EXERCISES OF GODLINESSAT THE LORD’S TABLE
by George Swinnock, anedited excerpt from
chapter 19 of “The Christian Man’s Calling,” in Works 1.192–211

I come to the second particular about the Lord’s Supper, and that is yourbehaviour at the Table, or in the time of receiving; in reference to which Iwould advise you: (1) To mind the suitable subjects which are to be consideredat it; and (2) To observe the special graces which are to be exercised in it.

Meditations at the Table

(1) There are three principal subjects of meditation, when you approach theTable, in order to the three graces, which must then be acted. The subjects ofmeditation are Christ’s passion, His affection, and your own corruptions. Thethree graces are faith, love, and godly sorrow.

Meditate on the Passion of Christ

a) The wounds of Christ, out of which came precious balsamto heal all your sinful sores, ought never to be forgotten; but the remembranceof them is never so seasonable as at a sacrament. One end of the institution ofthis ordinance was the commemoration of Christ’s death: “As often as ye eatthis bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1Cor 11:26–27).

When you see the bread and wine consecrated and set apart, consider how God theFather did from eternity set apart His only Son for His bloody passion, andyour blessed redemption. Consider He was a lamb slain before the foundation ofthe world. When you see the bread and wine upon the Table, consider that, asthe corn was ground in the mill to make that bread, and the grapes squeezed tomake that wine, so your Saviour was beaten in the mill and wine-press of HisFather’s wrath before He could be meat indeed and drink indeed to nourish youunto life everlasting. When you see the bread broken in pieces, think how thebody of Christ was broken for your iniquities. “It pleased the LORD to bruise”(Isa 53:10a).

Consider the doleful tragedy, which He acted from first to last; meditate onHis incarnation. For the Son of God to become the Son of man;—for Him thatlived from all eternity to be born in time; for Him that thunders in the cloudsto cry in the cradle; for Him that created all things to become a creature,—isa greater suffering than if all the men and angels in this and the other worldwere crowded into an atom, or turned into nothing. This was the first andgreatest step of His humiliation. Consider the manner of His birth: He wasborn, not of some great princes, but of mean and indigent parents; not in aroyal palace, but in a place where beggars and beasts are entertained—a stable;He was no sooner born but sought after to be butchered. He fled for His life inHis very swaddling-cloths, and was an early martyr indeed. When He grew up,though He was of ability to have swayed the sceptre of all the empires in theworld, to have instructed the greatest potentates and counsellors in themysteries of wisdom and knowledge; though to Him Adam and Solomon, yea, andangels themselves, were fools, yet He lived privately with His supposed fathermany years, and suffered His deity to be hid, as light in a dark lantern, nearthirty years, save that once it darted a little out, when at twelve years ofage He disputed and confuted the great Rabbis of the Jews (Lk 2:46).

When He entered upon His public ministry, He was no sooner ascended the stage,but all the devils in hell appeared against Him, and He was forced to fighthand to hand with them for forty days together; and when they left Him they didnot take their leave, but “departed [only] for a season” (Lk 4:13). His wholelife was a living death. How poor was He, when He was fain to work a miracle topay His tax! “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; butthe Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Mt 8:20), though he were “heirof all things” (Heb 1:2). What did He suffer in His name when the worst wordsin the mouths of the Jews were thought not bad enough for Him! He is called thecarpenter’s son, a glutton, a drunkard, a blasphemer, a friend of publicans andsinners, a Samaritan, a devil; nay, the prince of devils. What hunger andthirst and weariness did He undergo! He that feeds others with His own fleshhad many a hungry belly. He that gave others that water, of which whosoeverdrinks shall thirst no more, had His own veins sucking and paining Him forthirst. He that is Himself the only ark for the weary dove to fly to for rest,did Himself take many a wearisome step, and travel many a tiresome journey.Well might the prophet call Him “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”(Isa 53:3), though He had suffered no more than what is already written; butall this was but the beginning of His sorrows. The dregs of the cup were at thebottom. Doubtless many an aching heart had He, as a woman with child,beforehand, when He thought of the bitter pangs, sharp throes, and hard labour,which He was to suffer at the close of His life. O friend, remember this Son ofDavid and all His troubles. But to come to His end, which is speciallyrepresented in this ordinance, I will take Him in the garden, where He feltmore than I can write or think.

But behold, reader, your Saviour for your sake, and under the weight of yoursins, did sweat blood in a cold night, when He was exceedingly afraid. Ah! whowould not love such a Saviour, and who would not loathe sin? But the sufferingsof His body were nothing to the sufferings of His soul; these were the soul ofHis sufferings. Observe His expression, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful,” “Mysoul is exceeding sorrowful unto death” (Mk 14:34). Unto death, not onlyextensively,seventeen or eighteen hours, till death ended His life; but chieflyintensively,such sorrow as the pangs of death bring—surely far greater. Again, “Father, ifit be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mt 26:39). Wise and valiant men donot complain of nothing. Ah, how bitter was that cup which valour andresolution itself seemed unwilling to drink! The two most tormenting passions,which are fear and grief, did now seize upon Him in the highest degree: “He…began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy” (Mk 14:33).

Reader, follow Him further; one disciple sold Him at the price of a slave;another disciple forswear Him; all of them forsake Him, and fly; the greedywolves lay hold on this innocent lamb; the bloody Jews apprehend Him, bind Hishands like a thief, and hale Him away to the high priest; then they hirepersons to belie truth itself: but when their testimony was insufficient, uponHis own most holy confession, a sentence of condemnation is passed upon Him.Consider now how the servants smite His blessed cheeks with their fists, andspit on that beautiful face with their mouths, which angels counted theirhonour to behold; the masters flout Him with their scornful carriage, and mockHim with their petulant language: He must be the sink into which they fling alltheir filth. Afterwards they carry Him to Pilate; he sends Him to Herod; Herod,with some scorns and scoffs, sends Him back. Thus is He, like a football,spurned up and down between those inhuman wretches: Pilate tears His flesh withwounds and nails, and presents Him to the people with a crown of thorns on Hishead, to move pity; the people, thirsting after His blood, can by no words bepersuaded, by no means be prevailed with, to let this innocent dove escape. ThoughHe be put in competition with a murderer, yet the murderer is preferred beforeHim; and as the worst of the two, He is at last condemned as a seditiousperson, and a traitor against Caesar’s crown and dignity, to be crucifiedwithout the gate, lest the city be polluted with His blood.

Now, reader, come along, like the beloved disciple, and behold your Saviourbearing His own cross, and going to the place of execution to die the death ofa slave, for no freeman was ever crucified; therefore Julian, in derision,called HimThe staked God. He is no sooner come to the dismal place ofdead men’s skulls, but they tear off His clothes, and some think skin and all,glued to His back with their bloody scourgings. Now they stretch His body, ascloth with tenters, and rack it so that His bones start out of His skin—“I maytell all my bones” (Ps 22:17),—in nailing His two hands to the two horns, andHis feet, those parts so full of nerves and sinews, and so the most sensible ofany parts of the body, to the stump of the cross, “They pierced my hands and myfeet” (v. 16) and hang Him up between two thieves, as the most notoriousmalefactor of the three; “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Isa 53:12).His bloody, watching, fasting, scorched, racked body, is oppressed withexquisite pain, and His anguish so vehement that He cried out, “I thirst” (Jn19:28); to quench which they give Him vinegar and gall, and spice it with ascoff to make it relish the better: “Let us see whether Elias will come to savehim” (Mt 27:49).

But oh, who can imagine what He suffered in His soul, when He hung under theweight of men’s revenge, devil’s rage, the Law’s curse, and the Lord’s wrath!Men “revile him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest thetemple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself…. He saved others, himselfhe cannot save” (Mt 27:39–40, 42). “To Him that was afflicted, pity should havebeen shown; but they added affliction to the afflicted, and forsook the fear ofthe Almighty.” All the devils in hell were now putting forth their utmost powerand policy, for “this was their hour, and the power of darkness” (cf. Lk22:53), to increase His sufferings, that, if possible, they might provoke Himto sin, thereby to have separated His human nature from His divine, that itmight have perished eternally, and all mankind with it; but the sting of Hisdeath is yet behind. The head of that arrow which pierced His heart indeed wasthe frown of His Father. That His kinsmen, the Jews, whom He came to sanctifyand redeem, for He was “the glory of [His] people Israel” (Lk 2:32), shoulddeliver Him up to be crucified, was not a small aggravation of His misery: thatHis Apostles, that had been eye-witnesses of His miracles, and ear-witnesses ofHis oracles, (to whom He had spoken so pathetically, “Will ye also forsake me?”and who had told Him so resolutely, “We will go with thee, both into prison,and to death,” [cf. Lk 22:33; Mt 26:35]), should now in His greatest extremityturn their backs upon Him, added some more gall to His bitter cup: that Hismother should stand by the cross weeping, and have her soul pierced throughwith the sword of His sufferings, was far from being an allay to His sorrows;but that His Father, of whom He had often boasted, “It is my Father that honourethme”; “My Father loveth me”; “I and my Father are one,” should now in His lowestate, in His day of adversity, in His critical hour, not only left Him alone,as a harmless dove amongst so many ravenous vultures, to contest with all thefury of earth and hell; but also pour out the vials of His own wrath upon Him,and (though the union was not dissolves, yet) suffer the beams, the influencesto be restrained, that He might fully bear the curse of the Law, and feel theweight of sin; this was the hottest fire in which the paschal lamb was roasted;this caused that heart-breaking, soul-cutting, heaven-piercing expression, “MyGod, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Oh how, how justly might He have criedout with Job, “Have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand”—not only of myenemies and my friends, of multitudes of men, and of legions of devils, but thehand—“of God hath touched me” (19:21). How truly might the husband have takenup His spouse’s lamentation: “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by! Beholdand see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me,wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of His fierce anger.” Ah, whocan write or read such a tragedy with dry eyes?

Meditate on the Affection of Christ

b) “We will remember thy love more than wine,” says thespouse (Song 1:4). When you see the wine, think of that love which is betterthan wine. Believe it, if ever there were a love-feast, this is it. Men testifytheir love in bestowing food on their hungry friends; but ah, what love wasthat which gave His blessed body and precious blood to feed His starvingenemies! He that considers what Christ suffered, and for whom, may well thinkHe was little else but a lump of love. His compassion is infinitely visible in Hispassion! What love was that which moved Him to lay down His life for you!Friend, if ever you had hard thoughts of Christ, take a view of Him in theformer subject of meditation, and consider whether His heart is not set uponsinners, when He shed His heart-blood for their souls. The redness of the firediscovers its heat. Oh, how did the redness of this Rose of Sharon, the bloodwhich issued from His head, and back, and hands, and feet, and heart, and wholebody, speak His burning, His fiery love!

In every drop of His blood there is an ocean of love. Well might the ApostlePaul produce this as an undeniable testimony of the truth of His love, “wholoved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). His bleeding passion was such afull demonstration of His dearest affection, as the whole world never saw thelike before, nor ever shall again. In it His love was dissected and rippedup—you may tell all its bones. Judas gave Him to the Jews, out of love tomoney; the Jews gave Him to Pilate to be condemned, out of love to envy; Pilategave Him to the soldiers to be crucified, out of love to self-interest; butChrist gave Himself, out of pure love to save souls. The great and glorious Goddoes things that are singularly eminent for the manifestation of His attributes.When He would evidence His power, He produces with a word the whole creationout of the barren womb of nothing. He did but will it, and the whole worldpresently started into being. By this He often proves His deity (Isa 45:12 and43:13). As shadows represent the figure of those bodies from whence they arederived, so do the creatures manifest the power of their Maker.

When He would manifest His justice, He lays the dark vault of hell, and laysin, and stores it with fire, and brimstone, and chains, and blackness ofdarkness, and gnawing worms, and pure wrath, and devils, and all theinstruments of eternal death (Rom 9:22). When He would make known His wisdom,He finds out a fit mediator, and thereby reconciles those attributes, whichbefore were at odds, His justice and His mercy. He causes “mercy and justice tomeet together, pity and righteousness to kiss each other,” therefore themediator is called “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:21); and the finding out thisway is called “the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph 3:10), or the “embroideredwisdom of God.” It is an allusion to a curious piece of needlework, whereinthere are various expressions of art. So in this way of man’s recovery, thereare various and curious expressions of divine wisdom.

But when God would proclaim His love, that attribute which, like oil, swims atthe top of them all, which is most in favour, which He delights so exceedinglyin, what will He do? Why, He lays down His life: “Greater love hath no man thanthis, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Jacob showedhis love to Rachel, by enduring the heat of the day, and the cold of the nightfor her. But Jesus showed His love to His beautiful spouse by undergoing thecursed, painful, and shameful death of the cross for her. Oh, what love wasthat!

In His birth and life He manifested His love; the midst of that chariot inwhich He drew His spouse before, was “paved with love”; but His death wrote Hislove in the greatest print, in the largest character, though all in red letters;for His whole body was the book, His precious blood was the ink, the nails werethe pens, the contents of it from the beginning to the end are love,love. There is nothing else to be read but love, love. “In thiswas manifested the love of God” (1 Jn 4:9). His love before was glorious, yethid as the sun under a cloud; but at His death it did shine forth in itmeridian splendour, in its noonday brightness, with such hot beams andrefreshing rays, that every one must needs take notice of it.

If love were quite lost amongst all the creatures, all might be found in JesusChrist. His name is love, His nature is love, all His expressions were love,all His actions were love: He bought love, He preached love, He was sick oflove; nay, He died for love; it was love that took upon Him our nature; it waslove that walked in our flesh; it was love that went up and down doing good; itwas love that took our infirmities; it was love that gave sight to the blind,speech to the dumb, ears to the deaf, life to the dead; it was love that washungry, and thirsty, and weary; it was love that was in a bloody agony; it waslove that was sorrowful unto His own death, and my life; it was love that wasbetrayed, apprehended, derided, scourged, condemned, and crucified; it was lovethat had His head pierced with thorns, His back with cords, His hands and feetwith nails, and His side with a spear; it was love that cried out, “Weep notfor me, but weep for yourselves” (Lk 23:28); “Father, forgive them; they knownot what they do” (Lk 23:34). Love left a glorious crown, and love climbed ashameful cross. O dearest Saviour, whither did Thy love carry Thee!

Reader, I could lose myself in this pleasant maze of Christ’s love. I thinkyour heart should be ravished with the sense of this love. The truth is, it isa bottomless love; none can sound it. The Apostle might well call it: A knownunknown love (Eph 3:19). It is well you can find it; but I am sure you cannotfathom it. One disciple may show his love to another, by giving a cup of coldwater; but the Master showed His love to His disciples by broaching His heartto give them a cup of warm blood. The sacraments, as Calvin observes, did flowout of the sides of Christ. When the soldier pierced His side, there came outwater (for baptism) and blood (for the supper).

Meditate on Your Corruptions

c) As His love was the inward moving cause, so your sinswere the outward procuring cause, of His sufferings: “He was wounded for [your]transgressions, he was bruised for [your] iniquities; the chastisement of[your] peace was upon him” (Isa 53:5). When you are at the sacrament, whichfitly represents Christ’s sufferings, consider with yourself, What was thatwhich brought the blessed Saviour into such a bleeding condition? It was mysin; I was the Judas, which betrayed Him, the Jew, which apprehended Him, thePilate that condemned Him, and the Gentile, which crucified Him. My sins werethe thorns, which pierced His head, the nails, which pierced His hands, and thespear, which pierced His heart. It was I that put to death the Lord of life: Hedied for my sins; He was “made sin for me, who knew no sin” (cf. 2 Cor 5:21);His blood is my balm, His Golgotha is my Gilead. Oh, what a subject is here formeditation! He suffered in my stead, He bore my sins in His body on the tree.When He was in the garden in His bitter agony, grovelling on the ground, therewas no Judas, no Pilate, no Jew, no Gentile there, to cause that unnaturalsweat, or to make His soul sorrowful unto death; but my pride, my unbelief, myhypocrisy, my atheism, my blasphemy, my unthankfulness, my carnal-mindedness,they were there, and caused His inward bleeding sorrows, and outward bloodysufferings. Ah, what a heavy weight was my sin to cause such a bloody sweat ina frosty night! My dissimulation was the traitorous kiss, my ambition thethorny crown; my drinking iniquities like water made Him drink gall andvinegar; my want of tears caused Him to bleed; my forsaking my Maker made Himto be forsaken of His Father. Because the members of my body were instrumentsof iniquity, therefore the members of His body were objects of such cruelty;because my soul was so unholy, therefore His soul was so exceeding heavy. O mysoul, what has you done?

We do not say the executioner kills a man for theft or murder; but his theft ormurder, they hang him; so in this case, it was not so much the Jews orsoldiers—for they were the executioners—that put Christ to death, as our theftsand murders, and breaches of God’s Law, which were imputed and laid to Hischarge.

There is a story of a king of France named Lladoveyus, that when He wasconverted to Christianity, one day hearing Remigius the bishop reading theGospel of our Saviour’s passion, he presently fell into this passionateexpression: “Oh that I had been but there with my Frenchmen, I would have cutall their throats!” little considering that his and others’ iniquities wereChrist’s greatest and most cruel enemies. Reader, when you are at the Table,think of those sins which caused such sufferings. Consider the deepness of thatstain which the blood only of God could wash out. Ah, what a sickness is sin,when nothing less than the blood of the Son of God can heal it!

Exercises of Grace at the Table

(2) As at the Table some subjects must be considered, so some graces must beexercised. A sacrament is a special season, a spring-time for those trees ofGod’s own planting to bud, blossom, and put forth their fruit. Now, reader, ifever rouse up your spirit, and stir up the gifts of God which are in you. Callaloud to your graces, which may possibly be sleeping, as David: “Awake up, myglory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early” (Ps 57:8). Awake,my graces! Can you not watch with my dearest Saviour one hour? Awake, my faith,love, and repentance; I myself will awake presently. It is not the hawk whichsits hoodwinked on the fist, but the seeing, flying hawk, which does theservice. The clock which stands still is of no use; it is the going, movingclock which attains its end. Grace acted will now do you eminent service, andhelp you to attain the end of the sacrament.

Exercise Faith

a) Act faith. “If faith sleeps, Christ sleeps,”says Augustine. Call forth first that commander-in-chief; and then the privatesoldiers, the other graces, will all follow. Faith must be the eye whereby yousee Christ: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and… mourn” (Zech12:10). Faith is the mouth by which you feed on Christ (cf. Jn 6:53). Faith isthe feet by which you go to Christ (cf. Jn 6:35). Faith may say to you, asChrist did, “Without me ye can do nothing” (Jn 15:5); without me you can donothing for your own welfare, nothing for God’s honour at this ordinance. It issaid of the Indian gymnosophists, that they will lie all day upon their backsgazing on the beauty of the natural sun. Friend, at this ordinance, if at anytime of your life, view the beauty of this true Sun. As Pilate, when he hadscourged Him in such a bloody, barbarous manner, brings Him forth to the Jewswith, Behold the man; so when you consider the bread and wine,behold the Man; behold the broken, bruised Saviour. A man without faith, likethe unbelieving lord, sees the plenty, but does not eat of it.

There is a threefold act of faith to be put forth at a sacrament. First, Faithmust look out for Christ; secondly, Faith must look up to Christ for grace;thirdly, Faith must take Christ down, or receive Him and grace.

Firstly, faith must look out for Christ. Consider thatthe Lord Jesus Christ is the very soul of the sacrament; without Him it is butthe carcass of an ordinance. Christ and the Scripture bring comfort; Christ andprayer cause spiritual profit; Christ and the elements make a sacrament; Christand the sacrament make a rare feast. Therefore be sure you look out for Christ.Rest not in the bread and wine, but look farther. When you sit at the table,let the speech of your heart be, “Saw ye Him whom my soul loveth?” Turn to Godand say, as they to Philip, “Sir, I would fain see Jesus” (cf. Jn 12:21); Lord,I would fain see Jesus Christ. Let neither word, nor prayer, nor elements, norall things content you without Christ. As Isaac told his father, “Father,…Behold [here is] the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burntoffering?” (Gen 22:7), so do look up to your heavenly Father: Father, beholdhere is the preacher and here is the Scripture, and here is the bread and hereis the wine, but where is the body and blood of my Saviour? Lord, where is thelamb for a sacrifice? Father, Father, where is the Lamb of God that takes awaythe sins of the world?

Secondly, faith must look up to Christ for grace. Lookup to Christ as a treasury of grace for the supply of all your necessities, andput your hand of faith into this treasury, and you shall take out unsearchableriches. Augustine puts the question, how a Christian may put out a long arm toreach Christ in heaven? and answers, “Believe, and you have taken hold of Him.”Christ is a full breast; faith the mouth which draws and sucks the breast, andgets spiritual nourishment out of it. The blessed Saviour is a precious anddeep mine, but faith is the instrument whereby we dig the gold out of it. Asthe Spanish ambassador said of his master’s treasury, in comparison of thattreasury of St. Mark in Venice, “In this, among other things, my master’streasury differs from yours, in that my master’s treasury (alluding to hisIndian mines) has no bottom, as I see yours to have.” For your comfort, knowthat the riches in Christ are inexhaustible, and His bags are bottomless. Hecan “supply all your need” (Phil 4:19).

Are your wants many? He has infinite wealth. Have you no money to buy, nomerits to offer? Why, He sells “without money and without price” (Isa 55:1).They that bring money have it returned back in their sacks, for He takes none.“Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev 22:17).

The sacrament is as conduit which receives water from the river; therefore whenyou have brought the vessel of your soul to the conduit, your work must be byfaith to turn the cock, and then it will run freely, and fill your vessel. Besure that you mind the promise, “This is my body”; “This cup is the newtestament in my blood” (1 Cor 11:24, 25). Your faith will be celestial fire toextract the quintessence and spirits of the promise.

Thirdly, faith must receive Christ, and apply Himto your soul. When you put forth the hand of your body to take the bread andwine, do put forth the hand of faith to receive the body and blood of Christ.This is one principal act of faith, like Joseph of Arimathea, to take Jesusdown from His cross and lay Him in the new tomb of your heart. Like Thomas, putyour finger of faith into His side, and cry out, “My Lord and my God” (Jn20:28). Be not discouraged, O penitent soul. Are your sins many?—His mercy isfree. Are your sins weighty?—His merits are full. You come for bread, and willyou Saviour give you a stone? He took notice of your serious preparation forthis ordinance, and will He frustrate your expectation at it? Did He ever send hungrysoul empty away? The law of man provides for the poor in purse, and will notthe gospel of Christ provide for the poor in spirit? Is not His commission tobind up the broken-hearted, and can He be unfaithful? Why should you mistrusttruth itself? Let me say to you, as the disciples to the blind man, “Be of goodcomfort, he calleth thee” (Mk 10:49). See how He casts His eyes upon you with alook of love, as once upon Peter. Observe, He stretches out His arms wide toembrace you; He bows down His head to kiss you. He cries to you, as toZacchæus, “I must abide at thy house” (Lk 19:5), in your heart today. Oh makehaste to receive Him, and make Him a feast by opening the doors of your soul,that the King of glory may enter in. Say to Christ, “Lord, though I am unworthythat Thou should come under my roof, yet Thou art so gracious as to knock atthe door of my heart, and to promise, if I open, that Thou will come in and supwith me”; and then call to Him, as Laban to Abraham’s steward, “Come in, thoublessed of the LORD, wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared[lodging for thee]” (Gen 24:31).

Exercise Love

b) The second grace to be called forth is love;and truly if you have acted faith in His passion for, and affection to, yoursoul. I shall not in the least doubt but your love to Him will play its part.The creatures, some tell us, follow the panther, being drawn after her by hersweet odours. When Jesus Christ, out of infinite love, offered up Himself asacrifice for your sins, surely the sweet savour thereof may draw your heartafter Him. “Because of the savour of thy good ointments,… therefore do thevirgins love thee” (Song 1:3). There is nothing in Christ but what may wellcommand your love: “[He is] the chiefest of ten thousand:… he is altogetherlovely” (Song 5:10, 16). But His bloody sufferings for you, and His blessedlove to you, one would think, are such loadstones, that if you were as cold andhard as steel, would draw your soul both to desire Him, and to delight in Him.Meditate a little more on His love to you. Publicans and sinners love theirfriends who love them; and will you be worse than publicans and sinners?Consider seriously; Jesus Christ loved you when you were in a loathsome estate(Ezk 16); when you were wallowing in your blood, when no eye pitied you, thenwas His tome of love; He passed by you, and said unto you, “Live: yea,… whenthou wast in thy blood, [He said unto you,] Live” (v. 6). And will you not loveHim?

Exercise Repentance

c) When you are at the table, exercise repentance.What sorrow for and anger against your sins should the sight of a crucifiedSaviour cause! Some tell us, that if the murderer be brought near and touch thebody slain by him, it bleeds afresh. Oh, when you who are indeed the murdererof the Son of God, does touching and tasting His body and blood, should not youfall a-bleeding, a-weeping afresh? Behold His broken, bleeding body with an eyeof faith, and your eye cannot but affect your heart with grief. I am confidentyou cannot see it with dry eyes. Was His soul exceeding sorrowful, heavy evenunto death for your sake? Did He drop so much blood, and can you drop never atear? The very rocks were rent at His sufferings, and is your heart harder thanthose stones? Is it possible for the head to be so pained and pierced, and themembers not be affected with it? Surely deep calls unto deep—deep sufferings inChrist for deep sorrow in you, O Christian. If His body were broken to let Hisblood out, your soul may well be broken to let it in. “They shall look upon[Him] whom they have pieced, and… mourn for him, as one mourneth for his onlyson” (Zech 12:10).

His love may make—as David’s kindness—even a Saul to lift up his voice andweep. It is so great and so hot a fire, that one would think it would distilwater out of you, were you never so dry a herb. When Christ sat at supper inthe leper’s house, Mary washed His feet with her tears. When Christ and yoursoul are supping together, you may well weep in remembrance of your unkindnessand wickedness.

But the chiefest reason why I mention repentance now to be exercised, is not somuch for your contrition or sorrow for sin—though when the sweet sauce is alittle sharp with vinegar the meat will relish the better for it—as for yourindignation and anger against sin. When you consider that your dearest Saviourin a cold night lay grovelling on the ground, all over in a bloody sweat; thatyour best friend in the world was so inhumanly used, so barbarously butchered,you should cry out, as David, in a holy passion: “As the LORD liveth, the man[i.e., sin] that hath done this thing shall surely die” (2 Sam 12:5).

Truly, reader, a sacrament day is a special opportunity, and you will show butlittle love to your “everlasting Father” if you do not now put His murderers todeath, upon those monuments of His passion. Now you are at the Table, think ofyour unthankfulness, ambition, hypocrisy, covetousness, irreligion, andinfidelity, and the rest, how these “crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8),and resolve through the strength of Christ that these Hamans shall all behanged, that these sins shall be condemned and crucified.