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NOTE II.

(Referred to in page 54.)

"The Visitatorial Articles published in 1502, in the Electorate and Provinces of Upper Saxony, and proposed and ordered to be subscribed and observed by the Judges of Consistories, Superintendents, Ministers of Churches and Schools, and by the Administrators of Ecclesiastical Property, and also by Patrons and Collectors."

"ARTICLE I.

"On the Sacred Supper.

"The pure and true Doctrine of our Church, on the Sacred Supper.

"I. THAT the words of Christ, "Take and eat, This is my Body; Drink, This is my Blood;" are to be taken simply, and according to the letter, as they sound.

"II. That, in the Sacrament, there are two things, which are exhibited and received together; one, earthly, which is bread and wine; the other, heavenly, which is the body and blood of Christ.

"III. That the Union, Exhibition and Sumption are done here below, on the earth; and not above, in the heavens. "IV. That the true and natural body of Christ, which hung Conf.

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on the cross, and the true and natural blood, which flowed from the side of Christ, are exhibited and received.

"V. That the body and blood of Christ are received in the Supper, not only spiritually by faith, which might be done out of the Supper; but, by the mouth, with the bread and wine; yet, in an inscrutable and supernatural manner; and this for a pledge and ascertainment of the resurrection of our bodies from the dead.

"VI. That the perception of the body and blood of Christ by the mouth, is had, not only by the worthy, but also by the unworthy, who approach it without penance and true faith; but with different effect.-By the worthy, it is received for salvation; by the unworthy, for judgment.

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"The pure and true Doctrine of our Church on the Articles of the Person of Christ.

"I. IN Christ, there are two distinct natures, the divine and human. These remain eternally, unconfined and inseparable (or undivided).*

"II. These two natures are personally, and in one another so united, that there is but one Christ and one person.

"III. On account of this personal union, it is rightly said, and in fact and truth it really is, that God is man, and man is God; that Mary begat the Son of God; and that God redeemed us by his own proper blood.

"IV. By this personal union, and the exaltation which followed it, Christ, according to the flesh, is placed at the right

The words in the parenthesis are in the original.

hand of God, and has received all power in heaven and in earth, and is made partaker of all the divine majesty, honor, power, and glory.

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"The pure and true Doctrine of our Church on this Article of Holy Baptism.

"I. THAT there is but one Baptism, and one Ablution; not that, which is used to take away the filth of the body, but that, which washes us from our sins.

"II. By Baptism, as a bath of the regeneration and renovation of the Holy Ghost, God saves us, and works in us, such justice and purgation from our sins, that he, who perseveres to the end in that covenant and hope, does not perish, but has eternal life.

"III. All, who are baptized in Jesus Christ, are baptized in his death; and by baptism are buried with him in his death, and have put on Christ.

"IV. Baptism is the bath of regeneration; because in it we are born again, and again sealed by the Spirit of adoption, from favor (or gratuitously).'

"V. Unless a person be born again of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.

"VI. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh; and, by nature, all of us are children of divine wrath: because we are born of sinful seed, and we are all born in sin.

'The words in the parenthesis are in the original.

"ARTICLE IV.

"On Predestination and the Eternal Providence

of God.

"The pure and true Doctrine of our Church on this Article.

"I. THAT Christ died for all men, and, as the Lamb of God, took away the sins of the world.

"II. That God created no man for condemnation; but wills that all men should be saved, and arrive at the knowledge of truth: He therefore commands all to hear Christ, his Son, in the Gospel; and promises, by his hearing, the virtue and operation of the Holy Ghost, for conversion and salvation.

" III. That many men, by their own fault, perish; some, who will not hear the Gospel respecting Christ; some, who afterwards fall from grace, either by fundamental error, or by sins against conscience.

"IV. That all sinners, doing penance, will be received into favour; and none will be excluded, though his sins be red as blood; as the mercy of God is greater than the sins of the whole world, and God hath mercy on all his works.

"The false and erroneous Doctrine of the Calvinists follows.

"On the sacred Supper.

"I. That the before-cited words of Christ are to be understood figuratively, and not according to the letter, as they sound. "II. That bare signs only are in the Supper; but the body of Christ is as far from the bread, as the highest heaven from the earth.

"III. That Christ is present therein, by his virtue and operation, and not in his body. As the sun, by his splendor and operation, is present and effective on earth; but the body of the sun exists above in heaven.

IV. That the body of Christ is therein a typified body, which is only signified and prefigured by the bread and wine. "V. That the body is received by faith alone, which raiseth itself to heaven, and not by the mouth.

"VI. That the worthy only receive it, that the unworthy, who have not the faith, which ariseth to the heavens, receive nothing besides bread and wine.

The false and erroneous doctrine of the Calvinists.

"On the Person of Christ: which differs, in particular, from the third and fourth Article of the more pure doctrine,

"I. That God is man, and man God, is a figurative mode speech.

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"II. That human nature hath communion with the divine, not in fact and truth, but in name and words only.

"III. That it is impossible to God, by all his omnipotence, to effect, that the natural body of Christ, which is in one place, should, at the same time and instant, be in several.

"IV. That, according to his human nature, Christ hath, by his exaltation, received only created good and finite power; and doth not know and cannot do all things.

"V. That, according to his humanity, Christ reigns, where he is absent, as the king of Spain governs his Islands.

" VI. That it is a damnable idolatry, to place the hope and faith of the heart in Christ, not singly according to his divine, but also according to his human nature, and to direct the honor of adoration to both.

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