"deal to fuppofe); yet ftill it does not appear, that "there are no other Texts in the New Testament "which relate to it. And if this, and the other "three, do not themselves relate to the Lord's Sup

per, they cannot poffibly prove that no other Text "in the New Teftament relates to this Ordinance.— "I fhall mention feveral which are thought and in"fifted on to relate to it; and to lead us to a Know"ledge of the Nature and Extent of this religious Du"ty, or the Will of God as it relates to this Sacra

❝ment.

"And firft, thofe Words of our Saviour, When "thou bringeft thy Gift to the Altar, and there remem"breft thy Brother hath ought against thee, &c. Matt. ແ v. 23, 24. must lead us to a Knowledge of the Na"ture and Extent of this pofitive Duty. And if "Chrift commands his Difciples not to comply with "a particular pofitive Inftitution under the Jewish "Difpenfation, whilft they were at Enmity with "their Brethren, this Command muft extend to our "Behaviour with regard to other pofitive Inftituti

❝ons.

"Again, Rom. xii. 1. will lead us to a Knowledge "of the Nature and Extent of this religious Duty. "And when the Apoftle teaches us how to prefent our "Bodies acceptable to God, he teaches us how we ought "to approach God in this Ordinance. Again, That "Text wherein a Perfon was caft out by the Lord of "the Feast for not having on a Wedding Garment, "Matt. xxii. 11, 12. muft lead us to a Knowledge "of the Nature and Extent of this religious Duty; "and we find that he was caft out, not for behaving "indecently at the Time of the Feaft, but for prefu"ming to come to it without a wedding Garment.

"What a wedding Garment is, and the neceffity "of having one, in order to obtain any thing from "Chrift, I give you in the words of the Learned Dr. Clarke.

"The wedding Garment is a virtuous Life; without "this, whoever pretends to any hope in Chrift, upon what

"Prefum

"Prefumption foever it be, to him is the Queflion put, "Friend, how cameft thou hither?

"Again, To appear in the Prefence of a Prince upon any publick and folemn Occafion in an improper, indecent, abfurd Drefs, is a direct Indignity, and an Affront. Now Sin, that is, every moral Impurity, eve66 ry Wickedness whatfoever, is more odious in the Sight "of God, than any natural Indecency can be offensive "in the Sight of Men.

66

"And most certainly, if the Table of the Lord may "in any Senfe be compared to a Feaft; if any thing "is to be partaken of at this Table, a wedding Gar"ment must be required in every Person who is de"figned to be a guest at it.

"Further, 1 Cor. 13. will lead us to a Knowledge "of the Nature and Extent of this religious Duty. "And if all our Gifts and Endowments; if Faith, "and Acts of Charity will not be accepted, unless we "have the Difpofitions here defcribed, we have no "reafon to expect our Compliance with a pofitive "Duty will be accepted without fuch Difpofitions.

"But further, if what you yourfelf allow to be ne"ceffary in order to the due Performance of this re"ligious Duty, is really neceffary in order to this End; "then there are other Texts in the New Testament "befides thofe which have been produced, which "will lead us to a Knowledge of the Nature and Ex

tent of this religious Duty, or the Will of God, as it relates to this Sacrament. And if it is neceffary, "in order to the due Performance of this religious Duty, to believe, that Jefus was fent by God, and to profefs and acknowledge Chrift to be our Mafter, "and ourselves to be his Difciples and Followers, that

we are under his Governance and Influence, and in "Fellowship with him as our Head; then all those "Texts which teach us this, muft lead us to a Know"ledge of the Nature and Extent of this religious "Duty, or the Will or God, as it relates to this Sa

66

crament.

K 4

«Again,

"Again, there is another particular and remarkable "Text, which, you do not repeat, but only just re"fer to, and that is, 1 Cor. 5. II. and according to

your own Sense of thisText, it relates to the Lord's "Supper: And you tell us, that thofe profeft Chri"flians, who in Juftin Martyr's Time brought a publick "Difgrace upon Religion, and were debarr'd, not only "from the Eucharift, but from all other Parts of the "common Worship of Chriftians; nay, from the common "intercourfes of Society, were debarr'd, according to St. "Paul's Rule in this Place, which Rule, tho' you do "not give it us, is this; But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any Man that is called a "Brother, be a Fornicator, or Covetous, or an Idolater, “ or a Railer, or a Drunkard, or an Extortioner, with ແ fuch an one no not to eat. Now then if these Per"fons were debarr'd from the Eucharift according to "St. Paul's Rule, then this Rule of St. Paul's must "relate to the Lord's Supper.

"And to this may be added, St. Paul would cer"tainly not have debarr'd us from eating at the Lord's "Table with fuch as could do it acceptably to God,

" &c.

"Again, St. Paul by forbidding us to eat with "open notorious Sinners, took one Means to prevent "fuch Perfons from receiving the Sacrament at all: "but St. Paul could not poffibly do this, if fuch Per"fons might receive this Sacrament acceptably to God,

"But not to cite any more Texts, all thofe Texts "in the New Teftament which tell us upon what "Terms God will accept of us, and our Services, "must lead us to a Knowledge of the Nature and Ex"tent of this religious Duty, or the Will of God as it "relates to this Sacrament; and we may very juftly "conclude, that when we are fuch as God has upon "other Occafions declar'd that he will not accept of, "that he will not accept of us in this Ordinance."

By what is here offered, the Reader will be enabled to judge, whether any Texts in the New Teftament

relate

relate to the Lord's Supper, befides thofe alledged in the Plain Account; and confequently, whether antecedent moral Difpofitions, and preparatory Qualifica tions be, or be not, required in the Receiver?

A Treatise on Virtue and Happiness. London: Printed by T. W. for J. Battley and J. Wood, in Pater-nofter-Row. 1736. Octavo. Pag. 328.

TH

HIS ingenious Treatife, tho' it has been published fome Months, not falling into my Hands till very lately, I have not before now had any Opportunity of giving an Account of it. It is wrote in a free and elegant Manner, containing many just and delicate Obfervations on human Nature, with fome judicious and instructive Reasonings thereupon. The Writer fays," it appeals only to common Sense; "and as it is copied from Nature and from the great"eft Masters, it pretends to no more than to serve as "a Key or Introduction to what has been written by "the most celebrated Authors on this Subject.-The "Matter of it, as he adds, is certainly of Importance; "it is a Refolution of this momentous Queftion, By "what Means may we pass through the World as eafily "to ourselves and others as poffible, and obtain the great"eft and most lafting Pleasure?" This is a Query that every Individual of our Species is highly concern'd in, and leads to an Art infinitely valuable, and which every confidering Creature muft afpire to the Perfection of. The Documents here delivered are plain and obvious, embaraffed with no obfcure Speculations; yet the Sentiments are none of them low, but rather generally fublime, and the Diction fmooth and polifhed. It is divided into three Parts,

The

The first treats of human Affection and Motion in general. Proves Happiness to be the End of all our Actions; and offers feveral Confiderations concerning Felicity and Good. Shews, How we may deviate from our true Happiness; and, How Errors in refpe&t to it are to be prevented. And then evinces this melancholy Truth, That Reason is fometimes unable to ftem the Torrent of our Paffions, or regulate our Purfuits; which he confirms by various Remarks on the Imbecility of our Nature.

The fecond Part opens with an Enquiry into the different Powers of Affection we are endowed with. He expatiates on the Pleasures and Pains of the external Senfes; on Sympathy and focial Affection; on the moral Senfe, the Objects of which are Virtue and Vice, Beauty and Deformity; on thofe Abilities and Attainments, which, when joined with or founded upon a good Difpofition, do appear amiable; on the Senfe of Honour and Reputation, as alfo the Grounds of Mirth and Ridicule; and finally, on the Harmony of Nature that excites in us an Idea of Beauty. It explains how thefe Determinations are implanted in our Constitution, and in what manner others may be acquired by Cufton; and ends, with a Comparison of thofe divers Inclinations that actuate us, in order to difcover which are of greateft Importance.

The third Part fhews, How our several Paffions ought to be managed, and makes it evident that all ought to be moderated and kept in fubjection. It furnishes us with Directions for the due Réftriction of our fenfual Appetites; as likewife of Selfishness and the Love of Money. Informs us how the Pleasures of the Intellect and of the Imagination are to be regulated; how we are to conduct the focial Affections; how the Senfe of Right and Wrong ought to be governed; and laftly, how we should moderate our Ambition and Thirft of Fame.

These are the Heads whereon the Author enlarges in this Volume; a Summary of which as drawn up by himself, at the Conclufion, is here adjoin'd.

As