THE SECOND INVITATION. Or, in case he shall see the people negligent to come to the holy Communion, instead of the former, he shall use this Exhortation. DEARLY beloved brethren, on — I intend, by God's grace, to celebrate the Lord's Supper: unto which, in God's behalf, I bid you all that are here present; and beseech you, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, that ye will not refuse to come thereto, being so lovingly called and bidden by God Himself. Ye know how grievous and unkind a thing it is, when a man hath prepared a rich feast, decked his table with all kind of provision, so that there lacketh nothing but the guests to sit down; and yet they who are called (without any cause) most unthankfully refuse to come. Which of you in such a case would not be moved? Who would not think a great injury and wrong done unto him? Wherefore, most dearly beloved in Christ, take ye good heed lest ye, withdrawing yourselves from this holy Supper, provoke God's indignation against you. It is an easy matter for a man to say, I will not communicate, because I am otherwise hindered with worldly business. But such excuses are not so easily accepted and allowed before God. If any man say, I am a grievous sinner, and therefore am afraid to come: wherefore then do ye not repent and amend? When God calleth you, are ye not ashamed to say ye will not come? When ye should return to God, will ye excuse yourselves, and say ye are not ready? Consider earnestly with yourselves how little such feigned excuses will avail before God. They that refused the feast in the Gospel because they had bought a farm, or would try their yokes of oxen, or because they were married, were not so excused, but counted unworthy of the heavenly feast. I, for my part, shall be ready; and, according to mine Office, I bid you in the Name of God, I call you in Christ's behalf H I exhort you, as ye love your own salvation, that ye will be partakers of this holy Communion. And as the Son of God did vouchsafe to yield up His soul by death upon the Cross for your salvation; so it is your duty to receive the Communion in remembrance of the sacrifice of His death, as He Himself hath commanded: which if ye shall neglect to do, consider with yourselves how great injury ye do unto God, and how sore punishment hangeth over your heads for the same; when ye wilfully abstain from the Lord's table, and separate from your brethren, who come to feed on the banquet of that most heavenly food. These things if ye earnestly consider, ye will by God's grace return to a better mind: for the obtaining whereof we shall not cease to make our humble petitions unto Almighty God our heavenly Father. THIS second Invitation was added to the Book of Common Prayer A.D. 1552, probably at the instance of Bucer, the Strasburg Reformer, to whom England's Church is so largely indebted. It is mainly grounded on the parable of the Great Supper." We may regard that parable as setting forth first God's invitation to man to receive the Gospel, and then to come to that feast of love which is the pledge and seal of the Gospel. Oh what costly · love is here shadowed forth! For this the Eternal Father must give His only Son to become man and die for us. For this the Eternal Son must delight to do the Father's will and give Himself for the life of the world. For this the Eternal Spirit must touch the secret springs of thought in every faithful communicant, for without His grace it would be a lifeless form. These mighty facts having a Luke xiv. 16-24. gone before, what tender grace designed this memorial feast of love, so simple, like all God's greatest works, so fathomless in the mystery of the love it expresses, so perfectly suited to all the needs of man! Why, then, do so many refuse to come? Some are living (consciously to themselves) in sin, sin which their conscience condemns, but which they palliate and excuse. They dare not come, and rightly. Others are living so entirely in and for the world, that their hearts being overcharged with the cares of this life, they cannot make time to attend to the concerns of their soul. Others are wavering and undecided, "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth ;' " like Agrippa, they are almost persuaded; like Felix, they will put it off to a more convenient season. And still the Saviour's voice falls upon their ears, Come, for all things are now ready. He would not indeed have them come to His table before they come to Himself; but He would have them come to Himself now, to-day, while it is called to-day, and then come to His table to ratify their covenant with God. As one has well said, "We come to Christ for life, and to holy Communion with life. We come to Christ for forgiveness, and to holy Communion with forgiveness. Food and strength are for the living, not for the dead." But there are some serious persons, who are deterred from coming by the inconsistencies of other communicants. Let such remember that we must every one give account of himself to God. Let such say with the Psalmist, I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me. And there are those who stay away from the Lord's Supper because they are afraid of coming unworthily. Of this the following exhortation treats. But it is enough to answer, Our only plea is the blood of Jesus, the worthiness of Jesus. And some who once used to come have now forsaken this feast of love. The world crept in unawares. Private prayer was reduced to its narrowest limits. Self-examination was given up. And at last the Lord's table quite abandoned. Let such remember that spiritual death is creeping over them. How terribly is the end of an impenitent backslider sketched in the "Pilgrim's Progress"! To recall but a few of his confessions: "I am what I was not once. I was once a flourishing professor, and, as I thought, fair for the Celestial City, and had even joy at the thought that I should get thither. I am now a man of despair, and am shut up in it as in an iron cage. I left off to watch and be sober. I laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts. I sinned against the light of the Word and the goodness of God. I have grieved the Spirit, and He is gone. I have tempted the devil, and he is come to me. I have so hardened my heart that I cannot repent. Oh, eternity, eternity! how shall I grapple with the misery which I must meet with in eternity ?” Who does not echo the words of Christian, "God help me to watch and be sober, and to pray that I may shun the cause of this man's misery "? Such is John Bunyan's picture of a man of despair. But there are those who have not thus done despite to the Spirit of grace, and who yet have grievously backslidden from God. They have forsaken the Fountain of living waters, and God has in His mercy constrained them to feel and confess that it is an evil and bitter thing to have hewn out to themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water. Perhaps months, or even years, have passed away since they came to the table of the Lord. What shall they do? Let them come as they are to the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat, saying "Just as I am—without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, O Lamb of God, I come." Let Let them keep back nothing from God. them cast all the burden, the sin, the guilt, the shame before the throne. Let them hold fast to the penitent David's prayer, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." The voice of mercy shall be heard by them, Return, thou backsliding Israel, a Ps. li. 7. |