Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A01765
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The xliiij. sermon of M. Giulio of Milane, touchyng the Lordes supper
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[Giulio, da Milano].
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1559
(1559)
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STC 11901; ESTC S118377
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16,547
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66
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enstructed is as a manne should admit a brute beast to an holy banquet to the great ignominie of Iesu Christe and confusion of the church It is then erpedient that the Christian be otherwaies instructed and that he knowe what thing this Sacrament is and for what ende the Lorde hath ordeyned it for what cause also the church doth vse it what profite the faithful do receaue by it and manye other thinges which be necessary to vnderstande as this daye is made manifest I say the minister ought to vse in this Sacrament the selfe same meanes as is vsed in baptisme whē a child is baptised or yet any other person growen in yeres The whiche partie when he goeth to be baptised it is not sufficient to desire to be vnited to the church that he beleueth suerlye that this washyng is baptisme and that this sacrament is ordeined of God No nor it is no sufficient cause that the partie doeth desyre to be baptised because this belief may be both in good and euyll But the principall point that the minister doth desire to know of him that is baptised is this Whether he doth forsake the deuyll with all his works and that he that is baptised do confesse so to do openly That done the minister doth aske yf he beleue in the father in the sonne and in the holye ghost In which demaunde the mynyster doth searche out the fayth of him that receaueth the Sacrament of which faith the Church must be assured Therefore it is nedeful that euery one that is baptised shuld know to geue accompte of theyr fayth in the face of the congregation Howe muche more then oughte this to be done in the Sacrament of the Lordes supper the which is only ministred to such as be of sufficient yeres that be able to vnderstande the word preached Therfore when any man shal first communicate it is erpedient to heare his confession vppon this article For by that confession the Churche maye iudge yf suche a person bee a fitte vessell to receaue suche a Sacramente that by this meanes there maye bee a difference of Iudas and other brutysshe creatures There is then to be wysshed some other fayth muche dyfferynge from this of the Hypocrytes the whiche thynke they haue done enough whē they haue perfourmed that worke because it is so ordeyned Were it not a great folly yf one of rype yeres should be baptised and yf he were asked wherfore art thou baptised could make no other aunswere but that he is baptysed because it is so ordeyned And hauynge no other staye wherevnto the Christian fayth should staye vppon should not such one be almost iudged and taken for a dissimuled Christian Seing than y e Sacramentes be witnesses of our fayth it is needefull that they whiche wyll present them selues to this table be well instructed to geue accomptes of theyr fayth Therfore it is conuement that suche shoulde be eramined of the minister of the Churche First the minister doth aske the Christiā what is this sacramēt The faithful doth answere that this sacrament is an assuraunce and gage left of Iesu Christe in his church for that none should doubt but that his body is dead for vs that hys bloud is shed for the remission of our sinnes Then the minister shal aske him what he intendeth to do when he doth present him selfe to this supper The faithfull doth aunswere I do beleue to receaue al the merites of Iesus Christ and to receaue them in suche sorte that they bee no more Christes but that they bee myne in no lesse force then yf I with my owne proper bodye had merited the kingdome of heauen Then the minister doth thys aske and say what assuraunce hast thou to assure thy selfe after this sort of the workes of thy Lorde The faythfull doth aunswere I do thys assure my selfe vppon the wordes that Iesu Chryst spake in his last supper when he said take and eate this is my body thys is the cuppe of the newe Testamente in my bloud the whiche shalbe shed for you Agayne the minister doth aske after what maner doest thou thynke to eate thys bodye and drinke this bloud The faithful doth aunswere I do beleue to eate it spiritually in suche sort as the gospell vnder the signes of bread and wyne doth offer my fayth doth receaue The minister doth aske wherefore doest thou not thynke to eate the carnal body of Christ The faithful doth aunswere because it is the spirite that geueth me life the fleshe profiteth nothynge For this cause sayeth the Christian am I come hyther vnto the company of the faythfull for to receaue this sacrament because I beleue that the bodye of my Lorde is dead for me that hys bloud is shed for my redemptiō therfore my fayth is confirmed comforted by this sacrament The minister doth demaunde what profit commoditie receueth thy soule of thys holy supper The faithful doth answere the commoditie that I receaue therby is y e I am made a membre of Christe who is the head of the Churche And I do transfourme my selfe into my neighbour so y e I become one soule one hart one wil w t him With these other lyke instructions ought the Christian people to be instructed when they doe fyrst present them selues to thys holye supper Thys Sacramente is a witnesse of our fayth and also an open confession of the same For when we do frequent it we do declare the death of the Lord. The minister of the churh ought to admyt none to thys supper who were not very well instructed and also openly had made confession of these thynges And whē thys faith is not all thinges be decayed and of no force Let vs now then consider what difference is betwixt the fyrst fayth this seconde Thou beleuest by thy fyrst fayth that in this sacrament is the bodye and bloud of Iesu Christ What profit hast thou by this beliefe The deuil and any wicked person may haue this faith and yet for all that shall not be saued Thou beleuest that to vse this sacramēt is a good worke The deuyll beleueth also knoweth that it is a good woorke so y e this common faith maketh man no better then the deuyll or any other naughtie person Therfore it is requisite to haue some other fayth But so sone as the true lyuely fayth springeth in our hartes and speaketh to our conscience it sayeth Ah from henceforth be mery seinge Christ is wholy thine in all respectes because that in this supper thou doest receaue all hys merites he hath supped vp in his bloud all thy sinnes Confesse therefore from henceforth openly in thys Sacrament the death of thy Lord because he is present in all thy doinges This seconde fayth farre passeth the fyrst the which maketh thee no better then the Deuyll no nor than any hipocrite But this second christian faith doth geue vnto thee al that treasure enclosed and promysed in these wordes
that end that the christians may vnderstande to geue accompt to the Church of theyr sayth But ypocrisie hath nowe suche power and force that the Christians be onely geuen to ceremonyes the whiche be more supersticious then godly They vse this sacrament only because it is so ordayned because they thynke to receaue the bodye of Iesu Christ there thei stay And leauyng the true vse of thys sacrament they haue framed of their owne heades many other commodities without the warantise of the worde of god The fyrste commoditie is thys yf a man heare masse all day he can haue no harme If thou haste loste any thynge or yf thou bee robbed cause masse to be sayde and thou shalte fynde thy thinges and that shalbe restored that was robbed If thou wyll fynde grace in maryage or bee healed of any dysease or yf thou wouldeste haue a prosperous iourney or delyuered from any peryll cause masse to be sayd of suche or suche a Sainct vnto whom the wysedome of man hath grauen theyr peculyer office These be not the commodities of this supper For it is not intituled that a manne shoulde therby obtayne prosperitie honour ryches and other worldly goodes but it is principally ordayned for a remembraunce of the lordes death that we should be vnited to him neuer to be seperated There is also an other cause wherfore this sacrament is ordayned and that is that it should be in stede of an erhortation to stirre vs vp to loue and vnitie with our neighbour For this cause doth the Lord participate his bodye to vs that he may be wholy vnited to vs and we ioyned together with hym And being al ioyned in one misticall bodye we shoulde be the members one of another This societe which we ought to haue together is figured bi the bread and wine whiche be offered in this supper The bread is made of many cornes the whiche be after a sorte made one and mingled together so that the one can not be seperated from the other Euen so we Chrystians ought to be vnited together w t â—â—ch charite that one could not be seperated froÌ„ another This vnitie was described of Saint Paule as I haue sayde before who sayde that all those which were partakers of this holye breade be one body The Christian than shall reape a greate profite by this Sacrament yf he shall be transfourmed into his neyghbour and doth preferre the wealth honour and profite of his neyghbour before his owne Out of this greate charitie spryngeth these good thoughtes in vs which can not offende which can not despyse nor by any meanes tormeÌ„t our neyghbour And by that meanes is not Iesu Christ offended neither torne nor yet rente in peeces Therfore we can not be seperated from our neyghbour but we be also seperated from Iesu Christe we can not loue our brother if we loue him not in Iesu Christe We ought to haue the selfe same care of our neyghbour as we haue of our selues We be one the membre of another and we be altogether the bodye of Iesu Christe who is the head Lyke as there is no one part in our carnal body that is hurt but that all the rest of the members feele smart by the same Euen so ought we to haue compassion one vpon another when he is in trouble and suffereth any sorowe and our neyghbours busines ought no lesse to be oures then our owne This is to be mery with them that be mery to sorowe with them that sorowe and to be disposed with the selfe same mynde one towardes another These two frutes be at large set forth of S. Augustin who said The faithfull do nowe knowe this to be the bodi of Christ not to despise to be y e body of Christ They become the body of Christ yf they wyll lyue by the spirite of Christ of the spirite of Christ lyueth nothyng but the body of Christ Vnderstande this brethren that I haue spokeÌ„ Thou art a man and hast a spirit and a body thy spirite is inuisible thy body visible Tell me what lyueth liueth the spirite by the bodye or the bodye through the spirite The bodye to conclude lyueth by the spirite Wylt thou ti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the spirit of Christ become Christes body Tell me liueth my body by the vertue of thy spirite my body liueth by his owne spirite and thy body by the vertue of thy owne spirite The bodye of Chryste can not lyue but by the spirite of Christ Therfore Saint Paule makynge manifest this breade sayde we be one bread and one bodye O Sacrament of Godlynesse O signe of vnitie O knot of charitie What oration either of Demosthenes or yet of Marcus Cicero or of any other famous wryter coulde stirre vp or moue more vehementlye to the loue of our neighbour than this sacrament moueth What prouocation can be more lyuely and sensible then this Let all the Oratoures of the worlde come forth and perswade vs to the loue of oure neyghboure with theyr polyshed Orations Let them vse all the coloures of Khethoricke and all theyr connyng they shall neuer brynge suche a perswasion as this sacrament doth preache The wyse men of the worlde perswade vs to loue our neighbour because we be of the selfe same substauncâ— thaâ— we shuld lyue together ciuilly and without disorder But this Sacrament doth erhorte vs vnto charitie because that Iesu Christe is transfourmed in vs that we should lyue by his spirite and beyng thus ioyned together to our headde Iesu Chryste one shoulde be the members of another Out of this fountayne spryngeth all these erhortations of Paule which do erhort that we shoulde loue together in suche sorte as Christ hath loued vs who hath geuen his lyfe in a swete sacrifice for our saluation This is to bee clothed with Chryste to be inflamed with the loue of thy neighbour to be continually charged with charitie euer desierous to serue thi brother O how much hath the Christian profyted in this sacrament yf he be moued stirred with a wyl to serue his neyghbour Not without cause than dyd S. Augustine name this Supper a Sacrament of Godlynesse a signe of vnitie and the bonde of charitie For as this Sacrament is a spirituall meate and swete to those that be incorporate with Iesu Christe and with their neyghbour Euen so of the contrary it is a mortal poysoÌ„ to theÌ„ whiche put not their whole trust in Iesu Christe be seperated froÌ„ their neighbour The naturall meat wheÌ„ in findeth a body full of naughtye humours turneth to poison corrupteth hurteth Euen so doeth the spirituall meate yf it fynde the soule vnfaythfull it dryueth it to vtter ouerthrowes because that to an vnfaythfull manne euery-thyng is vnfaythfull and damnable Therfore sayth Paule he that eateth and drynketh vnworthelye is worthy blame and is also a betrayer of the Lorde such one as this doth eate and drynk his owne iudgment not iudgeyng the body of the Lorde By which