293 clxxii. They close the ordinance with singing a hymn. SECT. paid for the forgiveness of sins; receive it there- and] for many, for the fore with a firm resolution to comply with the remission of sins.[MARK XIV. 24. Mat engagements of that covenant, and with a cheer- LUXE XXII.-20.1 XXVI. ful hope of its invaluable blessings: and do this, 29 Put [verily] [ [no more] drink bencesay unto you, I will forth of this fruit of the 28 as often as ye drink it, in a thankful commemoration of me, and with a proper care to distinguish between this and a common meal, appropriating what you do in this ordinance entirely to a religious purpose. (Compare 1 Cor. 29 xi. 25.) And then our Lord repeated what he had said as they were sitting down to supper (Luke xxii. 18. p. 275), Verily, I say unto you, That from this time I will drink no vine, until that day more of this produce of the vines, until that day with you in the kingwhen I shall drink it new with you in the king- dom of [God] my Fadom of God my Father: that is, till, being risen ther. [MARK XIV. from the dead, I have received my mediatorial kingdom, and we shall share together in much nobler entertainments than earth can afford, even in its highest religious solemnities, which shall then be happily superseded. 30 when I drink it new 25.] And when, according to the usual custom at 30 And when they the close of the passover, they had sung an hymn had sung an hymn, of praise to God at the conclusion of the eucha- they went out unto rist, and had passed some remaining time in those discourses, and in that prayer, which will f In my blood, which is shed-as the great ransom to be paid for the forgiveness of sins.] I apprehend this ordinance of the eucharist to have so plain a reference to the atonement or satisfaction of Christ, and to do so solemn an honour to that fundamental dostrine of the gospel, that I cannot but believe that while this sacred institution continues in the church (as it will undoubtedly do to the end of the world) it will be impossible to root that doctrine out of the minds of plain humble Christians by all the little artifices of such forced and unnatural criticisms as those are by which it has been attacked. Unprejudiced and honest simplicity will always see the analogy this ordinance has to eating the flesh of the Son of God, and drinking his blood; and will be taught by it to feed on him as the lamb that was slain by the gracious appointment of God to take away the sins of the world. The enemies of this heart reviving truth might as well hope to pierce through a coat of mail with a straw as to reach such a truth, defended by such an ordinance as this, by any of their trifling sophistries. g I will drink no more of this produce of the vine.] This may seem an intimation, that though Christ drank with them after his be the resurrection (Acts x. 41), he did not make use of wine. Perhaps their poverty might not allow them often to drink it; and we do not find that he was ever present at any feast; at least we are sure he never celebrated another passover with them. Nor does it appear that he partook of the eucharist with them, or ever administered it, but at this time of its institution. h An hymn of praise to God.] The hymn that was usually sung by the Jews at the passover is what they call the Hallel, which began at Psal. cxiii. and ended with Psal. cxviii. some of which psalms might be used by our Lord at the close of the eucharist, as very suitable to this occasion; though it is uncertain whether (as Grotius and some others think) it might not be some other hymn, more closely adapted to the celebra. tion of the eucharist.-I thought it proper here to conclude the story of the passover, and to mention their going out, though that did not immediately follow on their sing ing the hymn. Some such little anticipa tious seem to me an advantage rather than an impropriety in any harmony, especially when attended with a paraphrase, or notes, and divided into such short sections as those must be which are intended for the use of families. [MARK XIV. 26.] Reflections on the institution of the eucharist. 299 SECT. clxxii. the mount of Olives. be the subject of the following sections, they went out to the mount of Olives; where our Lord had determined to spend some time in devotion, Mat. though he knew that Judas and his enemies XXVI. would come thither to seize him. 30 IMPROVEMENT. LET us now review, with most thankful acknowledgment, this gracious legacy of our dying Redeemer, this reviving and nourishing ordinance, which he instituted for the benefit of his church the same night in which he was betrayed: (1 Cor. xi. 23.) So tenderly did his love for them prevail when his heart was full of his own sorrows: May we always consider to what purposes this holy rite was ordained; and as we shall see the wisdom of the appointment, so we shall also be both awakened to attend to it, and assisted in that attendence! Mat. xxvi. 6. It is the memorial of the death of Christ, by which we represent Luke it to others, and to ourselves. May we be ever ready to give this xxii. 19. most regular and acceptable token, that we are not ashamed to fight under the banner of a crucified Redeemer !—It is also the seal of the new covenant in his blood. Let us adore the grace that 20 formed and ratified that everlasting covenant, so well ordered in all things, and so sure; (2 Sam. xxii. 5.) And whenever we approach to this sealing ordinance may we renew our consent to the demands of that covenant, and our expectation of those blessings which are conveyed by it! a consent and expectation so well suited to the circumstance of its being ratified by the blood of JeThus may every attendance nourish our souls in grace, and ripen them for glory; that at length all may be fulfilled and per- xiv. 5. fected in the kingdom of God. sus. In the mean time may God, by the influences of his Spirit, give to all professing Christians right notions of this ordinance, and a due regard for it; that, on the one hand, none may, under the specious pretence of honouring it; live in the habitual neglect of so plain and important a duty; and that, on the other, it may never be profanely invaded by those who have no concern about the blessings of that covenant it ratifies, and impiously prostitute it to those secular views, above which it was intended to raise them! And may none that honour the great Author of it encourage such an abuse, lest they seem to lay the very cross of Christ as the threshold to the temple of those various idols to which ambitious and interested men are bowing down their souls! Mark VOL. VII. PP SECT. 300 SECT. clxxiii. Luke Christ warns his disciples of approaching danger. SECT. CLXXIII. Christ, having warned his apostles of the danger to which they would be exposed, comforts them with the views of future happiness, and with the assurance of his own gracious presence, and that of his Father, in the way to it. Luke XXII. 35-38. John XIV. 1-14. LUKE XXII. 35. LUKE XXII. 35. AND he said unto them, When I sent you out without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. THOUGH we mentioned Christ's going out to the mount of Olives, after he had instituted the eucharist, it is very material to obXXII.35 serve, that before he quitted the guest-chamber in which he had supped, he entertained his disciples with some large and affectionate discourses, and put up an excellent prayer with them, which we shall now relate. And, to introduce these discourses, he said to them, When I sent you, my apostles, out on your important embassy some time ago, without either purse to supply you with money, or scrip to take provisions with you, or shoes besides those on your feet, (Mat. x. 9, 10, Vol. VI. p. 391.) did you want any thing necessary for the support of life? And they said, No, Lord, we very well remember that the care of providence over us was such that we wanted nothing; but wherever we came we found the hearts of strangers opened even with surprising freedom to assist and relieve us. Then he said to them, This was indeed the case in your former mission; but now you must expect much harder usage than before, and will be exposed to greater sufferings and dangers in the prosecution of your ministry; and therefore hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and let him that has a purse take [it], and also a buy one. scrip, if he has one; and let him that has no sword be ready even to sell his garment and buy one with the price of it: so long a journey, and so sharp a conflict, is before you, that you had need be well armed and furnished for it. 37 For I assure you, That my enemies are now about to apprehend me as a malefactor, and, after all the love that I have shewn to an un- accomplished in me. grateful word, this remarkable prophecy, among the transgres And he was reckoned which is written concerning me, (Isa. liii. 12.) sors: for the things must yet be accomplished in me, "And he was concerning me have numbered with the transgressors:" for indeed an end. 36 all the things which are written concerning me in 36 Then said he unto them, But now he that hath a purse let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that 37 For I say unto you, That this that is written must yet be He was going to prepare a place for them. 301 clxxiii. Luke in the scripture-prophecies must quickly have SECT. John And they said, Lord, behold here are two swords 38 that we are furnished with already, which we are resolved, in case of any violent assault, to use in thy defence. And he said to them, it is enough for weapons of this sort my chief intent is to direct you to another kind of delence, even that which arises from piety and faith . Let not your heart therefore be troubled, though I am going to leave you in a world where you XIV. 1. will seem likely to become an helpless prey to the rage and power of your enemies: believe in God, the almighty Guardian of his faithful servants, who has made such glorious promises to prosper and succeed the cause in which you are engaged; and believe also in me, as the promised Messiah, who, whether present or absent in body, shall always be mindful of your con. cerns, as well as ever able to help you. And, to establish your faith and comfort, ac- 2 custom yourselves often to look forward to the heavenly world, as those who are well assured that in my Father's house from whence I came, and whither I am going to take up my residence, there are many mansions; and it is really a spa a Here are two swords.] Probably (as Mr. Cradock conjectures, in his Harmony, part. ii. p. 209.) some of the apostles brought these swords along with them, in their journey from Galilee and Peræa, to defend them against robbers. It afterwards appears that one of them was Peter's. See John xviii. 10. sect. clxxxiii. b My chief intent is to direct you to another kind of defence, &c.] This is strongly intimated by his saying, Two swords were enough; for they could not be sufficient to arm eleven men. cious them in all these very different senses. als alike in both places; and it is d In my Father's house, are many mansions.] Mr. Le Moyne thinks Christ alludes to the various apartments in the temple, and the vast number of persons lodged there. Movas signifies quiet and continued abodes, and therefore seems happily expressed by our English word mansions; the etymology and exact import of which is just the same. e And 302 The prospect of their future happiness should comfort them. clxxiii. SECT. cious and glorious abode, where there will be ample room to receive you, and every thing to John accommodate you in the most delightful manner: XIV. 2. and indeed if it were not so, as I know you have still aced with regard to the happiness of a future world, though too much mingled with inferior views, I would before this time have told you so expressiv, and not have permitted you. to impose upon yourselves by an airy dream ; much less would I have said so much as I have done to confirm that expectation: but as it is in itself a glorious reality, so I am now going, not only to receive my own reward, but to prepare a place for you there f; or to make room for your coming thither, and to dispose every thing for your most honourable and comfortable 3 reception. And if I thus go and prepare a place for you, you may depend upon it that this preparation shall not be in vain, but that I will certainly act so consistent a part as to come again, and receive you to myself, that, And if not, I would have told you.] Heinsius's version of these words seems much less natural: he would connect and render them [ de SITO AY A, topoma &c. as if our Lord had said, "Had it not been so, I would have spoken in another manner, and have told you, I am going to prepare a place for you; but now I have no reason to say that, the place being already prepared." But it is hard to say what sense can be made of ver. 3. on this interpretation.-That the pious Jews considered all the glories of the Messiah's kingdom as introductory to the happiness of a future state of eternal glory, appears from a variety of scriptures; and indeed it is difficult to say how they could think otherwise, considering how much this ad been insisted on; or how they could have been good and pious, had not this been their chief aim. Compare Mat. iii. 12. v. 8. 12. vi. 20. vii. 21. xiii. 43. xix. 16. xxii. 30. Luke xiv. 14. xvi. 9. John iii. 15, 36. vi. 54, 68. xi. 24-27. f I am going to prepare a place for you.] When the glory of heaven is spoken of as prepared before the foundation of the world (Mat. xxv. 34.) this only refers to the Divine purpose; but as that was founded in Christ's mediatorial undertaking, (Eph. i. 4-6.) it might properly be said that, when Christ went into heaven as our Highpriest, to present (as it were) his own blood before the Father on our account, and as our Forerunner to take possession of it, he did thereby prepare a place for us; which the apostle expresses, (Heb. ix. 23, as 24.) by his purifying or consecrating the heavenly places in which we are to dwell, which would have been considered as polluted by the entrance of such sinful creatures into them; as the tabernacle when new made was, by having passed through the hands of sinners, on which account an atonement for the altar itself, which was considered as most holy, was the first act performed in it when it was opened. (Exod. xxix. 36, 37.) And an atonement for the whole tabernacle, as polluted by the access of sinners to it, was to be repeated annually, Lev xvi, 16.—It may not however be improper to observe, that the word ron is often translated room, (Luke ii. 7. xiv. 10, 22. 1 Cor. xiv. 16.) and thus the signification here may be, that Christ went to heaven to make room for them, or to reu ove those things out of the way which obstructed their entrance. This must at least be included; though the word sina may perhaps express still more. g I will come again, &c.] This coming ultimately refers to Christ's solemn appearance at the last day to receive all his servants to glory; yet (as was hinted before in note f, on Luke xii. 40. Vol. VI. p. 582.) it is a beautiful circumstance that the death of every particular believer, considering the universal power and providence of Christ, (Rev. i. 18.) may be regarded as Christ's coming to fetch him home; whereas Satan is spoken of as having natu rally the power of death, Heb. ii. 14. h We |