Precisely, with such a disposition as Dr. Donne recommends, the multitude of Christians, who are yet untainted with infidel principles, come to the Sacrament; and as they are hungry, there is every reason to believe that they are filled with good things; while, it is to be feared, the rich, those who abound in their own sense and knowledge, are sent empty away.

SECTION XVI.

The Love of Christ to Man, of Man to Christ, and of Man to Man, strikingly exhibited in the Eucharist duly celebrated.

THE name Eucharist, signifies the expression of gratitude, always a pleasing office, and more especially delightful when shewn to the God who is love itself, and multiplies his benefits in proportion as they are gratefully acknowledged. This holy feast after the Sacrifice, the great Sacrifice once made, as a full, perfect, and sufficient oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, is a luxurious banquet for the soul, in which all its most refined appetites are completely gratified.

• It was commanded in the law of Moses, "Thou shalt rejoice in thy feasts before the Lord* ;" and

* Deut. xvi. 11.

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surely, if the Jews had cause to rejoice at their paschal feast, in memory of their deliverance from the house of bondage, their state of slavery in Egypt, Christians must feel delight in commemorating the mercy of God in sending the Son of his Love, out of his bosom, to redeem them from the chains of sin and death. St. Luke, in the Acts, gives us a pleasing account of the behaviour of the first Christians in celebrating the Lord's Supper :-" And they, continuing with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread in the house*, (in the place of their religious assemblies,) did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people †." Consistently with the idea of joy being the predominant sentiment at the Eucharist, we are taught in our Communion office to break out in the following words with rapture: "With angels and archangels, and with all the company of Heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praising thee, and saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord, most high.” And again: "We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, Heavenly King, God, the Father Almighty."

*So it should be translated

† Acts ii. 16.

These words are expressions of the warmest feelings of love, gratitude, and adoration. They who repeat them without such feelings are so fár guilty of hypocrisy; to avoid which, it is necessary to raise the mind to a high degree of ardour or fervency; a purpose rendered difficult, if not impossible to be accomplished by the chilling doctrines of those who undervalue the holy rite. We must endeavour to feel, with due force, the love of Christ towards us; and love will produce love. We are commemorating the greatest instance of love that possibly could exist:-" Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend:"but we, as sinners, were enemies,"And God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us*." Such words should not be carelessly repeated, but laid to heart, after long and serious consideration of their full force and significancy. How great would have been our wretchedness if he had not shewn us this love? but as he has shewn it, we have reason to believe that he will continue it ; and with himself freely give us all things-an exalted state of bliss and perfection, in a future and glorified existence.

Thus the worthy communicant experiences, in the Eucharist, the truth of St. John's declaration :

* Rom. v. 8.

"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him*." He has a prelibation of the happiness of heaven: for in what can that happiness consist, if not in a holy joy, in a refined love, gratified with the society and favour of the supreme excellence which the soul delights in, as congenial to its original unpolluted nature.

Man is so constituted, that unles he is impelled by some affection, he becomes inactive and listless, though his understanding at the same time be convinced of the propriety of strenuous exertion. The spur of inclination is necessary to religious as well as moral, social, civil, or political activity. It is pride, avarice, and voluptuousness, which fill our streets, our emporiums, our theatres, with all the bustle of business and alacrity of motion. A more refined affection than these, devotional love, must fill our churches and crowd our tables of Sacramental Communion; and it is right to excite an ardour of this kind, to counteract the ardours which the world and its vanities never fail to kindle.

Accordingly our Saviour, intimately acquainted with human nature, has comprehended the whole of his religion in the affection of love. He taught nothing of scholastic refinement or academical theology: love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of his philanthropic code. To the lawyer, who

1 John iv. 8.

asked him which was the great commandment in the law, he answered: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and great commandment; and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

The Eucharist indispensably requires, and greatly increases this love, both to God and man; for it unites the hearts of all who communicate in the strictest bond of amity. Our Lord, in an affectionate discourse, when near his death, and at the very time of instituting the Sacrament, says, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you: a new commandment I give you, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." The Communion of the body and blood of Christ unites the Communicants or receivers into one body. The Apostle expressly says," For we, being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread." He who comes to the table with a heart full of envy, hatred, and malice, may indeed eat the bread and drink the wine with others, but he does not communicate with either God or man.

But the blessed Sacrament, worthily received, reconciles man to God, and man to man. Considered in its just light, it is a feast of love, and contributes to happiness in this life, while it tends to secure it in a better. The disposition is soften