Portraiture of Quakerism; Taken from a View of the Moral Education, Discipline, Peculiar Customs, Religious Principles, Political and Civil Economy (Paperback)

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1870. Excerpt: ... cup is to be understood as a symbol or representation of the giving, of his blood for them. The Quakers therefore are of opinion, when they consider the meaning of the sayings of Jesus Christ, both with respect to the bread and to the wine, that he endeavored again to turn the attention of his disciples from the type to the antitype, from the bread and wine to his own body and blood, from the paschal lamb, that had been slain and eaten, to the Lamb that was going to be sacrificed; and as the blood of the latter was, according to St. Matthew, for the remission of sins, to turn their attention from the ancient object of the celebration of the Passover, or salvation from Egyptian bondage, to a new object, or the salvation of themselves and others by this new sacrifice of himself. It is reported of him again by St. Luke, after he had distributed the bread, and said, "This is my body which is given for you," that he added, "This do in remembrance of me." These words the Quakers believe to have no reference to any new institution, but they contain a recommendation to his disciples to meet in a friendly manner and break their bread together in remembrance of their last supper with him; or if, as Jews, they could not all at once leave off the custom of the Passover, in which they had been born and educated, as a religious ceremony, to celebrate it, as he had then modified and spiritualized it, with a new meaning. If they relate to the breaking of their bread together, then they do not relate to any Passover or sacramental eating, but only to that of their common meals; for all the Passovers of Jesus Christ with his disciples were in future, as we* have already shown, to be spiritual.--and in this sense the primitive Christians seem to have understood tiie words in question; for in their rel...