New Zealand. — Should the bread be broken and the wine poured out before or after the act of thanksgiving? Is the Lord’s table as shown in 1 Corinthians 10:16,17, the expression of unity?
WHAT I dread in all such discussions is that Satan thereby often succeeds in depriving the people of God of the true remembrance of Christ.
We are exhorted that in the Assembly all things should be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). At the same time, we must beware of making rules and regulations which are not in Scripture, and forcing them upon others.
Now as to the question whether the bread should be broken before or after the act of thanksgiving we are told in Scripture that it was when “He had given thanks, He brake it,” &c. (1 Cor. 11:24). While there is no order given, I think our spiritual judgment would lead us likewise to give thanks before breaking. But we must beware of attaching any sacrificial thought to our breaking the bread and pouring out the wine. The bread and the cup on the table represent not a living but a dead Christ. We do not pour out His blood, the cup reminds us of blood already poured out. If anybody made it an absolute condition that the wine should not be poured out until after thanksgiving, I should very much fear that some would be led to attach some sacrificial meaning to the act. It might encourage the idea that the bread and the wine before thanksgiving represented a living Christ, and the breaking and the pouring out represented His death. This, I am sure, would be a fatally false thought. But, as I said before, I dread that we lose sight of the blessed and holy remembrance of the precious Saviour’s death in theological disputations as to the acts of breaking the bread, and whether or not we should have “glasses or a cup or a jug.” Satan thus succeeds in robbing the soul of that precious memorial which should bow the heart in adoration and worship — “This do... in remembrance of Me.”
I believe that 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17, does express unity, but not the unity of those who may be actually partaking; it is the unity of the whole body of Christ, however scattered it may be, and alas! is in these days. The Lord’s table is where every member of the body of Christ has his place, unless excluded by scriptural discipline for bad doctrine, loose walk, or evil associations. The Lord’s table is expressive of Christianity in contrast to Israel’s altar of sacrifice, and the heathen’s table of demons. It is horrible to speak of the Lord’s Supper amongst the various sects as the table of demons. From 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17, I believe that the bread on the table represents Christ’s own literal body on the one hand, and His mystical body on the other. His literal body was represented by the broken bread as recalling the fact of His death.
“His precious blood was shed
His body bruised for sin,
Remembering this we break the bread
And thankful drink the wine.”
His mystical body was represented by the one loaf — “We being many are one bread, one body.” Twelve loaves on the table of shewbread stood for the twelve tribes of Israel; the one loaf now expresses the truth that there is but one body. There may be but two or three in one place actually breaking bread together in this day of confusion and ruin, but they express the unity of the whole body of Christ. But while this is true, the chief thing is the precious memorial of Christ Himself in His death — “As often as ye cat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come.”
May the Lord deliver His people from mere questions. “Foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strives. And the servant of the Lord must not strive” (2 Tim. 2:23, 24).
Pn.
The Revival in Wales.
“THANKS for your letter and paper with the revival news. It is a wonderful testimony to the grace of God. It carries my mind back to the days of the Judges, when Israel was in a low state, and God used extraordinary means for the deliverance of His people. It tells us how low down we have got that He should use all kinds of instruments, even women, to do His work. We can say with Moses, Would God all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them.
“How I should like to see the same blessed work of the Spirit here, and all over this country. We would not say, ‘My lord Moses, forbid them.’ I am glad that you have had some part of the shower, and I hope it is only the beginning. One thing is clear, where there is most prayer, there is most blessing.” P. F. J.
“NO doubt you have heard of the work of the Holy Ghost in the adjoining county (Glamorgan). He is also beginning to work in this county. We have for years had prayer for this. I have a conviction that we shall see wonderful things this year.” S. O. H.