vther thing, but the quicke­ning vertue & power that flows fra christ and fra the merites of his death. We are made all to drinke of that blood, quhen wee drinke of the liuely power and ver­tue that flows out of that blood: Sa there is not a bande, that can couple my saull with the flesh of Christ, but anely a spiri­tuall band, and ane spirituall vnioun; & therefore it is that the Apostle 1. COR. 6. 17. sayis: Hee that is cowpled with God, and conjoyned with our Lord, is ane spi­rit with him, and IOHN, in his third chap. [Page] sayis: That quhilk is borne of the spirit, is spirit: Sa it is onelie, be the participation of the halie spirite, that wee are conjoy­ned with the flesh and blood of Christ Ie­sus; that carnall band, quhither it bee the band of bloode, running thorowe ea race; or bee the carnal twitching of flesh with fleshe: that carnall band, was neuer esteemed off be Christ, in the time he was conuersant heere vpon earth, hee lute nathing of that band; and as he hes left behind him in his booke; he had ne­uer that carnal band, in ony kind of reue­rence nor estimation, in respect of the spi­rituall band: but as to the spiritual band, quhairby we are coupled with him be an spirite; he euer esteemed of this band, in the time that hee was conuersant in the warld: and in his booke, hee hes left the praise and commendation of the spiritu­all band. To lat ȝou see, how lightly hee estemed of the carnal band, of the blood and alya, quhilk we regard sa meekle. Ȝee haue a place, LVKE. 8. 20. 21. for there they come to him, and they say, Maister, ȝour mother, ȝour brother and kinsfolks stands without, and wald see ȝou, and bee at ȝou: ȝee heare his answere to their de­mand; [Page] how litle hee esteemes of that car­nall band, he answers in the 21. verse, in a maner, denying that band, and he sayis: They are my mother and brethren, quha heares the word of GOD and dois it: as gif he wald say; it is not that carnall band that I esteme off, it is not that carnal con­junctioun that I reuerence; it is the spiri­tuall conjunction, be the participation of the halie spirit, quhairby wee are moued to hear the worde of God, to giue reue­rence to it, and to obey it. This carnall band, was neuer profitable as that same, LVK. 8. dois plainly testifie: For gif the twitching of Christs flesh had bene profi­table, the multitude quhair of mention is made in that chapter, that thrusted and preased him, had bene the better be their carnal twiching: but sa it is, that ther was neuer ane of tham the better of their car­nal twitching: Therefore the carnal twit­ching profits na thing. Sayis hee not him selfe, IOH. 6. to draw tham from that sini­ster cōfidence, that they had into his flesh onely; my flesh profits nathing, it is onely the spirite that quickens; as to the vther twitching, to twitch him be the haly spi­rit, & be faith in thy saull: this twitching [Page] be faith hes ever bin profitable: and wee haue a plain exāple of it in the sam chap. Sicklike, quhair there the poore woman that was lang diseased with ane bloodie issue, be the space of twelue yeares, and had wasted, and consumed ane great part of hir substance, in seeking remeid, shee findis no helpe at the naturall and bode­lie Physition: At last, be the vertue of the halie spirit, working faith in her hart; be faith she vnderstands and conceuis, that shee is able to recouer the health of her bodie, & the health of her saull at Christ Iesus, quha come to saue baith bodie & saull: and vpon this perswasioun quhilk sho hes in her hart, that Christ may cure both bodie and saull, shee comes to him, and as the text sayis, sho preasis thorowe the multitude, quhill she come to him, & quhen sho comes to him, it is not saide that sho twitched his flesh with hir hand; in cace the Papistes wald ascriue the ver­tue quhilk come out of him, to her car­nal twitching: But it is said, that sho twit­ched onely the hemme of his garment with her hand, and with faith, quhilk is the hand of the saull, she twitched her sa­uiour God and man. And to lat ȝou vn­derstand, [Page] that sho twitched him be faith, he sais to her in the end: Go thy way, thy faith hath saued thee, sho twitched him not so soone bee fayth, but incontinent there comes a power out of him, quhilke power and vertue, sho felt be the effect of it in her saull, and he felt it quhen it gaid fra him: The effect quhairby sho felt it, was the health of hir faull, and the effect quhairby hee felt it, was the ganging fra him, and sa soone as he felt it ga fra him, he sayis, quha is this that hath twitched me? PETER, quho was ever maist sudden, answers, and sayis: Thou art thrumbled and thrusted be the multitude, and ȝit thou speeris quha hes twitched thee, hee answers againe and he sayis, it is not that twitching that I speak of: It is ane vther kinde of twitching: There is ane hes twit­ched me, quha hes drawin a vertue and power out of me. The multitude taks na vertue fra me: The poore Woman think­ing that she had done amisse, and seeing that sho could not be hid, sho coms trim­bling, and sho sayis; I haue done it: he an­swers her in the end; and he sayis, depart in peace, thy faith hes saued the, thy faith hes thrawin out a vertue and power out [Page] of me, that hath made baith saul and bo­die haill. Sa that this twitching of Christ hes ever bene profitable, is and sall bee profitable. Lik as the twitching of Christ with the corporall hand, hes neuer bene, is not, nor sall never bee profitable; for quhy? Christ is not appointed to bee a carnall head, to bee set vppon the crags of our bodies, that hee may doe the of­fice of a carnal head thairvnto, to furnish naturall motioun, and senses to our bo­die, na, the scriptures cals not Christ ane carnall head: But the scriptures cals him an spirituall head, to be set on the crag of oursaul, that is, to be conjoyned with our saull, that out of him in our saull, may di­stil haly motions, heauenly senses, & that there may flow out of him to vs, ane spi­rituall and heauenly life. Then the Scrip­tures cals him ane spirituall head, as they call vs ane spirituall bodie. And as the life, quhilk we get from him, is spirituall: Sa all our conjunction with him, is spiri­tuall; and in respect, hee works that same operattion in my saull, quhilk the carnal head dois in the bodie: Therefore hee is counted a spirituall head; Therefore is he counted the head of his Kirk, bee reason [Page] he furnishes to hir, spirituall motion and senses, quhilk is the life of the Kirk: Sa to be short, there is nathing in this conjun­ctioun carnall; there is nathing grosse in it, there is nathing, that may be compast bee our naturall iudgement and vnder­standing: And therfore, quhasoeuer wald attaine, to ony small insight of this spiri­tul conjunction, betwixt vs and Christ; of force he mann bow downe, and earnestly incall for the spirit, or it is not possible to get ony vnderstanding, and it were neuer sa smal ane insight; how the flesh of Christ and wee are conjoyned, except wee haue some light giuen vs bee the spirit: that is, except our heartes bee walkned, bee the mightie working of the spirite of Christ, this sall remaine, as a dead and a closed Exhortation letter to vs. Sa ȝee haue to craue, that the Lord in his mercie, wald walken ȝou, and illuminat ȝour vnderstandings, and mak ȝou to haue a spirituall light, to discerne on thir spirituall things. Nixt, ȝee mann studie and be cairfull to remooue all vain cogitations, and earthly fantasies, quhen ȝe enter to heare of sick ane high mater; ȝee mann cast off all filthy thoughtes, ill motions, and cairs of the warld; and ȝee [Page] man shake off all things that cloggs ȝour hartes: And thirdlie, ȝee man come with a purpose to hear the worde, to giue dili­gent▪ear to the worde, and with a sanctifi­ed harte to receaue it, with ane purpose to grow & increase in halines, as weill in bodie, as in saul, all the daies of ȝour life: And comming with this purpose, na que­stion, the halie spirit sal reueal the things to ȝou that ȝee want. And suppose this word passe, and bring not great commo­ditie for the present, ȝit the halie spirite hereafter, sal reueale to thee, the truth of that quhilk thou hes heard nowe. Then this is the point of all, be present in ȝour hartes and mindes, and lat ȝour sauls be emptied of al the cares of the world, that they may receaue that liquour, quhilk is offered in the hearing of this word.

Now I go forward, and I come to the discriuing of the sacramēt of the supper, The defini­tion of the sacrament of the Lords Supper. and I call this Sacrament of the Supper, ane halie seale, annexed to the couenant of grace and mercie in Christ, a seale to be ministred publikly, according alwayis to the halie institutioun of Christ Iesus, that be the lawful ministerie thereof, the Sacramentall vnioun betwixt the signes, [Page] and the thing signified may stande, and this vnion standing, Christ Iesus, quha is the thing signified, is als trulie deliuered to the increase of our nuriture spiritual, as the signes are giuen and deliuered to the bodie, to the nuriture temporall. Nowe wee sall examine the wordes, and partes of this definition. First of all, I call Quhy th [...]s sacrament is ca [...]led a seale. this Sacrament a seale, bee reasoun that this Sacrament serues to the same vse to our saulls, that a common seale serues to a common evident: As the seall quhilk is annexed to the evident, confirmes and seals vp the truth conteined in the evi­dent: Sa this Sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ, confirmes and seals vpp the truth of mercie and grace, conteined in the couenant of mercie and grace: for this respect it is called a seall: It is called Quhy it is called a ha­ly seale. a halie seall, quhy? Because it is tane fra the prophane vse, quherevnto that bread serued in the night before, & that bread is applied to ane halie vse: there is a po­wer giuen to that bread, to signifie the precious bodie of Christ Iesus, to repre­sent the nuriture & feeding of our sauls: And in respect, it serues now in the sacra­ment to sa halie ane vse, therefore I call [Page] it ane halie seal. As to this word, it is not mine, it is the Apostles word. ROM. 4. 11. quhere he geuis the Sacrament the same name, and calls it a seall. And to tell ȝou farther, gif the wisdome of Christ in his Apostle, had bene followed, and gif men had not inuēted new names of their awn to this Sacrament: but contented and sa­tisfied thame selfes, with the names that God hes giuen bee his Apostle, and that Christ himselfe had giuen to this Sacra­ment; I am assured, nane of thir tragedies nor great stormes and debaites (quhilk neuer wil cease) had fallen out: but quher men will ga about, to bee wiser nor God, and ga beyond God, in deuising names, quhilk hee hes neuer giuen; vppon mens awin inuentions, sicke tragedies and de­baits hes fallen out. A lesson be the way; lat na flesh presume to be wiser nor God, but lat tham stoup, and keepe the names Quhy the seal is said to be annexed to the cove­naut, quhilk God hes giuen to this sacrament. I say thirdly, annexed to the couenaunt, annexed and hung to the chartour: be­cause it cannot bee called a seale proper­lie, except it be hunging at ane euident. Looke quhat it is bee nature, that same thing is it, and na farther; gif it bee not [Page] hungin to some euident, it is only the ap­pensioun to the euident, that makes men to count it ane seale: therefore it is na­thing esteemed, but being hung to the e­uident. Euin sa it is heere, gif that Sa­crament be not ministred and hungin to the preached word; to the preaching of the couenant of mercy & grace, it cannot be a seale; but looke quhat it is be nature, it is na mair: as be nature, it is but a com­moun peece bread, sa it is na mair; gif it bee not hungin to the preaching of the word, and ministred therewith as Christ hes commanded: Therefore I say, the seal mann be annexed appended and hungin to the evident, to the preaching of the worde for establishing of the evident, v­therwaies it is not a seall. But it is not sa with the evident, quhilk is the worde of God: for ȝee know ony evident will mak faith, suppose it want a seall, and it will serue to make a right, gif it be subscriued without a seall: but the seall without the evident avails nathing: Euen sa it is with the worde of God, suppose the Sacra­ments be not annexed to the worde, ȝit the worde will do our turne, it serues vs to get Christ; It serues to ingender & be­get [Page] faith in vs, and maks vs to grow vp in faith: but the seale without the word, can serue vs to na halie vse: therfore I say, the seal man be annexed to the worde prea­ched, to the couenant of mercie & grace.

Now there followes in the definition, Quhy the Sacrament, suld be mi­nistred pub­licklie. that this seale mann be ministred publik­lie: Quherfore say I publiklie? to exclude all priuate administratioun of this Sacra­ment: For gif this Sacrament bee mini­stred First reason to an priuatly, it is not a sacrament; quhy? Because the Apostle cals this Sa­crament a communion; Minister ȝee it to ane, ȝee tine the communion: Therefore, gif ȝee minister it priuatlie, ȝe tine the sa­crament: For this Sacrament, is a com­munion of the bodie & blood of Christ; therefore, of force it mann bee, be way of communication, and sa the action mann Second re­son be publiklie ministred. Secondly, this Sa­crament mann bee publiklie ministred; quhy? Because Christ Iesus, quha is the thing signified in this Sacrament, is not sick a thing as pertenis to ane man anely; gif it were sa, hee might bee priuatlie gi­uen and ministred: But seeing Christ, quhilk is the thing signified in the Sacra­ment, is a common thing, appertaining [Page] to euerie faithfull man and woman: ther­fore, he aught to be commonlie giuen to all, in a common action; in a societie and congregatioun of the faithfull. Thirdly, this Sacrament is compted a thankesgi­uing to God the Father for his benefits: Now it appertains not to ane or twa, to thanke God onelie; but as we are all par­takers of his temporall and spirituall be­nefits: sa we aught all publiklie, to giue him thanks for the same. Therefore I say, in the definitioun, this seale aught to bee publicklie, and not priuatlie ministred, as the Papists dois in their priuate Messe. This seale mann bee publiklie ministred, according to Christs institution: quhere­fore say I, Christs institutioun mair, nor Quhy this seal man be ministred ac­cording to Christs in­stitution▪ mans institution, or Angels institutioun? quhy hauld I my selfe at Christs institu­tion? I sall tell ȝou quhy; because, a man hes not power, to institute or make a Sa­crament; because an Angel hes not pow­er to make or institute a Sacrament: For nane hes power to make nor institute a Sacrament, but he that hes power to giue Christ, quha is the thing signified in the Sacrament: But sa it is, that nane hes power to giue Christ, but ather the Fa­ther [Page] or himselfe: therfore nane hes pow­er [...]a [...]e hes power to institute a Sa­crament but [...]od onely. to make or institute a Sacrament, but ather the Father or the Sonne; onely God mann make a Sacrament. Second­lie, this Sacrament is a part of Gods ser­uice and worshipping: But sa it is, that nane hes power to appoint ony part of his seruice, or prescriue ony part of his worshipping, but onely GOD himselfe: Therefore nane can make a Sacrament, but God himselfe. There is na Prince in the earth will be content, to be serued ef­ter ane vther mans fantesie: but hee will prescriue his seruice, according vnto his awin fantasie: Howe meekle mair is it meet, that God suld appoint his awin ser­uice and worshipping: Therefore there is nather man nor Angell, hes power to in­stitute a part of the seruice of God; the sa­craments are ane part of his seruice; ther­fore, there is na Angel nor man, hes pow­er to institute a Sacramenr. The greatest style, that ony man in the earth gets in the Ministerie of the woorde and Sacra­mentes, is that style, quhilk the Apostle giues thame. 1. COR. 1. 4. There wee are called Stewardes, and dispensours of the graces of God; Ministers of thay myste­ries [Page] and halie things. It followes then of this, that wee are not Authours, Crea­tors, or makers of thame; but onely Mi­nisters and dispensers of the Sacraments. Swa it is cleare, that na man, nor creature hes power to make a Sacrament: Then it mann bee according to the institution of Christ; his institution mann bee keeped: Looke quhat he said, looke quhat he did, looke quhat he commanded thee to do: all that, mann be said, done, and obeyed: Leaue thou a iote of that vndone, quhilk hee commaunded thee to doe, thou per­uerts the institution: for there is nathing left in register of that institution, but it is essentiall. Sa, in the celebration of Christs institution, we mann take tent, to quhat­soeuer he said, did, or commanded to be done: thou mann first say, quhatsoeuer he said; and then do, quhatsoeuer he did; For the ministerie of the Sacrament, man follow efter the worde. First thou mann say, that quhilk Christ commanded thee to say, and thou man teach, that quhilk hee commanded thee to teach, and then We call the word in the sacra­ment, the haill institu­tion. minister the Sacrament. Then to keepe this institution, we man begin at the say­ing, & say, quhatsoeuer Christ comman­ded [Page] vs, thairester faithfullie doe all that quhilk he commanded to be done. Swa, quhat call we the word? I call the word, the haill institution of Christ Iesus, prea­ched and proclaimed, denounced distin­ctlie, clearlie, and sensiblie to the people: In sick sort, that gif we leaue ony kind of circumstance or ceremonie of this insti­tution vndone, wee peruert the haill acti­on.

It is agreed & condiscended vpon, be­twixt vs, quha celebrats this institutioun Word and element man continue to the consti­tution of a Sacrament. and all the sects of this warld, quha hes separat thame selues fra this institution, that twa things are necessare, and mann concur to the nature and constitution of a sacrament; to wit, there man be a word, and there man bee ane element concur­rand; there is not a sect, but they graunt this, that the worde man concurre with the element, or wee get a Sacrament. As they are easie to admit this generall, look how easie they are to admit this general, and howe weill wee agree with thame in the generall, quhen it comes to the spe­ciall, and that wee enter into particular in the handling & treating of the word, looke how weil we agree in the generall, [Page] in the particuler we loope als far sundry: For quhen wee come to dispute, & reason on thir particulers; first, quhat wee mean be the word: Secondlie, howe this word ought to bee intreated: Thirdlie, quhat vertue this worde hes: Fourthlie, howe farr the vertue of this worde dois extend the selfe: and last of all, to quhome the words ought to be directed & pronoun­ced: In all thir particulers, wee are als far sundrie, as ever wee appeared to agree in the generall.

I leaue my conference with any vther Quhat wee vnderstand be the word in the Sacrament. sect, and halde me with the Papistes, be­cause wee haue maist adoe with thame. And first of all wee haue to vnderstande, quhat wee mean be the word, and quhat they meane be it: wee be the worde, as I haue said, vnderstands the haill instituti­on of Christ Iesus, quhatsoeuer hee said, quhatsoeuer hee did, or commanded to be done, without eiking, without paring, without alteratioun of the meaning or sens of the word: This wee mean bee the worde in the Sacrament. Quhat vnder­stands the Papistes bee the worde? They preach not the institution of Christ, nor taks not the haill institution, as he left it: [Page] but in stead thereof they select, and pyks Quhat the papists vn­derstande be the word in the Sacrament. out of his institution, four or fiue words; and they make the haill vertue of the in­stitutioun, to stand in the foure or fiue words: & it maid noght gif they conten­ted thame with they words, because they are the words of the institution: but they eike to they wordes, they paire fra the wordes and alters, the meaning of they same wordes, quhilk they keepe as they pleas. That ȝee may ken this; In their Messe quhilk they cal the Supper, wee sal lat ȝou se the substance of it. I deuide the Messe in substantiall things, and acciden­tall things: To the substance of the Messe there ar three things craued. There man of force be a preist, that is sick a ane, as taks vpon him the office of our mediator Christ Iesus, to intercead betwixt God & man. Secondlie, to the substance of the Messe is craued, that the Preist offer the bodie and bloode of Christ: Wee come heere to receaue thay thinges; there the Priest offers thame to GOD the Father. Thirdly, bee this worke, (say they) they obtaine all good things; bee this worke, wrought they obtaine remission of sins, als weill to the dead, as to the quick; but [Page] in speciall, they obteine remissioun of sins to the Priest, quha is the distributer, and to him quhom to the Preist applies that sacrafice: And as to the rest of the Kirk, quha are absent, they obteine this remissioun of their sinnes, be this worke generally. Thir three things are necessare to the substance of the Messe. As to the accidents that mann concurr to the ma­king of a Messe, they are of twa sortes: Some of thame are alwaies necessar, with out the quhilk that actioun cannot bee: Some are not necessare againe, and the action may bee without thame, but not without a deadlie sinne: Thir things that are necessare, concernis partly the preist, and partelie the action it selfe. The acci­dents that are necessary to the Preist, are of twa sorts, an sort are sik, as without the quhilk he cānot be a preist, the vther sort the quhilk without he cannot be free of dedlie sin: The things without the quhilk hee can not be a Preist are thir: Except he haue power giuen of his Bishop to con­secrate, quhilk power is iustified be the vnctioun, and shauing of his croune; ex­cept againe hee haue power to speake, & that the roofe of his mouth be haill, that [Page] hee may speake, he cannot bee a Priest. Thir twa are alwaies necessare, and con­curs to the person. Vther things againe, are not so necessare: as the Priest man be free fra suspension, fra cursing, deadlie sinne, and all ecclesiasticall pane and cen­sures, thir things are necessare to the per­son. There is againe, twa things necessare to the action; ane sort without the quhilk the action cannot be, without the Lords prayer it cannot bee, without the fiue words of the institutioun it can not bee. Vther things againe are not sa necessare, as the consecration of the place, quhere the Messe is said, the Altar stane, the bles­sing of the Chalice, the Water, the Mur­geons, singing, hee that suld help to say Messe, and the rest. Swa they and wee in na waies agreis concerning the worde, quhat is meaned be it.

Into the second member, wee are als far sundry, how this worde ought to bee intreated: Wee say the word tane as sayd is, for the hail institution, ought to be in­treted efter this maner: First there ought a lawfull Pastour, quha hes his calling of God to intreat it▪ and this lawful Pastour aught to intreat the word lawfully; quhat [Page] is that? he aught to preach it, to proclaim it, and publicklie, with a cleare voyce to denounce it. He aught to open vpp, and declare the haill parts of it; quhat is the peoples part: and quhat is his awin part; how hee aught to deliuer and distribute, that bread and that wine: how the peple aught to receaue off his hand, that bread and that wine, to informe theirfaith; how they aught to receaue Christ his bodie and his bloode, signified bee that bread, and that wine; as also, he aught to teach thame, howe they suld come with great reuerence to that Table, and communi­cate with the precious bodie and blood of Christ. This he aught to doe in ane fa­miliar language, that the people may vn­derstand him, that they may heare him, that they may perceaue and take vpp in their hearts, the things that he speakes: For quhat auailes it to ȝou, to heare a thing quhispered, and not spoken out, or gif it be spoken out; quhat availes it ȝou to heare it, gif ȝee vnderstand it not? For except ȝe heare Christ in an familiar and hamelie language, ȝe cannot vnderstand: And except ȝee vnderstand, it is not pos­sible to ȝou to beleeue; and without be­liefe, [Page] there is na aplication of Christ; and except ȝe beleeue, & apply Christ to ȝour selfis; ȝour comming to the Sacrament, is in vaine. Sa of force, gif this Sacrament be lawfullie handled; the Pastour mann preach the institutioun of Christ, that it may be hard, & in ane familiar language, that it may bee vnderstood; in sicke sort, that the faithfull peple may be informed how to receaue; & the Minister may knaw his part, howe to deliuer and distribute. This we say, suld be the right handling of the halie institutioun of this Sacrament.

Now quhat doe they? They in place of a Minister, Pastour, or Bishop, call him as thou pleasis, quha is called lawfullie of God: they substitute a Priest, and surro­gates an hireling, quha hes na calling, or office now in the Kirke of God. For the office of a Priest, as they vse their Priest­head, is na vther thing, but the office of Christ Iesus, the office of the Mediatour betwixt God and vs. For they make their Priestes, dailie to offer vp Christ Iesus to the Father. Nowe this is the Mediatour, Christ his office; and he did it ains for ay, and ains for all, sayis the Apostle: sa that, they can haue na entry, to doe this turne [Page] over againe: And in respect, that their Priests preasis to do this turn ouer again, quhilk hee hes done already; they doe it without a cōmand, they haue not a war­rand in the word of God, but givand that they had a warrand of their calling, in the booke of God; ȝit they handle the sacra­ment al wrang: for quhair they suld speak forth clerly, they whisper, & they conjure the elements be an certain kind of quhi­spering, quhair they suld speak it in ane knawn language, that the people may vn derstand; they speak it in an vn knawn lan guage; and suppose they spak it in an kna­win and familiar language: ȝit in respect they quhisper it, the peple cannot be the better of it. And quhat sall I say, seeing they handle the worde this way; suppose it be the very institutioun it selfe: ȝit they sa spill it in the handling, that it is not an halie Sacrament: Then we differ als mee­kle in the second point; howe the worde aught to be handled and intreated.

Now the third point comes in, to wit: Third head controuer­red. quhat vertue this worde hes, how far the vertue of this worde extends the selfe. In this hed we grant & acknawlege, that the word hes a virtue, & the word tane, as said [Page] is, workes something, euin towardes the same elements of bread and wine; for we acknawledge, that they elements, be the vertue of this worde are changed, not in thair substance, not in thair nature, nor ȝit in thair substantiall and naturall pro­perties: But we grant, that the elements are chaunged in ane qualitie, quhilk they had not off before: In sick sort, that thir elements are tane fra the commoun vse, quhairvnto they serued of before; and be the institution of Christ, they are apply­ed now to ane halie vse: Looke howe far, the haly vse differs fra the commoun vse; thair is als great difference, betwixt the elements this day in the actioun, and the thing that they wer ȝisterday. For I grant that the elements are chaunged; and ȝit, this element proceeds not of the nature of the elements, fra an closed vertue, sup­posed to be in the words▪ nor fra the whi­spering of the words; but it proceeds, fra the will of Christ, fra the ordinance and appointment of Christ, set downe in his awin institution: for that thing is halie, quhilk GOD cals haly, and that thing is Third head controuer­red. prophane, quhilk God cals prophane.

To lat ȝou vnderstand, how thir signes [Page] are made haly, it is necessair that thir twa Howe the Elements a [...] sanctified. thinges bee considered. First, quha is hee that makes thame halie, quhither God, Angell, or man: Secondly, quhaeuer hee be that marks thame halie; be quhat mean and way makes hee thame halie. And be the consideration of thir twa, we sal com to the consideratioun, and right weying of the sanctification of the elements: As to the first, we say; that God is onelie he, that may make a thing, quhilk was com­mon, to be halie: So wee say, that God be his will and ordinance, declared and set downe in his word; hes made the things that were common be his appointment to bee haly. As to the way and meane, quhairby they are made halie; it is the word of GOD, the institution of Christ, the will of Christ, declaired in his institu­tioun, that makes thame halie: For the preachinge and opening vpp of the worde, and institutioun of Christ, lats vs see, that God hes made thir things ha­lie; & not onely, that he hes made thame halie, but lats vs see ane halie manner, how they suld be vsed; in quhat place, at quhat time, with quhat heart, and to quhat end. Sa it is the will of Christ, de­clared [Page] in his institutioun, quhairby the thinges that were commoun before, are nowe made halie. There is vther twa things also, that maks the same elements halie, and thir twa, are vsed in this insti­tutioun: there is praier and thankesgi­uing; for praier and thanks giuing, makes the creatures of GOD to our vse halie: quhair vtherwayis, gif wee receaue the creatures of God like dogs, and thanke him not for thame; it is ane sure taken, that they were neuer Sanctified to our vse.

Be praier, we obtain grace and strength from God, to vse the creatures, and this hail action halilie and lawfullie, as it suld be: And therefore, not onely in this haly action, suld wee begin with God, and at the incalling vppon his name; but in all actions of the warld▪ wee suld beginne in Gods name. Sa it is the will of God, prai­er and thanksgiuing conjoyned with the elements, that makes thame halie: al thir three, contained in the action of the Sup­per, makes the seales halie: for beside the will of God, declared in his institutioun; In the supper, we vse ane incalling, and in this incalling, wee vse ane thanksgiuing: the [Page] Sa the Elements are not made halie bee the worde of God onelie: but be the vse of prayer and thanksgiuing, quhilk three are the onelie mean and way, quhereby thir things are sanctified.

To expresse and declair the sanctifica­tion The word of blessing & thanksgi­uing vsed in differentlie, the ane ex­pressed be▪ the vther. of the elements: the Evangelists & the Apostle PAVLE, vses indifferentlie the word TO BLES, and TO GIVE THANKS, and commonlie they place the one word for the vther: for ȝee see that MARKE, and PAVLE, vsis the worde BLES: MATHEVV & LVKE, vses the word TO GIVE THANKS, and all in ane signification: And MARKE himselfe in the 14. of his Gospell 22. vers speking of the same action of the supper, he vses the word TO BLES, and in the 23. verse, he vses the word, TO GIVE THANKS, and baith in ane signification; to lat ȝou see that the Apostle, Christ himselfe, and the Evangelists, vses the worde TO BLES, & TO GIVE THANKS, indifferentlie, to sig­nifie the sanctification, and consecration of the Elements: except ȝee take the ane for the vther, it sall bee hard to get ane good mening out of the Apostles words: for I remember the Apostle 1. CORINTH, 10. 16. hee sayis: the cuppe of blessing [Page] quhilk wee blesse; quhat is that? I take the worde to signifie as I haue saide, quhilk wee blesse, that is, quhilk wee sanctifie & prepares bee blessing. Sa to blesse and to giue thanks in the Supper, signifies nav­ther thing, but to sanctifie; or vtherwaies gif ȝee take the worde in ane vther signi­fication, ȝee sall fall in ane errour: for quhy? God is said to blesse, and Man is said to blesse: God is said to blesse, quhen he giues good thinges to his creatures, for God his blessing is ever effectuall, & therefore he is saide to blesse, quhen hee giues good things. Man againe is saide to blesse, ather priuatlie or publiklie, quhen he crauis blessing at the hands of God to any man, quhen he blesses in the name, and at the commaund of God, any persone or people. Nowe if ȝee ascriue blessing in ony of thir twa significations to the cuppe, it is all wrang: for wee vse nather to craue blessing to insensible E­lements, nor ȝit to blesse thame in the name of God. And God vses to giue good thinges to the Sonnes of men, and not to insensible creatures: Therefore wee are compelled to vse the word, blesse, in the third significatio: The cup quhilk we blesse, [Page] that is, quhilk wee sanctifie and prepares be blissing. This far wee vnderstand, for the sanctification of the elements.

Now lat see, how they sanctifie ther e­lements, and quhat is the forme of their consecratioun; sa far as I vnderstand of it, stands in thir fiue wordes: Hoc est enim corpus meum. It stands in thay fiue words; and in the quhispering of thame; for gif ȝee quhisper thame not, ȝe tine the fashi­on of incantation: for the thing that wee call sanctifieng, they call quhispering: And the quhispering of they fiue words, they cal the cōsecration of the elements. And quhen the wordes are efter this way quhispered, they presuppone sick ane hid and monstrous vertue, to bee inclosed in the syllabs; that the vertue and power quhilk flowes fra they wordes, is able to chase away halely, the substaunce of the bread: Sa that the verie bread, and sub­staunce of it, is altogither destroyed bee this power. Secondly, that this power that flowes fra thir words, is able to rugg and pull downe ane vther substaunce; to wit, the fleshe and blood of Christ Iesus, that sits at the right hand of his Father, and is able to put it within the compasse [Page] of that bread; that is a straunge and ane great vertue, that not onelie will thrawe downe that substance, but put it within the compasse of that bread. They same fiue words, quhispered in this maner, hes sick a monstrous operation, say they, that they are able baith to chase away the ane substance, to rug downe ane vther, and to put it within the compasse of that bread. We altogither deny, that ther is sik a ver­tue in thir wordes: for as I haue said be­fore; we deny not that the word hes a ver­tue, but wee deny that there is sick a ver­tue inclosed in the wordes: wee deny the qualitie of the vertue, and the quantitie of the vertue, or that it flowes from sic a fountaine. For we graunt that the word hes a vertue, there is neuer a woorde that God spake heir, but it hes a vertue joyned with it: but we deny that this ver­tue is inclosed in the sillabs, in the whis­pering or pronouncing of the words: for gif there were sic a vertue and power in­closed in the sillabs, be that reason it suld followe, that there were a vertue in the figure and shape of the letter that makes vp the wordes. Now there is na man will thinke, that there is any vertue in the fi­gure, [Page] or shape of the letter, and there is as litle vertue in the sillabs, or in pronoun­cing of the words themselues: Sa wee de­ny that there is any vertue inclosed in the sillabs, or resident in the worde; but wee say, that there is a power conjoyned with the worde, and this power is not resident in the word, but is resident in the eternal worde, in the essentiall worde, quhereof IOHN makes mentioun in the first of his Evangell. The worde quhilk wes fra the beginning, that is, the Son of God Christ Iesus. We say there is not a dram weight of this vertue, and power resident in na creature that ever God created: but it is onely resident in Christ Iesus: And there­fore there flowes na vertue from the syl­labs, nor fra the wordes that ar spoken, but fra Christ & his spirit, quha giues the vertue to thay words. Swa wee differ in this, wee say that there is not a vertue re­sident in the syllabs; wee say that the syl­labs & pronouncing of the sillabs, works nathing: but we say that the vertue is re­sident in the person of the sonne of God, and he workes be his awin word.

Now we say, there cannot be sik a mon­strous chaunge, as to say, that the whis­pering [Page] ofsa mony words, suld change the [...]futation of [...]e doctrine of insubstanti­ [...]ion be three [...]ts of argu­ [...]ents awin substance of the bread, Rug doune the substance of the bodie of Christ, and put his body in sa narrowe ane compas: wee say that cannot bee, and this I sall preiue bee thir three rules: to wit, be the veritie of the flesh of Christ Iesus, be the articles of our beleif, and be the true end of the institution of this Sacrament; and sa wee sall see be Gods grace, the infinit absurdities that followes vpon their opi­nion.

The first principle that I lay, is this; se­ing that Christ Iesus the sonne of God, in [...]e first sorte argument, the time appointed, toke true flesh of the wembe of the virgin, and vnited himselfe with our nature in ane personall vnioun, to the end, that our nature, quhilk fell altogither fra integrity in the first Adam; might recouer the same in the second A­dam; ȝea, not only the same; but sa meekle the greter, as our second Adam excels the first in all degrees; and in respect he took on ane body, like vnto ours in al things, (sinne excepted:) Sa, of necessitie it mann folow, that the definition of ane true bo­die, and the inseparable properties ther­of, mann be competent to him. But thir [Page] are the inseparable properties; to wit, to be in ane certaine place, to bee finit, cir­cumscriued, visible and palpable: For all thir conueines ( quarto modo, as the Logi­cians sayis) to ane body; sa that they can­not bee seperate fra the subject, without the distructioun thereof. Then I reason on this maner; All true humane bodie, is in a certaine place: Christ Iesus bodie is a true humane bodie: therefore it is in a certaine place. I call a place, a certaine condition of ane organical bodie, quher­by it comes to passe, that quherever the bodie be, of necessitie, it is limitat within that place, and quhill it is there, it cannot be els quhere. Craue ȝee the probation of my proposition, of the Doctors? Read AVGVSTINE, writand to DARDANVS, spe­kand of this same bodie of Christ: Take away a certaine rome fra the bodies, and they sall be in na place; and gif they be in na place, they are not. This same AVGV­STIN writand vpon IOHN in his 30. trea­tise: the bodie (sayis he) into the quhilk the Lord raise; of necessitie it mann be in ane place; but his diuine efficacie and na­ture, is diffunded euery quhere. And in his third Epistle, hee sayis, howe meekle [Page] that euer the bodie be, or how little that euer the bodie be; it behooues to occupy the bounds of a place. And besides thir, the historie of the Acts, prooues maist e­uidentlie, Christs bodie to be in a certain place, as ACT. 3. 21. the wordes are thir: Quhom the heauen must containe, vntill the time that al things be restored, quhilk God had spoken be the mouth of all his Prophets. Suppose I need not to insist, in the probation of thir things; ȝit I follow foorth. Secondlie then, I reason efter this maner; All humane bodie is finite and circumscriued: but the bodie of Christ is a humane bodie: Quhat warrands of the Doctours haue I for this? I leaue many purposlie, and takes me onelie to AVGV­STINE: he writ and to DARDANVS; beleeue sayis he, Christ to bee euery quhere, in sa far as he is God, but onelie to be in hea­uen according to the nature of a true bo­die; and in his 146. Epist. I beleeue sayis he, the bodie of Christ to be sa in the hea­uen, as it was in the earth, quhen he gaid vp to heauen: but it was circumscriued in a certaine place in the earth: Ergo, it is sa in the heauen, and consequently, it can­not be in the Messe bread, and ther baith [Page] at ane time. The last reason is this: al hu­mane bodie, is visible and palpable; but Christ hes a humane body, and he is cor­porally present, as ȝe say: therfore Christs bodie is visible and palpable. I prieue my proposition, be Christs awin words, tane out of LVK. 24. 39. Into the quhilk place, to perswade the Apostles of the veritie of his bodie, and to prieue euidently, that it was not fantasticall; he vses the argument tane fra thir twa qualities, and hee com­maunds his Apostles to feele and see, lat­ting thame to witt thereby, that as thir twa senses are the maist certaine of all the rest: sa are they maist able to discerne, quhither gif he was ane body, or ane spi­rite: as gif he wald say; gif I be visible and palpable, ȝee may be out of doubt, that I haue an true bodie. For as the Poet sayis, quhilk TERTVLIAN cites also to this sam purpose. Tangere enim & tangi, nisi cor­pus, nulla potestres. Be thir arguments, it may be euidentlie seene, how this tran­substantiatioun may na wayis stand with the veritie of the bodie of Christ Iesus.

And as it fights with the flesh of Christ Iesus, sa it repugnes directlie against the articles of our beleife: for into our be­leife, [Page] wee profes that Christ ascended out Second sort of argument of this Earth to the Heauen; quhere hee sits at the right hand of the father; quher he gouernes and directs all things in he­uen and earth; fra the quhilk place, hee is to come in the last day to judg the warld▪ This article lats vs see, that he hes fleeted his dwelling, quhilk he had amangs vs in the erth, & hes ascended into the heuens, quhere hee sits at the right hand of his Father, and sal remaine there, according to the testimonie of PET. quhilk I cited out of Act. 3. 21. vnto the last day. Gif he sits at his Fathers right hand, & be to re­main in heuen quhil the last day, he is not corporally into the bread: but the article sais, that he sits at the right hand of his father & PET. sais in that place, that he is to be conteined in the heauens vnto the last day: therefore this transubstantiatioun fightes directlie agains the articles of our beleife, & the manifest place of the scrip­ture.

Thirdlie, that it fightes agains the end Third sorte of argu­ment. quherfore this sacrament wes instituted, it is mair nor evident: for the end of the Sacrament is spirituall, as the effect that flowes thereof is spiritual, and the instru­ment [Page] quhereby this spirituall foode is a­plyed to vs, is also spirituall: But of ane naturall and corporall presence, ane spi­rituall effect can neuer flowe: therefore the corporall and naturall presens of the bodie and blood of Christ Iesus, repugns directlie to the end of this sacrament: for the corporall presence mann haue a cor­porall eating, of this eating, follows a di­gestion in the stomach, & the thing that is digested in the stomach, is neuer able to feede thy soule to life eternall: Sa, this corporall presence mann ay tende to ane corporall end, quhilk is directlie contrair to the ende, quherefore this Sacrament wes instituted.

Attour, gif the bred were transubstan­tiate, Vther argu­ments to the same ef­fect. it suld become the thing signified; gif it becomes the thing signified, this sa­crament suld wante a signe, and sa it suld not be an sacrament: for euery sacrament as ȝe hard, is ane signe. Now to say, that the accidents of true bread, as the hew & the roundnes of it, that they may serue as signes, that is mair nor follie: for betwixt the signe and the thing signified, there man be ane conformitie: but there is no conformitie betwixt the accidents, and [Page] the bodie and blood of Christ Iesus: for gif sa were, the accidents be houed to nu­rish vs corporally, as the body and blood of Christ Iesus, is appointed to nurish vs spiritually. Farther, gif the bread become the bodie of Christ Iesus, it sulde followe that hee had ane bodie without bloode: for hee hes instituted ane signe, a pairt to represent his blood. Alswa, gif there had bene sick a wonderfull thing, as they speake of, in this sacrament, there walde haue bene plaine mention made thereof in the scripture: For God himselfe works neuer a notable worke, but hee vtters it ather in opin tearmes, or priuat termes in the scripture, that thereby he may bee glorified in his wonderfull works; as ȝee may reade in the Evangell IOHN, 2. 8. quher the water wes changed into wine, GENE. 2. 22. quhere the Ribbe of ADAM wes changed into HEVA. EXOD. 7. 10. quhere AARONS rodde wes turned in a Serpent. There ȝee see, that chaunging is manifestlie expressed: Therefore I say, gif there had bin sic a monstrous change in thir elements of the Supper, as they af­firme, the scripture walde not haue con­cealed it, but expressed it: but in respect, [Page] there is na mention made of this change in the scripture: therefore there is na sic change in this action. Farther, gif there were sic a change, as they speake, ather it is before their words of consecration be spoken, or followes efter that same word be spoken; gif the change bee before the words of the consecration be spoken, the consecration is superfluous, & their pro­position is fals; gif the change bee efter the word be spoken, This bread is my bodie; their proposition is fals also, becaus the worde bread is spoken, or the last sil­lab of their fiue words bee pronounced. Thir, and infinit ma absurdities followes of this doctrine.

And ȝit they obstinatly perseuere, and vrges vs with the letter, affirming that the wordes of Christ are sa plaine, that they admitte na figure. They wald haue spoken mair aduisedlie, gif they hadde sought counsall of AVGVSTINE, to haue discerned betwixt ane figuratiue speache and ane proper: for hee into the thirde booke, and 16. Chap. of Christian doc­trine, speaks efter this sort, gif the speach says he, appear to command a wickednes or a mischiefe, or to forbidd ane happi­nes, [Page] or ane welfair, it is not proper, it is not figurate, and he subjoynes for ane Example, a place out of IOHN. 6. 53. Ex­cept sayis our Master, ȝee eat the fleshe of the sonne of Man, and drinke his blood, ȝee haue na life in ȝou: quhereunto AV­GVSTINE adjoynes, this speach sayis hee, apeares to command a mischiefe, there­fore it is a figurat speach, quhereby wee are commanded to communicate with the sufferings of Christ Iesus, and with gladnes to locke vp in perpetuall memo­rie, that the flesh of the Lord wes crucifi­ed and wounded for vs: for vtherwaies it were mair horrible (as this same AVGVS­TINE, maks mention in the second book agains the aduersaries of the lawe) to eat the fleshe of Christ Iesus reallie, then to murther him, and mair horrible, to drink his blood, then to shed his blood; ȝit not­withstanding, they hauld ay still, on ea tune, and sayis, that thay words aught to bee tane properlie. Sa that it appeares, that of verie malice, for contradictions cause, to the ende onely, that they may gainstand the truth, they will not ackna­ledge this to be ane sacramentall speach. For they are compelled, nil they, wil they [Page] in vther speaches of the like sorte, to ac­knowledge ane figure, as GENE. 17. 10. circumcision is called the couenant: and EXOD. 12. 11. the lambe is called the pas­souer, and MATH. 20. 28. the cupp is cal­led his blood, and LVKE 22. 20. the cupp is called the newe testament, and 1. COR, 10. 4. the rocke is called Christ. All thir speaches are sacramentall, and receauis a kinde of interpretation, ȝit they maliti­ously preas to deny vs this in thir words; ( Hoc est corpus meum) quhilke they are compelled to grant in the rest, as specialy quhere PAVL cals the rocke Christ.

Nowe quhen they are dung out of this fortres, they flie als vnhappely to the second: to wit, that God bee his omnipo­tency, may mak the body of Christ baith to be in heauen, and in the bread baith at ane time: ergo, say they, it is sa. Gif I de­nied their consequent, they wald be weil fashed to proue it: but the questiō stands not heir, quhither God may do it or not: but the questioun stands, quhither GOD wil it or not, or may wil it or not. And we say reuerently, that his majesty may not wil it: for suppose it be true, that he may, mony things quhilk he wil not: ȝit it is as [Page] true; that there is mony things, that hee may not will, of the quhilk sort, this is: & thir are reduced to twa sorts. First hee may not will they thinges, that are con­trare to his nature, as to be changeable, as to decay, & sic vthers. For gif he might will thir things, they sulde not be argu­ments of ane puissance, or of ane power, but rather certaine arguments of his im­potencie and infirmitie: And therefore suppose he may not will thir things, hee leaues not of to bee omnipotent: but sa mekle the rather, his constant, and invin­cible power is knawin. Secondlie God may not wil some things, be reason of an presupponed conditioun, as sick thinges, quher of he hes concluded their contrair of before: of the quhilk sort, is this, whilk is now controuerted: For seing that God hes concluded that all human body, suld consist of organicall partes, and therfore to be comprehended, and circumscriued within ane, and the awin proper place: And als, seeing he hes appointed Christ Iesus to haue the like body, and that not for ane time, but eternallie. In respect of this determined will, I say, God may not will the contrair now, ather to abolishe [Page] this bodie quhilk hee hes appointed to be eternall; ather ȝit to make it at ane time, in respect of ane thing a bodie and not a bodie, quantified & not quantified, finite and infinite, locall and not locall. For to will thir thinges, quhilk are plaine contradicent in thame selfes, hee may not, na mair nor it is possible to him to will a lie. Swa, it may bee seene of al men, that wee preserue the omnipotencie of God, and with reuerence from our harts, acknawledges him onely, to bee onelie omnipotent, and wils all men to esteeme thame as calumniators, quha abuses the ears of the simple anes, to perswade tham the contrair of vs.

They are not content with this, but they say, that the Lord may wil a contra­diction, and make baith the parts to be true at ane time. And to prooue this, they wald bring in, the miracles quhilk GOD works; as they wald say, euery miracle in­cludes a contradiction. As for example: God made a virgine to beare a sonn, they thinke this warke brings with it a con­tradictioun; to beare a sonne, say they, is the ane part of the contradictioun, and to bee a virgine, is the vther pairt of [Page] the contradictioun. This warke is a mi­racle, but it implies na contradictioun: For concerning the halie virgins birth, therein is na contradiction. There was a miracle indeede, that a Virgin suld bear a sonne contrare to the cours of nature; for to be a virgin, and ȝit to haue a child, are not contradictorie, gif she haue con­ceaued and brought furth be miracle, as did the blessed virgin: but to bee a virgin and not a virgin at ane time, this is the contradictioun. Sa Christs bodie to bee visible and invisible, locall and not local, at ane time; is in everie respect the like contradiction: and therefore impossible to be true.

Their vther Example of Christs ente­ring in, the doors being closed and shut, quhat apearance of contradiction hes it? Can they preiue that he entered through the doores? and gif hee did, then there wes ane alteration of qualities, and that be miracle; ather in Christs bodie or in the doores, but na contradiction in na­ture: vnles ȝou know not quhat is a con­tradiction. Their third and last example of the fier in NABVCADNEZERS Oven, quhilk consumed the ministers, but hurt [Page] not thame that were in the middest of it; apears to be of na weight, be that quhllk hes already bene answered. They imagin as apears, that in every miracle, a contra­diction is implied, quhilk is absurde. Gif they can prooue that this fier wes baith hotte and cold, then they say some thing to the purpose: but that it burns vp some and hurts not vthers, is na contradiction; because, bee miracles, the force thereof wes repressed. Swa, this second ground halds fast; God may not will that thing, quhilk implies a contradiction: but sa it is, that the reall presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament, implies a con­tradictioun; for it makes the bodie of Christ, visible, and inuisible, compast and not compast at ea time: therefore, GOD may not will sick a thing.

Quhen they are dung out of this, they Their las [...] refuge. make their last refuge, to an peremptour defence in their opinioun; for say they, Christs body is exemed fra physical rules; for Theologie is not subject to physicall rules. It is a verie il gathered cōsequence, to say, that we subject Theologie to Phy­sicke; because that wee first, according to Theologie, quhilk is the law of God, and [Page] nixt, according to Physicke, quhilk is the lawe of nature, defends the naturall pro­perties, of the true and naturall bodie of Christ Iesus. Then I grant this, that The­ologie is not subject to Physick; quhat of this? Ergo, Christs bodie is exemed fra physicall rules. How followes that I pray ȝou? Be quhat law may ȝee exeme, or can ȝee exeme the bodie of Christe? Bee the law of nature, ȝe cannot: for he was maid of the seed of DAVID, and tooke on true flesh of the wembe of the virgin: And far lesse, be the law of God: quhilk is Theo­logie: For ȝee knaw, that Christ was ap­pointed from all eternitie, to take on our nature, and to become true man. Indeed it is true, that the law of God, cannot bee subject to the law of nature: For the law of nature, flows of the law of God, as out of the awin spring: but it is als true, that gif ȝee exeme Christes bodie, fra the lawe of nature, ȝee sall exeme it also fra the law of God. For I affirme, that the scrip­tures sa consents with the law of nature; that gif ȝee denie the ane, ȝee sall denie the vther; and gif ȝee admitte the ane, ȝee sall admit also the vther. Therefore, gif ȝou looke weil about ȝou; ȝee sall [Page] finde the bauke in ȝour awin eie: for ȝee peruert, baith the law of God, & the lawe of nature, bee ane new inuented physicke of ȝour awin: for quhasoeuer he be, that attributes to ane, and the self same body, natural and vnnatural properties, quhilk directlie feights agains thame selfs; I say, this man peruerts baith true Theologie, and Physicke: but ȝee, to ane and the selfe same bodie of Christ Iesus, attribute naturall and vnnaturall properties: ther­fore it is ȝee that peruerts, baith the vse of true Theologie, and the ordour sett downe, and established in nature. Craue ȝee the reason of my proposition? I say, it behooues als weill in Theologie, as in Physicke of necessitie, ane of the contra­dicent enunciations to be false. But ains to make ane end with ȝou; we sal answer to ȝour last subterfuge.

For sa ȝee reason; a glorified bodie, is not subject to physicall rules; but Christs bodie is glorified: therefore it is not sub­ject to physicall rules. First of all, or wee answer directly, we man consider, quher­in stands the glorification of ane bodie: & then, I say, the answere sall be easie: the Apostle PAVL, 1. COR. 15. 42. speakes ef­ter [Page] this maner. Sa also, sayis he, is the re­surrection of the dead. The body is sawen in corruptiō, & is raised in incorruption; It is sawin in dishonor, & is raised in glo­rie: It is sawin in weaknes, and is raised in power. And a litle efter; this corrup­tion mann put on incorruption, and this mortality, mann put on immortalitie. Be this cleare Antithesis, PAVLE clearlie de­scriues, the glorification of ane bodie: for hee oppones thir twa; the vnglorified bo­die, and the glorified bodie: And to the vnglorified body, he ascriues corruption, ignominie, infirmitie, carnallitie, & mor­talitie. To the glorified bodie againe, he attributes incorruptioun, glorie, power, spiritualitie, and immortalitie. Of this opposition, wee may gather easilie, quhat the resurrection & glorification apports to the bodie. Shortly, bee thame we see, that the body is onely spoiled of corrup­tioun, shame, infirmitie, naturalitie, and mortalitie: And to take vp all in an word, it becomes, onely spoyled of all the infir­mities of our nature; that it may be cled, with ane mair glorious apparrell; as with incorruption, power, glorie, spiritualitie, and immortalitie. Wee see then that this [Page] glorification imports ane change indeed; but I beleue na man will be sa mad, as to esteme this change to be made in the sub stance: for gif sa wer, the aulde substance behoued to decay, and ane newe sulde a­rise: but wee hear na worde of sic things in this descriptiō, & as litle is the change made, in the quantitie: for wee hear na word, nather of augmentatioun, nor di­minution of any substance, quhilk beho­ued to be, gif it were in the quantitie. The fardest that wee can persaue; this muta­tioun consists in the qualities, bee the quhilk, the bodie casts of the auld coate of infirmitie, and cleathes it selfe, with the coate of Glorie: For Christ efter hee rais, he baith gaide and come, wes seene and twitched. Of the things before de­duced, it clearlie followes, that in respect the glorie of the bodie of Christ, hes wrought na change in his nature & sub­stance; and consequently, in his naturall dimensions; nather ȝit in any vther essen­tiall propertie: that therefore the glori­ficatioun of his bodie, exemes it not fra the rules of physicke. For sa lang as the nature of ane true bodie remaines, there is na supernaturall gifts, quherewith it [Page] may be glorified; war they neuer sa high, sa farre as may bee gathered of the scrip­tures of GOD, that may hurt, ather the nature, or the natural propertie of it. For ther is na gift nor qualitie, that may hurt natur, but that gift that is agains nature: but the supernaturall gift, is nather vn­naturall, nather ȝit agains nature: there­fore it cannot hurt nor impaire nature. And my reasoun is this: They gifts, that decores and beautifies nature, they can­not hurt nor impair nature: but al super­naturall gifts, beautifies and decores na­ture: Therefore they cannot take away, nather nature, nor ȝit, the naturall pro­pertie.

They leaue vs not sa, but out of this same doctrine of PAVLE, concerning the glorification of the bodie, they draw ane objection, to prease vs. PAVL grants, that ane glorified bodie, is ane spirituall bo­die: but ane spirituall bodie, is ane inuisi­ble bodie: therefore ane glorified bodie, is inuisible; and bee the consequent, the bodie of Christ is inuisible. Suppose the argument bee not formall; ȝit to make short, I denie ȝour assumption: For gif there were na mair, but that same worde [Page] bodie, that word might be ane argument to ȝou, that the spirituall bodie is not in­visible. But ȝit, to open vpp the matter mair clearlie, according to the minde of PAVL in that place. PAVLE in ane word, as it were, in the 44. verse of that same Chap. shewes the change that sal become in the qualities of the body, be the resur­rection: For he sayis of ane naturall bo­die, it sall become ane spirituall bodie. He straight way in the nixt verse, imme­diatlie following, expones thir twa qua­lities: for in the 45. verse, that is called an natural bodie, says he, quhilk is maintai­ned and quickned, be an liuing saul only; sic as Adams was: and againe, that is said to bee ane spirituall bodie, quhilke togi­ther, beside the saul, is quickned with ane farre mair excellent vertue, to witt; with the spirite of God, quhilk descended fra Christ, the second Adam vnto vs. Then according to this ground, I answere with AVGVSTINE ad Constantium: As the na­turall bodie is not ane saull, but ane bo­die; euen sa, the spiritual bodie, is not said to be a saull, but ane bodie; and bee con­sequent, it is not inuisible.

But to take vpp this head, I sall giue [Page] thame onelie ane knot to loose, and sa make an end of this point. Then I reason, gif therefore Christs bodie is naturallie and really in the Supper, be reason that it is glorified, it follows consequentlie, that quhen it was not glorified, it culd not be reallie present: but it wes not glorified quhen this Supper wes first instituted: therefore it wes not reallie present in the bread, at Christs first supper. Gif his bo­dy wes not naturally present in the bred at the first Supper, it cannot be naturally present nowe: For quhatsoeuer ȝee vse nowe in the administration of ȝour Sup­per, or of ȝour Messe, call it as ȝe will, ac­cording to ȝour awin confessioun, ȝe vse it according to the ordinance, forme and maner, that Christ Iesus himselfe vsed in his first Supper: For ȝee say plainelie in ȝour disputatioun at POYSSIE▪, and in all the rest of ȝour workes; That Christ Ie­sus first of all obserued that form, quhilk ȝee vse in ȝour Messe, and left it to his A­postles, and to their successors, that they sulde doe the like: and sa bee ȝour awin words, ȝee haue drawne ȝour selfes in a Hose-net, & crucified ȝour Messe. Quhat can ȝe answere to this? Ȝe will not stande [Page] dumbe I am assured; for maintenance of ȝour religion, ȝee man say somthing: for gif this reason bear it away, ȝe haue done with it.

Then wee say, quod the Papistes, that suppose the bodie of Christ, quhilk wes locallie present with the rest of his disci­ples wes not glorified, ȝit the bodie quhilk he exhibite in the bread wes glo­rified. Ȝee might as weill haue halden ȝour peace, and saide nathing: For take tent to the wordes of the text, as they are written. Luk. 22. 19. quhere it is saide, & hee toke the bread, and quhen he had gi­uen thanks, hee brake it, & gaue to them saying, this is my bodie quhilke is giuen for ȝou, and PAVL. 1. COR. 11. 24. hes thir wordes, Take, eate: This is my bodye, quhilke is broken for ȝou. This relatiue quhilk, is relatiue to the bodie, quhilke wes exhibited in the bred: for according to ȝour awin confession, they words are pronounced vpon the bread, & directed to it. But that same bodie wes giuen and broken for vs, that is to say, crucified and demayned with anguish & dolors. Then I reason efter this sorte. To be crucified and broken with anguishe and dolours, [Page] can on na waies agree and conueine with a glorified bodie: but the bodie that Christ exhibite in the bread, is sayd of the Evangelists, to be crucified and broken for vs: Ergo, that bodie wes not glorifi­ed.

Now last of all, they are not ȝit con­tent, but sayis, Christ can make the bread his body, and therfore his bodie is really present. That Christ can make the bread his bodie, wee grant: for Christ beeing God, can do quhatsoeuer hee will: One­lie let them shewe, that Christ will make of reall bread, his reall fleshe, and then this controuersie is brought to ane end. Christ indeed makes the bread his body, not reallie, but sacramentallie: For Christ hes not a bodie made of bread, his body wes made ains of the pure substance of his blessed Mother: ane vther bodie then this, or oftener made then ains, hes hee nane: quherefore all doctrine that tea­ches Christs bodie to be made of bread, is impious, and hereticall: The Papists doctrine of reall presence teaches, that Christs bodie in the Sacrament is made of bread, bee changing the bread into his bodie, through force of consecrati­on: [Page] quherefore wee may bauldlie & true­lie conclude, that their doctrine of reall presence, is baith wicked and hereticall. Now in conclusion of this head, I beseke thame, seeing that reasoun failes thame, that they fight not agains God, for main­tenance of a lie, how auld that ever it be, (for the Diuell is auld aneugh, and ȝit he coulde neuer change his nature) but lat thame rather glorifie God, in confessing thir speaches to be sacramentall.

Then quhat is the reason and ground, The reason that moues the Papis [...]es to thinke▪ that Christs bodie can­not be pre­sent in the Sacrament, except it be reallie, cor­porallie, & substantialy present. quherefore the papists pulles downe the substance of the bodie of Christ, and the blood of Christ, and makes the very sub­stance to be corporallie, reallie, and sub­stantiallie in the Sacrament? The reson is this, because they cannot see be their na­turall judgement, nor cannot vnderstand be their natural wit, the trueth of this, to wit, how Christes flesh and blood can be present in the Sacrament, except hee bee present to their corporall hand, to their corporall mouth and stomach. Gif they had an light to inform them, that Christ might be present in the Supper, and not to the hande, to the mouth or stomach: they walde neuer haue thought of sick a [Page] monstrous presence, as they compt to be there: but being destitute of the spiritual light, they followe their naturall reasons and maks a naturall and carnall presens. Swa that ȝee haue this lessoun to note of obseruation this: There is na man that hes not the spirit of God to vnderstande this word: this is my bodie, but out of question, he will doe as the Papistes does; that is, he will vnderstande it carnally: and sa they mis­knowing the right meaning of it, it is na maruell, suppose they and wee differ in this mater.

For will ȝee speare at the Papist first, The diuerse opinions concerning the presence of the bodie of Christ in the sacra­ment. gif the true bodie of Christ be there, or gif the true fleshe and blood of Christ be there: he wil say, it is there. Wil ȝe speare quherein? He will say in, and vnder, the accidents of the bread and wine, vnder the hewe and roundnes of the breade. Will ȝee speare againe at him, be quhat instrument it is receaued? he will tell ȝou be the mouth and stomach of the bodie: sa this is their gros vnderstanding of the bodie and blood of Christ. Will ȝe speare at the VBIQVITER, gif the true bodie of Christ be present? he will say it is. Will ȝe spear gif it be in, with, or vnder the bred? [Page] hee will answere, it is in the bread, con­tentiuè, that is, that the bread conteines it. Wil ȝee speare at him, to quhat instru­ment it is offered? hee will answere, that the bodie of Christ, is offered to the mouth of our bodie, and that the blood of Christ is offered to the mouth of our bodie, as the Papists dois. Will ȝe speare at vs again, how Christ Iesus his true bo­and Our opini­on. blood is present? wee wil say, that they are spirituallie present, reallie pre­sente, that is presente in the Supper, and not in the bread: we will not say, that his true fleshe is present to the hande, or to the mouth of our bodie, but wee say, it is spirituallie present, that is, present to thy spirit and faithfull saull; Ȝea even als pre­sent inwardlie to thy saull, as the bread and wine, are present to thy bodie out­wardelie. Wil ȝe speere then, gif the bo­die and blood of Christ Iesus bee present in the Supper? Wee answere in a word, they are present in the Supper: but not in the bread and wine, nor in the accidents nor substance of bread and wine: And we make Christ to be present in the Supper, because he is present to my saull, to my spirit and faith. Alswa, we make him pre­sent [Page] in the Supper; because I haue him in his promeis, This is my body, quhilke promeis is present to my faith, and the nature of faith, is to make thinges that are absente in thame selues ȝit present: And therefore, seeing he is baith present be fayth in his promeis, and present bee the vertue of his halie spirit, quha can say but hee is present in the Supper.

But ȝit the word wald bee opened vp, quhat wee mean bee the worde present, How a thing is said to be present and absent. howe a thing is sayde to bee present and absent? And knowing this, ȝee sall finde all the matter easie. I saye, thinges are saide to bee present, as they are percea­ued bee ony outwarde or inwarde sense, and as they are perceaued bee ony of the senses; sa are they present, and the farther they bee perceaued, the farther present; and be quhat sense ony thing is perceaued, to that same sens it is present. As gif it be outwardlie perceaued, be ane outward sense; that thing is outwardlie present. As for example, gif it bee per­ceaued bee the outward sight of the eie, be the outward hearing of the ear, be the outwarde feeling of the hand, or taist of the mouth; it is outwardlie present: Or [Page] gif ony thing be perceiued be the inward eie, be the inward taist and feeling of the saull; this thing cannot bee outwardlye present: but it mann be spirituallie, and inwardly present to the saull. Sa I say, e­uerie thing is present, as it is perceaued. Sa that gif ȝee perceaue not a thing out­wardlie, it is outwardlie absent; and giff ȝe perceaue not a thing inwardlie, it is in­wardlie absent. It is not distance of place that maks a thing absent, nor propinqui­tie of place, that makes a thing present: but it is only the perception of ony thing be ony of thy senses, that makes a thing present, & the not perception, that maks a thing absent. I say; suppose the thing it selfe, were neuer sa farre distant, gif thou perceaue it bee thine outward sense, it is present to thee. As for example, my body and the Sunn, are als far distant in place, as the heauen is fra the earth; and ȝit this distaunce staies not his presens to mee: Quhy? Because I perceaue the Sunne be mine eie and vther senses; I feele him and perceaue him bee his heat, bee his light, and bee his brightnes: Swa, gif a thing were neuer sa far distant, gif we haue sen­ses to perceaue the same, it is present to [Page] vs. Then the distance of place makes not a thing absent to thee, & thou haue sen­ses to perceaue it. Siclike, the propinqui­tie of place makes not a thing present, & it were neuer sa near, gif thou haue not senses to perceaue it. As for example, gif the sunne shine in thy verie eine holes, gif thou bee blinde, hee is not present to thee, because thou cannot perceaue him. A sweete tune will neuer bee present to ane deafe ear, suppose it bee sung in the eare of that mā, becaus he hes not a sens to perceaue it: And a weill tauld tale will neuer be present to a foole, because hee cannot vnderstand it, nor hes not judge­ment to perccaue it. Swa, it is not the neernes, northe distāce of place that ma­kis any thing present or absent, but one­lie the perceauing, and not perceauing of it.

Nowe the worde being made cleire, speere ȝee howe the bodie of Christ is How the bodie of Christ is present. present? To giue our judgement in a­word, as ȝee haue hard fra time to time, he is present, not to the outward senses, but to the inwarde senses, quhilk is faith, wrought in the saull. For this actioun of the Sacrament and of the Supper, is part­lie [Page] corporall, and partelie spirituall. I call this actioun partely corporall, not in re­respect only, that the objects, that is, that bread and wine are corporall: but also in respect my mouth, quhervnto thir things are offered; the instrument quherby, and the maner how thir things are receaued, are al corporall & natural. I call the same action againe, partlie spirituall; not only, in respect of Christ Iesus, quha is the hea­uenlie and spirituall thing of the Sacra­mēt; but also in respect of my saul, quher­vnto Christ is offred and giuen: in respect the instrument quhereby, and the maner how he is receaued, are all spirituall: For I gett not Christ corporallye, but spiri­tuallie. Swa, in thir respects, I call this a­ction, partlie corporall, and partlie spiri­tuall.

Now confound me not thir twa sorts of actions, the corporall and naturall signs, with the spiritual thing, signified therby: Confound not againe, the mouth of the bodie, with the mouth of the saull: Con­found not thirdlie, the outward manner of receauing bee the hand of the bodie, with the spirituall maner of receauing, be the hand of the saull. And sa it sall be [Page] exceeding cleare to see, that ilke thing sal be present to the awn instrument, that is; the bodie of Christ, quhilk is the spiri­tuall thing signified, sall be present to the spirituall mouth and hand; and the bread and wine, quhilk are the corporal signes, are present to the corporall mouth and hand. Then howe is any object present? A corporal object, is corporallie present, and ane inwarde object, is inwardly pre­sent: Of quhat nature is the thing signi­fied? It is of ane heauenlie nature. Then speare ȝe, how he is present? He is spiri­tuallie and heauenlie present to thy saull, & the mouth of thy saul; quhilk is faith. For it were a preposterous thing, to mak the thing signified present to thy bellie, or to the mouth or eie of thy body; for gif sa were, it suld not be spirituallie pre­sent: Because euery thing is present, as it accords to the awin nature: Is it a bodily thing, it is bodilie present, and gif it be a heauenlie thing, it is spirituallie present. Sa I thinke, na man can doubt, how the bodie of Christ is present; hee is not car­nallie present, but spirituallie present to my saull, and to faith in my saull. This far concerning the manner of his presence.

[Page]Now the last part of our conference, is The last head in [...] trouersie betwixt vs and the pa­pists. this; we haue to consider, to quhome the words aught to be directed & pronoun­ced: For we and the Papists differs in this last head. Wee say, that the words aught to be directed and pronounced vnto the people, to the faithfull communicants. They, be the plat contrair, sayis, that the words aught not to be directed, nor pro­nounced to the people, but to the ele­ments; and not to bee clearely pronoun­ced, but quhispered on the elements: Sa that, gif they be spoken to the people, or spoken openlie, their charme auails not. Now I say, as the actioun is peruerted be thame in all the rest; sa they peruert it in this point also; in speaking that to the dumb elements, quhilk they suld speake to the people of God. For I sall prooue it clearly be three arguments, tane out of the Scriptures, that the words aught not to be spokē to the bread, but to the peo­ple of God.

And first I say, the promises of mer­cie and grace, aught to bee directed and pronounced to thame, in quhome the Lord performes thame, and makes tham effectuall. But sa it is, that the promises [Page] of mercy and grace, are performed and made effectuall, not in bread and wine, but in faithfull men and women: There­fore, thir promises suld bee directed to faithfull men and women. Now heere is the promise of mercie & grace. This is my bodie, quhilk is broken for Ȝou. And this promise, is made to na vther thing, but to faithfull men and women; and sa to tham onely, it aught to be directed. Secondly, we haue to consider, that this sacrament, seales vp a couenant of grace and mercy. Now quhom with makes God his coue­nant of mercie and grace? Will he make a couenaunt with a peece bread, or anie dumb element? There is na man will en­ter in a couenant with his seruant: lat be to enter in a couenant with a dumbe ele­ment. Sa in respect, this Sacrament seals vp a couenant; this couenaunt of necessi­ty, man be knit vp with ane faithfull saul, and not with the dumbe element: and therefore, thir words cannot be directed to the elements. Thirdlie, looke to the end, quherefore this Sacrament was ap­pointed: Is it not to lead vs to Christ? Is it not to nurish my faith in Christ? Is it not to nurish mee in ane constant per­swasioun [Page] of the Lordes mercie in Christ? Was this Sacrament appointed to make the elements Gods? Na: For will ȝee marke Gods purpose in this institution; ȝe will find, that Christ hes not set down his institution, to nobilitat the elements, to fauor and respect the elements, quhilk were bread and wine ȝisterday, to bee Gods to day. Wee on the contrair, sayis plainelie, that the institutioun of Christ, lookes not to the elements, to alter their nature. Indeed, it is appointed to alter vs, to chaunge vs, and to make vs mair and mair spirituall, and to sanctifie the elements to our vse. But the special end, looks to this; to make vs halie, and mair and mair to growe vpp in a sure faith in Christ, & not to alter the elements, nor to make thame Gods. And therefore, be all thir three argumentes, it is euident, that the words, aught not to bee directed to the elements, but to the people & faith­full communicants.

Now to make an end of this, there is Conclusion with an ex­hortation. ane thing, without the quhilk, wee can­not profit; lat vs discourse neuer sa lang, vppon the right vnderstanding of the Sacrament. Ȝee see nowe, all that is [Page] spoken, concerning the Sacrament, is grounded and depended vppon fayth: Haue a man faith, albeit it were neuer sa small, hee getts some grippe of Christ, and some insight in the vnderstanding of this Sacrament: but lacking faith, sup­pose a man paine him selfe, to make the Sacraments neuer sa sensible, it is not possible, that hee cann gette a grippe of Christe, or onie insight in him: For without faith, wee can not bee Christi­ans; wee can nather get a sight of God, nor feele God in Christ, without faith. Faith is the onelie thing, that translates our saules out of that death and damna­tion, quhereintill wee were conceaued and borne, and plants vs into life. Swa the haill studie and indeuour of a christi­an sulde tend to this. To craue that the Lorde in his mercie walde illuminat his minde, with the eie of fayth, and walde kendle in his heart a loue of fayth, and worke in his hart, a thirst and desire of the object of fayth, and mair and mair to thirst and hunger, for the food of fayth, that nurishes vs to life eternall.

Without this fayth, (howsoeuer the naturall man, and vnderstanding natural [Page] wald flatter thy selfe,) surely there is na blessednes, but all his life is mair nor ter­rible miserie. For quhatsoeuer it be that flatters and pleases thee nowe, bee it a thought or motioun of the minde, or an action of the bodie, that pleases the now without fayth: the same verie motioun cogitatioun, and actioun, sall torment thee efter this: Swa without faith, it is not possible to please GOD: and quhat­soeuer pleases not GOD, is doone to torment thee. Therefore craue mercie, for quhatsoeuer motioun, cogitatioun, or actioun, quherein thou hes offended GOD, or bee that same, GOD sall offend and torment thee: And to eschew the offence of God, there is na moyane, but be true faith. Therefore the study of a Christian suld be, to grow in faith. Now bee hearing of the woorde, thou gets faith, and bee receauing of this Sacra­ment, thou getts the increase of fayth: and hauing faith, the receauing of the Sacrament sall bee fruitfull: But with­out faith, thou eats thine awin condem. nation. Sa, the haill studie of ane Chri­stian, is to get faith; and this faith can­not be obtained with idlenes, but be ear­nest [Page] praier: Therefore lat euery ane of ȝou, fall downe, and craue earnestlie this faith, and the increase of it, quhereby, ȝe may bee worthie receauers of this sacra­ment, and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus: To quhome with the Father, and the haly Spirit: be al honour, praise, and glory, for now and euer.

Amen.

THE FOVRT SERMON, VPON THE PREPARATION to the Lord is Supper, preached the 22. day of Feb. 1589.

SVppose the doctrine of our tryal and due examination, (welbeloued in Christ Ie­sus) ought to go before the doctrine & receauing of the Sacrament: ȝit notwithstanding, seing that preparation is alwayes, at all tymes, aswel necessare for the hering of the sim­ple word, as for the receauing of the vi­sible sacrament. (For no man can heare the word of God frutfully, except in som measure hee prepare his saule, and pre­pare the eare of his heart how to hear.) Therefore the doctrine of preparation & [Page] dew examination mann come in the awn place, and be very necessare for euery ane of ȝou. The Apostle in the wordes that wee haue redd, interponis his counsaile, and giues his aduise: and not only giues his aduise, bot giues his admonition and command, that we suld not come to the Table of the Lord, that we suld not cum to the hearing of the worde rashlie; but that euerie ane of vs, sulde come to this holy work with reuerence, that we sulde prepare, and sanctifie our selues in some measure: and seing we go vnto the King of heauens Table, it becomes vs to put on our best aray: and in ane word, he ta­kis vp the haill doctrine & matter of this preparation, quhill as he sayis: Let euery man, and let euery woman trye and exa­mine them selues, as gif he would say: let euery ane of ȝou trye and examine ȝour saules, that is, try the estait of ȝour awin hart, and condition of ȝour awne consci­ence. Look and beholde in quhat estaite ȝour hart is with God, and in what estate ȝour conscience is with ȝour neighbour. He bids not ȝour neighbour try ȝou, hee bids not ȝour companion try ȝour hart: but he bids ȝour selfe in person, try ȝour [Page] awin conscience, hee bidds ȝour self trye ȝour awin hart, by reason nane cā be cer­taine of the estait of ȝour hart, or of the cōdition of ȝour cōscience, but ȝour self. Now he secludis not vthers from the tri­all of ȝou neither, (for it is leisum to the Pastour to try ȝou) but others can nocht try ȝou sa narrowlie, as ȝe ȝour self can. For na man can know sa mekill of me, as I knaw of my self: na man can be certain of the estait of ȝour heart, and condition of ȝour conscience, and ȝit ȝe ȝour selfis may be certaine of it. As to others, men may judge of ȝour heart and conscience, according to ȝour works and effects, and except ȝour workes and effectes, be very wicked, and altogether vitious; wee are bound in our conscience, to judge chari­tablie of ȝour hart & conscience. There­fore there is nane sa meet to try the spi­rite of a man, to try the harte or consci­ence of a man, as is the man himselfe.

Nowe that this tryall may goe on the The heades to be intreated in this sermon. better fauoredlie, ȝe haue first to vnder­stand, quhat it is that ȝe suld try, quhat ȝee call a conscience, quhilk the Apostle 1. commandes ȝou to trye. Secondly, ȝee haue to wey and considder, for what rea­sons 2. [Page] and causes suld ȝee try ȝour consci­ence. Thridly and last of all, ȝee haue to see in what chief points, ȝe suld trye and examine ȝour conscience. Then that we speake not to ȝou of things vnknawne, it is necessare for euerye ane of ȝou (seeing there is nane of ȝou that lakes a consci­ence) to vnderstand what a conscience is; and so nearely as God shall giue mee the grace, I will bring ȝou to the vnderstan­ding and knawledge of a conscience. I Definition of consci­ence, with the exposi­tion of the partis thair­of. call a conscience, a certain feeling in the hart, resembling the judgement of the li­uing God, following vpon ane deede done be vs, flowing from ane knawledge in the minde, accompanied with ane cer­taine motion in the hart, to wit; feare or joy, trembling or rejoysing. Nowe wee shall examine the parts of this definition I call it first of all, ane certaine feeling in the hart: for the Lord hes left sic a stamp in the hart of euery man, that he doeth not that turne so secretlie, nor so quietly but hee makes his owne heart to strike him, and to smite him: hee makes him to feill in his owne hart, whether hee hes doone weill or ill. The Lorde hes placed this feeling in the hart; quhy? becaus the [Page] eyes of God lookes not sa mekill vpon the outward countenance and exteriour behauiour, as vpon the inward hart. For he saith to SAMVEL, in his first book 16. 7. verse, The Lord behaldes the hart. Sic­like 1. CHRON. 28. 9. hee saieth to SALO­MON: The Lord searcheth all harts, & vn­derstandes al imaginations of thoughts. Also IEREMIE, 11. 20. sayes, the Lorde tryes the reines and the hart. And the A­postle 1. COR. 4. 5. he sayes, The Lorde shall lighten things that are hid in dark­nesse, and make the counsels of the hart manifest. Sa, in respect the Lorde makes him chieflie, to haif to do with the harte; therefore in the harte he places this fee­ling, quhilk is the chiefe parte of consci­ence. I say nixt, that this feeling resem­bles the judgement of God; for this fee­ling was left and placed in our saule, for this end & purpose, that we might haue as domesticke and familiar judgement within our selfes, to subscriue and resem­ble the secreete and inuisible judgement of the high God; a particular judgement to go before that generall judgement, in that generall and great day, quhere eue­rie man sall bee justified or damned, ac­cording [Page] to the particular judgement, that is within his awne conscience. In the meane time, this conscience is left in vs, to make out our hail proces in this life, to halde in the trauels of the liuing God, as it were, in that last judgement. For the bookes of our owne conscience in that last day salbe opened, and euerye man sall receaue according to the report of the decreet, that is within his awne conscience; therefore I say, that our con­science resembles the judgment of God. The third thing that I say, is this; It fol­lows vpon an deed doon be vs, our con­science, nor our heart strykes vs not, be­fore the deede be done. Our hart strikes vs not before the euill turne be commit­ted: na, it goes not before the deede, but the straik of the conscience, and feeling of the heart, followis immediatly vpon the deed, in sick sorte, that the deede is not so soone doone be thee, but thy con­science applyis it to thy selfe, and giues out the sentence against thy selfe. There­fore I saye, it is a feeling following vpon ane deede done be vs. And nixt I saye, flowing fra ane knawledge in the minde, for except the conscience haue informa­tion, [Page] and except the hart knaw that the turne quhilk is done is euil, the hart, nor the conscience, can neuer count it to bee euill. Therefore knawledge must go be­fore the straik of the conscience. Thy hart can neuer feele that to be euil, quhilk thy mynde knawis not to be euill. So knaw­ledge must euer go before feeling, & ac­cording to the mesure of thy knawledge, according to the nature and qualitie of thy knawledge, accordinglie sall the te­stimonie and straik of thy conscience be. For a light knawledge, a doubting and vncertaine knawledge, makis ane light & small straik: as in the other part, ane haly and a solide knawledge drawin out of the worde of God, makis ane heauie straike of the conscience: Sa the consci­ence mann answere to the knawledge. If wee haue na other knawledge, but the knawledge quhilk we haue by nature, & be the light and spoonkes that are left in nature, our conscience will answere na farder, but to that knowledge. But if be­side the light of nature, we haue a knaw­ledge of God in his worde, and a knaw­ledge of God by his holie spirit working in our harts, our conscience then will go [Page] farder, & excuse, or accuse vs; according to the light that is in the worde: Sa that the conscience is not acquired or obtei­ned, at quhat time wee are enlightened bee the working of the halie Spirite, and hearing of the worde of God; but our conscience is borne with vs, is natural to vs, & is left in the saule of euery man & woman: and as there are some spunkes of light left in nature; sa there is an con­science left in it. And gif there were na mair, that same light that is lefte in thy nature, sal be aneugh to condemne thee. Sa the conscience is not acquired, gotten or begun at the hearing of the worde, or at that time quhen we begin to reforme our selfes, be the assistance and renewing of the halie Spirite: bot euerie man bee nature hes a conscience, and the Lorde hes left it in our nature: and except that this conscience bee reformed according to the worde of God, that same naturall conscience sall be aneugh to condemne thee eternallie. Therefore I say, flowing from a knawledge of the minde. Last of all, I saye, accompanied with a certaine motion of the hart: and we expresse this motion, in feare or joy, trembling or re­joicing. [Page] In very great feare gif the deed be exceeding heynous, and the straik of the conscience be very heauie: Than the conscience takis neuer rest, for guiltines mann euer dreed. Bot gif the deede bee honeste, godlie, and commendable, it makis a blyth hart, and makis the harte to burst out in joy. Sa to be short in this matter, (for I purpose not to make ane common place of it) ȝe see that in euery conscience there mann bee twa thinges: First, there mann be ane knawledge, and nixt there mann be ane feeling, quherby according to thy knawledge, thou ap­plyis to thy awin hart the deede doone be thee. Sa that, according as the word it selfe testifyes, it ryses of twa partis, it ryses of knawledge, according to the quhilke it is called science: and it ryses of feeling, according to the quhilk the CON is put to, & it is called conscience. Then the woorde Conscience signifyes knawledge with application.

This conscience the Lord hes appoin­ted, To quhat vses the Lord hes appoin­ted the con­science to serue in the saull of man. to serue in the saull of man, for ma­nie vses: to wit, he hes appointed euerie ane of ȝour consciencis to be ane keeper a waiter-on, and a careful attender vpon [Page] euerie action doone by ȝou: so that that action can not be so secreetlie, so quietly, 1. nor so thifteously convoied, but nil thou, will thou, thy conscience sall beare ane testimonie of it: thy conscience sall bee ane faithfull obseruer of it, and a day sal be ane faithful recorder of that same action: So the Lord hes appointed thy cōsci­ence to this office, that it attends and waits vpō thee in al thy actions, na thing can slip it. Sicklike the Lord hes appoin­thy 2. conscience and placed it in thy saull, to bee ane accuser of thee: so that quhen thou dois ane euill turne, thou hes ane domestick accuser within thy awin saull to finde faulte with it. Hee hes also pla­ced 3. it in thy saull, to beare ane true and stedfast witnes against thee: ȝea, the te­stimony of the conscience resembles not onlie a testimonye or witnes, but the conscience is als good, as ten thousande witnessis. The conscience also is lefte in 4. the saull, to do the parte of ane judge a­gainst thee, to giue out sentence against thee, and to condemne thee; and so it dois▪ for our particular judgement mann ga before the generall and vniuersall judgemēt of the Lord, at that great day. [Page] And quhat mair? He hes left thy consci­ence within thee, to put thy awin sen­tence in execution against thy selfe: This is terrible: he hes left it within thee to be ane verye torture, and a burriour to thy selfe: and sa to put thy awin sentence in executioun vpon thy selfe. Is not this an matter mair nor woonderfull, that ane and the selfe same conscience, sall serue to sa manie vses in ane saule, as to be ane continuall obseruer, and marker of thy actions: ane accuser, ten thousande wit­nessis, a judge, and a burriour and tor­mentour, to execute thy awin sentence a­gainst thy self. Sa that the Lord misters neuer to seeke a member of court out of thy awin saule, to make out a lawful pro­ces against thee: but thou sall haue all thir within thy selfe, to make out a full proces against thy selfe. Take heede to this, for there is neuer a word of this that sall fall to the ground, bot ather ȝee sall feill it to ȝour weill, or to ȝour euerla­sting woe. And this secreet and particu­ler judgement, that euery ane of ȝou ca­ries about with ȝou; bydis sa sure and sa fast within ȝou, that doe quhat ȝe cann, gif ȝe wald imploy ȝour hail trauellis, to [Page] blot it out, thou sall neuer get it scraped out of thy saull: gif ȝe were als malitious and were become als wicked, as euer a­nie incarnate Deuill was vpon the earth, ȝe sall neuer get this conscience altogea­ther scraped out of ȝour saull: But nill thou, will thou, there sall als mekill re­maine of it, as sal make thee inexcusable in the great daye of the generall judge­ment. I graunt thou maye blot out all knawledge out of thy minde, and make thy selfe to becom als blinde as a mode­wart: I grant also, that thou may harden thy hart sa, that thou wil blot out al fee­ling out of it, sa that thy conscience will not accuse thee, nor finde faulte with thee, but thou sall haue ane delite in ill dooing, without a remorse: but I denye that ony gree of wickednes in the earth, sall bring thee to that pointe, that thou may doe euill without feare: but ay the mair that thou dois euill, and the langer that thou continewis in euill dooing, thy feare sall be the greater: ȝea, in despyte of the deuill, and in despite of all the malice of the hart of man, that feare sall re­maine: And suppose they walde baith conspire together, it sall not bee able to [Page] them to banish that feare, but that gna­wing of the conscience sal euer remaine: to testifie to thee, that there is ane day of judgement: I graunt also, that there sall be ane vicissitude, and that feare sall not alwaies remaine, but sall be some times turned ouer in security: Nather sall that security alwayes byde, but sall bee tur­ned ouer again in feare: sa that it is not possible to get this feare hailelie scraped out, but the greater that the security be, the greater sall thy feare be, quhen thou are walkened. I grant thirdlie, that this feare sall be blind; for fra time a man by euill doing, hes banished knowledge out of the minde, and feeling out of the hart quhat can remaine there, bot a blinde feare. Quhen men hes put out all light, and lefte nathing in thair nature, but darknes; there can nathing remaine, but a blind feare: So I graunt, that the feare is blinde, for nather knawe they quhair­fra the feare commis, quhat progres it [...]es, quhereunto it tendes, quhere, nor quhen it sall ende. Therefore they that [...]re this way misseled vp in thair saull, of [...]ll men in the earth they are maist mise­ [...]able: for als long as thou may keepe in [Page] thy minde, a spoonke of this knawledge and spirituall light, in the quhilk, thou may see the face of God in Christ, quher­in thou maye see, ane out-gaite in the death and passion of Christ, and quhere­in thou may see, the bowellis of mercye offered in the bloode of Christ; gif thou haue any spoonke of this light (albeit it were neuer so little) to direct thee: And albeit this knawledge, were neuer sa euill wounded, ȝit there is mercie aneugh for thee in Christ. But gif thou close vp all the windowes of thy saull, & of thy hart; & make them to become palpable dark­nes, that thou nather knawe, quhairfra the terrour comes, nor ȝit seeis onye out-gaite; that is the miserie of all mi­series.

Wee haue mony things to lament, we haue the estait of this Countrey to la­ment; Application they are not present, quhom to this doctrine speciallie appertains; Alwayis there is nane of ȝou, but ȝee haue to take heed to ȝour consciences now, quhill lai­ser is giuen ȝou, that ȝee bannish not al­togither this light, quhilk is ȝit offered to ȝou, and quhereof, some sponks ȝit re­maines. For I see, the maist pairt of our [Page] great men of this countrey, rūning head­longs, to banish the spoonke of light that is in thame; and they will not rest, sa lang as there is a spoonke of it left, quhil it be vtterlie bannished; and quhen they haue done sa, alas quhat can folow, but a blind and terrible feare in their conscience, quhilk they can neuer get scraped out. A feare without an outgait, a feare to grow and not to decay, a feare to deuour tham halelie at the last. Therefore, euery ane of ȝou, take heed to this light that is within ȝou, take heed that the foul affections of ȝour hearts, drawe not ȝour bodies efter thame; see at the least, that they affecti­ons bannish not this light, and sa lang as the Lord offers to ȝou this light; in time craue, that of his mercy, he wald giue ȝou that grace to imbrace it, to take vp a new course, & ȝit to amend ȝour liues, quhill ȝee haue time.

The bodie sall leaue the saull, and the saull sall leaue the bodie; but the consci­ence sall neuer leaue the saull; but looke quhereuer the saul gais, to the same place sall the conscience repair: and looke in quhat estait, thy cōscience is quhen thou dies; in the same estait, sal it meet thee in [Page] that great day. Sa that, gif thy conscience was a burriour to thee, in the time of thy death, gif thou gat it not pacified, in the time of thy death, it sall be a burriour to torment thee in that general iudgement. Therefore, this matter wald be weill wey­ed, and euerie ane of ȝou, suld studie to haue an good conscience; that quhen the saul is seuered fra the bodie, leauing ȝour conscience at rest and peace with God, it may bee restored to ȝou, and meet ȝou a­gaine, with als great peace and quietnes. This far concerning conscience; quhat it is. I pray the liuing Lorde, sa to sanctifie ȝour memories, that ȝee may keepe thir things, and that euery ane of thir things, may sa sticke with ȝou in some measure, that to the ende of ȝour life, ȝee may re­member vpon thame.

The second thing that wee haue to speake off, is this; we haue to try & consi­der, wherfore we suld examin our consci­ence; for what causes suld a man or womā bee mooued to try thair awin conscience and saull: I sall take vp the reasons short­lie. It becomes euery ane of ȝou, to trie ȝour conscience; quhy? Because the Lord will make his residence in na vther pairt [Page] of the saull, but in the conscience: he hes appointed his dwelling to be in the hart of man, and into the will and conscience of man: and therefore, it becomes ȝou, to make his dwelling place cleane, and to take heede to ȝour heart. Nixt, suppose the Lorde of heauen made not residence there; ȝit, in respect the eie of God is ane all-seeing eie, and able to pearce thorow the very thicknes of the flesh of man, how darke and grosse soeuer it be, & to pearce thorow the very secret hirnes of thy con­science (for vnto the al-seeing eie of God, the maist secreet hirne of the conscience, is als patent, cleare and manifest; as onie outwarde, or bodilie thing in the earth can bee to the outward eie of the bodie.) In respect therefore, that his eie is sa per­cing, and that he casts his eie onely vpon our heart; it becomes vs to try our harts. Thirdly, he is the Lord of the conscience; There is not a Monarch of the earth, that hes ony soueranitie or lordship ouer the conscience; onely the God of heauen, on­lie Christ Iesus, King of heauen & earth, is Lord of the conscience; hee hes power onely to saue and tine: Therefore, quhen thou dresses thee to this Lords Table; be­comes [Page] it thee not to looke vpon thy con­science, to trie thy conscience, and to ex­amine the estait of it? Last of all, quhilk is ane of my chiefest reasons; it becomes thee to trie and examine thy conscience; quhy? Because the welfare and health of thy saull, dependes vpon thy conscience; gif thy conscience that is within thy saull be weil, gif it be at peace and rest, thy saul is weill; gif thy conscience be in an good estait, thy saull mann bee in ane good e­stait; gif thy conscience be in good helth; of necessitie, thy saull mann bee in good health: For the good health and weill of the saull, depends vpon ane good consci­ence: Therefore it becomes euerie ane of ȝou, to try weill ȝour conscience. There is not a law that ever was set down or de­uised; but of all the lawes that euer was made, it is leifsom to vs, to haue a care of our health, it is leifsome to vs, to seeke sic things as may procure our helth, preserue & entertain our helth; Now subsume: but the helth of thy saull, stands in the health of thy conscience, & in preseruiug there­of: Therfore be al laws, thou aught to at­tend to thy conscience; gif thou keep thy conscience weill, thy saul is in health; and [Page] gif thy saul be in health; lat troubles com quhat wil vpon the bodie, thou wilt bear thame out all: But gif thy saull be disea­sed, & gif that dwining siknes occupy thy saull, quhilk ane euill conscience brin gs on, thou salt not be able to beare out the least trouble, that can come vpon the bodie: quhere as, gif the conscience were at rest, & in good health; that trouble could not light vpon thy bodie, but the strēgth of ane good conscience, suld beare it out. Then haue ȝee not reason, and mair nor reasoun, to take tent to ȝour conscience, to examine and trye ȝour conscience, in quhat estait and disposition it is.

Now, because it is ane sauourles jest to Certaine lessons to b [...] learned, quhair throw a man may preserue health in his consci­ence and saule. tell ȝou, that health is necessare, and not to open vp the way, how this health may be acquired, preserued, and intertained, Therefore, to keepe ȝour conscience in quietnes, and in good health; I sall giue ȝou thir few lessons. First of all tak heed, that ȝe kepe fast, a perswasion of the mer­cie of God in Christ Iesus; examin quhen thou lies down, and examin quhen thou rises vppe, in quhat estait thou art with God; quhither thou may looke surely for mercie at his hand or not: art thou per­swaded [Page] of mercie; assure thy self, thy con­science is at ane good point, thou hes health in thy saul, for be keeping of faith the conscience is preserued, as sayis the Apostle, 1. TIMOTH. 1. 19. Keep this per­swasion, halde it haill and sound, hurt it not, bring not thy saul in doubting sa far as thou may, stay not, nor hinder not thy perswasion, gif thou walde keepe health in thy saull: for gif thou doubt, or in o­nye wayes diminish thy perswasion, and assurance, assuredlye thy assurance can­not so sone be hindered, nor diminished; bot in that same article of time, sall fol­low, the diminishing of the health of thy saull: Ȝea, it cannot be, but in that same article of time, followes the hurt of thy conscience, for faith will not dwell, bot in ane haill conscience. Thairfore in quhat article of tyme thou dois against thy conscience, in that same article of time thou loses ane gree of thy perswa­sion of the mercy of God: and vnto the time that thou fall downe at the feete of Christ, & obtein mercy for that ill deed, purchase peace at his handes, to repaire thy perswasion; thou sall euer doubte of mercie, and want healthe in thy consci­ence. [Page] Then this is the first lesson, to keep health in ȝour saulles, look and see, that ȝe be perswaded of mercy.

The second lessoun to keepe a good conscience, or to keepe health in thy saul is this: Ȝee mann flee, eschewe, and for­beare quhatsoeuer may trouble the helth of ȝour saull, quhatsoeuer may trouble the quietnes & peaceable estait of ȝour conscience: Cast it out, forbeare it, and eschewe it. This generall is good: but quhat is it, lat see, that troubles the quiet estait of the conscience? Nathing in the warld but sinne, nathing in the earth, but an euill nature: Therefore, wee mann of force, to keepe health in our saulle; for­beare and eschew sinne, we mann flee sin, and rid our hand of it. It is not possible, that ȝee can baith keepe a good consci­ence, and serue the affections of ȝour heart: and therefore, to keepe peace and health in thy saull; thou mann bidd thy lustes goodnight: thou mann renounce the lusts and affections of thy heart, and thou mann not doe, as thou was woont to doe: thou mann not bee giuen to the seruice of thine affections, and of thine appetite, to put thame in executioun as [Page] thou woont to doe: but incase, thine af­fection or lust, commaund thee to doe o­nie thing; quhat is thy part? Thou mann try, howe farre this may stande with the good will of God, and how far that affe­ction quhilk commands thee, may agree with the law of God. Is there sic an har­mony, that that, quhilk thine affectioun commaunds thee, may stand with Gods law and halie will? Na question, it is ane sanctified affection; thou may put it in ex­ecution. But efter this triall, gif thou find thine affection to be exorbitant, and out of rule, carying thee plat fra God, and a­gains his lawe: Beware of it, resist it: be­ware, that thou put not the will of it in executioun. Or vtherway is, gif thou ful­fill the will of that affectioun ane hour, quhat pleasure can that bring with it? It may weill bring with it, a flattering plea­sure in the entrie: but it closes euer with a bitter remorse in the ende. Then to es­chew this bitter remorse, suld ȝee not all trie ȝour affections? Ȝee mann examine and try tham, be the square of Gods law, ȝe mann see, how far they agree with his law, or how far they disassent from it: and in sa far as, they disassent fra that law: lat [Page] euery man denie himselfe, renounce his affections; and swa, this triall being tane this way be thy selfe, it sanctifies thine af­fections, makes Christ to ludge in thy saull, makes thy conscience to be at rest, and the halie spirite this way, maks baith bodie and saull, to be in good health, and to reioyce. Then flie fra sin: This is the second lesson.

The third lesson is this, Studie to doe well: Walde thou keepe healthe in thy saull; studie to do better and better con­tinuallie: At least, haue a purpose in thy saull and hart, to take vp a better course dailie. Quhilk is the last lesson? Seeing that quhen wee studie to doe best, and that the iust man, that is, the maist halie man, fallis sa oft in the daye, as seauen tymes in the daye: ȝea rather, seuentye tymes seauen tymes, quhat is thy parte in thir slippes, and snappers? Suppose thou fall, as thou can not eschew to fall, ly not still there: sleep not there quhere thou hes fallen: It is a shame to sleepe there, therefore, ryse againe: And how sould thou ryse? Be lifting vp thy saull, and running to the fountaine of grace & mercie: bee running to Christ Iesus to seeke [Page] to be for a day, or for a ȝear: but it aught to bee euery day, and euery ȝeare of thy haill lifetime. For that conscience, that suld rest for euer, with the liuing GOD, that conscience, quhilk mann euer looke vpon the face of the Sonn of God: It can not be ouer wel scowred, we cannot look ouer narrowly to it: the mair curious we be in searching out of this conscience, we are the better occupied: I speake of our awn conscience, I speak not of our neigh­bours.

I ga to the third, and I come to the points quhairintill, euerie an of ȝou, suld In quhat points wee suld examin our consci­ence. trie and examine ȝour selfis. I giue ȝou twa points; quhairintil, euery ane of ȝou, aught to try and examine ȝour conscien­ces. Try thy conscience first in this point; quhither thou be at peace with God, quha is the Lorde of heauen, or not: Nixt, trie thy conscience in this point: quhither thou be in loue & amitie with thy neigh­bour, or not. Wald thou knaw, quhither thy conscience, bee at vnitie and peace with God, or not? thou sall knawe it this way. The God of heauen, hee cann haue na societie, nor can keepe na companie, with that saull, quhilk is alwayis vnclean, [Page] that is euery way defiled: na, he cannot. Now I speake not sa precisely, that I mak a saull to be fullie sanctified, and perfect­lie halie in this life. Na, in this life, there is wonderful iniquities, grosse sinnes, and great faults, quherewith, euen the righ­teous ar defiled: But this is my meaning; There is na saull, cann bee at peace with God, or quherewith the Lorde can haue ony societie, but in some measure, it man be sanctified, and made halie: for GOD cannot make residence in a saull, that is a stincking midding alway: and there­fore on force, in some measure it man be sanctified; there mann be sa meekle made cleane, in ane nuke or vther of that saule, quherein the Lord of heauen, be his ha­lie spirit may make his residence. Nowe lat see, quhereby is the saule sanctified? PETER Acts 15. 9. sayis, that the saull of man is purified be faith; that the heart of man is purged bee faith. Sa faith opins and purges the heart: bee faith in Christ Iesus, and in the merites of his blood, we haue peace with God. Being iustified be faith, wee haue peace towards God, tho­rough our Lord Iesus Christ, sayis the A­postle, ROM. 5. 1. Nowe comes in this [Page] point, ȝe haue to proue ȝour selfs, quhi­ther ȝee bee in the faith or not, as the A­postle sayis. 2. COR. 13. 5. Trie and see, quhither ȝee haue faith in Christ or not. Examine, gif ȝour saull be seasoned with this faith: for gif ȝee haue not faith in Christ; Christ is not in ȝou: and gif Christ be not in ȝou, ȝee are in ane euil estait, ȝe are in the estait of the reprobat and dam­ned. Sa, euery ane aught to looke care­fullie, and see, gif hee hes a beliefe in the blood of Christ or not: quhither hee be­leeues to get mercie bee his merites, and sanctificatioun be his blood or not: For gif thou haue na measure of this fayth, thou hes na measure of peace with God: Be reason, our peace with God, is ingen­dered, and grows daily mair and mair be true faith in Christ. Now this faith, quher it is true, quhere it is liuelie, and couples the heart with God, as I haue spoken; it mann breake out in worde and deed: It cannot be halden in, but it mann breake out. It mann breake out in word, in glo­rifying the God of heauen, quha hes for­giuen vs our sins: It mann breake out in word, be giuing a notable confession of they sinnes, quherein we haue offended [Page] him. It mann breake out in deed, in do­ing good workes, to testifie to the warld that thing, quhilk is within thy heart: to testifie to the warld, that thou, quha hes this faith, art ane new man; that bee thy good example of life and conuersatioun, thou may edifie thy brethren, the simple anis of the Kirke of GOD: and that bee thine halie life, thou may draw sinners to repentaunce, that they seeing thy light, they may bee compelled to glorifie God in thee. Then in the first point of triall, lat vs looke to thir three; to the heart, to the mouth, and to the hand: Take heed, that there be ane harmonie, betwixt thir three, and that they all sing ane sang: for gif the heart, bee inwardly coupled with God; there is na doubt, but the mouth wil outwardly glorifie him: and gif thine hart and mouth be renewed, and be ane: of necessitie, thou mann vtter this, in thy conuersatioun: There mann bee agree­ment betwixt the hart, and the hand: thy conuersation mann be changed with the heart, and be halie, honest and godly, as the heart is: Swa that, gif thy conuersa­sion be good; it is a sure taken, that thou art at ane with God: but gif thy conuer­sation [Page] be not good; lat men speake quhat they wil, the hart is but defiled: this true and liuely faith, hes na place in it. Then will thou speare, quhen art thou at ane with God? Quhen thy conuersatioun, thine hart, and thine mouth sayis all ane thing; then na questioun, thou hes the warke of fayth, wrought be the halie Spi­rit in thy heart, quhilk makes thee to bee at peace with God. This is the first point, quherein ȝee suld trie ȝour selfs.

The nixt point is loue; ȝee mann trie, quhither ȝee be in loue, and vnder chari­tie with ȝour neighbour or not: For as thou art not coupled with God, but bee the band of faith: sa thou art not cou­pled with thy neighbor, nor joyned with na member of Christ in this earth, but be the band of loue, amitie, and charity. Tak away loue, thou art not a member of this bodie: For loue is the maister sennoun, that couples all thir members of Christs body togither, & maks tham to grow vp all in a spirituall and mistical vnitie. Loue is the onelie marke, quhereby the chil­dren of Christ, and members of Christes bodie, are knawen from the rest of the warlde. Loue is that halie oyle, that re­freshes [Page] our saules, and makes vs like vnto God: and the mair wee growe in loue, the mair God be his spirit dwels in vs; for God is loue. Sa that, except in some mea­sure, loue towardes thy neighbour dwell in thy hart, thou can haue na society with thy neighbour, and far lesse with GOD. Gif the manners of men were examined be this rule; wee suld find a multitude of godles people in this Country, quha hes their hearts raging with malice, ilke ane against vthers: and quhere the Deuill, and a malitious spirite dwels; there is na place there for the haly spirit: & now sup­pose the Lord hes gan about, be al means possible, late and air, to instruct thame, and to infound in thame, this precious loue and amitie towardes God and their neighbour, and sa to alter their conditi­on: Ȝit they will not suffer thame selfis to bee walkned, quhill the great venge­ance and malediction of GOD, light on their carcases. Alwayis this loue, this ho­nest and godly conuersation, flows all fra the root of faith: sa that, gif thy hart haue faith, in any measure; and it were neuer sa small; in that same measure, thou man haue loue towardes thy neighbour: and [Page] this loue is neuer idle, but it is euer vtte­ring the selfe; ather in ane effect, or v­ther: And in respect faith is the ground, quherevpon all the rest dependes, and in respect, that this faith, is sick a jewell, as without the quhilk, it is not possible to onie of ȝou, to please God; without the quhilk, al ȝour doings are abhomination before him; without the quhilk, ȝee are left in a terrible miserie: quhilk miserie, is sa meekle the mair terrible, that ȝe are ignorant of it: Is it not good reason, that we knaw and vnderstand, how this fayth is wrought and created in our saules bee the halie Spirite, and howe it is intertay­ned and nurished in our saules: That see­ing how it is created, and hearing tel the maner, how it is brought about; ȝe may examine ȝour consciences, and see quhi­ther ȝee bee in the faith or not. My pur­pose was to haue insisted langer in this matter, nor this time will suffer. Nowe therefore, as time will suffer, and as God will giue the grace, I sall lat ȝou vnder­stand, how the halie Spirite imployes his trauaile, in the heart and mind of man & woman; and quhat pains he taks in crea­ting and making vp this jewel of faith in [Page] their sauls. Ȝit or I enter to this wark, to lat ȝou see the trauaills of the spirit of God, in working of this faith in ȝour harts: It is necessare, and mair nor neces­sare, that ȝee vnderstand first, ȝour awin miserie and infirmitie: and that ȝe knaw how the Lorde was induced, to recouer ȝou out of ȝour auld estait, & to recre­at ȝou, quha were lost be the deede of ȝour fore-father ADAM.

Then to take vp the matter the mair highlie, I call to ȝour memories this The myst of mans nation in some me sure disc sed. ground: That man vniuersallie, and e­uery ane particularie beeing corrupted, being lost, and that be his first forebears faulte: (For gif there were na mair but that same first fault and sinne of his, wee are all justlie oblished and bound to ane double death, baith of body and saul for ever.) Man, this way vniuersally and par­ticularlie, being vtterly lost, without a­ny hope of regres left in his saull, with­out ony sense of the recouerie of that for mer estaite, or reparing of that image quhilke hee had tint throw sinne lang of before: he being lost be this sinne, and lefte in this desperate estait in him selfe, quhat dois God? The euerliuing God, [Page] God, onlye wise; quhais wayes are vn­searchable, hes found out ane waye, how that man this way lost; ȝit hee may bee saued. In this turne, he soght counsaill, quhome at? Not at any creature: but he sought counsaill at him self: the per­sons of the Trinitie, sought counsaill at them selfis: ea God was moued to seeke counsaill at him self, onlie moued in him self: for he had not ane externall princi­pall outwith him self, to induce him. Swa he seeking this counsell at him selfe, and beeing mooued in him selfe thereto: AS EPHES. 1. 9. quhat dois hee? Quhen all men and women sulde haue died for euer, it pleasis him of his infinite mercie to select out of all, and to elect a certaine number out of the loste race of ADAM, that suld haue perished for euer. In this his counsail and decreet, moued I say of him self, and seeking counsaill at himself onlie, he selectes a certaine number out of this rotten race: quhilke certaine, he will haue sanctified, he will haue justified, he will haue glorified. And therefore to bring about the work of their saluation, quhat dois hee? He appointes his awin naturall sonne (for he had but ane natu­rall [Page] sonne,) he appointes the second per­son of the Trinitie, his awin naturall Son, God in power, glorie, and Majestie, als high as him selfe: aequall with God the Father in all things; he appoints him to work this warke, to bring about this wark of our redemption and aeternal sal­uation: (this is but the mysterye of it in some measure disclosed.) And therefore in the fulnes of tyme (for he dispensis all times according to his wisedome,) at sik tyme as he appointed, he maks his sonne to come downe, to sease him selfe in the wemb of the virgin, to take on our flesh, to take on the likenes of sinne, he tooke not on sinne, but he took on the likenes of sinne. Quhat call I that likenes? our flesh is the likenes of sinne: hee took on our flesh and nature, the lyknes of sinne, quhilk wes perfitelie sanctified, in the ve­rie moment of his conception, in the ve­rie wembe of the virgine: Hee tooke on this flesh, that in this flesh and nature, sin might be banisht and dung out of vs for euer. And quhere we suld all haue gane ea gaite, (for there was na exception of persons be nature;) Christ Iesus our Sa­ueour, hes elected vs: and according as [Page] his Father in his secreet election, before the beginning of the worlde, had elected vs: the same Christ Iesus in his awin time hee callis vs, hee makis vs pertakers of that saluation, quhilk he hes purchased: and hee repairis not onlye that Image quhilk was lost in our fore-father ADAM, he places vs not in a terrestriall paradise, quhere ADAM was placed at the begin­ning, (and quhat mair could haue bene sought be vs?) but he giues vs a far mair excellent image, nor we lost: he places vs in a mair high, and in a mair coelestial Paradise nor wee lost. For, sa meekill the mair heauenlie is the paradise quhilk hee giues vs, as the second ADAM is mair excellent nor the first: and as the Son of God, and God him selfe, gais far aboue any creature that euer was; man, or An­gell. Therefore it comes to pas, that be the benefite of the second ADAM, Christ Iesus our Sauiour, the Sonne of God; quhereas, gif we had remained in that I­mage quherein our fore-father was first created: wee suld haue setled our selfis in the earth for euer, we culd not haue cra­ued a better Paradise, nor ane earthlye Paradise for earthly tabernacles. Be the [Page] benefite of the Sonne of God, I saye, it comes to pas, that we are plucked vp out of the earth to the heauen, and to ane heauenly paradise. And quhat haue we to do with heauen? Are we not made of the earth, to returne to the earth? becoms not ane earthlye paradise, ane earthly body? Ȝit the Lord in his mercy sendis downe his Sonne, to draw vs vp out of the earth to the heauen: This is sa high a thing, that it cannot be easily cō ­sidered: For this drawing of vs to ane heauenlie paradise, is a thing mair nor coulde haue beene thought of, that wee suld liue ane Angels life in heauen: how could the hart of man think on this? ȝit it pleased the leuing Lord in the great ri­ches and bowels of his mercie, and in the exceeding greatnes of the power of his mercie towards vs: (The Apostle in that Epistle to the EPHESIANS, can not get words anew to expresse this; hee knawes not how to begin, nor how to end: quhā he speakes of the riches of that mercye. And gif ȝe look that Epistle to the EPHE­SIANS narrowlie, ȝe sall finde maa high, and excellent stiles, giuen to the riches of that mercie, in that Epistle, nor in ony [Page] other parte of the scripture.) It pleased him, I say, of his awin mercy, not to giue vs simply the Image quhilk we lost, nor to leaue vs in this earth: but it pleased him to giue vs, a better image: and be­side that, to place vs in heauen, to byde with him for euer.

Now, restes his mercy and grace heir? Na: But that this saluation quhilk hee hes alreadye purchased, and brought a­bout, be his Sonne our Sauiour Christ Ie­sus, that it might bee alwaies accompli­shed, hauing nathing lacking in it: As he redeemed vs in his awin person perfitlie: Swa, he makes this same redemptioun, to come to our knawledge, and makes vs sure of it in our owne consciences; and to this ende, quhat dois hee I praye ȝou? As he be his death purchased our ful redemption: sa he maks it knawin to vs: hee intimates it to vs, bee our inwarde calling: letting vs baith finde and feele in our heart, quhat hee did in his bo­die for vs: For our Lord▪ quhen he maks his seruants to proclaime this redemp­tion, and to intimate it to our conscien­cis: he workis this jewell of faith in our saulls, quhilk assures vs, that the Sonn of [Page] God hes died for vs: For quhat coulde it auaile vs, to see our redemption, to see our saluation and our life a farre of, gif a way wer not founde out, and a hande, & a moyan giuen vs, quhereby we may ap­prehend that saluation, & apply it to our self. Quhat can it avail a sick man, to see a drog in ane Apothicaries booth, except a way be found out, how it sall be appli­ed to his sick bodie: Swa, to the end that this worke of our redemption and salua­tion, may bee fullie and freely accompli­shed: Look how freelie hee hes giuen his onely Sonn, to the death of the Cros for vs: als freelie hes he founde out this way & moyen, & propyned vs with this hand quhereby we may take hald on Christ, & apply him to our saulls. This moyan, to conclude, is faith. There is not a waye, nor ane instrument in the Scriptures of God, quhereby ony man or woman, may apply Christ to thair saulls, but only the instrument of faith: therefore faith can­not bee aneugh commended. Turne to faith, and it will make thee to turne to God, and swa conjoine thee with God, and make all thine actions to smell weill in his nease: And there is neuer a good [Page] actiō that we do, suppose it glaūce neuer sa weill before the warlde, gif it bee not done in faith, but it is abhomination be­fore God, & will help foreward to our dānation: Hauing faith, all the creatures of God mann laugh on vs; they mann all conspire to the furtherance of the worke of our saluation: As be the contrare, lac­king faith, there is neuer ane of the cre­atures of God, but they sall be enemies to vs, and conspire to our damnatioun. For faith conjoynis vs with the GOD of heauen, and makis vs heauenlye. This jewell of faith, seasons all the giftes and graces quhilk God giues vs. I will not giue a straw, for all the riches of the earth to my saull, without faith. And quhat auailes it to ony man, to haue all the sciences, wisedome, and knawledge in the earth, without faith? for the de­uil hes all this knawledge; and is not the better. Quhat auaillis it to me, to con­ques all the Monarches, Kingdomes, & haill riches in the earth? quhat can all thir auaill to my saull? Na thing; but to make out a proces against mee, gif I want faith. Therefore all the benefites and giftes of God, without faith; auailes [Page] nathing, but to augment our misery. All the giftes and graces of God, are abused without faith: Faith onlie makes thee to vse the benefits & graces of God rightly: faith onlie suld bee sought, keeped, and interteined heir in this life: hauing faith, all the rest of Gods graces are profita­ble to thee: for this jewell keeps them all in order, and makes them al fruitful: quhere, lacking this jewell, there is na­thing heir in this earth, but it will beare testimonie against thee.

Then let vs come to speake ȝit of this How faith is created i [...] our sauls. faith, how it is created in euery e ane of ȝour sauls. I take my ground out of the Euangelist IOHN, 6. 44. quhere our mai­ster sayis: Na man can come to mee, ex­cept the Father quhilk hath sent mee, drawe him. Into the quhilk words, we see cleaerlie, that except we be drawne, except we be compelled, except wee bee rugged, except of vnwilling we be made willing, be God the Father; it is not pos­sible for vs to come to his Sonne. Quhat is the reason of this, that the spirite of God mann draw vs, and make vs willing or euer we come to God? Becaus be na­ture, we are not onlie wounded and lan­ced [Page] be sinne and iniquitie; but as the A­postle shawis EPHES. 2. 1. We were hali­lie dead in trespassis and sinnes. Ȝea, far­der looke, howe voide any carcase is of a naturall life, als voide ar our sauls (sup­pose they be liuand the naturall life) als voide are they of the life of God, of that heauenlie and spirituall life, quhereunto we in this life doe aspire: vnto the tyme that the spirit of God draw our harts & mindis, that is; quicken our hartes and mindis. Nay, it is not a draught as wee take it commonlie, it is a verye quicke­ning of a dead thing: It is a quickening of that thing quhilk was voide of the life of the spirite. Then, except the spirit of God drawe vs, that is, quicken vs with that spirituall & heauenlie life: it is not possible to vs to come to heauen. And except hee nourish this life, quhilk hee hes begunne, it is not possible that wee can stand in this life. Swa, the spirit of God is said to drawe vs, that is, to begin this life in vs, and be the same halie Spirit to continue & nourish this life in vs. Now be the draught of the spirit, our sauls ar quickened: and bee the drawing of the spirite, I vnderstand na other thing, but [Page] the forging and creating of faith in our sauls, quhilk makis vs newe creaturs. Lat vs see now, quhat order the spirit of God keepis in drawing vs, and in forging and creating this faith in our sauls. First of al, I deuide the saull in na ma parts, nor commonlie it vsis to be deuided: that is, in the hart and in the minde. Our mind then being ane clud of darknes, altoge­ther blinde naturallie: there beeing na­thing in that mind of ours, but vanity & error, quherby we vanish away, & can ne­uer bide at na good purpose: quhat dois the spirit of God? The first work that e­uer the spirit of God dois, he takis order with the mind: and quhat dois he to the mynde? He bannishis darcknes, he chais­ses out vanitie and blindnes, that natu­rally lurkes in the minde: and in stead of this darcknes, he places in the mynde, a light▪ a coelestiall and a heauenlie light, a light quhilk is resident in Christ Iesus onlie. Then the spirite chaisses out that clud of miste and darcknes, and places light in the mynde. And quhat dois hee be this light? Wee getting this inward and heauenlie light in the mind, and ane sanctified vnderstanding; incontinent he [Page] makis vs to see God: not onlie, as hee is God the creator of the warld: but alswa, as hee is God the redeemer, and hes re­deemed vs in his Son Christ Iesus. Now before I get this light, quhat is my heart and mynde dooing? There is neuer ane of ȝou, but ȝee haue experience, as I my selfe haue, in quhat estait the heart and minde is before this light enter. The mynde is lyand drowned in blindnes, & the hart is hardned, and they baith con­spire together in ane vice, to set vp ane I­doll in steed of God: ane domestick & in­uisible idoll, & quhat a sort of idol is that I pray ȝou? Na doubt, an warldly or fleshly affectiō, ane or vther: this is set vp in the throne of thy hart: And on this idol, thou bestows the seruice of thy hail hart, of thy hail minde, of thy haill saull & bo­die: Sa, that the seruice, baith of saul and bodie, quhilk suld be bestowed vpō God onlie, is imployed vpō that idoll, quhilk is set vp in thy hart, that is, in the place of God, in the steede of the maist high God: And thou art mair addicted to the seruice of that idol, nor euer thou wes to the seruice of the liuing God. Ȝea, vnto the tyme that this Idol of ours be bani­shed, [Page] & that this blindnes, quherthrow this idoll is serued, be tane away; there is not ane of ȝou, but ȝe are seruant to ane lust or vther: & thy saul that suld be con­secrat to the seruice of the liuing God, it is imployed vpō ane affectiō or vther: v­pō ane warldly or fleshly lust of thin awin But now, fra time the Lord begin to scat­ter the cluds of our natural minds & vn­derstāding: & begin to chase away this thick mist of the dark saull; & places ther­in a sponk of heuenly light, quhilk flowis out of Christ: And quhere we were chil­dren of the night and darknes of before, he makes vs to be light in the Lord, and to bee children of the light, and of the day. Then wee see, that all the things in the warld, beside the liuing God, are va­nities, deceaueable allurements, vncon­stant shaddowes, fleetand and flowand without ony byding: and then wee see that our hartes and mindes was set on ill continuallie. Then wee begin to ab­hor that Idoll, and to seek to serue God onlie. Now except the Lord of his awin mercy & goodnes, place in vs this light, vnto the tyme that we get some glimme­ring of this light, wee can neuer see our [Page] awin vanitie, lat bee to see God. This then is the first warke of the Spirit, hee bannishes darcknes and errors, and pla­ces light in our mindis. Nowe, this first wark of the Spirite, is termed oftymes in the Scripture, vnder the name of faith: for the minde hes the awin assent & per­swasion in the awin kynde, als weill as the hart hes: and therefore the mind be­ing illuminat & seasoned with this light, the assenting and knawledge in the same minde, is called faith. The Apostle, and the Euangelists giues to this knawledge, the name of faith: for fra time ains thou haue ane eie to ken God, and quhom he hes sent Christ Iesus, fra ains thou get a sight of him, and gets accesse to him, gif it wer na farder nor in the mind, it is cal­led faith.

But we are forbidden to stand heir, gif faith ga na farder nor the minde, it is not the faith wee are seekand. For the Faith that justifies, and dois vs good, mann oppin the heart, als weill as it op­pinnis the minde: it mann bannish that idol and affection, out of the hart, and in his steed, set down a Throne to Christ Ie­sus. Sa that, except the good Spirite of [Page] God ga farder, nor rhe mynde; and ban­nish this idol, als weil out of our harts, as out of our minds, we get not that justifi­ing faith, quhereby wee may looke for mercie. Ȝea, the Spirit of God mann not onlie stand in lightening the minde: but it mann mollifie this hart of thine, and change thine affection: And quhere thy affection was wicked and ill, Gods Spi­rit mann change the will: and hee neuer can change the will, except he make the ground of thy hart good: that it may be set on God, and bring foorth good frute aboundantlie to the awner. And quhat teaches this? This teaches ȝou to seeke, for ane honest hart, and to seeke instant­ly, quhil ȝe obteene it. For quhat auails it to ony man to ken quhat is good, or quhat is ill, except he haue a way shawin him, how hee sall eschew the ill, and a moyan giuen him to make him selfe per­taker of the good? Is not this ane idle and vnprofitable knawledge to mee, to see a far off: and to ken, that this is good for mee, quhen as I finde not a moyan how to be pertaker of that good, that it may be ane speciall good thing to mee. Is it not ane idle knawledge also, to ken [Page] that this is ill for mee, that it wil do mee ill gif I doe it: and ȝit that same verye thing I will do; and na vther? Swa, the Spirit of God linckes thir twa together in this warke: and as he reformes the minde, hee reformes also the heart, and makes ȝou to be pertakers of that good quhilke ȝou see, and to eschewe that ill quhilk ȝee see. And this is the second warke of the Spirit, not onlie to present a thing to thee, but to make it thine in effect. For, howbeit the minde wald do hir turne neuer sa weill, and lat thee see that Christ is thine; and present him to thee, neuer sa oft; gif the hart be not re­formed, that wil, and cruked affection that is in thy heart, will prefer it selfe to Christ, and will make thee to compt all but follie, in respect of that Idoll. And therefore it were ane idle and ane foolish thing for mee to see my saluation, except I get grace to be pertaker of it: & quhat auailes it to thee to see the Diuel, to see thine awin sins that slayes thee, except thou get grace to eschew tham: & sa the second wark of the spirit is this; he enters in the heart, he dantons the hart, & wō ­derfully chāges it, & makes the will of it [Page] obediēt; he mollifies the affection, quhilk was hard of before, in sic sort, that it is made to poure out thy affection in some measure on the liuing GOD, quhere it was powred out on ane idoll or vther of thine awin before. Then except the hart wil do his part, as the mind dois his part; the haill saull is not consecrate to God: for God hes not made the saull, that the heart suld serue thee, and the minde onely suld serue him: but thy seruice is then onelie acceptable to GOD, quhen thou consecrates thy hart, as weill as thy mind to him.

Now this mater is sa cleare, that it mi­sters not to be illustrat be similitude: Ȝit A similitude of the app [...]e hension of the corporal food, to illu­strat the spi­rituall▪ to make it mair cleare vnto ȝou, we sal lat ȝou see bee a similitude, that the appre­hēsion of the mind is not aneugh, except ȝee get the apprehension of the heart al­so. In corporall things, in meat and drink that serues for the vse of ȝour bodies; there mann bee of this meat and drinke, twa sort of apprehensions; and as there is twa sort of apprehensions, of the meat and drinke, that is the food of the bodie; swa, there is twa sort of apprehensions, of the bodie & blood of Christ Iesus, quhilk [Page] is our meat and drinke spiritual. Of meat and drinke corporall, there is ane appre­hension bee the eie, and be the taist: that quhil as the meat is present to ȝou on the table, ȝour eie takes a view of this meat, discernes on it, and makes a choyce of it; Ȝea, not onelie the eie, but also the taist, discernes on that meat, and the taist ap­proouing it; that is called the first appre­hension.

Now vpon this, quhilk is the first, the second apprehension followes: that is, ef­ter that ȝe haue chewed that meat, letten it ouer ȝour halse, and send it to ȝour sto­machs, quhere it digests, and conuerts in ȝour nuriture: Then in ȝour stomach, ȝee get the second apprehension. But gif swa bee, that ȝour eie like not of that meat, & that ȝour taist like not of it nather; the second apprehensioun followes not: for thou wilt spit it out again, or reject it, and prefer an vther thing to it, that thou likes better. That meat quhilk thou likes not, enters neuer in thy stomach, and sa it can neuer bee conuerted in thy nuriture: For it is onlie the second apprehension of the meat, that is the cause of the nurishment of the body, to our corporall food: Swa [Page] that, gif ȝee chewe not this meat, and lat it ouer; it feeds ȝou not. Then it is onely the second apprehensioun, that nurishes our bodie. It is euen siclike in thay spiri­tuall things (sa far as they may bee com­pared) in the foode of Christ Iesus, quha is the life and nuriture of our saules and consciences: there mann bee twa sorts of apprehensions of Christ Iesus; The first apprehension, is be the eie of the minde, that is, be our knawledge and vnderstan­ding▪ for as the eie of the bodie, discerns bee ane outwarde light; sa the eie of thy mind, discerns be ane inward and renew­ed vnderstanding, quhereby, wee gett the first apprehension of Christ. Now, gif this first apprehension of Christ, like vs weill, then the nixt followes: wee begin to cast the affectioun of our hearts on him, wee haue good will of him: For all our affec­tions proceeds fra our will, and our affe­ction being renewed and made halie: we set it halely vpon Christ, we loue him; and gif wee loue him, wee take hald on him, we eat him, and digests him; that is, wee apply him to our sauls: and sa of this loue & liking of him, the second apprehension dois folow. But gif sa be, that we haue na [Page] will of him, that we haue na loue nor ly­king of him; quhat doe we I praye ȝou? Then we reject him, and prefers our awin idoll, and the seruice of our awin affect­on to him; and swa, the second apprehen­sion follows not: We cannot digest him, and gif wee digest him not that spirituall life cannot grow in vs. For look in quhat place, the eie serues to thy bodie; in that same roume, serues knawledge and vn­derstaunding to thy saule: and looke in quhat place, thy hand and thy mouth, the tast and the stomach, serues to thy body; in that same roume, serues the heart and affection to thy saull: sa that, as our bo­die cannot bee nurished, except our hand take, and our mouth eat the meat, wher­throw the second apprehension may fol­low. Likewise, our saules cannot feed on Christ, except we gripp him, and imbrace him hartelie be our wil and affection. For we come not to Christ, bee ony outward motion of our bodie, but be ane inward motioun and apprehension of the heart: for God, finding vs al in a reprobat sense, hee brings vs to Christ, be reforming the affectioun of our saules, bee making vs to loue him. And therefore, the second ap­prehension, [Page] quhereby we digest our Saui­our, will neuer enter into our saules; ex­cept, as he pleases the eie, sa hee please the will and the affection also. Nowe gif this come to passe, that our wil and affec­tioun is halelie bent vpon Christ; then na dout, we haue gotten this jewell of faith: haue ȝee sic a liking in ȝour mind, and sic a loue in ȝour heart of Christ, that ȝe will preferre him to all thinges in the warlde; Then na questioun, faith is begunne in ȝou.

Now, fra time a thing be begun, there is farther required: for suppose this faith How faith is nurished & intertained in vs. be formed in ȝour mindes, in ȝour harts and saulles, ȝit that is not aneugh, but that quhilke is formed, man be nurished, and hee quha is conceaued, mann bee in­tertained and brought vp; or els the loue that is begone in me bee the halie spirit, except be ordinare means, it be daily in­tertained and nurished, it will decay: ex­cept the Lord continue the draught and working of his halie Spirit; it is not possi­ble that I can continue in the faith. And how mann we nurish and continue fayth in our saules? Twa maner of wayis: first, we nurish faith begun in our saul, be hea­ring [Page] of the word: not of euerie word, but bee hearing of the worde of GOD prea­ched: and not bee the hearing of euerie man; but be hearing the word preached be him that is sent. For this is the ordi­nair meane, quherevnto the Lorde hes bound him: he will worke faith, be hea­ring of the word, and perceptioun of the Sacraments: and the mair thou heare the word, & the oftner thou receaue the Sa­craments; the mair thy faith is nurished. Nowe it is not onely, bee hearing of the word, and perception of the Sacraments, that we nurish faith. The word & the sa­craments, are not able of thame selfis, to nurish this faith in vs, except the working of the halie Spirite, bee conjoyned with their ministerie: But the word and sacra­ments, ar said to nurish faith in our sauls, because they offer and exhibite Christ to vs, quha is the meat, the drinke, and life of our saules: and in respect, that in the word & Sacraments, we get Christ, quha is the foode of our saules; therefore the word and Sacraments, are sayd to nurish our saules: as is set downe Acts 2. 42. The Disciples of Christ, were earnestlie occu­pied, and continued in the Apostles do­ctrine [Page] and fellowshippe, and breaking of bread, and praiers: bee thir meanes, in­tertening, augmenting, and nurishing the faith that was begun in thame. Then the halie Spirite begets this faith, works this faith, creats this faith, nurishes and inter­taines this faith in our saules, be hearing of the preached word, and be participa­tion of the sacraments, quhilk are the or­dinair meanes, quhereby, the Lord nuri­shes vs, and continews this spirituall food with vs: For looke be quhat meanes, the spirituall life is begunne, bee thay same means, it is nurished and intertained. As this temporall life is intertained and nu­rished bee thay same meanes, quhereby it is begun.

Thē seing be thir means, the haly spirit Conclusion with an [...] ­hortation. begets this work of faith in our sauls: it is our dutie to craue, that he wil continue the wark, quhilk he hes begun: & for this cause, we suld resort to the hearing of the word, quhen it is preached, and to the re­ceauing of the sacraments, quhen they ar ministred, that we may be fed in our sauls to life euerlasting. But alas, we are come to sic a loath, disdain, & offcasting of this heauenlie foode in this Countrey: That [Page] quhere men in the beginning, wald haue gane, some twentie miles, some fourtie miles, to the hearing of this word: they will scarcelie now come fra their house to the Kirk, and remaine ane hour to heare the word, but bides at hame. Weil I say, ouer great welth, gars wit wauer; and the aboundance of this word, ingenders sik a lothsomnes, that it is a rare thing to find out onye, that hes that thirst and desire to heare the word, as they were wont to haue in the beginning: And as to our great men, they wil not heare it at all: for they cannot heare the thing that accuses thame, and conuicts thame, but because this word accuses & conuicts thame, they run fra it. But they suld not do swa; they suld not run fra Christ, nor fra his worde that accuses tham: but they suld hear the worde, and as the worde accuses thame, they suld accuse tham selfs also that ther­by, they may come to a confessioun of their sin, & obtaine mercie for the same. Sa, quhen Christ accuses thee, thou suld not run fra him, but thou suld draw neer to him, thou suld threepe kindnes of him and make irruption, as it were, and forci­blie enter in his kingdome. It is not the [Page] way, quhen thy sinne twitches thee, and quhē Christ accuses thee, to run fra him: Na, thou suld then turn to him; thou suld confes thy sin, cry Peccaui, & seek mercy: and efter that thou hes gottē mercy, this word sal become als pleasant to thee, and thou sall take als great delite, to come to the hearing of it; as euer thou delited to fly fra it before. But alas, our lothsomnes and disdaine, is grown to sick ane height; that truly, I am moued to beleeue firmly, that the Lord hes concluded, that wee sal not enter in his rest; and that only, for the great contempt of his mercy and grace, quhilk is now sa richly offered: For why? God cannot deal vtherwayis with vs, nor he dealt with our for fathers the Israelits, for the negligence of the euangel, quhilk was but then obscurely preached: for thē, it was farre fra the incarnation of Christ; and the farther that it was fra his incar­nation, the Euangell was ay the mair ob­scurely preached, vnder darke types and shadows; Ȝit notwithstāding, the fathers that hard that euangel preached, and be­leeued it not; they perished all in the wil­dernes, except twa, as ȝe haue hard some­time fra this place: And gif they, for the [Page] contempt of sa darke ane light perished: Meeklemair mann ȝe, that are their chil­dren perish, for the contempt of the Son of righteousnes, quha is risen sa plainlie, & shines sa clearlie now, in the preaching of the gospel: except the Lord in his mercy preuent ȝou, and except ȝee preuent his judgment be earnest seeking, and ex­cept ȝe seeke a feeling, & seek inward sen­ses, that ȝe may see & feele the grace that is offered. Craue againe, that he wil san­ctifie ȝour hearts be repentance, that ȝee may repent ȝou of ȝour sinnes, and take vp ane honest, and ane godly conuersati­on in all time-comming; that baith body and saull may bee saued in the day of the Lord. The Lord worke this in ȝour sauls, that ȝe may seeke mercie, & seeking mer­cie, ȝe may get mercy: and in mercie, ȝee may get a grip of Christ, and that for his righteous merites: To quhome with the Father and the halie Spirit, be all ho­nor, praise and glorie, for now and euer.

Amen.

THE FIFT AND LAST SERMON, VPPON THE PRE­paration to the Lords Supper, preached the 2. day of March. 1589.

INTO the Doctrine of our triall and due exa­mination; the Apostle, as ȝee heard, (weilbelo­ued in Christ Iesus) hee gaue vs a speciall com­mand, that euery ane of vs, suld trye and examine narrowlie our selfis; that is, that euery man suld condi­scend, and enter into his awn conscience, try and examin the estait of his awin con­science; in quhat estait hee findes it with [Page] God, and in quhat estate he finds it with his neighbour: hee inioynes this tryal to our selfes, and commands that euery ane of vs, suld take paines vpon the true exa­mination of our consciences; hee injoyns this warke to vs, quhy? Be reason na man knawes sa meekle of me as I do my selfe; be reson, na man can be sure of the estait of my conscience, but I my selfe; be reason na man can sa diligentlie, nor sa profita­bly try my conscience, as I my selfe: ther­fore chiefly it becomes every man, and woman, or ever they enter to the hearing of the worde, or giue eare to the worde, or their mouth to the Sacrament: It be­comes thame to trye and examin their awin consciences. Not that the Apostle walde seclude the tryal of vther men: for as it is leasume to me to try my selfe, sa na doubt it is leasume to my Pastour to try me: It is leasume to vther men that hes a care ouer mee, to try and examine me: but na man can do this, sa profitably to me, as I my selfe: and suppose we had neuer sa mony examiners, and triers, all is lost, gif we try not our selfs: Swa, quhi­ther there be a second or a third trier: let our selfe be the first, and let our selfe be [Page] ane: And na dout the Apostles mind hes bene this to let vs see clearlie, that he or she that comes to that table, and hes not that knawledge, nor is not of that ability to try thame selfes, are prophane com­mers, comes vncleanly as dogs, and ther­fore man come to their awn destruction. Let euery man therefore grow in knawe­ledge, growe in vnderstanding, growe in the Spirite, that hee may bee the mair able to trie and examine his awin consci­ence.

To the end that ȝe might ga fordward, and proceede in the worke of this triall with the better speede, and with the bet­ter fruits: Into this examination we laid downe this ordour. First of all, wee lute ȝou see, quhat is that, quhilk wee call a conscience, and quhat is meaned therby: Nixt, we lute ȝou see for quhat causes ȝe suld put ȝour consciences to this trial and narrow examination: & thirdlie, sa far as time suffered, we entered into the points, quhereinto euery ane of ȝou suld try and examine ȝour awin consciences. As to conscience, that ȝee may call that difini­tioun to ȝour memorie; I will resume it shortlie. Wee call a conscience, a certaine [Page] feeling in the heart, resembling the righ­teous judgement of God, following vp­pon a deed done be vs, flowing of knaw­ledge in the minde: A feeling accompa­nied with a motioun in the heart, a mo­tioun, ather of feare or ioy, of trembling or rejoysing. I leaue the opening vpp of thir pairts to ȝour memories; and I pray God, that they may be weill sanctified. I come nixt to the causes, quherefore eue­rie ane of ȝou, suld bee carefull in trying and examining ȝour awin consciences. The first cause is; because the Lorde of heauen, hes his eie continuallie vpon the conscience; the eie of God, comes neuer off the conscience and heart of man; as I prooued to ȝou, be sundrie places. Nixt, be reason this God hes chosen his ludge­ing, and hes sett downe his throne, to make his residence in the conscience: Therefore, that hee may dwell in cleane­nesse, ȝou aught to haue a regard to his dwelling place. Thirdlie, hee is the Lord: Ȝea, the onelie Lorde of thy conscience, quha hes power onely to controle; quha onelie hes power to saue, or to tine: ther­fore, that it may doe good seruice to thy awn Lord, thou aught to take tent to thy [Page] conscience. And last of all, in respect, that the health of thy saull, stands in the estait of thy conscience; and gif thy saull bee in good health, thy bodie cannot be euill: Therefore in respect, that saull and bodie, dependes vppon the estait of the conscience; euerie ane of ȝou, suld care­fullie looke to ȝour consciences. I will not amplifie this, but remits the matter to ȝour memories: howe the health of the saull, and weilfair of the saull, suld be keeped.

Nixt, I come in the thrid and last rowme, to the points, into the quhilk e­uerie ane of ȝou, suld try and examine ȝour consciences: And as ȝe remember, I set down twa points, quhere into it be­houes ȝou to put ȝour consciences to tri­all. First, to knaw quhether ȝour consci­ences wes at peace with God, or not: se­condlie, quhether ȝour consciences wes in loue, in charitie, & in amitie with ȝour neighbour, or not: Into thir twa points chieflie, ȝee mann try and examine ȝour selfis. To ken quhether ȝee bee at peace with God or not, ȝe mann first try, quhe­ther ȝe be in the faith, or not: (as the A­postle speakes) quhether ȝee bee in the [Page] faith of Christ or not: For, being in the faith, and justified thereby; of force ȝee mann haue peace with God, as the A­postle speakes. Then the nixt cair mann be to try ȝour faith, and to see quhether ȝe haue faith, or not. Faith can na waies be tryed, but be the fruits: faith can not be judged on be mee, that lookes on it at the least, but be the effects: Therefore to try quhether ȝee be in the faith, or not: take tent to the frutes: take tent to thy mouth, take tent to thy hand, take tent to thy wordes, and to thy deedes. For, except thou glorifie God in thy mouth, and confes to thy saluation: and except thou glorifie him also in thy deedes, and make thine haly life to testify of thy haly How ane sinceare faith is [...]w in faith, all is but vaine, all is but meer hy­pocrisie. Therefore to knaw the synceri­tie of thy faith, thou mann take tent, that there be ane harmony betwixt thy hand, thy mouth, and thy hart: that there bee a mutuall consent, that thy doings pre­judge not thy hart, that thy mouth pre­judge not thy hart: but that mouth and hand, may testifie of the synceritie of the heart. Gif the heart, the hand, and the mouth, consent and agree in ane harmo­nie [Page] together: Na question, that hart that breakes foorth in sa good frutes, is cou­pled with God: there is na question, the light of thy actions, the beames and shy­ning of thy life, sall make the name of thy good God to bee glorified. There­fore the haill weight of our tryall stands chieflie vpon this point: to see quhether wee bee in the faith, or not: to examine quhether Christ dwels in vs bee faith, or not: For without faith, there can bee na coupling, nor conjoining betwixt vs and Christ: without faith our hart can not be sanctified and clenged: and without faith we can not worke bee charitie: sa all de­pends on this onlie. And therefore that ȝe might the better vnderstād quhether ȝe haue faith or not: I gaid somequhat mair highly in this matter, and I begoud to lat ȝou see, how the haly Spirit creats faith, & workes faith in ȝour sauls, harts, and mindes. I begouth to let ȝou see, quhat order the halye Spirite keeped, in forming and in creating this notable in­strument in ȝour harts and mindes: Not only how he ingenders and begins faith, but alswa how he interteinis it, how hee nourishes it: and we lute ȝou see, the ex­ternall [Page] meanes and instrumentes quhilk he vsis to this effect. To beget faith in our sauls, the halie Spirit vses the hearing of the worde preached, bee him that is sent; & the ministerie of the Sacraments, as ordinarie meanes and instrumentes: quhilk ordinare meanes are onelie then effectual, quhē as the haly Spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts, with the worde striking outwardlie in our eare: and with the Sacrament outwardlie receaued. And except the haly Spirit grant his con­currance to the word, and to the Sacra­ment; word and Sacrament wil not work faith. Swa, all depends vpon the wor­king of this haly Spirit. The haill rege­neration of mankinde, the renewing of the hart and of the conscience, depends on the power of the haly Spirit: and ther fore it becoms vs cairfully, to imploy our trauails, in incalling for his haly Spirit. Be the same means and na vther, that the halie Spirite begets faith in vs; bee the same meanes he nourishis and augments that, quhilk he hes begotten. And ther­fore, as wee get faith bee hearing of the word; sa be continuall and diligent hea­ring, we haue this faith augmented, and [Page] nourished in vs. And heir I drew out my exhortation, that gif ȝe wauld haue that spirituall life nourished in ȝou, and gif ȝe wald haue a farder assurance of heauen: on force ȝe mann baith continuallie and diligentlie, heare the blessed worde of God.

Now it rests that euery ane of ȝou cair­fullie applye this doctrine to ȝour awin saulls, and enter into the tryall of ȝour awin consciences: to see, gif this faith, as I spake, bee begunne in ȝour hearts and minds, or not: How far, or how little the halie Spirit hes proceeded in that wark, try with mee, and I with ȝou. The first effect of the haly Spirite, quhereby ȝee may try ȝour minde, quhether it bee in the faith, or not; is this: Reuolue in ȝour memories, and remember, gif at ony time, it pleased the Lord in his mercie to turne the darcknes of ȝour minde vnto light, to make that darcknes quhilk wes within ȝou to depart. Be the quhilk darknes, nather had ȝee ane eie to see ȝour selfis, quhat ȝee war bee nature: nor ȝet had ȝee ane eie to see God in Christ, nor ony part of his mercie. Examine I saye, quhether gif this darcknes of the natu­rall [Page] vnderstanding, be turned into light, be the working of the Spirit, or not: Gif thou art become a childe of the light, a childe of the day: Gif thou art become as the Apostle speakes, light in the Lord: Gif there be this alteration maid in thy minde, that quhere naturallye off be­fore, it was closed vp in darcknes; quhere it was filled with vanities and errours; quhere it was closed vp in blindnes: gif the Lorde hes at onye time, enlightened the eie of thy minde, and maide thee to see thine awin miserie, to see the vgglines of thin awin nature: to see they hainous sinnes, in the quhilk be nature thou lyes: Gif he hes granted to thee, ane insight of thy self in some measure: and vpon the vther side, gif hee hes graunted thee ane out-gait: and hes giuen thee ane insight of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus: gif thou haue gotten ane insight of the ri­ches of his grace in Christ: Na doubt, the halie Spirit hes begun a good warke in thee: A wark, quhilk will bring foorth repentance, quhilk in his awin time hee will perfite. Sa this is the first cair that ȝe aught to haue, and the first point quher­in ȝe aught to examine ȝour mindes: to [Page] see gif there be any light in it, quhereby ȝe may knaw your misery, and haue a in­sight of the mercy of God in Christ. This being doone, that thou findes a sight of thir twa in thy minde; fra thy minde, ga to the heart, and as thou hes tryed thy minde, sa try thine hart. And first exa­mine the hart, gif it bee altered or not: gif it be in ony sort reformed or not, that the will of it bee framed and bowed to Gods obedience: that the affectioun bee turned in the luif of God, and bee pow­red out on him, as it wes powred out on vanities, on filthines, and on the warlde off before. Try quhither the ground of the hart, and the fountaine quherfra the motions and affections proceeds; be san­ctified, or not: For of ane haly fountaine, halie waters mann distill: of ane halye fountaine, halie motions, halie cogitati­ons, and sanctified considerations mann flow.

Try then and examine ȝour heart, gif the spirit of God hes wrought ony sik re­formation (as I spake off) in the hart or not: And that thou may take vp the wor­king of the halie Spirit, the better in thy hart and conscience, quhilk makis chief­lie [Page] residence in the hart: I sall lay before thee the first effect, that euer the halye Spirite brings foorth in thy hart: in fra­ming it, in mollifying it, and in bowing it to the obedience of God. Thou sall knaw the working of the haly Spirit, bee this effect: to wit, gif, as thy minde seeis, and behaldes quhat is ill, seeis and be­haldes quhat is good, seeis and behaldes thine awin miserie, and thy sinnes that hes casten thee in this miserie: and seeis and behalds the riches of the mercie of God in Christ: Gif as thy mind seeis thir twa, thy hart be reformed and prepared, to loue the sight of thame. As thou seeis in thy mind, the mercie of God, & that in Christ: gif thou hes ane hart to desire mercie: gif thou hes ane thirst and ear­nest desire, to bee pertaker of mercie: quhere this desire and thirst is, there the halie Spirit is, he hes, na doubt, opened the hart. Vpon the vther side, becaus, as thou seeis mercie, thou seeis thy miserie: gif as thy minde seeis the miserie, seeis the fountain quherefra thy misery flows a to wit, fra thine awin sins, gif then thyne heart also hates this; the halie Spirite is there. Gif as thou seest sinne, quhilk is [Page] the cause of thy miserie, with the eye quhilk is giuen thee in thy minde; thou hatest this sinne with thy heart: na que­stion, the halie Spirite is there. And as thou hatest it, gif also thou sorrow for it, (for it is not aneugh to hate it, gif thou lament not the committing of it, & with a godlie sorrowe deplore it:) the halie Spirite is there. And thirdlie, gif with thy lamenting, thou haue a care and a studie to eschew that sinne; for quhat auailes it to lament; gif like a dogg, returning to his vomit▪ thou fall in that same golfe a­gaine. Therefore, quhere there is ane ha­trent of sinne, a sorrowe for sinne, a care and a studie to eschewe sinne: na questi­oun, the halie Spirite hes opened the heart, and is working out that precious instrument. Take vpp all this in a worde, take vp all the operation of the haly Spi­rite, and working in the heart in a word▪ and bee this examine thy heart. See and perceaue, gif the halie Spirite hes entred sa farre with thee, to worke in that hard heart of thine, an ernest, a diligent study, a carefull solicitude, continually to be re­conciled with the gret god, quhom thou hes offended: Is there sick a thing, as ane [Page] thirst and ane desire to be at amitie with him, quhom thou hes offended, to be re­conciled with the God of heauen, quhom thou hes offended be thy manifald trans­gressions: quhere this care, and study of reconciliation is: Gif this care & study of reconciliation be in the heart; there is na dout, but the hart that thirsts for this re­conciliation is hartelie content, not onlie to renounce sin, to renounce al the impi­eties, that seucred thee fra God: but the hart that is indewed with this thirst, will bee hartely content, to renounce it selfe, to cast downe it selfe, for als stub­borne as it wes off before, to caste down the self at the feete of the mightye GOD, and bee healilie content, in all times comming, to be ruled be his halie will: Not to followe the awin lust, the awin will and appetite, as it did off be­fore; but to resigne the self healilie in the handes of the mightie God, to bee ruled be his wil at his pleasure, and to obey his appetite. And except ȝe find this dispo­sitioun in ȝour awin heart, to quite ȝour selfis, to renounce ȝour selfis; it is a vaine thing, to ȝou to speake, that ȝee haue a thirst to bee reconciled. Sa, the greater [Page] thirst of reconciliatiō that we haue. And the mair that this study grow is, the grea­ter that the apprehension of my miserie, of the deep gulfis & very hels (quherunto my saull is subiect) growes in my saull, the mair earnest wald I be to be reconci­led: & to be reconciled, I wald not stand, for the renuncing of the lusts of my hart; but I wald renoūce my hart, & the obedi­ence of the wil & appetit of it▪ Quhy? be­caus I see, I mann die for euer, except the Lorde reconcile him self with mee. I see the huge deepes & oceans of all misery, in the quhilk I sal fal in the end, except in mercie, the Lord reconceile him self with mee. To eschew thir deepes and incon­ueniences, is there ony question, but the hart that hath a sense, and is touched with thame; wil maist willingly quite the self. Againe, seing the Lorde hes tane paines to deliuer mee out of that deepe misery, in the quhilk I drowned my self, and hes purchased my redemption bee sick a coastlie price: not with golde, nor with siluer, or ony draffe in the earth: but be sick a wonderful way, be sick a pretious price, and rich ransome: Looking to the greatnes of our misery, and to the [Page] greatnes of the price, quhereby hee hes redeemed vs: quhat hart is it, but it wil­linglie walde renunce the selfe, to get a part of that redemption, and to be deli­uered out of that hell, quherein wee are presentlie, and quherein wee will be in a greater measure ester this, except we be reconciled. Swa then, with this chose, there is joined a disposition in the heart, quherby the hart is willing in some mea­sure, to renunce the selfe. This lesson is oft tauld ouer to vs bee Christ, in his E­uangell: We mann ather take vp a crosse and renounce our selfis also, or wee can­not follow him. The mair that this thirst growes in the heart, the mair this re­nouncing of our selfis growes: the mair that this thirst decayes, and is dimini­shed in the heart, the mair cleaue wee to the warld, the mair cleaue we to the flesh, and the mair are we ruled and guided be thame. Sa, ather mann wee nourishe a thirst of righteousnes, a hunger of life e­uerlasting, a thirst of mercie, a hunger of that justice that is in Christ; or it is not possible that in any measure, we can bee disciples to him.

Now I ga fordward: The heart that [Page] efter this sorte is prepared, that with a thirst to be reconciled, is disposed also to renounce the self: this heart into the quhilk there lyes sa earnest a thirst, is ne­uer frustrat of the expectation: that gree die heart is neuer disapointed: but as the Lorde hes imprented in it, ane earnest studie to bee reconciled, and to get a grip of Christ: Sa in his mercy he grants vnto that hart the possession of mercie, hee puts that heart in some measure, in possessioun of the mercye quhilke it seekes, in possessioun of Christ Iesus him self, quhom it seekes. The quhilk appre­hensioun of Christ, the heart sensiblye feels and gripes, in that peace, quhilk he giues to the conscience: sa that the con­science quhilk wes terrified, exceeding­lie gnawen, and distracted off before; be the incomming of this peace, and of Christ with his graces; incontinent it is quieted & pacified: there comes a calm­nes and soundnes in the heart, and all troubles and stormis are remoued. With this peace is conjoined, ane taist of the powers of the warld to come. The heart gets a taist of the swetnes that is in christ of the joy, whilk is in the life euerlasting, [Page] quhilk taist is the only arlis-pēny, of that full and perfite joy, quhilk saull and bo­die in that life shall enioy. And the arlis­pennie (as ȝee knaw) mann be a part of the sowme, and of the nature of the rest of the sowme. And therefore, that arlis­penie of joy assures vs, that quhen wee sall get possession of the haill sowme, it sall bee a strange joy. And thir docu­ments halds vp the heart, and makes it not to linger, nor wearie in the expecta­tion of that life: but being refreshed now and then therewith, be sa mony arlis pē ­nies: they assure vs of the full fruition of that joy, for the quhilk in patience wee will sustein all troubles. Swa, as the ha­lie Spirite workes a thirst in vs, to be at Christ, a thirst of mercy and reconcilia­tion with him: the same halie Spirit dis­apoints not that same expectatioun, nor thirst; but puts the saull and hart in pos­session of Christ: bee the quhilk the con­science is pacified, the heart is rejoiced, and we get a taist of the sweetnes, and of the powers of that life to come. The sen­sible feeling of the quhilk taist, that pas­ses all natural vnderstanding, quhat dois it in my hart and conscience? It workes [Page] a wonderfull assurance and perswasioun that God loues mee. The feeling of his mercie in the bowels of my heart, in the bottome of my conscience, works a cer­tain assurance and perswasion, that he is my God, that he will saue me for Christs cause; that the promise of mercy, quhilk I durst not for my life applye to my con­science off before; now bee the feeling of mercie, I dare baldly apply, and say: mer­cie apperteins to mee, life and saluation apperteins to mee.

For the conscience being exceedingly terrified, and seeing na thing in God but fire and wraith: it is not possible, but it mann flee fra him: it can not approch to ane consuming fire: but fra time the conscience get a taist of this peace, mercy, & sweetnes; Looke how first it fled fra him off before: now efter this reconciliation it will runne als fast to him, and wil pos­ses him, mair and mair, fullie. Sa the as­surance and perswasion of mercie, ryses of the feeling of mercie in the heart and conscience. And except the hart feele it, and taste it in some measure: I dare not, nor na consciēce dare for the life, apply God and his mercie to the self. I may be [Page] sure in generall, that all my sinnes are re­missable, and that I may come be mer­cie, or I feele it: but to apply this mercie in particular to my selfe, quhill I feele a taist of it first, I dar not. Swa, this par­ticular application, quhereby we claime God, and Christ as propertie to vs, as gif na man had title to him but wee, and to call him my God, my Christ, and to claime his promises, as na man had en­tres to them but wee: this comes of the sense and feeling of mercie in the heart: And the mair that this feeling growes, & the farder experience, that wee haue in our awin hart of this peace and mercie, the greater growes our faith and assu­rance: Our perswasion becoms sa strong, that we dar at last come out with the A­postle and say: Quhat can twin mee fra the luif of God? Nather death, nather life, nather Angels, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, is able to seperate mee fra the loue of God, quhilk is in Christ. This particular application, quhilk ryses (na doubt) vpon the feeling and sens of mercie, is the specifik difference, the cheef mark and proper note, quhereby [Page] our faith, quha ar justified in the blood of Christ, is discerned fra that generall faith of the Papistes. Our faith bee this particular application, is not onlye dis­scerned fra the generall faith of the Pa­pistes, but it is discerned fra all the pre­tended faithes, of all the sectes in the warld. For the Papist dare not applye the promis of mercy to his awin saul, he compts it presumptiō to say, I am ane e­lect, I am saued and justified. And quher­fra flowes this I pray ȝou? Only fra this, that in their conscience, they haue neuer felt mercie, they haue neuer tasted of the luif, fauour, and sweetnes of God: For, looke how fast the conscience fleeis fra God, before it get the taiste of his sweet­nes: It runnes als diligentlie on him, & threapes luife on him, efter that it hes gotten that taist. Swa, they miserable bo­dies contents thame with this generall faith, quhilk is na vther thing, bot ane historicall faith, that leanes only on the treuth of God, quherby I knaw that the promises of God are true: Bot the Pa­pist dare not come, and say: they are true in mee; quhy? becaus hee hes not felt it, and the hart of him is not opned. [Page] But our justifieng faith, as I tauld ȝou, consecrates the haill saul, to the obedi­ence of God in Christ. Sa that it rests not only vpon the truth of God, nor it rests not only vpon the power of God: suppose thir be twa chiefe pillars of our faith alswa: but speciallie and chieflie, it rests vpon the mercie of God in Christ: it rests also vpon the truth and power of God, but speciallie vpon the promise of grace and mercie in Christ. The saull of the Papist, being destitute of the feeling and taist of mercie, dare not enter in this particular application, and swa hee can not be justified. Ȝea: na doubt, sa mony of them as are justified, in the mercy of God gets a taist of his mercie, and kind­nes, or thay die. This far concerning the effects.

Then ȝe haue onely this to remember, the opening of the heart, the pacifiyng, & quieting of the conscience; they worke ane assurance and a strong perswasion of the mercie of God in Christ: The mair that the heart bee opened, the mair that the conscience be pacified, the mair that the taist of that sweetnes continue and remaine, the mair art thou assured of his [Page] mercie. Swa then, wald thou knaw, quhi­ther thy faith be strong or not, quhither thy perswasion of Gods mercie, be starke or not? Take tent to thy conscience; gif thy conscience bee hurt, assuredly thou will doubt; and gif thou doubt, thou can not haue sicke a strong perswasioun, as v­therwayis thou wald haue, gif thy doub­ting were away. Not that I wil haue faith to be sa perfit in this life, that there be al­waies na doubting joined with it. I clame not to that perfection: but I say that ane hurt conscience mann ever doubt, and the mair wee dout, the les is our perswa­sion: Swa the mair thou hurt thy consci­ence, the lesse faith thou hes. Then thou mann come to this point: Keepe mee a sound conscience; intertaine peace in thy conscience, and thou sall keepe faith, and sal haue thy perswasion in that same mea­sure, that thou hes of rest and peace in thy conscience: & the mair that thy con­science bee at peace and rest, the greater sall thy faith and perswasioun be. Sa this ground halds fast, ane doubting consci­ence, makes a weake faith; and the mair the doubting in the conscience bee, the weaker is the faith. Then the Apostle lies [Page] not; quha says, that faith dwels in a good conscience, that faith is locked and clo­sed vpp in a good conscience: Sa that gif ȝee keepe a good conscience, ȝe sal keepe a strong faith; and gif ȝee hurt ȝour con­science, ȝee sall hurt ȝour faith. Nowe to make this mair sensible: How cann I bee perswaded of his mercie, quhais anger I feel kendled against me, & against whom my conscience shewes me to bee giltie of manie offences. Na question, sa lang as the sense of his anger, and feeling of my offences bides; I cannot haue a starke per­swasion, that he will be mercifull to me: but quhen I gett accesse to his counte­nance, and ane sight that hee hes forgi­uen me; then I begin to be perswaded. Sa keepe a good conscience, and thou sall keepe faith; and the better that thy con­science be, the starker mann thy faith be.

Then the hail exhortation that we ga­ther [...]xhortation on this point, dependes vpon this: That euerie ane of ȝou, in quhat rancke sa euer ȝee bee; take tent to ȝour consci­ence: for loosing it, ȝe loose faith; and lo­sing faith, ȝee loose saluation. Bee ȝee in the ranke of great men, ȝee aught to tak tent to ȝour consciences: Speciallie, in re­spect, [Page] that the Lord hes placed ȝou in ane great calling: Ȝee haue mony thinges, quherein, ȝe aught to controle ȝour con­sciences. Ȝee aught to craue the aduise of ȝour cōscience, or euer ȝe put ȝour hand to onie warke: In respect ȝee are bound in manifauld duties to God, and to ȝour inferiours: And na doubt, gif some of our great men had aduised weill, these disso­lutions had not fallen out into their awn bodies. Thir oppressions of the poore, thir deadlie feids, with their awin com­panions, walde not burst out in sick ane heigh measure, gif they had aduised weil with their consciences. But the Lorde, seeing thame take sa little tent to their consciences, hee spoyles thame of fayth, and of the hope of mercie: and out of question, ȝee fall see their end miserable; Ȝee sall see thame spectacles of the judge­ments of God: they that hes eies to be­hauld it, sall see the God of heauen, make thir men, quha gais sa dissolutly to wark, spectacles of his judgemēts to the warld: For the Lord leaues not sic men vnpuni­shed. Be theyr example, it were verie ne­cessare, that men of inferiour rancks suld take tent to their consciences: and there­fore, [Page] let euerie man, according to his cal­ling, examine his calling, bee the rule of his conscience. And speciallie, this be­coms ȝou that are judges; It becoms ȝou, before ȝe pronounce, and gif forth judg­ment, to aduise with ȝour conscience and law thereof, and in judgement, not to fo­low ȝour affection, but to follow the rule of ȝour conscience. Likewayis, ȝee that are of inferiour ranks to Iudges, and ȝee that are aduocats, controlle ȝour doings be ȝour conscience, and giue not the lea­ges nor subjects of this Countrey, just cause to complaine on ȝou: terrifie tham not, fra the pleading of justice be exorbi­tant prices, and extraordinair kind of do­ing: but moderate al ȝour actions sa, that they agree with the rule of ȝour consci­ences; that sa farre as in ȝou lies, justice cease not. This that I speake to thame, I speake to ȝou of the Merchand estait al­so: See that ȝee looke not sa meekle, to this or that, as to the conscience that is in ȝou; quhat in conscience ȝee may doe, according to the measure of knawledge, that God hes placed in ȝou: and quhat­ever ȝee doe; beware, ȝee doe not against ȝour knawledge. I graunt ȝour knawe­ledge [Page] will not bee sa learned, as it suld be and this makes mony deformed actions; Ȝit lat not a man doe against his knawe­ledge: but let euerie man doe according to the measure of knawledge, quherwith God hes indued him: And suppose it be not weil reformed, ȝit or thou do be ges, be aduised with thy conscience, and fol­lowe thy knawledge: For that quhilk is done doubtinglie, is sinne. Swa, quhat­euer thou doe; let not thy eie, thy hand, nor ony member of thy bodie, do against thy knawledge: For this is a step to that heigh sinne against the halie Spirit. This is the readie way, to put all knawledge out of ȝour mind. For gif mē do against knawledge, & continue in doing against knawledge: at last, they will become a masse of darknesse, the Lorde will scrape all knawledge out of their minde, and all feeling of mercie out of their heart, giff they feele it not better: Therefore, euery ane of ȝou, follow ȝour knawledge, and according to the measure of ȝour knaw­ledge, let ȝour actions proceed.

It hes pleased the Lorde, to poure this Faith is the free gift of God. liquour, this precious ointment in vs; suppose we be earthly and lame vessels, mise­rable [Page] creatures; ȝit it hes pleased our gra­tious God, to poure sic a precious liquor in our hearts and minds, and to concre­dite sick ane jewell in our hands and kee­ping, that bee the vertue of this liquour, we may tak hauld on Christ, quha is our justice, our wisedoome, sanctificatioun, and redemption. Suppose we be misera­ble creatures, ȝit the Lord of his mercie, hes a respect to vs in Christ, in giuing vs this precious liquour, quherby our sauls may bee seasoned to life euerlasting. In this, that he powres it in our hearts, we see clearelie, that it growes not in our hearts, nor breeds not in our nature. Na, this gift of faith, is not at mans cōmand, nor vnder his arbitrament: as gif it lay in his hand to beleeue, or not to beleeue, as he pleases. It is the gift of GOD, poured downe freelie of his vndeserued grace, in the riches of his mercie in Christ. That it is a gift, ȝee see clearelie, 1. COR. 12. 1. quhere the Apostle sayis; and to an vther is giuen faith bee the same spirit: as also, PHIL. 1. 21. quhere hee sayis: For vnto ȝou it is giuen for Christs cause, that not onelie ȝee suld beleeue in him, but also suffer for his sake. Sa faith is the gift of [Page] the halie Spirit: and this gift is not giuen to all men and women, as the Apostle plainelie declares: All hes not faith. This gift, suppose it be giuen, it is not giuen to all, but is onely giuen to the elect, that is, to sa mony as the Lord hes appointed to life euerlasting. This gift, quhere euer it is, and in quhat heart soeuer it bee, it is neuer idle, but perpetuallie working, and working weil by loue and charitie, as the Apostle sayth. GAL. 5. 6. This gift, quher euer it bee, is not dead, but quicke and liuelie, as the Apostle IAMES saith, in his second Chapter. And to let ȝou knawe, quhither it be liuely and working or not, there is not a waye, but to looke to the fruits and effects that flowes fra it: And therefore that ȝee, be ȝour awin effectes, may be the mair assured of the goodnes of ȝour faith: I will giue ȝou three spe­ciall Certaine effects quhere by ane may knaw, gif we haue faith. effects to looke on, be the quhilk ȝe may judge vppon the goodnesse of ȝour faith. First of all, looke to thy heart, and cast thine eie on it: Gif thou hes a desire to pray, a desire to craue mercy for thy sinnes, to incall vpon Gods halie name for mercie and grace: gif there be sick a thing in thy heart, as ane desire to praie, [Page] gif there be ony peece of thine heart in­clined, and hes a thirst to seek efter mer­cie and grace: suppose the greatest part of thy heart repine, and wald draw thee fra prayer: ȝit assuredlie that desire that thou hes in ony measure to prayer, is the true effect of the right faith. Gif thou haue a hart to pray to God, suppose this desire be but sclender, assure thy self thy saull hes life: for prayer is the life of the saull, and maks the faith liuelie; for why? Praier is Gods awin gift; it is not our gift, for gif it were ours, it wald be euill. But it is the best gift that ever God gaue man, and sa it mann be the gift of his awin ha­ly Spirit; and being his awin gift, it mann make our faith liuelie. Beside this, thou art not able, nor thou dare not call vpon him, in quhom thou beleeues not, as the Apostle saith. ROM. 10. 14. For gif I in­treat him be praier, I mann trust in him. Then praier is a certaine argument of iu­stifying faith and beleife in GOD: For I cannot speake to him; let bee to pray to him, in quhome I trust not: And suppose the heart be not fullie resolued, and weill disposed; ȝit gif there be ony part of the heart that inclines to praier, sticke bee it; [Page] it is a sure gadge, that that part beleues. The second effect, wherby thou sal knaw, quhither faith bee in thee or not, is this; looke and aduise with thy selfe, gif thy heart cann bee content, to renounce thy rankour, to forgiue thy grudges, and that freelie for Gods cause: may this be done be thee? and will thou forgiue thy neigh­bour, as freely as God hes forgiuen thee? assuredlie, that is the effect of the right Spirit; for nature could neuer giue that. There is nathing, quherevnto nature bends the selfe mair, nor to rankour and enuie; and there is nathing, quherein na­ture places her honor mair guckedly, nor in priuie reuengement. Now gif thy hart bee sa tamed and brought downe, that it wil willinglie forgiue the injurie for gods cause; that is the effect of the right Spi­rite: This is not my saying; it is Christs saying, MAT. 6. 14. quhere hee saith: gif ȝee do forgiue men their trespasses, ȝour heauenlie father wil also forgiue ȝou; and 15. verse: but gif ȝee do not forgiue men their trespasses, na mair wil ȝour heauen­lie Father forgiue ȝou ȝour trespasses. Sa wald Christ say; he that forgiues wrangs, sall get wrangs forgiuen him; but he that [Page] wil reuenge his wrangs, wrang sal be re­uenged vppon him. Therefore, as thou wald bee spared in thy wrangs, doone to the mightie God; spare thou thy neigh­bour. I will not insist; examine quhither ȝe haue faith or not; examine it be pray­er, examine it bee the discharge of ȝour awin priuie grudges; for gif ȝee want thir effects: Ane heart full of rankour, an hart voyd of praier, is ane heart faithlesse, and meet for hell. The third effect of faith is compassion; thou mann bowe thy heart, and extend thy pitie, vpon the pure members of Christs bodie, and suffer thame not to lacke gif thou haue: for except ȝee haue this compassioun, ȝee haue na faith. Examine ȝour selfs bee thir three effects, and gif ȝee finde thir in onie mea­sure; how beeit, it were neuer sa small▪ ȝou haue the right faith in ȝour hart, the faith that ȝou haue, is true and liuelie, and assu­redly God will be mercifull to ȝou.

This faith of ours, suppose it be liuely, ȝit it is not perfect in this warld, but eue­rie Our faith man be continually nurished, be­cause it is ioy­ned with dou­ting. day, and euery houre, it craues a con­tinuall augmentatioun, it craues euer to be nurished: for the quhilk increase, the Apostles thame selfis, LVK. 17. 5. incalled [Page] and said: Lorde increase our faith. And our maister commaunds vs to pray, and say, Lorde increase our faith, I beleeue, Lorde helpe my vnbeliefe. Then Christs commaund lats vs see clearely, that this faith, misters continually to bee nurished and helped, and it cannot be helped, but be praier: sa we suld alwayis continue in praier. That this faith suld be helped, and that wee suld bee perpetuallie vppon our garde, in feare and trembling to gett it augmented: the terrible doubtings, the wonderful pits of desparatioun, into the quhilk, the dearest seruaunts of God are casten, dois clearelie teach: For the best seruants of God, are exercised with terri­ble doubtings in their saules, with won­derfull stammerings, and they will bee brought at somtimes, as appears in their awin judgement, to the verie brinke of desperatioun. Thir doubtings and stam­merings lets vs see, that this faith of ours wald bee perpetuallie nurished, and that wee haue neede, continuallie to pray for the increase of it. It pleases the Lorde, at somtimes, to let his seruants haue a sight of thame selfes, to cast thame downe, and to let thame see, how ouglie sinne is: It [Page] pleases him, to let thame fall in the bit­ternesse of sinne, and to quhat end? Not that he wil deuour thame, or suffer tham to be swallowed vp be desperation. Sup­pose EZEKIAH cries out, that like an hun­grie lyon, the Lord is like to deuour him, & bruise him in peces: ȝit the Lord suffers him not to dispair. And suppose DAVID cry, I cannot away with his consuming fire, I may not bide the fire of the Lordes ielousie; ȝit he dispairs not: But the Lord casts his seruants very low; to quhat end? To the end, that they may feele in their hearts and consciences, quhat Christ suf­fered for thame in the ȝarde, and on the crosse, in saull and bodie: Ȝea, wee wald thinke, that there had bene plaine collu­sion betwixt the Father and the Son, and that his suffering had bene na suffering: except we felt in our sauls in som mesure, the hell quhilk hee susteined in full mea­sure. Swa to the effect, that wee might clearelie vnderstand the bitternes of sin, that we might knaw, how far wee are ad­detted to Christ, quha suffered sicke tor­ments for our sinne, and that we may be the mair able to thank him, and to praise his halie name: hee suffers his awin ser­uants [Page] to dout, but not to dispair: he for­giues thir doutings, he forgiues thir stam rings, and in his awn time, hee supports tham, and brings vs to the waters of life.

Thir doubtings, as I haue oft spoken, may ludge in ane saul with faith; for dou­ting & faith, are not extreamly opponed; Onelie faith and dispair, are extreamelie Doubting and fayth may ludge in ane saule. opponed: and therfore, faith and dispair, can not baith ludge in ane saule; for di­spair cuts the pillers of hope, and quher there is na hope, there cann bee na faith. But as to doubting, it mann ludge, it will ludge, and hes ludged in the saules of the best seruants that euer God had. Looke to the Apostle, we are alwayis in doubt, saith he, but we dispair not. Sa, douting and faith may ludge in an saul: & quher­fra flowes this doubting? We knaw, that in the regenerat man, there is a remnant corruptioun: For wee gett not our hea­uen in this earth: suppose we beginn our heauen heere, wee get it not fullie heere: And gif all corruption were away, quhat suld there rest, but a full heauen heere? Sa it is onelie begun in this life, and not per­fited; therefore there remains in the saul, a great corruptioun, quhilk is neuer idle, [Page] but continuallie occupied. This corrup­tion is euer bringing foorth the birth of sinn, part lesse, part mair; euerie sin hurts the conscience; ane hurt conscience, im­pairs the perswasion, and sa comes in the doubting. For there is not a sinne that we commit, but it bannishes light, & casts a slough ouer the eie of our faith, quher­by, wee doubt and stammer in our sight. And were not the Lord of his mercy taks vs vp, giues vs the gift of repentance, and maks vs euery day, als oft as we sin, to cry als oft for mercy, & sa to repair the losse that wee haue of faith, to repair the losse quhilk we haue of the feeling of mercie, we wald gang on, and halely put out that same light. But it pleases the Lorde; sup­pose we be euerie day sinning, to giue vs the gift of repentance; & be repentance, to repaire our faith, to repaire the sense and feeling of mercie in vs, and to put vs in that same estait of perswasion, quhere­in we were off before. Therefore, gif God beginn not, continue not, and ende not with mercie: in that same moment, that he abstracts his mercie fra vs, we will de­caye. Swa, ȝee mann bee diligent incal­lers for mercie: ȝe mann be instant con­tinuallie, [Page] in seeking to haue a feeling of mercie. This far for the doubting.

Now, howsoeuer it be sure and certain that the faith of the best children of God A doubting and a weak faith, is faith and sall ne­uer heali [...] decay. is subject to doubting: ȝit it is als sure & certaine, that it is neuer healilie extin­guished, albeit it were neuer sa weak, ȝit it sall neuer vtterlie decay and perish out of the hart, quherein it makes ains resi­dence. This comfort and consolation, the Spirite of God hes set downe in his word, to hald vp the troubled hart: that howsoeuer faith bee weake, ȝit a weake faith, is faith: and quhere that faith is, there mann euer bee mercie. Ȝee haue in ROM. 11. 29. that the giftes and cal­ling of God, are without repentaunce. But amang all his giftes that are of this sort, faith is ane of the cheefest, therfore it can not be reuoked againe. Ȝee haue in IVDE 3. that faith is ains giuen to the saints: ains giuen: that is, constantly gi­uen, neuer to bee changed, nor vtterlye tane fra thame. The Lorde will not re­pent him of this gift, but the saul quhilk he hes luifit ains, he will luif perpetually▪ It is true and certaine, that the spoonks of faith quhilk are kindled in the hart be [Page] the Spirite of God; certaine it is, they may be smored for a lang time: they may bee couered with the asses of our awin corruption, and with our awin ill deeds and wickednes, in the quhilk we fall: it is true, that the effects of a liuelie faith wil be interrupted, and that thy lusts and af­fections will preuaile for a lang time: Sa that quhen thou lookes on thy self, vpon the judgements of GOD that hangs on saull and bodie, and quhen thou lookes vpon thy dissolute life, and on the anger of God agains this dissolute life: In the minde, in the hart and conscience of him that hes sa smored and oppressed his faith, it will oft times come to pas in his awin judgement, hauing his eies fixt on him self onlie: that he will thinke him to be a reprobate, to be ane affcast, and ne­uer able to recouer mercie. Quhere this corruption burstis furth in gros maner, efter that the Lord hes called thee: Look howe sone the Lorde beginns to walken thee again: incontinent, thou fixes thine eies vpon thine awin life, and enters in a deepe consideration, als weill of the gra­uity of thy sinne; as of the weight of the wrath of God, quhilk thou seeis follow­ing [Page] thereon; and is salaith to remit thy cogitation, to pans vpon the deepnes of the mercie of God; standing fixt in this cōsideration, it can not bot come to pas in thy awin judgement, bot thou art ane aff-cast: And ȝit God forbid it wer sa, for suppose they sponks of the spirit be couered, be the corruption that is within thy saul, ȝit they sponks ar not halily put out

And to let ȝou see, that they are not put out, suppose they burst not foorth in the outwarde effectes, that the warlde may The sponks of faith sup­pose they be smored, they are not halilie put out, no [...] are not idle. knaw thee to bee ane faithfull man as it wont to doe; ȝit thir spoonkes are not i­dle, and thou sall finde thame not to bee idle in thee. As for the confirmation of my argument, that howsoeuer our bo­dies bee lowsed to all dissolutioun, efter our effectuall calling within vs in our sauls, and that ȝit the spoonks are not i­dle, ȝee see, that suppose the fire bee co­uered with the asses; ȝit it is a fire: there is na man will say, that the fire is put out suppose it bee couered: Na mair is faith put out of the saull, suppose it be sa coue­red, that it nather shawe hewe nor light outwardlie. Example of this wee haue clearlie in DAVID: Efter his lamentati­oun [Page] in that psalme of repentance. PSAL. 51. 11. he prayes to God in thir terms: Cast mee not away from thy presence: And quhat subjoines hee? And tak not thine halie spirit from mee. Had he not lost the Spirit, be his adultery and mur­ther? Na: for hee walde not haue saide then, take it not from mee, but restore it to mee. It is true, he vsis sick fashion of language, as PSAL. 51. 12. he sayes: Re­store to mee the joy of thy saluation: not that he lacked the Spirit healilie; but that the Spirit lacked force in him, and miste­red strengthening and fortification: It wald bee steered vp, that the flame of it might appeare. Therefore I saye, in res­pect DAVID sayes sa clearlie, efter his a­dulterie and murther; take not that Spi­rite from mee: it is a certaine argument, that the faithfull hes neuer the Spirite of GOD alwayes tane fra thame, in thair greatest dissolutions. The second point is this; How proue I that thir spoonks are not idle, suppose the outward effects bee interrupted. As DAVID felt this in his conscience, sa euery ane of ȝou may feele it in ȝour awin consciences. The Spirit of God in mans heart can not bee idle, but [Page] thir spoonkes, in the mean time that the bodie is castin lowse to all dissolutions, thir spoonkes are accusing thy dissoluti­on, are finding fault with thy manners: thir spoonkes suffers thee not to take the pleasure of thy body, without great bit­ternesse, and continuall remorse. And thir spoonkes quhere they are, they will make the saull quherein they dwel, to vt­ter thir voces, at ane time or vther; ains in the twentie fowre howres: Allas, I am dooing the ill quhilk I wald not doe, gif I hadd power or strength to resist my affectioun, and gif I might be maister of my affection, I wald not for all the warld do the ill quhilk I do. Againe, gif I had power to do the good quhilk I wald doe, I walde not leaue it vndoone for all the warld. Swa thir spoonkes, suppose they haue not sick force and strength present­lie, as to resist the affection, and to halde the ill turnes vndone; ȝit perpetuallie in the heart, they are finding fault with thy corruption: and suffers thee not to take thy pleasure without paine: but last of all makes thee to vtter thir voces: Gif I had strength to resist, I walde not doe the ill quhilk I do. Quhere thir voces are, na [Page] questioun, they are the voces of a saull, quhilk the Lorde hes begun to sanctifie: and being ains sanctified, in despite of the Diuell, and of the corruption that is in vs, this faith shall neuer perish: But gif the haill saull without contradictioun, with a greedie appetite and pleasure bee caried to ill, and hes na sorrow for it: that saull is in ane ill estait: I can look for na­thing to sick a saull but death; except that the Lord preuent tham. But quhere this remorse and sorrowe, and sick voces are in the saull; that saul in the time that God hes appointed, sall recouer strēgth: The Lord sall neuer suffer they spoonkes to be halilie tane awaye, but in his awin time he sall fortifie tham, & make thame to breake out before the warlde in good warks. The Lord in his awin time, he wil sanctifie tham: he wil scatter the asses of corruption, steir vp the sponkes, & make tham to breake out in a better life, nor e­uer they did before: as ȝe may clearly see that DAVIDS repentance hes done mair good to the Kirk of God, nor gif he had neuer fallē. Thus far cōcerning the effects

Suppose the effects of repentance bee interrupted, ȝit they spoonks are not ex­tinguished. [Page] For, there is na man will thinke, that the fire quhilk is couered Similitudes shewing that the spoonks of faith, supose they be co­uered are not extin­guished. with asses, is extinguished; but being stir­red vp in the morning, it will burne als clearlie, as it did in the night before. There is na man will compt the treeis, that nowe in the time of winter, wants leaues, fruit, and externall beautie to be dead: there is na man wil coūt the Sun to be out of the lift; suppose it be ouercled with a clud of darknes & mist: There is a great differēce, betwixt a sleepry disease, and death; for men ar not dead, suppose they be sleepand; and ȝit there is nathing lyker to death nor sleepe. As there is great ods, betwixt a drunken man and a dead man: sa there is great odds be­twixt the faith that lurks for a quhil, and vtters not the selfe, and the light that is vtterlie put out. Quhen wee burst not foorth in outward deeds; GOD forbid that we suld thinke, that thir sponkes are halelie extinguished: Indeed the saul that is visited efter foule defectiouns fra his calling, & against his knawledge; or this saul recouer the former beauty; it is in a straunge daunger. For gif the Lord suf­fer thy corruption to get loose, in sik sort, [Page] that it carie thee as it will, and bee all meanes possible, make thee to labour, to put out the spoonke of regeneration. Quhen the Lord beginnes to challenge thee, or to gar thee rander a compt of thy bygane life: the saull of that man, quhen it is challenged, is in great daun­ger. Sa that, na questioun, quhen the Lord begins to lay to ȝour charge, ȝour dissolute life, the contempt and abuse of ȝour calling: Assuredlie ȝour sauls are sa neere to the brinke of desperation, that there can bee nathing nearer. For, will thou look to God, thou will see nathing bot his anger kendled, as ane fire against thee: Will thou looke to thy selfe, thou will see nathing, bot sinne prouoking his anger: thou will see the contempt and abuse of thy calling, multiplying his an­ger: thou will see nathing, bot matter of dispaire. And quhat is the best pillar & surest retreat, quherupon sick a saul that A su [...]e re­t [...]eat▪ to re­p [...]se on, in highest [...]en­t [...]tions. is sa neere to the brinke of desperation, may repose? I will giue thee ane helpe quhereupon, quhen thou art assaulted be all high tentations thou may repose: quhen there is na thing before thee bot death, quhen thou seeis the Diuell ac­cusing [Page] thee, thine awin conscience bea­ring him witnes against thee, thy life ac­cusing thee, and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee, quhere sall thou ga? Ga back ouer againe, to thy bygane experi­ence, cast ouer thy memorie, and re­member, gif God at ony time, in onye sort hes loued thee: gif euer thou hes felt the loue and fauour of God in thy heart and conscience: Remember gif euer the Lorde hes swa disposed thy heart, that as hee loued thee, thou loued him: and had a desire to get him. Remember on this, and repose thine assurance on this: that as he loued thee ains, hee will loue thee ay, and will assuredlie restore thee to that loue, or thou die. The heart that felt ains this loue of God, sall feele it a­gaine: And look quhat gift, or grace, or quhat taist of the power of the warlde to com, that euer the Lord gaue to his crea­tures in this life: to that same degree of mercie, hee sall restore his creature or euer it depart this life. Sa the saull that is tossed with high assaultes, and great dangers: quhere present things will not helpe, it is necessare, that it haue recourse to bigane things, and keepe in memorie, [Page] the bigane experience of mercie, quhilk the Lorde hes freely shawen toward that saul. This same memory salbe sa pleasant to the saull, that it sal stay it presently fra desperation, & vphauld it vnto the time, the Lord pacifie that hart, and giue com­fort to that saul: quhilk being done, that saull sall see, that howsaever hee was an­gry, he was angry onely for a quhile.

I speake thir things, not that I thinke, that euery an of ȝou hes taisted of tham: A lesson. and ȝit in some measure, the seruants of God mann taist of thame, and ȝe that hes not taisted of thame, may taist of thame or ȝee die. And therefore, quhither ȝee haue taisted or not taisted thame: It can­not be, but profitable for ȝou, to lock vp this lesson in ȝour hearts, and remember on it faithfully, that gif the Lord at onie time, put at ȝour hearts, ȝe may remem­ber, and say with ȝour selfs; I gat a lesson, to gang backe to my bigan experience, & thereon to repose. And suppose, ȝe be not put at presently ȝour selfs; ȝit, quhen ȝee visite thame that are troubled in consci­ence; let thir things be proponit to tham as comforts, & vse tham as medicaments maist meet to apply to the greif of the in­ward [Page] conscience: and sa ȝe sal make ȝour fruit of this doctrine, & posses ȝour sauls in a good estaite. This far for the first point, quherin euery ane of ȝou aught to try and examine ȝour consciences.

The second point is this, try quhither Of loue quhilk is the second point of ou [...] triall. ȝe haue loue towards ȝour neighbour, or not: for as we are coupled with God bee faith; sa be the band of loue, we are cou­pled with our neighbour: & gif ȝee want loue▪ ȝee can haue na societye with ȝour neighbour. For loue is the chief & prin­cipall branch, that springs of the root of faith. Loue is that coelestial glew, that cō ­joins al the faithful members, in the vni­ty of ane mysticall bodie. And seing that religion wes instituted of God, to serue as ane pathway to cōuoy vs to our chief fe­licitie: and happie we can not be, except we be like vnto our God: like vnto him we can not be, except we haue loue: For as it is set down 1. IOH. 4. 8. God is loue; Sa, seeing God is loue it selfe, quhasaeuer will resemble him, mann be indued with the oile of loue. This only ane argument testifies to vs, that this loue is ane princi­pal butt, quherunto al things that are cō ­manded in religion, aught to be referred [Page] To spend lang time in the praise of loue, it sal be na wayes necessare, seing the ha­ly scripture resoūds, in blasing the com­mendation of it: bot that we speake not of a thing ambiguous, we sall lat ȝou see, how this word is considered and tane in How the word loue is tane in the Scriptures. the scriptures. Loue is considered, ather as a spring and fontain, quherfra the rest proceeds: that is, for the loue, quhereby we loue God. And as loue coms first fra God, & is powred be his halie Spirit in our harts: sa, it first redounds vpward, & strikes back vpon him selfe: for the loue of God mann euer ga before the loue of the creature. Nixt, we take this word for that loue, quhereby we loue Gods crea­tures, our neighbours, & specially them that are of the family of faith. And thrid­ly it is tane, for the deedes of the second table, quhilk flowes fra this loue. Nowe, quhen I speake of loue, I speak of it as in the second significatioun: to wit, as it is tane for the loue of our neighbour: And taking it swa, I call loue the gifte of The defini­ [...]on of loue. God, powred in the harts of men & wo­men: be the quhilk gift, we first loue god in Christ our sauiour; & nixt in God, & for Gods cause, we loue al his creatures: bot [Page] chiefly our brethren, that ar of the fami­lie of faith, the children of ane common father with vs. We will examine this de­finition. I say, first the loue of God, as it Of our lo [...] towards God. coms fra God, it returnes to God: as it coms down fra him, sa it strikes vpwarde to him againe: & is it not good reason? for quhy? Let thy heart fixe thy loue als lang as thou will vpon the creaturs, thou sall neuer be satiat, nor thy affection sall neuer be content, except thou get a grip of God. But gif ains thou loue God in thy hart, & cast thy affections vpon him, and get ains a grip of him: the langer thou loue him, the greater satiety & con tentment sall thou haue: thou sall not thirst for ane vther. For, as to the crea­tures, there is neuer a creature that God created, but it is stamped with his awin stamp, and euery creature beares his I­mage: and looking to the image of God in the creature, suld it not draw thee to him, that thou fixe not thy hart vpon the creature: for his awin image in his cre­ature, sulde lead thee to him selfe. And therefore the mair that thou knawes the creatures; the greater varietie of knaw­ledge that thou hes of the creatures, the [Page] mair suld euery particular knawledge of thame drawe thee to God, and the mair suld thou wonder of thy God, and knaw thy duety towards him. And seeing that delite flowes of knawledge, and that e­uery knawledge, hes the awin delite with it: as the varietie of knawledge that rises vpon the creatures, suld make the minde to mount vp to the knawledge of God: sa the varietie of delites, that rises vpon the diuersitie of this knawledge, sulde moue the heart vpwarde, to the loue of God: and the hart getting a grip of God and being seased with the loue of God: and the minde being occupied with the true knawledge of God; sa sone as heart and mind is full of God, the hart is quiet and the minde is satisfied. Sa that the mair this knawledge grows in thy mind, the greater contentment hes thou, & the mair the loue of him growes in thy hart, the greater joy and rejoising hes thou in thy saull. For quhy? In God ȝe haue not only all the creatures: but ȝee haue him­self, beside the creatures: And therfore in God, ȝe haue al the knawledge & de­lite that can rise of the creatures: and be­side the creatures, ȝe haue God himselfe [Page] quha is the Creator. And swa I say, the mind of man, can neuer quiet the selfe in the knawledge, nor the heart cann neuer settle the selfe in the loue of naked crea­turs, in respect they ar flowing & vanitie, as SALOMON cals thame: but in the infi­nite God, rightlie knawin, and earnestlie loued; the mind sall see a full rest, and the heart sall haue a perfite ioy. For our af­fection is sa insatiable, that na finit thing will satisfie it, nor there can bee na solide setling vpon the thing that is transitori­ous. Sa the loue aught to strike vpward, and redound first to God, in quhais face, the heart sall find full and perfite ioy.

The second argument that I vse, is this: Of loue to­wards our neighbour. seeing there is only an precept left be our master in recōmēdatiō to be obserued be vs, to wit; that euery ane of vs suld loue anvther: Therfore our wise master, vnder­standing well, that quhere loue was, there misterd na ma laws: that the life of man, be loue only behoued to be maist happy, left only the same in chief recommenda­tion, and taks vp the hail law & euangell in a word, Loue. And gif the hart of man were indued with loue, his life might bee maist happy and blessed: For there is na­thing [Page] maks this life happy, but the resemblance & likelyhood that wee haue with God. The nerer we draw to God, the mair blessed is our life; for there cannot be sik a happy life, as the life of God. Now sayis IOH. in his 1. epist. 4. 8. God is loue; ther­fore, the mair we draw neere to loue, the mair neer ar we to that happy life: for we are in God, & partaker of the life of God. Quhen I speak this, ȝe mann not thinke, that loue in God, & loue in vs, is an thing; for loue is but a quality in vs, & it is not a quality in God; there is nathing in God but that quhilk is God; sa loue in God, is his awin essence: Therefore, the mair ȝee grow in loue, the neerer ȝe draw to God, and to that happye and blessed life. For there is nathing mair profitable, mair a­greeable and conuenient to nature, nor to loue; and aboue al things to loue God: And therefore it is, that God and his An­gels are maist happy & blist, because they loue all thinges, and desires ever to doe good. On the vther side, there is nathing mair vnhappy, nathing mair noysum, mair hurtfull, and that eats vpp nature mair, nor to burn with envie and hatred, And heirfore it is, that the deuils ar maist [Page] miserable, quha torments thame selues with continual mallice and hatred, bur­ning with ane vehement appetite, to bee noysum to all creatures. Sa as the life of the Deuill is maist vnhappy, because hee is full of envie and malice: Siclike our life mann be maist happy, gif wee be full of loue. To speake of loue I will na farder: Onelie gif ȝe haue loue, marke the effects of it, set downe 1. COR. 13. 4. 5. 6. 7. vers. quhilk effectes, gif ȝee haue not in some measure, ȝee haue not true loue.

I end heere, ȝee see in quhat points, e­uery ane of ȝou aught to be prepared; ȝe Conclusion with an ex­hortation mann bee indued with this loue, and ȝee mann bee indued with faith: and gif ȝee haue thir in onie smal mesure; gang bald­ly to the hearing of the word, and to the receauing of the Sacrament. This is the preparation that we allow of: I grant, the Papistes hes a preparatioun, but nathing like to this, and therefore they cann haue na warrand of the word of God. Last of all, seeing wee are commanded to try our selfs: he that lacks knawledge, cannot try himselfe: A furious man cannot try him­selfe: A childe cannot try himself: there­fore they aught not to com to the Table. [Page] All thir things being weill considered; he that hes faith & loue in ony kind of mea­sure, let him come to the Table. And all thir things seruis, als weil for the hearing of the word fruitfully, as for the receuing of the Sacrament. Therefore, the Lord of his mercie illuminate ȝour mindes, and worke some measure of faith and loue in ȝour hearts: that ȝee may be partakers of that heauenly life, offered in the worde and Sacraments: that ȝe may begin ȝour heauen heere, and get the full fruition of the life to come, and that in the righte­ous merits of Christ Iesus: To quhom with the Father, and the halie Ghaist, be all honor, praise, and glorie, for nowe and euer:

Amen.