Jackson on Article XXVIII: Of the Lord's Supper

“In early days it seems to have been connected in time and place with the common meal of the Christian brotherhood. And, although certain abuses soon necessitated the separation, the elements of a meal still survive and with it the thought of unity and love (See 1 Cor. x., 17, and the words ‘‘ in love and charity with your neigh- bours ’’ in the short exhortation). This was the view of the Zwinglians, true so far as it goes but not the whole truth. So the Article emphasises that the Lord’s Supper is ‘‘ not only ”’ this, ‘ bist rather ’’— -

Secondly, “ it is a Sacrament of our Redemp- tion by (per) Christ’s death.’’ That is to say, all that the death of Christ is to us historically as the ultimate source of our redemption, the Lord’s Supper is to us sacramentally as the definite op- portunity and visible means of realising and ap- propriating its benefits. This it does first by its emphasis on the fact of Christ’s death. ‘“ As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do show ( KarayyéAAete ) the Lord’s death. Our English Liturgy is true to this idea. The whole service centres round the Cross. The reminder of the occasion of the Institution, the Comfortable Words, the broken bread, the outpoured wine, the words of administration, andthe Gloria in Excelsis—all help to bring the thought of ** re- demption through Christ’s death ’’ vividly before our minds. But this is not all. Christ’s death has opened the way for our union with Him, and this in turn leads to a fuller realisation of the blessings of redemption. So we find that the Lord’s Supper also emphasises the thought of union with Christ. Indeed our Liturgy repre- sents this as the spiritual aim of the Communi- cant. Immediately before the act of Communion we pray ‘‘ that we may evermore dwell in Him

and He in us ’’; and in the second of the alternate ~

post-communion prayers we pray God “‘ to assist us with (His) grace that we may continue in that holy fellowship.’’

The nature of the act of communion is de- scribed by the Article practically in the language of Scripture (See 1 Cor. x., 16)—‘‘ Insomuch that to such as rightly (rite), worthily, and with faith receive the same, the Bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ, and likewise the Cup of blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ.”” This should be compared with the

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words of the Catechism on the inward part of the Sacrament—‘‘The body and blood of (Christ which are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord’s Supper.’’ In both cases the act of communion is represented as a real par- taking of Christ, contingent on the faith of the communicant,

(2) The Safeguards.

The first is against transubstantiation. The word ‘‘ transubstantiation ’’ was first used by the Sixth Lateran Council in 1215; and the doctrine, as expanded and developed by~the ingenuity of the Schoolmen, was first defined authoritatively by the Council of Trent at its thirteenth session, | 11th October, 1551. The word ‘‘ substance ”’ is a philosophical term, connoting that underlying something which makes a thing what it is. In theory transubstantiation means the change of this invisible something into the invisible some- thing called the substance of the body and blood of Christ. The Article rejects this doctrine on four grounds—(a) ‘‘ it cannot be proved by Holy Writ ’’ (cf. Mark xiv., 22 and 23, with John xv., 1); (b) a* 36 repugnant to the plain words of Scripture ’’ (see 1 Cor. xi., 26, and Acts iii., 21); (c) ‘‘ overthroweth the nature of a sacrament,”’ which requires ‘‘ the outward part or form ’’ as well as ‘* the inward part ’’ or ‘‘ thing signified ”’ ; (d) ‘* hath given occasion to many superstitions,’’ such as legends concerning bleeding hosts, etc.

The second safeguard is against materialistic | views of the Sacrament—‘‘ The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper only after a heavenly and spiritual manner; and the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.’’ (Cf. the words of the third exortation, ‘‘ Then we spiritually eat the

flesh of Christ and drink His blood,’’ and the words of the short Exhortation ‘‘ Draw near with faith and take… .’’)

The third safeguard is against the tendency to worship the Sacrament, which was the practical result of such customs as Reservation, Proces- sions, and Elevation of the Host (cf. the last clause of Article XXV. on the purpose of Sacraments).

ARTICLE XXIX. Or THE WICKED WHICH EAT NOT THE Bopy OF CHRIST IN THE USE OF THE LoRD’s