The Works of the Rev Daniel Waterland

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAP. I. Of the most noted or most considerable Names, under which the Holy Communion hath been anciently spoken of. JJEFORE I come directly to treat of the thing, it may be proper to observe something of the names it has anciently gone under: which I shall endeavour to range in chronological order, according to the time when each name may be supposed to have come up, or first to have grown into vogue. A. D. 33. Breaking of Bread. The oldest name given to this holy ceremony, or religious service, seems to have been that of breaking bread, taken from what the disciples saw done by our Lord in the solemnity of the institution. I choose to set the date according to the time of the first clear instanee a we have of it rather than according to the time when St. Luke related it in his history; because very probably he followed the style of those who then celebrated it. St. Luke, in his history of the Acts, speaking of the disciples, says: They continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers b. The circumstances of the text plead strongly for interpreting it of the Holy Communion: and the Syriac version (which is of great antiquity) renders it breaking of the Eucharistc; which is some confirmation of the same construction. A little lower, in the same chapter, mention is again made of the disciples, as continuing daily in the temple, and breaking bread from house to housed; or rather in a house, set apart for holy uses e. I said, first clear instance; because though Luke xxiv. 30, 35, has been understood of the Eucharist by some ancients, and more modems, (Romanists especially, ) and I see no absurdity in the interpretation, nor any thing highly improbable, or that could give just advantage to the Rom...