Tranfubftantiatifts are, to conceive that indeed is the fame with carnally, and properly. My Flesh is Meat indeed; that is, fay they, it is properly Meat, and fo to be eaten, even in a corporal Manner in the Sacrament: For the Text only calls it, Beas ἀληθῶς, and πόσις ἀληθῶς, not ἐποδῶς Οι κυρίως. It is Meat and Drink indeed; but it is not Meat and Drink effentially or properly. This indeed] must be taken fpiritually. It is Meat indeed, and Drink indeed, but ftill fpiritual; neither the lefs truly fo, for being fpiritually fo, for all tropical and transferent Speeches, tho' they take away from the Propriety, yet they do not take from the Truth and Reality of the Expreffion.

Therefore, not to infift longer on the Expofition, take a full View of the Sense of the Words in this fhort Paraphrase, wherein I will lay afide all that was figurative in them. "Whofoever believeth on me as Mediator, God-Man, bearing

the whole Weight of God's Displeasure, "and the whole Burden of the Sins of the World in my Body, pouring out my "Blood for their Remiffion, and by my Death fatisfying the Juftice of God, he hath an eternal Life of Grace, and the Seed-plot of an eternal Life of Glory, "Faith giving the Believer a prefent Pro

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fpect of it, and by the gracious Promise "of God, a firm Right and Title to it: "And fuch an one being mystically uni❝ted unto me, and incorporated in me,

will certainly raise again, at the last "Day, to eternal Blifs and Joy: For the Sufferings which I underwent, by rea"fon of that Flesh and Blood which I "took upon me, are the Food and Nou"rishment of the Soul, inasmuch as they

..

are the right Objects for a faving and

justifying Faith to pitch upon, and to "terminate in." This I take to be the genuine Meaning of these Metaphorical Expreffions: The Sum of all which, you may take contracted into this one Propofition; That Chrift, represented in bis meritorious Obedience and Sufferings, is the right and proper Object of a faving and juftifying Faith.

And in handling of it. I fhall not speak of our acting Faith on Chrift in general; but, according to my prefent Defign, fhall confine my felf to the acting Faith upon him, as exhibited in his Body and Blood in that great Gofpel-Ordinance of his Supper; which is in a very special Manner, Meat indeed, and Drink indeed, the Food and Nourishment of a believing Soul.

And

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And here we muft premife, that all the Use and Benefit of a Sacrament, is comprehended in these two Things:

First, In its being a Representation as a

Sign.

Secondly, In its being an Obfignation as

a Seal.

Now it is only Faith, as fixed on Chrift the Mediator, that makes this Ordinance beneficial to us, either as to its Signifying; or as to its Sealing Office. To dream of any Spiritual Advantage that accrues to the Soul meerly from the Opus operatum, the Work done, though Faith fignifies nothing, though Faith feals nothing, is fo far from Truth, though eagerly defended by the Romanists, that the Apoftle plainly tells us, fuch do but eat and drink Damnation to themselves, who difcern not the Lord's Body.

First, It is Faith, as reprefenting the Sufferings of Chrift, that gives this Sacrament its fignifying Use and Office. One grand End why Christ instituted this Ordinance was, that it might be Signum Rememorativum, a Remembrancing Sign, Luke 22.19. This do in Remembrance of me. So, I Cor. 11.26. For as often as ye eat this Bread,

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Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do fhew forth the Lord's Death till he come. But without Faith, the Administration of the Sacrament is no better than a dumb Shew, without any Signification at all. It is Faith that in this Ordinance acts over the whole Tragedy of Chrift's Sufferings, and carries the Soul through them all in as lively Representations, as if Chrift were but now undergoing them. We are, I know, ready to wish that we had lived in the Time of Chrift's Abode here on Earth, that we had been converfant with him as his Disciples were, to have feen both his miraculous Actions, and his no lefs miraculous Paffion. Why truly, the Difciples Sight of these Things hath no Advantage at all above our Faith. If we can but exercise Faith in this great Ordinance, these Things will be really present to us. There we fhall fee Christ crucified before our Eyes; yea, and crucified as truly and really to our Faith, as ever he was to the Sense of others. Our Faith can carry us into the Garden, and make us watch with him in his Agony, and obferve every Drop of Blood that the Senfe of his Father's Wrath ftrain'd thorough him. Faith can carry us to the Judgment-hall, to hear his whole Tryal and Arraignment. Faith can lead us through the whole Multitude and

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Crowd of People to his Crofs; and in this Ordinance we may fee his Body broken, his Blood poured out, and hear him crying, It is finish'd, the Work of Redemption is compleated, and see him at last give up the Ghost. And all this the Faith of a Chriftian doth as lively reprefent, as if it were but now doing, and thereby it makes the Sacrament a Sign, and gives it its Significancy.

Well then, briefly to enforce this ; Whenever we come to partake of this great and folemn Ordinance, let us be fure to fet Faith on work to represent unto us the whole Sufferings of Jefus Christ. A ftrong Faith can recall Things that are long pass'd, and make them exift again; fo that Time devours nothing but to an ignorant Perfon, or an Unbeliever. And truly, unless Faith do thus recall the Sufferings of Chrift, not to our Memories only, but to our Hearts and Affections, they will all appear to us but as a Story of fomewhat done long ago, and as an outworn antiquitated Thing. Confider, were there a Sight to be reprefented, at which Heaven and Earth, and Hell it self, should stand amazed; wherein God himself should suffer not only in the Form of à Servant, but under the Form of a Malefactor; and the everlasting Happiness of

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all