A. It is to profefs, [by partaking of this facrameni], that we believe in his death, in our room, to have been Inot acceptable to God, Eph. v. 2.; and that we acquiefce therein, together with his obedience, as the fole ground of our hope of falvation, Rom. iv. 25.

Q. 3c. How doth it appear, that his death, in our room, was most acceptable unto God?

A. By his refurrection from the dead. and his entrance into glory. Luke xxiv. 26.

Theff. i. 10.

Q3. How may we know if we acquiefce in the obedience and death of Chrift, as the fole ground of our hope of falvation?

A.If we are renouncing all other confidences Hof xiv.3. and are convince that the meritorious obedience unto death of the Son of God as our Surety, is the fole payment of the debt we were owing to law and justice, Jer. xxiii. 6—1 his is his name whereby he fhall be called, THE LORD GUR

RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Q, 32. Why has Christ appointed this facrament to be oblerved in remembrance of him, Luke xxii. 19. This do in remembrance of me?

A. Because though his incarnation and satisfaction be the greatest events that ever happened in the world, and the most interesting to us, yet we are apt to forget them; or at leaft, not to have the folid and lively impreffion of them habitually upon our spirits, Pfal. cvi. 13. They foon forgot his work.

2. 33. What is it about the death Chrift we ought to remember in this facrament?

A. The truth of it; the neceffity of it; and the fuffici ency of it.

234 What is it to remember the truth of Chria's death?

A. It is by a true and faving faith, to believe that Chrift really did and fuffered all these things for us, that are recorded of him in fcripture, 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4.

Q. 35. What is it to remember the ne. effity of his death, Lu. xxiv. 26. Ought not Chrift to have fuffered these things? A. It is to believe, that we had certainly gone down to the pit, unless God had found a ransom, or an atonement, Job xxxiii. 24.

Q: 46. What is it to remember the fufficiency of it?

A. It is to believe that it is infinitely valuable: and there

fore could have procured the falvation of thousands of worlds, had it been fo ordained, it being the death and blood of him, who is the fupreme God, A As xx.18 -Feed the church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own blood.

Q. 37. In what MANNER fhould we fhew forth and remember, the death of Chrift in this facrament?

A. We ought to do it fiducially, humbly, mournfully, and thankfully.

2. 38. Why ought we to remember his death fiducially? 1. Because as he was delivered for our offences, Rom. iv. 25. fo God raifed him up from the dead, and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God, Pet. i. 21.

239. Why ought we to remember it humbly ?

A. Because when we are unworthy of the leaft of all God's mercies, Gen. xxxii. 1o. we are much more so of the greatest that can be conferred, John iii. 16. God f loved the world, &c.

2. 40. Why mournfully?

A. Becaufe our fins were the procuring cause of his suffering, Ifa. liii. 5, 6. He was wounded for our tranfgref fions, he was bruifed for our iniquities:-The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.*

241. Why fhould the death of Chrift be remembered thankfully?

A. Becaufe his death was in our room, Tit. H. 14; and was the finishing Aroke of the work which his Father gave him to do, John xix. 30.

2. 42. How often should the death of Christ be remembered by partaking of this facrament ?

4. The fcriptare his not precifely determined how of ten; but it would appear that it ought frequently to be done.

Q.43 How doth it appear that the death of Chrift fhould be frequently remembered in the fupper?

A. From the words of our Lord, î Cor. xi. 25, 26– This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me ; for, as often as ye eat this bread, &c. plainly implying, that it ouglit OFTEN to be done.

Q. 44. When will the death of Chrift be remembered perpetually without interruption ?

A. In heaven, though not in a facramental way, Rev. kxi. 22. I farw no temple there.

Marg. Hath made the iniquities of us all to meet in him.

Q. 45. How raay it be proved, that it will be perpetually, remembred in heaven?

i.

A. From the fong of the redeemned there, recorded Rev. 5, 6-Unto him that loved us, and wathed us from our fins in his own blood-to him be glory And chap v 9-14. And they fung a new fong faying-Thou wait flain, and haft redeemed us to God, by thy blood, &:.

Q. 46. Who are called worthy receivers, in the answer ? A None are worthy receivers of this facrament, but true believers; and even they, in order to their partaking worthily and comfortably, ought to have grace in exercife, as well as in the habit, Song i. 12.

Q: 47. Why are true believers called WORTHY receivers? A. Not on account of any worthiness in themselves, for they have nothing of their own whereof they can boast; but because they are united to Carift, and have all that grace from him, which enables them to partake in a suitable and becoming manner, 2 Cor. iii. 5.

248. What are the worthy receivers [made partakers of] in this facrament?

A. They are [made partakers of Chrift's body and blood, with all his benefits]

2.49. What is it to be partakers of Chrift's body and bloed? A. It is to be entertained, in this facrament, upon all that was tranficted upon the perfon of Chrift, as Gol man, Mediator: this being the only proper and fuitable food of the foul, John vi 51. 53

50. In what refpect is it, that the worthy receivers are NOT made partakers of his body and blood?

A. They are not made partakers thereof [after a corporal and carnal manner].

251. Why are thef: words inferted in the answer, [not after a corporal and carnal manner]?

4. They are inferted in oppofition to the popifh doctrine of tranfubftantiation. which maintains a change of the 'fubftance of bread and wine, into the fubftance of Chrift's body and blood, by confecration of a priest *.'

252. What is the abfurdity of this doctrine?

A. It is repugnant not to fcripture alone, but even to common fenfe and reafon; overthroweth the nature of the facrament; and hath been aud is the caufe of manifold fuperftitious, yea, of grofs idolatries †.'

Q. 53. How is it repugnant to fcripture?

A. The fcripture exprefsly affirmas, that Christ gave the fame very bread and cup to his difciples, after confecration, that he had taken into his hands before, Mat. xxvi. 26, 27. Whereas the doctrine of transubstantiation maintains, that the elements, after confecration, are no more the fame, having only the form, colour, tafte, and smell of bread and wine, wanting the fubftance of either; being turned into the fubftance of Chrift's body and blood; in oppofition whereunto the apoftle calls the elements, after confecration, by the fame names they had before it, to intimate, that there was no change of their substance, 1 Cor. xi. 26, 27, 28. As often as ye eat this BREAD, and drink this cur, &c.

Q: 54. How is tranfubftantiation repugnant to common fenfe and reafon?

4. Common fenfe and reafon tells us, that a body occupies but one place, and cannot be at divers places at one and the fame time; whereas they who defend transubslantiation must allow, that the body of Chrift may be in a thoufind places at once, even as may places as there are confecrated wafers.

2. 55. How doth transubstantiation overthrow the nature of the facrament?

A. By defroying the fpiritual or facramental relation, that is between the figa and the thing fignified; for, if the fign be turned into the thing fignified, then all relation and fimilitude betwixt them ceases. Befides, the facrament being a commemoration of what was done and fuffered in the human nature of Christ, it fuppofes his body to be abfent, whereas tranfubftantiation fuppofes it prefent.

26. How is it the cause of manifold fuperftitions and grofs idelatries?

A. In as much as ftrange and furprising effects are afcribed to the hoft, or confecrated wafer, even when not ufed facramentally and the alleged change of the bread and wine, into the fubftance of Christ's body and blood in the facrament, is the very pretence, why they pay religious worship and adoration to the elements themselves; which is grofs fuperftition and idolatry.

Q. 57. What is the difference between the Papifls and Lutherans on this head?

A The Papifts maintain, that the bread and wine lose their own natural substance, and are turned into the fub

Atance of Chrift's body and blood: but the Lutherans af firm, that the bread and wine retain their own natural fubfance ftill,and at the fame time that the fubftance of Chrift's body and blood is in, with, or under, these elements.

Q 58. Are not both opinions equally abfurd?

A. Yes: for tranfubftantiation supposes, that one body may be in many places at the fame time; and confubftanti ation takes it for granted, that two bodies may be together in the fame very place, or that they may both occupy the fame individual space at the same time.

Q. 19. Is Chrift offered up, in this facrament, as a sucrifice for the remiflion of fias?

A No: there is therein only a commemoration of that one offering up of himfelf, by himself, upon the cross, once for all; and a fpiritual oblation of all poffiole praife ' unto God for the fame *.'

Q. 60. Why doth our Coufeffion fay, that Chrifl's once offering up of himself was done BY HIMSELF?

A. In oppofition to the unbloody facrifice of the mass, which is offered up daily by the Popish priests, for remif fion of the fins both of the quick and the dead.

Q61. What doth our Confeffion of Faith affirm concerning this Popith facrifice of the mafs, as they call it ?' A. It affirms, that it is moft abominably injurious to <Chrift's one only facrifice, the alone propitiation for all the fins of the elect, Heb. vii. 27.†'

Q. 62. Is not Chrift really prefent in the facrament of the fupper?

A. He is as really and spiritually prefent to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themfelves are to their outward fenfes, i Cor. xi. 29.‡'

Q. 63 If Chrift be really present in the facrament only in a ipiritual fenfe and not corporally, why doth he fay of the bread, This is my body?

A. The plain obvious meaning is, The bread is the fign or fymbol of my body: fo that the words are to be underftood in the figurative, not in the literal fenfe.

Q.64. How do you prove, that these words, This is my body, are to be understood in the figurative, and not in the literal and proper fenfe?

Confeffion of Faith, chap xxix. fe&t. 2. ↑ Ibid,

+ Ibid. fe&t. 7.