8. But suppose this were no
mercy to us (to suppose
which is indeed giving God
the lie; saying, that is not
good for man which he
purposely ordered for his
good), still I ask, Why do
not you obey God’s command?
He says, ‘Do this.’ Why do
you not? You answer, ‘I am
unworthy to do it.’ What!
Unworthy to obey God?
Unworthy to do what God bids
you do? Unworthy to obey
God’s command? What do you
mean by this? That those
who are unworthy to obey God
ought not to obey him? Who
told you so? If he were
even ‘an angel from heaven,
let him be accursed.’ If
you think God himself has
told you so by St. Paul, let
us hear his words. They are
these: ‘He that eatheth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to
himself.’
Why, this is quite another
thing. Here is not a word
said of ‘being unworthy’ to
eat and drink. Indeed he
does speak of eating and
drinking ‘unworthily’; but
that is quite a different
thing – so he has told us
himself. In this very
chapter we are told that by
eating and drinking
unworthily is meant taking
the holy sacrament in such a
rude and disorderly way that
one was ‘hungry and another
drunken.’ But what is that
to you? Is there any danger
of your doing so? Of your
eating and drinking thus
unworthily? However
unworthy you are to
communicate, there is no
fear of your communicating
thus. Therefore, whatever
the punishment is of doing
it thus unworthily, it does
not concern you. You have
no more reason from this
text to disobey God than if
there was no such text in
the Bible. If you speak of
‘eating and drinking
unworthily’ in the sense St.
Paul uses the words you may
as well say, ‘I dare not
communicate “for fear the
church should fall” as for
fear I should “eat and drink
unworthily”.’
9. If then you fear
bringing damnation on
yourself by this, you fear
where no fear is. Fear it
not for eating and drinking
unworthily; for that, in St.
Paul’s sense, ye cannot do.
But I will tell for what you
shall fear damnation: for
not eating and drinking at
all; for not obeying your
Make and Redeemer; for
disobeying his plain
command; for thus setting at
nought both his mercy and
authority. Fear ye this;
for hear what his Apostle
saith: ‘Whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet
offend in one point, is
guilty of all’ (James 2:10).
10. We see then how weak
the objection is, ‘I dare
not receive (the Lord’s
Supper), because I am
unworthy.’ Nor is it any
stronger, though the reason
why you think yourself
unworthy is that you have
lately fallen into sin. It
is true our Church forbids
those ‘who have done any
grievous crime’ to receive
without repentance. But all
that follows from this is
that we should repent before
we come; not that we should
neglect to come at all.
To say, therefore, that ‘a
man may turn his back upon
the altar because he has
lately fallen into sin; that
he may impose this penance
upon himself’, is talking
without any warrant from
Scripture. For where does
the Bible teach to atone for
breaking one commandment of
God by breaking another?
What advice is this –
‘Commit a new act of
disobedience, and God will
more easily forgive the
past’!
11. Others there are who to
excuse their disobedience
plead that they are unworthy
in another sense, that they
‘cannot live up to it; they
cannot pretend to lead so
holy a life as constantly
communicating would oblige
them to do.’ Put this into
plain words. I ask: Why do
not you accept the mercy
which God commands you to
accept? You answer,
‘Because I cannot live up to
the profession I must make
when I receive it.’ Then it
is plain you ought never to
receive it at all. For it
is no more lawful to promise
once what you know you
cannot perform than to
promise it a thousand
times. You know, too, that
it is one and the same
promise whether you make it
every year or every day.
You promise to do just as
much whether you promise
ever so often or ever so
seldom.
If therefore you cannot live
up to the profession they
make who communicate once a
week, neither can you come
up to the profession you
make who communicate once a
year. But cannot you,
indeed? Then it had been
good for you that you had
never been born. For all
that you profess at the
Lord’s table you must both
profess and keep, or you
cannot be saved. For you
profess nothing there but
this, that you will
diligently keep his
commandments. And cannot
you keep up to this
profession? Then you cannot
enter into life.
12. Think then what you
say, before you say you
cannot live up to what is
required of constant
communicants. This is no
more than is required of any
communicants, yea, of
everyone that has a soul to
be saved. So that to say
you cannot live up to this
is neither better nor worse
than renouncing
Christianity. It is in
effect renouncing your
baptism, wherein you
solemnly promised to keep
all his commandments. You
now fly from that
profession. You willfully
break one of his
commandments, and to excuse
yourself say you cannot keep
his commandments! Then you
cannot expect to receive the
promises, which are made
only to those that keep
them.
13. What has been said on
this pretence against
constant communion is
applicable to those who say
the same thing in other
words: ‘We dare not do it,
because it requires so
perfect an obedience
afterwards as we cannot
promise to perform.’ Nay,
it requires neither more nor
less perfect obedience than
you promised in your
baptism. You then undertook
to keep the commandments of
God by his help, and you
promise no more when you
communicate.
But observe upon the whole,
this is not so properly an
objection against constantly
communicating as against
communicating at all. For
if we are not to receive the
Lord’s Supper till we are
worthy of it, it is certain
we ought never to receive
it.
14. A second objection
which is often made against
constant communion is the
having so much business as
will not allow time for such
a preparation as is
necessary thereto. I
answer: all the preparation
that is absolutely necessary
is contained in those words,
‘Repent you truly of your
sins past; have faith Christ
our Savior’ (and observe,
that word is not here taken
in its highest sense!);
‘amend your lives, and be in
charity with all men; so
shall ye be meet partakers
of these holy mysteries.’
All who are thus prepared
may draw near without fear,
and receive the sacrament to
their comfort. Now what
business can hinder you from
being thus prepared? From
repenting of your past
sins? From believing that
Christ died to save
sinners? From amending your
lives, and being in charity
with all men? No business
can hinder you from this,
unless it be such as hinders
you from being in a state of
salvation. If you resolve
and design to follow Christ
you are fit to approach the
Lord’s table. If you do not
design this, you are only
fit for the table and
company of devils.
