As the special day approaches, every care is taken that every detail is sorted. You check yourself frequently in the mirror and you want honest answers from trusted friends. James Durham thinks that for the believer, going to meet the Lord Jesus in the ordinance of the Lord’s supper should involve the same kind of careful inspection and attention to how you are looking and behaving. In the following updated excerpt Durham outlines how the Lord’s supper is such a special ordinance, and reminds us of the necessity of searching and checking ourselves ahead of participating.

A major, very comprehensive and indispensably necessary duty is called for from all who would worthily partake of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, and that is self-examination.

The apostle has perceived many faults and failings in the Corinthians, and much unsuitableness as to their participating in the Lord’s Supper. So he announces that in future anyone who wants to come to the Lord’s Table rightly must “examine themselves, and so eat.”

At the same time, knowing well that this is a difficult exercise, and that there is naturally a great deal of averseness to it in people’s hearts, he underlines his exhortation with this reason, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.” There is a most unique and gracious presence of the Lord Christ in the sacrament of His supper, and therefore the person who does not go about it rightly puts a great disrespect on Him, and indeed even vilifies Him who is present in this way in that ordinance.

What do the words mean?

I begin by explaining the meaning of words in the verse.

To “eat and drink unworthily” is to eat and drink unsuitably or unbecomingly. When the apostle wishes the Roman Christians to receive Phebe “as becometh” and “is suitable” to saints, in the original language he uses the word “worthily.” Here we have the opposite of that, by which we understand something that is unsuitable and unbecoming to such a manifestation of the love of Christ in giving Himself to and for his people.

“Judgment” or “damnation” here includes three things. (1.) It may refer to a temporal judgment, as in v.30–31, “many among you are sickly and weak, and many sleep.” (2.) It may refer to eternal judgement, as “damnation” is often taken in Scripture. (3.) It may refer to spiritual judgements; for though a believer is not capable of being punished with eternal judgement, yet by unworthy communicating he may draw on himself temporal strokes and spiritual judgements. He may wear out the life of grace, and bring himself under blasting and withering. Unbelievers draw on themselves not only those judgments, but eternal damnation, and that with a higher degree of aggravation.

A person is said to eat and drink this “to himself.” Likewise, in the previous verse each one is commanded to “examine himself.” The apostle seems to aim at two things. (1.) To have each individual stirred up to his particular duty, from thinking of his particular hazard — his own soul. (2.) To show that the judgement is restricted according to the sin. If a man examines himself, then, even if others neglect to do so, the judgment shall not overtake him. But if he does not examine himself, whoever else may escape judgement, he shall not. In this way it is an encouragement to each one to go about the duty of self-examination, as well as a motive of terror, for Corinth was so corrupted with many abuses that one person could not amend it all. “Well,” says the apostle, “let a man examine himself, and so he shall escape the hazard.”

Why is the Lord’s supper special?

There is a special eminence, excellence, dignity and worth in the ordinance of the Lord’s supper. It is of a unique, solemn nature. In the context of its institution, every circumstance speaks out a solemnity, for it was instituted “the same night in which he was betrayed.” Also, Christ is very jealous about the ordinance, very zealous that it should not be abused.

All the ordinances of the Lord are excellent (for if all His works are excellent, then much more the gospel ordinances are a step above them). Yet the ordinance of the Lord’s supper seems to be dignified with an eminence and excellence above them all.

Special love

They all set out love, yet this sets out love in an eminent degree, for it sets forth the Lord’s death, where the most eminent degree of His love shines. In fact, this ordinance sets out His actual dying, and so sets out His love in its liveliest colours, and as its great masterpiece.

Special benefits

All the ordinances communicate excellent benefits, and as to the matter of it, the Lord’s supper communicates nothing different than there is in the Word and baptism. Yet, looking at the words, “Take, eat, this is my body,” they hold out Christ Jesus not so much giving any particular gift, but as actually conferring Himself in His death and suffering. This makes it in some way excellent beyond others.

Special clarity

As to the manner of it, our Lord Jesus gives Himself not only in the clearest view, but also in a clear glance of heaven on earth (to put it like that) — Jesus Christ and His people mixing and being familiar together. He not only condescends to keep company with them, but to be their food and refreshment. He not only gives the Word to their faith, but Himself to their sense. Hence it is not only called “the communion,” but “the communion of the body and blood of Christ,” and “the table of the Lord.”

How should we approach the Lord’s supper?

See how much we are obliged to Christ Jesus. What more could He have given than Himself? What could He have invented that would confirm and warm the hearts of His people more than this, such a lively representation and commemoration of His blessed body?

We should strive to be in a solemn, divine, heavenly frame for such a solemn, divine, heavenly activity as this is, and thoroughly examine ourselves to see that all things are in good order, like a bride who is going to be married tomorrow, who will be trying on her wedding clothes and seeing that all things are right.

Ready to meet Christ

Aim to come to the Lord’s table in the same way as you would desire to be if Christ were coming personally and visibly to marry you tomorrow. If only this was a bridal or marriage evening to us all! Consider what frame we would wish to be in if we were to meet Him, and shake hands with Him personally and visibly, and pursue that for the Lord’s supper.

Ready to meet God

Think how you would desire to be if you were going to give up the ghost tonight. Then all earthly things would be insignificant and of little worth to us, especially if our eternal peace and happiness were depending on the outcome. That night would be spent writing our will and adjusting our accounts with God, and putting things to a point between Him and us.

Ready to face the judgment

Think how you would desire to be if the day of judgment was tomorrow. How humble you would want to be! How abstracted from the things of the present world! How much you would strive to be confirmed in the love of God if the voice of the archangel and the last trumpet were sounding, and all were shortly to meet before the tribunal of Christ! Aim to be in that frame tonight, ahead of the Lord’s supper tomorrow.

Ready for worship

If it is a heavenly and divine activity, you should be in a heavenly and divine frame. Your heart should be abstracted from the world, and from your carnal delights. Your heart should be in heaven, and conversing with God. What a pitch your communion with God should be raised to — in taking hold of and meditating on Him, and in considering and admiring the sufferings of Christ and the love they came from, and in tasting that He is good, and even delighting and solacing yourself in His love! That is what the Lord allows His people to do when they go about this activity humbly and reverently.

Why do people participate unworthily?

Although the Lord’s Supper is a most uniquely solemn ordinance, and to be participated in solemnly, yet oftentimes men and women partake most unworthily, and abuse it.

There is a singular and unique tendency to go wrong in this duty and ordinance. Someone may pray well, and the same with various other duties, yet in this ordinance they may fall under the guilt of communicating unworthily.

The reasons for this may be these.

1. The more solemn the duty is, and the greater concurrence of duties there are in it, the greater difficulty there is in going about it. A soul cannot be right in participating in the Lord’s supper unless it is right in a number of other duties and graces, such as prayer, faith, love, and repentance. The word, “let a man examine himself,” includes a complication of duties and graces. There needs to be a good state and a good frame, and graces in some vigour, and every duty suitable and proportionate to the nature of the action and of the day. If it is a great and difficult work to behave rightly on an ordinary Sabbath, or in prayer, or meditation, or other duties any day, what a difficult work must it needs be to have all these rightly yoked together?

2. The nature of the thing itself calls for duties in a high degree of spirituality. If any ordinance or duty calls for a spiritual frame it is participating in the Lord’s supper. It requires that the exercise of the judgement be most clear, that faith be most distinct, that meditation be most divine, etc. And the more spiritual the duty is, there is certainly the more aptness in us, through our corruption, to go wrong in it.

3. In men and women naturally and ordinarily, there is only very little effort and endeavour to know and grasp aright the nature of this ordinance. There is in most a great ignorance of the ways and means of the gospel, but generally there is a greater ignorance, darkness and blindness as to the right partaking of this ordinance compared to most others, either through the difficulty of it, or through our laziness that means we are not more painstaking about it. So that if you were to ask many of us, even those of us who may have been affected by the gospel, “What is communion? And what is the right way of partaking of it?” you would find only a very little distinctness of understanding. Many are content to live without clarity about it. This makes people incapable of going about it aright.

4. People are reluctant to bestir themselves in the work of preparation for the Lord’s supper. Some self-examination is requisite for every duty, but a more solemn self-examination is enjoined in reference to this one, and how very reluctant we are to do it! And seeing self-examination is as the doorway and entrance to this duty, is it any wonder that most persons communicate unworthily? Seeing the exercise of self-searching is so much slighted, and so very difficult to the majority, and to many, through their own fault, impossible?

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