1992 issue 10 - sermons of benjamin palmer: communion of the blood of christ - counsel of chalcedon
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
1/7
Thepointofmysennontodayis
to explain and apply the nature of that
communion Christians enjoy with
Christ in the Lord s
Supper. Most
certainlywe gain little, and losemuch,
by closing our eyes to this high
mysteryofcommunionwithourLord,
by
eating and drinking, wherein
w.e
are made partakers of His body and
blood.
In
th
supper
w
hold special
communion
with
Christ in each o
His
offices
as
He
is th King, the
Priest
and the Prophet
of
his
Church.
It is not, 6f course,
intimated that every act of
worship does not include
these three offices so
essential
to
the Mediator s
work. Theyare alIso related
as tobe inseparable, and the
mention of one
necessari1y
involves the others. For
example, the truth which
the Prophet discloses
is
that
which the Priest has
wrought out and
con
stituted such,
ei ther
directly lying in the work of
redemption which
He
accomplished, or as being
antecedently
s i
necessary
thereto as tobe of necessity
unfolded. In like manner, the
Kingdom
which
the Mediator
administers
is
that acquireg through
His
priesthood. Thoseare
the
proper
subjects ofit, who were given Himin
the Covenant of Redemption, whom
He has purchased with
His
blood,
and overwhom.He
is
conStituted the
Lord and Head
forever.
If there be a
wider extension ofHis authority over
others, itis designed tobesubordinate
and subsidiary to thatempirewhichis
wielded more irrunediately over the
subjects ofHis grace. The Priesthood
of hrist maybe represented then as
underlying
all
the offices which he is
called todischarge,
giving
the
material
which
is
worked up in them . It is
impOSsible, therefore, to think of one
without implying the other two, and
they are
together
involved
in
any
true
worship of the
Redeemer.
Atthecommuniontable,however,
there is a more direct and spedal
homage rendered to Christ in
each
of
His offices,
separately
viewed.
The
distinction between
this
and other
acts of worship,
is
that here the
o ~ u n i o n with Christ in these
offices
is
explidt, whilst in them it
is
implidt. Just
as
with the adorable
Trinity, therecognitionof eachPerson
involves therecognition ofall,
because
the
three Persons
are the
one
God,
and
we
think of the Trinity onlywhen
we think it in unity. It
is
the tri-unity.
Communion with one Person is
implicitlycotnmunion with thewhole
8 TIlE COUNSEL
of
Chalcedon November, 1992
Godhead. Yet there arespecial
acts
of
worship,
as
in the
Doxology
and
Benediction,
when the thought
is
directed to Jehovah in, His plural
subsistence,
and the reference to the
three
Persons
in the God-head
is
an
explidt reference. So, there
is
an
implicationofalltheRedeemersoffices
in the mentionofanyoneof the three;
but in theSupper, the corrununion
is
explicit
in
each. Let
us look at
this
a
little more
minutely.
We
are
accustomed to
speak
of
some parts
of
human
worship
as
natural;
by which
is
meant,
that they have a ground in
ourownnatureas Godhas
constituted it, and in the
necessary relations in
which
we stand to
Him
as our
Creator. Prayer
and
praise, for example,
have
their foundation in
nature.
Reason
itself
deddes that, i we are
creatures, our depen
dence
should
be
constantly acknow
ledged
to
the great
Being
in whom
we
live and
move. Desireshouldnot
reach forth to any good,
without going first in
prayer to
Him
whose prerogative it s
to bestow or to withhold it. Nor
should
we
~ o i e in the possession of
any
blessing,
without expressions of
gratitude
and love
to Him who has
opened
His
hand in
this
kindness
upon our head.
So
true
is
this,
that
viewed
in any light which reason can
shed, anintelligentcreatute, wholives
withoutprayer and worship ofGod,
is
simply a monster in t u r e ~ d the
day
will come when the defonnity
will
be
so
revealed as
to shock the
moralsentimentoftheentireuniverse.
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
2/7
The Lord's Supper is
distinguished
from these,
as
being a positive
institute-resting solely upon the
appointmentofJesusChrist,andupon
the express command: do thls in
remembrance of me. Human
authority would never
have
ventured
to
introduce such a service
as
this;
nor
wouldhumanwisdomhavestumbled
upon any worship so sublime
in its
reach, and still
so
Simple in
its form.
In its
observance,
then,
we render
conspicuous homage to that
kingly
authority by which it was ordained,
an act of formal obeisance to the
supremacy of Christ in and over His
Church. Itis,you perceive,more than
a single act of obedience to one out of
many commands of our
King.
It is a
typical and comprehensive act,
covering
thewhole obedience
ofa
life.
t is the formal sacramental vow, by
which we bind ourselvesto the
person
and cause of our Master forever; in
which, through most expressive
symbols, we are knit to Him and
participate
in
His
life.
It
is impossible
to conceive ofany consecration more
solemn
than
this,
by which
we
are
identified with Christ in His spiritual
kingdom.
twill require even
fewer words
to
indicate our communion withChrist
as
the only Priest in his Church. The
very design of the ordinance is to
show forth Christ inHis death. (I
Cor.
11:26)
In the
Jewish
Passover,
the
memorial character of the service
and dying beneath
this, its
typical
reference also-were well brought
out in the dialogue between the
children and the parents, which
became incorporated
as
one
of
the
features of the
feast. And itshall
come
topass,
h e n y o u r c h i l d r e n s h a l l s ~ u n t o
you what
mean
ye
by
thisservice?-that
ye
shall say, itis
the
sacrificeof
he
Lord's
Passover, who passed over
the houses of
the children
of Israel in
Egypt,
when
he
snwte
the Egyptians,
and delivered
0111'
houses.
(Exodus
12:26, 27) Just so,
the Lord's Supper
is
an emblematic
representation of thesacrificein
which
Christ offered
Himself
once
in
the endof
the world,
to bear
the sins
of
many.
Under a figure, He is before ollr
eyes
evidently setforth,
crucifiedamo
ngstus.
(GaL 3:1) We profess to receive
Him
as
oursubstitute under the
Jaw,
making
atonement for our
sins.
It
is
the most
solemn and explicit homage which
can
be paid to
Christ, in
the
discharge
of his Priesthood.
Since, too, we could attach no
significance
to these
symbols without
the explanation which He himself
h th
given, there is an equal
recognition of His prophetical office
and authority. In these respects, our
communion with Christin
the
Supper
is
peculiar.
t s
the public and
formal
acknowledgment of Him as our
Redeemer, in each of His necessary
offices; and it
s
thesolemn
decJaration,
that in each of the three we are
partakers ofHis life; so that He ofCod
ismadeuntouswisdomandrighteousness
and sanctification and redemption. I
Cor.
1: 30)
2. In
this
holy
ordinance, the object
o
aith
and its consequent actings
are spedaL
No little confusion of
thought
in
respect
to faith,
arises from
blending
its
generic with
its
more
special and technical
signification.
In
its
broadestsense,
it
has
respectsimply
to the truth of statements made
to
us,
and of course to the veracity of the
witness. It
is
co-incident with belief,
or the mereassent of the mind to what
is held byit as
true.
But it is
easy
to see
that the truth, thus received, may
draw along with it what shall deeply
stir theaffection, androuse into action
thewholeenergyofournature. IfIam
startled at midnight with the cry that
my
house is on fire, it would not be
possible to believe it and yet curl
l ~ e l f
up
to t h ~
nap which had been
so
rudely disturbed. I could not
recognize the
signs
of a loathsome
disease
upon
my
person and believe
tllat the whole system was tainted
witll its poison, with onlya cold assent
of
the
judgment, involving no
flush
of
theemotions and no action of thewill.
The interestsatstake are too immense
to be resigned with indifference; and
if in eithercase, a mode of deliverance
should be proposed, then faith must
assume the
form
of trust and involve
acordial acceptance. When therefore
the Scriptures describe the condition
of a sinner under the sentence of the
Divinelawshutup to
everlasting
death,
it is idle to restrict the faith insuch a
revelation to n unimpassioned
intellectual assent to itas a proposition
simply true. For if it
be
true, there
must be a corresponding recognition
of it as a filet that is dreadful. If
further, theseScripturesrevealaSavior
whose province it is
to
deliver from
this death, it
is
idle to talk of a faith
which does no tjoyfully rest upon his
power,and accept the proffered relief.
It depends upon the nature of what
is
disclosedto us, and upon the practical
interest we have in it, whether the
faith
shall sink to the level of a mere
intellectual belief, or whether it shall
draw upon all the powers of the soul
in personal
trust
nd
loving
acceptance. When it is asked what is
meant in the Scriptures by faith in
Jesus Christ, we have only to consider
what is our need of Him,andwhat He
.offers to do for us, to
see
that the word
h snoSignificance except inthesense
of the closest appropriation ofHim in
November, 1992 l' TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 9
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
3/7
all His blessed work. Faith in Christ partake of the one is to partake of the as true as that of the emblems which
is not simply belief, resting upon the other. In the illustration which he are employed. Theeatinganddrinking
divine truthfulness;
but
it
is
trust, drawsfromtheSupper,theremustbe are bothof them real acts; and they set
resting upon the divine fidelity. It is therefore a similar identification of forth a real feeding of the soul upon
not
simply the mind dealing with the Christ with the elements which are Christ, by the living faith which
truth; but it is the heart dealing with chosentorepresentHirn. Thesacrifice receives
Him
. To the subjective faith
the promises. throughwhich He
put w y
sin:was
wroughtinthesoulbytheHolyGhost,
But
in
the Supper, faith
is
directed Himself. (Heb. 9:26) As this consisted by which the Savior
is
embraced,
exclusively to the Savior himself, as in the offering of His human life, it
is
there
is
the objective presentation of
engaged with the work for which He represented in the Supper under the Himin thatveryworkofsufferingand
became incarnate. Itlooks death y which He made
upon im in that nature atonement for sin. In the
inwhich
He
was
wounded
eating and in the drinking,
for our transgressions and there is a
spiritual
bruised for
our
iniquities, communion with Christ in
making His soul an offering
His
body and blood, which
forsin.(1s.53:5,1O) Not He offered in sacrifice for
only so;
it
looks
upon
His the life of the world.
body,
divided into its The language which I
constituent parts of flesh have employed is, i trust,
and
blood. In the Jewish sufficiently guarded to
sacrifices the two were show that this is no
c rn l
distinguished; the blood, eating of the Lord's body.
wherein was the life, was This could not be, unless
poured out at the altar; there was first an actual
andthebIoodIessfleshwas transmutation 6f the
eatenin thesacrificialfeast elernentsin the
flesh
and
So here; faith beholds the bloodofChrist. We cannot
blood, the life poured out
eat
His literal body, whilst
for our redemption-and only the bread is beforeuS
the body risen and in heaven, the emblems of bread and wine. The nor drink the veritable blood, whilst
pledgeandsourceofalltheblessedness bread broken, sets forth His body the cup sprrkles only with the wine.
and glory weshall hereafter enjoy. In bruised underthelaw; thewinepoured Thatno ttansmutationof the elements
the specific actings of this faith as out sets forth
the
blood of
the new
has taken place, is affirmed to us by
directedtothepersonofoursuffering covenantshedformanyfortheremission our bodily senses; fopr out of
five
Lord, the cup
of
blessing in this
of
sins. (Matt. 26: 28) The concurring to prove that the
ordinance is termed the
communion
of communicant therefore who eats the substances beforeus have updergone
t te blood ofChrist. bread, symbolically eats the flesh nochange,butexhibitstilltothernost
3. We do
sacramentally
and representedunder it;when he drinks critical detection only the properties
spiritually eat the flesh and drink the
the cup, he drinksunder a symbolthe of bread and of wine. It
will
be no
blood o Christ, throu.gh the blood for which it stands. Thedesign relief from the dilemma to allege that
identification
o
hese with the bread
of the whole ordinance is to render the change is miraculous, and must
and wine in the Su.pper. The core of more real to us, through these be believed upon the authority of the
the
Apostle s
argument against representative emblems, the sacrifice miracle. The point. in dispute
is
partidpation in heathen feasts, is the of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the precisely
this,
.whether any miracle
identification of the idol
with
the cross. The sacramental actions in hasbeenwroughtinthecase;andthis
sacrifice offered
to
it. In his view, to which we engage, have a significance can be only determined by evidence
1 TIlE COUNSEL ofChaicedon November, 1992
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
4/7
of
the
change
alleged to have been
accomplished
by
it.
No one denies
that a miracle
sufficiently establishes
whatever it
is
wrought
to prove. But
then it must
be
known that
there is
a
miracle
in
the
case; and it lies
in the
very
natureofa
miracle,
that
it
appeals
to
the observation
of the senses
for
its
own verification.
A
miracle which
does
not
challenge the testimony of
sense, vacates its claim to the
supernatural altogether,
sinks to the level of
imposture and
of
magic
.
Howmuchmoreanalleged
miracle
which
is
not
only
unattested
by
the
senses,
but
which has to be
accepted
againsttheprotest
of
them
all?
Stripped of needless
mystery,
thetruthissimply
this:
in the Supper
we eat
the bread;
as
bread, it
is
received
into the
system
and is assimilated to it. Its
strengtheningpower,
asfood,
depends
precisely
upon
this fact.
Because
it
is
inwardly digested, its constituent
properties are distributed throughout
the body,
giving
nutriment to the
blood, the
muscle,
the flesh and the
bone ofwhich thatbodyiscomposed.
So, by
faith,
thesoul
receives
Christ in
his atoning work
as
objectively
presented in the bread and in
the
wine-refreshes
its sense of
pardon
by resting upon the blood through
which
this
pardon
was procured;-
and feeds its hopes of eternal
life
by
looking upon the bodyof Christ
once
bruised for
sin,
but now risen and
reigning in
glory.
Who
shall
say,
tl1at
the
one
feeding is
not as
real as
the
other?
They
differ only as the organs
differ, by which the representative
acts are
performed.
The
body
is
material, and its eating
is
gross and
materiallikeitself: thesoulisspiritual,
and
its
eating
is
spiritual
like
itself.
In
the
one,
sense
recognizes
bread, and
is
nourished by
it; in
the other, faitll
recognizes
tlle
Redeemer s
atoning
sacrifice,
and
is
nourished by it.
Perhaps, it may
be ret1dered plainer
through
an illustration. We read an
a
llegory,
or a fable, which
is
utterly
insipid, as long as
the
thought
is
fastet1ed
upon
the
grotesque narrative
alone
:but themomentitis
recognized
as
the mere
costume
in whose
drapery
a spiritual
UUth is
hidden, it
h s
an
inexpressible charm
for
us. The
emblem, which
at
first served as a
vehicle to
convey tlle truth, becomes
the
dress
which
adorns
it.
So witll
the
symbols employed
in
the
ordinance
oftheSupper-faithcutsrighttlrrough
to
the
truth, which
they
are intended
to represent. The
external sign is
laid
aside, when it
unveils
to us the thing
signified;
which
is
instantly
seized
as
the food of the soul. This
unquestionably
is
what the
Apostle
intends, when he speaks
of
not
discerning the Lord's body;
and
of tllose
being guilty of he
body
and blood of he
Lord, who eat the bread and drink the
cup unworthily. The sign
and the
thing signified are
blended together,
so
that
to enjoy
or
to
profane the one,
is to enjoy or to
profane the other.
And
this
gives
the clue by which to
interpret our Lord's remarkable
language in
the
Gosp
el
of
000:
the
bread that
I
will give will be my flesh,
which
I
will give for the
life
oIthe world.
Exceptyeeat theflesh of he Son ofMan,
and
drink His
blood,
ye have no
life
in
you. Qohn6:51,53)
Thecornmunion
of the blood of Ch
rist,
which we
outwardly manifest
by
drinking
of
the cup,
is
to
experience within our
hearts
therealityofChrist
s
satisfaction for sin,
as
applied by the
Holy
Spirit
in the expiation of our
guilt before God.
The
communion of
the body
of
h r i s ~
as
manifested in
the eating of the bread,
is
to realize
inourown souls
thefactofour living union
with His body;
upon
which depend our sanctification in
this
world, and the
glory
which shall
follow
in
the
world
to
come. by the
consenting act of our will we accept
the blood
as
our ransom, andthe
flesh
as ourfood.
As
Father, Son and
Holy
Spirit
consent to
His
substitution
for
us,
so we
COl Set t
to accept Christ
as
that substitute. We become thus, in
law
and
in
fact, one body and one
bloodwith Christ.
t
s
His
death, and
it
is
our
death;
it
is His
blood, and it
is
our blood-1lnd thatbytheconcurrent
choice
of all parties concemed-1lnd
therefore
it avails
to
our redemption.
t is
hard
to see
how we could more
partake
of
Christ,
tl1an
when
we
truly
eat
His flesh
and drink His blood.
4 In thesacramentoJtheSupper,
we have
fellowship with
the
mystical
Christ, as all believers are equally
one body and blood with Him. This
November,
1992 IRE
COUNSEL of Cltalcedon
11
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
5/7
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
6/7
But the Supperisno less prophetic,
th n declarative. It is instituted to
showforththe
Lord'sdeath tillHe
come.
His distinct promise to Hissorrowing
. Disciples, was, that He would come
againand
receive them to Himself. Oohn
14:3) This reappearing of Christ
upon earth was armounced by the
angels at the time of His ascension:
this sameJesus,
whiLh
is taJunfrom you
into heaven,
shall so come in like
manner
as
ye
have seen
Him go
break, is itnot the communion of he body
of Christ? The distinction of the
elements
and
the communication in
each,havetheirsignificance.
Theone
points backward
to
the death
of
the
sacrifice, through which sin is atoned:
the other points forward to the life
treasured in me body of the Mediator
above, to be communicated in the
sanctification upon earth
and
in the
glory of heaven.
the most solemn transactionin
which
the soul can engage; dealing wi th all
that is dreadful
in
law, and
with
all
thatis tender
in
grace; accept ingunder
the sanction of an oath,
all the
provisiOns of mercy, and binding
our
ownobediencewithcordstothehorns
of he altar, (Ps.118: 27) as a sacrificial
offering to Him
who
offered Himself
as a sacrif'iceforus. (Heb 9: 26-28) It
is therefore, underevery aspect, an act
into heaven.
(Acts 1:11)
'Whom the
heavens
must
receive, saysPeter,
until
the times of restitution of
The Festal
Character
o Sacramental Worship
of worship as
unique
as
it is solenm, which is
all
things
,
whU h Godhath
We approach this table in order that we may
spokenbythemouthofall with joy draw
water
out of the wells of
intended o beconveyed
in
the
interrogatory of
thetext;
thecupcfolt:ssing
whichwe
bless, is t not the
communion
of he
blood i
Christ?
His holy prophets
since
salvation. (Is
Z:
3
We
are
here
that
we
may
the world began. (Acts hide the sins which trouble us, beneath the Thissubject,beloved
3:21)
TheGospelsand
covering
of
theblood.
Weareherethatwemay brethren,
will find its
the Epistles are alike
full
talce large draughts
of
spiritual life from the own application
in the
of testimonies to the open side, whence issues the full stream oflife meditations
you will
seconc;l coming of
our
upon all the redeemed. Sadnessofheart
does yourselves indulge,
Lord:
FortheSonofMan
not belong to the bride who is adorned for her whtlstsittingatthistable.
shall come
in the
glory
of husband. The responsibility
o
the consecra. Withall thesolernnityof
His Father, with His the service, sometimes
tion
may
be great; but it will only cause the
angels,
and then shall
He
throwing the shadow
heart t throb with a stronger pulse ofjoy n
reward every
man
upon
the
soul of
according to his works:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
something like fear,
you
(Matt. 16: 27; 24: 30) For
the
Lord The feature, however, which will nevertheless esteem the privilege
himselfshalldescendfromheaven,with involves the greatest responsibilityon
to
be great of
this complete
a shout, with the
voice
of the archangel, our part, is its federal or covenanting identification with the Master whom
and
wit'll
the
trump of God:
I
Thess. obligation.
t
is tlle seal of God's you love. Lettllehumilitybeprofound
4:16; II Thess. 1: 7,10) It is needless gracious covenant with us, according as it may, and
the
penitence deep as a
either to multiply the testimonies, or to the definition of a Sacramentin
our
true sense of
sin
can make i t but let
to
show
this second coming of
our
Standards; aholyordinanceinstituted neither me one,
nor
the other,dim the
Lord
to
be an essential part of His byChrist-wherein,bysensiblesigns, festal character of this worship.
We
mediatorial work, equally wim me Christ
and
the benefits of the
new
approach this table
in
order that we
first. It is only necessary to observe covenant are represented, sealed
and
may
with
joy
drawwateroutoftheweUs
how admirably this ordinance is fitted applied to believers. But in every of salvation. (is . 12:3) We are here
to preserve the knowledge
of
a truth covenant there are two parties, wim that
we may
hide
the sins
which
so
likely to be forgotten, in
me
long mutual stipulation. In the Supper, we trouble us,
beneath the
covering
of
absence of Cluistin the heavens. The renew our engagement to be the the blood. We are here that we
may
nature of the communion proclaims Lord s-openly accepting Him, as I take large draughts of spiritual life
the fact that He still lives, and mat He have before shown, in all His offices as from the open side,
whence
issues
the
lives to return: The bread which we theRedeemerofHisseed.ltistherefore full stream of life
upon
all the
November, 1992
t
TIlE COUNSEL
of
Chalcedon
t 13
-
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 10 - Sermons of Benjamin Palmer: Communion of the Blood of Christ - Counsel of Chalcedon
7/7
redeemed. Sadnessofheartdoesnot
b ~ o n g to the bride who is adorned
forher
hwiJand.. (Rev
.
21:2)
The
respOnsibilityof theconsecration
may
be great; but it
will
only cause the
heart to throb with a stronger pulse
of oy.
Our
pteliminary suggestion
may
perhaps
aSsist
you in the
vowS
you
will
here secretly make
to
Him, who
hasbought you with
His
blood. his
incorpotationwith Ouistdrawsafter
. .
it a corresponding separation
from
theworld. Itisimplied in
theApostle's
enti.re
~ g u m e n t
out,of which the
teittistaken.WecaIinotbepartakers
ofChri$t and
also
of an idoL The
world
h s
its Sacraments, as well as
the the Church. I
will
not specify
them here, but leave ' it to your
educatedconsciencetoascenainwhat
theyare. Thereareformsofpleasure
and pursuits of business, which are
so intensely
of
the world that
everybodyacceptsthemasthebadges
of the world. Thosewho engage in
thernarenaturallyconsnuedasbeing
of hew rid, and belongingto it,just
as
those found at.the sacramental
board are construed to be followers
of Christ, and professors of
His
religion. What I desire to say is, that
these two,are antagonistic. The one
excludes the other, arid
we
cannot
wear the badges ofboth. I desire that
your own spiritual life shall put out
its instinct of recoil from all that
would compromise the interests of
the soul. I wish only
to
impress you
that separation from
evil is
involved
i n t h ~ v e r y n a m e g i v e n i n c r i p t u r e t o
the Churph of theRedeemer; itis the
body that is called from
Consecration to something, is of
courseconsecrationfromsomething.
The
call
which carries you
to
Christ,
takesyou away from leave
behind. What is it that you and I
havegivenup? Inwhatrespectsdoes
the
Master
say of us,
they are
not of ' '
theworld,evenaslamnotciftheworld?
Oohn 17:14) May the anointing
which wehavereceived ofHirn teach
us, this day, what this pregnant
Scripture
means
'
May the unction
from theHoly one
reveal
to us all
that
is involved in the
communion
of the
blood ofChrist, and which will not
allowus
to
eat of thatwhichis"offered
,
n sacrifice unto idolsl
*The first paragraph is a
paraphrase of ,Paltner's first three
paragraphs by
Joe
Morecraft,
Ill.
Q .
OLUMims AND CORTEZ, CONTINUED
feared the Aztec's bloody deathcult.
Eidsmoe graphically describes
demonic Aztec religious practices
and convincingly argues that the
coriflict between ,Cortez and
Montezuma
wasesseruiallyreligious.
Eidsmoe's
work
includes
an
exciting natrative of the Spanish
victory over the Aztecs, Cortez'
relationshipwithhisbeautifulguide,
Dona Marina, ,and his enlightened
attempts to rebuild Mexico
City.
(Cortez even persuaded the king to
ban lawyers from New Spain )
Though he had his share of failings,
as Eidsmoe shows, Cortez was a
genuine Christian.
Ihighly recommend this book. It
is written on a popular level and is
fascinating reading.
It
is
infonnative
and evaluatesevents from a straight-
forward Christian perspective.
Attacks upon Columbus, his
legacy,
and European contributions to
Atnerica will reach a
fever
pitch in
the next months. Get
this
book and
be prepared.a
14
TIlE CQUNSEL of Chalcedon November,
1992