The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1901-05-03

need not emphasize, they are as ap-
parent to you as to me. And yet,
they may we'll give rise to serious re-
fiection. Is the Communion service
held by us as sacredly and impressive
ly as by our Episcopal brethren? Does
it mean as much to us, and do we re-
ceive the same inspiration and uplift
that they do? This rector goes on to
say in his letter that many persons
have in the last four years been con-
tirmed in his church, coming into it
from other denominations, the Con-
gregational included; and these people
have testified to the joy, and peace
and spiritual elevation coming from
the Holy Communion of the Episcopal
church, that never was theirs in the
cold and spiritless service of the
churches they left.
Now I raise the question, where lies
the fault? Is it wholly in our observ-
ance of the Lords Supper or is it
wholly in these people themselves, or
is it partly in the one and partly in
the other? In my judgement the lat
ter is true, though the trouble is very
selves. do freely admit the manner
or form of conducting the communion
service in the Church of England and
in the Methodist Episcopal appeals to
me to be more impressive than our
own. If 1 had my way should have
constructed in any church Of which I
might be pastor a chancel with chan
Gel rail, and should have communi-
cants come forward and kneel side by
side, as one family, infused with a
common spirit of alteration, bowling
before their crucitied Lord. And
further, l should have the Elements
presented to each communicate only
by the minister officiating. All this
feel to be beautifully fitting and in
tensely affecting. 1t is a fact that
the form Of worship reacts on the
spirit of it. The proper attitude for
prayer is the kneeling posture at least
where one may take that attitude
without physical discontinue.
And yet this matter Of the form of
worship is very secondary in impor-
lance and may easily be: overestimated
think. Those persons who have left
our communion for that of any other
church and who now maintain that
for the first time they are feeling an
ecstasy of enjoyment a thrill Of pure
spiritual delight, are themselves very
largely responsible for their previous
failure to find in the Lords supper
THAT PEACE AND HOLY CALM,
that deep joy and spiritual
passion which their souls have
craved. Countless numbers OF
those received into our church are
experiencing ineffable benefits from
the communion service, to them it is
full of the most sacred meaning, and
holy import, it touches their minds
and spirits with the impress OF the
Divine touch, they feel their own
hearts pulsating in unison with the
SaviOur's, and their souls are vibrant
with an emotion wonderfully sweet
and inspiring.
But not all, probably not majority
of our people find the Lord s Supper sc
affecting and meaningful. Why? The
fault is in ourselves. Too often we eat
the bread and drink the cup Of the
Lord unworthily. If this be so, why
does not the same consequence follow
in our case which Paul declared in the
case of the Corinthian Christians
when he said: "Wherefore, whatsoever
shall eat the bread or drink the cup OF
the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty OF
the body and the blood of the Lord, ,
ie., shall be crucifying the Son of Goo
afresh, which is to say, causing Him
the grief and pain which they caused
who spat upon and scourged Him, ano
finally nailed Him to the accused tree
This is tremendously strong language,
not to be taken too literally, and yet
inestimably serious in any case.
When is it that we eat the bread OF
drink the cup unworthily? Surely, as
we have already observed, we never do
as did those in Corinth to whom st
Paul originally addressed the words of
the text. Our service wherein the