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I. I am to show that the sacrament of the Lord's supper is a standing memorial of Christ's death. We know nothing about the design of the sacrament but what we learn from scripture. If we turn to the 26th of Matthew, we shall there find an account of this institution, given by him who appointed it. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to his 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 sins." Here the bread and wine, which are the elements of the sacrament, are expressly said to be the body and blood of Christ; that is, emblems or symbols of his body and blood. And this shows that they are designed to commemorate that body of Christ which was broken, and that blood of Christ which was shed at his death, and at no other time. In this sense the apostle evidently understood the words of Christ. For he asks christians, "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?" In the next chapter he says, "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner, also, he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." This last clause confines the remembrance of Christ, in the sacrament, to his death. alone. From this it evidently appears that the sacrament was designed to be a memorial of his death in particular, and not

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of his life in general, nor of any thing he said or did, before his last sufferings and death on the cross. This is the scriptural

and true account of Christ's design in appointing a standing memorial of his death.

I now proceed to the main thing proposed.

II. To show why the sacrament was designed to commemorate his death in particular. And here I would observe,

1. That the death of Christ was the most striking scene that ever took place with respect to him, or any other being. There were a great many singular circumstances which rendered his death peculiarly striking. He had rendered himself very conspicuous by the life he had lived, the doctrines he had preached, and by the miracles he had wrought. He had drawn the atten

tion and interested the feelings of all classes of people. When he was arrested in the garden, hauled before three human tribunals, and condemned to die and bear his cross to Mount Calvary, he was surrounded by an immense multitude of visible and invisible spectators. All Jerusalem, and almost all Judea, were convened to celebrate the Passover, and were naturally led by curiosity, affection and disaffection, to be spectators of the amazing spectacle of the crucifixion of a personage who had professed to be the Son of God and Saviour of the world. Some of the spectators had probably been either raised from the dead, or been cured of their bodily diseases, or had heard him preach. The evil spirits which he had cast out, and legions of others knew him. The angels of heaven knew him. One strengthened him in his agony in the garden. Twelve legions were at hand and at his command, and multitudes more of the heavenly hosts. He was "seen of angels," the apostle says, who were deeply affected by his death. So were all the other spectators. For we are told that "all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things that were done, smote their breasts and returned." The tremendous earthquake, which rent the veil of the temple in twain, and the preternatural darkness which covered the face of the world, concurred to solemnize the scene. The circumstances of the death of the Lord of glory rendered it highly proper and important that he should appoint a standing memorial of the solemn and affecting event. It deserved to be kept in everlasting remembrance by all who saw it, and by all intelligent beings who should ever become acquainted with it.

2. The death of Christ was the strongest expression of his marvellous love to this sinful and perishing world. It is true that he expressed his love to mankind in various other ways. His consenting to become incarnate; his becoming a servant; his submitting to poverty, reproach and opposition, in the course of his life; his free, instructive and compassionate conversation; his beneficent miracles; and, in a word, all his benevolent exertions wherever he went, were so many expressions of love to mankind. But all these expressions of love were nothing, in comparison with the love he displayed in dying the just for the unjust. For one person to die for another is the strongest expression of human benevolence. So Christ himself said. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." But for a friend to lay down his life for a friend, or for a father to lay down his life for a son, or for a prince to lay down his life for a subject, is an expression of love infinitely below that of the Creator's laying down his life for a creature, who deserves to die for his unreasonable

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and inexcusable rebellion. But this Christ did, when he died for sinners. And by doing this, he exhibited the strongest expression of love to guilty creatures, that ever was, or ever will be, or ever can be exhibited. And for this reason, his death deserves a standing and perpetual memorial. Accordingly, Christ appointed the sacrament as a memorial of his death, rather than as a memorial of any other scenes through which he passed in the days of his flesh. As angels and men, before Christ's incarnation, looked forward to his death in order to see the strongest expression of his love to sinners, so they must now eternally look back to his death without the gates of Jerusalem, to see still stronger expressions of it. Nothing will ever appear in the whole work of redemption so expressive of the superlative love of Christ to the church, as his extremely painful and humiliating death on the cross. And this is a good reason why a memorial of it should be appointed to keep it in grateful and everlasting remembrance.

3. It was the death of Christ, which alone made atonement for the sins of the world, and laid a foundation for the pardon and salvation of all penitent, believing sinners. His incarnation, his miracles, his exemplary life, and all his humiliation, self denial and obedience, had no tendency to atone for sin. Had he displayed all these benevolent feelings in any other way than by his death, he would have made no atonement at all. All the scenes he passed through from his birth to his agony in the garden, were only preparative for the last great scene of his death, in which he made his soul an offering for sin. The whole current of scripture places the atonement entirely in his death. All the sacrifices under the law, which were typical of his atonement, plainly denoted that it should consist in blood. Indeed, God expressly told his ancient people, that it was blood which made atonement in all their expiatory sacrifices. Both the prophets and apostles teach us the same thing. Isaiah says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." "The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all." "And he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death." Daniel says, Daniel says, " Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself." When the apostle John șaw Jesus coming to him, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world." The Lamb of God which took away sin in Israel, was the paschal lamb that was slain, and whose blood made atonement. So Christ the Lamb of God was appointed from the foundation of the world to be slain, and by his

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blood to make atonement for the whole human race. He said himself, that he was the good shepherd, who would lay down his life for his sheep; and if he were lifted up, that is, on the cross, he would draw all men to him. The apostle Paul declares, that God purchased the church with his own blood; that he set forth Christ to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood. But in his epistle to the Hebrews, he treats upon the subject of the atonement more largely, and explains the typical sacrifices with the utmost plainness and precision. He says that Christ offered but one sacrifice, and that was the sacrifice of himself on the cross. After speaking of the high priest under the law, who typified him, he says, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" And to put it beyond all doubt that it was the death of Christ which made atonement, he goes on to observe, that Christ offered but one sacrifice, which was the sacrifice of his life. "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." And, "so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Thus Christ died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. It was his expiatory death only, that could bring sinners to God, that is, open the way for God to pardon and receive sinners into his favor. Nothing but his death could display God's displeasure at sin, and so render it consistent with his holy character, to forgive those whom he had threatened to destroy. Now, this being the nature of Christ's death, we can clearly see why the sacra ment should be appointed as an everlasting memorial of it. All Christ did before his death, and all he has done since, and all he ever will do hereafter, depended upon his death, and without it, would be of no avail to the salvation of sinners. His death virtually involved and consummated the great work of redemption, which he came into the world to accomplish. This he proclaimed with his dying breath, when he said, "It is finished." His death constituted and completed his character as the Saviour and Redeemer of sinners, and therefore it was in the highest degree proper, that the sacrament should be appointed, as a standing memorial of the most important

event in the universe, until the final consummation of all things.

I shall conclude at present with two or three reflections.

1. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is no unmeaning ordinance. It is far more significant and instructive, than the Passover, which was a standing memorial of the distinguishing and sparing mercy of God towards the first born in Israel. It was designed, and evidently does set forth Jesus Christ as crucified before the eyes of all who partake of the symbols of his death. This was an astonishing and instructive view to the many thousands, and perhaps many millions, who were spectators of it. Though it may not be so affecting now to us, as it was to those spectators nearly two thousand years ago, yet it is more significant and instructive now, than it was while Christ was actually expiring on the cross. The infinite dignity of the Lord of glory, and the infinitely important design of his death, are far better known to us, than to either his friends or foes, who saw the solemn and interesting event. The symbols before us are suited to awaken our attention to the most glorious personage in the universe, and to the glorious fruits and effects of the astonishing love of God to the guilty, the wretched, and the perishing. The exhibition of a crucified Saviour before our eyes is a solemn address to our understandings, and calls for the most serious and fixed contemplation upon the most glorious truths and objects, which can employ the minds of the most exalted and holy creatures in heavenly places. The manifold wisdom of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ, and ought to be contemplated while celebrating the memorials of his death. "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus."

2. This significant ordinance addresses your hearts, as well as your understandings, and calls for the most grateful affections to the Father and Son. We ought to love the Father, because he first loved us in sending his Son to die for us; and we ought to love the Son, because he first loved us in coming to seek and save them that are lost. And O, "that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge."

3. As the ordinance reminds you of Christ's giving himself for you, so it equally reminds you of your obligations of renew

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