Letter to Lady Mary, Treatise
¶ Here is briefly declared in a ſumine, accordynge to the holy ſcriptures, what opinion we Chriſtians hauehave of the Lordes ſupper, called the Sacramente of the bodye and bloudde of oure ſauyoure Ieſus Chriſt.
FIrſte we confeſſe that it is an holy action, ordeyned of God, in the whiche the Lorde Ieſus, by earthely and viſible thinges ſette before vsus, lifteth vsus vp vntounto heauenly and inuiſible thinges. And that whan he hadde prepared hys ſpirituall ban…et, he witneſſed ye he hym ſelf was the lyuely bread, wherewith oure ſoules bee fedde vntounto euerlaſtinge lyfe.
And therefore in ſettinge forthe breade and wyne to eate & drynk, he confirmeth and ſealeth vp too vsus hys promiſſe and communion (that is, that we ſhalbe partakers with hym in hys kyngedome) and repreſenteth vntounto vsus, and maketh playne to oure ſenſes his heauēly giftes, and alſoo geueth vntounto vsus himſelf, to be receiued with faith and not with mouthe, nor yet by tranſfuſion of ſubſtaunce: but ſo throw the vertue of ye holy Ghoſt that we, beynge fedde with hys fleſhe, & refreſhed with his bloud maye be renewed, both vntounto trew godlines and to immortalitie.
And alſo that here with the Lord Ieſus gathereth vsus into one viſible body (ſo that we be mēbres one of an other, and make altogether one bodye, where of Ieſus Chrſte is head) And finally that by the ſame Sacrament, the Lord calleth vsus to remēbraunce of hys deathe and paſſion, too ſtyrre vp oure hartes to prayſe his moſte holy name. Sarthermore we acknowledge that this Sacramēt oughte to become vntounto reuerētly, conſidering there is exhibited and geuen a te… of the wonderfull ſoc…tie and …uyttinge together of the lord Ieſus and of the receyuers, and alſo that there is included and conteyned in this ſacrament, that he will preſerue his churche: for herein we be commā ded to ſhew the Lordes death vntill he come.
Alſo we beleue that it is a confeſſion, wherein we ſheroe what kynd of doctrine we profeſſe, and what congregation we toyne our ſelfes vntounto. And lykewiſe that it is a bōde of mutuall louelove amōgſt vsus. And finally we beleue that, al the commers vntounto thys holy ſupper muſte bringe with them their conuerſion vntounto the LORD, by vnfayned repentaunce in faythe and in thys Sacramente, receyue thee ſeales and confirmation of their faythe, and yet muſte in nowiſe think, that for this works ſake, their ſyns be forgeuen. And as concerning theſe wordes, Hoc eſt corpus meū, this is my body, on whiche the papiſtes depend ſo much, ſayeng: that we muſt nedes beleue that the breade & wyne bee tranſubſtanciated intoo Chriſtes body & bloud: We acknowledge ye it is no artikel of our fayth, which cāſaue vsus, nor which we are boūd to beleue vpō payn of eternal dā nation: For if we ſhould beleue y• hys very naturall body, both fleſh and bloude, were naturally in the bred & wyne, that ſhould not ſaue vsus, ſeinge many beleue that, & yet receyue it to their damnation. For it is not his preſence in the bread, that can ſaue vsus: but his preſence in our hartes through fayth in his bloud, which hath waſhed out our ſynnes, and pacified the fathers wrath towardes vsus. And agayne if we doe not beleue hys bodielye preſence in the bread & wyne, that ſhall not damne vsus: but the abſēce out of our hart thorow vnbelefe. Now if they wolde here obiecte,Obiection that though it be trueth that ye abſence out of the breade coulde not damne vsus, yet are we bounde to beleue it, becauſe of gods worde, ſaying: thys is my bodye, whiche who beleueth not, as muche as in him lieth, maketh God a lyar, and therfore of an obſtinat mynd not to beleue hys worde, maye be our damnation. To this we aunſwereAunſwer. that we beleue gods worde, & confeſſe that it is trew, būt not ſo too be vnderſtande as the papiſtes groſſely affirme: form the Sacramēt we receiue Chriſt ſpiritually,1. Cor. 11. as dyd the fathers of the olde teſtament, accordinge to S. Paules ſayeng. And if men wolde well wey, how that Chriſt, ordeyning this holy ſacrament of hys bodye and bloud, ſpoke theſe wordes ſacramentally, doubtles they wolde neuer ſo groſſely & fooliſhely vnderſtand them, contrary to all the ſcriptures, and to the expoſition of ſaynct Auguſtyn, ſayncte Hierome, Fulgentius, Digilius, Origenes, and many other godly writers.
End of the text · John Knox, Letter to Lady Mary (1556)