examination will of course point out to us, must previously be of great fervice; as you will fee, when I come to that head. And the actual participation will add further advantages of unfpeakable value. Confidered as an act of obedience to our Saviour's command, Do this in remembrance of me, it must be beneficial to us; for all obedience will. Confidered as obedience to a command, proceeding principally, if not folely, from his mere will and pleafure; it contributes to form us into a very needful, á fubmiffive, and implicitly dutiful temper of mind.` But further: it is the most eminent and distinguished act of Christian worship: confifting of the devoutest thankfulness to God for the greatest bleffing, which he ever beftowed on man; attended, as it naturally muft, with carneft prayers, that the gift may avail us, to our fpiritual and eternal good. And it is much more likely to affect us very strongly and usefully, be cause it expreffes his bounty and our fenfe of it, not as our daily devotions do in words alone, but in the lefs common, and therefore more folemn way, of vifible figns and reprefentations: fetting forth evidently before our eyes, to ufe St Paul's language, Christ crucified amongst us. This, of neceffity, unlefs we are frangely wanting to ourselves, muft raife the warmest affections of love that our hearts are capable of, to him who hath given himfelf for us. And as love is the nobleft principle of religious behaviour, what tends fo powerfully to animate our love, must in proportion tend to perfect us in every branch of duty, according to the juft reafoning of the fame apoflle: For the love of Chrift conftraineth us; becaufe we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and he died for all, that they who live, fhould not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him, which died for them, and rose again. When our Saviour faid to his difciples, If ye love me, keep my commandments st; he knew the motive was no less engaging, than it is reasonable. And therefore he adds very foon after, If a man love me he will keep my words §." But this inftitution carries in it a yet further tie upon us; being, as our bleffed Lord himself declared, the New Teftament in his blood: the memorial and acknowledgment of the fecond *Gal. iii. 1. +2 Cor. v. 15, 16. Verfe 23. Į John xiv. 15. Luke xxii. 20. cond covenant between God and man, which was founded on his death; and requires a fincere faith and obedience on our part, as the condition of grace and mercy on his. Every one that nameth the name of Chrift, is bound to depart from iniquity*. But the obligation is redoubled on them who come to his table as friends, and make a covenant with him by parta king of his facrificet. If thefe live wickedly, it is declaring with the boldeft contempt, that they confider Chrift as the minifter of fint; and count the blood of the covenant, wherewith they profess to be fanctified, an unholy thing §. Partaking therefore of this holy ordinance is renewing, in the most awful manner, our engagements to the service which we owe, as well as our claims to the favours that God hath promised. It is our facrament, our oath to be faithful foldiers || under the great Captain of our falvation¶: which furely we cannot take thus, without being efficaciously influenced to the religious obfervance of it, in every part of a Chriftian life. But there is one part especially, and one of the utmost importance, to which this inftitution peculiarly binds us, that of univerfal good-will and charity. For commemorating, in so folemn an action, the love of Christ to us all, cannot but move us to that mutual imitation of his love, which, juft before his appointing this holy facrament, he fo earnestly and affectionately enjoined his followers, as the diftinguishing badge of their profeffion. This is my commandment, that ye love one a nother, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Hereby shall all men know, that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another. Then befides; commemorating his love jointly, as the fervants of one Mafter, and members of one body, partaking of the fame Covenant of Grace, and the fame hope of everlasting happiness, must, if we have any feeling of what we do, incline us powerfully to that reciprocal union of hearts, which indeed the very act of communicating fuggefts and recommends to us. For we, being many, are one bread and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread 3 R ++ Another VOL. IV. Another grace, which this commemoration of our Saviour's death peculiarly excites, is humility of foul. We acknowledge by it, that we are finners; and have no claim to pardon or acceptance, but through his facrifice, and his mediation, whofe merits we thus plead, and fet forth before God. And this confideration muft furely difpofe us very strongly to a thankful obfervance of his commands, to watchfulness over our own hearts; to mildness towards others. For we our felves alfo have been foolish, difobedient, deceived: and not by works of righteoufnefs, which we have done, but according to his mer cy, God hath faved us, which he fhed on us abundantly through Chrift Fefus our Saviour *. And as this facrament will naturally ftrengthen us in all thefe good difpofitions, we cannot doubt, but God will add his bleffing to the use of such proper means, especially being appointed means. For fince he hath threatened punishments to unworthy receivers, he will certainly beftow rewards on worthy ones.. Our Saviour hath told us, that his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed : fuftenance and refreshment to the fouls of men. When he bleffed the bread and wine, he undoubtedly prayed, and not in vain, that they might be effectual for the good purposes, which he designed should be attained by this holy rite. And St Paul hath told us, if it needs, more exprefsly, that the cup, which we blefs, is the communion, that is, the communication to us, of the blood of Chrift; and the bread, which we break, of the body of Chrift‡; that is, of a faving union with him, and therefore of the benefits procured to us by his death: which are, forgiveness of our of fences; for he hath said, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is fed for the remiffion of fins §: Increase of the gracious influences of the Holy Ghoft; for the apostle hath faid, plainly fpeaking of this ordinance, that we are all made to drink into one Spirit || : and everlasting life; for whose eateth his flesh, and drinketh his blood, dwelleth in Chrift, and Chrift in him, and be will raife him up at the last day. Whence a father of the apoftolic age, Ignatius, calls the eucharift, the medicine Tit. iii. 3, 5, 6. ☀ Mat. xxvi. 28. † John vi. 55. 1 Cor. xii. 13. I I Cor. x. 16. dicine of immortality; a prefervative, that we should not die, but live for ever in Jefus Chrift*. But then what hath beenalready hinted to you must be always carefully observed; that these benefits are to be expect ed only from partaking worthily of it: for he that cateth and drinketh unworthily, St Paul hath told us, is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord; that is, guilty of irreverence towards it, and eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. Our trans lation indeed hath it, damnation to himfelf. But there is fo great danger of this laft word being understood here in too strong á sense, that it would be much fafer, and exacter, to tranflate it, (as it is often tranflated elsewhere, and once in a few verses after this paffage, and from what follows ought undeniably to be tranflated here) judgment, or condemnation: not to certain punishment in another life, but to fuch marks of God's displeasure as he fees fit; which will be confined to this world, or extended to the next, as the case requires. For receiving unworthily may, according to the kind and degree of it, be either a very great fin, or comparatively a small one. But all dangerous kinds and degrees may with ease be avoided, if we only take care to come to the facrament with proper difpofitions, and, which will follow of course, to behave at it in a proper manner. To thefe difpofitions our catechifm proceeds. But more is needful to be known concerning them than can well be laid before you now. Therefore I fhall conclude at prefent with defiring you to obferve, that no unworthiness, but our own, can poffibly endanger us, or prevent our receiving benefit. Doubtlefs it would both be more pleafing and more edifying, to come to the table of the Lord § in company with fuch only as are qualified for a place at it: and they, who are unqualified, ought, when they properly can, to be restrained from it. But we have neither direction nor permiffion to stay away, because others come who fhould not: nor can they ever be fo effectually excluded, but that tares will be mixed among the wheat and attempting to root them up may often. be more hurtful than letting both grow together till the har3 R 2 See Waterland on the Eucharift, p. 217. Ign. ad Eph. c. 20. +1 Cor. xi. 27. 1 Cor. xi. 29. I § 1 Cor. x. 21. vest. vest*. Nay, should even the ftewards and difpenfers of God's myfteries + be unholy perfons, though it be a grievous temptation to others to abbor the Offering of the Lord yet that is holy still. They fball bear their iniquity; but notwithstanding, all the promises of all God's ordinances are yea and amen, fure and certain, in Jefus Chrift §, to as many as worship bim in fpirit, and in truth||,,saor / tart colonial oil moi ar 1 WHAT qualifications and difpofitions are required of them who come to the Lord's Supper, the fcripture hath not particularly expreffed: for they are eafily collected from: the nature of this ordinance. But our catechifm, in its fifth and last answer concerning it, hath reduced them very justly to three Repentance, faith, and charity. I. That we repent us truly of our former fins, stedfaftly purpofing to lead a new life. For as we are by nature prone to fin; and the youngest and best among us have in more inftances than a few been guilty of it: the lefs the better fo in Christianity, repentance is the foundation of every thing Now the forrow that we ought to feel for the leaft fin, mult be a very serious one: and for greater offences in proportion deeper. But the vehemence and paffionateness of grief will, on every occafion, and particularly on this, be extremely dif ferent in different perfons. And therefore all that God ex pects, |