Propositions and Principles of Divinity Disputed, Section 60
PRINCIPLES CONCERNING THE LORDS SVPPER. LX.
1 THe other perpetuall Sacrament of the whole Chriſtian Church, is the Supper of the Lord, figured by diuers types vnderunder the olde couenaunt.
2 For it was meet, the Mediatour being now come, & the couenaunt beeing nowe laſt renewed by him, that the olde ſeales of the couenaunt ſhould be changed into ſuch, as might agree to the time both of the ordaining of them, and alſo of their laſt renuing, and ſo might euen declare that the Mediatour was come both by water and by blood.
3 Nowe the Supper is that laſt Sacrament of the newe Teſtament, or that publick action of the Chriſtian church, wherein, as the bread being broken, is giuen to be eaten, and the wine powred out, giuen to be drunk after the corporall manner: ſo the bodie of Chriſt beeing deliuered to death, and his blood being ſhed to ſeale vp thoſe that are in league with God, is giuen vntounto the faithful that can examine themſelues, and are ſpirituallie receaued of them by faith, for thoſe endes; which wee will preſentlie ſet down.
4 The authour both of the thinges deliuered, and of the action is Chriſt onelie, who (as far as this Teſtament is called the new) is the onlie teſtator: but in reſpect that it hath regard vntounto the couenaunt, that joineth others therin, the authour thereof is he, who is the authour of the couenaunt. The Church is the partie vntounto whome the promiſe is made: and therefore the Church is not to take vppon it, the authoritie to confirme this couenaunt.
5 The matter of the Supper, are the ſignes, and the things ſignified. VnderUnder the name of ſignes, are comprehended not onlie the ſubſtantiall things themſelues, namlie the bread and the wine: but alſo the rites, and the whole action as farre as it is Sacramentall; namelie, the breaking of the bread, the powring out of the wine, the delyuering and receauing of both: whereunto is joined the nouriſhment of the bodie, ariſing of the receauing of it.
6 Touching the bread, whether it ſhould bee leauened or vnleauened; touching the wine, whether it ſhoulde bee pure, or mixed with water: and if wine bee wanting, whether it be lawfull to vſe ſome other drinke: we thinke them matters, about which, no great contentions are to be raiſed; ſo that (if neceſsitie ſo require) that which is the ſpeciall thing, be retained, namelie, meat and drinke, meete for nouriſhment, and anſwerable vntounto the proportion of the ſignes and the things ſignified.
7 The adminiſtration of the ſignes, becauſe they are preſent vntounto our outward ſenſes, hath Chriſt committed vntounto the Miniſters of the worde, but yet ſo; as the efficacie of the adminiſtration doth not depend vponupon them, but vppon Chriſt onelie.
8 For this cauſe alſo, the things which we name ſignes are receaued by the mouth of the bodie: and therefore alſo by the wicked, (although they account them not for ſignes, but for common things) and that the receauing of them is turned vntounto their greater damnation.
9 The thinges ſealed, are the bodie and the bloode of Chriſt, the offering and receauing of both, and the ſpirituall nouriſhment ariſing therefrom: or rather whole Chriſt God and man, with all his benefites, and the newe couenant confirmed by the death of the teſtator.
10 For although the receauing of the bread and the wine, doth onelie ſignifie the communion of the body and the blood: yet becauſe wee are made one with Chriſt, by meanes of his humaine nature, it doth ſeale vntounto vsus the whole benefite of ſaluation: becauſe neither the manhood can be ſeperated from the word, nor the humanitie ſubſiſt without the Deitie, or his benefits without the whole perſon; and therefore, the one are neither receaued nor deliuered without the other.
11 It is not without cauſe, that Chriſt hath ſeuerallie ordained the bread to be the Sacrament of his bodie, and the wine of his blood: and commanded them to bee ſeuerallie deliuered in the Church. For the bodie and blood are not ſacramentally repreſented vntounto vsus in this action, as the whole humanitie of Chriſt, being glorified doth now liue: but in regard that they were offered vppon the croſſe for vsus, the blood being powred out of the bodie.
Vaine therfore is that concomitaunce, (as they call it) or inſeparable conjunction of the body and the blood, vnderunder both kindes ſeuerallie, whereas the bodie is here laid before vsus and giuen to bee conſidered by our faith, as being without blood, and the blood as powred out of the bodie by death.
12 The things ſignified, becauſe they are giuen vntounto our minde, and that to eſtabliſh and increaſe a ſpirituall life in vsus, are giuen by Chriſt himſelfe, and receaued through faith, by the power of the holie Ghoſt: whence it commeth, that they are proper and peculiar vntounto the faithfull onelie.
13 Yet doth it not follow, that the bread and the wine giuen vntounto the vnbeleeuers, are not Sacramentes. For in reſpect of Chriſt, he giueth vntounto euerie man that whollie, which he promiſeth in his worde: vz. the ſignes vntounto the bodies, and the thinges vntounto the ſoules that are endued with true faith: wherevpon it is no maruell, if the one of them alone be receaued by the vnworthie communicants as bringing onelie their bodie, and that polluted too, vntounto the Lords Table, whereas they want the mouth of the minde, that is, faith.
14 The forme conſiſteth in the apt and meet, that is, ſacramentall and reſpectiue conjunction and analogie, or agreement of the outwarde ſigne, and the inwarde myſterie.
The Tranſubſtantiation of the ſignes and the thinges ſignified, and the eſſentiall conſubſtantiation of the things ſignified with the ſignes, are to bee rejected: for the former doth aboliſhe one part of the Sacrament, to wit, the ſignes, both of them are directlie contrary, both vntounto the Articles of our faith, concerning the truth of Chriſts bodie, and alſo vntounto the vſe of the Sacraments: whence followeth that moſt horrible and deteſtable bread-worſhip.
15 The agreement of the ſignes and the things ſignified, is manifeſt: for as breade and wine doe nouriſh vsus in this life: euen ſo, the bodie and blood of Chriſt, purchaſe aeternall life vntounto vsus.
Both the bread and the wine therefore are to bee deliuered in the Supper, both, to the end that the whole analogie may be kept, and alſo for the cauſe alledged in the 11 principle.
16 This analogie doth depend vponupon the diuine ordination, inſtitution or bleſsing: by vertue wherof common things are drawne vntounto a holie vſe.
The ſignes therefore, hauehave by the ordinance of God, no conſideration at all of a Sacrament, ſaue onelyonly in the action of their lawfull adminiſtration. Neither are wee to imagine of any force that ſhould bee engraffed in the ſigns themſelues, ſeing they differ from common things in regard of a Sacramentall ſignification onelyonly, and that in the very vſe. That carrying about, an adoration of the ſignes, is moſt horrible Idolatrie.
17 As the whole force of the Supper, and the Sacramentall formes of ſpeach, doe ariſe from this analogie: ſo they are to be judged thereby.
Theſe ſpeaches therfore, [This is my body, the cup is the new Teſtamēt in my blood,] are not to be expoūded according to the words, but according to the meaning; that is by a Sacramentall Metonymie or chaunge of the name, whereby thoſe things are ſaid to be that, wherof onelyonly they are a ſigne.
18 The proper and principall endes of the Suppcr, are both the ſerious remembraunce (joyned with thankes-giuing) of the death of Chriſt, to his glorie and our profite: and alſo the neerer ingraffing of vsus into the body of Chriſt by faith, beeing ſtrengthened and increaſed, and our neerer vniting with God the Father, by meanes of the Mediator, who dwelleth in vsus by his Spirite.
19 The leſſe principall endes, are the mutuall communion and louelove of the faithfull, being members of the ſame body, the outward witnesſing of that mutuall conſent, and the preſeruation of publicke meetings.
20 The effects of the Supper, doe differ from the ends, but in reſpect onelyonly: For ſeeing it is ordained by Chriſt vntounto theſe ends; it cannot be, but that they ſhould enſue vppon the lawfull vſe of the Supper: yet ſo, as the inſtrumentall ſignification is attributed vntounto them, as their worke: whereas the whole efficacie is ſolie referred vntounto the holie Ghoſt.
21 The profit and efficacie of the Supper, is not to bee tied vntounto the verie moment of the action of receauing, but doth extend it ſelfe vntounto our whole life: yet is not the action once celebrated, to bee for this cauſe, euer after neglected, ſeeing no man hath ſuch a perfection of faith in this life, as he ſtandeth not in need of this ſupport.
Defended by IANES ARMINIVS of Holland.