1. Eucharistic Worship. S. JOHN IV. 24. 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.' This passage is often misread, misinterpreted, and misused; sometimes taken as though our Blessed Lord had said, 'they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in spirit,' or as though He meant that as God is pure Spirit, man need only worship Him with his spirit, and that so bodily worship is of no consequence whatever.' But Christ said not so. He said and He meant T. For as 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,' and 'actions speak louder than words,' so the inner life, and warmth, and devotion of the spirituallyminded man will manifest itself in look, and tone, and gesture. The text really means that we must worship God with our body and our spirit (1 Cor. vi. 20; Rom. xii. 1), with outward reverence as well as with inward devotion and godly fear, in the form and order (I Cor. xiv. 40) of God's own appointed way, as well as with the free outbreathings of spiritual worship. And that we may all give unto the Lord the honour due unto His Name, and worship Him with holy worship, I propose to bring before you from time to time, monthly now, and weekly in Advent and Lent, certain particulars relating to the worship of Almighty God, that so we may have clearer and more distinct views of the one chief and special way in which He wills that we should draw nigh unto Him and worship Him; that we may the better perceive and know what that great act of worship really is, and what the benefits which we receive thereby. I. What are the names by which our highest Act of Christian worship is called? (a) The Lord's Supper, where stress is to be laid on Lord's, not on Supper, -so called to distinguish It from that other Supper, viz. the Passover Supper' of the Jews (S. John xiii. 2-4). (6) The Holy Communion, i.e. The communication or imparting to us of our dear Lord's Body and Blood. For S. Paul asks (1 Cor. x. 16), 'The Cup of Blessing which we bless, is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ?' (Vulg. nonne communicatio sanguinis Christi est?) 'The Bread which we break, is it not the Communication of the Body of Christ?' (Vulg. nonne participatio corporis Domini est?) Cf. 'Partakers of this Holy Communion,' Prayer of Oblation, with 'Partakers of His most Blessed Body and Blood,' Prayer of Consecration. (c) The Breaking of the Bread,—one of the earliest names by which it was called in the infant Church (Acts ii. 42, 46; xx. 7), from the significant action wherewith it was accompanied (S. Matt. xxvi. 26; S. Mark xiv. 22m; S. Luke xxii. 19). B (d) The Liturgy, i.e. the one Service Divinely appointed and instituted by God (S. Luke xxii. 197; 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25). 'This our bounden duty and Service,' Prayer of Oblation, i.e. Ist Post-Com. Coll. In 2 Chron. xxxv. 16, LXX. uses λuroupyia Kupiou, for the service of the Lord.' In Acts xiii. 2, where A. V. reads as they ministered unto the Lord and fasted, the Greek λειτουργούντων δὲ αὐτῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ νηστευόντων, whilst they were liturgising (or celebrating the Liturgy) to the Lord and fasting,' would seem to have a plain reference to the Liturgy or 'Service of the Holy Communion.' (e) The Eucharist, or 'giving of thanks;' not any and every act whereby we give thanks to God, but the one great thanksgiving, the special thank-offering of His Church." We Thy humble servants entirely desire Thy Fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving,' Prayer of Oblation or 1st Post-Com. Coll. As in the Jewish Church the Peace-offering was the Thanksgiving (Lev. vii. 12), so in Holy Eucharist of the Christian Church Christ our Peace-offering is also our Thank-offering (Ps. cxvi. 11, 12). The Holy Communion is called the Eucharist by early Christian writers, as by S. Ignatius, Epistle to the Philadelph. iv.; Epistle to the Smyr. næans vii.; S. Justin M. Apol. i. 66. (f) The Christian Sacrifice (cf. Heb. xiii. 1ow; 1 Cor. x. 18-22), for now, as of old, the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests' (Zeph. i. 7, cf. Prov. ix. 1-3, 5). 'This our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving,' Prayer of Oblation. (Heb. xiii. 15.) (g) The Mysteries. In primitive times, when the heathen circulated all kinds of false and foul reports about the Christians and their services, it was needful to preserve a wise and holy reticence about the highest act of Christian worship, remembering our Blessed Lord's own words (S. Matt. vii. 6). Hence the Blessed Sacraments, and especially the Sacrament of the Altar, were termed 'Mysteries,' i.e. secret things, which were kept concealed 'not only from unbelievers but also from Catechumens.' (Fleury.) But in another sense, the Holy Communion is, and ever must remain, a Mystery as regards the manner of Christ's Presence in It; therefore the Church of England still speaks of It as 'that Holy Mystery,' 1st Exhort. Com. Office; those Holy Mysteries,' 3rd Exhort. Com. Office; these Holy Mysteries,' Thanksgiving Com. Office. Why has It so many names? Because It is so many things, has so many aspects, and may be looked at in so many lights, that no one word suffices to describe It. We may apply to this Blessed Sacrament those words of the wise (Prov. xvii. 8): for this Blessed and Tremendous Gift of God to man is like a precious stone with many facets, which gleams and sparkles with various colours according to the way in which you hold it, now shining with a red, orange, green, blue, or violet light as it is turned about. Some of its names describe what It is in itself, the Liturgy, the Mysteries. Others speak of what It is towards God, the Christian Sacrifice, the Holy Eucharist; others regard It in its relation to man, the Lord's Supper, the Holy Communion; whilst another, the Breaking of the Bread, describes its outward and symbolical action. 2. Let us now see what this sacred, high, mysterious Service is, (i.) as regards God; (ii.) as regards ourselves; (iii.) as regards our fellowChristians. (i.) As regards God, the Blessed Sacrament of our dear Lord's Body and Blood, the Holy Eucharist, is a Memorial Sacrifice. True! there only has been One Sacrifice properly so called in the whole history of the world, when in the fulness of time JESUS Christ our Lord, our great High Priest for ever, offered Himself as a Lamb without spot to God, upon the altar of the Cross. a But just as many things offered unto God, under the Patriarchal and the Mosaic dispensations, were called sacrifices, because they looked on to and derived all their meaning and efficacy from the One full, perfect, and sufficient Sacrifice of Christ our Lord; as animals, birds, flour, bread, oil, incense, and the like, were called sacrifices, even so the Holy •Communion, which looks back and derives all Its meaning from the One offering of Christ (Heb. x. 10-14), is fitly and truly called the Christian Sacrifice because we do in a figure what our Blessed Lord once did upon the Cross, for s.I.W. 'As often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup, ye do show forth-before men, before angels, and all the company of Heaven, and before God Himself-the Lord's Death till He come.'.. And as the Priest on earth offers the Bread and Wine-which God vouchsafes to make the Body and Blood of Christ-before the Father, so our Great High Priest offers and presents Himself at the golden altar in the True Holy of holies. The Holy Communion is a Solemn Memorial, made and pleaded before God, of what our dear Lord did upon the Cross. And this idea of a memorial sacrifice to be made before God, runs all through Holy Scripture. God gave the Rainbow as a token, sign, and pledge of the Covenant betwixt Himself and man (Gen. ix. 15, 16). Why is the rainbow given? That God may remember His Covenant, and that we may receive comfort. Supposing that we had the power of making a rainbow when we pleased, why should we do so? That God might look upon it and remember His covenant and promise. It is something that we should look upon the token and pledge of the Covenant betwixt God and man; but surely is it not a greater thing that God Himself should look upon it? Assuredly. And if He looks upon the Rainbow, the pledge of the Covenant between Himself and all mankind, how much more will He look upon the Flesh and Blood of His dear Son, the pledge of the Covenant between Himself and His Church! (West). But is God forgetful then? No! indeed (Isa. xlix. 15, 16f); yet He expressly commands, Put Me in remembrance' (Isa. xliii. 26). And as we know how much comfort of Hope and assurance of Faith is ob |