by Rev. Ralph Erskine.
In general, all unbelievers, who never having seen their wicked state, as liable to the stroke of Divine Wrath, because of their sin and guilt, have not fled under the covert of the blood of the man that is God’s Fellow. What have these to do with the sign, who never apprehended the thing signified, namely, the propitiation of the blood of Christ? And, therefore, in the great and awful name and authority of the great and glorious Jehovah, I solemnly debar, and excommunicate from the Table of the Lord, all who never found themselves in any measure pursued by the avenger of blood, the sword of the Lord of Hosts, and never have fled for refuge to the blood of Christ, the man that is God’s Fellow, to stand between them and the avenging sword of justice; these that will not
come to Christ, let them not dare to come to His Table, nor come to abuse the symbols of His blood, who by unbelief trample His blood under their feet, and will not make use of it as the sacrifice to satisfy justice in their room. But that it may appear more distinctly whom I here debar, in the name of the Lord, I shall tell you who they are, that never made any saving use of the blood of Christ, but slight and neglect this sacrifice and offering for sin, and so stand debarred from the Table of the Lord.
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All those who think to make their peace with God, without minding the necessity of anything intervening between Him and them; not knowing that peace with God must be founded upon the blood of the man that is His Fellow. Some are utterly careless how their peace be made, or whether it be made or not; they hope for it, and think to come at it, but they cannot tell how; and are careless to know the way. Others presume and think God loves them, because they love themselves; and though they know they have sinned, they think God will not be so hard as to reckon with them; they think God loves them, but they can show no ground for it. Others think that God is merciful, and therefore they conclude, they will be pardoned and accepted; because a merciful man sometimes seeks no satisfaction, so they think much more will a merciful God seek none; not knowing, that though God be merciful, He will not show mercy to the prejudice of His justice. But the thought of these people is, that they would have obtained mercy though Christ had never become a sacrifice to the sword of justice, and so they have no respect to the mediation of the man that is God’s Fellow. — These, therefore, I debar, in God’s great name, from the Table of the Lord.
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All those who take the legal way of making their peace with God. Not as if they thought to appear before God without sin and in perfect holiness, as the covenant of works requires; but who think, that if they sin, they will make amends; and that either by something negative, that they have not done, or something positive, that they have done; or some internal qualification that they rest upon. Some think to make amends to God by something negative; that they have not been so ill as other people; and if they go to hell, they think few will go to heaven; and if they were to die, they think they care not, they have done no person any injury; they have behaved themselves very harmlessly, like the Pharisee, God, I thank Thee, I am not like other men; I am no drunkard, or adulterer, or oppressor, or swearer, and when they see any profane persons they are puffed up with a good opinion of themselves, because they are not so profane as they; these I debar in the name of the Lord. Others
think to make amends by something positive, they do many good duties, like the Pharisee that boasted, I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess; if any duty be performed, or any good be done by them, their fingers are ready to stick to it; they rest there, and hope God will be pleased and pacified on this account; these I debar in the name of the Lord. Others think to make amends by some internal qualification that they rest upon, if at any time they have liberty and motions of affections in prayer, stirrings of conviction in hearing, and joys of heart, like the stony ground hearers; any sorrow of heart or sadness for sin these, they think, will do their turn; and they think they need no other sacrifice to God but a broken heart; sadly mistaking the nature of true evangelical brokenness of spirit. It is certain, both from Scripture and experience, that many hundreds of professors dash and perish on this stumbling block. “They call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel.” (Isa. 48:2). “They seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways . . . yea, they take delight in approaching to God.” (Isa. 58:2). Expectation of happiness grounded upon some weak performance, and some internal motions and qualifications, do cut the throat of many civil and discreet men that are not grossly profane. All these, therefore, that make any of these things the ground of their hope and peace with God I debar from the Table of the Lord.
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All who, though they make use of Christ as the object of their worship, yet make no use of His blood as the ground of their justification and peace with God; as if they would not altogether neglect Christ, and yet they neglect His offering, and would make use of Himself, but not of His sacrifice, like the man that came to Him saying, “Good Master, what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?” He was going upon the ground of his own righteousness; so some, they may come to Christ, to desire His help to enable them to duty, that by doing it they may work out their own salvation, and be helped this way to make their peace with God. Thus by grace sought and received from Him, they hope to be their own saviour and peacemaker with God; and so were never brought to ground the making of their peace with God upon Christ’s sacrifice alone. These, therefore, also I debar from the table of the Lord.
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All those who never got such a view of the love of God, in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, as to kill the love of sin in them, and to destroy the reigning power of sin: for the great end of Christ’s sufferings was to bring us to God; the great end of His giving Himself a sacrifice to the sword of justice, was to redeem us from all iniquity; and to purchase to Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And hence they are
strangers to Christ, who never felt any measure of the virtue of this sacrifice, in sanctifying, purifying, and making them study holiness. Therefore, I debar from this table all impenitent sinners, and breakers of God’s commandments; all whose names are in the black catalogue, Matthew 15: 19, Romans 1: 29-32, and all whose names are in the black list, Galatians 5: 19-21, and all whose names are in these black rolls, 1 Cor. 6: 9-10, Rev. 22: 15. All atheists, that practically deny the being of God in their life and conversation; and ignorant persons that know not the principles of religion, and the nature of this ordinance; and profane persons, who mock at sacred things, neglect public ordinances on week days or Sabbath days and neglect family worship and secret prayer. — All profane swearers, whether by God, or the devil, or faith, or conscience, or whatsoever is more than yea or nay. — All Sabbath breakers, who put no difference between that and other days. — All that are unfaithful in their relative stations; as magistrates or subjects, masters or servants, parents or children. — All murderers and those who give way to the killing sins of malice, passion, and revenge; and the self murdering sins of drunkenness, gluttony, and tippling. — All whoremongers, adulterers, fornicators, sodomites, and unclean persons, who never mortify the deeds of the body — All thieves, oppressors, and cheats, that study to over-reach their neighbours in their dealing. — All false witnesses and liars, that make no conscience of speaking the truth; perjured persons, and covenant breakers. — All covetous persons, whose hearts are glued to the world. — In a word, I debar all formalists, and hypocrites, and legalists; all that never saw and bewailed their heart plagues of atheism, enmity, pride, hypocrisy, and unbelief; all who know not the difference between the law and the Gospel; the covenant of works and the covenant of Grace; and between legal and evangelical preaching. All that never felt anything of the power of God’s Word upon their hearts, in convincing them of sin, original and actual, and drawing them to Christ, as their righteousness and strength, for justification and sanctification. — I debar all who hate to be reproved for their faults, and who condemn their reprovers; and all who can be witness to the sins and faults of others, and yet never give any sort of testimony against them. I debar all who love not the godly, nor care for their company; all who love not the Bible nor search the Scriptures; all who love not Zion, nor care how matters go with the church of Christ; whether its members be divided or alienate; whether its interests sink or swim. — All who can go lightly over the belly of their own conscience, for fear of outward losses or crosses, and easily cross their light to please men. — I debar all that are not lovers of the
truth, but espousers of error; socinians, arminians, and antinomians. — I debar all that think they have believed all their days, and never were convinced of unbelief, nor found religion above them, and their natural powers. I debar all who have no errand to the Lord’s Table, but to take a little bread and wine, and think it an easy work to communicate; nor ever had any fears or jealousies about their miscarrying in that work; All who come only to keep up a name among professors, and all that have no other tokens for communion but that which they have got from their ministers or elders; all who have been at no pains whatever to prepare for this work. — And on the other hand, all who think they are prepared enough, and have no other thing to rest upon but their own preparation. — All these and others of that stamp, I do, in the name of the living and eternal God, debar from this holy table, as being strangers to the Man that is God’s Fellow, and strangers to the sacrifice by which He has satisfied infinite justice; therefore, as you would not take a cup of poison to destroy yourselves, and bring down the guilt of the blood of Christ upon your own head, dare not to venture to this holy table; for he that eats this bread, and drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. And if you will venture, notwithstanding, remember, though you have got a token from me, or any person else, your blood is upon your own head.*
*Such do fearfully increase their guilt in a very high degree, in making themselves guilty of the body and blood of Christ, though not as an actor in His death, yet virtually, as an abettor and consentor; for an unworthy receiver is a Christ murderer, as he that defaceth the king’s picture doth reflect upon his person. He that dares rush upon the sacrament with reigning sin in his heart, would be a Judas unto Christ, if He were personally upon earth, and had he Judas’ opportunity and temptations, and other circumstances, he would imbrue his hands in the blood of Christ. And will you so come to have your sin increased instead of having it pardoned? O what a crying sin is blood-guiltiness, though it be but the blood of a common man. But what will it be to be guilty of the blood of the Son of God. And will you have the blood of Christ crying against you instead of pleading for you? Nay, you will sin more than many of the Jews that did actually crucify Him; for many of them did it ignorantly; but you know and acknowledge Him to be such, and yet will be guilty of His blood; they did it in the state of humiliation, but you do it in His state of exaltation. It had been better for Judas if he had never been born, and it would be better for you if you had never received.
Such deserve the damnation of hell; “He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.” Eating damnation! O what a dreadful morsel is damnation! Hence you see the reason why the devil puts on many drunkards to be so eager after the sacrament, it is that they may eat and drink their own damnation for there is death to them in this cup — Eateth damnation! O what a dreadful word is damnation! And that when a man comes to be partaker of a Saviour. Take heed what you do when ye receive, damnation is not a business to be jested with, nor the sacrament a work to be trifled at. Adam did eat his own death, so may you eat your damnation. — Doolittle on the Lord’s Supper.