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THE DUTY OF CONSTANT
COMMUNION
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Sermon 101 – 1787
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AN INTRODUCTORY COMMENT
This sermon
represents Wesley’s fullest
and most explicit statement
of his eucharistic doctrine
and praxis as well as his
untroubled reliance upon a
classic expression of the
‘catholic tradition’ in
current Anglican doctrine at
that time.
In 1732, Wesley
wrote an extract of The
Great Duty of Frequenting
the Christian Sacrifice
(1707) by Robert Nelson, the
most celebrated Anglican
liturgist of the day.
Wesley designed to use the
treatise primarily with his
own students and friends at
Oxford. In his extract,
Wesley actually rewrote a
good deal of Nelson’s text,
incorporated a few portions
from other authors such as
William Beveridge, and added
some original material of
his own. The shift of
emphasis from Nelson’s
‘frequenting the Christian
sacrifice’ to Wesley’s
‘constant communion’ seems
to have been suggested by a
tract of Arthur Bury’s, the
controversial rector of
Exeter College, Oxford,
entitled The Constant
Communion (1681), which was
also read by the Oxford
Methodists.
Fifty-five years
later, Wesley proceeded to
abridge the earlier extract
and to revise it still
further. He then presented
the result as an ‘original
sermon’ in the Arminian
Magazine (1787), with the
postscript, ‘Oxon., Feb. 19,
1732’. It has no title but
has a heading ‘To the
Reader’, claiming the text
as Wesley’s own. This
assertion, however, raises a
nice question, since there
is too much of Nelson here
for it to be acknowledged as
truly ‘original’ and too
much of Wesley for it to be
labeled as wholly
‘borrowed’. When Wesley
decided to include the
Magazine revision of his
earlier revision of Nelson
in volume eight of his
collected Sermons, he gave
it its present title and
repeated the earlier
heading, ‘To the Reader’:
The following discourse was
written above five and fifty
years ago, for the use of my
pupils at Oxford. I have
added very little, but
retrenched much; as I then
used more words than I do
now. But I thank God I have
not yet seen cause to alter
my sentiments in any point
which is therein delivered.
It is no wonder that men who
have no fear of God should
never think of doing this.
But it is strange that it
should be neglected by any
that do fear God, and desire
to save their souls. And
yet nothing is more common.
One reason why any neglect
it is, they are so much
afraid of ‘eating and
drinking unworthily’ that
they never think how much
greater the danger is when
they do not eat or drink at
all. That I may do what I
can to bring these
well-meaning men to a more
just way of thinking, I
shall.
First, show that it
is the duty of every
Christian to receive the
Lord’s Supper as often as he
can; and secondly, answer
some objections.
I
I am to show that it is
the duty of every Christian
to receive the Lord’s Supper
as often as he can.
The first reason why it is
the duty of every Christian
so to do is because it is a
plain command of Christ.
That this is his command
appears from the words of
the text, ‘Do this in
remembrance of me’: by
which, as the Apostles were
obliged to bless, break, and
give the bread to all that
joined with them in those
holy things, so were all
Christians obliged to
receive those signs of
Christ’s body and blood.
Here therefore the bread and
wine are commanded to be
received, in remembrance of
his death, to the end of the
world. Observe, too, that
this command was given by
our Lord when he was just
laying down his life for our
sakes. They are therefore,
as it were, his dying words
to all his followers.
A second reason why every
Christian should do this as
often as he can is because
the benefits of doing it are
so great to all that do it
in obedience to him; namely,
the forgiveness of our past
sins and the present
strengthening and refreshing
of our souls. In this world
we are never free from
temptations. Whatever way
of life we are in, whatever
our condition be, whether we
are sick or well, in trouble
or at ease, the enemies of
our souls are watching to
lead us into sin. And too
often they prevail over us.
Now when we are convinced of
having sinned against God,
what surer way have we of
procuring pardon from him
than the ‘showing forth the
Lord’s death,’ and
beseeching him, for the sake
of his Son’s sufferings, to
blot out all our sins?
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The grace of God given
herein confirms to us the
pardon of our sins by
enabling us to leave them.
As our bodies are
strengthened by bread and
wine, so are our souls by
these tokens of the body and
blood of Christ. This is
the food of our souls: this
gives strength to perform
our duty, and leads us on to
perfection. If therefore we
have any regard for the
plain command of Christ, if
we desire the pardon of our
sins, if we wish for
strength to believe, to love
and obey God, then we should
neglect no opportunity of
receiving the Lord’s
Supper. Then we must never
turn our backs on the feast
which our Lord has prepared
for us. We must neglect no
occasion which the good
providence of God affords us
for this purpose. This is
the true rule – so often are
we to receive as God gives
us opportunity. Whoever
therefore does not receive,
but goes from the holy table
when all things are
prepared, either does not
understand his duty or does
not care for the dying
command of his Savior, the
forgiveness of his sins, the
strengthening of his soul,
and the refreshing it with
the hope of glory.
Let everyone therefore who
has either any desire to
please God, or any love of
his own soul, obey God and
consult the good of his own
soul by communicating every
time he can; like the first
Christians, with whom the
Christian sacrifice was a
constant part of the Lord’s
day’s service. And for
several centuries they
received it almost every
day. Four times a week
always, and every saint’s
day beside. Accordingly
those that joined in the
prayers of the faithful
never failed to partake of
the blessed sacrament. What
opinion they had of any who
turned his back upon it we
may learn from that ancient
canon, ‘If any believer join
in the prayers of the
faithful, and go away
without receiving the Lord’s
Supper, let him be
excommunicated, as bringing
confusion into the church of
God.’
In order to understand the
nature of the Lord’s Supper,
it would be useful carefully
to read over those passages
in the Gospel and in the
first Epistle to the
Corinthians which speak of
the institution of it.
Hence we learn that the
design of this sacrament is
the continual remembrance of
the death of Christ, by
eating bread and drinking
wine, which are the outward
signs of the inward grace,
the body and blood of
Christ.
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It is highly expedient for
those who purpose to receive
this, whenever their time
will permit, to prepare
themselves for this solemn
ordinance by
self-examination and
prayer. But this is not
absolutely necessary. And
when we have not time for
it, we should see that we
have the habitual
preparation which is
absolutely necessary, and
can never be dispensed with
on any account or any
occasion whatsoever. This
is, first, a full purpose of
heart to keep all the
commandments of God. And
secondly, a sincere desire
to receive all his promises.
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II
I am, in the second
place, to answer the common
objections against
constantly receiving the
Lord’s Supper.
