Page images
PDF
EPUB

having suffered Death upon the Cross for our Re demption, and as having made there by his own DbIation of himself, once offered, a full, perfect and sufficient Sacrifice, Dblation, and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World *.

It is evident in the next Place, that as the Sacrament was appointed to be received not by one singly, but by many jointly, or in common; it hereby becomes a focial Act; and that therefore, between those who do not mutually agree in this Faith, there can be no lawful Communion. When one Man receives the Sacrament, doth he not thereby profess his Faith in Chrift? And when another Man is admitted to communicate with him, is he not understood as making the fame Profession? And what is this but saying, that joint Communion is and must be founded in a mutual Agreement in the fame Faith? It is to be observed here, that Faith in Christ takes in the Belief of every Doctrine which that Faith neceffarily implies, and upon which it fundamentally rests; in which Points, Churches, as well as private Christians, muft judge for themselves by the Rule of God's Word. Confequently, when any Church or Number of Chriftians have determined for themselves what is the Faith of Christ, they may lawfully communicate among themselves whether fuch Determination be right or wrong. I fay lawfully, that is, so far as the Act of Receiving the Communion is concerned. If they err in the Faith, they may be answerable for that Error; but so long as they are so perfuaded, they cannot be chargeable with a Profanation of the Lord's Table by *communicating unworthily. For they perform this Duty agreeably to the End of its Institution, according to what they know and understand about it, and more than this the most orthodox Communion cannot do. But then, such Church cannot admit any to communicate with them who differ from them in any of those Points which they judge necessary to the * Confecration Prayer,

Faith of a Christian; nor can those who differ in those

Points (knowing themselves so to differ) lawfully offer themselves to communicate with such Church; for this is making Profession of an Agreement in the Faith where there is no Agreement, which is a Fraud upon the Society, and a Falsification in the Sight of God.

There is another Cafe when Communion with any Church or Society of Christians, will accidently become unlawful; and that is, when by human Prescription, or thro' some Error in Point of Doctrine, fuch Circumstances come to be connected with the Act of Communicating, as cannot lawfully be complied with. This is our Case with Respect to the Church of Rome, with which we refuse to hold Communion, because we cannot communicate with them, unless we will profess our Belief (for Instance) in the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, and without paying religious Adoration to the confecrated Elements; which we judge to be unlawful and idolan trous. This likewife is the Cafe with Respect to such Separatists from the Church of England, as think our Worship to be contrary to the Law of God. They would in communicating with us, do a Thing to them unlawful, and profane the Lord's Table in so doing. The Act of Communicating in such Cases, is not Worship, but Irreligion.

It is not agreeable to my present Intention to enter into those Points which may arife upon the Question of lawful or unlawful, as it concerns the Members of different Communions. And therefore I proceed to a Disqualification of another Kind, which concerns us as Christians at large, and will equally affect us of whatever Sect or Communion we may be, and that is an immoral Life. This is presumed in the foregoing Cafes. For the Reason why a Man cannot lawfully communicate with a Church from which he differs in Point of Faith, or on the Account of 'Circumstances which in Conscience he cannot approve, is because false Professions are an immoral Thing; which supposes that an immoral Life is a Dilqualification.

F

And

And to this Purpose the Words of our Liturgy de. ferve our Attention, in which all who are invited to come to the Holy Communion are exhorted to search and examine their oton Consciences - that they may come holy and clean, i. e. (for fo the Exhortation proceeds) to examine their Lives and Conversations by the Rule of God's Commandments, nor dare, if any of them be a Blasphemer of God, an hinderer or Sianderer of his lord, an Adulterer, or be in Palice, Enby, or any other grievous Trime, till they have repented of their Sins, to come to that holy Table *. All which is but agreeable to the Scripture Directions. For St. Paul says, let a Man EXAMINE himself, and so let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup, 1 Cor. xi. 28. That is, let him examine his Life and Conversation, and fee that his moral State be fuch as he can justify to his own Confcience. The Disorders committed in receiving the Holy Communion (or rather at those Featts of Charity which were appendant to it) which gave Occafion to this Advice, were of the moral Kind. There were Divisions among them, ver. 11. In eating each Man took before other his own Supper, and one was hungry, and another was drunken. These were the Fruits of an evil Mind, which was to be corrected before they could come worthily to the Lord's Table. Methinks the Reafon of the Thing speaks itself. For what Confistency can there be in professing our Acceptance of God's Mercies in Chrift; if we will take no Care to qualify ourselves for those Mercies, by the Termsupon which the Gospel offers them? In truth, there is no Act of Religion for which an Evil Heart will not unqualify us. Even the Prayers of the Wicked are an Abomination t so are his Sacrifices, especially if he bringeth them with a wicked Mind 1. And we should not forget with what Scorn God rejects the Jewish Sacrifices for the Defectiveness of those who offered them up, in respect of their moral Qualifications; in that fa. * First Invitation. † Prov. xxviii. 9. ‡ Chap. i. 27.

mous

To what

mous Paffage of Ifaiah, Chap. i. ver. II. Purpose is the Multitude of your Sacrifices unto me, faith the Lord? I am full of the burnt Offerings of Rams, and the Fat of fed Beasts, and I delight not in the Blood of Bullocks, or of Lambs, or of He Goats. When ze come to appear before me, who hath required this at your Hand to tread my Courts? Bring no more vain Oblations, Incense is an Abomination to me, the new Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of Affemblies I cannst arvay with. It is Iniquity, even the foienm Meeting. Your new Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth, they are a Trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your Hands I will hide mine Eyes from you; yea, when ye make many Prayers I will not bear. Why? your Hands are full of Blood. Wash ye, make you clean, put away the Evil of your Doings from before mine Eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, Jeek Judgment, relieve the Oppresed, judge the Fatherless, plead for the Widow. There is in all folemn Acts of religious Worship one general Meaning. They are a Profeffion of Duty and Reverence to God; which Profession, when there is nothing to answer it in our Behaviour, is Mockery and Profaneness, as our Saviour intimates, Matt. xv. 7. Ye Hypocrites, well did Efaias prophesy of you, saying, This People draweth nigh unto me with their Moush, and bonoureth their Lips, but their Heart is far from me. Therefore in vain do they worship me.

me

This may serve to shew in general, that Repentance and a good Life are neceffary to qualify us for the Lord's Table; or if any Thing be yet wanting, let us only confider what was required of those who believed in Chrift upon the preaching of the Apostles to qualify them for Baptifm; and this, we know, was Repentance. REPENT (says St. Peter) and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Chrilt, for the Remission of Sins, Acts ii. 38. Now if Repentance is neceffary to qualify us for one of the Sacraments, it must be necessary to qualify us for the other too; for they both contain the fame Profeffion, And what Senfe

F. 2

Sose is there in supposing that any one should be fit pro'ef his Relation to Christ, by the Memorial of 14. Covenant founded in his Blood, who, wants the Qualifications that are necessary in order to his very first Admafion into it ? - But a Question will here arife, In what Degree is Repentance and a good Life neceffary? If no bad Actions would hinder, the worit would be qualified as well as the best. If no Allowance is to be made for common Failings, the best will be excluded as well as the worst, for abfolutly perfect there are none. Some middle Way therefore there must be between these two Extreams, which I shall point out as diftinctly as the Nature of the Thing will bear; as well to encourage the weak and over-scrupulous, as to check the bold and prefumptuous. And,

1. A Distinction is to be made between ficret and notorious Sins. As to fecret Sins, this Rule is to be ooserved, That no Man thould come to the Lord's Table, till he hath taken up such Resolutions of Amendment as he may reasonably prefume will be effectual to a new and a better Life. I say, reasonably prefume; for if it were faid that no Man should come till he is abfolutely fecure of his future Conduct, it would be equivalent to saying, that no Man should come at all; for this is a Security not to be had on this Side the Grave. But a reasonable Presumption there ought to be; for, in Matters of a civil Nature, no Man thinks it prudent to make a folemn Promise, when he has Cause to fuspect his Want of Resolution to be as good as his Word; especially if a Failure in his Promise will turn to his own Prejudice. We should not be less cautious in making folemn Engagements to God; who the oftner we vow, the more he will be offended, if we vow and do not pay. There are some Sins which if we hold not in great Abhorrence, we may be very certain that we have not the Grace of Repentance, even in the lowest Degree of it. Of this Sort are Blafphemy and Profaneness, Murder, Adultery, Malice, and the like, of which no Man can be deliberately

« PreviousContinue »