THE LORD'S SUPPER.

187

The Lord's Supper.-I take our Church as it is, one with the state, except as each one's individual will may distinguish him. Discipline here reduces itself, even in respect to scandalous sinners, to a general admonition given from the pulpit, and to a private admonition to be administered to those who are known to him, and whom he expects to see at the table.

The new law says nothing as to form. The former ordinances require the pastors, on presenting the bread and wine, to use "the words of our Lord"—the words, doubtless, used at the institution of the supper. The ordinances add that all the communicants, without distinction, shall receive the bread and the wine" after the same manner," that is to say,

suppose, with the same words. Our actual usage is not conformed to this rule, which appears to us a very good one. It is more inconvenient to address a separate passage to each person. The repetition of the sacramental word is serious, imposing, and this word does not lose its force.

It is allowable, and perfectly regular, to give the supper to the sick in their own houses; but this should be done with solemnity, and so that it may be a communion, that is to say, not only should there be assistants, but persons who partake of the supper with the sick.

As to baptism, without maintaining that we should absolutely refuse to administer it in the house of the parents, I think we should countenance this as little as possible, were it only to preserve the flock from an error too prevalent on the subject of baptism.*

The pastor should see that every thing in the church be decent, that every thing proceed in proper order, from the entrance to the departure, and during the exercises. He would do well to prevent the plate from being handed round. The sound is not suitable, and may oblige some to give, which is wrong, and contrary to liberty. It would be better to place a box at each door. It matters not if the col* See Acts of the Synod of Berne, c. xxi., p. 40 and 43.

lection be smaller, as probably it will be, "provided there be a willing mind."-2 Cor., viii., 12. Moreover, St. Paul says, "that your bounty may be ready, as a matter of bounty (a free gift), and not as of covetousness.' -2 Cor., ix., 5. "God loves a cheerful giver.”—2 Cor., ix., 7.

Singing is more essential to worship than is commonly supposed. It is a language which God has given to man to express thoughts which ordinary language can not express. Besides what we have said of it (in affirming that worship, as a whole, should have the character of music), it is an exercise in which the community unite, which gives believers an active part in worship, and in which their liberty is more complete.

The matter of singing, in general, is prescribed to us; but we ought to use the liberty which the law gives us in the choice of a song.

We may sing too much or too little; we should sing little and more often, three times, perhaps. It would be well to introduce singing immediately after the discourse rather than after the prayer which follows it. This gives repose to the pastor and the hearers, and aids self-possession.

Funerals are the only part of worship which has place out of the confines of the temple, as the supper and baptism, with exceptions, are celebrated only within them. It is not to be admitted that religion should be visibly absent at funerals; this would be to be less pious than pagans. Now it is the pastor who renders religion visible; and, seeing the progress which mind has made, if the pastor be here wanting, some one will take his place, and make his absence more manifest, to the great disadvantage of his character. I would have the minister never absent, either from the house of death or from the cemetery. In many houses the pastor offers a prayer before going out; but this will not suffice; he ought to attend the burial, and there should be another service either at the open tomb or in the church. Some words from the Bible, and a prayer besides, are in all cases sufficient.

SECTION SECOND.

INSTRUCTION.

CHAPTER I.

PREACHING.

§ 1. Importance of Preaching among the Functions of the Ministry.

WHAT is preaching? It is the explication of the word of God, the exposition of Christian truths, and the application of those truths to our flock; all this, in the presence of our assembled flock-I might say, in public; since the Church, in the view of the multitude or mass, is regarded as a great school, open to every comer.

We have first spoken of worship, and then of preaching as included in worship, and to be considered as making a part of worship, although worship speaks to God, and preaching speaks of him; but it is only in elevating his soul to God that one speaks worthily of him; preaching which is not of the nature of worship is not true preaching. Things which, in a lower region, are separated, in a higher one are reunited and blended.*

But let us leave this, and see what place God himself has given to preaching in Christianity. It is a place greater than preaching has in any other religion, greater than it had even in the Jewish religion. Christianity is a religion made

* On the relative importance of preaching in the pastoral office, see HARMS.

for thought, and, consequently, for speech; it represents itself, it substantively manifests itself by speech, it propagates itself by speech. The Gospel is a word. Christ himself is the Word, or the Reason. The term is of no importance; for the word is reason expressed, and the reason is the interior word. The Church itself is truth thought in common, spoken in common. In insisting, a while ago, on synthesis in worship, we did not condemn speech; religion, it is true, appears in a complex state in worship, in the soul and in the life; but there is no just sentiment, no strong affection, which does not connect itself with a distinct idea, of which the reason can not give account, or which is not founded on a relation, the terms of which are well known and well appreciated; and this characteristic should, above all, belong to the true religion, nay, to this religion alone. This alone can say, I know in whom I have believed. In a word, it is a religion of faith or of persuasion, consequently a religion which employs speech.

Hence arises the importance of preaching. Our preaching, it is true, is second hand, a preaching on a preaching, a word on a word; but this matters not, preaching is necessary; for this are we sent; worship, simply, might be celebrated by any Christian whatever; for this no call is necessary; it is sufficient if the person has no reason to doubt the conformity of his faith with this act. If we should interrogate ourselves as to a call, if it is necessary we should be called, it is as stewards of the mysteries of God, as heralds or messengers of justice, as preachers.

To speak the truth, the whole ministry is preaching. Instead of saying that preaching makes a part of worship, we might say that worship makes a part of preaching, that rite is a form of instruction. What we here present, then, as a species, is, in a certain sense, a genus; but still we may so present it, since the word preaching, in common language, means a part, and not the whole, of the exercise of the ministry.

IMPORTANCE OF PREACHING.

191

Not only should pastors preach, but we think, with Fenelon, under our own explanation, that it belongs to them only to preach.* True political eloquence belongs only to the statesman; true sacred eloquence, only to the statesman in religion or religious affairs, that is to say, the pastor; who alternately passes from generalities to details, and from details to generalities; from theory to practice, and from practice to theory; who has been in contact with individuals, and is familiar with their ways. If certain men without a parish are successful in preaching, it is because they are pastors after another manner and at large.

It is true that the primitive Church divided ministerial functions. They had κυβερνήταίt and διδάσκαλοι. “Are all apostles are all teachers?"-1 Cor., xii., 29. But without saying that gifts are here referred to, and without speaking of what the necessity of the times might require, we may hold that the office of some was absolutely foreign to others. At a period when each Christian was a minister-when an Aquila and a Priscilla, simple artisans, became instructors of an Apollos, how can we suppose that the teacher was not a pastor? We may well think that there were elders (πρεσbúτερo) who did not preach, but not preachers who were strangers to every other pastoral duty except preaching. Paul preached and governed: Timothy preached and governed.

The pastorate, then, is necessary to preaching; but it is yet more evident that preaching is essential to the pastorate,

* "We must commonly leave preaching to pastors. Thus shall we give to the pulpit the simplicity and authority which belong to it. For pastors, who to experience in the work and in the conduct of souls unite the knowledge of the Scriptures, can speak in the manner best suited to the wants of their hearers; whereas preachers, who are merely speculative, enter less into the difficulties, and can scarcely adapt themselves to the minds of their hearers, and speak in a more vague manner."-FENELON, Dialogues sur l'Eloquence (Dialogue III.). † Governors or directors.-Edit. Teachers.