A Defense of our Arguments Against Kneeling in Receiving the Lords Supper, Defense 6 – Defense 7
Defence of our sixth Argument.
KNeeling taketh away the resemblance of a …: because …h…t guests invited to a banket kneele not in the act of ba…ketting no not at the banket of a Prince. It is called a Supper, and in what respect it is so called, we have alreadie declared in the defence of the second Argument. Hee saith that the analogie betwixt the two feasts standeth chiefly in eating, drinking and making merry. It is standeth chiefly and not onelyonly in th…se, he reasoneth not to the purpose. He discourseth upon the perpetuall feast which a Christian hath inwardly, and of that glorious and solemne feasting in heaven, which is not doubted of. He saith, that there is great difference betwixt the spirituall feast of the Sacrament, and a common corporall banket; this also is not de…yed. He saith, hee who entertaineth▪ us at this banket is not a man, or earthly Prince, but God and man▪ and his entertainement is spirituall serving for the soule, that bee giveth himselfe to be the food of the soule; that Calv…n will have us to think it the Supper of the Lord, and not of men. All this is true; and hath been already answered in the two former Treatises dP. A. pag. 54. … Sol. pag. 22, 25. 27.We acknowledge both the Giver and the Gift, but beside we acknowledge, that honour whereunto hee hath advanced us, that so great a Prince will entertaine us, not as servants any longer, but as friends; and this advancement he hath expressed in the Symbolicall Supper, representing our spirituall advancement at the spirituall Supper. Hee who inviteth us, it is true, is not a simple man, like an earthly Prince, but God and Man; but that setteth forth the greatnesse of our dignity. The food whereon we feed is not earthly, it is true, but that ministreth matter of greater joy to us. But the manifestation of his will and pleasure, is not to be obstued in the outward resemblance of the feast, seeing it hath pleased his Majestie to set forth his neerenesse and communion with us by the formes of feasting. In the old Law, the Lord sate between the Cherubines, and eat of the sacrifice (to speak after the manner of men) at his Table, to wit, the Altar, which is so called, Malach. … ▪ 12. Ezech. 41. 22. and the people eat of the remaines of the peace-off…ings before the Lord at their Tables. Christ God and Ma… set forth our spirituall feasting, and communion with him in the forme of a feast also yea, hee took a part of the Paschall feast and translated it to that use. Whatsoever bee the excellency of the spirituall feast the outward resemblance thereof being s… forth, under the forme of a banket, …o… under the Law and under the Gospell, gesture competent to the outward resemblance should be chosen; Kneeling was never used in any nation to this purpose. It to be observed also, that their Argument smell greatly of reall presence, or of a g…n… rative force, and vertue in the Sacraments. They speak, as if we had never received Christs body, but when we receive the Sacrament, and as if Christs body were present. The holy Mysteries, saith eReply to Harding art. 1, p. 136.Iewel, doe not begin, but rather continue and confirme this incorporation. As soon as ever we began to beleeve Christs body was given to us. The Symbols when they are added to the Word, while the Mysteries are celebrated, I doubt not, saith fContra Gardin. col. 735. edit. Basil. 1581. Tamen illa Christum nobis praesentë mag…s constituere, quant verba, aut promissiones constanter pernego.Martyr, serve very much for assurance; for they seale the promises. But that they make Christ more present to us, then hu Word and Promises doe, I utterly deny. Christ hath set down a forme, how we should conforme our gesture at this Feast, to wit, according to the sacramentall manner of taking, which is common to all. The spiritual is proper to the faithfull. See more of this Argument, in the answer to Doct. Resolutus.(g) pag. 22. 23. 24.
Defence of our seventh Argument.
THE seventh is almost coincident with the former. So it pleaseth him to divide and rank our reasons. Kneeling is not a fit gesture for a guest invited to a banket; It obseureth the fellowship, whereunto he is advanced. He perverteth our reason very perversly, against his own conscience, as if wee smelled of Arrianisme; and meant that wee are equals with Christ. A simple reader may smell in this stinking flower of his, grosse popery, and in some poynts grosser then in a common Papist. Doth every one invited to a Princes table, think himselfe equall with his prince. Hee gathereth as perversly, as if we thought, h…t wee should not bow our knees to God the …acher, o… his sonne Iesus Christ: when as we say, that in the very act off a…ing, wee are acting the persons of guests, not o… supplicants: and therefore in the outward resemblance of the feast, a competent gesture should be used. In time of p…ayer we act he persons of supplicants, and then a fit gesture in such an act is used. His own instance re…eth himselfe▪ for the 24. Elders, who are sayd to …all down before him that sitteth on the throne, were seen at the first by Iohn, sitting about the throne, clothed with white raiments, and crownes of god; Apoc. 4. He sayth that Christ did not institute this supper to resemble to us that glory which shall(l) …om. 3. p. 8. O sacr…m convivium, in quo Christus sumitur, recolitur memor…a passionis …ius, mens impletur gratia, et fu…ae gloriae nobis p…gnu… datur. be revealed. Musculus, whom he often citeth, but never for the main povnt, sayth, hIn Mat. 26. Et in nostra coena typus est futurae coe ae, ac m…nsae Domini…e qua Luc 22. 29 &c.And in our supper there is a type of the supper… …m…, and of the table of the Lord, whereof Luk 22. I app…ynt you a kingdom, as my father hath appoynted me: that ye may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones. Iohann… Alasco iLiturg. e… …les pereg.often maketh it figurative of that Supper of glory. The Bishop of Spalato sayth the like. klib. 5. de rep. eccles. cap 6 appendice ad Naz an.The Kirk speaketh this way of that mystery, sayth Swarez the Iesuite, O sacred banket, in which Christ is received, the memory of his passion is celebrate, the mind is fi… with grace, and a piedge of our glory to come is given to us. Aquinas sayth, mPart. 3. quaest. 60. a…t. 3.that it is not only signum rememoratiuum, a signe forcommemoration of Christs passion, which is past, demonstratiuum, demonstrative of a present benefit; but also prognosticum, id est, p…aenunciatiuum futurae gloriae, foretell…th our glory to come. Yet doe we not urge any such type, as i… this supper were ordained to that end, or as if it were typus destinatus, but onelyonly we count it amongst typo… factos, because Christ alludeth to it, Luk 22. 29. when he promised another feast in heaven. But this all men doe, they make it a figure of a thing present, to wit, of the spirituall feast whereat the soule is feeding, when we partake of the outward symboles. And when we ascrive any signification to our sitting, we say not, that it signifieth our sitting in heaven, but a present rest, and ease of the soule admitted familiarly to the spirituall table, where Christ dineth and suppeth with it.nSee more Sol. 33. 34.