ATTENDANCE ON HOLY COMMUNION.
John v. 40. " Ye will not come to Me, that ye mijht have life."
OT. JOHN tells us in to-day's Epistle' that " God hatl given unto us eternal life, and this life is in Hi Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hati not the Son hath not life.'' Yet in the text the Soi Himself, our Saviour, sorrowfully and solemnly expostu lates with His own brethren, " Ye will not come to M( that ye might have life." " He came unto His owai and His own received Him not." We know fror history, as a matter of fact, that they did not receiv Him, that they did not come to Him when He came i them; but He says in the text that they would nc come, that they did not wish to come, implying ths they, and none else but they, were the cause of thei not coming.
Does it not seem a plain natural instinct that ever one should seek his own good? "What then is meant b ^ First Sundiiy after Enster.
his unwilling-ness to come for the greatest of goods, life; an unwillingness, which, guided by the light of Scripture and by experience, we can confidently affirm 50 prevail at this day as widely and as fully as in the iffe in which Christ said it?
Here is no question of a comparison of good with
»ood. We cannot account for this unconcern about
Christ^s gift, by alleging that we have a sufficient treasure in our hands already, and therefore are not interested by the news of a greater. Far from it; for is not the world continually taking away its own gifts,
'whatever they are? and does it not thereby bring home
!to us, does it not importunately press upon us, and weary us with the lesson of its own nothingness? Do we not confess that eternal life is the best of all conceivable gifts, before which none other deserve to be mentioned?
yet we live to the world.
'' Nay, and sin also warns us not to trust to its allure-
[.ments; like the old prophet of Bethel, sin is forced to bear
•^ witness against itself, and in the name of the Lord to
: denounce the Lord's judgments upon us. While it se-
' duces us, it stings us with remorse; and even when the
I sense of guilt is overcome, still the misery of sinning is inflicted on us in the inward disappointments and the temporal punishments which commonly follow upon transgression. Yet we will not come unto Christ that
Further, it is not that God treats us as servants or L 3
148 Attendance on Holy Conimnnion.
slaves; He does not put a burden on us above our strength: lie does not repel us from His Presence till we have prepared some offering* to bring before Him,, or have made some good progress in the way of lifa! No; He has begun His dealings with us with special,' spontaneous acts of mercy. He has, by an inconceivable goodness, sent His Son to be our life. Far from asking* any gift at our hands in the first instance, He has froia our infancy taken us in charge, and freely given us " all things that pertain unto life and godliness." He hai^ been urgent with us in the very morning of our days' and by the fulness of His grace has anticipated the firsi stirrings of pride and lust, while as yet sin slept withii us. Is it not so? What more could have been done for us? Yet, in spite of all this, men will not conn unto Him that they may have life.
So strange is this, that thoughtful persons are some times tempted to suppose that the mass of mankind d not sufficiently know what their duty is; that the need teaching, else they would be obedient. And other fancy that if the doctrines of the Gospel were set befoi them in a forcible or persuasive manner, this woul serve as a means of rousing them to an habitual sense ( their true state. But ignorance is not the true eau^ why men will not come to Christ.
Who are these willing outcasts from Christ's favou of whom I speak? Do not think I say a strong thin; my brethren, when I tell you that I am speaking - line of those who now hear me. Not that I dare draw he line any where^ or imagine that I can give any rule
\\\' knowing- for certain, just Avho come to Him in heart
;ind spirit, and who do not; but I am quite sure that many, who would shrink from giving up their interest in the Gospel, and who profess to cast their lot with
Christ, and to trust in His death for their salvation,
;uvertheless do not really seek Him that they may have lite, in spite of their fair speeches. This I say I am too well enabled to know, because in fact so it is, that
He has shown us hoio to come to Him, and I see that men do not come to Him in that way which He has pointed out. He has shown us, that to come to Him r for life is a literal bodily action; not a mere figure, not jia mere movement of the heart towards Him, but an f action of the visible limbs; not a mere secret faith, but
, a coming to church, a passing on along the aisle to His holy table, a kneeling down there before Him, and a i^ receiving of the gift of eternal life in the form of bread
; and wine. There can be no mistaking His own appoint-
1 ment. He said indeed, " He that cometh to Me shall i never hunger •'' but then He explained what this coming
, was, by adding, " He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." If then a man does not seek Him where He is, there is no profit in seeking Him where He is not.
What is the good of sitting at home seeking Him, when
His Presence is in the holy Eucharist? Such perverse- jiess is like the sin of the Israelites who went to seek
150 Attendance oji Holy Communion.
for the manna at a time when it was not given. May not He who gives the gift, prescribe the place and mode of giving it?
Observe how plain and cogent is the proof of whaft I have been saying. Our Lord declares, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of INIan, and drink His blood| ye have no life in you J' no life, life being the gift Hd offers in the text; also He says of the bread which Hoi had broken, " Tim is My Body /' and of the cup, " Th\i\ is My Blood /^ is it not veiy plain, then, that if weij refuse to eat that Bread, and drink that Cup, we acffi refusing to come unto Him that we may have life?
The true reason why people will not come to th Holy Communion is this, — they do not wish to Ig^ religious lives; they do not like to promise to lead roll gious lives; and they think that that blessed Sacramen does bind them to do so, bind them to live very muc more strictly and thoughtfully than they do at presea Allow as much as we will for proper distrust of then selves, reasonable awe, the burden of past sin, imperfec knowledge, and other causes, still after all there is i most cases a reluctance to bear, or at least to pledg themselves to bear, Christ^s yoke; a reluctance to giv up the service of sin once for all; a lingering love (j their own ease, of their own will, of indolence, of cama habits, of the good opinion of men whom they do noi respect; a distrust of their perseverance in holy resolveili grounded on a misgiving about their present sincerity nhds is wliy men will not come to Christ for life; they enow that He will not impart Himself to them, unless hey consent to devote themselves to Him.
In what way does He offer Himself to them in Holy Uommuniou? through the commands and sanctions of Ihe Law. First, we are warned against secret sin, and palled to self-examination; a week's preparation follows; then, when the time of celebration is come, we hear the Commandments read, we are solemnly exhorted to put, "off every thing which may offend God; we confess our •sins and our deep sorrow for them; lastly, after being admitted to the Sacrament, we expressly bind ourselves to the service of our Lord and Saviour. Doubtless this it is which the unrenewed heart cannot bear, the very notion of giving up sin altogether and once for all. i And thus, though a gracious voice cry ever so distinctly ': from the altar, " Come unto Me, and I will refresh I you;" and though it be ever so true that this refreshi.ment is nothing short of life, eternal life, yet we recollect the words which follow, "^ Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me,"*' and we forthwith murmur and complain, as if the gift were most ungracious, laden with conditions, and hardly purchased, merely because it is offered in that way in which alone a righteous Lord could offer it, — the way of righteousness.
Men had rather give up the promise than implicate themselves in the threats which surround it. Bright and attractive as is the ti'easure presented to us in the
Gospel, still the pearl of great i)ricc lies in its native depths, at the bottom of the ocean. We see it indeedj and know its worth; but not many dare plunge in to bring it thence. What reward offered to the diver shall overcome the imminent peril of a frightful deatli? and those who love sin, and whose very life consists in! habits and practices short of religious, what promised I prize can reconcile them to the certain destruction of i what they delight in, the necessary annihilation of all! their most favourite indulgences and enjoyments which ' <are contrary to the rule of the Gosjoel? Let us noti suppose that any exhortations will induce such men ' to change their conduct; they confess the worth of the soul, their obligation to obey, and their peril if they do not; yet, for all this, the present sacrifice required of them is too much for them. They may be told of their Lord^s love for them. His self-denying mercy when on ( eai'th. His free gifts, and His long-suffering since; they| will not be influenced; and why? because the fault is in '. their heart; they do not like God^s service. Theij knowfull well what they would have, if they might choose. Christ is said to have done all things for us; " Far from it,'^ say they, " He is not a Mediator suited to our case. Give life, give holiness, give truth, give a Saviour to deliver from sin; this is not enough: no, xce M-ant a Saviour to deliver in sin. This is our need. It is a small thing to offer us life, if it be in the way of God's commandments; it is a mockery of our hopes to call that a free gift, which is, in fact, a heavy yoke. "We want to do nothing at all, and then the gift will be free indeed. If our hearts must be changed to fit us for heaven, let them be changed, only let us have no trouble in the work ourselves. Let the change be part of the work done for us; let us literally be clay in the hands of the potter; let us sleep, and dream, and wake in the morning new men; let vis have no fear and trembling, no working out salvation, no self-denial. Let Christ suffer, but be it ours to rejoice only. What we wish is, to be at ease; we wish to have every thing our own way; we wish to enjoy both this world and the next; we wish to be happy all at once. If the Gospel promises this, we accept it; but if not, it is but a bondage, it has no persuasiveness, it will receive no acceptance from us." Such is the language of men's hearts, though
] their tongues do not utter it; language most unthank-
These reflections I recommend to the serious attention of those who live in neglect of Holy Communion; but, alas! I must not quit the subject without addressing
\ some cautions to those who are in the observance of it.
( I would that none of us had need of cautions; but the \ best of us is in warfare, and on his trial, and none of us I can be the worse for them. I need not remind you, my ji brethren, that there is a peril attached to the unworthy [ reception; for this is the very excuse which many plead I for not receiving; but it often happens, as in other
154 Attendance on Holy Communion.
matters also^ that men have fears when they should not fear, and do not fear when they should fear. A slif^^ht consideration will show this; for what is the dang-er in communicating? that of coming to it, as St. Paul implies, without fear. It is evident then, that, in spite I of what was just now said, when persons are in danger of receiving it unworthily, they commonly do not really I feel their danger; for their very danger consists in their I not fearing. If they did truly and religiously fear th||j blessed Sacrament, so far they would not be in danger? of an unworthy reception.
Now it is plain when it is that persons are in danger of receiving it fearlessly and thoughtlessly; not when they receive it for the first time, but when they have often received it, when they are in the habit of receiving it. This is the dangerous time.
"When a Christian first comes to Holy Communion, he comes with awe and anxiety. At least, I will not suppose the case of a person so little in earnest about his, soul, and so profane, as to despise the ordinance when he first attends it. Perhaps he has no clear doctrinal notion of the sacred rite, but the very title of it, as the Sacrament of his Lord's Body and Blood, suffices to make him serious. Let us believe that he examines himself, and prays for grace to receive the gift worthily; and he feels at the time of celebration and afterwards, that, having bound himself more strictly to a religioiis life, and received Divine influences, he has more to
(answer for. But after he has repeated his attendance [several times^ this fear and reverence wear away with [|the novelty. As he begins to be familiar with the i [words of the prayers^ and the order of the Service, so \ does he both hear and receive with less emotion and solemnity. It is not that he is a worse man than he was at first, but he is exposed to a greater temptation to be profane. He had no deeper religious principle when he first communicated than he has now (probably i not so deep), but his w^ant of acquaintance with the j Service kept him from irreverence, indifference, and ( wandering thoughts: but now this accidental safeguard is removed, and as he has not succeeded in acquiring, any habitual reverence from former seasons of communicating, and has no clear knowledge of the nature of the Sacrament to warn and cheek him, he is exposed to his own ordinary hardness of heart and unbelief, in circumstances much more perilous than those in which they are [^ ordinarily displayed. If it is a sin to neglect God in i the world, it is a greater sin to neglect Him in church. \ Now is the time when he is in danger of not discerning. the Lord's Body, of receiving the gift of life as a thing. of course, without awe, gratitude, and self-abasement.; And the more constant he is in his attendance at the sacred rite, the greater will be his risk; his risk, I say; ^ that is, if he neglects to be jealous over himself, to watch I himself narrowly, and to condemn and hate in himself the faintest risings of coldness and irreverence; for, of
156 Attejidance on Holy Cojttmtmion.
course, if he so acts, the less will be his risk, and the -1 greater will be his security that his heart will not betray him. But I speak of those who are not sufficiently aware of their danger, and these are many.
Here, too, let me mention another sin of a similar character into which communicants are apt to fall; ' viz. a forgetfulness, after communicating, that they have communicated. Even when we resist the coldness 1 which frequent communion may occasion, and strive to possess our minds in as profound a seriousness as we felt when the rite was new to us, even then there is often a painful difference between our feelings before we have attended it, and after. We are diligent in preparation, we are careless in retrospect; we dismiss from our memory what we cherished in our expectations; we forget that we ever hoped and feared. But consider; when we have solemn thoughts about Holy Communion only till we have come to it, what does this imply, but that we imagine that we have received the benefit of it once for all, as a thing done and over, and that there is nothing more to seek? This is but a formal way of worshipping; as if we had wiped off a writing which was against us, and there was an end of the matter. But blessed are those servants who are ever expecting Him, who is ever coming to them; whether He come " at even, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing, or in the morning;" whereas those who first come to Him for the gift of graccj and then neglect to wait for its progressive aceomplislimeiit in their hearts^ how profanely they act! it is as if to receive the blessing in mockery, and then to cast it away. Surely, after so ^leat a privilege, we ought to behave ourselves as if we liad partaken some Divine food and medicine (if great things may be compared to ordinary), which, in its own inscrutable way, and in its own good time, will " prosper in the thing whereunto God sends it''^ — the fruit of the) tree of life which Adam forfeited, which had that; virtue in it, that it was put out of his reach in haste,;l lest he should take and eat, and live for ever. How I earnest, then, should be our care lest this gracious 1 1 treasure which we carry within us should be lost by our ' own fault, by the unhealthy excitements, or the listless: indolence, to which our nature invites us! " Quench; not the Spirit,^^ says the Apostle; surely our privilege I is a burden heavy to bear, before it turn to a principle. of life and strength, till Christ be formed in us peri fectly; and we the while, what cause have we to watch, t and pray, and fulfil all righteousness, till the day dawn, ' and the day-star arise in our hearts!
Nor let us suppose that by once or twice seeking God I in this gracious oi'dinance, we can secure the gift for! ever: " Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face I evermore.^^ The bread which comes down from heaven [ is like the manna, "daily bread," and that "till He! come,'* till His "kingdom come." In His coming at f the end of the world, all our wishes and prayers rest and
158 Attendance on Holy Communion.
are accomplished; and in His present communion we have a stay and consolation meanwhile, joining together the past and future, reminding us that He has come once, and promising us that He will come again. Who can live any time in the world, pleasant as it may seem on first entering it, without discovering that it is a weariness, and that if this life is worth any thing, it it because it is the passage to another? It needs no great religion to feel this; it is a self-evident truth to those who have much experience of the world. The only reason why all do not feel it is, that they have not lived long enough to feel it; and those who feel it more than others, have but been thrown into circumstances to feel it more. But while the times wax old, and the colours of earth fade, and the voice of song is brought low, and all kindreds of the earth can but wail and lament, the sons of God lift up their heads, for their salvation draweth nigh. Nature fails, the sun shines not, and the moon is dim, the stars fall from heaven, and the foundations of the round world shake; but the Altar's light burns ever brighter; there are sights there which the many cannot see, and all above the tumults of earth the command is heard to show forth the Lord's death, and the promise that the Lord is coming.
^* Happy are the people that are in such a case \" who, when wearied of the things seen, can turn with good hope to the things unseen; yea, " blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God! '' " Come unto Me,"
He says, " all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and, I will give you rest/^ Rest is better than toil; peace satisfies, and quietness disappoints not. These are sure goods. Such is the calm of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all; and such is their calm worship, the foretaste of heaven, who for a season shut themselves out from the world, and seek Him in invisi- I ble Presence, whom they shall hereafter see face to face.