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 ORD'S t- SUPPER 
 
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 A Paper ieaA before the SynQj} of Montreal anci Ottawa 
 and Published at their request* 
 
 SMltH'S PALtS : 
 
 Pt>«LISHBD AT TB8 OPIrJCB OP THK RIDBAC RBCORD. 
 
 ■■'■, 1897. •• Hi- -. 
 
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 THE SDMINISTRfiTION 
 
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 A Paper read before the Synod of Montreal and Ottawa 
 and Published at their request. 
 
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 At Almonte, tilth day oj May INUT, 
 
 The Sffnoil «/ Montreal and Oltnua, held n rimference <tn. the LordU 
 Supper — its Adminintratwn—in whieh Ik, Vromhie led with a wont interesting! 
 paper. , 
 
 liwa$ reHolved: 
 
 ' " That the Synod eritreim its warm apinreciafion of Ihr. Crumlne^e addrene, 
 
 and request him to give fuller publicity to hin jMper, or a portion of it, at hit 
 convenienee, through such channel an he may deein hest. 
 
 K. MAVLEN NAN, Synod Clerk. 
 
 Ifote : I have to acknorvledge my indebtedness to Hodge's Theology and Paterson 
 on (he Shorter Catechism for several of the statements in Jhe first part of the 
 
 jKiper. 
 
 —J. C. 
 
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 5!' 
 
 THE RDMlNISTRRTiON 
 
 OP 
 
 THE LORD'S SUPPER, 
 
 THE Bubjeot on which I h»VB been 
 Mkml by the 8y nod's ('onimlttun 
 to prepare, and read • l»»p«r on the 
 preMnt occKilon, In the »dminUtr»tion 
 of th« Lord's Supper, » Bubject of 
 deep Intereet «t all times, but of 
 ■pecial Interest In the prewuit «Uy, on 
 •ceount of » Kwowral ImprosBioo that 
 hasaomehow or other taken poHsession 
 of the mind* of the elder people, that 
 communion seanoni are not now what 
 they once were, when the yearly 
 ■acrament season was the (troat 
 ocnasioh, and the Sacrament Sabbath 
 the Rreat Sabbath of the year ; to \w 
 looked forward to, and prepared for, 
 •s a time of special bleHslnn, and when 
 notwithstandinu certaing||MO*ronabl« 
 features, which in some|||^<f marred 
 Ita observance, It Was r time of real 
 refreshing to God's heritnKO and" 
 many now llvinu linger with fond 
 delight over the memories of the 
 Communion Sabbaths of their early 
 
 days. . - 
 
 At the outset we may be permitted 
 to say, that we felt considerable hesi- 
 tation in venturing to take up the 
 subject, for several reasons, especially 
 because all our reminiscences of 
 communion services, and th4 asso- 
 eiations which cluster around that 
 Mcred- ordinance in our miemory, 
 partake largdy of the past, and of 
 times, and seasons long gone by, and 
 because these memories lead Ms to 
 believe, that there was a something 
 , About the atmosphere, and environ* 
 Went of those daye, which is not to 
 b« found in. the present, i^nd while 
 much of that belief may be ascribed 
 »rto tfie depth and permanence of 
 eafly. impressions, the glamour, with 
 which time invests the transactions of 
 yf>uthful years, and the conservatism 
 and partiality, with which the aged 
 
 at %ic -- 
 
 
 cling to the past; still after every 
 allowance for the effect of the dis- 
 tance which h'nds enchantment to the 
 view, there must have been something 
 B()«cial about the ra«tho<l of the 
 administration of the Lonl'H Supper, 
 and the spiritual iMuieflt received, so aa 
 to remain a deep and an abiding 
 memory, after the l«ttse of many years. 
 Be that as it may, it was suggested to 
 us, that some good end might b« 
 served, by the review of the past, and ^ 
 by bringing past methods into con* 
 trast with the prfsent, not for literal 
 imitation, for that might be boUi 
 undesirable, and impossible, in the 
 altered circumstances of time and 
 place, but for the purpose of seeinf 
 whether some hints might not be 
 gathered, which might bo of use to the 
 ' younger minlst^^rH, and assist them In 
 making their method of administering . 
 the Lord's Supper as helpful and 
 memorable to the people of their time, 
 as those of a former generation allege 
 to have been the carfe with them. 9© 
 much by way of introduction. We 
 proceed to the discussion of the subject 
 assigned to us, and would do so on the 
 following lines:— First of all, we 
 think it necessary to make a brief 
 statement regarding the ordinanee 
 Itself, then give an outline of the 
 method . of administratioiji in the 
 service of a Communion Sabbath in 
 the olden time, and as it comes back 
 to »|s after the lapse of nearly seventy 
 years; and then to refer to some 
 things connected with the administra- 
 tion of thft Lord's Supper as it l» 
 commonly celebrated at the present 
 day, which appwir to us to detract 
 from ihe enjoyment of the ordinance, 
 as oompared to the time when longer, 
 and more particular preparation w»i 
 givev by ministers and people than \$ 
 
 
 
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Qt 
 
 poailbl* on kocount of th« ItmttMl tini« 
 ihmi U ff«ntr«lly <l«vot«d to th« 
 mrric* on thn Communion Subbath 
 of thn pri^Mnt cUy. 
 
 To thn pruiMir oof«i<l«r»tlon of our 
 •ubjdct, w«i <lr«m It n«N'n«M*i-y to *«y 
 ■oniathing (init of rII about thn 
 ortlNtancA itiwlf. In th«t kdmlrable 
 oomiMind of «livin« truth, thn 8. 
 C»t«rhii«m of our Ohunh, whioh by 
 thn w»y In with mII thw K'ttvlty of thn 
 Unnnrkl Amutmbly of thit Kirk of 
 ScotUnd. net forth aa a <Ur««tory for 
 e»t«ohlalng auch aa ar« of waaknr 
 capacity. In rnply to th« qunatlon 
 what ia tha Lord's Hup|M>r? It ia 
 anawnrtMl. "Thn Lord'H Hu|riHir iM a 
 aacramnnt, wh«ir«>in by KiviiiR and 
 racelving bwmil and wln« arcordintc to 
 Chriat'a appointment, Ilia death la 
 ahowed forth, ami th«' worthy re- 
 ceivera arn not aftnr a corpornl, or 
 carnal mannnr, hut t>y jaith umdu 
 partakora of Hia body and blood with 
 ail Hia benotita, to their apiritual 
 nouriahmnnt, and growth in grace." 
 In thia definition of tlio Sacrament of 
 the Mupimr, Hnveral thlnga are to b« 
 noted. Tii«ro la Hiat, th« eloinnniH, 
 or aenaible aigna to be uaod, In thn 
 Lord'a Huppor, theae are broad and 
 . wine. In the account of the origlniil 
 inatltutlon of the ordinance we road 
 that JeauH kQok Itrrnd and bioH^ndJli^ 
 and break it H}tymHr- ' ^ta kur >«»irflhn* 
 '; ,ii my bmly," and He took the cup, and 
 gave thanks and gave It to them 
 waylng "drink ye all of it." Theae 
 outward elementa were appointed by 
 th« lt'«doemer lllmaolf, aa, represent a- 
 tiona of Hi« body and blood, and aa 
 the aupper was originally inatltutiMl 
 in connection with the paasovea, there 
 aeemq to be little doubt that un- 
 leavened bread whh uaed on the.occa- 
 iion. At the aamo time it K<^mnH 
 <Miutklly evident, from the Al)08tolic 
 history, thi^t the ^poatles made use of 
 whatever kind of bread was at hand 
 there being no apecial signrficance 
 either in the kind of bread or in the 
 form in which it ia ubed. It Is 
 «noagh that It i» br«ad.< But while 
 saoh is the case, the kind and form of 
 the bread give nab to\no end of con- 
 troversy, which it would be out of 
 place heve for us to \jotice further 
 than the practical question, whether 
 in places where breadp»and wine can- 
 not be obtained, would it he lawful to 
 in their stead other articles of 
 
 nourlabmant tha moat alllad to th«ni 
 in natura ? This qunatlon baa itimn 
 anawariNl wftballava in thn aftirmative, 
 that whlla whrnrt it i» wfthU, thar* 
 ahouid b« no dap«rtur* from tha com- 
 mand of Ohriat, and thn practirn of 
 thn Apoalinn; at ibn aamn time, wbnra 
 it la not |»oa«ibln to pr«Hurn brnad and 
 wine> thn ordinance may bn rightly 
 otMMtrvi d by thn uan of thoan alnmnnta 
 which come nnarnat to thnm. The 
 win* iiumlion wn cannot aatlafactorlly 
 dlwniaa In a paper like thla. Hy the 
 wtnn praacrlbnd to l»e uand In tha 
 ordinance we underatand thu Julr« o( 
 the gra|i«, and the juice of ^ha grap« ' 
 In that ataln. which was, a:'nd ia. in 
 cotnmon uan, and In the atate in which 
 it waa known aa wine, In a^^I pro- 
 bability mixed with water, aa was 
 always «Ione at the paaaover, that it 
 had reached a stage of fermentatlpn 
 wn have little <loubt, at thn Ham* 
 time wn have for the aako of the 
 connciniitiouM nrrupleti of olhera, ad- _ 
 vocatnd, and uaed unfnrment wine In 
 our admlniatratlon of -the ordinance 
 fur many years. It were an inter- 
 nuting Hubject to ahow the analogy 
 iMttwnen the brnad and the body of 
 Chrlat, and thn wine and bla blood, 
 but we mu«t forliear entering upon it, 
 MutHc^e It to say that aa bread ia moat 
 neccHHary ifor the prcaervatlan of the 
 ...^iral life, ao iq like manner l« 
 Chrhit neceaaary for the aoul, and as 
 the grain from whloh bread ia msdei 
 has to undergo^^ many painful pro- _ 
 C08B08, So to be the Saviour of men, 
 Chriat had to be wounded and bruised 
 and bear the wrath of Ood against 
 ain In Hia own body on the tree^ and 
 aa the grapes must be pressed before 
 the juice caif be extracted, so Christ 
 'was bruised in the wine preas of 
 divine wrftth, that His blood might be 
 drink to perishing men. 
 
 Becondly: In the sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper, there is the giving, and 
 rnceiving of bread and wine. The 
 giving and receiving prescribe the 
 action of the administrator, and the 
 receiver. Oh the part of the adminis- 
 trator, there i» first the prayer of con- 
 secration in which thanks are given to! 
 God, for the gift of His Son, whose' 
 death Is to be set forth, and that the^ 
 bread and wine to be used may^be set , 
 apart from a common, to a saonsduse. 
 and be to the worthy receivers, all 
 that Ihey are intended to symbolixe. 
 
 
 ■^^> 
 
 .'^.^■"' 
 
> ' 
 
 ThU i» • *«nr Imporum i>mn of th« 
 »mrvU.m, •n«l .■•r«ful aikI i»riieiil |»r«|)«r- 
 •tlim •houia »w inailK »iy th« off!.- luting 
 , mlnlaUr of hi» thoimUU «n<l wor.U, 
 ' that th« prtiytT may b«i iifi|»r<i|.rl»tn 
 to tb« oi^oMlon, »iul h*l|iful la tlmw 
 •bout to «5ommninor»t« th« iln«th aiKl 
 (lying love of th«lr ll«ilwm«r, Th*** 
 th«r« la the hrn^klng of lli« hri'ii.l, 
 Thia l« an lin|M»rt*i»l lnH'miw algnlfl"*- 
 *nt purt of th« aervlc*. (^hriat l»rok« 
 th« br«««l, which he gave to hi« <ll*- 
 oiplM. The bread U the aymliol. not 
 marnly of Chriat*» bo«»y. but of Hla 
 bwly aa broken for iia. The br«««l 
 which wn Ivftk, ««>"!" th« ApOntli'. 
 thereby hulic.atiiig that th« bn-aking 
 WM a conatltuent part of the aervl..-. 
 80 algnlflcant la thla act. that It uawl 
 aa one of the namwa un<l«<r which the 
 onlinan<« Itnelf U known, ' tho 
 ■breaking of Ihv l.ri'ft<l." Tl..- I.naking 
 ol the br«a(l entura Into the MtfiiHW- 
 ancH of the ordinance, not only aa rv)- 
 fm-rlng to the broki-n body of ('hriat, 
 bnt alMo »« the |mrtlcl|.tttlon of;one 
 bread ia the aymbol of tlie unilif of h"- 
 llevera. There l» one bre»<l. antl one 
 bod.V; thi» Hlgnlficunco In lout whi-n' 
 peparate wftfera are diatrlbutcd to the 
 floinmunlcnnta." Thla apocial act of 
 breaking the br»»Hd te expr^aaly com- 
 manded, for it l» recorded that our 
 Lord blcMHod. brake, and gave 
 the bread, and then a<ldcd *' tbia 
 do." The command inchidt-a the 
 bleaaing, the breaking and the giving. 
 It la worthy' of notice, here that the 
 Saviour did not give the Kymboln 
 of HI* body and bloo«l out 
 of Hla own hrfnd, to each 
 of His disciples individuallih but to 
 those that were nearest to Him, to bo 
 given to one another, or to be divided 
 among themaelvcH. On the part of 
 the participant, the sacramenUl act i» 
 that of receiving. They take the bread, 
 aqd the cup into their own hands, im- 
 plying their reception of Christ and 
 all His benefits as theirs, and they ent 
 \ the broad, and drink the wine, making 
 \ particular application of Christ to 
 ■their own spiritual nourishment, and 
 growth In grace. 
 
 1 Thirdly: The Lord's Supper waA de- 
 l^ignedto show forth Christ's death, and 
 Ito be a memorlHl of Him, till He come 
 'again. The ordinance was instituted, 
 that by it the Lord's death miipfbt be 
 shown forth. As it is frpm the death 
 Qt Christ, that all the hopes of. his 
 
 |i«opl« in lime, and' through el«rnUy 
 do How, and aa they a*« »h« wvUUnKi 
 of Hla love In living HlmaeH for tham, 
 it w«dl »»«Mom«| thrm to ahow forth, 
 liia death. •• tha only ground of ihalr 
 hiH>« Imfore fUxl. It may ba notload 
 h«<rn, that while It la b«liev«d. and 
 taught, that jmrtaking of lh« l<«rd'* 
 aupper la not altaolutfly nrc^'aaary to 
 nalvatlon; yet all tho f<dl«iwfr» of 
 Chriat who have arrived at the years 
 of knowlKdgn and undiMatanding. lU 
 under obliaation«t<f olmerve.lt. There 
 may l»«, It la |K)4aib|", clrcum«taii< .« 
 to prevent the tri\B btdlevi-djfc-oni 
 ever having an opportunity of anting 
 at the Lord's labUi. iu dwr* clrcum- 
 Htancea, it la not noci-aaary to aalva- 
 tlon. Hyt if tt»y. who have It In thair 
 |)OWMr, wilfully neghnt It, they are 
 Kullty of great nin. They diaobey a 
 plain oomnmnd of tlht HaVlour. show 
 ingnilitude to Him and dcapiae their 
 own highrHt lumnvHtH Further, the 
 Lord's supper wwh inatitutcd an a 
 meraOiriBl of Christ, till become Higain, 
 Do this. H«> Httld, In relnombrance of 
 tA\i. In thm ordinancfl. th«M'.P">n>"»^ 
 nint (uiiHt rcnuMnlM-r all thatj'hriat did 
 aii.l Huff.Mwl on hlH l« hulf. He muat 
 remember that iinlcHs Jehovah bad 
 found ft ransom, the race mUst hava 
 periafed eternally. Ho m\ist remem- 
 lM>r the Inllnlte yalue of Cbrist'a death, 
 and how it kccub#»m the everlasting sal. 
 vation of all who believe in IHm. 
 It la not a ban) remembrance of a his- 
 torical fact, but such a remembrance, 
 as will excite to adoiatlon, love, and 
 praise. 
 
 Fourth : In the Lord's supper, the 
 worthy receivern are made partakers 
 of Christ's body and blood, with all 
 His IwnefltH, not In a cor|K)ral and car- 
 nal manner, but by faith. The worthy ■ 
 receivers are true belle vers, and being 
 such they are made partakers of 
 Christ's body, and bloo<l wlth^ll His 
 benefits By the expression. Christ's 
 body and blood, we understand, 
 Christ Himself, In His Divine, and 
 human nature, and by eating His flesh, 
 and drinking His blood, wa understand 
 the exercise' of a true, and living faith 
 in Him as a personal Sitvioar. He 
 Himself said, " Except ye eat the 
 flesh of the Son of Man, and drink Hia 
 blood, ye have no life in you:" There 
 must be a sense therefore. In which 
 believers receive the body and blood of 
 Christ, and the effect of that is, that 
 
 
 ,^\- .. 
 
St- 
 
 
 
 ' lAutlijit aa^ JUs Moito b«dom« on0, and 
 Itt irtrtaa of Hiat o^mmm wiib Chvlati 
 ili«ar baeome ona bpdv, and evjiryone 
 
 . mambers one of another. Christ and 
 Hia people are one. Hj^ liyes in them, 
 and beoaase He Uvea, they live also. 
 In being thus united to Christ, as 
 tboit common head, believers become 
 one body, in a mystical sense. The 
 Holy Spirit dw^lUng in each, and in 
 all constit«(tes them one, they have 
 one principle of life, and consequently 
 have- one faith, one religious ex- 
 perience, as well as one Lord,, and one 
 God and Father. They are so bound 
 together, that if one member iiuffer, all 
 the members suffer with it; or if bne 
 member be honoured, all the mem- 
 bers rejoice with it. In th^ Lord's 
 Supper believers are thus united to 
 Christ, and to one another. This 
 eating of the fleslP and drinkini^ the 
 blood is not after a atrporal anA tarnal 
 manner, hat hy faith.' The^Aanjfein 
 the outward elements, is -Bpt ' a 
 physical, but amoral change, a change 
 as to their use and signification. 
 They are set apart from a coramba to 
 a sacred us^, not to be used as brdMi- 
 ary food, but as the symbols of 
 Christ's body and, blood, and of the 
 benefits of His redemption, and the 
 change takes place not .by destroying 
 their jpi^ibstance, but by Divine ap- 
 pointment abd the only way in whjch 
 believers are made partakers of 
 <:;hrist's body and blood, is spirituaUy 
 and by faith, that is by applying and 
 
 ' appropriating Christ, and all that He 
 hath^to themselves. As to the pre- 
 sence Of Christ in the sacrament of the 
 Supper, aldiough not bodily present, 
 yet He is really and spiritually pre- 
 sent Ifi the faith of His people, as the 
 outward elements are to their out- 
 
 Wftfd fi6IlB68* 
 
 Lastly: In the Lord's Supper^ the 
 worthy receivers obtain special nour- 
 ishment, and are enabled to grow in 
 grace. As our natural food imparts 
 life and strength' to m/^ bodies, so the 
 Lord's Supper is one of the divinely 
 appointed means to strengthen the 
 principle of life in the soul of the be- 
 liever, and to 'confirm his faith in *he 
 promises of the gospel. The apostle 
 teaches that by partaking of the bread 
 V and wine, the symbols of Christ's body 
 givin for us, we are thereby united 
 to Him as our Head and with all 
 tfpr fellow beUevers, as joint meihbers 
 
 of Sis myaiical body . Tha union ba- 
 tween tb« Head and niembers ia the 
 human body, and betwewi the vinef 
 and its branches, is a' eoiitin*iou$ 
 union. There is a constant flow of 
 vital influence from the one to the 
 other. In like manner the union be- 
 tween Christ, and His people is contin- 
 uoui. He constantly imparts His life 
 giving influence to all united to Him 
 by the indwelling of Hie Holy Spirit. 
 Thus is He the life of His people, they 
 live in .Him, and He liv«8 in them, 
 stwngthened by all strcSngth in the inner 
 man, they grow in grace, and in the 
 knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ to 
 whom be glory for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^n accordance with our outline, we 
 proceed next to give an illustration of 
 the administration of the Lord's 
 Supper in a country parish in the 
 olden' time, and of the whole services 
 of tiie Sacrament Sabbath as they 
 come back to us after the- lapse of 
 more than sixty years. The church 
 was ia large one, and had connected 
 with it a veiry extensive parish with a 
 large communion roll. The church 
 liad been built in the early part of the 
 century, and owing to the liberality 
 of the heritors was much in advance 
 of thiB other churches in the district. 
 T^he services of the fast day, which 
 had been kept like » Sabbath, are over 
 when most of the intending co"m- 
 municants had received their tokens,, 
 and the young communicants had 
 been admitted in presence of the 
 Session, and addressed in earnest, 
 faithful words by the Moderator. 
 The services of the Saturday, which 
 had been held in the forenoon, have 
 also ended, and the elders have re- 
 mained to prepare the church for the 
 Administration of the Lord's Supper 
 on the coming day. That preparajtjon 
 consisted,' in removing" the dividing 
 boards ftom the pews in the area of 
 the church, and in covering all the 
 book boards, which were abroad and 
 flat, with fair linen cloths, as well as 
 all the square or table seats, of which 
 there were 10, 5 on • each side of the 
 pulpit. A small platform placed in 
 front'of the pulpit, with a table for 
 the communion vessels. complete4 the 
 arrangements. As there was no 
 vestry or session house at first, the 
 elements were placed on the 6oxa. 
 table before the service' began, latterly 
 
 "H', 
 
 I' i 
 
 -'l''^ii^ 
 
 J 
 
 
|^.«l.^, *..(W^- 
 
 TT- 
 
 ^.'■' 
 
 / 
 ■/ 
 
 -yt 
 
 when* MMton lioa»e 1i»d bMit jiro- 
 fided, th(i elders at the commencemeot 
 of the^ommuDion servioe formed a 
 proceMion, aad came in carrying the 
 elements, the bread in two large 
 plates and the wine in four silver 
 cups, the eldets dressed in their black 
 coats and white neckclothn, with 
 napkins over their armSi as men pre- 
 pared to serve at the table of their 
 Lord. Being the early summer time, 
 the service began at ten of the clock 
 forenoon. From their near, and dis- 
 tant homes, the worshippers came, all 
 on foot except the very aged and 
 feeble, who were brought in carts, 
 seated on sacks flUed with- 8U|^, 
 the Communion Sabbath bcin||phe 
 only Sabbath on which it. was con- 
 sidered lawful to use a horse, Or 
 carriage of any kind. Long before 
 the service began, the church would 
 be filled to its utmost capacity, some 
 of the very aged seated onjihe pulpit 
 stairs where they were served, without 
 leaving ■ their places. On ordinary 
 Sabbaths there were the usual 
 gatherings of friends and acquain- 
 tances in the church yard, where they 
 would linger amid the graves of their 
 deid, till the last bell would begin to 
 ring. On that day, there were no 
 lo'.tei-ers around the church doOrs, but 
 all would be in their seats iij hushed 
 silence, patiently waiting for the 
 service to begin. At the ringing in of 
 the last bell, the officiating ministers 
 would be seen emerging from' the 
 manse, for no one ever thought of 
 administeritig the communion without 
 the assistance of one or more of his 
 brethren. The minister of the parish 
 ^4lWay8 conducted the forenoon ser- 
 yice, preaching the action sermon and* 
 iberving the first table. The service 
 begian almost always with singing 
 part . of the sixty-third or sixth-fifth 
 psalms, and almost always to the 
 same tunes, and any departure from 
 the ustial practice would have befen 
 contrary to all the associations of the 
 > time, aftd place. The sermon had 
 always, reference to the occasiop, aiid 
 > in many cases • was a word picture of 
 ' the death, and sufferings of the 
 Bedeemer, of His wonderous love to 
 ( the perishing, and the blessings 
 N coming to His people, by His offering 
 on the cross. There was often a 
 marked, and no doubt an intended 
 unity in the whole service, so that the 
 
 minds of th« wortliippiBni w«t» not 
 distracted by a variety of eubiecte, 
 throughout the whole day. The 
 collection for the poor instead of being 
 gathered by the ladles as on other 
 days, was on that day taken up in 
 plates at the door, and was larger 
 than usual, each one tryibg to have « 
 piece, of silver for the collection 
 instead of the usual copper coin of 
 oth6r Sabbathe. Following the ser- 
 mon, there came what was known as 
 the fencing of the tables, in which the 
 nature of the ordinance was opened up« 
 and the character of the worthy com- 
 municant described, and the wilful and 
 impenitent,-* transgressor solemnly - 
 warned to abstain from increasing his 
 guilt, by unworthy partakings and the 
 timid and anxious and penitent 
 tenderly invited, and welcomed to 
 come and get their fears removed, 
 their faith strengthened, and their 
 repentance deepened. 
 
 The officiating minister then left 
 the pulpit, to take his place at the com- 
 munion table with the assisting mini-A 
 ster on his right hand, arid 9ne of the*' 
 ruling elders, generally the oldest on 
 his left, while the congregation united 
 in singing that part of the 43 ^psalm 
 beginning with the words . ' ' [ '^' 
 "O send Thy light forth arid Thy truth 
 
 Let them be guides to me. 
 And bring me to Thy holy hill 
 Even where Thy dwellings be." 
 
 In the meantime the officiating 
 elders had collected the tokens, and 
 uncovered the communion elements. 
 When all wa:s in readiness, the cele- 
 brant read the woi-ds of institutioij 
 from St. Paul's 1 St epistle to the 
 Corinthians, prefacing the reading by 
 saying * '. as our warrant and example 
 for what we are now to do," then fol- 
 lowed the consecration prayer, adoring 
 the riches of the Divine grace in the 
 covenarit of redemption, giving thanks 
 for the gift of the Redeemer, His mar- 
 vellous love as manifested in His suff- 
 erings, and specially set forth in the 
 Sacrament of the Supper, in the bread 
 and wine to be now set apart from a 
 common to a sacred use, as the • 
 symbols of His body aiid blood. Fol- 
 lowing the prayer of consecrattion, 
 thiere was an address to the intending 
 commuriicaritis, from some passage of 
 Scripture fitted t6 stir up and inflame 
 the love of th^ participants towards 
 
 
"TfisTip: 
 
 .^m~m^*..~^ ; i f" •• »,« ,■- m^i,^;^^^- 
 
 Bim, wfcoM death attd lore they w«re 
 now to oommemorftte. Thou taking 
 in his hand a pi«c« of the bread saying 
 *' On thatnight on which the Saviour 
 was betrayed, He took bread and when 
 He had given thanks, as has been done 
 in His name, He break it (as I now do) 
 paying this is My body which is 
 broken for you, Hb gave it to His dis- 
 ciples" giving a pieCe' to the assisting 
 minister saying as I give it to you His 
 ministering servant (and another 
 piece to the elder) to you His professing 
 disciple, then to several of the nearest 
 communicants Baying: "This is the 
 body of Christ broken for you, eat ye 
 all of it." After a considtft-able pause, 
 he would then take up one of the cups 
 in His hands saying "In like manner 
 when He had supped Jesus took the 
 cup saying. "This cup^ is the New 
 Testament in My blood, which is shed 
 ' for many for thjB remission of sib, 
 drink ye all of it. For as often as ye 
 eat this bread and drink this cup ye 
 do show the Lord's death till He 
 come" ^sometimes adding "And may 
 you have sweet communion this day 
 with your Lord, and with one another; 
 and may His banner oVer you be love." 
 A time of deep silence would then 
 follow, the communicants as they par- 
 took of the elements bowing their 
 . heads in secret prayer, not a sound 
 would be heard in that vast congrega- 
 tion, but the suppressed sigh of some 
 aged communicant, as he or she re- 
 alized .that perhaps that would be 
 the last time they would sit 
 at the table belo«'. ^^hen all the 
 ^ first table had been served, the elders 
 
 * wonld replace' the communion vessels 
 on the table, and the officiating minis- 
 
 " ter would then addrete the communi- 
 cant;? from some apprppriate text, re- 
 minding them of thesolfemn transaction 
 which h^d taften placd between them^ 
 and their Lord, and pressing homef the 
 duty of living a life Consistent with 
 
 • their profession, Ithen bidding 
 them to arise and dejpart from the 
 Lord's table and as they went to go 
 singing in the 103 psaljm: 
 
 " O thOu my soul blesi God the Lord 
 
 ^nd all that in me is, 
 Be stirred up His holy name 
 
 To magnify and bless." 
 
 This in the Lowland congre- 
 gations was the only time when 
 ' they lined out the psalm and 
 
 ColeihUl or London N«w, w*» the, 
 tunes invariably awd from year to 
 year. The communicants would (hen 
 slowly arise from their seats, and fll* 
 out by a side door, while their places 
 were at the same time bdng filled 
 from the pews on the opposite side, 
 and from part of the correspondiiag 
 gallery. The lining out and singing 
 of the 108 Psalm going on, till the new 
 relay of communicants had filled up 
 the vacated tables. The second table 
 service would then begin, by the 
 assisting minister taking his place at 
 the head of the table, with the minis- 
 ter of the parish on his right hand, 
 and an elder on his left.. The same 
 form would be repeated, with the 
 omission of the reading of the words 
 'of institution, and the consecration 
 prayer, but with an address bef&re and 
 another after communicating, then 
 the singing would be resumed, and the 
 communicants from the second table 
 would leave in the same quiet and 
 orderly manner, their places being 
 taken by others , and thus table after 
 table sometimes to the number of five 
 before all would be served. When all 
 had communicated, and the elders had 
 reverently covered the communion 
 vessels, the minister of the place 
 would return to the pulpit, and close 
 that part of the day's service by an 
 earnest exhortation on the duty of 
 living a life in accordance with the 
 profession they had that day made, 
 then there would break forth from the 
 assembled gathering such a volume of 
 praise as needed no instrumental aid 
 as they sang the last verses t)f the 
 72nd psalm 
 
 "His name for ever shall endure. 
 Last like the sun it shall. 
 Men shall be blessed in Him, 
 And blessed all nations shall Hini call. 
 |-«^nd blessed be His glorious name 
 To all eternity, 't' ' ■ 
 
 The whole earth let His glory fill. 
 Amen— 80 let it be/' ' . 
 
 The benediction would follow and 
 that part of the service would close, and^ 
 the people if they .chosen might leave 
 the church for a short recess, while the 
 ministers would return to the manse 
 for some refreshments. After an in'< 
 terval of some 20 minutes, the second 
 service would commence conducted 
 by the assisting minister, whose aim 
 would be to deepen the impression 
 
 *n 
 
 '-.,?! 
 
 
.v *• 
 
 -t- 
 
 ''\ 
 
 
 nuMl«, »Qd often to dwell on the tfme 
 when the people of Ood ahall meet 
 ai;Qttnd the table that is never to be 
 drawn, where there will be no inter- 
 Teningvail, and no imperfection in the 
 service, where they shall see their 
 Lord as He is, and heforeveir with Him. 
 By the time the, whole was over the 
 long summer day would be drawing to 
 a dose, and the vast congregation 
 would deipart to their near, and distant 
 homes, to return again on the morrow, 
 to uilite in a service of thanksgiving, 
 that it had been giyen to them, once 
 more, to enjoy a communion seaBon, 
 and to return their tribute of gratitude 
 for what of the Lord's presence they 
 had enjoyed at His own table. Such 
 was the almost invariable form in 
 which the ordininance of the Lord's 
 Supper was admimstered, throughout 
 the Presbyterian church, at the time 
 to whi<)h we refer, and for many years 
 after, and such was the order of ad- 
 ministration in many places in this 
 land, with slight modification till more 
 recent years. But why dwell on the 
 past, such scenes, and lengthened ser- 
 vices cannot be reproduced now, and 
 if attempted would suit neither the 
 necessities of the times, nor the habits 
 of the people. At the same time, while 
 we readily grant that such is the case, 
 inight we not gather some lessons 
 from the past which might go far to 
 make the communion seasons of our 
 own day more helpful and memorable 
 than It is to be feared is the case in 
 many places at the present time. 
 
 Permit us then in what re- 
 mains of the time at our di^osal, to 
 revert to some matters connected with 
 the administration of the Lord's 
 Supper, which appear to. us to detract 
 from the enjoyment Of the ordin- 
 ance,, and which, if remedied might 
 assist in making this sacrament a 
 means of spiritual nourishment, and 
 gr6wth in grace. And First, might 
 not the ordinance be observed in a 
 more leisurely, and less* hurried man- 
 ner, than is often the case. We are 
 quite aware that it would not be pos- 
 sible in the towns or cities to revive 
 the goodly holding of the preaching 
 days, which were so largely owned 
 ajfid blessed in former times; but might 
 it not be possible 1?wice in the year, to 
 bold special services at some conven- 
 ient howa, for a week or so, in connec- 
 tion witii the observance of the Lord's 
 
 ■upper in the congregation; i.uA get 
 the aid of brethren at such meetings, 
 and on the Sabbath could not arrange- 
 ments be made by which the minister 
 of a neighboring church, bjr making 
 his own service a little shorter, be in 
 time to assist his brother minister 
 with a. table address, and an exchange 
 in the evening ;and in country places, 
 could not the people be left to the 
 care, and service of the elders for the 
 day, and the minister at liberty to ' 
 assist some brother at his communion, 
 to be repaid by an exchange in due 
 time, and thus the various gifts of the 
 ministry be enjoyed by larger numberSj 
 than they often are. Would not such 
 an arrangement help to make the com- 
 munion services more interesting than 
 when they are conducted by the same 
 person, from year to year. But what 
 we wish especially to\;all attention to, 
 is the- hurried manner in which the 
 whole service is performed, being in-^^ 
 many places compressed into the spade 
 of an hour and a half, and at the far- 
 thest one hour and three quarters. 
 We by no means advocate a protract- 
 ed service, but surely two hours or 
 two hours and a half, were not too 
 long a time to devote to such a Ser- 
 vice. In the short service-«very thing 
 is hurried, no time for the sermon that 
 day, and every other, part of the ser- 
 vice is correspondingly brief . Such 
 procedure is we think a great mistake. 
 The sermon is specially -needed, the 
 addresses before and after commimica- 
 ting are all needed, if any impre^on 
 is to be made, and pleasing and pro- 
 fitable memorials of the service treas- 
 ured up, to be gratetTilly recalled in 
 after years. The sermon and address 
 need not be unnecessarily long, but 
 they are we belieVe needed, to prepare 
 the intending communicants for the 
 service. The heart like an instrument 
 needs tuning. Most of the communi- 
 cants come straight from the Imgtle 
 and worry of the week, and stand in 
 need of line upon line, and everything 
 that is fitted to prepare the heart, and 
 stir up the affection^ should be pressed 
 into the service and for that end the 
 administrator should lay himself out 
 to give his people the best he can on 
 that day. Jesus and His work, Jesus 
 and His marvellous love, should be the 
 great theme of sermQii. and addresses 
 for the day. One has but to read the 
 action sermons of the Erskines', the 
 
 
 ^ 
 
'll)' 
 
 *:8— . 
 
 -.f. 
 
 ahlherfordi. and the McCheynw. of outwatd ehmentB of lirtfcd wd wIm 
 
 ed to dwell on .uch .ubject.. •nd to grwp the •|>irit«*l. I*^»*y^J."^*;: 
 which went fv to make the com- thatinthi. •dvanoed, •"f intolVjJ 
 munionseasongof theirdaysomemor- age, we should be able *« «•« •'^y* 
 able and helplul to their flockB.andbe the mere externals. ^^ «»»3r °«^^' ^"J 
 model, toners in after years. We it « to^^e 'ea;ed J« h»7« ;»* JJ^* 
 know'th^not a few ministers in this reached that spiritual height as to be 
 Synod, have two stations connected able to dispense with the external. 
 
 
 with their charge, and diapense the 
 communion at both in one day. The 
 first must of necessity be very brief. 
 But we thipk no minister should con- 
 tinue such a practice. We speak 
 from experience. We undertook for 
 
 Imaginatibn may be able to realise 
 that we are sitting at a table, when 
 there is not the faintest semblance 
 of such, but we judge it was wiser in 
 former times, to construe)^ the pews 
 (when not removed as, they always 
 
 irom experience, we uuuc»v"w»- iw» y^-v,., ..-- -—- - — im.„ i.„ur„„ 
 
 several years to dispense sacraments in were in our native, city) as .life taWes 
 all the mission fields of the large as possible, so *« t" . »««f ^^'^ iPj^^* 
 Presbytery, with which we were con- mind of the communicant, the 1 teral 
 nected, aid frequently held two with the spiritual. We advocate no 
 communion servkes on one dfty. and high church "tualism, . nor do we 
 thrSperience we bad, would lead us wish to forget that the presejice or 
 earnestly to sdyise the brethren, who absence of such outward things is not 
 
 have followed the practice, to. en 
 deavor to arrange thatthe dispensation 
 of the, Lord's Supper should not be 
 held at both stations on the same day, 
 if they would haye regard to their 
 own, and their people's 
 welfare. - 
 
 Seceiid: Another feature in the 
 
 essential to the true belieyer, but we 
 are but men, and the best of men are 
 but men at the best, and to those 
 accqstomed to associate the Lord's 
 Supper with actual sitting at a 
 as they would at any 
 ..resent practice has 
 no adsgglation of past times, and as a 
 
 spiritual covered tabl 
 ' otlHtfeasJ; 
 
 pre8"e''nt'"~method oY administration, as conseqn^ne^ there is loss of the 
 compared ^itli the past, is the almost environment andsurroundings^to help 
 
 them to realize that it is the Table of 
 the Lord. And as a further conse- 
 quence, we have noticed fi-equently of 
 late, that small children are often seen 
 seated beside their parents, as on other 
 days, so that unless greater civre is 
 takeir in the seating of the communi- 
 cants, we may have soon what is often/' 
 
 entire absence ^f external preparation 
 for the seemly observance of the 
 ordinance. It was not without good 
 reason that tables were set up, or pews 
 covered with fair linen cloths. Once 
 the practice was universal, however, 
 hnmble the church building might be, 
 
 however rough the boards used as ».„.,-.., ..- -.— j, , . . ^-^^ 
 
 tables, in the glens, or by the burnaides seen across the line : the congregtftior 
 in the old lands, or in the forest seated as on ordinary Sabbatlis. cor 
 glades in this, they were always municants and n*'"-°'^™™«n'«W 
 covered. Now. except, so far as we sitting side by side with the only dil 
 know in a few city churches; there is erence that the latter do notparticipjtte 
 no attempt to have the semblance of a but hand the bread and, the wine duo 
 table". In^fact, .the pews of our to their neighbor. Fof such a statfe of 
 newer churches are so constructed,^ matters the want of all external^re- 
 to make it impossible to have them so? paratipn, in the part of the chjircn 
 utilized, and all the difference in the occupied by the cb^™"°^«^gj^ 
 external appearance of the church on largely due. . Let. all things !» /done 
 the Communion Sabbath, is thatthe decently an I m order, should be the 
 small.table in front of the pulpit has rulein these things, as in aU that 
 » cloth upon it. with the Communion pertaips to this solemn service., it 
 vessels, andlelements. Of course we maynotbe needed "o^' ^"' 7 '^. °°' 1 
 put no stress on the external, but as we long since, a word of adrrionitiori , 
 are constituted, the outward is helpful would not have been out <f Plape, •, 
 to the inward, the external to the anent the shabby appointments of tne 
 Bpiritual. Inthesordinanceitself. we communion table »» ,°»aM <>» om 
 have an example of what He, who country churches, and^^thit among 
 . knows our frame, has dope by the people who had not only the n/ecessanes - 
 
 .-^'-if- 
 
•a. I 
 
 fm 
 
 ^ » 
 
 bnt Btenr 0( til* ntodara •l«g»ttoiM, io 
 th«ir own komM. W« have dispepB«d, 
 •nd *enjoy«d many a oommunion, 
 where tiiere wm notkini; but a delf 
 pl«t« aa a {Miien for the hread, and a 
 glasa goblet for the wine, but the 
 ^roumstance^ of the people, and their 
 diatance from any other church, whose 
 ▼easels they might have borro^^ed, 
 were sufficient to account (or t^e 
 absence of the usual futnishing of gi 
 communion table. 
 
 . Third: Changes in the order, and 
 fona. of administering the Lord's 
 Sapper are, to not a few, hindrances to 
 their enjoyin'ent in the ordinance. 
 Once throughout the whole Presby- 
 terian church, there was one form, and. 
 ^ order, in the administration of the 
 Lord's Supper, as there was one 
 Siniform order of public worship. 
 Now, every man seems to do that 
 which is right in his own eyes, and 
 
 (0 give variety, and ii twMt to Hkn Ms 
 vice, but judging from our own tXr 
 perience, and the expreesed opinion of 
 othera, they are committing a grait 
 mistake. It is not necessary for evdry 
 young minister when admitted to* 
 charge, to assert, his independence by 
 ignoring the form followed by his pre- 
 decessors in administrating the com- 
 munion, unless h« has good groundp 
 for doing so, he should be slow to in- 
 troduce changes. lest he hinder where 
 he desires to help and grieve where ho 
 intended to comfort. Other points of 
 contrast between the i-'-esent, and the 
 past we had noted ; but our paper al- 
 ready considerably exceeds the pre- 
 scribed limit and we must forbear. 
 It will be observed that we have not 
 referred to the frequency with which 
 the oi"dinance is to be observed 
 thie first Book of Discipline, it 
 directed that the Lord's Supper p 
 
 changes very disturbing, to the comfort be observed at least four times », 
 
 of the* ;older members, have been 
 introduced. In not a few cases, there 
 is no sermon on the Communion 
 Sabbath, only a few reniarks on some 
 passage of _ Sqripture. In others, 
 little or no reference in the sermon to 
 the occasion. Some simply read the 
 words, of institution, with a few 
 running comments, with no address 
 before communicating, and compress 
 the whole service into an hour and *a 
 half, and even less. Some sing only 
 hymns, from heginning to end of the 
 service, and these not familiar ones. 
 [n no case', that we know, are the old 
 familiar tokens used, they may linger 
 still in some out of the way places, but 
 they have been relegated to the past 
 for the .more satisfactory comimunion 
 cards, it is alleged. -Now these in- 
 novations, while in some cases 
 doub^ss warranted by the changes, 
 which time brings, are trying to those 
 accustomed to . the time-honoured 
 ptaetices of, - the past, and all the 
 associations connected with familiar 
 use to which the older members have 
 been accustomed^ so as to render the 
 communion to them a bald and 
 ^U unsatisfactory service. It does not 
 seem to strike sonie ministers, how 
 ; mach the absence., of the old familiar 
 psalms, andfamiliat tunes at such a 
 tbne interferes with the comfort and 
 ffttjOyment. of |nai^^,^^the communi- 
 
 year, ^t is plain also, from tl^ 
 tory for public worship, that 
 framers of the West Minster Stai! 
 dards, held that the Communion was •^ 
 
 to be frequently celebrated, the fre- 
 quency to be determined by the minis- 
 ters, and other chuVch governors of 
 each congregation, as they shall find . 
 most convenient, for the comfort and 
 edification of the people committed to 
 their charge, and when adtriinistered 
 it was to be done after the morning 
 sermoil. Why the church of Scotland, 
 and other Presbyterian churches in 
 that land, and their represen tati ves in 
 the north of Ireland, for so long a time 
 observed the ordinance once- in the 
 year,' we have never been able satisfac- 
 torily to find out unless it was as we 
 once heard, that as the Lord's Supper 
 has come in place of the Passover, and 
 ^8 the Passover was » yearly festival, 
 so should the Lord's Supper be. . 
 Doubtless the inf requency led largely ' 
 to that high and reverejit feeling with 
 \^hich %hki e v e i r d w o ordinaiiee was re- s»,iyt<.r, 
 garded by many, as compared with 
 the spirit with which it Is generally ' 
 viewed in the present day. Familiar- 
 ity even with sacred things, unlesi 
 specially guarded against,. leads to 
 their being lightly esteeinedi Nor 
 have we touched on the administration 
 of the Lord's Supper to invali^is, and 
 other sick in their own homes.- At 
 the same time we may say, that under 
 certain oircamstances and yriA the 
 

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 dona«at, •nfl preiettee of a qaomii(i of 
 Seision, ami a limited nurnbor of cftAo- 
 municants, wo have come to the con- 
 clusion it may lawfully be done. The 
 whole subject of the administration of 
 the Lord's Supper i» a wide one, and 
 would take muny papers to overtake 
 it in all its branches. Our hope is 
 ttiat from the conference that is to 
 follow, some hints may be K>ven, that 
 the younger brethren may bo able so 
 to' conduct this most solemn, and sacred 
 
 service 'in such a li'iiy, tbitt the gtn«r»- 
 tion Kcowing up nnder (h«ic «»r«, mfl^y 
 in qoming yeai's, h•ve^,•• pleatont 
 memories nf cofatmunibn MMom, and 
 as fondly cherish the remembrance of 
 them, as the older people of the prci- 
 sent day linger with delight, and 
 lovitiRly recall, the sermone of the 
 officiating; ministers and the Sacrament 
 days of the long ago of their early life. 
 
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