His kingdom, properly speaking, is now come —
[The Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, continually represent the Christian dispensation as the esta- blishment of the Messiah's kingdom upon earth. This kingdom is called " the kingdom of God;" and it is that which the Father establishes, through the agency of the Holy Ghost. And this is the kingdom spoken of in my text : for, when Christ had accomplished the redemption of the world by his death and resurrection, then was all that had been typified in the redemp- tion from Egypt, all that had been prefigured in the Paschal feast, and all that was shadowed forth in the Supper of the Lord, " fulfilled® :" and, consequently, the time was come for the renewed manifestations of his presence in this sacred ordi- nance. True, indeed, corporeally he appears amongst us no more : but spiritually he does ; and, according to his promise, " he comes to us and makes his abode with usV' and " sups with use."]
Now, therefore, does he execute what he gave us reason to expect —
'' Acts X. 41. e Luke xxii. 16, 18.
f John xiv. 21, 23. s Rev. iii. 20.
[He truly, though spiritually, feasts with us, when we are assembled around the table of the Lord. It was not only because of the command that the ordinance should be observed, but on account of the blessing which they obtained in the administration of it, that the first Christians observed it every day^^, and for ages continued the observance of it on the Sab- bath-day '. And, though I am not aware of any express promise of a more than ordinary manifestation of the Saviour's presence in that sacred ordinance, yet I believe that he does seal it with a peculiar blessing: and I will venture to appeal to the expe- rience of luany before me, whether he does not then more par- ticularly " draw nigh to those who there draw nigh to him''; and whether he has not again and again, in a more abundant measure, " made himself known to them in the breaking of bread'?" I think that of spiritual worshippers, there are few who will not attest the truth of these remarks.]
But we shall not have a just view of the Lord's Supper, unless we contemplate it, in. As realized and completed in the eternal world — Then will the whole mystery of redemption be complete ; and then will the kingdom of the Messiah, w^iich is now established upon earth, " be delivered up to God, even the Father, that God may be all in all'"."
Then shall we spiritually renew this feast —
[Of that time our Saviour spake, when he said, " I ap- pohit unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"." There we read, that " Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are sitting at the table," with all the myriads of the redeemed"; and there is Lazarus leaning on his bosom p, exactly as John leaned on the bosom of the Lord Jesus at the Paschal feast, when this Supper was instituted^. There shall all the redeemed of the Lord be in due time assembled ; and there will the great work of redemption occupy all their minds, precisely as it does when we surround the table of the Lord. There, at this moment, they are " singing a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood,
^ Acts ii. 42, 46. > Acts xx. 7. ^ Jam. iv. 8.
1 Luke xxiv. 35. ™ 1 Cor. xv. 24, 28. " Luke xxii. 29, 30.
o Matt. viii. 11. p Luke xvi. 23.
ft John xiii. 23, 25. and xxi. 20.
1401.] THE lord's supper. 557