A preparative to marriage The sum whereof was spoken at a contract, and enlarged…A preparatiue to mariage The summe whereof was spoken at a contract, and inlarged…

Touching the manner, He took ¹bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it unto them. He would not eat it, nor break it, before he had given thanks to God. What need he which was God, give thanks to God, but to show us what we should do, when we eat our selves? In all things give thanks (saith Paul) whereby ²we declare, that all things come from God: but the wicked believe ³easier that God doth take, than that he doth give, and therefore they never pray heartily unto him for any thing, nor feelingly thank him for it. For which the Lord complaineth, saying: I have ⁴loved you, yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? showing, that we are worse than the Ox, which ⁵knoweth his feeder. And if we acknowledge all things from God, ⟨image 71⟩yet we do like Lot, Is it not a little ⁶one (saith he) when he craved to go unto Zoar, as though it were not much which he asked: so we mince and extenuate the gifts of God, before we receive them and after; like them which have a grace for dinner, and none for breakfast, as though they had their dinners from God, and breakfasts of their own. Our example did not so: Although it was but bread which he received, yet he was more thankful for bread, than many which bury the fowls, and fishes, and beasts, in their belly: for if a count of all were kept, for one that prayeth Give us this day our daily bread, a hundred take their bread, and ⁷meat, and sleep too, which never pray for it.

Touching the manner, He tooke ¹bread, and when he had giuen thankes, he brake it, and gaue it vnto them. He would not eate it, nor breake it, before he had giuen thanks to God. What neede he which was God, giue thanks to God, but to shew vs what we should do, whē we eate our selues? In all things giue thanks (saith Paule) whereby