¶ Here beginneth a song of the Lordes Supper O God who is worthy thy great loue to expresse Which y â— on vs hast showid or w t word it inlarg For wheÌ„ SathaÌ„ w t sin was like vs to oppresse Thou seÌ„dyst thinown begotteÌ„ son vs to discarg Through his godli life or the end of his viage He ordeyned a sygne for oure weke soules moost holsom Wherby we shulde thynk on the loue of his personage And remember his deathe vntyll the tyme he comme ☞ Gyue attentyue eares I hartely you desyre To heaâ—e thinges profytable leest profyt scape by Therfore diligently to harken I you requyre Ye wyll call it profyt I dare well veryfy To be inflamed with Christes loue as with fyer heuenlyâ— For with goddes grace I wyll tell you the holesom Of Christes supper assigned very necessary For vs to remember the Lordes death tyll he com ⧠Dyuers vertuous namynges hath this holy signe Callyd the Lordes supper in the pistle of saynt Paule Agayn a Communion Christes churche to conioyne In charytie by a supper vniuersall And thankes geuyng to God for his benefyttes all And a wyll of synnes forgyuenes to deaf and dom And by this text do thus me to your mynde to call I remembraunce of the Lordes death vntyll he com ⧠The Lordes supper is Christes institution pure In the which breade and wyne geuen his worde adioyned Was geuen his body and blood which dyd oure soules cure Set furth now that all they which haue a faythfull mynde In these wordes broke and shed for you with a lowe kinde Shall haue remission of there synnes most noysom pe thimbecilite and dwolnes of our flesshe So graciouse is he to condescende vnto our weaknes to make vs perfit in mynde He did miracles some tyme by bare wordes and eftsone by a sensyble instrument as when he layd claye tempered with his owne spetâ—â— vpon y e blysomes eyes to geue hym his syght Io. ix And all to feed our exteriour senses that they mought hauâ— to holde them by hygher to clyme into our vnderstanding and faith Thus therfore doth his goodnes by theis exteriour Sacraments or elements of water brede and wyne serue our senses to moue monisshe and to counforte vs inwardly So sayd he vnto the peple of Israel by Moses For this cause haue I commauÌ„ded you this ceremonye meaning the eating of y â— passh lombe that I wolde put my power and beneficence whereby I delyuered you and brought you out of bondage into your handis laye them present before your eyes that w t your handis ye might grope and feel them and with your eyesâ—se them lest at any tyme ye shuld forget my benefyts not hauing my lawe euer in mouthe and mynde But yf we were once as we shalbe al togither spirituall immortall gloriouse et cetera clogged nomore w t this carnall burden of our corruptible foryetfull flesshe then nedeth it not vs any more to be thus fed with siche sensible elements symbols rytes or Sacraments ¶ A Sacrament instituted of God what it is A Sacrament therefore is an outwarde sensible signe whereby God declareth and testifyeth vnto the worthey receyuers thereof his good mynde beneuolence and fauour vnto vs whereby also he sustayneth and helpeth y e weaknes of our faith Or a Sacrament is a testimonye of his graciouse goodnes declared vnto vs by that sensible signe Or els Sacraments are not els but visible exemples of the fauour of God of his beneuoleÌ„ce good mynde towerd vs instituted of God and of noman adsewered certayne testimonyes and holy rememberances of his promises which vnder terrene erthy sygnes represent and as it were before our eyes layeforth celestiall gyftis call awaye our mynde eueÌ„ frome the terrene sygnes elemeÌ„ts vnto heauenly thoughtes SacrameÌ„ts also there ar but two of Christis ordinaÌ„ce institucion Baptyme y â— Lordis souper euen the verye badges cognyzances of y â— ChristeÌ„ societe fraternite Ryght well therfore did Austen wryte in his c.xviiâ— pistle vnto Ianuarium That as God the father did conseigne gather vnto hym the Iewes by the badges lyueryes of circuncision eating of the passouer lombe So did Christ as it were with the newe lyueryes and cognyzances of Baptyme and the Souper gather and retayne into his seruyce the societe chirche of the newe peple euen the Christianes And the vse or action or dewe ministracioÌ„ of these sacrameÌ„ts do excercyse our faith and maketh vs the more adsewered of his good will towerd vs as dothe y â— seall added to the obligacioÌ„ adsewer vs more certaynely of the mans boÌ„de promise to be performed God promised Abraham to be his God also y â— God of his sead GenÌ„ xvij vpoÌ„ this coÌ„dicioÌ„ y t he his shuld walke innoceÌ„tly before hym which is wholly to depeÌ„de by faith hope vpoÌ„ his plesures Which promise had bene ynoughe had AbrahaÌ„ his sead ben all spirituall not forgethfull nor doutfull thereof in their teÌ„ptacioÌ„s hauing euer in mynde bothe to haue beleued the promyse of God so fauourablye made without any deseruing before so to haue ben euer in will to performe his parte that is to weit to walke innocently before God But because the weakenes of our faith namely in so stronge temptacioÌ„s the oblyuiouse fraylte of our flesshe requireth as god well knoweth some sensible signe or sacrameÌ„t more preseÌ„tly to certifye confirme vs to be put euer in mynde of his so ientle a promise lo therfore a none he addeth y â— sacrameÌ„t of circuÌ„cisioÌ„ vnto AbrahaÌ„ as a seall added to god his promise obligatory nowe wryteÌ„ in Abrahams his seadis flesshe Pau. thus testifying saying And Abraham receyued the signe of circuncision euen y â— seall obligatory whereby God bownde hym self to iustifye hym and all his sead for their feithes saak ¶ A declaracioÌ„ by the waye of comparison of y â— olde sacrameÌ„ts with the newe NOwe as vnder the grace of the Gospell Baptyme succeded in the stede of circuncision eueÌ„ so doth the lordis souper folowe in the place of the olde passouer as the more mylde ientle and sweter sacrameÌ„ts then were the olde blodye circuncision passe lombe which were neuer celebrated but bloude was shed bothe in the of kutting of the foreskyn of the chyldes preuey member and also in the slaying of the passh lombe with whose blode the doors and wyndows wer strykeÌ„ and crossed Also as by Baptyme we be iniciated we professe and be coÌ„seigned vnto the worship of one God into the faith of one the same Christen religion eueÌ„ so by the same faithe and loue expressed at the lordis souper we declare our selues to perseuer in our profession now incorporated into Christ as the very members of y t mystik bodye whereof Christ is onely the head By the circuncision and the passouer
nother so encreaseth our faithe lyke the musterde sead aftyr many ioyfull coÌ„fortable promyses in Crist he promiseth to geue vs his own body to be crucifyed and his bloude to be forthe drawne into the forgeuenes of our synnes When our faith therfore appreheÌ„deth this promise stedfastly then may not syn nor deth fere vs nomore for dethe is swallowed vp into victory the sting of dethe is blonted y â— power strength of syn euen the lawe is enerued one ioynte shakeÌ„ from a nother all by the victory of Cristes deth resurreccion whiche victorye is geuen to vs by Iesu Crist. To confirme this conflicte and progresse of maÌ„ from vnder the lawe vnto grace haue here playne examples of y â— storye of the childern of Israel whiche so long as they sawe Pharao his hoste at their tayles they were afrayed and ded baptyzed in the red sea which was a shadewe and fygure of our baptisme but when thei sawe their goyde Moses before them hearing this coÌ„fortable gospell y t is to weit Be not afrayd be you still The Lorde will fyght for you and so sawe y â— waters smyten with Aarons staffe diuyded before their eyes the staffe of y â— worde of God diuideth from vs the waters of adfliccion they went thorow gladly sewerly with grete glory and triumphe synging on the tother syde when they loking bak sawe their enymyes drowned with the same waters that were their saluacion Many siche passages had they those .xl. yeres so often tempted eftsone conforted agene Siche dayly passages we feel in our selues syn dethe hell assaughting vs to dryue vs vnder grace vnto the whiche we ar come so sone as we heare Crist saying Take herte coÌ„fidence to you for I haue ouercomen syn deth hell The waters of trowble must nedis be deuyded and geue place to as many as aspyre vnto the grace of the gospell What els was fygured by the turning of their eyes from the fyery stinging serpentes vnto the brasone serpeÌ„t exalted in the wyldernes There was a grete wrestling all the night betwixt Iacob the aungell whiche fygured our state vnder the .ij. degre of the lawe whom Iacob wold not let go tyll in the morning the aungell had blessed hym and tolde hym his name also changed Iacobs name for Israell whylis we therfore se our synnes in our selues in the lawe whiche worketh wrathe Ro. iiij maketh synne to abownde and encrease Ro. vij we ar Iacobites wresteling in derkenes with an vnknowne messagere working a strange worke to do his owne in making vs Israelites that is trewe faithfull beholding and acknowleging God to be our God forgeuing vs our synnes in Crist This aungell of God yf we perseuer in this derke and perellouse batayle with hym vnder the lawe wyll gladly geue vs y â— victory vnder the bryght morning of the grace of the gospell at last aftir grete longe affliccion coÌ„fort vs with his name tolde vs to be our almighty one alone for all sufficient sauiour As did Ioseph aftyr long trowbling fering molesting his brethreÌ„ father to at last with teares wepiÌ„g shewed hymself to be their owne brother Ioseph whom god had sent thither before for their grete counfort Let vs therfore fyght coÌ„stantly contende in this mightly batail to excercyse our faithe that we might be enstructe armed with pacience peace of conscience vntyll the morning of Cristis counfort helpe be sprongen ouer vs albeit yet we halt withe Israell one the one foot that is to saye we feele our flesshe alto weak to walke vpright in Cristes precepts our affects strogling yet agenst his spirit This miche be sayd for the feling trying of our selues to be prepared vnto the worthey receyuing of the Lordis souper ¶ The institucion of the souper of the Lorde UUhen Crist sate at his last souper w t his disciples he toke the brede in his handes gaue thankes to his father and broke it gaue to euery one of his disciples thereof saying Take it eat it this is my bodye which is broken for you And lyke wyse of the cuppe saying This cuppe is the newe testament or couenant in my blode Se that ye do this as oft as ye shal do it do it into the remembrance of me Let vs now beholde obserue diligently for our doctryne the accion with all the circunstances of this souper we shall sâ—â—with y â— eye of our faith meruellouse present consolacioÌ„ â–ª Wherfore this holy souper ought hyghly with all reuerence to be eaten treated Here we se with our bodely eyes the holy brede brokeÌ„ the holy wyne powerdforth for holy it is nowe coÌ„secrated into so holy an vse but with y â— eye of our faith we se presently Cristis body broken this bloude forthâ— powerd into the remissioÌ„ of our synnes Agene we see with our exterior eyes y â— brede wyne geuen to vs but with the eye of our faith we se as presently his body crucifyed his blode shede geuen vs Now is his body thus broken and his blode thus shed all togither ours foreuer Now is Crist thus once suffering rysen sitting on the right hand of his father all ours w t is perpetuall prayer For what thing is more frely ours then that whiche is geuen vs with his owne mouthe delyuered vs with his owne handis into our haÌ„dis mouthes yea but wherefore is he thus geuen vs verely to eate and to drinke hym That at we eate drinke bodely is receyued into our bodyes conuerted into our substance made all one flesshe blode with ours we all one with it And her must we ascende into that spirituall eating drinking by faith whereof Crist spoke Io. vi saying My wordis ar spirit and lyfe the flesshe profiteth not It is the spirit y t geueth this lyfe wherof y e iuste lyueth It is the soule that eateth lyueth by this bread not our bodyes of the which eting saith Io. Who so eteth my flesshe drinketh my blode he dwelleth in me I in hym Nowe therefore our soules thus eating hym by faith haue Crist present he is in vs by grace gouerning vs with his holy goste And he y t gaue vs hymself it cannot be other wyse but with hym is geueÌ„ vs also all y t is his ether done or suffred of hym in his bodye Then ar we sewer by our faith in this worde Dedit dicens accipite he gaue it vs saying take it that he is ours w t all his He was borne therfore for vs of his mother y t we shuld be borne agene by baptim of the holy goste He was borne for vs the sonne of man y t we thorow hym might be the sonnes of God he was tempted for vs and bore awaye the victory
be no condemnacion vnto them that ar graffed into Crist Iesu albeit there be syn but not imputed for their faithes sake But now as faith is the fowndacion of all our rightwysnes and well doyng euen so is it the grownde of our probacion for who is it that hateth the dominion of syn or syn it self hauing the dominion ouer hym and want the faith or who can decerne or make difference of the body of Crist that is to say examyn and proue hymself whether hym self be of the body of Crist and the trwe intiere hole mēber of his chirche which ether know not Cristis lawe or institution or wil reiecte it Wherfore the trw prechers teche that nether our lippes ar to be prepared nor mouthes and gomes to be wasshed that we might worthely receyue it miche lesse gloriouse costly aparel choise of day nor nowm bir to be sought for it nether to attribute any thīg to our selues for our own worthey preparingis by confessions auriculare penance enioyned satisfacciōs or other good merits For Crist did not institute this table for men filled w t workis trust in their owne merits but for men fasting y t is to saye of faith humbled contrite afflicte in spirit nothing ascribīg to their owneselues Thei hunger not for Crist y t ar full with in their owne iugement nomore then they admit receyue y ◠phisiciō that apere hole in themselues But it behoueth here to remember the reiecte pharisay puftvp with the bosting of his owne workis y ◠receyued publicane cōfessing his own synnes And in fewe wordis they proue not themselues a right which make clene the vtwarde syde of the disshe the insyde alfowle when in the onely mynde herte ether pure or vnpure clene or fowle it stondeth whether we receyue the sacramēt worthely or vnworthely Furthermore as Iohn to witnes there is noman without syn so is there some synne vnto deth some not vnto deth They syn vnto deth that obstinately perseuer in open crymes wetingly or els of an affected ignorance impugning the trwth neuer examining nor prouīg themselues tryed at the worde of god which eting this holy souper eat drinke their owne condemnaciō But the other that syn not vnto deth beyng penitent albeit they be negligent in the prouing of themselues by the reason of the frayltye of their flesshe and of some ignorāce for whom we they ought to praye yet for their indignite ar siche tryed punisshed of the Lorde vnto their own correcciō lest they be cōdemned w t the worlde when the indignite of the first that syn vnto dethe asketh deth perpetuall condemnaciō where ye se the gylte of the ether vnworthey is vnlyke which cometh of the abuse of the sacramēt For vnto y ◠one vnworthey parte the faulte gylte bringeth cōdemnaciō to the tother it bringeth but transitory punisshment for their correccion For the Apostle techethe that at Corinthe there were many beleuers y t were plaged with trāsitory paynes for that thei behaued themselues at this holy souper negligētlyer then y ◠dignite of the thīg requyred therfore were they smyten not onely with deceases but also with deth temporal that other lyke rasshe negligent vnworthey eaters fered at their ensample shuld be ware admonisshed For euen sodē dethe is a payne insticte for syn Act .v. For in y t the Apostle sayd Many sleape we vnderstāde that siche punisshed persons shuld lyue agene in ioye for the scripture saithe them to sleap which shal ryse into glory therfore he saith playnly that they ar corrected of the Lorde lest they shuldbe condempned w t the worlde Of whose sorte doutelesse were they whom the Apostle rebuketh partely because the congregacion of the pore not taryed for they did eate the souper as thoughe it had ben theirowne priuate souper so that they excedinge with a certayn excesse and superfluite sought y ◠meat of theirowne bellyes rather then the meat of their mynde nothing regarding the nede pouertye of their owne members And partely because they were puftvp with a certayne suppinite sloughissh ease and idlenes mixing themselues withe the haithen idollaters of their owne cyte eating drinking with them at their tables before their idols not remembring the sclawnder geuen to their weker brethern redemed with Cristes blode Sewerly their offences might haue semed but lyght to themselues which had knowledge as it were in thīges of themselues not hurtfull might apere in sight not vnlawful but indifferēt as some of our ceremonyes apere to some men this daye But yet dothe saynt Paule prosecute note them with siche ernest grauite y t not onely the self souper but also y ◠mystery therof he so layth it before our eyes that he affirmeth by siche offences we prouoke the wrath of God vpon vs that he wolde therby so warne vs bothe the excellēcye of the sacrament also the dignite therof so requyring that we shuld haue this circūspeccion euen in euery acte of our lyfe ryte to holde kepe our selues wysely with oute all maner offendicle within the limites of mesure and disciplyne When the congregacion therfore admit not vnto this souper open criminouse persons except thei espye some euidēt tokens of repentance they do it aftyr thensample of Paule delyuerīg vp vnto satā y t incestuouse Corinthean which defyled his owne stepe mother So y t it folowth yet that of these men the brede wyne is receyued most vnworthely which albeit thei be not openly knowne of the congregaciō yet vnto dethe to their owne damnaciō may thei eat and drinke it for their own hid obstinate perseuerāce in syn wherby thei ar excluded from y ◠heretage of heuē Of the which sorte ar thei that for fere of shame for lucre aduauntage fayne themselues of Cristes religion of the gospell as did Symon Magus pryse the powr of god to do miracles y t he might be the more estemed emōg his owne facciō Or siche as for fauour or aduauntage to be estemed retayned dissemble their vngodlynes cloked with holy orders succession of apostles with apostleship bisshopryk as did Iudas the betrayer whiche although he had made a bargayn with y ◠pharisais agreed bothe of the pryce of Crist Cristians to be solde yet he retourned vnto the same messe at the Lordis table to be partaker with his disciples of the same sacrament At this messe with Iudas sitte they or stāde all hipocrytes pharisayes papistes simoniaks filthey concubyne kepers aduouterers prowd prelats dronkerds deuowerers couetuouse persons maliciouse murtherers yet fayne thei a dayly eare confession y t they might in sight worthely apere to come to the holy souper nothing lesse ypocrytes concubynaryes fornicatours c. so y t yf they shuld lye a dying yet shuld thei not vntyl the synnes forsake them leaue