The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

Yet we most assuredly believe, That the Bread that we break is the Communion of Christs Body; and, The Cup which we bless, is The Communion of his Blood. So that we confess and undoubtedly believe, That the faithful in the right use of the Lords Table,¹ so do eat the Body and drink the Blood of the Lord Jesus, That he remaineth in them, and they in him: Yea, That they are so made flesh of his flesh, and bones of his bones, That as the eternal God-head hath given to the flesh of Christ Jesus (which of the own condition and nature was mortal, and corruptible) life and immortality, so doth Christ Jesus Flesh and Blood eaten and drunken by us, give to us the same prerogatives; which albeit we confess, are neither given unto us at that only time, neither yet by the proper power and virtue of the Sacraments only; yet we affirm, That the faithful in the right use of the Lords Table hath such conjunction with Christ Jesus, as the natural man cannot comprehend: yea, and further we affirm, That albeit the faithful oppressed by negligence, and manly infirmity, doth not profit so much as they would at the very instant action of the Supper, yet shall it after bring forth fruit; as lively seed sown in good ground; for the holy Spirit which can never be divided from the right institution of the Lord Jesus, will not frustrate the faithful, of the fruit of that mystical action; but all this we say cometh by true Faith, ⟨p. 269⟩which apprehendeth Christ Jesus, who only maketh his Sacraments effectual unto us, and therefore whosoever slandereth us, as though we affirmed or believed Sacraments to be openly naked and bare signs, do injury unto us, and speak against a manifest truth. But this liberally and frankly we must confess, That we make a distinction betwixt Christ Jesus in his natural substance, and betwixt the elements in the Sacramental signs.² So that we will neither worship the signs, in place of that which is signified by them, neither yet do we despise and interpret them, as unprofitable and vain, but do use them with all reverence, examining our selves diligently before that so we do, because we are assured by the mouth of the Apostle, that such as eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup unworthily, are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus. XXII. Of the right administration of the Sacraments.