On the Sacrament.

HOM. XXVII.

chiefly at this table to solemnize, the godly fathers named it Eucharistia, that is, thanksgivings: as if they should have said, Now above all other times ye ought to laud and praise God. Now may you behold the matter, the cause, the beginning, and the end of all thanksgiving Now if you slack, ye shew yourselves most unthankful, and that no other benefit can ever stir you to thank God, who so little regard here so many, so wonderful, and so profitable benefits. Seeing then that the name and thing itself doth monish us of thanks, 'Let us,' as St. Paul saith, 'offer always to God the host or sacrifice of praise by Christ, that is, the fruit of the lips which confess his name.' For as David signeth, He that offereth to God thanks and praise, honoureth him.' But how few there be of thankful persons, in comparison to the unthankful! Lo, ten lepers in the gospel were healed, and but one only returned to give thanks for his health. Yea, happy it were, if among forty communicants we could see two unfeignedly give thanks. So unkind we be, so oblivious we be, so proud beggars we be, that partly we care not for our own commodity, partly we know not our duty to God, and chiefly we will not confess all that we receive. Yea, and if we be forced by God's power to do it, yet we handle it so coldly, so drily, that our lips praise him, but our hearts dispraise him; our tongues bless him, but our life curseth him; our words worship him, but our works dishonour him. O let us therefore learn to give God here thanks aright, and so to agnize his exceeding graces poured upon us, that they being shut up in the treasure-house of our heart, may in due time and season, in our life and conversation, appear to the glorifying of his holy name.

Furthermore, for newness of life, it is to be noted that St. Paul writeth, 'That we being many, are one

Heb. xiii. Psalm 1. Luke xvii.

bread and one body; for all be partakers of one bread:' declaring thereby not only our communion with Christ, but that unity also, wherein they that eat at this table should be knit together. For by dissension, vain-glory, ambition, strife, envying, contempt, hatred, or malice, they should not be dissevered; but so joined by the bond of love in one mystical body, as the corns of that bread in one loaf. In respect of which straight knot of charity, the true Christians in the primitive church called this supper, Love. As if they should say, none ought to sit down there that were out of love and charity, who bare grudge and vengeance in his heart, who also did not profess his kind affection by some charitable relief for some part of the congregation. And this was their practice. O beavenly banquet then so used! O godly guests, who so esteemed this feast!

But O wretched creatures that we be at these days, who be without reconciliation of our brethren whom we have offended, without satisfying them whom we have caused to fall, without any kind of thought or compassion toward them whom we might easily relieve, without any conscience of slander, disdain, misreport, division, rancour, or inward bitterness. Yea, being accumbered with the cloaked hatred of Cain, with the long-coloured malice of Esau, with the dissembled falsehood of Jacob; dare ye presume to come up to these sacred and fearful mysteries? O man, whither rushest thou unadvisedly? It is a table of peace, and thou art ready to fight. It is a table of singleness, and thou art imagining mischief. It is a table of quietness, and thou art given to debate. It is a table of pity, and thou art unmerciful. Dost thou neither fear God, the maker of this feast; nor reverence his Christ, the refection and meat; nor regardest his spouse, his well-beloved guest; nor

Gen. iv. xxvii. 2 Sam. iii.

weighest thine own conscience, which is sometime thine inward accuser? Wherefore, O man, tender thine own salvation, examine and try thy good-will and love towards the children of God, the members of Christ, the heirs of the heavenly heritage; yea, towards the image of God, the excellent creature thine own soul. If thou hast offended, now be reconciled; if thou hast caused any to stumble in the way of God, now set them up again. If thou hast disquieted thy brother, now pacify him. If thou hast wronged him, now relieve him. If thou hast defrauded him, now restore to him. If thou hast nourished spite, now embrace friendship. If thou hast fostered hatred and malice, now openly shew thy love and charity, yea, be prest and ready to procure thy neighbour's health of soul, wealth, commodity, and pleasures, as thine own. Deserve not the heavy and dreadful burthen of God's displeasure for thine evil will towards thy neighbour, so unreverently to approach to this table of the Lord. Last of all, as there is here the mystery of peace, and the sacrament of Christian society, whereby we understand what sincere love ought to be betwixt the true communicants; so here be the tokens of pureness and innocency of life, whereby we may perceive that we ought to purge our own soul from all uncleanness, iniquity, and wickedness, lest, when we receive the mystical bread, as Origen saith, we eat it in an unclean place, that is, in a soul defiled and polluted with sin. In Moses's law, the man that did eat of the sacrifice of thanksgiving, with his uncleanness upon him, should be destroyed from his people.' And shall we think that the wicked and sinful person shall be excusable at the table of the Lord? We both read in St. Paul, that the church of Corinth was scourged of the Lord, for misusing the Lord's Supper; and we may plainly see Christ's church these

1 Cor. xi. Luke xvii. 1 Cor. xi. Luke xvii.

many years miserably vexed and oppressed, for, the horrible profanation of the same. Wherefore let us all, universal and singular, behold our own manners and lives, to amend them. Yea, now at least let us call ourselves to an account, that it may grieve us of our former evil conversation, that we may hate sin, that we may sorrow and mourn for our offences, that we may with, tears pour them out before God, that we may with sure trust desire and crave the salve of his mercy, bought and purchased with the blood of his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, to heal our deadly wounds withal. For surely if we do not with earnest repentance cleanse the filthy stomach of our souls, it must needs come to pass, that as wholesome meat received into a raw stomach corrupteth and marreth all, and is the cause of further sickness; so shall we eat this wholesome bread and drink this cup to our eternal destruction. Thus we, and no other must thoroughly examine, and not lightly look over ourselves, not other men; our own conscience, not other men's lives: which we ought to do uprightly, truly, and with just correction. O, saith Chry sostom, let no Judas resort to this table, let no covetous person approach. If any be a disciple, let him be present. For Christ saith, With my disciples I make my passover.' Why cried the deacon in the primitive church, If any be holy, let him draw near? Why did they celebrate these mysteries, the choir-door being shut? Why were the public penitents and learners in religion commanded at this time to avoid? Was it not because this table received no unholy, unclean, or sinful guests? Wherefore if servants dare not to presume to an earthly master's table, whom they have offended, let us take heed we come not with our sins unexamined into this presence of our Lord and Judge. If they be worthy blame. which kiss the prince's hand with a filthy and unclean

1 Cor. xi. Luke xvii. Matt. xxvi.

mouth, shalt thou be blameless, which with a stinking soul, full of covetousness, fornication, drunken. ness, pride, full of wretched cogitations and thoughts, dost breathe out iniquity, and uncleanness on the bread and cup of the Lord?

Thus have you heard, how you should come reverently and decently to the table of the Lord, having the knowledge out of his word, of the thing itself, and the fruits thereof, bringing a true and constant faith, the root and well-spring of all newness of life, as well in praising God and loving our neighbour, as purging our own conscience from filthiness. So that neither the ignorance of the thing shall cause us to contemn it, nor unfaithfulness make us void of fruit, nor sin and iniquity procure us God's plagues: but shall by faith, in knowledge and amendment of life in faith, be here so united to Christ our head in his mysteries, to our comfort, that after we shall have full fruition of him indeed, to our everlasting joy and eternal life. To the which he brings us that died for us and redeemed us, Jesus Christ the righteous, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true and eternal God, be all praise, honour, and dominion, for ever. Amen.

While the Quakers have rejected the two grand sacraments instituted by our Lord himself, and the various Dissenters have departed from the order, the doctrines, or the ordinances of Christ's apostolical church: the Church of England ought to be revered for having retained its order, doctrines, and ordinances, with such fidelity and simplicity.