SEPTEMBER 6TH, 1924

SEPTEMBER 6TH, 1924

My Dear Brother, — I now send a line in answer to your remarks as to the Lord’s supper. I understand that 1 Corinthians 10 is the bearing of the thing on our walk, relations to each other, etc., and that chapter 11 is the order or ‘manner’ of it, also that it is a memorial of Christ and a testimony to His death — “the death of the Lord”. The memorial is evidently connected with the breaking of the bread and blessing of the cup, and the communion and public testimony with the eating and drinking. When the Lord said, “Do this” He referred to what He did, and it was by this He was to be remembered; He did not eat or drink — of course He partook of the passover. The eating and drinking is connected with the testimony, not breaking of the bread. You speak of the latter as the ‘public act;’ of course it is public as being a physical action, but as I said, the public feature in the Lord’s supper is said to be the eating and drinking, whereas the breaking of the bread is said ^[p. 199] to call the Lord to mind. It is for our minds as a remembrance, not for those outside as a testimony. The Lord’s death was public and our eating and drinking, being fellowship in it, is a testimony.

The breaking of bread is, of course, included in the Lord’s supper, but where it is spoken of by itself and connected with the first day of the week, as in Acts 20, I think it has an inward bearing; as we are reminded of Christ in it thus the way is open into all that the first day suggests. The designation “Lord’s supper” is used only in 1 Corinthians 11, and obviously stands connected with the Lord’s authority and testimony in the assembly. Thus we have “ye do show the Lord’s death”.

Affectionately yours in Christ,

James Taylor.