destructive to our selves This is to add sin to sin and by that means to heap up wrath against the day of wrath upon our own heads Now that to Do this is a duty incumbent upon us by vertue of a Divine Command I have plainly shown you and the want of opportunity you have no reason to complain of being so often and so earnestly invited thereunto And therefore unless you have some just impediment to hinder your present compliance with that command you have no reason to decline your duty nor any cause to fancy to your self such a liberty as you now enquire after 3. Consider That the solemn profession of our Christian Faith according to Gods Ordinance is a Duty which all Christians ought most readily and upon every just occasion to perform Luke 12.8 9. Whosoever shall confess me before men him shall the son of man confess also before the Angels of God. But he that shall deny me before men shall be denied before the Angels of God saith our blessed Saviour Thereby plainly intimating that whosoever shall be ashamed to own him and to confess their Faith in him in this World them will he disown and be ashamed of at the great and last day Now the Celebration of this holy Feast is one of the most memorable actions of our life wherein we are most solemnly to Commemorate the dying love of the blessed Jesus 1 Cor. 11.24 26. For this we ought to do in remembrance of him And as often as we do it we are to shew forth the Lord's death till he come i. e. We are herein to commemorate all that the holy Jesus hath done and suffered for us and not be ashamed to confess our Faith in a dying Saviour And that all this is according to God's Ordinance is plain because it is a duty incumbent upon us by vertue of a Divine Command Unless therefore you can dispense with your duty to God and content your self to dissemble your Christianity unless you can perswade your self that the profession of your Faith in Jesus a thankful acknowledgment of all that he hath done and suffered for you and a publick owning of all those favours and benefits which you have received from him be things indifferent to you It will be in vain to pretend such a liberty as you now enquire after By this time Neighbour Parishioner I hope you are satisfied that neither you nor any other who pretend to Christianity are left at liberty in this case That to Do this or leave it Vndone as they please is no part of that liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free Parishioner I thank you Mr. Pastor for the pains you have taken with me which by God's blessing upon them have not been in vain they have had their design'd effect for I am now very well satisfied that it is not a thing indifferent but a Duty But pray Sir be not offended if I trouble you with another Question Pastor No my good Neighbour I shall not pray be free and rest assured that you cannot better please me than by giving me an opportunity of offering you all the satisfaction that is in my power Parishioner My next Question Sir is this Obj. 2. If this command be so strict and general and our obedience thereto so indispensible are not all then who live within the pale of the Church whether good or bad without any exception to be admitted thereunto Pastor You may remember that in answer to your former Question I did intimate to you that there are some cases which though they do not lessen the Duty yet do limit the command as to our present actual obedience thereunto For as our Saviour forbade the casting of Pearl before Swine and the giving of the Childrens Bread to Dogs so hath he left power with his Church to make a difference between worthy and unworthy Receivers and where the case is so manifest as to come within her Cognizance to judge who are so and who are not And besides those cases before intimated there are some other wherein the Church doth with good reason take upon her to restrain and keep back some from prophaning this holy Sacrament and ruining themselves Especially these that follow 1. When men are grosly ignorant so little knowing in the things of God so much unacquainted with the Religious part of their duties that in this case what the Prophet Jonah said of many thousands in the great City of Nineveh is but too truly verified in them Jonah 4.11 They cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand And of this sort God knows we have too many in our days who are so sottishly ignorant of what concerns God and themselves at least the better part of themselves viz. their immortal Souls that though the light of the Gospel shine so gloriously yet still they sit in darkness though the glorious truths thereof be daily preached so plainly asserted and so frequently inculcated upon them yet are they no more improved in their knowledge of them than those poor Indians who never heard of the Gospel 'T is strange indeed there should be such but not so strange as true Now such as these till they are better instructed in their Religion in general and in this part of their Religion in particular ought to be withheld from being partakers of this holy Sacrament For Our Church supposeth all those her Members who either do or are fit to receive the holy Sacrament Rubrick after the Communion Service to be persons of discretion i. e. persons of some competent knowledge able to discern between the Table of the Lord and their own Tables between this holy Feast and a common Meal What measure of knowledge there ought to be seeing God hath given us no standard to judge by I shall not presume my self wise enough to determine But that there ought to be some and a competent share of knowledge too will appear if we consider what qualifications our Church requires in those whom she admitteth to be Communicants They must be such as truly repent them of their former sins They must be such as stedfastly purpose to lead a new life such as have a lively Faith in God's mercy through Christ such as thankfully remember the sufferings and death of the blessed Jesus for their sakes Ch. Catech. and they must be in charity with all men All which do presuppose a good share of knowledge and a godly practice of what they know Besides all who are admitted to the Lord's Supper by the Rules of our Church ought not only to be baptized but also after Baptism to be confirmed by the Bishop or at least to be ready and desirous to be confirmed Rubrick after the Order of Confirmation Now in order to Confirmation it is required that they be of a competent age able to say in their Mother tongue the Creed the Lord's Prayer Rubrick after the Catechism and the Ten Commandments and to answer
Saviour that he may evermore dwell in me and I in him Grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ's sake our only Mediator and Advocate Amen When you Approach the Lord's Table and there see the Symbols of Christ's Body and Blood placed in order and ready to be Consecrated to that Holy Vse you may use this following or some other short Prayer to this purpose I Am here O Lord in Obedience to thy Command and am very desirous to do my Duty I come to renew my Covenant with Thee and beg thy assisting Grace That I may keep it better for the time to come To this end be pleased to increase and strengthen that Faith which Thou hast already wrought in me and grant That I may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in Newness of Life I find a Table spread for me blessed be thy Name for it give me I beseech Thee a Spiritual Appetite thereunto I am unfit I confess for so great an Honour I am unworthy to partake of these Holy Mysteries I have no Merits of my own to trust to but I have thy Mercies to depend upon and the Merits of my Blessed Saviour to plead for me Hear them O Lord and for their sakes look graciously down upon me upon their Account let me find Favour with Thee here and obtain Everlasting Life when Time shall be no more hereafter Amen When you see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out by the Minister then use this following or some other short Prayer to this purpose O Holy Jesu who for my sake didst suffer thy self to be Apprehended Arraigned and Condemned and at last to suffer Death upon the Cross for my Sins Give me Grace to be truly affected with the Remembrance of what Thou hast done and suffered for me Write it on the Tables of my Heart that I may ever be mindful of it and let the Consideration thereof cause me to hate Sin and love Holiness Create in me O Lord a new Heart and renew a right Spirit within me that for the future I may make it my business to Perfect Holiness in thy Fear That as Thou diedst for Sin so I may die to Sin That as thy Body was broken and Blood spilt upon the Cross for the Sins of Mankind so my Heart may be broken under the Sense of Sin and broken off from the love and likeing of any Sin and at last fixed upon Holy and stedfast Resolutions of better Obedience for the future Amen Whilst the Minister is Receiving the Sacrament himself and Administring it to the rest of the Communicants you may use this following or some other short Prayer to this effect O Blessed Lord God! Who am I that Thou shouldst be thus mindful of me That Thou shouldst admit me a Guest to thy Table I know I am unworthy to appear in thy Presence and should have wanted Confidence to approach this Sacred Place if I had not received thy Command so to do Lord Let me not suffer for my Obedience thereunto But as Thou hast thought fit to invite me hither so be pleased to prepare my Heart for the Reception of these Holy Mysteries provided for me And grant That my so doing may in some measure be instrumental to the Advancement of thy Glory the Good of my own Soul and the Edification of others And this I beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen When you have Received the Holy Sacrament whilst the Minister is Administring it to others or returning to the Table and placing things decently and in order there you may use this following or some other short Prayer to this purpose O Almighty God and Heavenly Father I most heartily thank Thee for that Spiritual Food which I have now Received Let not I beseech Thee any Failure of mine deprive me of the Advantages of this Holy Feast But be pleased to add thy Blessing thereunto that so it may be Food indeed and nourish my Soul not only in Grace here but unto Glory hereafter I am so sensible of the Obligation that Thou hast been pleased now to lay upon me that I do henceforward devote and consecrate my self Soul and Body wholly to thy Service humbly beseeching Thee to accept this my bounden Duty and to give me Grace ever hereafter rightly and truly to perform the same to thy Honour and Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen When you return Home and are retired into your Chamber or Closset you may use this following or some other Prayer to this purpose O Almighty and most Merciful Father who art Good and do'st Good Thou art an inexhaustible Fountain and an unfathomable Depth of Mercy and Goodness Of thy Fulness we all receive and are filled without lessening thy Store How great an instance have I this Day had of thy Bounty How large an Experience of thy Mercy I confess I am a Sinner and a great Sinner the unworthiest of those that worship Thee unfit for the Company of thy Saints and Servants And yet I have this Day had the Honour to sit at thy Table and to be entertain'd by Thee at a most Heavenly Banquet I have had the Happiness not only to Feast with my Saviour but to feed upon Him to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood which whosoever doth He hath assured me Shall have Everlasting Life and He will Raise him up at the last Day What shall I render unto Thee O Lord for all this Mercy and Goodness I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of my God I will make it my business to serve and please Thee as long as I live These are my Resolutions Lord Let not thy assisting Grace be wanting to me for the Performance of them Write I beseech Thee this thy Mercy upon my Mind in such Characters as may never be blotted out Give me such a due Sense of it that my Heart may be unfeignedly thankful and that I may shew forth thy Praise not only with my Lips but in my Life by giving up my self to thy Service and by walking before Thee in Holiness and Righteousness all my Days through Jesus Christ our Lord In whose Blessed Name and Words I further Pray as He hath taught me saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. FOrasmuch as no Business either Religious or Civil can be well done by us without the Grace and Assistance of Almighty God nor any thing prosper under our Hands without his Blessing thereupon And that neither his Grace and Assistance nor his Blessing upon what we go about can reasonably be hoped for unless with Pious and Devout Hearts we faithfully and diligently Pray unto Him for the same It will highly concern us even in point of Interest as well as Duty to take the Counsel of St. Paul and Pray continually i. e. To keep our Hearts and Minds in such an Holy and Devout Frame and Temper that at all Times and upon all Occasions we may be ready to offer up pure Hearts and clean
you hereafter From this account of this Text you see plain that there are some who have no pretence to perfection in this life and yet in God's account are esteemed worthy Communicants And of such an one I shall give you this short Character which may serve as a Test to try your own worthyness by To be a worthy Guest at God's Table is not to be without sin but to be sensible of sin and sorrowful for it one who doth hunger and thirst after righteousness one who doth earnestly desire Union and Communion with Christ especially in this holy Feast One who is truly sensible of and as truly thankful for what the blessed Jesus hath done and suffered for him One who upon that consideration doth resolve with himself that as much as in him lieth he will for the future lead a new life and live in all godly love and charity with all men This though short I take to be a full Character of a worthy Guest at God's Table Which worthy disposition may very well consist with many and great weaknesses and imperfections This thus premised may enable us to give a more direct answer to our first enquiry and help us to discover What it is to eat and drink unworthily To eat and drink unworthily in the Apostle's sense doth therefore imply these things 1. To come to the Lord's Supper with low and mean thoughts of it being either ignorant what it is or if in some measure knowing yet are they willing to put a slight and contempt upon it The former of these are indeed the more pityable but neither the one nor the other are excusable both of them in St. Pauls sense may be truly said to eat and drink unworthily The one contentedly sitteth down under such circumstances that he cannot and the other if he can will not make any difference between the Table of the Lord and their own between this great and holy Feast and a common and ordinary meal and repast This is that for which St. Paul reproveth the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 11. v. 20 21 22. saying When ye come together into one place this is not to eat the Lord's Supper For in eating every one taketh before other his own Supper and one his hungry and another is drunken What have ye not Houses to eat and drink in Or despise ye the Church of God and shame them that have not What shall I say to you Shall I praise you in this I praise you not This is to come to the Lord's Table without Faith or Fear neither believing nor remembring what the blessed Jesus hath done and suffered for them of which at this Feast they ought to make a grateful and solemn Commemoration 1 Cor. 11.24 This is to approach thereunto without that due regard and reverence that becometh them and befitteth the action they are about not once considering with whom or upon what they are to feast And this is part if not all that St. Paul designeth in those words which he addeth in the close of this Text not discerning the Lord's Body 2. To eat and drink unworthily is to come to the Lord's Supper without a due sense of sin without a just remorse a godly sorrow and an unfeigned repentance for it For as I before hinted to you it is not sin barely but an obstinate and impenitent continuance in sin that maketh men unwelcome guests at God's Table If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live saith the Lord Ezek. 18. v. 21 22. A broken and contrite heart God will never despise Ps 51.17 I might if it were needful produce many other Texts to this purpose for the holy Scripture is full of such passages as speak the goodness and mercy of God to repenting and returning Sinners how ready he is to receive them how he openeth his arms to embrace them and how kindly he bids them wellcome If the Prodigal can but think of returning to his Father his Father will prevent him and run to meet him Luk. 15.18 19 20. Turn unto me and I will turn unto you saith the Lord of Hosts Zech. 1.3 But though God be thus kind and gracious to the Penitent yet will he be severe and inexorable to the obstinate and impenitent If men will sin with an high hand and go on therein without once reflecting upon what they do or have done If they will still persevere in wickedness against all the admonitions of God and checks of their own Consciences If they be resolved to indulge their lustful appetites and inordinate affections and not to be reclaimed therefrom If against the judgment of the Church and the plain evidence of Scripture and reason they will reject the Truth and espouse and defend Errours and Heresies If they give themselves over to strife and contention to promote malice and hatred to disturb their own and the peace of that Church and state in which they live What can such men expect but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation to devour them Hebr. 10. v. 26 27. There is nothing doth more surely forfeit the kindness and mercy of God nor any thing that doth more certainly treasure up to it self wrath against the day of wrath than an hard and impenitent heart Rom. 2.5 As impenitency is a certain bar to Man's Salvation so is it to his participation of this holy Feast For to come to the Lord's Supper without a due sense of sin and sorrow for it is to go about to join righteousness with unrighteousness to mix light with darkness and to lodge Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6. v. 14 15. 3. To eat and drink unworthily is to come to the Lord's Supper without Charity If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thine offering before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Matth. 5. v. 23 24. This counsel proceedeth from the unerring wisdom of the blessed Jesus wherein he doth plainly intimate how vain it is to expect that God will accept an offering at our hands whilst our hearts are filled with malice and hatred to our Brethren Love to God and love to the Brethren are qualifications indispensibly necessary in every one who will be a worthy Guest at God's Table and neither of these can well consist without the other If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a liar for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen And this Commandment have we from him that he who loveth God love his brother also 1 John 4.
is not only our duty but our greatest interest For thereby know we that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 John 3.14 The remembrance therefore of the dying love of the blessed Jesus ought to stir up in us at this time a love to God and to the Brethren 7. The consideration of the whole should create in us an humble and thankful frame and temper of mind It should put us upon offering the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving unto God not only in word but in every action of our life for Christ and all his benefits and to testify the reality of that gratitude by renewed acts of Faith Repentance and Obedience all our days Thus ought we to receive this Sacrament in remembrance of Christ 2. What it is to shew forth the Lord's Death till he come Ans An Historical Narrative of the Sufferings and Death of Jesus Christ to be able to tell that he died at Jerusalem in the Eighteenth Year of Tiberius the Emperour Pontius Pilate being the Roman Deputy in Judea and Josephus Caiphas the High Priest that same year This is not to shew forth the Lord's Death in the Apostles sense But such a serious Meditation thereof as may inhanse our hatred of sin our love to God and our thankfulness to Jesus Christ if it be constant and continued will best declare our sense of our Saviour's Sufferings and shew forth his Death till he come 1. When therefore we are at God's Table and there see all things prepared for us when we consider that Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us and that we are now invited to a Feast upon that Sacrifice We cannot but reflect upon the just anger and indignation of God against sin We cannot but observe that such was the severity of Divine Justice and the heinousness of sin that no reconciliation could be made between God and Sinners till the punishment due to sin was suffered So highly was God incensed so great was his wrath justly conceived against sin that he was not to be pacified by any thing but only the deprecation and Death of his own Son. These ought to be our thoughts especially at this time and if thus we employ our selves when we are at this holy Feast and in pursuance of these thoughts do for the time to come loath and abhor hate and avoid all manner of sin then and thereby shall we truly shew forth the Lords Death till he come 2. When we are at God's Table and there see the dainties provided for us that there is not only food for our bodies but for our Souls also not only such as may sustain our frail Bodies or support and maintain the union between our Souls and Bodies here but such as will nourish us up in grace here and fit us for Glory hereafter When we consider that such was the love of God to Mankind that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 have we not the greatest Specimen of God's mercy and goodness towards us that we can desire and is not this love writ in Characters so legible in this holy Sacrament that he that runneth may read them and if so what cause have we with grateful acknowledgments to own and declare the goodness and mercy of God to praise and thank him for it to love him again and to testify that our love by keeping his Commandments Which if we do and persevere in so doing then shall we truly declare and shew forth the Lord's Death till he come 3. When we are at God's Table and there under those symbolical Elements of Bread and Wine can clearly discover the Body and Blood of Christ really though not corporally offered to us how lively is the dying love of our blessed Saviour therein represented to us May we not therein plainly read those dreadful pangs those dying groans and those unspeakable sufferings which the blessed Jesus did willingly undergo for our sakes and ought we not with all possible expressions of love and gratitude to commemorate this his kindness This is all i. e. this with the dependencies thereupon that he requireth of us for all that he hath done and suffered for us viz. to celebrate this Feast in remembrance of him which if we rightly do and continue so doing then do we truly declare or shew forth the Lord's Death till he come For this Meditation cannot fail of filling our hearts with grateful sentiments of our Saviours Love and those sentiments will certainly imploy our tongues in thankful acknowledgments and engage our whole lives in dutiful returns unto him for it Thus have I shown you in the first place how you ought to demean and behave your self when you are at God's Table viz. you ought to do this in remembrance of Jesus Christ But there is one thing more yet required of you viz. 2. In the doing of this there ought to be a Discerning of the Lord's Body This expression hath been mightily strain'd by some who have racked their inventions to find out such notions of it as I am apt to believe were never intended by St. Paul but I shall not now either trouble my self or you with the Examination of them My design is only to instruct you plainly and make things as intelligible to you as I can In order whereunto all that I shall do at present shall be only to acquaint you with the full importance of the word Discerning and by that means to show you the true and genuine sense of the Apostle in this expression The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used and rendred Discerning imports only a discretional act whereby we do exempt some one thing from the common order of others and set a more honourable value and esteem upon it This sense of the word is warranted by the usage of it in other places St. Jude v. 22. adviseth us to have compassion of some making a difference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. between such Sinners as are treatable and willing to be instructed and such as are intractable obstinate and disobedient And St. Paul putteth the question saying 1 Cor. 4.7 Who hath made thee to differ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. who hath separated thee from the rest of Mankind and placed thee in an higher Form than them from both which places the importance of the word is very plain that it implies only a discretional act whereby one thing is distinguished from another and more honour and respect paid thereunto than to the other To discern the Lord's Body therefore in St. Pauls sense is to look upon the sacred Elements of Bread and Wine in this holy Feast as the most precious symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ to put a difference between them and all other common meats and drinks to use them with a religious reverence and not to approach this holy Table without a lively Faith in
the way You have furnished me with a better notion of Sacraments than I had before and thereby given me so great satisfaction that you shall not need to bespeak my attention hereafter I beseech you therefore since you have well dispatched the notion of Sacraments in general that you would now proceed to that of the Lord's Supper in particular Pastor I shall very willingly comply with your desire and in so doing I shall endeavour to do these two things I. To show you plainly what notion you ought to have of the Lord's Supper II. That the Celebration thereof is a duty incumbent upon us by vertue of a divine Command I. We must look upon this Supper as a Sacrament properly so called I have already shown you what conditions are requisite to constitute such a Sacrament and if I make it appear that all those conditions are to be found in this then may it be justly reckoned as one of that number The Conditions I told you were these four 1. A Divine Institution Now that this holy Supper was instituted and ordained by Christ that it owes its Original to none other but only the Son of God and our Saviour will plainly appear from the concurrent testimonies of St. Matthew St. Mark and St. Luke St. Matthew gives us this account of it As they were eating Jesus took Bread Matth. 26. v. 26 27 28 29 30. and blessed it and brake it and gave it to the Disciples and said Take Eat This is my Body And he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins But I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the Vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom And when they had sung an Hymn they went out into the Mount of Olives Much to the same purpose is that account which St. Mark gives of it And as they did eat Jesus took bread Mark 14. v. 22 23 24 25 26. and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to them and said Take Eat this is my Body Also he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them and they all drank of it And he said unto them This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many Verily I say unto you I will drink no more of the fruit of the Vine until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God. And when they had sung an Hymn they went out into the Mount of Olives St. Luke also with little variation gives the same account And he took bread Luke 22. v. 19 20. and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to them saying This is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me Likewise also after Supper he took the Cup saying This Cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you And if we call in St. Paul to give his suffrage with these three Evangelists we shall find him according with them all in the History of the Sacrament and the Institution of it but most expresly with St. Luke 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25 26. I have received of the Lord that which I also have delivered unto you That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said Take Eat This is my body which is broken for you this do ye in remembrance of me After the same manner he took the Cup when he had supped saying This Cup is the new Testament in my blood this do as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew or shew ye forth the Lord's Death till he come Thus have I shown you all those Scriptures which give any account of the History of this Sacrament and the institution of it and you see plainly they do all agree that it was ordained and instituted by Christ that it owes its Original to none other but only the Son of God the Lord 's Christ and our Jesus and if so then the first thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called viz. A Divine Institution doth evidently appear in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 2. The second thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called is a visible sign And that there are such things in the Lord's Supper is visible and apparent for by the words of Institution Bread and Wine which are substantial and visible things are appointed to be the Elements thereof And though these in their own essence and nature do nothing differ from common Bread and Wine yet in regard of their designation and use they do very much differ therefrom For in this holy Supper they are designed for and used as outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace and in respect of that secret thing which is hidden under them and represented by them they become Sacramental 3. The third thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called is a divine promise added to the sign which importing spiritual grace here and eternal life hereafter may firmly unite the sign and thing signified and that this is to be found in the Lord's Supper is plain from the words of institution where the Bread blessed and broken is called the Body of Christ and the Cup the New Testament in his blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins And our Saviour expresly saith John 6.35 I am the bread of life he that cometh unto me shall not hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst And again v. 54 55 56. Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him Which plainly declareth an Union of the sign and thing signified by vertue of a divine word and promise in which Union consists the nature of a Sacrament properly so called 4. The fourth thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called is That it be given to the whole Church as a perpetual sign to continue so long as the external form of divine Worship instituted by God doth remain in that Church Now that this was given to the whole Church appears plainly from the institution of it for the Disciples to whom it was first given were the Representatives of the whole Church And that it was given for perpetuity seemeth plain from those words of our blessed Saviour Matth. 26.29 I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this fruit
cannot do it to please you and therefore he will not go about to do it at all You command another to do the same thing and he answereth he cannot do it so well as he should but in obedience to your command he will do it as well as he can and he hopeth you will be pleased with his endeavours Which of these two would you account the better and more acceptable Servant I do not doubt but that you would prefer the latter Well this is your very Case God Commands you to Do this though you cannot do it so well as you should yet do it as well as you can by so doing you obey the Command of God who knows your infirmities and instead of punishing will pity them Though God expect all that we can do for him yet he expects no more than we can do For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath not according to that he hath not 2 Cor. 8.12 2. Whether it be not a thing certain that you and I and all men must once die and if so Whether we shall not then be called to an account for the doing or not doing of this duty There is an appointed time for all men once to die and after that the Judgment Hebr. 9.27 At which time all men must receive the things done in the body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad 2 Cor. 5.10 3. Whether any of us know the time when we must die if not it may be this moment as well as the next and if we be not fit to receive the Sacrament we are not fit to die and if we be taken in the act of disobedience to a known command what can we expect but a fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation to devour us 4. What is the reason that we are not fitted and prepared for this holy Sacrament Is the fault in God or Christ No they kindly invite and command us too to do our duties and this duty in particular Is it in the Sacrament it self No that is ready prepared for us Is it in the Ministers who are employed about these holy things No they in the name of God and Christ do earnestly invite and intreat us and are ready to deliver the same unto us If therefore we are unfit and unprepared the fault must be in our selves and what is this but to double our guilt by doubling our sin i.e. by disobeying the Command of God and persevering in so doing to contract a greater guilt When you have asked your self these Questions and seriously considered what answer is to be given unto them then be advised seriously to ponder Whether this Plea of unfitness and unpreparedness will stand you in any stead at the Day of Judgment When that great Day of the Lord shall come as none of us knows how soon it may come when the Books shall be opened and the Consciences of all men displayed when every thing shall be open and bare before the great Judge of Heaven and Earth then will you wish when it is too late that you had been more careful and conscientious in the discharge of your duties and more complying with God and Christ in the observation of their Commands Then will you wish that you had your Lives to live over again that you had once more those opportunities offered which you have so often slighted and neglected Then will you wish that you were but once more invited and once more admitted to feast with God and Christ How would you then improve the opportunity You would certainly so bestir your selves that every moment should be a step toward Heaven and Happiness Consider this therefore whilst you have yet time neglect not your present opportunities Remember Opportunity is bald behind it is not easily retrieved after it is once passed by us Let it therefore be your care whilst it is called to day so to improve every occasion offered that when God shall call you may be ready to go and take possession of that Eternal Inheritance prepared for you in Heaven Parishioner Sir I have with great satisfaction attended to your Discourse and have great reason to thank you for the pains you have taken to rectify my judgment in this particular I do plainly find I have been too much imposed upon and for want of considering so well as I ought have blindly swallowed that which I ought not But being better instructed I hope for the future I shall be more careful and make it my business to be always ready to do my duty when God shall please to give me an opportunity Pastor I shall think my self very happy Neighbour Parishioner if either this Discourse or any other weak endeavour of mine shall by God's blessing thereupon prove instrumental to reduce you or any of my People to your duties and to direct you in the right way to Heaven and Happiness To do all the good I can in this station wherein God hath placed me I know and acknowledge to be my duty and in the performance thereof I bless God I am willing to spend and be spent to lay out all my strength and all those abilities which he hath been pleased to endow me with I am never better pleased than when thus employed either in resolving the doubts or otherwise instructing those committed to my care and charge And therefore if you have any thing more to offer let us not lose the opportunity propound it freely and I will endeavour with as much clearness as possible to resolve you Obj. 4. Parishioner Sir I have heard some scruple the posture in which we are required to receive the Sacrament viz. Kneeling fearing lest there should be either Superstition or Idolatry or both in it And I must confess it hath very much startled me nor am I yet thoroughly satisfied about it Pastor Our Church in her Appendix to the Rubrick after the Communion-Service hath very well obviated this objection for she there declareth two things 1. That no adoration is hereby intended nor ought to be done either to the Sacramental Bread and Wine there Bodily received or to any corporal presence of Christ's natural flesh and blood For 1. She declareth that the Sacramental Bread and Wine do remain still in their very natural substances and therefore ought not to be adored for that were Idolatry to be abhorred by all faithful Christians 2. That the natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in Heaven and not here It being against the truth of Christ's natural Body to be at one time in more places than one 2. That this posture is only meant 1. To signify thereby our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ therein given to all worthy Receivers 2. To prevent such profanation and disorder in the holy Communion as might otherwise ensue Now after such a plain Declaration as this one would think there should be no
You must make it your great concern with all care and Conscience to perform your Baptismal Vow and Covenant in all the parts and branches thereof i. e. You must take care to spend the remainder of your lives in living holily towards God and righteously towards all men And thus have I endeavoured to perform the third and last part of my Promise by acquainting you what it is that will be expected from you after you have had the honour to be admitted a Guest at God's Table and to bear your part in the Celebration of this holy Feast Pashioner Sir You have to my great satisfaction fully performed all that you promised And now it is my part not only to remember but carefully to observe and conscienciously follow those good Rules and Instructions which you have given me And that from this time forward I will endeavour by God's Assistance to do I beg your Pardon for the trouble I have given you and heartily thank you for the pains you have taken with me I hope you will excuse the One and I will endeavour to improve the Other to those good Ends and Purposes which you design'd it And that I may the sooner set about that Work I will at present take my Leave of you Pastor God b'w'y ' good Neighbour Go and do as you have said and the Lord give a Blessing thereunto Be not you wanting to your self in your Endeavours and God Almighty will never be wanting to you in his assistance But that you may carry on this work the more comfortably be frequent in your Prayers to God for his blessing and direction and rest assured my Prayers shall not be wanting at the Throne of Grace that you may be successful therein A SHORT FORM OF PRAYERS Fitted for the more Worthy RECEIVING OF THE Holy Communion WITH A Morning and Evening Prayer for the Use of Private Families WHen you hear the Exhortation read by the Minister on the Sunday or Holy-day before and find your selves thereby invited to and admonished to prepare your selves for the Celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper consider seriously by whom and to what you are invited imprint upon your minds a due sense of that great honour which is done you by God and of the great love of your dying Saviour and think with your selves with what Godly Preparation you ought to approach thereunto And that these impressions may not wear out let me advise you constantly to use this following or some such like Prayer and Confession every Morning and Evening the Week before O Almighty and most merciful Father who of thine infinite goodness hast been pleased to invite me not only to Feast with thee but to Feast upon thee who hast provided for me not only Sacramental Bread and Wine but the Bread and Water of Life the Body and Blood of my blessed Saviour How infinite is thy mercy and how unspeakable is thy loving kindness herein I am overwhelmed with the thoughts of it and lost in admiration But when I consider That Thou art a God of purer Eyes than to behold the least Iniquity That Thou neither dost nor canst approve of any Sin in any one then my fears arise and my confidence faileth me How shall I who am a great and grievous Sinner appear before thee How shall I dare to approach thy presence I cannot but own that both in thought word and deed I have grievously offended thy most Sacred Majesty and that too frequently and with too high an hand I have done what in me lay to forfeit thy favour and to provoke thy wrath and indignation against me What therefore can I expect but with him who wanted the Wedding-Garment to be rejected with scorn and exposed to Punishment But O Lord with Thee is mercy that thou mayst be feared It is thy property to have mercy and to forgive In confidence therefore of this thy great mercy and in hopes of Pardon and Forgiveness it is that I am now humbly bold to appear before Thee Behold me O Lord thus prostrate in thy presence with the tears of true and unfeigned Repentance bewailing the miscarriages of my by-past life and for thy mercies sake and for the merits sake of thy dear Son Jesus Christ humbly begging not only Pardoning Grace for Sins past but Preventing Grace against Sin for the time to come It was for my Sin that my Saviour suffered it was to wash away the stain thereof that he shed his Blood O let me not lose the benefit of it If there be any thing in me that may render me uncapable of it be pleased to remove it If there be any thing wanting in me to make me fit for it let thy Holy Spirit O Lord work it in me Subdue and mortifie all my Lusts and Corruptions and implant in me principles of Holiness and true Righteousness Teach me to love and fear Thee as I ought Give me an humble and obedient temper of mind Let it be my great pleasure to walk in thy ways and my only delight to keep thy commandments Make me thankful for all thy mercies and careful to improve them to thy glory my own comfort and the good of others Fit me for all states and conditions of life and prepare me for every good work but especially for the celebration of that Sacred Feast which I am now invited to Let nothing O Lord be wanting in me that Thou knowest requisite for me when I appear in thy presence Let me be found a welcome guest at thy Table and there receive that heavenly Food which alone can nourish up my Soul unto Eternal Life All which I humbly beg in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ and in that Sacred form of Words which he himself hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. In the Morning of the communion-Communion-Day before you go to Church use this following or some such like Prayer O Lord my God the Day the joyful Day is come on which Thou hast promised to provide and invited me to be a guest at a most Heavenly Banquet This day I am to Feast with Thee and Feed upon my blessed Saviour and Redeemer Give me I beseech Thee a due sense of that Honour and Happiness I am now going to be made partaker of and make me truly thankful for it I am now going to Thy Table good Lord fit and prepare me for it furnish me with such Graces and Ornaments of Mind as may be suitable to so high and honourable an entertainment fill my Soul with Fear and Reverence with Humility and Meekness with Piety and Devotion and with Faith and Charity that nothing may be found wanting in me when I appear before Thee Let thy Blessing go along with me and let Thy Holy Spirit guide and direct me Let me find a gracious reception there and a full satisfaction to all my wishes and desires Enable me so to Eat the Flesh and Drink the Blood of my blessed