The Principles of Christian Religion, Principle 6
¶Of the Lordes Supper.
¶What the Lordes Supper is.
THe Lordes Supper is an holy and heauenly bancket, in the which the faythfull Christians, besides the corporall eating of the bread, & the outward drinking of the wine, do spiritually thorow fayth, both eate the body of Christ, and drinke his bloud, vntounto the confirmation of their fayth, the comfort of their conscience, and the saluation of their soules.
¶To what vse Christ did institute hys holy Supper.
Fyrst, to put vsus in remembraunce that hys body was broken, and hys bloud shed for our redemption.
☞Probations out of the holy Scriptures.
The Lord Iesus the same night,j. Cor. xj. in the which he was betrayed, toke bread: and when hee had geuen thankes, he brake it, & gaue it to his disciples, saying: Take ye, & eate: thys is my body, which is broken for you. Thys doe ye in the remembrance of me. After the same maner also he toke y• cup, whē supper was done, saying: This cup is the new testament in my bloud. This do, as oft as ye drinke it, in remēbrance of me. For as oftē as ye shall eate this bread, & drinke of thys cup, ye shall shew the Lords death till he come.
When they were eating,Math. …6. Iesus tooke bread: and when he had geuen thankes, he brake it, and gaue it to his disciples, and sayd: Take, eate: this is my body. And he tooke the cup, and thanked, and gaue it them, saying: drinke ye all of thys. For thys is my bloud (which is of the new testament) that is shed for many, for the remission of sinnes.
As they did eate,Mar. xiiij. Iesus tooke bread: and when hee had geuen thankes, he brake it, and gaue it to them, and sayd: Take, eate: thys is my body. And he toke the cup, and when he had geuen thankes, he tooke it to thē, and they all dranke of it, and he sayd vntounto them: Thys is my bloud of the new testament, which is shed for many.
He tooke bread,Luk. xxi… and whē he had geuen thankes, he brake it, & gaue vntounto them, saying: This is my body, which is geuen for you: This do in the remēbraunce of me. Likewise also when he had supped, he tooke the cup, saying: This cup is the new testament in my bloud, which is shed for you.
Secondly, to stirre vsus vp vntounto thankesgeuing, while we consider how precious, great, and inestimable benefites we hauehave receaued of God the father, by the death of hys sonne, as deliueraunce from Sathan, freedome from the curse of the lawe, forgeuenes of sinnes, the fauour and good will of God, quietnes of conscience, the holy ghost, righteousnes, victory against sinne, death, and hell, saluation: and finally, euerlasting life. That we should not be vnthankfull, but rather ioyfully burst out into all kinde of spirituall prayses, lauding, and magnifying God the father for these hys most hie and singular free giftes, the Lord Christ did institute thys holy supper: Therfore it is called of the aunciēt Doctors, Sacramentum Eucharistiae. i. the Sacrament of thankesgeuing.
☞Probations out of the holy Scriptures.
All that beleued,Acte. ij. continued daily with one accorde in y• temple, and brake bread from house to house, and did eate their meate together with gladnes & singlenes of hart, praysing God.
Is not the cup of thankesgeuing,j. Cor. x. for y• which we geue thankes, partaking of the bloud of Christ? Is not y• bread which we breake, partaking of the body of Christ?
Thirdly, to put vsus in remembraunce, that as the bread, which we eate at the Lordes table, is made of many graines one loafe, and the wine pressed together of sondry grapes, is made one wine: so we being many, are one body, wherof Christ is the head. And because we all are one body, we ought all to be beneficiall one to an other, one to louelove an other, one to beare with an other, one to wishe well vntounto an other, and one to doe for an other, what soeuer we be able, euen to the vttermost of our power, as our head Christ for our health, and for our saluation, disdained not to bestow his very life, and to suffer death, euen the death of the crosse for our redemption. And as we presently at the receauing of the holy mysteries of Christes body & bloud, do inioy through fayth in Gods promises, all the benefites which Christ obtayned for vsus by hys blessed death and glorious passion: so lykewise ought they that be partakers of the Lordes table, eueryevery one according to hys habilitie at that present, to be beneficiall to the poore members of Christ, and somewhat to geue that may relieue thē, & euer after also (whē occasion is geuen) gladly to distribute vntounto the needie, some porcion of their goodes, wherwith God hath endued them. That thys was the custome in the Apostles tyme, and in the Primatiue Church, yea, and long after, till the Popishe Masse had driuen out of the Church the right vse of the Lordes supper, it is euident enough by diuers testimonyes, both of the holy Scriptures, and of auncient historyes.
That we are all one body.
☞Probations out of the holy Scriptures.
As we hauehave many members in one body,Rom. xij. and all members hauehave not one office: so we being many, are one body in Christ, and eueryevery man among our selues, one an others member.
We (though we be many) yet are one bread,…. Cor. x. and one body, in as much as we all are partakers of one bread.
As the body is one,Cor. xj. and hath many members, and all the members of one body, though they be many, yet are but one body, euen so is Christ. For by one spirite are we all baptised to make one body, whether we bee Iewes or Gentiles, whether we be bonde or free, and hauehave all drunke of one spirite. For the body is not one member, but many. &c. Therefore if one member suffer, all suffer with hym. If one member be had in honour, all members be glad also. Ye are the body of Christ, and members one of an other.
¶Of the distribution to the needie.
All that beleued,…cte. ij. kept thē selues together, and had all thinges common, & solde their possessions and goods, and parted them to all mē, as eueryevery man had neede.
Great grace was there with all them that beleued.Acte. iiij. Neyther was there any among thē that lacked. For as many as were possessours of landes or houses, solde them, and brought the price of the things that were solde, and layde it downe at the Apostles feete. And distribution was made vntounto eueryevery man according as he had neede.
Distribute vntounto the necessitie of the Saintes.Rom. xij. Be ready to harbour.
As concerning the gathering for the Sainctes,…. Cor. xv… let eueryevery one of you, vpō some Sabbaoth day, put aside & lay vp what soeuer is meete. &c.
It is not my minde,ij. Cor. v… that other be set at ease, and ye brought into combrance, but that there be equalnes now at this tyme: and that your abundance may succour their lacke, and that their abundaunce may supply your lacke, that there may be equalitie, agreing to that which is writtē:Exod. xvj He that had much, had not the more abundaunce: and he yt had litle, had neuer the lesse. &c. Read the Chapter.
Of the ministring to yt Saintes,…. Cor. ix. it is but superfluous for me to write vntounto you: for I know the readines of your mind. &c. Yet this I say: he that soweth little, shall reape little, and he yt soweth (in geuing) largely and freely, shall reape plentiously. And let eueryevery man do according as he hath purposed in hys hart, not grudgingly, or of necessitie. For God loueth a cheerefull geuer. God is able to make you riche in all grace, that ye in all thinges hauing sufficient vntounto the vttermost, may bee riche vntounto all maner of good workes, as it is written: He hath sparsed abroad,…sal. cxij. and hath geuen to the poore: and hys righteousnes remayneth for euer.
The office of thys ministration,ij. Cor. ix. not onelyonly supplyeth the nede of the saintes, but also is abundant herein, yt for this laudable ministring, thankes might be geuen to God of many (which praise God for yt obedience of your consenting to y• Gospel of Christ, and for your singlenes in distributing to them, & to all mē) and in their prayers for you, which long after you, for the abundaunt grace of God in you. Thankes be vntounto God for his vnspeakable gift.