the habitual Neglect of this pofitive Command: This is a fhort Answer to all the Objections that ever were made, or can be made against receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper; for, there can be no reasonable Excufe for not doing a Thing which is abfolutely neceffary to be done; neither can the Danger of receiving it unworthily be greater than the Danger of habitually neglecting it. The only rational Use that can be made of the Sinfulness, and Danger of being unworthy Partakers is, to be careful rightly to inform our felves concerning the Nature of this holy Inftitution, and the proper Qualifications for a due Reception of it, and not to add to the Number of our Sins, the damnable Sin of habitual Difobedience. The Prayers of the Wicked are an Abomination to the Lord, and People may perform any other Act of Chriftian Worship in a finful Manner, which will be damnable unless we repent of it; but who in his Senfes would argue, from the Danger of praying unworthily, to the Wisdom of totally neglecting to pray, which would be as damnable a Sin as a Man can be guilty of: This would be full as rational as it would be for a Man to kill himself for fear of dying; he damns himself, for fear of being damned.

2. This Argument will be very much ftrengthened by confidering this Chriftian Rite as fucceffive to the Jewish Paffover, and comparing them together. The Paflover was a Memorial of the Deliverance of the Jews from their Egyptian Slavery; it was an Ordinance for the whole Nation; an Ordinance for ever; fo strictly

enjoined,

enjoined, that whoever neglected it, that Soul was to be cut off, not fuffered to enjoy the Benefits of the Deliverance. The Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper, our euchariftical Feaft, is an Ordinance in Memory of our Deliverance from Sin and Death, by the Blood of Chrift. Now, as the Paffover was an Inftitution of universal, and perpetual Obligation, the Chriftian Rite which was appointed in the room of it, must be as extenfive, and as lafting, in its Obligation. As it was inftituted in Memory of much greater Benefits than the Paffover commemorated, it cannot be fuppofed that the Obfervance of it would be required under the Sanction of a lefs fevere Penalty. If a few was to be cut off for the Neglect of their Memorial, can a Christian expect to enjoy the Benefits of Chrift's Death, or not to be punished in the next World, if he refufes to fhew his Gratitude and Obedience to his Saviour, by his Attendance upon that holy Solemnity, which was appointed in Memory of it? No. Such a Soul has nothing to expect but to be cut off from all the Benefits of Christ's Paffion, and doomed to eternal Death. This Argument is as strong as any Argument can poffibly be that is drawn from Analogy, i. e. Parity of Reafon.

3. But this Inftitution is not a bare Memorial of Christ's Death, but the Means of our partaking of the Benefits which he purchased for us, and on God's Part a visible Pledge to affure us thereof. I fhall firft collect the Senfe of our Church concerning this Matter. The 28th Article fays, "that the Supper of the Lord is not only a Sign

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" of

"of the Love that Chriftians ought to have among themselves one to another, in Imitation "of Chrift's Love to us, (fhewn particularly by

dying for us, and uniting us together in one is Body, of which he is the Head) but rather it is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ's "Death; so that to fuch as rightly, and with "Faith, receive the fame, the Bread that we "break is the partaking of the Body of Chrift; "and likewife the Cup of Bleffing which we "blefs, is the partaking of the Blood of Chrift." After which, having declared herself against the literal Senfe of the Words of the Inftitution, she goes on in the Article to declare that the Body and Blood of Chrift are given, taken, and eaten after a fpiritual Manner; and that the Mean whereby the Body of Christ is received, is Faith. Which laft Words exclude wicked Perfons from partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, though they receive the Elements. In her Catechifm, having inftructed her Catecumens that there are two Things in each of the Sacraments, that is, the outward vifible Sign, and the inward and Spiritual Grace and Favour, fhe teaches them that the outward Part of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, is Bread and Wine, but the inward Part, or Thing fignified, is the Body and Blood of Chrift, which are verily and indeed taken and received by the Faithful. In the firft Homily concerning this Sacrament, the declares herself after the fame Man

"Thus much we must be fure to hold, that in the Supper of the Lord there is no « vain

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"vain Ceremony, no bare Sign, no untrue Fi26 gure of any Thing abfent, but the Table of "the Lord, the Bread and Cup of the Lord; "the Mercies of Chrift; the Annunciation of "his Death; yea the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord, in a marvellous Incorporation, which, by the Operation of the Holy Ghoft, is, through Faith, wrought in "our Souls. "Thus the partaking of the outward and vifible Signs of the Body and Blood of Christ, are appointed, by God, as the Means (when received with Faith) of partaking of all the Benefits of Christ's Death, reprefented by the Bread and Wine. So that nothing can be clearer than that, according to the Doctrine of the Church of England, no Chriftian can be a Partaker of the Body and Blood of Chrift, that is, the Benefits of his Death,' without partaking of thofe outward Signs which Christ ordained as the ftanding Means of conveying them. She afferts, likewife, in her Catechifin, that, by being appointed as a Means, it is made a public Pledge, or Affurance, that if we rightly partake of this divine Inftitution we fhall certainly partake of all thofe Advantages which the Body and Blood of Chrift purchased for us upon the Crofs. This is plainly implied in the Nature of the Thing. Agreeably to God's own Ordinance we publickly plead the Benefits of Christ's Paffion; we hold forth a Reprefentation of his Death to God, as well as to the People; thereby laying Claim to the Benefits of it. And, therefore, if we refufe thus to plead, or claim, the Benefits of his PafΡ

fion,

fion, by attending that Reprefentation of it which he himself appointed for that Purpose, we, in effect, give them up.

I fhall now fhew the Senfe of St. Paul concerning the Nature and Effects of this holy Inftitution, as we find it fet forth in the 10th Chapter of his firft Epiftle to the Corinthians, and explained by the juftly celebrated Mr. Locke. Though we have many other learned and judicious Commentators, I chufe the Authority of his Opinion, because he never was fufpected of any Partiality in Favour of divine Ordinances.

They who drink of the Cup of Bleffing which we blefs in the Lord's Supper, do they not thereby partake of the Benefits of Chrift's Blood fhed for them upon the Cross, which they here Symbolically drink? And they who eat of the Bread broken there, do they not partake in the Sacrifice of the Body of Chrift, and profefs to be Members of him?

See how it is among the Jews; are not they who eat of the Sacrifice Partakers of God's Table the Altar, have Fellowship with him, and share in the Benefits of

the