Choice Grounds and Principles of our Christian Religion, Treatise · Question 24
Quest. 24. When you receiue Bread and Wine at the Lords Table: what will you set your heart and minde vponupon?
Answ. VponUpon the Death and Passion of our Lord Iesus Christ, to glorifie and praise God, for the most excellent work of our Redemption by him: confessing that therein consisteth all our happinesse and saluation: And that it is no more possible to come to the Kingdome of Heauen without it: then it is possible to liue in this world, without meat and drink, 1. Cor 11.24, 25, 26.
EXPOSITION.
THis doth our Lord Iesus Christ teach in that little clause of his institution, where he saith, Doe this in remembrance of me. Whereunto the Apostle Paul, 1. Cor. 11. hauing relation (in way of a declaration, or exposition) thus addeth, saying, As often as ye shall eate this Bread, and drinke this Cup, yee doe shew the Lords death till he come. I hauehave spoken somewhat to this purpose, in that which goeth before. And I will now a little enlarge it, as the very same words doe minister fit matter for our further instruction.
As often as ye eate this Bread, and drinke this Cup.
Heere, and in this phrase of speech, we may first obserue, that our Lord Iesus Christ appointed no certaine or set times, for the celebration of the Sacrament of his Supper: but hath left the same to the godly wisedome of the Pastors and Ministers of his Word.
Whereupon it plainely followeth, not onelyonly that it is an vnlawfull iniunction of the Papists to tye the administration and receiuing thereof vntounto certain set dayes in the yeere, and especially vntounto Easter: but also a very superstitious obseruation in all such as are more deuout, and ready to communicate at such times, then at others. According as of such superstitious affections, there is too much experience from time to time: so, as if the Sacrament be administred at Easter, it is an easie matter to hauehave many communicants; all sorts and degrees will make full account of resorting thereunto: But as for all other times in the yeere, though they may come as conueniently; and though the necessity of often partaking bee neuer so plainely laid open vntounto them; yet is it little or nothing accounted of. So superstitiously are the greatest part of people giuen to obserue dayes and times, moneths, and yeeres, which the Apostle reprooueth in the Galathians, chap. 4.Gal. 4.1….
Ye doe shew the Lords death.
There is a double manner of shewing the Lords Death, in the vse and celebration of the Sacrament. The first appertaineth to the faithfull Ministers of Christ, they not administring the Lords Supper rightly, and as they ought to doe, except they make a declaration of the Lords Death vntill his comming: & that not only in the whole visible action of breaking, and distributing the Bread and Wine: but in preaching, and declaring out of the Word of God, the end & causes of Christs Death, for to stirre vp the remembrance of his benefits, to confirme the Faith of the receiuers in the participation of the same: to exhort them to due praise and thanksgiuing, and to vnity and agréement with their fellow members. For, for these causes principally was this Sacrament ordained, as it is manifest in the words of Christs institution.
The preaching of the Word therefore, must not bee separated from the Sacrament (which is a seale of the doctrine.) For to make this separation, were as absurd. as if a man should deliuer a Seale without a writing. Reason. The Word may bee preached without the Sacraments: but ye Sacraments cannot rightly bee administred without the Word. And whereas it is obiected, that the Sacraments may aswell be administred without preaching at this day, as Habel his sacrifice was offred, and the Passeouer celebrated without preaching in former time: The answere is easie, that the cléere Sacraments of the New Testament in this point of the declaration of Christs Death, are vnfitly compared to the obscure figures of the Old Testament: And yet, had they according to their institution not onelyonly a diuine action, or silent ceremony: but also a preaching, and declaration of Christs Death, and of the benefits thereof. And although there be no expresse mention of the forme of Abels sacrifice; yet seeing the Scripture testifieth, Heb. 11.Heb. 11.4. that it was offered by faith, and graciously accepted, and Faith hath alwayes relation to the Word and promise of the Lord: there is no doubt but Abel presented his sacrifice with such words as declared his faith in the Seede which was promised to breake the Serpents head,Gen. 3.15. and to destroy the workes of the Diuell. And as for the Paschal Lamb, the institution carried with it an expresse commandement (as Exod. 12.Exod. 12.26, 27.) that the Israelites should declare to their children, the end and vse of the same Sacrament: whereby (though obscurely) yet according to the institution thereof, the Lords death was preached, before he came in the flesh. For this cause (as I said) according to Christs institution, and expresse commandement, ought eueryevery Minister cleerely, and plainely, to preach and make declaration of the Death of Christ, to the instruction, edification, & comfort of all such as are partakers of the Lords Supper.
The other manner of shewing and declaring the Lords death, appertaineth to all true Christian communicants generally. And it is performed by them according to the meaning of the Holy Ghost, if they do not only cal to their remembrance the abasing of the Son of God in our flesh, and the most excellent worke of our Redemption, made by the price of his body and bloud: but doe also yeeld vntounto him most hearty praise and thankes for the same: and therewithall also, not onelyonly acknowledge themselues to bee his seruants, and of the number of them that looke to be saued, onelyonly by the benefits of Christs death, & by no other meanes at all: but also, that if he had not yeelded his precious body to be crucified, & his precious bloud to be shed: the price of our Redemption, could not possibly hauehave bin satisfied; neither could the fierce wrath of GOD hauehave been appeased: but as wee are by nature the children of wrath; so should we for euer hauehave remained in the state of condemnation. They that hauehave this remembrance; they which with vpright hearts, and sound affections, doe make this profession, and acknowledgement, they are true Christian communicants, and they doe rightly make declaration of the death of the Lord. And as at the Lords Table they receiue the Bread & Wine into their bodies; so are they spiritually made partakers of the fruits & benefits of Christs Death and Passion, to the vtter abolishing of the guiltinesse of all their sinnes and transgressions, to the true peace and ioy of their soules, and their vndoubted assurance of euerlasting blessednesse for euermore. According to that notable saying, Rom. 10.Rom. 10.9, 10. If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus, and beleeue in thine heart that God raised him vp from the dead, thou shalt be saued. For with the heart man beleeueth vntounto righteousnesse, and with the mouth confession is made vntounto saluation.
And as for all others which either come to the Lords Table for custome, or fashion sake; and being there, doe not reuerently call to their remembrance the most excellent worke of Redemption by Christs death, and bloud-shedding, to glorifie and praise GOD for it: All such are no true Christian communicants, they set not forth the Death of the Lord, they cannot be assured of any benefit thereby, but doe euen eate and drinke their owne damnation.
The outward eating by the instruments of our body, causeth all our sences, our hearing, our seeing, our feeling, our tasting, to helpe our inward eating by Faith: and by the same quickneth, stirreth, strengtheneth and increaseth our Faith, that wee, may eate the body, and drinke the bloud of Christ the more effectually, and fruitfully. For when a faithfull Christian heareth these words of Christs institution sounding in his eares, This is my body which is giuen for you, and this is my bloud that is shed for remission of your sinnes: it stirreth vp his Faith to lay strong hold-fast vponupon this promise: and in his heart doth assure himselfe that Christ dyed, and shed his bloud, not onelyonly for the Redemption of the world in generall, but for his red…mption in particular: and that hee is vndoubtedly of the number of them that shall be saued.
When we heare these words, Do this in remembrance of mee: Our faith is assured that it is Christs commandement, that we should vse this Sacrament to call to our remembrance the benefit of our saluation by the death of Christ, and in heart and minde at all times, but then especially to shew our selues thankefull to him for the same When our sight beholdeth vponupon the Table the Bread and Wine, according to Christs ordinance broken, and powred out for vsus to vse: the faith is moued thus to thinke: As surely, and truely, as my bodily eyes behold these creatures of Bread and Wine: so assuredly with the eye of Faith doe I behold the body and bloud of Christ broken, and shed for me vponupon the Crosse, and the same my Sauiour now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, with the same body and bloud now glorified, wherewith vponupon the Crosse, he paid the price of my Redemption. When we see the Minister offer vntounto vsus the Bread and the Cup, and wee receiue, and féele it: then inwardly in our hearts is our faith moued to hauehave this cogitation; that as surely as the Minister doth offer them vntounto vsus, and wee receiue them with our hands▪ so assuredly by faith doe we receiue Christ himselfe, and in our hearts feele and imbrace him, as the onelyonly price and meanes of our saluation.
When we eat of the Bread, and drinke of the Wine, and by our taste hauehave sence of the swéetnesse of them, and féele them passe down into our stomakes there to rest, that they may bee according to their nature, meanes to nourish and strengthen our bodies, and to continue them in life: Our Faith is stirred vp by these sences thus to thinke: Euen as certainly as our taste féeleth the sweetnesse of the Bread and Wine, and thereby perceiue indeed, that their operation is to nourish and strengthen our bodies, and to quicken our naturall spirits, which without such nourishment would perish: euen so, the taste of our faith, and sence of our hearts, doe féele the swéetnesse of Christs body and bloud, broken and shed for vsus, and for all the rest of Gods Elect, and perceiue it thereby to be the onelyonly food of our soules, without the which we should perish, both soule and body eternally.
Vse. Now for the vse, whether we take such sweet instruction and comfort in the vse of this blessed Sacrament, or no, wee will examine, God willing, when wee come to the last question.