A Potion for This Holy Time of Lent, Part 14
¶ Thāckes gyuynge after ye receyuynge of the Sacrament.
VUe thancke the moost gentle & mercyfull father that thou hast vouchedsafe this day of thyne own goodnes to fede vsus wt an heuē ly meate, euen y• very body & bloud of thy moost intierly beloued sōne our LORDE & sauiour Iesus Christ Graunt we besech the y• we by this celestiall feaste engraffed, yea incor porated i his moost holy body, may so infixe in oure brestes hys moost bytter death, ye we by remembryng the same, maye dayly dye vntounto syn, and so encrease thorow thy diuine grace in al vertues, that thy name maye be perpetually sanctifyed in vsus, thy wyll accomplysshed among vsus here in earth, as it is in heauē, & our christen brothers loued vnfay nedly & socoured mercifully, vntounto y• immortall prayse of thy moost holy & blyssed name, to whome be all honour & glory for euer & euer.
EVSE.
Amen.
THEO.
So he it.
CHRI.
LORD let it so come to passe.
PHIL.
After y• ye departe frō y• table of our Lorde Learne he …e what we … fesse to do whā we receaue the SacramentGod, caull vntounto youre remēbraūce what ye hauehave done, & what ye hauehave professed. Fyrste remēber y• ye hauehave receyued the very body of our lord Iesus Christ, of al treasures moost precious. Secondely remēber that by the receyuynge of that, ye hauehave professed youre selues to be the sonnes of God, the members of Christ, the mayntayners of true godlines the studious followers of Goddes wyll, the feruent louers of our chri sten brothers, & the extreme enemies of Satan & his army, so long as euer ye lyue. All theyse thynges do ye professe, whā ye syt at the moost heauenly table. Loke therfore that ye do not dallye, nor mocke wt God, vnlesse worser thynges chaunse vn to you. Let vsus departe from that table, sayth Chrisostome, as Lyōs Hom. lxi. De sac. par… Myst.that breath fyre, yt we maye be terri ble to the diuel. Therfore that this thynge may come to passe, remēber that ye are now engraffed in christ, & become mēbers of Christes body. Howe vnsyttynge than were it, to faull agayne from Christe, & to adioyne your selues vntounto vnclennes? Remēber that ye are wasshed from …. Cor. vi.youre synnes & sanctifyed by Christes bloude, & iustifyed by the name of the LORDE Iesus. Were it not than very vnsemely to pollute and defyle your selues agayne wt youre olde fylthynes? Remēber that god hath now delyuered you out of the londe of Egipte frō your moost cru ell enemy Pharao the diuel, & hath broughte you into the londe of promyss. HaueHave not than a pleasure to returne into that lond of captiuite Remēber that God hath deliuered yon from the fylthy & abhominable Sodomites. Prouyde therfore yt ye loke not backe agen vntounto theyr pernicious manners. Remember that God hath delyuered you from the babylonicall captiuite, & hath brought you vntounto the newe & celestial Ierusalem, so that now ye are Ephe. ii.no more Gestes & straungers, but Cytysēses wyth the Sayntes and of the houshold of God. Were it not than a thynge of much ignominye for you to fall from so great an honour? what shal I make many wor des wt you? Ye pertayne now al to gyther vntounto God. Loke therfore y• ye lose not the fauour & gentlenes of so bounteous a LORDE.
Moreouer ye hauehave professed day ly to dye vntounto synne, & to walke in a new lyfe. Loke that ye aunswere faythfully to this your promyse. Agayne, ye hauehave professed, that ye wyll louelove your christen brothers, & do for thē to the vttermooste what so euer lyeth ī your power. Al these thynges hauehave ye promised to do, by the receyuynge of this moost blyssed Sacramēt. Loke therfore that ye be not necligent in the accōplish mente of the premisses, vnlesse the wrath of God falleth vpō you. For it is not ynough to begyn well excepte ye go forth in your enterprises. He that cōtinueth vntounto y• ende, No….shall be safe, saythe Christ. Agayne, be thou faythful vntounto death, and I Math. x.shall gyue the y• crowne of lyfe. No …. ii. Luke.man that putteth hys hand to the plowgh, and loketh backewarde, is mete vntounto y• kyngdome of heauen. Therfore neghbours do as ve hauehave professed. Cast away your olde wic ked lyuynge. Continue in the body of Christe thorowe a newe lyfe. Remayne for euermore in the seruyse of God. Seke the kingdome of god Math. vi.& the righteousnes therof aboue al thynges. Procure the furtheraūce LoueLove and lyue y• Go spel.of his moost holy worde, & so not on ly louelove but also lyue ye Gospel, that ye maye be coūted both before God & man true & earneste followers of Goddes worde. Furthermore louelove your christē brothers wt a true, per fecte & vnfayned louelove, & lette youre louelove brynge forth good workes yt it may appeare to be wtout dissimula cion, or faynynge. Aboue all thīges as I hauehave euer exorted you, be obedient mark wel f…r true o bedience toward … kynges graces maiestye Rom. xiii.to y• Kynges graces maieste, yea and that not only for feare but muche more for conscience sake, in all thynges, as it becommeth fayth full subiectes. The other publique magistrates also spirituall or tēporall hauehave in perpetuall reuerence & honour. To be shorte, be so affected Phi…. …towarde all menne, euen as Iesus christ was toward you, & in al your wordes & dedes, lette your lyght so shyne before men, that they may se your good workes, & glorifye youre math. v.father, which is in heauē, to whom be all honour & glory for euermore. Amē. Thus endeth your Potaciō.
THEO.
Praysed by God for it.
EVSE
Bothe nowe & euer.
CHRI.
For he alone is worthy all honour & glorye.
PHIL.
Thus hauehave I neighbours ac A brefe rehersal of al thynges i… this Pot… cioncordynge to my promyse in the begynnynge of our Potacion, perfor med all thynges, concernynge the holy Sacrament of Penaunce, wt the partes therof. Of fastyng, of ce remonies & of the moost honorable Sacramente of the … I hauehave also taughte you many godlye and goodly thynges, worthye to be imprynted in the hartes of all christ… men. Now brothers I moost instāt ly desyre you by the great mercyes of God & the precious bloud of our sauiour Christ, to repose these thin ges in your memory, and not to for get thē, but wt al diligence maynly to prosecute & followe them, yea & to expresse them natiuely in youre quotidiane & dayly cōuersaciō. For the seruaunt', which knowethe his Luke.maysters wyll, & doth it not, shalbe beatē wyth many strypes. If ye do theyse thynges, knowe that in thys world ye shal hauehave God the father, a mercifull father vntounto you, God y• sonne a swete Sauiour vntounto you, & God the holy Ghoste a ioyfull cō fortour vntounto you, & after this lyfe, ye maye be sure to enioye the moost blyssed & glorious syght of the holy Trinite. Amen.
THEO.
Neyghbour Philemon for this your Potacion we thancke you, & we trust that y… shall se suche fruytes procede from vsus, that ye shall reioyse to hauehave cal led vsus vntounto this your moost godly Potacion.
PHIL.
So doynge neygh boures, knowe me to be altogither youres. Well seynge this spirituall Potacion is so fortunately ended, I praye you followe me, y• we maye also refresshe oure bodies with cor porall norysshement, & so wyth one mynd prayse GOD for all thynges,
EVSE.
We follow. Blessed be God for this heauenly Potaciō.
THEOPHILE.
AMEN.
¶ Gyue the glory to God alone.
¶ Imprynted at London in Botulphe lane at the sygne of the whyte Beare by me Iohn̄ Mayler for Iohn̄ Gough. Anno Dn̄i. 1542.
Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum Per Septennium.
End of the text · Thomas Becon, A Potion for This Holy Time of Lent (1542)