Page images
PDF
EPUB

do this; and what then must his feelings be? I have sworn to the Lord and broken my vow. I have become thus perjured, and have been eating and drinking condemnation to myself. The reason of all this difficulty is, that the poor unhappy participant, instead of discern. ing the Lord's body, (1 Cor. xi. 29,) took a solemn oath to be obedient to the moral law of Moses and of Christ; and he hath found to his sorrow, that by the deeds of the law no flesh is justified, but that by it he hath the knowledge of sin. (Rom. iii. 20.) Let no one say So far from this, it

that we undervalue the law of God.

is to us the perfect rule of our discernment of right and wrong; it shows us our utter helplessness, and the absolute necessity of a Saviour.

We have thus endeavoured to show to you the origin, the nature, the use, and the abuse of the supper of our Lord. We have done it with all possible brevity, for the circumstances of the moment permit no extended view of the subject. Enough, however, we hope, has been said to furnish some instruction, and much matter for serious thinking.

But before we part, permit your speaker to make some application of the subject. And first, to you who are members of the Society of United Christian Friends. I pray you, look at the constitution of the society, and you will see that the principal object we had in view, in associating ourselves together, was public worship, and the celebration of the supper. Article 3. section 1. reads thus: This society shall meet every first day of the week for public worship. Section 2. This society shall meet every first Sunday in each month, for the celebration of the Lord's supper. Take away

these, and you dissolve the society. Take away the first, and you despise the injunction, that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is. (Heb. x. 25.) Take away the celebration of the supper, and you do all that in you lies to blot out the memory of Christ; for he instituted it, that he might be remembered by his followers. A lukewarmness on these subjects may soon degenerate into coldness, contempt, and even hatred. The exercise you are about to be engaged in, manifests a desire to improve one part of our worship. We pray, that while you are endeavouring to improve the harmony and me. lody of sound in praising the Lord, you may also praise him with the understanding and the affections, with enlightened heads and loving hearts.

To you who are members of the congregation, but not of the society, we ask you to bear in memory, that we esteem the table at which the supper is observed, as the table of the Lord, and not of man, and that he invites all who know and acknowledge him as Lord and Master to come to it; nay, he commands, for he says to them, do this; and our neglect to do, is disobe. dience. Let no fear detain you; the desire in the servant to obey is always acceptable to the master; and the maxim that the way of duty is the way of safety, should never be lost sight of. Do this, because he re: quires it; and do it, that his divine character, as the way of salvation, may be brought to your remembrance; and you will grow in grace, and in the knowledge of your Lord and Saviour, whom to know is life eternal.

To all, we say, examine the nature of the duty, and the purity of your own purpose, and so eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (1 Cor. xi. 28.)

MATTHEW xi. 29.

"Learn of me."

Ir is near fifteen months since your attention was first asked to our divine motto. The course we have observed in obedience to it, you know; and now we need only say, that when last we had the opportunity of learning of Jesus, our lesson closed with Matthew xxv. 30; and that now we have again the blessing of hearing him in the remaining part of that chapter. Your speaker does not know how he can better discharge this duty than by asking you to hear a sermon prepared for the press more than seven years since. Why it was never printed is of little importance, in comparison of the interest we feel in offering to you what we consider as abundant evidence of what we are to understand by the goats on the left; and this interest is increased by the consideration, that Universalists, as well as others, have erred on this subject.

The introductory remarks are suited only to the circumstances under which the sermon was written.

New-York, June 10th, 1832.

*The words "learn of me" were the motto to a course of lectures on the Gospels, begun March 20, 1831,

16*

(

MATTHEW xxv. 46.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.

Ar the request of a friend, we take these words for our consideration. It is well known that this text has been taken as the motto to a discourse intended to dis. prove the doctrine of the final happiness of all men. We have not seen the sermon, nor do we even recollect the name of the preacher. Our purpose on the present occasion is merely to show our own view of the subject.

We abhor quarrels of every kind, and religious quar. rels above all others. On the subject of difference in religious opinion, we would recommend to the careful perusal of all, a letter on controversy, written by the celebrated John Newton, of Olney. It breathes a true Christian spirit, and, with but little alteration, is pecu. liarly worthy the attention of a Universalist.

The right understanding of the doctrine in the text requires that we begin at the 31st verse.

We will now consider the leading features of this interesting portion of the divine testimoɔv.

« PreviousContinue »