The Lord’s Supper, called also the “Eucharist,” and the “Communion,” is the most sacred act of Christian worship, and the highest expression of the mysteries of our holy religion. It is a service in which bread and wine—the loaf and the cup—are used to represent the body and the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for us. The bread is broken, distributed, and eaten; the wine is poured, distributed, and drunk by the members of the assembled church, to show the sacrifice of Christ, His body broken, and His blood shed for their redemption; and that by His death they have life. Being begotten of God through the operation of the Spirit, their new life is sustained and nourished by mystically feeding on Him who is the Bread of God, which came down from heaven to give life to the world. He said: “This do in remembrance of Me.” “As oft as ye eat this bread [p. 109] and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death, till He come.” “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.” “Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life.” “He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him.” It is a Divine reality, though a sublime mystery.  
open and close communion
 
The controversy between Baptists and other denominations, so far as the Lord’s Supper is concerned, has no reference to its nature, the purpose for which it was instituted, the manner of its administration, or the effect of the elements on the participants. It has reference simply to the proper subjects for participation in the privilege. Who may, and who may not properly and of right come to the Lord’s Table? On the question of what are the Scriptural qualifications of participants, Baptist and Pedobaptists differ—differ not as to the general rule to be applied, but as to its particular application. And this particular application leads to the controversy on what is called “close communion,” as practiced [p. 110] by Baptists, and to what is called “open communion,” as practiced by Pedobaptists.
 
What is open communion? Open, free or mixed communion is, strictly speaking, that which allows any one who desires, and believes himself qualified, to come to the Lord’s Table, without any questions being asked, or conditions imposed by the church in which the ordinance is observed. But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of the greater part of the Pedobaptist churches, which hold that sprinkling is lawful baptism, and invite, not all persons, but members of all evangelical churches, whatever be their view of church order and ordinances; holding them all as being baptized because they have been sprinkled.
 
What is close communion? Close, strict, or restricted communion is, properly speaking, that which does not invite all indiscriminately to the Lord’s Table, but restricts the privilege to a particular class. But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of Baptist churches, which invite only baptized believers, walking in orderly fellowship in their own churches. And by baptized believers, they mean, of course, [p. 111] immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling to be baptism at all.
 
one and the same rule
 
Observe further: That Baptists and Pedobaptists have one and the same rule in theory as to the proper qualification for participants, namely, they all hold that baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized persons have no legal right to the Lord’s Supper, and cannot consistently be invited to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized persons to the Lord’s Table, however good Christians, since such could not become church-members, and the Supper is for those within the church, not for the outside world. For though there are a few churches and a few pastors, who in their extreme liberality might be disposed to invite everybody to the sacred ordinance yet such a course would be contrary to their denominational standards, and opposed to the usages of their churches generally.
 
Further observe: They all practice a restriction since they restrict the privilege to a particular class: namely, baptized believers, walking in orderly church fellowship. But Baptists and Pedobaptists differ [p. 112] as to what constitutes baptism, the one rejecting, and the other accepting the validity of sprinkling. Thus Baptists’ custom is more “close,” and Pedobaptists’ is more “open,” by the difference between their views of baptism; and by that difference only. Therefore, it is manifest that the question so called of “close” and “open” communion is really not a question of “communion” at all, but of what constitutes Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled, and the controversy as to the restriction of the Lord’s Supper will cease.
 
the baptist position
 
Baptists hold that there are three imperative conditions precedent to the privileges of the Lord’s Supper: 1. Regeneration. No unconverted person can with propriety, or of right, eat and drink at that sacred feast, in commemoration of Christ’s death. They must be persons dead to sin, and alive to God; born again, through the operation of the Spirit. 2. Baptism. Buried with Christ in baptism on a profession of faith in Him. No person, however good, and however manifestly regenerate, is prepared without baptism, according to the [p. 113] Divine order, to receive the Supper. Without baptism he cannot enter the fellowship of the church, where the Supper alone is to be enjoyed. 3. An orderly walk is necessary. An upright and consistent Christian walk, and godly conversation among the saints, and before the world. For though one may be truly regenerate, and properly baptized, yet if he be a disorderly walker, violating his covenant obligations, living in sin, and bringing reproach on the Christian profession, he has no right to sit at the Lord’s Table.
 
The ordinances are a sacred trust which Christ has committed to the churches as custodians, and which they are to watch and guard from all profane intrusion, and improper use, with the most sedulous fidelity. Baptists believe that in order to maintain the purity and spirituality of the churches, it is necessary to maintain the ordinances pure; and especially necessary to restrict the Supper to regenerate and godly persons, baptized on a profession of their faith, into the fellowship of the saints. To adopt any other rule, or to allow any larger liberty, would break down the distinction between the church and the world; would bring in a carnal and unconverted [p. 114] membership, and transfer the sacred mysteries of the body and the blood of Christ from the temple of God to the temple of Belial. This would be disloyalty to Christ.
 
The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those who believed and gladly received the Word, were baptized. Then they were added to the church. Then they continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer.
 
Notice, they were not baptized till they had received the Word and believed. They were not added to the church till they had believed and been baptized. They did not engage in the breaking of bread (that is, the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized, and were added to the church. This is the Divine order; and this is the order which Baptists maintain and defend.
 
pedobaptist close communion
 
It has already been shown that Pedobaptists themselves practice a restricted or close communion, limiting the privilege to baptized (as they call them) members of evangelical churches, and that their communion is more liberal than that of the Baptists [p. 115] only, and only by so much as their baptism (so-called) is more liberal than that of Baptists.
 
But in some respects Pedobaptists practice a “close communion,” restrictive in its conditions, far beyond anything known to Baptists whose illiberality they are accustomed to magnify. They exclude a large class of their own members from the Lord’s Table—namely, baptized children! Baptists do not deny the Lord’s Supper to their own members in good standing. If children are suitable subjects for baptism, it seems most unreasonable and unjust to deny them the Supper. If they can be benefited by one ordinance, can they not be equally benefited by the other? If they can receive the one on the faith of sponsors, can they not receive the other in the same way? Who has authorized parents or ministers to give baptism to unconverted and unconscious children, and refuse them the Lord’s Supper? By denying the Supper to baptized children, Pedobaptists act contrary to the traditions of the ancient churches, which they are accustomed to cite with so much assurance, in defense of infant baptism. Do they not know that those ancient churches (not the primitive churches) gave the Lord’s Supper to infants [p. 116] for many centuries? And the Greek Church, through all its branches, continues still the same practice.
 
Doctor Coleman says: “After the general introduction of infant baptism, in the second and third centuries, the sacrament continued to be administered to all who had been baptized, whether infants or adults. The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for this practice was, that age was no impediment. Augustine strongly advocates the practice. The custom continued for several centuries. It is mentioned in the third Council of Tours, a. d. 813; and even the Council of Trent, a. d. 1545, only decreed that it should not be considered essential to salvation. It is still scrupulously observed by the Greek Church.” Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4, Sec. 7. Many other writers bear the same testimony.
 
the power of sympathy
 
There is a small class of Baptists who are at times inclined to desire, and it may be, to seek a wider liberty at the Lord’s Table than they find accorded in their own churches. The one prevailing argument with them is sympathy. To them it seems [p. 117] kindly and fraternal to invite all who say they love our common Lord and Saviour to unite in commemorating His death in the Supper. Even if they have not been baptized, they themselves believe they have, and they are good Christian people. “Why stand upon a technicality?” they say. To such the service is merely a sentimental service; a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship, rather than an instituted commemoration of their dying Lord. They have neither Scripture, logic, expediency, the scholarship, nor the concurrent practice of Christendom, either past or present, to sustain their position. But sympathy influences them; yet sympathy should not control conduct in matters of faith, or in acts of conscience. It is a grave perversion when affection for his disciples sways us more than fidelity to our Lord. We should not be so kind to them as to be untrue to Him. Sincere Christians will honor those who are loyal to Christ, even though they differ in opinion.
 
three facts explained
 
Baptists give the following reasons in justification of their course in the following cases:
 
[p. 118] 1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the Lord’s Supper with them, because such persons are not baptized, as has been shown, they being simply sprinkled. They may be true converts, and have the spiritual qualifications, but they are destitute of the ceremonial qualification—baptism. The “buried in baptism” comes before the “breaking of bread.”
 
2. They do not accept the invitation of Pedobaptist churches to eat at the Lord’s Table with them, for the same reason; they are not baptized Christians. And while the appreciate their Christian fellowship, ............