The wine in the cup was to be taken as a memorial, or remembrance, of that New Covenant, or agreement, made between God and man, by the shedding of that precious blood wherewith the Saviour blotted out our sins.
The Old Covenant of works, made by God with the Children of Israel, was now done away with. The New Covenant of Grace was to take its place. In this New Covenant, God promised, that as Jesus bore our punishment, and washed out our sins with His atoning blood, we for His sake should be looked upon as righteous, because He was righteous: our part of this New Covenant being to repent and forsake our sins, and have such faith in Christ as will constantly show itself by our trying to please Him, and prove our love by doing His will.
Chapter XXXIII.—JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.
Our blessed Lord loved His disciples to the end; and in order that they might remember all the blessings secured to them by His death on the Cross, He appointed the "outward and visible sign," of eating bread and drinking wine, which were to figure, or represent to their minds, His body and blood thus given for them: but not given for them only, but for all mankind; and therefore it is just as necessary for all Christians to remember these things.
We consequently find, that ever since that last Supper, when Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me," Christians have constantly done the same thing, that Christ then commanded His disciples to do. We, as members of Christ's Holy Church, continue to receive bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, in token of our belief, that the body of Jesus was broken and His blood shed for us; and that we thereby hope, "that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His body, and our souls washed through His most precious blood."
When you are of an age to partake of the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, you will learn more about it: mean time do not forget that it was appointed by Jesus Christ, only a few hours before He made that sacrifice of Himself, which we commemorate, or remember, in this solemn service.
After the institution of the Lord's Supper, Jesus told His disciples (John xiv.) that though He was about to leave them, it was for their good that He should go; because then the Holy Spirit would come upon them, to teach and comfort them: and that if they believed in Him, and followed in the way that He had already pointed out, they should abide with Him in heaven. He likewise declared, that all who professed to love Him must show their love by keeping His commandments. Jesus, having spoken these things, said, "Arise, let us go hence." And when "they had sung an hymn," according to the custom at the Passover, where Psalms were sung after the fourth cup of wine, Jesus came out, and went, as he was wont, "to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples followed him."
Here again Jesus spake many things to the disciples—(John xv., xvi.). He compared Himself to a vine, and His disciples to the branches. He is the root, without which there can be no tree: as long as the branches remain part of the tree, they receive nourishment from the root, and bring forth fruit: but if the branches are cut off, and so separated from the root, they wither and die, and are of no use except to be burned. In the same way all who will be His disciples, must by faith abide in Him as their root; doing His will, copying His example, and so bringing forth the fruit of good works to the glory of God.
Amongst other things, Jesus spake to the disciples of prayer; and promised that God would give them whatsoever they should ask in His Name. He also warned them, that if they faithfully followed His precepts and obeyed His commands, they would in this world meet with troubles, and be cruelly treated and even killed, by those who would not believe in Him. The enemies of Jesus, those who knew not Him Who sent Him, would persecute His faithful servants for their Master's sake. Having warned His disciples that they must suffer for the sake of their faith, Jesus bid them fear nothing so long as they continued to love and serve Him: for whilst they did so, God would bless and comfort them, and finally take them to Himself in heaven. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Now all that Jesus said to His disciples was meant for all His followers in all times, even unto the end of the world.