The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

the Lord's Supper. He states a number of important respects, in which he
supposes the two Churches to agree touching Christ's sacramental
presence. He then goes on to say: "But they differ as to the mode." The
inference here might seem to be natural that the Churches agree as to a
fact, but not as to its philosophy, but this representation is inadequate, for
the point of difference is as to the fact, and, indeed, in a very important
sense, not at all as to the mode. Our controversy with Socinians is not as
to the mode of the Trinity, for we confess that we cannot explain how the
Trinal Unity exists, but it is as to the fact, whether there be a true Trinity in
Unity, and not a mere idea] distinction. So in regard to the presence of
Christ, our dispute is not as to how he is present, which, like the whole
doctrine of His person, is an inscrutable mystery, but as to whether there
be a true, not an ideal presence. It is the essence of the doctrine, not its
form, which divides us from the Reformed. Let them satisfy us that they
accept the fact, and we shall have no quarrel as to the philosophy of the
mode, so far as the question of mode is separable from that of fact. Let us
agree as to the kind of presence, its objective reality; let us agree that the
true body and true blood of Christ are truly present, so that the bread is the
communicating medium of the one, the cup of the other, and use these
terms in one and the same sense, and we can well submit the mode of the
mystery to the Omniscient, to whom alone mode is comprehensible.
IV. The Lutheran Church teaches no Local Presence of Christ
The next statement of Dr. Gerhart seems to us entirely a mistaken
one. He says: "The Lutheran Church teaches no Local teaches that the
veritable flesh and blood of Christ are locally present, being in, with, and
under the consecrated bread and wine." On the contrary, the Lutheran
Church denies that there is a local presence of Christ's body and blood,
and if such a presence be meant, she would deny that there is any presence
of them "in, with, and under the consecrated elements." Between us and
the Reformed there never has been, there never can be, a controversy on so
simple a point as this. The Lutheran Church maintains that there is a true
presence of Christ's human nature, which is neither