intended to recall those most awful hours in the life of the Redeemer, when "his soul became exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," and when love on his part greater than had ever been manifested by man,-and firmness such as the Son of God only could have displayed, were met by afflictions more oppressive than had ever tried the affection or weighed down the strength of any common partaker of this our human nature. SYMBOLICAL CHARACTER OF THE CEREMONY. It is obvious, that the purpose of the solemnity, as a commemoration of the death of Christ, might have been attained, though nothing else had entered into its forms than what has already been noticed;-for nothing can be more natural, than that those who meet together to repeat a ceremony which formed the last act of intercourse between the Saviour and his disciples, should have their minds carried back to the event by which that ceremony was immediately succeeded, the awful sorrows and ignominious death of him who had been the familiar friend of his companions during -- his life,—and who took this affecting method of recommending to them the remembrance of his condescension, after he himself should have ceased to be any longer seen among men. Had, then, our Saviour merely enjoined that his followers of all times should sup together after the pattern which he instituted, and with devout recollection of his love and condescension, -though he had said nothing more particular respecting the meaning of the elements to be employed,—the fundamental idea upon which the service is founded would still have been preserved, -and "the last supper," with whatever elements or other ceremonies accompanied, might still have been repeated by his followers in all their generations, in affectionate remembrance of his spotless character,-of his divine beneficence,-and of his dying love. But our Saviour wished that every thing belonging to the ceremony should conspire in aiding this recollection,-and he accordingly made the very "elements" which he distributed among the disciples at this supper emblematic or symbolical of the same great event which their meeting together was meant to commemorate, by directing them to consider the bread which he had blessed as " a sym bol of his body," which was about to be broken,— and the wine as an "emblem of his blood," which was soon to be shed for the sins of men. Now this "consecrating" of the elements, or giving to them their figurative character, is what constitutes the symbolical nature of the service;it is this chiefly that has given occasion to those long-continued and portentous errors by means of which the true meaning and striking beauty of the ceremony have been so long hid from the view of men,—and that the simplest, and most interesting, and instructive of all the religious rites that have ever been given to the world,—the one most founded on natural feelings, and destined to give satisfaction to universally-experienced wants, has been covered with a mystery which has often made it the most perplexed and mystical of all the ceremonies that have ever darkened the imaginations or lessened the mutual good-will of the human race. The words of the institution, then, may be thus paraphrased:" This," might our Saviour be conceived to have said, "This is the last supper which I shall have with you before I suffer all things that have been foretold of me in the Law, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms,-an awful scene of darkness is approaching, through the utmost horrors of which I am about to pass,— and I shall soon bow my head in death, amidst the insults of men, and the apparent desertion of God. Yet all this is but working out the grand designs of my heavenly Father for the welfare of mankind, for my death is henceforth to be viewed, by all generations, as the sacrifice with which God is well pleased, and for the sake of which forgiveness and eternal life are to become the portion of all them that have been given to me, -and I accordingly now enjoin that my followers of all times should repeat this our last supper,' in devout commemoration of my dying love, and of all the truly-divine blessings which my death is destined to procure for them.” "This will be a pleasing, a solemn, and an instructive rite for them in all their generations,— and to give the recollections which it is meant to awaken still greater force,—that is to say, to bring them home more impressively to their minds,-I now consecrate even these elements of bread and wine to aid in promoting the same great purpose, I give unto them a symbolical character;-and let, therefore, the minister of my religion, in all ages, having first consecrated the bread and the wine by prayer or devout thanksgivings to God, after my example, exhibit them to the communicants, and let the communicants consider them for themselves,— the bread as a symbol of my body, which is about to be broken,—and the wine as a symbol of my blood, in which the covenant of reconciliation between God and man is about to be ratified, and forgiveness and eternal life are to be dispensed to all who shall believe in my name, and follow my example." "This bread, then, is my body, which is broken for you,—and this wine is the new testament in my blood, shed for the remission of the sins of many." Indeed, it must be evident, that the whole of the errors and long-continued disputes that have prevailed upon this subject, have originated in the three following circumstances,—namely,—want of attention to the symbolical character of the service,―ignorance of the peculiar style of thought and of expression that has at all times prevailed among the Eastern nations, and which peculiarly characterizes their devotional services,—and |