THE KING’S BUSINESS
1105
in by all present without regard to rank, age, or condition. The poor and the rich, the high and the low, the bond and the free-—all alike partook equally of the pro visions of this love-feast. The Agape, even as the Lord’s Supper, took place'in the homes of the church mem bers (Acts ii. 46), or perhaps later in some *specially selected place of worship ( “in the church,’’ xi. 18, 22). It was celebrated, it would, seem, at least in the early days of the apostolic church, “daily” (Acts ii. 46) ; /yet, as we get farther away from Pente cost, it would seem as though the practice of “breaking bread” on “the first day of the week” was adopted by the church (cf. Acts xx. 7; 1 Corinthians xvi. 2). The teaching concerning the Lord’s Sup per, as here set forth, Paul claims, was specially revealed to him, and that which he had received, that he transmitted. A com parison between this account of the insti tution of the Lord’s Supper and that nar rated in Matthew, Mark, and Luke shows them to be wonderfully harmonious and thus truthfully corroborative. (a) The Nature of the Lord’s Supper ( xi. i/-¿6). First. It is a memorial. It is observed in remembrance of .Christ. It reminds the believer of the fact thal Christ’s body was broken and His blood shed for his sins and that at the basis of all God’s dealings wjth him lies the great redemptive fact of the Cross. Second. It is a feast—a feeding of the soul on Christ, the true and living Bread from heaven. The soul, not the stomach, is satisfied at this feast. The Corinthians were in danger of forgetting this fact and were making the Christian feast almost like the Greek feast: a thing of eating, drink ing, riot, and wantonness. Third. It was a fact of prophecy. It looked forward to the time of Christ’s com- - ing again. “Till he come”—they» were to thus remember Him. The table of the Lord proclaims the second coming, even though the pulpit is ofttimes silent with
regard to it. The Lord’s Supper is a “pledge”’ and “earnest” of that coming. Fourth: It called for faith on the part of the participant. : “For you” and “for the remission of sins”—these words call for the appropriation of faith. Only thus does this Supper of our Lord become an extra ordinary meal. Fifth. It is an act of manifest obedience on the paft of the believer to the command of Christ: “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments” (John xiv. IS R. V.). Carelessness and failure in the matter of observing the. Lord’s Supper is manifest disobedience. It is a refusal to “remem ber Him, and that is a serious neglect for the child of God. Sixth. It is a demonstration of love to and union among the brethren. No class distinctions were to be recognized at this supper. Rich and poor, high and low, bond and free, man and woman—all. were equal and were to share alike. This would be a convincing argument for Christianity before the world (John xiii. 34, 35; xv. 17).. The abuse of this relation of brotherly love was bringing shame upon the name of Christ and His Church (xi. 17-22), and dire pun ishment upon those guilty of such miscon duct (xi. 30-34). ' (b) Our Duty in View o f Participation in the Lord’s Supper ( xi. ¿ 7 - 34 ). Our duty is briefly summed up in the words “Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup (xi. 28). A man should examine him self in the light of Sinai. The law was given to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin. He should ask, “Am I breaking any of God’s known commands?” Then he should examine himself in the light of Cal vary: “Do I bring, have I brought my sins to Jesus, the Lamb of God? Have I accepted Him as my Saviour, my Justifier, my Redeemer? Have I accepted the great truth that His body was broken for me and that His blood was shed for the remission of my sins?” Then we should examine ourselves in the
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