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Observe here, 1. What ardency of desire, and vehemency of affection our holy Lord expresses, to celebrate the passover with his disciples, and to administer the sacramental supper to them before he left them: With desire have I desired to eat with you before I suffer.
Thence learn, that it is very necessary, when sufferings do appear, especially when death does approach, to have immediate recourse to the table of the Lord, which affords both an antidote against fear, and is a restorative to our faith. Christ, the night before he suffered, communicated with his disciples.
Observe, 2. The unexampled boldness of the impudent traitor Judas; though he had sold his Master, he presumes to sit down at the table with him, and with the other disciples: had the presence of Judas polluted this ordinance to any but himself, doubtless our Saviour would not have suffered him to approach unto it.
It teaches us, that although nothing be more ordinary than for unholy persons to press into the holy ordinances of God which they have no right (while such) to approach unto, yet their presence pollutes the ordinances only to themselves. Holy persons are not polluted by their sins, therefore ought not to be discouraged from coming, by their presence.
Observe, 3. Christ did not name Judas, and say, Oh thou perfidious traitor; but, Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. Doubtless Christ did not name him, because he would not drive him to despair, but draw him to repentance.
But, Lord, thou knows in what thou names us not. Oh how sad is it for any of the family, who pretend friendship with thee, to conspire against thee; and after they have eat of thy bread, to lift up the heel against thee!
Observe, 4. That though Judas was not named, yet he saw himself pointed at by our Saviour: Behold the hand that betrayeth me is on the table; and Judas' heart told him whose hand that was; yea, though Judas heard that dreadful sentence denounced against him, Woe to the man by whom the Son of man is betrayed; yet he is no more blanked than innocency itself: this shameless man had the impudence to say to our blessed Saviour, Master, is it I? Though St. Luke says it not, the other Evangelists tell us, that Christ answered him, Thou sayest it. Did not Judas (think we) blush extremely, and hang down his guiltly head, at so galling an intimation? Nothing less; we read not of any thing like it.
Lord, how does obstinacy in sinning steel the brow, and render it incapable of all relenting impressions!
Immediately after the celebration of the passover, followed the institution of the Lord's supper.
Where we have observable, the author, the time, the elements, and the ministerial actions.
Observe, 1. The author of this new sacrament, Jesus took bread.
Learn thence, that to institute a sacrament is the sole prerogative of Jesus Christ; the church has no power to make new sacraments; it is only her duty to celebrate those which our Saviour has made.
2. The time of the institution, the night before the passion: The night in which he was betrayed, he took bread.
3. The sacramental elements, bread and wine; bread representing the body, and wine the blood of our Redeemer: bread being an absolutely necessary food, a common and obvious food, a strengthening and refreshing food; and wine being the most excellent drink; the most pleasant and delightful, the most cordial and restorative; for these reasons amongst others, did Christ consecrate and set these creatures apart for those holy purposes for which he designed them.
4. The ministerial actions, breaking of the bread and blessing of the cup: Jesus took bread; that is, separated it, and set it apart from common use, for holy purposes: He blessed it, that is, he prayed for a blessing upon it, and brake it, thereby shadowing forth his body broken upon the cross: and he gave it to his disciples, saying, this broken bread signifies my body, which is suddenly to be broken upon the cross, for the redemption and salvation of a lost world, Do you likewise this in remembrance of my death. As to the cup, Christ having set it apart by prayer and thanksgiving, he commands his disciples to drink all of it; For, says He, this cup is the new testament in my blood; that is, the wine in this cup does represent the shedding of my blood, by which the new covenant between God and man is ratified and confirmed. Drink ye all of this, says our Saviour: whence we gather, that every communicant has as undoubted a right to the cup, as he has to the bread in the Lord's supper; therefore for the church of Rome to deny the cup to the common people is sacrilege, and directly contrary to Christ's institution.