Here you maye note that the meate and the eatynge of it in thys place and felowshyppe, is more then the common meate ād eatynge in other places. For els they myght lawfullye haue dronken the deuelles cuppe with them the one daye, and the cuppe of the Lorde the nexte daye with his dyscyples. What was it more? Merelye it was meate, whiche by the eatynge of it in that place and felowshyppe, ded testyfye openlye vnto all men, that he was their God whose cuppe they dranke, and before whome they eate in that felowshyppe; and so in their eatynge they praysed and honoured the Idoll. And therfore they that had their truste in the leuynge God and in the bloode of hys sonne Christ, myght not eate with them. And lykewyse it is in the sacrament, the breade and the eatynge of it in the place and felowshyppe where it is receyued, is more then commō breade. What is it more? Verelye it is breade which by the eatynge of it in that place & felowshyppe, doth testyfye openlye vnto all men, that he is our verye God whose cuppe we drynke, and before whome we eate in that felowshyppe, and that we put all our affyaunce in hym and in the bloode of hys sonne Christe Iesu, geuynge God all honoure ād infynyte thankes for hys greate loue wherwith he loued vs, as it is testyfyed in the bloode of hys sonne, which was shedde for our synnes. So that in this place and felowshyppe maye no man eate nor drynke with vs, but he that is of our fayth and knowleageth the same God that we do. As by example, If a mā were well beloued amonge hys neyghboures (albeyt he haue some enemyes) & were longe absent from hys fryndes in a straunge contrye: when he were come home, hys neyghboures that loued hym wolde greatelye reioyse, and peraduēture wolde bye a copon or a nother peace of meate to geue hym hys welcome home, ād gette the to some honeste mans house or to a taverne, and make good chere together, to testyfye opēlye that he is welcome home, and that they all whiche are at that banket reioyse of hys commyge home. Nowe I saye, that this banket is more then another meate, for at thys banket hys enemyes maye be loth to come, because they can not reioyse at hys comynge home, ād therfore can not make good chere amonge thē, testyfyenge that he is welcome home; but rather abhorreth the meate and drynke that is there eatē, because their harte doth not fauoure the parson for whose sake it is prepared. Notwithstondynge yf a capons legge were reserued for one of hys enemyes and afterwarde geuen hym whā the banket were done, he myght laufullye eate it. For then it were but bare meate, suche as he eateth at home. And lykewyse the enemyes of Christe which beleue not that they haue remyssyō of synnes throughe hys bloode sheadynge, can not reioyse of hys bodye breakynge. And therfore can not make good chere amonge them, but yf any be reserued after the maundye, he maye laufullye eate it, for it is but breade. And hys louers that are there present do rather come thy der to geuehym hys welcome home then for the meate, ād they more eate hys welcome home, then the meate.
But yf anye of hys enemyes fortune to be there, they eate onelye the meate, ād not hys welcome home. For they reioyse not at hys commynge home. Lykewyse the faythfull that are there present, do rather come thyther to reioyse in the fayth of hys bodye breakynge, then in breakynge or eatynge of the breade or meate. But yf anye of the vnfaythfull fortune to be there, they eate onelye the breade, and not hys bodye breakynge. For they reioyse not at hys bodye breakynge. Here peraduenture some wolde suppose that I were contrarye to my selfe. For before I sayde, that it was more thē meate that was eaten at the gentyles feastes, ād more thē meate that was eaten at my neyghbours welcome home, and more then breade that is eaten at the receyuynge of the sacrament of the bodye and bloode of Christe. And nowe I saye, that yf a mans enemye be there, he eateth onelye the meate and not the welcome home. And lykewyse the vnfaythfull eateth onelye breade and not the bodye and bloode of Christe. How maye these wordes stonde together? I answere, that they eate but onelye breade or meate that profyteth them, but in dede they eate more to their hynderaunce, and euen theyr owne dāpnacyon. For they that ded eate in the fellowshyppe of Gentyles, ded but onelye eate the meate to their profytte, but in eatynge their meate their facte ded opēlye testyfye, that they honoured that Idoll for their GOD (although their harte were other-wyse) wherin they comytted Idolatrye. |1. Cor. 8.| And besydes that they wounded the conscyences of their weake bretherne, and so synned agaynste God.
Besydes that, he that ēvyeth hys neyghboure and commeth to that banket, eateth but onely the meate that profyteth hym: not withstondynge in hys owne harte, he eateth the rancoure & malyce of hys mynde, to hys greate greavaunce, whē he seeth them so reioyse. And of hys owne companyons whiche are also these mannes enemyes, he doth purchace hym selfe hatred, because with hys facte he testyfyeth that he loueth hym, although hys harte be otherwyse, ād of God shalbe condempned. |1. Joā. 3.| For he that hateth hys brother, is a murtherer. Furthermore he that is vnfaythfull and commeth to the maundye, eateth but onelye the breade that profyteth hym, notwithstondynge he eateth besyde that hys owne dampnacyon, because he beleueth not that the bodye of our sauyoure which the sacrament representeth, is broken for hys synnes, and hys bloode shedde, to washe them awaye. This I am compelled to do, to stoppe the chaterynge mouthes of sophysters, albeit to them that be sober it had bene ynough to haue sayde, they eate onelye breade, and not the bodye breakynge & ce. For they ryght well vnderstonde it by the contrarye antithesis, and knowe that I ment not by that (onelye) that he shulde eate the breade and nothynge els but onelye breade: but that I ment by this worde (onelye) that he shulde eate the breade without the bodye. And so lykewyse in other examples. Thus haue we suffycyentlye declared Paules mynde in the .x. Chapter.
|1. Cor. 11.| In the .xi. chapter Paule maketh moche mencyon of the maundye and dyscrybeth it to the vttermoste. Fyrste (he sayeth) whē ye come together in one place, a man can not eate the Lordes souper. For euerye mā begynneth afore to eate hys owne souper, and one is houngrye and an other is drōken. Haue ye not howses to eate and drynke in? Or els dyspyce ye the congregacyō of God and shame them that haue not? What shall I saye vnto you? Shall I prayse you? In thys I prayse you not. Paule ded instructe accordynge to Christes mynde, that the Corinthyans shulde come together to eate the Lordes souper. Whiche lyeth not so moche in the carnall eatynge as in the spyrytuall: and is greately desyred to be eaten, not by the hounger of the bodye, but by the hounger of the faythfull harte. Whiche is greadye to publyshe the prayse of the Lorde and geue hym hartye thankes, and moue other to the same, that of many, prayse myght be geuen vnto our moste mercyfull Father, for the loue whiche he shewed vs in the bloode of hys owne moste deare sonne Christe Iesu. Wherwith we are washed from our synnes, ād surelye sealed vnto euerlastynge lyfe. With suche hounger ded Christe eate the Paschall Lambe, sayēge to hys dyscyples: I haue inwardelye desyred to eate this Easter Lambe with you before that I suffer. |Luc. 22.| Christes inwarde desyre was not to fyll hys belye with hys dyscyples, but he had a spyrytuall honger: bothe to prayse hys Father with thē, for their bodely delyueraunce out of the lande of Egypte: and specyallye to altre the Paschall Lambe & memorye of the carnall delyueraunce, in to a maundye of myrth and thankes geuynge for our spyrytuall delyueraunce out of the bondage of synne. In so moche that when Christe knewe that it was hys Fathers wyll and pleasure, that he shulde suffer for our synnes (wherin his honoure, glorye, & prayse, shulde be publyshed) then was it a pleasure vnto hym to declare vnto hys dyscyples that greate benefytte, vnto hys Fathers prayse and glorye: and so ded instytute that we shulde come together and breake the breade in the remembraunce of his bodye breakynge & bloode sheadynge: & that we shulde eate it together reioysynge with eche other & declaryng his bēfytes.
Now were the Corynthyās fallē from this honger, & can not together to thētent that Goddes prayse shulde be publyshed by thē in the myddes of the cōgregacyon, but can to feade their fleshe & to make carnall chere. In so moche that the ryche wolde haue meate ād drynke ynough, ād take suche habundance that they wolde be drōke, ād so made it their owne souper ād not the Lordes, as Paule sayeth, ād ded eate onelye the breade & meate, ād not the bodye breakynge as I sayde before, ād the poore which had not, (that is to saye that had no meate to eate) were shamed ād hōgrye, and so coulde not reioyse ād prayse the Lorde: by the reason that the delycate fare of the ryche was an occasyō for the poore to lament their pouertye, ād thus the ryche ded neyther prayse God themselfes, nor suffered the poore to do it, but were an occasyō to hynder them.
They shulde haue brought their meate and drynke ād haue deuyded it with their poore bretherne, that they myght haue bene mery together, and so to haue geuē thē occasyō to be merye and reioyse in the Lorde with thankes geuynge. But they had neyther luste to prayse God, nor to confyrte their neyghboure. Their fayth was feable, ād their charyte colde, ād had no regarde but to fyll their bodye ād feade their fleshe: And so dyspysed the poore cōgregacyō of God, whome they shulde haue honoured for the spyryte that was in thē and fauoure that God had shewed indyfferētlye vnto thē in the bloode of hys sonne Christe. When Paule perceyued that they were thus fleshlye mynded and had no mynde vnto that spyrytuall maundye whiche chefelye shulde there be aduertysed, he reproueth thē sore, rehersynge the wordes of Christe. That which I gaue vnto you I receyued of the lorde. For the lorde Iesus the same nyght in the which he was betrayed toke breade and thanked and brake it and sayde: take ye and eate ye, this is my bodye which is broken for you, this do ye in the remembraunce of me. After the same maner he toke the cuppe whē souper was done sayenge: this cuppe is the newe testament in my bloode, this do ye as ofte as ye drynke it in the remembraunce of me. For as ofte as ye shall eate thys breade and drynke thys cuppe, ye shall shewe the Lordes death, tyll he come. As though he shulde saye, ye Corynthyans are moche to blame which at this souper seake the foode of your fleshe. For it was instytute of Christe, not for the intent to nouryshe the belye, but to strenght the harte and soule in God. And by this you maye knowe that Christe so mente: For he calleth it his bodye whiche is geuen for you, so that the name it selfe myght testyfye vnto you, that in this souper you shulde more eate his bodye which is geuē for you (by digestynge that in to the bowelles of your soule) then the breade, which by the breakynge and the dystrybutynge of it, doth represent his bodye breakynge ād the dystrybutynge therof vnto all that are faythfull. And that he so meaneth is evydēte by the wordes folowynge, which saye, thys do in the remembraunce of me: and lykewyse of the cuppe. And fynallye concludynge of both, Paule sayeth, as often as ye shall eate thys breade and drynke thys cuppe (in thys place and felowshyppe) ye shall shewe the Lordes death vntyll he come, praysynge the Lorde for the deathe of hys sonne, and exhortynge other to do the same, reioysynge in hym with infynyte thākes. And therfore ye are to blame which seake onelye to feade the bellye with that thynge, which was onelye instytute to feade the soule. And thervpon yt foloweth.
Wherfore whosoeuer doth eate of this breade or drynke of thys cuppe vnworthelye, is gyltye of the bodye and bloode of the Lorde. He eateth thys breade vnworthelye, which regardeth not the purpose for the which Christe ded instytute it: which commeth not to it with spyrytuall honger, to eate through fayth hys verye bodye, which the breade representeth by the breakynge and dystrybutynge of yt: whiche commeth not with a merye harte geuynge God hartye thankes for their delyueraunce from synne: whiche do not moche more eate in their harte the death of hys bodye, thē they do the breade with their mouth. Now syth the Corynthyans ded onelye seake their bealy and fleshe, ād forgatte Goddes honoure and prayse (for which it was instytute, that thankes shulde be geuen by the remembraunce of hys bodye breakynge for vs) they eate it to Goddes dyshonoure and to their neyghbours hynderaunce, and to their owne cōdempnacyon, and so for lacke of fayth were gyltye of Christes bodye which (by fayth) they shulde there chefelye haue eaten to their soules health. And therfore it foloweth.
¶ Lette a man therfore examyne hym selfe, & so lette hym eate of the breade, and drynke of the cuppe.
Thys provynge or examynynge of a mans selue, is fyrste to thynke with hym selfe with what luste ād desyre he commeth vnto the maundye ād wyll eate that breade: whether he be sure that he is the chylde of God and in the fayth of Christe: and whether hys cōscyence do beare hym wytnes that Christes bodye was broken for hym: and whether the luste that he hath to prayse God ād thāke hym with a faythfull harte in the myddes of the bretherne, do dryue hym thytherwarde. Or els whether he do it for the meates sake or to keape the custome: For then were it better that he were awaye. For he that eateth or drynketh vnworthely, eateth ād drynketh hys owne dampnacyon, because he maketh no dyfference of the Lordes bodye. That is, as is sayde before, he that regardeth not the purpose for which it was instytute, and putteth no dyfference betwene thys eatynge and other eatynge, for other eatynge doth onelye serue the bellye, but thys eatynge was instytute and ordeyned, to serue the soule and inwarde man. And therfore he that abvseth it to the fleshe, eateth ād drynketh hys owne dampnacyon. And he commeth vnworthelye to the maundye where the sacrament of Christes bodye is eaten: yea, where the bodye of the Lorde is eatē, not carnallye with the teth and bellye, but spyrytually with the harte ād faythe. Upon thys foloweth the texte that master More alleageth and wresteth for hys purpose.
For thys cause manye are weake and sycke amonge you, and manye sleape. Yf we had trulye Iudged our selues, we shulde not haue bene Iudged. When we are Iudged of the Lorde, we are chastened because we shulde not be dampned with the worlde. Wherfore my bretherne, whē ye come together to eate, tarye one for another. Yf any man hunger, lette hym eate at home, that ye come not together vnto condempnacyon.