Jones on Article XXIX: Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ in the use of the Lord's Supper

” Yea, when they ” (the sacraments) ” be not used according to their institution, God so abhorreth them as things repugnant unto the law : as we read Hiere vii. et Psal. 1. ’ I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them concerning burnt- offerings.’ ’ Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.’ The prophets by these words declared that no ceremonies are required of any man without the knowledge and confidence of the promise confirmed by the ceremony, or without true repen- tance and faith ; for the sacraments in the church of Christ neither maketh the love, nor reconciliation between God and man, nor retaineth not ; it must be received and kept by one means, to say by lively faith. Rom. v. Judas by the sacrament received not the promise, nor by the sacrament was preserved fromdesperation. Matt, xxvi.” — Answer to Bishop of ‘Winchester’ ‘s Boole.

” If incredulity, if impenitency, if hatred and malice have possessed thine heart, then abstain from the Lord’s table, lest with Judas thou receive the Lord’s bread against the Lord, the food of salvation to thy condemnation.” — Ser. 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2.

” If we be not of the sanctified household of God, not Christ’s servants and faithful disciples, shall we dare presume to press in, being aliens and strangers to the Lord’s, as most comfortable, so also most dreadful table ? No : let no impeni- tent blasphemer of God, uo whoremonger, or vile and unre- pented sinner, presume to touch or taste this food ; for such shall not feed upon Christ and his merits, but they receive their own damnation.” — Ser. on 1 Cor. vi. 1 , 2.

” And as he that eateth the bread worthily, may be well said to eat Christ and life ; so he that eateth it unworthily may be said to eat the devil and death, as Judas did, into whom with the bread entered Satan. For unto such it may be called mensa demoniorum, non mensa Domini ; not God’s board, but the devil’s.” — Fourth Booh ; Of the Eating and Drinking.

” Wherefore ’ every man,’ as St. Paul saith, ’ must examine himself,’ when he shall approach to that holy table, and not come to God’s board as he would do to common feasts and banquets ; but must consider that it is a mystical table, where the bread is mystical and the wine also mystical, wherein we be taught, that we spiritually feed upon Christ, eating him and

chinking him And whosoever cometh unto this heavenly

table, not having regard to Christ’s flesh and blood, who should be there our spiritual food, but cometh thereto without faith, fear, humility, and reverence, as it were but to carnal feeding, he doth not then feed upon Christ, but the devil doth feed upon him, and devoureth him as he did Judas.” — Answer to Smith’s Preface.

” The papists teach that not only the faithful and godly, but also the unfaithful and wicked eat and drink in the sacrament

the body and blood of Christ And, notwithstanding, the

papists are fallen to such impudency and shamefacedness, while they affirm the corporal presence of Christ in the sacrament,

that they shame not to say, that not only the wicked and ungodly, but also the brute beasts, as the mouse, the cat, the rat, the weasel, &c. eating the sacrament, eat also the very true and natural body of Christ, as he was born of Mary the virgin, and hanged on the cross ; which is so monstrous doctrine, that

nothing can be invented more prodigious and monster like

Christ himself, which is not only true, but also the self-truth, saith thus : ’ I am that living bread which came down from heaven. If any man cat of this bread he shall live for ever.’

’ But whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood

hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day,’

&c Of these words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

it is manifest, plain, and evident, that the virtue and power of his flesh and blood is so great and mighty, that whosoever eateth and drinketh thereof shall live for ever, and have ever- lasting life. But the wicked and unfaithful, although they eat the sacramental bread, and drink the sacramental wine, have not everlasting life, as we have Judas for example : therefore it followeth that the wicked and unfaithful do not eat nor drink the body and blood of Christ.” — Catechism of the Sacra- ments.

” Now meat doth hurt where it findeth a belly corrupt with naughty humours. Even so this spiritual food, if it find a man defiled with sin, increaseth his damnation, bringeth him unto destruction, not of the nature of it, but through the default of him that receiveth it. Yea, if we be defiled with corrupt

humours, we be no partakers of these dainties If it were

not lawful for the uncircumcised in flesh to cat the figurative paschal Lamb, how much more is it unlawful for the uncircum- cised and unclean in heart to taste of the dainties.” — The Lay- man’s Book.

” Let no unclean or filthy person, no adulterer, no usurer, no cruel extortioner or devourer of God’s people, offer himself

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to the receiving of this sacrament. If any be such a one, I require him, by the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and by the Judge of the quick and dead, that he come not to the Lord’s table ; that he betray not the Son of God. It were better he had never been born, and that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he thrown into the sea. Let us not deceive ourselves ; God will not be mocked. He receiveth damnation that receiveth unworthily.” — On the Sacraments.