What greater love can there be than to give His own life for us? The death of Christ ought never to come out of our hearts, that we may do and suffer all things for His sake that died for us.

BISHOP JEWELL.

Ir remaineth that we consider how we ought to prepare our hearts, and with what faith and reverence we should resort to these holy mysteries. We may not come as we use to do to our usual meats. For here, in a mystery and Sacrament of bread, is set before us the body of Christ our Saviour, and His blood in the Sacrament of wine. We see one thing, we must conceive another thing. Therefore we must in such manner be affected as if we were present to behold His death upon the cross, and the shedding of His blood for our sins.

Let us set before our eyes that dreadful tragedy, and the causes and effects of His death; that so our hearts may be the rather moved to yield that allegiance, obedience, and reverence which is due. We were the children of wrath, the enemies of God, shut up under sin, and the heirs of everlasting damnation. In this case, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have life everlasting." And, as St. Paul saith: "God sent His own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh, and by sin condemned sin in the flesh." There was no other thing in heaven or earth which would be taken for our ransom. Therefore was the Son of God brought before the judge, and arraigned as a thief, and condemned, and scourged, and put to death: His side was opened with a spear, and the blood flowed out; and He said, "It is finished," that is to say, the price for man is now paid. Thus, "Being in the form of God, He thought it no robbery to be equal with God; but He made Himself of no reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, and was made like unto men, and was found in shape as a man.

He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto the death, even the death of the cross." He gave His body to be crucified, and His blood to be shed, for our sakes. There was no other sacrifice left for sin: wo worth the sin of man, that was the cause of the death of Christ!

What were the effects of His death? What followed? "God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus should every knee bow; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father." God spake out of the heavens, and said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He crowned Him with glory and honour: He hath not only advanced Christ, but us also together with Him; "And made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" "He hath made us like to the image of His Son." Thus hath He made us an acceptable people, and hath renewed the face of the earth: so that now He saith not, as He did to Adam, Thou art earth, and shalt return to earth; but He saith, Thou art Heaven; an immortal and undefiled inheritance, that fadeth not away, is reserved in heaven for thee. This is the effect and value of the death of Christ.

All these things are laid before us in the Holy Table, if we have eyes to see and behold them. There may we see the crucifying of His body and the shedding of His blood, as it were in a glass. Therefore Christ saith: "Do this in remembrance of Me;" in remembrance of My benefit wrought for you; in remembrance of your salvation purchased by Me. St. Paul saith: "As often as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup, ye show the Lord's death till He come."

In this Supper lieth a hidden mystery. There is the horror of sin, there is the death of our Lord for our sin represented, how He was wounded for our sins, and tormented for our iniquities, and led as a lamb to the slaughter. There may we see the shame of the cross, the darkness over the world, the earth to quake, the stones to

cleave asunder, the graves to open, and the dead to rise. These things may we see in the Supper: this is the meaning of these holy mysteries.

ARCHBISHOP SANDYS.

As the graces of God purchased for us by Christ are offered unto us by the Word, so are they also most lively and effectually by the Sacraments. Christ hath instituted and left in His church, for our comfort and the confirmation of our faith, two Sacraments or seals; Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. In Baptism, the outward washing of the flesh declareth the inward purging and cleansing of the spirit. In the Eucharist, or Supper of the Lord, our corporal tasting of the visible elements, bread and wine, showeth the heavenly nourishing of our souls unto life by the mystical participation of the glorious Body and Blood of Christ. For inasmuch as He saith of one of these sacred elements, "This is My Body which is given for you;" and of the other, "This is My Blood," He giveth us plainly to understand that all the graces which may flow from the body and blood of Christ Jesus are in a mystery here not represented only but presented unto us. So then, although we see nothing, feel and taste nothing, but bread and wine; nevertheless let us not doubt at all but that He spiritually performeth that which He doth declare and promise by His visible and outward signs; that is to say, that in this Sacrament there is offered unto the church that very true and heavenly bread which feedeth and nourisheth us unto life eternal; that sacred blood which will cleanse us from sin, and make us pure in the day of trial. Again, in that He saith, "Take, eat: drink ye all of this," He evidently declareth that His body and blood are by this Sacrament assured to be no less ours than His; He being incorporate into us, and as it were made one with us. That He became man, it was for our sake for our behoof and benefit He suffered for us He rose again for us He ascended into heaven: and finally

for us He will come again in judgment. And thus hath He made Himself all ours: ours His passions, ours His merits, ours His victory, ours His glory; and therefore He giveth Himself and all His, in this Sacrament, wholly unto us. The reason and course whereof is this. In His Word He hath promised and certified us of remission of sins, in His death; of righteousness, in His merits; of life, in His resurrection; and in His ascension, of heavenly and everlasting glory. This promise we take hold on by faith, which is the instrument of our salvation: but because our faith is weak and staggering through the frailty of our mortal flesh, He hath given us this visible Sacrament, as a seal and sure pledge of His irrevocable promise, for the more assurance and confirmation of our feeble faith. If a prince gave out his letters patent of a gift, so long as the seal is not put to, the gift is not fully ratified; and the party to whom it is given thinketh not himself sufficiently assured of it. God's gift, without sealing, is sure; as He Himself is all one, without changing; yet, to bear with our infirmity, and to make us more secure of His promise, to His writing and word He added these outward signs and seals, to establish our faith, and to certify us that His promise is most certain. He giveth us, therefore, these holy and visible signs of bread and wine, and saith, "Take and eat, this is My body and blood;" giving unto the signs the names which are proper to the things signified by them, as we use to do even in common speech, when the sign is a lively representation and image of the thing.

Let us, therefore, be thankful unto our Redeemer Christ for these His great benefits and so unspeakable and undeserved mercies; and let us receive this Holy Sacrament as a sure pledge that the virtue of His death and passion is imputed unto us for justice, even as though we had suffered the same which He did in our own natural bodies. Let us not be so perverse as to draw back when Jesus Christ calleth us so lovingly to this royal feast; but with good consideration of the worthiness of this gift, present we ourselves with a fervent zeal, that we may come worthily to this Holy Table. "Let each man try himself, and so eat,"

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saith the apostle. Let us enter into ourselves, therefore, and examine the estate of our hearts and souls, and consider in what case we stand. 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 impenitent blasphemer of God, or vile and unrepented sinner, presume to touch or taste this food; for such shall not feed upon Christ and His merits, but they receive their own damnation. But such as will worthily feed at this blessed feast must earnestly and truly mourn for their sins past, in a settled purpose and resolution never willingly to defile themselves again. And such as will be partakers of this bread that came from heaven, Jesus Christ, our one and only Saviour, must also be as one bread or loaf, and as one body joined together in brotherly love and all other offices of godly and Christian charity. For if thou come to this banquet without this vesture of love, it shall be said unto thee, "Friend, how camest thou hither, not having on thy wedding garment?" A woful speech, and an end most miserable.

JOHN BRADFORD.

THIS heavenly banquet (wherewithin Thou dost witness Thyself, O sweet Saviour, to be "The bread of life" wherewith our souls are fed unto true and eternal life and immortality) grant me grace so now to receive as may be to my singular joy and comfort.

The signs and symbols be bread and wine, which are sanctified in Thy body and blood, to represent the invisible communion and fellowship of the same. For as in baptism Thou, O God, dost regenerate us, and as it were engraft us into the fellowship of Thy church, and by adoption make us Thy children; so, as a good householder and Father, Thou dost afterwards minister meat to nourish and continue us in