Lectures on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LECTUKE III. THE LORD S SUPPER A COMMUNION OF HIS BODY AND BLOOD. 1 Corinthians x. 16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ ?" This is the most important view of the Sacrament?important, not only because it unfolds to us the great meaning of this mystery of the New Testament; but important, because it is a truth denied by those who do not conform to our Church, and perverted by those who belong to the church of Eome. It is therefore necessary, in elucidation of our subject, to touch upon the errors whichhave crept in with regard to it: I shall do little more than touch upon them, for it is equally adverse to the purpose of these lectures, and to my own feelings, in any way, to stir up the turbid waters of theological bitterness. I desire, then, simply to remind you, that Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ; and this not spiritually and sacramentally, but actually and in a material manner. In support of this view, they urge the words of institution, " This is my body;" and also that striking passage in the 6th chapter of St. John, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." An opinion, founded upon the plain meaning of Scripture, has naturally much in its favour, nor is it a slight matter that this opinion appears to give weight and importance to the sacred institution of the Lord's Supper Our answer to this error, for such we do emphatically deem it, is just to refer to the saying of Jesus, in the same discourse: "Thewords that I speak to you they arc spirit." (1 John vi. 63.) Onr chief danger, however, in the present day, is, perhaps, from low...