together was and ought to have been to eat the Lord's Supper tho' by their misbehaviour they so corrupted the Ordinance that it could not be called His Supper If one should now reprove Christians whom they observe to mis-behave themselves in Church in these words When you come together into one place this is not to hear the Word of God Preached to you for one is Talking and another is Sleeping Wou'd not every Body conclude That in the Opinion of the Reprover the Hearing the Word of God Preached ought to be one End of their coming together And then surely the Apostles saying that when you come together into one place this is not to eat the Lord's Supper c. gives us ground to conclude that in his Opinion Eating the Lords Supper ought to be one constant End of our coming together Which is further manifest from the Advice he gives them Vers. 33. Wherefore my Brethren when ye come together to eat tarry one for another One End therefore of their coming together was as Children come together in a Family at Meal-time that is to be fed at their Father's Table For what the Apostle called in the former Verse coming together into one place in this Verse he calls coming together to eat intimating that a main end of their coming together into one place was to eat 3. When the Meeting of Christians came to be fixed to the First Day of the Week or the Lord's Day the Breaking of Bread was likewise brought to the same Day So Acts xx 7 And upon the first Day of the Week when the Disciples came together to break Bread Paul preached unto them From which words we may conclude two things First That the First Day of the Week was the Disciples time of Publick Worship Secondly That the Breaking of Bread or celebrating the holy Eucharist was a part of that Worship The Scripture is as plain for the one as the other There have been some Disputes raised about Changing the Day of Worship from the Last to the First Day of the Week and this place is usually produced to justifie the Change And sure the same place is as clear for the Celebration of the Lord's Supper on that Day as for the Observation of the Day it self instead of the Sabbath And therefore whoever wilfully passes the Lord's-Day without it doth not observe it as the Scriptures from the Practice of the Disciples direct us to do 4. I have endeavoured all along to confine my self to the plain words of Scripture and to use such Arguments only as the meanest persons might be able to judge of from their Bibles Yet in a Controverted place of Scripture concerning the meaning of a Command of Christ relating to some positive Duty I take the constant practice of the Church from the Apostles downward to be a good means of determining the sense of it And as there is not any Example of a stated Assembly for Worship in the New Testament without the Lord's Supper so I think there is not any Example of that Nature in all Antiquity For the truth of which I appeal to those that are skill'd in it The nearer we come to the Apostles we shall still find the Lord's Supper the more punctually observed as a constant part of the Ordinary service of the Church And 't is remarkable that when first some who had been present at the Prayers and Preaching of the Church began to go away from the Publick Assemblies without Receiving which was a corruption that came in about 300 years after Christ it was looked on as so great an Innovation and breach of the Scripture Rule that the Church decreed whosoever was guilty of it should be Excommunicated So particularly the Ninth of those commonly called the Canons of the Apostles and the second Canon of the Council of Antioch Thus the Practice of the Church continued for many Ages And tho' the generality of Men could not be persuaded constantly to partake of the Lord's Supper after the Discipline of the Church was dissolved and the piety of Men began to cool yet still it was Celebrated on the Lord's day according to the first setled Practice of the Church 5. And indeed the corrupt practice of the solitary Masses of the Papists is a further evidence of its being counted Originally a part of the ordinary Worship of God I think it is confessed by all even by the Papists themselves that those Masses had their Original from the universal corruption and negligence of Christians For whilst the People had either Piety or Zeal they communicated with the Bishop or Ministers in every Assembly at least a competent number of them But when Piety and Devotion were in a manner lost in the corrupt Ages of the Church it came to pass that tho' the Minister Consecrated the Elements every Lord's-day according to the Example of the Holy Scriptures and Antiquity yet he could prevail with few or none to receive with him but was often forced to receive alone This was a great corruption and a falling from the Scripture precedent but the Roman Church instead of Reforming the abuse by obliging the people to receive as formerly corrupted her principles as well as practice and decreed it lawful and sufficient for the Priest to receive alone Yet this abuse shews us what should be and what has been the practice and that the Church has constantly reckoned the Lord's-Supper as an Ordinary part of Publick Worship in Christian Assemblies on solemn days and sure then to lay it aside can be termed no less then an Invention of our own Since we can neither in Scripture or in the Church of God for 1400 years together which is a sufficient commentary on the Scripture Text produce one Example of a stated solemn Christian Assembly without it Sect. 2. The Practice of Our Church as to frequent Communions I. HAving thus consider'd the Rules and Examples that the Scriptures afford us in this point let us in the second place compare the Rules and Practices of Our Church with this pattern I will not pretend that they come fully up to it this being the most defective part of the Reformation But I doubt not on view it will appear that Our Church comes nearer the Scripture precedent then perhaps any other 'T was the design of the Reformation to throw out the corruptions of the Church of Rome and to bring things back to what was practised in the Apostles time and in the purer Ages of thâ— Church And as to the present point before us Our Reformers found two corruptions crept in by time The first was That the Priest received the Lord's-Supper alone without the people which destroyed the Nature of this Holy Sacrament as a Communion The second was That the people thought they had sufficiently observed the Lord's-day if they saw Mass without understanding it or receiving Our Church therefore to Reform the first of these Ordains That there shall be no Communion except
the Man of God When such a person by the Inspiration of the holy Ghost used and left to be used by us in our Supplications such a set and prepared Form of Words we ought not to doubt but that manner of Address is acceptable to God 3. The third part of Prayer is Intercession in the behalf of others Now Blessing is an eminent sort of Intercession and for the use of a set Form of Words in this we have likewise the Command of God Numb vi 23 On this wise ye shall bless the Children of Israel saying unto them The Lord bless thee and keep thee c. Here we have not onely a Blessing but an earnest Intercession with God for his people and the Form and Words prescribed by Himself which were not to be used by mean ignorant people who are only now supposed by some to need the help of Forms but by Aaron and his Sons the Chief Priests From which we may be assured That God approves that manner of Address in our Blessings and Intercessions for one another not onely from mean people but from the greatest 4. The fourth part of Prayer consisteth in Petitions for averting evil commonly called Deprecation and for this purpose we have several Forms prescribed by God Joel i. 14 Gather the Elders and all the Inhabitants of the Land into the House of the Lord your God and say unto the Lord Alas for the day the day of the Lord is at hand c. We have God's Commandment for another Form Joel ii 17 Let the Priests the Ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the Altar and let them say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach c. From whence it clearly follows that God approves the use of a Form in this part of Prayer tho' commonly the most earnest and importunate and such as seems least to admit of being bounded by a Form so that we have the Approbation and Commandment of God for the use of a set Form of Words in all the parts of Prayer II. And accordingly we find Holy Men of God tho' full of Wisdom and of his Spirit using the same set Form of Prayer always on the same occasion Thus the Scriptures inform us concerning Moses Num. x. 35 When the Ark set forward Moses said Rise up Lord and let thine Enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee And when it rested he said Return O Lord unto the many Thousands of Israel From whence it appears that God approves the use of one set constant Form of Words in our Prayers as long as the occasion of repeating them is the same for I presume none will suspect it was for want of Words or of the Spirit of Prayer that Moses confined himself to this Form I shall add further that the whole Book of Psalms is a Collection of Prayers of all sorts And there are few of them but what are most Excellent Forms of Prayer expressed in such pathetick significant and moving words that we have great reason to thank God for furnishing us with them and which we can never hope to equal by any of our own invention such are the 4 5 6 7 9 10 12 c. On this account they were used by the Jews as the constant Service and Liturgy performed in their Temple as we may gather from what I formerly quoted 2 Chron. xxix 30. III. But perhaps some may think these Commands and Examples of set Forms of Prayer not to be a sufficient Warrant to Christians because they are taken out of the Old Testament before the Spirit was poured out in so plentiful a measure as under the Gospel I shall therefore proceed to examine the Commands and Examples of the New Testament and here 1. I think it is certain that our Saviour and his Apostles prayed by a Form for they joyned in the Worship of the Temple and Synagogues which consisted in Psalms as I have already shewed and in some certain Forms of Prayers added to them and constantly used in their daily Service as we learn from those that give an Account of the Jewish Worship at that time Now our Saviour and his Apostles being frequently present at their Service both in the Temple and Synagogues 't is manifest they approved the manner of Addressing themselves to God in a set Form of Words 2. But our Saviour has put this matter out of all dispute with impartial Men by prescribing a Form to his Disciples when they desired him to teach them to pray as John taught his Disciples For we find his way of Teaching them was not by directing them to wait for the impulses of the Spirit and immediate Inspiration from God of what they were to offer up to him We do not find him saying When ye pray speak what shall then come into your minds or what shall be given you in that hour without taking thought about what they should say as He did in another case that is when they should be brought before Governours and Kings for his sake Mat. x. 19 But in addressing themselves to God he prescribed them a Form of Words and Commanded them to use it Luke xi 2 And he said unto them When ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven c. Here is an express Command of Christ to his Disciples to use these Words when they pray Our Father c. A Command for the use of a Form so plain that it is impossible to express it in clearer terms 'T is not to be doubted but Religious Persons among the Jews offer'd up constantly prayers to God We see it in David Psal. lv 17 and in Daniel Chap. vi 10 And no doubt the Disciples of our Saviour were not wanting in this Duty nor in skill to perform it since we find that other devout Persons of their time had their hours of Prayer as we see in Acts iii. 1 Therefore what they desired of our Saviour was not to teach them absolutely or in general to pray but to teach them to pray as John also taught his Disciples that is to give them a Form of Prayer proper to His Institution as they saw the Disciples of Moses and John had proper to theirs Upon which our Saviour gave them the Lord's-Prayer as a summary of the main points of his Doctrine and as a constant badge of their being his Disciples As if he should have said When ever you offer up to God your usual Prayers which Religious Custom has taught you as Jews and Disciples of Moses or of John whether in Secret or Publick add this always to your other prayers for a continual Remembrance to you of those Duties Priviledges and Qualifications which belong to you as My Disciples and as a means of obtaining Grace from your Heavenly Father to enable you to persevere in them The Lords-Prayer is therefore a badge of Our Profession imposed by Christ himself and to be used by Us
O Lord Holy and True dost thou not Judge and Avenge our Blood c. From all which it is manifest that we are warranted by the Examples of God's people both in the Old and New Testament to joyn our Voices as well as our Hearts in some of our publick Supplications to God and that this practice is no New Invention of Men. V. If we consult the Scripture we shall find that it is the Priest's part to make publick Intercession for the People but yet so that the People ought to bear a part by themselves and answer in the Service which we commonly call Responses 1. They are commanded to do it Psal. cvi 48 where after the Prayers and Praises of which the Psalm consists are ended it is added Let all the people say Amen praise the Lord and accordingly we find 1 Chr. xvi 36 that the People said Amen and praised the Lord. And this is more signally observable in that Solemn Service at the Dedication of Solomon's Temple where we find first the Priests and Levites praising God 2 Chron. v. 13 And saying For he is good for his mercy endureth for ever the usual Form of Praising so often repeated in the Psalms particularly in the cxxxvi which was probably used at that time Then Solomon who built the Temple performed another part of the Service Chap. vi 3 He blessed First the People Secondly He blessed and thanked God for his Mercy And Lastly offer'd that Divine Prayer of Dedication which we find in that Chapter Then follow the burnt Offerings and Sacrifices which were peculiarly the Priest's share of the Service Chap. vii And God gives his Approbation of their Praises Prayers Offerings by sending down Fire from Heaven to consume their Sacrifices And then last of all follows the people's part which they perform Chap. vii 3 They bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement and worshipped and praised the Lord saying He is good for his Mercy endureth for ever This Service was Ordered by the Spirit of God and plainly shews us that He approved of the people's having a share or part peculiar to themselves in his Worship 2. If it be said that this was the way of Worshiping God under the Law which is now Abolished and Unlawful as well as the other Levitical Ceremonies The Apostles have answer'd this by continuing this practice in the Christian Church and by admitting the people to bear a part in the publick Service and to answer to the prayers have assured us that this is no Legal Abolished Ceremony This is manifest from 1 Cor. xiv 16 Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks which shews that even the unlearned had a part assigned them in the Christian Assemblies It may be added to this what I observed before Chap. 1. Sect. 1. N. 4. of the Responses in praising God and of the Worship described in the Revelations where the Angels and Elders representing the Clergy and the Multitude representing the people bear each of them their distinct parts in allusion to what was done in the Christian Assemblies And this is a clear proof that the people bare a part and answered to the blessings and prayers of him that Officiated ever since the Christian Worship was Established Sect. 2. The Rules and Practice of Our Church concerning Prayer HAving thus seen the Directions and Examples which the Scriptures afford us for the publick performance of our prayers to God let us now consider the Worship of our Church and compare it with Them both as to the Words and Matter of Our Prayers And to the comfort of us who are of this Communion it will clearly appear 1. That there is not one thing we ask of God in them which he has not particularly directed us to ask or any thing for which we ought to pray that is omited This advantage we have towards the proof of this point that our prayers are fixed and stated and may be examined by all that have a mind to be satisfy'd in them An Advantage we gain by putting them into a set and prepared Form of Words according to the Commands of God and the Examples of holy Men whereas 't is impossible for such as use only extempore prayer thus to justify their Service because their prayers are altogether uncertain and depend on the present thoughts of the Speaker 2. Our Church requires the people to join their voices with the Minister in some of the prayers in which they are more particularly concerned and which seem of the most general and greatest moment Such are the general confessions of sin and the Lord's Prayer 3. Our Church has assigned for the people some short Answers or Responses to our prayers whereby they may be stirred up to attention and signify their concurrence with the Minister Thus to every prayer and blessing they are obliged to answer Amen as we find the people did in the Church of Corinth and to join Unanimously in some other short Ejaculations to implore God's Mercy or beseech him to hear us In all which I have already shewed we have the warrant of Scripture and it is plain to any one that will be at the pains to consider our Service that we have taken the Rules thereof from Scripture and have not invented a Service out of our own Heads and then as is too often the Custom of Innovators endeavoured to make the Scripture comply with it The first Reformers of Our Church would never have retain'd and prepared Forms of Prayers had they not found such in Scripture they would never have required the people to join their voices in some prayers and answer to others if the Examples of Scripture had not led them to it They professed and their design was to make the Word of God their Rule and we see how exactly they conformed to it in these particulars I wish I could say as much for all other ways of Worship among Protestants Sect. 3. The Practice of those who differ from Vs. I. ANd here I must intreat you of my Diocess who Dissent from Our Worship seriously to consider with me what it is which you have substituted in the place of these things which you have intirely laid aside tho' so expresly directed and warranted by Scripture and examine whether your way have a solid Foundation in God's Word I shall endeavour to represent it with all fairness and impartiality and leave you to judge as God shall direct you and as you will answer it at the last day And here I find that some of your Writers are of Opinion That the Spirit of prayer is given to all the Children of God in some measure for enabling their Hearts to conceive and their Tongues to express convenient desires to God and that therefore Forms of Prayer are of no necessary use either in Publick or Private on the contrary that they stint
held him by the Feet and worshiped him Our Saviour looked on this Bodily Worship to be so indispensibly his due that he accepted of it from the very Devils and they durst not forbear to pay it to him Mark iii. 11 And unclean spirits when they saw him fell down before him and cried Thou art the Son of God And thus the very Heathen as well as his Disciples approached him even whilst he was in his state of Humiliation And that we may not be tempted to think that our Saviour admitted this Bodily Worship to be paid him only whilst he was Bodily present we may observe St. Stephen presents his Prayer with the same posture Acts vii 60 He kneeled down and cryed with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge V. The Scriptures represent to us the First Christians thus glorifying God with their Bodies as St. Paul expresly commands us 1 Cor. vi 20 in the Publick Assemblies as we may learn from 1 Cor. xiv 23 where the Apostle speaking of a Heathen coming into the Assembly of Christians and being convinced addeth and so falling down on his face he will Worship God If it had not been the custom for Christians to do thus it would never have been expected from a Heathen or reckoned an Argument of his Conviction If the Church Triumphant in Heaven may be allowed a fit Pattern to us of what is decent in the Worship of God we find them paying this Bodily Worship to God Rev. vii 11 And all the Angels stood about the Throne and about the Elders and about the Beasts and fell on their faces before the Throne and Worshiped God so Chap. iv 10 and Chap. xix 4 And the same we find practised by the Church on Earth Acts xxi 5. where St. Paul and the Church of Tyre kneeled down on the Shore and prayed After the same manner he took his leave of the Elders of Ephesus Act. xx 36 He kneeled down and prayed with them all So constantly are Bodily Worship and Prayer joined together that bowing the knee sometimes signifies Prayer Eph. iii. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. VI. The Scriptures represent this Bodily Worship as the most proper external Act of Adoration If we look into the Scriptures we shall not find Praying Praising Reading the Scriptures or Administring the Sacraments termed Worship they are indeed Duties which we are obliged to perform to the Honour of God but not immediate direct Acts of Worship properly so called For Worship is properly the subjection of our minds to God and that is a proper Act of External Worship which directly signifies this subjection or submission of our minds But Prayer signifies our desires of good things from God and only indirectly our subjection to him Praises immediately signify the sense we have of God's Excellencies and only by consequence our submission Reading the Scriptures is a means of Instruction and tends to bring us to submit to God but does not directly express it And the Sacraments primarily signifie God's grace to us rather then our submission to Him All these may in a large sense upon very good grounds be look'd upon as parts of Worship because they do imply such submission but bending or bowing the Body is that which is properly in Scripture called Worship as signifying immediately and naturally the bending and submission of our Souls and nothing else In the Old Testament the words rendered Worship signifie properly and originally to bow down or prostrate the Body This is the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter of which in the Second Commandment is render'd to bow down and very often when the Original has they bowed down themselves the Translators render it they Worshiped So Psal. xcv 5 and Jer. i. 16 And Worshiped the work of their own hands In the Original 't is They bowed themselves down to the work c. Gen. xxiv 52 He worshiped the Lord bowing himself to the Earth The Original has no more but He bowed himself to the Earth to the Lord so Psal. xcv 5 And the same holds generally through the whole Old Testament from whence it follows that in the opinion of our Translators to bow ones self to the Earth is that proper Act which they call Worship And hence the whole Worship of God is signified by bowing before him Micah vi 6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the High God that is How shall I worship him acceptably As to the New Testament the Word generally there rendered Worship properly signifies a Bodily Action 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Originally to pay Homage by a kiss as we now kiss the King's Hand which usually was done kneeling And hence Kneeling and Worshiping signify the same thing in the New Testament and the one is put for the other Thus Matt. viii 2 There came a Leper and worshiped him The same is said Mark i. 40 to come beseeching him and kneeling to him Of the Canaanitish Woman it is said Matt. xv 25 That She came and worshiped him And Mark says Chap. vii 25 She came and fell at his feet Luke says of the Man among the Tombs that he fell down before him Chap. viii 28 Mark that He worshiped him Chap. v. 6 Of Jairus Mark and Luke say that He fell down at his feet Mathew that He worshiped him Luke viii 40 Mark v. 22 Math. ix 18 So promiscuously do the Evangelists use the words kneeling or falling down and worshiping to signify the same thing Whence we may learn that when any is said to Worship Christ visibly by it is meant they kneeled to him And when we are Commanded to Worship God in the Congregation the meaning is that we are required to express the submission of our minds by bowing our selves or kneeling unto him Hence the very Soldiers that in derision bowed their knees to Christ are said to Worship him Mark xv 19 And St. John Rev. xxii 8 when he would Worship the Angel fell before his feet to which the Angel replied See thou do it not Worship God From which Text it clearly follows that falling down is an Act of Worship and that we are Commanded by the Mouth of an Angel to pay it to God VII We find in Scripture some Act of this Bodily Worship accompanying every Religious Performance Thus Prayers are generally offered with kneeling and that so constantly as is observed before that to bow the knee in Scripture-Language is to pray Thus Praises Thanksgivings and Confessions of Faith are offered standing 1 King viii 14 And the King turned his face about and blessed all the Congregation of Israel and all the Congregation of Israel stood and he said Blessed be the Lord c. the same posture is observed Ver. 55. 2 Chron. xx 19 And the Levites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice
the following deduction 1. The Altar was of Old the Lord's Table from whence his Attendants were fed Mal. i. 7 Ye offer polluted Bread upon mine Altar and ye say Wherein have we polluted thee In that ye say The Table of the Lord is contemptible 2. On this account the Israelites came to the Altar and worshiped before it as being God's Table on which the Sacrifice was presented as his Meat of which they were permitted to partake So 2 Chron. vi 12 And he stood before the Altar of the Lord vers 13. And kneeled down on his knees And 1 Kings viii 54 He arose from before the Altar from kneeling on his knees Nor can it be said That this kneeling of Solomon was only because he offered up a Prayer at that time and that therefore he was in a praying posture for undoubtedly it was the Duty of all that were present at any Sacrifice to offer up prayers to God with the Sacrifice And accordingly we find it commanded 2 Kings xviii·22 Ye shall worship before this Altar in Jerusalem literally Ye shall bow down your selves 3. The Communion-Table is called the Lord's-Table 1 Cor. x. 21 4. The Israelites partaking of the Altar is proposed as an Example for our partaking of the Lord's Table 1 Cor. x. 16 The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ vers 18. Behold Israel after the Flesh Are not they which eat of the Sacrifices partakers of the Altar 5. In allusion to this Religious Eating with Bodily Worship it is Prophecied of our Saviour Psal. xxii 29 All they that be fat upon Earth that is the favoured and happy Servants of God here called in vers 26. The meek shall eat and Worship Since then the Scripture sets forth to us a Relious Eating at the Lords-Table with Worship and the Holy Communion is such an Eating at his Table it follows that the Scripture Warrants our Worshiping when we Eat 2. We are Commanded in Scripture to receive the Holy Eucharist In remembrance of Christ's death and by it we shew his death till he come The same Scriptures Command us to Worship our Saviour For he is the Lord and Worship thou him Psal. xlv 11 If ever then we are to Worship our Saviour it is certainly when we come to him in the nearest approaches that we are capable of in this World and with the highest sense of Gratitude that our Souls can admit of to remember and adore him for the greatest Act of love that could be extended towards us even laying down his Life for us and partake of the benefits thereof by feeding on him If it be not our duty to Worship him with our Bodies as well as our Minds on this occasion it is hard to say when we are obliged to do it This consideration prevail'd with the Protestant Church of Poland to oblige all their Members to receive kneeling or standing in Opposition to the Socinians who refused to pay any Worship to our Saviour and therefore Celebrated his Supper sitting The Words of their General Synod are these Corpus Confession p. 236. Quod attinet ad Caeremonias c. As to the Ceremonies of the Lord's-Supper the Decree some time ago discust in the Synod of Sandomir and the Conclusion made and repeated in the General Synod of Cracow and Petrokow is also approved in this Session of the Synod of Vladislaw vizt That sitting at the Lord's-Table shall not be used in any of the Churches of Poland or Lithuania c. of our Communion For this Ceremony tho' indifferent as others are is not used by the Christian and Reformed Churches and is proper to the Infidel Arrians only who place themselves in an equal Throne with the Lord. Since then sitting has crept into some of our Churches chiefly by the occasion and countenance of those who have miserably fallen from us and denied the Lord that bought us We intreat and exhort all those Congregations and our Brethren in the Lord that they would change sitting into the Ceremonies used by us Protestants in all the Reformed Churches of Europe even that the Lord's Supper may be administred to the Communicants standing or kneeling with a protestation against Bread-Worship used by the Papists both which Rites as they have been hitherto used in some Churches we leave free and approve without blaming or giving offence to those who use either This Synod was held June 19 th 1583. The Synod of Petrokow above mentioned held June 1.2.3 1578. pa. 234. expresses it self in these words Because those Traiterous Fugitives from us to Arianism who change all things in the Church pretending to imitate Christ without discretion were the first Authors amongst us of sitting at the Lord's Table contrary to the Rites used in all the Reformed Churches through Europe Therefore we reject this Ceremony as proper to them who treat as well Christ as his Sacraments irreverently as indecent and irreligious and very offensive to well meaning people It ought to be observed that this Church reckons Sitting a Ceremony and a Ceremony of an ill signification and Original and not used by any Protestant Church in their time IV. But I find most people acknowledge the reasonableness of this and grant if it were left to us how we wou'd Receive that we ought to do it with Adoration but say they Obedience is better then Sacrifice we are commanded to do what Christ did and he Instituted and his Disciples received it in a Table posture and therefore so ought we Notwithstanding the Scriptures Reason and Decency seem to recommend another posture to us Now to this Argument which is the only one I find brought from Scripture and which seems to prevail with most I answer 1. That we are not required nor is it convenient to imitate all that Christ did Neither the time nor the number of Receivers nor the posture being obligatory to us as appears from St. Paul 1 Cor xi 23. who having occasion to mention what he received of the Lord concerning this Sacrament mentions only our Saviour's taking Bread giving thanks and breaking it and then saying Take eat this is my Body c. without the circumstances of the number of Receivers his posture or being at supper Nay that we may not think that this had any relation to a common supper or the circumstances of it he observes that Supper was done when he took the Cup. Our Saviour's posture therefore whatever it was is no wise obligatory to us it not being any part of what St. Paul professes to have received from Christ concerning this Sacrament 2. I have already proved that Religious Eating was accompanied with Bodily Worship and therefore if it were granted that we were obliged to receive this Sacrament in a Table posture from the example of our Saviour yet it would not follow that we should not receive it kneeling