It appears also from the Syriac and other oriental versions of the New Testament, such as the Arabic and Ethiopic, as if he only permitted the celebration of the spiritualized Passover for a time, in condescension to the weakness of some of his converts, who were probably from the Jewish synagogue at Corinth. For in the seventeenth verse of the eleventh chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians, the Syriac runs thus: "As to that, concerning which I am now instructing you, I commend you not, because you have not gone forward, but you have gone down into matters of less importance "It appears from hence," says Barclay," that the apostle was grieved, that such was their condition, that he was forced to give them instruction concerning those outward things, and doting upon which they showed that they were not gone forward in the life of Christianity, but ra * " *The Syriac is a very antient version, and as respectable, or of as high authority, as any. Leusden and Schaaf translate the Syriac thus: "Hoc autem, quod præcipio, non tanquam laudo vos, quia non progressi estis, sed ad id, quod minus est, descendistis." Compare this with the English edition. ther ther sticking in the beggarly elements. And therefore the twentieth verse of the same version has it thus: "When then ye meet together, ye do not do it, as it is just ye should in the day of the Lord; ye eat and drink." Therefore showing to them, that to meet together to eat and drink outward bread and wine was not the labour and work of that day of the Lord. Upon the whole, in whatever light the Quakers view the subject before us, they cannot persuade themselves that Jesus Christ intended to establish any new ceremonial distinct from the Passover-supper, or which should render null and void (as it would be the tendency of all ceremonials to do) the supper which he had before commanded at Capernaum. The only supper which he ever enjoined to Christians was the latter. This spiritual supper was to be eternal and universal. For he was always to be present with those who would let him in, and they were to sup with him, and he with them." It was also to be obligatory, or an * Quum igitur congregamini, non sicut justum est die Domini nostri; comeditis et bibitis.-Leusden et Schaaf Lugduni Batavorum. essential, essential, with all Christians. "For, except a man were to eat his flesh and to drink his blood, he was to have no life in him." The supper, on the other hand, which our Saviour is supposed to have instituted on the celebration of the Passover, was not enjoined by him to any but the disciples present. And it was, according to the confession of St. Paul, to last only for a time. This time is universally agreed upon to be that of the coming of Christ. That is, the duration of the spiritualized Passover was to be only till those to whom it had been recommended had arrived at a state of religious manhood, or till they could enjoy the supwhich Jesus Christ had commanded at Capernaum; after which repast, the Quakers believe, they would consider all others as empty, and as not having the proper life and nourishment in them, and as of a kind not to harmonize with the spiritual nature of the Christian religion. per END OF THE SECOND VOLUME, R. TAYLOR and Co. Printers, Shoe Lane, Fleet-Street. |