“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” — 1 Cor. 11:26.
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.
Col. 3:1-3; Cant. 2:4.
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.
Heb. 10:37; Psalm 23
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.
Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10.
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. 1:1-9; 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. 11:23-25; Heb. 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.
Cant. 5:1; Eph. 3:20, 21.
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. 10:16; Heb. 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. 2:6-11; Gal. 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, 20; 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.
John 6:54-56; Luke 22:20.
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!
1 Cor. 10:16, 17; Pro. 31:7.
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. 14:10; Rev. 21:20.
Η. Κ. Β. E.