,transcribed from the #ahed ,j4 ,dunn and ,co4 edition by ,david ,price4 ,,christ ,,remembered ,,at ,,his ,,table4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,an ,,address ,,to ,,the ,churches of the ,nottinghamshire ,association1 99 99 99 99 99 ,,assembled ,,at ,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper ,,in ,,friar ,,lane ,,chapel1 ,,nottingham1 99 99 99 99 99 ,,on ,,monday ,,evening1 ,,march #bj,,th1 #ahed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,,john ,,alexander1 ,,minister ,,of ,,prince',s ,,street ,,chapel1 ,,norwich4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,published ,,by ,,request4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,nottingham3 ,,printed ,,by ,j4 ,,dunn ,,and ,,co41 ,,south ,,parade #ahed4 ,,an ,,address4 ,,we have come together in this one place1 ,christian brethren1 for the purpose of celebrating a very simple yet instructive and impressive ceremony1 which has been appointed to us by ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and ,saviour4 8,this do1 said he1 in remembrance of me40 ,to eat of this bread1 and to drink of this cup1 is that which he requires us to do4 ,but we are directed to do it1 not as if it were a common meal1 nor to satisfy hunger and thirst1 for 8we have houses in which to eat and to drink10 but as a memorial of ,him by whom it was ordained4 8,this do1 in remembrance of me40 ,what is it then that we are now to remember respecting ,christ8 ,we are1 no doubt1 to remember what he is personally1 as possessing in himself a divine and human nature2 as being at once the ,son of ,god and the ,son of man--8the great ,god and our ,saviour1 ,jesus ,christ40 ,but1 in connection with this sacred supper1 we are more especially to remember his death4 ,that one event is selected out of the many and marvellous circumstances which distinguished his wonderful history1 as the only event which is to be celebrated by a religious ceremony4 ,though he triumphed over ,satan1 when he was tempted in the wilderness2 though he wrought superhuman and divine miracles1 by which he healed the sick and raised the dead2 and though he was transfigured on the holy mount1 when his face shone as the sun1 and his raiment became white and glistering1 and ,moses and ,elias appeared to him in glory2 yet none of these circumstances1 splendid and important as they were1 are selected for commemoration at this supper4 ,it is his death1 his death by the shedding of his blood1 which he has required his church perpetually to celebrate4 ,this bread denotes his body which was broken1 and this wine denotes his blood which was shed4 ,there must therefore be a peculiar degree of importance connected with his death which does not belong to any event of his previous life4 ,and this importance is attached1 by the scriptures1 not merely to the mode of his death1 or to the degree of suffering which he endured in dying1 agonizing and mysterious as his sufferings were1 but more especially to the state of mind with which he suffered1 and to the moral purposes which his sufferings were intended to accomplish4 ,his body was broken1 but it was broken 8for you40 ,his blood was shed1 but it was 8the blood of the ,new ,covenant10 8the blood that was shed for many1 for the remission of sins40 ,his death is to be remembered therefore1 not only as a fact1 but as a doctrine founded on the fact4 ,he died1 but he died for our sins2 he died1 the ,just for the unjust1 that he might bring us unto ,god4 ,and in thus remembering his death1 we are to connect it with his divine as well as with his human nature4 ,the scriptures ascribe the sacrificial and saving efficacy of his death principally to the peculiar dignity of his person2 and the language in which they teach this doctrine is remarkably emphatic4 ,it is 8the blood of ,jesus ,christ ,,his ,,son that cleanseth us from all sin20 8,,who1 being the brightness of his glory1 and the express image of his person1 and upholding all things by the word of his power1 ,,by ,,himself purged our sins20 and 8,,who ,,his ,,own ,,self bare our sins in ,,his ,,own ,,body on the tree40 ,now while these and similar passages by no means teach that the divine nature of ,christ suffered and died--a doctrine as contrary to scripture as it is to reason--yet they do teach that he was competent to be a ,saviour because he was the ,son of ,god1 and that because such a person as he gave himself for us1 his sacrificial blood is an availing 8propitiation for our sins1 and not for ours only1 but also for the sins of the whole world40 ,these1 brethren1 are some of the particulars respecting ,christ which we are to remember while we eat of this bread and drink of this cup4 ,it is therefore a service intended for both bodily and mental exercise1 because both the body and the soul are interested in the redemption which it celebrates4 ,as1 however1 it is especially intended for the mind1 while we are doing this1 the thoughts of our hearts should be actively and devoutly directed to ,christ1 that we may discern the ,lord's body1 and that we may contemplate the things signified1 as well as the signs4 ,but as our minds are naturally affected in accordance with the objects which are perceived by our senses and contemplated by our thoughts1 we should now remember ,christ in order to excite and strengthen in our hearts those emotions and principles which a devout consideration of his sacrificial death is calculated to produce4 8,mine eye10 says ,jeremiah1 8affecteth my heart40 ,attention to an object awakens corresponding feelings4 ,minding the things of the ,spirit is1 by the agency of that ,spirit1 productive of spiritual-mindedness2 and1 in harmony with the same divine rule1 a thoughtful and believing remembrance of ,christ is rendered1 by the ,spirit of ,god1 productive of such sentiments and feelings as his person1 and grace1 and dying love1 are intended and adapted to awaken1 and which are so peculiarly appropriate to this solemnity4 ,these remarks may therefore be illustrated by the following particulars1 for the purpose of shewing the influence which may be produced by an attentive and devout remembrance of ,christ4 #a4 ,in the first place1 such a remembrance of ,christ will encourage our approach to him as sinners4 ,this indeed is the only character in which we can approach him4 ,we cannot go with any degree of previous preparation or of personal merit4 ,if we go to him at all1 we must carry with us our burden of sin and unworthiness4 ,now1 the remembrance of ,christ who died for sinners1 will greatly encourage us to do this1 for we are told that the ,son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost2 that he approved the prayer of the publican1 8,god be merciful to me a sinner20 that he promptly received the weeping penitent whom the self-righteous ,pharisee rejected1 and said to her 8,go in peace1 thy sins are forgiven thee20 that he threw his arms around the neck of the returning prodigal1 and said1 8,this my son was dead and is alive again1 he was lost and is found60 and that his constant and constraining invitation is1 8,come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest40 ,now this invitation1 combined with these remembrances1 is a special and powerful encouragement to go to ,christ1 because it gives us authority and right to go4 ,it is not a sense of need1 nor an earnest desire1 nor hungering and thirsting for the righteousness which the gospel feast provides1 that gives us primary authority to sit down with the guests1 however much these feelings may dispose us to go2 but it is his own invitation which1 as ,master of the feast1 he addresses to the perishing and the lost4 ,that is our authority1 and with that in our hand1 we may go 8boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy1 and find grace to help in time of need40 #b4 ,remembrance of ,christ will excite and strengthen our penitential feelings4 ,remembrance and reflection are the means of producing conviction and contrition1 especially if we remember ,christ as well as our own sins4 ,david says1 8,i thought on my ways1 and turned my feet to thy commandments40 ,and reflection produced a similar effect upon ,peter1 after his denial of the ,lord2 for1 8when he thought thereon1 he wept40 ,on this same principle it is written1 8,they shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn20 so that repentance1 evangelical repentance1 the repentance which includes a change of heart and conduct1 is derived not so much from looking at the broken tables of the law1 important as it is to remember them1 but from looking at the broken body of the ,lord4 ,we must remember the groans and agonies of ,gethsemane1 rather than the thunder and earthquake of 8the mount that might be touched20 we must look to ,jesus rather than to ,moses2 and our sorrow and mourning for sin must be produced on ,calvary rather than on ,sinai4 ,law and terrors do but harden1 ,all the while they work alone2 ,but a sense of blood bought pardon1 ,can dissolve a heart of stone4 #c4 ,grateful love to ,christ will also be produced by this remembrance4 ,love to ,christ is a principle essential to personal religion1 and without it we are nothing4 ,but our hearts are so constituted that love cannot be excited in them by any commands however authoritative1 or by any threatenings however terrible4 ,we cannot love an object unless we perceive that it is lovely2 nor can we love ,christ unless we perceive the loveliness of his person and character4 ,and this perception is derived from reflection and remembrance4 ,while we are musing the fire begins to burn2 and when we remember the great love with which he loved us1 when he gave himself for us1 an offering and a sacrifice to ,god1 that love excites and constrains our own1 and 8we love him because he first loved us40 ,when we thus begin by loving him for what he has done for us1 we go on to perfection by loving him for what he is1 the noblest and the purest love our hearts can cherish4 ,and as love always assimilates to its object1 and blesses the heart which it inspires1 so love to ,christ conforms us to his character1 and becomes a fruitful source of joy and peace4 ,the ,spirit takes of the things which are ,christ's and shews them to us with increased clearness and impressiveness1 so that 8beholding as in a glass the glory of the ,lord1 we are changed into the same image1 from glory to glory40 #d4 ,nor can we thus remember ,christ1 and thereby feel the constraining influences of his love1 without manifesting devout subjection to his authority1 and practical conformity to his example4 ,the great and pervading principle of his mind was evidently a spirit of obedience and submission to his ,father's will4 8,i am come10 said he1 8not to do my own will1 but the will of him that sent me40 8,my meat is to do his will40 8,father1 not my will but thine be done40 ,how perfectly and perseveringly were these sayings exhibited in his daily life2 and how precious and powerful does his example become to those who endeavour to have these things always in remembrance4 ,and shall it not be so with us8 ,shall we1 his disciples1 pursue any course but that which is marked by his footsteps8 ,shall we remember ,christ and love the world1 and comply with temptation1 and neglect watchfulness and prayer1 and carefully avoid self denial1 and follow our own inclinations rather than his commands1 and feel ashamed of making a public profession of his gospel8 ,oh1 no6 ,holy ,jesus1 no6 ,we would ardently cling to thy cross1 but we would also humbly bow beneath thy sceptre4 ,and while we do this in remembrance of thee1 we would thankfully acknowledge that we are not our own2 that we have been bought with the price of thy precious blood2 and that we are under infinite obligations to glorify thee in our body and our spirit which are thine4 #e4 ,this remembrance of ,christ will also promote our love to the brethren4 ,how affecting and constraining were the manifestations of ,christ's love to his disciples4 ,he lived for them2 he died for them2 he bore with their infirmities2 he prayed for them that their faith might not fail2 he washed their feet1 to teach them to wash one another's feet2 and when his soul had begun to be exceeding sorrowful1 even unto death1 and they were striving which of them should be greatest in that earthly ,kingdom which they expected him to establish1 he looked mildly on and said1 8,whether is greater1 he that sitteth at meat1 or he that serveth8 ,is not he that sitteth at meat8 ,but ,i am among you as one that serveth40 8,while you sit1 and strive1 and aspire to lofty stations1 ,i am content to stand and wait40 8,i am come1 not to be ministered unto but to minister1 and to give my life a ransom for many40 ,brethren1 was this in any degree the spirit of the world8 ,was not this love that passeth knowledge8 ,and can we do this in remembrance of such a meek and lowly ,jesus1 and yet cherish towards any of his disciples a spirit of cold-hearted selfishness and proud sectarianism1 which would refuse to recognise them as brethren1 or to co-operate with them in promoting the cause of ,christ4 ,oh no6 ,let us rather sit at the feet of ,jesus and learn of him2 let us love mankind at large1 even our enemies1 with a benevolent desire to do them good2 but let us love the brethren because they are brethren and because 8,christ hath loved them and given himself for them40 ,and let our love to them include forbearance and longsuffering in reference to their infirmities1 a cordial recognition of their as well as our spiritual relationship to ,christ1 an affectionate sympathy with them in all their difficulties and tribulations1 and a fraternal communion and co-operation with them in all their works of faith and labours of love4 #f4 ,such remembrance of ,christ will bring us1 even now1 into a state of harmony with heaven4 ,heaven is that 8upper room0 in the new ,jerusalem where ,christ sits down at his table with his disciples2 where he partakes with them of the new wine of his kingdom2 and where all that is signified and shadowed by this earthly supper is 8fulfilled40 ,when therefore we thus come together in this one place to remember ,christ1 by eating of this bread and drinking of this cup1 we come also 8to the heavenly ,jerusalem1 to an innumerable company of angels1 to the general assembly and church of the first born which are enrolled in heaven1 to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and even to ,jesus himself1 the mediator of the new covenant40 ,our spiritual circumstances1 though in many respects very inferior to theirs1 are nevertheless the same in kind4 8,as is the heavenly1 such are they also that are heavenly40 ,all things which are in heaven and which are on earth1 are gathered together in one by ,christ1 even in him4 ,we and they therefore are one church2 one whole family in heaven and earth2 one communion of saints1 partakers of the same blessed privileges1 and cherishing a devout remembrance of the same ,lord4 ,our justification is as complete as theirs2 our holiness is derived from the same source1 and assimilates to the same image2 our joy1 as well as theirs1 is 8unspeakable and full of glory40 ,thus the pure river of water of life1 which flows from the throne of ,god and the ,lamb1 pours down its clear and crystal streams to make glad this earthly city of our ,god4 ,thus the ,tree of life1 which grows in the midst of the ,paradise of ,god1 bends its fruitful branches down to earth1 that we may sit under its shadow with great delight1 and find its fruit sweet unto our taste4 ,and thus ,the men of grace have found ,glory begun below2 ,celestial fruits on earthly ground1 ,from faith and hope may grow4 ,finally4 ,our remembrance of ,christ will be the means of preparing us for his coming4 ,we are directed to do this 8till he come40 ,he has been once1 and his first advent is the pledge of a second4 ,he will come to all mankind at the last day2 and till that day arrives1 his church is continually to shew forth his death4 ,the ,lord's supper is therefore designed to be prospective as well as retrospective4 ,it is a chain which connects together the two advents1 and requires us to remember not only the cross on which he suffered1 but also the throne which he will occupy1 when he comes 8the second time without sin unto salvation40 ,he will also come to us individually at death4 8,i go10 said he1 8to prepare a place for you1 and ,i will come again1 and receive you unto myself2 that where ,i am1 there ye may be also40 ,he will not send for us2 he will come himself4 ,and when he appears1 his presence will deprive death of its darkness2 only a faint 8shadow0 will be thrown across 8the valley0 through which we shall have to walk2 only a shadow2 the shadow of a sword which cannot pierce1 and the shadow of a serpent which cannot sting2 and a shadow through which we shall walk till we reach the sunshine of everlasting light4 ,the brightest object amidst that light is ,christ3 and when we behold him1 8we shall be like him1 for we shall see him as he is40 ,his presence is heaven2 the highest1 the holiest1 and the happiest heaven that we can desire or enjoy4 8,then shall we be satisfied when we awake in his likeness2 for in his presence is fulness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore40 8,,amen1 ,,even ,,so1 ,,come ,,lord ,,jesus40