We believe and confess, that our Savior Jesus Christ did ordain and institute the sacrament of the holy supper, [1] to nourish and support those whom he hath already regenerated, and incorporated into his family, which is his Church.

Now those, who are regenerated, have in them a two-fold life, [2] the one corporal and temporal, which they have from the first birth, and is common to all men: the other spiritual and heavenly, which is given them in their second birth, [3] which is effected by the word of the gospel, [4] in the communion of the body of Christ; and this life is not common, but is peculiar to God's elect. [5] In like manner God hath given us, for the support of the bodily and earthly life, earthly and common bread, which is subservient thereto, and is common to all men, even as life itself. But for the support of the spiritual and heavenly life, which believers have, he hath sent a living bread, which descended from heaven, namely, Jesus Christ, [6] who nourishes and strengthens the spiritual life of believers, when they eat him, that is to say, when they apply and receive him by faith in the Spirit. [7] Christ, that he might represent unto us this spiritual and heavenly bread, hath instituted an earthly and visible bread, as a sacrament of his body, and wine as a sacrament of his blood, [8] to testify by them unto us, that, as certainly as we receive and hold this sacrament in our hands, and eat and drink the same with our mouths, by which our life is afterwards nourished, we also do as certainly receive by faith (which is the hand and mouth of our soul) the true body and blood of Christ our only Savior in our souls, for the support of our spiritual life. [9]

Now, as it is certain and beyond all doubt, that Jesus Christ hath not enjoined to us the use of his sacraments in vain, so he works in us all that he represents to us by these holy signs, though the manner surpasses our understanding, and cannot be comprehended by us, as the operations of the Holy Ghost are hidden and incomprehensible. In the meantime we err not, when we say, that what is eaten and drunk by us is the proper and natural body, and the proper blood of Christ. [10] But the manner of our partaking of the same, is not by the mouth, but by the spirit through faith. Thus then, though Christ always sits at the right hand of his Father in the heavens, [11] yet doth he not therefore cease to make us partakers of himself by faith. This feast is a spiritual table, at which Christ communicates himself with all his benefits to us, and gives us there to enjoy both himself, and the merits of his suffering and death, [12] nourishing, strengthening and comforting our poor comfortless souls by the eating of his flesh, quickening and refreshing them by the drinking of his blood. [13]

Further, though the sacraments are connected with the thing signified, nevertheless both are not received by all men: the ungodly indeed receives the sacrament to his condemnation, [14] but he doth not receive the truth of the sacrament. As Judas, and Simon the sorcerer, both indeed received the sacrament, but not Christ, who was signified by it, of whom believers only are made partakers.

Lastly, we receive this holy sacrament in the assembly of the people of God, with humility and reverence, [15] keeping up amongst us a holy remembrance of the death of Christ our Savior, with thanksgiving: making there confession of our faith, and of the Christian religion. Therefore no one ought to come to this table without having previously rightly examined himself; lest by eating of this bread and drinking of this cup, he eat and drink judgment to himself. [16] In a word, we are excited by the use of this holy sacrament, to a fervent love towards God and our neighbor. Therefore we reject all mixtures and damnable inventions, which men have added unto, and blended with the sacraments, as profanations of them: and affirm that we ought to rest satisfied with the ordinance which Christ and his apostles have taught us, and that we must speak of them in the same manner as they have spoken.

Introduction

1. That there is One Only God.
   
2. By what means God is made known unto us.
   
3. Of the written Word of God.
   
4. Canonical Books of the Holy Scripture.
   
5. From whence the Holy Scriptures derive their dignity and authority.
   
6. The difference between the canonical and apocryphal books.
   
7. The sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, to be the only rule of faith.
   
8. That God is one in Essence, yet nevertheless distinguished in three Persons.
   
9. The proof of the foregoing article of the Trinity of persons in one God.
   
10. That Jesus Christ is true and eternal God.
    
11. That the Holy Ghost is true and eternal God.
    
12. Of the Creation.
    
13. Of Divine Providence.
    
14. Of the Creation and Fall of man, and his Incapacity to perform what is truly good.
    
15. Of Original Sin.
    
16. Of Eternal Election.
    
17. Of the Recovery of Fallen Man.
    
18. Of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
    
19. Of the union and distinction of the two Natures in the person of Christ.
    
20. That God hath manifested his justice and mercy in Christ Jesus.
    
21. Of the satisfaction of Christ, our only High Priest, for us.
    
22. Of Faith in Jesus Christ.
    
23. Of Justification.
    
24. Of man's Sanctification and Good Works.
    
25. Of the abolishing of the Ceremonial Law.
    
26. Of Christ's Intercession.
    
27. Of the Catholic Christian Church.
    
28. That every one is bound to join himself to the true Church.
    
29. Of the marks of the true Church, and wherein she differs from the false Church.
    
30. Concerning the Government of, and Offices in the Church.
    
31. Of the Ministers, Elders, and Deacons.
    
32. Of the Order and Discipline of the Church.
    
33. Of the Sacraments.
    
34. Of Holy Baptism.
    
35. Of the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    
36. Of Magistrates.
    
37. Of the Last Judgment.
    
    

1. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. Matt. 26:26;
   
   And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. Mark 14:22;
   
   And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19;
   
   For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 1 Cor. 11:23-25.
   
   
2. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6.
   
   
3. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5.
   
   
4. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ...Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. John 5:23,25.
   
   
5. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5:12;
   
   And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28.
   
   
6. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. ... I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:32,33,51.
   
   
7. It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63.
   
   
8. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Mark. 14:23-25.
   
   
9. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 1 Cor. 10:16,17;
   
   That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, Eph. 3:17;
   
   And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35.
   
   
10. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. John 6:55,56;
    
    The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16.
    
    
11. Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began Acts 3:21;
    
    So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. Mark 16:19;
    
    For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. Matt. 26:11.
    
    
12. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. ... Matt. 26:26, &c;
    
    And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:19,20;
    
    And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 1 Cor. 10:2-4.
    
    
13. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Isa. 55:2;
    
    For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Rom. 8:22,23.
    
    
14. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 1 Cor. 11:29;
    
    Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 2 Cor. 6:14,15;
    
    Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 1 Cor. 2:14.
    
    
15. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42;
    
    And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7.
    
    
16. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 1 Cor. 11:27,28.