The Supper of the Lord, Part 6 – Part 7
¶And for because they holde them so faste by Paule. 1. Co. 11. I shall loose their holde, expownynge the lordis souper aftir Paule, whyche addeth immediatly vntounto the cuppe, this that Luke there leaued forthe: Do ye this in to my rememberāce… This doth Paule repete so of…e to put vsus in mynde, that these thankis geuyng and souper is the commemoracion and the memoriall of Crystis dethe. wherfore aftir all he repeteth it yet agayne the thirde tyme saynge. So oft as ye shall ete this brede (he calleth it styll brede euen aftir the popis consecracion) & drinke the cuppe (he saith not drynke this blood) se that ye geue thankes, be ioyouse and preche the de…he of the lorde, for somyche sygnifieth annunciate in this place, vntyll he come that is to saye, fro the tyme of hys deathe & ascencion vntyll he come agayne to iugement. Forthermore, saith Paule, whoso ete thys brede, he calleth it styll brede, or drynke of the c… ppe of the lorde vnworthely…he is gilty the bodye and blode of the lorde. The bodye & blood of the lorde Paule calleth here the congregacion assembled toghyther to ete the lordis souper. For they at hys body and blood whych ar remeded wyth his body and blode, as he sayde in the .10. cap. before. The cuppe of thankis geuynge whyche we receyue wyth thankis: is it not the felowship of the blood of Cryste? Th… brede whyche we breke, is it not the felowship of the bodye of Cryst? For we beyng many togither ar one brede, euen one bodye. Lo here Paule expownyng hymselfe vseth the same forme of speche that is vsed in these wordis This is my bodye, takyng Is, for signifieth. we ar one brede euen one bodye, that is to saye, we ar signified be one lofe of bred to be one bodye, he shewethe the cause, adding because we be all partakers of one lofe or pese of brede. And in the .12. cap. folowing, he sayth playnely, ye be the bodye of Cryste and hys partyclar members, and in the firste cap. to thephesians… God dyd set Cryste to be the head ouer all vntounto hys congregacion whyche hys bodye. &c.
¶And because t…e comparyson in the .10. cap. betwene the lordys borde & hys cuppe, and the deuillys borde and hys cuppe, do declare thys mater. I shall recy…e Paulys wordis saynge ye maye not drynke the cuppe of the lord, & the cuppe of the deuyll bothe togyther… ye may not be partakers of the lordis borde & the deuylls borde bothe at once. The deuyls bord and his …upp… was not hys body and blode, but the ety…ge and drynkynge before theyr images and Idolls as dyd the haithen in the worshyp and th…nkys of thyr Gods… of whyche thynge thou maist gather what Paule ment by the lordis borde and his cuppe. Now let vsus retourne to Paule in the .11. cap. Thei eate thys brede and drynke of this cuppe vnworthely, that come not vntounto thys borde with suche faithe and louelove as they professed at theyr baptisme. They ete vnworthely that thru…ted them selues in among thys congregaciō hauyng not the louelove that this sacrament and sygne of vnyte techethe & s…gnyfyeth. whych maner of people Paule in thyssame ca. rebukethe, & bendethe all hys sermon agenste them: for that thy were contensyouse, and came togyther not for the better but for the worse… So that thyr comyng togither whyche shuld hauehave …ene a token of faithe and louelove, was turned into thoccasyō and mater of di…sencion and stryfe: because eueryevery man dyd e…e (as Paule sayth) hys owne souper and not the lordys souper: wheryn the brede and drynke is comon as well to the pore as to the ryche. but here the ryche dysdayned the pore and wolde not tarye for them. so that some (as ye ryche) wen…e th…yr waye dronken and ful: an… the pore departed …ongrye & drye, whyche was a tokē of no …gal distrybucion of the brede and drynke: and that the ryche comtemned the pore and so became sclaunderouse and gyltie of ye body and blode of Cryste: that is to wite, of ye pore congr…gacion redemed wyth Crystis body and blo…e. Thus they that came togyther ape…yng to hauehave had that louelove whyche the souper signifyed, and had it not, vttered them selues by thys contenciouse & vnlouynge dealyng not to be mēbers of Crystys bodye, but rather gyltye & hurtfull vntounto them. As if a soudyer of our aduersaryes parte shulde come in among vsus wythe our lordis badge, hauynge not that herte faythe and louelove to our capitayne that we hauehave, we wolde (if we espy…d it by any token) take hym for a spye and betrayer rather then one of vsus.
¶Let a man therfore sayth Paule proue him selfe well before, whyther he hathe thys faythe to Cryste and louelove to God and hys neghbour whych all he professed at baptisme, & thys souper signyfyed: and so come in emonge the congregacion to ete of thys brede & drynke of this cuppe (he calleth it styll brede & wyne: and nether hys body nor blode). For he that etith and drinketh vnworthely, eteth & drynketh his own dampnacion: because he discry…eth not the lordis bodye. He calleth styll the lordis bodye the congregacion redemed wyth Crystis body, as he dyd before, and also in the chap. folowynge fe…chyng …ys analogy and simyle…ude at the naturall bodye. In whyche althoughe ther be diuerse members one exellynge a nother, one inferior, vyler & more contēptible then a nother yet may not the bodye want them: but must kouer them reuerently, & holde them in honour. Ageyn, in the bodye, thoughe …herbe dyuerse members of diuerse e…ices: yet is ther no discorde emonge them: but eueryevery member, be…t ne…er so low & vyle: yet dothe it mynister & serue a nother, and al togither holde vp & helpe the …oll bodye. This cōsideracion with these cō parysons so eloquētly, so playntuously, so lyuely dothe Paule set forthe in that .12. chap. that noman can desyer any more. And all to bringe vsus into the consyderacyon & discrecyon of the bodye of Cryste whyche is hys congregacyon: wythout whyche consyderacion & discreciō, if we thrust our selues yn wyth this signe & cognisans faynedly: we be but hypocrites and ete and drynke our owne iugement. For thys cause many are syke emonge you, and many ar a slepe, that is, ar dede. Here it semeth some plage to hauehave bene caste vponupon the Corīth for this abuse in the e…yng of the lordis souper. For bothe the lawe and prophetis thretened vsus plages as pestilence, famyne: & swerde for our synnes. For yf we had iuged our soules, that is, If we had dilygētly examined our owne lyuinge and repented: we shulde not hauehave bē iuged, that is to saye, punisshed of the lorde. But whyle we be punyshed, we be corrected of the lorde leste we shuld be condempned wythe the worlde. wherfore my brethern, when ye come togyther to eate, tary one for a nother. Here is the cause of all thys dissention wherfor Paule rebuketh them. But here myght some of them obiecte & tell Paule, Syr we come hyther hongry & may not tarye so longe. wher vntounto Paulle answereth as he dyd before: saynge, HaueHave ye not houses to ete & drynke yn? Do ye contempne the cōgregacyon of God & shame them that hauehave non? Here he calleth the pore, the chyrche of god, whom aftyrward he called the body of the lorde: and now at laste he sayth. If any mā be so hongry, let hym ete somwhat at home, & so delaye hys honger that he may the beter tary for the pore, leste ye come togither vntounto your condempnacyon. And as for other thyngys I shall dispose and set in ordyr when I come. These other thynges were cōcerning this souper & siche as were out of frame emong them whyche yf ye rede the wholl pystle, ar efte esye to se: & that they were no necessary trouthes for their saluacion, for al syche trouthes Paule had preched them before and wrytten thē to Nether were these other thyngys lente, faste, thassumpciō of our lady, halowyng of bowes bellis and asshes, halowyng of vestymentis, & crepynge to the crosse, wyth siche other vnwryten vanites, as M. More li…tethe to ieste and tryfull out the trouthe.
¶ Now hauehave ye the very pure sence of these Crystis wordis. Thys is my bodye, that is to say. Thys signifyethe or reprensente the my bodye, takynge Est for significat. As M. More hymselfe vttered it in hys Dyaloge put forthe in wylliam Barlows name, reciting the opinyons of Ecolāpadius & zwinglius: saynge, thys is my body, is as miche to saye as thys sygnyfyeth my body, wher he sayth that Ecolampadius allegeth for hym Tertulyā, Chrysostome, and Austen, but falsely somtyme addynge more to their wordis, sometyme takynge a waye frome their sentencis. whych sayng is playne false, and he belyethe the man now departed, for fyrste hys incomparable lernynge and very spirituall iugemēt wolde not suffer hym to be ignorant in the vnderstanding of these olde holy doctours (whom I dare saye) he vnderstode as well as More. And his conscience & faythf…lnes wold not suffer him falsely to peru…rte them as More belyethe and peruertethe Crys…e and Paule & all holy scripture. And yf this man had thus delte wyth these doctours sayngis: Luther agaynste whome he dyd contend in this mater wolde not hauehave lefte it vntolde him
¶But (Christē reder) to put the oute of do…te hauehave here these Doctours owne wordis bothe in la…yne & in englysshe. And firste heare Tertullyan, where thou muste fyrste vnderstande that there was an heretyk called Marcyō, sayng that Cryste toke not to him the very bodye of man, but an imagined and phantasticall bodye, to put of, and on, whan he lysted: & so not to hauehave bē borne verely of the virgen Marye, nor yet to hauehave suffered verely dethe &c. Agenst whō,…lyā … thus wryteth Tertullian in h…s. 4. boke.
Professus ita que se concupiscentia concupisse edere pascha, vt suum acceptū panem & distributum discipulis corpus suum illum fecit, h…e est corpus meum dicendo: id est figura corporis mei. Figura autem non fuisset, nisi veritatis esset corpus. Ceterum, v…cua res, quod est phantasma, figuram capere non posset. whyche wordis are thus in englishe spokē of Cryste. whiche acknowleginge himselfe wyth how feruēt desyer he longed to eie the passou…r, as his brede taken & distributed to hys disciples: made it his bodye saynge: This is my bodye: that is to saye, the fygure of my bodye. For fygure had it be none, excepte it were a verye bodye. For a voyde thinge whiche is a phātasye can receue no fygure. Here is it playne, that This is my bodye after olde holye doctoure is as miche to saye as this is the …ygure or signe that r…presenteth or signifyeth my bodye.
¶Also, thus sayth Austen.Auste… 12, aga adima Lex dicit nō esse manducandū sanguinē, ꝙ anima sit sanguis. Quod lex dicit, sanguis est anima: esse positū dicimus, sicut ali… multa et pene oīa scriptura♃ illa♃ sacramenta signis et figuris plena future predicatiōis, que …am per dn̄m nostrum Iesu… Christum declarata est &c. Possum etiā interpretari preceptum illud in signo esse posirum. Non enim dubitauit dn̄s dicere: Hoc est corpus meū, quum signum daret corporis sui. Sic est enim sanguis aīa, quomodo petra erat Christus. Net tamen quū hec diceret, ait: petra significab at Christum, sed ait: petra erat Christus. Que rursus ne carnaliter acciperetur, spiritua lem illam vocat. id est spiritualiter intelligi docet. whiche wordis ar thus in englisshe.Gen. 9 The lawe sayth that blood shuld not be eten,Leui. … because the lyfe is bloode. whiche precept of the lawe and because that bloode is lyfe:Deut. … we affirme it to be sette lyke as many other almost innumerable sacramētis of those scriptures, full of sygnes and fygures of the prechinge to come: whiche nowe is declared by our lorde Iesu Cryste &c. And I maye interprete that precept to be layed in a sygne. For the lorde douted not to saye… This is my body: when he gaue the sygne of his bodye. And euen so is the blode lyfe, as the stone was Cryste. And yet when he said these wordes: he sayd not the stone signifyed Cryste: but he sayd, the stone was Criste. whiche le…te they shulde be taken carnally, he callethe it spirituall, that is to saye, he techeth it to be vnderstande spiritually, where is now Moris litter…ll sence, and materiall meat?