Article X: _Of the Holy Supper._
The Tenth Article has been approved, in which we confess that we
believe, that in the Lord's Supper the body and blood of Christ are
truly and substantially present, and are truly tendered, with those
things which are seen, bread and wine to those who receive the
Sacrament. This belief we constantly defend as the subject has been
carefully examined and considered. For since Paul says, 1 Cor. 10,
16, that the bread is the communion of the Lord's body, etc., it
would follow, if the Lord's body were not truly present, that the
bread is not a communion of the body, but only of the spirit of
Christ. And we have ascertained that not only the Roman Church
affirms the bodily presence of Christ, but the Greek Church also both
now believes, and formerly believed, the same. For the canon of the
Mass among them testifies to this, in which the priest clearly prays
that the bread may be changed and become the very body of Christ.
And Vulgarius, who seems to us to be not a silly writer, says
distinctly that bread is not a mere figure, but is truly changed into
flesh. And there is a long exposition of Cyril on John 15, in which
he teaches that Christ is corporeally offered us in the Supper. For
he says thus: Nevertheless, we do not deny that we are joined
spiritually to Christ by true faith and sincere love. But that we
have no mode of connection with Him, according to the flesh, this
indeed we entirely deny. And this, we say, is altogether foreign to
the divine Scriptures. For who has doubted that Christ is in this
manner a vine, and we the branches, deriving thence life for
ourselves? Hear Paul saying 1 Cor. 10, 17; Rom. 12, 5; Gal. 3, 28:
We are all one body in Christ; although we are many, we are,
nevertheless, one in Him; for we are all partakers of that one bread.
Does he perhaps think that the virtue of the mystical benediction is
unknown to us? Since this is in us, does it not also, by the
communication of Christ's flesh, cause Christ to dwell in us bodily?
And a little after: Whence we must consider that Christ is in us not
only according to the habit, which we call love, but also by natural
participation, etc. We have cited these testimonies, not to undertake
a discussion here concerning this subject, for His Imperial Majesty
does not disapprove of this article, but in order that all who may
read them may the more clearly perceive that we defend the doctrine
received in the entire Church, that in the Lord's Supper the body and
blood of Christ are truly and substantially present, and are truly
tendered with those things which are seen, bread and wine. And we
speak of the presence of the living Christ [living body]; for we know
that death hath no more dominion over Him, Rom. 6, 9.