Thomas Ridgeley's A Body of Divinity: Wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion are Explained and Defended, Being the Substance of Several Lectures on the Assembly's Larger Catechism is a book for which I have looked for well over a year. It is quite rare and does not appear in the used book market very often (I got it Tuesday!).Here is a sample from the section on preparation for the Lord's Supper:
Another duty preparatory to the Lord's Supper, mentioned in this answer, is serious meditation. We are to perform this duty that we not engage in the ordinance without considering the greatness of the Majesty with whom we we have to do, together with our own vileness and unworthiness to approach his presence. We must also consider his power, wisdom, and goodness, to encourage us to hope for those supplies of grace from which we stand in need of; and we are to have an awful sense of his omnipresence and omniscience, as he is an heart-searching God, that we may be excited to an holy reverence, and guarded against the wandering of our thoughts and affections from him, or any unbecoming behaviour in his presence. More particularly, we are to consider beforehand, the end and design of Christ's instituting this ordinance- namely, that his dying love to sinners might be signified and showed forth, and an encouragement to our faith, and an inducement to thanksgiving and praise. -p534
4 comments:
I read something in similar vein by Spurgeon the other day. He was saying that we need to focus on Christ's atoning work and not our own sin, or we'll never get out of despair. Quite timely, I thought.
Thanks for posting these sorts of things before the Lord's Supper - it's great to see a blog used for edification like that.
Thanks Mark. I hope that my posts are edifying to all. I thought that this was a great quote as well. I hope we are all focusing on the finished work of Christ and not on ourselves this communion season!
Today Lydia and I were reading Thomas Watson on the LS and he said that Christ the king is beckoning us to come and it would be treason to stay away-physically or spiritually. Awesome stuff...powerful words.
It's a wonderful qoute, I agree! Where could a find a copy of that Nate? As you might know, I am no longer in good ole' GR-usalem, hence great books are not very accessible.
However I have to say that I'm a little concerned over what Spurgeon had said, how can one focus on Christ's atoning work without seeing their own sin? Is this not the foundation of redemption?
You can look until you are blue int the face Billy. It is quite difficult to find. If you find a copy for less that $150 you are doing great!
RHB *may* republish it at some point. I have been pushing for it!
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