The Badges of Christianity, Book 3 · Chapter 13
Chap. 13. Of the second vse of the lords supper.
THe second vse of the lords supper is our spirituall vnion 1 cor. x, 16and communion with christ. This the Apostle declareth, The cup of blessing which we blesse, is it not the communion of the blood of christ? The bread which we breake, is it not the communion of the body of christ? Whereby he meaneth, that the faithfull which come conscionably & worthily to the lords table, are ioyned and vnited to whole Christ, by the bread Sacramentally, by faith instrumentally, by the holy ghost spiritually, and by them all most effectually. For, we take the bread into our hands, and likewise we take the cup into our hands as christ commaunded, saying, bMat. 26, 26Take ye, eate ye, drinke ye, diuide ye. Neither do we lay them apart, or hide them aside, or reserue them in a boxe, or abstaiue from them: but when we hauehave taken them, we eate, we digest them, we are nourished by them, and they are turned into our substance. So christ, being eaten of the Godly by faith, is vnited to them by his spirit (as we hauehave shewed before) whereby they are made one with christ and he one with them. And as meate plentifully prepared, daintily dressed, and only seene vponupon the table, doth not nourish the body, or take away hunger: so, if the gospell be preached and the sacraments administred, except we apply the promises of the gospel, and beleeue that christ withal his gifts is ours, they prosit nothing towards our saluation. Such therefore as lawfully and worthily come to the lords supper, as to a table richly furnished and to a banket liberally prouided, must not onelyonly generally beleeue that Christ suffered in the flesh and dyed for sinners, but cGalat. 2, 20particularly for themselus, yea communicateth himselfe and al his gifts to them aboundantly, as certainly as themselues eate of the bread and drinke of the cup.
This vnion and communion is neere, and wonderfull great: and therefore the apostle fitly calleth it a mistery, euen dEphes 5, 32a great mistery, speaking of christ and of the church. For, what vnion can bee greater, then that which is betweene the thing nourishing, and the thing' nourished? We hauehave nothing in Adam, but that which conueyeth death vntounto vsus: so that is is needefull to be ioyned to one which maie giuegive life to vsus, that as we die in Adam, so wee may liue in Rom. 5, 19him. This vnion cannot by reason be expressed, or fully vnderstood. As Christ, in the daies of his flesh, had a dubble kindred, one earthly and carnal kindred, the other spirituall, that by faith receiued his worde, and beleeued in his name, of whom he said, fMath. xii, 44Behold my mother and my Brethren; for whosoeuer shall do my fathers will, which is in heauen, the same is my brother, sister, and mother: so is it in this vnió and felloship with him, one is outward and bodily, which al mankinde hath with him, in that he is partaker of our flesh and blood, the other inward and spirituall, whereby we are made partakers of him and of al his sauing graces to euerlasting life. As Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary, and vnited our nature to him, taking vponupon him, gHeb. 2, 16not the Angels nature, but the seed of Abraham, eueryevery reprobate hath this vnion with him, in that he tooke vponupon him the shape of a man: but there is a mysticall and marueilous vnion, whereby he dwelleth in vsus by faith, whereby we are truely coupled to him, made partakers of him, deliuered from sin, and made heires of euerlasting life, quickning and sustaining vsus, as food which preserueth the life of the bodie. If the arme ioined to the body hauehave no life, no sence, no benefit of vitall spirits, it is no part of the bodie, though it be vnited to it: so the wicked liuing without faith, are as it were sencelesse, they hauehave no forgiuenes of sinnes, no sanctification, no saluation, and therefore are no true members of Christ. If he poure not life and grace into them, they are not his members: if he kill not sinne in them, they are not vnited spirituallie vntounto him, The bodily vnion with him, shall profit nothing: it is the spirit that giueth life.
Seeing then the receiuing of the bread and wine which Vse. 1turne into our substaunce, teacheth the misticall vnion between Christ and his members: we learne first from hence, that all the faithfull and godly are truly made partakers of Christ and his graces, as the members receiue life from the head, and the tree moisture from the root. For, euen as the wife ioyned to her husband in marriage, is thereby made partaker of his body and goods, hath interrest with him in the commodities of this life, gGen. 20, 16and loketh for norishment, food, fellowship, protection, and gouernement from him: so, being made one with christ, we are indued with his he auenly gifts and blessings. This must be our comfort in all dangers and tentations, in all tryals and assaults, to consider that we are one with christ, we are not only dear vntounto him, but nearely ioyned with him, as members to the head, as the wife to the husband, and as the braunches to the vine, and therefore can neuer be seperated from him in life or death.
Secondly, this streight vniting of the faithfull to Christ, sheweth that the vngodly hauehave no part nor fellowship in vse. 2him and with his graces: though they be ioyned to a communion of the same nature, and hauehave many common gifts of knowledge, and vnderstanding, yet Christ neuer dwelleth in them with his sauing graces and with his spirite of sanctification, he possesseth not their harts, he worketh not in them a particular perswasion of their reconciltation to God, neither an hungring desire, aboue all things to bee at vnity and peace with him, neyther a distaste and dislike of sinne, neyther the comfortable spirite of grace and prayer: all which are in some measure in all the saithful. Wherfore, although they may bee cloathed with the flesh of Christ, they cannot be said to be couered with the grace of Christ: although they be like vntounto him in regarde of this naturall body: yet they are not indued with his heauenly spirit, they hauehave many … through him, but they want such as accompanie saluation.