OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

1.  The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by Him the same night on which He was betrayed, to be observed in His churches until the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance, and showing forth the sacrifice of Himself in His death, confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits of His death, for their spiritual nourishment and growth in Him, and their further engagement in and commitment to all the duties which they owe to Him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with Him, and with each other.[1]

2.  In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to His Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the living or dead, but is only a memorial of that one offering up of Christ by Himself upon the cross once for all; and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise to God for Calvary.  Therefore, the popish sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, is most abominable, being injurious to Christ’s own sacrifice, which is the only propitiation for all the sins of the elect.[2]

3.  The Lord Jesus has, in this ordinance, appointed His ministers to pray and bless the elements of bread and wine, and so setting them apart from a common to a holy use, and to take and break the bread, then to take the cup, and also communicating themselves, to give both to the communicants.[3]

4.  The denial of the cup to the people, the practice of worshipping the elements, the lifting them up or carrying them about for adoration, or reserving them for any pretended religious use, are all contrary to the nature of this ordinance, and to the institution of Christ.[4] 

5.  The outward elements in this ordinance, duly set apart and used as Christ ordained, so closely portray Him as crucified, that they are sometimes truly, although in terms used figuratively, referred to by the names of the things they represent, to wit, the body and blood of Christ, albeit, in substance and nature, they still remain truly and only bread and wine, as they were before.[5]

6.  That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ’s body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, when consecrated by a priest, or by any other way, is repulsive not only to Scripture, but even to common sense and reason; and it overthrows the nature of the ordinance, and has been, and is, the cause of a host of superstitions and of gross idolatries.[6] 

7.  Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, also receive them inwardly by faith, truly and in fact, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of His death; the body and blood of Christ is not corporally or carnally, but is spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are present to their outward senses.[7]

8.  All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ, so are they unworthy of the Lord’s table, and cannot, without great sin against Him, partake of these holy mysteries or be admitted to the Supper while they remain in that condition; yea, whoever receives the elements unworthily are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgment to themselves.[8]