Now in the Lord’s supper bread and wine represent the very body and blood of Christ. The reason hereof is this. As bread nourisheth and strengtheneth man, and giveth him ability to labour; so the body of Christ, eaten by faith, feedeth and satisfieth the soul of man, and furnisheth the whole man to all duties of godliness. As wine is drink to the thirsty, and maketh merry the hearts of men; so the blood of our Lord Jesus, drunken by faith, doth quench the thirst of the burning conscience, and filleth the hearts of the faithful with unspeakable joy. But? in the action of the supper the bread of the Lord is broken, the wine is poured out. For
[5 inscribuntur, Lat.] [6 a name: their, not in Lat.] [7 Rather, he cleanseth. ] [3 Rather, poureth on.] [9 Rather, Therefore. Ergo, Lat.]]
the body of our Saviour was broken, that is, by all means afflicted, and his blood gushed and flowed plentifully out of his gaping wounds. And we ourselves truly do break with our own hands the bread of the Lord; for we ourselves are in fault that he was torn and tormented. Our sins wounded him, and we ourselves crucified him; that is to say, he was crucified for us, that by his death he might deliver us from death. Furthermore, we take the bread into our hands, we likewise take the cup into our hands, because he said, “Take ye, eat ye; take ye, and divide it among you.” Neither do we lay them aside or hide them, neither do we! give them forthwith to others: but when we have received them, we eat and drink them, swallowing them down into our bodies; then afterward, we do communicate and offer them to other. For they, which lawfully celebrate the Lord’s supper, do not only believe that Christ suffered, or that he suffereth, for other and not for them; but they believe that Christ suffered for themselves; they believe that Christ doth, and as it were, hath already communicated all his gifts most liberally unto them. Therefore, as the sustenance of bread and wine, passing into the bowels, is changed into the substance of man’s body; even so Christ, being eaten of the godly by faith, is united unto them by his Spirit; so that they are one with Christ, and he one with them. And as meat plentifully prepared, daintily dressed, and only seen upon the table, doth not asswage hunger; so, if thou hear Christ reverently preached unto thee, and dost not believe that Christ with all his good gifts is thine, neither the word though reverently preached, nor yet the board though abundantly stored, do profit thee anything. And it maketh much to the reconciling, renewing, and maintaining of friendship, that we are all partakers of one bread, that we offer bread to our brethren, and that we drink of the cup which we receive at our brethren’s hand. For upon no other cause the ancient fathers seem to call the supper Synaxis, η͵, Synaxis, a communion. But of that we will speak somewhat elsewhere. And this much have I brought for example sake touching the analogy of the sign and thing signified, and would say more, but that I trust to them that be diligent this is sufficient; for I have ministered occasion to think upon, and to find out more and greater things.
[1 modo, Lat. omitted: only.] [2 magnifice, Lat.]]
By this short treatise touching the analogy I think it is plain, that? sacraments stir up and help the faith of the godly, For whiles our mind comprehendeth and considereth the benefits of God, Christ his blessing, our redemption, and other his good gifts; while it enjoyeth them with great pleasure of the spirit; whiles in them it is glad and rejoiceth; sacraments are now also outwardly given, which do visibly represent those things to our eyes, and as it were make them to enter into all our senses’, which the mind inwardly comprehendeth, considereth, and meditateth upon. For because the whole action, which consisteth of the words and the rite or ceremony, is counted with the sign; our eyes see the signs and all things which are done in the whole action of the signs; all which do as it were speak: our ears hear the words and institutions of Christ: yea, our very touching and tasting, they also do feel and perceive how sweet and good the Lord is: so that now the whole man, as it were both body and soul, caught up into heaven, doth feel and perceive that his faith is stirred up and holpen, and, to be short, that the fruit of faith in Christ is passing sweet and comfortable. ΑἸ] these things have place in them that believe. In them that believe not the signs remain, as they are, without life. Therefore these things are brought to pass by the virtue or power of faith and of the Spirit working in the lawful use of the sacraments: without faith and the Holy Ghost they are not felt or perceived.
There is not unlike efficacy or force also in the preaching of the word of God. For when this word by parables, by examples, and by description, is set forth to the hearers, if the Spirit and faith shine in their mind, by these they seem not only to hear things expounded, but to see them with their eyes. In consideration whereof I think Paul said: “Ὁ foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not believe the truth; to whom Jesus Christ was described? before your eyes, and among you crucified?” For it is certain, that Christ was nowhere either described or crucified among the Galatians. He speaketh therefore of his plainness of preaching the word, whereby things indeed are shewed; but