Common Places, Discourses 1 · Discourse 4 – Discourse 5
An exhortation to the myſticall ſupper of the Lord.
COme on my welbeloued brethren, now the ſupper of the Lord is to be miniſtred, wherevnto in the name of God I inuite all you as manie as be preſent. And I beſéech you, for Ieſus Chriſt his ſake our Lord, for the bleſſed hope of his comming, and the euerlaſting felicitie which we looke for; that ye being this bountifullie and friendlie called and inuited by God; will not refuſe to come. Ye knowe how gréeuous and diſcontented a thing it is, to hauehave alreadie prepared a coſtlie banket, to hauehave furniſhed the table with honourable prouiſion, and that while there is nothing elſe wanting but men to ſit downe, the gheſts vponupon no iuſt & lawfull cauſe refuſe to come therto: which of you in this caſe would not be mooued, & would not thinke that a verie great iniurie is doon to him? Wherfore beware ye alſo (moſt deerlie beloued in Chriſt) leaſt in driuing off this holie ſupper, you preuoke againſt you the indignation of God, and incurre his moſt bitter wrath. It is an eaſie thing for men to ſaie; I doo not communicate, bicauſe I cannot. But it is verie hard, yea an impoſſible thing, that ſuch an excuſe ſhould be allowed before God.
Admit God doo aſke of thée; Why canſt thou not? What I beſéech thée wilt thou anſwer? I am defiled with ſinnes. Whie dooſt thou not repent thée? VntoUnto repentance is required no long ſpace of time. Thou maiſt ſtraitwaie with new hope of game or commoditie change thy purpoſe, alter thy determination, doo contrarie vntounto that which thou hadſt minded. But when thou ſhouldeſt depart from ſinne, thou ſaieſt; I cannot: when thou ſhouldeſt returne vntounto GOD, thou alledgeſt; I am not able. Conſider ye againe and againe, that ſuch excuſes ſhall not preuaile. They, which refuſed to come vntounto the feaſt of the good man of the houſe, bicauſe they had bought a farme, Matt. 22, Luk. 14, 16.bicauſe they were to prooue yokes of oxen, or bicauſe they had married wiues, were not excuſed; but were all counted vnworthie of the heauenlie calling. For my part, I am here preſent, and for the diſcharge of mine office, I inuite you in the name of GOD. By Chriſt I doo call you; for your ſaluation ſake I exhort you, that you will communicate: and that as the ſonne of God vouchſafed for your ſaluation, to giuegive his life vponupon the croſſe; ſo ye will vouchſafe here, togither with the reſt of the brethren, celebrate a memorie of his death, according as he himſelfe hath commanded. Which if ye will in no wiſe do, and that ye will not ſuffer your ſelues to be led from your obſtinate and ſtubborne purpoſe; conſider well how great an i…rie you d… vntounto GOD, and how great a reuenge hangeth ouer your heads for the ſame.
And bicauſe in puſhing off this holie feaſt; ye doo verie greatlie offend GOD; I doo moniſh and exhort, and alſo be ſéeth you, that vntounto this ſinne, ye ioine not alſo an other ſinne▪ which will be, if you which ſtand by, and be not partakers, d… ſtand by as ga…ets vponupon them that communicate. What other thing will this b… … to doo a greater iniurie vntounto God? It is no doubt a great contempt, to …nie him that …eth; but a farre greater is it for a man to ſtand by, and in the meane time ſitteth not downe with others, neither eateth, nor drinketh. This aſſuredlie is to hauehave the myſteries of Chriſt in deciſion. It ſhall be ſaid vntounto all; Matt, 26, 26,Take ye, and eate ye; Take ye, and drinke ye all of this: This doo in the remembrance of me. With what face, with what forhead, with what heart will ye heare theſe things? What is it elſe to neglect, contemne, and make a mocking ſtocke of the teſtament of Chriſt, if this be not? Wherefore get you hence rather, and giuegive place to the ſaints. But in departing awaie, I beſéech you weigh with your ſelues déepelie and in due time, from whence ye depart; namelie, from God, from Chriſt, from the brethren, and from the ſwéet food of excellent charitie. Theſe things if ye will faithfullie conſider, perhaps ye will come againe to your ſelues and into the right waie. Which that ye may obteine, through the merciemercy of God, we will here praie, while we ſhall communicate togither.
To the excellent and worthie men, the gouernors of the ſchoole of Stra… brough, my moſt reuerend maiſters, grace and peace from God through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord.
BIcauſe there is ſome doubt riſen as touching the matter of the ſacrament; and that the miniſters of this church be afraid, left by me ſhould ariſe ſome contention about that matter: therfore hauehave I thought good, that thoſe things, which a few daies paſt I mainteind in your preſence, now to repeate the ſame by writing. Firſt, that I willinglie imbrace and confeſſe the confeſſion made at Auguſta, and other confeſſions whatſoeuer not differing from the ſame; ſo they he rightlie and profitablie vnderſtood. Secondlie, that there ſhall be no contentions raiſed by me: naie rather, if there be anie place to be handled in the ſcriptures, or that anie other neceſſitie ſhall require, that I ſhould declare my opinion about ſuch a queſtion; I promiſe that I will doo it with all modeſtie, and without anie bitter inuectiue. But what my opinion is, … he ſéene by the bookes, which I hauehave alreadie publiſhed; from which I will hauehave nothing either taken out or altered, by this my writing as promiſe, vntill being taught by the ſcriptures and the ſpirit of God, An agreement betweene Bucer and Luther.I be perſuaded to the contrarie. And whereas I hauehave not ſubſcribed as the agréement made betwéen D. Martin Bucer, and D. Luther, & his fellowe miniſters; the … is, that I cannot, in reſpect of the word of God, nor for my conſcience ſake grant, that they which are without faith, doo in receiuing of the ſacrament, receiue the bodie of Chriſt. And it is no meruell, that I would not agrée to this article; ſince Bucer himſelfe in this our ſchoole (I being preſent) did openlie teach otherwiſe, when he expounded the Acts of the apoſtles. And euen he, when he was in England, wrote far otherwiſe; as I can ſhew by diuerſe of his articles. And without doubt his opinion was true, ſince faith is the onelie inſtrument, whereby Chriſt his bodie and blood is receiued of vsus: which ſaith being remooued, the mouth of the bodie receiueth nothing, but the ſacraments of the bodie and bloud of Chriſt; Chriſt receiued by faiththe bread I meane and the wine, conſecrated by the officer of the church or the miniſter.
Euen as if a man, which is of full age, ſhould come without faith vntounto baptiſme; we would ſaie, he receiueth nothing beſides the ſacrament; that is, beſides water: for not beléeuing, he could not receiue the grace of regeneration: ſo without faith, no man is admitted vntounto the communion of the bodie and bloud of Chriſt. Laſtlie I am afraid, leaſt by ſubſcribing vntounto this agréement before rehearſed, I might ſéeme to condemne the churches of Zuricke, Baſil, Berne, Geneua, and England, & all the brethren diſperſed through Italie and France: which aſſuredlie I doo not thinke by the word of God to be lawfull. Therefore, as I both honour and reuerence the churches of Saxonie; euen ſo doo I imbrace and louelove heartilie, in the Lord, thoſe other churches, which I hauehave rehearſed. God, as he is the author of peace, grant vsus, that we may once iudge and ſpeake all one thing! And to you my maiſters, whom I verie much honour, for the courteſie and goodneſſe which you ſhew vntounto me, I tender moſt heartie thanks; ſince I hauehave no other thing to requite you withall. And I beſéech our good God, for Ieſus Chriſt his ſake, that he will alwaies be mercifull to you. From my lodging in Straſbrough, this 27 of Decem.