Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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Henry, III. 298–357.—DYER, 401–412.—STÄHELIN, II. 112 sqq., 189
sqq.—GIESELER, III. Part II. 280 sqq.—DORNER: Geschichte der
protest. Theol., 400 sqq.—SCHAFF, Creeds, I. 279 sqq.
The sacramental controversy between Luther and Zwingli was apparently
solved by the middle theory of Calvin, Bullinger, and Melanchthon, and
had found a symbolical expression in the Zürich Consensus of 1549, for
Switzerland, and even before that, in the Wittenberg Concordia of 1536
and in Melanchthon’s irenical restatement of the 10th article of the Altered
Augsburg Confession of 1540, for Germany. Luther’s renewed attack upon
the Swiss in 1544 was isolated, and not supported by any of his followers;
while Calvin, from respect for Luther, kept silent.
But in 1552 a second sacramental war was opened by Westphal in the
interest of the high Lutheran theory, and gradually spread over all Germany
and Switzerland.
We may well “lament,” with Calvin in his letter to Schalling (March, 1557),
that those who professed the same gospel of Christ were distracted on the
subject of his Last Supper, which should have been the chief bond of union
among them. f957
The Westphal-Calvin controversy did not concern the fact of the real
presence, which was conceded by Calvin in all his previous writings on the
subject, but the subordinate questions of the mode of the presence, of the
ubiquity of Christ’s body, and the effect of the sacrament on unworthy
communicants, whether they received the very body and blood of Christ, or
only bread and wine, to their condemnation. Calvin clearly states the points
of difference in the preface to his, Second Defence” : —
“That I have written reverently of the legitimate use, dignity, and
efficacy, of the sacraments, even he himself [Westphal] does not
deny. How skilfully or learnedly in his judgment, I care not, since it
is enough to be commended for piety by an enemy. The contest
remaining with him embraces three articles:
“First, he insists that the bread of the Supper is substantially
(substantialiter) the body of Christ. Secondly, in order that Christ
may exhibit himself present to believers, he insists that his body is
immense (immensum), and exists everywhere, though without place
(ubique esse, extra locum). Thirdly, he insists that no figure is to be
admitted in the words of Christ, whatever agreement there may be