Lastly, We are to Eat the Bread, and to Drink the Wine, thus prepared for us. There is an Eating, which is incumbent on us here. In the Ratifying and Confirming of a Covenant, and (yet oftener) in the expressing and maintaining of a Friendship among men, Eating has been but usual. Behold, the condescension of Him that is the King of Kings, who thus admits us poor Beggars to Eat with Him! 'Tis to signify, That our Souls now ⟨p. 26⟩feed On, as well as with, a Crucified Jesus! Herein we obey that Command of our Lord, Eat my Flesh and have Eternal Life; and therein our Lord fulfils that Promise to us, I will come in, and Sup with Him. But we are also to Drink as well as to Eat. Indeed, the Romish Ecclesiastics deprive the Lords People of the Cup in the Lords Supper. But it is very surprising to see, how particularly our Lord long since laid in against this Execrable Sacrilege. He did not say, tho' He meant, ALL of you Eat; but He did expressly speak this, ALL of you Drink; whereas an Impious and an Impudent sort of Men, pretending the preventing of spilling the Cup, wholly Reserve it unto themselves, and say to the people, None of you Drink. When the Barbarous Days were come, that it was complained, There were Golden Cups and Wooden Priests, then the Wooden Priests found a way […] steal the Golden Cups from the Supper of the Lord. The Communion in both kinds was not utterly abolished, until the year 1300; and the Council of Constance, in the year 1455. at length approved and confirmed that Abolition, by a Canon which runs in such Horrible Terms as these, Tho' Christ did Institute in both Kinds; and the Primitive Church did so Administer, yet we desire the contrary to be observed. But what an Hellish ⟨p. 27⟩Boldness is it thus to over-rule the word of the Lord Jesus! What an open violence is thus offered unto the Last Will and Testament of our Lord? and how dishonestly is a precious Legacy thus withheld from the Children of God? My Brethren, All of you are to Drink of this blessed Chalice. And it is to signify, That the Lord Jesus therein says unto us, Drink in the Spirit of the Lord!
Lastly, We are to Eat the Bread, and to Drink the Wine, thus prepared for us. There is an Eating, which is incumbent on us here. In the Ratifying and Confirming of a Covenant, and (yet oftner) in the expressing and maintaining of a Friendship among men, Eating has been but usual. Behold, the condescention of Him that is the King of Kings, who thus admits us poor Beggars to Eat with Him! 'Tis to signify, That our Souls now ⟨p. 26⟩feed On, as well as with, a Crucify'd Jesus! Herein we obey that Command of our Lord, Eat my Flesh and have Eternal Life; and therein our Lord fulfils that Promise to us, I will come in, and Sup with Him. But we are also to Drink as well as to Eat. Indeed, the Romish Ecclesiasticks deprive the Lords People of the Cup in the Lords Supper. But it is very surprizing to see, how particularly our Lord long since laid in against this Execrable Sacril•dge. He did not say, tho' He meant, ALL of you Eat; but He did expresly speak this, ALL of you Drink; whereas an Impious and an Impudent sort of Men, pretending the preventing of spilling the Cup, wholly Reserve it unto themselves, and say to the people, None of you Drink. When the Barbarous Days were come, that it was complained, There were Golden Cups and Wooden Priests, then the Wooden Priests found a way 〈…〉 steal the Golden Cups from the Supper of the Lord. The Communion in both kinds was not utterly abolished, until the year 1300; and the Council of Constance, in the year 1455. at length approved and confirmed that Abolition, by a Canon which runs in such Horrible Terms as these, Tho' Christ did Institute in both Kinds; and the Primitive Church did so Administer, yet we desire the contrary to be observed. But what an Hellish ⟨p. 27⟩Boldness is it thus to over-rule the word of the Lord Jesus! What an open violence is thus offered unto the Last Will and Testament of our Lord? and how dishonestly is a precious Legacy thus withheld from the Children of God? My Brethren, All of you are to Drink of this blessed Chalice. And it is to signify, That the Lord Jesus therein says unto us, Drink in the Spirit of the Lord!
