Showing the Necessity of Conformity, Treatise · Reformed practices · Part 10
Touching kneeling in receiuing the Communion.
CHurches reformed: Bohem: Geneua: The Bohemian confeſſion touching the manner of their receiuing the Communion ſaith thus, The faithfull members of our Church doe moſt vſually receiue this Sacrament (in genua procumbentes) kneeling on their knees with thankeſgiuing, ioyfulneſſe, and ſinging Pſalmes. Harm. confeſſ. §. 14. Bohem. fol. 120.
Low-country Churches: In the adminiſtration of the Lords Supper, let eueryevery Church impoſe or vſe ſuch Ceremonies, as they ſhall iudge to bee moſt expedient, ſo they looke that the Ceremonies taken out of Gods word, be not raſhly changed, and ſuperſtitions bee diminiſhed. Ex actis Synodalibus general. inferior. Germ. Middleburg. anno 1581. Can. 45. apud Sculting. Anachryſ. Hierarch. lib. 9.
Caluin being queſtioned of one, whether hee might receiue the Supper of the Lord from the Lutheran teachers, (in whoſe Churches kneeling is vſed, as appeareth before in the Bohem confeſ. as alſo appeareth in admonitiō of T. C. fol. 84.) In his anſwere to this queſtion, makes no difficulty in reſpect of kneeling, but of their erroneous doctrine of conſubſtantiation, and therefore inſinuateth it vnlawfull to receiue, niſi clara & ingenua praecedat ſanae doctrinae confeſſio: In which caſe he alloweth the receiuing thereof, notwithſtanding their kneeling. Epist 292. fol. 479.
Bucer: If you admit not this, I doe not ſee how you can graunt any Church, that it may celebrate the Lords Supper in the Morning, and in an open Church conſecrate to the Lord, that the Sacraments may be diſtributed to men kneeling or ſtanding; yea, to women as well as to men: For we hauehave receiued of theſe things neither couenant of the Lord, nor any example; yea, rather the Lord gaue a contrary example in theſe things, in Epiſt. ad Ioh. Alaſco.
P. Martyr: Neither doe I iudge that we ought immoderately to contend that rites and Ceremonies be the ſame, and eueryevery where obſerued after the ſame manner. But this muſt be looked vntounto, that they bee not repugnant to Gods word: yea, they ought to be ſquared vntounto that, as much as poſſible may be, and to our vttermoſt indeuour, edification and decent order ſhould bee furthered: which conditions if they be obſerued, it is nothing materiall whether we receiue the Lords Supper ſtanding, ſitting, or kneeleng, ſo as the inſtitution of Chriſt bee kept, and occaſion of ſuperſtition cut off. Neither is it much to be reſpected while the Church receiueth the elements, whether ſome place of holy Scripture be rehearſed openly, or whether Pſalmes and thankeſgiuing be ſung of the people. Loc. com. claſſ. 2. cap. 4. §. 39. fol. 203.
Againe, concerning adoration, how it may be vſed in receiuing the Sacraments, I will ſay ſomething, namely, in a cleere caſe: For if ones minde bee applyed not to the elements, but to the things ſignified, adoration may lawfully bee interpoſed. Therefore when the Sacraments are receiued, & the promiſes as perteining thereto, if we adore the Lord by kneeling, we doe not thereby teſtifie the reall and corporall preſence of Chriſt in the Sacrament. Idem in defen. ad Gardiner. de Euchariſt. part. 1. ob. 1. fol. 5.
Beza: Kneeling at Communion while the elements are receaued hath indeede a ſhew of Godly and Chriſtian reuerence, and therefore might heretofore be vſed, (cum fructu) with ſome benefit, yet becauſe from this originall, that ſame deteſtable bread worſhip did firſt ariſe, and ſticketh as yet in the mindes of many, it ſeemeth worthily remoued (in the Churches where they vſe other geſture) yet againe ſeeing this Ceremonie is not per ſe idololatrica, idolatrous of it ſelfe wee iudge of it as wee did of the Surpleſſe, and other foregoing Ceremonies, Epiſt. 12. fol. 100. namely that it is not of that moment, as that for the refuſall thereof the Miniſters ſhould leaue their Miniſtery, or the people the Sacrament, Ibid. fol. 98. in another place, Epiſt. 8. fol. 77. albeit hee hold it inconuenient, yet he confeſſeth that it is not, per ſe impium, in it ſelfe impious.
Vrſinus: To a queſtion whether among them that defend Conſubſtantiation, a man might lawfully receaue the Lords Supper? he anſwereth thus, ſeeing in thoſe Churches the ſame foundation of ſaluation, and the ſame Chriſt is taught as is in ours: albeit ſome defects and blemiſhes doe ſticke vponupon their Sacraments, and ſeeing the authoritie and vſe of the Sacraments, as alſo of the whole Miniſtrie, dependeth not on the perſons of the Miniſters, neither can their falſe opinions or ſinnes hurt and preiudicate, ſuch as rightly doe vſe Chriſts inſtitution; a man rightly informed, may holily communicate with them on theſe conditions. 1. If hee hauehave no more pure Miniſtrie in the place, or about the place of his aboade, or be driuen from the vſe thereof againſt his will; as now in theſe partes the communicating in the purer Churches is for bidden, to the orthodoxe vnderunder paine of proſcription. 2. If he receaue not the Communion with them, as a badge of approuing their error, and diſliking of the true doctrine; as it is vſed, ſaith he, in the quarters of our neighbourhood. 3. If before he come, he make confeſſion plainely, and ingenuouſly, without darkeneſſe, and doubtfulneſſe vntounto the Miniſters, and know whether they will receiue him with this confeſſion, and acknowledge him as a member of the Church, yeelding confeſſion of the trueth to others alſo, but profeſſe it before all, requiring of him a reaſon of his faith, either in publike or in priuate: If the Miniſter refuſe him on theſe conditions, let him abſtaine, if he admit him and there be obiected to him, and layed before him his practiſe (vitioſae Ceremoniae) corrupt Cemonies, falſe opinions, ſcornings of the trueth by the aduerſaries, as if hee ſhould be infected with ſome ſuperſtition thereby, and that hee giueth ſcandall hereby to the weake, which may ſuſpect that he approueth their opinions, and ſo may be confirmed alſo in theſe things. It is anſwered thus, that this is ſcandall taken, not giuen, if he who endureth this ſeruitude, inioying in the meane while his Chriſtian liberty, doeth not omit the confeſſion of the trueth vntounto the Miniſters and others; and with all doe openly profeſſe for what cauſe, on what conditions, on what perſwaſion, and to what end hee communicateth, and in what different reckoning he holdeth the ordinances of Chriſt, and the traditions of men; for thus all iuſt cauſe of offence is taken away.
Neither is a perſon of ſound iudgement defiled, when as he vſeth the Miniſtrie of ſuch as erre; yea and obſerueth alſo haumane Ceremonies, if with all he cleerely and conſtantly diſliketh the errors, and doe neither commit in word nor deede any thing openly and impious in it ſelfe, and repugnant to the word of God, and withall profeſſe that he eſteemeth not humane traditions for the worſhip of God. So the Prophets & other Saints in the old Teſtament, and Chriſt and his Apoſtles in the New, did vſe the Miniſtery of the Prieſts, which many waies did corrupt the doctrine & worſhip of God: but in the mean while they themſelues did nothing in it ſelfe idolatrous or forbidden of God, but did ſharply reprehend the errors of the Phariſes & Saduces: So Paul by the obſeruation of Iewiſh aboliſhed Ceremonies did apply himſelf vntounto the weake, when they fled from him as from an enemie of the Law, and of their countrey Cuſtomes, and in this thing did not ſinne. Peter applied himſelfe vntounto the Iewes alſo, and yet is reproued, we ſee, of Paul: The cauſe was becauſe Paul did adde, but Peter did omit the neceſſary confeſſion and doctrine of the trueth: Therfore Peter gaue ſcandall to the weake, and confirmed them that erred in their error, which Paul did not. Of this queſtion (ſaith Vrſinus) I conferred heretofore at Zuricke, with P. Martyr of holy memory, not for mine owne ſcruple, but for others, of whom I was importuned for aduice, neither was his anſwer different from this of mine, Exercitat. part. 2 fol. 835, 836, 837, 838, 839.
Zanch: As he who with ſome kind of reuerence and honouring doth beare himſelfe vntounto the Sacraments, is not to be blamed, ſo hee committeth idolatry which adoreth and worſhippeth the ſame: Hee giueth a reaſon hereof, becauſe the Bread & Wine of the Lords Supper are no longer common or prophane things, but holy, by which Chriſt doth communicate himſelfe & his grace, and in that reſpect thoſe elements are worthy of reuerence. For as the word which is preached, although it be not to beadored, yet it is reuerently to be heard and handled, as the word, not of man, but as the word of God: So alſo the elements of the Sacraments, in the act of the adminiſtration of them are worthy of ſome reuerence and honour, as things not prophane, but holy, and to this purpoſe is that where the Apoſtle commaundeth the Bread to be eaten, and the Wine to be drunke worthily. For albeit this dignity conſiſt properly in the mind, which is indued with faith & louelove, yet not from the purpoſe doe we alſo referre the ſame to externall reuerence: Hence they who approach vnreuerently to the Lords Supper, as to a common or profane ſupper, were of God grieuouſly chaſtened, as the Apoſtle teacheth, 1. Cor. 11. 29, 30, 31. Wherefore there is no doubt but he doeth well and godly, and according to the wil of God; which adreſſeth himſelf to come with external reuerence (as bareheaded, kneeling, or the like geſtures) and ſo handleth, and partaketh of the Sacraments, De Redempt. lib. cap. 17. fol. 486.
Zepperus: Theſe Ceremonies of good order or matters indifferent, may be thus diſtinguiſhed, as that ſome of them may bee conſidered about the adminiſtration of the Sacraments: others are acceſſaries, or furtherers of good order, and of honeſty about externall worſhip: For albeit the Sacraments are not to be accounted among the number of adiaphorals, or things indifferent, yet there is a reall and great difference betweene the Sacramentall Ceremonies themſelues, which at mans pleaſure neither can, nor ought to be altered or changed, and betweene the circumſtances of thoſe Sacramentall Ceremonies; which circumſtances for the ſtate of Churches may by the Chriſtian libertie be differently appointed and obſerued, as for example, the time of adminiſtring the Sacraments, Situs vel poſitus corporis in vtendâ coenâ, the ſite and poſition or geſture of the body in vſing the Lords Supper; And the like, Polit. Eccleſ. lib. 1. cap. 11. fol. 76.
Againe, it is vſually obiected, that if wee will ſo exactly, and peremptorily ſift all things▪ and ſquare them to the inſtitution of Chriſt, then it will follow, that the Supper of the Lord, ſhall not bee celebrated but once a yeere, and that in the euening or night ſeaſon, and that lying along about the Table, as Chriſt did in his inſtitution, &c. He anſwereth thus, as if there were not great difference betweene the Sacramentall Ceremonies themſelues, and the circumſtances of the Sacramentall Ceremonies, ſuch as are the circumſtances of time, place, & ſite, or ſtate or poſition of body, to which we are not bound in the New Teſtament, but do heere reioyce in the Chriſtian liberty, according to that of Galat. 4. 10. & Col. 2. 16. And as Saint Paul of the vſe of the Supper of the Lord doth bring in and apply the Word Quotieſcunque. But the caſe is farre otherwiſe of Sacramentall Ceremonies, which appertaine vntounto the ſubſtance of the Sacraments. Idem de Sacrament. cap. 13. fol. 321. 322. Looke Sarauia contra Bezam. defenſ. cap. 25. fol. 582. 583. and Luther in Gen. 47. where hee alloweth this Ceremony of Kneeling.