, 1881-03-13
THE REAL PRESENCE.

PROTESTANT VIEW OF THE LORDS SUPPER
The Adttsnce.
Perhaps our universal and strong Protestant
repuguaucc to the komish doctrine of the Real
Presence in the bread and wine OF the Lori g
Supper has deprived us Of some comfort and
strength which the real spiritual presence of
Christ with his peonle is fitted to afford. The
gracious promise before Ills ascension, "Lo! l
am with sou always ought surely not to he de-
prived OF its precious significance md power,
because the figmcnt Of transus,stAntiuuon AS-
scrts the corporeaf presence OF our Lord 1T Ger
tain times in certain ordinance; nor should
the error about iii impossible kind Of presence
nuke US forget another presence that is true and
real. No hcresy should cheat Christians out Of
the truth.
The second of two able papers In tho literary
representative Of Congres:tuonals1u abroad, tho
last British Quarterly. brings out with unusual
cearness the most consistent view Of the Lord 5
Supper rs held among rrotcstants. 1t main-
talns real presence OF Chris. in His own
memorial feast without asserting any trans
mutation OF elements, Or addition thereto
Luther came pctiluusly near trsusubssantia-
ton in asserting mystical union Of Christ with
the bread and wine. Zuingt swung Off to tho
opDosit extreme. Il symbolic representation in
them. 10 remind us Of New Testament history.
The elements set memory 10 work. he held; aud
This is all. Christ Is TO more with us ut the
table than Is ZuinEle himself, or Luther.
Jnctr d. cai;nd to ,.n:stjraau;sb
it fro.u Lutheran Zuinslian. aud lio,nunist-
teaches thar 1he elements bring us Il real spirit
uil presence of the atOning Savior, above and
outside OF themselves. Christ Is verify in the
midst of His people when they gnther ubot11 His
table according to his own command. lie Is not
visihiy. 1lnglbly there; NOR is the mere symbol
alone there; d.r:s something which is not
He undergo Il mysterious 1ra1lsinntaton into the
budy nnd blood. or IL mystic uniiication there
1fk 1ttf
h.si'lcs them, unl besides the believers present.
He Himself. us Il spiritual being. Is there. The
Master Himself mikes one among us.
AL this is more ihan-as well lis different from
what is often termed in literature ideal Or
imaginary presence. Of au absent departed
huul:A., being, Of nh unreal being, WE affirm
produce the one. Poetry mty effect tho other.
hut it is neither the pt,etit: .tt the tine his
Lord US with us. It is faith. as the religious cx-
crcise Of the whole 1nan, Imagination end
fantasy. or .1he picture. making facutty, ure
ierer a;t.ia % uuto It. 'r Ty word s4ti paia; Ia
ing ut the sacrament, Or by ulanufact-
urSd rhetoricai PHRASES, it, can never he
experienced redemption, an atone.ncnt received
as saving, is tho only thing tint will answer.
Christ Is real person 1nd ali-diyifie- All
Onniprescnce is His lie cnu hold personal
communion with us, and faith is that which
holds communion with Him as personal and
inI{1
Erlnt His people i'll covenant With Him this real
presence, If they exercise real faith. Where two
or three are gathered Hc Is in the midst. II nny-
where, certainly there; If ut any tiine certainly
then.
This is something Protestants should make
more of. Only the English Tractaridns have
made the real presence Il WiitchWord, and with
them it means sumcth,ng partly Roluish. partly
Lutheran. They hold TO the efficacy OF the ui1i-
ciating priest. u1ld to the mystical unitieation Of
the elements with the body and blood. The view
we have indicated recognizes the efficacy Of
faith in the Church and tho spiritual pre.ence
Of her Lord. There has always been tend
cucy toward this view when tho currents Of re-
lixiouS life hnve been tull aud deep" The in
crease uf that life hus been nlarked by increase
Of communion with present Savior. For the
sake. then, Of spiritual itt., let strive after
with Him. 'Wtrt the bondage Of
standards removed. there would he practical
unaiimity on the basis uf Culvins doctrine,
when tho current Of spiritual life rAts deeply
For tho sake, tue1l. OF Christian unity let us
strive for it. On the first u,ld second Sahnths
Of this month His visible Church pArtakcs of
the visible sacred feast III the visible enlhens
snail the Lords body he - Giscerncd Or shall
holy feeling and spiritual experience run low
hat there shall bc II mere historical rei1ltm-
brunce Of Him? Shall the newcomers ut the |
sacred table share only in Il vngue md perpex-
ing ceremonial, or really and truly meet their
}f,r