The Badges of Christianity, Book 3 · Chapter 2
Chap 2 What the Lords Supper …
AS we hauehave in the former Chapt. considred the names and titles attributed to this Sacrament: so now wee will see what the Lordes supper is. For we shall neuer vnderstand the nature thereof, except wee be able to define or describe it. Therefore, aWhat the Lords supper is.the Lords supper is the second sacrament, wherein, by visible receiuing of bread and wine, our spirituall communion with the body and blood of Christ is represented. This description is plainly proued by the bMat. 26. 26 27institution of Christ, by the first celebration of it, and by other apparent testimonies of holy scripture.1 Cot, 10, 16 17.
First I say, it is the seconde sacrament, because such as hauehave interest in the Lordes supper, must be first partakers 1 cor 11, 24 25of the other Sacrament: for Christ and his Apostles ministred it to those that were before …. And howe shoulde they be continually … and fed at his table, who are not knowne to be of his house, nor admitted members of his family? We must be receiued into his protection and lurisdiction, before we sit downe at his table for our refection. They then that are in the house must be … and fostered in the house: the seuerall partes of the family, hauehave the priuiledges of the family: it is not lawfull to take the childrens bread, and giuegive it vntounto strangers.
Now, baptisme is the true bath of our soules to clense our sores, and an honourable badge whereby we are dedicated to the seruice of Christ, and hauehave interest in the priuiledges of the church sealed vppe: being partakers heereof, wee come with comfort to the Lords supper. VnderUnder the Lawe none … cExod, 12, 48were admitted to the passeouer, If astraunger will obserue the …, let him circumcise all the males that belong vntounto him. If then the vncircumsed had bene admitted, the passeouer had bin prophaned. Wherfore, it is not enough for vsus once to be baptized and admitted into the number of the people of God: we must also be partakers of Christs supper. When as by baptisme we are brought into the church of God, we are afterwarde nourished by this heauenly banquet to eternall life.
Again, I say in the former description, that by the bred and Wine the bodie and blood of Christ are represented. Heerein consisteth the substance of this Sacrament: he was … giuen for vsus, and his blood was shed for the remission of sinnes, least our faith should wander, least our hope should wauer. Therefore, he saith to his Disciples, dLuke. 22. 19 20This is my bodie, which was giuen for you: this is the cup of the new testament, which was shedde for you and for many for the remission of sinnes.Marke 14. 24
Now that the description of the lords supper is prooued, Vse. 1.let the vses there of in the next place be declared. Heereby we learn, first, that God doth not lie nor dally with vsus, when we come to his heauenly table, but doth truely offer those benefits in Christ, which are represented, to al that are admitted thereunto: and therefore the Apostle said, e1 Cor. x, 3, 4they did all eat the same spirituall meat, and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke.
Indeede, many of them did receiue onelyonly the outwarde signes, and did refuse or neglect the spirituall grace so liuely represented and truely offered vntounto them, but the greater was their sinne, who laboured for the meat that perisheth, fIohn. 6, 27but reiected the meat that endureth to euerlasting life. Likewise, christ in the administration of his. Supper …, gMat. 26, 26take, eat, this is my body. When he biddeth vsus take, doth he not giuegive? When he chargeth vsus to eat and drinke, doth he not offer? When he commau ndeth vsus to doe this, doth he not apply the thing signified? If then we come to this Supper, and depart awaye without christ and without comfort, the cause is in our selues, hee is come neere vntounto vsus, he standeth as it were at the doore knocking being reaready to enter: hee mercifully offereth himselfe vntounto vsus, but we refuse him, we will none of him, we bid him depart from vsus, and shutte the entrance of our heartes against him.
Againe, wee see heere the excellent price and prehemenence Vse. 2of the Lordes Supper, howsoeuer to those, whose faith it doth not nourish, whose assurance it doth not confirme, and whose saluation it doth not further, it is turned into most hurtefull and deadly poyson: yet it is an holy banket for the Lordes ghuestes, an instrument of grace, a medicine for the sicke, a pledge of saluation, a comfort for the sinner, an assurance of Gods promises, a seale of our faith, an helpe for the weake, meate for the hungry, drinke for the thirsty, and a refuge for the distressed in time of tentation. Is not this a worthy dignity? Is not this a great priuiledge? Is not this an high prerogatiue? So that wee must highly regard and reuerently esteeme this mistery of our religion, and badge of our profession, to the glory of God and our owne comfort. He that is not moued heerby to a reuerent regard thereof hath no sparke of gods spirit in hun, but lyeth in darknesse and discomfit.
Thirdly, heerby the aduersaries mouths are stopped, and they are put to silence and shame, who accuse vsus, to deny the vse. 30blessed presence of CHRIST in the …. We confesse and beleeue, that we receiue the body of CHRIST verily, truely and indeede, not a naked figure, not a bare signe, not an empty shaddow, but euen that body which suffered death vponupon the Crosse, and that blood which was shed aud poured out for the remission of our sinnes. This Christ hIoh 6, 55, 56 53, 57himselfe teacheh, Ioh. 6, Myflesh is meate indeede, and my bloode is drinke indeede: hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, du elleth in me and I in him. And againe ver. 33, Verily, verily, I sar vntounto you except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man, and drinke his blood, yee … no life in you … eateth me, euen he shall liue by me. So then, we teach, we preach, we publish, we professe, that there is no other substantiall foode of our soules, and that whosoeuer is not partaker of his body and blood, is voide of life, of saluation, of grace and of christ himselfe. Wherefore, we shall shew iChap, 10afterward, that the difference betweene the church of Rome and vsus is, not whether christ be present in his supper, but about the manner of his presence; for we say, and will neuer fly from it, that as the outward signes, of bread and Wine are deliuered and receiued, so they represent and seale vp to eueryevery true beleeuer, God the father offering and giuing, the Church also taking, receiuing and applying christ crucified, with all the promises of his couenant ratified in him vntounto eternall life.
Lastly, is this the matter and substance of the supper, to offer, and apply Christ for our wholesome nourishment? Vse. 4.Then we should often desire (if wee hunger after Christ) to sit downe at his Table, to come to his banket: to feede of his delicates, and to be present at his dainties. And why should any be absent that hauehave faith and repentance? Why should they not shew that they are one body k1 cor. 10. 17by eating all of one bread? Why should not such apply christ to their iustification? We know the Apostles oftentimes prepared, offered & deliuered the outward signs of the Lords supper, exhibiting christ to all the faithful, euen eueryevery Lords day, or first day of the weeke, and the people receiued oftentimes the same, lact, 2, 41, 42as we see Act. 2. There he addeth to the church about three thousand soules, and they continued in the Apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread and prayers: And Chap. 20. 7. The first day of the weeke the Disciples came together to breake bread. And this was the order and ordinance of the Church many yeares after the Apostles times. In some places it was receiued mAugust. in Ioh tract 26eueryevery day: in many places nChrysost, in Eph. 1. hom. 26eueryevery Sabbaoth daye: oaugust. ad …. epist. 119in all places often in the yeare: vntill, through the negligence of the Pastors in administring, and the slacknesse of the people in communicating, these vses were growne out of vsage, and a frozen coldenesse in the practise of religion stepped in. For, it cannot be denyed, but it proceedeth from the shop and inuention of the Deuell (whosoeuer were the instrument) to bring in this corrupt custome of once communicating in the yeare, and that for the most parte for fashions sake.
Now, to the end we might returne neerer to the ordinance of the Apostles, that the often vse of the communnion might be retained and maintained, and that the backwardnesse of the people might in part be redressed: it was ordained by the Canons of many churches, that eueryevery one should communicate at the least three times in the yeare, not that men should do it no oftner, but least otherwise they would not do it so often, or peraduenture do it not at all. And if a suruey and examination wer made, I feare it would be found to our great shame and beastly slouthfulnesse, that scarce the tenth person hath satisfied the law in this respect in many places, regarding no time of the yeare but Easter.
But seeing it is so necessary a sacrament, let eueryevery one consider of this holy mystery, how fruitefull, profitable, and comfortable it is to be partaker thereof, and how dangerous to neglect and contemne the same. Is it not an vnkinde and churlish part amonge men, when one hath prepared with great coastes and charges a rich banket, killed his Oxen and his fatlings, furnished his table with all prouision, bidden his ghuests, and set all things in order and readinesse to entertaine them: were it not, I say, an vnkind and vncurteous parte for those that are called and bidden, vnthankefully and churlishly to refuse to come? Which of vsus in such a case would not be moued, disquieted, and discontented? Who would not thinke hee had wrong and iniury done vntounto him? Wherefore, let vsus take heed, least by with-holding and withdrawing our selues, wee prouoke gods wrath and indignation. When he calleth, are ye not ashamed to say, ye will not come? When he saith, pPro, 9, 4. 5Eate of my meate and drinke the wine that I hauehave drawne, wilt thou desperately and dispitefully answere, thou wilt not eate, thou wilt not drinke, thou wilt not doe it? Or wilt thou saye, thou … a greeuous sinner, thou … vnworthye? I would aske thee, when thou wilt be worthy? Wilt thou lye still in thy sinne, as a man in a deepe pit, and neuer striue to come forth? Why doest thou not returne to God, and amend thy waies? Why doest thou continue in thy hordnesse, and heart that qRom. 2, 5cannot repent, and so heapest vppe as a treasure to thy selfe, wrath against the daye of wrath, and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God. Moreouer, if thou bee vnfit and vnworthy to receiue this supper, thou art rCbrysost, in Eph. hom. 3vnworthy to pray, thou art vnworthy to heare: vnlesse thou pray as a parrat, and heare as an hypocrite. Consider therefore seriously, and weigh earnestlye with your selues, sNumb. 9, 13how little such fond, fained, and friuolous excuses shall preuaile with God. When Moyses called Corah and his company to come vppe vntounto the Lord, they answered presumpteously, tNumb, 16, 12We will not come. When the King in the Gospell had inuited his ghuests, they began all with one minde, to excuse themselues, and some refused, saying, uLuk, 14, 20 24I cannot come. So in these daies of sinne, albeit the supper be prepared, the ghuests called and the table couered: many men make light account of it: and what, with some that reply carelesly, we cannot come; and what with others that answer desperately, we will not come, the feast is vnfurnished, God is dishonored, the people are vnprepared, and all the exercises of religion are lightly and slightly regarded. I say vntounto you, that none of these men which were bidden shall tast of his Supper. Againe, another sort are as prophane as these, which stand by as gazers and lookers on vponupon them that do communicate, & yet communicate not themselues. What is this else, then a further contempt of God? Truely, it is great vnthankfulnes to depart away: for these depart away from the Lords table, they depart from their bretheren, they depart from the heauenly … of their soules: but their fault is much greater, when they stand by in contempt, and wil not be partakers of this Communion: What can this bee else but to hauehave the minister of christ in derision? It is saide to all that are present, Take ye, eate ye, drinke ye, doe this in remembrance of mee: With what face then, with what countenance, or rather conscience, can ye heare these words sound in your eares, and not bee touched? Let vsus therefore bee drawne and perswaded to this duty, by the benefit that redoundeth to the worthy receiuers, and fruitefull partakers thereof: and on the other side feare to offend, by staying and standing …, while the faithfull are partakers of this sacrament of the Lords supper.