AM I FIT TO RECEIVE THE LORD'S

SUPPER?

Ir you ask me, "Am I fit to receive the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ?" let me say first of all, that in one sense no one is fit; neither you, nor I, nor any one in the world; the best of us are not of ourselves fit or worthy to draw near to this heavenly Feast, to draw so near to Christ, so near to the most pure, most holy Jesus, as to be made "one with Christ, and Christ with us." The best of us may well take up the centurion's words and say, “I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof." Or with Jacob, we may say, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant." Or in the words of the Prayer-book, we may confess that "we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Thy table."

It is true that we are so sinful, so stained with sin, that we are not fit even to pray, much less to receive the Lord's Supper. Like the publican, we are not worthy to lift up so much as our eyes unto heaven. God is so very pure,

We

and we so impure, that we might well feel ourselves unfit to approach Him in prayer. might well say, "Will the Almighty, the all-holy, the glorious God, look on such as we? Will He hear such poor worms, such sinners as we, who provoke Him every day, who are ever grieving Him, who continually break His laws, sometimes wilfully, sometimes in ignorance, sometimes through infirmity for the moment?" And yet do you not see that God not only allows us to draw near to Him in prayer, though we have all unclean hands and unclean hearts, but He bids, He wishes us, He urges us to pray. He accepts all real earnest prayers that are offered in His dear Son's Name. He rejoices to see us on our knees. Of His great mercy and great love He is ready to receive our prayers, to receive us when we offer them, though we are of ourselves unworthy to draw near to Him. He bids us, in proof of this, draw near the House of Prayer where He dwells, that we may be sure of His presence amongst us in order to hear and to accept our prayers.

It is true that David says "God heareth not sinners;" but what does this mean? It does not mean strictly that any person who is a sinner will not be heard, because, as everybody is a

sinner, this text, if kept to the letter, would shut the door against the whole world; but it means that "God heareth not" unrepenting sinners; He will not hear those who intend to continue in their sins; for the prayers of men who do not repent, nor design, nor wish to leave their sins, are a mere mockery of God. He mercifully considers that those are fit to pray, who really wish to have His pardon and His grace, that they may be freed from sin.

And will not this also make some points clear about the Lord's Supper? As we see who are counted by God as fit to pray, do we not also see who are counted by God as fit to receive the blessed Sacrament of His body and blood? As we see who are not counted by God fit to pray, do we not also see who are not fit to receive the Lord's Supper?

If a man has no thought of altering his life, if he intends to live no better than he has lived in times past, if he is intending to continue in his sin, if he has no fixed purpose of giving himself to strict religious ways, if he is careless and intends to be careless still, if he is not anxious to be saved, and is thinking very little about his Saviour's will, and death, and hell, and judgment to come, and God's love in Christ, then he

is not fit to come to this heavenly Feast; then God wishes him not to come; then, if he comes,

he will not only not benefit, but will greatly hurt and wound his soul; then he will draw down God's anger, he will provoke the Lord to punish him; for in such a case it is a mockery to come, a most fearful, dreadful mockery of God. If a man were to come from any bad motive, such as merely to curry favour with his clergyman, to appear religious when he was not, for the sake of some worldly advantage, he would not be fit, and he would only endanger his soul by drawing

near.

You can now, I think, form some judgment of your own state and your own fitness; or rather you can see who they are whom your Lord Himself reckons fit or unfit. Are you really feeling your own weakness and sinfulness? Are you filled with earnest desires to have greater power to resist sin? Are you anxious to lead a stricter and more religious life, to give up the world more entirely, to have a closer walk with God, more fully to do your Saviour's will, to prepare yourself for the hour of death and the day of judgment, and the second coming of Christ? Are you yearning for pardon of sins past, for grace for the future. If so, you may

be sure that God will receive you; your Saviour will draw near to you; you will obtain pardon and grace; the hunger of your soul will be satisfied, the thirst of your soul will be quenched; you will be fed with that which is meat indeed, you will drink of that which is drink indeed; your cup will be full, you will not go empty away. Nay, this blessed Feast is for such as you, for those who desire to advance in the spiritual life, who seek heaven, who wish to lead purer and holier lives, who feel their weakness, and their want of strength from above, who are conscious of their need of forgiveness and of help, who long to grow in faith, in love, in religious earnestness, in purity, in meekness, in the knowledge of God.

Every thing, you see, depends on the motives with which you come; you will be accepted or rejected by God according to the intentions you have. Sincere intentions, sincere wishes, sincere resolutions to serve your Lord more faithfully, fit you for the Feast. Unfit as you are of yourself, unfit as in one sense you must ever be to gather up even the crumbs of the Feast, yet God will mercifully look upon you and bless you, as long as you are in earnest about your soul, as long as you come humbly and seriously,