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Secondly, the

that must be tryed and purged by fire, fo the holy Ghost speaketh of actuall. finnes, the first of fish, and the twenty fift verfe, and the fixt ter of Jeremiah and the thirttich verse, Ezech. the twenty fecond chapter and the eighteenth verses The house of Ifrael is to mee as drosse, tha is by cuftome of finne; and in regard of this kinde of finne tncre needs not only water to w fh away the corruption of our nature and the qualitie thereot, but fire to purge the actuall fins that proceed from the fame.

The finnes of Commission came by reason of the force of concupifcence, and from the lufts that boyle out of ou corrupt nature, and the grace that takes them away is the grace of water in Baptifme; but the finnes of omiffion proceede of the coldneffe and negligence of eur nature to doe good, fuch as was in the Church of Laodicea, Rev. the third chapter and the fifteenth verfe, and therefore fuch finnes must bee taken away with the fiery Grace of God. Secondly, for the quality of the Cole, it is not only a burning Cole, but taken from the Altars to teach us that our zeale must bee lan&ified and come from the fpirit of God, The fires that are appointed by earthly Judgesto terrife malefactors from offending, may draw a skinne over the fpirituall wounds of their Soules, fo as(for feare) they will efchue and forbeare to finne, but it is the fire of the Altar, and the inward Graces of Gods spirit that taketh away the corruption and healeth the wound; therefore as in the Law God tooke orde there fhould ever bee fire on the Altar, Leviticus the fixt chapter and the ninth verfe, fo for the finner that is contrite and fory for his finne, there is alwaies fire in the Church to burne up the Sacr fice of his contrition and repentance, even that fire of Crafts Sacrifice. The love which hee fhewed unto us in dying for our finnes is fer ou unto us most lively in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood, unto which wee must come often, that from the one wee may fetch the purging of our finnes, as the Apostle fpeaks, and from the other qualifying power.fi in luce, John the first chapter & the feventh verfe; wherefore as by the mercy of God we have a foun. tain of water al waies flowing,, to take away originall finne, fo there is in the Church fie alwaics burning to cleanse our actuall tranfgreffions; for if the Cole taken from the Altar, had a power to take away the Prophets finne, much more the body and blood of Chrift, which is offered in the Sacrament; if the hem of Chrift's garment can heale, the ninth chapter of Matthew and the twentith verfe, much more the touching of Chrift himselfe fhall procure health to our foules; here we havent fomthing that hath touched the Sacrifice, but the Sacri fice it felt to take away our fins.

The application of this Cole is by a Seraphin, for it is an office Application. more fit for Angells than men, to concurre with God for taking away finne; but for that it pleaseth God to use the service of men in this be halfe, they are in Scripture called Angells, Job the thirty fifth chap ter and the twenty third verse. Malachi the second and the feventh verfe, The Priests lips preferve knowledge, for hee is the Angell of the Lord of Hofts, and the Pastors of the seven Churches in ia are cal

led

led Angells, Apoc, the first chapter and the firft verle; for the fame office that is here executed by an Angell is committed to the fonnes of men, to whom, as the Apoftle fpeaks, Hee hath committed the mi niftery of reconciliation, 2 Cor. the fift chapter and the eighteenth yerle, to whom hee hath given this power, that whofe finnes foever they remit on earth fhall bee remitted in heaven, the twentith chapter of Saint John and the twenty fift verfe. So when Nathan, who was but a man, had faid to David, etiam Jehova tranftulit peccatum tuum, the fecond booke of Samuel the twelfth chapter and the thirteenth verfe; it was as availeable as if an Angell had fpoken to him; And when Peter tells the Jewes that if they amend their lives and turn, their finnes fhall be done away, their fine was taken away no leffe than the Prophets was when the Angell touched his lips, 4s the third chapter and the ninteenth verfe; for not hee that holds the Cole, but it is the Cole it felfe that takes away finne; and fo long as the thing is the fame wherewith wee are touched, it skills not who doth hold it; but wee have not only the Cole that touched the Altar, but the Altar it felfe, even the Sa crifice of Chrifts death represented in the Supper by partaking where of our fins are taken away,!

The word of comfort, whereby the inward Grace is preached unto us is, that the Angell faid to the Prophet; Loc this hath touchedtby Lips, and thine iniquity fhall beetaken away, and thy finnes purged: concerning which wee finde that the Leper was cured of his Leprofie, not only by the word, but by the touching of Chrift, but the Centyrian faid only but fpeake the word and thy fervant shall bee whole, Mar. the eighth chapter and the eighth verle; fo hee can doe what he will with his only word. It pleafed God to take away the Prophets finnes by touching his lips. And albeit he can take away our fins, without touching of bread or wine, if he will yet in the councell of his will, he commendeth unto us the facramentall partaking of his body and blood. It is his will, that our fios fhall be taken away by the outward act of the facrament: The reafon is, not only in regard of our felves, which confift of body and foul, and therefore have need both of bo dily and Ghoftly meanes, to affure us of our Salvation; but in regard of Chrift himself, who is the burning Cole, Forever fince God or dained, that Chrift should take our nature, and aptare fibi corpus, in the tenth chapter to the Hebrewes, and the fifth verfe; that fo he might worke our Reconciliation. As Chrift became himself a man, having a bodily fubftance; fo his actions were bodily. Asin the Hypoftafis of the Sun, there is both the Humane and Divine nature; fo the Sa crament is of an Heavenly and Earthly nature, As he hath taken our body to himself, fo be honoureth bodily things, that by them we fhould have our finnes taken away fivea neve By one bodily facrament he taketh away theaffection thould have fos naturally planted in us. By another bodily Sacrcury, whiaketh away the habituall fins, and the actuall tranfgreffions, which proceed from the corruption of our nature. And here we have matter offered us of faith, that as heufed the touching of a cole, to affure the Prophet that his fins were taken a

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Secondly, the

fible grace.

Word, or invis

The effc&.

way; fo in the Sacrament he doth fo elevate a peice of bread, and a litle wine, and

way our finnes them of fuch power; that they are able to take a

And this maketh Gods glory, not only to beleeve that God can work our Salvation, without any outward means, by the inward Grace of his Spirit; buralfo, that he can fo elevate the meaneft of his creatures; not only the hemme of a garment, but even a trawe, (if he fee it good) fhall be powerfull enough, to fave us from our finnes. As Chrift himself is fpirituall and bodily; fo he taketh away our finnes, by means not only fpirituall but bodily; as in the Sacrament. For if there be a cleanfing power in the Word, as Chrift fpeaketh in the fifteenth chapter of John, and the third verle: If in prayer, as Peter fheweth to Simon Magus, Pray to God, that (if it be possibley the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee, in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and the twenty fecond verfe: If in thewing mercy, and giving almes,finnes fhall be forgiven, as Salomon faich in the fixteenth chapter ofthe Proverbs, and the fixth verfe, Per mifericordiam purgantur peccata; much more in the Sacrament, wherein both the word and prayer and the works of mercy doe concurre, to the cleanfing of finners from their finnes: Whereas the Seraphim did not take the coale in his mouth, but with tongues; and applied it not to the Prophet's eare, but to his tongue. We learn, that it is not the heating of a fermon that can cleanfe us from fiane; but we must taste of the bodily element, appointed to reprefent the invifible grace of God. It is true, that meditation privately had, will kindle a fire in the hearts of many, in the thirty ninth Pfalm, and the third verfe: And the word, as it is a fire, Jeremie the twenty third chapter, and the twenty ninth verfe, will also kindle a man, and heat him inwardly: But becaufe in the Sacrament all thofe doe meete together, therefore nothing is fo availeable to take away finne, as the touching of bread and wine, with our lips.

The effect of this touching followeth; wherein we are to confider, First, the efficacy of this action. Secondly, the certainty, that as fure as this coale hath touched thy lips, fo furely are thy finnes taken away. Thirdly, the fpeede, that fo foon as the coale touched, prefenta ly finne was taken away and purged. The efficacie ftandethy of the removing, or taking away of finne, and of the purging awayof finne. The taking away, and purging of finnes, have two uses: Some have their finnes taken away, but not purged; for fomething remaineth behinde: Some have Adams figge leaves to hide finne that it shall not appeare for a time; but have not Hezekiah his plaister to heal it, in the thirty eighth chapter of faith and the one and twentieth verfe. But by the touching of this Coal, that is, of the body and blood of Chrift, we are affured that our fith Gato denly covered, but quite taken away as with a plaister; called Angells, you I have put away thy tranfgreßions like a cloud, and thy fins as chi the fab the fourty fourth and the twenty fecond verfe, whereby the Lord flieweth that our finnes arefcattered, and come to nothing, when it pleaseth him to take them away. The other fenfe gathered from the word purging, is, that God

doth

doth no forgive our finnes,as an earthly Judge forgiveth a malefactor, lo that he goeth away with his pardon, without any farther favour fhewed him; bu that he likewife becometh favourable unto us, and willing to doe us all the good he can: If malefactors can obtain their pardon at the hands of temporall Judges, it is all they can looke for; but they never come to any preferment: But God doth not only giveus veniam but gratiam; as he doth pardon our finnes, fo alfo he becomes loving and kinde to us: Chrift doth not only take us away from God, that he should not proceed to punish us for our finnes, but offers us up to God, as an acceptable facrafice, as Peter witneffeth, Christ once fuffered for finnes, the juft for the unjust, that he might offer us up to God, in the first of Peter the third chapter and the eighteenth verfe; for as the wifeman faith,Take the droffe from the filver, and there fball proceed a vesel for the refiner, Proverbs the twenty fift and the fourth verfe: Softer finne is taken away from us, our nature is moft acceptable to Go, because there remaineth nothing but his own natur. Secondly for the certainty; As thou haft a perfect fenfe of the touching of this coal, fo certainly are thy finnes taken away; which affurance we are likewife to gather to our felves, in this facrament; that as furely as we corporally doe taste of the bread and wine, fo fure it is, that we fpiritually feed on the body and blood of Chrift, which is communicated unto us by thele ek mens, as the Apostle theweth, in the first tothe Corinthians, the tenth chapter, and the fifteenth verfe, that the bread broken is the communion of the body of Chrift, that the cup bleffed is the communion of bis blood; that by partaking of this spirituall tood we may be fed to eternall life. Thirdly, this act was performed with fpeed, the Ceraphin came flying with wings, and being come, he hath a prefent effectuall power to take away his finne; for a little before he that cried out, that he was in woefull cafe, verse the fifi, ve mihi; by and by being touched and revived with comfort of forgiveneffe, faith, Ecce ego,mitte me, in the eighth verfe: whereby we learn, that the touching with the coal thus taken from the Altar, and the participating of the body and blood of Chrift, hath a power not only to purge, and heale the fore of our nature but that it giveth a willingness to ferve God more cheerfully and carefully than we did before, it mak cthus ferventes fpirits, fervent in spirit Rom. the twelfth and the cleventh verfe; fo that we care for nothing nor count our lives precious, that we may finish our course withjog, Acts the twentieth and the twenty fourth verfe.

The fumme of all is, that feeing it is a fearfull thing to appear in the prefence of Gods Majefty, and knowing that one day we muft all appear before his tribunall fear and throne of glory, we do confeffe with the Propher, that albeit we have lived never fo upright a life, yet if we have beene filent, when we should have spoken to his glory, if we have omitted never fo little a dury, which we ought to have performed, for all that, our cale is miferable, untill it pleafe God by the burning coale of his Altar, and, by the facrifice of Chrifts body, offered up for us upon the croffe, to take away our finnes And that if we truly hum

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ble our felves before God,and acknowledge our fianes,then our finnes fhall be purged by the death of Chrift, and by partaking of the facrament of his bodie and blood; the rather, because in the facrament we doe touch the facrifice it felf, whereas the Prophets finne was taken away with that which did but touch the facrifice.

Then, after the receiving of this facrament, we must take a view of our felves, whether we can fay, Nonne cor noftrum ardebat in nobis ? Did not our heart burn within us? Luke the twenty fourth chapter and the thirty fecond verle, becaule in this facrament we finde a fire of Chrifts love towards us; And whether we finde in our selves that willingneffe to ferve God aright, which was in the Prophet, in the eighth verfe, Behold, fend me; Ecce, mitte me. As in regard of our mifery we mide the confeffion of finfull men; fo having experience of Gods mercie in taking away our finnes, we must make the confeffion of Angels, crying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hofts.

Laftly, We must not only flew forth the heat of our love to our needy and poor Brethren, by doing the works of mercy; but evento our enemies, as both Salomos and the Apostle teach, if thine enemie hunger, feed him; if he thirst give him drinks for fo thon fhalt heap coals of fire upon his head, Proverbs the twenty fift chapter and the twenty first verse, and Romans the twelfth chapter and the ninteenth verse; For fo as thouarta burning coale in thy felf; fo thou shalt kindle in him the coals of devotion to God, and of love to thy felf.

Matth. 6. 1. Attendite ne juftitiam veftram exerceatis coram hominibus, ut alioquin mercedem non habebitis apud Patrem veftrum qui eft in Calis.

O&ob. 15. 1598.

fpectemini ab eis

HE drift of our Saviour in these words is, to separate that which is vile, from the pretious, Feremiab the fifteenth chapter, to fever the tare of vain glory from the good corne of righteousneffe and mercie But as Chrift gives charge, That while his Difciples laboured to gather away the tares, they should beware that they pluck not up the good corne, Matthew the thirteenth chapter: So while we labour to pluck up the tares of vain glorious intentions; we must take heed that we doe not withall pluck up the good corne of good works; for heretofore the good feed of the Doctrine of good works was not fo foon taught, but prefently the Devil fowed in mens hearts the wicked opinion of merit of works, as tares among good corne. And while men laboured to take away the opinion of merits, then he takes away out of mens heats the care of works.

In the counsel of Chrift two things are to be noted, First, the corn must be sowed, take heed ye doe good works Secondly, the tares must

be

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