5. The words used by Matthew, chap. xxvi. 10, and by Mark, chap. xiv. 18, where they speak of Christ sitting down with the twelve, is also used by John, chap. vi. 11, where he speaketh of the peoples' sitting down upon the grass to eat the loaves and fishes: and will any man think that the people did eat lying along upon the grass, where they might far better sit upright?
6. If our opposites like to speak with others, then let them look back upon the testimonies which I have alleged before. Jansenius putteth discubuisse et sedisse; Martyr, sedentibus aut discumbentibus. Pareus useth the word consedisse; Meisnerus,[1248] consedendo; Evangelista, saith Dr Stella,[1249] dicit dominum discubuisse, id est sedisse ad mensam.
7. If they like to speak to themselves: Camero,[1250] speaking of John's leaning on Christ's bosom at supper, saith, Christus autem sedebat medius; Dr Morton saith,[1251] it cannot be denied that the gesture of Christ and his apostles at the last supper was sitting,—only, saith he, the evangelists leave it uncertain whether this sitting was upright, or somewhat leaning.
Sect. 8. Their third answer is, that Christ's sitting at the last supper is no more exemplary and imitable than the upper chamber, or the night season, or the sex and number of communicants, &c.
Ans. 1. As for the sex and number of communicants, Dr Fulk[1252] rightly observeth, that it is not certain from Scripture that twelve men only, and no women, did communicate (as Bishop Lindsey[1253] would have us certainly to believe); but suppose it were certain,[1254] yet for this, and all the other circumstances, which are not exemplary, there were special reasons either in the urgency of the legal necessity, or in the exigency of present and accidental occasions, which do not concern us: whereas the gesture of sitting was freely and purposely chosen, and so intended to be exemplary, especially since there was no such reason moving Christ to use this gesture of sitting as doth not concern us.
The Bishop saith,[1255] that his sitting at the former supper might have been the reason which moved him to sit at the eucharistical supper; but if Christ had not purposely made choice of the gesture of sitting as the fittest and most convenient for the eucharistical supper, his sitting at the former supper could be no reason to move him, as may appear by this example: There are some gentlemen standing in a nobleman's waiting-room; and after they have stood there a while, the nobleman cometh forth; they begin to speak to him, and, as they speak, still they stand. Now, can any man say that the reason which moveth them to stand when they speak to the nobleman, is, because they were standing before he came to them? So doth the Bishop come short of giving any special reason for Christ's sitting which concerneth not us. He can allege no more but Christ's sitting at the former supper, which could be no reason, else he should have also risen from the eucharistical supper to wash the disciples' feet, even as he rose from the former supper for that effect. Wherefore, we conclude, that Christ did voluntarily, and of set purpose, choose sitting as the fittest and best beseeming gesture for that holy banquet.
Finally, Hooker's[1256] verdict of the gesture of Christ and his apostles in this holy supper is, “That our Lord himself did that which custom and long usage had made fit; we, that which fitness and great decency hath made usual.” In which words, because [pg 1-413] cause he importeth that they have better warrants for their kneeling than Christ had for his sitting (which is blasphemy), I leave them as not worthy of an answer. Howsoever, let it be noted that he acknowledged, by kneeling they depart from the example of Christ.