A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 1 · Dialogue 19
The 19. dialogue is of the proofe that eueryevery man ought to make of himſelfe before the ſupper.
Of the principall points vvhichwhich are required in the proofe that is required of eueryevery man before he go to the Supper.
MATTHEVV. M.
SEing that we be lyghted vponupon the matter of thīgs required wherwith worthily to communicate in the ſupper, declare vntounto me now in what ſorte wée ought to proue oure ſelues, according to the doctrine of S. Paule, to the end wée receiue not this Sacrament vnworthily and to our condemnation.
P.
Thou maiſt wel know by the matters which we hauehave alredy handled, what it is to receyue the Supper worthily or vnworthily, and to ſaluation or condemnation, and how eueryevery man may proue himſelfe, to communicate thereat as he ought.
M.
I graunte that which thou ſayeſt: but I ſhall vnderſtande and comprehende it better, if thou doeſt declare vntounto mée briefly the principall pointes whiche are chiefly required in this proofe.
P.
Seing that Ieſus Chriſte is dead for oure ſinnes, and that therfore, all Sacraments doe ſende vsus to the ſame death, to obtaine forgiueneſſe of the ſame: it followeth well, that we can not communicate worthily at the Supper, except we acknowledge firſt our ſelues to be ſinners ſuche as we are, and do confeſſe that we hauehave deſerued by meane of our ſinnes, eternall death and damnation, and that wee can not be deliuered from them, but only by the death of Ieſus Chryſt.
M.
I doe well vnderſtand alredie this poynt.
P.
If thou do well vnderſtand this, thou vnderſtandeſt well alſo, that that acknowledging & cōfeſſion, can not be in vsus without that true repentance wherof we hauehave alreadie ſpoken, whiche can not be without true amendement of life.
M.
I vnderſtand wel alſo that other pointe.
P.
Thou haſte well vnderſtoode how that true faith can not be ſeparated frō true repētance. For the knowledge of our ſins ſhould ſerue vsus to ſmal purpoſe, if it were not ioyned with a ſure truſt of forgyueneſſe of the ſame.
M.
That is playne.
P.
Nowe ſéeing we can not obtain that remiſſion, but only by the death of Ieſus Chryſt, and that the Supper is ordeyned to witneſſe vntounto vsus, and to aſſure vsus more fully, it is therfore eaſy to iudge, that none maye communicate at this holy ſacrament without true faith, by the which he holdeth himſelf aſſured to obtaine the grace which is promiſed & witneſſed vntounto him in the ſame.
M.
Thou wilt then ſay in effect, that it is néedful for thoſe whiche diſpoſe themſelues to communicate at this ſacrament, to note diligentely whether they hauehave true repentance and true faith in Ieſus Chryſte or no.
P.
To the ende that the proofe may be the more full and perfect, thou ſhalt ioyne alſo to theſe two pointes, charitie, of the which we euen now did ſpeak, by meane wherof, all the faithfull are vnited and conioyned the one with the other: euen as they be vnited & conioyned by fayth with Chriſt Ieſus their head. For euen as true repentāce can not be without true faith, euē ſo true faith cānot be wtout true charitie, as wée hauehave ſufficiently alreadie declared.
M.
I vnderſtand wel alſo, ſéeing the Supper is a Sacrament of vnion and charitie, as thou haſt alreadie declared it, that he is not capable of the ſame, that hath not true charitie.
P.
Beholde, they are ye thrée points, to wit,Three pointe a required in the proufe. repentāce faith, and charitie, whiche comprehende all the reſt that maye be required in the proufe of any man.
VVhether it be requiſite that eueryevery man hauehave perfecte repentance, faith and charitie, before he go to the Supper.
M.
NOwe I hauehave yet one difficultie vppon theſe thrée pointes, the whiche thou ſayſt are chiefly required in the proofe of thoſe which will communicate at the Supper.
P.
Shew me that difficultie.
M.
Tell me firſte, if there be any man that in this mortall life may hauehave perfecte repentaunce, perfecte faithe, and perfecte charitie.
P.
If we could hauehave thoſe vertues ſo perfecte, that nothing coulde be more added therevnto, then were wée no more mortall men, and ſhoulde no more néede, neyther the preaching of the Goſpell, nor yet the Sacramentes.
Mat.
Why ſo? Bycauſe we ſhoulde then hauehave all the things, for the which al the miniſterie of the Churche was ordeyned of God, and ſhoulde be already like to the Angels, in ſuch ſorte as we ſhall be after our reſurrection, when we ſhall be fully refourmed to the image of Ieſus Chriſt, and fully glorified with him.
M.
And yet thou ſayeſt that we cannot worthily communicate at the ſupper, except we bring wt vsus true repentāce, a true faith, and a true charitie.
Pet.
That ſame is not at all againſt that which I hauehave nowe ſayde.
VVhat differēce ther is betvvene true & perfect repentance, faith, & charitie.
M.
IT muſt néedes be then, yt thou put differēce betwéen true & perfect repē tāce, & true faith & charitie.
P.
Euē ſo thee is differēce.
M.
What is it?
P.
To make thée ye better to vnderſtād it, I wil ſhewe thée it by exāmple.
M.
I like well ye maner of declaration.
P.
Take then for exāple a yong chyld, wilt thou ſay yt he is a perfect man?
M.
No, till ſuch time as he be come to ye age in which men do accōpt the perfection of man.
P.
But wilt thou denie yt he is a very mā before he be come to that age?
M.
I am not yet wel reſolued howe to anſwer thée to this demaūd.
P.
It ſhal be eaſy for thée to reſolue, if thou cōſider what it is to be a man, & what is his nature: for thou canſte not denie, yt who ſo hath an humane body & a ſoule participāt of reaſon & vnderſtanding, is a man.
M.
I graunt it.
P.
No more canſt thou denie, that a chylde, howe yong ſoeuer he be, is compounded of ſuche a bodie and ſuche a ſoule, notwithſtanding yt men do not yet ſée in effecte in him, ſo great a perfection of the bodie, and of reaſon and vnderſtanding, and of other gifts, as wel of the bodie as of the ſpirite, as in a perfecte man.
M.
I do wel vnderſtand yt thou wilt ſay, that albeit a child may grow both in bigneſſe, force, diſcretion, prudence, knowledge, & in ſuch like vertues, therby to attaine to greater perfection, yet notwithſtanding this ſame letteth not at all, but that he is alreadie a very man.
P.
No, for ſomuche as he hath in him all the partes that make a verie man, and the ſéedes of all things required in mans nature, notwythſtanding that the frutes as yet appeare not, for albéeit that a thing begone, be not yet fully perfected, it followeth not for all that, but that the beginnings are true and ſounde, and that it is true and perfect, forſomuch as is alreadie of it.
M.
Thou wilt then ſaye in lyke ſorte, that albeit that repentaunce, faith and charitie, be not in vsus ſo greate & ſo perfect, that no more may be wiſhed for, yet for all that they leaue not to be true and whole, prouided that wée hauehave the true ſéedes therof in vsus, and the true beginnings of all the partes required in the ſame.
P.
Thou haſt very well cōprehended that whiche I would hauehave ſaide. And foraſmuch as all theſe things are alredy begon in vsus, by the grace of God, we do dayly continue the reading of the Goſpell and the adminiſtration of the Sacramentes, to the ende we may daily growe more & more, in that which is alredy begon in vsus, and that we may be dayly the better confirmed, to witte, in true repentance and true faith & charitie,Epheſ. 4. c. and in all the other gifts of god, euen vntil the time that from the infancie in the whiche wée now are cōcerning theſe gifts and graces, we do come euen to ye age of a perfect mā, and that we do therein dayly profite as the childe dothe dayly growe vntill the time that he be a perfect man.
Hovv greatly neceſſarie the miniſterie of the Church and prayer is for al men during this life.
M.
I Am now wel reſolued touching this pointe, whereby I do conclude that there is in the world no man ſo perfecte, who hath not alwayes néede of the miniſtery of the church, & of al the partes and things the which it comprehendeth.
P.
I hauehave yet forgottē to tel thée that with the diligence that we ought to vſe in the ſtudie of the holy ſcriptures & communiō of the ſacramentes, to the end the graces of god may be dayly encreaſed more & more in vsus: we hauehave alſo the inuocation of the name of God, & prayer, the which ſerueth vsus greatly to yt ende: wherfore we ought therein to be very attentiue & continuall.
M.
Seing yt thou art now come vponupon the matter of inuocation & prayer, mée thinketh it were good yt wée dyd ſpeake ſomwhat amply of it. For it ſéemeth to mée yt we hauehave ſpoken very litle of it, as in paſſing it ouer, when that thou gaueſt me as in briefe, ye expoſition of the commaundements of ye law, vpō the which thou didſt briefly declare vntounto mée, how that thoſe of the firſt table did comprehend faith & the inuocation of the name of god, which procéedeth from the ſame, as ye true frute and true witneſſe of the Faith.
Of the diſcipline of the church, and of the principall partes of the ſame.
P.
I Had determined to hauehave ſpokē ſomwhat more fully, for ſo much as Ieſus Chriſt hath giuen a certaine forme & rule. But bicauſe wée hauehave yet to ſpeake of the diſcipline of the Church, & that it is ſo ioyned with the miniſtery of the ſame, that it cānot bée wel ruled nor conſerued without yt diſcipline, wée wil firſt ſpeake ſo farre as the matter that wée handle nowe requireth it, and then afterwarde we will conclude the whole by the inuocation of the name of God, and by praier.