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. 4. The manner of receiuing.

THirdly, to come to the spirituall receiuing, which we know con∣sisteth in faith:* 1.1 Hee that commeth to mee, shall neuer hunger, and he that be∣leeueth in me, shall neuer thirst. And in the same Chapter after, Hee that beleeues in me, hath life eternall, and I shall raise him vp at the last day. And Augustine saith, Wherefore preparest thou thy teeth and thy belly? Beleeue, and thou hast eaten. This faith is ac∣companied with two inseparable companions in this action, Prayer and Thankes-giuing: for first, no man commeth-worthily to this Ta∣ble, but hee that commeth with a

hunger and thirst after righteousnes and life in Christ, whom hee com∣meth to receiue: for vnto such onely as are thus disposed, the inuitation and promise is made; Esay 55. Ho, euery one that thirsteth, come yee to the waters. Math. 5. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse, for they shall be filled. Luk. 1. 53. Hee hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent away emptie. Psal. 22. 26. The poore shall eate and be satisfied. And in the exhortation v∣sed by the Minister before the Sacra∣ment, these words wee haue in our booke: The end of our comming hither is not, to make protestation that we are vpright and iust in our liues, but contrariwise wee come to seeke our life and perfection in Iesus Christ, &c. With this hunger and thirst, and with this spirituall appetite, we should come eate and drinke: And what is this, but the feruent prayer that the heart is offering to God,

while the hand is receiuing, and the mouth is eating? For the sub∣stance of prayer consisteth, not in the voyces of the mouth, but in the wishes of the heart to God, where∣of the voyces are but significant signes. With prayer then wee come and receiue, and our receiuing is in faith, the mother of humility, which in her selfe acknowledgeth nothing but miserie, and therfore renouncing her selfe, fleeth to the store-house and fountaine of mercy, that is in Christ Iesus, there eateth and drin∣keth, feedeth and resteth vpon the merit of his death, and the eternall Testament confirmed thereby; the sense whereof is more pleasant and sweete to the taste of the soule, then the hony, & the hony-comb is to the taste of the mouth. For was there euer any thing more pleasant, then the meditation of the death of Christ to the penitent soule, which being wearied before vnder the burthen of

sinne, and bruised vnder the weight of the wrath of God, well knoweth and is perswaded, that Christ hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes; That hee was wounded for our transgressions,* 1.2 that hee was bruised for our iniquities, that the chastisement of our peace was vpon him, that with his stripes we were healed. Thus by the meditation of faith, we eate, we drinke, and feed on Christ with plea∣sure, and ioy that cannot be expres∣sed. And is it possible that this ioy, pleasure and delectation, that wee haue in tasting the sweetnesse and goodnesse that is in him, can pos∣sesse the soule without thankefulnes; that is, without such estimation of him, and such affection towards him, as presently resolueth in most earnest wishes and desires, that all the world might ioyne with vs in set∣ting forth his prayses? Now what are these wishes and desires, issuing from the ardent affection of loue, kindled

by a liuely and feeling faith, but a true inward rendring of thankes? Nam gratiam qui habet, refert; for hee that hath a thankefull heart, after this sort, giues thanks to God indeed. So Christ is spiritually receiued, first, when with our eyes and eares wee deuoute him, asa 1.3 Tertullian saith; that is, when by these things that wee see and heare in the Sacra∣ment, wee call to remembrance the breaking of his Bodie, and sheading of his Bloud. Secondly,b 1.4 when with a spirituall hunger and thirst af∣ter the righteousnesse that wee know to bein him, wec 1.5 ruminate, we chew and eate not with the mouth and the teeth, but with the minde, and the serious thoughts of a celestiall medi∣tation, his death and Passion, vntill wee haue sucked and drawne out of it by diuine contemplation the full assurance of reconciliation with God, and of saluation:d 1.6 And finally, digest him, and his death,

not in our belly, but in our brest; that is, in the depths of our hearts, by trusting in the All-sufficient fulnesse of the grace and goodnesse; yea, of the God-head it selfe, that is in him, wherewith our soules being satiate, as with the fatnesse and sweetnesse of Marrow, are enlarged with ioyes, and filled with the wishes and de∣sires of his eternall praise and glory. And therefore, as we do testifie our spirituall receiuing of Christ in faith, by the outward actions of taking, eating, and drinking: So should we testifie the serious wishes and desires of the heart for our owne saluation and his glory, with such an outward gesture and carriage of bodie, as is most agreeable to such sacred af∣fections, and exercises of the soule in this action. And what is more agree∣able to the humility of faith, where∣in we receiue, and the hearty pray∣er and thankesgiuing, wherewith wee receiue, then the lowly and de∣uout

bowing of our Knees. Then to conclude vpon these three consi∣derations: first, of the giuer and ma∣ner of giuing; next, of the gift; thirdly, of the manner of receiuing, I ground and build this Argument:

Whatsoeuer Gift our Sauiour deliue∣reth to all not coniunctly, but seue∣rally to euery one of them by him∣selfe, and that all not coniunctly, but seuerally should receiue from his hand with Prayer and Thankes∣giuing, in presence of the Congrega∣tion of the Saints, and in a solemne act of Diuine Worship:

A gift, I say, that is giuen, and should bee taken after such a manner, may bee very lawfully receiued by euery one reuerently sitting on his Knees.

But the Body and Bloud of Iesus Christ in the Sacrament, is a gift that is gi∣uen, and should be taken after such a manner:

Therefore the Bodie and Bloud of Iesus Christ in the Sacrament, may very

lawfully be receiued by euery one re∣uerently sitting on his knees.

Thus I prooue the lawfulnesse of Kneeling, the expediencie shall bee after cleered.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ioh. 6. 35.
• * 1.2

  Esay 53. 4.
• a 1.3

  Tert. de resurrectione carnis.
• b 1.4

  Christus Deuorandus auditu.
• c 1.5

  Ruminan∣dus intellec∣tu.
• d 1.6

  Et fide digirendus.