thither. You have heard with what conftant faith we fhould clothe and deck ourselves, that we might be fit and decent partakers of that celeftial food.

Now followeth the third thing neceffary in him that would not eat of this bread, nor drink of this cup unworthily, which is, newnefs of life, and godliness of converfation. For newnefs of life, as fruits of faith are required in the partakers of this table. We may learn by eating of the typical Lamb, whereunto no man was admitted, but he that was a Jew, that was circumcifed, that was before fanctified. Yea, St. Paul teftifieth, that 1 Cor. 1. although the people were partakers of the Sacraments under Mofes, yet for that fome of them were still wor shippers of images, whoremongers, tempters of Chrift, murmurers, and coveting after evil things, God overthrew thofe in the wilderness, and that for our example; that is, that we Chriftians fhould take heed we refort unto our Sacraments with holiness of life, not trufting in the outward receiving of them, and infected with corrupt and uncharitable manners. For this fentence of God muft always be juftified: I will have mercy, and not facrifice. Wherefore, faith Bafil, it behoveth him that cometh De Bap. to the Body and Blood of Chrift, in commemoration of lib. i. c. 3. him that died and rofe again, not only to be pure from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, left he eat and drink his own condemnation, but also to fhew out evidently a memory of him that died and rofe again for us, in this point, that ye be mortified to fin and the world, to live now to God in Chrift Jefus our Lord. So then we must fhew outward teftimony, in following the fignification of Chrift's death; amongst the which this is not esteemed leaft, to render thanks to Almighty God for all his benefits, briefly comprifed in the death, paffion, and refurrection of his dearly beloved Son. The which thing, because we ought chiefly at this table to folemnize, the godly Fathers named it Euchariftia, that is, thanksgiving: as if they fhould have faid, Now above all other times ye ought to laud and praife God. Now may you behold the matter, the caufe, the beginning, and the end of all thanksgiving. Now if you flack, ye fhew yourselves moft unthankful, and that no other benefit can ever ftir you to thank God, who fo little regard here fo many, fo wonderful, and fo profitable benefits. Seeing then that the name and thing itself doth monith us of thanks, let us, as St. Paul faith, offer always to God the host or fa- Heb. xiit, crifice of praife by Chrift, that is, the fruit of the lips which confess

Pfalm 1.

confefs his name. For as David fingeth, He that offereth to God thanks and praife, bonoureth him. But how few be there of thankful perfons, in comparison to the unthankLuke xvil. ful! Lo, ten lepers in the Gofpel were healed, and but one only returned to give thanks for his health. Yea, happy it were, if among forty communicants we could fee two unfeignedly give thanks. So unkind we be, fo oblivious we be, fo proud beggars we be, that partly we care not for our own commodity, partly we know not our duty to God, and chiefly we will not confefs all that we receive, Yea, and if we be forced by God's power to do it, yet we handle it fo coldly, fo drily, that our lips praife him, but our hearts difpraife him; our tongues blefs him, but our life curfeth him; our words worship him, but our works dishonour him. O let us therefore learn to give God here thanks aright, and fo to agnize his exceeding graces poured upon us, that they being fhut up in the treasure-house of our heart, may in due time and feafon in our life and converfation appear to the glorifying of his holy name.

Gen. iv.

Furthermore, for newness of life, it is to be noted that St. Paul writeth, That we being many, are one bread and one body; for all be partakers of one bread: declaring thereby not only our communion with Chrift, but that unity alfo, wherein they that eat at this table fhould be knit together. For by diffenfion, vain-glory, ambition, ftrife, envying, contempt, hatred, or malice, they fhould not be diffevered; but fo joined by the bond of love in one myftical body, as the corns of that bread in one loaf. In refpect of which ftraight knot of charity, the true Chriftians in the primitive church called this fupper, Love. As if they fhould fay, none ought to fit down there that were out of love and charity, who bare grudge and vengeance in his heart, who alfo did not profefs his kind affection by fome charitable relief for fome part of the congregation. And this was their practice. O heavenly banquet then fo ufed! O godly guests, who fo esteemed this feaft!

But O wretched creatures that we be at these days, who be without reconciliation of our brethren whom we have offended, without fatisfying them whom we have caufed to fall, without any kind of thought or compaffion toward them whom we might eafily relieve, without any confcience of flander, difdain, mifreport, divifion, rancour, or inward bitternefs. Yea, being accumbered with the cloaked hatred of Cain, with the long coloured

coloured malice of Efau, with the diffembled falfehood of Gen. xxvii. Joab; dare ye prefume to come up to thefe facred, and 2 Sam. iii. fearful myfteries? O man, whither rufheit thou unadvifedly? It is a table of peace, and thou art ready to fight. It is a table of finglenefs, and thou art imagining mischief. It is a table of quietnefs, and thou art given to debate. It is a table of pity, and thou art unmerciful. Doft thou neither fear God, the maker of this feaft; nor reverence his Chrift, the refection and meat; nor regardeft his fpoufe, his well-beloved gueft; nor weigheft thine own confcience, which is fometime thine inward accufer? Wherefore, O man, tender thine own falvation, examine and try thy good-will and love towards the children of God, the members of Chrift, the heirs of the heavenly heritage; yea, towards the image of God, the excellent creature thine own foul. If thou have offended, now be reconciled: if thou have caufed any to ftumble in the way of God, now fet them up again. If thou have difquieted thy brother, now pa cify him. If thou have wronged him, now relieve him. If thou have defrauded him, now restore to him. If thou have nourished fpite, now embrace friendfhip. If thou have fottered hatred and malice, now openly fhew thy love and charity, yea be preft and ready to procure thy neighbour's health of foul, wealth, commodity, and pleafures, as thine own. Deferve not the heavy and dreadful burthen of God's difpleasure for thine evil will towards thy neighbour, fo unreverently to approach to this table of the Lord. Laft of all, as there is here the Chryfoft. ad Popul.

Cor. xi.

mystery of peace, and the Sacrament of Chriftian fociety, Ant. Howhereby we understand what fincere love ought to be mil. 6. betwixt the true communicants; fo here be the tokens of pureness and innocency of life, whereby we may perceive that we ought to purge our own foul from all`uncleannefs, iniquity, and wickednefs, left, when we receive the mystical bread, as Origen faith, we eat it in an unclean In Levit. place, that is, in a foul defiled and polluted with fin. In cap. xxiii. Mofes's law, the man that did eat of the facrifice of thankgiv-Luke xvii. ing, with bis uncleanness upon him, Jhould be defiroyed from Homil. 14. bis people. And fhall we think that the wicked and finful perfon fhall be excufable at the table of the Lord? We both read in St. Paul, that the church of Corinth was 1 Cor. xi. fcourged of the Lord, for mifufing the Lord's Supper; and Luke xvii. we may plainly fee Chrift's church thefe many years miferably vexed and oppreffed, for the horrible profanation of the fame. Wherefore let us all, univerfal and fingular,

behold

Homil. 114.

Ant. Homil. 6.

behold our own manners and lives, to amend them. Yea, now at least let us call ourselves to an account, that it may grieve us of our former evil converfation, that we may hate fin, that we may forrow and mourn for our offences, that we may with tears pour them out before God, that we may with fure truft defire and crave the falve of his mercy, bought and purchased with the blood of his dearly beloved Son Jefus Chrift, to heal our deadly Chryfoft. wounds withal. For furely, if we do not with earnest repentance cleanfe the filthy ftomach of our foul, it must needs come to pafs, that as wholesome meat received into a raw ftomach corrupteth and marreth all, and is the caufe of further ficknefs; fo fhall we eat this wholesome bread and drink this cup to our eternal destruction. Thus we, and no other, muft thoroughly examine, and not lightly look over ourselves, not other men; our own confcience, not other men's lives: which we ought to do uprightly, Ad Popul. truly, and with juft correction. O, faith Chryfoftom, let Ant. Ho- no Judas refort to this table, let no covetous perfon approach. If any be a difciple, let him be prefent. For Matth.xxvi. Chrift faith, With my difciples I make my paflover. Why cried the deacon in the primitive church, If any be holy, let him draw near? Why did they celebrate these myfteries, the choir-door being thut? Why were the public penitents and learners in religion commanded at this time to avoid? Was it not because this table received no unholy, unclean, or finful guefts? Wherefore if fervants dare not to prefume to an earthly master's table, whom they have offended, let us take heed we come not with our fins unexamined into this prefence of our Lord and Judge. If they be worthy blame which kifs the prince's hand with a filthy and unclean mouth, fhalt thou be blameless, which with a ftinking foul, full of covetoufnefs, fornication, drunkennefs, pride, full of wretched cogitations and thoughts, doft breathe out iniquity and uncleannefs on the bread and cup of the Lord?

mil. 6.

Epilog.

Thus have you heard, how you should come reverently and decently to the table of the Lord, having the knowledge out of his word, of the thing itfelf, and the fruits thereof, bringing a true and conftant faith, the root and well-fpring of all newnefs of life, as well in praifing God and loving our neighbour, as purging our own confcience from filthinefs. So that neither the ignorance of the thing fhall caufe us to contemn it, nor unfaithfulnefs make us void of fruit, nor fin and iniquity procure us God's plagues: but fhall by faith, in knowledge and amendment

amendment of life in faith be here fo united to Chrift our head in his myfteries, to our comfort, that after we fhall have full fruition of him indeed, to our everlasting joy and eternal life: to the which he bring us that died for us, and redeemed us, Jefus Chrift the righteous; to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, one true and eternal God, be all praise, honour, and dominion, for ever. Amen.