1.
If a person had a word to say before the breaking of bread,
I should not object; but I enjoy prominence given to the breaking of bread on
the Lord’s day morning.[i]
2.
In the
journey to Emmaus the Lord connects the scriptures with all that happened to
Himself, shewing to their minds still lingering round the thought of an earthly
kingdom, that according to these scriptures God's revealed counsels, the Christ
ought to suffer and enter into His glory, a rejected and heavenly Christ. He
awakens that ardent attention which the heart feels whenever it is touched. He
then reveals Himself in breaking bread — the sign of His death: not that this
was the Eucharist, but this particular act was linked with that event. Then
their eyes were opened, and He disappears. It was the true Jesus; but in
resurrection. Here He Himself explained all that the scriptures had spoken, and
presented Himself in life with the symbol of His death. The two disciples
return to Jerusalem.[ii]
3.
The
scripture is ignorant of any official ceremony for the administration of the
Lord's supper, as men speak; and God nowhere therein declares, that it is the
privilege of a person consecrated, or set apart, to administer it. "The
disciples came together to break bread," Acts 20: 7. Probably those who
were esteemed among them began the breaking of bread with prayer before
distributing it, because it is evidently comely as a general principle that
such should have this place and not a service, and charity does not behave
itself unseemly: nevertheless scripture has said nothing upon the subject The
blessing used in worship is but a giving of thanks, as we see in 1 Corinthians
14: 16, "Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that
occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he
understandeth not what thou sayest?" Even the Lord gave thanks before
breaking the bread. "And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said,
Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of
me," 1 Cor. 11: 24.[iii]