❀ Let a man therfore examyne him selfe and so let him eate of the bread, and drinke of the cuppe.
* 1.1THis prouing or examinyng of a mans selfe is first to thinke with him selfe with what lust and desire he cōmeth vnto the maundy & will eate that bread: whether he be sure that he is the child of God and in the faith of Christ: And whether his cōscience do beare him witnesse that Christes body was broken for him: And whe∣ther the lust yt he hath to prayse God and thanke hym with a faythfull hart in the middes of the bretheren, do driue hym thether warde. Or els whether he do it for yt meates sake or to kéepe the custome: for then were it better that he were away. For he that eateth or drinketh vnworthely, eateth and drinketh his owne damna∣tion, becaufe he maketh no differēce of the Lordes body. That is, as it is sayd before, he that regardeth not the purpose for which it was instituted, & putteth no difference betwene his ea∣ting and other eating (for other eating doth onely serue the bellye) but this eating was instituted and ordayned, to serue the soule and inward man. And therfore he that abuseth it to the flesh, eateth and drinketh his owne damnation, And he commeth vnwor∣thelye to the maundye where the sa∣crament of Christes body is eaten: ye where the body of the Lord is eaten: not carnally with the téeth and bellye but spiritually with the hart and faith Ʋpon this followeth the text that M. More allegeth and wresteth for his purpose.
For this cause many are weake & sicke among you, and many sléepe. yf we had truely Iudged our selues, we should not haue béene Indged when we are Iudged of the Lorde, we are chastened because we should not bée damned wich the world. Wherfore my bretheren, whē ye come togither to eate, tary one for an other. Yf a man hunger, let him eate at home, that ye come not togither vnto con∣demnation.
For this cause (that is) for lacke of good examinyng of our selues (as is * 1.2 before touched) many are weake and sicke in the fayth, and many a sléepe, and haue lost their fayth in Christes bloud, for lacke of remembraunce of his body breaking & bloud shedding: yea & not that onely but many were weake and sicke euen striken with bodelye diseases for abusing ye sacra∣ment of his body, eating the bread with their téeth and not his body with their hart and minde and peraduen∣ture some slayne for it, by the stroke of God, which if they had truely iudg¦ed and examined thē selues for what intent they came thither and why it was instituted, should not haue béene so iudged and chastened of the Lorde. For the Lorde doth chasten to bring vs vnto repentaunce and to mortifie our rebellious mēbers, that we may remember hym. Here ye may shortly perceyue the mynde of Paule.