Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

Son; might yet avail themselves of his free mercy in Jesus Christ, and renew the promise and vows made by and for them at their baptism, and enter into a fresh convenant or engagement with their Maker and Redeemer, on terms no less reasonable and gracious than the former. And this is the design, my brethren, of the holy Sacrament, or Christian ceremony I am now about to explain to you-a provision so abounding in wisdom, mercy, and compassion, that nothing but infinite love could have ordained it. But, God is love; and therefore he has left no means untried to reform and save his fallen creatures.

In my method of treating the subject of this holy ordinance (so interesting to every Christian to understand, and to apply to his own case), I shall follow the exact order of our Church Catechism, as to the account there given of it. Our first inquiry, therefore, shall be, why this sacrament is called the Lord's Supper? The reason for this title is very evident, though, with equal propriety, it may admit of many others, as I shall take occasion to inform you in the proper place. For, first, it having been instituted at the hour of the last meal in the day, which is commonly called supper, and which was the last that our blessed Lord made before his suffering, it is, by way of distinction, called the Lord's Supper; for thus the Evangelist St. Matthew speaks of it (xxvi. 26, 27):

And as they were eating (says he), Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat; this is my body. And he also took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. The same account is delivered by St. Mark, xiv. 22. It has also another claim to that title, in that it was designed to succeed in the place of the paschal supper among the Jews, which was a prophetic type or figure of the actual sacrifice of the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) without spot or blemish, for the sins of the whole world, and of which the deliverance from the Egyptian bondage was in comparison but a slender mercy. As, therefore, a lamb was to be slain, in remembrance of the Israelites' escape from their cruel taskmasters; so was this holy supper or sacrament appointed, in order to continue a remembrance of that much more important deliverance from the slavery of sin, and the second death, then about to be perfected by the offering up of Christ upon the cross. And to show you how close a figure it was of this astonishing event, it is worthy your observation, that our Lord was offered on the very month, and day, and hour, that was foretold, and on which the passover, or paschal lamb, was to be slain.

If the curious or scrupulous require a reason why, as our Lord appointed this sacrament

at such a season, we do not observe the same as exactly as any other parts of his institution, we may readily and soundly reply, that it is no more necessary for us so to do, than that we should take our own supper before it, or that we should only celebrate it once a year, in an upper room, in an eating posture, and the like. Our blessed Lord, in the council of unerring wisdom, chose that peculiar season and occasion for the institution, which he judged most solemn and affecting-the last farewell of his disciples and just before his crucifixion; and it is very reasonable to conclude, no other time could have been so proper for impressing their memories with the cause of it. It is equally obvious that he did not intend thereby to oblige us to celebrate it in all the exact circumstances of time, place, and posture, that the particular case of his own administering it rendered so expedient, because no valuable purpose can be answered by it to us, in so doing, now, equal to what the disciples received from these singular circumstances.

The main question that concerns us to be resolved is, "Why was this sacrament of the "Lord's Supper ordained?" Our Church informs us, "It was for the continual remembrance

of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of "the benefits which we receive thereby." Now, this very reason points out to us that no time or

season could be so properly appointed, as just previous to that sacrifice taking place. By this answer of our Catechism we also are informed how the remembrance of this event differs in value above the remembrance of that which the paschal supper celebrated: for this was to be offered as a CONTINUAL remembrance; that is, a remembrance that was not to determine after a certain time, as the former did, but was to continue to be kept up, by the means of this holy sacrament, to the very end of the world: for the paschal supper, as before observed, was only a prophetic sign of this sacrament, and naturally ceased, when the thing signified was accomplished; whereas, the design of this memorial is to remind us of blessings, and convey to us help, which will concern the interests of the Christian world to the end of time. And for this we have the authority of Scripture; for the Apostle assures us (1 Cor. xi. 26), that as often as we eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, we do show the Lord's death till he come; that is, we afford visible signs of our remembering this wonderful instance of Christ's tender mercy towards us, which, as it will never fail till he comes to judgment, so we cannot be too constant in the use of the means of recalling to mind the cause of it, that we may profit in every every possible shape by the application of it to which the testimony of the angels exactly

growth, and obtain that degree of recovery which would render it capable of bearing such a state of trial as seems proper, in the wisdom of the Most High, to qualify us again for admission through the merits of the Redeemer into a future and eternal state of security and glory: for this, too, God has provided in our baptism; "the death unto sin, and life unto righteousness," being the graces promised to all who will sincerely apply themselves to "resist the world, the flesh, " and the devil; and to continue Christ's faithful "soldiers and servants to their lives' end."

Let us, my brethren, be thankful for that light afforded us by the instruction and principles of the truly evangelical church to which we belong; let us avail ourselves of the great privilege of Christian and infant baptism, nor be persuaded that we can receive too soon or too much of the free grace promised to us in that holy sacrament; let us be diligent in bringing our children to this font of Christ's tender love and mercy towards them, that, whether they die or live, they may be partakers of the benefits of this first Christian covenant, and be able to show that seal which he hath appointed all his humble followers to bear. Having good proof that we have truth and Scripture on the side of our profession, let us strengthen our faith daily, by constant prayer and diligent practice, that so we may fit ourselves for fulfilling the conditions,

« VorigeDoorgaan »