have expected it. St. Mark says, that "they all drank of it ;" and St. Matthew, that our LORD HIMSELF added the words, "Drink ye all of it." And as if this were not enough, St. Paul gives a similar account, saying, that what he had delivered to others on this subject he had himself received by an express revelation from the LORD, and not of men; and he testifies to the custom, not of the priesthood only, but of all the Church; "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood of CHRIST?" "Ye cannot drink the cup of the LORD and the cup of devils." As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the LORD's death till HE come1." And there is no doubt that all early Churches did for many centuries observe this custom, of communicating in wine as well as bread. But I do not mention this for the purpose of entering into any discussion about it, but only to remind you for what a great and peculiar blessing you have to be thankful.

Nor with regard to the other point of making the consecrated bread itself an object of adoration and worship, need I say any thing; for it is enough that our own Church does not only not sanction this, but has in every way protected and warned us against such a danger, which cannot be doubted is great. We reverence, indeed, CHRIST as GOD and Man, mysteriously present in this Sacrament; and the better we become, the more awe do we feel at this His presence, even as Israel of old when the cloud covered the tabernacle, or filled the temple, bowed to the ground and worshipped 2. But it is enough for us to know that the corrupt heart of man is in great peril of idolatry: of this Holy Scripture warns us throughout; and our own Church has wisely directed that warning to the subject of this mystery. And surely the very mention of such things should lead us to value a Church in which God has so graciously protected us, and to pray for her now in her distress against so many oppressors. The HOLY SPIRIT has provided us with the Bible and the Prayer Book, and may HE of His mercy teach us to use both aright, and so to preserve our souls in patience along our appointed path, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left. In the evil day of

11 Cor. x. 16. 21; xi. 23. 26.

2 2 Chron. vii. 3.

rebuke and blasphemy, may HE keep us safe in His tabernacle from the strife of tongues.

St. Luke, in the beginning of his Gospel, gives this reason for his writing it; "that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed;" literally in the original it is, "the certainty of those things in which thou hast been catechized," or instructed by word of mouth by teachers. Now this has been our object in the course of these Sermons, to show throughout the Scriptures the truth of those things in which we are brought and trained from childhood by the Catechism and Prayer Book; not as if they were matters which we at all doubted, or thought needing of confirmation, but because in numberless ways Holy Scripture would impress on us the Divine reality of these truths, by history, by types, by parable and precept, would win all our hearts and affections, and make us as strong in the things of GOD, as others are in the knowledge of the world. And it very often happens that the Church has furnished us with a key to unlock the treasures of the Bible, which we never otherwise could have reached. For it is the case in the ways of God's protecting Providence, that He teaches us first of all by His Church, and then afterwards by Holy Scripture; we are baptized in the Name of the Blessed TRINITY, and learn the Creed and the Catechism; and from thence we come to read and study the Scriptures. This, as a mere matter of fact, is the way in which GOD deals with us.

Now we considered on Sunday last how our LORD, in place of the paschal Lamb, appointed this memorial of His own sacrifice on the Cross. Innocent animals before that time had been offered in sacrifice for guilty man, in order to set forth that HE Who alone is sinless amongst men should die for sinners; but now our LORD, instead of such sacrifices, ordained this Sacrament. But in making this oblation there was this great difference between HIMSELF, and those appointed to serve at God's altar, that our LORD was not a priest under the Law; He was not of the tribe of Levi, and yet He was the One great High Priest about to offer the One great and only true Sacrifice. He was King of the Jews, as of the royal line of David, and of the tribe of Judah. But where shall we find the line of His Priesthood?

We are told in both Old and New Testament that it was after the order of Melchizedek 3. As GOD and Man, abiding for ever in an unchangeable Priesthood. And what do we know of Melchizedek? St. Paul tells us that his names were full of mysterious import, and all that appertained to him was a figure of CHRIST; "First being by interpretation King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace. Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the SON of God; abideth a priest continually *." And what do we read of all his priestly acts? When Abraham was returning after the slaughter of the kings, we have this account in the Book of Genesis," And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most High GoD. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most High GOD." Abram was then a sign of all the faithful in CHRIST, and received the bread and wine and the blessing from this great and mysterious priest. But when our LORD HIMSELF, our true High Priest and King of Righteousness and of Peace ordained this " 'mystery of godliness," it was necessary that it should be continued until His coming again by His Apostles and ministers, who, although in one respect they might be like that Melchizedek of old, as appointed "without descent" of nature by the HOLY GHOST, yet in other respects were more like that priesthood of Aaron and Levi. For the Christian priesthood, as Origen observes, is combined of the two, that of Melchizedek and that of Levi. Therefore we shall find their office set forth in the Law. And with regard to this subject of the bread and wine, we may notice it was there prescribed, that together with the lamb they should make a meat offering of flour," and also "a drink offering of wine "."

Now I think it would be impossible for a devout reader of Holy Scripture not to perceive that in these things the good Spirit was setting forth beforehand the Christian Eucharist. And there are many other circumstances in which the same will be brought to his notice. For instance, when Jacob was set

3 Ps. cx. 4. Heb. v. 6. 10. 5 Gen. xiv. 18, 19.

Heb. vii. 2, 3.

6 Exod. xxix. 40. Lev. xxiii. 13.

apart by God's Providence for the blessing of the firstborn, and to represent God's children, it was contained in these words, "with corn and wine have I sustained him"." And when the profane Esau, with a bitter cry, asked if there was no blessing left for him, it was signified to him that the other blessings of Israel he could have, but not this peculiar one which was represented by the corn and wine.

But more especially, when our LORD HIMSELF came, did He make haste, as it were, to sanctify these tokens; and the first miracle by which He manifested HIMSELF in Cana of Galilee, was that of the wine. He who is represented in Scripture as the Bridegroom had come to claim His own Bride—the Church, purchased with His own Blood. And the master of the feast, although he knew not of what great things GoD was expressing by him, called the Bridegroom, and said, "Other men bring forth first of all the good wine; but thou hast kept the best to the last." When we read this, we cannot but say to ourselves, it is God only keeps the good to the last, unlike the world. His Gospel comes at the end of the Law; a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined "."

At another feast in the house of St. Matthew, our LORD again took occasion to speak of new wine as representing the Gospel in His blood: 66 No man," HE said, putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine doth burst the bottles and the wine is spilled"." The blood of CHRIST cannot be received into the old Adam, the unregenerate man, or it will be spilled on the ground and the man will perish: but we must first, through faith and repentance, put on the new man, which is CHRIST JESUS, before we shall be able to receive to our salvation the new wine. And as our LORD at these two feasts where He was present, thus hallowed, as it were, the wine to a Divine teaching, so did HE moreover, by two memorable parables, speak of His Gospel under the figure of a feast, with a secret allusion no doubt to this sacramental Communion with HIM, which He was about to ordain.

And as our LORD thus marked the wine as to be connected

7 Gen. xxvii. 37.

* Isa. xxv. 6.

9 Mark ii. 22.

with the mysterious blessing of His Gospel, no less did He also the bread. He brought out, as it were, that great miracle of the manna in the wilderness; and by producing it again in another form, made it His own great and peculiar sign, by which the Great Shepherd should feed His own flock in the wilderness of this world. The Holy Spirit had drawn our attention in an especial manner to the manna in the wilderness, as containing some mysterious Divine gift, which it is not for man to search into or to understand, which is signified by the very name. "When the children of Israel saw it they said one to another, It is manna : for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat1." And you will see by the marginal reading in your Bible, that the word manna is explained to be, "What is this?" or, It is a portion," implying that the bread which God will give must always be a mystery in the world, quite incomprehensible by the human understanding. It will always be said of it, "What is this?" to which no answer can be given but that it is our portion. It came down on the first day of the week, the LORD's day, as the great Origen has observed, and ceased on the Jewish Sabbath. And some of this manna was set apart in the holy place as a hidden thing for after generations, signifying that it represented something which was to be hereafter.

When, therefore, our blessed SAVIOUR wrought His two miracles of the bread, He would draw our attention to this circumstance, as indicating that the miracle of the manna, that word of mystery, was that which He took to HIMSELF as His own, as a sign of the manner in which He was about to feed His Church. He filled those two miracles with outward tokens of this Sacrament: they were both (like the manna had been) in the wilderness, which we know signifies in Scripture this mortal life. HE did not call down the bread from Heaven, nor make it out of nothing; but induced His Apostles, first of all, to bring HIM in faith a few loaves;-even as in the Holy Eucharist we offer unto HIM first of all the bread;—and these He returns to us multiplied, as it were, a thousand-fold, by the unspeakable gift of His Body and Blood. On both occasions HE acted in a very solemn

1 Exod. xvi. 15.

S