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LUKE XXn. 14—23.
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Pass- over with you before I suffer .
16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be ful- filled in the kingdom of God.
17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and di- vide it among yourselves :
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until title kingdom of Ood shall come.
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake »<, and gave unto
them, saying. This is my body, which is given for you : this ao in remem- brance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after sup- per, saying. This cup u the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined : but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed !
23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.
These verses contain St. Luke's account of the institu- tion of the Lord's supper. It is a passage which every true Christian will always read with deep interest. How wonderful it seems that an ordinance, so beautifully simple at its first appointment, should have been ob- scured and mystified by man's inventions ! What a painful proof it is of human corruption, that some of the bitterest controversies which have disturbed the Church, have been concerning the table of the Lord ! Great in- deed is the ingenuity of man, in perverting God's gifts ! The ordinance that should have been for his. wealth is too often made an occasion of falling.
We should notice, for one thing, in these verses, that the principal object of the LorcFs supper was to remind Christians of Christ's death for sinners. In appointing the Lord's supper, Jesus distinctly tells His disciples tliat they were to do what they did, " In remem- brance of him." In one word the Lord's supper is not a sacrifice. It is eminently a commemorative ordinance.
The bread that the believer eats, at the Lord's table, is
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intended to remind him of Christ's body given to death on the cross for his sins. The wine that he drinks is in- tended to remind him of Christ's blood shed to make atonement for his transgressions. The whole ordinance was meant to keep fresh in his memory the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the satisfaction which that sacrifice made for the sin of the world. The two elements of bread and wine were intended to preach Christ crucified as our substitute under lively emblems. They were to be a visible sermon, appealing to the believer's senses, and teaching the old foundation-truth of the Gospel, that Christ's death on the cross is the life of man's soul.
We shall do well to keep steadily in view this simple view of the Lord's supper. That a special blessing is attached to a worthy use of it, as well to the worthy use of every ordinance appointed by Christ, there is of course no doubt. But that there is any other means by which Christians can eat Christ's body, and drink Christ's blood excepting faith, we must always steadily deny. He that comes to the Lord's table with faith in Christ, may con- fidently expect to have his faith increased by receiving the bread and wine. But he that comes without faith has no right to expect a blessing. Empty he comes to the ordinance and empty he will go away.
The less mystery and obscurity we attach to the Lord's Supper, the better will it be for our souls. We should reject with abhorence the unscriptural notion that there is any oblation or sacrifice in it, — that the substance of the bread and wine is at all changed, — or that the mere formal act of receiving the sacrament can do any good to the seuL