"illud sanctificari;" as a late Commentator fully expresses it.

THEREFORE, as to eat the Body and Blood of Christ, in the Lord's Supper, is to be made partakers of his SACRIFICE offered up to God for us;-as to eat of the Jewish Sacrifices, under the Law, was to partake of the legal Sacrifices themselves; so to eat of things offered up in Sacrifice to Idols was to be made partakers of the Idol Sacrifices, and thtrefore was unlawful.

For, "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to Devils." But Christ's Body and Blood were offered up in Sacrifice unto God, and therefore they could not partake of both together; the Sacrifice of the true God and the Sacrifice to Devils (Demons.)" Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils; ye cannot be partakers of the cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils."

St. Paul's argument here must needs suppose a PERFECT ANALOGY between these three; and that they are all parallels to one another, or else it hath No

STRENGTH.

WHERE

WHEREFORE, I conclude from hence: that the LORD'S SUPPER is the same among Christians in respect of the Christian Sacrifice (Christ once offered on the Cross) that among the Jews, the FEASTS upon the legal Sacrifices were; and among the Gentiles the Feasts upon the Idol Sacrifices;-and therefore that (the Eucharist or Lord's Supper among Christians) is EPULUM SACRIFICIALE or EPULUM EX OBLATIS-a Feast upon a Sacrifice, or a Feast upon the Oblation or the things offered in Sacrifice," which, in this case, were the real Body and Blood of Christ, originally and now represented by the Bread and the Wine in the Eucharist.

* Vid. A Discourse concerning the true Notion of the Lord's Supper. By R. Curdworth, D. D. The second edition, 1670.

SECTION VIII.

BISHOP WARBURTON'S Opinion of the SPECIFIC NATURE of the Lord's Supper.

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THE celebration of the Lord's Supper being our constant duty, as it is to "shew the Lord's death till he come;" and likewise our greatest interest, as it is the "communion of the body and blood of Christ;" it may not be improper to enquire into its Specific Nature; in order to comprehend both the force of our obligation to frequent the Lord's table, and the value of that benefit we receive in worthily communicating.

The history of its institution is delivered by St. Matthew, in these words, "And "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 the cup "and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,

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."

The Rites and Ceremonies of the law were Typical. A type, as hath been shewn elsewhere, arose from the ancient mode of conversing by signs: for, by adding a moral import to a significative sign, the action becomes a Type. This sacred Rite which (together with Baptism) was to take place of the whole Jewish ritual, is, like that ritual, Typical also; but with this difference; the Jewish Rites were predictive of things future; and so were obscure and intricate: this, significative of a thing past; and so, clear and intelligible.

Thus far as to its form. Its Specific Nature will be our next inquiry. To have an exact idea of this, two things must be well considered: The state of Religion at the time this Rite was instituted, and the particular season in which it was celebrated.

In those ages of the world when victims made so great a part of Religion, both

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both of Jews and Gentiles, the sacrifice was always followed by a religious feasting on the thing offered; which was called, the feast upon, or after the sacrifice; the partakers of which feast were supposed to become partakers of the benefits of the sacrifice. Now, from the Gospel history of the institution of the Lord's Supper, and from St. Paul's reasoning upon it, a celebrated person hath long since shewn, with great compass of learning, and force of argument, that Jesus, about to offer himself a sacrifice on the cross for our redemption, did, in conformity to a general practice, institute the Last Supper, under the idea of a feast after the sacrifice, So far that learned writer, CUDWORTH.

As to the particular season in which this holy Rite was celebrated; we are to consider, that the great Sacrifice of the Cross was typically prefigured by several of the Temple Oblations, and especially by the Paschal-Lamb. Now just before the Passion, and while Jesus was eating the Paschal-Supper, which was a Jewish feast after or upon the sacrifice, he institutes this holy Rite. And as it was his

general