515 LECTURES Preached in the Parish Church of St. GILE'S without Cripple-gate LONDON. Sed advolavit ad me unus ex iftis Seraphim habens in manu fua 15ainb 6.5. prunam; quam forcibus fumpferat ab altari. Admovitque ori meo dicens, c. N the Liturgy of the ancient Church, thefe words O&ob. 1. 3 are found applyed to the bleffed Sacrament of 1598. Chrifts body and blood; for it is recorded by Bafill, That at the celebration thereof, afterthe Sacrament was miniftred to the people, the Preift ftood up and faid as the Seraphin doth here, Behold this bath touched your lips, your iniquity Shall be taken away, and your finne purged. The whole fruit of Religion is, The taking away of finne, Ifaiah the twenty feventh Chapter and the ninth verie, and the ipeciall wayes to take it away, is the Religious ufe of this Sacrament; which as Chrift faith is nothing elfe, but a feale and figne of his blood that was fbed for many for the remißion of finnes, Matthew the twenty fixt Chapter and the twenty eighth verfe; for the Angell tells the propher, that his finnes are not only taken away, but that it is done facramentally, by the touching of a Cole, even as Chrift affureth us, that we obtain rem ffion of finnes by the receiving of the Cup: Now as in the Sacrament, we confiderthe Element and the word; fo we are to divide this Scripture. For firft, in that the Seraphin touched his mouth with a burning Cole taken from the Alwar, therein we have the element, and the word of comfort which the Prophet received, was, that the Angell faid to him, Behold this Cale hath touched thy lips, and now thine iniquity is taken away, and thy finnes purged: And there is fuch an Analogie and proportion between the Sereaphim and the Priests, between the Altar and the Lords Table, between the burning Cole and Bread and Wine, offered and received in the Lords Supper. As we cannot but juftifie the wildomè of the ancient Church, in applying this Scripture to the holy Eucharift: For as, St. John theweth, this vifion fhewed to the Prophet Ifaiah, is to be understood of our Saviour Chrift, John the twelfth and the fourty first verse; for faith the Evangelift, Thefe things faid Efay, when Ttt 2 he faw his glory, and spake of him; and therefore by this burning Cole taken from the Altar, is meant Chrift Jefus, who by the Sacrifice of his death which hee offered up to God, his Father, hath taken away our i. niquities, and purged our finnes, as it is in the fixt chapter to the He brewes, and therefore for the confirmation of our Faith wee are here taught, That our finnes are no leffe taken away by the element of bread and wine, in the Sacrament, then the Prophets finne was by being touched with a Cole. The occafion of this touching is fet downe in the former verses of this Chapter, which doe ftand upon a vision and a confeßion; The vifion fhewed to the Prophet was, That hee faw the Lord fitting upon an high Throne, as a Fudge ready to give Sentence, before whom the very was were forced to cover their faces Toe confeßion that hee made was, woe is mee for I am uncleane, I am a man of polluted lips, mine eyes have seene she King and Lord of Halts: From whence wee learne, that how focver by the confideration of his former life, and the finnes that have fcaped from him, a man may bee brought to fome remorfe of Confcience, yet then especially hee is humbled when hee feeth the vifion of Gods glory, and therefore nothing is more forc ble to bring us to repentance, than to confider that at the laft generall day, Wee fhall fee Christ Jefus the fonne of God come in glory, and fit downe in his Throne of glory, and give Sentence of condemnation upon the wicked. The Prophet who otherwife was no grievous finner, but only guilty of omission, for that he had beene filent, and did not glorific God with his tongue as he fhould have done, notwithflanding in the fight of Gods glory is touched with remorse & cryeth our Woe is me; Where by again wee learne that wee finne not only when wee fpeake of thele things which wee fh uld not, but when wee are filent, when we fhould apply ur tongues to Gods glory; fo that though the excellen cy of our upright and honeft conversation bee never so great in the world, yet the Majefty of God is fuch as fhall fhew, That even those duties that we have omitted, shall be fufficient to confound us before his glorious prefence, unleffe it pleale him to be mercifull to us; there fore when wee appeare before his judgement-feate, it shall bee in vain for us to alleage what wee have done, forafmuch as the leaft dury that wee have left undone is enough to condemnes. It fhall bee our duty therefore, notwithstanding all our righteousnesse, to judge our felvis worthy to bee deftroyed for our iniquities and finnes of omißion, Exechiel the thirty fixt chapter and the one and thir ich verfe, and to fay with this Prophet Woe is mee, for I am a man of polluted lips : Wernuft acknowledge that nothing belongs to us bur Woe, and that God may in juftice confound us for the leaft duty we have omitted. Upon this confeffion made by the Prophet there come an Angell flying from God, which by touching his lips with a hot Coale affured him that his finne was taken away; wherefore, as by the former wee learne that wee fhould repent us of our finnes when wee confider the great Majefty of God, fo by this wee are taught what to hope for, that is, that if wee bee penitent God will not bee wanting unto us, but will fend Firft, The Eles ment. fend a Seraphin unto us, with a word of comfort, to affure us that all our iniquities are purged. The outward element appointed by God to Two parts. confirme his faith, was the flying of a Seraphin unto him to touch is mouth First, Elemen with the Cole; the word or invifible grace fignifyed by the element all Secondly, In was, that by that touching his finne was taken away. In the outward a- vifible grace, Яion wee are frit to confider the element it felfe, that was, the burning Cole on the Altar; next the application performed by a Seraphin, who tooke the Cole from the Altar, and touched the Prophets lips. First therefore confidering that none can take away finne but God only, wee must needs confeffe that there was in this Cole a divine force and virtue iffuing from Christ, who is the only reconciliation for our fins, without which it had not beene poffible that it could have taken away fane. But what is here faid of this Cole, is to bee understood of Chrift, of whom Efay speaketh in this place, When hee faw the glory of Chrift, John 12.41% for hee is the Cole by which our finnes are taken away; There are two natures in a Cole, that is, the Cole it felfe, which is a dead thing,' and the burning nature and heate that it hith; which fetteth out firft Chrifts humane nature, which is dead in it felfe; And then his divine nature, containing the burning force of that is reprefented in this burning Cole So the element of bread and wine is a dead thing in it felfe, but through the grace of Gods fprit infused into it hath a power to heate our Soules: for the ele ments in the Supper have an earthly and a heavenly part. Secondly, that Chrift is to bee understood by this burning Cole wee may f fly gather, because his love to his Church is prefented with fire, Cantic, the eighth chapter and the fixth verle. It is faid of Chrifts love, the Coles thereof are fiery Coles, and a vehement Aime, fuch as cannot be quenched with any water, nor the floods drown ir, even fo all the calamities and miseries that Christ suffered and endured for our fakes, which were poured upon him as water, could not quench the love that he bare us. Thirdly,quia non folum ardet ipfe fed alios accendit, so faith John the Baptift of him,There cometh one after me that fhall Baptize with the boly Ghost and with fire, as it is in the third chapter of Lake the fixteenth verfe, therefore the graces of the holy Ghoft are also represen ted by fire, Alts 3. the union whereof hath a double reprefentation, First, it is fignified by water in Baptifme; for finne that is derived unto us from another, being as a spot may be washed away with water, and therefore the Prophet faith, there is a fountaine opened to the bonfe of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, for finne and uncleannesse, Zach, the thirteenth chapter and the first verle, therefore Ananias laid to Saul, bee Baptized and wash away thy finnes, Acts the twenty fe zond Chapter and the fixteenth verfe, that is meant of originall finne and the corruption of our nature, by which wee are guilty of the wrath of God; but because through the whol courfe of our life finne, by custome groweth more to be strong, and to flick faft in our nature, fo as no water can take it away; therefore the Grace of God is fet out by fire, as having a power and force to burn up finne; for by custome finne is bred and fetled in our nature, and is tanquam furni, droffe that |