THE

MERCERSBURG REVIEW.

MARCH, 1851.

VOL. III.---NO. II.

THE OLD PALATINATE LITURGY OF 1563.

(Continued from Vol. II. No. III.)

Of the Holy Supper of our Lord.

On those days on which the Lord's Supper is to be celebrated, the minister shall direct his sermon as much as possible to the subsequent service, and study brevity. After the sermon, and the public confession of sin and prayer, the following exhortation shall be read slowly and intelligibly, with emphasis and earnest ness, at the table around which the supper is to be celebrated.

Form for the administration of the Holy Supper.

Institution of the Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ: AtLord's Supper accor- tend to the words of the institution of the ding to St. Paul. Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, recorded by the Holy Apostle Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, the 11th chapt: "For I have received of the Lord, that which I also delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had giv en thanks, He brake it, and said: Take eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.' After 7.

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the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying: This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show forth the Lord's death, till He come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup; for he that cateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

That we now may celebrate the supper of the Lord to our comfort it is above all things necessary that we rigl.tiy examine ourselves; and in the next place that we direct it to that end, for which the Lord Jesus appointed it, namely the remembrance of Him.

1. Acknowledg.

ment of sin.

Sincere self-examination consists of these Sthree paris: In the first place that every one solemnly consider the greamess of his sins and conden nation, 80 as 10 abhor and humble himself before God; remembering that the wrath of God against sin is so great, that rather than suffer it to go unpunished, He hath punished the same in His beloved Son Jesus Christ, with the bitter and shameful death of the cross.

2. Faith in In the next place, let every one examine his Jesus Christ. heart, and see whether he really believes the certain promise of God, that all his sins are forgiven, alone for the sake of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ; and that the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed and freely granted unto him as his own, as though he had himself made satisfaction for all his sins in his own person, and fulfilled all righteousness. 3. Pious purpose In the third place, let every one search to lead a holy life. his conscience, whether he is sincerely resolved, henceforth, with his whole life, to prove his gratitude to God, and to walk uprightly before Him. And also whether he unfeignedly and heartily renounces all enmity, envy, and hatred, and has determined henceforth to live in true love and peace with his fellowmen.

As many therefore as are thus reminded, may feel assured that God will receive them in mercy, and acknowledge them as worthy guests of His Son Jesus Christ.

Warning against Those on the contrary who have not this impenitant sinners. testimony of a good conscience, cat and drink judgment to themselves. Wherefore, according to the command of Christ and the Apostle Paul, we admonish all to

abstain from the table of the Lord, who know themselves to be guilty of the following sins, and declare unto them that they have no part in the kingdom of Jesus Christ: All idolaters; all who invoke deceased saints, angels, or other creatures; worshippers of images; enchanters or diviners, using enchantments with cattle, mankind, or other things, and such as trust in those charms; all despisers of God, of His word, or the holy sacraments; blasphemers; schismatics and those who excite sedition. in Church or State; perjurers; all such as are disobedient to their parents and superiors; all murderers, contentious and quarrelsome persons, who live in envy and hatred with their neighbors; adulterers, whoremongers, drunkards, thieves, usurers, robbers, gamesters, misers, and all who lead a scandalous life. These all, as long as they persist in such sins, must consider themselves excluded from partaking of this holy supper, and abstain therefroin, lest their judgment and damnation be more

severe.

Weak, penitent believers, not to be discouraged.

But this is not said, Beloved in the Lord, to discourage contrite believers, as though none might join in the supper of the Lord, but such as are sinless. For we do not celebrate this supper, to show thereby that we are perfect and righteous in ourselves. On the contrary, by thus seeking our life and salvation out of ourselves, in Jesus Christ, we confess ourselves to be in the bonds of spiritual death. For we still discover many infirmities and uniseries in our lives, knowing that our faith is weak and imperfect. and that we do not serve the Lord with becoming zeal, but have daily to fight with the infirmities of our faith, and the corrupt lusts of the flesh. But by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we heartily deplore these infirmities, contend against our unbelief, and sincerely desire to live according to all the commandments of God. Wherefore we may feel certainly assured, that no sin or infirmity, which may yet cleave unto us, against our will, shall hinder our gracious acceptance with God, or our worthy and profitable participation in this heavenly meat and drink.

II. The design of Let us now, in the next place, consider the Lord's Supper. Sto what end the Lord instituted His supper, namely that we do this in remembrance of Him.

1. For the confirma- We are to remember Him, in the first tion of our faith. Splace, by certainly believing, in our hearts, that our Lord Jesus Christ was sent into the world. by the Father, according to the promise made in the beginning unto our forefathers; that He took upon Himself our flesh and blood; that He endured for us the wrath of God, under which we must

eternally have perished, from His incarnation until the end of His life on earth, and rendered complete obedience unto the divine law, fulfilling all righteousness for us. But especially are we to believe that all this was done, when under the burden of our sins, and the wrath of God, He sweat great drops as it were of blood in the garden; when He was bound, that we might be released; when He then endured inexpressible reproach, that we might never be put to shame; was condemned to death, that we might be acquitted at the judgment-seat of God; and above all when He permitted His sacred body to be nailed to the cross, that He might fasten thereon the indictment of our sius; and so assumed our condemnation, that He might replenish us with His saving grace, abasing Himself into the deepest reproach and hellish anguish of body and soul, on the cross, when He cried out with a loud voice: My God! My God! Why has Thou forsaken me? That He suffered all this in order that we might find acceptance with God, and never be forsaken, sealing the new and everlasting Testament, the covenant of grace and reconciliation, with the shedding of His blood, and with His death, when He finally said, 'It is finished.'

That we now might firmly believe, that we have part in this covenant, Our Lord Jesus Christ in the night in which was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, take and eat, this is my body which is offered for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In like manner also, after supper, He took the cup, blessed it, and gave it unto them, saying: Drink ye all of it, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, shed for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins; do this as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. That is, as oft as ye eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, ye shall be reminded and assured, as by a certain remembrance and pledge, of this my hearty love and faithfulness unto you, who must have perished with everlasting death, had I not given my body to die for you upon the cross, and shed my blood to feed and nourish your hungry and thirsty souls with this same crucified body and shed blood, as certainly as you all see this bread broken, and this cup handed unto you, and you are permitted to eat and drink thereof with your mouth, in remembrance of Me.

From this institution of the holy supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see that He fixes our faith and confidence upon His perfect sacrifice, once offered upon the cross, as upon the only foundation and basis of our salvation, having Himself become the true meat and drink of eternal life unto our hungry and thirsty souls.

For by His death He hath removed. the cause of our hunger and grief, namely sin, and procured for us the quickening Spirit, that we, through the same Spirit, dwelling in Christ as the head, and in us as His members, may have true fellowship with Him, and be made partakers of all His benefits, of eternal life, righteousness and glory.

2. For the futherance Another design of this Holy Supper is, of brotherly love. that by the same Spirit, we may all be knit together, as members of one body, in true brotherly love; as the Holy Apostle Paul saith: For as it is one bread, so we being many are one body, forasmuch as we are all partakers of one bread. For as out of many grains one meal is ground, and one bread is baked, and out of many berries pressed together one wine and one drink floweth and commingleth; so also shall we all, being incorporated with Christ by true faith, be one body through brotherly love, for the sake of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath first so loved us; and that not in word only, but in very deed. And hereunto may the Almighty and Merciful God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ help us by His Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer before the

true faith, sancti

communion for

fastness in the

cross.

Let us Pray.

Most Merciful God and Father, we beseech Thee, that in this holy supper, in which we

fication and stead-celebrate the glorious remembrance of the bitter death of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, Thou wouldest so operate upon our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may surrender ourselves continually more and more, with true faith, unto Thy Son Jesus Christ, that our heavy-laden and contrite hearts may be nourished and quickened with His true body and blood, yea with Him, as true God and man, the only heavenly bread, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And thus may we no more live in sin, but He in us and we in Him, and be made so really to partake of the blessings of the eternal Testament and covenant of grace, that we may never doubt that Thou wilt be our Father forever, no more reckoning our sins against us, but providing all things for us, for soul and body, as Thy dear children, and heirs.

Grant unto us also Thy grace, that we may cheerfully bear our cross, deny ourselves, confess our Saviour, and in all our tribulations, with uplifted heads, expect our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, when He will make our mortal bodies like unto