“This do.”  And the meaning of what he here says, is—­“This do,” all ye who profess to be my followers, all over the world, and through all ages.  And the words that he spake on another occasion come in very well here:  “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  And this is one of the commandments that he expects all his people to keep.  He points to his holy sacrament, which he has ordained in his church, and then to each one of his people he says—­“This do.”  No matter whether we wish to do it or not; here are our master’s words—­“This do.”  No matter whether we see the use of it, or not; Jesus says—­“This do.”  It is enough for each follower of Jesus to say, “here is my Lord’s command; I must obey it.”

In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every soldier will obey it.  And no matter how important, or useful, in itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general’s order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general, or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his displeasure:—­he will order that soldier to be punished.

But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army.  He is the Captain or Leader of this army.  And one of the most important orders he has issued for his soldiers is—­“This do in remembrance of me.”  If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased with anything we may do while this order is neglected.  We seem to see him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:  —­“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice:  and to hearken, than the fat of rams.”  I. Sam. xv:  22.

No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  But, as soon as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to serve him, they ought to be allowed to come.  And yet ministers and parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.

If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.  This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of the lambs.  But it fails at one point.  The shelter of the fold is absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer’s lambs.  They could not live without it.  If left outside of the fold they would