A Golden Chain

Euseb. Surely I have very great comfort by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper: for whereas I am spiritually diseased, and am prone and ready to fall, and am most cruelly oftentimes invaded of the fiend, the flesh, and the law, when I have sinned, and am put to flight, and made to run away from God my father: therefore hath God of all mercy and of his infinite pity and bottomless compassion set up his Sacrament as a sign upon a high hill, whence it may be seen on every side far and near, to call again them that be run away. And with this Sacrament he (as it were) clocketh to them, as a hen doth for her chickens, to gather them under the wings of his mercy: and hath commanded his Sacrament to be had i•• continual use, to put us in mind of his ⟨p. 633⟩continual mercy laid up for us in Christ blood, and to witness and testify it unto them, and to be the seal thereof. For the Sacrament doth much more lively print the faith, and make it sink down into the heart then do bare words only. Now when the words of the testament and promises are spoken over the bread (this my body that was broken for you: this is my blood that was shed for you) they confirm the faith; but much more when the Sacrament is seen with the eyes, and the bread broken, the wine poured out & looked on: & yet more when I taste it & smell it: As you see when a man maketh a promise unto another with light words between themselves and so they departed, he to whom the promise is made beginneth to doubt whether the other spake earnestly or mocked, and doubteth whether he will remember his promise to abide by it or no. But when any man speaketh with advisement, the words are more credible: & if he swear, it confirmeth the thing more, and yet the more if he strike hands, if he give earnest, if he call record, if he give hand writing & seal it: so is he the more and more believed, for the heart gathereth: lo, he spake with advisement, deliberation and good sadness, he clapped hands, called record, and put to his hand and seal: the man cannot be so faint without the fear of God as to deny all this: shame shall make him abide his promise, though he were such a man as I could not compel him, if he would deny it. And thus we dispute:

Euseb. Surely I haue very great comfort by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper: for whereas I am spiritually diseased, and am prone and readie to fall, and am most cruelly oftentimes inuaded of the fiend, the flesh, and the law, when I haue sinned, and am put to flight, and made to runne away from God my father: therefore hath God of all mercie and of his infinite pitie and bottomlesse compassion set vp his Sacrament as a signe vpon a high hill, whence it may be seene on euery side farre and neere, to call againe them that be runne away. And with this Sacrament he (as it were) clocketh to them, as a hen doth for her chickens, to gather them vnder the wings of his mercy: and hath commaunded his Sacrament to be had i continuall vse, to put vs in minde of his