should be duly performed II. To which add this consideration that had not this been a divine Institution and the practice according to it a duty incumbent on them it is not to be conceived that the Apostle would have suffered the Corinthians to have run so great a hazard as they did by the rude manner of doing that action if they might innocently have omitted it and without any guilt not have done it at all Nor would the Corinthians themselves have been so unreasonably cruel to their own Souls as to have incurred the dreadful danger of Damnation and Death by an unprepared participation of this Sacrament if they could have satisfied themselves that it was no duty to participate or not of such consequence but that it might with safety be let alone He that eateth and drinketh unworthily saith the Apostle eateth and drinketh damnation to himself and for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep That is the divine judgment being passed against you hath seized on you and struck many of you with sicknesses others with infirmities aches and pains and some with Death for your riotous eating of the Supper of the Lord. Doth it not concern you then unless you be content to lie still under this scourge of God till you be all cut off to be better advised and not expose your selves in this manner to the wrath of God which it is plain by terrible Executions is more than kindled against you Now unto what course doth he direct them that they might avoid these Judgments Doth he advise them to abstain from the Holy Communion for fear of prophaning it to forbear to come to the Table of the Lord lest there he stretcht out his hand against them and gave them their Deaths wound This had been the shortest and the safest way according to the ignorant resolutions men make in this present Age to prevent the danger of Damnation unto which the Apostle no doubt would have charitably directed them if he had not known that the thing it self was a duty and such abstinence from it a sin He could not otherways have refrained when he beheld the Sword of Divine Vengeance thus hanging over their Heads and many already lie bleeding under it being strucken down to the ground by Sicknesses Plagues and Death he could not I say in this lamentable case have abstained from calling to them with the greatest earnestness and compassion saying why do you thus venture your Souls and Bodies to destruction Why do you not rather stay away and wholly forbear to approach to the Table of the Lord where you are in danger to be undone for your unworthy receiving the sacred pledges of Gods love But we hear no such language because the Apostle had not thus learnt Christ nor thus received of the Lord. Who commanded and expected that they should not abstain from the Sacrament as the manner now is but come to it net rudely indeed as they did but in an holy decent and prepared manner Which it had been in vain to discourse of if it would have been as well or would have sufficed to abstain from the act of receiving This was an invention not thought of in those early dayes when they took themselves not to be Christians if they did not frequent the Holy Communion as St. Paul proves they were not good Christians if they did not take care to come in an holy manner unto it That 's the thing to which he presses them and the only way he knew of to avoid Damnation Abstaining from the Communion would not secure them but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup ver 28. Not to eat and drink of that holy food he could not give them a licence He had no such authority but lay under an obligation to enjoin the doing of the thing and to press it earnestly as a duty that could neither be safely omitted nor practised without serious Examination of themselves that they might not come together to condemnation v. 34. To come together for this purpose to eat and drink that Bread and that Cup there was a necessity their only care was that it might not be to condemnation Which things being well considered do convincingly demonstrate that this is not only a duty but a weighty duty strictly enjoined and not to be omitted no not in that Church where the profane doing of it had brought down Death and destruction upon them from Heaven V. The same is evident from the end for which our Lord instituted this Sacrament and commanded us to receive it which is the publication of the Lords Death till he come That 's the meaning of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye do show you do publish the word signifies and tell it abroad you profess this and declare it to all the World that Christ died for you and is Lord over you having purchased you by his blood and that you own him so to be and are the Servants and Worshippers of that Jesus who gave himself to be Crucified and to die for you This is the general meaning of this holy action Wherein we publickly own Christ and profess his Religion and give it out to all the World who see what we do that we are his and that we are sensible of it nay glory in it and intend to continue his for ever Now who can have the confidence to call himself a Christian and not think he stands bound thus to own Christ Crucified And therefore he is bound to do that whereby he doth own him which is to receive the holy Sacrament Which as often as we do we show forth the Lords Death and as often as we neglect we do as good as say we are ashamed of him and of his Cross or that we repent of our Christian Profession For if to do this be to show forth Christs Death then not to do it is to stifle and smother it as much as in us lies so that no such thing as the Death of our Lord should be published or known in the World This I am sure is a true consequence and our neglect of this duty will be thus interpreted by our blessed Lord when he shall come to take cognizance of it Why will some say we testify the contrary every time we say the Creed when we make an open and solemn confession of our Faith in him But let such persons observe how they argue in this against themselves For our Lord in whom they profess to believe requires that we should not merely in words though never so express but in plain actions also represent his Death and Passion for our sakes and thereby our high obligations to him That 's the Doctrine of the Apostle in this place For to what end do you break the Bread but to show the breaking i. e. the wounding and crucifixion of the Lords Body And to what end do you pour out the
with-drawing himself from the holy Communion and in not acquainting those with the crimes which he pretends for the cause of his withdrawing who were concerned to redress them IV. And lastly suppose that after information given they who are concerned do not take care to redress those things but such scandalous Livers be still admitted to the Communion yet this not being the fault of private persons but of those who have power to exclude them it ought not to keep any good Man or Woman from the Table of the Lord. For there can be no reason why any man should be hindred by this from doing his own duty because another man doth not discharge his And let it here be seriously considered that if this were a just hindrance it would have hindred Christ and his Apostles and the primitive Christians from communicating For there was ill Company among the very first Communicants Judas the Traytor in all likelihood being there when our Lord himself administred And in this Church of Corinth it is evident there were such disorders that many did eat and drink their own Damnation and yet it did not hinder good Christians from partaking with them to their Salvation And the very truth is if this were a sufficient reason to hinder us from Communion it ought also to hinder us from being Christians and make us forbear to become members of any Church or profession For there is no Church but consists of a mixt multitude good and bad and therefore compared by our Saviour unto a Net wherein all sorts of Fish were caught Math. xiii 47 48. and unto a Field wherein wheat and tares sprung up which must grow together till the Harvest lest by an indiscreet indeavour to gather up the Tares the Wheat be also rooted up with them ver 24 25 29 30. And therefore this scruple driven home will destroy Christianity as it hath done in some places where men have divided and subdivided till by their separation from them whom they accounted wicked they have crumbled into nothing and left no Church at all remaining but what was in their particular person That is none for the Church is a Society and there is no Society nor can be any but we may find some exception or other against every person in it and particularly against such persons who judging others unworthy to Communicate with them abstain on that account from the holy Communion For besides the suspition of rash judging and pride that is in the thing they are apparently guilty of a gross sin in not coming to the holy Communion of Christs Body and Blood according to his Commandment The secret reason of which perhaps they do not declare and so others have as much authority to judge them unworthy as they to judge others and by this means all of them if this be a just excuse may let the holy Communion alone I hope you see by this short Discourse whither such exceptions as these lead and therefore that you will no longer be guided by them but notwithstanding the faults you think you can find in any person there present be perswaded by the weighty reasons you see for it to do your own duty at the Table of the Lord. III. Where we should have more Company than is usually seen there were it not for another hinderance arising not from others but from mens selves alone Who are wont sometimes to say we would come to the Table of the Lord being convinced it is our duty if we were worthy of so great a benefit but we are deterred from it by the consideration of our many sins or great frailties We have at least too many diversions by business too many avocations by the affairs of this World for I am alway in a hurry saith one I have no leisure to examine my self or I am not disposed for so serious a work saith another We had better forbear than be rash say all of this sort it is safer to honour the Sacrament by a fearful and reverent abstinence from it than by a careless and unprepared forwardness to partake of it prophane it In a word we conceive our selves to be utterly unfit therefore we dare not come to it Now in answer to this third Exception against the performance of this duty which hath a shew of humility in it and looks like a pious care not to do good things in an ill manner I have many things to propound to your consideration which are so convincing and will so unmask the dangerous deceit that lurks under such pretences that they will not suffer you to be cheated by it any longer I. And in the first place every one who complains of his unfitness and makes that the reason of his not coming to the Holy Communion ought to consider both whose fault this is and whether it be not likely he shall grow still more unfit every day than other that is be more in fault by not receiving it For you will not you cannot say it is our Saviour's fault who commands you to come that you are not sit to come to it Whose fault is it then but your own And why do you not then amend it lest you still grow greater strangers to him nay Enemies by evil works and by continuing to neglect the means of living better For this very unfitness which you alledge for your forbearing the Communion is your sin and will you turn your sin into an Apology and make it serve for your Plea for the neglect of a plain duty Can you think that this will pass at the Bar of the Divine Judgment when you appear before it Dare you thus excuse your neglect of the Sacrament by acknowledging another crime When an accusation a just accusation lies against you will you then go about to turn it into a defence of your self as you are bold to do now I come not to the holy Communion it is true but it is because I am unholy I am sensible of the looseness of my life which is not strict enough I am not in Charity or at best I am Worldly minded and too much distracted with the affairs of this life This is the plea of some men who do not mind how after a strange manner they make one sin an excuse for another For this is the plain sense of their Plea God we hope will be merciful to us in forgiving one sin because we commit another which is the cause thereof Pardon that is the neglect of the Sacrament because they neglect to fit themselves for it For none can deny that it is one sin not to commemorate the Death of Christ as he hath appointed and it is also another to neglect a due preparation for it And so instead of amending one such men add another to it heaping evil upon evil and aggravating their Condemnation by their very pleas and excuses Of which they could not be thus senslesly guilty were this plain truth duly considered that there is the same
that is grievous punishment was For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep Now what is all this to you who are not guilty of any such crimes For no such scandals as these are committed among us now adays any where And therefore why should you fear so much as the judgment or sentence to suffer the grievous punishments now mentioned seeing you are not guilty of their faults Which I have purposely represented as they are set down by the Apostle that finding your selves free from them you may not fright your selves away from the Communion by a dread of that damnation which fell upon them But will not fall upon you who cannot be accused of their Crimes nor of any other like to them if you discern the Lords body and in a solemn manner come to commemorate his Death and Passion renouncing all your evil wayes and being in perfect Charity with all men Upon such God will pour down his blessings and not plague them with Diseases Sickness and untimely Death much less with Eternal Damnation to suffer the punishment of Everlasting Fire Which as it is not meant in the Apostles words as I have shown elsewhere so will not be the portion of those who come thus prepared to the Table of the Lord but rather of those who stay away out of a pretence of unworthiness when the true reason is because they will not be at the pains to prepare themselves to partake of it Or if it be timorousness of spirit and a scrupulous fearfulness that keeps them from it let them seriously weigh what hath been proved in this Discourse that they have the same reason to be fearful they shall not enter into Eternal Life For they that are not fit to have Communion with him in these Types and Figures of him how can they be presumed to be fit to have the immediate sight and injoyment of his Divine Majesty And what serious Christian is there that can live with any comfort who hath no hope of that How can he be quiet or take any rest till he hath rid himself of every thing which he thinks makes him unmeet to have fellowship with Christ in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood that so partaking of it religiously he may have no cause not to look upon himself as an heir through hope of Gods Everlasting Kingdom by the merits of the most pretious death and passion of his dear Son Who invites all those to come and feast with him that abide in no habitual sin such as shuts out of the Heavenly Kingdom and they ought to come without any fear of provoking his Majesty without any apprehension of danger to themselves thereby nay draw near with faith and take this holy Sacrament to their comfort and high satisfaction and to the joy of the Church of Christ which is highly honoured by having abundance of worthy persons in it fit to communicate with their Lord at his Table Such worthy Communicants let us all for our parts study to be by resolving now and indeavouring ever hereafter to quit all known sins and to live suteably to our Christian profession and Belief Then let nothing hinder you from taking frequent occasions of presenting your selves to the Lord at his Table Let no scruples fears and doubts that stick in your mind hinder you but rather get them pulled out by some skilful hand Do not believe you are religious because you are scrupulous but rather suspect your selves not to be so because you neglect the great duty of Religion And of this be scrupulous above all other things lest you offend God by not coming to the Communion or rather do not dare to be so bold and fearless in a matter of such great danger Let not the fault of others who communicate be a stop to your performance of that duty That is if they sin one way let not that tempt you to a sin of another kind If they go wrong on the right hand be not you moved thereby to turn too much to the left Let not the danger of unworthy receiving deter you from receiving but only from receiving unworthily Of which there is the less danger if you be really afraid of it for that will move you to be careful to prevent it And remember that nothing will make you more unworthy than neglect of it And therefore let not the thoughts of your imperfections hinder you for they will always hinder and staying from the holy Communion is not the way to be more perfect but coming to it Nay let not the breach of your resolutions by relapsing into sin after you have communicated keep you from communicating again but rather come the sooner and take the first opportunity that is presented you to renew your Covenant with God to strengthen your Christian resolutions to fortify your selves against temptations and to obtain assurance of a pardon for the unfaithfulness to your Saviour To fall is not so dangerous as not to rise again presently after we are faln Much less let business hinder for if you be honestly imployed in honest business it is part of your preparation for the holy Communion And let no man say he wants time to fit himself to receive it for this is in effect to say he wants time to live well Of which if you take a constant care that 's the main preparation And for the composing your mind and considering the ends for which you go to the Lords Table take as much time as your condition of life and the circumstances of your condition will allow and that is sufficient Be not hindred from the Heavenly Comforts of which you may there partake by an opinion of the necessity of a long examination of your selves before-hand for that necessity arises only from long neglect of the Communion Receive frequently as the first Christians did and then you will be as ready for this on all occasions as you are for other duties of holy Worship For you will be well acquainted with the state of your own Souls and with the nature and end of this part of your Religion especially if you take some account of your selves every day which will make your account short and easy before the Communion And let not dulness and indisposition be thought a reason why you should forbear to receive it but rather come thither to be quickned And if you continue dull there yet beliâ—ve you have pleased God by doing as he commanded though not so lively as you desired Let us not hear any man say I have not profited thereby and therefore had as good stay away For it is very profitable to do our duty constantly to express our gratitude to God to receive the tokens of his Love to tye our selves faster to him in renewed resolutions of holy obedience to be put in fear of offending him and in hope of his favour and there is no man that with any kind of care partakes of the holy Communion
without impediment and that there is nothing left in their Souls to oppose their duty Whereas bad people in a quite contrary way give admission to those scruples and doubts into their minds with a secret pleasure and having entertained them let them rest and take up their lodging there very willingly because they will plead their excuse they fancy for not doing their duty and be a defence to their lazyness Worldly mindedness and other naughty affections In short Doubts and Scruples never arise in good mens minds without grief nor stay there without much trouble and therefore they long to be rid of them and are glad when they are discharged because they hinder the performance of their Christian Duty but bad men not only listen to them willingly but embrace them as welcome Guests which they cherish and never part withal without difficulty and some sort of inward displeasure because they desire the Worldly Spirit that is in them should not be left without all excuse but have something to say for it self when it is pressed by the force of Religion against its inclinations Search and try your selves by this mark and the Lord give you a right judgment in all things for Jesus Christ his sake In whom I remain Your Faithful Servant S. Patrick Discourse I. THE NECESSITY OF Receiving THE Holy Communion THE neglect of the Holy Communion of Christ's Body and Blood was so general and so long continued in the late distracted times being laid aside in man whole Parishes of this Kingdom for near twenty years together that in some Ages of the Church it would have been interpreted a downright Apostasie from Christ and a renunciation of the Christian Faith And though blessed be God since the Happy Restauration of his Majesty to his Throne and the settlement of the Church upon its ancient foundations it hath not been so generally neglected yet it is not so much frequented as it ought to be No not upon such great and solemn dayes as this when we are assembled to commemorate that stupendous Grace which our Lord purchased for us by his pretious Blood and bestowed upon his Church in sending the Holy Ghost the Comforter to be a Witness of his Resurrection and Exaltation at God's right hand and to confirm us in the belief of all that he hath taught and appointed in his Church For we content our selves only with the Common Prayers and I wish I could say that they are duly attended and with the Sermon and then turn our backs on that part of the Divine Service which is properly Christian and consequently is above all other most acceptable unto Christ and unto his Holy Spirit Which I shall therefore at this time press upon your Consciences as a means to revive that ancient Devotion wherewith such Festivals as this was kept which now alas is wanting among us And I shall do it from those words of St. Paul 1 Cor. xi 26. wherein he recommends this duty unto us upon this particular account that as oft as we eat this Bread and drink this Cup we do show the Lords Death till he come In which words it is easy to observe these three practical truths The two first whereof are plainly supposed and the other is affirmed and enjoined I. The first thing here supposed is that it is a Christian Duty to eat this Bread and drink this Cup here spoken of that is to receive the Holy Sacrament of Christs Body and Blood II. The second is that it is a Christian Duty which ought to be often performed And then III. It is here plainly asserted that when it is performed the thing designed in it and which we ought to aim at is to show the Lord's Death till he come The last of these will be sufficiently explained in the handling of the other two viz. the Duty and the Frequent repetition of it unto which I shall confine my Discourse And of the first at this time I. THat it is a Christian Duty incumbent upon every one of us to eat this Bread and drink this Cup that is to receive the Sacrament of Christs Body and Blood This is supposed in the words Which are not to be understood as a mere permission that we may do this if we think good and when we think good but as a command of something we ought to do For when he tells us what it is we do when we eat this Bread and drink this Cup in which we show forth Christs Death it plainly implies that it must be done and is not left to our choice whether we will show forth the Death of our Lord or no. Of which more anon when I have laid some other things before you which will convince you if they be considered of the Obligation that lies upon you to the serious performance of this Duty And for our clear and orderly proceeding I shall cast my Discourse into this method I. First I shall show you that there is a plain institution of this Sacrament and a command that it should be received And then II. Secondly I shall show from the practice of the Apostles after â—hat time when they first received it with our Saviour that it was no temporary command but of Everlasting Obligation III. Thirdly That there is more â—han their practice to interpret the meaning and obligation of this command IV. Fourthly That in this Discourse of St. Paul to the Corinthians there are evident proofs of the necessity of its performance V. Fifthly That the very Text shows the same by the end for which it was instituted VI. Lastly That all these reasons are exemplified by the practice of the Universal Church of Christ I. And first let it be considered that this Holy Sacrament is a Divine Institution Ordained Commanded and required by Christ Himself Who the same night that he was betrayed took Bread and blessed it and brake it and gave it to his Disciples and said Take eat this is my Body And he took the Cup and gave thanks and 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 Matth. xxvi 26 27 28. Here is as manifest an Institution of this Sacrament and as formal a Command to take and eat and drink what Christ then gave as can be contrived in words Unless they be plainer which we read in other places for the Institution is recorded by the two next Evangelists St. Mark and St. Luke and here again in this Chapter by St. Paul Which two last named say that our Saviour added these words in the Institution of this Sacrament This do in remembrance of me Luk. xxii 19. 1 Cor. xi 24 25. Which enjoin this duty by as express a Command as those of old Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy And Honour thy Father and thy Mother Which may henceforth be blotted out of the number of the Commandments if we take this to
confesses are acts of Worship to be constantly performed and also a commemoration of that upon which the efficacy of all our Prayers and Thanksgivings depends viz. the Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross which is here likewise represented unto God as that which appearing always before him in the Heavens intercedes for us and makes all our Sacrifices acceptable to his Majesty And besides all this is the peculiar worship which the Church gives unto Christ as a grateful acknowledgment of his unparallel'd love in laying down his life for us to purchase the most inestimable benefits which he herein also assures unto us and bestows upon us Which is in part declared in these words upon which I have built my Discourse wherein we are told the end of this holy Sacrament is to show or publish the Lords Death that is show it with praise predicate extol and magnify as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports proclaim with our highest praises the loving kindness of the Lord in the glorious work of our Redemption through his most pretious blood But is more fully declared in the very words of the Institution when he said Do this in remembrance of me which show that our doing this is the peculiar honour we do our blessed Lord by making a publick commemoration that he took our nature upon him that he died for us that he obtained thereby a glorious Victory over all our Enemies that he purchased for himself and for us immortal glory and is now at Gods right hand in full power to bestow it upon us In memory of all these things saith our Saviour do this that when I am dead I may always live in your hearts and the knowledge of all these things may go down to all posterity and be commemorated from one Generation unto another for ever with thankful praises but especially the memory of my Death may be transmitted to them and be celebrated with continual acknowledgments For it was but fit that he should be publickly honoured in that which when he suffered exposed him to the greatest contempt And no doubt it was the design of God in appointing this Rite of holy worship to have his Death commemorated with Everlasting praises which for the present had brought him into the utmost disgrace To which purpose is that passage in an Easter Sermon ascribed to Caesarius Bishop of Arles because he intended to remove out of our sight the body which he had taken and to place it in Heaven it was necessary that in the same day he should consecrate for us the Sacrament of his Body and Blood to the end that we should honour by the type that which had been once offered for the price of our Salvation In short this is the proper worship of God Incarnate and of our Crucified Saviour and therefore cannot be thought by wise considerers to have been intended to be left unto uncertainty whether we would perform it or no or when we would be pleased to perform it but to have been ordained as a daily Service which should be continually performed unto Christ Which in truth the continual necessities of the Church require it being the principal Act whereby we have Communion with Christ and partake of the Sacrifice he made on the Cross We are united unto him as Members of his Body in the other Sacrament of Baptism wherein also his holy Spirit is bestowed upon us as a principle of life and motion sutable to our Religion which directs us unto this Sacrament as the chief outward visible means of preserving our Union with Christ by having constant Communion with him and with his holy spirit Whose influences he here communicates unto us for our growth and increase in spiritual life and holiness and we therefore in reason should be desirous constantly to receive because we constantly want them and are too apt to start aside from him unto whom we ought to keep our selves stedfastly united by Faith and Love and uniform universal Obedience Put now all this together that it is an act of holy worship a worship altogether as peculiar to the Church as the Sacrifice on the Cross is peculiar to Christianity the only worship wherewith we honour our blessed Lord and Saviour a Commemoration nay a representation of that which makes all our Services acceptable unto God and the principal way and means whereby we have Communion with Christ from whom we stand in continual need of the Communication of his grace and we shall soon be satisfied that the plainest and most reasonable answer that can be given to those who ask how often did Christ intend we should eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup is this as often as we assemble publickly to worship God our Saviour For there is no worship peculiar to him but this nor is there any wherein we have such Communion with him as in this by which we do truly and indeed participate of the Sacrifice offered unto God upon the Cross as the Jews and the Gentiles did of their Sacrifices offered up on their Altars Thus the Apostle discourses at large in the Chapter before my Text 1 Cor. x. 16 17. c. where he takes it for an undeniable truth that Christians do communicate with God their Saviour in the merits of his Death by receiving the holy Eucharist And thence proves it to be unlawful for them to partake of the Gentile Sacrifices by proving that to eat of their Sacrifices was to be accessory to their Idolatries as the Jews by eating of such Sacrifices as were offered among them did partake of the Altar or did communicate with the Altar that is Communicate with God whose Altar that was upon which the Sacrifices were consumed Which evidently supposes that Christians also did in the Eucharist partake of a Sacrifice and were thereby joined to Christ who was that Sacrifice Which though carried by him into the most holy place of the Heavens there to be presented unto God is no less participated by Christians in this holy Feast of the Eucharist than the Jews did participate of their offerings of thanksgiving on the Altar I know very well it will be objected that by understanding our Saviours meaning in this Institution after this manner we prove a great deal too much and argue our publick service to be defective when it wants this peculiar worship of Christ which he ordained To which I shall only say this that if by discoursing thus we prove no more than is true our worship must be confessed to be but imperfect when the Holy Communion is wanting not so perfect at least as that of the ancient Christians was Which we had much better honestly acknowledge and beseech God to accept for Christs sake of such services as we do perform though in some regard and in comparison imperfect ones than by going about to defend untruths and establish false notions in Religion to make our selves more guilty before God I know also it will be urged
love of our blessed Saviour and too small valuation of his inestimable benefits Which I beseech you let us awaken our minds to weigh and ponder and then we shall make it part of our business to contrive our affairs in this World in such a manner that there never want some Company at the Holy Communion And it is no hard matter so to order things that some receiving one Sunday some another all may receive at least once a Month. What should hinder if we have any mind to it and will set our selves about it what can stand in the way of such a blessed and comfortable Reformation as this Of which though we have not heard a word from the great pretenders to Religion in an Age wherein so much hath been talkt of the Reformation of the Church yet all the true Children of it who understand and seek its good are sensible that the continual celebration of the Eucharist and the Discipline of penance to preserve the people in a disposition fit to receive it are such points of reformation in the Church as the great man before-named expresses it that without restoring these all the rest is but mere noise and pretence if not mischief And these are the things at which the Order of our Church aims for as it earnestly sighs and groans as you read in the Commination towards the restoring of publick penance which is the only means established by the Apostles to maintain the Church in condition to communicate continually so it enjoins as you have heard the continual celebration of the Eucharist in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches and Colledges every Sunday at the least which supposes it would be still more agreeable to its desires if it were done also upon other Festivals Now what should hinder us I ask again from coming thus near to the primitive Devotion though we do not come up quite to the utmost perfection of it Unless it be the fancy which works in many minds that to Communicate three times in the Year as the Church injoins every Parishioner at the least to do is sufficient for any Christian Which may well be called a fancy since it is manifest the Church names three times in a Year as the very lowest degree of Devotion less than which it would account prophaneness and I have demonstrated that we have little or nothing to say for our Communicating so seldom as once a Month but only this that in most places it is no oftner administred In the Mother Churches it will hereafter be more frequently which will in some measure conform us to those ancient Churches which communicated every Sunday For all the Country Churches in the Diocess being but parts of the Mother Church it may be truly said the holy Sacrament of Christs Body and Blood is administred once a Week in all our Churches Where I beseech you let us never want a competent number of Communicants And that we may not do not any longer imagine that you show sufficient respect to our Saviour if you resolve to come thrice a Year I wish every one were careful of doing so much but let me further tell you they that set themselves such a stint will be in danger too oft to fall short of that And therefore it is far safer and more becoming to aim at and endeavour after higher attainments by coming more frequently to the Table of the Lord. Hear how sharply that great person St. Chrysostome inveighs against those that contented themselves with receiving only at the Festivals especially at Easter It is in his third Sermon upon the Epistle to the Ephesians where having expounded the last words of the first Chapter which represent our blessed Lord as the Head of the Church advanced far above all principalities and powers c. He thus begins his Sermon Let us reverence our Head let us think with our selves of what Head we are the Body a Head to which all things are subject what an honour is this to be in some sort viz. in our Head advanced above the Angels and the Archangels Let us reverence then this kindred this affinity which we have with Christ our Head Let us fear lest any of us be cut off from this Body lest any of us fall away lest we appear unworthy of our relation to him If any body had set a Diadem or a Crown of Gold upon our Head would we not have laboured by all means not to appear unworthy of those liveless stones And yet now that there is not so little as a Diadem put upon our Head but Christ himself which is infinitely more is become our Head we make no account at all of it The Angels reverence it the Archangels and all the Heavenly Powers do him honour we only who are his Body neither for this reason nor for the other have any considerable regard to him What hope then is there of our Salvation Think upon that Royal Throne think upon that exceeding great honour God hath conferred upon thee and it will be more powerful than Hell fire it self to affright thee into a due regard towards him With a great many more such like efficacious words which I do but abridge he presses his people to the greatest purity of life and then at last comes in particular to press them from this Argument to a religious care of receiving the holy Communion I see saith he many of you receive the Body of Christ but it is rather from custom and for order sake than out of reason and understanding If it were the holy time of Lent saith one or if it were the Epiphany that is Christmas Day saith another who would not prepare himself to partake of the Holy Mysteries Is it then Christmas is it the time of Lent that makes a man a worthy Receiver I thought it had been sincerity of Soul holiness and purity of Life With these come always without these thou hast no right to come at all For as oft as you do this you show the Lords Death quoteing my Text that is you make a Commemoration of the Salvation wrought for you and of the benefit Christ bestowed upon you Consider then how abstemious how careful were they who did partake of the old Sacrifices under the Law What did they not do What expence were they not willing to make They were always purifying themselves that they might partake of the Altar But thou coming to a Sacrifice at which the Angels are astonished circumscribest the business and confinest it to certain periods of time thou wilt receive it at Easter at Christmas then thou wilt be pure and clean to partake of it But how wilt thou appear before the Tribunal of the Lord Jesus who darest with impure hands and lips to touch his Body For so it is at other times you will not come no not though you be pure but at Easter you will needs come though you have lately perhaps been bold to commit some great transgression O the power of
entertained that are no better than our selves For which ill resentment of such a supposed judgment passed upon them what reason can be given but this that they have no such opinion of their own unfitness For if they had they would be pleased rather than angry that other men are of their mind as they desire they should be in other cases They would be far from looking upon it as an indignity to be told they are not fit to Communicate it being the thing which they themselves pretend doth keep them from the Communion But herein they dissemble with us and cheat their own Souls having no such thoughts of themselves but are only loth to be at the pains of thinking seriously what is to be done there and of raising sutable affections and purposes in their heart that they may be acceptable to God our Saviour This idle lazy temper frames such excuses and makes them pretend unfitness which they are by no means willing to own if another charge them with it but rather think they are affronted by it Just like those that pretend to be sick and therefore lie in Bed when they have no mind to make or receive those Visits to which they are obliged but would be troubled if another should tell them they look very ill and had best go to Bed and send for a Physician for they fear their case is dangerous III. These things seem to me sufficient to take away this exception of unfitness but for the further conviction of all such persons as alledge this for the reason of their not receiving the holy Communion let it be considered that there are other duties of Christianity which are of indispensable obligation if we hope to be saved and those far more difficult to be performed than the duties now mentioned or this to which I exhort you for which if you be not fit as is pretended how will you be able to undertake the other where you will find much greater hardship and severity That is how will you be able to deny your selves and take up the Cross if it fall in your way and follow Christ in that bloody path wherein he is gone before us An injury will be intolerable an indignity insufferable to pass by affronts and abuses which are the smallest parts of the Cross of Christ will be beyond your power if you cannot do so easy a thing as this which Christ hath commanded in remembrance of his sufferings whereby you are to prepare and arm your selves with resolution to atchieve the other This is a thing to be seriously pondered because it is so necessary to be able to indure hardship as a good Souldier of Jesus Christ and perform those difficult tasks when we are tried by them that otherwise it is in vain to pretend to the Christian Religion For our Lord Christ himself hath said Matth. xvi 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me c. Which is often repeated in the Gospel with peremptory asseverations that unless he do this a man cannot be his Disciple and that he who takes not up his Cross and follows after me as our Saviours words are Matth. x. 38 is not worthy of me These sayings of our Saviour show that this work of self denial and taking up the Cross and bearing it is not more harsh and troublesome to flesh and blood than it is necessary to make a man acceptable unto Christ who will reject those as unworthy of him that are not thus disposed Now how they will be able to go thorough with this tedious and irksome work who stick at the sweet and pleasant labour of making themselves fit to receive the tokens and pledges of Christs Everlasting love whereby they should be incouraged and animated unto the other I leave them to judge For my part I can see no hope of it but look upon their condition as desperate unless they dispose themselves even for the suffering of the Cross by fitting themselves for the devout Commemoration of the sufferings of Christ upon the Cross Which is so easy a duty compared with the other that I may shame all those who refuse to perform it when it is required of them in such opprobrious words as Naaman's Servant made bold to reprove him withal 2 King v. 13. If the Prophet had bidden thee do some great thing wouldst thâ—… not have done it how much rather then when he saith unto thee wash and be clean So say I if our Lord should now require you to conflict with the greatest hardships would you not obey rather than perish How much rather then when he saith unto you do this in remembrance of me Which is so easy to be done that there is no trouble in it but all pleasure all comfort and joy to think what Christ hath done for us and intends to do All the trouble and the pains is only to fit and dispose our selves to partake of this high pleasure and satisfaction of being assured that we are beloved by him and that he will love us for ever if we continue in his love by keeping his Commandments IV. Which small pains if men will not undertake but having passed this judgment on themselves that they are unmeet to receive the holy Communion continue so to be I do not understand why they should not withal judge themselves not to be Christians For all Christians are Members of Christ a part of his Body but how can any man be a member of the Body and not be in Communion with the head and how is it possible to be in Communion with the head and yet unfit to Communicate with him These things cannot stand together but overthrow one the other For they that are members of Christ are united to him and they that are united to him are in Communion with him and derive continual influences from him and they that are in such Conjunction and Communion with him must be fit to Communicate with him at his Table Else they are not his Friends and if not Friends then Strangers or Enemies For what medium is there between these Or how can men pretend to be Friends to Christ by being in Covenant with him and refuse to commemorate his Death which seals that Covenant because they are unfit always unfit to make that Commemoration These things are utterly inconsistent Either we must confess we are not in Covenant with him or we must not affirm that we are altogether unfit to commemorate that Death which confirms and seals that Covenant V. It will be much to the same purpose if I add that he who is not in some measure fit for this holy Sacrament cannot be in any measure fit for the Kingdom of Heaven and Eternal Life with our blessed Saviour But it may be fit to press this a little because the same thing in effect represented after divers manners becomes the more apt to meet with and affect all sorts of
people Consider then in what disposition do you think you stand for Society with Christ in Eternal Life and Bliss in the Heavens if you are not disposed to have Communion with him in this holy Sacrament here upon Earth What likelihood can you fancy of having His Company there if He cannot have your Company here That which keeps you from the one will exclude you from the other I mean those things whatsoever they be that make you unmeet to partake of his Table at present will make you unmeet to feast with him in his Heavenly Kingdom hereafter The terms of admission unto both are the same for he that duly partakes of the holy Communion hath an earnest given him of Everlasting Bliss and therefore there cannot be different terms of exclusion but the very same also That is those sins which exclude men from the Kingdom of Heaven are they which exclude them from the pledge and earnest of it in this holy Sacrament And those sins which do not shut the gate of the Heavenly Kingdom against them cannot be a bar to their receiving the Sacrament Satisfy your selves what those sins are of both sorts and you will withal satisfy your selves that you are not unfit to come to the holy Communion unless you be unfit to enter into Heaven and if you be unfit for that I do not see how you can rest satisfied if you have any care of your Souls till by becoming capable to be received thither you become capable to be entertained at the Lords Table For which every sudden passion every rash word every sin that is committed by surprise against the setled purpose of our Souls and serious indeavours will not make us utterly unfit because such things will not shut us out of Heaven But those gross those deliberate and habitual sins that bar the Door of Heaven against us are the same that put a bar against our coming to the Lord's Table and the same that keep us from partaking of that are they that will keep us from being partakers of the other And therefore resolve what it is fit for you to do the matter being come to this short issue that if you are not fit for the Lord's Table neither are you fit for Heaven if you hope you are so fit for Heaven that you shall not be thrust out of it then are you not unfit for the Lord's Table Why then do you not come thither when you cannot stay away without acknowledging that you have no interest in Christ and his Eternal Love So the ancient Doctrine was as we learn from St. Austin who in his first Book concerning the deserts and remission of sins Cap. 24. tells us that in his Country they called Baptism SALVATION and the Sacrament of Christs Body by no other name than LIFE from an ancient and Apostolical Tradition as he thinks whereby the Churches of Christ hold for certain that no body can attain either Salvation or Life in the Kingdom of God without Baptism and the participation of the Table of the Lord. Which none can gainsay is thus far true that we know of no other gates but these Christ hath appointed no other to let us into his Kingdom and that they who are unworthy to partake of the holy mysteries of his Kingdom cannot be worthy to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven it self VI. If obstinacy as he speaks a little before in that Book did not knit its stubborn sinews against the force of evident truth I might here make an end But some still persist in their exceptions and say if we be not unfit yet we fear we are and how shall we free our selves from these fears and jealousies which extreamly disturb our minds and put us into such disorder that we cannot compose our selves for the holy Communion In the last place therefore I answer to this by asking a few plain and easy questions upon which if you will Examine your selves you will soon arrive at satisfaction Do you not make profession of Christianity Do you not believe what that Religion teaches Do you not indeavour impartially to practice according to that belief Do you not discern or distinguish the Lord's Body that is make a difference between this holy food and other meat and drink Do you not understand the ends for which it was appointed What can hinder you then from partaking of the Lords Body if therein you intend those ends Here is a sure and infallible Test unto which if you bring your selves you may try thereby whether you be fit or no to have Communion with Christ in this holy Sacrament and determine the case with such certainty as to be no longer perplexed with doubts and fears about it 1. The first of these questions need not be long considered for by receiving Baptism and being present at the Prayers where the Creeds are openly owned you make a profession of Christianity and therefore you are thus far fit and have a right and title to come and make this profession still more solemnly at the Table of the Lord. 2. The second also is soon resolved whether you believe with your heart what you profess with your mouth For these doubts and fears which you have lest you should receive the Communion unworthily and thereby incur the divine displeasure suppose Faith in Christ as the Lord and Judge of the World and that you look upon this as one part of a Christians Duty which ought to be performed with care and great circumspection 3. The third also need not cost you much labour for by reading over the rules of life delivered in the Gospel and comparing your manner of life with them you may be satisfied whether you impartially indeavour to practise according to your belief That is do you not willingly rest under any habit of sin which excludes from this Sacrament as they do from Heaven but make it your serious business to break them all Then you ought to use this means among others which God hath appointed and call upon him for his aid without which nothing can be effected in this sort of Supplication for weaknesses bewailed and indeavoured daily to be reformed do not exclude us from either of them But they rather require our diligence and constancy in the receiving this holy Sacrament that we may grow strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Which we therefore want because we neglect this means of obtaining it or are possessed with such vain fears as quite damp that Faith which should be exercised in the use of it 4. For which fears there is no cause when you are thus qualified provided also you discern the Lords Body in the holy Communion that is consider what that Bread and Wine imports which you see upon the Table of the Lord what they signify and represent unto you and what spiritual grace is imparted to you by their means which your very Catechism teaches you is the Body and Blood of Christ which are