A TREATISE OF THE LORDS Supper in two Sermons Imprinted at London by R. Field for Thomas Man dwelling in Paternoster row at the signe of the Talbot 1591. To the Reader IN the first sermon the aduersarie is confuted In the second sermon the Communicants are prepared In both are many obseruations and the words of the text expounded Now labor for thy selfe as I haue labored for thee I would haue thee profit somewhat more by this booke because it hath weakened me more then all the rest Farwell A Treatise of the Lords Supper in two Sermons The first Sermon 1. Cor. 11. 23. 24. The Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke bread And when he had giuen thanks he brake it and said Take eate this is my bodie which is broken for you this dayes in remembrance of me THE Word and the Sacraments are the two breasts wherewith our mother doth nurse vs. Seeing euerie one receiueth and few vnderstand what they receiue I thought it the necessariest doctrine to preach of the Sacramēt which is a witnes of Gods promises a remembrāce of Christs death a seale of our adoptiō therfore Christ hath not instituted this Sacrament for a fashion in his Church to touch and feele and see as we gaze vpon pictures in the windowes but as the woman which had the bloudie issue touching the hemme of Christes garmēt drew vertue from Christ himselfe because she beleeued So Christ would that we touching these signes should draw vertue from himself that is all the graces which these signes represent Therefore as the Leuits vnder the Law were bound to prepare their brethren before they came to the Passeouer so preachers of the Gospel should prepare their brethrē before they come to the Supper of the Lord. For which purpose I haue chosen this place to the Corinthians which is the clearest fullest declaration of this Sacrament in all the scripture The Lord Iesus in the night c The summe of all these words is the institution and vse of the Lords Supper First Paul sheweth the author of it The Lord Iesus then the time when it was instituted in the night that he was betrayed then the manner how he did institute it he tooke bread and when he had giuen thankes he brake it and gaue vnto his Disciples c. then the end why he did institute it for a remembrance of his death Touching the author he which is signified by it was the author of it The Lord Iesus hath bid vs to supper I am not worthy saith Iohn to loose his shoe so we are not worthy to waite at his trencher and yet he wil haue vs sit at his table To him belongeth the power to ordaine Sacraments in his Church because he fulfilled the Sacraments of the Law When Christ came the Passeouer ceased because he is our Passeouer that is the Lamb by whose bloud we are saued When Christ came Circumcision ceased because he is our Circumcision that is the purifier and clenser of our sinnes Now these two sacraments are fulfilled he hath appointed two other Sacraments for them in steed of the paschall Lambe which the Iewes did eate he hath giuen vs another Lamb to eate which Iohn calleth the Lambe of God that is himselfe vpon whom all do feede whosoeuer do receiue this Sacrament with an assured faith that Christ died to possesse them of life The breaking of the bread doth signifie the wounding of his bodie the powring of the wine doth signifie the shedding of his blood The eating of the bread and drinking of the wine doth signifie that his flesh and bloud doe nourish in vs life eternal as the bread and wine do nourish the life present In steed of Circumcision which began at Abrahā he hath ordained Baptisme which began at Iohn a more liuely representation of the true circumcision of the hart because it representeth vnto vs the bloud of Christ which washeth our soules as the water in Baptisme washeth our bodies Touching the time In the night saith Paul therefore this Sacrament is called The Lords Supper because it was instituted at night when they vsed to sup But what night euen that night saith Paul when he was betrayed that night which he should haue cursed as Iob did the day of his birth if he had suffred against his will that night when hee should haue thought to destroy men as men conspired to destroy him that night saith Paul this Sacrament of grace and peace and life began Euen that night when we betrayed him Manie nights did he spend in watching and praying for vs is there a night now for vs to kill betray him That was a darke night when men went about to put out the sonne which brought them light Who can but wonder to see how Christ they for whom Christ came were occupied at one time when they deuised mischief against him sought all meanes to destroy him then he consulted how to saue them and instituted the same night this blessed Sacrament to conuay all his graces and blessings vnto them Euen that night when they betrayed him The reason why this actiō was deferred vntill night is because that was the time appointed by the Law to eate the Passeouer which was like a predecessor of this Sacrament The reason why he deferred vntill his last night was because the Passeouer could not be ended before the fulnesse of time and the true Paschal Lambe were come to be slaine in stead of the other Therefore how fitlie did Christ ende the Passeouer which was a signe of his suffering so presently before his suffering And beside how sweetly did he confirme his disciples faith when as they should see that the next day performed before their eyes which ouernight both in the Passeouer and in the Sacrament was so liuely resembled vnto them If any from this do gather that we ought to eate the Lords supper at night as Christ did he must vnderstand that we haue not the same cause to do so which Christ had because of the Passeouer And therefore the Church which hath discretion of times and places hath altered both the time and the place vsing the temples in stead of the chamber and the morning in stead of the euening for indifferent things are ruled by order decencie Touching the maner He tooke bread and when he had giuen thankes he brake it and gaue it vnto them He would not eate it nor breake it before he had giuē thankes to God What neede he which was God giue thankes to God but to shew vs what we should doe when we eate our selues In all things giue thankes saith Paul whereby we declare that all things come from God but the wicked beleeue easier that God doth take than that he doth giue and therefore they neuer pray heartily vnto him for any thing nor
words do prooue that the bread and wine are turned into Christes bodie Paule saith Iesus tooke bread well theÌ„ yet it is bread when he had taken it then he blessed it what did he blesse the bread which he tooke well then yet it is bread when he had blessed it then he brake it what did he breake the bread which he blessed well then yet it is bread when he had brokeÌ„ it then he gaue it what did he giue the bread which he brake well then yet it is bread when he had giuen it they did eate it what did they eate the bread which he gaue them well theÌ„ yet it is bread when they did eate it theÌ„ he said This is my body what did he call his bodie the bread which they did eate well then yet it is bread If it be bread all this while when he did take it and blesse it and breake it and giue it and they did eate it when is it turned into his bodie here they stand like the Sadduces as mute as fishes Now that ye may see that not we onelie say it is bread and wine after the consecration in the 27. Verse Christ himselfe doth call it bread and wine after he had giueÌ„ it as he did before And in Marke he saith I will drinke no more of the fruite of the vine Here Christ saith that it was the fruite of Vine which he dranke but his bloud is not the fruite of Vines but Wine therfore wine was his drinke and not bloud Beside if you would heare Paule expound Christ he sheweth that all our Fathers had the same substaÌ„ce of Christ in their Sacramentes that we haue in ours for he saith They all did eate the same spirituall meate and all drinke the same spirituall drinke Straight he sayth that this meate and this drinke was Christ Marke that he saith not onely They did eate the same meate that we eate but he saith that this meate was Christ and not onely so but to shew that Christ is not a corporall meate as the Papistes say he saith he is a spirituall meate as we say therfore you see that we do not eate him corporally no more than our Fathers but that as they did eate him spiritually so do we for spirituall meate must be eaten spiritually as corporall meate is eaten corporally Agayne for the signes to be turned into the thing signified by theÌ„ is vtterly against the nature of a Sacrament makes it no Sacrament because there is no signe for euery Sacrament doth coÌ„sist of a signe and a thing signified the signe is euer an earthly thing and that which it signifieth is a heauenly thing This shall appeare in all examples as in Paradise there was a verie Tree for the signe and Christ the thing signified by it In Circumcision there was a cutting off of the skin and the cutting off of sinne In the Passe-ouer there was a Lambe and Christ In the Saboth there was a day of rest eternall rest In the Sacrifices there was an offering of some beast and the offering of Christ In the Sanctuarie there was the holy place and heauen In the Propitiatorie there was the goldeÌ„ couering Christ our couer In the Wildernesse there was a Rocke yeelding water and Christ yeelding his bloud In the Apparition there was a a Doue the holy Ghost In the Manna there was Bread and Christ In Baptisme there is verie water which washeth vs and Christes bloud washing vs so in the Supper of Christ there is very Bread Wine for the signe the body and bloud of Christ for the thing signified or else this SacrameÌ„t is against the nature of all other Sacraments Againe there must be a proportion betweene the Passe ouer and the Lords Supper because this was figured by the other Now the Iewes had in their Passeouer Bread and Wine and a Lambe so Christ instituting his Supper left bread and wine and a Lambe which name is giuen to himselfe because he came like â— Lambe and died like a Lambe Agayne if Christes verie bodie were â—ffered in the SacrameÌ„t theÌ„ it were not a Sacrament but a Sacrifice which two differ as much as giuing and taking for in a Sacrifice we giue in a Sacrament we receiue and therefore we say our Sacrifice and Christes Sacrament Agayne euerie Sacrifice was offered vpon an Altar Now marke the wisedome of the holy Ghost least we should take this for a Sacrifice he neuer names Altar when he speakes of it but The Table of the Lord. Therefore it is no doubt but the deuill hath kept the name of Altar that we might thinke it a Sacrifice Agayne if the bread were Christes flesh and the wine his bloud as these two are separate one from the other so Christes flesh should be separate from his bloud but his bodie is not deuided for then it were a dead body Agayne that which remaineth doth nourish the bodie and relish in the mouth as it did before which could not be but that it is the same foode which it was before Agayne I would aske whose are this whitenes and hardnes and roundnesse and coldnesse None of them say that it is the whitenesse and hardnesse and roundnesse and coldnes of Christes bodie therefore it must needes be the whitenesse and hardnesse and roundnesse and coldnesse of the bread or else qualities should stand without substaÌ„ces which is as if one should tell you of a house without a foundation Agayne as Christ dwelleth in vs so he is eaten of vs but he dwelleth in vs onely by faith Ephes 3. 17. Therefore he is eaten onely by faith Agayne none can be saued without the communion of the body of Christ but if all should communicate with it corporally then neither infants nor any of our Fathers the Patriarkes or the Prophets should be saued because they receiued it not so Agayne Christ sayth not this wine but this cup and therefore by their conclusion not onely the wine should be â—urned into bloud but the cup to Again Paul saith They which receiue vnworthilie receiue their owne damnation But if it were the flesh of Christ they should rather receiue saluation than daÌ„nation because Christ sayth He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life euerlasting Agayne if they would heare an Angell from heauen when Christes bodie was glorified an Angell said to the women He is risen and is not here as if he should say his body is but in one place at once or else he might haue been there though he was risen Agayne why doe they say in receiuing this Sacrament euer since the Primitiue Church Lift vp your hearts if they haue all in their mouthes To end this controuersie Here we may say as the Disciples said to Christ Whither shall we go from thee I meane we need not to goe to any other
with Christs phrase whensoeuer they doubted vpon any of his speeches they were wont to come vnto him and say master what is the meaning but they were vsed to such phrases for it was Christs manner to teach by similitudes shewing one thing by another which is the plainest manner of teaching and most vsed in holy Scripture especially in the types and shadowes of this Sacrament For example Christ calleth the Lamb the Passeouer in place wherof this Sacrament succeeded and therefore presently after they had eaten the Passeouer Christ instituted this Sacrament to be vsed for it Christ I say called the Lambe the Passeouer and yet the Passeouer was this an Angel passed ouer the houses of the Israelites and strooke the Aegyptians this was not a Lambe and yet because the Lamb was a signe of this Passeouer as the bread wine is of Christs body therfore Christ called the Lambe the Passeouer as he calleth the bread and wine his bodie Againe Circumcision is called the Couenant yet Circumcision was nothing but the cutting away of a skin but the Couenant is In Abrahams seede all nations shall be blessed I will be their God and they shall be my people I will defend and saue them and they shall serue worship me This is not Circumcision yet as though Circumcision were the Couenant it selfe it is called the Couenant because it signified the Couenant so bread and wine are called Christs bodie because they signifie Christs bodie Againe Baptisme is called regeneration and yet baptisme is a dipping of our bodies in water but regeneration is the renewing of the minde to the image wherein it was created this is not Baptisme and yet as though Baptisme were regeneration it selfe it is called regeneration because it signified regeneration so the bread and wine are called Christes bodie because they signifie Christs bodie Againe the Cup is called the new Testament and yet the Cup is but a peece of mettall filled with wine but the new Testament is He which beleeueth in the Sonne shall be saued this is not a Cup and yet as though the Cup were the new Testament it selfe it is called the new Testament because it signifieth the new Testament so the bread wine are called Christes bodie because they signifie Christs body They which knew that the Lambe is not the Passeouer though Christ called it the Passeouer that Circumcision is not the Couenant though God called it the Couenant that Baptisme is not regeneration though it be called regeneration that the Cup is not the new TestameÌ„t though Christ called it the new Testament could they not as well vnderstand that the bread and wine were not Christs body though Christ called theÌ„ his bodie As they vnderstood these speeches so they vnderstoode this speech therfore they which say that the bread and wine are Christes bodie because Christ saith This is my bodie may as well say that the Lambe is the Passeouer because Christ calleth it the Passe ouer that Baptisme is regeneration because Paul calleth it regeneration that the Cup is the new Testament because Christ calleth it the new Testament If euerie Sacrament was called by the thing which it signified and yet neuer any Sacrament was taken for the thing it selfe what reason haue they to take this Sacrament for the thing it selfe more than al the rest It is the consent of all writers that a Sacrament is a signe therefore not the thing signified no more then the bush at the dore is the wine in the seller If I cal the Prince a Phoenix the Vniuersitie a Fountain the Court a Peacocke the Citie a Sea the Countrey an Eremite why can the Papists vnderstand me and not vnderstand Chrst What a darke and strange and intricate and incredible speech had this beene for them to vnderstand grosly literally Would they think that they did eate Christes body when his bodie stoode before them and he had told them before that his bodie was like their bodie Nay this would â—aue required moe words and made â—hem come againe with Master what 〈◊〉 the meaning for they were not so â—structed yet before the resurrection â—o beleeue euerie thing without queâ—â—ioning if it were contrarie to sense and reason but as they asked who had giuen him any meate when he said that he had meate and they coulde see none so they would haue asked what meate is this which we see not How can euerie one of vs eate his bodie and yet he hath but one bodie and that bodie is whole when we eate it Loe he standeth before vs and saith that his bodie is like vnto ours and yet hee takes bread and breakes it and giues it vnto vs to eate and when we eate it he saith This is my bodie and yet his bodie standeth before vs still If his bodie be like ours as he saith how can it be eaten and be there for ours cannot Thus they would haue questioned if they had not beene vsed to such phrases but as they could vnderstand him when he called himselfe a stone and a rock and a dore and a window and a Vine so they could picke out his meaning when he said that bread was his bodie for he had told them before that he was the bread of eternall life Now the bread of eternall life is not eaten with teeth for the bodie cannot eate spiritually no more then the soule can eate corporally and therefore he is such a bread as is eaten with faith and so himselfe saith in the Gospel of Iohn Marke this eating by faith and all the strife is ended Flesh and bloud indeed need not faith to chew them for the teeth can chew theÌ„ well enough Therfore if the bread and wine were the bodie of Christ then we need not faith to eate it but all which haue teeth might eate Christs bodie yea the Mice might eate it as well as men for they eate the same bread that we do as well after it is consecrated as before If this be not enough to batter the ruines of this vpstart Heresie I will come to interrogatories and see whether they haue learned it by rote or by reason If they ground their Transubstantiation vppon these wordes of Christ This is my bodie which hee spake to his Disciples I aske them whether they receiue that bodie which was mortall or that bodie which is glorified because one of these bodies they must needs receiue either his mortall bodie or his glorified bodie If they say that it is his mortall bodie the mortal bodie wil not profite them for you see that mortall food is but for this mortall life neither hath Christ a mortall bodie now to communicate vnto them because it is changed to an immortall bodie therefore they cannot receiue the mortall bodie because Christ hath not a mortall bodie to giue them If they say that they receiue his glorified bodie then they must she
Supper This admonished them that the matter now to be performed was verie waightie and therfore they were deepely to consider it for now was the action summe of all saluatiō in handling if they did prepare themselues so before they did receiue the figure of this Sacrament how shold we be prepared before we receiue the Sacramēt it selfe Therfore as Iosiah commanded the Leuites to prepare the people so Paul aduiseth the people to prepare themselues that is to examine whether they haue faith and loue repentāce before they come to this feast By this al may see first that Paul would haue euerie lay man so skilfull in the scripture that he be able to examine himself by it for this admonition is not to thē which minister the sacramēt but to al which receiue the sacrament And the rule by which we must examine ourselues is the law which we should obey therfore if the rule be vnknowne the examination must be vndone Our doctrine must be examined by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles our prayers must be examined by the sixe petitions of Christs prayer our beleefe must be examined by the 12. Articles of faith our life must be examined by the ten Cōmaundements of the Law Now he which hath his Touchstone may trie gold from copper but he which hath it not takes one for the other Therfore before Paules Examine you had need to learne Christs Search Search the Scriptures and they wil lighten you to search your selues This is the doctrine with which I will end and the necessarie point for which I chuse this text to teach you if I could that Christian Arte how to examine your selues Let a man examine himselfe before he eate Here is first an examination Secondly an examination of our selues Thirdlie an examination before we come to the Sacrament Touching the first here Paule sayth Examine your selues but in 2. Cor. 13. he doubleth his charge Prooue your selues and agayne at next word Examine your selues as if he should say this worke must be done when it is done because it is neuer throughlie done and therefore we must double our examination as Paule doubleth his coūsell If a mā suspect his enemie he will trie him with a question if that will not search him he will put forth another if that be spied he will moue another like one which putteth diuers keyes into a locke vntill it open So he which examineth must try and try proue and proue search and search for the Angell of darknesse is like an Angell of light and we haue no way to discouer him but that of Iohn Trie the spirites God examineth with trials the deuill examineth with temptations the world examineth with persecutiōs we which are thus examined had need to examine to If any mā skill not what Examining meaneth the verie word Examine is so pregnant that it prompteth vs how we should examine for it signifieth to put our selues vnto the Touch-stone as if we would trie Gold from Copper Therfore one saith that Examination is the eye of the soule whereby she seeth her selfe and her safetie and her danger and her way which she walketh and her pace which she holdeth and the end to which she tendeth she lookes into her glasse and spieth euerie spot in her face how all her graces are stayned then she takes the water of life and washeth her blots away After she lookes agayne and beholdeth all her giftes her faith feare loue patience meekenesse and marketh how euerie one doth florish or wither If they fade and decay that she feeleth a consumption then she taketh preseruatiues and restoratiues of prayer and counsell and repentance before the sicknesse grow thus euery day she letteth downe a bucket into her heart to see what water it bringeth vp least she should corrupt within and perish sodenly To heare and read pray and fast and communicate is a worke of many but to examine those workes is the fashion of few and therfore Ieremie cōplaineth No man sayth what haue I done as if he should say no mā examineth himselfe and therfore in all the Scripture it is said but of one that he feared all his workes as though he durst not thinke nor speake nor do any thing before he had examined what it was from whence it came and whether it went so the more precious treasure is deeper hid in the groūd The second point is to Examine our selues Paule saith Trie all things much more should we trie our selues The good sower doth sow his own ground but the bad sower doth sow another mans ground as the deuill did The Disciples of Christ said Master is it I not Master is it he The Disciples of Iohn asked Master what shall we do not Master what shall they do we must obey some and heare others and admonish others loue all but examine our selues That which we applie vnto others the Apostle applieth vnto our selues for when we speake of an examiner we intend one which examineth other when we speake of an accuser we intēd one which accuseth other when we speake of a Iudge we meane one which iudgeth others but the Scripture crieth Examine thy selfe accuse thy selfe iudge thy selfe that is be not curious to search a mote in thy brothers eye but pull out the beame which is in thy owne eye This doth shew that they which sit in Gods chaire to iudge others commonly haue greater faults themselues than they whom they vse to iudge and therfore Christ calleth their fault a beame and the others a mote This made Dauid say Examine thy heart thy heart is thy owne heart therefore thou must examine whether thou pray whether thou watch whether thou fast and not whether he pray whether he watch as the Pharisie examined the Publica least thou haue Peters checke when he examined what Iohn should do Christ said What is that to thee follow thou me Thou art a priuate man and hast a priuate examination therfore let thy question be What haue I done and make thy Anatomie of thy selfe See beloued we may not beleeue our selues before we haue examined our selues for we are false hearted and the notablest cosiner that deceiueth most for one time that he deceiueth others ten times deceiueth himselfe Because the flesh is a wylie seruaunt and will lye like Gehezi to his own master and face him that it hath not sinned when it cōmeth from sinne therefore as Elisha examined his seruāt so the soule must examine her seruant that is man must be ielous of himselfe and take himselfe for a lyer for a flatterer for a dissembler vntill he be throughly acquainted with himselfe for no mā is so often beguiled as by himselfe by trusting his double heart and taking his owne word without further triall If Paule had bid vs examine others we would haue sifted thē