THE LORD'S SUPPER.

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Imagine you see our Divine Redeemer sitting with His disciples at His last supper, and hear Him addressing Himself to them in the following manner :—

"The solemn ceremonies which I and you are now observing, are memorials, you know, of a great event which happened many ages ago to your forefathers. This lamb before us is the representation of that which was slain and eaten by them in Egypt. Come, I will institute a new rite, to be kept in remembrance of what shall immediately befall myself on your account. Before the evening and the morning shall conclude the present day, this body of mine shall be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall wound, and pierce, and kill it. I take this bread into my hands, and break it to pieces. Take, eat; it is my body which is given for you. By this token you shall keep in memory and represent to all ages unto the end of the world, this 'precious sacrifice, fore-ordained before the foundation' of it, and now going to be offered for your sake.

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My Father, who is in heaven, loves me, His own and only begotten Son, with a tender aud unparalleled affection. He 'loved me before the foundation of the world.' And though I indeed was and am willing to suffer, yet would He not have sent me down into this state of humiliation, to undergo the sufferings and death which are even now preparing for me, if He had not also loved you, and had compassion on you, though enemies to Him by evil works, and dead in trespasses and sins. For God indeed is love. It is the chief part of His very nature, which it is possible for you to comprehend and to imitate. Love Him, therefore, who is love, with all your heart, and mind, and strength. This is the first and great commandment. Of His own tender pity towards a lost world, He sent me to do and suffer all that you have seen and shall soon see, for the benefit of men. And when I am removed from you, and you see me no more, He shall give you another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, to supply the want of my presence,

and conduct that great work of the salvation of mankind for which the Father sent me, and for which I am come willingly into the world.

"And as the bread which I broke represented my crucified body, so this cup which I command you all to drink of, let it signify my blood, which is now going to be poured out for all

men.

"It is written, that 'it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.' 'By the law almost all things are purged with blood and without the shedding of blood is no remission.' But it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take the sins of men. away That was required, and was available only as a type of my blood, now to be shed, once for all. Take this cup, to be partakers of this atonement.

"You remember also, when Moses had read to the people the book of the covenant between God and them, and the people consented to the covenant, and said, 'All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient,' Moses took half of the blood of the sacrifices, and sprinkled it on the altar, and the other half he sprinkled on the people, and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you.' The blood was sprinkled on both the contracting parties; the one half on the altar, representing him who was there worshipped, and the other half on the people of the Jews.

"That covenant is now expiring in my death, and a new one is to be made with all the nations of the earth. I am the victim offered at this great solemnity on the altar of the cross. When you take this cup you ratify this new covenant on your part, and give your consent to the conditions of it.

"You will be no longer bound by the ceremonial law. It expires of course with me, who am its end and consummation.

"But my own power and providence shall abolish it more effectually, and execute what I now predict. Some even of

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yourselves, to whom I am speaking, shall live to see the time, when of this noble temple, the work of so many years, the wonder of so many ages, 'there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.'

"As you are to be thankful for this deliverance from ' yoke which neither your fathers nor you were able to bear,' so take care not to turn your liberty into licentiousness. The sense of your freedom from this bondage should restrain you from violating those laws which are of everlasting obligation. As you will not henceforth be occupied in sacrifices, and other burdensome ceremonies, apply yourselves so much the more to what is better.

"Look upon the whole race of mankind as your neighbours and brethren. Embrace them with a cordial and unrestrained affection. They were always the workmanship of the same Creator, and bore His divine image; they are now to be redeemed by the same blood.

"Do good to as many as possible. Imitate in this your Father which is in heaven. But as you can follow Him in doing good but a little way, come nearer to His example in your good wishes and kind intentions. Let there be no limits to the exercise of this part of your charity. Since you can never repay Him anything for His infinite patience, and mercy, and love to you, love men for His sake. He, the origin of all good, is exalted above all recompense; but you can reach those who belong to His household; let not the highest among you disdain to be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of your Lord.'

"But if even in these little expressions of your condescension and charity your abilities are still too weak to keep pace with your inclination, can you relent, can you pardon for the love of God? If you cannot bestow because you are poor, or labour because you are weak, can you forgive as you yourselves are forgiven?

"Yet once more, before I finally deliver this cup into your hands, never again myself to partake of the like refreshment upon earth; since what I now say to you are almost the last words that I shall utter, the declaration of my mind at such a time, my orders, injunctions now, ought to have a peculiar weight; they are my dying will and testament! This cup is the new testament' sealed 'in my blood;' take it, to shew that you lay claim to the benefit of my bequests, and appertain to the household and family of the testator.

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"You must continue this rite among yourselves hereafter, when I am gone from you, and deliver it down to be observed to the end of the world. It is so small a request, that I cannot think any of those who become my disciples will refuse to comply with it.

"If I had required you to come together from all parts to the very place of my death, and there shew your remembrance of me by painful fastings or costly sacrifices, I had but copied after the example of former institutions. The whole nation almost of the Jews is even now, you see, assembled here at Jerusalem to keep the passover. And this is but one of the three festivals to be kept all at this place. The easier I make my commands to you the more punctual you will be in the observance of them.

""To you I give my peace. Not as the world giveth,' in compliment only, and without either meaning or consequence; I speak with authority. I am still that Word by which the worlds were made. My peace is the pardon of your sins, courage and consolation under all troubles, and everlasting salvation.

"Farewell: I cannot talk more with you. All things are now ready. I am expected by him that betrayeth me; and I go to meet him, and to deliver myself into his hands. The testament which I have declared, the new covenant which I establish, the atonement which I have undertaken, are now to

be completed and ratified, according to the appointment of Almighty God, by me in my own blood. Father, I come; to do thy will; to fulfil thy word; to bear thy wrath; to be the sacrifice for the world—a willing sacrifice for a world of sinners.

"Not that I am insensible of what is approaching; I see it in all its terrors. And if the bitter cup might pass from me! Alas! for this very cause came I into the world. Heavenly Father, let thy will be done. Hitherto I have in all things done thy will. I prepare now to suffer in obedience to it. And, oh! if anything that I have ever done, if all that I now suffer, avail in thy sight; if thou hast ever loved me, or wilt grant anything at my request, Father, have mercy on the poor race of men. Pity their blindness, pardon their folly, lay all their iniquities upon my head.

“Thus redeemed, they shall give thanks unto thee for endless ages; they shall be translated from earth to heaven; and join with those holy angels which never sinned, in celebrating thy praises, and performing thy pleasure to all eternity."

PHILIP SKELTON.

One of our most amusing biographies is Burdy's "Life of the Rev. Philip Skelton." A native of Derriaghy, near Lisburn, where he was born February 1707,. he passed through a ministry of sixty years, and a life of more than eighty, devout, pugilistic, tender-hearted, plying his parishioners with fisticuffs or the gospel, as the case required-a model of the old-fashioned Irish minister. His sermons are, like himself, coarse and colossal, and through the lava-crust of a style eccentric and caustic, they let out fine bursts of human tenderness and evangelical fervour. He died May 4, 1787. Our extract is from a sermon entitled, "How to be happy, though married." He himself was a bachelor.