we sée also the ther were great notable abuses on their behalfe that made profession of the true woord of god How many were there which knew no more then the Papists to giue any reasoÌ„ of their faith and which presented them selues like beasts to the Lords holy Supper Some came thither as ignoraÌ„t asses other as swine leding a dissolute slanderous life I wil not speak of an infinit number of hipocrits false brethern traiters Apostates which were vnknoweÌ„ had a countenance shew of honestie Therfore is was not without cause that the wrath of god was kindled against his people that they were scourged with stripes for wittigly abusing of the knowledge of his holy name Now that this good God through his Sonne Iesus Christe may cast his pitiful and merciful eye vpon this so poore and desolate Realme it behoueth bothe the one and the other to learne hence forwarde to serue and honor God according to his woord better then they haue doon espetially that they take héede that héerafter they prophane not by any meanes the holy supper of Iesus Christe our lord To this ende and purpose they may read this little tretise wherin they shall finde the the true preparing of our selues to the Lords supper consisteth not in decking of the body fair garments pomps countenaunces and outward profession of the name of God but in clenenesse of hart and vp rightnes of conscieÌ„ce to th' end that God who is a spirit may be also serued of his in Spirit and trueth The Preface ¶ To come worthely to the holy Supper of our Lord Iesus Christe we must examine our selues according too the admonition of the Apostle Saint Paule Now the examination of our selues consisteth cheefely in foure poynts that is to say in Faith repentance giuing of thanks to God and looue towards our neighbours Of Faith. The first Article FIrst of all we must haue faith that is to say a certain infallible assurance firme perswasioÌ„ that God is a merciful father vnto vs in the name of his sonne Iesê° Christe our Lord whoÌ„e he deliuered to death for vs This faith coÌ„meth not of vs nether is it grouÌ„ded vpon vs nether vpoÌ„ any other thing the is in vs but it commeth from God and is grounded vpon God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and vpon the promises of the gospel confirmed inwardly within vs by the working of the holy Ghost whiche cryeth in our harts Abba that is to say father Furthermore this faith is nourished confirmed and increased in vs by the holy Sacraments For in the Supper God as a good father after that hee hath once brought vs into his Church by baptisme nourisheth vs spiritually with the proper substance of his Sonne Iesus Christe applying and making proper vnto euery one of vs the merit of his death passion To this end and purpose is it that Iesus Christe him self giueth vs the bread and Wine that he commaundeth vs to eat and drink it that he saith that the Bread is his body whiche is giuen for vs and that the Wine is his Blood which is shed for the remission of our sinnes by whiche woordes he giueth him self wholly vnto vs he wil be our nourishment and spyrituall life hée will dwell in vs by his holy Spirit and wil that we abide in him by faith that through beléef we may not perish but haue eternall life wherof he is the onely heyre and giuer In like sorte the breaking of the Bread of the Supper serueth to the confirmation of our faith and sure warranting of our saluation in so much as it assureth vs and causeth vs to see with spirituall eyes that Iesus Christe was once broken with the paines of death in Ierusalem to deliuer vs from the same and to get vs eternall life Also in that that by the commaundement of Christe Iesus we take the Bread in our hands and then the Cup more ouer in that that we eate the Bread and drink the Wine whiche turn into the nourishment of our bodyes we are certyfied that by the haÌ„ds of Faith we take and embrace Iesus Christe our Lord for our onely Saueour and redéemer and that by the same Faith we eat his body spiritually and drink his blood to the hope of eternall life Now euery one of vs must liue by his owne faith according as we may make our confession in the beleef whiche is called the Apostles in that that euery man saith by him self I beleelue in God and saith not we beleeue We must not heer cast our braines or think vpon the beléeuing or vnbeleeuing vpon the worthynes or vnworthynes of an other man but vpon our owne For Saint Paule dooth not teach vs to examin other men or that other men should examine vs but he saith namely let a man examine him self Therfore let euery one of vs for his owne parte be assured in his hert that Iesus Christe the trewe Messias is come into the world to saue sinners amongst whome he ought to account and estéeme him self by the example of s. Paule the chéefest Let him beléeue that Iesus Christe came down from Heauen into Earth to lift him vp from Earth to HeaueÌ„ that he was made the Sonne of man to make him the Childe of God that he was conceiued by the holy Ghost and that he was borne of the Virgin mary to purifie and clense his wicked conception birth Let him perswade him self that the Sonne of God hath ouercome the Deuil to deliuer him from the tiranny and slauish subiection of the deuil that he hath fulfilled all the Law loouing God his father with all his hart streÌ„gth and might and his neighbour as him self to get him iustice that he appéered before Pilat an earthly Iudge and receiued as euil dooer sentence of condemnation for this life to exempt him from appering before the terrible iudgement seat of Gods iustice to receiue sentence of death euer lasting damnation for that he had offended one eternall and euer lasting god Let him assure him self that the same Iesu Christe went down to hel for him that is to say that he suffred the sorrows and terrours of the second death and of the sincere wrath of God to deliuer him that he dyed a death accursed of God in that hée was hanged on the Crosse to purchase him life blessing before God that he rose again for a gage and assurance of his resurrection that he assended into Heauen for a certain token that he also shal assend thither that he sitteth on the right hand of God his Father to bée for him an euerlasting Préest teacher king defender reconciler and aduorate tobe short the he shall come at his last comming for his comfort ful redemption We must also euery one of vs for his owne parte make proper
Séeing then that it is so the the end of our redemption baptisme iustification requireth of vs to abstain from sin so farfoorth as possibly we may and our fleshly infirmitie wil suffer we must take all paines diligence by the vertue of the spirit of God to cast out from vs all foulenes and filthynes Idolatry blasphemy rebellion hatred murder whordome theft and vsury and all other things contrary to the holy law if we wil not be more theÌ„ ingrate towards Iesus Christe and open enemies of his Church and our owne saluation But because it is not sufficient for the induing of a true helthful repentance to acknowledge our misery to abhorre it to confesse it to abstain froÌ„ it but we must also knowe desire and doo the good whiche God coÌ„mandeth in his woord we must coÌ„sider the argumeÌ„t which ought ernestly to stir vs vp to the sanctifying of the name of god First in that we are ioyned and made one with Christe Iesus in the Supper in that we are made flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones in that we liue by his holy spirit Ought not this vpon good cause to exhort vs to coÌ„forme our selues to the Image and likenes of the holinesse of our Lord Iesus Christe Can he dwel in vs nourish vs with his owne substance quicken vs with his holy spirit ioyne vs vnto him self by the bond of faith yet so that he his holy spirit faith bring not foorth in vs good and holy woorks Moreouer for so much as he dooth not giue him selfe vnto vs halfmele destitute of his qualities and richis and accompanied with all spirituall gifts blessings adorned with righteousnes perfection accompanied with innocency and sanctification how can we receiue Iesus Christe inriched with all his graces that the righteousnes of our hed may not shine in vs which are his members yea shine in all our partes aswel in warde as outward Must it néeds be that the two parts of our soule that is to say our minde and hart which ought to apprehend take holde of the promises of God which ought to receiue by faith the body and blood of our Lord Iesus Christe that is to say whole Iesus Christe true God equall in euery respect to God his father true man made of humain body and soule that this minde and hart I say must be applied to the meditation looue of worldly and wicked things béeing destitute of the knowledge looue of God and of the looue of our neighbour Dooth it behooue our body which is the temple of God to be prophaned That our eares whiche were created of God to hear his voice should be stopped against it and be open to vanities wanton talk and vnchaste worldly songes Dooth it behooue our tung which is bound by the right of creation to sing the praises of God by the right of redemption to shew foorth the Lords death til he come that this tung which is so proper an instrumeÌ„t of the glory of God shold be mute to goodnes and incessantly occupyed in backbiting slandering blaspheming or at the least in speaking idle words wherof one day we shall yéeld an accouÌ„t before the throne of the maiestie of God Dooth it behooue our mouth which ought to receiue the blessed signe of the body blood of our Lord Iesus to to suppresse the benefit of our redemption to haue Adders poison in it Dooth it behooue our hand which ought to take at the Supper the assured gage of the looue of God the infallible pledges of his legue with vs the ernest peny of our saluation to be void of goodnesse and be side that be giuen to extortion theft murder oppression and violence Dooth it behooue our féet which ought to run make haste to goodnes to be redy and light to run to mischéef No surely but as he which calleth vs is holy so likewise must we also be wholly holy as he hath brought vs by holy baptisme into his holy house which is his Church the communion of Saints euen so likewise must we leade therin a good holy conuersation as he hath washed vs from our sinnes by the pretious blood of his sonne Iesus Christe so must we dye to them and liue in righteousnes as he hath called vs to the incorruptible hope of the blessed resurrection and eternall life so must we lift vp our harts on hye and not be buryed like Moules in this frail and transitory Earth To be short séeing that the grace of God is set before vs euery day and his holy woord souÌ„deth in our eares to this only end that it may be saluation vnto vs and that renouÌ„cing all vngodlines and worldly desires we should liue soberly iustly godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope and appéering of the glory of the mightie God and of our Saueour Iesus Christe we must pray vnto this good God that he would giue vs grace so to behaue our selues towards him in liuing godly so towardê our neighbours in liuing iustly so towards our selues in liuing soberly that we may be found at the day irreprensible by the meanes of that his wel belooue Sonne our Lord Iesus Christe Of thanks giuing Article 3. THirdly we must giue thanks to this good God for the benefit of our redemption and for this cause it is that the auncients called the holly Supper Eucharistie that is to say gratefulnes good grace giuing of thanks For if so be that our ordinary food and dayly bread whiche God giueth vs for the nourishment of our bodyes ought to be sanctified by the word and receiued with thankê giuing ought we not much more to thank God for the heauenly bread and for the nourishment of our soules which is offered vnto vs and really giuen vs in the holy supper of Iesus Christe And we sée also how Iesus Christe him self sheweth vs an example héerof For when he took the bread of the Supper S. Mathevv and S. Mark say that Iesus Christe blessed And S. Luke expoundeth this woord to blesse when he saith that he gaue thanks Now then séeing that we sée the Iesus Christe when he tooke the bread of the Supper gaue thankê to God his Father as he did also when he took the cup and that for the redemption of man kinde it is our duty to doo the like And that we may be the better mooued to giue thaÌ„ks to God we haue to consider the greatnes of the benefit of our redemption the excellency of the gift which God giueth vs at this holy table which cannot be doon vnlesse we consider our miserable coÌ„dition which was before figured by the teÌ„porall captiuite of Egipt We sée there how Pharaoh was strong mightie how he knew not the eternall how he went about to kil all the séed of the Israelits by the suppression death of their men children we see
also how excessiuely he caused the Israelites to woork without any hope of wages how he wold not suffer them by any meanes to sacrifice to the Lord nor to go foorth of the land of Egipt Which thing continued not for one yéer or two but for the space of foure hundred thirty yéeres Heer may we liuely beholde a draught of our misery We were all lost and destroyed in Adam We were holden captiues in the helly Egipt vnder the tiranny of a spirituall Pharaoh which is the Deuil This tirant was strong and mightie he suffred vs not to serue our god He made vs to labour incessantly in slauish and vnfrutefull woorks of sin to the establishment of his owne kingdome He flew not onely our men Children but he led vs all indiferently to vtter ruin and destrustion And this tiranny bad not onely cōtinued for a certain time but had béen eternall and for euer parmanent if the mercy and power of our God had not plucked vs out of it by the ministery of the true Moyses which is our Lord Iesus Christe who is the true Lamb whiche the heauenly Father hath deliuered to death to deliuer vs from it and purchase vs eternal life As it is said that God so looued the world that he hath giuē his only begotten sonne that who soeuer beléeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Now then seeing this good God hath doon in vs so great a pleasure as to frée vs from the tiranny of the Deuil of sinne of death of hel séeing the his looue was so great that he deliuered his onely Sonne to the cruel and ignominious death of the crosse for vs which were the seruants and bond slaues of Sathan his welbelooued for vs whiche were his enemies the iust and the Lamb without spot for vs which were sinners and corrupt the onely heir of Paradise for vs which were worthely heires of hel ought we not tobe rauished with admiration of this great and vnspeakable looue of God towards vs and our tungs tobe for euer displayed to publish with loud voice the praise of the benefit of our redēption It is very resonable and therfore we sée that Iesus Christe admonisheth vs of our duty in this behalf speaking of the selebration of the holy Supper Doo this in remembrance of me And S. Paule expresseth what remembrāce this is whē he aduertiseth vs that as often as we shall eat this bread drink this cup we shew the Lords death til he come Seeing then the God requireth of vs a true acknowledging of his benefits whiche we receiue at his hands boūtifulnes by the menes of our Lord Iesus Christ let vs take héed that we be not spotted with the fault of in gratitude especially if we will not incur the wrathfull displeasure of God and acknowledge him for Iudge whome we would not acknowledge for a gentle and merciful father as S. Paule also to this purpose thretneth the ingrate and forgetful when he saith whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drinck the cup of the Lord vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation And rightfully is the vengeance of God displayed against them which wickedly suppresse the glory of God in that that concerneth their owne saluation For if so be that a murderer redy to be hanged for his wicked déeds casting away reiecting his Princes gratious pardon not vouchsauing to thank him for it deserueth worthely the gallous or if a Childe deserue the rod for not giuing once I thank you to his father when he hath receiued at his hands great and singuler benefits much more we whiche for our sinful and wicked déeds deserue tobe hanged in hel if we contemne the grace of God our souerain prince and make no count of this euerlasting benefits which our heuenly father presenteth vs withall in Iesus Christe who is offered to vs in the Supper by good right reason we are worthy to perish for our vnkindenes and vnthankfulnes But héer must we diligently mark the points that folowe First this acknowledging must be made to one only God by his only sonne Iesus Christ For euen as God by his onely sonne hath created vs redéemed vs frō euerlasting death so wil he that to him alone by him alone in whome he is wel pleased we render thanks for all his benefits As we sée how S. Paule setteth this foorth vnto vs in many places and precisely in the Epistle to the Ephesians where he saith Blessed be God euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christe whiche hath blessed vs with all his spirituall blessing in Heaueuly things in Christe as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world but they which call vpon Saints and put their trust in them or in their merits they also whiche make them patrons and aduocates to God warde and like wise they whiche trust in their owne strength in their owne frée will or good woorks rob God of his glory and can not giue him true thanks for the benefit of redemption For we cannot giue to any creature the least iot that may be in the matter of our saluation but wee commit sacriledge against God the creator And therfore renouncing our selues and euery liuing creature let vs say with the Apostle vnto the King euerlasting immortall inuisible vnto God only wise be honor and glory for euer and euer Amen Secondly thanks must be giuen not with the mouth only but with the hart also For séeing that God is a spirit he riquireth a seruice of vs that is agréeable to his nature that is to say he wil be serued of vs in spirit and trueth And therfore when that praising of God for the benefit of redemption cōmeth in question we must haue our harts lift vp on hye and there must be a consent and mutuall agréement betwéen our inwarde affections and our tungs as we sée how Dauid exhorteth himself to the same when he saith My soule praise thou the Lord all the is within me praise his holy nāe My soule I say praise thou the Lord forget not all his benefits And the blessed Virgin singeth the self same in her song saying My soule magnifieth the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Saueour now all hipocrits and wicked persons also they that sing praise in an vnknowen tung are héer reprooued For where there is no vnderstanding ther is no affection nor wil and consequently no Faith without which what soeuer we doo be it neuer so faire and glorious before men it is but sinne and abhomination before god Let vs take héed therfore the in this be half we wander not and go astray lest we be condemned with the Ievvish people whiche honored and serued God in vain in so muche as they came néer vnto him onely with their mouthes and honoured him with their lips but not with their harts Thirdly it must be doon at all
because they haue no true Faith without which we can not be members of Iesus Christe nor consequently receiue life of him who is the only hed of the faithful F. What then doo the Infidels wheÌ„ they receiue the Sacrament of the Supper C. They eat and drink their owne damnation in sted of receiuing the pledges and gages of their salnation F. Where must the true faithful séek Iesus Christe to inioy him and to haue the fruition of him C. In heauen For if we be risen again with Christe we must séek the things that are on hye where Christe is sitting on the right hand of God. F. Is not this the matter that the auneient Bishops vsed in the celebration of the Supper to say to the people Sursum corda that is lift vp your harts C. Yes And therfore the people answered Habemus ad Dominum We haue them to the lord Now that Iesus Christ is in Heauen and we on earth how can wée be ioyned vnite or made one with him C. By faith and by the woork of the holy Ghost whiche can wel ioyne and knit that that is otherwise seperated by distance of place F. What shall we then say of them that séek Iesus Christe in the Elements of the Supper and say that there is a Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Iesus Christe C. They erre diuers and sundry waies F How so C. First they speake against thrée Articles of our Beleef that is that Iesus Christ is ascended vp into Heauen that he sitteth on the right hand of God and that he shall not depart from thence til he come to iudge vothe the quick and the dead F. What more C. By their transubstantiation also they abolish the signe of the Sacrament that is to say the bread and the wine and consequently they abolish the Sacrament of the Supper which caÌ„not be without the signe F. This doctrine of Transubstantiation hath it no other absurdities C Yes for it giueth holy thingê to swine and graniteth that the Insidels may eat Iesus Christe Moreouer it maketh men Idotaters and causeth them to worship the Sactament F. Say on C. It maketh also the glorious body of Iesus Christe subiect to rotting and filth Tobe short it abolisheth the true humanity of the sonne of God making him an infinit body and such an one as is in all places F. But hath not Iesus Christe said that he would be with vs vnto the ende of the world and where as two or three should bee gathered togither in his name there hee would be in the middest of them C. Yes But these places must be vnderstood of the presence of his diuinitie and not of his humanitie F. How canst thou prooue that C. By the witnasse of Iesus Christe him self whiche saith that wee shall alwayes haue the poore with vs but him we shal not haue alwaies and S. Peeter saith the Heauen must contain Iesus Christe vntil the restoring of all things F. Therfore thou wilt conclude that although Iesus Christ by his diuinitie and his holy Spirite be alwaies with vs yet notwithstanding touching his humanitie he can be but in one certain place that is in Heauen C. Yea as S. Augustine also witnesseth saying Vntil heauen be ended the Lord shal be alwaies on hie But the trueth of the Lord is also with vs For his body wherein he was raised must needs be in one certain place but his trueth is spread throughout F. What is the summe of this true faith which seeketh not Iesus Christe in Earth but in Heauen C. I beléeue in God whiche hath created me I beléeue in Iesus Christe which hath redeemed me from sin from Sathan from Hel and from death I beleeue also in the holy Ghost which hath sanctified me F. Why saiest thou perticulerly I béeleeue and not we beleeue C. Because that euery one must examin himself and liue by his owne faith and not by the faith of other men F. How must that be doon C. When we doo euery man particulerly for him self apply Iesus Christe vnto him self with all his blessings and riches F. What riches are there in Iesê° Christ C There is saluation for the lost life for the dead trueth for the liers wisdoine for the ignoraunt Iustice for the sinners sanctification ctification for the impure ones redemption for the captiues F. Must we therfore by faith applye all these things vnto vs séeing we are by nature lost dead lyers ignorant sinners vnclene and captiues C. Yea for Iesus Christe hath taken vpon him all our miseryes and wretche ones to giue and communicate vnto vs all his blessings and riches as also in deéd they be distributed vnto vs in his holy Supper F. Let vs now speak of the second parte of our duty towards God which consisteth in repentance and first of all what repentance is C. It is a sorowfulnes and hafred of euil and a looue of that that is good F. Tobe sory and gréeued for our wicked nesse is it not necessary to knowe it C. Yes F. How doo we know the euil the is in vs C. First of all by our beginning for that that is borne of flesh is flesh Secondly because we transgresse the law of God which is the rule of all perfection Iustice Third ly by the ordinary afflictions whiche God sendeth vs because of our sinnes F. Haue we not also the Sacraments a glasse to beholde our sinnes in C. We haue so For is we were not sinners we should haue no néed of remission of our sinnes in Baptisme And if we were not in death it were in vain for vs to come to the Supper to séek life and saluation in Iesus Christe F. When we knowe our sinnes ought we not confesse them before God C. Yes According to the example of Dauid and the Publican if we wil be iustified before God. F. Why should we confesse and acknow sedge our sinnes before God C. To obfain parden and ful remission as God is iust and faithful to doo it F. For what end and purpose dooth God pardon vs our sinnes C For thrée principall ends F. What are they C. First to this end that we should reconcile our selues to our enemyes secondly that we should forgiue them thyrdly that we should abstain from sinne and liue to righteousnes F. Is there nothing in the Supper that exhorteth vs to flée and hate â—m C. Yes for in that that wee breake the bread of the Supper it sheweth vs that our sinnes did brute and breake the Sonne of God with the sorowes of death F. What foloweth then C. That we should condemne and detest our sinnes as the Authoures of the death of the Sonne of God. F. Is it sufficient to abstaine from euill and not to doo good C. No for euery trée that bringeth not foorth good frute is cut down and cast into the fyre And therfore the naughtie Sernant was cast into