The point of my sermon today is to explain and apply the nature of that communion Christians enjoy with Christ in the Lord's Supper. Most certainly we gain little, and lose much, by closing our eyes to this high mystery of communion with our Lord, by eating and drinking, wherein we are made partakers of His body and blood.
In the supper, we hold special communion with Christ in each of His offices, as He is the King, the Priest and the Prophet of His Church. It is not, of course, intimated that every act of worship does not include these three offices so essential to the Mediator's work. They are also related as to be inseparable, and the mention of one necessari1y involves the others. For example, the truth which the Prophet discloses is that which the Priest has wrought out and constituted such, - either directly lying in the work of redemption which He accomplished, or as being antecedently so necessary thereto as to be of necessity unfolded.
Original Title
1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
The point of my sermon today is to explain and apply the nature of that communion Christians enjoy with Christ in the Lord's Supper. Most certainly we gain little, and lose much, by closing our eyes to this high mystery of communion with our Lord, by eating and drinking, wherein we are made partakers of His body and blood.
In the supper, we hold special communion with Christ in each of His offices, as He is the King, the Priest and the Prophet of His Church. It is not, of course, intimated that every act of worship does not include these three offices so essential to the Mediator's work. They are also related as to be inseparable, and the mention of one necessari1y involves the others. For example, the truth which the Prophet discloses is that which the Priest has wrought out and constituted such, - either directly lying in the work of redemption which He accomplished, or as being antecedently so necessary thereto as to be of necessity unfolded.
The point of my sermon today is to explain and apply the nature of that communion Christians enjoy with Christ in the Lord's Supper. Most certainly we gain little, and lose much, by closing our eyes to this high mystery of communion with our Lord, by eating and drinking, wherein we are made partakers of His body and blood.
In the supper, we hold special communion with Christ in each of His offices, as He is the King, the Priest and the Prophet of His Church. It is not, of course, intimated that every act of worship does not include these three offices so essential to the Mediator's work. They are also related as to be inseparable, and the mention of one necessari1y involves the others. For example, the truth which the Prophet discloses is that which the Priest has wrought out and constituted such, - either directly lying in the work of redemption which He accomplished, or as being antecedently so necessary thereto as to be of necessity unfolded.
communion Christians enjoy with Christ in the Lord's Supper. Most certainlywe gain little, and lose much, by closing our eyes to this high mysteryofcommunionwithourLord, by eating and drinking, wherein w.e are made partakers of His body and blood. * In the supper, we hold special communion with Christ in each of His offices, as He is the King, the Priest and the Prophet of his Church. It is not, 6f course, intimated that every act of worship does not include these three offices so essential to the Mediator's work. Theyare alIso related as to be inseparable, and the mention of one necessari1y involves the others. For example, the truth which the Prophet discloses is that which the Priest has wrought out and con- stituted such, -either directly lying in the work of redemption which He accomplished, or as being antecedently sci 'necessary thereto as to be of necessity unfolded. In like manner, the Kingdom which the Mediator administers is that acquireg through His priesthood. Those are the proper subjects ofit, who were given Himin the Covenant of Redemption, whom He has purchased with His blood, and overwhom.He is conStituted the Lord and Head forever. If there be a wider extension of His authority over others, itis designed to besubordinate and subsidiary to thatempirewhichis wielded more irrunediately over the subjects ofHis grace. The Priesthood of Christ may be represented then as underlying all the offices which he is called todischarge, giving the material which is worked up in them .. It is impOSsible, therefore, to think of one without implying the other two, and they are together involved in any true worship of the Redeemer. Atthecommuniontable,however, there is a more direct and spedal homage rendered to Christ in each of His offices, separately viewed. The distinction between this and other acts of worship, is that here the with Christ in these offices is explidt, whilst in them it is implidt. Just as with the adorable Trinity, therecognition of each Person involves therecognition of all, because the three Persons are the one God, and we think of the Trinity onlywhen we think it in unity. It is the tri-unity. Communion with one Person is implicitlycotnmunion with thewhole 8 TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon November, 1992 Godhead. Yet there arespecial acts of worship, as in the Doxology and Benediction, when the thought is directed to Jehovah in, His plural subsistence, and the reference to the three Persons in the God-head is an explidt reference. So, there is an implicationofalltheRedeemersoffices in the mention of anyone of the three; but in the Supper, the corrununion is explicit in each. Let us look at this a little more minutely. We are accustomed to speak of some parts of human worship as natural; by which is meant, that they have a ground in ourownnatureas Godhas constituted it, and in the necessary relations in which we stand to Him as our Creator. Prayer and praise, for example, have their foundation in nature. Reason itself deddes that, if we are creatures, our depen- dence should be constantly acknow- ledged to the great Being in whom we live and move. Desireshouldnot reach forth to any good, without going first in prayer to Him whose prerogative it is to bestow or to withhold it. Nor should we in the possession of any blessing, without expressions of gratitude and love to Him who has opened His hand in this kindness upon our head. So true is this, that viewed in any light which reason can shed, anintelligentcreatute, who lives without prayer and worship of God, is simply a monster in the day will come when the defonnity will be so revealed as to shock the moralsentimentoftheentireuniverse. The Lord's Supper is distinguished from these, as being a positive institute-resting solely upon the appointmentofJesusChrist,andupon the express command: "do thls in remembrance of me." Human authority would never have ventured to introduce such a service as this; nor wouldhumanwisdomhavestumbled upon any worship so sublime in its reach, and still so Simple in its form. In its observance, then, we render conspicuous homage to that kingly authority by which it was ordained, an act of formal obeisance to the supremacy of Christ in and over His Church. Itis,you perceive, more than a single act of obedience to one out of many commands of our King. It is a typical and comprehensive act, covering thewhole obedience ofa life. It is the formal sacramental vow, by which we bind ourselves to the person and cause of our Master forever; in which, through most expressive symbols, we are knit to Him and participate in His life. It is impossible to conceive of any consecration more solemn than this, by which we are identified with Christ in His spiritual kingdom. It will require even fewer words to indicate our communion with Christ as the only Priest in his Church. The very design of the ordinance is to show forth Christ in His death. (I Cor. 11:26) In the Jewish Passover, the memorial character of the service- and dying beneath this, its typical reference also-were well brought out in the dialogue between the children and the parents, which became incorporated as one of the features of the feast. "And itshall come topass, you what mean ye by thisservice?-that ye shall say, itis the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he snwte the Egyptians, and delivered 0111' houses." (Exodus 12:26, 27) Just so, the Lord's Supper is an emblematic representation of thesacrificein which Christ "offered Himself once in the endof the world, " to "bear the sins of many." Under a figure, He is "before ollr eyes evidently setforth, crucifiedamongstus." (GaL 3:1) We profess to receive Him as oursubstitute under the Jaw, making atonement for our sins. It is the most solemn and explicit homage which can be paid to Christ, in the discharge of his Priesthood. Since, too, we could attach no significance to these symbols without the explanation which He himself hath given, there is an equal recognition of His prophetical office and authority. In these respects, our communion with Christin the Supper is peculiar. It is the public and formal acknowledgment of Him as our Redeemer, in each of His necessary offices; and it is thesolemn decJaration, that in each of the three we are partakers of His life; so that He ofCod ismadeuntouswisdomandrighteousness and sanctification and redemption." (I Cor. 1: 30) 2. In this holy ordinance, the object of faith, and its consequent actings are spedaL No little confusion of thought in respect to faith, arises from blending its generic with its more special and technical signification. In its broadestsense, it has respectsimply to the truth of statements made to us, and of course to the veracity of the witness. It is co-incident with belief, or the mere assent of the mind to what is held byit as true. But it is easy to see that the truth, thus received, may draw along with it what shall deeply stir the affection, and rouse into action thewholeenergyofournature. IfIam startled at midnight with the cry that my house is on fire, it would not be possible to believe it and yet curl up to nap which had been so rudely disturbed. I could not recognize the signs of a loathsome disease upon my person and believe tllat the whole system was tainted witll its poison, with onlya cold assent of the judgment, involving no flush of the emotions and no action of thewill. The interests at stake are too immense to be resigned with indifference; and if in either case, a mode of deliverance should be proposed, then faith must assume the form of trust and involve a cordial acceptance. When therefore the Scriptures describe the condition of a sinner under the sentence of the Divinelawshutup to everlasting death, it is idle to restrict the faith in such a revelation to an unimpassioned intellectual assent to it as a proposition simply true. For if it be true, there must be a corresponding recognition of it as a filet that is dreadful. If, further, theseScripturesrevealaSavior whose province it is to deliver from this death, it is idle to talk of a faith which does not joyfully rest upon his power, and accept the proffered relief. It depends upon the nature of what is disclosed to us, and upon the practical interest we have in it, whether the faith shall sink to the level of a mere intellectual belief, or whether it shall draw upon all the powers of the soul in personal trust and loving acceptance. When it is asked what is meant in the Scriptures by faith in Jesus Christ, we have only to consider what is our need of Him, and what He . offers to do for us, to see that the word has no Significance except in the sense of the closest appropriation of Him in November, 1992 l' TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 9 all His blessed work. Faith in Christ partake of the one is to partake of the as true as that of the emblems which is not simply belief, resting upon the other. In the illustration which he are employed. Theeatinganddrinking divine truthfulness; but it is trust, drawsfromtheSupper,theremustbe are both of them real acts; and they set resting upon the divine fidelity. It is therefore a similar identification of forth a real feeding of the soul upon not simply the mind dealing with the Christ with the elements which are Christ, by the living faith which truth; but it is the heart dealing with chosentorepresentHirn. Thesacrifice receives Him. To the subjective faith the promises. through which He "put away sin: was wroughtinthesoulbytheHolyGhost, But in the Supper, faith is directed Himself. (Heb. 9:26) As this consisted by which the Savior is embraced, exclusively to the Savior himself, as in the offering of His human life, it is there is the objective presentation of engaged with the work for which He represented in the Supper under the Himin thatveryworkofsufferingand became incarnate. Itlooks death by which He made upon Him in that nature atonement for sin. In the inwhich "He was wounded eating and in the drinking, for our transgressions and there is a spiritual bruised for our iniquities, communion with Christ in "making His soul an offering His body and blood, which forsin.(1s.53:5,1O) Not He offered in sacrifice for only so; it looks upon His the life of the world. body, divided into its The language which I constituent parts of flesh have employed is, i trust, and blood. In the Jewish sufficiently guarded to sacrifices the two were show that this is no carnal distinguished; the blood, eating of the Lord's body. wherein was the life, was This could not be, unless poured out at the altar; there was first an actual andthebIoodIessfleshwas transmutation 6f the eatenin thesacrificialfeast elernentsin the flesh and So here; faith beholds the bloodofChrist. We cannot blood, the life poured out eat His literal body, whilst for our redemption-and only the bread is before uS; the body risen and in heaven, the emblems of bread and wine. The nor drink the veritable blood, whilst pledgeandsourceofalltheblessedness bread broken, sets forth His body the cup sprrkles only with the wine. and glory we shall hereafter enjoy. In bruised underthelaw; thewinepoured Thatno ttansmutationof the elements the specific actings of this faith as out sets forth "the blood of the new has taken place, is affirmed to us by directedtothepersonofoursuffering covenantshedformanyfortheremission our bodily senses; fopr out of five Lord, "the cup of blessing" in this of sins. (Matt. 26: 28) The concurring to prove that the ordinance is termed "the communion of communicant therefore who eats the substances before us have updergone t/te blood of Christ. " bread, symbolically eats the flesh nochange,butexhibitstilltothernost 3. We do sacramentally and represented under it; when he drinks critical detection only the properties spiritually eat the flesh and drink the the cup, he drinks under a symbol the of bread and of wine. It will be no blood of Christ, throu.gh the blood for which it stands. Thedesign relief from the dilemma to allege that identification of these with the bread of the whole ordinance is to render the change is miraculous, and must and wine in the Su.pper. The core of more real to us, through these be believed upon the authority of the the Apostle's argument against representative emblems, the sacrifice miracle. The point. in dispute is partidpation in heathen feasts, is the of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the precisely this, . whether any miracle identification of the idol with the cross. The sacramental actions in hasbeenwroughtinthecase;andthis sacrifice offered to it. In his view, to which we engage, have a significance can be only determined by evidence 10 TIlE COUNSEL ofChaicedon November, 1992 , , of the change alleged to have been accomplished by it. No one denies that a miracle sufficiently establishes whatever it is wrought to prove. But then it must be known that there is a miracle in the case; and it lies in the very nature of a miracle, that it appeals to the observation of the senses for its own verification. A miracle which does not challenge the testimony of sense, vacates its claim to the supernatural altogether, sinks to the level of imposture and of magic. Howmuchmoreanalleged miracle which is not only unattested by the senses, but which has to be accepted against theprotest of them all? Stripped of needless mystery, thetruthissimply this: in the Supper we eat the bread; as bread, it is received into the system and is assimilated to it. Its strengtheningpower, asfood, depends precisely upon this fact. Because it is inwardly digested, its constituent properties are distributed throughout the body, giving nutriment to the blood, the muscle, the flesh and the bone of which thatbodyiscomposed. So, by faith, the soul receives Christ in his atoning work as objectively presented in the bread and in the wine-refreshes its sense of pardon by resting upon the blood through which this pardon was procured;- and feeds its hopes of eternal life by looking upon the body of Christ once bruised for sin, but now risen and reigning in glory. Who shall say, tl1at the one feeding is not as real as the other? They differ only as the organs differ, by which the representative acts are performed. The body is material, and its eating is gross and materiallikeitself: thesoulisspiritual, and its eating is spiritual like itself. In the one, sense recognizes bread, and is nourished by it; in the other, faitll recognizes tlle Redeemer's atoning sacrifice, and is nourished by it. Perhaps, it may be ret1dered plainer through an illustration. We read an allegory, or a fable, which is utterly insipid, as long as the thought is fastet1ed upon the grotesque narrative alone: but themomentitis recognized as the mere costume in whose drapery a spiritual UUth is hidden, it has an inexpressible charm for us. The emblem, which at first served as a vehicle to convey tlle truth, becomes the dress which adorns it. So witll the symbols employed in the ordinance oftheSupper-faithcutsrighttlrrough to the truth, which they are intended to represent. The external sign is laid aside, when it unveils to us the thing signified; which is instantly seized as the food of the soul. This unquestionably is what the Apostle intends, when he speaks of "not discerning the Lord's body;" and of tllose being "guilty of the body and blood of the Lord," who "eat the bread and drink the cup unworthily." The sign and the thing signified are blended together, so that to enjoy or to profane the one, is to enjoy or to profane the other. And this gives the clue by which to interpret our Lord's remarkable language in the Gospel of] 000: "the bread that I will give will be my flesh, which I will give for the life oIthe world. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you."Qohn6:51,53) "Thecornmunion of the blood of Ch rist," which we outwardly manifest by drinking of the cup, is to experience within our hearts therealityof Christ's satisfaction for sin, as applied by the Holy Spirit in the expiation of our guilt before God. "The communion of the body of h r i s ~ " as manifested in the eating of the bread, is to realize in our own souls thefactofour living union with His body; upon which depend our sanctification in this world, and the glory which shall follow in the world to come. by the consenting act of our will we accept the blood as our ransom, and the flesh as ourfood. As Father, Son and Holy Spirit consent to His substitution for us, so we COl1Set1t to accept Christ as that substitute. We become thus, in law and in fact, one body and one blood with Christ. It is His death, and it is our death; it is His blood, and it is our blood-1lnd thatbytheconcurrent choice of all parties concemed-1lnd therefore it avails to our redemption. It is hard to see how we could more partake of Christ, tl1an when we truly eat His flesh and drink His blood. 4.InthesacramentoJtheSupper, we have fellowship with the mystical Christ, as all believers are equally one body and blood with Him. This November, 1992 ~ IRE COUNSEL of Cltalcedon ~ 11 defmes exactly the unity of the Church-not a collective unity, but organiC. It is not the aggregation of units, made one as those are brought together and thenrnassed: butitisthe oneness of a common life, diffused through all the members from a common Head. Believers are united each to Christ; and the life communicated to them by the Holy Spirit in the new birth, is that purchased by Him and treasured in Him as the trustee of His people. This is symbolized in the Supper, and is definitely expounded by the ApOstle in the passage before us. We eat the bread: what was just now bread, is noW'ourseIves; weare thus one bread. So aIlwhospiriruallyfeeduponChrist whoisrepresentedundertheemblem, become one body and blood with Him, and are of necessity one body as between themselves. "For we, being many, are one bread and one body. for we are all partakers of that one bread (v.l7) Itis well to see clearly in what this spiritual unity of believers really consists--that it springs out of their relation to Christ as redeemed by His blood, outof theirunionwith Himby the faith which receives Him and rests upon Him alone for salvation, and by that spirituailife dispensed from Him . through the quickening energies of the Holy Spirit. It is of this true spiritual unity, our LordspeakSin His priestly prayer: "Neitherpray Iforthese alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:--l in them, and thou in me, that they may be made peifett in one. (Jolm 17:20; 23) Consider well the separate clauses just recited. Those for whom this intercession is offered form a class by themselves in every age, consisting only of such as "believe in Olrist through theword. Theyareto beone,afterthernanneroftheadorable God-head-"asthou, Father, artin me, andlinthee: And finally, this oneness between themselves proceeds from their antecedent relations to the Son and to the Father-"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made peifect in ane." What a deplorable letting down of the thought, to sink this inward unity of the spiritual life into the outward unity of churchly organizations! Almost every truth has its external formin which it rnanifests itseH to the world; andthereisa constant tendency . to over -estimate this necessarily imperfect expression of a truth, so that it shall hide out of sight that whichitonlyrepresents. Theshadow becomes so imposing as to eclipse the substancewhichcastsit. Thepopular idolatry of the day is just this exaggeration of external union Christians, and the utter confounding of this with that unity which forms the burden of the High Priest'sprayer. TheroUingtogetherof behevers into massive organizations isnotunion, butconglorneration: and when effected by the suppression of important testimonies, it is the counterfeit of that which itself is but a representative image of something infinitely better. The real unity of the Church, ever asserting itseH in the inner life of its members, shines through the outward diversities of thought and opinion which obtain; and is often made conspicuous by the contrast,showingtheagreementtobe no mere conformity enforced by authority, but the free concurrence of separate experiences in the reception and enjoyment of the same blessed 12 T TIlE COUNSEL ofOtalcedon T November, 1992 truths. It is the design of the Lord's Supper, in part, to signalize this communion of believers with each other, in the Lord. All differences are merged at His table. The only fact there known, is their common union with their living Head. The cup of blessing is the token of their joint communion in the blood, by which they have all been equally redeemed from death. 5. The worship of Christ in the Supperis peculia!, in that it is at once a memorial, a prophetic, and a covenimtingordinance. ItwouIdtake a large discourse to expand these topiCS, which involve an exhaustive exposition of the whole ordinance. I group them together as exhibiting the natureoftheserviceinwhichwethere engage. 'This do in remembrance of me," said Jesus as He distributed the bread. Also after the cup, "this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me: for as often as ye eat this bread and drink this CLIp, ye do show the Lord's death till He come: (I Cor. 11 :24-26) The Supper was designed therefore to beahistoricalmonurnentoftheSavior death-it is intended ,to show this forth in all generations, till the end shall come. Besides the benefit accruing to the. communicants themselves, it has this further use to the world without,-thatit alive the rememprance of the great fact upon which its salvation turns. It holds forth the Redeemer to the acceptance of such as hitherto have rejected Him, with the witnesses present who testify to the completeness of the provisions of Divine mercy to meet all the necessities of the sou!. It is indeed a most precious and useful ministry, thus to declare the salvation of God to sinning men. But the Supperis no less prophetic, than declarative. It is instituted to "show forththe Lord'sdeath till He come. His distinct promise to Hissorrowing . Disciples, was, that He would "come againand receive them to Himself. Oohn 14:3) This reappearing of Christ upon earth was armounced by the angels at the time of His ascension: "this same Jesus, whiLh is taJun from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go break, is itnot the communion of the body of Christ?" The distinction of the elements and the communication in each,havetheirsignificance. Theone points backward to the death of the sacrifice, through which sin is atoned: the other points forward to the life treasured in me body of the Mediator above, to be communicated in the sanctification upon earth and in the glory of heaven. the most solemn transaction in which the soul can engage; dealing with all that is dreadful in law, and with all thatis tender in grace; acceptingunder the sanction of an oath, all the provisiOns of mercy, and binding our ownobediencewithcordstothehorns of the altar, (Ps.118: 27) as a sacrificial offering to Him who offered Himself as a sacrif'iceforus. (Heb 9: 26-28) It is therefore, under every aspect, an act into heaven. " (Acts 1:11) 'Whom the heavens must receive,"saysPeter, "until the times of restitution of The Festal Character of Sacramental Worship of worship as unique as it is solenm, which is all things, whU:h Godhath "We approach this table in order that we may spokenbythemouthofall 'with joy draw water out of the wells of intended to beconveyed in the interrogatory of the text; "thecupcfolt:ssing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood if Christ?" His holy prophets since salvation. '(Is J Z: 3) We are here that we may the world began." (Acts hide the sins which trouble us, beneath the Thissubject, beloved 3:21) TheGospelsand covering of the blood. Weareherethatwemay brethren, will find its the Epistles are alike full talce large draughts of spiritual life from the own application in the of testimonies to the open side, whence issues the full stream of life meditations you will seconc;l coming of our upon all the redeemed. Sadness of heart does yourselves indulge, Lord: "FortheSonofMan not belong to the bride who is 'adorned for her whtlstsittingatthistable. shall come in the glory of husband.' The responsibility of the consecra. With all thesolernnityof His Father, with His the service, sometimes tion may be great; but it will only cause the angels, and then shall He throwing the shadow heart to throb with a stronger pulse ofjoy. n reward every man upon the soul of according to his works: '---------------------' something like fear, you (Matt. 16: 27; 24: 30) "For the Lord The feature, however, which will nevertheless esteem the privilege himselfshalldescendfromheaven, with involves the greatest responsibility on to be great of this complete a shout, with the voice of the archangel, our part, is its federal or covenanting identification with the Master whom and wit'll the trump of God: (I Thess. obligation. It is tlle seal of God's you love. Lettllehumilitybeprofound 4:16; II Thess. 1: 7,10) It is needless gracious covenant with us, according as it may, and the penitence deep as a either to multiply the testimonies, or to the definition of a Sacrament in our true sense of sin can make it-but let to show this second coming of our Standards;"aholyordinanceinstituted neither me one, nor the other, dim the Lord to be an essential part of His byChrist-wherein,bysensiblesigns, festal character of this worship. We mediatorial work, equally wim me Christ and the benefits of the new approach this table in order that we first. It is only necessary to observe covenant are represented, sealed and may "with joy drawwateroutoftheweUs how admirably this ordinance is fitted applied to believers." But in every of salvation." (is. 12:3) We are here to preserve the knowledge of a truth covenant there are two parties, wim that we may hide the sins which so likely to be forgotten, in me long mutual stipulation. In the Supper, we trouble us, beneath the covering of absence of Cluist in the heavens. The renew our engagement to be the the blood. We are here that we may nature of the communion proclaims Lord's-openly accepting Him, as I take large draughts of spiritual life the fact that He still lives, and mat He have before shown, in all His offices as from the open side, whence issues the lives to return: "The bread which we theRedeemerofHisseed.ltistherefore full stream of life upon all the November, 1992 t TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t 13 redeemed. Sadnessofheartdoesnot to the bride who is "adorned for'her hwiJand.." (Rev. 21:2) The respOnsibility of theconsecration may be great; but it will only cause the heart to throb with a stronger pulse of joy. Our pteliminary suggestion may perhaps aSsist you in the vowS you will here secretly make to Him, who has bought you with His blood. This incorpotationwith Ouistdrawsafter . j- . it a corresponding separation from theworld. Itisimplied in theApostle's enti.re out, of which the teittistaken. WecaIinotbepartakers ofChri$t and also of an idoL The world has its Sacraments, as well as the the Church. I will not specify them here, but leave ' it to your educatedconsciencetoascenainwhat theyare. Thereareformsofpleasure and pursuits of business, which are so intensely of the world that everybodyacceptsthemasthebadges of the world. Thosewho engage in thernarenaturallyconsnuedas being of thew arid, and belonging to it,just as those found at. the sacramental board are construed to be followers of Christ, and professors of His religion. What I desire to say is, that these two,are antagonistic. The one excludes the other, arid we cannot wear the badges ofboth. I desire that your own spiritual life shall put out its instinct of recoil from all that would compromise the interests of the soul. I wish only to impress you that separation from evil is involved
the Churph of the Redeemer; itis the body that is called from. Consecration to something, is of courseconsecrationfromsomething. The call which carries you to Christ, takes you away from leave behind. What is it that you and I havegivenup? Inwhatrespectsdoes the Master say of us, "they are not of ' ' theworld,evenaslamnotciftheworld?" Oohn 17:14) May the anointing which wehavereceived ofHirn teach us, this day, what this pregnant Scripture means! ' May "the unction from the Holy one" reveal to us all that is involved in "the communion of the blood of Christ," and which will not allowus to eat of thatwhichis" offered , in sacrifice unto idolsl" *The first paragraph is a paraphrase of, Paltner's first three paragraphs by Joe Morecraft, Ill. Q' .' COLUMims AND CORTEZ, CONTINUED feared the Aztec's bloody deathcult. Eidsmoe graphically describes demonic Aztec religious practices and convincingly argues that the coriflict between ,Cortez and Montezuma wasesseruiallyreligious. Eidsmoe's work includes an exciting natrative of the Spanish victory over the Aztecs, Cortez' relationshipwithhisbeautifulguide, Dona Marina, ,and his enlightened attempts to rebuild Mexico City. (Cortez even persuaded the king to ban lawyers from New Spain!) Though he had his share of failings, as Eidsmoe shows, Cortez was a genuine Christian. Ihighly recommend this book. It is written on a popular level and is fascinating reading. It is infonnative and evaluates events from a straight- forward Christian perspective. Attacks upon Columbus, his legacy, and European contributions to Atnerica will reach a fever pitch in the next months. Get this book and be prepared.a 14 TIlE CQUNSEL of Chalcedon November, 1992
Valentin Tomberg, Robert Powell-Lazarus, Come Forth! - Meditations of A Christian Esotericist On The Mysteries of The Raising of Lazarus-Lindisfarne Books (2006) PDF