giving to God for the unspeakable gift of his Son, for the means of salvation thus made available, and for this solemn ordinance itself as a sign and seal of the benefits bestowed —in a word, for all the mercies of his covenant, for all his love to our souls, for all his taithfulness to his promises, for all he has done, is doing, and has promised to do. The breaking is expressive of the breaking and bruising of his body; that is, the painful death on the cross, the pouring out of his life unto death, the making of his soul an offering for sin to satisfy Divine justice, to pacify Divine wrath, and purchase salvation for us, The giving denotes the gift of the Father, who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; ” the gift of the Son, of whom the believer can say, “ He loved me, and gave himself for me;” every needful gift, for “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for usall, shall he not with him also freely give us all things? ”— the gift of all things, for “all things are yours, because ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God's.” The Christian’s inventory is as follows :—‘‘ Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come;” all are yours, because Christ is yours—Christ, in the glory of his Godhead, in the dignity of his person, in the suitability of his offices, in the perfection of his work, in the sufficiency of his atone- ment, in the power of his resurrection, in the prevalency of his intercession, in the preciousness of his promises, in all the blessedness of his benefits; no benefit kept back, no blessing withheld, and no promise excepted. Thus he is “made of God to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption;” and thus we are “complete in him.” ‘There are also sacramental actions on the part of the recipients— taking, eating and drinking, dividing. ‘These also are significant. Our taking implies intelligent acceptance of Christ and cordial reception of him. We embrace him fully as he is offered freely. We take him in all the capacities pertaining to his person or identified with his work. We take him as our Teacher, to be taught to know and believe and do the truth; as our Sin-bearer, who bore our sins in his own body, suffering, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God; as our King, to rule in us and over us and for us. We take him as our Saviour and Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob, that we may be saved from the guilt and filth of sin, from the pollution and power of sin, from the defilement and dominion of sin; we take him as “the Lord our Righteousness” and Strength; as the Beloved of our soul—the chief among ten thousand in our esteem. We take his laws tor our direction, his love for our consolation, his precepts to guide us, his promises to gladden us; his cross in time, his crown in eternity ; for if we bear the cross now, we shall wear the crown hereafter. Thus St. Paul says, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ;” and again, “ Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of glory, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day.” By eating and drinking we understand the necessary application. Bread must be eaten in order to nourish, and wine drunk that it may refresh. The. elements thus entering our bodies incorporate with our system and become part of our frame, As the application of Christ by faith unites us with Christ, so by this symbolic application of his body and blood that union becomes still closer. By such sacramental action, too, we profess publicly our union with Christ, and proclaim to the Church and to the world that Christ is one with us and we with him—Christ formed in our heart the hope of glory, and our life hid with Christ in God. By eating and drinking we say in action what Thomas said in words, “ My Lord and my God ;” we claim sacramentally that mutual relationship which the Spouse in Canticles claims verbally when she says, “ My Beloved is mine, and I am his.” The dividing, according to the direction in St. Luke, “Take this and divide it among yourselves,” is expressive of practical communion with each other in the charities and amenities of life; consequently of hallowed fellow- ship, Christian affection, and brotherly love; of the widest, yet tenderest, sympathies with all followers of our common Lord, with all fellow-travellers to the heavenly home, and with all fellow-heirs of the future glory in our Father’s house above. 3. Zhe sacramentul words. ‘These comprise an injunction, an explanation, and an obligation. The injunction or command is comprehended in the fullowing terms :—“ ‘lake, eat; ” “This do in remembrance of me;” “Drink ye all of it;” “‘Lhis do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” The explanation consists of the two following sentences :—“ This is my body, which is broken for you,” “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Here there
288 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [on. x1v. 1—72,
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is an obvious reference to the words of Moses, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you” (Exod. xxiv. 8). The obligation or enforcement applies to the whole, and is contained in the single sentence, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show [‘ ye proclaim,’ Revised Version] the Lord’s death till he come.” 4. Concluding observations. The Lord’s Supper is thus not a sacrifice, but a feast after a sacrifice, and a feast upon a sacrifice. It is a wellspring in the wilderness, a green spot in the desert, a feast to refresh us on our pilgrimage, and a foreshadowing of that feast above, where “many shall come from the east, and west, and north, and south, and sit down [recline] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” We are constrained, somewhat reluctantly, to pass over several interesting topics in this connection—the reasons for partaking of this sacra- ment, the sses to be made of it, the benefits to be derived from it, as also the gualifioa- tions for worthily observing it. Here we may just notice in regard to the latter (1) that a man must prove himself, and so partake; (2) discern or discriminate the Lord’s body by faithful apprehension and spiritual appreciation; and (3) discern or discriminate himself and his relation to his Lord. Failing these he incurs judgment, viz. judicial visitation. Yet mercy mingles with such judgment, for it is the chastening of our heavenly Father for our good, and to prevent our final condemnation with the ungodly world.—J. J. G.