Welchman on Article XXVIII: Of the Lord's Supper

Not only a Sign, &c.] The Lord’s Supper is, indeed, a Sign of that mutual Love, and of that intimate Fellowship, which is, or ought to be, among Christians : For we being many, are one Bread, and one Body; for we are all Par- takers of that one Bread, 1 Cor. x. 17. But it chiefly points out to us Christ offered as an expiatory Sacrifice for us, and as such it really exhibits him to every one who wor- thily partakes of the sacred Elements of Bread and Wine. See Hooker’s Eccl, Pol. B. V. Sect. 67. TJewel’s Def. Apol. Part II. Ch. 12. Divis. 1.

• A Sa-

of the Church of EncLanD.

’ A Sacrament of our Redemption] See Matth. xxvi. 26, 27, 28. And as they were eating, Fesus took Bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the Disciples, and said, ake eat ; this is my Body. And he took the Cup, and gave Thanks, and. gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it : For this is my Blood of theNew Testament; which is shed for many, for the Remission of Sins. And Luke xxii. 19, 20. And he took Bread, and gave Thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my Body, which is given for you : This do in Remembrance of Me. Likewise ah the Cup after Sup- per, saying, This is the New Testament in my Blood, which is ed for you. 5 a Partaking, &c.] This is thus express’d in 1 Cor, x. 16. The Cup of Blessing which we bless, is it not the Com- munion of the Blood of Christ? The Bread which we break,

is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ See Fustin Agel. J. Martyr. We receive not the Lord’s Supper as Commons. 85.

« Bread, or Common Drink: But as our Saviour Jesus « Christ was incarnate by the Word of God, and for Our & Salvation had both Flesh and Blood; fo we have learnt, that this Food, which hath been blessed by the Prayer of & the Word proceeding from Him, and by which Our 4 Flesh and Blood are by Fransmutation nourished, is the

&« Flesh and Blood of that incarnate Jesus.” And [reneus, Alv. Her. 6 The Bread which is from the Earth, after the Divine“. 4+ c. 34+

& Invocation upon it, is no longer Common Bread, but * the Eucharist, consisting of two Things; the one « KEarthly, the other Heavenly.”

Transul/tantiation] That is, a Change of the Substance | of Bread and Wine into the Substance of the Flesh and Blood of Christ. But this, if any Credit is to be given to our Reason and Senses, is a most absurd Notion. It is likewise contradicted by the Scripture, which calls the Ele- ments this Bread, and this Cup, even after Consecration (1 Cor. xi. 27, 28.) and even by the very Canon of the Mass, in which *tis prayed, that the Eucharist may become to us the Body and Blood of Christ ; which is a plain In- timation that it is not so in itself. Moreover this Doctrine of Transubstantiation overthrows the Nature of a Sacra- ment: For nothing can be a Sacrament (or Sign) of itself. Finally, it has given Occasion to much Superitition ; as, to the Elevation of the Host ; to carrying it about in Pro- cession; and even to the worshipping of it.

K 2 Sec

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In Comment.

in 1 Pet. Co Jo

Ad Mar- cion. J. 4. Co 40.

Epist. 63.

De Derr. ( iBiana.

Nares on the XXXIX Articles

See that remarkable Testimony of Irenæus, preserv’dby Oecumenius. When the Greeks had taken some Servants 4 of the Christian Catechumens, and then urged them by Violence to tell them some of the Secrets of the Chris. „ tians ; these Servants having nothing to say that might gratify those who offered Violence to them, except only, that they had heard from their Masters, that the Divine „ Communion was the Blood and Body of Christ ; they, de thinking that it was really Blood and Flesh, declar’d as much to those who question’d them. The Greets taking this as it was really transacted by the Christians, dis- & cover’d it to others of the Greeks, who hereupon put the Martyrs Sanus and, Blandina to the Torture, to make them confess it. To whom Blandina boldly and perti- & nently answered, How is it possible that They would en- dure to do this, who for the Sake of holy Exercise (or & Abstinence) forbear to eat even such Flesh as may be „ lawfully eaten.“

See allo Tertullian. The Bread which our Saviour took, c and distributed to his Disciples, he made his own Body, “ saying, This is my Body; that is, the Figure of my Body.“ And St. Cyprian. When Christ says, I am the true Vine; certainly the Blood of Christ is not Water, but „% Wine. His Blood, with which we are redeemed and & quickened, cannot seem to be in the Cup, when there is « no Wine in the Cup, by which the Blood of Christ is &« represented.” This he sake against these who gave the & Communion in Water only, without Wine mingled with it.

Note, That if there be any Transubstantiation here, it is of Blood into Wine, and not of Wine into Blood ; and that since the Blood is represented by the Wine, the Wine cannot be the Blood itself, since nothing can be a Sign or Representation of itself.

See also Nnwelli Cat. p. 160. Fewe!‘s Def. Apol. Part II. C. 13. Div. 1. and Reply, Art. 5, 10, 25, 26. Rubrick after the Communion Service. Masan de Nin. Angl. B. V. C. 6. T lotson’s Discourse against Transubstantiation, Pearson on the Creed, Art, III. p. 162.

After an Heavenly and Spiritus Manmner.] For to do it after an earthly and bodily Manner, ot. Augu/tine says, is an heinous Wickedness. And therefore this 1 ext, John vi. 53. Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Mun, and arink his B. oed, ye have no Life in yeu, he says, is a Figure, which

lib. 3. c. 16. & commands us to communicate the Passion of our Lord, and,

of the Church of ENGLAND.

and, to our great Comfort and Advantage, to treasure up & this in our —_— that his Flesh was crucified, and &* wounded for us. He also thus interprets these Words of

Christ, 7ohn vi. 63. It is the Spirit that guickeneth, the I: T sal. 98.

Flesh profiteth nothing: The Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are Life. * That is, Ye are not to eat * this Body which you fee, and to drink that Blood, * which they who shall crucify me are going to shed: I © have bequeathed to you a Sacrament, which, being * spiritually understood, will give you Life.“

The Mean whereby, &c.] Since Christ faith, (John vi. 52.) Except ye eat the Flasb, &c. and since he also faith, (Ver. 47.) that he that believeth on Him, hath everlasting Life; it is manifest, that Faith is the Mean, by which the Body of Christ is eaten. —See also John vi. 35. And Fesus faith unto them, I am the Bread of Life : He that cometh to Me, shall never hunger ; and he that believeth on Me, shall never thirst.

See also the Homily on the Sacrament, Part I. Nowell: Cat. p. 77, 150. Fewel’s Def. Apol. Part II. Ch. 13. Div. 1. Bilson of Christian Subj. Part LV. p. 582, &c.

Was not by Christ’s Ordinance reserved, &c.] Christ said, Take, eat, drink; but not, Reserve, carry about, &c.—Sec Jeibel’s Def. Apol. Part II. C. 15. Div. 1. and Reply, Art. 7, 8, 9.

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Of the Wicked, which eat not the Body of Christ in the Use of the Lord’s Supper.