A Potion for This Holy Time of Lent, Part 11 – Part 13
Howe we ought to prepare oure selues to receyue worthely at the tyme Easter, the moost blessed Sacrament of the …
PHILEMON.
THat you maye pre pare youre selues condignely & worthely to receyue the moost blessed Sacrament of the Altare, it shal be necessarey that ye obserue certayne thynges. Fyrst y• ye labour with all mayne to erecte & lyft vp your selues from your old synfull lyuynge, where wt in tymes past, ye hauehave bene miserably detayned, before ye approch vntounto this ce lestial table. For yf it were not law ful for ye vncircūcysed in ye fleshe to eate of ye figuratiue Paschal Lābe how much more thā is it vnlawful for ye vncircūcysed in the hart, y• is, for the synfull & vnclene person to taste of the true Paschall Lambe, which was offered & slayne for our sake? Pourge out the olde leuen, …. Cor. v.sayth S. Paule, ye ye may be newe dowe, lyke as ye are swete bread.
For christ is offered a Paschal lābe for vsus. Here he sheweth, ye yf we wyl worthely celebrate our Easter, we must put awaye our olde & synfull lyuynge. But before all thynges in this expurgacion of vice, ye muste earnestly labour, that ye come not to receyue the body of oure LORDE wt a malicious, hatefull & vncharitable harte. For this is a Sacrament of peace, of vnite, of concord, & of vnfayned louelove. Therfore ther ought to be mutuall reconciliaciō on al partes, before ony come vntounto this celestiall feast, as saynt Iohn Chrisostom sayth, let no Hypocrite Hom. … De … Iud…e.approche, let no man with a cloked mynde once be so bolde, as for to drawe nygh vntounto so great mysteries, vnlesse he be condēned & deserue the sētēce, & suffer y•, whiche Iudas suffered. For after the communion Mai. xxvi.of the table the dyuell entred into hym. Let no Iudas therfore be at the table. This Sacrifice is a spiri tuall meate. For as corporal meate whan it fyndeth a bellye occupyed wt aduerse & corrupt humors, doth both hurte the more, noye y• more, & helpeth nothynge at all, so this spi ritual meate lykewyse, yf it fīdeth ony manne polluted wt malignite & euel, shal destroy hī the more, not of the owne nature of it, but thorowe the faute of hym that receyueth it. Let ye mynd therfore & the thought be pure in al thynges, for ye Sacrifice is pure Let vsus prepare an holy soole. Let vsus hold fast ye holye kisse, which associateth the soules, recōcy leth ye myndes, & maketh one body. For we all seme to take vpō vsus one bodye. Therfore let vsus myxte oure selues inone body, not wt the cōmix tion of bodies, but beynge bounde with the charite of soules y• by this meanes we maye be associated to y• fruytes of the diuine table. For amōge al vices, this table of ye LORD detesteth none so muche as y• synne of malyce, seynge that it mooste of all alienateth mennes myndes frō the worthy receyuyng of this holy rōmuniō. Therfore prouyde aboue all thynges, that no kynd of disple sure be in youre myndes, but that ye be of that affeccion towarde all mē, that Christ Iesus was toward you, which disdayned not for your saluaciō, to suffer his moost blyssed body to be broken, & his moost preci ous bloude to be shed vponupon the Altare of the crosse.
EVSE.
We wyll em ploye all our endeuour to come vntounto this moost holy Bancket wythe pure myndes & charitable hartes.
PHIL.
God graunt it.
Secondely knowe that it is not ynoughe vntounto the condigne & worthy preparaciō of your selues vntounto this mooste heauenlye table to expourge & put synne oute of you, except ye also garnysh your myndes with godly vertues. Is it ynough for a man agaynste the commynge of his frend only to make clene his house? Is it not also conuenient, y• he adourne & garnysh it so pleasaūt ly as he can deuyse?
THEO.
Reason requireth so.
PHIL.
It is a thousād tymes more conuenient, that whā we shal receyue the LORD of al LORDES & Kyng of all Kynges into our hertes, we than do not onlye make cleane the house of our soules, but also garnysh it with the moost odoriferous & redolēt floures of diuine vertues.
CHRI.
verely ye say truth.
PHIL.
Remember howe greuously, Mat. xxii.that manne was punysshed, which presumed to come vntounto the mariages not hauynge the nuptiall garment.
EVSE.
We remember it well.
PHIL.
Take hede than, yt ye do not onlye prouyde for the expurgacion of vice, but also for the adourment of vertues, vnlesse a lyke thynge chaūse vntounto you. Blessed is he that …po. xvi.watcheth, sayth God, & kepeth his clothes, that he walke not naked, & men se his fylthines.
Thyrdely it is requisite, y• whā ye hauehave thus garnysshed youre selues, ye trust not ī your owne good workes, or in your owne preparacion, as though ye had made youre selues worthy ynough to come vntounto the eatynge of thys inestimable treasure, but let youre whole affiaunce be in the mercye of God, and whan ye hauehave done all that ye are able to do, graunt youre selues vnprofitable seruātes, & desyre more & more continually valeaunce and strength to do the wyll of God, besechynge hym of hys infinite good nes to supplye that, which lacketh ī you, & bycause y• ye may receyue y• more grace & strengthe to walke in the pathwaies of the LORD, ye now come wt all reuerence vntounto ye moost heauenly meate, wherwyth you beynge saciated, maye valeauntly en arme your selues & maynely fyght agaynst Satā, & his wicked army.
Fourthly, ye must gyue serious diligēce, that ye come vntounto this table of y• LORD wt a feruent desyre, wt an hongry stomake, with a gredye mynd, & with a famelyke soule. For this Sacramēt hateth a stomacke that is alredy saturated & fylled. It proponeth and setteth forth all kynde of celestiall deynties to the hungrye soule, as the moost blessed virgyne saythe, he hathe fylled the Luke. …hungry with good thynges, but y• rytch hath he let go empty. Blessed Mat. v.are they, that hunger & thyrst righ teousnes, for they shall be fylled. Al Esa. iv.ye that are a thyrste, saythe Christ, come vntounto the waters, & ye yt hauehave no mony, make haste, bye and eate. Come bye wtout mony, & wythout ony marchaundyse wyne & mylke. Agayne, I wyll gyue to hym that thyrstethe of the well of the water Apoc. xxi.of lyfe frely. And he that is a thyrst let him come, & he that wyl, let him take the water of lyfe freelye. The fat Pharise, the belyed Hypocrite, A…o. ….the porkelynge Iusticiarie, whiche trust in theyr owne righteousnes, are no fytte G…stes for this mooste delicious table, but the hūble synner, which knoweth his infirmite, confesseth his imbecillite, desyreth valeaunce, h…ngreth & thyrsteth for strength to do the wyll of GOD.
THEO.
God sende vsus this hunger & thyrst euermore.
PHIL.
Fyftely ye maye not onlye come vntounto this celestial table with hongry stomackes to obtayne these inestimable treasures, but also beleue vnfaynedly that ye shall hauehave all good thynges, that ye wysshe or longe for, accordyng to your desyre & fayth For he that commeth vntounto God, sayth S. Paule, must beleue ….y• god is, & that he is a rewarder to thē that seke hym.
Withoute thys faythe, no manne commeth worthelye to recepue the body of our LORDE, as Chrisostom saythe: Let vsus all that are sycke go Hom. in Mat. …v. Cap. xiiii.vntounto Christ with great fayth. For yf all they which dyd but towch ye hēme of his garmēt, receyued theyr perfecte healthe, howe muche more shall we be corroborated and made strong, yf we hauehave hym whole wtin vsus? Therfore whē ye syt downe to receyue the blessed body of Christe, call streyght wayes to your remembraunce the death of Christ. Remē ber that his bodye was brokon for you vponupon the Altare of the Crosse. Rem…mber that he offred hymselfe Ephe. v.a swete smelling Sacrifice to God the father for the abolysshement of all your synnes. Remēber that his Mat. …vi Luk. xxii.bloud was shed for the remission of your synnes. Remēber that by the effusion & sheddynge of hys mooste precious bloud, all your offēses are … Ioan. i.cleane wasshed awaye, & you pourged from all iniquite. In consideracion wherof, ye nowe receyue y• ve ry body of christ, bycause ye shoulde nothynge doubte of the remission of your synnes, & of the fauoure of GOD toward you, as Christ hym selfe witnesseth. He that eateth my flesh & dryncketh my bloude, hathe eternal lyfe, & I shall rayse hym vp in the last day. For my flesh is very meate, & my bloud is very dryncke. He that eteth my flesh & dryncketh my bloud, dwelleth in me, & I in hī But do not only call to remēbrāce these aforsayd thynges, but beleue faythfully also, & be perswaded vndoubtedly, that they be true, & shall chaūse to you according vntounto your fayth. So shal it come to passe, that wt the receyuīg of Christes body, ye shall also receyue all the benefytes, gyftes, and graces of Christe, yf ye beleue, so that not only Christ is be come altogyther yours, but also al y• euer he hath besydes is yours, as S. Paule say the, he that hath not Roma. viiispared his owne sonne, but gaue hī for vsus all, how is it possible, that he also should not gyue vsus all thinges wt him? O the inestimable treasures, that lye bent out in this moost holy Sacrament of the Altare for the faythefull. Blyssed is he that is a faythfull geste of this celestial ta ble. Blessed is he that with a pure fayth & syncere charite eateth ye body of his LORDE. Blessed is that mā which receiueth this moost honora ble Sacramēt, Christes very body & bloude with an vndefyled conscience. For Satan, synne, death, hel, desperacion. &c. shall not preuayle agenst hym. Such one may be sure to dwell in Christ, & Christ in him. Such one may be sure to hauehave his herte abundātly enfarsed wt celesti all graces & heauēly gyftes. Such one maye be sure to hauehave God ye father, God ye son, & God ye holy Ghost dwellynge perpetually in his brest. whā ye hauehave done these thīges a for sayd, than drawe nygh, whan tyme requirethe, wt all hūble & reuerent feare vntounto the feaste of the LORDES bodye, & before yt ye receyue it into your mouth, praye on this māner.
¶ A prayer to be sayde before ye receyuynge of the Sacrament.
O LORD I am not worthy, that yu shouldest enter into me, but saye the word only & my soule shall be made whole. Heale yu me O God, and I shall be healed, saue thou me, Psal. …& I shall be saued. Create in me, O LORDE, a cleane herte, that wt true fayth, & perfecte charite I maye re ceyue thy moost holy body wt suche dignitie & worthynes thorowe thy grace into my breste, that yu mayste dwel in me & I in the for euermore AMEN.
Thus hauehave I neighbours declared vntounto you cōpendiously, how ye shal prepare your selues worthely to re ceyue at ye time of Easter the moste blyssed Sacrament of the A…re. Yf ye receyue it on such māner, as I hauehave taughte you here tofore, ye may be sure to receyue it worthely & accordynge to Christes instituciō vntounto ye helth of your soules.
EV…E.
I praye God gyue vsus grace to receyue it accordynge to youre moost godly īstrucciōs, yt our soules maye be truly fed wt the true body of our Sauiour Iesus Christ.
PHIL.
But for as much as we se many departe vnreuerētly frō the LORDES table, therfore wyll I in fewe wordes by your pacience declare to you, after what manner ye shall go from it, & howe ye shall behaue your selues euer Ephe. v.after, that ye maye walke as it becommeth the chyldren of lyghte,
CHRI.
I pray you hertely let it so be
¶ Howe we ought to behaue oure selues, after that we hauehave receyued the moost blessed Sacramēt of the Altare.
PHILEMON.
NOwe moost dere brothers after y• ye hauehave receyued the body of our LORDE Iesus Christ, and wt that same moost glorious bodye tasted also his most precious bloud H…m. …. De sac. par… Myst.which, as Chrisostome sayth, is the helth of our soules, wassheth, garni sheth, enflameth our soules maketh our mynde more shynynge thā the fyre, more clere than the gould, & is ye sufficient price of ye hole world, it is conueniēt that ye shewe your sel ues thanckefull agayne to God for these his iestimable benefites, whiche he at that tyme hath frely gyuē vntounto you, euen ye very body & bloud of his welbeloued sōne & our LORD Iesus Christ, wt all the other incom parable treasures which pertayne vntounto hym. For all theyse thynges hath he moost bounteously gyuen you in this moost holy Sacramēt. It is therfore, I say, cōueniēt, y• ye shewe your selues agayne thanckefull to hym, by renderynge harty & immortall thāckes. For this moost holy mysterye is called, Sacramentum Eucharistiae, that is, y• Sacrament of thanckes gyuynge, bycause yt whā eyther we our selues receyue it, or els be presēt, whā other do receyue it, we should gyue God precordiall thāckes for his bounty & kyndnes, shewed to vsus thorow Iesus Christ. Who commeth to the table of onye man, & departeth without thāckes gyuynge? To approche therfore to sytte downe at the table of ye moost hygh & redoubted kynge, where no terrestriall & corruptible meate is eaten, but euen the very bodye of ye pure & immaculate Lambe Iesus Christ, & to departe from so heauē ly a table wt vnthanckefull hertes, certes it were a thyng to much for to be detested. It shal therfore be ve ry conuenient after ye hauehave receyued that moost blyssed Sacramēt, not to depart out of ye chirch before ye hauehave gyuē God harty thanckes for his manifold benignite toward you, ye maye do it on this manner.