Visitation Articles. Article I.
Of the Holy
Supper.
The pure and true doctrine of our churches concerning the Holy Supper: I. That the words of Christ: Take, eat, this is My body; drink, this is My blood, are to be understood simply and according to the letter,as they read. II. That in the Sacrament there are two things which are given [tendered] and received with one another: one earthly, which is bread and wine;
and one heavenly, which
is the body and blood of Christ. III. That this [union, tendering and taking] occurs here on earth, and not above in heaven. IV. That it [what is tendered and received]
is the true natural body of Christ which hung on the cross, and the true natural blood which
flowed from the side of Christ. V. That the body and blood of Christ are received not only by faith spiritually, which can also occur outside of the Supper, but here with the bread and wine orally, yet in an inscrutable
and
supernatural
manner
[and
that] for a pledge and assurance of the resurrection of our bodies from the dead. VI. That the oral partaking of the body and blood of Christ is done not only by the worthy, but also by the unworthy, who approach without repentance
and true
faith;
nevertheless,
with a different result: by the worthy for salvation, by the unworthy for judgment.
Of the
Article
II.
Person
of Christ.
The pure and true doctrine of our churches on this article concerning the Person of Christ: I. In Christ there are two distinct natures,
the divine and the human. These remain to eternity unconfused and unseparated [inseparable
(or undivided)].
II. These united with one Christ,
two natures are personally so one another that there is only [and]
one person.
III. Because of this personal union it is rightly said, and it is so also in deed and truth, that God
is man,
and
man
God, that
Mary bore the Son of God, and God redeemed . us with His own blood. IV. Through this personal union and the exaltation
that followed
upon
it, Christ, ac-
