A Seeking Soul Encouraged to Come to the Lord’s Table

Much-Loved Mrs. E.M.,

You are, indeed on my heart as regards the coming solemnity of the Lord’s Supper. I feel that it is a matter between the Lord and the soul, and dare not press your attendance lest I bring you further into bonds; but I may venture to say it is a feast for the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind; also for such as feel they are outside, wandering in the highways and hedges. It was for such the true Paschal Lamb was slain; surely then such are welcome to the emblems of His death and sufferings, of His body broken and His blood shed. If a sense of sin and unworthiness is not to keep us from Jesus the substance of the feast, should it prevail to hold us back from the shadow and type thereof? Would any self-improvement or self-complacency be a suitable preparation for this ordinance? Are we not rather to come with the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, and so to embrace the Rock for want of a shelter? Are we not thus to come, feeling that we deserve death, and shewing forth that we have no hope of escape but by the obedience, blood-shedding, and death of the worthy Lamb?

The woman who was a sinner came to weep at the feet of Jesus before she had a sense of forgiveness; and though she presumed to wash those holy feet with her polluted tears, He did not rebuke her, but sent pardon sweetly home to her heart, and she went away with all her sins forgiven (Luke 7:48). True, it is sweet to come to the table under a sense of pardoning love, but I believe it is safe to come hungering and thirsting for this assurance. “He filleth the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.” It is sweet to come with the sacrifice of praise, singing, “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,” but it is safe to come with the sacrifice of a broken spirit, for such the Lord will not despise (Ps. 51:17). Surely those who come with the blessing, and those who come for the blessing, are each bidden guests, for who could make a soul hungry and thirsty but the master of the feast? Christ is the only passover from sin to salvation, from condemnation to justification; therefore to be knocking at this door, in every appointed means, seems a suitable exercise for those who are feeling their sin and condemnation. To take the bread and wine clinging and crying to a crucified Saviour, does not look like receiving unworthily, since He has said, “Do this in remembrance of me”; and what better response than, “Dear Lord, remember me.”

May the Divine Spirit guide you in this matter; and if, like Esther, you are led to venture without a positive call from the King, I shall desire to pray as he of old, “The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek Cod the Lord Cod of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary,” (has not free exercise of that faith which purifies the heart, or sweet application of that blood which cleanses from all sin.) “And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people” (2 Chron. 30:18-20). “What, think ye that He will not come to the feast?” Let us invite Him, and ask Him to make our new heart manifestly His guest-chamber, where the passover shall be truly eaten in His presence. Who can tell but we may have to say that He was known of us in breaking of bread.

But if not, be it ever with us as Habakkuk 2:1-3, and the Lord (the Spirit) “direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thess. 3:5). He is worth waiting for, and says, “They shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Rev. 22:17; John 7:37). May that be your privilege, whether you come to the feast, or whether you be absent.

Excuse all this in true affection, from your unworthy,

Ruth

Ruth Bryan was a “mother in Israel.” Her letters are filled with spiritual wisdom and experiential truth.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen