The New Covenant, Book 3 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of the firſt vſe of the Lords Supper.
HItherto we hauehave ſpoken of all the parts of this Sacrament, as well outward as inward, which is the firſt point to be conſidered in the doctrine of them as we ſhewed before: now we are to handle▪ the vſes or endes of the Lords Supper, which areaThree ends o… the Lord… Supper. principally theſe three: firſt to ſhew forth with thankſgiuing, the death, Croſſe, and ſufferings of Chriſt. Secondly, to teach vsus our communion and growth with and in Chriſt. Thirdly, to declare our communion and growth in and with our brethren. In theſe three ſtandeth the knowledge of thoſe rich and great benefits which are beſtowed vponupon all worthy communicants, which hauehave ſanctified and prepared their hearts for this holy action. Theſe things being duely conſidered,bThe falſe ends o… this …acrament rehearſed & …e…elled. do directly condemne the Church of Rome, who burying theſe true ends of the Lords Supper, the commemoration of his paſsion, the merit of his croſſe, our communion with Chriſt, and our fellowſhip one with another, hauehave altered it like the ſhip-mans hoſe into all formes and faſhions, and make it profitable for all purpoſes, for peace and warre▪ for tempeſts and calme weather, for the fruites of the earth, and diſtemperature of the ayre, for the whole and ſicke, for men and beaſts, for the liuing and for the dead. And to begin with the laſt, as none of the leaſt corruptions of this Sacrament, it was concluded in a Counſell, that as a prayer therin is made for the liuing,cCon Cabi…. c…. 33. ſo the remembrance of the dead is to be made in all Maſſes. It is adiudged an excellent remedy againſt ſtormes and tempeſts of the ſea, and therefore al ſeamen are warned in times of danger to call to their mindes and remember to ſing the Maſſes which are accuſtomed to be ſung for tempeſts. And as they make it good in ſtormes: ſo they make it ſerue their turn in the day of battel to ſaue them from the ſword of the enemy; for the Prieſts are charged to ſay the Maſſes vſed for them that go to wars. Beſides theſe abuſes, they make it auaileable to purge and cleere offendors ſuſpected of any crime,dNum. 5, …9. like the bitter and curſed waters, making tryall of the ſuſpected wife, whereupon the Counſell of wormes determineth, that If any in the Moneſtary be ſuſpected of theft, let him be purged by the taking of the Sacrament. Thus Sybicon Biſhop of Spire in the Counſell of Mentz, did by it purge himſelfe of adultery, about the year 110. an vſe neuer intended by the Spirit of God, nor practiſed by any of the Apoſtles, to inſtitute it to diſcouer ſecrets. Like wiſe, ſometimes it is taken to be good againſt inchanters and inchantments: ſometimes to bee good for the remedy and recouery of ſickneſſe, to deliuer ſoules out of purgatory, to preſerue from the plague, to ſaue cattell, to cure the feuer, to recouer againe things loſt, to take away tooth ach, to cleere the eyes, and what not. For we ſhall heare of greater impieties then theſe. They make the Lords Supper a ſacrifice not onelyonly profitable to ſaue men from death, but auaileable to deliuer their Pigs and their ſwine from diſeaſes. For they hauehave a Maſſe commonly called the Maſſe of Saint Anthony. The Maſſe of Saint Anthony A…an. de Sacra. Euchar. cap. 32Yea if a poore womans henne be ſicke and ready to be loſt, ſhe may procure a maſſe to be ſaid for it. And no maruel, for although no good redownd heereby to the party, yet ſome gaine ſhall returne to the Prieſt, who if he ſee no mony will ſay no Maſſe. But all this is nothing in compariſon of that which now you ſhall heare. For theſe miſcreants and monſters do abuſe the Supper of the Lord to couer and conceale moſt vile and ſhamefull practiſes and horrible deſignes plotted among them, and ſo make the Sacrament of God a ſacrifice of the Diuel. It is now grown to be a common cuſtome,See the treatiſe of the powder trea…on. when they conſort themſelues together and attempt vnnaturall villanies and rebellions for the deſtruction of Prince and people, & for the ouerthrow of the Church and true religion, to combine themſelues in one for further ſecreſie, by taking the Sacrament, as appeareth by ſundry examples in the late powder treaſon: as if Chriſt had ordained it to hide falſehood rather then to helpe our faith. Neither is this onelyonly a fault in practiſe, but an error in doctrine. For whatſoeuer is reuealed to the Prieſt vnderunder the ſeale of confeſsion, they hold to be ſo ſacred and ſecret,T… …. 10. that it ought not to be broken vp or made knowne to others, thought it ſhould concerne his owne life and ſaue the whole kingdome. And furthermore they teach that in treacheries and conſpiracies againſt Kings and Princes, they may binde their conſorts and confederates to keepe ſilence by receiuing of the Sacrament, as appeareth by the late examples of Garnet, Oldcorne, and other Ieſuites.
Thus is the holy Supper made a prouocation to treaſon: as if it had beene inſtitued not to teſtifie our piety toward God, but to manifeſt our diſloyalty toward Princes: not to ſhew the death of Chriſt, but to procure the mur…hering of Kings: not to declare openly out profeſsion, but to conceale priuily wickedneſſe and rebellion.
All theſe fancies and ſuppoſed ends of this Sacrament agree not with the inſtitution of CHRIST, nor with the former vſes ſet downe, which now wee come to handle and to prooue out of the doctrine of the Apoſtles themſelues.
Touching the firſt and principall end that is, the remembrance, meditation, and ſhewing forth the death of Chrſt with all thankſgiuing: this he commanded to vsus at his laſt departing from vsus, which ought much to ſtick in our minds, becauſe the laſt words of a deare friend ready to part from vsus, do oftentimes leaue behind both deepe impreſsions and deuout affections in vsus. Indeed when we reade of the paſsiō and death of Chriſt, it doth much moue vsus: to heare it opened & expounded, it moueth in a farther degree: but more then theſe, to hauehave before our eyes a viſible repreſentation of the crucifying of Chriſt in his laſt Supper, doth mooue vsus moſt of all. The inſtitution of this Sacrament he did in wiſedome reſerue till the approching of his death, that we might not forget him when he is gone from vsus. So God the Father after the vniuerſal flood drowning the whol world, for a remembrance of his mercy in deliuering Noah and his family from the waters, and of his promiſe madefGen. 9, 14. neuer to deſtroy it ſo againe: left to them and all poſterity the Rainbow. When he had iuſtly ſmitten the firſt borne of the Egiptians, and gratiouſly ſaued the firſt borne of Iſrael: he commanded Moſes gExo 13, 1, 2▪to ſanctifie to him all the firſt borne that firſt openeth the wombe, to remember the day in which they came out of the land of Egipt. When he had miraculouſly ſed the Iſraelites with Manna from heauen, that men did eate Angels food,hExod. 16, 32 he would hauehave a golden pot ful of it to be reſerued in the Arke of remembrance, for the better remembrance of ſo great a worke. So likewiſe being deliuered by the precious blood of Chriſt from the floods of ſin that hauehave gone ouer our heads, and eaſed of the heauy burthen that preſſed downe our hearts: wee hauehave receiued baptiſme to keepe vsus in remembrance thereof, that we are cleanſed from the filthineſſe of ſin. Againe, being nouriſhed with Chriſts body crucifyed, and his blood ſhed for vsus, we are commanded to vſe this myſtery, to continue an holy remembrance of his death and paſsion to our endleſſe comfort.
This end, to wit, to be to vsus a remembrance of Chriſts ſacrifice on the Croſſe, is taught by the Apoſtle, So often as ye ſhall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup, iLuk. 22, 19ye ſhew the Lords death till he come. In like manner the Euangeliſt Luke of the bread ſaith, Do this in remembrance of me: and of the cuppe, Do this as oft as ye ſhall drinke it in remembrance of me, by declaring his death. And we declare the Lords death, when we publikely confeſſe with our mouth, and beleeue with the heart, that our whole hope and affiance for life and ſaluation is ſurely ſet in the Lords death, that we may glorifie him by our confeſsion, and exhort others by our example to glorifie him, becauſe his death is our life, his paſsion is our ſaluation, his ſuffering is our reioycing. We our ſelues are the principall and proper cauſes that he was torne and tormented: our ſins wounded him, we our ſelues crucified him: we, euen we are the cauſes, for he was chaſtiſed for vsus, that by death he might deliuer vsus from death, and fromHeb. 2, 14. him that had the power of death. Our euill motions, our vile thoughts, our corrupt words, and our ſinfull works, did ſet on worke Pontius Pilate, Herod, Annas, Caiphas, Iuda…, the Gentiles and the Iewes, who were but inſtruments, as the Croſſe, nailes, the hammer, and ſpeare: theſe were as our ſeruants and workemen, in the euill action of his crucifying. We are all of vsus ready to accuſe and condemne theſe men, wee complaine againſt them, and pronounce ſentence vponupon them, becauſe they offered ſo great iniuries to our ſweet Sauiour. We lay all the blame vponupon others, we ſticke not to call Pilat a corrupt Iudge; Herod a time-ſeruer and a man-pleaſer: Annas and Caiphas brethren in euil; Iudas the ſonne of perdition: the Iewes and Gentiles notorious offendors: but all this while we hauehave forgotten our ſelues. Wherefore, to ſpeake the truth, not Sathan the tempter, not Iudas the traytor, not Caiphas the high-Prieſt, not Pilat the chiefe Iudge, not the Iewes that conſpired againſt him, not the falſe witneſſes that accuſed him, not the band of men that ſcorned him, not the paſſengers that nodded their heads at him, not the ſouldior that pierced him, not the executioners that railed at him, and nailed him on the croſſe, are ſo much to be accuſed and reproued for his ſufferings, as we, we I ſay our ſelues and our owne ſinnes. Not that we can excuſe thoſe curſed inſtruments that crucified the Lord of glory, who ſhall receiue according to their works,lZ…ch. 12, 10. Iob. 19, 37. when they ſhall ſee him whom they hauehave pierced, but to teach vsus chiefly to accuſe and condemne our ſelues. We bound him with cords, we beate him with rods, we buffetted him with fiſtes, we crowned him with thornes, we reuiled him with our mouths, we railed at him with reproches, wee nodded at him with our heads, we thruſt him through with ſpeares, we betraied him with a kiſſe, we pierced his hands & feet with nailes, we crucified him between two theeues, we condemned him through falſe witneſſes, we poured ſhame and contempt vponupon his perſon, we iudged him as plagued and ſmitten of God. For inaſmuch as our faults and offences procured theſe things to bee done vntounto him, we were the dooers by them, and the dealers in them, and the cauſes of them. And ſurely, then we are profitably grounded in the doctrine of themWho they are that profit aright by Chriſts paſsiō paſsion of Chriſt, when our hearts ceaſe to ſinne, and we are pricked with an inward griefe of thoſe great and grieuous tranſgreſsions,n1 Ioh. 3, 6. Eſay 53, 5, 6. whereby as with ſpeares, we pierced the ſide and wounded the very ſoule of the immaculate lambe of God, as Ioh. 3. Who ſo ſinneth, neither hath ſeene him, nor knowne him. And the Prophet Eſay teacheth, cha. 53. He was wounded for our tranſgreſsions, he was broken for our iniquities: the chaſtiſement of our peace was vponupon him, and with his ſtripes we are healed: the Lord hath laide vponupon him the iniquity of vsus all. Seeing then Chriſt was ſlaine for our ſins, let vsus kill ſin in our ſelues; ſeeing he died for vsus, let vsus labour that ſin may be dead in vsus: ſeeing he was crucified for vsus and our ſaluation, let vsus crucifie our own luſts that they raigne not in our mortal bodies: ſeeing his heart was pierced with a ſpeare, let vsus hauehave our hearts thruſt through, pierced and pricked with vnfaigned ſorrow for all our iniquities. This is the right vſe, this is the true end, this is the ſound comfort following and flowing from the death of Chriſt.
To conclude, we muſt learne and hold for euer, that wee hauehave the beginning and chiefe cauſe in our ſelues, which did crucifie Chriſt and cruſh him with moſt bitter ſorrows: let vsus then be reuenged of our ſins, and do al deſpite we can vntounto them: let vsus endite them, arraigne them, accuſe them, condemn them and naile them to his croſſe: let vsus kill them, mortifie them, and bury them in his graue for euer. This is the firſt end of the ſupper, which is ſignified by the breaking of the bread and powring out of the wine, declaring vntounto vsus, that as the body of our Lord was broken, and by violent meanes afflicted, ſo his bloud guſhed out and flowed plentifully out of his gaping and bleeding woundes. This muſt be our meditation whenſoeuer wee come to the Lords table.
For the paſsion of Chriſt, as the breaking of his body vppon the croſſe, the powring out of his bloud, and the ſeparating of the Soule from the body, muſt be both ſpoken of by the Paſtor, and remembred by the receiuer in the Supper if the one would deliuer it faithfully, and the other receiue it fruitfully. We muſt call to minde that Chriſt humbled himſelfe to death for vsus, euen to the accurſed death of the croſſe, that hee apprehended and felte the whole wrath of God vponupon him in Soule and body, whereby he was brought into a grieuous agony; his body being rent with nayles, beaten with ſcourges, pricked with thornes, pearced with a ſpeare, and his Soule preſſed with the burden of all our ſins which were caſt vponupon his ſhoulders, he ſtanding as a pledge and ſurety in our places. What ſhall wee returne vntounto him for this mercy, and what louelove ought wee to render for this great louelove? Shal we not cruſh the very head of ſin, that hath thus cruſhed our head? Let vsus not therefore wound him that hath cured vsus: nor pierce him with our ſinnes, that was killed for our ſins, or crucifie him by the luſts of the old man who was crucified to make vsus newe men. And thus much of the firſt end of the Lords Supper.