Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing ChristiansRyle, J. C. (John Charles)
Religion
Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians
Ryle, J. C. (John Charles)
Christian life -- Anglican authors
(5) In the last place, some object to be communicants because they see
others coming to the Lord's Table who are not worthy, and not in a right
state of mind. Because others eat and drink unworthily, they refuse to
eat and drink at all. Of all the grounds taken up by non-communicants to
justify their own neglect of Christ's ordinance, I must plainly say, I
know none which seems to me so foolish, so weak, so unreasonable, and so
unscriptural as this. It is as good as saying that we will never receive
the Lord's Supper at all! When shall we ever find a body of communicants
on earth of which all the members are converted?--It is setting up
ourselves in the most unhealthy attitude of judging others. "Who art
thou that judgest another?" "What is that to thee? Follow thou Me."--It
is depriving ourselves of a great privilege merely because others
profane it and make a bad use of it.--It is pretending to be wiser than
our Master Himself. If the words of St. Luke mean anything, Judas
Iscariot was present at the first Communion, and received the bread and
wine among others.--It is taking up ground for which there is no warrant
in Scripture. St. Paul rebukes the Corinthians sharply for the
irreverent behaviour of some of the communicants; but I cannot find him
giving a single hint that when some came to the Table unworthily, others
ought to draw back or stay away. Let me advise the non-communicants I
have now in view to beware of being wise above that which was written.
Let them study the parable of the Wheat and Tares, and mark how both
were to "grow together till the harvest." (Matt. xiii. 30.) Perfect
Churches, perfect congregations, perfect bodies of communicants, are
all unattainable in this world of confusion and sin. Let us covet the
best gifts, and do all we can to check sin in others; but let us not
starve our own selves because others are ignorant sinners, and turn
their meat into poison. If others are foolish enough to eat and drink
unworthily, let us not turn our backs on Christ's ordinance, and refuse
to eat and drink at all.
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