THE THe Countrey Parſon being      to    adminiſter the Sacra-    ments Sacraments , is at a ſtand with himſelf , how or what behaviour to aſſume for ſo holy things. E-ſpecially Eſpecially at Communion times he is in a great confuſion , as being not only to receive God, but to break, break and adminiſter him. Nei-ther findes he any iſſue in this, but to throw himſelf down at the throne of grace, ſaying , Lord, thou knoweſt what thou didſt , when             thou   The Parſon in Sacraments.    89 thou appointedſt appointed’ſt it to be done thus; therefore do e thou ful-fill fulfill what thou didſt didd’ſt appoint; for thou art not onely only the feaſt , but the way to it. At Baptiſme Baptiſm , be-ing being himſelfe himſelf in white, he requires the preſence of all, and Bapti-zeth Baptizeth not willingly, but on Sun-dayes Sundayes , or great dayes . Hee He ad-mits no vaine vain or idle names, but ſuch as are uſuall uſual and accuſtomed . Hee He ſays ſayes that prayer with great             devotion, 74  The Parſon in Sacraments. devotion, where God is thanked for calling us to the knowledg of his grace, Baptiſme Baptiſm being a bleſ-ſing bleſſing , that the world hath not the like. He wil - lingly and cheerfully croſſeth the child, and thinketh the Ceremony not onely only innocent, but reverend. He inſtructeth the God-fathers Godfathers , and God- mothers , that it is no complementall complemental or light thing to ſuſtain that place, but a great ho-nour honour , and no leſs bur - den, as being done both in the preſence pre-ſence of God,             and 90  The Parſon in Sacraments. & and his Saints, and by way of un-dertaking undertaking for a Chriſtian ſoul . He adviſeth all to call to minde their Baptiſm often; for if wiſe men have thought it the beſt way of preſerving pre-ſerving a ſtate to reduce it to its principles by which it grew great; certainly, certainly it is the ſafeſt courſe for Chriſti-ans Chriſtians alſo to meditate on their Bap-tiſme Baptiſm often (being the firſt ſtep into their great and glorious cal - ling) and upon what termes , and with what vowes they were Bapti - zed. At the times of the Holy Commu-nion Com-munion , he firſt takes order with the Church-Wardens, that the ele-ments ele-            ments   The Parſon in Sacraments.    75ments be of the beſt , not cheape cheap , or courſe , much leſſe leſs ill- taſted , or unwholſome un-wholſom . Secondly, hee he conſiders and looks into the igno-rance ignorance , or careleſneſs of his flock , and accord - ingly applies himſelfe himſelf with Catechizings Catechi-zing , and live-ly lively exhortations, not on the Sunday of the Communion only (for then             it   The Parſon in Sacraments.    91 it is too late) late;) but the Sunday, or Sundayes before the Communion, or on the Eves of all thoſe dayes . If there be any, who having not re-ceived received yet, yet is to en - ter into this great work Work , he takes the more pains with them, that hee he may lay the foundation of future Bleſſings . The time of every ones firſt receiving is not ſo much by yeers years , as by un-derſtanding underſtanding : particularly, parti-cularly the rule may be this: When any one can diſtinguiſh the Sacra-mental Sacramentall from common bread, know - ing the In-ſtitution Inſtitution , and the difference differ-ence , hee he ought to receive, of what age ſo-ever ſoever . Children and youths youth are u-ſually uſually deferred too long, under pretence of devotion to the Sacra-ment , but it is for want of Inſtructi-on Inſtruction ;             their 76  The Parſon in Sacraments. their underſtandings being ripe e - nough for ill things, and why not then for better? But Parents , and Maſters ſhould make haſt haſte in this, as to a great purchaſe for their children,             and 92  The Parſon in Sacraments. and ſervants ; which while they de-ferr deferr , both ſides ſuffer ; the one, in wanting many excitings of grace; the other, other in being worſe ſerved and o - beyed. The ſaying of the Catechiſm is neceſſary , but not e-nough enough ; becauſe to anſwer in form may ſtill admit ig - norance: but the Queſtions muſt be propounded looſely and wildely , and then the Anſwerer will diſcover what hee he is. Thirdly, For the man - ner of receiving, as the Parſon uſeth all reverence himſelf , ſo he adminiſters admini-ſters to none but to the reverent. The Feaſt indeed requires ſitting , be-cauſe it is a Feaſt ; but man’s unpre-paredneſſe unpre-paredneſs asks kneeling. Hee He that comes to the Sacrament, hath the confidence con-fidence of a Gueſt , and hee he that kneels, confeſſeth himſelf an unwor-thy unworthy one, and therefore differs from other Feaſters Fea-ſters : but hee he that ſits , or lies, puts up to an Apoſtle : Con-tentiouſneſſe Contentiouſneſs in a             feast   The Parſon’s Completeneſs.    77 feaſt of Charity is             more   The Parſon in Sacraments.    93 more ſcandall ſcandal then than any poſture . Fourthly, touching the frequency of the Communion, the Parſon ce-lebrates celebrates it, if not duly once a month, yet at leaſt five or ſix times in the year; as, at Eaſter , Chriſtmaſſe Chriſtmaſs , Whitſuntide , afore and after Har-veſt , and the beginning of Lent. And this hee he doth, not onely only for the benefit of the work, but al-ſo alſo for the diſcharge of the Church- wardens , who being to preſent all that receive not thrice a year; if there be but three Communions, neither can all the people ſo order their affairs as to receive juſt at thoſe times, nor the Church-Wardens ſo well take notice no-tice, who receive thrice, and who not.             CHAP.