1The Lord's Supper
Next Part 2 1The Lord's Supper
"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take it; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,' he said to them." Mark 14:22-24
The Lord's Supper is the most spiritual and sweetest ordinance that ever was instituted. Here we have to do more immediately with the person of Christ. In prayer, we draw near to God; in the sacrament, we become one with him. In prayer, we look up to Christ; in the sacrament, by faith, we touch him. In the Word preached, we hear Christ's voice; in the sacrament, we feed on him.
What names and titles in Scripture are given to the sacrament?
It is called, the Lord's table. 1 Cor 10:21. The Papists call it an altar, not a table. The reason is, because they turn the sacrament into a sacrifice, and pretend to offer up Christ corporally in the mass. It being the Lord's table, shows with what reverence and solemn devotion we should approach these holy mysteries. The Lord takes notice of the frame of our hearts when we come to his table. "The king came in to see the guests." Matt 22:11. We dress ourselves when we come to the table of some great monarch; so, when we are going to the table of the Lord, we should dress ourselves by holy meditation and heart consideration. Many think it is enough to come to the sacrament—but mind not whether they come in "due order." 1 Chron 15:13. Perhaps they had scarcely a serious thought beforehand, where they were going. All their dressing was by the looking-glass, not by the Bible. Chrysostom calls it, "The dreadful table of the Lord:" and so it is to such as come unworthily.
The sacrament is called the Lord's supper—to import, it is a spiritual feast. 1 Cor 11:20. It is a royal feast. God is at this feast. Christ, in both natures, God and man, is the matter of this supper.
It is called a communion. "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" 1 Cor 10:16. The sacrament being called a communion, shows:
(1) That this ordinance is for believers only, because none else can have communion with Christ in these holy mysteries. "Communion is based upon union." Faith alone, gives us union with Christ, and by virtue of this, we have communion with him in his body and blood. None but the spouse communicates with her husband; a stranger may drink of his cup—but she alone, has his heart, and communicates with him in a marital manner; so strangers may drink of the cup—but believers only drink of Christ's blood, and have communion with him.
(2) The sacrament being a communion, shows that it is "a symbol of love"—a bond of that unity and love which should be among Christians. "We being many are one body." 1 Cor 10:17. As many grains make one bread—so many Christians are one body. A sacrament is a love-feast. The primitive Christians, as Justin Martyr notes, had their holy salutations at the blessed supper, in token of that dearness of affection which they had to each other. It is a communion, therefore there must be love and union. The Israelites ate the Passover with bitter herbs; so must we eat the sacrament with bitter herbs of repentance—but not with bitter hearts of wrath and malice. The hearts of the communicants should be knit together with the bond of love. "You brag of your faith" says Augustine, "but show me your faith by your love to the saints." For, as in the sun, light and heat are inseparable, so faith and love are twisted together inseparably. Where there are divisions, the Lord's supper is not properly a communion but a disunion.
What is the Lord's supper?
It is a visible sermon, wherein Christ crucified is set before us; or, it is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein by receiving the holy elements of bread and wine, our communion with Christ is signified and sealed up to us. Or it is a sacrament divinely instituted, wherein by giving and receiving bread and wine, Christ's death is showed forth, and the worthy receivers by faith, are made partakers of his body and blood, and all the benefits flowing from thence.
For further explaining the nature of the Lord's supper, I shall refer to its institution.
"Jesus took bread." Here is the master of the feast, or the institutor of the sacrament. The Lord Jesus took bread. He only is fit to institute a sacrament who is able to give virtue and blessing to it.
"He took bread." His taking the bread was one part of his consecration of the elements, and setting them apart for a holy use. As Christ consecrated the elements, so we must labor to have our hearts consecrated, before we receive these holy mysteries in the Lord's supper. How unfitting it is, to see any come to these holy elements, having hearts leavened with pride, covetousness, or envy! These, with Judas, receive the devil in the sop, and are no better than crucifiers of the Lord of glory.
"And blessed it." This is another part of the consecration of the element. Christ blessed it. He blesses and it shall be blessed. He looked up to heaven for a benediction upon this newly-founded ordinance.
"And broke it." The bread broken, and the wine poured out, signify to us the agony and ignominy of Christ's sufferings, the rending of Christ's body on the cross, and the effusion of blood which was distilled from his blessed side.
"And gave it to them." Christ's giving the bread, denotes giving himself and all his benefits to us freely. Though he was sold—yet he was given. Judas sold Christ—but Christ gave himself to us.
"He gave it to them;" that is, to the disciples. This is children's bread. Christ does not cast these pearls before swine. Whether Judas was present at the supper is controverted. I incline to think he was not, for Christ said to the disciples, "This is my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:20. He knew his blood was never shed effectually and intentionally for Judas. In eating the Passover, he gave Judas a sop, which was a bit of unleavened bread dipped in a sauce made with bitter herbs; Judas having received the sop, went out immediately. John 13:30. Suppose Judas was there, he received the elements—but not the blessing.
"Take, eat." This expression of eating denotes four things;
(1) The near mystic union between Christ and his saints. As the food which is eaten incorporates with the body, and becomes one with it, so, by eating Christ's flesh, and drinking his blood spiritually, we partake of his merits and graces, and are mystically "one with them." "I in them." John 17:23.
(2) "Take, eat." Eating shows the infinite delight the believing soul has in Christ. Eating is grateful and pleasing to the palate; so feeding on Christ by a lively faith is delicious. "The soul knows no sweeter food." Lactantius. No such sweet feeding—as on Christ crucified. This is a "feast of fat things, and wines on the lees well refined."
(3) "Take, eat." Eating denotes nourishment. As food is delicious to the palate, so it is nourishing to the body; so eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood, is nutritive to the soul. The new creature is nourished at the table of the Lord to everlasting life. "Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life." John 6:54.
(4) "Take, eat," shows the wisdom of God, who restores us by the same means by which we fell. We fell by taking and eating the forbidden fruit, and we are recovering again by taking and eating Christ's flesh. We died by eating the tree of knowledge, and we live by eating the tree of life.
"This is my body." These words have been much controverted between us and the Papists. "This is my body;" that is, by a metonymy—it is a sign and figure of my body. The Papists hold transubstantiation—that the bread, after consecration, is turned into the very substance of Christ's body. We say, we receive Christ's body spiritually; they say, they receive Christ's body physically; which is contrary to Scripture. Scripture affirms, that the heavens must receive Christ's body "until the times of the restitution of all things." Acts 3:21. Christ's body cannot be at the same time in heaven, and in the host. Aquinas says, "It is not possible by any miracle, that a body should be locally in two places at once." Besides, it is absurd to imagine that the bread in the sacrament should be turned into Christ's flesh, and that his body which was crucified before, should be made again of bread. So that, "This is my body," is, as if Christ had said, "This is a sign and representation of my body."
"And he took the cup." The cup is put by a metonymy for the wine in the cup. It signifies the blood of Christ shed for our sins. The taking of the cup denotes the abundance of merit in Christ, and the fullness of our redemption by him. He not only took the bread—but the cup.
"And when he had given thanks." Christ gave thanks that God had given these elements of bread and wine to be signs and seals of man's redemption by Christ. Christ's giving thanks shows his philanthropy, or love to mankind, who did so rejoice and bless God that lost man was now in a way of recovery, and that he should be raised higher in Christ, than ever he was in innocence.
"He gave the cup to them." Why then dare any withhold the cup? This is to pollute and curtail the ordinance, and alter it from its primitive institution. Christ and his apostles administered the sacrament in both kinds, the bread and the cup. 1 Cor 11:24, 25. The cup was received in the ancient church for the space of 1400 years, as is confessed by two Popish councils. Christ says expressly, "Drink from it, all of you." As foreseeing the sacrilegious impiety of the church of Rome, in keeping back the cup from the people. The Popish council of Constance speaks plainly but impudently, "That although Christ instituted and administered the sacrament in both kinds, the bread and the wine—yet the authority of the holy canons, and the customs of the mother church, think good to deny the cup to the laity." Thus, as the Popish priests make Christ but half a Saviour, so they administer to the people but half a sacrament. The sacrament is Christ's last will and testament "This is my blood of the New Testament." Now, to alter or take away anything from a man's will and testament, is great impiety. What is it to alter and mangle Christ's last will and testament? Sure it is a high affront to Christ.
Next Part 2 1The Lord's Supper