at it was sufficient to acknowledge a presence of the
divinity of Christ in the Lord's Supper, but not a union of the body and
the bread. _Ep._, p.85." (_Dogg._ 4, 2, 447.)

That Melanchthon's later public statements and protestations concerning
his faithful adherence to the doctrine of the _Augsburg Confession_ must
be more or less discounted, appears, apart from other considerations,
from his own admission that he was wont to dissimulate in these and
other matters; from his private letters, in which he favorably refers to
the symbolical interpretation of the words of institution; from his
communication to Philip of Hesse with regard to Luther's article on the
Lord's Supper at Smalcald, referred to in a previous chapter; from the
changes which he made 1540 in Article X of the _Augsburg Confession_;
from his later indefinite statements concerning the real presence in the
Holy Supper; from his intimate relations and his cordial correspondence
with Calvin; from his public indifference and neutrality during the
eucharistic controversy with the Calvinists; and from his unfriendly
attitude toward the champions of Luther in this conflict.

201. Misled by Oecolampadius and Bucer.

That Melanchthon permitted himself to be guided by human authorities
rather than by the clear Word of God alone, appears from the fact that
Oecolampadius's _Dialogus_ of 1530--which endeavored to show that the
symbolical interpretation of the words of institution is found also in
the writings of the Church Fathers, notably in those of St. Augustine,
and which Melanchthon, in a letter to Luther (_C. R._ 2, 217), says, was
written "with greater exactness (_accuratius_) than he is otherwise wont
to write"--made such a profound impression on him that ever since, as is
shown by some of his private letters, to which we shall presently refer,
he looked with increasing favor on the figurative interpretation. As a
result, Melanchthon's attitude toward the Southern Germans and the
Zwinglians also underwent a marked change. When he left to attend the
conference with Bucer at Cassel, in December, 1534, Luther in strong
terms enjoined him to defend the sacramental union and the oral eating
and drinking; namely, that in and with the bread the body of Christ is
truly present, distributed, and eaten. Luther's _Opinion_ in this
matter, dated December 17, 1534, concludes as follows "Und ist Summa das
unsere Meinung, dass wahrhaftig in und mit dem Brot der Leib Christ