6. Doctrine in the Lutheran Church

In order to understand the sequence of events among the Lutherans, three things must be borne in mind: the extremely conservative character of Luther's original teaching and practise this matter, Melanchthon's gradual departure from it, and the lateness of the real effect of Luther's teaching on ubiquity. The popular mind paid little heed to fine distinctions, and saw no great difference between transubstantiation and conaub stantiation. Luther's catechisms, which soon be came, if informally, the standard of teaching, as serted that " under " (or " in and under ") " the bread and wine the true body and the true blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is imparted [to all re ceivers] as a certain pledge and sign of the benefit

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of the sacrament (to the faithful only), the remission of sins." The manner in which the form of public worship was but slightly changed from the pre-Reformation mass produced a similar impression on the ordinary mind. The fact, then, was all the more notable that from 1531 Melanchthon drew away more and more from this position. As early as that date he dropped the doctrine of ubiquity, and somewhat later the "in the bread"; by 1535 he was sympathizing with the "tropical" meaning given to the words of institution, and then, though obscurely, abandoning the reception by the wicked; while toward the end of his life he agreed in all essentials with Calvin. About 1555 the doctrine of ubiquity began to have its effect. The Philippists (q.v.) were then directly attacked, after Melanchthon's death, as "crypto-Calvinieta," and theological discussion turned with considerable heat to the question of the Lord's Supper, and to the doctrine of the Incarnation which the teaching on ubiquity connected closely with it. After the downfall of the Philippists in Saxony, it was possible to formulate definitely the anti-Philippiat, anti-Calvinist teaching in article VII. of the Formula Conr cordite (see section IV. and the article, Formula of Concord).

Among the "Reformed" Churches-4hose which were neither Lutheran nor Anabaptist-there was a general agreement from Zwingli's time that " the body and blood of Christ " were not, as with Luther and the Roman Catholics, the "sign of the sacrament" but the benefit which only the faithful, "spiritually eating," received; that 7. The accordingly the "this is" must be Reformed taken in a figurative sense; that Christ, Doctrine. exalted "bodily" to the right hand of God, is present not "bodily" but according to his divinity and "efficacy." There were, how ever, differences on some points. In Zwingli's mind the rite was one which rather imposed obli gations on the recipient than conferred benefits; "spiritual eating" was for him equivalent to the faith in the sacrifice of Christ which was professed by the congregation. It is true that he said more than once that the sacrament was a pledge and as surance of faith; but Bullinger emphasized much more strongly the aide which gives, as in the gen eral conception of a sacrament, so especially in the communion. Calvin, whose view may more easily be understood, and probably with more correctness, as a modification of Luther's, not of Zwingli's, insisted strongly on the "giving" character of the sacrament in opposition to what he thought the "profane" conception of Zwingli, and gave a much fuller meaning to the "spiritual eating." His views have ultimately been adopted by the great majority of the strictly "Reformed" bodies; but to take a wide general view of the infinite gra dations between the strict Calvinistic belief and the rationalizing of the Zwinglian view into a mere ob servance in commemoration of Christ would re quire far too much space. (F. LOOFS.)

The position taken on the subject by the great Church of England divines represents a via media