Yesterday I read The Puritans on the Lord's Supper (185 pg.), published in 1997 by Ligonier Ministry's Soli Deo Gloria Publications, which was recently acquired by Reformation Heritage Books. It is very good. Here's the table of contents:
- The Passover: Its Significance, and the Analogy between It and Christ our Passover, Richard Vines
- The Lord's Supper Is a Federal Ordinance: Impying a Covenant Transaction between God and Us, and Supposing a Renewal of Solemn Vows to be the Lord's, Edmund Calamy
- The Express Renewal of Our Christian Vows: Every Time We Come to the Holy Communion, and Directions about the Right Management of It, Edmund Calamy
- It Is Every Christian's Indispensable Duty to Partake of the Lord's Supper, William Wadsworth
- Self-Examination, Joseph Alleine
- The Fruit and Benefit of Worthy Receiving, Richard Vines
- The Mystery of the Lord's Supper, Thomas Watson
I have one criticism of the book. Other than brief bio-sketches on the front flap, it has no introduction(s) to aid in understanding the context in which these writings were produced. Nonetheless, the writings exemplify the rich biblical-theological analysis and synthesis of the Puritans. This is a wonderful introduction to some of the best Puritan pastor-theologians on the doctrine of the Supper.
Particularly striking was Thomas Watson's work "The Mystery of the Lord's Supper." This was my first exposure to Watson. He was clearly a brilliant theologian and a wordsmith of the highest calibre. Next on my list will be his work on the Shorter Catechism entitled A Body of Divinity (The first book published by The Banner of Truth Trust). Here are a few quotes from Watson's "The Mystery of the Lord's Supper" (Don't miss the bold ones):
"The celebration of the Lord's Supper," said Chrysostom, "is the commemoration of the greatest blessing that ever the world enjoyed." A sacrament is a visible sermon. And herein the sacrament excels the Word preached. The Word is a trumpet to proclaim Christ. The sacrament is a glass to represent Him (127).
The Word is for the engrafting; the sacraments are for the confirming of faith. The Word brings us to Christ; the sacrament builds us up in Him. The Word is the font where we are baptized with the Holy Ghost; the sacrament is the table where we are fed and cherished (127-28).
The sacrament is both an antidote against fear and a restorative to faith (129).
Christ's setting the elements apart from common bread and wine showed that He is not for common persons to feed upon. They are to be divinely purified who touch these holy things of God. They must be outwardly separated from the world and inwardly sanctified by the Spirit (130).
QUESTION. But how could Christ suffer, being God? The Godhead is impassible.
ANSWER. Christ suffered only in the human nature, not the divine. . . . When Christ was in the human nature, He was in the divine nature triumphing. . . .
QUESTION. If Christ suffered in His human nature only, how could His suffering satisfy for sin?
ANSWER. By reason of the hypostatic union, the human nature being unied to the divine. The human nature suffered; the divine nature satisfied. Christ's Godhead gave both majesty and efficacy to His sufferings. Christ was Sacrifice, Priest, and Altar. He was Sacrifice, as He was man; Priest, as He was God and man; Altar, as He was God. It is the property of the altar to sanctify the thing offered on it (Matthew 23:19). So the altar of Christ's divine nature sanctified the sacrifice of His death and made it meritorious (132-33).
It was more for Christ to suffer one hour than for us to have suffered forever (133).
Sin is a peace-breaker (145).
Sin is the birthplace of our sorrows and the grave of our comforts (145).
Do we count that sin light which made Christ's soul heavy unto death (Mark 14:34)? Can that be our joy which made the Lord Jesus a Man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3)? Did he cry out, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" And shall not those sins be forsaken by us which made Christ Himself forsaken (145)?
The body of Christ broken is enough to break the most flinty heart (146).
Let us pray that, as Christ was crucifixus, so He may be cordi-fixus. That is, as He was fastened to the cross, so He may be fastened to our hearts (146).
A conscience sprinkled with Christ's blood can, like the nightingale, sing with a thorn at its breast (150).
It is hard for a man to look inward and see the face of his own soul. The eye can see everything but itself (153).
Some say they have good hearts, yet lack knowledge. We may as well call that a good eye which lacks sight (154).
A broken Christ is to be received with a broken heart (156).
The more bitterness we taste in sin, the more sweetness we shall taste in Christ (156-57).
The sacrament is called "communion" (1 Corinthians 10:16). What communion can earthly man have with Christ? First, there must be conformity before communion. He that is earthly is no more conformed in likeness to Christ than a clod of dust is like a star. An earthly man makes the world his god. Then let him not think to receive another God in the sacrament (158).
The hypocrite would rather have his faith commended than examined (161).
When we send the dove of prayer to heaven, it brings an olive leaf in its mouth (164).
Our sins should humble us, but they must not discourage us from coming to Christ. The more diseased we are, the rather we should step into this pool of Siloam. Who does Christ invite to the supper but the poor, hlted, maimed? (Luke 14:21)--that is, such as see themselves unworthy and fly to Christ for sanctuary (166-67).
Presumptuous sins open the mouth of conscience to accuse and shut the mouth of God's Spirit, which should speak peace (167).
Faith knows the most tedious voyages have the richest returns, and, the longer mercy is in expectation, the sweeter it will be in fruiton (176).
Let us pray for furnace grace. Be like those three children. "Be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve the gods" (Daniel 3:18). They would rather burn than bow (178).
Zeal turns a saint into a seraphim (179).
Oh, that such a luster and majesty of holiness sparkled in the lives of communicants, so that others would say, "These have been with Jesus!" (181-82)
Christ, who is a lodestone to draw the elect to heaven, will be a millstone to sink the wicked deeper in hell (184).
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