The practice of fencing the Lord’s table is a long-established one and one with which most of us are familiar. In beginning the duty the officiating minister very often refers to the fact that it is a practice that has been observed in the Church of Scotland “from its best days” and whatever may be true of other denominations it is to be hoped that we will always adhere to it. We should not be influenced by the false charity of those who say that it is the Lord’s table and that it is high presumption on the part of any mere man to attempt to fence it.
“The Directory for the Publick Worship of God,” approved and established by an Act of Assembly and an Act of Parliament in 1645 indicates, in general terms, the way in which this duty is to be performed. The minister, it is laid down, having ended his sermon and prayed, is to make a short exhortation:
“Expressing the inestimable benefit we have by this sacrament, together with the ends and use thereof: setting forth the great necessity of having our comforts and strength renewed thereby in this our pilgrimage and warfare: how necessary it is that we come unto it with knowledge, faith, repentance, love, and with hungering and thirsting souls after Christ and His benefits: how great the danger to eat and drink unworthily.
Next, he is, in the name of Christ, on the one part, to warn all such as are ignorant, scandalous, profane, or that live in any sin or offence against their knowledge or conscience, that they presume not to come to that holy table; shewing them, that he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself: and, on the other part, he is in an especial manner to invite and encourage all that labour under the sense of the burden of their sins, and fear of wrath, and desire to reach out unto a greater progress in grace than yet they can attain unto, to come to the Lord’s table; assuring them, in the same name, of ease, refreshing, and strength to their weak and wearied souls.”
The way in which that eminently faithful minister of Christ, Archibald Cook, went about the duty and what he had to say, on at least one occasion, is left on record. The ardour and solemnity which must have marked the speaker cannot ever now be reproduced, but we hope the translation which follows retains some traces of the pithiness of the original Gaelic.
‘We now give attention to a solemn part of the day’s service — the duty that most resembles the work of the day of Judgment than any other we engage in — making a separation between the wheat and the chaff — between the sheep and the goats. You whom the Word of God debarbs from coming to the Lord’s table, if death come upon you in that state, that Word will debar you from glory and Hell will be your eternal dwelling-place.
You will find a portion of the Word of God in I Cor. 6:9-10. Some are unclean in their lives. Awake and asleep it is unclean thoughts they have, yea, it is even unclean dreams they have. But “be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves in mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” Now this is the Word of God and it debarbs such from the holy table. The Word of God debarbs from the Lord’s table every person who has never been under great concern about his soul. It is wonderfully precious when the Spirit of God expounds it to the soul; but the soul will not be at ease under the weight of — “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” When God came to the man, He put his soul, and his wife, and the world, in the balances, and you who put something else higher than concern for your soul, keep away from the holy table. But if you continue in that state you will not see the Kingdom of God. And we may say that your grave is ready — Hell is the grave that Justice dug for you. And the soul without concern — his deeds reveal that that is the place for him — even the way you go through the worship is revealing that you do not find anything in it. But keep away from the Lord’s table; the Lord’s table will not take you to glory. It may send you to Hell.
We debar from the Lord’s table parents who do not on the Sabbath day instruct their children in the doctrines of the truth of the Gospel. If you went to many a family on the Sabbath, and you were to hear the vain talk, and you were to see how they were asleep in recesses, you would see how little of God there is in that family. And we, in the Lord’s name, debar them from the Lord’s table.
Again, we debar from the Lord’s table such as have no concern for the cause of Christ. The cause of Christ is maintained by poor creatures in the world and you who have no concern for it, keep away. Where would you be to-day, and what would you have in the world, but for the death of Christ? That you have food or raiment, yea, that you have a drop of cold water or any comfort in the world, you have it as a fruit of Christ’s death; and you who are not willing to support the cause of Christ in the world, I am, in the name of Christ, debarbing you from the table. You who have a concern for Christ’s cause, Christ has a concern for your cause.
There are some and they will uncomplainingly spend in the public-house, but it is too much for them to spend a half-penny on the cause of Christ. But let such stay away from the Lord’s table: do not come here to eat and drink judgment to yourself. “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.”
On the other hand you will see those who are invited to the table in Matthew 5:3-12. They are called to the Lord’s table. Such as are poor in spirit — such as mourn — the meek — they who hunger and thirst after righteousness — that are pure in heart — the peacemakers, and they are blessed, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven — they shall be comforted — they shall inherit the earth — they shall obtain mercy — they shall see God, yea, they shall be called the children of God and we, in His name, invite them to the table.
We, in the Lord’s name, invite such as have been brought alive to consider their state for eternity. You in whom there is a drop of concern regarding your eternal state, what you have there is the fruit of Christ’s death, and those for whom Christ died He will bring a drop of concern in regard to eternity into their souls while in the world, and happy is the soul at death who is alive to a concern for eternity so as to cast himself on the Lord, for as He does this so the Lord makes Himself over to the soul.
Again we invite to the table every person in whom there is a true desire after assurance of his interest in Christ. Salvation is of free grace but it is from the depth of free grace it is that assurance is given to any person of his interest in Christ. You, yourself, know that at one time it was possible for you to be at ease without this, that you could go to rest at ease and rise again without the knowledge of your interest in Christ. But now, it is not so with you, but after every prayer, every watching, every striving, you are finding yourself getting worse and worse so that you have nothing now except you find it in Christ. For that reason you come to the table. Many a one found there what scattered the clouds and put a new song in their mouth.
We invite you to the table who will be finding yourself in trouble for rebuking sin. “I know . . . where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is,” and you who find yourself in furnaces on account of rebuking sin come to the Lord’s table. We invite you to the Lord’s table you who love Christ’s children in the world, and in whose company you would desire to be throughout eternity. You come to the Lord’s table. You, who do not love them in the world, you will not obtain throughout eternity a heart to love them. But, “We know,” says John. “that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.” We know that there may be warm affections where this love is not but you who desire to cast a veil over the weaknesses of the children of God, you come to the Lord’s table. Again, you who found in the Word what loosened bonds which you thought would not be loosed to all eternity, you are invited to the table; yes, although today you would be as dry as a spout-fish spine (stoban muisginn). You come to the Lord’s table. Christ never gave that to any that are to be lost. You, who will be in Hell, you will not get this; but you, who will be in glory, you found in the Word of God what you will get in the Word of God in this world — a drop that loosened your bonds and turned the eye of your soul on Himself and you are since that day waiting on Himself to make you holy even as He is holy.”
J.M.