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

the doctrine of impanation to be the doctrine of Luther and of our Church.
The doctrine of impanation, if we distinguish it from that of assumption,
can mean nothing else than a local inclusion of the body of Christ in the
bread. To admit such a doctrine would be to admit the grossest
absurdities; they, therefore, who impute it to our Church, prove only their
ignorance of our doctrine. In either sense, in which the word
CONSUBSTANTIATION can be taken, the doctrine cannot, in any
respect, be attributed to our Church; it was always far from the mind of our
Church. The sacramental union is one which reason cannot comprehend,
and the taking, eating, and drinking are done in sublime mystery." 506
Cotta, 1779.
COTTA (t 1779) 507 makes the following remarks upon the different
theories of sacramental union: "By IMPANATION is meant a local
inclusion of the body and blood in the bread and wine. Gerhard has
rightly noted that the theologians of our Church utterly abhor this error.
The particles in, with, under are not used to express a local inclusion. As
our theologians reject impanation, so also they reject the doctrine of
CONSUBSTANTIATION. This word is taken in two senses. It denotes
sometimes a local conjunction of two bodies; sometimes a commingling or
coalescence into one substance or mass. But in neither sense can that
MONSTROUS DOGMA of CONSUBSTANTIATION be attributed to
our Church; for Lutherans believe neither in a local conjunction nor
commixture of bread and Christ's body, nor of wine and Christ's blood."
We could multiply testimony on this point almost without end. No
great dogmatician of our Church, who has treated of the Lord's Supper at
all, has failed to protest in some form against the charge we are
considering.
Roman Catholic writers.
The less candid or less informed among the Roman Catholic writers
have made the same groundless charge against our Church, while other
writers in the same Church have acknowledged the falsity of it. One
example of the former will suffice.
506 Miscellanea, ii. 86, seq. Catechet. Theologia, ii. 656. Instit. Theol. Dogm. v. i. xv.
507 In Gerhard's Loci, x. 165.