not looked closely into the subject. But it is an opinion which is supported by three weighty reasons. — For one thing, a literal " eating and drinking " of Christ's body and blood would have been an idea utterly revolting to all Jews, and flatly contradictory to an often-repeated precept of their law. — For another thing, to take a literal view of " eating and drinking," is to interpose a bodily act between the soul of man and salvation. This is a thing for which there is no precedent in Scripture. The only things with- out which we cannot be saved are repentance ^nd faith. — Last, but not least, to take a literal view of " eating and drinking," would involve most blasphemous and profane consequences. It would shut out of heaven the penitent thief. He died long after these words were spoken, with- out any literal eating and drinking. Will any dare to say he had "no life" in Him? — It would admit to heaven thousands of ignorant, godless communicants in the pre- sent day. They literally eat and drink, no doubt I But they have no eternal life, and will not be raised to glory at the last day. Let these reasons be carefully pondered.
The plain truth is, there is a morbid anxiety in fallen man to put a carnal sense on Scriptural expressions, wherever he possibly can. He struggles hard to make religion a matter of forms and ceremonies, — ^^of doing and performing, — of sacraments and ordinances, — of sense and of sight. He secretly dislikes that system of Christianity which makes the state of the heart the principal thing, and labours to keep sacraments and ordinances in the second place. Happy is that Christian who remembers these things, and stands on his guard ! Baptism and the Lord's supper, no doubt, are holy sacraments, and mighty bless- ings, when rightly used. But it is worse than useless to drag them in everywhere, and to see them everywhere in God's Word.
Let us next consider carefully, what these verses do mean.
895
Ihe expressions they contain are, no doubt, very re- markable. Let lis try to get some clear notion of their meaning.-
The "flesh and blood of the Son of man" mean that sacrifice of His own body, which Christ offered up on the cross, when He died for sinners. The atonement made by His death, the satisfaction made by his sufferings, as our Substitute, the redemption effected by His enduring the penalty of our sins in His own body on the tree, — this seems to be the true idea that we should set before our minds.
The " eating and drinking," without which there is no life in us, means that reception of Christ's sacrifice which takes place when a man believes on Christ crucified for salvation. It is an inward and spiritual act of the heart, and has nothing to do with the body. Whenever a man, feeling his own guilt and sinfulness, lays hold on Christ, and trusts in the atonement made for him by Christ's death, at once he "eats the flesh of the Son of man, and drinks His blood." His soul feeds on Christ's sacrifice, by faith, just as his body would feed on bread. Believing, he is said to " eat." Believing, he is said to " drink." And the special thing that he eats, and drinks, and gets benefit from, is the atonement made for his sins by Christ's death for him on Calvary.
The practical lessons which may be gathered from the whole passage are weighty and important. The point being once settled, that " the flesh and blood " in these verses means Christ's atonement, and the " eating and drinking " mean faith, we may find in these verses great principles of truth, which lie at the very root of Chris- tianity.
We may learn, that faith in Christ's atonement is a thing of absolute necessity to salvation. Just as there was no srifety for the Israelite in Egypt who did not eat the pass-