place I vnderstande that it is all one not to iudge the bodye of the Lorde and to eate it vnworthelye Wherefore they which lacke faith be voyde of charitie without all religion and lyke hogges caste in them selues to this Supper such as these make no difference of the Lordes Supper Therefore seyng they beleue not that that body is theyr lyfe whensoeuer they do present them selues in the Church to receaue this Sacrament they do blaspheme do greate iniurye to the body of Christ they spoyle it of all dignitie and receauyng it after this sorte they be false betrayers of theyr Lord. Euen so these that be in discorde with theyr neyghbours the whiche do so hate them that they can not abyde the syght of them whan they do come together in company to celebrate the holy supper and to shewe that they be knytte together with theyr brother in the bande of charitie such do blaspheme God deuide the mistical bodi of Iesu Christ and teare in sunder the holye Churche by peece and peece Therefore worthely are they to be blamed be betrayers of the body of Chryst I say not onely that they bee betrayers of the Churche whiche is the mistical bodye of Chryste But I saye they be betraiers of theyr Lord no lesse then Iudas and the Iewes whiche crucified hym Eatyng after thys sort vnworthely thei do receaue their own damynation for vsynge thys Sacrament without fayth as the hypocrites do they do confesse that with theyr mouth whiche they beleue not in their harte And to be present at thys table is no other thinge but an abiuration whiche is done in euery false religion It is a confession that we beleue to bee saued onely by the death of Iesu Chryste The hypocrite then doth condemne hym selfe doth pronounce sentence in hys owne condemnation and prouoketh the anger of GOD vppon hys owne head When a man doth not putte hys whole confydence in Christ he can not loue hys neyghbour with that Christian loue wherewith thys Sacrament doth bynde hym Then a wycked person is cutte of from his neyghbours and so he hath no parte at all in the Churche nor yet maye vse thys Sacrament but faynedly For when he outwardelye sheweth hym selfe at this holy Table he confesseth to be transfourmed into hys neyghbour neuerthelesse in hys harte he is replenyshed with hatred For this cause Paule willed that a man should make triall of himself before he dyd eate of thys bread drynke of this cuppe The whiche wordes I do vnderstande after thys sorte that euerye one ought it theyr proper conscience and with stedfast fayth beleue that Iesus Christ onely is theyr redemer and the satisfier for all theyr sinnes Also they ought to declare the death of Christ that is with tong openly to confesse that the whiche he beleueth in hys hart Thys is to confesse Christ alone to be our Sauiour in daungers troubles and all persecutioÌ„s of Antichrist When a Christian hath tasted of thys fayth and confession it is necessary before he receaue thys Sacrament that he consider in his owne conscience whether he be redy to geue hym selfe wholy to the seruyce and benefyt of hys neighbour as Christ hath done who is made the seruaunt of the whole Churche whether he be also desyrous to helpe to defende and to gouerne his neighbour because he is of the fleshe of his owne body Thys is that preparation the which he ought to haue that myndeth to eate the supper of the Lorde This is that examination wherof Paul speaketh that he ought to make that wyll eate of thys breade and drinke of this cuppe He that hath not this fayth and this charitie lette him not goo to this supper of the Lorde because yf that anye suche who is voyde of faith and charitie doth present hym selfe to thys table he is worthi of more blame and becometh a betrayer of the body of Chryst Let vs nowe consider what difference there is bet wixt this fyrst and common fayth of the hypocrites and of thys seconde Christian faith This first fayth wylleth that we shoulde eate this supper because it is so ordayned and because the body of Chryste is receaued But because the wicked and reprobate and the Dyuell may haue thys fayth therefore the hipocrite doth not eate worthely the supper of the Lorde Let vs then leaue of thys â—â—â—â—…on hipocrisie and beynge â—rmed with fayth and charitie â–ª â—…et vs eate thys bread and drynke thys cup together with the other faythful chaunginge our selues into our neyghbours by charitie beinge replenished with all humilitie of whiche we haue at this present a rare example of oure master Christ which is written by S. Iohn after this sort Before the feast dai of the passouer Iesus vnderstandynge that his houre was come that he muste depart out of this life to hys father hauynge loued hys that were in the world for euer and euer he loued theÌ„ When supper was done and the deuil had moued y e hart of Iudas of Symon Iscarioth which betraied hym Iesus knowing that his father had geuen into hys handes all thinges and that he came from GOD and that he must go to God he ryse from supper put of his garmentes tooke a towell girde himselfe after that put water into a basen and beganne to washe the feete of hys Disciples and to wype them with the to well where with he was gyrt The Euangelyst dott describe the cause wherfore the father sent Iesu Christ into the worlde that by the meanes oâ— the crosse he muste retourne to hys father Our merites then nor our good workes bee not oâ— suche pleasauntnesse that theâ— haue caused the sonne of god to descende into the earth But thâ— great earnest loue that he barâ—… hath moued the heauenlye father to geue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hys benifites in hys beloued Câ—â—â—d In this is made manyfest thâ— loue of God toward vs In thaâ— he sen◠〈◊〉 only begotten sonne i◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—rlde that we should lyâ—â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him In this doth apâ—â—…â—ys loue not that we loâ—◠〈◊〉 but that he loued vs â–ª and sent his sonne a propiciation for our synnes The sonne hath folowed the loue of the father therefore such as were at the first beloued they were dere and fauoured for euer and euer Our Lorde fayleth not in his loue albeit his Disciples ran away denyed hym For al this he departed not froÌ„ one iote of his good wyl y e all men myght knowe that God is true man is but a lyer It is a small mencion that Iohn maketh of this supper because it was already throughli described of the other Euangelistes Now had the deuyll moued the harte of Iudas Iscarioth that betrayed hym And Iesus vnderstandyng y e his father had layd this burden vppon his shoulders te lâ—ue al beleuers by the meanes of the crosse he therfore gaue into his handes the euerlastynge good thinges that is lyfe righteousnesse remissioÌ„ of
of Iesu Christe Take eate this is my body Therefore it is nedefull that the minister of the Church be wel aduised in geuinge thys sacrament to any body yf he haue not before vnderstande his faith And by that confession which the Christian hath made in y e church to iudge that he is worthye to eate thys supper and to be made one bodi with Iesus Christ This confession is to be had of necessitie because that sacramētes be ordained for this ende that they may be witnesses also an open confession of our faith It is expedient that we liue after suche sort in thys mortall lyfe y t we helpe our neyghbour that we shuld shew our faith the which is hid in our hartes openly by some outwarde token to the Church That is bi baptisme with the supper of the lorde The gospell must bee confessed openly w t our mouth and for this cause also is this sacrament ordayned that al the worlde maye knowe that we be Christians he that vseth not the sacrament of this sort doth greuously offend hys lord What shall profit thee this fyrst faith of the hipocrites when in passing ouer of this worlde the deuilles shal tempt thee if thou shalt saye I beleue that I haue receaued the body of Chryst because it is so ordayned In lyke sort wil the deuil say And I beleue also that thou haste receaued it This faith will nothinge profit thee nor yet ease thee of thy troubles But if thou be instructed in the true fayth thou shalt aunswere the deuill say Ah Satan thou tyraunt what power haste thou in me I am armed in thys sacrament with the merites of Iesu Christ who is made mine and I am become his what canst thou do against me I do not esteme thee vse thy force I do not feare it my lorde is greater then thou With thys fayth ought euery one to be armed not only to passe ouer this lyfe but also in all parylles whiles we shall here lyue After thys sort it becommeth a Christian to be instructed yf this sacrament should profit him For yf thou hast not thys fayth although thou hadest al the Priestes of the worlde aboute thee with the Sacrament in theyr handes it should profit thee nothinge We reade in the boke of the Kynges that the people of Israell fyghting with the Philistines were ouerthrowen put to flyght and dispersed After thys ouerthrowe the Elders of the people of Israell gathered them selues together and sayde to them for thys cause are the Philistines lordes and conquerours in this warre because the arke of the couenaunte is not with vs. It was then ordayned that the arke should be brought into the army of whiche when it came al the people were glad The Iewes cryed with greate ioye thinkinge therby to haue made affrayde the Philistines triumphinge of victoritie not yet gotten The people of Israel being proude for the presence of the arke of the Lord they beganne battell a freshe with the Philistines but with great losse and more shame they were put to flight ouerthrowen Howe came this to passe that y e Iewes were thus subdued euyll handeled The arke of the lorde was present in which they had such confidence that they thought God to bee present and that he had there a peculier habitation Of thys they had no lesse confidence then hath the hipocrites of this sacrament Why dyd not God helpe the Iewes because the Hebrues were voide of faith thought by the presence of the arke to haue god to be fauourable The very selfe same thinge doth come to passe in our times to such as trust in the outward worke of this sacramēt and be not instructed with y e true faith where with a christian ought to be endued Therefore the deuill hath more power of suche after thei haue receaued y e sacrament then euer he had before Let vs then leaue of this illusion and beleue that that Christian whiche is partaker of Iesu Christe by faith doth become of the self same substaunce with his lord This is that coniunction of the church w t Christ whereof Paule spake saying that we should encrease by all meanes in Chryst who is the head whervnto the body fastened ioyned by euery kind of coniuction according to y e power mesure of euery part causeth the body to encrease in edifiyng it self by charitie Our bodies be mēbres of Iesu christ and the habitation of the holye ghost These benifites be geuen vnto vs because our lord is ioyned vnto vs both in spirite in bodi This coniunction that we haue w t Iesu Chryst can not be declared w t greater prayse then Paul did when he said that our fleshe is the fleshe of Christ and our bones the bones of him In no lesse force thē was the bones and fleshe of Eua formed of Adam Seinge we haue nowe made manyfeste the instruction that ought to be kept when a Christian will vse thys sacrament or supper It is nowe nedefull to declare what fruite and commoditie we haue of this supper I saye thys supper doth brynge forth two fruites to a Christian The fyrst is that we become after a sort the brethren of Iesu Chryst and that we be the selfe same substaunce with him The second fruite is that we be trāsfourmed after a sort with oure neighbour that we become one harte and one soule with hym And after this sort al the whole Churche is vnited with Iesus Chryst and in it self These two fruites be described of Saynct Paule who sayth The cuppe of blessynge whiche we blesse is it not the cōmunion of the bloud of Christ The bread whiche we breake is it not the communion of the bodi of Christ Because that many be one bread and one body therefore all we be partakers of one bread whensoeuer we do eate of thys bread that wytnesseth that thys meate is common to all beleuers And seyng that in this sacrament al thinges be common let vs receaue together that the whiche Chryste hath wrought for vs. Thys is that commoditie of whiche I haue so often spoken If the christian haue fayth and beleue that the body and bloud of the lorde be hys he hath then Iesu Christ in him with all hys benifites Thenceforth the hart is meri reioyseth triumpheth trustyng to be saued not by his owne goodnes but by the innocent bloud of Iesu Christ This is to be trāsfourmed into christ and to be his body bloud for that he taketh vpon him al our miseries all oure vnhappynes al our mishappes These two thinges be ioyned together and agree in one that is the goodnes of Christ and our sinne that we should be of the same health and strength if we be one soule with Iesu Christ what thynge shuld we desire more then that These and such other like thinges ought to bee preached and taught the people when they fall a reasonynge of thys sacrament for
obstinate and would not suffer hys master to washe his fete but now he would haue him to doe more then was fyrst commaunded The selfe same thinge we se nowe to be done in many who when they perceaue the seueritie of the law and the bonde which we are bounde in they do as Peter dyd they wyll not only obserue the commaundement of god but they finde of theyr owne workes besydes the worde of God Therefore they thinke to merite remission of sin nes partly by the merite of Iesu Christ and partly by the merite of their owne worke Such be lyke Peter for they wyll not only do that that god commauÌ„deth but thei wil of their owne heades finde out other merites wherby to deserue lyfe euerlastynge Peter not walkyng in the kinges high way Iesus said vn to hym he that is washed hath no nede to washe any parte but his fete and than he is al clene Our master reproued the vnskil fulnes of Peter by the common custome of these dayes For such as be washed in a bathe when thei go forth they set their feete vpon the ground And nede not after to washe anye thynge but theyr feete When any was bydden to feast to the Iewes it was onely nedeful to washe the fete because they vsed to eate vppon beddes As nowe emongest vs when any is biddeÌ„ to feast it is only nedeful to wash theyr handes for all elles is cleane But Christ by this matter wyl inâ—â—r a matter of more importanÌ„ce not only â—eprâ—hend the inciuilitie of Peter All they whiche by fayth be made cleane pure all such be al wholy clensed in Iesu Chryst because y e fayth hath assured theÌ„ of the purenes holynes of Iesu Christ There is no damnation to those that be engraffed in Iesu Chryst with all this therfore is iustified the sinner yet hath he his feete myered the which continually haue nede to be clensed The feete be the carnal desires and the remanentes of the olde man the which ought continually to be chastened and mortified The Christian in Chryste is wholy cleane but in him self he hys filthy foule ful of carnal desires And although he is not therfore condemned yet he hath sinnes the which were nedeful to bee washed awaye whylest therefore we lyue in this myery lyfe we haue nede to haue oure feete washed That is to walke in the spirite not in the fleshe because a Christian oughte to serue with his mynde the lawe of god therfore ought he to take good hede not to serue the lawe of sinne When our master had washed hys Disciples feete he toke agayne his garmentes sat him down and said vnto them you call me master and lorde so say you well for so I am If I then beinge lorde master haue washed your fete you ought also to washe one anothers feete because I haue geueÌ„ you an example that as I haue done eueÌ„ so do ye The lord hath now declared y e cause that moued hym to take in hand so meane an enterprise in the world The Apostles did thinke that Iesus christ ought to be the worldly messias that was loked for of y e Iewes that shoulde be a kinge and monarche of the whole world Our Lorde had often preached vnto them that hys kyngdome was spirituall and not terrestriall that they should not set their felicitie beneth in the earth For to confirme therfore the trueth of this his prechyng he did this base and meane offyce to washe his disciples feete And our lord deferred this fact vntill his last supper for that hys doctryne should be more freshe in memorie in our mindes being done at a tyme moste worthy of remembraunce I haue geuen you an example that you shoulde do as you haue seene me to doe you thynke that I am come into this world to enioye an earthly kyngdome you receaue youre selues Therefore caste of from you al felicitie that the worlde can promyse you take example by me that am made your seruaunt Thus followe my pathe and fotesteppes be seruauntes of all men but be faythfull This onely sayeth Paule is required in the ministers of the gospel that they be faythfull in their doctryne none then shall glory in man we shal onely glory in Iesu Chryst who is y e true fode of our soules To whom be honour power and glory for euer and euer Amen ¶ Imprinted at London by Rycharde Iugge Printer to the Queues Maiestie 1. Reg. 11 Ephe. 11 Ephe. v. Ephe. v Roma â— Gala. v. 1. Cor. xi 1. Cor. x1 〈◊〉 xi Iohn xiii i. Ioh. iiii Roma iâ— â—imo v. ath 10.