Of the Subjects of the Lord's Supper
Bp. Hacket. 1 Corinthians 11:29 For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 1. A trial of grace, whether it be inherent or no. It is a showing the death of Christ: there must be therefore a search, whether those graces which suit the death of Christ, and answer to the ends of it, be in the subject. 2. A trial of the state wherein those graces are. Since the Supper is not worthily received but by an exercise of repentance, faith, and love, it is necessary to inquire into the state of those graces and their vigor or languor in the soul. By this are excluded from this ordinance — (1) All persons incapable of performing this antecedent duty. Either in regard of natural inability, as children, infants. And in regard of a negligent inability, as ignorant persons, who neglect the means of knowledge, or improve them not. (2) All persons who cannot find upon examination anything of a Divine stamp upon them in the lowest degree. This command of self-examination evidenceth to us — (a) That a Christian may come to the knowledge of his state in grace; otherwise it would be wholly fruitless to examine ourselves. (b) No necessity of auricular confession: to tell all the secrets of the life to a priest. So let a man eat of this bread and drink of this cup. So, not otherwise, it is a hedge planted against every intrusion, so not without examination, and a fitness upon it. For the first. All men outwardly professing Christianity are not in a capacity to come to the great ordinance of the Supper. If all men were capable, pre-examination were not then necessary. In prosecution of this doctrine we shall lay down some propositions. 1. Only regenerate men are fit to come to the Lord's Supper. No man in a natural state but must needs eat and drink unworthily, for he retains his enmity against God and Christ. Sanctified persons only are the proper guests. An unregenerate man cannot perform the duties necessary. It is bread belonging to children; unrenewed men are not yet in a state of sonship. (1) Faith is a necessary qualification, but unrenewed men have not faith. An unbeliever receives the elements, not the life and spirit of a sacrament. (2) An unrenewed man is not in covenant, and therefore no capable subject. (3) This sacrament is a sacrament of nourishment; unrenewed men therefore are not fit for it. They are dead (Ephesians 2:1), and what hath a dead man to do with a feast? Men must be alive before they be nourished. Dead branches receive no sap from the vine. (4) This sacrament is an ordinance of inward communion with Christ. But unrenewed men can have no inward communion with Him. They cannot have that joy which ought to be in a converse with Christ. Bosom communion belongs only to bosom friends: others are but intruders, and will receive no countenance from Christ. (5) This ordinance is to be received by true Christians only. But renewed men only are such. Christianity is an inward powerful work, not a paint, an image. The form of godliness doth not constitute a man a Christian, but the power of it (2 Timothy 3:5). Freemen only have a right to the privileges of the city, and true, Christians to the privileges of the Church. 2. Men guilty of a course of sin, though secret and unknown to others, are unfit for this ordinance. What sins debar a man from this ordinance? (1) Not such which are infirmities incident to human nature. Every sin doth not impede the operation of faith about the proper object. (2) But a course in wilful and frequent breaches of a known command debars a man. (3) Such cannot in that state perform the duties requisite in this ordinance. Faith is a necessary qualification; but a denial of subjection to Christ is an evidence of a gross infidelity. Practices are the clearest indexes of faith or unbelief, evil works deny God in His promises and precepts. (4) Such contemptuously undervalue the blood of Christ, and therefore are unfit for this heavenly ordinance. It is no better than a mocking of God to come to His table with a professed enmity in the heart against Him. (5) Such cannot receive any good from this ordinance. He can design no good to himself with a resolution to continue in his sin. Doctrine second: It is every man's duty solemnly and seriously to examine himself about his interest in Christ, his habitual grace, his actual right and fitness for the Lord's Supper before his approach to it. Every ordinance hath a preparative: meditation is to usher in prayer, prayer is to sanctify the Word, the Word and prayer to sanctify other ordinances.This institution hath examination for its harbinger to prepare the way of its access to us, and our access to it. 1. This self-examination or preparation is necessary. God required it in all duties. Purification went before sacrificing. The preparation and examination of themselves as to ceremonial uncleanness was strict before the passover, which was inferior to this ordinance, as the legal state was to the evangelical. The mercy to be now remembered is greater, the duties of preparation and devotion ought not to be less. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice, and eat of the part appointed for the feast (1 Samuel 16:5). (1) It is necessary to clear up a right. There is an outward acceptation of Christ and His laws without a true and inward change of heart. (2) It is necessary for the exciting of grace. That the soul may be excited before; that there may not be an ebb in our affections, when there is a flood of our Saviour's blood; that we may not have little thoughts in the presence of great and adorable objects. (3) It is necessary to prevent sin. The apostle's direction to them to examine themselves implies the want of it to be the cause of those miscarriages among them, which he taxeth in the preceding verses. 2. As it is necessary, so it is universal. Let a man examine himself. Not some men, but every man; the most substantial Christian, as well as the weakest. I shall only mention two things. (1) Let a man examine himself as to his sentiments concerning the nature of the institution. (2) Let a man examine himself what soil he hath contracted since the last time he was with God, whether the interest of God hath prevailed in our hearts above the interest of the flesh. Do we invite Christ into our souls, and shall we not examine every corner and search out the dirt and cobwebs which may be offensive to Him? The Spirit of Christ is a dove, and doves love clean places. But — 3. We should inquire whether we have habitual grace or no; whether there be those uniting, gluing graces — faith and love. The second grace to examine ourselves about and to exercise at this ordinance is sorrow for sin. This is necessary to the Supper. The way to an heavenly repast, as well as the way to heavenly mansions, is through the valley of Baca. Since repentance is necessary, let us examine ourselves what of this grace there is in us. (1) What is the spring of our sorrow? (2) What is the subject of the sorrow? Is it the sin of nature? do we judge that the greatest sin, and not regard it, as the common people do the stars, imagining them no bigger than a candle, when they are of a vast bigness? (3) What are the adjuncts of the grief? Is it in some measure proportionable to our sin, proportionable not to the law, but to the gospel? The first cannot be attained by us, because the injury done to God is infinte. Is the league between sin and the soul broken? 4. Love to God is another grace we are to examine ourselves about. (1) Spiritual affections to God are required in all duties, much more in this. The highest representation of a loving Saviour suffering, ought to have a suitable return of affection. Now for the trial of this love. (a) Let us not judge ourselves by a general love. (b) Nor let us judge ourselves to be lovers of God because of our education. (c) Nor let us judge ourselves by any passionate fits of love which may sometimes stir in our souls. But let us examine — (1) The motives and object of our affection. (2) What is the nature of our love? (a) In regard to the prevalency of it. Do we love Christ solely? (b) In regard to the restlessness of it. Can nothing but Christ and the enjoyment of Him content us? (c) What are the effects and concomitants of our love? Are we careful to please Him, though with our own shame? 5. Another grace to be examined is love of God's people. This is the badge of a disciple (John 8:34, 35). (1) This is necesssary in all duties. Would we pray, our hands must be lifted up without wrath and doubting (1 Timothy 2:8). (2) But more necessary in this ordinance. (a) It represents the union of believers together. The bread being made up of several grains compacted together (1 Corinthians 10:16). For we being many are one bread and one body. This ordinance was instituted to solder believers together. They have the same nourishment, and therefore should have the same affection. (b) No benefit of the ordinance without this grace.Let us examine ourselves as to this grace. And that we may not mistake, every difference in judgment is not a sign of the want of this grace. But this love is true — (1) When it is founded upon the grace of a person. (2) It must be a fervent love. With a pure heart fervently (1 Peter 1:22), not in appearance and faintly. (3) A love manifested most in their persecutions. To be ashamed of believers in their sufferings is, in Christ's interpretation, to be ashamed of Christ Himself. 6. Another grace to be examined and acted is desire, a holy appetite. (1) This is necessary in all duties. In hearing the Word the desire must be as insatiable as the infant's cry for milk (1 Peter 2:2). (2) But in this ordinary more necessary. (a) It is a feast, and appetite is proper to that. (b) The greater the longings, the greater the satisfaction. (c) This is the noblest affection we can bestow upon God. (Bp. Hacket.) Parallel Verses KJV: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. WEB: For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he doesn't discern the Lord's body.