A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 2: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of FriendsClarkson, Thomas
Religion
A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 2: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends
Clarkson, Thomas
Society of Friends
As far therefore as the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and John, are
concerned, it is obvious, in the opinion of the Quakers, that Christians
have not the least pretence, either for the celebration of the passover,
or of that which they usually call the Lord's Supper; for the command
for such a supper is usually grounded on the words, "do this in
remembrance of me." But no such words occur in the accounts of any of
the Evangelists now cited.
This silence with respect to any command for any new institution is
considered by the Quakers as a proof, as far as these Evangelists are
concerned, that none was ever intended. For if the sacrament of the
supper was to be such a great and essential rite as Christians make it,
they would have been deficient in their duty, if they had failed to
record it. St. Matthew, who was at the supper, and St. Mark, who heard
of what had passed there, both agree that Jesus used the ceremony of the
bread and the wine, and also that he made an allusion from thence to his
own body and blood; but it is clear, the Quakers say, whatever they
might have heard as spoken by him, they did not understand him as
enjoining a new thing. But the silence of John, upon this occasion, the
Quakers consider as the most impressive in the present case. For St.
John was the disciple, who leaned upon the bosom of Jesus at this
festival, and who of course must have heard all that he said. He was
the disciple again, whom Jesus loved, and who would have been anxious to
have perpetuated all that he required to be done. He was the disciple
again, who so particularly related the spiritual supper which Jesus
enjoined at Capernaum, and in this strong language, that, "except a man
eat his flesh, and drink his blood, he has no life in him."
Notwithstanding this, St. John does not even mention what took place on
the passover night, believing, as the Quakers suppose, that it was not
necessary to record the particulars of a Jewish ceremony, which, being a
type, was to end when its antitype was realized, and which he considered
to be unnecessary for those of the Christian name.
SECT. IV.
_Account of St. Luke examined--According to him Jesus celebrated only
the old Jewish passover--Signified all future passovers with him were to
be spiritual--Hence he turned the attention of those present from the
type to the antitype--He recommended them to take their meals
occasionally together in remembrance of their last supper with him; or
if, as Jews, they could not relinquish the passover, to celebrate it
with a new meaning._
St. Luke, who speaks of the transactions which took place at the
passover-supper, is the only one of the Evangelists who records the
remarkable words, "do this in remembrance of me." St. Luke, however,
was not himself at this supper. Whatever he has related concerning it,
was from the report of others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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