03 - Of the Duty of a Christ Man in the Supper of the Lord

Chapter III. Of the duty of a Christ man in the Supper of the Lord.

Wherefore I think and believe that these are the duties of a Christian man in the Lord’s Supper:

First, that he set before his eyes the perfect Communion with God which is nothing at all without Christ and is to be found only in him and that he direct all things unto it as unto the last end.

Secondly, in order that he may reach this end he must make his beginning from the means which do incur into our senses as those things which are first perceived by our understanding and are better known by nature. In the same way he must bear the word attentively and come unto the Sacraments reverently and diligently consider as well what the word signifies as well as what the Sacraments represent and what is offered unto us by the minister of them both. And what is offered is this: that Christ has offered up his body unto death for us and shed his blood for the remission of sins and therefore he has by his blood sealed and confirmed in himself (being the Mediator) the New Testament of our everlasting reconciliation and peer with God. And these things are so signified by the Sacraments that they are also offered and given unto us to be received. Whereby it comes to pass that they are truly called Signs, not only signifying but also exhibiting and giving the things which they signify.

Thirdly, I believe because the things signified and offered by the Signs are to be received by faith and faith is the gift of God. Therefore God is to be prayed unto as he who offers the things by the Signs and who commands us to receive them by faith. He also can give and increase faith whereby we are able to receive them.

Fourthly, I believe that faith being begotten in us by hearing of the Word and increased by the diligent consideration of the Sacraments through the Holy Ghost, it is the duty of a Christian man while he receives the External and Visible Signs with his hands (being also External and Visible) and eats them with the mouth of his body and drinks them here upon the earth together also to receive them with the hand and mouth of faith and to eat and drink the Heavenly and Invisible things (namely the flesh and blood of Christ with a faithful heart lifted up unto the Heavenly Table), that he, being more and more coupled unto Christ and made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones, may live in Christ and Christ in him. For I believe the faithful in the Supper truly to receive and eat (by the Spirit and by faith) the very true body of Christ which was crucified for us and so far forth as it was delivered up for us; and that they drink his blood which was shed for us for the remission of sins, according as the words of Christ manifestly testify. And that indeed the body is present and the blood is present, but unto the Spirit and unto the inward man. For unto the Spirit all things which he receives by faith are in truth present according to that, that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. And no distance of place can effect that the things we receive by faith should be absent from us (even as the sun cannot be said to be absent from the eyes by which it is perceived).

Fifthly, I believe because the new covenant in Christ is established by his blood and the Testament is confirmed by the death of the Testator, and because we are forever joined unto God by the blood of the eternal covenant, therefore a Christian man, who now by faith feels himself to be incorporated into Jesus Christ ought also to believe that he is confirmed in the covenant with god the Father by a bond that cannot be broken and therefore that all his sins are forgiven him of God and that he is destined and assured to be the Son of God and Heir of eternal life without any fear of being disinherited. For these things which we, on our part, owe unto God according to the condition of the covenant (namely Faith, Love, Obedience), we may firmly believe that all those things are fully effected for us and imputed to us by Christ the first begotten. Further we ought to be certainly persuaded that by the assistance of Christ we shall never be forsaken, but that we may in some part perform the same. And because Christ himself has both performed those things for us and promised us this assistance, we ought to believe that the New Testament will remain sure and perpetual (both on God’s part and also on our part) until at length we, being received into the full possession of the heavenly Inheritance, do live in perfect happiness with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost our God. For there are three principal heads of the covenant on God’s part: The forgiveness of sins; Adoption, which is joined with a promise of God’s perpetual good will, grace, protection; and last the full possession of heavenly inheritance. There are also three things which on our part God requires by covenant: Faith in God; Charity toward our neighbor and Holiness of life or perfect obedience. Christ by his perfect obedience even unto death and by his own blood and death has obtained for us both those things which God has promised as he has also performed those things which God by covenant required at our hand. In testimony whereof he gives us faith whereby we believe in God and charity whereby we love our neighbor and the Spirit of regeneration whereby we endeavor unto holiness of life and whereby true obedience is begun in us. So Christ brings to pass that not only the covenant on God’s part, but also on our part remains sure and perpetual. It is therefore our duty that, first, by faith given unto us by Christ, as we eat his flesh and drink his blood, so also we believe ourselves to be confirmed in the covenant with God; and therefore both our sins to be remitted and God to be our Father; and that he will perpetually love and protect us; and lastly that we shall be heirs of eternal life and shall arise to glory and life everlasting and that will occur through Christ, with whose flesh we are fed in the Supper. And, we ought to be persuaded that we ourselves also are nourished to the end we may be partakers of a blessed resurrection. And therefore we ought to give due thanks for so many and so great benefits. We ought also to embrace in love our neighbor and especially our faithful brethren. That as we are all one with Christ, so we may also grow up together in one body more and more with the Church. Even as the Apostle Paul exhorts us by this argument, that we are all one Body and one Bread because we are all partakers of the same Bread. With the endeavor of a holy life and true obedience, which is also the give of Christ, we ought always to glorify God and declare indeed that we are true and lively members of Christ and therefore have interest to that true felicity which consists in that most precious union with God wherein he shall be all in all. Thus I believe concerning the duty of a Christian in the Supper wherein he may worthily and for his Salvation eat the Bread of the Lord and drink of his cup.