through the promises of Christ that “the Bread conveys whole Christ, and the wine
conveys whole Christ.”^175
In relationship to this, Ambrose’s understanding of the sacraments might seem
contradictory. However, Reformed Christians from the seventeenth-century
recognized that the sacraments were only for believers and therefore is not
inconsistent. Ambrose declares, “[t[he Lords Supper is the Sacrament of our
continuance in Christ, of our confirmation in spiritual life, and the power of Grace
already planted within us.”^176 However, as he knew from his own experience, they
“do not always work for the present, but the efficacy may come afterwards.”^177 On
April 21, 1644 he writes, “[t]his day one received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper,
but found not in it the comfortable presence of Christ as at other times; it troubled his
soul, and then falling to examination and prayer, the Lord was pleased at last to give
him a sweet visit, and spiritual refreshing.”^178 Later on May 7, 1648 he combines
sermon and sacrament and observes, “[t]his day one felt many sweet impressions of
Gods Spirit in his heart, sometimes melting, and sometimes chearing his soul, in the
publick Ordinances of the Word and Sacraments.”^179 These last two experiences
contain a number of important insights. Ambrose’s initial entry reminds readers that
God’s presence can be missed even through the means of grace that God has
provided. Further this illustrates how the affective and interpretive components of the
Spiritual Movement Matrix interact to guide a person in experiencing God more fully.
Ambrose originally missed God affectively. Since he noticed this absence he
(^175) Ambrose, Media (^) (1657), 175. (^)
(^176) Ambrose, Media (1657), 393-4.
(^177) Ambrose, Media (1657), 426.
(^178179) Ambrose, Media (1650), 111.
Ambrose, Media (1657), 187.