In spirit, Lord, we dwell with thee, above
The changing scenes of time;
We rest beneath thy canopy of love,
Within thy house of wine.
And though a while the vale of death we tread,
(This weary world below,)
Thy shepherd care doth still a table spread
In presence of the foe.
Oft as thy day returns, we love to find
Thou dost the feast prepare;
We leave the din of conflict far behind,
That holy joy to share.
Thy precious death before our heart and eyes
We worship and adore;
This broken bread thy pierced hand supplies,
This wine thyself dost pour.
Lev. 1:1-91And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 3If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. 4And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 6And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. 7And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: 8And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 9But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Leviticus 1:1‑9); John 14:21-2321He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:21‑23).
Lord Jesus, ‘tis thy soul-subduing voice
That bids us take and eat!
The feast is spread, and we, thy guests, rejoice,
As in thy house is meet.
1 Cor. 11:23-2523For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After 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. (1 Corinthians 11:23‑25); Heb. 3:88Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: (Hebrews 3:8).
“Eat, Ο my friends!” thou sayest to us here,”
Yea, drink, beloved, drink,”
More rich the blessing, as thou drawest near,
Than e’er we ask or think.
Thy broken body once again we see,
Shown in this broken bread.
This poured wine, Ο Savior, tells of thee,
Thy blood for sinners shed.
1 Cor. 10:1616The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16); Heb. 9:11-1411But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:11‑14).
We muse upon the marvel of thy cross,
Thy love beyond compare!
Ο depth of woe! Ο all unfathom’d loss!
That thou for us didst bear!
Phil. 2:6-116Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6‑11); Gal. 6:1414But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14).
Beholding thee, the lowly One, who came
To this dark world in grace,
We give thee thanks, now gathered in thy name,
A large and wealthy place!
John 20:19, 2019Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19‑20); Job 36:15, 1615He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression. 16Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness. (Job 36:15‑16).
Sweet to thine own redeem’d to feed on thee,
In whom we died, we live;
Sweet the remembrance cup must ever be,
That thou, Ο Christ, dost give.
The loaf we share proclaims our happy lot:
“One loaf” are we, and thine!
Poor as we were, our need is now forgot,
Exchanged for bliss divine!
One loaf, one cup, their witness should be heard,
E’en were our voices dumb;
Yet to thy praise be every bosom stirr’d,
Lord Jesus, till thou come!
1 Cor. 14:1010There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. (1 Corinthians 14:10); Rev. 21:2020The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. (Revelation 21:20).
Η. Κ. Β. E.