=1. The Term "Sacrament"= is commonly used in both a general and
a specific sense; according to its derivation, it signifies a
sacred thing or holy ceremony, and with this meaning it is
applied by different sects to several ceremonies of their
churches. Thus, the Protestants speak of two sacraments,--baptism
and the Lord's Supper; the Roman and Greek Catholics recognize
seven sacraments,--the two named above, and also confirmation,
matrimony, the bestowal of church orders, penance, and extreme
unction. Some sections of the Greek church are said to exclude
confirmation and extreme unction from among the seven sacraments.
With even greater latitude, the term is applied to any miraculous
or spiritual manifestation; it is so used by Bishop Jeremy Taylor
when he says, "God sometime sent a light of fire, and pillar of a
cloud ... and the sacrament of a rainbow, to guide His people
through their portion of sorrows." Specifically, however, the
word sacrament denotes the Lord's Supper, and in this sense alone
does the word occur in Latter-day Saint theology. Eucharist and
Holy Communion are terms employed in certain churches as
synonymous with the sacrament of the Lord's supper. From the
custom of regarding the ceremony of communion, that is, the
partaking of the sacrament, as an evidence of standing in any
church, and from the rule which withholds this privilege from
those who are judged to be unworthy of fellowship, comes the term
_excommunicate_, as applied to deprivation of church fellowship,
meaning literally to cast out from communion.
=2. The Lord's Supper.=--As stated, this designation of the
sacrament occurs but once in the Bible. The "Lord's Supper" is
referred to by Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians. In
all probability this name was used because the rite was first
administered at the time of the evening meal. It must be
remembered that the _deipnon_ or evening supper among the Jews
was the principal meal of the day, and really corresponded to our
dinner.
=3. The Passover and the Sacrament.=--The feast of the passover
was the chief of the annual ceremonials of the Jews, and derived
its name from the circumstances of its origin. In setting His
hand to deliver Israel from the bondage of Egypt, the Lord
wrought many miracles and wonders before Pharaoh and his
idolatrous house; and, as the last of the ten terrible plagues to
which the Egyptians were subjected, the first born of every
household was smitten with death during a single night. By
previous command, the Israelites had marked the posts and lintels
of their doorways with the blood of a lamb slain for the
occasion, the blood having been sprinkled by means of a bunch of
hyssop. In His passage through the land, the Lord passed over the
houses so marked (Exodus xii, 12, 13); while in all the Egyptian
homes the stroke of death was felt. Hence arises the name
Passover, from _pasach_--to pass by. The flesh of the paschal
lamb was eaten amid the haste of departure. To commemorate their
deliverance from bondage, the Lord required of the Israelites an
annual celebration of this event, the occasion being known as the
"Feast of the Passover," also as the "Feast of Unleavened Bread,"
the latter name arising from the Lord's command that during the
specified time of the observance no leaven should be found in the
houses of the people (Ex. xii, 15); and the occasion of the feast
was to be taken advantage of for instructing the children
concerning the merciful dealings of God with their forefathers
(Ex. xii, 26. 27). But aside from its commemorative purpose, the
passover became to the people a type of the sacrifice on Calvary.
Paul says, "Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us" (I Cor.
v, 7). As being typical of the future atoning death of Christ,
the passover lost part of its significance by the crucifixion,
and was superseded by the sacrament. There is perhaps no closer
relation between the two ordinances than this. Surely the
sacrament was not designed to fully supplant the passover, for
the latter was established as a perpetually recurring
feast:--"And the day shall be unto you for a memorial: and ye
shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye
shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever" (Ex. xii, 14).
=4. Errors Concerning the Sacrament=, and its signification, and
the manner of administering it, grew rapidly in the
professed-Christian churches during the early centuries of the
Christian era. As soon as the power of the priesthood had
departed, much disputation arose in matters of ordinance, and the
observance of the sacrament became distorted. Theological
teachers strove to foster the idea that there was much mystery
attending this naturally simple and most impressive ordinance;
that all who were not in full communion with the Church should be
excluded, not only from participation in the ordinance, which was
justifiable, but from the privilege of witnessing the service,
lest they profane the mystic rite by their unhallowed presence.
Then arose the heresy of transubstantiation,--which held that the
sacramental emblems by the ceremony of consecration lost their
natural character of simple bread and wine, and became in reality
flesh and blood,--actually parts of the crucified body of Christ.
Argument against such dogmas is useless. Then followed the
veneration of the emblems by the people, the bread and
wine--regarded as part of Christ's tabernacle, being elevated in
the mass for the adoration of the people; and later, the custom
of suppressing half of the sacrament was introduced. By the
innovation last mentioned, only the bread was administered, the
dogmatic assertion being that both the body and the blood were
represented in some mystical way in one of the "elements."
Certain it is, that Christ required his disciples to both eat and
drink in remembrance of Him.
=5. Sacrament Administered to Unbaptized Children.=--Questions
have been raised as to the propriety of administering the
sacrament to children below the age specified as that of baptism
into the Church. As indicated in a preceding lecture (pp.
127-130), children born in the Church are members thereof without
baptism until they arrive at the age of accountability. There is
seemingly no violation of law in administering the sacrament to
such innocent subjects, and as the living authorities of the
Church have directed the practice, the question of propriety is
answered. Nevertheless, children should be taught that after they
have been baptized and confirmed in the Church, the partaking of
the sacrament has to them an added significance, in that it marks
a renewal of the covenants they made at the waters of baptism.