The Lord's Supper in the Theology of Martin Chemnitz Bjarne - Logia

0 | The Lord’s Supper
255 The divinely commanded consecration effects the sacramental
union, but the “divinely instituted ceremony” specifies that that
which has been consecrated is to be distributed and eaten and drunk.
But this is not to be understood as though Christ’s words of institution
spoken by the officiant is conditional, depending on the eating
and drinking by the communicants. Chemnitz is here quite specific,
“The meaning is not that the blessed bread which is divided, which
is offered, and which the apostles received from the hand of Christ
was not the body of Christ but becomes the body of Christ when the
eating of it is begun” (Ex. 2, 248). When the meaning of the words
are changed, even if they are spoken, then the divinely commanded
action has been disregarded, and one does not have the Supper which
the Lord instituted in the Upper Room. In other words, there can be
no general false interpretation of Christ’s words. The Sacramentarians
“proscribed the body and blood of Christ from the Lord’s Supper
which is celebrated here on earth” (LS 251). In the Private Mass
the Papists did not distribute the consecrated elements to the communicants;
the celebrant took them alone. They have disregarded the
divinely instituted action because it is “entirely certain and crystal
clear against all sophistical quibbling that Christ did not institute
the celebration of the Supper in such a way that he who consecrates
takes it alone while the rest only look on” (Ex. 2, 530).
256 Further, the Romanists consecrated bread for the purpose of reserving
it, locking it up, offering it, or carrying it about on Corpus
Christi festivals. This is outside the prescribed action, a fact which
Chemnitz emphasizes, “There is no word of God about the bread of
the Eucharist being reserved or carried about in procession; in fact,
it conflicts with the Words of Institution when the bread which has been
blessed is not distributed, not received, not eaten” (Ex. 2, 281; emphasis
added). In short, there is no sacrament apart from “that use and action
which is prescribed and commanded by the institution . . . . Surely,
without any controversy, these words signify an action, and indeed He
[Christ] expressly uses a word that signifies doing, for He says, ‘This
do,’ namely, what was done in this My first Supper” (Ex. 2, 245).
257 This is precisely what the Solid Declaration confessed, “But the
command of Christ, ‘Do this,’ which comprehends the whole action
or administration of this sacrament (namely, that in a Christian assembly
we take bread and wine, consecrate it, distribute it, receive it,