Volume VII Part 7 (2/2)

Again: the prophet Amos says: ”Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt[11];” that is, with G.o.d's marvellous grace, whereby He gives us gifts new and wonderful.

And the prophet Isaiah: ”In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.” And again: ”Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies, and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured; but they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord, and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of My holiness.” And again: ”Behold My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty[12].”

Again: the prophet Jeremiah says: ”They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all. . . And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, saith the Lord[13].”

And the prophet Zechariah: ”How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids[14].”

And under a different image, but with the same general sense, the prophet Malachi: ”From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, My Name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My Name, and a pure offering, for My Name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of Hosts[15].”

Further, if the Psalms are intended for Christian wors.h.i.+p, as surely they are, the Prophetic Spirit, who inspired them, saw that they too would in various places describe that sacred Christian feast, which we feel they do describe; and surely we may rightly call this coincidence between the ordinance in the Christian Church and the form of words in the Psalms, a mark of design. For instance: ”Thou shalt prepare a Table before me against them that trouble me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my Cup shall be full.” ”I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord, and so will I go to Thine Altar.” ”O send out Thy light and Thy truth, that they may lead me, and bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy dwelling; and that I may go unto the Altar of G.o.d, even unto the G.o.d of my joy and gladness.” ”The children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of Thy house, and Thou shalt give them drink of Thy pleasures as out of the river. For with Thee is the well of life, and in Thy light shall we see light.” ”Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and receivest unto Thee; he shall dwell in Thy court, and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of Thy house, even of Thy Holy Temple.” ”My soul shall be satisfied, even as it were with marrow and fatness, when my mouth praiseth Thee with joyful lips . . . because Thou hast been my helper, therefore under the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice[16].”

The same wonderful feast is put before us in the book of Proverbs, where Wisdom stands for Christ. ”Wisdom hath builded her house,” that is, Christ has built His Church, ”she hath hewn out her seven pillars, she hath killed her beasts, she hath mingled her wine (that is, Christ has prepared His Supper), she hath also furnished her table (that is, the Lord's Table), she hath sent forth her maidens (that is, the priests of the Lord), she crieth upon the highest places of the city.

Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither; as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him. Come, eat of My Bread and drink of the Wine which I have mingled[17],”--which is like saying, ”Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you.”

Like which are the prophet Isaiah's words; ”Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price[18].” And such too is the description in the book of Canticles: ”The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell” . . . . ”Until the day break and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense” . . . ”I have gathered My myrrh with My spice, I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey, I have drunk My wine with My milk; eat, O friends, drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved[19]!” In connexion with such pa.s.sages as these should be observed St. Paul's words, which seem from the ant.i.thesis to be an allusion to the same most sacred Ordinance: ”Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,” with that new wine which G.o.d the Holy Spirit ministers in the Supper of the Great King.

G.o.d grant that we may be able ever to come to this Blessed Sacrament with feelings suitable to the pa.s.sages which I have read concerning it!

May we not regard it in a cold, heartless way, and keep at a distance from fear, when we should rejoice! May the spirit of the unprofitable servant never be ours, who looked at his lord as a hard master instead of a gracious benefactor! May we not be in the number of those who go on year after year, and never approach Him at all! May we not be of those who went, one to his farm, another to his merchandise, when they were called to the wedding! Nor let us be of those, who come in a formal, mechanical way, as a mere matter of obligation, without reverence, without awe, without wonder, without love. Nor let us fall into the sin of those who complained that they have nothing to gather but the manna, wearying of G.o.d's gifts.

But let us come in faith and hope, and let us say to ourselves, May this be the beginning to us of everlasting bliss! May these be the first-fruits of that banquet which is to last for ever and ever; ever new, ever transporting, inexhaustible, in the city of our G.o.d!

[1] Easter.

[2] Deut. x.x.xii. 13; x.x.xiii. 13-15.

[3] Gen. xxi. 10.

[4] Matt. xi. 19. Luke vii. 34.

[5] Gen. xiv. 18.

[6] 1 Cor. x. 20.

[7] Ezek. xlvii. 12.

[8] Rev. xxii. 2.

[9] Hos. ii. 21-23.

[10] Joel iii. 18.

[11] Amos ix. 13.

[12] Isa. xxv. 6; lxii. 8, 9, lxv. 13.

[13] Jer. x.x.xi. 12-14.

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