PREPARING FOR THE LORD’SSUPPER
by George Swinnock, an editedexcerpt from chapter 18 of
“The Christian Man’s Calling,” in Works 1.174–192

The Jews had their preparation for their Passover: “It was the preparation ofthe Passover” (Jn 19:14). Nay, they took their lamb the tenth day of the month,and did not kill it till the fourteenth (Ex 12:3); and, as some of theirwriters observe, they tied it all the while to their bedposts, that in theinterim they might prepare themselves for it. Our Lord Jesus, when He was toeat the Passover, and institute the Supper, would have so much as the house inwhich He would do it prepared beforehand (Mk 14:15). The ancient fathers andprimitive Christians used to sit up whole nights at prayer before the Lord’sSupper, which they call their vigiliæ.

Reader, your care must be to trim your lamp, and make sure of oil in thevessel, now you are going to meet the Bridegroom. Samuel spoke to theinhabitants of Bethlehem,“Sanctify yourselves, and come… to the sacrifice” (1 Sam 16:5); so say I toyou, “Sanctify your soul, and then come to the sacrament.” Joseph preparedhimself, by shaving himself, and changing his raiment, before he went untoPharaoh; and will not you prepare yourself by putting your soul into theholiest posture you can, when you are to go in unto the King of heaven andearth? He that would make a good meal, even when he is to feast at another’scost, must prepare his stomach beforehand by moderate fasting or exercise.

God expects that the hands be pure, but especially that the heart be prepared.“The good LORD,” said Hezekiah, “pardon every one that prepareth his heart…,though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary” (2Chr 30:18–19). The king speaks of those who came to the Passover with someceremonial pollution, yet had moral purity; and his words are to this purpose:“Lord, though several of my people have failed in regard of externalpurification, let it please Thee to pardon them, if they have minded internalpreparation.”

Friend, there is no hope of remission without this heart preparation; the devilhimself would not come into a house till it was “empty, swept, and garnished”(Mt 12:44). And do you think that the Lord Jesus Christ will come into yourheart while it lies nastily and sluttishly, before the filth of sin be sweptout, and it be garnished with the graces of His Spirit? Surely that room hadneed be richly hung with the embroidery of the Spirit, in which the gloriousand blessed Potentate will sup and lodge. Where your expectation is great froma person, there your preparation must be great for him. Do you not look, likeHerod, to see some miracle done by Jesus, some extraordinary thing for yoursoul? Therefore I say to you, as Joshua spoke to the Israelites, “Sanctify yourselves,for to morrow the LORD will do wonders amongst you” (Jos 3:5). Oh, sanctifyyourself, and tomorrow—on the sacrament day—the Lord will do wonders for you;He will feast you at His own table, He will feed you with His own flesh, Hewill give you that love which is better than wine, He will embrace you in Hisarms, and kiss you with the kisses of His mouth; He will delight your eyes withthe sight of His beautiful person, ravish your ears with the sound of Hisprecious promises, and rejoice your heart with the assurance of His graciouspardon. Oh, do but sanctify yourself and tomorrow the Lord will do wonders foryou!

This preparation consists in a serious examination of yourself, and a sincerehumiliation for your sins.

A Serious Examination of Self

“Let a man examine himself, and so” (and no otherwise) “let him eat of [this]bread, and drink of [this] cup” (1 Cor 11:28). “Examine himself,” [Greek:]dokimazetô:some take it to be a metaphor of a goldsmith, as he tries gold in the firewhether it be pure or no; so your duty is to try your graces by the fire of theWord, whether they be true or not. So the Word is used (cf. 1 Pet 1:7). Otherstake it as an allusion to ministers, who are tried whether they are fit fortheir office or no (1 Tim 3:10); so you ought to try yourself, whether you arefit for this ordinance or no.

Your serious examination of yourself must be, first, Of the good in you;secondly, Of the evil done by you.

Examine the Good in You

Of the good in you, your duty is to examine yourself ingeneral, concerning your regeneration or spiritual life.

The graces of believers are like sweet perfumes, and scented as far as heaven.The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament, not of regeneration, but of sustentation.When the prodigal came to himself, then the fatted calf was killed for him (Lk15). Men must have natural life, before they can eat natural meat; and men musthave spiritual life, before they can eat spiritual meat. It was an ancientabuse of the sacrament, cast out by the Carthaginian council, to give it todead men. The invitation is not to enemies but friends: “Eat, O friends;… drinkabundantly, O beloved” (Song 5:1). The water of life is only for the thirsty,and the bread of life only for the hungry. The showbread under the law was to beeaten only by the priests (Lev 24:9); so the bread of the sacrament is to beeaten only by such as are spiritual priests unto God, as saints are (Rev 1:6).

Reader, examine yourself therefore whether you are born again or no. Look intothe Word of God, and compare yourself with the characters which are there givenof new born creatures. They are sometimes described by their hearts: “God isgood to Israel,to such as are of a clean heart” (Ps 73:1). Their hearts are clean, not with alegal cleanness, which denies the being of sin in them—in that sense “none cansay, I have made my heart clean,” (this spotless robe is reserved for thesaints’ wearing in the other world;) but with an evangelical cleanness, whichdenies the dominion of sin over them, (this cleanly garment is the saints’ordinary attire in this world.) We call river water clean water, though therebe some kind of illness and impurity in it, because it will not, like pondwater, mingle with it, and suffer the filth to rest there, but works it out,and sends it forth in its scum and froth. Now, how is it with you, friend? Doessin rest quietly in you? or is it resisted by you? Do you live sin or loathesin? Do you count it your pleasure or your poison? When the body is dead,vermin crawl in it without opposition. When the soul is dead, lusts abound init and reign without any considerable disturbance. An unclean heart is quicklyovercome by sin. As when a chimney is foul, it is apt to be fired by everyspark that flies up; whereas, when it is clean, though many fly up, it remainssafe. So when the heart is unclean, Satan can no sooner throw in his fierydarts, but presently it is in a flame; whereas a clean heart is like wettinder, not so soon burning when he strikes fire. Godly men, as they have cleanhearts, so they have “clean hands” (Job 17:9). The hand is the instrument ofaction; by clean hands the Spirit of God means clean and holy actings.

Saints are described by their lives. They “walk after the Spirit” (Rom 8:1, 5);they “order their conversation aright” (cf. Ps 50:23). Physicians feel thepulse of the arm, that they may know the state of the vitals. Now, how beatsthe pulse of your conversation? According to that, judge of the soundness orsickness of your constitution. Do you walk, in reference to yourself, soberly;in reference to others, righteously; in reference to God, religiously (Tit2:12)?

Your duty is to examine yourself in particular also of those graces, which arespecially requisite in a communicant, of your knowledge to discern the Lord’sbody. There is a competency of knowledge needful if you would receiveacceptably. Do you know the threefold estate of man?—his innocency, apostasy,and recovery; what a pure piece he was, how holy, when he came out of God’shands; what a miserable polluted creature he has made himself by disobeyingGod, and hearkening to the tempter; what a glorious remedy God has provided torestore man to his primitive purity. Do you know God as He discovers Himself inHis works, but especially as He is represented in the mirror of His Word? Doyou know the Lord Jesus Christ, His two natures, His three offices, how Heexecutes them, both in His estate of humiliation and exaltation? Do you knowthe nature and end of the Lord’s Supper?

An ignorant person can no more discern Christ’s body than a person stark blindcan discern the bread. God has expressly forbidden lame and blind sacrifices(Mal 1:8). The hypocrite’s sacrifice is lame, for he halts in God’s way. Theignorant person’s sacrifice is blind for he can give no account of his ownwork. When the leprosy was in the head, the priest was to pronounce the party“utterly unclean,” and exclude him the camp (Lev 13:44). Do not say, though youare ignorant, yet your heart is good, when God Himself says, “Without knowledgethe mind is not good” (cf. Prov 19:2). Fish stink first in the head, and thenthe whole body putrefies.

Examine your faith. This grace is your spiritual taste, without which you canrelish nothing on the Table. This is the bucket, and if it be wanting, I maysay to you, as the woman to Christ, “Thou hast nothing to draw with, and thewell is deep” (Jn 4:11). This is the hand to receive Christ (Jn 1:12). This isas the arms whereby we embrace Christ; they “embraced the promises” by faith(Heb 11:13). As loving friends that have been a great while asunder, when theymeet together, hug and embrace each other in their arms; so the Christian wholongs to see the Lord Jesus Christ in the promises, when at a sacrament hemeets Him, hugs and embraces Him in the arms of faith.

Examine not so much the strength as the truth of your faith. The wings of adove may help her to mount up towards heaven, as well as the wings of an eagle.Try whether your faith be unfeigned (1 Tim 1:5). What price do you set upon Christ?To them that believe, Christ is precious (1 Pet 2:7). An unbeliever, like theIndians, sees no worth in this golden mine, but prefers a piece of glass, or afew painted beads, mean, earthly things, before it; but a believer, like theSpaniard, knows the value of it, and will venture through all storms andtempests that he may enjoy it. Do you prize the precepts of Christ, thepromises of Christ, the people of Christ, the person of Christ, (is thataltogether lovely in your eyes?) and the passion of Christ? Is your greatestglory in Christ’s shameful cross? Do you esteem it above the highest emperor’smost glorious crown? “God forbid,” says Paul, “that I should glory, save in thecross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14).

Does your faith purify your heart? Having their hearts purified by faith (Acts15:9), the hand of faith, which opens the door to let Christ into the heart,sweeps the heart clean. Faith looks to be like Christ in glory, and faithlabours to resemble Christ in grace. An unbeliever, like a sluttish woman,though he keeps the room of his life a little clean, which others dailyobserve, yet he cares not how dirtily those rooms of his inward man lie, whichare out of their sight;unbelieving and defiled arejoined together (Tit 1:15).

Examine your love. The primitive Christians kissed each other at the Supper,which they called osculum pacis (a kiss of peace). They hadtheir “feasts of charity” (Jude 12). “The bread which we [eat], is it not thecommunion of the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). As the bread is made of manygrains, and the cup of wine of many grapes united, so is the body of Christ ofmany members, united under one Head. Eating together was ever a sign of loveand friendship. Joseph hereby showed his love to his brethren.

Now, reader, what love-fire has you for this love-feast? Do you love thebrethren as brethren, because they are related to God, and because they havethe image of God? Or do you love them only for the natural qualities in them,and their courtesy to you? This fire I must tell you is kitchen fire, whichmust be fed with such coarse fuel; the former only is the fire, which is takenfrom God’s altar. Do you love a poor, as well as a rich, Christian? Do you lovegrace in rags as must as grace in robes? Is it their honour or their holiness,which you do admire?

Examine the Evil in You

As your duty is to examine yourself concerning your graces,so also concerning your corruptions. Before a sacrament there should be athorough search for all your sins. The Jews, before their Passover, searchedall over their houses for leaven; nay, they searched every corner andmouse-hole with a wax candle, as some write. There is a threefold leaven: First,A leaven of hypocrisy; “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”(Lk 12:1). Secondly, A leaven of heresy; “A little leaven leaveneththe whole lump” (Gal 5:9). Thirdly, A leaven of enormity orscandal; “Purge out… the old leaven” (1 Cor 5:7). Your care must be to make adiligent inquiry for all this leaven. The iniquities of wicked men will findthem out, but good men will find out their iniquities: “I know mineiniquities,” says David (Ps 51). When viruses lie hid in the body, they hinderthe strength it might get by food; when sins lie undiscovered in the soul, theywill hinder its digesting spiritual meat and drink.

At a sessions, there are some indictments read, and it may be some executiondone; but at an assize, there are many malefactors arraigned and many executed,the jail is then cleared of those vermin. A Christian should keep a pettysessions in his heart every day,—do what he can for the conviction andcondemnation of his sins;—but before a sacrament he must keep an assize; theremust be a general jail-delivery; all his sins must be sought after, indicted,and executed; the room of his heart must be cleared of those vipers.Particularly examine yourself of your sins since the last sacrament; howforgetful you have been of the oath of the Lord which you did then enter into.Be not slight or formal in searching after your sins, like some officers thatwillingly overlook the thieves they search for; but be as diligent to find themout as you would be to find out the murderers of your father or best friend.

But be sure you compare your heart and life with the Law of God. Oh, how manyspots will that glass discover! When the woman has swept her house and gatheredthe dust up altogether, she thinks there is none left; but when the sun doesbut shines in through some broken pane of glass, she sees the whole house swarmwith innumerable motes of dust floating to and fro in the air. The light ofGod’s law will make innumerable sins visible to you, which without it will liehid.

A Sincere Humiliation for Sins

There is requisite, as a serious examination of yourself, so also sincerehumiliation for your sins. The cleanly dame is careful always to keep herpewter and brass clean; but against a good time she is very curious to have hervessels not only clean, but bright, and for this end she will not only washthem, but take much pains in scouring them. Christian, now is the good timebefore which you should scour the vessel of your heart, that no dirt ifpossible may stick to it. This true humiliation consists partly in mourning forsin, partly in turning from sin.

Mourn for Sin

In mourning for sin: The Pharisees would not eat theircommon bread “with unwashen hands” (Mt 15:20; Mk 7:2), lest they shouldtransgress the traditions of their elders. Friend, if you should eat thissacred bread with an unwashed heart, you will horribly transgress thecommandment of your God. The Jews did eat the Passover with bitter herbs, andtruly we Gentiles must eat a broken body with broken bones. The more bitter sinis to you before, the more sweet your Saviour will be to you at the sacrament;“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Mt 5:4). A wetseed-time will bring a sunshiny and plentiful harvest. One of the fathersobserves that David, the greatest mourner in Israel, was the sweetest singer inIsrael. Beans thrive best if steeped in water before they be sown, and truly sowill your soul if steeped in godly sorrow before you go to the sacrament. “Givestrong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be ofheavy hearts” (Prov 31:6). When your heart is heavy under the sense of yourunholiness, and you are ready to perish under the weight of your wickedness,then Jesus Christ will give you that wine, that blood which will refresh andmake your heart glad.

Those trees shoot highest in summer that shoot lowest into the earth in winter.No Christian usually rises so high in consolation as he that is cast downlowest in evangelical humiliation. There are two in the New Testament famousfor their contrition, and they are famous for God’s respect and affection tothem. Mary was a great mourner; we seldom have a view of her in Scripturewithout dew on her face and tears in her eyes (Lk 7:38–39, and 23:27–28; Jn19:25, and 20:11, 15). But she had the special honour and favour of seeing thebest sight which ever mortal eyes beheld before all others, even the blessedRedeemer in the first step of His exaltation: “Now when Jesus was risen earlythe first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom hehad cast seven devils” (Mk 16:9). Mary had sinned greatly and sorrowed greatly,and was upon it greatly respected by God. Peter wept bitterly. A look from lovebroke his heart in pieces; but Christ took special care to bind up this brokenheart, to pour oil into his wounded conscience; and therefore when a messengeris dispatched from heaven to acquaint the world with the joyful news of theSaviour’s resurrection, no name is particularly mentioned in his commission butPeter’s. God gives him an express command, that whosoever should remain ignorantof those happy tidings, he should be sure that Peter have notice of it. “Goyour way,” says the angel, “tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth beforeyou into Galilee: there shall ye see him” (Mk 16:7). When a king has someextraordinary good news, and sends a courtier to acquaint his intimate friendswith it, but charges him, “Tell them all of it, but be sure such an earl havenotice of it: whoever you forget, remember him”;—all will conclude this is thefavourite. Peter thought that because he had forsworn Christ, therefore Christmight justly forget him; but Christ took such care, that if but one in theworld, besides those two women at the sepulchre, had notice of Hisresurrection, penitent Peter should be the man. Oh the rhetoric, the power ofan unfeigned tear! Repentance has more prevalency with the blessed God than allthe robes, riches, crowns and diadems of the greatest potentates in the world.

Oh reader, if you would have heavenly music at the feast, mind this holymourning! When Joseph’s brethren were sensible of their sin in selling him,then, and not till then, he made them a feast. Jesus Christ made the best winethat ever was of water. The bee, naturalists tell us, gathers the best honey ofthe bitterest herb; God has solid joy for the broken bones, the contritespirit. Cast up the accounts betwixt God and your soul, see how infinitely youare indebted to His Majesty. Abhor yourself with Job, bemoan yourself withEphraim, and judge yourself, as Paul enjoins his Corinthians in relation tothis ordinance, as ever you would have God at the sacrament to seal you ageneral acquittance.

Sacrament days are sealing days; God does then seal His love, and stamp Hisimage more fairly on the soul; now, if your heart be melted into godly sorrow, andmade thereby like soft wax, you will be fit for this seal and stamp. The hartin grazing kills and eats a serpent, which so inflames her that she can have norest till she drink of the water-brooks. Repentance will make you feel thescorching nature of that serpent sin, and thereby long for and relish the waterof life.

Turn from Sin

There must be a turning from sin. You can never communicatewith true comfort if you do not communicate with a clear conscience. As yourduty is to wash your soul in godly sorrow, so also to put off your sinfulaffections, before you enter into God’s house to partake of this ordinance. IfGod takes it ill when men “take his name into their mouths,” who “hate to bereformed,” how ill will he take it if such take the body and blood of His Soninto their mouths? Christ’s body was not to see corruption, neither will itmingle with corruption. He lay in a new womb, in a new tomb, and He will lie ina new heart. When sin is cast out, then Jesus Christ will enter into your soul.“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” But mark how they mustprepare themselves who would approach the Lord: “Cleanse your hands, yesinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded” (Jas 4:8–9).

The Jews before the Passover cleansed all their vessels, which they fearedmight have leaven sticking to them, burned all the leaven they could find, andcursed all in their house, whether found or not found; as their antiquariesinform us. Truly, when you go to the Supper it concerns you to cleanse yoursoul of the leaven of sin, by a high indignation at it, and hearty resolutionagainst it. “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump….For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep thefeast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice andwickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor5:7–8). Reader, it would be a trampling under foot the blood of Christ, andcounting it as an unholy thing, if you should go to the Table of the Lord withlove to any lust. For the Lord’s sake, and for your soul’s sake, take heed ofpaddling in the blood of Christ, as if it were channel water. Alas! you dolittle less if you partake of the sacrament without anger and indignationagainst every sin. True repentance implies an aversion from sin: “If [they]shall humble themselves,… and turn from their wicked ways” (2 Chr 7:14). Theburnt child will dread the fire. The Christian who has truly repented is sosensible of the weight of sin and wrath of God, that he is resolved never moreto meddle with those burning coals; alas! they are too heavy for him. David,that had repented of his sin, would not drink of that water which had but beenthe occasion of hazarding men’s lives, though before he could drink the bloodof Uriah. Penitent Peter, though before he was so full of self-confidence thathe preferred himself before the other Apostles,—“Though all deny thee, yet willnot I” (cf. Mt 26:35; Mk 14:31)—yet afterwards, though occasion were offeredhim of commending himself, forbears it: “Peter, lovest thou me more than these?Lord, thou knowest I love thee” (Jn 21:15–17). He says not, more thanthese. O reader, it was Esau’s expression, “The days of mourning for myfather are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob” (Gen 27:41). So say you,“The days of mourning for the death of my dear Saviour and everlasting Fatherare come, and now I will slay my most beloved lusts; now will I be revenged ofthem for their endeavour to rob me of my spiritual birthright, to wrong me ofmy eternal blessing.”

This repentance exercised before the sacrament would prepare your stomach forthe feast, it would cleanse it, and cause it to savour the dainties there; itwould make you hungry, and hunger is the best sauce. Artaxerxes, flying for hislife, fed on barley bread and a few dried figs, and said it was the best mealthat ever he made.

When you had thus prepared your stomach for this heavenly banquet, take heed ofrelying upon your pains and preparation, either for a right performance of theduty, or for your acceptance in the ordinance. Many a poor creature, I ampersuaded, goes with much humiliation for sin, and comes away without anyconsolation, because they made a saviour of their sorrow. Praise your physicianif he have made you sensible of your sickness, but do not provoke him by makingyour pain to be the plaster for your cure. Alas! your preparation itself needsmuch pardon; if God should deal strictly with you, your prayers should be founddung, your sighs unsavoury breath, your very tears puddle water. Reflect onthem yourself, and compare them with the Law of God, and you will find cause topray over your prayers, to weep over your tears, to be ashamed of your shame,and to abhor yourself for your self-abhorency.

Do not think with yourself, “I have examined my heart faithfully, and find thatI do not come short of the grace of God; I have acknowledged mine iniquities,and been sorrowful for my sins, and therefore I cannot miscarry at thissacrament.” Such a trusting of yourself would be a tempting of your Saviour,and would certainly hinder the success of the sacrament: it would be to you asthe cutting off Samson’s locks was to him: Judges 16:20,—He thought to havegone forth as at other times, and shake himself. “And he wist not that the LORDwas departed from him.” You may think, after such self-confidence, to go to theLord’s Supper as at other times; but, alas! what will you do? for the Lord’sSupper will depart from you, and then what sport will Satan and sin, thoseuncircumcised ones, make with you?

Reader, let me persuade you, when you had been diligent in the trial of yourspiritual estate, and have with many tears bewailed the pollution of yournature and transgressions of your life, to cast yourself wholly upon the LordJesus Christ for assistance in the duty. As Jehoshaphat, when he had fiftythousand men ready armed for the battle, cried out, “O [LORD] our God,… we haveno might against this great company…; neither know we what to do; but our eyesare upon thee” (2 Chr 20:12). So after you have made the greatest preparationpossible, do you look up to Christ, and say, “Lord, I have no ability, nomight, for this great supper, for a right performance of this great ordinance,neither know I what to do, but mine eyes are unto Thee.” When Asa had an armyof two hundred and eighty thousand men of valour to fight with the Ethiopians,he prayed and trusted to God as if he had not one man: “LORD, it is nothingwith thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us,O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this greatmultitude” (2 Chr 14:11). So do you say, “Lord, I have no power for this holySupper; help me, O Lord my God, for I rest on Thee, and in Thy name I go tothis great and weighty ordinance.” Truly could you, after all the provision youhave made, disclaim it wholly in regard of dependence, and cast yourself onChrist for assistance; I durst be the prophet to foretell a good day. The gaudyflower, which stands upon its own stalk, does quickly wither; when the plainivy, that depends upon the house, and leans on it, is fresh and green all theyear. He that trusts to his own legs in this duty is as sure to fall as if hewere down already. The weak child walks safest, that all the way holds by andhangs upon its parent.

Conclusion

If you were now going to receive, be advised to write after David’s copy; helooked up to God both for assistance and acceptance: “I will go in the strengthof the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, yea, of thine only”(Ps 71:16). Let your practice be suitable to His when you go out of your house;and let your prayer be the same as the Spouse’s when you are entering intoGod’s house. Oh then look up to heaven, and cry mightily, “Awake, O north wind;and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spies thereof may flow out.Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits” (Song 4:16).

[George Swinnock (1627–1673) was chaplain at NewCollege until his appointment as aFellow of Bristol College, Oxford,in 1648 shortly after the episcopalian form of church government was abolishedin the Church of England. In 1660, after Charles II acceded to the throne, andthe episcopal polity was re-established, Swinnock was appointed Vicar of GreatKemble in Buckinghamshire. He was, however, to be deprived of his living fornon-conformity within 2 years during the great ejection of 1662. Althoughlittle known, his works had enjoyed a reputation as being pithy, pungent andpractical. They are often theological but full of vivid illustrations, so thathe is amongst the most delightful Puritans to read.]

—28 July 2002