hat is shed for you and for many for the remission of
sin." [Matt. 26:8, Luke 22:30] As though He said: Behold, man, in
these words I promise and bequeath thee forgiveness of all thy
sin and eternal life. And in order that thou mayest be certain
and know that such promise remains irrevocably thine, I will die
for it, and will give My body and blood for it, and will leave
them both to thee as sign and seal, that by them thou mayest
remember Me." [1 Cor. 11:25] So He says: "As oft as ye do this,
remember Me." [Luke 22:19] Even as a man who bequeathes something
includes therein what shall be done for him afterward [1 Cor.
11:25], as is the custom at present in the requiems and masses
for the dead, so also Christ has ordained a requiem for Himself
in this testament; not that He needs it, but because it is
necessary and profitable for us to remember Him; whereby we are
strengthened in faith, confirmed in hope and made ardent in love.
For as long as we live on earth our lot is such that the evil
spirit and all the world assail us with joy and sorrow, to
extinguish our love for Christ, to blot out our faith, and to
weaken our hope. Wherefore we sorely need this sacrament, in
which we may gain new strength when we have grown weak, and may
daily exercise ourselves into the strengthening and uplifting of
the spirit.

[Sidenote: Promises and Signs]

11. Furthermore, in all His promises God has usually given a sign
in addition to the word, for the greater assurance and
strengthening of our faith. Thus He gave Noah the sign of the
rainbow. [Gen. 9:9, 13] To Abraham He gave circumcision as a
sign. [Gen. 17:11] To Gideon He gave the rain on the ground and
on the fleece [Judg. 6:37 ff.]; and we constantly find in the
Scriptures many of these signs, given along with the promises.
For so also worldly testaments are made; not only are the words
written down, but seals and notaries' marks are affixed thereto,
that they may always be binding and authentic. Thus Christ has
done in this testament and has affixed to the words a powerful
and most precious seal and sign; this is His own true body and
blood under the bread and wine. For we poor men, since we live in
our five senses, must always have, along with the words, at least
one outward sign, on which we may lay hold, and around which we
may gather; but in such wise that this sign may be a sacrament,
that is, that it may be external and yet contain and express
something spiritual, so t