nce of a priest,
which implied it. Thus, when Melchizedek came out to meet Abraham, and
_bless_ him, "he brought forth bread and wine[5]," to which it is
added, "and he was the priest of the Most High God." Such, too, was
the lamb of the Passover, which was eaten roast with fire, and with
unleavened bread, and bitter herbs, with girded loins and shoes on, and
staff in hand; as the Lord's Passover, being a solemn religious feast,
even if not a sacrifice. And such seems to have been the common notion
of communion with God all the world over, however it was gained; viz.
that we arrived at the possession of His invisible gifts by
participation in His visible, that there was some mysterious connexion
between the seen and the unseen; and that, by setting aside the
choicest of His earthly bounties, as a specimen and representative of
the whole, presenting it to Him for His blessing, and then taking,
eating, and appropriating it, we had the best hope of gaining those
unknown and indefinite gifts which human nature needs. This the
heathen practised towards their idols also; and St. Paul seems to
acknowledge that in that way they did communicate, though most
miserably and fearfully, with those idols, and with the evil spirits
which they represented. "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that ye should
hold communion with devils[6]." Here, as before, a feast is spoken of
as the means of communicating with the unseen world, though, when the
feast was idolatrous, it was the fellowship of evil spirits.

3. And next let this be observed, that the descriptions in the Old
Testament of the perfect state of religious privilege, viz. that under
the Gospel which was then to come, are continually made under the image
of a feast, a feast of some special and choice goods of this world,
corn, wine, and the like; goods of this world chosen from the mass as a
specimen of all, as types and means of seeking, and means of obtaining,
the unknown spiritual blessings, which "eye hath not seen nor ear
heard." And these special goods of nature, so set apart, are more
frequently than any thing else, corn or bread, and wine, as the figures
of what was greater, though others are mentioned also. Now the first
of these of which we read is the fruit of the tree of life, the leaves
of which are also mentioned in the prophets. The tree of life was that
tree in the garden of Eden, the eating o