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The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper not a human invention, but a
divine Institution.
MATTHEW xxvi. 26-31.
_And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake
it, and gave it to the disciples, and said take, eat, this is my
body.--And he took the Cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them,
saying, drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the New Testament
which is shed for many for the remission of sin. But I say unto you,
I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that
day, when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.--And when
they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives._
It affords peculiar satisfaction to the thinking mind, in attending
any duty of Religion, to be well assured that it hath either a divine
warrant, as _thus saith the Lord,_ or is supported by the clear light
of Reason. If we make that a duty which God hath not enjoined upon
us, either taught us by the light of nature, or the light of
Revelation, we are guilty of will-worship or superstition. In this
case, it may justly be said to us, _who hath required this at your
hands: bring no more vain oblations._ To worship God in a way not
appointed in his word, or by rites and ceremonies not authorised by
him is to presume to interfere with the kingly office of the Saviour.
He is king in his Church, and alone had power to make laws and
appoint ordinances of worship. It is an infallible mark of an
apostate and antichristian Church to pretend to institute sacraments
or ordain modes of worship. Our Lord, knowing the proneness of human
nature to err, and to adopt modes of worship of their own, has left
his people this needful warning and excellent advice. _But in vain
they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men._
We reject, with abhorrence, all human inventions or commandments in
things divine. We glory in being guided solely by plain scripture,
and not by the opinions or decrees of any men--body of men, or
venerable ecclesiastical councils, however wise, or learned, or
pious. Superstition and impiety are two extremes, in Religion, which
ought to be shunned with equal care. We are not to turn aside to the
right hand or to the left. While we anxiously flee from superstition,
we should tremble lest we run to the opposite extreme of irreligion.
Excellent is the advice of the wise man on this head. _Put away from
thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine
eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from
evil._ The right-hand errors of superstition, and the left-hand
errors of irreligion are to be avoided with the utmost solicitude.
As worshipping God in more ways than he has appointed, or in
unauthorized ways is superstition; so neglecting the ways and
ordinances of worship, which he hath most obviously appointed is
irreligion. If we refuse, under any pretence whatever, to attend upon
that, as DUTY, which he hath most expressly commanded, and which is
altogether reasonable in itself, we are guilty of impiety, or
despising his authority, breaking his laws, and rising up in
rebellion against him; and of course shall be dealt with accordingly.
For to retrench is no less criminal than to add. We are as strictly
prohibited from taking away from, as adding to, the revealed will of
God. The conscientious mind, therefore, would wish above all things
to avoid both crimes, taking from or adding to, going beyond or
stopping short of duty. To determine which crime of the two is most
heinous, is perhaps beyond our abilities. It is enough for us to know
that both are very aggravated Sins, and to be avoided with the utmost
solicitude.
We should carefully and diligently worship and serve the Lord our
Maker, just as he has commanded us, precisely, and not according to
any traditions of men, decrees of councils, uninspired canons, or our
own vain imaginations. Religious and Gospel-worship and ordinances
should be kept, pure and entire, free from all human mixtures and
inventions. These are the feelings and views which our Churches
profess to entertain--to walk by--and to hold. If in any instances,
or degree, we deviate from them, we do it mistakenly--and
unintentionally; and therefore we trust, should this be the case, it
will not be imputed to us, as a wilful aberration from the original
purity and primitive glory of the Gospel. We profess, and wish to
take Christ's spiritual and heavenly Religion, just as he, and his
Apostles have delivered it to us, in the sacred Volume.--And that we
may all be fully and perfectly satisfied, that while remembering the
bitter sufferings and agonies of our once crucified, but now risen
Redeemer in the sacrament of his supper--in the elements of bread and
wine, we are only acting in pious obedience to a plain, positive, and
express command, as express as any one can be, of our glorious high
Priest, the captain of our salvation.--It is proposed, in the sequel,
to--
I. Consider the original and actual institution of the sacramental
supper--