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ARTICLE XXX.

Of both Kinds."

THE cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people for both the parts of the Lord's sacrament, by

a It appears, from the unanimous testimony of the fathers, and from all the ancient rituals and liturgies, that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was, in the early ages of the church, administered in both kinds, as well to the laity as the clergy. The prac tice of denying the cup to the laity arose out of the doctrine of transubstantiation. The belief that the sacramental bread and wine were actually converted into the body and blood of Christ, naturally produced in a weak and superstitious age an anxious fear lest any part of them should be lost or wasted. To prevent any thing of this kind in the bread, small wafers were used, which were put at once into the mouths of the communicants by the ministers; but the priests having in vain endeavoured to prevent the occasional spilling of the wine, first by sopping the bread in it, then by having tubes to convey it into the mouth, and by various other means, it was at last determined to withhold the cup entirely from the laity. And this doctrine, after spreading gradually for nearly three centuries, was at last established by the authority of the council of Constance, A. D. 1414.

b If one part of this sacrament be more necessary than the other, the cup seems to be so; since it represents the blood of Christ, to which remission of sins, and our redemption, are oftener ascribed in Scripture, than to his body. Now the Romanists do but trifle, when they say, that the blood is with the body; since in the eucharist we commemorate not the life of our Lord, but his death, in which the blood was separated from his body. 1 Cor. xi. 26. "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." And, Luke xxii. 19, 20. "And he took bread, and gave it unto

Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men alike."

them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup, is the new testament, in my blood, which is shed for you." Christ himself hath also guarded against this piece of sacrilege by commanding, that all should drink of the cup, (Matt. xxvi. 27.) And in Mark xiv. 23. it is said, that all drank of it; which is no where expressly said of eating the bread. 1 Cor. xi. 26, 27, 28. In all which verses the Corinthians in general are expressly required to drink of that cup.

ARTICLE XXXI.

Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross.a

THE offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual: And

a This article is directed against the doctrine of the Romish church with respect to masses. The Papists, believing that the bread and wine are by consecration changed into the real body and blood of Christ, consider Christ as offered up to God at every celebration of the eucharist; and maintain, that this sacrifice of Christ will be the means of shortening the pains of purgatory, and of reconciling God to those who shall procure such masses to be said, whether they be living or dead.

CHRIST ONCE OFFERED.

b Since the offering of Christ, which was once made upon the cross, is sufficient, there is no occasion for any other; and since it is perfect, it ought not to be repeated. Heb. ix. 26.

there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone.c Wherefore the sacrifices of masses, in the which it was commonly said that the priest did offer Christ for the

"Once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb. x. 10. "We are sanctified,
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all."
John i. 29. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,
and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world," 1 John ii. 2. "He is the propitiation for our
sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world."

THE OBLATION OF CHRIST A PERFECT SATISFACTION FOR
SIN.

c Heb. x. 14, 26. "By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Heb. ix. 25, 26. "Nor yet that he should offer himself often: as the high-priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others: for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

CHRIST NOT OFFERED OFTEN IN THE SENSE OF THE PAPISTS.

d Now if Christ himself be truly offered in the mass for the remission of sins, then he is often truly slain, and his blood is often truly shed; for "without shedding of blood is no remission." Heb. ix. 22. This certainly, if any thing be so, is a blasphemous fable. But if he is only offered mystically, that is, if in the mass that one only sacrifice, which was offered upon the cross, is again represented upon the altar; then there is not in the mass a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice, as the Romanists believe: but only a commemoration of a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice, as the reformed believe.

The sacrifice of masses may be justly called "Fables," since they have no authority in Scripture; and they are "blasphemous" insomuch as they derogate from the sufficiency of the death and passion of Christ as an expiation for the sins of mankind; and

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quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.

they are "dangerous deceits," because they encourage wickedness by holding out an easy method of pardon, and lead men to place their hope of salvation on a false foundation.

"Masses" was the name of the Lord's Supper in England till the middle of the reign of Edward VI.

ARTICLE XXXII.

Of the Marriage of Priests."

BISHOPS, priests, and deacons are not commanded by God's law either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage: therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christian men, to marry at their own

a There was scarcely any point more canvassed at the time of the Reformation than the right of the clergy to marry. The celibacy of the Romish clergy was with reason considered to be a principal cause of their irregular lives; and the wisest of the reformers were exceedingly anxious to abolish a practice which had been injurious to the interests of religion, by its tendency to corrupt the morals of those who ought to be examples to the rest of mankind.

MARRIAGE HONOURABLE.

b Since it appears, both from the Gospel and from the epistles of St. Paul, that the apostles had wives, also what qualifications the wives of presbyters and deacons ought to have; it follows, that it is lawful for the clergy to marry. Peter's wife's mother was miraculously healed by our Lord. Mark i. 30, 31. 1 Cor. ix. 5. "Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife,

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discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness.b

as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord and Cephas ?" And, 1 Tim. iii. 11. "Even so must their wives be grave," &c. And, Heb. xii. 4. "Marriage is honourable in all."

ARTICLE XXXIII.

Of Excommunicate Persons, how they are to be avoided.a

THAT person which by open denunciation of the church is rightly cut off from the unity of the church, and excommunicated, ought to be taken of the whole

a Excommunication was practised in the early times of the church for certain offences; and excommunicated persons were, upon repentance, again restored to communion. There were two kinds of excommunication, the less and the greater: by the former, men were excluded from partaking of the eucharist, but they were allowed to attend the other parts of divine service; by the latter, they were entirely expelled from the church: the former was temporary, but the latter was perpetual, unless the delinquent gave full proof of his repentance.

EXCOMMUNICATION ENJOINED IN SCRIPTURE.

b Since the church is a society of holy persons subject to Christ, what can be more equitable, than that such an one as rebels against Christ, and by his notorious crimes is become a scandal to the Christian name, should be driven out from the communion of the church, and be looked upon as a heathen, since he lives such a heathenish life? It is the duty of all good Christians "to withdraw themselves from every brother

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