Yet, to expound the meaning of this faith, we do further teach, that although the bread be the body of Christ, according to His institution, and wine be His blood, yet doth neither of these leave its nature, or change or lose its substance; but that the bread is, and doth remain, bread; and that the wine is, and doth remain, wine; as also the holy Scripture doth give this its own name to either of them. Otherwise, if it should cease to be an element, it should not be a sacrament; seeing that a sacrament is then made, when the word is added to the element. August. in Joan. Tract. 80, et Epist. 23, ad Bonifa. Neither could it signify, or bear witness, if it had nothing instead of that thing, whereof it is a sacrament; or if the thing signified should have any other manner of presence than that which is sacramental. Wherefore this speech," Bread is the body, and wine is the blood of Christ," is a sacramental speech; to wit, that these two distinct things do remain the self-same thing which in their own nature they be, and yet that, by reason of a sacramental union, or sacramentally, they be that also, which they do signify, and whereof they do testify; and yet not in their own nature, or after a natural manner, but by the institution, pronouncing, or witnessing of the author: as Paul doth excellently expound this, where he thus writeth, "The cup which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. x., 16).

Now, both the good and the wicked do use this sacrament; and yet the true believers do receive it to life, and those which do not believe do receive it to judgment and condemnation. And although either of them do receive this sacrament, and the truth thereof,*

wherein the bread is said to be the body, and wine to be the blood, even in this confession it is evidently set down, that it ought to be interpreted by a sacramental metonymy.

By the word truth, in this place, understand, not the fruit of the sacraments, which is received of the faithful only; neither yet the very body and blood of Christ (seeing that they also cannot be received but by faith, to salvation); but the bread and the wine, the which (whether worthy or unworthy communicants do approach) are never, in respect of God, offered, as to be received, without the thing signified; because the truth of God dependeth not upon the worthiness or unworthiness of the communicants. Yet hereby it cannot be concluded, that both of them are received of every one, because

sacramentally and outwardly, yet the believers do alone receive it spiritually, and so to their salvation: without which spiritual receiving, there is no worthy receiving in the sacramental use. For by this mean we are ingrafted into Christ, and into His body; and by this mean is that true union and communion of Christ with His Church made and in like sort by this mean is the communion of the holy Church, which is a certain spiritual body, made amongst and with themselves; whereof the apostle writeth, "There is one bread, and we, being many, are one body, seeing we are all made partakers of one bread" (1 Cor. x., 17).

Moreover, we are further taught, that with this ministry, or sacrament of the Lord, no other thing ought to be done, or taken in hand, than that one thing which was shewed, ordained, and expressly commanded of Christ Himself; as when He reached bread, severally and peculiarly, to His disciples, and in express words said, "Take, eat, this is my body;" and in like sort, when He reached to them the cup, severally and peculiarly, saying, "Drink all ye of this, this is my blood." Thus, therefore, according to this commandment, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ must be distributed only, and be received in common of the faithful, or believing Christians: but it must not be sacrificed, or set forth, or lifted up, that it may be worshipped, or exhibited, or stored away, or carried about. And both these must be received in several elements peculiarly; His body severally, and also His holy blood severally, as either of them were of the Lord severally instituted, reached forth, and given to all His disciples in common. And this doctrine was used in the first holy Church, and this sacrament was wholly distributed and received in both parts. But he that, beside or contrary to these commandments, and the institution of Christ, dare bring in any other thing, or somewhat more, and use it with this sacrament, or wantonly invent therein at his pleasure; he doth manifestly and malapertly against our Lord, who instituted this sacrament, and committeth a thing

both of them are always offered by God to all indifferently. Concerning which matter, see very fully hereafter in the first observation upon the confession of Augsburg.

clean contrary to His holy testament, and last will, which was declared in His own words, and that expressly.

Also, this sacrament ought to be received and administered without adoration, and without that worship which is due to God alone; yet with a due kind of religion and reverence, and chiefly with that which is the greatest of all, namely, with faith and examination of one's self, which in this action is most acceptable to Christ our Lord, and most profitable for men; which, also, St. Paul taught the first Church, and exhorted it hereunto, saying, Let every man try, or examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, doth eat and drink his own judgment, or condemnation, because he discerneth not the Lord's body" (1 Cor. xi., 28, 29). And, in another place, " Prove yourselves, whether ye are in the faith examine yourselves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Now I pray unto God, that ye do no evil” (2 Cor. xiii., 5—7). If so be that any man approach to this table without such a trial, and presenting of himself worthy; who hath not first examined himself, what manner of faith he hath, with what purpose he came to this sacrament, or how he had prepared himself hereunto: I say, such a man should greatly profane and reproach this sacrament, yea, the whole institution hereof appointed by Christ. For which cause the ministers of our churches do admit none to this sacrament, neither give it unto any, but to such as are noted to come unto it seriously, and do, so much as in them lieth, prepare themselves hereunto after such a manner as becometh Christian godliness.

Now, when the congregation doth come together to celebrate the use of the Lord's Supper, and the participation thereof, then, according to the example of the primitive Church, our ministers do teach in their holy sermons concerning Christ, and concerning the grace which, through Him, and in Him, is given to sinners; and especially concerning His death, the shedding of His blood, and the redemption and salvation purchased thereby. After that, the whole Church doth join together in faithful prayers unto God,

to obtain this, that they may indeed use this sacrament worthily. Moreover, in the next place, absolution from sin is lawfully administered, the words of the institution are rehearsed, and the people, by exhortation, are stirred up to a reverent consideration of this mystery, and to a cheerful and serious contemplation of the benefits of God. The sacrament is reverently, with all godliness, distributed; and the people of the faithful, most commonly falling down on their knees,† do receive this sacrament with thanksgiving, with gladness, with singing of hymns or holy songs; and they shew forth the death of the Lord, and admonish themselves of all His benefits, to the confirmation of their faith, in a true communion with Christ and His body. And all this we do according to the meaning of those things which are commanded in the holy Scripture, especially according to the saying of Christ, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke xxii., 19); and Paul saith, "So often as ye shall eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, ye shall shew forth the death of the Lord, till He come" (1 Cor. xii., 26).

V. FROM THE CONFESSION OF FRANCE.

The Confession of France was first presented in French in the year 1559, to Francis II., king of France, at Amboise, in the behalf of all the godly of that kingdom; again, in the year 1561, at Poissy, to Charles IX.; and at length in Latin also, published by the pastors of the French churches, with a preface to all other evangelical pastors, in the year 1566.

Art. 36. We affirm that the holy Supper of the Lord, to wit, the other sacrament, is a witness to us of our uniting with our Lord Jesus Christ; because that He is not only once dead, and raised up again from the dead for us, but also He doth indeed feed

* See the Eighth Section, upon the Confession of Bohemia, Augsburg, and Saxony. + In this rite, also, we suppose that every Church ought to have her liberty; not that we do utterly in itself condemn this manner, so that the caution be added, whereof we spake of late in the fourth observation; but because that, for the rooting of the superstitious worshipping of the bread out of men's minds, it were more expedient that that ceremony in most places were abolished in the receiving of the signs themselves; whereof look before in the first observation upon the Former Confession of Helvetia.

us and nourish us with His flesh and blood, that we, being made one with Him, may have our life common with Him. For although He be now in heaven, and shall remain there till He come to judge the world; yet we believe that, by the secret and incomprehensible virtue of His Spirit, He doth nourish and quicken us with the substance of His body and blood,* apprehended by faith. But we say that this is done spiritually, not that we may counterfeit an imagination or thought instead of the efficacy and truth; but rather, because this mystery of our union with Christ is so high a thing, that it surmounteth all our senses, yea, and the whole order of nature: to conclude, because that it, being divine and heavenly, cannot be perceived nor apprehended, but by faith.

Art. 37. We believe, as was said before, that as well in the Supper as in baptism, God doth indeed, that is, truly and effectually, give whatsoever He doth there sacramentally represent: and accordingly, with the signs, we join the true possession and fruition of that thing, which is there offered unto us. Therefore we affirm, that they which do bring pure faith, as it were a certain vessel, unto the holy Supper of the Lord, do indeed receive that which there the signs do witness; namely, that the body and blood of Jesus Christ are no less the meat and drink of the soul, than bread and wine are the meat of the body.

Also, out of Article 38. A little after the beginning:

And, also, that that bread and wine, which is given us in the Supper, is indeed made unto us spiritual nourishment; inasmuch as they do offer unto our eyes to behold, that the flesh of Christ

The French churches have witnessed, in general synods, that they, after the example of the ancient l'athers, do use the word substance; not as if the very substance of Christ were infused into the bread, or conveyed into us any manner of way, either corporal or unspeakable; or that it were applied to our corporal substance (seeing that it verily is now in heaven, and nowhere else, unto the last day, and we in earth and nowhere else); but to meet the slander of those men which think that we, instead of the very body and blood of Christ, do place only His merits, or His spiritual force and operation; whereas notwithstanding we do teach, that we (though spiritually and