IV

By the directions of the Provincial Council of the Scottish Church which met at Edinburgh in January, 1552, Archbishop John Hamilton, the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Metropolitan and Primate of Scotland, issued a Catechism in 1552. Without entering into the more subtle questions concerned, the Catechism teaches the doctrines of Transubstantiation and of the sacrificial commemoration of the passion of Christ in the Eucharist.

“This precious Sacrament contains Him which is the Fountain, the Well, and Giver of grace and sanctification, our Saviour Jesus Christ, in body and blood, soul and Godhead.”

“It is called the sacrifice of the altar because it is a quick and special remembrance of the passion of Christ.”

“It is the word of our Saviour Jesus Christ by whose virtue the Sacrament is consecrated; and by the might of that same word the bread is turned into the body of Christ, and the wine mixed with water is turned into the very blood of Christ.”

“After the words of consecration we see with our eyes the figure of bread and wine, we smell with our nose the savour of bread and wine, we taste with our mouth the gust of bread and wine, we feel with our touching the hardness of bread and the liquor of wine, yet there is no substance of bread and wine in that Sacrament, but only the substance of the body and blood of our Saviour under the form of bread and wine.”

“When we receive this Sacrament in remembrance of His passion, in deed we confess and grant that He died for us, that by His death we might get remission of our sins and eternal life.”

“Believe firmly and doubt not that under the form of bread which thou seest with thy bodily eyes there is contained the true body of Christ Jesu, the same body that was born of the Virgin Mary, that was crucified upon the cross, that rose from the dead the third day, that ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.… Believe firmly that the whole body of Christ is in the whole host and also in each part of the same; believe firmly there is but one body of Christ that is in many hosts, that is in sundry and many altars, that is in heaven sitting at the right hand of God, and that is in the Sacrament really present, it is one and the same body.… Trow firmly that after the words of consecration pronounced by the priest (by institution of our Saviour) the substance of the bread is turned into the substance of the body of Christ, remaining only the accidents, that is to say, the figure of bread, the sweetness of bread, the whiteness of bread with such like, so that there is not in the Sacrament the substance of bread.… When thou receivest in the Sacrament the body of Christ, believe also constantly that thou receivest a living body.… Thou receivest also His soul, and also His blood, for every living body has both soul and blood.… Trow surely that when thou receivest the body of Christ that thou receivest also His Godhead.… Thou receivest both the body and blood of Christ in one form of bread as well as the priest receives them and each of them in two forms of bread and wine.”

“First, come with a right intention. Secondly, come with a whole faith. Thirdly, come with a clean conscience clad with perfect love of God and thy neighbour. And, last of all, come with devout prayers and orisons. And after the receiving of the Sacrament, with all thy heart give thanks to God for all His gifts, and specially that He has given to thee His own self to be thy spiritual refection and eternal salvation.”