.

not fo generally fall in with the forefaid order for monthly Sacraments as could be wifhed: And therefore in the General Affembly, which was held at Edinburgh in December 1562, they thought fit to condefcend to a less frequent adminiftration of this ordinance; for, in their act thereanent, recorded by Cald. in his hiftory, page 816, we have thefe words:" It is ordained, that the communion be four times miniftred in the year within borough towns, and twice in country parishes."

Here, indeed, there is a diftinction made betwixt the frequency in boroughs and country parishes: But, in the first book of difcipline, which was compiled by feverals of our famous reformers, by way of addrefs to the civil government, and much about the fame time approved and established both by church and ftate, we find four times in the year condefcended upon for the facrament, without any diftinction of congregations, Cap. 2. Parag. 2. They tell us indeed, that the order of Geneva, concerning the miniftration of the facraments, was at that time ufed in fome of their churches, i. e. the book of common order forecited, which declareth for monthly facraments; but, in Cap. 11. Parag. 5. they give their judgment for quarterly communions, in thefe words: "Four times in the year we think fufficient to the administration of the Lord's table, which we defire to be diftinated, that the fuperftition of times may be avoided fo far as may be; for your honours are not ignorant how fuperftitioufly the people ran to that action at Pafch, even as if the time gave virtue to the facrament; and how the rest of the whole year they are carelefs and negligent, as if it appertained not to them but at that time only. We think it therefore most expedient, that the first Sunday of March be appointed for one time to that fervice, the first Sunday of June for another, the first Sunday of September for the third, the firft Sunday of December for the fourth. We do not deny but any feveral kirk, for reafonable caufes, may change the time, and may minifter oftner; but we ftudy to reprefs fuperftition."

From all which we may fee what it was that came to be the more general, fettled and declared mind

of

of the church of Scotland after the reformation, con cerning the frequency of the Lord's fupper, viz. that it fhould at least be celebrated once in the quarter, allowing liberty to any minifter or congregation to adminif ter it oftner, if they thought fit. Some perhaps may doubt if it was altogether right in our reformers to reduce the primitive practice of celebrating the Lord's fupper once a week to once in the month, and afterwards to once in the quarter; but we are to fuppofe they had weighty reafons for it at that time: But there are many now of the mind, that we of this age cannot fo well account for reducing the ancient practice of this church in adminiftrating this facrament once in the quarter, to once in the year. Is not this a lamentable deviating from the fentiments and practice of our great and zealous reformers? What can our unfrequency in celebrating this Christian commemorating ordinance be imputed to fo much, as a fad decay of love to a crucified Jefus? Alas, that love to our unchangeable lovely Redeemer fhould cool by length of time! We fadly verify what he foretold of the latter days, Mat. xxiv. 12. "Iniquity fhall abound, and the love of many fhall wax cold." But oh! Are not Chrift's benefits as great as ever, his blood as fresh and efficacious as ever? Why then should not Christian love be as warm as ever, and their respect to his gofpel inftitutions as ftrong as ever? O that the Chriftians of this age were fenfible from whence we are fallen; how far we have departed from the zeal of our ancestors, and left our first love to a crucified Chrift; fo that all ranks were concerned to revive and recover it, in and by the ufe of the means which God hath appointed for that end; that by degrees we might again attain our reformers frequency of celebrating this Chrift exalting and love-inflaming ordinance, and fo change our annual to quarterly-communions! I know it is affecting to fome hearty well-wishers of the profperity and credit of the church of Scotland, to think that a church, fo excellently well conftituted, and which had attained to a greater pitch of reformation in other things than her neighbours, fhould yet ly behind them in this point.

I acknowledge that matters were fo put out of order in this church, by reafon of the long oppreflion the groaned under, and the great defections of many, before the late happy revolution, that minifters in feveral places were afraid to difpenfe this fealing ordinance to their flocks for fome time: And finding themfelves very. much ftraitened betwixt the indifpofition of their people,. and the hazard of a total omiffion, they came to an unfrequent celebration of this ordinance, perhaps but once in two or three years, till this unfrequency became caftomary and too general Serious Chriftians indeed flocked unto thofe places where it was dispensed, whereby their lofs at home was in. fome meafure repaired.

But the General Affembly, being fenfible of the evil of this unfrequency, began to take notice of it, and make feveral excellent acts for the more frequent celebration of the Lord's fupper, as in the years 1710, 171, 1712, and 1724. Though thefe acts have not hitherto had their full effect, yet they have been so far effectual, as to bring minifters generally to administrate this ordinance in their congregations at least once in the year. I know, feveral worthy minifters have fome years ago given a laudable example to their brethren, in celebrating the Lord's fupper in their congregations twice a-year; though indeed it is to be regretted that fo few hitherto have copied after it.

The authority and judgment of the great Calvin (whom the church of Scotland doth most defervedly regard and esteem) concerning annual and frequent communicating, hath very great weight with me: We have it in his inftitutions, Lib. 4. Cap. 17. Par. 46. mihi fol. 507, After he had fhewed what was the prac tice of the ancient church in pureft times, he hath thefe words: "Et fane hæc confuetudo quæ iemel quotannis "communicare jubet, certiffium eft diaboli inventum, "cujufcunque tandem minifterio invecta fuerit."Quum certa lex de una quotannis communicatione "pofita eft, qua factum eft, ut fere omnes quum femel communicaverunt, quafi in reliquum anni tempus. pulchre.defuncti, in utramque aurem fecuri dormi

f་ ant.

Longe aliter factum opportuit: Singulis ad

"minimum

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"minimum hebdomadibus proponenda erat Christia norum cœtui menfa domini, declarandæ promif"fiones que nos in ea fpiritualiter pafcerent; nullus "quidem neceffitate cogendus, fed cohortandi omnes, & ftimulandi; objurgandus, etiam ignavorum torpor." i. e.." And indeed this custom which commands to communicate once only in the year, is moft certainly the invention of the devil, whoever was inftrumental to introduce it. When there was a law made for communicating once in the year, it came to pafs, that almost all, when they had once communicated, turned flothful and flept fecurely throughout the reft of the year. But it fhould have been far otherwife : Every week, at least, the Lord's table fhould have been fet before the aflembly of Chriftians, and the promises therein fet forth upon which we fhould feed fpiritually: No man indeed fhould be compelled to come by force, but all fhould be exhorted and excited; and the floth of all the negligent reproved." And upon the margin we have these words;" Papiftica autem confuetudo,

quotannis femel communicare jubens, execrandum "elt inventum;" i. e. "The popish custom, which "enjoins men to communicate once a-year, is a curfed

invention." And certainly the godly and judicious Calvin his obfervation is moft jutt: For when we call our people to come to the Lord's table but once in the year, and there believingly to remember a crucified Chrift for the remiffion of their fins, the most part are tempted to think, when they have done that, their main work is over for that year, and fo fall asleep 2nd turn fecure through the rest of the year; upon which account he calls this popish cuflom, a curfed invention, and an invention of the devil. It is to be hoped, that the church of Scotland, which fo much abhors popery and all popith cuftoms, will- at length throw out this of an aual communicating, as well as they have done others.

Objections anfwered.

Object. I. By divine appointment the paffover was celebrated but once in the year; and now the Lord's fupper is come in room of the paffover.

Anf.

Anf 1ft, It must be remembered, that as the paffover ferved to fignify and prefigure Chrift's death and fufferings to the Jews, and their fpiritual redemption thereby; fo it was inftituted to preferve the memorial of their temporal freedom and deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, which God wrought for them on the fourteenth of the first month, Exod. xii. 17. .8 And therefore he appointed them to keep the paffover annually upon that day of the month. But the Lord hath fixed no certain day of the year for the Lord's, fupper under the New Teftament times; but only in general hath enjoined a frequent celebration of it.

2dly, The Jews did not need a very frequent celebration of the paffover to put them in mind of the coming, death, and fufferings of the Meffiah; feeing, besides the pafforer, they had, by divine appointment, many other lively types, figures, and inftitutions, which were defigned for that very fame end, fuch as the ficrifices of flain beasts, which they frequently witneffed in the temple: Yea, every day they had, both morning and evening, a lamb killed in the temple, its blood poured out, and its flesh burnt on the altar, for a facrifice to God for their fins; which did in a moft eminent and lively manner reprefent to them the death, bloodshed, fufferings, and bitter agonies of Chrift, the great facrifice for the fins of the world, just in the fame manner as the paffover did; only it was not eaten in every house, as that was. So that we fee a plain reason why the Jews did not ftand in need of fuch a frequent celebration of the paffover to be a remembrance of Chrift under the law, as we do of the Lord's fupper under the New Teftament times, when we have no other ordinance inftituted to keep up the remembrance of Chrift's death and fufferings, but this alone: And therefore it ought much more frequently to be celebrated than the Jewish patl

over was.

3dly, Suppofing the Jews had no other ordinance but the paflover, to keep up the remembrance of the Meffiah that was to come; yet, feeing our Meffiah hath now come, and actually facrificed himself upon the crofs for our redemption, hath fully completed the VOL. I.

work,