drinks thofe Symbols of Remembrance, without CHAP. applying them to the Ends of Remembrance, he V. eats and drinks nothing but mere Bread and Wine, he unfeasonably eats, and unthinkingly drinks no Symbols, he difcerns not the Lord's Body; he is therefore guilty of not confidering the Thing fignified, the Body and Blood of Chrift. And confequently, feeing thofe Symbols (as he very well knew) were purpofely to be eaten and drank, for confidering and difcerning the Lord's Body, he eats and drinks his own Condemnation, i.e. that which ferves to reproach and condemn him, as well as expofe him to the Provocation` and Judgment of the Lord of that Supper, for not using fuch Symbols, at fuch a time, anfwerably to his pofitive Appointment and Memorial of himself: And for want of judging and examin ing himself, and his Intentions of communicating, by the End, i. e. the difcerning, difcriminating, and remembring the Lord's Body broken, and Blood of the new Covenant fhed, the notorious Design of that Supper; for which horrid Proftitution of the Knowledge and Confcience of what the Apostle had before deliver'd to them, at fo facred a Solemnity; and for intemperate Disorders; and parting of Tables, and dividing Communion even under the fame Roof, and for their unchriftian Partiality and unfeasonable Kind of Excommunication of their Poor Brethren (the most abfurd Behaviour certainly at the united Commemoration of a Saviour dying for the Salvation of all Men, Poor as well as Rich:) The Lord of that undifcern'd Body, and abufed Supper, judg'd or punish'd the Irreverence of fome with bodily Affliction, that others might be chaften'd into Amendment; fome with Death: For this Caufe many are fick and weakly among you, and many heep.

AND

CHAP.

V.

AND as this gives a true Judgment concerning unworthy receiving, fo does it of the Apostle's fhort, effectual Rule of examining ourselves previously, in order to prevent it in every Communicant ever after, (feeing we are free from the open Disorders and Indecencies among the Corinthians) which is again according to his Appeal in the Matter, viz. to make the End of the Inftitution fixed by Chrift himself, the perpetual Standard for weighing and examining all our Comportment, and Purposes in Reference to that Duty. Whether we refolve then to be devoutly mindful and obfervant of what the Lord of that Supper lays a double Charge on us, at that Time, to mind and bear in particular Remembrance; to lift up our Hearts, to lift them up to that Lord who taketh away the Sins of the World, in the most grateful Remembrance, contraining and producing all Obedience, for his inestimable Kindneffes; and whether we will reform our Lives, conform our Minds and Actions to the Terms of the new Covenant in his Blood; and regulate our Hopes of Remiffion of paft Sins ; of readier Acceptance and joyful Accefs unto God; of eternal Life; and of all other Benefits of his Paffion, by that folemn fhewing forth the Lord's Death: That Kind of Remembrance being the perpetual Standard and Regulation for preventing Schifms and Herefies in reference to this Solemnity. But, as the Apostle observes in the fame Chap. They must needs be, as long as there are Paffions and Corruptions in Men, and the Providence of God permits them to have their corrupt Effects; the providential Touchftone and Event of it will or ought to be, that they who are approved of the Lord, by adhering to the

Ends

V.

Ends of his own Inftitution, and preserving that Sort CHAP. of Remembrance, may be made manifeft, by that Difcrimination, and that invariable Rule of right receiving according to Chrift's own Inftitution.

Was there a phyfical Virtue, or infeparable inward and spiritual Grace communicated to the confecrated Elements for imparting to Communicants the bleffed Effects of the Sacrifice of Chrift; or, which is the fame Thing, could the opus operatum of corporeal eating and drinking*, anfwer the End of remembring his Death; Children, Ideots, or the most profligate Sinners, (intending ftill to be fuch) who never think at all of the Matter, would be worthy Receivers, and there could be no fuch Thing as unworthy receiving. But fince they operate interpretatively, to our most serious Reflexion, as foodful Signs and Monuments, for raifing our Thoughts to, and recollecting them upon the Thing fignified, Chrift dying for our Sins, and the great Love of God in that Difpenfation of a Mediator: Seeing the Lord's Supper works upon the inward thinking Man in this rational, moral Way, (upon which may be expected the fulfilling of Grace and fpiritual Benediction, in virtue of Prayers for the Gifts of the Spirit, at that Time, ufed; Prayer in Chrift's Name, being the Key of Heaven for that Conveyance and Supply of our

The Papifts maintain'd that Grace was ipfo fatto conferr'd with the outward Symbols, and the People justified merely by the Work of receiving those Externals, by complying with thofe facramental Works: The Proteftants afferted on the contrary, That the fpiritual Efficacy depended chiefly on the internal Part, the Application of the Mind by Faith. Thence commenced the Controversy between them, whether Juftification was by Works or Faith; which receiv'd different Turns afterwards.

Needs

374 CHAP. Needs engag'd at our Entrance into the new Covenant, at Baptifm) to the perfecting Holinefs in the Fear of the Lord, as the Communicant in a lively Faith in God's Mercy, and being in perfect Charity with all Men, reflects upon that Method of God's pardoning Sin; as it is in itfelf, the greatest and most affecting Argument of his Love in Chrift, that can poffibly be laid before the Mind of Man, at a folemn time of reflecting, for winning his reciprocal Love, and fecuring his bounden Obedience,

THUS One Sacrament is the folemn Rite of initating into the new Covenant with all its Privileges, Conditions, and Obligations; the other for folemnly and frequently recognizing and re membring it, in the Grounds thereof, the Death of the Mediator; and as both these Inftitutions and Solemnities, are adapted to operate in us fymbolically and affectingly, thoughtfully and morally, the Defign of the Gofpel, i. e. fober, righteous, and godly Living, the Religion of the End, and the natural Religion of the Means, Repentance and Prayer. And if the Grace of God, and of our Lord Jefus Chrift, appears unto all Men, to act thus fpiritually, and yet moft certainly in the moral Tendency of the two Sacraments; by folemnly firft entering, and afterwards as often as the Obligation loofens, by riveting and refixing the Gofpel, or new Covenant upon Chriftians, call'd the Miniftration of the Spirit, and the Law of the Spirit of Life, for giving Life and Efficacy to the otherwise expiring natural Religion both of the End, and of the Means: How ufeful, excellent, and wife is the Inftitution of Baptifm, and the Lord's Supper? How generally neceffary to Salvation? How abfurd the CHAP. Neglect and Contempt of Scoffers?

CHAP.

VI.

The great Benefit and Service of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, in carrying on the MEANS, and END of natural Religion; in Anfwer to the shameful Mifreprefentations of the Deifts.

'N the two preceding Chapters, I have CHAP. mentioned several godly Ufes and VI. Advantages arifing out of the Inftitution and Design of these pofitive Parts of Christianity, as morally fubfervient for undertaking, and compleating our religious Engagements, fufficient to recommend them to the Practice of all, who would fulfil all Righteoufnefs. Did nothing appear but the bare pofitive Command, and nothing in the Command but what is worthy of God, that is fufficient Argument for Obedience; inasmuch as Difobedience muft neceffarily be a moral Tranfgreffion of the Duty and Relation we ftand in to God; but being fure of the Command, we may be all fure, there are abundant good Reasons for our Compliance, though we could not deduce

them all.

A pofitive Command from Heaven to a particular Perfon may very well be defigned, as a Trial, to diftinguish him eminently from the rest of the Community. But when a pofitive Injunc