made manifest among you, In celebrating the Lord's supper, xxii. 53. also heresies among pected, that there must be even heresies among SECT. you, that they which are approved, may be you: contentions will arise to such a height, that separations will ensue. The warmth of 1 Cor. some tempers evidently leads to this; and Pro- XI. 19. vidence may probably permit it, that they who are of the most approved characters, may be made manifest among you, by the steadiness and candour of their conduct. 20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not per. It is particularly grievous to me, to be forced 20 to complain of your irregular behaviour, while to eat the Lord's sup- celebrating that most excellent and endearing ordinance of the eucharist: but I am compelled to do it; and therefore I tell you plainly, that when you come together in such a manner, as you do, into one place, under pretence of attending this grand solemnity; it is not eating the Lord's supper: it does not deserve to be called by 21 For in eating e- that name. Instead of regarding it in a holy 21 very one taketh before and religious view, you confound it with a comother his own supper; and one is hungry, and mon meal; and do not indeed behave in the manner that decency would require if it were no more than a common meal: for though you sit down at what, even in that case, ought to be a social and friendly table, yet each has his particular mess, and without offering a share of it, in an obliging manner to the rest, every one in eating greedily taketh before [the other] his own supper, both the food and liquor which he hath another is drunken, b There must be even heresies] It seems evident from hence, that heresy is spoken of as something worse than the schism mentioned above; but whether it be an evil entirely of a different kind, or only of a higher degree, is not so clear from this passage. I think, for reasons not here to be enumerated, that the word asprog significs, a sect of people separated from others and forming what we call a distinct denomination; whereas there may be schism without separation, if people assembling to. gether have uncharitable contentions with each other; which was the case of these schismatical Corinthians. c It is not eating the Lord's-supper.] The Corinthians seem to have been guilty of two great faults in the matter here referred to, which St. Paul, in the following discourse, labours to reform :-The one, that they confounded the Lord's supper with the common meals they made together; (from whence the love-feasts were afterwards derived ;) thinking it sufficient, (as the Quakers now do,) if they mingled some thoughts of Christ's death, with this common use of bread and wine :-The G other, that they used such a rapacious be- d His own supper.] This monstrous 54 To reform this, he reminds them of the original institution ; SECT. hath provided ; and so while one poor brother, xxii. for want of suitable provisions, is hungry, ano I Cor. ther eats and drinks to excess; which would in XI. 21. all circumstances be a scandal to a Christian, and especially to a religious assembly, as this certainly ought to be. 22 23 22 What, hare ve not houses to eat and or des shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. that have not? what What a reproach is this to your common profession? Give me leave to ask you, have you not to drink in? houses to cat and to drink in on common occa- pise ye the church of sions, that you must come to the place of public God, and shame them worship, thus to entertain yourselves there, which is certainly in all views very ill-judged? Or do you despise the church of God, which you must greatly offend by such a conduct as this? and at the same time shame those that have not provisions and accommodations of their own, and might hope at your common meals to be relieved? What shall I say to you, on this occasion? Shall I praise you in this [respect?] I wish I could fairly and honourably do it; but at present, I praise, [you] not; I must rather blame you, and exhort you to amend what is so grossly amiss. 23 For I have re ceived of the Lord, that which also I delivered unto you, That the night And that my admonitions and exhortations may come with the greater weight, let me lead back your thoughts to the original institution of this profaned and affronted ordinance; which if Lord Jesus, the same you reflect upon, I am sure you must be heartily grieved at the indignities you have offered it, and will be engaged to resolve, you will never repeat them. Now I am able to speak of this matter with great certainty and exactness: for my knowledge of it did not depend upon any human tradition whatsoever; but I received by special revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ cleared up by what is said above of the The word e Drinks to excess.] has this signification in a great latitude; but one would hope, that though the Jews and heathens were often intoxicated in their religious festivals, these Christians, imprudent and irregular as they were, did not carry their excesses so far; and therefore I chose to soften the version. Compare Vol. VI. p. 1, 134 note k. f I received by especial revelation, &c.] This epistie seems to have been written before any of the Gospels; and it seems to himself, be intimated, Gal. i. 17, &c. that when he wrote it, he had seen none of the apostles. It is very remarkable, that the institution of this ordinance should make a part of that immediate revelation with which Christ honoured him; and it af fords a strong argument for the perpetuity of it in the church. apostles, (as Barclay presumes to insinuFor had others of the ate,) mistaken what passed at the last passover, and founded the observation of the would rather have corrected this error in eucharist on that mistake, surely Christ his new revelation to St. Paul, than have administered such an occasion of confirming Christians in it. which might have been inserted hares For some notes see Vol. VII. sect. 172. & This The design of which was to shew the Lord's death. 55 night in which he was himself, that which I also delivered to you, in my SECT. betrayed, took bread :" former preaching on this subject, in which, as xxii. 24 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. 1 Cor. in all things else, I have been careful most exactly to adhere to my original instructions. And X1. 23. you know the substance of it was this, That the Lord Jesus Christ, the very [same] night in which he was betrayed, and amidst all those serious thoughts which his own nearly approaching sufferings must suggest, after he had finished the paschal supper, took bread, some of the remainder of those unleavened cakes with which that solemn feast is celebrated; And having in 24 a most reverent manner, given thanks to God, the great Author of all temporal and spiritual blessings, and looked up to him for his blessing upon it, for the purposes to which it was going to be appropriated, he brake [it] into several pieces, and distributing it to his disciples who were present, said, Take this bread, and eat it with due reverence and regard; for this is the solemn representation of my body which is just going to be broken, by the most bitter pains and agonies, for you and your salvation; this therefore do in all the succeeding ages of my church, as a commemoration of me; that the memory of my painful death may be kept up in the world, and your hearts, and those of all my faithful followers, be properly affected with the review of it. In like manner also [he took] the cup: 25 which, you well remember, was after he had supped; so that it was by no means a part of that meal they had been making, but something quite distinct from it: and he likewise distributed that to them as he had done the bread; saying, This cup is the solemn seal and memorial of the new covenant, which is established in my blood, by which all its invaluable blessings are derived to you. This likewise do, as often as ye drink [it] in commemoration of me, and in order to maintain the memory of my bleeding dying love in 26 For as often as the church and the world. You therefore, as 26 often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, 25 After the same manner also he took the ped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do it, in remembrance of cup, when he had sup ye, as oft as ye drink me. ye eat this bread, and drink g This do, &c.] Because the word way signifies, in some few instances, to sacrifice, Dr. Bret would render it, sacrifice this: whence he infers, that the eucharist is a sacrifice. And a learned prelate in the council of Trent, pleaded, with much the like judgment, that when Christ uttered these words before the cup, he ordained dó them priests; whereas he gave them the h Therefore, as often as ye eal, &c.] It i Eat this bread, &c.] It is no wonder, 56. shew the Lord's He who does it unworthily, is guilty of Christ's body and blood; SECT. do indeed perform a very solemn and important drink this cup, ye do action; for, according to his own interpretation death, till he come. and institution, you shew forth, and as it were XI. 26. proclaim, the Lord's death in its most affecting - xxii. 1 Cor. 27 Wherefore, who circumstances; which the church must throughout all ages continue to do, until he come to close the present scene of things, and to receive all his faithful servants to a place, where, for ever dwelling with him, they will no more need 27 these memorials of an absent Saviour. So that you see, by a farther consequence, whosoever soever shall eat this shall eat this bread, or drink1 [this] cup of the bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unLord unworthily, that is, in an irreverent man- worthily, shall be guilner, without a due regard to him, and to the ty of the body and great original purpose of its appointment, shall blood of the Lord. be counted guilty of profaning, and affronting in some measure, that which is intended to represent the body and blood of the Lord; and consequently the affront does evidently rebound to our Lord himself, who was pleased with infinite condescension, for our sakes, to assume human flesh, and to suffer in it. 28 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Let none therefore come to the ordinance in a rash and irreverent manner; but let a man examine himself as to his knowledge of its intent, and his desire to comply with its great design; and so let him eat of the sacramental bread, and 29 drink of the cup which is used with it. For he that eateth and drinketh in an irreverent, pro- ly, eateth and drinketh fane, and unworthy manner", must certainly a text in which this element is so plainly kntil he come.] Nothing can be more dis 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthi damna tages as they, to keep up the memory of Christ in our minds, to quicken us to holiness, and to unite us in love,) it is evident, the grand coming of Christ by the Spirit was, when it poured out on the day of pentecost; an event, which had happened many years before the date of this epistle. 1 Eat, or drink.] So it is in the original, ʼn ; nor could our translators suiely be under any temptation to render it, eut and drink, to elude the argument drawn from hence for communion in one kind only; since, as that excellent French preacher, Mons. Superville observes, (Serm. Vol. IV. p. 245,) it might as well prove, that the cup may be received without the bread, as the bread without the cup. So that it is surprising assurance in a late Popish writer, to plead from hence, that communion in one kind only was the practice of the Corinthian church. See Mod. Controv. p. 100. m In an unworthy manner.] To receive And therefore eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. xxii. 57 damnation to himself, displease and provoke God; so that it may truly SECT. not discerning the be said, that he eateth and drinketh judgment Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and many sleep. to himself he takes the readiest way to bring 1 Cor. And accordingly many of you have actually 30 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. we should not be condemned with the world. $3 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to cat, tarry one for another. 33 Therefore, my brethren, in one word, when ye come together to eat in those feasts which frequently precede the administration of this ordinance among you, wait decently and respectfully one for another, till the whole assembly be 34 And if any man convened. And if any one be so hungry, that 34 hunger, let him cat at he cannot conveniently stay till that time, let home; to purposes of faction, or intemperance, was receiving very unworthily; but the sense of that phrase must extend to every manner of receiving contrary to the nature and design of the ordinance; and consequently, to the case of doing it merely in a secular view; which I heartily pray that all concerned in it may seriously consider. Judgment to himself.] I think it the most unhappy mistake in all our version of the Bible, that the word zea, is here rendered damnation. It has raised a dread in tender minds, which bas greatly obstructed the comfort and edification they might have received from this ordinance. The apostle afterwards says, we are judged, (that is, as he afterwards explains it, we are cor rected,) that we may not be condemned; him which plainly shews, the judgments spo- o Judge ourselves.] Dianpivwv, ver. 29, P Let |