A Treatise On The Lord S Supper

In this work on the Lord's Supper, Henry Smith explains 1 Cor. 11:23b-24, “That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” Smith obliterates the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation by careful study of the Scriptures, quoting the early church fathers, and showing how the Roman Catholic doctrine (where the bread and wine change into the body and blood of the Lord), is logically impossible and inconsistent. Smith covers the doctrine of the Supper in two parts: part 1 is an explanation of the doctrine, and part two demonstrates practical steps of examination before partaking of the Supper. Smith explains succinctly such topics as: the fruit we receive out of the sacrament, unworthy reception of the Supper, and most importantly, the art of self-examination. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Theodore Beza's A Clear and Simple Treatise Respecting the Lord's Supper (1559) advances a tireless defense of the Reformed perspective on the Lord's Supper, responding chapter by chapter to specific arguments raised against John Calvin by his Lutheran opponent, Joachim Westphal. Beza makes great use of the concept of metonymy, or a figure of speech, in his interpretation of the words of institution, yet he equally champions the position that the Lord's Supper is not a bare symbol and that in it we have true communion with the risen Christ. And like Calvin, Beza refers extensively to the church fathers, especially Augustine, in defense of his position. This often-overlooked treatise marks some of the major differences between the Reformed and the Lutheran movements during the so-called second generation of the Reformation. A critical issue at the time, sacramental theology was at the forefront of the original break with Rome and prevented the various Protestant movements from uniting. Its translation into English from the original Latin provides a wider opportunity for those interested in these movements to learn more about some of the substantial issues of the period. Table of Contents: A Clear and Simple Treatise on the Lord’s Supper, in Which the Published Slanders of Joachim Westphal Are Finally Refuted Appendix A: A System of Doctrine on the Sacramental Substance Appendix B: The Moral, Ceremonial, and Political Law of God as Derived from the Books of Moses and Distributed into Particular Classes