The reasons of a pastors resolution, touching the reuerend receiuing of the holy communion: written by Dauid Lindesay, D. of Diuinitie, in the Vniuersitie of Saint Andrewes in Scotland, and preacher of the gospell at Dundy

SECT. 10. In what respect this Sacrament is called the Eucharist.

AND heere we rancounter with the other end of this Sacrament, which I called the praise of the glo∣rious grace of God, and of our Sa∣uiour the Lord Iesus. In respect of this end it is a commemoration and predication of the death of Christ, acted not in word onely, but in deed, both by the Pastor and the people: By the Pastor, when hee represen∣teth Christs death in the mysticall action, and by the Sacramentall word maketh the donation and ap∣plication thereof to the people, ta∣king, breaking, giuing, and saying; This is my Bodie, this is my Bloud; and by the people, when they take, eate, and drinke: in doing whereof they expose in open view to the eyes of

the world, the Passion and Death of the Lord Iesus, and the benefit that therby they acknowledge them∣selues to receiue, and so doth pub∣likely and solemnely remember his goodnesse and grace to his praise and glorie, and testifie that their faith and thankefulnes towards him, according to the direction of our Sa∣uiour, Doe this in remembrance of me▪ In the which precept wee are com∣manded; first, to celebrate the acti∣on as hee hath done: and secondly, we are admonished of the end wher∣fore that celebritie should be obser∣ued; namely, that thereby a solemne memoriall of his death ought to bee kept. So Paul interpreteth the Pre∣cept in these words immediately sub∣ioyned; For so often as yee eate this Bread, and drinke this Cup; that is, so often as yee doe this, yee shew forth, or shall shew forth, and preach the Lords death till hee come: (that is, yee shall doe it in remembrance of me.)

Hereby shewing and preaching the Lords death: The Apostle meaneth not a verball Sermon, or a preaching made by word in the Congregation, for that wee know is not the part of the people, whereof here hee spea∣keth; but a reall preaching, acted by the people for their part, by ta∣king, eating, and drinking; and therefore the Apostle saith, that if they eate and drinke vnworthily, they shall be guiltie of the Lords Bodie. The reason is, because by eating and drinking vnworthily, they shew forth & preach the Lords death vnworthi∣ly; that is, without the reuerence and respect that the worthinesse of his death deserueth: for if they eate and drinke like full and drunken persons, their preaching is profane and viti∣ous; if they eate and drinke with contempt of the Church, and de∣spising of the poore, their preaching is disdainefull, and ignominious to Christ and his Church. This was

the Corinthians fault, who did abuse this sacred memoriall of the Lords death to his dishonour and disgrace, because therein looking too basely on the elements, they did not dis∣cerne, by their religious reuerence and carriage, the Body of the Lord, from other common food: where∣fore the Apostle exhorteth them to try and refine themselues from the drosse of the old man; their pride, their profanenesse, their drunkennes and contentions, and so eate of that Bread, and drinke of that Cup: other∣wise, if they should eate and drinke vnworthily, that is, without a due regard to him, who, for a glorious remembrance of himselfe till his comming againe, did institute this action, they should eate and drinke damnation to themselues. This acti∣on then, as it is, in respect of the end that belongeth to vs, the commu∣nion of the Bodie and Bloud of Christ, or the instrument and seale

of that communion: so in respect of this end that appertaineth to Christ himselfe, and of our dutie that should be performed therein to him, it is a solemne memoriall, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of his death, ordained to bee obserued for the praise of his grace; and therefore by the ancient and re∣cent VVriters and Doctors of the Church, is rightly called the Eucha∣rist, not onely for the thankes-giuing, wherewith it beginneth, and which the Church is accustomed to giue after it is ended, which is common to many other religious actions, but because the very action it selfe is so to bee esteemed, by reason of the end whereunto it is appointed, from the which commonly actions receiue their nature and their name, and therefore 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a wor∣thy and an honorable remembrance of Christ, being one of the chiefe end•• of this action. The action it selfe is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an action of praise,

in respect of Christ, for whom it is done; and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an action of thankesgiuing, in respect of these by whom it is done: for as it is a me∣moriall of his praise, so is it a testi∣monie of their thankefulnesse. And what is a thankesgiuing, but the re∣membrance and declaration of be∣nefits receiued, made and intended to the praise of the giuer, whether it bee performed in word, in deed, or in both? For thankesgiuing in word, reade all the Psalmes and Orations in the Scripture, conceiued for that effect, and yee shall finde it so, Psal. 135. 126. 1. Chron. 17. 29, 10, &c. The Passeouer, and all the rest of the Feasts kept vnder the Law, in remem∣brance of some great and extraordi∣narie benefits of God, were Eucha∣risticall, because they were obserued to the praise and honor of God, not verbally, but really. Such amongst the Heathen, were the Olympick, Py∣thick, and Isthmick games, wherein

the prayses and honour of their gods were remembred and celebrated, not by Speeches and Orations, but by the very Actions and Deedes of the Gamesters. So Virgil hauing recor∣ded the Pastimes, and Games that Aeneas caused to bee acted to the prayse of his father Anchyses, con∣cludeth, Hac celebrata tenus sancto certamina patri; hitherto the pastimes were celebrated to the praise of his holy Father. And heere it is to bee obserued, that although in these su∣perstitious solemnities, no mention were made of their praises and ho∣nours for whom they were kept, yet they are remembrances of their praise, because they were instituted, and ex professo, professedy obserued for that purpose. In the religious Festiuities, some resemblance there was of the benefit that was remem∣bred, beside the profession of the end wherefore they were instituted and kept. But amongst all the Cele∣brities

and Solemnities, that euer were obserued for the praise of God or man, there was neuer any that had the end wherefore it was institu∣ted, set downe more cleerely to bee a memoriall of praise, or an honou∣rable remembrance, then this Sa∣crament hath in these words, (Doe this for a remembrance of me,) and that had a more euident and plaine resemblance of the benefit that was to bee remembred with praise and thankesgiuing, then this. For what can more liuely expresse the praise of the glory of our Sauiours grace, then that part of this action, where hee is brought in, breaking his owne Bodie, and sheading his owne Bloud, and offering himselfe in a sacrifice for the sinnes of the world? And againe, what can more euidently declare the faith and thankefulnesse of the people towards him, then the other part of the same action, where they are brought in, feeding on the

sacrifice of his Bodie and Bloud, thereby testifying before the world, that by him alone they doe acknow∣ledge themselues to haue liberty and life, that in him alone they repose and trust, that hee alone is the medi∣tation of their minds, the desire of their soules, the ioy and delectation of their hearts. Caluin. Instit. lib. 4. Cap. 18. Sect. 17. Huius generis sacri∣ficio carere non potest coena Domini, in qua dum mortem eius annunciamus, & gratiarum actionem referimus, nihil aliud offerimus quam sacrificium lau∣dis. Aquinas Quotiescunque ederitis pa∣nem hunc, &c. Exponit verba Domini, Hoc facite in meam commemorationem: dicens mortem Domini, annunciabitis represent ando, scilicet eam per hoc Sacra∣mentum. Caluin saith, that the Sup∣per of the Lord cannot want in it an Eucharisticall Sacrifice, because, while wee declare the death of the Lord, and giue thankes, we doe no∣thing, but offer vp a sacrifice of

praise. Aquinas affirmeth, that wee declare and preach Christs death, re∣presenting it by this Sacrament. In diuers places of the Greek Liturgies this Sacrament is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the sacrifice of praise; and not onely is the action it selfe, and the celebra∣tion of this Sacrament, called the Eucharist by the Ancients, but the Symbols themselues, the Bread and the Wine. Origen contra Celsum, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Bread, which is called the Eucharist, saith hee, is a Symboll of our thankeful∣nesse to God, and so is the whole action in deed, because not onely in it are thankes giuen in word, Sed gratiae aguntur vere & re-ipsa, but a solemne thankesgiuing is acted truly and in deed.