here appointed; forasmuch as cleansing is one well known property of water, it is evidently a fit fignto denote our being washed from fin", by virtue of the blood of Chrift"; and fince all men were to be invited into his church, and fome form of admiffion to be ordained, it argued great wisdom and goodness in our Lord, to take away that painful rite of circumcifion, and, inftead thereof, to appoint the most common, and the most easy sign that could be invented, to be the door of entrance into that church."

Now the Lord's Supper is fo called, becaufe the Jewish custom of eating bread and drinking wine, at the conclufion of the pafchal fupper, was by our Lord converted into the facrament of his most precious body and blood." But this does not transfer any obligation up-on us to receive this facrament after fupper, or in the evening, any more than to receive it in an upper chamber, a table pofture, or with any other circumftance of the like nature, wherewith our Lord did eat the paffover with his difciples, before he suffered. For in matters

B. 2

of

m Eph. v. 25, 26.-Acts xxii. 16. Tit. iii. 5.-Heb. x. zz. Cor. x. 1, 2. n John i. 7.-Heb. ix. 14. P Matt xi. 30.-1 John v. 3.-Acts xv. 10.-Heb. ix. 10. Lub xxii. 19, 20.-1 Cor. xi. 20.-1 Cor. x. 21.-Ac9 xx:

of this kind, we are to be directed by the lawful difpenfers of this holy mystery; who, with a due regard to its fuperior dignity and the imitation of fcripture, have appointed the Lord's boufe, and the Lord's day, and the forepart of that day, "for the ftated celebration thereof. And you are to take notice, that it is ordered to be received three times a year at least,* whereof Eafter to be one, in the humble pofture of kneeling; and with all those inward acts of fuitable devotion, which our moftexcellent office of administration cannot but raise in every attentive communicant. *. -

a

The church affures us, that the facrament of the Lord's fupper was ordained for the continual remembrance of the facrifice and death of Chrifi, and of the benefits which we receive thereby; and this memorial of Chrift's death is to be a standing service in his church, fo long as it conti

nues

9 1 Cor. iv. 1.-Heb. v. 1, 4.-1 Pet. ii. 5.-Jer xxxiii. 18. 1 Tim. iii. 16.-Dan. x. 21. I Cor. xi. 22.Deut. xii. 6.-Deut. xvi. 22.-Pfal. xxvii. 6. t A&ts xx. 5, 7.-Rev. i. 10. 1 Cor. xi. 20, 21.-Acts ii. 15. x Exod. xxiii. 14, 17.-Deut. xvi. 16.-Heb. x. 1-Heb. xiii. 15.Acts ii. 42. y I Cor. v. 7, 8.-Exod. xii. 17.-Deut. xvi. 1.-Numb. xi. 13. Phil. ii. 9, 10, 11.-Rom. xiv. 11 — Eph. iii. 14, 19.-Mark i. 40. P. li. 17.-Ifa. Ivii. 15.Ifa. xxv. I. Pf. lxiii. 5. Pf. xcix. 5.-Matt. xxvi. 30.Col. iii. 16. b I Cor. xiv. 26, 40. Eccl. v. r.-Matt.

xv. 8.

d

nues militant here on earth; for Chrift did institute, and in his holy gofpel command us to continue a perpetual memory of that his precious death, until his coming again. Now the death of Chrift is called a facrifice, because that our heavenly father, of his tender mercy, gave his only fon Jefus Chrift, to fuffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who made there (by his one oblation of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, oblation and fatisfaction for the fins of the whole world; and thereby we receive the benefits of obtaining remiffion of our fins, and of being made partakers of the kingdom of heaven and by this we are to understand, that as the fon of GOD did vouchsafe to yield up his foul by death upon the crofs for our falvation; fo it is the duty of all chriftians to receive the communion, in remembrance of the facrifice of his death, as he himself hath commanded; and to do it fo frequently, that they may always have a fresh and lively remembrance thereof, in their minds. &

Now the church teaches us, thatthe outward

1 Cor. xi. 26.-Acts i. 11.-Matt. x. 32, 33.-Heb. ix. 28. * Heb. ix. 26.-Heb. vii. 27.—John i. 29.—2 Cor. v. 21.-1 Pet. iii. 18, f Heb. ix. 28, 12.-Heb. x. 10, 12, 14, 18.-Rom. v. 10.2 Cor. v. 21.—Col. i. 21, 22. $ 1 Cor. xi. 25, 26.

h

part or fign of the Lord's fupper is bread and wine which the Lord has commanded to be received; and from hence we are to obferve, that notwithstanding it is our duty to reft satisfied in our Lord's will and pleasure, without seeking after a reason for his appointments; we cannot but obferve, that as our fpiritual purification is appofitely reprefented by water, in the other facrament, fo is our fpiritual fuftenance by bread and wine, in this; and that, both bread and wine being parts of one compleat nourishment, and feparately ineffectual, * this facrament is commanded to be administered in both kinds.

The church likewise tells us, thatthe inward part, or thing fignified, is the body and blood of Chrift; by which we are to understand that GOD did not only give his fon Jefus Chrift to die for us, but also to be our spiritual food and fuftenance in this holy facrament; and that, if we receive it with a true penitent heart and lively faith, we do fpiritually eat the flesh of Chrift and drink his blood: and you are to infer from what the church thus teaches in the

by Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25:

com

Pf. civ. 15.-Jud. ix. 13.

1.Tim. v. 23. k 1 Cor. ix. 24, 25.-1 Cor. x. 16. 1 Matt. iv. 22, 23.1 Cor. x. 16, 17, 18-John vi. 55. xxvi. 26, 27, 28.

Matt.

communion fervice, which fhe alfo teaches in the thirty-nine articles; namely, that the body of Chrift is given, taken, and eaten in the holy fupper, after a heavenly and fpiritual manner; and that the means whereby the body of Chrift is received and eaten in the fupper, is faith."

The church tells us, that the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby, is the ftrengthening and refreshing of our fouls bythe body and blood of Chrift, as our bodies are by the bread and wine; for, as bread and wine, confidered only as natural food, ftrengthen and refresh our bodies; fo, this bread and wine, confidered and taken, as memorials of the body and blood of Chrift, our master, lead us, by their peculiar tendency, to all fuch thoughts and practices, as are indeed the improvement and health of our fouls: and in this ordinance our fouls are ftrengthened by the most folemn exercise of our faith; and other religious acts: and by that fupernatural grace, which we receive from this fpiritual food," to enable us for the better performance of our christian duty for the future, our fouls are alfo refreshed by the comfortable affurance, B 4 thereby

n

John vi. 35, 40, 47, 63.-Johni. 12.-Gen. iii. 1.—Eph. iii. 17. • 1 Tim. IV. 7.-Heb. v. 14. P John vi. 56.2 Cor. xii. 9.-Phil. iv. 13.-Pf. cxxxviii. 3-Matt. xxv. 29.