and excite our practice; so that by this means we may frequently renew the efficacy of this blessed sacrament, and our souls may thrive more and more with this spiritual nourishment, and may be fed up to eternal life.

X.

DR. HAMMOND.

I will now give you a compendium or brief of the main substantial part of this sacrament; and that consists only of two branches- -one on our parts performed to God, the other on God's part performed to us. That on our part is commemorating the goodness of God in all, but especially that his great bounty of giving his Son to die for us; and this commemoration hath two branches—one of praise and thanksgiving to him for this mercy; the other of annunciation or shewing forth-not only first to men, but, secondly and especially, to God-this sacrifice of Christ's offering up his body upon the cross for us. That which respecteth or looks towards men, is a professing of our faith in the death of Christ; that which looks towards God, is our pleading before him that sacrifice of his own Son, and through that humbly, and with affiance, requiring the benefits thereof, grace and pardon, to be bestowed upon us. And then God's part is the accepting of this our

bounden duty, bestowing that body and blood of Christ upon us, not by sending it down locally for our bodies to feed on, but really for our souls to be strengthened and refreshed by it. . . . . To apply all this by way of illustration and confirmation to what is said of this matter in the Catechism.

The first question is, why the sacrament of the Lord's supper was ordained? and the answer, "for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby." What is the meaning of that answer? Dissolve the words, and you shall see most clearly: first, Christ died; secondly, this death of his was a sacrifice for us, an oblation once for all offered to his Father for us weak, sinful men; thirdly, by this sacrifice we that are true Christians receive unspeakable benefits, as strength to repair our weakness, and enable us to do what God in his Son will accept, and reconciliation or pardon for us miserable sinners; and, fourthly, the end of Christ's instituting this sacrament was on purpose that we might, at set times frequently and constantly returning (for that is the meaning of "continual," parallel to the use of "without ceasing," applied to the sacrifice among the Jews, and the duty of prayer among Christians), remember and commemorate before God and man this sacrifice of the death of Christ

XI.

BISHOP TAYLOR.

Whatsoever Christ did at the institution, the same he commanded the Church to do in remembrance and repeated rites; and himself also does the same thing in heaven for us, making perpetual intercession for his Church, the body of his redeemed ones, by representing to the Father his death and sacrifice. There he sits a High-Priest continually, and offers still the same one perfect sacrifice; that is, still represents it as having been once finished and consummate, in order to perpetual and never-failing events. And this also his ministers do on earth; they offer up the same sacrifice to God, the sacrifice of the cross, by prayers, and a commemorating rite and representment, according to his holy institution. And as all the effects of grace and the titles of glory were purchased for us on the cross, and the actual mysteries of redemption perfected on earth, but are applied to us, and made effectual to single persons and communities of men by Christ's intercession in heaven; so also they are promoted by acts of duty and religion here on earth, that we may be "workers together with God" (as St. Paul expresses it), and, in virtue of the eternal and all-sufficient sacrifice, may offer

up our prayers and our duty; and by representing that sacrifice, may send up, together with our prayers, an instrument of their graciousness and acceptation.

The funerals of a deceased friend are not only performed at his first interring, but in the monthly minds and anniversary commemorations; and our grief returns upon the sight of a picture, or upon any instance which our dead friend desired us to preserve as his memorial: so we "celebrate and exhibit the Lord's death," in sacrament and symbol; and this is that great express, which, when the Church offers to God the Father, it obtains all those blessings which that sacrifice purchased.

As the ministers of the sacrament do, in a sacramental manner, present to God the sacrifice of the cross, by being imitators of Christ's intercession, so the people are sacrificers too in their manner; for besides that by saying Amen, they join in the act of him that ministers, and make it also to be their own, so when they eat and drink the consecrated and blessed elements worthily, they receive Christ within them, and therefore may also offer him to God; while, in their sacrifice of obedience and thanksgiving, they present themselves to God with Christ, whom they have spiritually received: that is, themselves with that which will make them gracious and acceptable. The offering their

bodies, and souls, and services to God in him, and by him, and with him, who is his Father's well-beloved, and in whom he is well pleased, cannot but be accepted to all the purposes of blessing, grace, and glory. . . .

If we descend to particulars, then and there the Church is nourished in her faith, strengthened in her hope, enlarged in her bowels with an increasing charity. There all the members of Christ are joined with each other, and all to Christ their head : and we again renew the covenant with God in Jesus Christ, and God seals his part, and we promise for ours, and Christ unites both, and the Holy Ghost signs both in the collation of those graces, which we then pray for, and exercise, and receive all at once. There our bodies are nourished with the signs, and our souls with the mystery: our bodies receive into them the seed of an immortal nature, and our souls are joined with Him who is the first-fruits of the resurrection, and never can die. And if we desire any thing else and need it, here it is to be prayed for, here to be hoped for, here to be received.

....

After all this, it is advised by the guides of souls, wise men and pious, that all persons should communicate very often, even as often as they can, without excuses or delays, every thing that puts us from so