fpect to thofe perfons who may be fufpected of a defign to impose upon them. Were the nature of the inftitution univerfally understood, and no imposition intended, this action itself would be the declaration, and a more fignificant and folemn one than any other.

It is not, my brethren, a declaration of any extraordinary degree of fanctity that you make when you attend the Lord's fupper. It is profeffing no more than you do whenever you say you are christians. At the most, it is only a more folemn declaration of the fame thing. If other perfons, who have entertained different notions of the Lord's fupper, will imagine that you profefs more, you are not answerable for their fuperftition. But, let me feriously admonish you, that you are anfwerable for your

own: and one of the most effectual methods of curing fuperftition in others, is to fhow that we are not influenced by it ourfelves. While men of known sense and understanding, and, at the fame time, men

of

of uprightness and integrity, refrain from the Lord's fupper, the common people will imagine, that those men of sense have a very high idea of the fanctity of this ordinance, that they do not think themselves good enough to come to it, and therefore dare not do it. Let your practice, my brethren, fatisfy all such persons that they are mistaken. This may make them begin to reflect, and help them to discover their own mistakes about it: otherwise you are guilty of confirming the fuperftition of numbers; who, by a contrary conduct of yours, might come to think more rationally, first in this, and afterwards in other things too.

Let it be confidered alfo, that the only opinion which is declared by receiving the Lord's fupper is, that Christ is a teacher fent from God; or rather, it is a profeffion of a man's being simply a christian, and not of his attachment to any particular fect or denomination of christians. There could, therefore, be no reason, originally, B 2 why

per

why a man should refuse to make this declaration in any place, or upon any occafion; that is, why he fhould fcruple to join in this ordinance with any set of fons profeffing chriflianity. But fince the receiving of the Lord's fupper along with any particular fect of christians, is generally confidered as a declaration of a man's belonging to that fect, and embracing the peculiar tenets of it; this kind of communion will, by many, be deemed a criminal compliance, and inconfiftent with his general principles and conduct; and a person of strict integrity, and who has a proper regard to the fentiments, and even prejudices of others, will not only confider what is the proper language of his actions, but what will, in fact, be the language of them in the opinion of others. It is the received acceptation of actions, as well as of words, that ought to be regarded by those who use them. Befides, it becomes every person, who has a juft regard for the honour of religion, to bear his teftimony against fo bafe a proftitution of its rites, as making them a qualification

for

for a civil office; and there is no doing this to any purpose, but by refusing to comply with those terms, whatever be the confequence.

Notwithstanding the Lord's fupper be properly a profeffion of a man's being fimply a christian; christianity in general, and this inftitution of it in particular, may be fo corrupted, that a fincere christian ought in conscience to refrain from joining in the celebration of it. In the church of Rome, the fervice is fo conducted, that I believe it is impoffible to communicate without being guilty of idolatry. A Protestant, therefore, might as well burn in-cenfe to an idol, as receive the eucharift at the hands of a Romish priest.

You fay, muft not the minifter, or the congregation, inquire into the life and conduct of a person, before he be admitted to communion with them. I answer, that every christian society hath a clear right to refuse admiffion to those whom they believe not to be chriftians; and those whofe

B 3

whose conduct is fuch, as gives just reason to question their fincerity, though, in words, they profess themselves fuch; as also, those who are guilty of fuch vices as are a scandal to human society, and which, according to the judgment of St. Paul, will justify excommunication: but let it be noted, that according to the practice of the primitive church, no person was excluded from the Lord's fupper, who was not formally excommunicated, and at the fame time excluded from their public affemblies, as well as the Lord's fupper; being confidered as perfons unfit for their fociety or company. Since the confequence of excommunication was exclufion from their religious affemblies altogether, I do not fee that they had any idea of the Lord's fupper being more facred, folemn, or awful than any other part of the fervice. The idea of fuch a difference in those ordinances, as could lead them to think there might be a propriety in attending upon the one, and not upon the other, may, therefore, be concluded to have been of later origin, and consequently to have