deriv'd from the Apoftolical Inftitution, to celebrate the Euchurift thrice every Week, that is, so often as they met to pray and praise God; which Practice may well be conceiv'd a great Means of kindling and preferving in them that Holy Fervour of Piety which they fo illustriously express'd in their Conversation, and in their gladfom Suffering for Chrift's Sake. The remitting of that Frequency, as it is certainly a Sign and an Effect fo in part it may be reckon'd a Caufe of the Degeneracy of Chriftian Practice, into that great Coldness and Slackness which afterwards feiz'd upon it, and now does apparently keep it in a languishing and half-dying State.

The rarer Occafions therefore we now have of performing this Duty (the which indeed was always efteem'd the principal Office of God's Service; and the being depriv'd of which was also deem'd the greatest Punishment and Infelicity that could be inflicted on, or befal a Chriftian) the more ready we should be to embrace them. If we dread God's Displeasure; if we value our Lord and his Benefits; if we tender the Life, Health and Welfare of our Souls, we shall not neglect it; for how can we but grievously offend God by such extreme Rudeness, that when he kindly invites us to his Table, we are averse from coming thither, or utterly refuse? That when he calls us into his Prefence we run from him, that when he with his own Hand offers us ineftimable Mercies and Blessings, we reject them? It is not only the Breach of God's Command who injoin'd us to do this, but a direct Contempt of his Favour and Goodnefs, most clearly and largely exhibited in this Office. And how can we bear any regard to our Lord, or be anywise sensible of his gracious Performances in our Behalf, if we are unwilling to join in thankful and joyful Commemorations of them? How little do we love our own Souls, if we fuffer them to pine and starve for want of that Food which God here difpenfes for their Suftenance and Comfort? if we bereave them for enjoy.

ing

ing fo high a Privilege, fo ineftimable a Benefit, fo incomparable Pleasures, as are to be found and felt in this Service, or fpring and flow from it, What reasonable Excufe can we frame for fuch Neglect? Are we otherwife employed? What Bufinefs can there be more important than serving God and faving our own Souls? Is it Wisdom, in purfuance of any the greatest Affair here, to difregard the principal Concern of our Souls? Do we think ourselves unfit and unworthy to appear in God's Prefence? But is any Man unworthy to obey God's Commands? Is any Man unfit to implore and partake of God's Mercy, if he be not unwilling to do it? What Unworthinefs fhould hinder us from remembring our Lord's exceffive Charity towards us, and thanking him for it? from praying for his Grace; from refolving to amend our Lives? Muft we, because we are unworthy, continue fo ftill, by fhunning the Means of correcting and curing us? Muft we increase our Unworthiness by tranfgreffing our Duty? If we efteem things well, the Confcioufnefs of our Sinfulness fhould rather drive us to it as to our Medicine, than detain us from it. There is no Man indeed who must not conceive and confefs himself unworthy, therefore must no Man come thither at God's Call? If we have a Senfe of our Sins, and a Mind to leave them; if we have a Sense of God's Good nefs, and a Heart to thank him for it, we are fo worthy that we fhall be kindly received there, and graciously rewarded. If we will not take a little Care to work thefe Difpofitions in ourselves, we are indeed unworthy; but the being fo from our own perverfe Negligence, is a bad Excufe for the Neglect of our Duty: He, who with an honest Meaning, tho' with an imperfect Devotion, addreffes himself to the Performance of this most Holy Part of God's Worship, is far more excufable than he who declines it upon what Score foever; no fcrupulous Shinefs can ward us from Blame. What then fhall we fay, if fupine Sloth, or profane Contempt, are the Causes of such Neglect ?

I fhall

I fhall not here meddle with a Controverfy ftarted by fome Cafuifts; Whether the proftituting this Holy Sacrament to any worldly Interefts, or enforcing it upon. Accounts mere political, is justifiable from Scripture, or the Nature of this facred Inftitution. The Ladies have not been much expofed to the Temptation of unworthy receiving the Lord's Supper, to qualify them for fome Poft of Honour or Profit in this tranfitory Life; and therefore I fhall leave fuch Inquiries to others, and content myself with what has been faid of the Importance and Neceffity of the conftant Exercife of this Duty.

ZEAL

Z E A L.

W

'HAT a noble Subject is this? And yet alas! how has it lately been miftaken and abused? Heroick Acts, or what is more, the Heroick Lives of Saints, Martyrs and Confeffors, prefent themfelves to my Thoughts. Here human Nature enrich'd, adorn'd, and elevated to the utmoft Degree, by a participation of the divine one: Here the power of God's Word; the energy of the Holy Ghoft; the triumphs of Faith; and the ecftafies of Love might be defcribed. Here the different excellencies of different Virtues; and the different value of good Works should be ftated and fettled; and the various Paths in which Men pursue the height of Virtue, and the nobleft Defigns be examined; and folid Piety and true Wisdom be refin'd from the Alloys and Mixtures of Enthusiasm, Superftition, Fancy, or whatever else they are disfigur'd or debas'd by.

I do not exclude fome degrees of Zeal from every period of the Chriftian's Life. Sincerity cannot fubfift wholly without it: The Hunger and Thirst after Righte oufness, which is the fubject of one of our Saviour's Beatitudes, must be more or less in every Child of God. But it may fignify one thing in the Infant, another in the Adult Chriftian: In the one, the conqueft of Sin, or rather of the relicks and remains of former finful

Habits,

Habits, and the attainment of habitual Goodness, is the object of this Hunger and Thirft. In the other it imports a vehement Defire of whatever is yet wanting to a farther accomplishment and confummation of Righte ousness already fix'd and establish'd; the intire and ultimate Perfection of it in Heaven; and in the mean time the promoting the Divine Glory upon Earth, whatever it coft him to do so. By a State of Zeal then I here mean Virtue or Holiness, not in the Bud or in the Bloffom, but in its full Strength and Stature, grown up and ripe, and loaded with bleffed Fruits: That Holiness I mean which is the result of Illumination, or clearness of Judgment, of the Strength and Force of holy Refolution, and the Vigour and Energy of holy Paffions; that folid, fpiritual, and operative Religion, which may be felt and enjoy'd by us ourselves, in the ferenity and tranquillity of Confcience, the longings and breathings of pious Defires, the joys and pleasures of a rational Affurance, difcerned by the World in our Lives and Actions, in the modefty of our Garb, in the plainnefs and humility of all Things else that pertain to this part of Life; in the temperance of our Meats the purity and heavenliness of our Conversation, the moderation of our Defigns and Enjoyments, the inftruction of our Families, with a tender and indefatigable Watchfulness over them; the conftancy of our Attendance upon, and the devoutnefs of our Deportment in the publick Worship of God; and laftly in the activity and generofity of our Charity; or to fpeak my Thoughts in the Language of St. Paul, a State of Zeal is that Perfection or maturity of Holiness which abounds in the Works of Faith, the Labour of Love, and the Patience of Hope in our Lord Jefus Chrift, in the Sight of God and our Father. Now the end of all this is the advancing the glory of God; and therefore Zeal is well enough defcrib'd or defin'd by an ardent or vehement Defire of doing fo, either by our Holiness, or by the Fruit of it,

Good