mus, manducemus ac bibamus. Breviter non airowriav absentiam, non ivovaiav inexistentiam, non a-wovcrCav consubstantionem, non /xcrovo-tav transubstantionem, sed irapowiav corporis et sanguinis Christi in sacra coena statuimus."
The whole doctrine of the Lutheran Church on the Lord's Supper is briefly and authoritatively stated in the " Articuli Visi- tatorii " issued in 1592 for the Electorate and northern provinces of of Saxony, which all church officers and teachers were required to adopt. The first Article is as follows : " Pura et vera doctrina nostrarum Ecclesiarum de Sacra Coena. (1.) Quod verba Christi : Accipite et comedite, hoc est corpus meum : Bibite, hie est sanguis meus simpliciter, et secundum literam, sicut sonant, intelligenda sint. (2.) Quod in sacramento duae res sint, quae exhibentur et simul accipiuntur: una terrena, quae est panis et vinum; et una ccelestis, quae est corpus et sanguis Christi. (3.) Quod haec unio, exhibitio et sumptio fiat hie inferius in terris, non su- perius in coelis. (4.) Quod exhibeatur et accipiatur verum et naturale corpus Christi, quod in cruce pependit, et verus ac natu- ralis sanguis, qui ex Christi latere fluxit. (5.) Quod corpus et sanguis Christi non fide tantum spiritualiter, quod etiam extra ccenam fieri potest, sed cum pane et vino oraliter, modo tamen imperscrutabili, et supernaturali, illic in ccena accipiantur, idque in pignus et certificationem resurrectionis nostrorum corporum ex mortuis. (6.) Quod oralis perceptio corporis et sanguinis Christi non solum fiat a dignis, verum etiam ab indignis, qui sine poeni- tentia et vera fide accedunt ; eventu tamen diverso. A dignis enim percipitur ad salutem, ab indignis autem ad judicium." l
The Benefit received at the Lord's Supper. In the Augsburg Confession, in the Apology, in the Shorter and Larger Catechism, and in the Form of Concord, the benefits conferred upon believers in this sacrament are declared to be for- giveness of sin and confirmation of faith. These are said to be its special and intended effects. Thus in the Shorter Catechism the question is asked, " Quid vero prodest, sic comedisse et bibisse ? " The answer is " Id indicant haec verba : Pro vobis datur ; et : ef- funditur in remissionem peccatorum. Nempe nobis per verba ilia in sacramento remissio peccatorum, vita, justitia et salus donen- tur. Ubi enim remissio peccatorum est, ibi est et vita et salus." The next question is, " Qui potest corporalis ilia manducatio tan- tas res efficere?" To which the following answer is given:
1 Hase, Libri Symbolici, 3d edit. Leipzig, 1846, pp. 857, 858. vol. m. 43
674 PART III. Ch. XX. — THE MEANS OF GRACE.
" Manducare et bibere ista certe non efficiunt, sed ilia verba, quaB hie ponuntur : Pro vobis datur, et : Effunditur in remissionem peccatorum; quae verba sunt una cum corporali manducatione caput et summa hujus sacramenti. Et qui credit his verbis, ille habet, quod dicunt, et sicut sonant, nempe remissionem peccato- rum." 1 To the same effect in the Larger Catechism, after refer- ring to the words of institution it is said that in coming to the Lord's Supper we receive the remission of sins. " Quare hoc ? Ideo, quod verba illic extant et haec dant nobis. Siquidem propterea a Christo jubeor edere et bibere, ut meum sit, mihique utilitatem afferat, veluti certum pignus et arrhabo, imo potius res ipsa, quam pro peccatis meis, morte et omnibus malis ille opposuit et oppig- noravit. Inde jure optimo cibus animae dicitur, novum hominem alens atque fortificans." 2
All that is here said is in perfect accord with the Reformed doctrine both as to the benefits to be derived from this sacrament and as to the source from which those benefits are to be received. The believing communicant receives at the Lord's table the bene- fits of his redeeming death, and his faith is confirmed by the di- vinely appointed seals and pledge of the promises of God. And the sacrament has these effects, because through the grace of the Holy Spirit the worthy communicant embraces by faith the offer of pardon and acceptance made in the ordinance. This implies the ignoring or repudiation of the idea that the benefits con- ferred are to be attributed to any magical or supernatural in- fluence from the actual, natural body and blood of Christ, which, according to the Lutheran doctrine, are orally received in this or- dinance; or to a divine influence emanating from the glorified body of Christ in heaven ; or to the theanthropic life of Christ conveyed into the believer as a new organic law. Neverthe- less there is another mode of representation occurring in the writings of Luther and of Lutherans. According to this repre- sentation there is a divine, supernatural power inherent in the body and blood of Christ, which being received in the Lord's Supper conveys to the believer, as to his soul and body, a new spiritual and immortal life. Thus, in his Larger Catechism, in answer to the question how bread and wine can have the power attributed to the Lord's Supper, he says it is not bread as such which produces the effect, " but such bread and wine which are the body and blood of Christ, and which have the words [of
1 V. 5-8; Hase, Libri Symbolici, pp. 381, 382. a v. 22, 23; Ibid. pp. 555, 556.