were fact, that all the benefits of the new covenant were actually fealed and applied, as well as represented to worthy communicants, in the act, or in confequence of the act of communion, they would have fuch an affurance of the pardon of their fins, and of their title to heaven, as I imagine, few perfons will pretend to; and I imagine that few perfons would believe them, if they should pretend to it.

Some perfons may chufe to make use of the language above-mentioned in a qualified sense, meaning, that their faith in Chrift, and all chriftian virtues, are rendered much more lively by the peculiar prefence of the fpirit of God in this ordinance. I am far from denying the influence of the fpirit of God upon the minds of men, according to fome eftablished law, or rule (that we may not fuppose it to be, in the proper fenfe of the word, miraculous) but I fee not a fhadow of authority, from the fcriptures, for expecting this presence at the Lord's Supper, more than in any other chriftian ordinance,

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The

The prefence of Chrift, whatever may be n.cant by it, is exprefsly promised, where two or three are gathered together in kis name; but it is not faid, that they were to be affembled for the purpose of celebrating the Lord's Supper. On the contrary, I believe it is generally underfood to refer to their meeting for the purpose of social prayer; and in no place whatever is there any promise made of the particular prefence of God, or of Chrift, in the Lord's Supper.

It is true, that the action of eating or drinking may be intended to represent our receiving and obeying the gofpel of Christ, and confequently our being entitled to the bleffings of it; but ftill this is no more than a figurative action, and cannot amount to more than expreffing our faith in Chrift, our refolution to obey his gofpel, and our hope of receiving the rewards of it in words; and I appeal to the experience of the most fincere chriftian if he has not

found

.

found every devotional feeling as lively in the exercise of prayer, as in the act, or in confequence, of receiving the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper.

It will not be faid, on any scripture authority, that the prayers that are usually made before, or after the celebration of this ordinance, have any peculiar advantages annexed to them.

The danger of communicating unworthily, cannot, in the nature of things, arife, except either from the indecent manner of adminiftering and attending upon it, or the infincerity of the promises and refolutions that are implied in it, which equally affects prayer, and partaking of the Lord's Supper. They are each an explicit or implicit refolution to live as becomes the gofpel; and the divine difpleasure is as expressly denounced against the hypocritical worfhipper, as against the unworthy communicant: nay, there are frequent declarations

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of

of the indignation with which God hears thofe who draw nigh to him with their lips, while their hearts are far from him whereas we should probably never have heard of any danger of communicating unworthily, if it had not been for the fcandalous abuse of this rite by the Corinthi

ans.

In no other cafe, therefore, have we the leaft authority to conclude, that this danger is of a different nature from that which arifes from infincerity in prayer; and far are we from having from having any reason to fuppofe it to be greater. The one, confequently, will require juft as much preparation and forethought as the other. I wish that more attention were given to both, but by no means to the one more than the other.

It is the expectation of the above mentioned divine communications of the pardon of fin, or at leaft of fome extraordinary fupernatural influence or impreffions,

that

that, I fay, is enthufiaftic; and it is the expectation of fome particular judgment upon unworthy communicants, more than what will fall upon infincere worshippers, that I call a fuperftitious fear. Diffenters, I believe, have a higher idea of the fpiritual benefits of this ordinance, (though they may expect less from it as a mere opus operatum); and they have more dread of the danger of attending upon it in a state of mind improper for receiving it, than the generality of the members of the church of England; and this appears to me to be the principal reason why it is lefs generally attended by us. This state of things was the cause of my writing the Address to Diffenters on the fubject.

A Let

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