Truth Held Forth and Maintained, Part 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Concerning the Lords Supper, which People call the Sacrament.
AS to the word Sacrament, I find it not contained in the holy Scriptures of Truth; but as to the Lords Supper, according to Chriſts OWN words, Luke 22.1.20. when he took Bread, and gave Thanks, and broke it, and gave it to his Diſciples, ſaying, This is my Body, which is given you; This do in Remembrance of me; likewiſe alſo, thê up after Supper, ſaying, This is the New Teſtament in my Blood, which is ſhed for you. The fore-going words ſome have Wreſted, by which they have gathered in their Comprehenſion ſome-what of a Meritorious Work, which they hold moſt neceſſary to Salvation; …rom which grounds, they have ſet up a Form, each for themſelves, according to the Apprehenſion of the natural Mind, being altogêther deſtitute of experience of the Power of the Blood of Chriſt, the end of whoſe Death was not to deſtroy mens Lives and Eſta…es about his Body and Blood; for his Coming was to heal the Sick, to bind up the Broken, and to make alive; but where the Nature of Chriſt is wanting, they are not come to the true ſaving Knowledge of God, by the Body and Blood of Chriſt, through whoſe Death and Reſurrection, there is no hope of Salvation to them that by his Blood are not cleanſed from all ſin in this Life; for where ſin remains, it Rules the Heart, and darkens the Underſtanding, by which the Power of God is not received, which gives the true knowledge of the Nature of the body and Blood of Jeſus Chriſt, which proves their Form dead, and they to remain in a dead Form, having a zeal for God, without his ſaving Knowledge by Jeſus Chriſt, about whoſe Body and Blood, many thouſands of Peoples Lives have been deſtroyed, which makes manifeſt, that ſuch are not in the true form of Godlineſs, for neither Chriſt nor his Apoſtles have enjoyned any to particular time or place, but in remembrance of his Death, as is furder manifeſted by the Apoſtles ſaying, 1 Cor. 11.24, 25, 26, 27. That Chriſt took the Cup when he had ſupped, ſaying, This is the New-Teſtament in my Blood, this do ye, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. So that here is no command, either to Particular time or Place, but as often as ye eat of this Bread, and drink of this Cup, ye do ſhew forth the Lord Death, till he come; which according to that ſpiritual Light of Underſtanding, which God hath given me, my Faith in Chriſt, is to believe, that the daily …ood which every true Believer doth receive, by Prayer and Thanks-giving, that it is to be received in the remembrance of his Death, till he come, as well as when Believers eat together more ſolemnly, remembring his Death with Prayer and Thanks-giving, whoſe coming will be, to reward the Wicked and Ungodly, among whom are they that have a form of Godlineſs, without the true ſaving Knowledge of God, by the Body and Blood of Chriſt, whoſe coming alſo will be to receive the Souls of them whom, he hath promiſed to drink of the Vine, new in the Kingdome of God; and as to any command by Chriſt, or example by his holy Apoſtles, I find not, for any hired Teachers, to ſet up a form, for People to eat Bre…d, and drink Wine once a month, or more or leſs, even as they and their followers can agree about the ſame; for the Apoſtles were never hired to ſet up any …orm without the Power of God, neither without the Power of God, did they ever maintain any Form; for they did continue with one accord breaking Bread from Houſe to Houſe, and did eat their bread with gladneſs and ſingleneſs o… heart. Acts 2.46. Which doth and will continue among ſincere Chriſtians and true Believers until the laſt coming of Chriſt; which doth manifeſt the blind Zeal, which People have of their own Righteouſneſs, who have not the true form of Godlineſs according to the practice of the holy Apoſtles, for which end I may improve the Prophets ſaying, Wherefore do ye ſpend your Money for that which is not Bread, and your Labour for that which ſatisfieth not? Iſa. 55.2. Which indeed is ſo as doth appear by Peoples Lo here, and Lo there, in their differing Forms, which are deſtitute of the Power of God, who is the Bread of Life, which is tendered by his free Grace, in and through the Son of his Love the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who ſtandeth at the Door and knocketh, if any man will hear his Voice and open the Door, he will come in to him, and will ſup with him, and he ſhall ſup with the Lord of life, R…v 8.10. which if any refuſe this the Lords Supper, he refuſes his own Salvation by Jeſus Chriſt, the Bread of Life, which if any man eat, and drink of this cup he ſhall neither hunger, nor thirſt, but ſhall live forever.
And as to the outward Diſpenſations, which the Lord beſtoweth upon the Children of men, among whom they that do not render a due acknowledgment by the ſpirit of Prayer and Thanks-giving for the Lords Mercies in his gifts beſtowed upon them, for the Comfort of the Body, it doth but furder add to their Condemnation; for whether ye eat, or whether ye drink, let all be done to the Honour of God, who hath not called man to live by Bread alone, but by the Power of his Word, Mat. 4.4. Luke. 4.4. for the Power of his Word is in Jeſus Chriſt, the Bread of Life, that a man may eat thereof, and not dye; for all outward Bread and Wine is of a periſhing Nature, but the Bread of Life and Wine of the Kingdom endureth forever; for Chriſt hath ſaid, that he is the Bread of Life, or Living Bread that cometh down from Heaven, which if any man eat of this Bread, he ſhall live forever; that Bread that he giveth is his Fleſh, which he hath given for the Life of the World, John. 9.50, 51. for in this is the Power of God made manifeſt unto the ſoul of every true Believer, which have their whole Dependance on God by true Faith in the Son of his Love, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who is become the Mediator of the New Covenant, which ſpeaketh better things then that of Abel, Heb. 12.2…, for Chriſt is come, and ſpiritually he lives in his People, whoſe hearts and minds he hath redeemed out of all dead Forms, by which they witneſs him to be the Lord of Life, unto whom they yeild the ſtrength of their minds to ſerve him the living God, with uprightneſs of Soul, Mind and Spirit, by which their inward Life doth not remain in ea…ing Bread and drinking Wine, which is not of it ſelf material for the Salvation of any man, Soul that ſo do; for it comes ſhort of Gods Promiſe by Jeſus Chriſt, and ſupping with him at his Table, which affords Bread without, Money, and Wine without Price, which if People had true Faith to believe theſe things, their dead Form would ſoon end, for Chriſt is the Bread of Life, and he that cometh to him ſhall never hunger, and he that believeth in him ſhall never thirſt, which is large in a general way to all men, which they that refuſe, are left out, from having any lot, part or ſhare with the Gueſts of the Bride Chamber, where the Lamb of God hath his abode, and remains with them, where they by true Faith feed on his ſpiritual Food, which is that ſpiritual Bread and ſpiritual Wine, which is without Money and Price, and giveth Life unto the World of them which by true Faith receive him, Joh. 6.32, 33. in which ſtate of true Faith, every ſincere Believer receiveth of his Diſpenſation, which by Prayer and Thanks-giving is ſanctified unto them, ſo as every true Chriſtian doth worthily in all his eating and drinking, eat and drink in the holy Faith and Fear, remembring the Lords Death, with Prayer and Thanksgiving▪ So is it to be acknowledged, that the primitive Chriſtians did eat and drink together, ſolemnly aſſembled, and were to wait one for another, that they might eat and drink together, when ſolemnly aſſembled, remembring the Lords death, with prayer and Thanks-giving, in token of their being Members together of one Body, whereof Chriſt is the Head, to ſignifie their Love, Ʋnity and Fellowſhip one with another, and the which is worthily practiſed by ſincere and faithfull Chriſtians at this day, and is to continue to the laſt coming of Chriſt, when he ſhall come without us, to Judge the quick and the dead, as well as his more abundant inward coming in ſpirit, to them, who have not yet witneſſed it, and many as yet are not come into the true Faith of theſe things, which according to my meaſure of Faith in God by Jeſus Chriſt, do I faithfully believe, by which thorough Faith I do receive of Gods outward Diſpenſation for the preſervation of outward Life, and in meaſure of his heavenly divine Riches, by Faith in Chriſt, which unto me is the Bread and Water of Life, for the preſervation of my ſoul, and not to me only, but unto all them that by true Faith witneſs their feeding with the Lord of Life at his his heavenly Table, where all the faithfull of God witneſs the eating of the Lords Supper.