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From the Diet of Worms to the Augsburg Confession - James Aitken Wylie

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contention was little else than a constant repetition<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> words which he had written with chalk on<br />

<strong>the</strong> table-cover.<br />

Ecolampadius asked Lu<strong>the</strong>r whe<strong>the</strong>r he did not<br />

admit that <strong>the</strong>re are figures <strong>of</strong> speech in <strong>the</strong> Bible,<br />

as "I am <strong>the</strong> door," "John is Elias," "God is a rock,"<br />

"The rock was Christ." The words, "This is my<br />

body," he maintained, were a like figure <strong>of</strong> speech.<br />

Lu<strong>the</strong>r admitted that <strong>the</strong>re were figures in <strong>the</strong><br />

Bible, but denied that this was one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

A figure we must hold <strong>the</strong>m, responded<br />

Ecolampadius, o<strong>the</strong>rwise Christ teaches<br />

contradic<strong>to</strong>ry propositions. In his sermon in <strong>the</strong><br />

sixth chapter <strong>of</strong> St. John's Gospel, he says, "The<br />

flesh pr<strong>of</strong>iteth nothing;" but in <strong>the</strong> words <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

institution <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lord's Supper, literally<br />

interpreted, he says <strong>the</strong> flesh pr<strong>of</strong>iteth everything.<br />

The doctrine <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lord's Supper, according <strong>to</strong><br />

that exegesis, overthrows <strong>the</strong> doctrine <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

sermon. Christ has one dogma for <strong>the</strong> multitude at<br />

Capernaum, and ano<strong>the</strong>r dogma for his disciples in<br />

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