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CHAP. X.
Of the fourth Action, with the reasons why the Sacrament is to be eaten and drunken.
THe fourth and last Action made mention of in this Sacrament, is the eating of the bread, and the drinking of the wine, after wee have taken them from the hands of Christ: to signifie unto us, that Christ crucified is the life and food of a Christian that receiveth him. Here are the degrees of faith: first we take Christ, and then we eat him. There are none that finde any nourishment or relish in the blood of Christ, but those who have received him, and so have an interest, propriety, and title to him. He must first be ours, before we can taste any sweetnesse in him; ours first in possession and claime, and after ours in fruition and comfort. For all manner of sweetnesse is a consequent and effect of some propriety which we have unto the good thing which causeth it; unto the which the neerer our in∣terest is, the greater is the sweetnesse that we finde in it. In naturall things we may observe, how nothing will be kindly nourished in any other place or meanes, than those unto which nature hath given it a primitive right and sym∣thy.