PREPARATION FOR THELORD’S SUPPER
Excerpted from Wilhelmus àBrakel, TheChristian’s Reasonable Service, 2.569–89
Part 2 of 2

Last Sabbath, we considered the first part of this excellent article onpreparation for the Lord’s Supper, where ô Brakel describes how a “stimulatingof desire” is necessary for proper preparation for the Supper. In this issue,we continue with the remaining two aspects that are needful for ourpreparation.

The Second Aspect ofPreparation:
An Examination of Self

The second requisite for preparation is self-examination, that is,the determination as to whether one is permitted and able to come to the tablein order to eat and drink spiritually. To that end we shall consider (1) thatself-examination is necessary; (2) that the unconverted are not permitted tocome to the table; (3) that the converted may not stay away from the table; and(4) the manner in which weak believers must encourage themselves.

Self-examination prior to attending the Lord’s Supper is a verynecessary work, for it is, first of all, an express command. “But let a manexamine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1Cor 11:28).

Secondly, this supper is not intended for everyone; a stranger, anuncircumcised person, and one who was unclean were not permitted to eat thePassover (Ex 12). “But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do todeclare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?” (Ps50:16). Christ invites friends (Song 5:1), and those who hunger and thirst (Isa55:1).

Thirdly, it is a dreadful sin to eat and drink unworthily. “Wherefore whosoevershall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall beguilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11:27). A dreadful judgment hangsover the head of such persons. “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1Cor 11:29).

Fourthly, many have a wrong perception of themselves; they measure themselvesby themselves. They deem themselves to be fit, for they have no disagreementwith their neighbour, are baptised, diligently go to hear God’s Word, live insuch a manner that no one can say anything about them, and believe that Christis the Saviour—one must thus not doubt that he will also be saved and thatChrist is also his Saviour. Therefore all is truly well—Christ invites andcommands us, and I then wish to be obedient to the Lord in this respect. Othersadd to this the fact that, prior to that time, they refrain from indulging intheir bosom sins, read pious books, and pray more frequently. One thus putshimself into a pious mould and peacefully attends, eating and drinking judgmentto himself.

Fifthly, many are not capable of examining themselves. They are not familiarwith the marks which all must have who will attend the Lord’s Supper; they arenot acquainted with themselves, nor do they know that a person must examinehimself. They thus attend without self-examination and bring God’s wrath uponthem.

Sixthly, many do not want to examine themselves, for they know that it wouldnot turn out well. They would then become anxious and doubt their salvation.They perhaps would not dare to go to the Lord’s Supper—but what would peoplethen say of them? Therefore they keep the lid on the pot and peacefully live onin their sins, aggravating all this by eating and drinking unworthily. Is ittherefore not very necessary that everyone perceive what his condition is?

Seventhly, if you engage yourself in the duty of self-examination, using God’sWord as a touchstone, an earnestness and concern will begin to manifestthemselves. If you perceive yourself to be unconverted, or if you doubt yourconversion, you will begin to seek, pray, weep, and flee unto Jesus. If you mayperceive true grace within yourself, this will engender joy and liberty topartake by faith. It is therefore evident from all this how necessary andbeneficial it is to examine oneself.

An unconverted person may not attend. A stranger, one who was uncircumcised,or an unclean person, was not permitted to eat the Passover; likewise they mayalso not eat the bread and drink this cup. For the unconverted there is not asingle promise, and thus there is also no sealing function. The unconverted aredead in sins and trespasses; however, dead persons cannot eat; faith is themouth and the hand of the soul. The unconverted have no faith and thus theycannot eat of that bread which has been prepared for believers only. If theynevertheless do so, they must know that they make a mockery of Christ, makethemselves guilty of the body and blood of Christ. With the Jews, they, so tospeak, crucify Him anew.

Question: Who are the unconverted?

Answer: (1) They are ignorant persons who do not even have anintellectual knowledge of Christ’s person, natures, suretyship, humiliation,and exaltation, nor of the necessity of the atonement and the efficacy ofChrist’s death. They are those who as yet have no knowledge of the essence offaith, regeneration, spiritual life, God’s righteousness, and the sinner’sstate of condemnation; they neither understand the essence of the Lord’sSupper, know not how to unite the sign with the matter signified, norunderstand its sealing function.

(2) They are not humbled by their sins and can live peacefully without seekingfor reconciliation in Christ. They neither long for a conscious knowledge thattheir sins are forgiven, nor do they long for comfort, the assurance ofsalvation, sanctification, and a life in the presence of God. They livecarelessly and peacefully without being partakers of these matters.

(3) They have no exercise of faith, nor are they engaged in choosing Christ tobe their Surety, in longing for Him, yearning for Him, fleeing to Him withprayers and supplications, receiving Him unto justification and sanctification,surrendering to Him, making Him the heart’s desire, and living in union withHim.

(4) Their life is entirely in this world. They desire, long for, seek, concernthemselves with, love, delight in, and are anxious about earthly things only;that is, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.This can be true whether one lives a civil life in an external sense and isreligious, or one, either openly or secretly, indulges in blatant sin.

They who are thus, are unconverted; they must realise this. Such we warn mostearnestly that they ought not to be emboldened to come to the holy table, andwe declare to them that they are neither partakers of Christ nor of Hisbenefits. The Lord’s Supper is not for them, and if they nevertheless attend,we pronounce the wrath of God upon them.

Converted persons (if they are healthy and have the opportunity topartake) may not refrain from partaking, for it a) is contrary tothe friendly invitation of Christ; b) is detrimental to their own comfort; c)impedes their growth; d) contradicts their confession of Christ; and e) isdetrimental to the communion of saints, running counter to all the good thingswhich we have enumerated above. When believers make themselves unworthy of theLord’s Supper by giving offence, living in strife and hatred, or cleaving to agiven sin to such an extent that prior to the event they do not wish to make afull resolution to part therewith, they sin in a double measure and ought tohumble themselves deeply before the Lord. Let such remain in the sanctuaryduring the administration of the Lord’s Supper, stand afar off, and observe thepartaking of the Lord’s Supper by believers. Let them thus mourn by themselvesand think, “I may not be among them.”

Question: What must a person do who, in examining himself, can neitherarrive at the knowledge of his state nor conclude whether he is converted?Certainly, such a person may refrain from partaking, may he not?

Answer: One ought never to consider it a privilege if he does notpartake; rather, it must cause great sorrow if he is not permitted to comeforward, and must refrain from partaking. It is entirely wrong to seek forreasons to refrain from partaking, and thus to pacify the conscience. It is nota requisite for partaking that a person have a complete, steadfast, and activeassurance which renders him free from concern as to whether he is in the stateof grace—an assurance by which he reflexively appropriates grace. Rather, it issufficient for one to be assured of the extrinsic acts of faith and repentance,even if one dare not draw the conclusion: I believe and am converted.

(1) A true believer will perceive within himself that with all his heart—albeitthe one time more perceptibly than at other times—he yearns for the Lord Jesusin order to be justified by His blood, to be clothed with His holiness asmerited by His fulfilment of the law, and to be renewed and sanctified by HisSpirit. He will perceive that he yearns for, longs for, cries after, flees to,waits upon, and surrenders himself to Him. He wrestles against unbelief inorder that he may bring Jesus into his heart, and to be assured that hebelieves in Him and is a partaker of Him and His benefits.

(2) He will perceive that he cannot be satisfied with believing that he hasreceived grace. He desires with all his heart the possession, the enjoyment,and the relish of the benefits of the covenant. He will perceive that he isenamoured with being truly united to God, with a life in which there is animpression of the Lord’s presence, with peace of conscience, and with the loveand fear of the Lord. When he misses this, he is troubled, and if he has lostthis, he cannot rest until he receives it by renewal; for this is his life,delight, and felicity.

(3) He will perceive within himself a hatred and distaste for sin, a grief whenhe sins, a repeated rising again and a fleeing to the blood of Jesus untoreconciliation, and a delight and love to live a life which is pleasing to theLord. He perceives within himself a warfare between the flesh and the spirit.The lusts of the world continually draw him to the world and away from God,whereas the spirit—that which has been regenerated, his spiritual life withinhim—continually draws him away from sin unto God. He also perceives, to hisgrief, that the flesh at times has the upper hand in this battle, whereas atother times, to his joy, the spirit prevails.

If someone perceives that these frames and exercises are truly to be found withinhim, he will be able to come to the table, even if he lacks clear assurance.Many believers lack this assurance either due to ignorance of the Word,weakness of their historical faith, fear of deceiving themselves, or they maysee so much sin coexisting with grace. Such may not refrain from partaking, butrather are obligated to come forward with the multitude which keeps holyday, sothat by using the signs, the promises—which are made to such as have just beenmentioned—may be sealed to them.

The Third Aspect of Preparation:
Spiritual Adornment

The third requisite for preparation is spiritual adornment. Whensomeone is to attend a wedding, he adorns himself with the very best that hehas. A bride will adorn herself in a most excellent manner so that she may bedesirable to her husband and honour him. Much more must a believer do this inorder that the King may delight in his beauty. The guest who also sat down, butwas without a wedding garment, was soon identified and cast out (Mt 22:12–13).This is meant as a warning, but also as an exhortation to put on a weddinggarment.

This spiritual adornment consists, first of all, in anenlivening of historical faithby a quiet meditation and reflection upon theentire work of redemption, together with approval of and joy over the goodness,wisdom, righteousness, power, and truth of God which manifest themselves in thework of redemption.

(1) In your thoughts ascend to the fountain of all this: eternal election.Consider that from eternity it has been God’s good pleasure to reveal Hisrighteousness and mercy, in order to give reason for adoration, joy,thanksgiving, the magnification of God, and thus for felicity. Consider that Hehas furthermore determined that to that end some angels and human beings be punishedfor their sins, and has ordained others, due only to His grace and sovereigngood pleasure, to be the recipients of eternal blessedness.

(2) From there proceed to a reflection upon the covenant of redemption, or theCounsel of Peace: The Son would be Surety for the elect who due to their ownwantonness would fall away from God and subject themselves to a temporal andeternal curse. Consider how it was determined that He would assume the humannature in unity of His person, and as Surety would take upon Himself their sinsas His own, satisfying the justice of God by His suffering and death,accomplishing everything which was needful to bring them to felicity.

(3) Then descend to the creation of man and to the breaking of the covenant ofworks. From there, proceed to the promises of the Mediator, to all the shadowsand sacrifices by which God’s people were taught how the promised Saviour woulddeliver and save them, taking note how believers yearned for the fulfilment ofthe promise.

(4) Furthermore, consider that the promised Messiah came into the world afterapproximately four thousand years, assuming the human nature from the VirginMary in unity of person, and thus entered into a state in which He couldexecute His Suretyship. Consider how the Lord Jesus, from His birth, has takenupon Himself with such willingness and love the curse which was upon the elect,and therefore immediately had everything against Him. He was born in poverty,and as an outcast was laid in a manger in the rear of a stable. He had to fleefrom the persecution of Herod, and in the sweat of His brow He ate His bread.Upon the initiation of His public ministry, He was first violently assaulted bythe devil in the wilderness. He traversed the entire country, preaching withgreat power to bring men to repentance and salvation. Moved by deep compassionHe healed those who had various sorts of misery; He healed the blind, deaf,dumb, and lame; He cast out devils and resurrected the dead, to the comfort ofthose that mourned. However, He also immediately experienced the wrath andslander of the Pharisees and scribes who endeavoured to make Him despised, andsubsequently conspired to put Him to death.

(5) Having finished His course, the wrath of God was poured out upon Him insuch measure—due to the sins of the elect which He had taken upon Himself—thatHe became sorrowful, even unto death. He prayed with strong crying and tears,and the bloody sweat dripped from His countenance to the earth; He indeed wentto His disciples, but none supported Him. He was betrayed by His own disciple,Judas, captured by His enemies, dragged away cruelly as a murderer, placedbefore the ecclesiastical council, falsely accused, and condemned to death as ablasphemer. Furthermore, He was mocked, spat in the face, beaten with fists,delivered to the Gentile judge, Pilate, brought to Herod, and led along thestreets in a robe of mockery. His crucifixion was demanded by the people(having been stirred up by the chief priests). He was crowned with a crown ofthorns as an act of mockery, and beaten over the head with sticks. He wascondemned to death, led from Jerusalem to Golgotha while bearing the cross,nailed to the cross—the nails being driven into the wood through His hands andfeet—and was raised up along with the cross, thus being suspended betweenheaven and earth. There hung this beloved Jesus—covered with blood from head totoe, experiencing the most excruciating pain, and enduring the greatest shameimaginable. He furthermore had to see the joy of His enemies, the shaking oftheir heads, and the pointing of their fingers, as well as hear all sorts ofbiting words of slander. God withdrew all light and the manifestation of Hisfavour from Him, and filled Him instead with His anger and wrath. He cried outin the anguish of His spirit, “My God! My God! why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Hesuffered from a painful thirst; in response to which vinegar mixed with gallwas given Him as a drink. The sun was darkened so that an oppressive darknesstroubled Him even more, and last of all He gave up the ghost. All this wascomprehended in being Surety for a sinner; and, true believers who read or hearthis, it was in this manner that He paid the ransom for you.

(6) He was buried and on the third day rose again from the dead. After fortydays He ascended into heaven, and received the very greatest honour and gloryat the right hand of the Father—and will return as Judge upon the clouds tojudge the children of men.

The quiet and thoughtful contemplation of all this is one’s duty around thetime of the Lord’s Supper, for by this, one remembers Him and shows forth Hisdeath. The contemplation of this will engender a clearer impression of God’srighteousness, the necessity of satisfaction, the love of Christ, the severityof His suffering, and the resultant efficacy of the atonement.

Proceed from this point to the contemplation of the way by which God brings theelect into fellowship with the Saviour. God causes the gospel to be preached atvarious places in the world, sends forth ministers to proclaim it, and callsHis own by His Word—not only externally, as He does with many, but alsointernally. He illuminates them, convicts them, gives them a desire after theLord Jesus, draws them to Him, and gives them faith whereby they receive Christand entrust themselves to Him for justification, sanctification, and salvation.God thus regenerates them, makes them new creatures, leads each of themaccording to His counsel, and at last takes them into the glory merited byChrist. Simultaneously, meditate upon those ways by which the Lord has broughtyou hitherto—at each point you will thus observe wondrous things. You will bestrengthened in the truth, joyfully approve of this, quietly be led into thetruth, and thus be guided to glory by His counsel.

Secondly, spiritual adornment consists in the endeavour to come into aspiritual frame whereby one can be an object of free grace. This transpireswhen you observe yourself in reference to your insignificance and sinfulness inorder to be humbled thereby. Those who are in such a condition are suitableobjects of grace. “… for God… giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5); “I dwellin the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humblespirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of thecontrite ones” (Isa 57:15); “… I am not come to call the righteous, but sinnersto repentance” (Mt 9:13). Therefore, think as follows: “What am I, poor worm,that the Lord should remember me! I am a man whose origin is in the dust, whodwells in a vessel of clay, carrying about in my flesh the worms of corruption,and am but a dry root and nothing at all. Will such a one enter into covenantwith God, be a child of the Lord of lords, and hereafter have communion andfellowship with this glorious and all-sufficient God? Furthermore, I am nothingbut sin, and by nature I miss the image of God; instead, the image of theabominable devil was in me. What abominations this wicked heart has broughtforth—not only prior to my conversion, but also yet after my conversion! Whatsins I have committed in thoughts, words, and deeds at such and such alocation, at such and such a time, in the presence of, and together with suchand such a person, as well as in solitude! How void of desire and spirituality,and how sinful I am in my religion; that is, in hearing and reading the Word ofGod and in praying and singing! How unfaithful I am in reference to gracereceived, and how I have grieved the Holy Spirit! Truly, I am not worthy thatGod would look down upon me and bestow any grace upon me at all.” Reflect uponthis for some time until you are rightly affected by these matters and sinkaway in your sinfulness. This is not so that you become unbelieving and disownyour state, nor be terrified and devastated by the law and the prospect ofeternal condemnation—as if this alone were the right manner of being humbled.No, such terrors are generally experienced at the outset of conversion.However, the conviction of one in whose heart there is faith is not of thissort. Rather, the humility to which we are here referring consists of theseframes:

(1) Humbleness of heart: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies” (Gen32:10); “Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that Thou hast brought mehitherto?” (2 Sam 7:18); “… I… am no more worthy to be called Thy son” (Lk15:21).

(2) Evangelical shame accompanied by faith: “I am ashamed and blush to lift upmy face to Thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, andour trespass is grown up unto the heavens” (Ezra 9:6).

(3) Sorrow over the sinfulness of sin: “For I acknowledge my transgressions:and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and donethis evil in Thy sight” (Ps 51:3–4).

(4) A humbling abhorrence of self: “I have sinned greatly in that I have done:and now, I beseech Thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for Ihave done very foolishly” (2 Sam 24:10).

(5) A being fearful of the rod: “O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neitherchasten me in Thy hot displeasure” (Ps 6:1).

(6) Confession of sin, coupled with the acknowledgement of it being hateful andcondemnable: “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I nothid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD” (Ps 32:5).

(7) Heartfelt prayers for forgiveness and peace of conscience: “Have mercy uponme, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thytender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,and cleanse me from my sin. Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mineiniquities” (Ps 51:1–2, 9).

(8) A lifting up of the heart by believing the promises made to those whoconfess their sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgiveus our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). These arethe humble frames of the heart upon which God bestows His free grace and theseare the adornments in which the Lord Jesus finds a delight. Pray for suchframes, and highly esteem them if you may have them.

Thirdly, this spiritual adornment consists in a restoration in andrenewal of the covenant of grace. Israel did likewise, for we read, “Andthey entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with alltheir heart and with all their soul; And they sware unto the LORD with a loudvoice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. And all Judahrejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought himwith their whole desire; and he was found of them” (2 Chr 15:12, 14–15). It istrue that this covenant, which once has been made, remains sure to alleternity. “Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed” (Isa 54:10); “AndI will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away fromthem, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shallnot depart from me” (Jer 32:40). Some frequently come into darkness, however,and doubt if they have ever rightly entered into the covenant and are concernedwhether they are partakers of Christ. Others miss a lively frame, and the joyof being in covenant with God. The lustre of the benefits of this covenant isso obscure for them. It is therefore beneficial and necessary to renew thecovenant. Therefore quietly meditate upon the miserable, sinful, condemnable,impotent, and abominable state of those who are outside of the covenant ofgrace. Consider that you yourself were once one of these. Consider, on theother hand, how blessed it is to be in the covenant of grace, to be a partakerof its excellent benefits, and how surely and perfectly it has been establishedin the death of the Lord Jesus. Be enamoured with this state. Give heedtherefore to the sincere, earnest, and urgent invitation and calling of theLord Jesus; listen to His lovely voice. Stir up your desires thereby and by wayof that covenant surrender yourself earnestly and willingly to the Lord Jesusas if you had never done so before, saying, “I now do this with my whole heartand by this covenant I wish to, and shall, live and die.”

Fourthly, this spiritual adornment consists in a sincere resolution tolead a more holy life. “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with oldleaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with theunleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor 5:8); “Come, eat of my bread,and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live; andgo in the way of understanding” (Prov 9:5–6). You must not only make a generalresolution, but it must relate to specific sins, as well as to specific virtue.To that end, there must be an enlivened desire for holiness: “O that my wayswere directed to keep Thy statutes!” (Ps 119:5); a wholehearted initiative: “Ihave inclined mine heart to perform Thy statutes alway, even unto the end” (Ps119:112); and there must be earnest prayer for help, being aware of yourimpotence: “Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominionover me” (Ps 119:133); “Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: ThySpirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness” (Ps 143:10). If the soulmay be conscious of her sincerity in this, she will be at liberty to approachto the Lord. “If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God” (1Jn 3:21).

Fifthly, spiritual adornment also consists in having an esteem for theChurch. “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget hercunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of mymouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy” (Ps 137:5–6). The Churchconsists of the people of God, the beloved of the Lord, the body of the LordJesus, and the kingdom of Christ, and is a city adorned upon a hill, a light inthe world, a terror to the kings of the earth (not due to her physical power,but rather, her heavenly disposition), awe-inspiring to the ungodly, thedelight of the godly, an ornament of the entire earth, a goodly bonnet in thehand of God, and the glory of Christ! The Church is the object of God’s goodnessand benevolence. “All my springs are in Thee” (Ps 87:7). The supervision andprotection of the Lord provide a safe hiding place. “I the LORD do keep it (thevineyard); I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it nightand day” (Isa 27:3). What bliss it is to be among those saints and gloriouspersons and, with them, to appear before the countenance of the Lord, toconfess Jesus, to glorify God, and to receive a blessing! Who would not becarried away with desires to be among them, and with them endure the sweet andthe bitter, prosperity and adversity? Moses conducted himself as such: “Byfaith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son ofPharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach ofChrist greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Heb 11:24–26).

Sixthly, spiritual adornment also consists in having a heart which ismoved in love toward all God’s children, regardless of whether one knowsthem or not—yes, a heart filled with love which extends to all men. “And togodliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Pet 1:7).

At the Lord’s Supper communion is exercised with all believers. It is acommunion which cannot but function by the love of the heart manifestingitself. Here the heart must be examined carefully as to whether there is anyhatred, envy, or vengefulness—and if there is, special care must first be givento its removal. One must also consider whether there have been any differencesor discord between you and your neighbour—be it that you have offended him withdeeds, words, or facial expressions, or that your neighbour is of the opinionthat you have not conducted yourself well toward him. It could also be thatyour neighbour has offended you and you did not behave yourself correctlytoward him in defending yourself. Give heed to this and do not readily passover this. Do not allow yourself to be blinded by self-love, neither be yourown judge, nor insist upon your rights to the utmost, but rather accommodatehim as much as the truth will suffer you to do. Do not demand that yourneighbour be humbled before you, nor triumph over him, but be the least, evenif he is the more guilty one, is younger in years, and is of lesser position.Even if he were to boast of this, go to him and discuss this in love,persuading him by your tenderness and peaceful disposition. If you haveoffended him, go to him and openly confess your guilt, request forgiveness, andbe not ashamed before him, for you were not ashamed of your misconduct towardhim. Give heed to this and do not pass over this by saying, “I forgive him inmy heart,” or, “I confess my guilt before God and my heart is therefore at peace,”etc. You must not expect a blessing if you have not done everything from yourside to promote peace with your neighbour. If your neighbour refuses to bereconciled, you have done your part. Consider the following passages inconnection with this: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and thererememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; Leave there thy giftbefore the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and thencome and offer thy gift” (Mt 5:23–24); “And be ye kind one to another,tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hathforgiven you” (Eph 4:32).

We have thus sought to motivate you to be engaged in sacred preparation. Weshall add one more matter as a warning and as advice. The warning is asfollows:

(1) Restrict yourself neither as far as time (that is, as far as the durationof your preparation is concerned), nor as to the manner in which you willperform this, so that you will be confused and troubled if you do not perform thisas carefully as you ought. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in His operation;however, let there be neither laziness nor laxity.

(2) Do not force yourself to be in a specific frame and to be emotionally movedto such and such a degree. This would convey that you imagine yourself to beable to do this by your own strength and your own will. The best preparation isto engage in this duty in quiet resignation, as being destitute of everything,and with expectation—not running ahead of the Spirit, but rather, following Hisleading. This will provide the best preparation, and will teach you not to relyupon preparation.

The advice I wish to give is that I deem it to be most beneficialto have a day of fasting and prayer prior to the Lord’sSupper—be it that one either does not work and eat at all, or that one workslittle and eats the simplest of foods. Let every one consider the circumstancesin which he is; that is, whether he is in service or free, rich or poor, orwhether he is in an ungodly or godly family. The Lord has left it to ourdiscretion to what extent we wish to restrict ourselves, except that there beone day which we designate for the purpose of setting ourselves apart. This actof separation itself, and the repeated reflection upon this during this daywill make an impression. To spend this day with the impression of it havingbeen set apart will make one humble and pliable. If one has been barren, dead,without desire, and has had wandering thoughts the entire day, there maygenerally be special movement at night, so that one may as yet rejoice inhaving set the day apart. If such is not the case, however, the desire to seekwill yet excuse us to some degree, and one will be humbled by having spent theday in such an unprofitable manner, not having been able to be humbled aboutother sins on this day.

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