The Right Administration and Receiving of the Lords Supper, Treatise · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. The Lords Supper is an iterable Ordinance.
THe third Point is taken up from the words foreign, For as often as ye eat this bread, &c.
Doct. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is an iterable Ordinance, which is to be repeated: Our Saviour gives a hint of this in thoſe words, This do for a remembrance of me, and the Apoſtle from him, For as often, &c. The word often, is ſometimes oppoſed to ſeldom, and ſometimes to once, as Heb. 9. 25, 26. Nor yet that he ſhould offer himſelf often, as the High priest entreth into the holy place every year: For then he muſt have often ſuffered ſince the foundation of the world.
The Sacrifice of Chriſt, or the offering of him up, was but once, Heb. 9. 26. The Sacrament of his body and bloud is often as a memorial of that Sacrifice, and the compariſon Uſed in that place, is this; As man dies but once, ſo Chriſt alſo: As in the Sacraments of the Jews, the firſt of them Circumciſion, was but once, nor indeed could be, but the Paſſeover often, once every year; and Chriſt was but once circumciſed, but kept the Paſſeover often: So in the Sacraments of the New Teſtament, Baptiſm is but once, Chriſt was but once baptized, but the Supper often, which though Chriſt celebrated but once, yet he gave order for the repetition of it, I will not now take up the diſcuſſion, why Baptiſm▪ but once, the Supper often, the Scripture gives us no hint for the repetition of the one, but it doth for the other, and the old ſaying is plauſible, Semel naſcimur, ſaepius paſcimur, we are but once born, but we are often nouriſht. God did more punctually and preciſely under the Law preſcribe the times of their Sacraments, the eighth day for circumciſion, ſuch a day of ſuch a monethmonth yearly for the Paſſeover, as he alſo did the times and place, and other circumſtances of his worſhip, for the people were more ſervile then, and the worſhip more outward, but under the Goſpel circumſtances are at more liberty, and ſpiritualneſſe more call'd for, and therefore in this Sacrament for inſtance, we have nothing, for how often, but we have, for how worthily, as a learned man Obſerves, and therefore under correction it was not ſo right, Muſcul. de coena. Lib 4. diſtinct. 13. Qu. 5.that when as Durand ſaith, The primitive devotion of communicating every day, was grown ſo cool, that it came to be commanded on the three great feſtivals, whereof Eaſter was by Innocent the firſt made Anno 1200.of the Quorum: (I might inſtance nearer home) enjoyning all to it at that time; For of this Chryſoſtom had complained long before that at thoſe times the people either of cuſtome, or by Law crouded in foreign, who as well, foreign, O the cuſtome, ſaith he, O the partiality of men. The truth is, I finde, that in times of perſecution threatning Chriſtians either to arm themſelves, or in fear of being ſcatter'd and diſpers'd, took every occaſion to celebrate the Supper, and Juſtin Martyr ſignifies, that their ſolemn meetings on the Lords dayes were accompanied with this feaſt, and that the Queſtion, how often is propounded in Auſtine and Chryſostom, and Austin perſwades and exhorts every Lords-day, Auſtin. Eccleſ. Dogm. cap. 53. Chryſoſt. hom. 13. heb. Gerard. Harm. cap. 171.if the heart be prepared, and Chryſoſtom ſaith, that a pure conſcience may come as often as it will, but for a wicked man foreign, once is too often; and to conclude, if the neceſſity of our infirmities, the great benefit, the honour of this memorial may be heard to ſpeak, we ſhall come to this Rule, That frequency beget not a cuſtomary formality or faſtidious ſatiety, as Manna did, nor ſeldomneſse beget forgetfulneſſe, or ſuperſtitiouſneſſe extraordinarineſſe, and under this caution I leave the determination of the times unto the Church.