"The Word is for the engrafting; the Sacraments are for the confirming of faith. The Word brings us to Christ; the Sacrament builds us up in Him. The Word is the font where we are baptized with the Holy Ghost; the Sacrament is the table where we are fed and cherished. The Lord condescends to our weakness. Were we made up all of spirit, there would be no need of bread and wine. But we are compounded creatures. Therefore God, to help our faith, not only gives us an audible word but a visible sign. Things taken in by the eye work more upon us than things taken in by the ear. So, when we see Christ broken in the bread and, as it were, crucified before us, this more affects our hearts than the bare preaching of the Word."
- RICHARD VINES on "The Passover" and "The Fruit and Benefit of Worthy Receiving"- EDMUND CALAMY on "The Lord's Supper is a Federal Ordinance" and "The Express Renewal of Our Christian Vows"- THOMAS WADSWORTH on "It is Every Christian's Indispensable Duty to Partake of the Lord's Supper"- JOSEPH ALLEINE on "Self-Examination"- THOMAS WATSON on "The Mystery of the Lord's Supper"
This work is a study of the virtue of Christ's blood seen in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is the eyeglass that we use to see the power of Christ's work. Watson uses Matthew 26:26-28 as his primary text, “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, Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." He covers the seven supernatural virtues seen in Christ's blood and work; how Christians should prepare for the Lord's Supper; six differences between a sincere faith and a hypocritical faith, and finally, six signs of a great faith. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
Delivered in St. Giles, Edinburgh, in 1589, the sacramental doctrine of Bruce's sermons has passed into the very soul of the Church to which he was so touchingly devoted and which he so steadfastly served. --
Theodore Beza's A Clear and Simple Treatise Respecting the Lord's Supper (1559) advances a tireless defense of the Reformed perspective on the Lord's Supper, responding chapter by chapter to specific arguments raised against John Calvin by his Lutheran opponent, Joachim Westphal. Beza makes great use of the concept of metonymy, or a figure of speech, in his interpretation of the words of institution, yet he equally champions the position that the Lord's Supper is not a bare symbol and that in it we have true communion with the risen Christ. And like Calvin, Beza refers extensively to the church fathers, especially Augustine, in defense of his position. This often-overlooked treatise marks some of the major differences between the Reformed and the Lutheran movements during the so-called second generation of the Reformation. A critical issue at the time, sacramental theology was at the forefront of the original break with Rome and prevented the various Protestant movements from uniting. Its translation into English from the original Latin provides a wider opportunity for those interested in these movements to learn more about some of the substantial issues of the period. Table of Contents: A Clear and Simple Treatise on the Lord's Supper, in Which the Published Slanders of Joachim Westphal Are Finally Refuted Appendix A: A System of Doctrine on the Sacramental Substance Appendix B: The Moral, Ceremonial, and Political Law of God as Derived from the Books of Moses and Distributed into Particular Classes
Worship is not a trite act. It is the life of the Christian. When the Christian hears God in his word, or from the mouth of the biblical minister, and is pressed to obey him in all things as exemplified in his word, such obedience is for his very life. “For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life,” (Deut. 32:47). In this obedience, God has not left his ordinances of worship to the inventions of men. God has set down certain specific requirements which are to be followed. It was a hallmark of the Reformation that God alone determines the manner in which sinners approach him. God’s will, in this way, has reference to the regulative principle of life as well as to the Laws which God has made known and prescribed to man in order that his walk might be regulated accordingly. So, God regulates his worship with the intention of allowing fallen, sinful people to come before him and sanctify his name in a manner that God requires: in holiness. This is the substance of Burroughs’ treatise Gospel Worship. Worship is for God, not for us. Sadly, that simple statement is foreign to our day. Yet God is as clear today as He was to Nadab and Abihu in the Old Testament: He will be treated as holy by those who come into His presence (Lev. 10:1-3). In this treasured work, Jeremiah Burroughs masterfully provides guidelines to facilitate the reader to move closer to God in worship. Through 14 sermons, Burroughs carefully explains the right manner of worshipping God in general, and the three great ordinances of hearing the Word, receiving the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. Burroughs demonstrates that true worship is reverent, focused on the holiness of God. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
What age is it okay for a child to partake in the Lord's Supper? This book takes a constructive look at the doctrine of paedo-communion. Looking at this doctrine, these essays will provide food for thought across the various disciplines such as biblical, theological, historical and pastoral.
