It may be added farther on the fubject-that as God has formed individuals for fociety, their mutual happiness is fo connected, that the individual will always find his own intereft the best ferved, by honestly ferving the public; and the public in the end will infallibly be ruined, if it be deserted by the individual *.

*Now fee him launch'd into the world at large:
If Prieft, fupinely dofing o'er his charge:
Their fleece his pillow, and his weekly drawl,
Though fhort, too long, the price he pays for all
If Lawyer, loud whatever cause he plead :
But proudeft of the worft, if that fucceed:
Perhaps a grave Physician, gathering fees,
Punctually paid for lengthening out disease
If Arms engage him, he devotes to sport
His date of life, fo likely to be short;
A Soldier may be any thing, if brave,

COWPER.

XI,

MATT, XXVI. 26.

AND AS THEY WERE EATING, JESUS TOOK BREAD, AND BLESSED IT, AND BRAKE IT, AND GAVE IT TO THE DISCIPLES, AND SAID, TAKE, EAT; THIS IS MY BODY. AND HE TOOK THE CUP, AND GAVE IT TO THEM, SAYING, DRINK YE ALL OF THIS: FOR THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH IS SHED FOR MANY, FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS,

JES

ESUS Chrift being now about to perform the laft great act of divine love, in dying to make atonement for fin, inftituted this holy facrament the day before he fuffered. The plain, and short account of it, as collected from the feveral evangelifts, is this.

As

As he was commemorating the Jewish paffover, which (as a type now fulfilled) was henceforth to be abolished, he took bread, and, giving thanks*, he brake it into portions, and gave it among difciples; ordering them to eat it in remembrance of his death. Wine he distributed in the fame

manner.

his

From this plain account of the Lord's fupper, which is all the account we have of its inftitution, much mystery hath been deduced, and much hath been faid, that hath tended perhaps greatly to obfcure it-to draw it from its original fimplicityand to affright well-meaning people from partaking of it. It appears, from this account, to be merely and folely a rite of commemoration. In a humble

* The two words used to fignify this act, are euxoyŋoas and uxapisnoas, which feem to imply the fame thing, as the evangelists use them promifcuously. St. Matthew uses the former word; St. Luke the latter; St. Mark and St. Paul ufe both. Thefe words alfo are used on various other occafions-as before the distribution of the loaves and fishes-in bleffing children-and in giving thanks to God before a common meal. It does not appear, therefore, that any peculiar holiness was meant to be conveyed by either of these words to the fimple elements; and therefore, perhaps, the title of the prayer of confecration, as it is called, might be advantageously changed into fome word taken from either of the original word hoye or ευχαριστω.

fense

fenfe of our fallen ftate, and of our bleffed Redeemer's meritorious atonement, we eat bread and drink wine in a folemn manner, in remembrance of his death.-St. Paul adds, As oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this wine, ye do fhew forth the Lord's death till he come ;-that is, the wine and the bread are to be a kind of vifible memorials of the death of Chrift, through every age of the church. St. Paul's words allude to a Jewish custom at the passover. It was ufual for fome younger perfon to afk an elder, what was the meaning of that rite? the other informed him; and this was called Shewing it forth.

Now this feems to be the whole fcriptural account of the inftitution of the Lord's fupper. As to the paffage of St. John (vi. 53.), learned men, I think, have fufficiently fhewn, it has no relation to this fubject *.-St. Paul, indeed, in the passage above cited,(1 Cor. xi. 20.) fays many fevere things to the Corinthians on their mode of receiving it. But theirs was a particular cafe; and, unless that cafe had existed, would probably not have been said at all. The Lord's fupper was at that time administered in private houfes, and accompanied with what

* See Dr. Bell on this fubject.

they

they called love-feafts, which introduced much intemperance; fo that what the apostle fays to the Corinthians in this paffage is by no means applicable to the Chriftians of these days.

Pious divines have spoken much of the frame of mind in which this holy rite should be receiv ed. And all this is well. The Lord's fupper naturally fuggefts deep contrition for fin, and thankfulness for the great atonement of a Saviour's death. This is clearly implied in the words of the original institution, do this in remembrance of me: in remembrance of what I have done for you. At the fame time, I doubt, whether pious formularies, which recommend feclufion, and other ftrictneffes, before the Sacrament, are of much use. They imply fome myfterioufnefs in the inftitution; and may alfo, from too much tenfion at one time, lead the mind to remit too much at another. A well-difpofed Chriftian coming on the fudden. to the Lord's table, may furely, with only fuch pious thoughts about him, as the emergency fuggefts, be a very acceptable communicant.