# Confession of Faith, According to the Holy Word of God. · Page 31 of 44

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Hence, believers are to use this worthy institution
of Christ among each other, and thereby, through
an ordained blameless minister, proclaim with great
reverence the bitter suffering and death of the Lord.

And after God has been thanked with an humble
heart, for his boundless grace and mercy, and been
called upon by fervent prayers, the bread shall be
broken by the minister, the wine poured out, and
be received by all believers baptized according to
the ordinance of Christ, and each shall, examining
himself, use, and avail himself of the same, with
heartfelt contemplation of the broken body and shed
blood of the Lord Jesus. This shall constantly be
observed by believers in this manner, when time
and place permit, until the appearing of Jesus Christ
from heaven.

Of this institution and ordinance of Christ, read:
“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. And he took
the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the
New Testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not
drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that
day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s
kingdom.” Matt. 26:26–29; Mark 14:22; Luke
22:19.

How the apostles in accordance with this also
practiced and observed it in the same form and
manner, with bread and wine, read: “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. For as
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye
do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 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. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself,
not discerning the Lord’s body.” 1 Cor. 11:23–29;
Acts 2:42; 20:7,11.

How the bread and wine in the Supper are not
the real body and blood of Christ, but signs of his
communion with the believer, read: “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. Behold
Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the
sacrifices partakers of the altar?” 1 Cor. 10:16–18.

Mark, the Israelites did not eat the altar, but
only the sacrifice, and thereby were partakers of
the altar. Thus also, Christians do not eat and drink
with the mouth the real body and blood of Christ,
but only bread and wine, as figures; but according
to the soul, they, by faith, receive Christ Jesus,
with all his benefits, and are thus partakers of the
true altar Christ Jesus.

Read in regard to this: “I am the bread of life:
he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he
that believeth on me shall never thirst. 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 6:35,63.

ARTICLE XXIII.

Of the feet-washing of believers we confess: After
our Leader Christ Jesus had celebrated the Supper
with his apostles, he, before his suffering, used another
ordinance with them, and commanded that
they should observe it with each other. He rose
from supper, girded himself with a linen towel,
poured water into a basin, washed the disciples’ feet,
and wiped them with the towel; saying to them:
Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for
so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have
washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s
feet. For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you. And he
also added: If ye know these things, happy are ye
if ye do them.

And we find that the apostles observed this ordinance
of Christ in this manner, and that they counted
it, in the ministry of the saints, among the good
works, and required it of believers. Hence, the believers,
as successors and followers of Christ and his
apostles, ought also, when time and place permit,
practice and observe this ordinance of Christ. When
their fellow believers, out of love, visit them, they
shall, with heartfelt humility, receive them with the
kiss of love and peace into their houses, and as a
ministration to their neighbors, according to the
humiliation of Christ, wash their feet; sincerely
considering how the most worshipful Son of God
humbled himself, not only washing the feet of his
apostles, but much more, washing and purifying
with his precious death and blood, all our souls and
consciences from the stain of eternal condemnation.
On this the pious ought herein to meditate with an
humble heart.



## Original source

[Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_385)

[Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855)

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