any

Viciousness in the course of our lives "We contradict the profeffions of our soi lemn Devotions;" feems no better than to give to this Act, in one part of this sentence, a Privilege which is immediately taken away by declaring, in another part of the same sentence, the fteady practice of all Virtue to be fo neceffary, that without it, the performance of this Duty worthily will be of no avail towards this acceptance. And indeed, at the best it is faying nothing which teaches Us the peculiar nature of this Duty, We are enquiring after: nor any thing but what may be said, with equal propriety, of the fingle Duty of Prayer; or any other of the like fort.

Thefe very Cautions, We fee, fuppofe (what without doubt is true) that a Chriftian may receive this Sacrament worthily; and yet afterwards contradict the profeffion of this part of His Devotion, by a Vicioufness in the Courfe of his Life. As therefore, on one hand, if the Man after this be Vicious and Immoral; this Sacrament, tho' worthily received, will not fecure to Him God's acceptance: fo, on the other hand, if his Practice be in all refpects worthy of a Chriftian; it is his Univerfal Obedience to the

Will of God, which will be his fecurity; and not this particular Inftance of it, confider'd by itself. For in both Cafes the receiving this Sacrament is the fame, and of the fame effect; viz. It is one Duty, worthily performed; and therefore acceptable to Gop. But, being but One, it cannot avail, without the performance of all Others; and, when accompanied with that performance, It is not to this fingle Instance of Chriftian Duty, (any more than to any other,) that the Chriftian owes the fecurity of his Acceptance with GoD: but to the Practice of his Whole Duty, and of that Univerfal Holiness, without which no man shall fee the Lord.

I have thus endeavor'd to guard myself and Others against all fuch Doctrines and Ways of Expreffion concerning this Duty, as appeared to carry along with them any Notions which might prove of bad confequence to Chriftians; or at beft do not tend to explain the peculiar nature of it, as diftinguifhed from all other Duties of Religion. And from what I have laid down I think it very evident that the proper and confiftent way of Expreffion, upon this Subject, is this: "That partaking worthily of the N 2 " Lord's

"Lord's Supper is one particular Duty of "a Chriftian; that this partaking of it worthily is no more than the Performance of "One Duty, in a manner, and with dif

pofitions, fuitable to the defign and na"ture of it; and therefore, ought not to "be accounted of any more importance to"wards the securing our Acceptance with "GOD, than the performance of a single "Duty of this fort can be: And that eve

ry Christian is obliged not only to per"form this Duty worthily, but every other "Duty of his Religion upon Principles fui" table to its nature; and, as to his Final "Acceptance with GoD through Christ, "ought to have his Eye conftantly and

particularly upon that whole System of "Moral Duties, upon which, throughout "the New Teftament, his Acceptance is conftantly put; and upon those Catalogues " of Vices which are as conftantly there de"clared to exclude all who practise them "from the Kingdom of Heaven, let their

Religious performances, in other refpects, "be what they will."

To conclude, Let Chriftians be content with what their Mafter and his Apoftles have taught them to expect from This Duty;

and

and not think it Any Exaltation of his Inftitution, to magnify It into what He never defigned it to be. Let them not esteem That, as a Low Difpenfation, which is as High as it was His Will to make it; nor think, above what is written, of That, which can receive it's value only from what is written. Let them remember that All beyond, is no better than a Dream: pleasing perhaps at prefent; but, in the end, hurtful to Those who infufe it into Others, and to Those who will find Themselves difappointed when They are waked out of it. Let them attend upon This Holy Inftitution, as the Commemoration of their Lord, the Reviver and Teacher of the pureft Religion in the World: and This will lead their Thoughts to their Happiness, by the Way of their Duty; and difengage them from dwelling chiefly upon Supernatural Favors, and exalted Privileges, where They are naturally and strongly called upon to think of their own indifpenfable Obligations to depart from all Iniquity; and to practice all Virtue; that is, to have their Converfation fuch as becometh the Gospel of Chrift, whom They thus acknowledge for their Mafter.

I

T may not be unusefull to Those whofe Benefit I chiefly defign, before I conclude, juft to mention, and explain, several of thofe Names, by which this Religious Rite has been heretofore, or is now, called that fo, Unlearned Readers may be as little at a lofs as poffible, to understand what They may at any time read, either in this, or any other, Treatife upon this Subject.

1. From the foregoing Account of the In fitution, We fee immediately the Reafon why this Religious Rite was called The Lord's Supper: which was the First Name of it; and a Name agreeable to the Simplicity of the Inftitution itself. It was instituted at, or after, the Last Supper, which our Saviour and his Difciples ate together, in Celebration of the Jewish Paffover: and, as it was appointed to confift in Eating Bread and Drinking Wine, It was natu

rally