CHAP. Office at the right Hand of God. For how eaV. fily, upon Occafion, might this Doctrine in its Confequences, be reconciled to the Bopish renew ing and repeating that Sacrifice, which was once made? It feems therefore not fo true, nor fo proper an Expreffion of the Lord's-Supper to call it a commemorative Sacrifice, as fome have used, or rather mifufed that Expreffion of the ancient Fathers; who would probably have omitted it, could they have foreseen the ill Conftruction Pofterity have put upon their devout Me taphors.

BUT in our Church's Office, instead of offering the Body of Chrift, real, or myftical, for a Propitiation to God, there is only offer'd to Him, by the officiating Minifter and Congregation, first Prayers and Supplications for all Men, Alms and Oblations for the Poor, (perhaps the Bread and Wine before Confecration may be thought by fome to be offer'd) Prayers over the Bread and Wine, and Praife commemorative of the full, perfect, and fufficient Sacrifice, Oblation, Satisfaction (once offered) for the Sins of the whole World. Secondly, Vows and Refolutions for holy Obedience, ourselves, our Souls and Bodies to be a reasonable, holy, and lively Sacrifice. Such Sacrifice of ourselves, in devout Memorial of his, most fitly fhews forth the Lord's Death till bis coming again, before God and Man; the new Covenant betwixt God and Man feal'd by the Blood of the Mediator, being then and there with great Truth commemorated, as too much neglected by us; and then and there with equal Neceffity refolved to be better obferv'd. But a commemorativè Sacrifice, is a very different Idea, with fome Moderns, from the Commemoration of the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift.

THE

СНАР.

THE commanded Virtue of the inftituted V. Sign is, to create an Opportunity, and imprefs a folemn Memorandum of what Chrift would have in that manner remember'd; the Virtue and Office of a Receiver of that Sign, muft therefore be to receive it according to the Inftitution; remembring that it is his Bufinefs and Devotion, upon that facred Occafion, to join the Sign and the Thing fignified together, and bring the End to the Participation, the Death of our Redeemer, and the Sacrifice of his precious Blood, his Body broken, and his Blood pour'd out, and make it mentally prefent upon the Table, in the View of our Mind, looking upon him whom we have pierced, in his moft ferious and pious Reflections upon the fame; as ever he defires to communicate as Chrift would have him, and make a Conscience of doing it in Remembrance of him.

As the Cup is called by the Inftitutor, my Blood of the new Covenant, that neceffarily and particularly brings to Remembrance our Knowledge of that Covenant, with our Obligations to, Deviation from, and Privileges in obferving as we ought, and the ill Confequences of contaminating it with Sin and Difobedience; to be guilty of that by wilful Apoftacy, is counting the Blood of the Covenant an unholy Thing, and a tearing off the Seal, viz. the Lord knoweth or approveth who are his; but how know, how approve, but from and by the COUNTERPART, every one that nameth the Name of Chrift (and it is hard to remember him without his Name) let him depart from all Iniquity?

CHAP.

V.

FOR the Thoughts of that Covenant immediately and unavoidably bring into folemn Recollection, the Mediator of it; which includes not only Lord and Mafter, but fomething more, viz. all the unfpeakable Kindneffes defign'd by his Death, to our Souls and Bodies. And as we ought more especially to muse and meditate, and be grateful for Kindneffes at this time of Eucharist and Thanksgiving, what can be greater in all the World, than his dying upon the Crofs for the Salvation of both, the Remiffion of Sin, the Refurrection of the Body, and Life everlasting, &c.? And if we have any Confcience of that Covenant, enter'd into by Baptifm, or any Value for the Mediator of it, or his dying Command, we must remember our Sins with a forfaking Hatred, fince that was the grand Benefit to us ward, to fave his People from their Sins, and redeem us from all Iniquity, that we become zealous of good Works. In order to which, it previously promotes an Enquiry, and enjoins an Examination, how much, and in what Particulars we have deviated from the holy Profeffion we undertook at Baptifm; whether we are in the Faith; and in the due and becoming Course of Obedience, which infeparably belongs to it; and whether the Ends of Chrift's Inftitution, are the Ends, and no other, that brings us to that holy Sacrament.

AND what ought, or fhould be, the Confequence of fuch a Remembrance to any People, but to abhor and forfake thofe Sins more and more, which God has fo feverely forbidden, yet at fo great a Coft is ready to forgive! And in that holy Purpofe of fincere Endeavour, fpiritually

V.

tually drink of that defirable Spring of Comfort CHAP. to a guilty Confcience, the Remiffion of Sins, and the joyful Senfe of Friendship with God, upon the Condition of future Obedience; fufficient to kindle a Flame of Love and Thankfgiving in every Breaft. Then the Body of our Lord Jefus Chrift which was given for us (as the external Sign is bodily taken and eaten) will be thoughtfully taken, and fpiritually eaten in Remembrance of bis dying for us, and fed on in our Heart by Faith with Thanksgiving; and, as the Body and Soul of the Juft live by this Faith, will be preserved unto everlasting Life. Then will the Blood of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Blood of the new Covenant, be drank in our Thoughts, when the Remembrance of the Ends and Conditions for which it was fhed, is the Guest there: And thus will our Souls be strengthened and refresh'd by the Body and Blood of Chrift, if we eat and drink as verily with our feeding imbibing Faith, as with our Mouth; and thro' the Mouth Faith will perceive the Life giving Virtue of this Sacrament mentioned by the Homily, i. e thus duly partaken will be a Pledge of eternal Life.

THE Church of England Office calls the Bread and Wine holy Myfteries, in that fcriptural Sense of Myftery, which imports a Symbol*; and puts all the Good and Effect of thofe holy Myfteries into the Peoples own Power, notwithstanding the Unworthiness (if fuch a Thing fhould ever happen) of the officiating Minister †.

AND this way of meafuring by the Ends, will help us to a true Judgment, what is St. Paul's

Epb. v. 32. + See xxvi. Article of the fame Church.

unworthy

CHAP. unworthy receiving the Lord's-Supper, and what V. on the contrary is worthy receiving: For this is judging by the fame Standard and Measure the Apoftle himself appeal'd to. In order to shame and convince the Corinthians of their unworthy receiving it through the Disorders crept in among them, he recalls them to the original Inftitution, and to the Ends fet forth by Chrift, as he receiv'd them from him, and recites particularly *; then immediately forms his Argument, and fubjoins, wherefore whosoever ball eat this Bread or drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of our Lord; i. e. whoever in partaking that Supper, omits the Ends which Chrift himself has annex'd thereto, as did fome of the Corinthians, that Perfon is to be accounted an unworthy Gueft at that Supper, being guilty of a grofs Mifapplication concerning the Body and Blood of Chrift, externally reprefented there by the Signs of Bread and Wine. For not to remember thofe Ends, or not devoutly to reflect upon the Death and Paffion of Christ, and not to reprefent to ourselves and to one another, the Love of God in that Sacrament, was not to eat the Lord's-Supper but prophane it; and to be as incogitant of what they were about, as if they were at their own ordinary Supper; not difcerning the Lord's Body, or not difcriminating the Bread and Wine, which were the Signs, from other Bread and Wine, which is common Victuals.

He that comes to that Supper knowing the Bread and Wine to be purpofely fet apart for commemorating the Death of Chrift, "yet eats and

1 Cor. xi. 17, &c.

drinks