TheLord’sSupper

It is my solemn duty to warn the uninstructed, the profane, the scandalous, and those who secretly
and impenitently live in any sin, not to approach the holy table lest they partake unworthily, not
discerning the Lord's body, and so eat and drink condemnation to themselves. Nevertheless, this
warning is not designed to keep the humble and contrite from the table of the Lord, as if the supper
were for those who might be free from sin. On the contrary, we who are invited to the supper, coming
as guilty and polluted sinners and without hope of eternal life apart from the grace of God in
Christ, confess our dependence for pardon and cleansing upon the perfect sacrifice of Christ, base
our hope of eternal life upon His perfect obedience and righteousness, and humbly resolve to deny
ourselves, crucify our old natures, and follow Christ as becomes those who bear His name. Let us
therefore, in accordance with the admonition of the apostle Paul, examine our minds and hearts to
determine whether such discernment is ours, to the end that we may partake to the glory of God and
to our growth in the grace of Christ.
Chapter IV, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1647), “The Celebration of the Sacraments”