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eaten in the Supper, only after an "heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the

"In the Lord's Supper both that communicating which I spake of is confirmed unto us, and is also increased, for that each man is both by the words and mysteries of God ascertained that the same belongeth to himself, and that Christ is by a certain peculiar manner given to him, that he may most fully and with most near conjunction enjoy him, insomuch that not only our souls are nourished with his holy body and blood as with their proper food, but also our bodies, for that they partake of the sacraments of eternal life, have, as it were by a pledge given them, a certain hope assured them of resurrection and immortality; that at length Christ abiding in us, and we again abiding in Christ, we also, by Christ abiding in us, may obtain not only everlasting life, but also the glory which the Father gave him. In a sum I say thus; as I imagine not any gross joining, so I affirm that same secret and marvellous communicating Christ's body in his supper to be most near and straight, most assured, most true, and altogether most high and perfect. Nowell, p. 111.

Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood; and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. -Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith, with thanksgiving.Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee, for that thou dost vouchsafe to feed us, who have duly received these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us, and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, which is the blessed company of all faithful people, and are also heirs through hope of thy everlasting kingdom, by the merits of the most precious death and passion of thy dear Son. Com. Serv.

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Q. When thou saidst afore that the sacraments avail to con

n Have been all made to drink into one spirit. 1 Cor. xii. 13. It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words (see above, John xi. 48-57.) that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. John vi. 63. Who hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 2 Cor. iii. 6.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John iv. 24.

The

• That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Eph. iii. 17. end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. 1

Tim. i. 5. Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son

body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not

firmation of faith, how dost thou now say that we must bring faith to them? A. These sayings do not disagree. For there must be faith begun in us, to the nourishing and strengthening whereof the Lord hath ordained the sacraments, which bring great effectual helps to the confirming, and, as it were, sealing the promises of God in our hearts. Nowell, p. 113.

Most humbly beseeching thee to grant, that by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we and all thy whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion. Communion Serv.

That faith is a necessary instrument in all these holy ceremonies, we may thus assure ourselves, for that, as St. Paul saith, without faith it is impossible to please God. (Heb. xi. 6.) When a great number of Israelites were overthrown in the wilderness, Moses, Aaron, and Phineas did eat manna, and pleased God, for that they understood, saith St. Augustine, the visible meat spiritually. Spiritually they hungered it, spiritually they tasted it, that they might be spiritually satisfied. And truly as the bodily meat cannot feed the outward man, unless it be let into a stomach to be digested, which is healthful and sound; no more can the inward man be fed, except his meat be received into his soul and heart, sound and whole in faith. Wherefore let us prove and try ourselves unfeignedly, without flattering ourselves, whether we be plants of the fruitful olive, living branches of the true vine, members indeed of Christ's mystical body; whether God hath purified our hearts by faith, to the sincere acknowledging of his Gospel, and embracing of his mercies in Christ Jesus, so that at this his table we receive not only the outward sacrament, but the spiritual thing also; not the figure, but the truth; not the shadow only, but the body; not to death, but to life; not to destruction, but to salvation. Which God grant us to do, through the merits of our Lord and Saviour: to whom be all honour and glory for ever. Amen. Hom. xxvii. 1.

P Neither can we away in our churches with these shews and sales and markets of masses, nor with the carrying about and worshipping of the bread, nor with such other idolatrous and blasphemous fondness; which none of them can prove that

of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Gal. ii. 20. He that believeth not is condemned. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John iii. 18, 36.

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Rom. xiv. 23. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John vi. 35.

by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.

And we

Christ or his apostles ever ordained or left unto us. justly blame the bishops of Rome, who, without the word of God, without the authority of the holy Fathers, without any example of antiquity, after a new guise, do not only set before the people the sacramental bread to be worshipped as God, but do also carry the same about upon an ambling palfrey, whithersoever themselves journey: in such sort, as in old times, the Persian fire and the reliques of the goddess Isis, were solemnly carried about in procession: and have brought the sacraments of Christ to be used now as a stage-play and a solemn sight; to the end that men's eyes should be fed with nothing else, but with mad gazings, and foolish gaudies, in the self-same matter, wherein the death of Christ ought diligently to be beaten into our hearts, and wherein also the mysteries of our redemption ought with all holiness and reverence to be executed. Jewell.

XXIX. Of the Wicked, which eat not the body of Christ in the use of the Lord's Supper.

a

b

THE wicked, and such as be void of a lively faith, although they do carnally and visibly press with their teeth (as Saint Augustine saith) the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ; yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ; but

We affirm, together with the ancient Fathers, that the body of Christ is not eaten but of the good and faithful, and of those that are endued with the Spirit of Christ. Their doctrine (of the Church of Rome) is, that Christ's very body effectually, and as they speak really and substantially, may be eaten of the wicked and unfaithful men. Jewell.

b Q. Are then the only faithful fed with Christ's body and blood? A. They only. For to whom he communicateth his body, to them he communicateth also everlasting life. Nowell, p. 112.

It is requisite that no man should come to the holy communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy, and with a quiet conscience. Communion Serv.

c Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 1 Cor. x. 21, 22. True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. John iv. 23. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. ii. 14. Not discerning the Lord's body. 1 Cor. xi. 29. Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump. Let us keep the feast; not with old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. v. 7, 8. Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Tit. i. 15. When ye come

together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and

partly believe it.- When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to (or ye cannot) eat the Lord's supper. 1 Cor. xi. 19, 20. When ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves. Zech. vii. 6. Without faith it is impossible to please him. Heb. xi. 6. He that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Rom. xiv. 23. To whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see they could not enter in because of unbelief. Heb. iii. 18, 19. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates? 2 Cor. xiii, 5.

rather to their condemnation, do eat and drink the sign or sacrament of so great a thing.

Q. Why then is the communicating of the sacrament damnable to the wicked? A. Because they come to the holy and divine mysteries with hypocrisy and counterfeiting, and do wickedly profane them, to the great injury and dishonour of the Lord himself that ordained them. Nowell, p. 112.

So is the danger great, if we receive the same unworthily: for then we are guilty of the body and blood of Christ our Saviour; we eat and drink our own damnation, not considering the Lord's body; we kindle God's wrath against us; we provoke him to plague us with divers diseases, and sundry kinds of death. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God, an hinderer or slanderer of his word, an adulterer, or be in malice, or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent you of your sins, or else come not to that holy table; lest, after the taking of that holy sacrament, the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and soul. Com. Serv.

d After the sop, Satan entered into Judas. John xiii. 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this

cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 1 Cor. xi. 27-31. To the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Ps. 1. 16. By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matt. xii. 37.

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