A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of ChristFrith, John
Religion
A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of Christ
Frith, John
Dissenters, Religious -- England; Lord's Supper -- Early works to 1800; More, Thomas, Saint, 1478-1535
Wherfore whosoeuer doth eate of this breade or drynke of thys cuppe
vnworthelye, is gyltye of the bodye and bloode of the Lorde. He eateth
thys breade vnworthelye, which regardeth not the purpose for the which
Christe ded instytute it: which commeth not to it with spyrytuall
honger, to eate through fayth hys verye bodye, which the breade
representeth by the breakynge and dystrybutynge of yt: whiche commeth
not with a merye harte geuynge God hartye thankes for their delyueraunce
from synne: whiche do not moche more eate in their harte the death of
hys bodye, thē they do the breade with their mouth. Now syth the
Corynthyans ded onelye seake their bealy and fleshe, ād forgatte Goddes
honoure and prayse (for which it was instytute, that thankes shulde be
geuen by the remembraunce of hys bodye breakynge for vs) they eate it to
Goddes dyshonoure and to their neyghbours hynderaunce, and to their owne
cōdempnacyon, and so for lacke of fayth were gyltye of Christes bodye
which (by fayth) they shulde there chefelye haue eaten to their soules
health. And therfore it foloweth.
¶ Lette a man therfore examyne hym selfe, & so lette hym eate of the
breade, and drynke of the cuppe.
Thys provynge or examynynge of a mans selue, is fyrste to thynke with
hym selfe with what luste ād desyre he commeth vnto the maundye ād wyll
eate that breade: whether he be sure that he is the chylde of God and in
the fayth of Christe: and whether hys cōscyence do beare hym wytnes that
Christes bodye was broken for hym: and whether the luste that he hath to
prayse God ād thāke hym with a faythfull harte in the myddes of the
bretherne, do dryue hym thytherwarde. Or els whether he do it for the
meates sake or to keape the custome: For then were it better that he
were awaye. For he that eateth or drynketh vnworthely, eateth ād
drynketh hys owne dampnacyon, because he maketh no dyfference of the
Lordes bodye. That is, as is sayde before, he that regardeth not the
purpose for which it was instytute, and putteth no dyfference betwene
thys eatynge and other eatynge, for other eatynge doth onelye serue the
bellye, but thys eatynge was instytute and ordeyned, to serue the soule
and inwarde man. And therfore he that abvseth it to the fleshe, eateth
ād drynketh hys owne dampnacyon. And he commeth vnworthelye to the
maundye where the sacrament of Christes bodye is eaten: yea, where the
bodye of the Lorde is eatē, not carnallye with the teth and bellye, but
spyrytually with the harte ād faythe. Upon thys foloweth the texte that
master More alleageth and wresteth for hys purpose.
For thys cause manye are weake and sycke amonge you, and manye sleape.
Yf we had trulye Iudged our selues, we shulde not haue bene Iudged. When
we are Iudged of the Lorde, we are chastened because we shulde not be
dampned with the worlde. Wherfore my bretherne, whē ye come together to
eate, tarye one for another. Yf any man hunger, lette hym eate at home,
that ye come not together vnto condempnacyon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account