The Lord gave the commemoration of his sufferings and death to _his
disciples_, and Paul, in Corinth, gave it to the congregation of the
saints, and not to any others. Those who are his disciples, who are in
Christ, in the body, are communicants, and those not in Christ, are not
communicants. We “neither invite nor exclude,” but show to whom the
Lord has given the communion, and that no others have any right to it,
only those in good standing in the body, and _give it to no others_.
But for any preacher or church to arrange _purposely_ for communion
with persons whom they know are not in Christ, not in the kingdom, and
try to blur over the clear violation of the law of the kingdom, as thus
deliberately arranged for, by defining the position of his church to be
that they “neither invite nor exclude,” is certainly a weak and shallow
device. It is an attempt to ignore the very act by which we enter into
union with the Father and with the Son, as, also, the “whole family
in heaven and on earth,”—immersion into Christ, into the name of the
Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, under the sham pretext
of a _union_ meeting, a _union_ communion. There is no _Christian
union_ in any meeting that intends to ignore the clear law of induction
into the kingdom of God. It is only a _union in disloyalty_ to the
Great King—_ignoring his law_.