The Handmaid to Private Devotion, Part 4
The Preparation to the receiuing of the holy Sacrament.
IT being reuealed to aged Simeon that hee should see his Sauiour in the flesh before hee rendered vp his owne Spirit;Ber. Serm. de purificatione Hodie dominus Templi ingressus est Templum Domini. when hee came into the Temple of the Lord and there found the Lord of the Temple, hee was so ouer-ioyed there with that hee tooke the babe into his armes, embraced it, and began his Swan-like song or Nunc dimittis, saying, Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace; for I hauehave seene the Prince of Peace. Mine eyes hauehave seene thy saluation, and I desire to see no more. Into thy hands ô sweete babe whom I hold in mine arms I commend my fainting Spirit, Embrace my soule with thine armes of mercy, as I embrace thy body with these arms of flesh. This singular prerogatiue of Simeon, (or rather a farre greater) the Lord vouchsafeth thee ô deuout soule, when he biddeth thee to his holy Table; euen to take into thy hands thy Sauiour: To see with thine eyes, & handle with thy hands, yea and taste with thy mouth the Word of life. For by, & with the sacred elements, (though not in, or vnderunder them) thou partakest of the flesh and bloud of the Son of God spiritually, (for his words are spirit and life) yet truly, and in very deede, for hee is the liuing bread that came downe from heauen; his flesh is meate indeede, and his blood is drinke indeede. As at sumptuous feasts where curious seruices are, thou seest the proportion and shape of the Deere or Fowle set out in gold and colours on the outside or lidde of those baked meates which are truly contained vnderunder it, and to bee eaten: So vnderunder the holy formes of bread and wine thou feedest on thy Sauiour. That which is represented in the signe to the eye of the body is presented in the thing signified to the eye of the soule and hand of thy faith; what is shadowed in the Sacrament is truly also exhibited by it. Qui credit edit: If thou belieuest that thou eatest, thou eatest that thou belieuest: let no hereticall Harpyes pluck from thee thy heauenly dish or meate as Celaeno did Aeneas's.
Beware of two sorts of Hereticks especially, which seeke to beguile thee in the Sacrament, or rather of it viz the
Sacramentaries.
Papists.
the one denyeth the signe, the other the thing signified. The one offereth thee a shadow without the body, the other the body without the shadow, and consequently neither of them giueth thee the true Sacrament which in nature and substance cosisteth of both. The Sacramentary would robb thee of the Iewell, the Papist of the Casket. Lay thou thine hands on both, hold both fast as thou seest the verity and substance of the one, so beleeue that verity and substance of the other. As thou takest the one, receiue the other: As thou handlest the one, apprehend the other: As thou feedest with thy mouth on the one, feede in thy heart on the other: And as truly as the one nourisheth thy body to a temporall, so the other shall preserue thy soule to eternall life. For it is the tree of Life which growes in the middest of the Paradice of God, his Church on earth. The way to the mysticall tree in Paradice was guarded by an Angel wauing a flaming sword: The way to this in like manner is fenced. There stands an Angell at the Table; Gods Minister brandishing the sword of the Spirit, and forbidding (vnderunder paine of death) any to eate of this fruit, that hauehave their teeth set on edge with the apples of Sodome and grapes of Gomorrah. Other fruits and meate are prepared for vsus; but we must be prepared for this before we eate it. The bread of the earth cannot feed when thou eatest it, till it bee changed into thy body because thou art more excellent then it: but this bread which came downe from heauen is more excellent then thou art, and therefore thou must be changed into it before it nourish thee. All other meate is receiued as it is in it selfe, and no otherwise: but this is diuers as it is receiued. Other meate affecteth and altereth the taste, but heere the taste altereth the meate. For if it be worthily receiued it is the body and blood of Christ; if vnworthily it is but bare bread and wine. If it meete with a spirituall taste, and appetite, & stomack purged and prepared, it proueth the food of life, nay of immortality: if otherwise, it turneth into deadly poyson: Caluin instit. par. 2. sacram. 1 Cor. 11. 29.for hee that eateth and drinketh vnworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not discerning the Lords body. A learned Physitian that tendreth the health and life of thy body will neuer minister strong physick that will amend or end thee before hee prepareth thy body accordingly. This Sacrament is not onelyonly foode, but also physick to cure thy soule; yea such strong physick as will worke effectually one way or other, to thy health and saluation, or to thy death and damnation. Bee carefull therefore before thou takest it to prepare thy selfe for it; and for thy helpe peruse the Admonition, Hymne, and Prayer following.
The admonition before the Communion.
THE ANALYSIS.
The due preparation to the Sacrament is by
1 Examinatiō whether thou hast
1 A feruent desire to partake of this holy table.
2 Competent knowledge in this high mysterie.
3 Faith in Christs incarnation & death, and affiance in the merits of both.
4 A conscience cleansed by true repentance.
5 An heart free from malice and all vncharitablenesse.He that worthily receiueth must
2 Prayer
THE TEXTS.
Let a man examine himselfe,1. Examine. and so let him cate of that bread and drinke of that cup. 1. Cor. 11. 28.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousnesse sake,2. Desire. for they shall be satisfied. Math. 5, 6.
Ho, eueryevery one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. Isa. 55. 1.
GiueGive vsus euermore of this bread. Ioh. 6. 34.
For he that eateth and drinketh vnworthily,3. Know. eateth and dr…nketh damnation to himselfe, not discerning the Lords bodie, 1. Corinth. 11. 29.
I am the bread of life;4. Belieue. hee that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that belieueth in me shall neuer thirst, Ioh. 6. 35.
Christ dwelleth in vsus by faith. Ephes. 3. 17.
I will wash mine hands in innocencie,5. Repent. and so will I go to thine altar ô God. Psal. 26. 6.
To the impure all things are impure. Tit. 1. 15.
If thou bring thy gift to the Altar,6. LoueLove. and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee. Math 5. 23.
Leaue thou thy gift before the Altar, and go thy way, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. ver. 24.
Wee being many are one bread and one bodie; for we are all partakers of this one bread. 1. Cor. 10. 17
A preparatory Hymne to bee vsed before, or at the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament;
wherein the deuout soule expresseth her
a Desire of the foode of life.
b Hope that she shall obtaine it.
c Thankes for it.
a As the Hart panteth after the water brookes; so panteth my soule after thee ô God. Psal. 42. 1.
My soule thirsteth for God, euen for the liuing God. ver. 2.
My soule thirsteth for thee: my soule longeth for thee as a drie and thirstie land. Psal. 63. 1.
I will blesse thee while I liue; I will lift vp my hands in thy Name. ver. 4.
b My soule shall be satisfied with marrow and fatnesse, and my mouth shall praise thee with ioyfull lips. ver. 5.
Thou preparest a table before me, and my cup runneth ouer. Ps. 23. 5.
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup. Psal 16. 5.
I will take the cup of saluation, & call vponupon the Name of the Lord, Psal. 116. 13.
c I will pay my vowes vntounto the Lord, now in the presence of all his people. ver. 14.
I will offer vntounto thee the sacrifice of thanksgiuing, and will call vponupon the name of the Lord, ver. 17. saying
The Prayer before the Communion.
GRacious Redeemer, who out of thy pierced side openedst to all that thirst for thy grace a double fountaine for sinne and vncleannesse, the one of water, the other of bloud; the one to purge the guilt, the other the filth of sinne, and hast sealed these inestimable benefits of sanctification and redemption vntounto all beleeuers by the Sacraments of Baptisme and of thy holy Supper, assist me by thy Spirit in the sanctified vse of these holy Mysteries and Symholls of thy most blessed bodie and bloud. Most louing & bountifull Lord, who hast prepared such a table for me, giuegive me a mouth and stomacke according, that I may worthily receiue these heauenly dainties to the glorie of thine infinite goodnesse, and the euerlasting comfort of my soule. Cleare the eyes of mine vnderstanding from all mists of hereticall fancies & carnall imaginations, that I may rightly distinguish the signes from the things signified by them, and also discerne thy bodie from common meate. Sharpen my appetite that I may hungrily feede vponupon this bread, of which whosoeuer eateth shall neuer hunger; and stily drinke of this cup, of which whosoeuer drinketh shall neuer thirst, O thou true foode of my soule, receiue me who am now to receiue thee. Quicken me with thy Spirit, who wilt feede me with thy flesh, vouchsafe me thy grace, who communicatest to me thy nature, that as in and by these holy Mysteries, I receiue life from thee: so I may also receiue by them grace to liue to thee: not seeking mine owne pleasure, nor doing mine owne will, but deuoting the remainder of my life to thy seruice, and yeelding my selfe wholly to the power of thy sanctifying grace, to worke in me alwaies that which is pleasing in thy sight. So be it. Amen.