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

XH I S article is connected with the preceding, and follows from it; it was probably directed against the Papists, who contend, that the mere receiving of the Lord’s Supper procures remis- sion of sins ex opere operato, as it were mecha- nically, whatever may be the character and dis- position of the communicant. And indeed, if withr the church of Rome we believed the actual pre- sence of Christ’s body, in the eucharist, then ail persons, good and bad, who received the Sacra- ment, would equally receive the body of Christ. But we have shewn, in the preceding article, that

he

[…]

‘he is present only in a spiritual manner, and that ^^ the mean, whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten, is faith *r consequently, they who have not faidi, do not receive Christ, that

is, THE WICKED AND SUCH AS BE VOID OF A TEETH (as ST. AUGUSTINE SAITh) THE SA-

CHRIST. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a foederal act, and if men neglect to perform the conditions required of them by due preparation and suitable disposition of mind, they will derive no benefit from eating and drinking the bread and

wine, THEY WILL IN NO WISE BE PARTAKERS

OF CHRIST, that is, they will have no share what- ever in those blessings which Christ purchased by his death.

But rather to their condemnation DO eat and drink the sign or sacra-

ment OF so great a thing. The unworthy receiving of this holy Sacrament must neces- sarily be a sin ; it is a mark of presumption and insincerity ; it dishonours God, and profanes his institution ; and St. Paul assures us that it will draw down punishment upon us, as has been noticed at the end of the twenty-fifth article;

but

AET. XXIX.] Thirty-nine Artidcs. 4^

but we are not to suffer uiifoimded scraples upon this subject to deter us from the performance of an essential dut;^. ■ . \

The doctrine of this article is clearly asserted in the antient &thers : Origen says, Christ. i& the true food : whosoever eats him sh live for. ever ; of whom no wicked person can eat ; for if it were possible that any, who . continues wicked, should eat the Word that was made flesh, it had never been written, Whoso eateth this bread shall live for ever (a). And again, ” The good eat the Uving bread which came down from heaven ; but the wicked eat dead bread, which is death.” Jerome says, ” They that are not holy in body and spirit, do neither eat the flesh of Jesus nor drink his blood ; of which he said, he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life (by And Augustine, in the pas- sage alluded to in the article, after quoting this verse in St. John’s gospel, ” He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him f cj,” adds, ” to dwell then in Christ, and to have him dwelling in us, this is to eat that food, and to drink that drink. And he who by these means does not dweU in Christ, and in whom Christ does not dwell, without

doubt

(a) Comment, in Matt. c. 15;

(b) In cup, 66 Isaiae. (c) John, c. 6. y. 56*

49ft Mspoiitim 0f tht [fast inu

doabt mitlier spiritually eats his fleshy sor drudra his Uoody Ihoii^ he cai&ally ]»ms with his teedi the sacrament of the body and blood of Ciaist ; bat father to his own condemnation he aata and drinks the sacrament of so great a thmgy beoaose he has presumed to come impare to the aacnmait of Christ, whidi none receive wordnly bnt tibey who 4ire pure, of whom it is said, Messed are the pure in iieart, for they shaU see God (dy*

(d) Tractat* 26* in Joan*.

AK. XXX.] Ihirljf’mne Art&les. 499