teries that Chrift has made peculiar to his own Religion. This Confideration furely ought to lay a mighty Obligation upon all that call themselves by the Name of Christ, and would be thought his Worshippers, to omit no Opportunity that is offered them of doing Honour to their Saviour in this Way.

II. We are likewife particularly obliged, in point of Gratitude, to. the careful Obfervance of this Inftitution.

This was the particular Thing our Saviour gave in Charge when he was going to lay down his Life for us: This Sacrament, as we know, owes its Origin to our Redeemer; that is, to one who has infinitely obliged us; to one who has redeemed us from the Curfe of the Law, being made a Curfe for us;* who his own Self bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree, by whofe Stripes we are healed +; and who inftituted it, as we have just now observed, in the most affecting Conjuncture, when he was on the Point of offering his Life for us: Surely there arifes from hence a moft powerful Motive to the religious Obfervance of it. Do this, fays he, in Remembrance of Me. Men ufe religiously to observe the Charge of a dying Friend, and (unless it be very difficult and unreasonable) perform what he defires. What Regard fhould we not fhew then to the Charge of our beft Friend; nay, the greatest Friend and Benefactor of all Mankind, when he was preparing to offer up himself a Sacrifice for us, to undergo (as we have been mentioning) the * Gal. iii, 13. t Pet. ii, 24.

moft

moft grievous Pains and Sufferings, and to yield up himself to the worft of temporal Deaths, that he might deliver us from the bitter Pains of eternal Death? And can we deny him this, especially when we confider that it is infinitely beneficial to us? Had fuch a Friend, and in fuch Circumftances, bid us do fome great Thing, would we not have done it? How much more, when he only faith, Eat, O Friend, and Drink, O Beloved,S in Remembrance of me? When he has recommended to us one of the moft natural and delightful Actions as a fit Representation and Memorial of his wonderful Love to us, and of his cruel Sufferings for our Sakes? When he has only enjoin'd us, in a thankful Commemoration of this Goodness, to meet at his Table, and to remember what he has done for us; to look on him whom we have pierced*, and to refolve to grieve and wound him no more? Can we, without the moft horrid Ingratitude, neglect this dying Charge of our Sovereign and our Saviour, the great Friend and Lover of Souls a Command fo feasonable, fo eafy to the faithful Obfervers of it, and the most delicious Repaft we can partake of on this Side Heaven? Ought not these Circumstances to be a ftrange Endearment of this Inftitution to all that profefs them felves his Difciples? Will not every good-natur'd ingenuous Man, that confiders thefe Things, be naturally apt to put a more than ordinary Value upon these dear Pledges our dying Saviour has thus be‡ 2 Kings, v, 13. § Cant. v, I. * Zech. xii, 10.

;

queathed

queathed unto us? Or is it poffible that any one can fo much as pretend to love our Lord Jefus, and yet be so infenfible of his last Command, and the Circumftances wherein it was given, as to live in a wilful Neglect thereof? Methinks fo often as we read in the Inftitution thofe Words of our dear Lord, Do this in Remembrance of me, and confider what he who faid them did for us, this dying Charge. of our beft Friend fhould stick by us, and make a ftrong Impreffion upon our Minds; efpecially if we add to them thofe other Words of his not long before his Death: Greater Love than this hath no Man, that a Man lay down his Life for his Friend: Ye are my Friends, if ye do what I command you.* It is a wonderful Love that he has expreffed to us, and worthy to be had in perpetual Remembrance. all that he expects from us, by Way of thankful Acknowledgment, is to celebrate the Remembrance of it by the frequent Participationof this bleffed Sacrament. And fhall this Charge, laid upon us by him who laid down. his Life for us, lay no Obligation upon us to the folemn Remembrance of that unparallel'd. Kindness, which is the Foundation of so many Bleffings to us? It is a Sign we have no great Sense of the Benefit, when we are fo unmindful of our Benefactor as to forget him Days, nay and even Months and Years without Number. We should be fo far from neglecting this Sa-crament, that we fhould heartily thank God for every Opportunity he offers to us of being * John xv, 13, 14.

And

made

made Partakers of it.. Methinks we fhould long with David (who faw but the Shadow of thefe Bleffings) to be fatisfy'd with the good Things of God's Houfe, and to draw near his Altar; and fhould cry out with him, O when fhall I come and appear before thee: My Soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord, and my Flesh crieth for the living God. † And if we had a juft Efteem of Things, we fhould account it the greatest Infelicity and Judgment in the World to be debarred of this Privilege, which yet we do deliberately and frequently deprive ourselves of.

III. This might be the proper Place for mentioning the third Inducement to receive the bleffed Sacrament, arifing from our Intereft,, or the Advantages accruing to us from it; but as this coincides with the Subject of the Fourth Chapter, I must refer the Reader thereto; defiring him in the mean Time thoroughly to confider the Reafons I am going to produce, to fhew the Obligations which lie upon us to receive it often.

Now if to receive the Sacrament, at all, be a good Act, then certainly we cannot do it too often: We cannot too often commemorate our Lord and his Paffion, nor too often return devout Thanks and Praise for the fame. It is certain that the Command of Chrift, Do this: in Remembrance of me, muft oblige us in fome Times, and in fome Circumftances; and the Words of St Paul, As often as we eat this Bread and drink this Cup t, fuppofe it to be † Pfal. lxxxiv, 3. xliii, 3.

1 Cor. xi, 26.

done

done often; and the Practice of the primitive Chriftians, and even of the Apostles themselves (who furely had the Mind of Chrift in this Matter) fhew us, beyond all Manner of Doubt, I think, that our Lord intended it as a Part of our ordinary publick Worship. Thus we find that the new Converts continued ftedfaft in the Apoftles Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread, and in Prayer.† And St Paul, in the Reproof he gives to the Corinthians, takes it for granted that their coming into one Place was to eat the Lord's Supper; for what the Apoftle call'd, at the 20th Verfe, coming together into one Place, he calls, at the 33d Verfe, coming together to eat; intimating that the main End of their coming together was to eat the Eucharift; this being indeed the chief Part of their Devotions, whenfoever they could meet together to perform them, especially on the Lord's Day. Thus we are informed, that upon the first Day of the Week, when the Difciples came together to break Bread, Paul preached to them, being ready to depart; where we fee that the very End and Purpose of their Meeting was not to hear a Sermon, but to break Bread; (a known Phrase, importing the Administration of the Sacrament) tho' St Paul took that Opportunity, when they met for this Purpose, to preach to them. From which Paffage we may certainly conclude, that the first Day of the Week was the Difciples ftated Time of publick Worship, and that celebrating the holy Eucharift was a Part of that Worship And it would not be very difficult

* 1 Cor. ii, 16. † Acts ii, 42. ‡ Acts xx, 7.

to