St. John relates a conversation of our Lord which in its first sense points to His atoning sacrifice, but secondarily to the important Sacrament which commemorates that atonement.

The institution of the Holy Communion is also recorded by St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, and the substance of it is to be found in the Communion Service of our Church. The words of institution as contained in Holy Scripture are as follows: "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 up 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," (Matthew xxvi. 26-28).

"As they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is My Body; and He took the cup, and when He had given thanks,

He gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And He said unto them, This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many," (Mark xiv. 22-24).

"And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My Body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My Blood, which is shed for you," (Luke xxii. 19, 20).

"I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this Man give us His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My Blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him

up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him," (John vi. 51-56).

"Then they that gladly received His word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls, and they continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers," (Acts ii. 41, 42).

66

Upon the first day of the week, when the the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them," (Acts xx. 7).

"For 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 Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body," (1 Cor. xi. 23-30).

"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? For we being many are one bread, and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread," (1 Cor. x. 16, 17).

We have first to notice that it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who instituted this Sacrament; its origin therefore is not of men, but it comes from the highest and

most sacred authority. It comes from the Being whom we are bound to obey as our Creator, and to love as our Saviour and Redeemer; and nothing that He has ordained as necessary for the spiritual welfare of His followers ought to be treated lightly or as optional, or useless. Our modern Christianity is very different from the spirit which prevailed in the early Apostolic age. It is supposed that Christians then partook of the Lord's Supper every day after the evening meal; but it is certain that it was celebrated every Lord's day, when all baptized persons of proper age, who were not cut off from communion with the Church by reason of notorious sin, were under the obligation of joining in the Holy Eucharist.

Jesus appointed it "in the same night that He was betrayed," when a little company was assembled round their Divine Master in the upper chamber at Jerusalem. It was a most impressive scene. He had shortly

before foretold that the destruction of the