The Christian Feast 2
Back to SERMONS Samuel Davies
As to private offences against a particular person, in which the church, as such, is not concerned, private measures are to be taken to bring the offender to repentance, until they are found to be in vain, and then the church is to be apprised of it; and if he pays no regard to that authority, then he is to be excluded from the society. This is according to Christ's express direction, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church—treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector!" Matthew 18:15-17. There is nothing more plain in scripture, than that scandalous members should be cast out of the church; and an excessive indulgence towards them—is most severely censured.
Paul orders Timothy about those who are "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them!" 2 Timothy 3:5. He lays the weight of his apostolic authority upon the Christian church in this case: "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us!" 2 Thessalonians 3:6
The churches of Pergamos and Thyatira are severely threatened by Christ himself, for tolerating the corrupt sect of the Nicolaitans, and the followers of Balaam's and Jezebel's profane and loose practices, and not casting them out of their fellowship. Revelation 2:14, etc.
And the church of Ephesus is commended for her strict discipline, and that she did not tolerate those who were evil; and for having tested pretended apostles, and discovering their true characters— rejected them as impostors!
But I need go no farther than the chapter where my text lies, for abundant evidence of the necessity of this holy discipline. Here Paul warmly rebukes the Corinthian church for allowing a scandalous member to continue in communion with them; and solemnly charges them to cast him out from the church into the wide world, the territories of Satan, who is called the god of this world. And this he strongly describes, in order to strike terror into the offender, as a delivering him over to Satan! He urges this wholesome severity, as a proper expedient to bring the offender himself to repentance; and especially to keep their church pure! "Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump!" And just so—the indulgence of one corrupt member may in time corrupt the whole church!
It was by the remarkable strictness of their discipline, that the New Testament church kept itself from corruption in the midst of heathen and idolaters. And it is the lack of this discipline, which has so scandalously corrupted the generality of our modern churches, whose members are very often the reproach of that religion which they profess! Let not us imitate them—but pity andpray for them, lest we become a mere mass of corruption, like them!
The apostle forbids not only all religious fellowship—but all unnecessary familiarity with such scandalous professors; and intimates, that we should be more avoid them—than of such as make no pretensions to religion at all. "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother—but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.With such a man do not even eat!" 1 Corinthians 5:9-11
This world is so full of such profligate sinners, that you cannot avoid them—without leaving human society altogether. But we should cultivate no unnecessary familiarity with a wicked professor! Do not make a choice of him as your guest or companion at your common meals, much less in the sacred feast of the Lord's supper!
You see, my brethren, we are not at liberty in this case; we are tied down by the divine authority, to the faithful exercise of church discipline. And though nothing can be more disagreeable to us than to touch the sores of others—yet we cannot dispense with our duty in this respect. If we make light of the ordinances of Christ, it is at our peril. It is therefore the most unreasonable and absurd thing for people to expect the officers of the church to pastor them—and then to be offended that they faithfully do their duty in church discipline. All that is required of sinful church member—is a profession of deep repentance for their misconduct, and a promise of reformation for the future. And is this too much to do—to repair the injury they have done to the Christian religion, to satisfy the church to which they belong, and restore themselves into the charity of their brethren, whose hearts are so grieved by their conduct? Or are they indeed determined not to repent and reform—but to go on in their wicked courses! Then they have nothing to do with the peculiar privileges of the Christian church, and therefore should not claim them.
It is in vain here to object, "That none can forgive sins but God, and therefore they will not confess them to man." For, as I told you, every member of the Christian church ought to give his fellow-members some evidence that he is indeed one of their body, and worthy of their acceptance. But what evidence can they have of this, if when he falls into some scandalous sin inconsistent with his profession, he does not so much as profess his repentance! It is only God who can pardon the sin—as it is done against him. But the church has also been offended—and has a right to demand satisfaction.
Hence we are commanded to, "Confess our faults to one another." James 5:16. And he is a proud, impenitent creature indeed, unworthy of a place among Christians, who thinks it a mighty thing to make this small satisfaction. The incestuous Corinthian was brought to repentance by the wholesome severities used with him. And upon this, the apostle Paul, in his second epistle, advises them to forgive him, (which implies, that in some sense the offence was against the church, and, in that sense, they had power to forgive him,) "that they should comfort him, and confirm their love towards him—that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow." 2 Corinthians 2:7, 8. And shall we be more obstinate than an incestuous, excommunicated Corinthian?
As this subject naturally came in my way, and as it is necessary for us as church-members to have right ideas of gospel-discipline,I have taken this opportunity to enlarge on it; and I hope you will so remember it, as to render all instructions on this head needless hereafter. I now proceed to what is more PRACTICAL.
Let me as a herald of Jesus Christ, proclaim to you the business of the next Lord's day. We are going to commemorate the most important event that ever happened upon our globe; an event accomplished some seventeen hundred years ago—but never to be forgotten; an event that extends its happy consequences to the remotest periods of eternity! I mean the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ for his people!
And who among you is prepared and willing to commemorate this grand event? Where are the broken-hearted penitents? Where the lovers of a crucified Savior? Where the holy and happy people who believe in him with all their hearts? Come, take the dear memorials of your precious Redeemer! Come, refresh your souls once more with the sweet remembrance of his love! Shall his dear name be forgotten among us? What! forgotten, after all he has done—after all he has suffered for us! Can you bear the thought!
We are going to profess openly before a scoffing world, that we are the servants and disciples of a crucified Christ! We are going to put on the badges of his servants, and wear his livery; to enlist as volunteers under his banner, and swear allegiance and fidelity to him! And where are those that are willing to join with us? Who is upon the Lord's side? Who? Come you who will have Christ for your Master—come enter your names in his list! Be fixed and determined for him.
How long will some of you halt between two opinions? It is a plain case, and requires no long time to deliberate. Come you who would stand among his people at his right hand at last—come now with prepared hearts and mingle among them at his table. We are going to enter into an everlasting covenant with our God, and to set our solemn seal to the contract. Who among you gives his consent? Who is willing to take the Lord Jesus for his only Savior and Lord, and to give himself up to him entirely and forever? Who will avow the Lord to be his God—that He may avow him to be one of his people?
How are your hearts, my brethren, disposed in this respect? Do they give a full consent? And are you willing from this time to renounce and abjure all your lusts and sinful pleasures? In short, do you consent to the covenant of grace? If so, come and confirm it with that solemn oath and seal. God and Christ are agreed to the proposal; and if you agree, the happy contract is made; it is established firmer than the pillars of heaven; and if you had them, you might venture ten thousand souls upon it.
We are going to maintain communion with the saints, and sit down with them at the same table of our common Lord. And who of you would join yourselves with that little flock—that despised but happy few? If you would mingle with them in heaven—then separate from the wicked world, and join them now; and as a token of it eat of the same bread, and drink of the same cup with them.
But we are going to maintain communion of a still more exalted kind: communion with the everlasting Father, with the Son of his love, and with the Holy Spirit. And where are those who pant and languish for this sacred and divine fellowship? Come to the table of the Lord Jesus, the place of communion, and you may humbly hope to meet him there. There you may pour out your hearts to him with all the freedom of intimacy and filial boldness, and there you may receive the tokens of his love.
My brethren, if upon careful self-examination, you find reason to hope that you have the qualifications of acceptable communicants, which I have described, I require you—in the name of that Jesus who expired upon the cross for you, a name which one would think should have some weight with you—in his endearing, irresistible name, I require you to come to his table! This is not only your sacred privilege—but your sacred duty! And you cannot neglect it, without the basest ingratitude and wickedness. Shall Jesus, when he views the guests around his table, find your seat empty! Alas! shall he have reason to say, "What! has such a one turned his back upon me! I bought him with my blood—and have I deserved to be thus treated by him!"
O! my brethren, has it come to that pass with you—that you stand in need of persuasions to commemorate that Savior who laid down his life for you! Had Jesus been as shy of a cross—as you are of his table; and as backward to die—as you are to commemorate his death, alas! what would have become of you!
What are the obstructions which lie in your way? Mention them, and methinks I can remove them all in a few words, when the case is so plain. Do you urge, that you are afraid you are not prepared? But have you examined yourselves impartially by what I have said? Are you sure you have the qualifications mentioned? If so, your way is very clear! Or if you are not sure, does it appear probable to you? If so, you may humbly venture.
Or if you cannot go so far as a probability, have you some trembling hopes? Hopes which, though they often waver—yet you cannot entirely cast away, though you admit all the evidence you can get, and are desirous to know the very worst of yourselves. Why, if you have even thus much of encouragement, I would advise you to come, though with trembling! If you are impartial in self-examination, and yet cannot after all discover that you are destitute of those qualifications I have mentioned, it is extremely unlikely that you are deceived! People are never deceived in this case—but by their own carelessness and partiality; therefore, take courage. If you look out with a careful eye, there is little danger of your splitting on this rock!
Or are you afraid that you will not be able to perform your sacramental vows—but may apostatize from your God? But I need not tell you that your strength is entirely from God. And I appeal to yourselves, whether it is most likely that you will obtain strength from him—in the way of duty, or in the neglect of duty? My brethren, do your duty, and leave the consequence to him. Trust in him, and he will take care of you, and keep you from falling, or raise you up if you should fall. It is not his usual way to desert those who, sensible of their own weakness, depend upon him; nay, he has bound himself by promise that he will not do it; but you shall be "kept by his power through faith unto salvation." "For He Himself has said—I will never leave you or forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5. Therefore in his strength, humbly come to the gospel feast.
As for such of you as have NOT the qualifications described—and yet are communicants at the Lord's table—I have a FEW SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS to offer to you:
1. Did you never observe that solemn warning of Paul, which, like a flaming sword, hovers round the table of the Lord to guard it from your profanation? "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way—will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself!" 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. Keep away, therefore, you unholy sinners, lest the weight of this tremendous curse falls upon you and crushes you to eternal ruin!
2. To what purpose do you communicate? This will not constitute you as Christians, nor save your souls. Not all the ordinances that ever God has instituted, can do this—without a saving interest in Christ, and universal holiness of heart and life. And will you incur such dreadful guilt, without answering any valuable end by it?
3. How absurd is it for you to pretend friendship to Christ in this ordinance, when your hearts are not in love with him! This I have hinted at already. This ordinance is a seal; but what do you set your seal to, when you do not heartily and practically consent to the covenant of grace? How can you hold communion with the saints—when you are not a saint? How can you hold communion with God—when you neither know him nor love him? How dare you wear the badge and livery of his servants—when you are enemies in your minds by wicked works? Will you mingle among his people—when you belong to the camp of the wicked god of this world? Will you act the part of Judas over again, and compliment Christ with a traitorous kiss! What absurdity, what gross hypocrisy, what a daring insult is this!
Can Omniscience be imposed upon by such pretensions? Or will a jealous God let you escape unpunished? Do but read His just sentence of you: "But to the wicked, God says: What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother's son. These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue!" Psalm 50:16-22
O, Sirs, consider: it will be a poor plea at last to have it to say, "Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drank in your presence?" The supreme Judge will, notwithstanding, pronounce the dreadful sentence upon you, "Depart from me—all you workers of iniquity!"
4. Has not God appointed other means which are preparatory to this ordinance; and in the use of which you may hope to obtain proper qualifications? His Word, prayer, meditation, and such means—are for the common use of saints and sinners, and intended to beget as well as to confirm grace in the hearts of men. But the Lord's supper is the peculiar privilege of only such as are true Christians already; and is intended only to nourish and improve true piety, where it is already begun. Therefore your partaking of it without this grand preparative, is preposterous, and directly contrary to the order of divine appointment!
Sinners go first upon your bended knees before God; cry to him with all the earnestness of perishing creatures, for converting grace! Think upon your miserable condition, and never take off your thoughts from the melancholy contemplation, until your hearts are deeply affected. Read, and hear, and meditate upon his Word—until you know your danger and remedy. Take this method first, and when you have succeeded—then come to this ordinance; and God, angels, and holy men, will bid you welcome.
5. Consider how aggravated your punishment will be, if you continue in your present condition. To sink down into hell—from the table of the Lord! O! what a dreadful fall! Those who perished from Sodom and Gomorrah, though their punishment will be intolerable, will be but slightly punished in comparison to you. "But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment—than for you!" Matthew 11:24
A lost communicant! One who went to hell—with the bread and wine, the memorials of a dying Savior, as it were—in his mouth! O! methinks such a one must be the most shocking sight in the infernal regions! How will lost angels, and lost heathens, wonder and stare at you as a horrible phenomenon, a dreadful curiosity! How will they upbraid you, "How have you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! You have become one of us!"
To tell the truth without reserve, I cannot but tremble at the thought of seeing some of you on the LEFT hand of the Judge! What a shocking presence will you make there! Therefore do not make the profanation of the body and blood of Christ—the whole of your religion—but begin where you should, in earnest endeavors after a new heart and life, in the use of the means appointed for that end.
But there are some of you, perhaps, who may take encouragement from hence, and think you are eternally safe, because you have not been guilty of profaning this solemn institution. Yet you are conscious that you are not prepared, and therefore most contentedly stay away. There are, no doubt, sundry of you who have lived in this neglect all your lives! I have a few things to say to you—and I beg you to apply them to yourselves!
1. Consider what it is that you say—when you declare that you are unfit for this holy ordinance—and boast that they are not 'hypocrites'. They make a sort of merit of it—that they stay away from the Lord's table, because they know that they lack the marks of a true Christian. But this is really an admission—that they lack all love to God, and faith in Christ, and repentance for sin! This is an admission that they lack holiness of heart and life, and every good thing! This is an admission that they lack pardon for sin, and a title to heaven, and have no saving interest in the righteousness of Christ! This is an admission that they are slaves to sin and Satan, and heirs of hell—poor perishing creatures, liable every moment to be cut off, and sink under the weight of divine vengeance!
This is your case if you are unfit for this ordinance. Nothing but such things as I have mentioned above, can render you unfit. Do you think that you are presently in a safe place? Can you contentedly rest in it? Alas! is there any merit in your neglecting to remember Christ in this institution—which will render your case safe before God? Must you not be shocked at the thought?
2. Are you using all proper means to be saved, with the utmost diligence and earnestness? Or are you inactive and unconcerned about it? If so, it is plain that you are content to take pleasure in being disqualified to remember the Lord Jesus in his ordinance. And while you are careless about this, you are virtually careless what will become of you in eternity; careless whether heaven or hell will be the place of your everlasting residence! O! what will be the end of such a foolish course! How terrible is your guilt!
3. Is it nothing to you who you have lived so many years in the world, without affectionately commemorating that Savior of sinners, without devoting yourselves to God, consenting to his covenant, and joining yourselves with his people? O! is there noguilt in all this? No guilt in allowing so many opportunities of attending upon this ordinance to pass by, neglected by you? What can be a more aggravated wickedness!
4. This neglect—clearly proves that you have no regard for Jesus Christ. You do perhaps insist upon it—that you love him. But he himself has left a test of your love: If you love me—keep my commandments. Now this brings the matter to a sure outcome. There is no command in the whole Bible more plain, than that of remembering him in this ordinance. This you know in your consciences. And yet you have lived in the willful neglect of this known, easy, dying command of Jesus! How can you then be so bold—as to pretend that you love him? Your love is a mere sham—and will not stand the test!
5. Some of you have been baptized in the name of the blessed Trinity; and yet you give yourselves to that horrible trinity of another kind—to the world, to sin, and the devil. And are you indeed willing to have no more to do with the God who made you, and with Jesus the only Savior? Pause and think, before you agree to such a dreadful renunciation!
I would now particularly address the young people here present. "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve!" Joshua 24:15. What are you resolved upon? Will you be Christ's—or Satan's? You cannot avoid choosing one or the other for your master; for not positively choosing Christ—is virtually choosing the devil for your master, and hell for your eternal home! "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it!" Matthew 7:13-14
6. Do not think that by this neglect you keep yourselves from being under obligations to be holy, and that you are at liberty to live as you wish. Your obligations do not depend upon your consent. You were born under obligation to God. Is he not the most excellent of beings, your Creator, your Lawgiver, your Preserver, your Redeemer? And do these things infer no obligation upon you? Have you not also, in sickness, or under horror of conscience, made vows and resolutions? And are you free to sin still? The truth of the case is—do what you will, you are under the strongest obligations to God, and you cannot shake them off! And if you will not observe these obligations to your duty—you must submit forever to your indispensable obligation to punishment! And God will make you know that he has a right to punish you—if you will not acknowledge his right to your obedience.
7. What does it avail—that you can avoid the Lord's table, when you cannot possibly shun death—or avoid his dread tribunal? Here, try all your arts, and you will find it in vain. If you are not prepared for this ordinance of worship in the church on earth—much less are you prepared for those more exalted forms of worship in the church in heaven. What then will become of you?
In short, it is a dreadful sin—that the table of the Lord is contemptible to so many; that many people who call themselves Christians, live in the willful neglect of that ordinance which was appointed by him, whom they acknowledge as the Founder of their religion—to be a memorial of himself. Alas! the very memory of Christ is almost lost among us! "Should I not punish them for this? declares the LORD." Jeremiah 5:9.
Perhaps some of you will say, "You shut us up in a strange dilemma indeed. If we come unprepared—we sin! And if we stay away—we sin! And what then shall we do?"
My brethren, I thus shut you up, on purpose—that you may see what a wretched case you are in, and that there is no safety for you while you continue in it. You are shut up under a necessity of sinning in either way—and the best choice in such a condition can be only the less evil way—though even that is extremely aggravated. Whether you come or stay away—you grievously sin! It is all sin, peril, ruin, and misery all through! You should neither come unprepared, nor stay away unprepared; that is, you should not be unprepared at all. Your lack of preparation is in itself a dreadful wickedness! And whatever you do in this unprepared state, you are neither safe nor in the way of duty; it is altogether a state of sin and danger!
The only way of safety and duty—is to seek for preparation immediately, and with the utmost earnestness, and then to come to the Lord's supper.
Let me set all this congregation upon this work, before we part today, and make it the business of this week. You have spent all your life about things of less importance, and will you refuse time to this great work? Now set about this work! Now begin to look into the state of your neglected souls! Now recollect your sins! Now look in upon your depraved hearts! Now look back upon a miserable mis-spent life! Now look forward to death, eternity, and the divine tribunal just before you! Now look to Jesus in the agonies of crucifixion on Mount Calvary! Now look up to God in earnest prayer for his mercy!
Let these things follow you home to your houses; let them dwell upon your hearts night and day. Do not laugh, or talk, or trifle them away! For O! they will rebound upon you with overwhelming weight at last—if you now turn them away. O! that God may prepare a people for himself in this poor place! O! that he would visit this barren spot with the showers of divine grace! And may he prepare our hearts for the rich gospel feast before us! Amen.
Back to SERMONS Samuel Davies