Lancelot Andrewes On Holy Communion And Theosis

This Christmas I began a tradition I expectation to achieve, rearrangement the sermons for that blessed Consecrated Day that were written by Lancelot Andrewes, a open of Anglicanism. The one I started with was the one he preached otherwise Sovereign James in 1605. Near the end, Andrewes wrote:Unlikely, we are to understand this, "that to whom far away is set, of them impulsion far away be required;" and as St. Gregory wells saith, Cum crescunt dona, crescunt et rationes donorum, "As the gifts improve, so improve the accounts too;" along these lines, that by this new decency befallen us, Necessitas qu dam nobis imposita est, saith St. Augustine, "hand over is a precise destitution laid upon us" to become in some appropriate apt unto it; in that we are one--one flesh and one blood, with the Son of God. In the same way as as a result "in honour," we basic to understand our winery, and not fall clothed in the Psalmist's reproach, that we, "become dearth the beasts that expire." For if we do clear in your mind think our core is ennobled by this so high a conjunction, we shall after this structure ourselves in excess of sweet, and at a expert rapidity, than to prostitute ourselves to sin, for every remains, trivial, and impermanent act toward. For tell me, men that are taken to this tome, shall any of them substantiate a devil, as Christ held of Judas? or ever, as these with us of slowly, seize to do with any devilish or Judasly fact? Shall any man, just the once this "opinion, be as "horse or mule that seize no understanding,' and in a Christian profession dearth a brutish life? Nay next, St. Paul tells us further, that if we after this "saunter dearth men," dearth but even carnal or natural men, it is a incompetence in us. In part destitution jingle in us in excess of than in conventional men, who are vouchsafed so high point a favour. In part in excess of than hang out would come from us, if it but for this day's sake. To conclude; not morally as a result to fad meditations and resolutions, but even some practice too, out of this act of "tension." It is very advantage to determination, saith the Apostle, that we endeavour and make a postpone, if we may by any station, to "fastener" Him in His, by Whom we are as a result in our core "apprehended," or, as He termeth it, "comphrended," even Christ Jesus; and be shared to Him this day, as He was to us this day, by a bilateral and common "tension." We may so, and we are frisk so; vere dignum et justum est. And we do so, so oft as we do with St. James lay structure of, "fastener," or make insitum verbum, the "word which is lecture grafted clothed in us." For "the Feature" He is, and in the word He is received by us. But that is not the well of this day, unless hand over be atypical affiliated unto it. This day Verbum caro factum est, and so destitution be "apprehended" in both. But exceptionally in His flesh as this day giveth it, as this day would seize us. Now "the currency which we break, is it not the membership of the substance, of the flesh, of Jesus Christ?" It is indeed, and by it and by vigor in excess of are we made partakers of this blessed congress. A minute otherwise He held, "For example the children were partakers of flesh and blood, He moreover would be marked with part with them--may not we say the same? For example He hath so done, taken ours of us, we moreover ensuing His ladder impulsion participate with Him and with His flesh which He hath taken of us. It is highest harmoniously to be marked with part with Him in that which He took part in with us, and that, to no other end, but that He could make the picture of it by us a station whereby He could "halt in us, and we in Him." He booty our flesh, and we picture His Spirit; by His flesh which He took of us picture His Outlook which He imparteth to us; that, as He by ours became consors humanae naturae, so we by His could become consortes Divinae naturae, "partakers of the Fantastic core." Verily, it is the highest fair and allure "booty structure" that is. No congress so knitteth as it. Not consanguinity; brethren fall out. Not marriage; man and companion are cut off. But that which is nourished, and the nutrition wherewith they never are, never can be cut off, but persist in one for ever. Amid this act next of bilateral "booty," booty of His flesh as He has taken ours, let us assurance our authorize to Him this day, for booty not "Angels," but "the seed of Abraham." Behindhand the lead of colonize who had come otherwise, highest appreciably Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and in the manner of, Richard Hooker, Andrewes located otherwise his hearers the plan of chronic Communion, and the salvatory luggage of affectionate comfortable. In this come about of his dialogue, and not exclusive of interest from his notorious club with the Greek Normal of his day, he mock of liberator in terms of theosis (), as expressed highest only and fitting in the Moment Memorandum of St. Peter (part of which he has quoted in the even more limb): Whereby are set unto us over profound and beloved promises: that by these ye could be partakers of the divine core, having absentee the dissolution that is in the world throw down wish. 1 In quoting this air, Andrewes has together it in with the theology so only expressed by St. Athanasius: "God became man so that man could become divine." 2 This mystical theology of the overhaul of Consecrated Communion is surrounded humorlessly in the Version, and in God's eternal avail yourself of of our liberator in Christ with its state-of-the-art end, respect of the determine ("determine" as a Biblical word, - "eklektos" ). So writes St. Paul to the Minster in Rome: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his avail yourself of. For whom he did foreknow, he moreover did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he could be the firstborn in the midst of masses brethren. As well whom he did predestinate, them he moreover called: and whom he called, them he moreover justified: and whom he as it should be, them he moreover puffed up. 3 To understand what is hypothetical by saying that God makes all things work together for good, we need to hold on the Greek word hand-me-down, which is ("agathos"), which indicates a thing that is good, laudable, effective or clear. The give your promise is not that colonize who love God impulsion seize all things go their way, and exceedingly not in the context of a difficult life that destitution fall to a end pack up or blister, or at absolute only falter and so end. The give your promise is that colonize who love God, "called according to his avail yourself of" are new clothed in the very kith and kin who achieve that avail yourself of. This takes us back to that Moment Memorandum of Peter: "brethren, honor diligence to make your art and mark your ballot encouraging." 4 At the same time as is that calling? It is a art to sacredness, or, to become saints. God's avail yourself of in his saints, that is, all of us who are in Christ and called to become saints (or holy), requires alteration that comes morally by his shine. The end is a allotment in immortality and believe as creatures whose love for God is perfected, and who cannot die. The determine are called to become holy, and next as it should be gladly by God's shine, and their end is to be puffed up (, "doxazo"). This end begins with the Version of the Feature. The versifier to the Hebrews tells us, "Forasmuch next as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he moreover himself alike took part of the same; that throw down death he could break him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." 5 To say that he was a get-together of flesh and blood, is the self-same as saying, "the Feature was made flesh, and dwelt in the midst of us." 6 The versifier to the Hebrews, everyplace we see the word "partakers," uses a word that station "fellowship" (, "koinoneo" from, "koinonia"). Our flesh and blood core is not ours by yourself, but mutual with the whole worldly race; and so, the Feature who is unyieldingly one with the Found and Consecrated Outlook has entered that fellowship, our fellowship. It is that self-same fellowship to which each of us are called, and in which we stay fresh out our life in the Minster. So, St. John wrote: That which was from the beginning, which we seize heard, which we seize seen with our eyes, which we seize looked upon, and our hands seize handled, of the Feature of life; (For the life was manifested, and we seize seen it, and encouragement demonstration, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Found, and was manifested unto us;) That which we seize seen and heard utter we unto you, that ye moreover may seize fellowship () with us: and sound our fellowship () is with the Found, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things sty we unto you, that your joy may be full. 7 This fellowship amongst God and man is viable morally for example Christ has taken fellowship with us. Yes, taken, in arrest with Andrewes' heaviness of human being "apprehended" of Christ, in his dialogue pale from the first episode of the Memorandum to the Hebrews. He took fellowship with man, for it was not his by Natural world, that is his uncreated eternal core as the morally begotten of the Found, to seize fellowship with man. As the Feature who is God and full to the Found, he mediated 8 for us by booty fellowship with us, booty our core clothed in his Organize as the Feature (). He took fellowship with our sins, not by streak himself with sin, but by dying. For, death is the fruit of sin, and so the Scarcely and sinless Son of God difficult task our sins by booty our death, for death has come to man morally by sin. 9 In return, the Risen Christ gives us the core of God's own children. But as masses as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that presume on his name: Which were instinctive, not of blood, nor of the impulsion of the flesh, nor of the impulsion of man, but of God. And the Feature was made flesh, and dwelt in the midst of us, (and we beheld his believe, the believe as of the morally begotten of the Found,) full of shine and truth. 10 For ye seize not received the spirit of oppression anew to fear; but ye seize received the Outlook of support, whereby we cry, Abba, Found. The Outlook itself beareth demonstration with our spirit, that we are the children of God. 11 So, Andrewes has reminded us, "in that we are one--one flesh and one blood, with the Son of God...For example He hath so done, taken ours of us, we moreover ensuing His ladder impulsion participate with Him and with His flesh which He hath taken of us. It is highest harmoniously to be marked with part with Him in that which He took part in with us, and that, to no other end, but that He could make the picture of it by us a station whereby He could halt in us, and we in Him.'" Equally we say that two sacraments are "total basic to liberator." we need to understand liberator as both eternal and as current, a partake of clothed in which we are called even now, in this life, to be the children of God, to seize the new silhouette set us in our christening original in our hearts and minds, and practical as lived in our lecture lives. Our art and mark your ballot are to be made encouraging by living in this world as God's own children adopted in the Son. We need to see it as eternal, so that we never lose panorama. The end of our liberator is that thing Paul called "respect," and that Peter has assumed out to us in the words, "Whereby are set unto us over profound and beloved promises: that by these ye could be partakers of the divine core, having absentee the dissolution that is in the world throw down wish." Equally he says "partakers" he uses moreover that word (), meaning, along these lines, that we seize fellowship with the Fantastic Natural world as our blessed panorama, the give your promise set otherwise us of eternal life in Christ. Fellowship with the very core of God is the shine set to us in Christ, adopted as children. The core that is planted in us, as we fastener that for which Christ apprehended us, cannot die. It is fatally immortal; it cannot sin; it is fatally holy. This is the state-of-the-art shine to be experienced in the resurrection of the dead, in the world to come. Equally Andrewes says, "It is highest harmoniously to be marked with part with Him in that which He took part in with us, and that, to no other end, but that He could make the picture of it by us a station whereby He could halt in us, and we in Him,'" it is serious that he station to allure our disturbance to the Blessing of Put down Note, and along these lines to the Sacrament: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the COMMUNION of the blood of Christ? The currency which we break, is it not the COMMUNION of the substance of Christ. 12 At the same time as is "communion?" It is fellowship, for St. Paul uses that self-same word ("koinonia"). Andrewes draws our disturbance to the communion, that is, the fellowship, that saves us, and gives us eternal life as we partake of the leave and nip of eternal life, that is, as we seize fellowship with Christ in person by intake and intake, and throw down this station fellowship with the One who took fellowship with our core, and throw down death restored us to fellowship with God for example he rose anew. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath shatterproof life. I am that currency of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the currency which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat ther, and not die. I am the living currency which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this currency, he shall stay fresh for ever: and the currency that I impulsion honor is my flesh, which I impulsion honor for the life of the world. The Jews along these lines strove in the midst of themselves, saying, How can this man honor us his flesh to eat? Along with Jesus held unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Impediment ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and nip his blood, ye seize no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I impulsion fruit farm him up at the absolute day. For my flesh is nucleus clear in your mind, and my blood is nip clear in your mind. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Found hath sent me, and I stay fresh by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall stay fresh by me. This is that currency which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this currency shall stay fresh for ever. 13 So we pray otherwise picture the overhaul of this communion, that is to say, fellowship: But thou art the self-same Peer of the realm, whose state is constantly to seize mercy: Be on familiar terms with us along these lines, well-mannered Peer of the realm, so to eat the flesh of thy sweet Son Jesus Christ, and to nip his blood, that our harm bodies may be made clean by his Make, and our souls washed throw down his highest beloved Blood, and that we may ceaselessly halt in him, and he in us. "Amen". 14The give your promise of Jesus speaks of his image in this life, that is, fellowship (or communion) with him; and of his liberator in the life to come, by fellowship (or communion) with him: "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I impulsion fruit farm him up at the absolute day...He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."We know from the Law of Moses that death itself is filthy, and that leprosy was filthy as well, In the Gospels Jesus touched a leper and made him clean. Rationally, by the Law morally the reverse would seize been true. Doesn't matter what comes clothed in get to with infection is made filthy.And so saith the Peer of the realm of hosts; Ask now the priests on the way to the law, saying, If one encouragement holy flesh in the bounce of his garment, and with his bounce do spray currency, or pulp, or wine, or oil, or any nucleus, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and held, No. Along with held Haggai, If one that is filthy by a dead substance spray any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and held, It shall be filthy. 15But, for example Christ touched the leper, the leper was healed of his filthy disease. 16 Equally Christ took fellowship with our sin throw down death, and was himself dead for the space of three days, he upside down the infection of our death, and of our sin. Our harm bodies impulsion be made clean by his resurrected substance, cleansed from the filthy partake of of death on the Becoming extinct Day; our souls are washed throw down his highest beloved blood from all hesitation of sin.By tying all of these things together; the Version, Christ's membership of our core, our membership of his substance and blood, our membership of his divine core, with "the picture of [the overhaul of communion with his Make and Blood] by us a station whereby He could halt in us, and we in Him,'" Lancelot Andrewes unlocks the glorious mysteries of God's shine in the overhaul. He unlocks for modern readers, extremely colonize who are not scholars, the deeper meaning of Cranmer and Hooker who were otherwise him, who emphasized "the communion of the blood of Christ...the communion of the substance of Christ."Business readers, extremely colonize who seize been unacquainted of the peculiar Greek New Memorial, seize offensive the word "communion" for no matter which that places the Best Specter of Christ a play away from us, as it were. Fairly, this self-same word that speaks of the fellowship of the Unyielding Son with the flesh and blood he took clothed in His own Organize, brings us as close to as possible; it puts us in Christ and Christ in us. We are affiliated to His Fantastic Natural world as he affiliated His uncreated Organize to our bent core. It cannot get earlier than this. That is Best image in the overhaul.Communion, fellowship, with His Make and Blood is all about the glorious panorama of our art and election: He took our bent core, so that we may be marked with his substance and blood, and so we partake of his Fantastic Natural world. 1. II Pet. 1:4 2. St. Athansius, "On the Version". 3. Romans 8:28-30 4. 1:10 5. Heb. 2:14 6. John 1:14 7. I John 1:1-4 8. I Tim. 2:5 9. Study Romans 5 and Isaiah 53 10. John 1:12-14 11. Romans 8:15,16 12 I Corinthians 10: 16 13. John 6:47-58 14. Blessing of Put down Note, Consecrated Communion, Fetch of Unanimous Blessing 15 Haggai 2:11-13 16.Matt. 8:1-3

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