1 
 
 
 
REGULATIONS 
 
 01 T1IK 
 
 likrarj of tljt /rttntl-strttt Sacietij 
 
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1 
 

•a9MHHeiaiatMM>Mi>Midt 
 
 Dr. Chauncjfs 
 
 * J V £ 
 
 SERMONS. 
 
. 
 
"Breaking of Bread," in remembrance of the 
 dying Love of Chrift, a Gofpel inftitution. 
 
 FIVE 
 
 SERMONS. 
 
 In which the inftitution is explained ; a general obfer- 
 vance of it recommended and enforced ; objections 
 anfwered ; and fuch Difficulties, Doubts, and Fears, 
 relative to it, particularly mentioned, and removed, 
 which have too commonly difcouraged fome from an 
 attendance at it, and proved to others a fource of dif- 
 comfort, in the regard they have endeavoured to pay 
 to it. 
 
 B Y 
 
 Charles Chauncy, D. D. 
 
 Pastor of the first Church of Christ ijk 
 Boston. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 Panted by D. Knefland, in Queen-Street, 
 for Thomas Leverett, in Corn-hill, 
 
 M,dcc,lxxii ? 
 
 
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 * * ' * * * ♦ 
 
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 " Breaking of Bread/' in remem- 
 brance of Christ, a Gofpel- 
 duty. 
 
 A6ts. II. 42. 
 
 * c /f/zi /^ continued fiedfafily — in breaking of 
 " Bread." 
 
 WM H E preceeding verfes contain an 
 % T Jt account of the fermon, which the 
 Mrt apoftle Peter preached to a great au- 
 ditory of Jews, by defcent, or pro- 
 felitifm, collected at Jerufalem on the day of 
 Pentecoft. By means of this fermon, multi- 
 tudes had awakened in them fuch a fenfe of fin 
 
 and 
 
6 Sacramental "breaking of Bread" 
 
 and guilt, as, in good earned, to make that 
 inquiry "men and brethren what fhall we 
 do" ? Upon which, the apoftle Peter directed 
 them to " repent, and be baptifed every one of 
 them in the name of Jefus Chrift for the re- 
 miflion of fins." We are then told, that no 
 Je6 than " three thoufand perfons gladly re- 
 ceived the word, were baptifed, and added to 
 the number of difciples". lc follows, in the 
 words of my text, that they " continued fted : 
 faftly — in breaking of bread." 
 
 The u bread" which they are faid to 
 " break" undoubtedly means the ficramental 
 bread, that bread which is an inftituted fign or 
 fymbol, of the " body of Chrift which was 
 broken for us." Some indeed fcem to think 
 it was only common bread j buc to me it ap- 
 pears flrange, they mould give it this fenfe. 
 It is true, " the bread" thefe chriftians are fpo- 
 ken of, ver. 46, as " daily breaking from houfe 
 to houfe," may mean common bread ; for it is 
 joined with their " eating meat" for their bodi- 
 ly refrefhment. And} if it is natural, from the 
 things con-joined in this verfe, to underftand by 
 the " bread they brake," common bread ; it is 
 equally natural, in the verfe we are upon, to 
 underftand the fame phrafe in a different fenfe; 
 
 not as meaning common, but facramental bread. 
 
 For 
 
 
a Chriftian Duty. 7 
 
 For the other actions here mentioned are facred 
 ones. And as this of "breaking bread" is join- 
 ed with a " continuance in the apoftle's doc- 
 trine and prayers," which are inftances of com- 
 munion in " things pertaining to the kingdom 
 of God, and of Jefus Chrift/' it would be un. 
 reafonable to interpret it as fignifying, in this 
 place, nothing more than that " breaking of 
 bread" which is common and ordinary : Efpe. 
 cially if it be remembered, that " breaking of 
 bread," meaning hereby celebrating the 
 Lord's-S upper, was a religious exercife, in 
 which chriftians, in apollolic times, joined to- 
 gether every Lord's day, with like fteadinefs as 
 in their attendance on the word preached, or 
 prayer. 
 
 I t is accordingly not only faid, in my text, 
 that they «« break bread" \ but that they " fted- 
 faftly continued" to do fo. The meaning is, 
 it was a conftant part of their public worfhip, 
 one of their ftated religious exerciies, a duty 
 which they went on in the practice of ; perfc- 
 vering therein with the fame fteadinefs with 
 which they obferved the other inftituted fer- 
 yices of piety. * 
 
 From 
 
 * As u breaking of bread" in apoftolic times, was oner 
 g€ the known, chriftian cxercifes on JLordVDays, it may 
 
 fce 
 
 
8 Sacramental " breaking of Bread* 9 
 
 From the words, as they have been explain- 
 ed, 1 am obvioufly led to urge upon chriftian 
 profefibrs the duty of " breaking bread" at the 
 Lord's table ; and this I (hall the more readily 
 engage in, as ic is a duty, to whatever caufe it 
 
 may 
 
 be aflced, is not this a duty now as truly as it was then ? 
 And are not chriftian Churches to blame, that they do not 
 "break bread" every Lord's-day, in remembrance of their 
 Lord? In anfwer hereto, it is readily allowed, that on Lord's- 
 days, it was the practice of chriftians,in the age of the apoftles, 
 to " break bread", as well as to attend on other parts of gofpel 
 worlhip. But I dare not venture to fay, it will follow from 
 hence, that chriftian churches are all bound to do as they did* 
 A diftinction ought always to be made betwixt that which is 
 cjfcntial, and that which is circumflantial, in any article of 
 duty. To "break bread" in remembrance of Chrift, is 
 tjfenttally a chriftian duty ; the fpecial frequency of doing 
 this is a circumftance only, which it may be proper ihould 
 be varied, according to the ftate of chriftian churches. 
 Our Lord has fajd, ** This do in remembrance of me" ; 
 but neither he, nor any of his apoftles, have faid, this do 
 tvery Lord's-dsy. The practice of chriftian churches in 
 the days of the apoftles, efpecially with them joining in it, 
 is, it is acknowledged, a weighty confederation, and every 
 way fufRcien* to put it beyond all doubt, that the fupper 
 of the Lord ought to be attended with frequency ; and 
 thofe churches : -re herefrom juftly, and ftrongly rebuked, 
 who " break Bread" not oftener than once, or twice, or 
 thrice, in a whole year. But to argue from this practice 
 of the primitive chriftians, that it is sm indifp enable 
 duty to have the facramentaJ fupper every LordVday^ 
 scay be carrying the argument beyond which it will fairly, 
 ®r juftly, bear. Perhaps, no practice of any church, or of 
 
 any 
 
a Christian Duty. 9 
 
 may be owing, that is greatly negle&ed in thefe 
 days. Multitudes of thofe who call themfelves 
 chriftians, inftead of celebrating the facramental 
 fupper, go from it as though they had no con- 
 cern in it, or as if it were a trifling inftitution, 
 not worth their regard. The neglect of "eating 
 bread, and drinking wine," in remembrance of 
 him who died for our (ins, is indeed grown a 
 general fault, and juftly chargeable upon bap- 
 
 B tifed 
 
 any apoftle, or of all the apoftles united, feparate from a 
 divine command, direct or implicit, is absolutely binding 
 upon any fociety of chriftians whatever. It may be of 
 great fervice in guiding their conduct, but not certainly ob- 
 ligatory in point of confeience ; to be fure, not fo in all 
 cafes, and at all times. There may be fuch a variety, yea, 
 contrariety, in the ftate and circumftances of churches, as 
 not to make that expedient, which is not commanded^ 
 though it mould have been a primitive practice, and a com- 
 mendable one too. And it is, beyond all difpute, true, 
 that the command, refpecling the facramental iupper, re- 
 lates to doing the duty itfelf, prefcribing nothing in par- 
 ticular as to the frequency of its being performed ; 
 whether every day, or week, or month, or year .■> In gen- 
 eral, it may be juftly collected from the practice of the firft 
 chriftians, efpecialty when compared with thofe words of 
 the apoftle Paul, •' as oft as ye do this," that the fupper of 
 the Lord ought to be celebrated with fuch frequency, 
 as that it may, with propriety, be fa id, it is done often, 
 I judge no chriftian church for " breaking bread" every 
 Lord's- Day : Neither ought they to judge other churches, 
 who think, if they often do this, it is all they are obliged 
 to, in virtue of any precept in the religion of Jefu?, 
 
io Sacramtntal "breaking of Bread?* 
 
 fifed perfons arrived at maturity of age and 
 underftanding. It is a fhame it mould be thus, 
 a reproach upon chriftians, a difhonour to the 
 religion they profefs, and an open and fcanda- 
 lous affront to him whom they own to be their 
 Matter and Lord. How different is the prac- 
 tice of difciples now from what it was in the 
 days of the apoQles ! An attendance at the 
 facramental table was then universal among 
 thofe who profeffed faith in Jefus Chrift, A- 
 mong the three thoufand perfons, fpoken of, 
 in the context, as admitted to baptifm, there 
 was not one that did not communicate alfo as 
 the Lord's-Supper ; and it was their constant 
 pra&ice todofo. This noble example of the pri- 
 mitive christians, recordedto their honor by aain- 
 fpired pen, may, with all reafon, be efteemed 
 a folemn rebuke of that negligence, in regard 
 of the Lord's-Supper, which is now become 
 almoft univerfal. And I may properly, and 
 not unfeafonably, take occafion from it to re- 
 prefent to all that " name the name of Chrift" 
 the finfulnefs of fuch neglect, by opening to 
 their view, in the plainer! and ftrongeit manner 
 I am able, the folemn bonds they are under to 
 attend as guefts at the facramental table. 
 
 They are obliged to this by the pofitive 
 command of Jefus Chrift 3 the founder of our 
 
 religion 
 
a Cbrittivn Duty* 1 1 
 
 religion, and the author of falvation. He has 
 fblemnly enjoined it on all, who own them- 
 felves his difciples, to " break bread" in honor 
 to him, This do in remembrance of me, 
 are the words of his command : Nor could he 
 have expreMed his pleafure upon this head in 
 terms more plain and explicit. They lie level 
 to the ioweft capacity, and may readily be un- 
 derftood by ail that do not fhut iheir eyes 
 again ft the light. 
 
 Should it be faid here, the mind ofChriftj 
 tis true, was plainly enough fignified to his 
 .apoftles, making it their duty to " break bread 
 and eat it, to pour out wine and drink it in re- 
 membrance of him" \ but it is not fo evidenr, 
 that this command to them was, in the defi<m 
 of (Thrift, an obligation upon difciples in gen- 
 eral. 
 
 It is readily acknowledged, the words of 
 infti ration were originally fpoken to the twelve 
 apoftles only ; for which reaion, it cannot be 
 certainly argued, from the words themfelves 
 (imply confidered, that chriftians in general 
 are obliged to celebrate this memorial of 
 Chrift's death. The apoftles might be applied 
 to in their proper character as fufcJF, or as dif- 
 ciples only ; and whether it was in the former, 
 or latter of thefe fenfes., cannot be determined 
 
12 Sacramental "breaking of bread" 
 
 by the meer force of our Lord's words, as they 
 were delivered by him. But this notwith- 
 ftanding, it is not, in any degree, uncertain, 
 whether our Savior intended, by the words he 
 fpake to his apoftles, to oblige chriftians in 
 common, as well as his apoftles in particular, 
 to attend at the facramental fupper. For it is 
 to be remembered, the apoftles were infallible 
 interpreters of our Lord's words ; infomuch 
 that we may, with intire confidence, depend 
 on the truth they conftrue them in. And 
 nothing in all the bible is more clearly and 
 indubitably evident than this, that they ac- 
 counted the LordVSupper an eftabliftied rite 
 of gofpel-worfhip, an inftitution of Chrift, that 
 alJ his profefled difciples were as truly obliged 
 fo obferve as they themfelves. Why clfe was 
 l t the practice of chriftians in their day, and by 
 their order, to join in partaking of the fymbols 
 of Chrift's dcaih ? Three thoufand perfons, 
 upon being baptifed by the apoftles, were, in 
 one day, admitted to fit down with them at the 
 LordVSupper ; and they "continued" to do 
 fo, wherever this ordinance was adminiftred ; 
 as we read in my text and context. And u is 
 beyond all difpute evident, not only that 
 chriftians in common met together every 
 LordVDay to join in prayer, and an attendance 
 
 on 
 
a Chriflian Duty. 13 
 
 on the word preached ; but in " breaking of 
 bread" alio, a phrafe that means the fame 
 thing precifely with their celebration of the 
 facramental fupper. And they did this under 
 the eye of the apoftles, with them at their head, 
 and as acting under their guidance and direction. 
 Surely, they would not have thus put chri- 
 ftians upon partaking of the Lord's-Supper, 
 and have joined with them in it, had they not 
 known the mind of their mafter upon this 
 head. It was unqueftionably his intention, in 
 the appointment of the fupper, to oblige all the 
 profefTors of his religion to an obfervance of 
 it : Otherwife, this conduct of the apoftles, 
 who were conftituted by him infallible guides 
 and teachers, will be abfolutely unaccountable. 
 Befides, it may be worthy of remark, when 
 the apoftle Paul found the christians at Corinth 
 in the ufe of this act of religious worfhip, h* 
 does not forbid their going on in it, as being 
 a duty proper to apoftles only. It is true, he 
 blames them for the irregularities they had 
 mixed with their ufe of this ordinance ; but 
 nor for their ufe of the ordinance itfelf. Far 
 from this, he foletnnly allures them, as from 
 J-fus Chrift himfelf, that the facramental 
 fupper was a facred rite of gofpel worfhip, in- 
 ftuuted by our Saviour himfelf for the ufe 
 
 of 
 
14 Sacramental u breaking of bread" 
 
 of all chriftians. And, as the bed remedy tocure 
 their diforders, he relates to them the inftituti- 
 on itfelf, and directs them to manage their at- 
 tendance on it in flricl; agreement therewith. 
 
 So that, upon the whole, it will not admit 
 of debate, whether " eating bread and drink- 
 ing wine, in remembrance of Chrift," is an 
 eltablifhed rite of his religion. It is as obvi- 
 oufly and certainly an inftitution of the gofpel 
 as " baptifm in the name of the Father, and of 
 " the Sjn, and of the holy Ghoft", or indeed 
 any law reco/ded in the new-teftament. 
 
 There is therefore, fo far as we regard the 
 authority of Jefus Chrift, the fame reafon why 
 we fhould " break bread,'* in remembrance of 
 him, as that we mould obey him in any 
 other inftance of duty whatever. Why do we 
 think ourfelves obliged to join as chriftians, 
 in obferving the LordVDay, or in attending 
 on the word preached and prayer ? Is it that 
 we might be obedient to Jefus Chrift, who 
 is king in Sion ? We are equally unJer obli- 
 gation to- celebrate the memorial of his death. 
 This ordinance has the fame (lamp of his 
 authority on it ; nor are we any more at lib- 
 erty to difregard it in this inftance, than in 
 the other. Nay, if we knowingly, and habi- 
 tually offend in this point, we may reafonably 
 
 call 
 
a Cbrifitan Duty, 15 
 
 call in queftion the integrity of our hearts re- 
 fpecting the other. He that has faid, "repent 
 and be baptifed," neglect not the afTem- 
 bling yourfelvcs together " for the fervices of 
 piety, fuch as prayer, reading and hearing 
 God's word, has faid alfo, and in words equally 
 authoritative, " this do in remembrance of 
 me." And if we practically flight the au- 
 thority of Chrift in this latter inftance, why 
 ihould we think our regards to it are pure and 
 lingle as to the former ? The plain truth is, 
 the Commands of Jefus Chrift are all given 
 out with the fame authority. And if this au- 
 thority obliges us to obedience in any, it does 
 in every inftance. We have no right to make 
 exceptions, doing one thing, and leaving 
 another undone. The only queftion here is, 
 has Jefus Chrift, who is Head and Lord of his 
 church, inftituted the facramental (upper ? Has 
 he commanded his difciples to "eat bread 
 and drink wine in remembrance of him" ? If 
 his will, in this matter, has been plainly made 
 known, an end is at once put to all ciifpute. 
 It is our indifpenfible duty to honour his au- 
 thority, by readily complying with his Com- 
 mand. 
 
 A n d, I may pertinently add here, there are 
 fome circumftances attending this command in 
 
 fpecial, 
 
1 6 Sacramental "breaking of bread" 
 
 fpecial, which are powerfully fuited to awaken 
 our confideration, and excite in us a care of 
 punctual obedience to it. 
 
 It is a command that has been carefully 
 preferved, and faithfully handed down to us,by 
 nolefsthan three of the Evangelifts. Surely, the 
 Spirit of God, under whofe extraordinary in- 
 fluence thefe holy men were moved to write 
 the gofpels, efteemed the facramental fupper an 
 appointment of no fmall imporrance, and had 
 it in view to bind the celebration of it upon 
 the difciples of Chrift in the ftrongeft manner. 
 Had the words, in which our Lord instituted 
 the memorial of his death, been tranfmitted to 
 us by one of the facred penmen only, they 
 would have been obligatory upon all who own 
 Chrift for their matter ; But, as they have 
 been repeatedly conveyed, the obligation is 
 more unqueftionable, we are more firmly 
 bound to pay a religious regard to this in- 
 ftance of duty ; and if we neglect to do fo, the 
 guilt hereby incurred will be greatly height- 
 ened. A. ferious thought this ! and it were 
 to be wifhed ic might be ferioufly attended 
 to by all who profefs themfelves chriflians. 
 Another circumftance attending the 
 command we are upon, worthy of particular 
 notice, is, the extraordinary manner in which it 
 
 was 
 
a Christian Duty. iy 
 
 r/as conveyed to the apoflle Paul. It mould 
 he remembered here, he was not an apoftle^ 
 nor lb much as a believer, when our Lord in- 
 joined " the eating of bread, and drinking of 
 wine" in commemoration of h'ffi. It was 
 after this time, and years too, that he became 
 a convert to the religion of Jefus, and a fellow- 
 laborer with the other apoftles in the gofpel- 
 kmgdom. And now it was that he received 
 the knowledge of the facramental inftitution. 
 But how did he receive it ? "not of men, nei- 
 ther was he taught it but by the revelation of 
 Jefus Chrift." So he e^prefly allures us hirri- 
 fclf. Says he, i Cor. if. 23* " I received of 
 " the Lord that which alfo 1 delivered unto 
 ," you, that the Lord Jefus, the fame night in 
 " which he .was betrayed, took bread, and 
 ct brake it, and faid, take, eat, this is my body 
 " which is broken for you •, this do in remem- 
 " branee of me;' — The prefixed words, u I 
 " received of the Lord," were evidently in- 
 tended to point out the way in which he came 
 by the knowledge of the fupper, as' a divine 
 appointment •, that it was, not by inftruclion 
 from the other apoftles, nor by any communica- 
 tion that was meerly human 5 but from Jefus 
 Chrift himfelf. And may it not from hence 
 be fairly concluded, that the facramental infti- 
 
 C tution 
 
1 8 Sacramental " breaking of head" 
 
 tution was, in the efteem of our Lord, a mat- 
 ter of folem-a weight, and that he would by no 
 means have it difregarded ? Why elfe mould 
 he make a revelation of it to the apoftle Paul 
 immediately from heaven ? His taking this ex- 
 traordinary method certainly argues the Angu- 
 lar importance of the duty, and renders it an 
 inexcufeabie fauk in chriftians to live in the 
 neglect of it. 
 
 There is yet another momentous circum- 
 ilance, accompanying the command to " break 
 bread" in remembrance of Chrilh And this 
 is, the time when it was firft given out. The 
 apoftle Paul takes notice of this circumftance, 
 and puts a fpecial emphafis on it. His words 
 are, " the same night in which he was 
 betrayed the Lord Jefus took bread, and 
 faid, take eat, this is my body which is bro- 
 ken for you : This do in remembrance of me." 
 Surely, no matter of trifling confider;»tion would 
 have engaged the attention of our Saviour at 
 iuch a time as this ! He would not, at fo fcrious 
 and folemn a juncture, have injoined this duty, 
 and by his own example have fhewed his difci- 
 pleshow to perform ir, if he had not tho't it wor- 
 thy of particular regard, and fuppofed that his 
 followers would think fo too. He too well un- 
 derftood human nature, not to mean fome fpe- 
 cial 
 
a Chridian Duty. 19 
 
 cial recommendation of the facramental fupper 
 by inttituting it at fo critical a time. In a dy- 
 ing hour, the mod earned defires of the foul 
 are wont to be expreffed ; and to fuch defires 
 tfie grea:ed regard is commonly paid. If a 
 command, orrequeft, comes from a dying man, 
 eipecially if he is a friend, a benefactor, whom 
 we love, honour and admire, it is apt deeply 
 to imprefs our minds, nor can we eafily hear it 
 with indifference and neglect. Such now, 
 though in a much higher fenfe, is the .com- 
 mand to "break bread" at the facramental table. 
 It is the fare- well -requeft, the Jad injunction, 
 the dying charge, not only of our 'bed friend, 
 and greated benefactor ; but of him whom we 
 call our Mader and Lord, Shall we any of 
 us, after this, habitually neglect the indirution 
 of the fupper ? Shall we exprefs, in our prac- 
 tice, a difregard to a duty, condituted fuch by 
 the bleffed Jefus, juft as he was going to lay 
 down his life for us ? How fnall we free 
 ourfelves from the charge of bafe ingratitude to 
 the greated lover of our fouls, if we reckon it 
 a frivolous rite, or are wanting in our 
 care to pay all due honour to it ? Efpecially, 
 as it was injoined under circumdances, fo pe- 
 culiarly firted 'to drike our minds, work upon 
 our pailions, and engage our religious obfer- 
 
 vancc 
 
zo Sacramental "breaking of bread" 
 
 vance of ic. May it not be reafonably qneftir 
 oned, whether we mind our Lord's other com- 
 mands, if we can eafily, carelefiy, and habitu- 
 ally forget, in our practice, this, which was his 
 Jaft and dying one, and delivered with lo much 
 particularity and folemnity ? 
 
 I have hitherto argued from the authority 
 only by which the Lord's-Supper was infiitu- 
 ted. If we go on, and confider the defign of 
 this ordinance, and the good effects it is fitted 
 to prod ace, we (hall find ourfelves under (irong 
 additional obligations readily to pay our duti- 
 ful regard to it. 
 
 We may be apt to (peak of it as nothing 
 more than an . injoined ritual that has no in- 
 trinfic value in it. And it is acknowledged, 
 it is not, in itlelf fimply cor.fidered, a natu- 
 ral, efTcntiak infeperable part of religion, as 
 the love of God and our neighbour ; but a 
 pofuive inftitution, dependant on the will of 
 Jefus Chrift. But it may notwithftanding be 
 an important ufeful appointment. We have 
 feen, from feveral circumftances already men- 
 tioned, that our Lord himftlf entertained this 
 thought of it j and we may be further allured 
 of this, from its being his appointment, though 
 he had abolifhed all the rites and ceremonies 
 of the Jewilh law. Surely, he would not have 
 
 made 
 
a Cbriftian Duty. %i 
 
 made the "breaking and eating of bread," m 
 a certain way, a facred rite of chriftianity, if he 
 had not thought it highly expedient ; if the 
 defign in view had not been valuable, and the 
 tendency of the thing good Jikewife in itfelf. 
 
 A s to the defign of the facramental inftitu* 
 tion, it was to perpetuate, by vifible fymbols, 
 the memory of a crucified Saviour. " This do 
 in remembrance of me". The thing meant is, 
 not meerly that christians, when partaking of 
 the Lord's-Supper, mould employ their 
 thoughts on the furTe rings of Him who died for 
 them. This, no doubt, was one thing intended, 
 and expected •, and it would be highly mif- 
 becoming, if, while at this folemnity, they did 
 not keep in mind, and fenoufly contemplate, 
 the love of their Savior, who " died for fin, 
 the juli for the unjuft, that he might bring us 
 to God." But more than this was in the view 
 of Chrift, when he- appointed the Gofpel-Sup- 
 per. His intention was, that this fhould be 
 celebrated, in the aflemblies of chriftians, as 
 an open declarative reprefentation of his death. 
 u It is one thing, fays an excellent writer, in- 
 " wardly to remember, and another to cele- 
 u brate, and folemnly to exhibit, a public me- 
 GC memorial, by which we not only remember 
 t l a fact, but avowedly and triumphantly pro- 
 
 " claim 
 
*2 Sacramtntal "breaking of Bread" 
 
 " claim our remembrance, and our defire to 
 " have that remembrance obferved, upheld and 
 " propagated," In this fenfe, the Lord's- Sup- 
 per was appointed for a declaration, or " Shew- 
 ing forth of Chrift's death." The feparation of 
 bread and wine at the facrament, the breaking 
 and eating the one, and the pouring out and 
 drinking the other, do, according to the nature 
 of figns, figuratively fet forth, that Chrift's 
 body was broken and bruifed, and his blood 
 fh-d as an atonement for fin. This is what is 
 meant by thefe figns, and they are made eafie 
 and intelligible to the mod vulgar capacity by 
 the words themfelves, which not only relate 
 the inftitution, but explain its fcnfe ; as in the 
 paffbver, Exod. 12. 25 — -27, the memorial was 
 exhibited, and the fenfe of it given. 
 
 When therefore our Savior appointed the 
 breaking and eating of bread, and pouring out 
 and drinking of wine, "in remembrance of 
 him," he not only intended this as an occafion 
 for the meditation of chriftians on his crucifix- 
 tion and death, but for preferving, and tranf- 
 mitting, the memorial of fo important an event 
 from age to age, even to the end of the world. 
 Thus the paflbver was a memorial throughout 
 the whole time the Jewifh law was in force. 
 And thus the Supper of the Lord, celebrated 
 
 by 
 
a Cbriffian Duty* 23 
 
 by thriftians in the manner he has prefcribed, 
 is an open public declaration of his dying love* 
 perpetuating the memory of that amazing 
 event, which is the true bafis of all our hopes 
 of forgivenefs with God. By means of this 
 monument, the memory of Chrift's death for 
 the falvation of a miferable world has been 
 hitherto preferved. and will be handed down to 
 the end of the world. So great and valuable a 
 defign was in the view of Chrift, when he ap* 
 painted the facramental fupper ! 
 
 And (hall we any of us be backward in 
 comporting with fo glorious an intention ? How 
 dwelleth the love of Chrift in us, if we have no 
 perception of a readinefsto take occafion, from 
 the inftituted figns of his body broken, and his 
 blood fhed, to keep up in our minds the me- 
 mory of his death ? If we can allowedly go out 
 of the aftemblies of chriftians, not joining with 
 them in recognifing, and perpetuating the me > 
 imrial of the greater! event that ever took 
 place in our world, and that is clofely connect- 
 ed too with the falvation of it ? We are obliged 
 to nothing, if we are not obliged, in the way 
 of Chrift's appointment, to celebrate the me- 
 mory of his death. 
 
 But befides the bonds we are under to ap- 
 pear as guefts at the Lord's-Supper from the 
 
 valuable 
 
24 Sacrattiental "breaking of bread" 
 
 valuable end dcfigned by its appointment, we 
 are further obliged to this duty in confideration 
 of its advantageous tendency, fuieably regarded. 
 lc is an appointment of mercy, powerfully 
 adapted to produce fpiritually good effects -, 
 and cannot fail of doing fo, unlefs it be our 
 own fault. The bread which is broken at this 
 ordinance is an instituted fign that has this 
 meaning, the body of Chrift was wounded 
 when be flood in our place, and bore our ini- 
 quities. The wine that is poured out is an 
 emblematical figure fignifying, that his blood 
 was fhed for the remiffion of fins. And can 
 we eat of this bread, and drink of this wine, in 
 this view of them, and not receive benefit 
 herefrom r* The greateft occafion is hereby 
 given for the excitement, and exereife, of all the 
 paflions and affections of the human mind ; 
 and if our thoughts are fuieably engaged and 
 employed, great good will be the effect ; and 
 this, whether we are the fubjects of a common 
 faith only, or of that faith which is faving. 
 
 If we have, at prefent, no other faith than 
 that which is the refult of ferious inquiry, un- 
 der the common influence of the divine Spirit, 
 which was the only faith of multitudes who 
 partook of the LordVSupper, in the days of 
 the apoftles, this ordinance is happily calcula- 
 
 lated 
 
a Christian Duty. 25 
 
 fed and fuited to promote our good. More 
 powerful confiderations to this end cannot be 
 propofed to us, than thofe that obvioufly pre- 
 sent themfelves at the facramental table. Here 
 the love of the Father is figuratively fet forth 
 to us in the ftrongeft point of light. Where- 
 in could he, in a more ftriking manner, have 
 commended his love to us, than by fending 
 his Son to die for us, while we were yet Tin- 
 ners ? And who, that is in a ferious frame of 
 mind, can think of this amazing love of God, 
 and not feel the emotions of affection towards 
 him? — Here alfo the love ofChriftis kindly- 
 held out to our view. Would he have laid 
 down his life for us, if he had not loved us 
 with a love ftronger than death ? And what 
 can cenftrain us 10 live, not to ourfelves, but 
 to him, if rhis love of his in dying for us has 
 no influence on us ? — Here likewife the j u ft 
 defert of fin is, in the mod lively manner, 
 pointed out to us Would the only Son of 
 God have had laid on him fuch a load of fuf- 
 ferings, if fin had not been meritorious of the 
 high difpleafure of almighty God ? And if he 
 fuffered fa much, while he only flood in our 
 place, how mail we efcape, if we will noc 
 be perfuaded to leave our fins r The reafoning 
 of our Saviour upon this head is eafic and juft, 
 
 D and 
 
3 5 Sacramental 4i breaking of Bread™ 
 
 and muft (Irike our minces with force, if we 
 will attend to it, " if they do thefc things in a 
 green tree, what fhall be done in the dry" £ 
 4-.uk. 23. 3'. In a word, we have here 
 preached to us with great plainnefs, though in 
 figurative figns, reconciliation with God through 
 the death of Chrift, and complete falvation in 
 eternal Glory, notwithstanding all our paft fins, 
 however multiplied, or aggravated, they may 
 have been. And how loll muft we be to all 
 ingenuity and fenfe of grathude, if, by fuch 
 confiderations, that "godly forrow" for fin is 
 not produced in us, which is accompained with 
 " repentance unto life, never to be repented 
 of" ? Many, without all doubt, in apoiiolic 
 days, and in every age fince, by means of what 
 has been fusrpefted to their minds at the table 
 of the Lord, and impreiTH on them by his 
 Spirit, have been turned from vifible chriftians 
 only, to thofe that are chrifiians in the real 
 temper of their hearts. And what has been 
 may be again. The ordinance of the fupper is 
 admirably well adapted to promote the edifica- 
 tion of ail that come to it in the ferious exer- 
 Cife of faith, though their faith, at prefenr, 
 jhould not be fuch as will argue their being 
 & born from above".— 1 — 
 
 A,\-d as |o thofe who are already partakers 
 
a Cbrifiidn Duty* ty 
 
 of the grace of God in truth, their is nothing 
 in Christianity better fuiteci to help forward 
 their growiri in the divine life, than their at- 
 tenJance at the facramental fupper in a ferious 
 devoue and confiderate manner. It is by the 
 dying love ofChritl, duly im pre fled on the 
 mind by the Holy Ghoft, that holy dilpofnbns 
 are both begun, maintained, increafed, and 
 perfected in the Soul. And what more effec- 
 tual means could have been deviled to awaken 
 in us a fenfe of this love of Chrift, 
 and keep it in a vigorous lively ftate, than our 
 partaking of that bread and wine which are 
 inftituted fymbols of his body broken, and 
 , blood (tied, for our pardon and faivation ? If, 
 • in the exerciie of faith, we employ our thoughts 
 on thofe amazing objects that are here offered 
 to contemplation, it mud tend, in the ftrongeft 
 manner, to lbften our hearts, inflame our af- 
 fections, ftrengthen our graces, and tftabiidi 
 our minds in all chriftian virtue ; efpecially, as 
 we may here experdt the preience of Chrift 
 with us, by his Spirit, to guide our thoughts, 
 alftft our meditations, govern our views, en- 
 courage our hopes, comfort our hearts, and 
 confirm in us the principles of goo'dnefs. Per- 
 haps, the bleflid Jcfus is never rtnre prefect 
 wi.k the true chriftian, to the purpofes of fpiri- 
 
2 8 Sacramental "breaking of bread* 9 
 
 tual light, love, joy and increafe of holinefs, 
 than when he is at his cable in a right frame of 
 foul. 1 doubt nor, there are thole now pre- 
 fent who can fpeak of fpecial manifeftations of 
 their Savior at this ordinance, enlarging their 
 views of the divine glory, invigorating their 
 graces, and llrengthening their feeble minds, 
 fo as that they have been able to ran in the 
 chnftian race, and not be weary - 9 to walk and 
 not faint, 
 
 So that if we have any concern for the wel- 
 fare of our fouls i if we defire they mould be 
 poftefTed of the grace of God, or improved and 
 eftablifhed in it, we mud needs* think ourfelves 
 obliged to celebrate the memorial of Chrift/s 
 dying love ; as this is an instituted mean fo 
 powerfully fitted to produce thefe good effects. 
 
 It is, I am ready to chink very much owing 
 to the neglect of the Lord's-Supp j r, that there 
 is fo little religion to be feen among us. While 
 chriltians, fo called, do generally, and allow- 
 edly exprefs, in their practice, a difregard to 
 their duty in this inflance, it is no more than 
 may be expected, that they mould negleft 
 it in another, and fo on until they are got into 
 an habit of indifference to all religion. It is 
 likewife very much owing to the negleft of 
 tfcis ordinance, or a carelefs flighty manner of 
 
 attending 
 
a Chriliian Duty. 29 
 
 attending on it, that there are fo many fpirit- 
 ually poor, weak chriftians among us. No 
 wonder perfons ihould continue " babes in 
 Chrift", if they do not ufe this mean of growth, 
 or, if they ufe it, do it in an overtly fuperficial 
 manner. — It is owing to this fame caufe alfo, 
 in a great meafurc, that there are fo many 
 chriftians, who conflict with doubts and fears, 
 being ftrangers to that comfortable hope to- 
 wards God without which there can be no true 
 enjoyment of life -, and how mould it be other- 
 wife, if they will not wait upon Chrift, in this 
 way of his appointment, for thofe maniftftati- 
 ons of his love which fhall fcatter their fears, 
 and fet their minds at reft ? It may be juilly 
 qi-eftioned, whether religion will ever flourifh 
 among us, until this inftitution of Chrift is 
 more generally attended, and with due care 
 and confideration. 
 
 1 shall fubjoin here ftill further to excite 
 our regard to the facramental fupper, that ic 
 is a vifible mark, fign, or badge of the chrift- 
 ian profcfTion. The wifdom of God has al- 
 ways feen fit, under all the difpeniations of 
 his kingdom, to appoint fome facred vifible 
 rite, as a dift;nguifhing mark pointing out 
 his profiling people. Circumcifion was the 
 
 inftituted rite of diftinftion, to the feed of 
 
 Abraham 
 
30 Sacramental " breaking of bread" 
 
 Abraham after the flefh. In addition hereto, 
 the paffbver, under the law, was appointed, 
 among other ends, to be a fign between God, 
 and the nation of the Jews, that is, a public 
 folemn rite by which they might be known 
 to be his people ; in diftinction from the other 
 nations of the earth. And of fuch importance 
 were thefe inftituted rites, in the efteem of God? 
 that the defpifers of them were peremptorily 
 ordered by his authority to " be cut off from 
 his people"; as not having their proper mark, 
 and therefore no right to their advantages, 
 Chriftianity alfo has its diftinguifhing rites. 
 Meeting together for " fupplications, prayers^ 
 interceflions, and giving of thanks," and the 
 like public exercifes of piety, are not peculiar 
 to the religion of Jefus, but common to every 
 other. Baptifm, and the Lord's-Supper, are 
 the facred vifible rites by which Chrill v/ould 
 have his difciples and followers known to be 
 fuch in diftinction from the reft of the world. 
 By baptifm, which can be received but once, 
 agreably to the mind of our Savior, they are 
 initiated difciples ; but it is principally by 
 celebrating the Lord's-Supper, and doing ic 
 frequently in a ftated courfe, that they are dif- 
 tinguifhed as his followers. By this they were 
 known as fuch in the days of the apoftles. 
 
 Their 
 
; . 
 
 a Christian Duty. 31 
 
 Their affcmbling together to " break bread" 
 was their appropriate character, and pointed 
 them out as the difciples of Chrift. And fo it 
 ought to be now. We fhould be known to be 
 chriftians by having communion in the em- 
 blems of ChritVs body and blood. A crucfied 
 Chrift is the true bafis of the religion of Jeius, 
 in diftinction from every other ; and the pub- 
 lic folemn celebration of him in this character, 
 in the v/ay he has appointed, is the proper 
 diftinclive mark of our profeflion as his difci- 
 ples. By this we " glory in the crofs of Chrift", 
 proclaiming our adherance to him, and that 
 we have no hope towards God but through 
 him. But if we are neglecters of the Lord's- 
 Supper, we declare virtually, and in reality of 
 fenfe, that we are afhamedof the proper chriftU 
 an badge. And what ever elfe we do in reli- 
 gion, we leave that undone which is the inftitu- 
 ted vifible mark to diftinguifh us as Chrift's 
 difciples. 
 
 I have now faid all that I intended in 
 iiluftration of the bonds we are under to 
 " break bread" as Chrift has commanded. 
 
 Let what has been offered, be ferioufly re- 
 flected on by thofe who have made it their 
 practice to treat the table of the Lord with 
 
 neglect 
 
32 Sacramental "breaking of Bread" 
 
 neglect, not to fay conftru&ive contempt. 
 You have violated the ftrongeft bonds, and 
 muft be convinced of it, if you will but 
 confider. Is not the (upper of the Lord a 
 plain inftitution of the gofpel ? Has not Je- 
 fus Chrift peremptorily faid " do this in re- 
 membrance of me" ? Can you call in queflion 
 the truth of this command ? Have you not 
 as good reafon to believe, that he has infti- 
 tuted the facramental fupper, as baptifm, or 
 the duty of attending to the word preached ? 
 And will you notwithstanding pay no regard 
 to this gofpel ordinance ? Is he not the con- 
 ftituted fovereign in the kingdom of grace ? 
 Do you not call him Matter and Lord ? And 
 is he not your Savior, as well as Lawgiver 
 and Judge ? Has he not died a facrifice to 
 atone for your fins ? Have you any hope 
 of the pardoning mercy of God, but through 
 the merit of his blood, that blood of his, 
 this inftitution is a memorial of. And will 
 you, in oppofition to all thefe conftraining 
 motives, go on in the neglect of it ? God 
 forbid that you mould any longer difregard 
 the authority of his Son Jefus Chrift, and 
 betray ingratitude to him for his aftonifh- 
 ing love, by taking no practical notice of his 
 dying requeft to his difciples and followers. 
 
 SERMON, 
 
4 m m • * m 4 
 
 S E R M O N II. 
 
 ♦f*^*fn$**{* ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^*jt*|$ 
 
 A&s. II. 42. 
 
 it 
 
 And they continued Jicadfajlly—in breaking 
 " of Bread" 
 
 H AV E already taken occafion, from 
 ??> I <j& thefe words, to lay before you, in a 
 ' ^^ plain and faithful manner, the obli- 
 gations chriftians are under to "break 
 bread" in obedience to Chrift, and in com- 
 memoration of his dying love to finners. 
 
 What I now propofe is, a ierious addrefs, 
 relative to the fubjedl we have been upon, to 
 3the following clafles of perfons. To the fe- 
 
 E .cure)/ 
 
34 A ferious addre/s /* 
 
 curdy wicked ; to the carelefs and indiffer- 
 ent ; to thofe who neglect the Lord's- Supper, 
 though it is their care tcobferve the other in- 
 ftitutions of chriftianity - y torthofe who call in 
 queftion the perpetuity of the command to 
 " break and eat bread" at the facramental 
 table i and, finally, to thofe who are fenfible 
 of their duty in this regard, and would gladly 
 attend it, but that they are hindred by various 
 doubts, fears, and fpiritual difficulties. 
 
 By thus methodifing this addrefs, it will ob- 
 vioufly and naturally fall in my way to confi- 
 der the facramental neglect in every point of 
 view, and to offer thereupon what may be 
 thought proper ; not leaving untouched any 
 objection, fcruple r fear, or perplexity, however 
 minute, any have mentioned, within my 
 knowledge, in excufe of themfelves. It has 
 been my purpofe, for fome, confidering the 
 g r eat and general, and, 1 may fay, fcandalous 
 difregard that is practically mewn to as plain a 
 duty as any in the religion of Jefus Chrift, to 
 b* particular and thorough in an attempt of 
 this nature ; and if, in profeeution of it, feve- 
 ral difcourfes mould be found neceffary, the 
 importance of what may be delivered will ren- 
 der an apology needlefs : You will the rather 
 give the more earned and diligent attention to 
 what may be difcourfed. This may be ex- 
 pected 
 
fever al Gaffes of Ptcple, 3^ 
 
 pected of thofe, at lead, whofe minds are in 
 anxiety refpecting their attendance at the gof- 
 pel Tapper. 
 
 I am, in the firft place, to addrefs a few 
 words to t 'ie fecurely wicked, thofe who lead 
 a vicious and ungodly life, love the ways of 
 fin, and walk in them, not perceiving within 
 themfelves an inclination to ceafe from doing 
 evil, but a difpofition and refolution rather to 
 go 011 in the practice of iniquity. Would to 
 God it were an abufe of chriftians, fo called, 
 to fuppofe there were any among them of this 
 character. But it is a fact too glarringly evi- 
 dent to admit of a denial. To fuch I would 
 fay, 
 
 It is not expected of you, nor indeed de- 
 fied, that you would, in your prefent temper 
 of mind, ome to the table of the Lord. Ic 
 would be a prophanation of that which is fa- 
 cred for perfons of your character to partake of 
 the fymbols of Chrift's bjdy and blood ; and 
 fhould you attend any other fervice of piety, 
 it would be only for falhion's fake, and in 
 hypocrify. You are the wicked ones of whom 
 it is declared, in the facred books, that " their 
 prayers are an abom nation to the Lord"^ 
 You are the fnners, of whom the holy God 
 makes that demand, " when ye come to ap- 
 pear 
 
4 6 A ferious addrefs to 
 
 pear before me, who hath required this at your 
 hands " ? You are the perfons, as though 
 pointed out by name, to them he applies, in 
 that moil folemn language, " what hail thou 
 to do, that thou moulded take my covenant in- 
 to thy mouth" ? But remember, though the 
 wicked ftate you are allowedly in is a good 
 reafon, why you fhould not dare to partake of 
 the Lord's Supper, it is, at the fame time, a 
 reafon that will render you fpeechlefs, when 
 you are called to ftand before the bar of the 
 coming judgment. Far from cancelling 
 your obligations to this duty, it heinoufly 
 aggravates your guilt in the neglect of it. 
 You are the more inexcufible, as your being 
 altogether unfitted for this, or indeed any other 
 facred performance, is owing to your vicious 
 indulgences as willing fei vanes of corruption. 
 If any of you, my hearers, are confeious to 
 yourfelves, that you are the finners here de- 
 fcribed, be allured, your ftate, rellgioufly 
 fpeaking, is lamentably fad. You will only 
 mock God, fhould you pretend to draw nigh 
 to him in the exercifes of piety. And yet, 
 your guilt in not doing this, inftead of being 
 leiTened by your being thus finful, will be 
 greatly inhanced. Is then the condition you 
 are in a fafe one ? Can vou be eafie in it ? The 
 
 4 
 
 Lord 
 
fever al Gaffes of People* 37 
 
 Lord take pity on you ! Unlefs you are awak- 
 ened to attention, and brought to a fight of 
 your finfulnefs and danger, you are undone 
 for the future world. This is the firft thing 
 neceflary in order to your recovery. If it 
 fhall pleafe the father of mercies, and God of all 
 grace, to alarm your fears, roufe your confei- 
 ences, and put you upon feeking to him in real 
 earned to compafionate your cafe, there will 
 be hope concerning you. You may, if he 
 fhould gracioufly do this, with propriety ufe 
 the appointed means in order to a " deliver- 
 ance from the bondage of corruption into the 
 glorious liberty of the Ions of God" % and you 
 may do it, humbly hopemg for fuccefs, 
 through him who has been the propitiation for 
 the fins of men. 
 
 The carelefs and indifferent are nextly to 
 be applied to •, by whom I intend, not thofe 
 who have no fenfe of religion, and pay no 
 regard at all to ir, making fin, in one fhape 
 or another, their habitual allowed praclice : 
 Thefe are not the perfons 1 have here in 
 view ; but thofe, who, though they may 
 have fome perceptions of the bonds of God 
 that are upon them, are yet the fubjecls of 
 them in a tranfient way only, and this in 
 a low feeble degree, fo as that they have no 
 
 powtr 
 
38 A prions addrefs to 
 
 power to form their temper, or thoroughly 
 touch their confciencs. Their proper cha- 
 racter is, not that they are totally thought- 
 lefs, but infufficiently fo -, not that they are 
 altogether unconcerned about the affairs of 
 their fouls and another world, but their con- 
 cern about thefe infinitely important matters 
 is light and inconfiderable ; not that they 
 never have any religious motions working in 
 them, but they are weak, fluctuating and 
 ineffectual ; inforrnch that thev can indulge 
 to carelefsnefs in regard of the duties of pie- 
 ty, and yet keep their minds in eaie and 
 peace \ yea, they can live in the habitual 
 neglect of them, or, which is as bad, a 
 meer formal, cuftomary performance of them, 
 and perceive no uneafinefs on this account. 
 Many there are, and am »ng thofe too who 
 would take it ill not to be called christi- 
 ans, whofe juft character has been here de-, 
 lineated, To fuch it may not be amifs to fay, 
 Your great unhappinefs is, that religion 
 has taken no fad hold of your hearts. You 
 are not only ftrangers to the power of god- 
 linefs but to that (late of mind that is on* 
 ly introductory to it. It is feldom, if ever, 
 that perfons take up the practice of religion 
 with engagednefs of heart, unil they have 
 
 firft 
 
various ClaJJes of People, 39 
 
 firft had excited in them fuch perceptions 
 of God, and iheir obligations to him, as are 
 incompatible with that indifferency of fpirit 
 which diftinguimes the perfons to whom I 
 am now fpeaking. Inftead therefore of be- 
 ing chriftians in truth, you have not as yet 
 attained to that ferious date of mind, that 
 fenfe of God, of fin and holinefs, which are 
 common to thofe who are butjuft entering 
 upon the bufineis of religion in good earned. 
 The proper advice to you is, to endea- 
 vour, in all futable ways, to get awakened in 
 you a becoming concern about the infinitely 
 interefting affairs of your fouls, and everlaft- 
 ing falvation. Without this, if you do any 
 thing in religion it will be a lip-fervice only. 
 If you " honor God with your mouths, your 
 hearts will be far from him". And, per- 
 haps, duty thus performed, had as well been 
 omitced. Be lure, the fupper of the Lord 
 mould not be attended in this fleighty, fu- 
 perficial, not to fay hypocritical manner. Ic 
 would be a difhonor to the memory of (Thrift's 
 dying love, and of no fervice to thofe, who 
 in this heedlefs way, mould join in the 
 celebration of it. Not that perfons will be 
 difcharged from guilt, if they neglect duty 
 1A general, or the duty of partaking of the 
 
 facramentai 
 
40 A ferious addrefs to 
 
 facramental (upper in particular, on account 
 of the inconfiderate unconcerned frame of 
 mind they are habitually in. This would 
 be to fuppofe, that one fin might be an ex- 
 cufe for another, than which nothing is more 
 palpably abfurd. Your fin, in neglecting your 
 duty, will be the more heinous in God's fight, 
 as taking rife from fo bad a caufe as that of 
 a thoughtlefs (late of foul, rendering you un- 
 meet for the performance of it. 
 
 The firft thing therefore proper for you is, 
 to pay regard to that infpired direction, "con« 
 fider, and (hew yourfelves men". Make ufe 
 of the power of reflection you are endow- 
 ed with, and is your di(tingui(hing glory as 
 men, reafonable creatures. And be much in 
 the exercife of it ; taking off your thoughts 
 from the world, its vanities, gayities, amufe- 
 ments , riches and pleafures, and employing 
 them on thofe fpirituai objects that will tend 
 to foften your hearts, warm your affections, 
 and animate your refolutions and endeavors. 
 Without this care, it will be impcffible, hu- 
 manly (peaking, but that you fliould remain 
 deftitute of any lively fenfe of God and reli- 
 gion, and indifferent to things of a fpirituai 
 nature. It is by meditation, ferious, frequent, 
 devout meditation, that the mind is impref- 
 
 kd 
 
various Clajfts of People. 4t 
 
 fed, and a concern about the "one thing 
 needful" at firft excited, and afterwards main- 
 tained and cherifhed. And you can be at 
 no lofs for obje&s, which, if folerhnly medi- 
 tated on, in the exercife of a rational faith 
 only, would mightily tend to awaken your 
 confciences, and promote in you a becoming 
 follicitude about your higheft intereft. Think 
 of God, your relation to hirri, your depen- 
 dance on him, and the inviolable obligations 
 you are under to love, honor and ferve him. 
 Think on Chrift, what he has done, and fuffe- 
 red, and is now doing at God's right hand 
 in heaven for your falvation ; what he ex- 
 pects from you in return for all this good- 
 n&fei and what you may expect from him„ 
 if you treat it wi:h ingratitude and bafe neg- 
 Ject. Think on the coming of the Lord- Je- 
 fus (Thrift a fecond time, his coming in the 
 glory of his father, and in his own glory^ 
 with the holy angels, to judge the world in 
 righteoufnefs, when you mall (land before his 
 tribunal, and, if you have not been careful 
 to approve yourfelves his faithful and obedi- 
 ent fervants, fhall receive that fentence from 
 his mouth, "depart from me, ye curfed, 
 into the fire prepared for the devil and his 
 ;eh'\ Oh amazing object of contemplate 
 
42 A fericus addrefs ttf 
 
 on ! What can be more powerfully adapt- 
 ed to move yonr fear, awaken your concern, 
 and engage your earned endeavours, that 
 you may be found of your Judge, in that 
 day, among thofe, to whom he will fay, 
 M come ye bleiTed of my faiher, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
 tion of the world*'. Gan you make prefent 
 to your view, in ferious contemplation, this 
 awful day of the Son of G.od, and not be 
 concerned that you may then hold up your 
 heads with joy ? Can it be fuppofed, that 
 you have faith,, fo much as a common faith, 
 in this mod feriou5 and important truth, 
 unlcfs, when you employ your thoughts on 
 it, your indifferency to religion, your care- 
 lefsnefs in reference to the duties of it, re- 
 ceive feme folemn check, unlefs they no 
 longer operate as your habitual governing 
 temper ? If you are, any of you, to fuch £ 
 degree thcughtltfs, and unconcerned, as that 
 you will not refle£t on thefe interefting ob- 
 jects of revelation, or are able to think of 
 them with fo little attention as not to be 
 moved by them, you are in an unhappy 
 condition. The " god of this world" has 
 blinded your eyes, and you will remain in 
 t-his fpiritually hazardous date, until you art 
 
 brought 
 
fever al Gaffes cf People. 43 
 
 brought to confider, and (6 to confider as 
 to be hereby thoroughly roivfed. And when- 
 ever this fhall come to be your cafe, you 
 will attend the. duties of piety, snd you will 
 do it from the heart, and not in hypocrify ; 
 in real good earned, and not as a matter 
 q£ form : And by thus attending on the in~ 
 ftituted means of grace, you may hope, un- 
 der the concurring influence of the Spirit of 
 God, to be trained up to a " meetnefs for 
 the inheritance of the fancYified by faith in 
 Jefus Chri(t". 
 
 Another fort of perfons to be fpoken 
 £0 are thofe, who, inftead of indulging to 
 vice, are blamelefs in their lives. Their turn 
 of mind is ferious and confiderate. They 
 make it their practice to perform the other 
 duties of religion; though not that of re- 
 membring Chnft at his table. It is their 
 care to " pray to their father, who feeth in 
 fecret" ; the " morning and evening facri- 
 fice" is daily going up as u incenfe" from 
 their houfes •, they come to the " fanctuary" 
 at the dated times for worfhip, and join with 
 God's people in the public offices of leli- 
 gion, the celebration of the facrament only 
 excepted. Nor is this a meer cuftomary bu- 
 fincfe, a matter of form only. They efteem 
 
 it 
 
^4 d firious addrefs to 
 
 it their duty, are confciencious in the doing 
 it, and it would occaQon uneafy reflections 
 on tbemfelvcs, fnould they needlefsiy neg- 
 lect it. Some there are, it may be hoped 
 a good number, of whom this is the juft 
 character. To fuch I would fay, 
 
 It is to your commendation, that you at- 
 Tend thefe duties of piety. But what good ac- 
 count can you give of your leaving the other 
 undone ? Has Chrift, the law-giver, King, and 
 Judge of his Church, diftinguifhed between 
 the facramental inftkutson, and the other (Ju- 
 ries of religion, excufing your obfervanee of 
 the former, if you practically regard the lat- 
 ter ? Has he not rather peremptorily required 
 your obedience to them all ? Is it not as truly 
 his will, explicitly and folemnly published, that 
 you fhould celebrate the memorial of his dy- 
 ing love, as that you fhould pray to God, or 
 take heed to the word of doctrine or exhor- 
 tation ? And if it is proper you fhould obey 
 him in thefe inflances, why not in the other \ 
 Is not his authority the fame in all thefe re- 
 quirements ? And will you do juft honor to it, 
 if, while you are obedient in fame inltances, 
 you are difobedient in another ?. Your attend- 
 ing the other exercifes of piety will not be ac- 
 counted another day a good icafon for the 
 
 neglect, 
 
fever al Clcjfes of People. 45 
 
 neglect of this. It will rather be efteemed 
 an evidence of deficiency in your regard to 
 the government of him who is your profeflfed 
 Mailer and Lord. It is not enough my bre- 
 thren, that you give your attendance on prayer, 
 and the word preached. You are as much 
 obliged to u break bread'* at the Lord'sSup- 
 per. You may no more omit the one than 
 the other. They are equally your duty : or, 
 fhould there be any difference, your obligati- 
 ons to pay a becoming refpect to the facra- 
 mental institution are the ftrongeft, and mould 
 make you more efpecially careful not to treat 
 it with neglect. " This do in remembrance 
 of me," is the dying command of your Savior, 
 as well as Lord -, and it is a command that 
 enjoins your remembrance of the greateft love 
 of the beft friend. You are bound therefore 
 in gratitude as well as duty to yield a ready 
 chearful obedience to it. It is (trange that 
 any, who have upon their minds a ferious fenfe 
 of religion, and are hereupon careful in other 
 refpects to do the duties of it, mould yet live 
 month after month, and year after year, in the 
 omiflion of this. It is more ftrange ftill, that 
 they fhould be uneafy in their minds, fhould 
 they neglect thofe duties, while yet they can 
 go on in the neglect of this, and meet with little 
 
 or 
 
4j.6 A ferious addrefs to 
 
 or no diftarbance from the refentmentsof con- 
 fcience. How far this conftant omifllon of du- 
 ty, in Co important an article, may confift with 
 the truth of grace, belongs only to Chrift to 
 determine. Unhappy miftakcs, fcruples, and 
 fears, relative to the Lord's-Supper, (which 
 may come under confideration in their proper 
 place) will doubtlefs extenuate their fault : But 
 when our Lord has fo clearly and fully made 
 known his will upon this head, it is difficult to 
 conceive of any thing that will be fuffirient to 
 difcharge us from the guilt of ingraticude to 
 our Saviour, and the want of a due regard 
 to his authority, as our rightful ibvereign, 
 while we make it our praftice to turn away 
 from his table. 
 
 Another clafs of perfons dill may be 
 applied to ; and they are thole who pretend 
 that the (upper of the Lord is a temporary 
 appointment, defigned for the apoftolic days 
 only, confined to them, and ceafing with them 
 as to its ufe and obligation. 
 
 To fuch it muft be laid, their notion of 
 this matter is glaringly a miftaken one. And 
 it may with all freedom be thus fpoken of, 
 as the apoftle Paul has expreftly allured us, 
 and upon previous inftruction immediately 
 from Jefus Chrift himfelf, that the " Lord's 
 
 death'! 
 
fever al Clajjes of People^ $f 
 
 death" is to to be " mewed forth until he 
 comes", i Cor. n. 26. What is the apoftle's 
 meaning in the phrafe he here ufes, " until 
 he comes" ? Surely he cannot intend the 
 coming of Chrift by his Spirit ; for, in this 
 fenfe, he had already come, and remarkably 
 too on the day of penticoft, when the Spirit 
 was poured out upon the apofthes in miracu- 
 lous gifts and powers. Neither could he 
 mean the coming of Chrift to deftroy Jerufa- 
 lem. This event, however awful in its ef- 
 fects upon the jewifh nation, had no immedi- 
 ate reference to the gentile church at Corinth; 
 There would be no pertinency in the apoftle's 
 arguing with this church, in relation to their 
 obfervance of the Lord's Supper, upon fuch 
 an interpretation of his words, And there is 
 no other "coming of Chrift", fpokenofin 
 fcripture, but his "coming" at the end of the 
 world, "in the glory of his father, with his 
 holy angels*' when a period will be put to the 
 adminiftration of God's kingdom in its prefent 
 form. So that, if we may depend upon the 
 apoftle Paul, the facramental fupper was not 
 a temporary inftitution, but a perpetual one ; 
 not defigned for the primitive chriftians in the 
 Erft age only, but for all chriftians in all ages 
 to the end of the world. For the death of 
 
 Chrift 
 
4$ A jerious addrefs to 
 
 Chrift is to be "mewed forth until he come", 
 and he will nor come until the " myftery of 
 God isfinifhed", and cc time fhall be no more". 
 
 Besides, the paflfages of fcripture which 
 treat of this ordinance injoin the obfervation 
 of it, and point out the manner in which it 
 fhoutd be done, Were wrote, in the divine in- 
 tention, for the ufe and benefit of chriftians 
 throughout all ages, and not for their's only to 
 whom they were immediately directed. There 
 is no chriftiarv in any part, or age of the world., 
 but is as truly concerned, as the chriftians at 
 Corinth, in that apoftolic advice, i Cor. i>. 
 25, "let a man examine himfelf, and fo lee 
 him eat of this bread, and drink of this 
 cup". 
 
 The end alfo propofed by our Savior, m 
 the appointment of this facred rite, is a clear 
 and full proof that it is of perpetual continu- 
 ance, and obligatory upon chriftians in aft 
 ages until the end of time. Whatever other 
 ends might be in the view of our Savior, this 
 was certainly one, that the remembrance of 
 bis death, by a figurative reprefentation of it 9 
 publicly reeognifed, might not be forgot, but 
 kept ftrong and vigorous in the minds of 
 chriftians. And if it was at all needful, in 
 this way, to keep alive the memory of Chrift's 
 
 death 
 
fever al Claffes of People. 49 
 
 3eath, it was furely as needful in after ages^ 
 as in the firft days of Christianity. There was 
 indeed lefs occafion for this appointment at 
 nVft, becaufe lefs danger of a forgetfulnefs 
 of ChrilVs death. In fucceeding ages, there 
 would be increafed danger left he mould be 
 forgot. And that the remembrance of him 
 might be preferved, continued, and upheld, 
 he inllituted this memorial. So that it was 
 more efpecially defigned for after ages, 
 who, by this emblematical reprefentation of 
 him as crucified and (lain, might have the 
 reality of this fa£l, the great foundation of the 
 chriftian fcheme, lively in their minds. The 
 longer it is fince Chrift's body was broken, 
 and his blood fried, the more need there is 
 of this memorial of it *, and there will be need 
 of it, and continually increafing need, until 
 time (hail bt no more. His death therefore 
 mud be tc fhewed forth," in the way of di- 
 vine appointment, " until he comes." The 
 obligation to this, in (lead of being lefTen- 
 ed, grows ftronger, in proportion to the dif- 
 tance from the time of his death, as a fa- 
 crifice for fin. 
 
 It may be added to what has been faiJ, 
 that the ordinance of the fupper is as fuitably 
 and powerfully adapted, in its nature, to be 
 
 G beneficial 
 
5$ A Jericus addrcfs to 
 
 beneficial to chriPiians in all ages, as in the firft- 
 days of the gofpel. It offers the fame occa- 
 fion, by figurative, yet expreffive figns, for con- 
 templation on ihe mod affecling and intereft- 
 ing objects. It has the fame virtue it ever had, 
 and will retain ir, in all future time, to awak- 
 en the attention, to excite affection, to 
 melt the hearr, and, in a word, to 
 beget and confirm every real principle of 
 goodnefs in the foul; It has all along been 
 productive of thefe happy effects, it (till 
 produces them, and is equally fitted to an- 
 Iwer fo valuable an end in time yet to come. 
 Why then fhould the ufe of this ordinance 
 be difcon tin ued ? Why fhould it be though! 
 a temporary one ? There is the fame rea- 
 fon for lis being a perpetual appointment, 
 as for its being an appointment at all. It 
 is equally fitted for the ufe of chriiiians at 
 all times, and may be, unlefs from their 
 own Fa-u.ltinefs, of !?ke benefit to them. Ir. 
 would Therefore be a difliotfour to Chriflv 
 by putting an undue limitation on his good- 
 nefs to his church, to fuppofe, that he 
 inould defg 1 ib u.fcFul, fo beneficial an infli- 
 ction for his difciples only in the firft: age, 
 *ben they all, in all ages, might reap the 
 fame fpiritual profit therefrom. 
 
 There 
 
feveral Claffes cf People. 51 
 
 There is yet another fort of perfons to 
 be fpoken to, the fearful and fcrupulous, 
 thofe who labor of doubts, and have their 
 minds perplexed with difficulties. But, as 
 my defiga here is, to be particular and full, 
 that I may, if pofiiole remove out of the 
 minds of this kind of perfons all fcruples and 
 fears, that they may come with comfort 
 and pleafure to the Lord's table, I mud 
 defer what I have to fay, until fome fur- 
 ther opportunity, if God (hill pleafe to 
 grant it. 
 
 In the meam time, let us be thankful 
 to Chrift, that, before he left the world, 
 he was fo concerned for the good of thofe, 
 who mould be his difciples, in all after- 
 time, as to inftitute the fupper, a mean hap- 
 pily calculated to promote their edification 
 in faith, love, and all chriftian graces. We 
 fhould not be fo infenfible of our own fp'ri- 
 tual profit, or of the bonds we a>e under of 
 gratitude to Chrift, as to treat this appoint* 
 ment of his love with neglect. 
 
 Let us alfo, from what has been faid, be 
 confirmed in our belief of the perpetuity of 
 
 the 
 
§t A ferious addrefs to 
 
 the chriftian church. If the ordinance of 
 the fupp r was intended for a perpetually 
 continuing one, there will be a perpetual fuc- 
 ceffion of chriftians to attend the celebration 
 of it. As furely as Chrift defigned, that his 
 death (hould be tc (hewed forth until he 
 comes", fo furely will he have a church on 
 earth to do this, until the commencement of 
 this fignai time. There may be a failure, a 
 total failure, of chriftians in name, as well as 
 reality, in this and the other nation -, while 
 vet he may have a church in the "world ; 
 And he will perpetually have a fucceiTion of 
 difciples to recognife the memory of his death, 
 in the manner he has appointed, who, by this, 
 among other means, mall be built up in faitK 
 and comfort, until the confummation of all 
 things : Nor (hall the combined powets of 
 earth and hell be able to prevent it. 
 
 Let us likewife be firmly peifuaded, that 
 thofe are under the influence of delufive er- 
 ror, who imagine th-y are above the u(e of 
 the ordinance of the fupper. Whatever mea» 
 fures of the Spirit fuch may pretend to above o- 
 thers,they arenot under his guidance in this mat- 
 ter. None among the followers of Chrift ever 
 
 yes 
 
various Clajfes of People. 53 
 
 .vet attained to fuch perfection in this life, as to 
 have no need of this inftitution of his, which 
 will remain in force "until he comes". 
 And is Chrift already come, a fecond time ? 
 Have we yet feen the defcribed frgns of his 
 appearing ? We mud wait for this, before 
 the Lord's -Supper may be put by, as having 
 continued its appointed tinae. 
 
 In fine, we may properly take occafion, 
 from what has been faid, to look and long 
 for the happy privileges of heaven. There 
 will, in that blefTed place, be no ufe for 
 thofe means, and helps, that are neceffary 
 in this prefent (late. Even the ordinance 
 of the fupper will be no more celebrated 
 after the coming of Chrift. In confequence 
 of this, there will be an intire change in 
 the manner of adminiftration in God's king- 
 dom. We " fee now as through a glali 
 darkly" ; but then we (hall " fee face to face, 
 and know even as we are known". We now 
 enjoy God in the ufe of ordinances * we 
 mall then enjoy him in a more immediate 
 way. We are now, after our highefl attain- 
 ments, in the beft ufe of appointed means, 
 poor, weak, imperfect creatures •, we {hall then 
 b$ advanced tp fuch a noble degree of per- 
 fection 
 
g4 A ferious addrefs ta 
 
 fe&ion, as to be able to converfe with God, 
 and Jefus Chrift, ;n another and far more 
 exalted manner, fo as to be completely, un- 
 interruptedly and eternally happy. God 
 grant it may be the portion of us all, 
 through Jefus Chrift, to him be glory. 
 
 AMEN. 
 
 W5 
 
 SERMON 
 
* m m >& m * 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 ^♦{♦♦J* ♦{♦♦{* ^^^^*|«^^^^^^^^^.^^^^^ 
 
 Acts. II. 42. 
 
 u And they continued Jteadfaftly — in breaking 
 " of Bread** 
 
 ¥iW EVERAL claflfes of perfons have 
 
 % S % been applied to, from thefe words, 
 
 iltiM m re ^ aclon t0 an attendance on the 
 
 facramental " breaking of bread." 
 I t remains to fpeak to the ferupulous and 
 fearful, thofe who are kept from this ordinance, 
 not from a thcughtlefs, carelcfs temper of mind, 
 much lefs an indulged contempt of the autho- 
 rity of Jefus Chrift j but by reafon of doubts 
 
56 Religiuus fears and fcrupks 
 
 and difficulties that lie in the way of their 
 obedience to it. Thefe are many and various. 
 ft fhall be my endeavour to take due notice of 
 them all, fo far as I am acquainted with thern ; 
 not ftudy'tng to range them in any nice order* 
 but rather bringing them to view as they may 
 occur to mind. 
 
 The firft ground of fear I would menti- 
 on is, the apprehenfioh many have of forhe 
 peculiar kind of fanclity in this ordinance. 
 They imagine it to be holy in a fenfe different 
 from that, in which the other inftitutions of 
 chfiftianity are holy i and arfi therefore (eru- 
 pulous, as to their attendance on it -, while 
 yet they can, without difficulty, attend the 
 other appointments of gofpel worfhip. 
 
 In order to remove away this ground of feaf, 
 I would not fay a word to lefTcn, in the minds 
 of any, a juft fenfe of that holy reverence with 
 which they fliould always approach to the 
 table of the Lord •, but it may, at the fame 
 time, be proper to put perfons upon due 
 care to guard themfelves againft fuperftitious 
 notions, refpecting the holinefs of the bread 
 and wine, of which they eat and drink at the 
 facramental fupper. Thefe, ic may be, are 
 the fource, at bottom, of the fcrupulous 
 fear I am now confidering. It takes rife, 
 
mentioned and confidered, §j 
 
 not from juft fenti merits of the nature, de- 
 fign, or tendency of the Lord's-Supper ; but 
 from a mind tinctured with fuperftitious 
 awe and veneration. This is certainly the 
 truth, if we imagine, that holinefs, in any de- 
 gree* is tranfmitted into the bread and wine 
 by their confederation to the facramental ufe* 
 Many, I have reafon to think, entertain this 
 thought of the matter. But it is intirely a 
 falfe notion. The bread and wine are no other- 
 wife holy, after their confecration, than as 
 they are feparated to an holy ufe, and in this 
 way become capable of being improved to 
 promote holinefs in us. The ordinance of 
 the fupper is not therefore holy in a fenfe 
 zny way different from that, in which the 
 other inftitutions of religion are holy. They 
 are all holy, as intended, and adapted, to make 
 men holy, and ought practically to be regard- 
 ed without diftm&ion, or difcrimination. 
 Surely we cannoc, upon juft and folid grounds, 
 fcrup'e the ufe of the facramental inftitution, 
 meerly becaufe it is an holy one, while we free- 
 ly ufe the other inftitutions of religion, all 
 which are holy alio, and in the fame fenfe 
 precifeiy too, in which the fupper of the 
 Lord is holy. Yea, if the •« breaking and ear- 
 ing of bread" at the facramental- table, mould 
 
 H be 
 
58 Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 be eflecmed, even, more holy than any other 
 acts of inftituted religion, it would be fo far 
 From being a good reafon why we mould not 
 do this duty, that it ought rather more pow- 
 erfully to conftrain us to it. For why mould 
 the Lord's Supper be efteerned more holy, 
 than the other appointments of christian wor- 
 fhip ? It can juftly be fo in no fenfe but this, 
 its being better fitted to promote holinefs in 
 us. And fhall any, who profefs a* lerious 
 fenfe of God, and the obligations of religion, 
 fcruple the ufe of the facramental inftitution 
 for this reafon. They mould rather look up- 
 on themftlves fo much the more bound to a 
 faithful, eonftant, confeiencious observance of 
 it: Yea, fo far as they have it in their view 
 to become holy, or to be made more fo, by 
 their attendance on the inftitutions of the gof- 
 pcl, they mould be particular in their care not 
 to neglect this, as it is the mod powerfully 
 fuited to promote this good end. 
 
 I fhall fubjoin here a remark not unworthy 
 of notice. It is this. Chriftians, for many 
 ages, by means of the popifh doctrine of tran- 
 fubftantiation, entertained fuperftitious, not to 
 fay idolotrous, notions of the facramental 
 bread and wine ; fuppofing that they were 
 converted into the real body and blood of 
 
 Jefus 
 
mentioned end conjidered. 59 
 
 ]efus Chrift. And though the doctrine, from 
 whence thefe falfe notions took rife, h3S, fince 
 the reformation, been di (carded by thofe who 
 are called proredants -, yet may it be feared, 
 whether Pome tinflure uf the old leaven does 
 not (till remain in the minds of too many. 
 Thus much, at lead, may naturally and rea- 
 fonably be fuppofed, that chridians, upon le- 
 perating from the church of Rome, retained 
 fo much of their former fuperdition, as to 
 place too great a difference between the fa- 
 cramental fupper, and other religious duties. 
 For this reafon they abdained from an at- 
 tendance at the Lord's table, while they ob- 
 ierved the other inditutions of gofpel-wor- 
 fli'p *, and, by this means, there might be 
 propagated, in the minds of many, from that 
 day to this, fuch a notion of the peculiar 
 holinefs of this ordinance, as that they are hardi- 
 ly brought to pay a pra5lical regard to it. 
 Whether this is a jud account of the matter, 
 or not, it is certain, however it comes about, 
 that many ferious good people entertain mis- 
 taken apprehenfions of the holinefs of this 
 ordinance \ otherwife they would not be indu- 
 ced, from fuch apprehenfions, to abdain front 
 the ufe of it. It can, with propriety and truth, 
 
 be called an holy ordinance, only as it was 
 
 appointed 
 
6o Religious feats and feruples 
 
 appointed to an holy purpofe and ufe, and as 
 it is a proper and powerful means to make the 
 obervers of it holy, according to man's mea- 
 fure, as God is holy. And furdy, as has been 
 laid, this is a good reafon why we mould 
 join in celebrating the Lord's-Supper ; but a 
 very bad one why we fliould neglect to do 
 ib. Surely, the reafoning cannot be juft, 
 the lupperof the Lord is holy, as being a di- 
 vine appointment happily calculated to make 
 men holy •, I ought not therefore to be a paiv 
 taker at it, I may not approach to it, How 
 glaringly abfurd is fuch arguing as this! Where- 
 as, the arguing, on ths contrary, is ilriclly 
 rioht, and ftron^ly conclude, the facrament- 
 al-fupper was inltituted with a view to make 
 men holy, and is powerfully fitted to fuch a 
 purpofe, it is therefore my wifdom, my intereft* 
 my duty, to be a partaker at it.*, and the more 
 holy it is, on account of its tendency and fuita- 
 blenefsto make men holy, the more wife I (hall 
 approve my leif, the more I fhali confult 
 my trued inter elt, the more will my conduct 
 agree wjth what is right, prope.r and fit, 
 while I am inftant, tteady and diligent in 
 paying a religious regard, in my practice, to 
 this facred inftitution of the gofpel. 
 
 So that, upon the whole, the fear any ferr- 
 ous 
 
mentioned and conjtdcred. fa 
 
 ous, thoughtful, chriftians may have on their 
 minds, relative to their participation of the 
 LordVSupper, as taking rife from the holi- 
 nefs of this rite of gofpd worfhip, has 
 really no jufi foundation. You fhould rather 
 fear, my brethren, left you mould difhonour 
 Chriil by neglecting a divinely appointed 
 mean, and the molt wifely and powerfully 
 adapted one, in order to your being holy, 
 while you neglect to give your pre fence at 
 ihe facramental table. You cannot indeed 
 expect to be holy, to be fure not eminent- 
 ly lb, while you difufe this fpecial and pow- 
 erful means in order to it. 
 
 Another thing that keeps fome from 
 the gofpel-fupper is, a fear left they fhould 
 nut live as may be reafonably expected of 
 thoie, who " eat and drink in Ch rift's pre- 
 tence" -, they tljink, and with great truth and 
 juftice, that all, who come to the table of 
 the Lord, mould adcrn their character, as 
 the difciples of Chrift, by a well-ordered con- 
 Yerfation ; caufing their " light to fhine be- 
 fore others, that, feeing their good works, 
 they may glorify their father in heaven". 
 But they fear, left they mould not " walk 
 worthy of the Lord". Others, they obferve, 
 are too frequently faulty^ in this regard, to 
 
6 2 Rel i ferwples 
 
 ! ::p-:ach of Chrift, and fcandal of his ho- 
 ly religion •, and, fearing left tl ^e 
 thus faulty, they are re fti tit l ed :rom comr 
 tti the iupper of their Lord ; imagining they 
 had better be non-attendants ar it, than run 
 the hazard of this guilt. 
 
 To fuch I wculd fay, your fear is jo ft, 
 es not operate in a right manner. You 
 ought to be " iealous eve: yburfdves with a 
 godlv iealoufy"-, enc: i fear, left you 
 
 mould aft an unworthy part, arid difhenor 
 your Savior, by a walk in the world uno¥- 
 ' rg the go'pel, and th left pre effi- 
 
 oritsbon:son you. But their, i: fhould 
 jr care to govern the influence or ! 
 fear, lo as that. id of h . ndrance 
 
 to you in doty, it may rathei ill 'igorate veer 
 endeavours to put i: fully if practice. Yo 
 fear is, left you fhould not bcv.r your 'pro- 
 it is a fear mat well becomes 
 all the p r o:"eiTors of cbrrfl baity. Bat what 
 ought, in true reafon, to be its operation r 
 Surely, not to rcftrain you from making a 
 profefinn. This would be a counter aft ion 
 to i:s proper defign, and genuine tendency. 
 I: fhould rather put you upon greater watch- 
 fulness, and circumfpc&ion. It fhculd quick- 
 en your zeal, and make you more earned and 
 
 refolutc 
 
mentioned and conJuUrttL 61 
 
 rcfolute in your endeavours, ur.d:: the ^Wflior 
 of Gwd, to behave in the world with that 
 fobr.etv, purity, and righteoufnefs, which be- 
 come thole who Gc down as gucfts at the 
 c of Chrift. 
 
 It is ob; s were a- 
 
 fraid left ibofe who profelTed faith in Chrift, 
 and were admitted to hf ias bread, which 
 
 is the ii ft :-:ea memorial of his broken 
 body, mould be omnia .e bonds of 
 
 G?d that were upon them, and live in a man- 
 ner unworthy of their character as the difci- 
 
 3 of Chrift. But how did their fear ope- 
 ra:- ? Not by a^vifing men to forbear p:o- 
 ftfting Chrift, or eating and drinking with 
 him at hi* table. Not a word of this tendency 
 |3 to b( me* with, any where in the new-tefta- 
 ment. But, in confluence c rear, their 
 
 exhortations Irene, to "hold faft the proftiILn 
 of their fa : :n" - 9 to l< take beexl, watch and 
 pray*' 5 to be diligent and laborious, thac 
 their waik in the world might be "worthy 
 of that God who had called them into his 
 kingdom". Ao : mould be the influence 
 of the fear I am now fpeaking of 5 and this will 
 be its influence, if. duly regulated. It will 
 not reftrain any from remembering the dying 
 love of their Lord, : n th: way of his appoint- 
 ment 
 
64 Religious fears and fcrvpks 
 
 menr, but rather firft urge them to it, and 
 then make them earned ard faithful in their 
 endeavours to behave, in all refpecls, as thofc 
 ought to do, who are admitted to fo near 
 communion with their Savior and Lord. 
 
 I shall not think it either impertinent, or 
 unfeafonable, if I add a word here to thofe 
 communicants, who, by their unguarded, mif- 
 becoming conduct, are the occafion of thaS 
 fear in the minds of many, which reftrains 
 them from joining with their chriftian brethren 
 in partaking of the fymbols of (Thrift's body 
 <nd blood. It is too glaring a truth to be dif- 
 owned, that, among the guefts at the facra- 
 mental fupper, there are too many who live as 
 though they were infenfible of the bonds they 
 are under to " order their converfation in 
 fimplicity and godly fincerity, not by flefhly 
 wifdom, but by the grace of God" Inftead 
 of being bright examples of thofe virtues that 
 are ornamental to chriftians, and honorary to 
 the religion they profefs, they arc too much con- 
 formed to this evil world, and appear too like the 
 men of ir. The plain truth is, the unhallow- 
 ed lives of thofe, who fit down at the Lord's 
 table, has been a ftumbling-block to many 
 ferious, confiderate, wcll-difpofed perfons. Far 
 from excitiog them to glorify God by the luftre 
 
mentioned and confidtred. 6$ 
 
 of thefe graces, they have rather, by their un- 
 chnftian behavior of themfelves, made them 
 afraid of profefTing Chrift, left they alfo mould 
 be a reproach both to him, and his holy re- 
 ligion. This, my brethren, is utterly a fault. 
 We who " call Chrift Lord, Lord, and eat and 
 drink in his prefence", mould above all things 
 make it our care to , "-walk worthy of him 
 unto a!) pleating". We mould keep at the 
 utmoftdiftance from every thing vicious and 
 immoral; and not only fo, but mould be found 
 in the practice of all the virtues that are amia- 
 ble and praife-worthy. We mould be grave 
 and modeft in our behaviour, fober and ufe- 
 ful in our difcourie, diligent and faithful in our 
 refpective callings, juft and honeft in our dea- 
 lings. We mould daily live in the exercife of 
 meeknefs, patience, faith, temperance, humi- 
 lity. We mould be courteous in ourconverfe, 
 gentle, kind, peceable and obliging in our car- 
 riage ; and, as we have opportunity, mould, 
 according to our ability, " do good to all men, 
 efpecialiy to the houfhold of faith". In a word, 
 "whatfoever things are true, whatfoever things 
 are honeft, whatfoever things are juft, what- 
 foever things are pure, whatfoever things are 
 lovely, whatfoever things are of good report, 
 if there be any virtue, and if there be any praife^ 
 
 I m 
 
rr Religious feats and ft 
 
 we fhouM think on thefe thinffs", lb think on* 
 
 rbem a> to exhibit in our lives a contpicuous 
 
 exj-rrple ot them : So Jhal] we honour our- 
 
 n : eit glory on our Saviour and 
 
 -ter Jrfus Chriil ; and, inilead ot deterring 
 
 : > ::cm the table or" the LorJ, we fhall, in 
 
 the moft conftniining manner, invite and urge 
 
 rflcw W be | is gueth at it. — Buc to leave 
 
 U»y ihould pleafe fa to call k. 
 
 An :r ji.T k :j':v rlill m the way of feme 
 
 is a fear, ieit, if they ihould be overcome to 
 
 COdifnit (in afcer they have ate and drank at the 
 
 :-amental topper, they ihould never obtain 
 
 ib" Tr.is may not be a difficulty tha: 
 
 : perplexed the minds of many ; but ion e, 
 
 I have reafon to think, are kept from the LordV 
 
 Su'^rr through fear, taking r fe from t. 
 
 view of the matter. 
 
 B: a feat altogether imacinarv. No- 
 
 the Bible g.ves the tatft counte- 
 rs: ;e to '.:. Far Rom thb, we are aitbred, in 
 :J book, "thai if any man Ihould 
 ...-". be It before, or after, his breaking and 
 eating breaJ at the Jacramemal table, " we 
 ate with the father, Jcfus the 
 teou=, who has been the propitiation fur 
 ns*. And this Jcfus, who died a kewfice 
 "greffioo, has tuna :o:l prerempto- 
 
 rilv 
 
mentioned and confidered. €j 
 
 v declared, in terms too plain and e«prcfi to 
 beeafily nv.funderftood, that but one fin, the fin 
 of blafpheming th: holy Ghoft, is excepted 
 out of toe gofpel-graot or pardoning mercy. 
 Si that whatever our Tins may have been, and 
 whenfoe7er committed, whether before or af- 
 ter a profefnoa of Chrift, and ea:ing and drink- 
 ing in his prefence, they come within the reach 
 of offered, and promifed forgivenefs, and (hall 
 certainly, upon our repentance, be pardoned 
 for the fake of Chrift, and on account of that 
 atonement he has made for the fins o; men. 
 
 It is true, fins ihat are comnrtted after tne 
 highed profemon of love to Chfift, and fub- 
 jecYion to his authority, are aggravated in 
 tneir guilt ; but whatever aggravating circum- 
 ftances attend them, they are not fuch as will 
 obftruft the beftowment of God's mercy in 
 tie remifnon of them, in regard of thofe, who 
 in the exercife of true repentance, repair to 
 him for this blcfnng. Thofe words of the 
 apoftle Paul contain enough in then fjrever 
 to fatisfy us of this, "where fin has abound- 
 ed, grace does much more abouna" •, rhDzsgh 
 we fhould take care we do not abufe t 
 grace, by encouraging ourfelves to fin, that 
 
 God's grace in the pardon of u may abound 
 
 towards 
 
68 Religious fears and ftruples 
 
 towards us. This would argue the bafeft ich 
 gratitude. Shall we be evil, becaufe God is 
 good ? God forbid ! 
 
 It is true likewife, if any, after fuch fe- 
 rious imprefTions as have put them upon an 
 attendance " on the word, breaking of bread, 
 and prayer", relapfe into thoughtlefsneis and 
 iecurity, infomuch that they can " fin wilful- 
 ly", and in an habitual courfe, " the latter end 
 Vith them is worfe than the beginning" ; the 
 danger awfully great, left they fhould " fail 
 of the grace of God" and be " not again re- 
 newed to repentance". But the cafe even of 
 this kind of perfons is not without all hope. 
 It is pofllble they may be awakned to a juft 
 fenfe of things, and be brought to that "re- 
 pentance which is unto hfc, not to be repen- 
 ted of" ; though their frate, it mud be ac- 
 knowledged, is hazardous •, as they cannot be 
 renewed by repentance, but with extreme difr 
 ficulty. 
 
 The apoftle Paul fometimes fuppofes, that 
 profefibrs of religion, even thofe among them 
 -who have been admitted to the higheft pri- 
 vileges of God's vifible kingdom, may (hame- 
 fully backflide. And what does he fay here- 
 upon ? Does he put any upon neglecting gof- 
 
 pel inftitutions through fear, left they mould 
 
 afterwards 
 
mentioned and conjidered. 69 
 
 afterwards relapfe into fin ? Far from this, 
 he advifes them to be fteady and perfevering 
 in the ufe of them -, and to take occafion 
 from fear of a relapfe, to be cautious and cir- 
 cumfpecl, to look well to themfelves, to be 
 upon thtir guard, and to hold out againft all 
 oppofition in the way of well-doing, that, be- 
 ing faithful to the death, they may obtain 
 the crown of eternal life. And this mould 
 be the influence of our fear, refpecling fin af- 
 ter having ate and drank at the table of the 
 Chrift. Inftead of keeping us from this duty, 
 it fhould keep us upon our guard, and make 
 us the more watchful over our hearts and 
 lives. 
 
 Another difficulty yet in the way of ma- 
 ny to their attendance at the facramental fupper 
 is, a fear left they are not prepared for fo fa^ 
 
 cred an ordinance. 
 
 To this it might be fufficient to fay, the 
 duty of this kind of perfons is To plain, as 
 not to admit of difpute. Thty mould in- 
 ftantly fet about the work of preparation, 
 and give themfelves no eafe, until it is accom- 
 plifhed ; and the rather, becaufe, if it is the 
 real truth, that they are eifentially wanting in 
 a preparednefs, in the frame of their minds, for 
 
 an approach to the table of Chrift, they can 
 
 have 
 
;o Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 have no good hope towards God. They are 
 unmeet for the kingdom of heaven, and mail 
 not be admitted to fie down there, at the 
 eternal fupper of the lamb. And, Jurely, this 
 is not a ftate to be continued in with peace 
 and quiet of foul. 
 
 But, as this difficulty is the mod common 
 one, and keeps a great many from the facra- 
 mental table, I fhall be more particular and 
 diftincT: in offering what may be fuffkient to 
 remove it away. 
 
 You fay, you fear whether you are pre- 
 pared to eat bread and drink wice with 
 Chrift at his table ; and your fear reftrains 
 you from attending this inftance of duty. 
 Permit me to afk you, what do you 
 mean by this preparation, you are afraid 
 you are deftitute of ? This is an important 
 queftion in the prefent cafe, and the true 
 anfWer to it will make way for the re- 
 moval of all the difficulty that is per- 
 plexing to you. 
 
 Do vou mean, when you fay you are 
 not prepared for the facramenr, that your 
 {late in fuch, as that, if you attend this 
 duty, it muffc be done with fome mixture 
 of frailty and imperfection ? If this is 
 
 what 
 
mentioned and confidered* j\ 
 
 what you mean, you are to be plainly told, 
 that you will never be able to attend the 
 memorial of your Saviour's death in a man- 
 ner perfectly freed from all mixture of 
 fin. You will, as long as you live, con- 
 tinue frail imperfect creatures ; and God has 
 made no provifion in the Gofpel to prevent 
 it. If therefore you imagine, you muft 
 not corns to the facramenr, until you can 
 attend there without any mixture of cor- 
 ruption, you mud never come : And mould 
 others think as you do, neither would they 
 come ♦, the confequence of which would be> 
 that the facramental fupper would have no 
 guefts to attend it ; nor indeed ought it to 
 have any. The real [ruth is, our Lord ap- 
 pointed the memorial of his death for poor, 
 weak, imperfect, and finful creatures, as *he 
 bed or men always have been, and always 
 will be to the end of the world. And 
 if fuch may not remember the dying love 
 of their Lord, in the way of his ipecial 
 appointment, it muft never be done in 
 in this world, and fo never done at all. 
 For good men, in the coming world, will 
 be above the need, or ufe, of this, or any 
 other inftrumental mean, as being perfect 
 
 in 
 
;a Riiigiuiis fears and fcrupks 
 
 in their conformity to the image of Chrift, 
 as he is to the image of the invifible 
 God. 
 
 Do you mean, when you fay you are not 
 prepared for the facrament, that you have 
 not as yet attained to a confirmed, well 
 eftablifhed ftate of goodnefs ? Surely, this 
 Ihould be no bar in your way. It ought 
 rather to be a motive powerfully con- 
 (training you to give your inftant and con- 
 ftant attendance on this inftitution of the 
 gofpel. For it was appointed by Crmft, the 
 head of his church, as a wifely and fuita- 
 bly adapted, mean, among other things, to 
 confirm the habits of grace, and make 
 them well eftablifhed principles of all vir- 
 tuous, and chriftian good practice ; apd it 
 is, by the ufe of this divinely appointed 
 mean of grace, as well as by the word, 
 that we are to grow, from the ftate of 
 babes and children, to that of complete 
 men in Chrift. You will therefore, not on- 
 ly difhonour Chrift, but wrong yourfelves, 
 if, from fuch a miftaken notion, you ne- 
 glect your duty. The more weak and im- 
 perfect you are in goodnefs, the more rea- 
 ibn you have for the ufe of this mean of 
 grace. How can you ufc a more proper 
 
 or 
 
mentioned and confidered. 73 
 
 powerful method to grow up to the cc full- 
 nefs of Chrift". You would, if you were 
 conftant, and confciencious in this near 
 approach to God, and intimate communion with 
 Chrift, be formed more and more to the tem- 
 per of heaven, and a meetnefs for the im- 
 ployments and injoyments of that blefTed 
 world. Sin would continually grow weak- 
 er and weaker, and grace ftronger and 
 ftronger. In a word, by thus commemo- 
 rating the love of your Saviour, yoti would 
 ufe a divinely appointed mean, to ftrength- 
 en your pious refolutions, invigorate your 
 virtuous principles, and animate your up- 
 right endeavours to grow in a likenefs to 
 God, and Jelus Chrift, and every thing 
 that is fpiritually good. 
 
 Do you mean when fay you are not 
 prepared for the facrament, that you 
 are ignorant of its nature, or of the 
 manner in which you (hould attend at it ? 
 and, not having fufticient knowledge re- 
 lative to this inftitution of religion, you 
 fear you {hould do ill to come to it. 
 
 The anfwer here is eafie and fhort. 
 If yob are in earned in fpeaking of this 
 as a difficulty, and it is the real truth 
 that vou are thus ignorant, there is no 
 
y.i Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 need you fhould long continue fo, and 
 the fault w;ll be your own if you do. 
 You are favcred with all advantages, in 
 order to gain a fufficiency of knowledge, 
 with reference to the facrament. You 
 have the bible in your hands, which re- 
 cords its infticution, explains its nature 
 and defign, and diredts as to the man- 
 ner of attending at it. You have like- 
 wife, within your reach, a variety of va- 
 luable books, purpofely wrote by the 
 bed of men, for your help in under- 
 ftanding the fcripture upon this head. 
 You may alfo repair, whenever you pleafe, 
 to chriftian friends and minifters, for all 
 needed inftfuction. And if under the en- 
 joyment of fuch advantages as thefe, you 
 continue ignorant, the fault will be your 
 own, and it will be inexcufably great. It 
 will indeed be evident, that this difficulty, 
 with which you excufe yourfelves from 
 coming to the facrament, is a meer pre- 
 tence. It will furely be fo tfteemed by 
 your Saviour, who will alfo be your Judge 
 in the great day of reckoning. 
 
 Do you mean, when you fay you fear 
 whether you are prepared for the facra- 
 menr, that your fear is, whether you are 
 
 the 
 
mentioned and confidered, 75 
 
 the fubje&s of the faving grace of God, 
 and fo think you had better flay away 
 from this ordinance, until you are mors 
 free from doubt upon this head. 
 
 To such, as it is my defign more 
 largely to confider this difficulty by its 
 felf in its proper place, I (hall oniy fay 
 at prefent, It may be your fear, left you 
 have not been partakers of the grace of God 
 in truth, is a falfe one. You may, not- 
 withstanding this fear, have '* palled from 
 death to life," and be known by Chnft 
 to be in the number of thofe who are 
 his in the fpecial and eminent fenfe. 
 Many, among the true fearers of God, 
 have lived, and died, under the prevailence 
 of uncomfortable fears, refpecYing their fpi- 
 rkual ftate. It is therefore no fure argu- 
 ment, that you have not been formed to 
 a likenefs to God, in his moral glcry, 
 that you have no lively perceptions of it, 
 but rather conflict with doubts and fears, 
 left this fhould not be the truth of your 
 cafe. And let me further fay here, the 
 moft likely way you can take for the re- 
 moval ©f your doubts and fears, is, to 
 give your attendance inftantly, and to conti- 
 nue it ftatedly, at the facramental table. 
 
j6 Religious feats and fcrupks 
 
 What, matter of wonder is it, you ftiould 
 be in doubt about the goodnefs of your 
 ftate, while you habitually neglect your 
 duty in as plain and evident an article, as 
 any in all the bible ? God may be difpleafed 
 with this fin of yours, and " hide his 
 face" from you. And what is alfo wor- 
 thy of ferious confiderations while you 
 neglect the facrament, you neglect a mean of 
 grace happily and powerfully fuitedtogiveyou 
 fuch views of the love of Chrift, as may excite 
 the exercife of love to him, in a degree 
 enabling you to fay, ''Lord, thou knoweft 
 that I love thee." There are, among fe- 
 rious good chriftians, who can telj you, 
 they have come away from the facrament 
 with a refrefhing fenfe of their intereft in 
 the dying love of their Saviour, though 
 they have gone to it in darkntfs and per- 
 plexity. 
 
 But let it be fuppofed, that you are 
 rfot as yet in what the fcripture calls a 
 regenerate ftate, is there nothing, at the 
 facramental table, that is fitted to beget in 
 you the life of God, and true holinefs ? 
 Have theie never been instances of thofe, 
 in whom the work of grace was begun 
 
 with 
 
mentioned and conjidered. jy 
 
 with power, by means of a crucified Chrift, 
 here exhibited to open view ? And why 
 may not you alfo be thus effectually 
 wrought upon, under the influence of di- 
 vine grace I There is nothing, my hear- 
 ers, that can operate upon the human 
 mind, in a way of means, to faving pur- 
 pofe, but what is held forth plainly, though 
 by figurative figns, at the facramentai 
 table. And the truths here preached may 
 as well have their operation while you are 
 here, as at any ether time, or in any other 
 place. 
 
 I would not, by what I now fay, be 
 underftood to encourage thofe to come to 
 the ordinance of the fupper, who are 
 thoughtlefs and unconcerned, infenfible of 
 fin, and unrefolved as to putting themfelves 
 under the guidance, inftru&ion, and go- 
 vernment of Chrift. But this is far from 
 being the cafe of thofe I am fpeaking to. 
 Their fear of coming to the facrarnent, left 
 they mould come in an unprepared man- 
 ner, fufficiently difcovers their temper of 
 mind ; indicating it to be religious, if not 
 gracious. They would not offend God ; they 
 had rather omit duty, than do it under 
 
 the apprchenfion they mould hereby dif- 
 
 pleafe 
 
78 Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 pleafe him. They are the fubjects of a 
 ferious, if not a faving fenfe of God and 
 divine things. 1c is their concern, that 
 they might honour and ferve him ; and 
 that they do not do it in the article un- 
 der confideration is owing, rather to their 
 reverence of the divine majefty, that the 
 want of regard to his governing autho- 
 rity. 
 
 And are perfons of this character eOen- 
 tially defective in their preparation for an 
 attendance at the table of the Lord ? It 
 ought not to be fuppofed. It may rather 
 be thought, they will be efteemed by our 
 Saviour welcome guefts. They had cer- 
 tainly better wait upon Chrift at this ordi- 
 nance, with this preparation, than totally 
 abfent themfelves from it. 
 
 You fay, you are afraid to come to the 
 facrament, left you mould come being un- 
 prepared for this facred duty. Lee me 
 afk you hereupon, have you no fear upon 
 your fpirit, as taking rife from a total neg- 
 lect of this gofpel-appointment ? Is there 
 no fin, or danger, in a continued courfe 
 of practically throwing difregard upon as ex- 
 prefs an inftitution of Jefus Chrift, as any in 
 
 the facred books ? There certainly is, my 
 
 friend s^ 
 
mentioned and conftdered. jy 
 
 friends, both fin and danger in neglecting to 
 remember the dying love of Chrift in the way 
 of his appointment ; and both the fin and 
 danger of this neglect, continued in from one 
 period of life to another, are much greater, 
 and ought therefore to be much more 
 feared, than a meer defect in the degree of 
 preparation. Let it be acknowledged, it is 
 a fault to come to the facrament, unlefs we 
 are in fome good meafure prepared in the 
 habitual frame of our minds •, but it is a fault 
 likewife, and a much greater one, totally 
 to abftain from it. Our wifdom and duty 
 therefore is, neither abftain from it, nor to 
 come to it, but with a mind fo far prepa- 
 red for it, as that ic may be our ferious and 
 upright ckfire and endeavour to honor our 
 Savior, and reap advantage to our own fouls. 
 And let me add here, none are more like- 
 ly to come in this prepared manner, than 
 thofe who fear to come, left they mould be 
 unprepared. This fear will influence them 
 to a becoming care, that they may eat of this 
 bread and drink of this cup, not in a thought- 
 lefs, cuftomary manner, but in a religious 
 frame of mind, as thofe who diftinguifh be- 
 tween the facramental, and common bread 
 and wine, looking upon them as the fym- 
 
 bofa 
 
So Religious fears and ferupks 
 
 bols of Chrift's body and blood, and parta- 
 king of them as fuch, in the exercife of 
 faith affection, zeal, and hearty defires 
 to be fpiritually benefitted by them. It 
 were to be wiftied, all that come to this 
 ordinance would come with this preparation 
 of mind. It would, in this cafe, be better 
 attended than it commonly is, more to the 
 glory of God through Chrift, and more to 
 the edification of communicants in faith, and 
 love, and comfort. 
 
 There are yet other difficulties to be 
 mentioned. But thefe muft be referred to 
 fome other opportunity. The good Lord 
 blefs what has been faid, that it may be be- 
 neficial to us. 
 
 A M EN, 
 
 SERMON 
 
* & 5K 3K * 4* 
 
 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 Atts. II. 42. 
 
 *' And they continued fteadfaftly—in breaking 
 " of Bread 19 
 
 }fiz% Have taken occafion, from thefe words, 
 3e l % t-o apply to feveral forts of perfons, 
 
 ¥*?& id reference to their celebration of 
 the facramental-fupper. The laft I fpake to 
 were thofe, who would gladly remember their 
 Savior and Lord in this way of his appoint- 
 ment, but that they are hindered by various 
 perplexing doubts and fears. Some of thefe 
 I have already mentioned, and endeavoured 
 io remove. 
 
 L Th| 
 
Sz Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 The next difficulty, which I now proceed 
 to confider, arifes from a fear forne have, 
 left they fhouldnot eat and drink at the fupper 
 of their Lord in that spiritual manner, 
 without which they mould only fin, if they 
 fhoukl be gntfts at it. They imagine, they 
 muft be the fubjeds of spiritual life, or 
 they cannot take of the bread, or wine - r 
 or eat of the cne, or drink of the other, 
 in the exercife of that faith and love, with- 
 out which they mould rather prophane the 
 ordinance, than to attend on it to the honor 
 of Chrift, or the profit of their own fouls. 
 They had therefore, they conclude, better (lay 
 trom it, until they are made fpiritually " alive 
 to God through ChrifT. 
 
 It is obvious to fay in reply here, that 
 no one can pray to God, read, or hear his 
 word, or perform any religious duty in a fpi- 
 ritual manner, unlek he is the fubjed of fpi- 
 ritual life. Fear therefore, as taking rile 
 meerly from an apprehended want of this 
 life, if confident and uniform in its operati- 
 on, will reft rain perfons from evety inftance 
 of piety, as well as this of remembring their 
 Saviour at the facrament. They ought in- 
 deed, upon this principle, no more to pray, 
 or hear God's word, or attend on any infti- 
 tution of religion, than this of the Supper, 
 
 for 
 
mentioned and confidertd. 83 
 
 For, ngt being poiTeffed of fpi ritual life, 
 they can no more perform the former cf 
 ihefe duties in the fpiritual feiSz^ than the 
 latter. And what are we now brought to 
 in real confequence ? Religion, in ail Us bran- 
 ches, mu ft be neglected, by all who have 
 not H patted from dca.h to life". And does 
 this comport", in any meafure, with the re- 
 quirements of the gofpel ? Was it the view 
 of God, in inftituting the means of religion, 
 that that they mould not be ufed, until one 
 of the main ends, propofed by them is effec- 
 tually anfwered without them ? Was it his 
 defign, that perfons mould fit idle, and do no- 
 thing, until, by the power of his grace? 
 thry are changed into " new-men in Chnft" I 
 The holy Bible, that infallible rule of direc- 
 tion, no where fuggefts any thing to this 
 purpofe. On the contrary, it puts men up- 
 on the ufe of means as the way, and the only 
 way, in which they may expect to be made 
 "partakers of the divine nature". The "clean 
 heart", and the " right-fpirii", are, upon the 
 gofpel plan of mercy, obtainable bleffings. 
 But how are they to be obtained ? Says the 
 anfwer of God himfelf, " I will be inquired 
 of to do this for you". And that is the ad- 
 vice of our Savior Jefus Chrift, not to thofc 
 
 orJy 
 
84 Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 only who had grace already, but to cbofe al~ 
 io who had it not, " afk, and. ye ill all re- 
 ceive •, feek, and ye fliall find -, knock, an4 
 it fhali be opened to you". And Simon 
 Magus, though at prefenc deftkute of a prin- 
 ciple of fpiritual life, was yet directed by 
 an infpired apoftie "to pray God if perhaps 
 he might be forgiven". Meerly the wane 
 of a fpiritual principle cannot therefore be a 
 good reafon, why we mould not be in the 
 ufe of any inftituted mean or religion, If 
 it is, thofe ought not to pray, who are not 
 fpiritually alive to God. For they can no 
 more fpiritually perform this duty, than any 
 other ; and if duty may not be performed, 
 vinlefs fpiritually performed, they may no 
 more pray than " break bread" at the Lord's 
 table. But perfons, not fpiritually alive, are 
 not only allowed, but exprelsly directed, even 
 by God himfelf, to pray to him : From 
 whence it unqueftionably appears, that meer- 
 ly the want of fpirimal life is not a valid 
 reafon, why duty, in any inftancc whatever, 
 may not be attended. 
 
 There are, my brethren, other princi- 
 ples, befides that of fpiritual life, from which 
 perfons may perform duty. They may do 
 it from a principle of fear, u being perfua- 
 
 ded 
 
mentioned and ccn/ideredi S5 
 
 ded thereto by the terrors of the Lord" ; they 
 may do it from a principle of hope, expedt- 
 ing in this way to obtain the divine favour •, 
 they may do ir from a principle of obedi- 
 ence, as having their minds .imp re (Ted with a 
 ferious deep fenfe of the bonds of God that 
 'are upon them ; yea, they may do ft from 
 a principle of faith that is real, though ir. 
 ihould fall fhort of that which is faving : 
 All which are good principles of action, 
 though not the highefb, and bed. 
 
 And, in confequence of thefe principles, 
 that are good in themfclves, they may per- 
 form duty alfo in a manner morally, if not 
 fpiritually, good ; they may do it heartily, 
 in opposition to hypocrify ; they m£y do it 
 earneftly, in oppofition to heedlefsnefs and 
 formality \ they may do it with awakened 
 affections, in oppofition to dulnefs and cold- 
 nefs ; yea, they may do it in the exercife 
 of a real faith in God, and in his Son 
 Jefus Chrift, though their faith mould not 
 be that precious faith, which is peculiar to 
 thejuftified through the redemption that is 
 in Jefus Chrift. 
 
 And as duty in general, and as it re- 
 fpedfs the " breaking of bread" at the 
 •liOrcTs-table in particular, may be performed 
 
 from 
 
o6 ReHgious feats and fcrupks 
 
 from fuch principles, and in fuch a manner, 
 fhali any live in the omiffion of it meerly, 
 or only, becaufe they cannot perform ic 
 from a principle, and in a manner, ffill 
 higher and more noble ? This, finely, is 
 not right, It cannot be juftidtd, either up- 
 on the foot of reafon, or revelation. 
 
 It is readily acknowledged, when men, 
 befides being deihtute of a fpiritual princi- 
 ple, have fo little fenfe of the , nature and 
 obligations of religion, as that they can at- 
 tend it's duties in a thoughtlefs, carelefs, 
 cuftomary manner •, or engage in the perfor- 
 mance of them, only that they may be in the 
 fafhion, or with a view to wear a cloak for 
 reputation, or that they might the more ad- 
 Vantageoufly carry on their worldly and car- 
 nal dcfigns : I fay, when, befides the meer 
 wane of fpiritual life, perfons are in a dilpo- 
 fition thus to attend duty, they had as well 
 not do it all. Perhaps, it would be lefs dif- 
 honorary to God, to omit it, than to perform 
 h thus heedlefsly and hypocritically. But 
 Ihall the fame be faid of that performance 
 of it before deferibed ? Shall thofe, who, 
 though they are not fpiritually alive, yet have 
 Upon their minds a ferious fenfe of God and 
 religion, and can attend it*s duties with earn- 
 
 eftntfs, 
 
mentioned and confidtred. $y 
 
 effnefs, affecYion, and faith •, (hall fuch as 
 thefe difcourage themfelves herefrom, or be 
 difcouraged by others ? It ought not to be. 
 There is certainly a wide difference between 
 thoughtlefs, fenfelefs, fecure finncrs, and thofe 
 who are earneftly concerned about the great 
 affairs of religion, who are difpofed to feek 
 God with their heart, and to wait upon him 
 in all the ways of his appointment, that they 
 may be favingly enlightned, and qiickned by 
 him. The prayers of the former may be 
 abomination to him, much more a partici- 
 pation of the fymbols of Chrifl's body and 
 blood ; while he may regard the former, ap- 
 proving of their endeavocrs, in the ufe of 
 the means he has appointed, in order to their 
 being fpiritually bleffed by him. Did our 
 Savior Jefus Chrift ever difcourage fuch from 
 coming to him ? Was he not rather moved 
 with compafilon towards them ? Was he not 
 particularly urgent with them to " to feek 
 God that he might be found of them " ? 
 And were there none in the apoftles days, not 
 better qualified, who fat down at the facramen- 
 tal fupper ? Thofe holy men of God gladly 
 admitted multitudes of this fort to commu- 
 nion with them in u breaking of bread'*. 
 And could they now fpeak from the excel- 
 lent 
 
IS Licit, v/us ftars and firupks 
 
 lent glory, I doubt not but they would fay, 
 their rears were groundless ; they ought to 
 get the better of them, and not iutTer them- 
 Iclvts, any longer, to be detained from fo ad- 
 vantageous a mean of religion as that of the 
 facramenul fupper. And this leacis me 
 
 To another difficulty in trie way of fome ; 
 and this is, an apprehenfion of the Lord's- 
 Supper as intended, in it's appointment, for 
 thofe only who are partakers of the grace of 
 God in the fpecial, or faving, fenfe. The 
 ordinance, fay they, is a privilege appropri- 
 ated to perfons of this character. No other 
 have a right to it •, and fhould they lay in a 
 claim, it would be in the view of God nothing 
 better than prefumption. And as we are in doubt, 
 whether our faith is that by which " the juft 
 fhall do live", we doubt our having a right 
 to the facrament, and fo had better ftay from 
 it, until we are well fatisrud that we are be- 
 lievers unto life. This is a difficulty that has 
 often layn heavy upon the minds of too ma- 
 ny; either keeping them from the table of 
 the Lord, or making their prefence there 
 uncomfortable, if not, at times, greatly diflrei- 
 fing. To fuch I would fay, 
 
 If it is indeed the truth, that the facrament- 
 al fupper is defigned for thofe only who are en- 
 dowed 
 
mentioned and confidered. 89 
 
 dowed with faving grace,none but fuch ought to 
 come to it : Nor ought any other to be en- 
 couraged to do fo. This is a plain cafe* 
 fo plain as not to admit of difpute. And 
 as their right to come, is, upon this fuppo- 
 fition, cffentially connected with their being 
 the iubjccts of true grace, they rauft be well 
 fatisfied they have this grace, or they cannot, 
 upon juft and folid grounds, be fatisfied that 
 they have this rightr Grace and right are, 
 in the prefent cafe, fo related to each other, 
 that wherever there is the want of the one, 
 there cannot be the other. And fhould any 
 be in doubt, as to the truth of their grace, 
 they mud, in the fame degree, be in doubc 
 as to the validity of their claim to this ordi- 
 nance. And to fpeak plainly, and without 
 difguife, I muft freely confefs, I cannot fee 
 how any, who connect a right to the Lord's- 
 Supper with the real truth of Grace, can, 
 with a good confcience, come to it, unlefs 
 they are clearly fatisfied in their minds, that 
 they are partakers of that unfeigned faith, 
 which is proper only to the redeemed unto 
 God by the blood ofChrift. And was there 
 no other reafon to queftion, whether it is a 
 truth, that the facramental fupper is appro- 
 priated to thofe only who are believers in 
 
 M the 
 
go Religious fears and Jcrupks 
 
 the faving fenfe, infomuch that none elfe may 
 warrantable come to it, this I fhould efteem a 
 very good one. For who then would eat 
 and drink at the Lord's table, but thpfe who 
 had fome good degree of aflurance, refpeft- 
 ing the fafety of their fpiritual ftate ? And how 
 few, alas, are thefe ? It is truly a rare thing 
 to meet with chriftians that have got above 
 doubts and fears, relative to the goodnefs of 
 their character in the gofpel eftimation. The 
 table of the Lord mult confequently, upon 
 the impleaded fuppofition, be furprifingly 
 thin of guefts ; unlefs thofe fhould appear at 
 it, who had no right to be there, or, what 
 amounts to the fame thing, in the prefent -cafe, 
 who did not know that they had this right, 
 er that were any other than bold intruders ; 
 for this they could no otherwife know, than 
 by being beyond doubt as to the goodnefs 
 of their ftate God-ward. Surely, it was never 
 the intention of our Savior, in appointing, the 
 (acramental fupper, to limit an attendance at 
 it to thofe few only, who had got above 
 doubt or fear, as to their being chriftians in 
 the faving fenfe -, and yet, this muft have 
 been his intention, if thofe only may warran- 
 tably give their attendance, who are the fub- 
 
 jects of true grace j becaufe they muft know 
 
 themfelves 
 
mtniioned and confidered* 91 
 
 rhemfelves to be fo, or they cannot know 
 they have any divine warrant to eat of this 
 golpel-fupper. The plain truth is, this re- 
 ltriClion of a right to the facrament, will at 
 once exclude multitudes from it who are real 
 chriftians, becaufe they are weak and doubt- 
 ing ones. None fuch, if a right to this or- 
 dinance is connected with the reality of grace, 
 ought to come to it. For, fo far as they 
 are in doubt of their being real good chrifti- 
 ans, they mud doubt of the lawfulnefs of 
 their being gucfts at it. And if they doubt 
 of their right to be at the facrament, they 
 will incur the charge of guilt if they come 
 to it. That faying of the apoftle Paul, Rom. 
 14. 23, is as applicable in the cafe of doubting 
 as to a right to the Lord's- Supper, as in the 
 cafe he particularly mentions, " He that 
 doubteth is damned * if he eat, becaufe 
 
 he 
 
 * The word, rendered here damnation, means the judg- 
 ment of a man's confcience,faftening upon him the charge 
 of guilt. And this it willdo, in the cafe the apoftle is upon, 
 if it does its proper office ; " becaufe, ( as he goes on 
 to reafon) he eateth not of faith," that is, he eateth, 
 not being fully perfuaded in his mind, that he might 
 lawfully eat. And this is lin. For as it follows, in 
 
 the 
 
gt Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 he eateih not of faith" ; that is, he ftands 
 
 condemned in his own confeience, becaule 
 
 he eats, not being fully perfuaded it was 
 
 lawful for him to eat. Thoufands of thofe 
 
 who 
 
 the next words, " whatfoever is not of faith is fin" j 
 that is, whatever a man doth, not being perfuaded, 
 fo as to be beyond doubt, that he might lawfully do 
 it, he fins in what he does. Faith ftands here in, 
 oppofition to doubting, and therefore means fueh a 
 perfuafion of mind as leaves no room for hefitation, 
 as to the lawfulness of an aclion. The greek word 
 tranllated here doubteth, is, as Mr. Lock obferves, 
 in Rom. 4. 20, tranllated JIaggered ; and is there 
 bppofed to ftrcng in faith ; or to fully perficad- 
 cd, as it follows in the next verfe : And this ex- 
 hibits the true meaning of the apoftle, in the text 
 We are u^on. His words, it is true, were fpoken 
 with reference to eating, or not eating, meat that 
 had been offered to idols. If a man doubted, 
 whether he might eat of fuch meat, he would 
 be now condemned, in confeience, if he did eat j 
 becaufe he did that which he was not fully perfuaded 
 in his own mind he might do. But his reafoning will 
 hold equally ftrong in the cafe before us. If it is 
 a man's profefTed principle, tjiart he ought not to be a 
 partaker of the facramental flipper, unlefs he is the fub- 
 ject of that faith which is connected with everlaft- 
 ing life, he will ftand condemned by his confei- 
 ence, if it judges rightly, as chargeable with guilt, if 
 he partakes while doubting, whether he is poiFeiTed of 
 
 this 
 
nricned and conjidtrccL g j 
 
 who might be worthy communicants at the 
 Lord's table, and receive great ipiritual pro- 
 fit by bciniy there, will be excluded from it, 
 if' thofe only may rightfully come to it, who 
 can come, not doubting of the goodnefs of 
 their character as chriitians. I cannot fup- 
 pofe our Lord has made the way to his ta- 
 ble 
 
 Hits faith. If he is not fo fully perfuaded that he isj 
 as to have got beyond doubt " he fins, Ipecaufe he does 
 not this in faith " ; that is, with a perfuafion of 
 mind, excluding all doubt, that he adls in this mat- 
 ter, as divinely warranted hereto. Whenever a. man 
 doubts of the lavvfulnefs of an action, it is not poffible 
 he fhould do that action, believing that he may law- 
 fully do it ; that is, in the exercife of a faith that is 
 oppofite to, and excludes doubting, which means the 
 fame thing with a clear, full, and ftrong perfuafion 
 of mind ; and unlefs he has this faith, or full perfua- 
 fion of foul, he "fins", if we may believe the apoftle 
 Paul. Upon the principle therefore, that faving grace 
 is a qualification, without which nqpe have a right 
 to partake of the Lord's-Supper, none ought to do 
 fo, until they are freed from all doubt as to their be- 
 ing thus qualified. Simple hope will not, in this cafe, 
 be fufricient ; no, nor a prevailing hope. A man 
 muft be fo fully perfuaded, as to have no doubt hanging 
 about his mind. And mould .he have been a partaker 
 of the ordinance of the fupper an hundred times if 
 he found himfelf to be in a doubting ftate, with re- 
 fpeel to the real truth of his character as one that 
 
 was 
 
94 Religious fiats and fcruples 
 
 ble Co ftrair and narro^y - 9 neither can I bring 
 myfelf ro think, that he ever intended this 
 appointment of his religion to bean occafi- 
 on of embarrasment to the minds of his dif. 
 ciples, thofe of them efpecially that are weak, 
 or fearful, and need rather to be encoura- 
 ged to, than deter'd from, the practice of ihar 
 duty. 
 
 The mod proper and direct anfwer there- 
 fore to the difficulty under confederation is, 
 
 a 
 
 was favingly converted, it would be his duty to obfervc 
 this inftitution no more, until his doubt was removed : 
 otherwife he would fin ; for whofoever eats and drinks 
 at the facramental fupper, according to the principle 
 we are considering, not having a clearly full, and fa- 
 tisfaclory perfuafion in his own mind, that he is born 
 of God, not only fins, but his confeience will tell him 
 that he fins, if it is faithful to do its office. 
 In this view of the matter, which is an apoftolic one, 
 thofe who have not as yet been at the table of the' 
 Lord, ought not to appear there, neither mould thofe 
 dare to come again who have often been there, if in 
 the ftatc David was in, when he prayed, as in Pfal. 
 51. "make me to hear joy and gladnefs— caft me not 
 away from thy prefence, and take not thine holy Spi- 
 rit from me, reftore unto me the joy of thy falvation, 
 and uphold me by thy free fpirit ; or if in the Hate 
 ©f thofe, Ifa'i. 50. 10. who, though "fearers of the Lord, 
 yet walked in darknefs, and faw no light". In a 
 
 word, if a right to the facramental fupper, and that 
 
 faith 
 
mentioned and conjidered. 95 
 
 a denial of the foundation on which it i§ 
 builc, namely, that faving grace is a qualifi- 
 cation without which perfons may not come 
 to the table of the Lord. If thofe may warran- 
 tably come, as allowed by their Lord to 
 come, who have not as yet attained to that 
 
 faith 
 
 faith by which a man is juftified, are infeperably 
 connected by the gofpel conftitution, no one, whe- 
 ther he never has been, or now is a communicant at 
 it, ought to appear a gueft there, unlefs he is fure 
 that he is a believer to life, that is, fo perfuaded 
 of this as to have no doubt about it in his mind- 
 If thefe now are all excluded, and exclude themfelves 
 they muft, or be condemned by their own confcien- 
 ces as chargeable with guilt if they do not : I fay 
 if all thefe are excluded, how amazingly thin will be 
 the appearance of guefts at the facramental fupper ! 
 By far the greater part in all our churches muft no 
 more come to this ordinance as communicants, until 
 they are fo fatisfied of the goodnefs of their ft ate, 
 in the fpiritual fenfe, as to be in no doubt about it ; 
 And, perhaps, there may be fome churches to whom 
 i.t ought not to be adminiftred, there not being a 
 fufficient number in them that can "eat in faith"; 
 that is, with fuch a perfuafion of their being the 
 fubjects of converting grace, as excludes all doubt 
 from their minds. Perhaps, this may be the cafe with 
 refpeft to fome at leaft of their paftors ; who then 
 fhall adminifter the ordinance to them ? Surely, our 
 Lord could never intend to make «n attendance at 
 his table a matter of almoft conftant perplexity ta> 
 his difciples ! 
 
^ 6 Religions fears and Jcrupies 
 
 faith which is laving, all ground of perplex-* 
 ity from this quarter is at once removed away. 
 And thac this is the real truth, I fhaii en- 
 deavour to m ike evident to you. And that 
 1 may do it in the mod eafie, and yet moll 
 fatisfying way, I (hall turn your view to the 
 practice of the infpired apoftles, in admitting 
 perfons to communion with them in "break- 
 ing of bread" 
 
 And was this fuch as will countenance the 
 thought, that nothing lefs than a faith that is 
 faving will qualifie for the lacrament, or that 
 none who are not thus qualified, ought to 
 come to it ? Far from this, their practice ob- 
 vioufly and unavoidably leads us to think juft 
 the reverfe; namely, that the facramentai in- 
 ftitution was defigned for the ule and benefit 
 of profelTing believers in general, whether 
 their faith is of the fpecial, or common kind. 
 It is certain, the feveral communities of chrif- 
 tians, in apoftolic times, were conftituted of 
 two forts of believers •, believers unto life, and 
 believers whole faith was not an abiding prin- 
 ciples of good action. And ic is as certain 
 that they all, unlefs exeluded for open fcan- 
 dal, were partakers at the Lord's table, and 
 this under apoftolic direction ; yea, as having 
 feme or other of the apoitks ac their head, 
 
 and 
 
mentioned and confidsrea. $y 
 
 gmd leading in the adminiftration. Nay, i* 
 is evident beyond difpute, that ic was the 
 practice of the apoftles to admit profeffing 
 JjeJieyers to the fupper of the Lord under 
 circumftaoces, wherein neither they, nor the 
 perfons themfelves, could, upon rational evi- 
 dence, know, whether their faith was any 
 other than that commqn one which would 
 confift with their periflung beyond the grave. 
 The three thoufand perfons we read of, in 
 my context, as admitted to " break bread '- 
 with the apoftles, were admitted to this 
 gofpel privilege, the very day they were con- 
 vinced that Jefus was the fluid, and pro- 
 feffed faith in him as fuch. And it is the 
 truth of fact, that it was their pracYce to 
 receive perfons to communion with them, in 
 all the privileges of God's yifible kingdom, 
 upon a bare profeflion of faith in Chriu% 
 .vithout waiting for evidence from its fruits.* 
 that it was the faith by which " the juft do 
 hyc*\ We no where read, in the facred 
 books, of their delaying to baptife any, or 
 eo admit them to fcllowfhip in the Lord's- 
 Supper, until it was made evident either tp 
 them, or the perfons themfelves, that they 
 were the fubje&s of that faith which is con? 
 Pf&ed with fe'vation. Far from this, they 
 
 N immediate;,? 
 
9-S Religious fears and Jcfupln 
 
 immediately baptifed, and admitted to the 
 facrament, all tnat profcfTed faith in the gof- 
 peUrevelation, and upon this profefiion only. 
 Surely, they would not have been thus hafty 
 tn their admiflions to a participation in gof- 
 pel ordinances, if they had thought, thac 
 chriftian profeflbrs might not, with the allow- 
 ance of their Savior, join together in " eat- 
 ing and breaking bread", until they were 
 the fubjecls of that faith which is juftifying. 
 Had this been their fentimcnt, it cannot be 
 fuppofed, without dimonouring their charac- 
 ter, that they would at once, without) any 
 delay, have owned all that, made aprofeffion 
 of faith as difciples, admitting them to ftl- 
 lowfhip with themfelves ia all the privileges 
 ©f the gofpel difpenfation. It might rather, 
 with all propriety, have been expected, thas 
 they would h&ve taken time to adviie, cau-, 
 tion, and guard their hearers ; waiting fcnr 
 credible evidence, in the judgment of ratio- 
 nal charity, that they were believers in the 
 laving fcnfe, before they allowed them to be 
 partakers at the Lord's* Supper. Had ihey 
 looked upon it as a truth, that this ordinance 
 was intended by our Lord, in his appoint- 
 ment of it, for the ufe of thofc only who 
 were believers unto life, it is unacountably 
 
 Grange* 
 
mentioned and tonfidvrtd* .§.9 
 
 ilrange, that they fhould have encouraged, 
 yea, directed fuch numbers to the ufe of it, 
 upon a bare profeffton only, before there 
 had been opportunity for the tryai of their 
 faith, or the exhibition of reafonable proof 
 that it wss of the faving kind. They knew 
 that our Lord had faid to believers in him, 
 " then are ye my difcipies, if ye continue 
 in my word". And again, Cl not every one 
 that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven, but he that 
 doth the will of my father which is in hea- 
 ven". They knew aifo, from what they had 
 feen themfelves, that, among thofe who had 
 prof eiTed faith in Chrift, there were feme, yea, 
 a grea: many, whofe faith did not "work by 
 ihat love*', either to God or man, which the 
 gofpel makes neceffary to denominate it a faith 
 that is laving. They could not therefore ad*- 
 mit perfons to chriftian fellowfhip in gofpel 
 ordinances, meerly, or only, upon a verbal 
 profeflion of faith, looking upon this pro- 
 fetfion as credible evidence, that they weretru- 
 ly fanflified. Fo-r it was not in the judgment 
 of the largeft rational charity, good evidence 
 in the cafe. Inftead of being convinced, up- 
 on juft and folid grounds, that it was a juflfy- 
 £i7g faith, there was reafon rather to-fear, at leaft, 
 
 in 
 
i©o Religious j 'ears' and fiTuptei 
 
 in regajrd of many, that it was no other faith 
 than would leave thtrm fhort of heavenly 
 falvatiori. It ought not therefore to be fup- 
 jpofed, when the apoftles fo fuddeniy admit- 
 ted perfons to baptifm, and the Lord's-Supper* 
 upon a bare profeffion of faith in Chrift, that 
 they imagined, that this profeffion gave cre- 
 dible proof that they were believers in the. 
 faving fenle, or that they efieemed them as 
 fuch. It is far more reafonable to think, ori 
 the contrary, that they understood, by the 
 faith here profeiTed, no mete than fuch a 
 conviction that " jefus was the Chrift* , ) as to 
 be therefrom difpofed and influenced to a 
 readinefs to own him as their Savior and Lord'-* 
 zrid> in confequence hereof, to put themfelves 
 under his care, guidance and tuition j and 
 to be found in the ufe of his appointments, as 
 the beft method they could take to be fur* 
 iher enlightened, improved, and trained up 
 in the way they fliouIJ go, in order to their 
 finding eternal life. It gofpel inftitutions are 
 cbnfidercd as a means wifely and powerfully 
 fifted to cultivate and improve fuch a faith as 
 this, and as defigned by God for the ufe of 
 khofe who have it, in order to their becoming 
 chriftians, formed to a "meetnefs, for the in- 
 heritance of the fan&ified by faith in JeUis 
 
 Chrift 
 
Mentioned and tonfidehd. j&t 
 
 thrift, the conduct of the apoules was 
 exactly fuch as it was proper and reafo- 
 nable it mould be. It is beyond all doubt 
 with rhe, that this was their fentimeht con- 
 cerning thefe inftiiucions ; and that th;S alfo 
 was their view in admitting thefe profefibrs 
 to an attendance on them, Nor, unlefs they 
 acted under the influence of this thought,. and 
 with this view, is ic poffible, as I imagine, to 
 juftifie either the wifdom of their conduct, c? 
 ifs faithfulnefs to God, or the fouls of men \ 
 Nor can they be juftified, upon any other 
 icheme of tho't, who encourage perfons in the 
 ufe of gofpel inftitutions, who are not clearly 
 iatisfied, upon proper tryal of their faith by 
 irs fruits, that it is of the faving kind. 
 
 The plain truth is, no good reafon can 
 be given, why the inftitutions of the via- 
 ble kingdom of God fhould not bz intended for 
 Jhe ufe arid benefit of all profcfiing fchtif- 
 tians, ferioufly concerned about their fouls* 
 and everlaftirig falvation * though their faith^ 
 at prefent, fhould be no other than that 
 which is the effect of the ordinary iliumi- 
 nations and afliftance of the divine Spirits 
 They are as fuitably adapted to beget, as to 
 *ncreafe*a faiththat is faving. And it is, perhaps, 
 la the fciicus, diligent, perftvering ufe of thefe 
 
 tefticutta 
 
1-6 1 Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 ftitutcd means of grace, that pcrfons, ge^ 
 nerally fpeaking, are made holy, really and 
 truly To, as well as improved in this gracious 
 quality of their minds. Men, it is true, 
 muft have faith in the gofpel-revelation, be- 
 fore they can attend its inflitutions, unlefs 
 they fhouid do it from a principle of hy- 
 pocrify. Accordingly the apoftles admitted 
 hone to chriftian communion, until they 
 profcfifed faith in Chrift. * But, upon do- 
 ing this, they received them into the king- 
 dom 
 
 * It may be worthy of remark here, as thofe, to 
 whom the gofpel was preached in the apoftles days, 
 were either Je-ws, or Gentiles, they could have ad- 
 million into the vifible kingdom of Chrift only by 
 baptifm, with a previous profelfion of faith in him 
 as the Son of God, ar.d Savior of the world. But 
 then it ought to be confidered, this profeflion they 
 might make from a real and ftrong perfuafion of 
 mind that he was " the Son of God", and his rer 
 ligion that alone by which they could be faved ; while, 
 at the fame time, their faith, which was the ground o* 
 their sdmiffion into Chrift's vifible kingdom, might 
 fall (hort of that which would intereft them in eter- 
 nal life. Our Savior himfelf has put this beyond dif- 
 pute, not only by declaring more than once, in ex- 
 prefs words, that f many who believed on him" were 
 not believers unto life ; but by a variety of parables, 
 which he fpake on purpofe to convey this fentiment, 
 that perfons might be vifible members of his kingdom, 
 
 though 
 
Mentioned and confidered, {&£ 
 
 dbm of grace ; not waiting for evidence 
 that they were already fit for the kingdom 
 of glory, but putting them at once under 
 the enjoyment of all gofpel means, privi- 
 leges* motives, and advantages, that they 
 
 might, 
 
 though their faith was not of the faving kind ; as 
 you may read at large, in the 13th Chap, of Matthew's 
 gofpel. Nay, fo far was he from fuppefing, that all 
 that profefled faith in him, and had thereupon been 
 admitted, as^drfciples, into his viiible kingdom, were 
 the fubje&s of thai? " faith by which the juft do live", 
 that he not only compares many of them to tares 
 growing up with the -wheat ; but folemnly prohibits 
 their being *' rooted up", and publifhes it as hisplea- 
 fure, that both be fuffered to " grow together, until 
 the time of the harveft". One reafon of this, with- 
 out all doubt, was, that they might, by !the cultivation 
 of gofpel means, and advantages, be changed into 
 good vjheat. In the natural world this is impoffible ; 
 but not fo, in the fpiritual kingdom of Chrift. Tares 
 may be, and often have been, converted into wheat : 
 And one thing defigned by our Savior m fuffering 
 tares to- have a being in his church unqueftionably was, 
 that this converfion, under gofpel culture, might be 
 effected. In this refpecl, there is an ejfeniial difference 
 between God*s kkgdom that is above, and his king- 
 dom here- on earth. None but fuch as have been 
 partakers of the grace of God in truth fhall have ad- 
 miffion granted to them into the heavenly kingdom. 
 And proviilon has accordingly been made to brin^ this 
 into event. For one that hxfalibly fenows " what- is 
 
 ia 3 
 
104 Religious fears and jcrufhs 
 
 might, by a wife and good ufe of them, be 
 n?ade " rnrn of God," formed to a " meet- 
 nets for the inheritance of the faints in light," 
 And it was doubdefs, the def;gn of God, in 
 
 erecting 
 
 in man", is the appointed judge, with whom it be- 
 longs to determine, who the perfons are that mall have 
 entrance into heaven. And none but fuch as he knows, 
 beyond the poflibiiity of miftake, have been ** fan&i- 
 fied through faith in him", mall fee his face there. 
 And had it been, in like manner, the intention of 
 God, that none but the " renewed in the fpirit of their 
 minds", mould be admitted into his vifible church on 
 earth, and partake of its vifible privileges, he would, 
 without all doubt, have taken fufficient care, fo to 
 have guarded the affair of admitfion as to have exclud- 
 ded all others. But this he has not done. There j- 
 no divinely conftituted judge, or judges, on earth, 
 either among the clergy or laity, confidered fingly, 
 or as united in a body, who are qualified to make 
 a certain judgment, refpecling the real character of 
 any of thofe who may defire to he admitted to fellow- 
 Ihip in gofpel ordinances ; neither are the perfons, 
 who offer themfelves, always able to make a juft 
 judgment of their own character, and never an abfo- 
 'lutely certain one. Chrift is the one only judge of the 
 internal ftate of men ; nor will this be certainly 
 known, until the day of the revelation of his righ- 
 teous judgment. It h, therefore, highly reafqnable to 
 think, that there is a difference between the terms of 
 admiflion into the church on earth, and the church in 
 heaven. If they were the fame, it would be abfurd 
 
mentioned and con/idered, \ Q e 
 
 ere&ing the gofpd difpenfation, with fq many 
 powerful, well adapttd means and advantage, 
 to train up all that are under it, as in a fchool 
 •• from fauh ro faith," from a common kith 
 Jo a fpccial one, and from a fpecial one in a 
 lower degree, to an highe •, until the fubjefts 
 pf it are complete in Chrift. 
 
 Enough has now been faid to make it 
 
 O evident, 
 
 to fuppofe, that no effectual provifion fhould be made 
 to keep thofe out of the church here, who aredifqua- 
 lified for an admiflion into the church of God that is 
 above. The plain truth is, it is no where fuggefled, 
 in any part of the old or new-teftament, that all 
 .thofe who are members of the vifible church here, and 
 admitted to partake of its vifible privileges, are real-* 
 ly and certainly faints ; or that, as fuch, they will 
 hereafter be joined to •*! the general aiTembly, and 
 church of the firft-born, which are written in heaven". 
 The intention of God, therefore, in erecting a vifible 
 •kingdom, here on earth, with a variety of viiible 
 means, helps, privileges, and advantages, was not 
 ' meerly, or only, to enlarge and brighten the qualifi- 
 cations of thofe, who are already ejjentially qualified for 
 "heaven ; but to form thofe alfo to a meetnefs for it, 
 who may as yet be destitute of this meetnefs : And 
 the inftitutions of this kingdom are all of them fo 
 contrived, as to be, at once, equally and powerfully 
 adapted, both to begin, and carry on, the work of 
 fanclification in the fouls of all that are members 
 pf it. 
 
 i 
 
io6 Religious fears and jcruples 
 
 evident, that faving grace is not a qualifica- 
 tion, without which peribns may not come tb 
 Che flipper of the Lord. 
 
 Two things are commonly objected againft 
 what has been faid, which it may be pro- 
 per and needful to take fome notice of 
 her©. 
 
 The 
 
 •** I may properly fubjoin here, the divinely ap- 
 pointed way, in which perfons become members of the 
 viable church of Chrift, is utterly inconfiftent with the 
 fuppoiltion, that, in order to their being fo, they muft be 
 the fubjefts of faving faith, or judged to be fo. 
 A profefTion of faith in Chrift, in apoftolic times, was 
 that, without which, neither Jews nor Gentiles, of 
 whom the world then confiikd, could, by baptifm, be 
 admitted members of his vifible kingdom. But how 
 was it poftible, that even the apoftles, much lefs their 
 iuccefTors in after ages, who could judge by the out- 
 ward appearance only, not having it in their power 
 to infpecl the hearts of others, mould be able to de- 
 termine, whether the faith they profeffed was of the 
 faving kind ? And it is certain, it was not always of 
 this kind, neither in the firft times of the gofpel, nor 
 in any age fine?. Shall we fay then, that thofe were 
 not members in the vifible kingdom of Chrift, whofe 
 faith was fhort of that which is faving ? This mu-ft be 
 faid, if faving faith is a necefifary qualification in or- 
 der to vifible membermip in the church of Chrift. 
 And will it not herefrom unavoidably follow, that 
 it is impofllble to know, who are, and who are not, 
 members of Chrift's vifible kingdom ? Yea, whether 
 he has any fuch kingdom in the world ? Be* 
 
mentioned and confidered. 107 
 
 The firft is, the cafe of the Ethiopian 
 eunuch, who, upon drfirir.g to be baptifed, re- 
 ceived that anfwer irom Phillip, who had 
 been expounding the icripture to him, " if 
 thou believed with all thine heart, thou 
 mlyeft. ,, The plea here is, faving faith was, 
 
 in 
 
 Eefides, it ought to be remembered, that the children 
 of thofe, who are members of Chrift's vifible church, are, 
 by the conftitution of God, from their firft coming in- 
 to exiftence, members of this kingdom in common 
 with their parents. So it -was under the Jewijh difpen- 
 fation. And fo it is now under the chrift ian ; if there 
 is any validity in one of the principal arguments, by 
 which we vindicate our practice, in baptiling the infants 
 of thofe, who are members of ChrifVs church. We 
 b/TpVife them, becaufe they are born difciples, 
 member?, in common with their parents, of the fame 
 vifible kingdom, under the administration cf Jefus 
 Chrift. Baptifm is the badge, fgn, or token of this 
 privilege, by which they are diftinguifbed from the 
 children of thofe parents, who are without the pale of 
 the church. With refpecl to thefe, who are by far 
 the greater part of the vifible kingdom of God, non e 
 will fay, they were, when they firft commenced members 
 pf this kingdom, the fubje&s of faving faith. A mem- 
 berfhip in the church of Chrift was their birth-right, an 
 abfolute grant of the favor of God towards them. 
 And members of this church they will be, whether 
 their parents bring them to baptifm, negledt to do fo, 
 or are hindered by the invented requirements of man. 
 For baptifm with refpeft to infants, is the mark of 
 
 Chiift, 
 
i£>g Religious fears and fcrupUs 
 
 in regard of this perfori, made neceflary hi 
 order to his being admitted to the ordinance of 
 baptifm. And if he might not be baptifed 
 without this faith, to be Aire he might not be 
 a partaker at the LordVtable. 
 
 The anfwer is eafie. It is faid, without 
 fuificicnt reafcn, that " believing with all the 
 
 heart" 
 
 thrift publicly owning them as members of hk king- 
 dom, not a rite by which they are admitted into it. 
 It will, perhaps, be faid here, lhouid it be allowed, 
 that the infant feed of believers are, in common with 
 their parents, members of the kingdom of Chrift, 
 yet it muft, at the fame time, be affirmed, that this 
 gives them no right, when they come to years, to fpe- 
 cial gofpel ordinances. In order to this, they muft 
 profefs faving faith in Chrift, and explicitly cove- 
 nant to be his : It is this, and this only, that inflates 
 them in this right. The reply is, if the gofpel was 
 to be preached to our native Indians, or to other pa- 
 gan people, or to the Jews in any place whither they' 
 have been fcattered, they would have no right, any 
 more than thofe the apoitles preached to, in their 
 day, to fpecial gofpel ordinances, until, by a previous 
 profefTion of faith in Chrift, they had been admit- 
 ted, by baptifm, into that vifible church of which he 
 is head. But this cannot, with truth, be applied to 
 thofe, who are already members of this church ; as 
 h the cafe, with refpect to fuch adults as had, in their 
 infancy, the mark of difciples put upon them by the 
 Water <of baptifm. How far it may -be expedient, 
 U tending to edification, for thefe previously to their 
 
 coming 
 
mentioned and confid<.red» 109 
 
 heart" • means the fame thing with faving 
 faith. Many, in the days of Chrift, and 
 his apcftles, heartily believed ; yea, their 
 whole heart was in their fajth, infomuch 
 that they received the word with joy, yea, 
 a ftrong motion in ail the paffions and af- 
 fections 
 
 coming tofpecial ordinances to profefs faith in Chrift, 
 and openly covenant to be his, I difpute not at prefent. 
 But thus much I will venture to fay, that, their right to 
 fpecial ordinances is not at all founded on any fuch 
 profefTioh or covenant, but on their memberfhip in 
 the church of Chrift. Being members of this church, 
 as truly fo as thofe who communicate at the table of 
 the Lord, they have a divinely eftablifhed right, when 
 they come ro years, to all the vifible means, privile- 
 ges, and advantages of the gofpel vifible kingdom " 
 Nor has any church on earth a power delegated to 
 them, from him who is head over all, to hinder them 
 from the exercife of this right, unlefs their behavior, 
 is fuch as that, in a way of chriftian difcipline, a 
 ftop is put to it conformably to the directions of the 
 gofpel. The plain truth is, they are either members 
 of the vifible kingdom of Chrift, or they are not* 
 There is no medium here. If they are members at 
 all, they are as much fo as they can be. It is not 
 in the power of man to make them more fo then 
 they are already. The owning the covenant, as it is 
 called, that they may have baptifm for their children, 
 according to the manner of tbefe churches; or their 
 cwning the fame covenant, or a like one, that they 
 taay be admitted, as we commonly fpeak, to full com- 
 munion* 
 
i io Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 fedtions of their heart ; while yet, their 
 faith was not as an abiding principle, as 
 appeareJ afterwards, by their falling away in 
 a time of temptation, or by their being led 
 afide by the cares of the world. And this 
 might have been the cafe of this eunuch, 
 for ought any thing that is known to the 
 
 contrary : 
 
 munion, makes no alteration as to their membership 
 in the kingdom of the Son of God. They were be- 
 fore as truly, and as much members in this kingdom, 
 as they are now. There are no half members in the 
 vilible kingdom of Chrift. Whoever are members at 
 alii are whole members ; and, as fuch, have a right, at 
 mature years, to a feat at the table of the Lord, un- 
 lefs, by their unchriftian conduct, they heve forfeited 
 it. The churchs of Chrift, I fear, are generally and 
 greatly wanting in their duty to thofe, whoarevifi- 
 ble members of the fame body with themfelves, while 
 they take little or no care, that they pay due ho- 
 nor to the fpecial institutions of chriftianity. In- 
 ftead of laying obftacles in their way, preventive of 
 this, they mould remove them fo far as it is in their 
 power; giving them all' the encouragement, and aifift- 
 ance they may need. If they fee their way clear to 
 bring their children to baptifm, and are ferioufly defi- 
 rous of it, they ihould be permitted to do it ; though 
 religious fears and fcruples mould reft rain them from 
 coming to rhe table of the Lord ; in which cafe, they 
 Ihould be inftru&ed in meeknefs, with all long-fuffer- 
 rlng and forbearance. Eut, if their neglect of this 
 ordinance ihould appear to arife from habitual care^ 
 
 leflnef3 
 
mentioned and confidered, m 
 
 contrary : Befides, the eunuch, in anfwer to 
 Phillip, did not fay that he u believed with 
 all his heart." His words import nothing 
 more than Tingle naked belief. Said he, "I 
 believe that Jefus is the Son of God" ; upon 
 which he was ftraitway baptifed. But if 
 his anfwer had been, " I believe with all my 
 hearr, that Jefus is the Son of God", it 
 would not have been evident, that he was 
 
 the 
 
 lefsnefs and inattention, difcovering their contempt of 
 
 it, they fhould be reproved and admoniihed ; and, 
 
 if finally obftinate in their contempt, they fhould, ia 
 
 the gofpel way, be cut off from their relation to 
 
 Chrift , — But I may not carry this note to a greater 
 
 length : Nor mould I have fo enlarged it, had it not 
 
 been my view to fignify my fentiments, with refpeft 
 
 to feme of the difputes of the prefent day ; which 
 
 appear to me founded on grofs ignorance of the real na- 
 
 nature of Ch rift's vifible kingdom. 
 
 Since the penning the above note, and putting it into 
 the printer's hands, I obferved, upon occafionally look- 
 ing over the records of the firft church in Bofton, 
 of which I am paftor, the following queftions, with 
 an affirmative anfwer to them. 
 
 " Whether the relation of immediate children of 
 church members be fuch, as giveth the church a church- 
 power over them ? And, confequently, whether it is the*- 
 duty of the church to exercife that power regularly 
 upon them, that their knowledge and life may be an- 
 fwerable to the engagements of their relation ? And 
 whether it be the church's mind, that £>lemn notice 
 
 be 
 
I i i Religious fears and Jcrupks 
 
 the fubjed of a faith that would have argued 
 his being born of God : To be fure, he 
 could not know that he was, upon juft and 
 folid grounds, unlefs by infpiration from a- 
 bove \ and without this, he would have been top 
 hafty, and indeed rafh, if his declaration 
 concering his faith was intended to con- 
 vey this thought. 
 
 It may poftibly be thought by fome, that 
 <fc believing with all the heart" is too ftrong 
 a mode of fpeech to mean any thing mort 
 of a faith that is connefted with life. But 
 it is a certain truth, that perfons may be- 
 lieve in Jefus as the Son of God, and Savior 
 of the world ; really in oppofition to deceit, 
 and hypocrify ; heartily, in oppofition to the 
 want of affe&ion \ and " with all their heart", 
 as (ignifying the pafiionate emotion of their 
 whole foul ; while yet their faith may have no 
 
 depth 
 
 be given to them feafonably ? Voted by the church in 
 the affirmative, on the 29th of the 1 ith month 1696. 
 In agreement with this declared fenfe of the church, 
 feveral acts of difcipline are recorded ; particularly, the 
 two following. 
 
 " Son of our brother of the age of 16 years, 
 
 born and baptifed into the fellowship of the cove- 
 nant, for his choofing evil company, and frequenting 
 a houfc of ill report, and that at unfeafonable times, 
 
 with 
 
mentioned and confidertd^ xi§ 
 
 depth of root, and may leave them flaort of 
 chat renovation of mind without which they 
 cannot be faved. It may be worth remem- 
 bering here, it is laid 2 Chron. 15. 12, that 
 " all Judah entered into a covenant to fcek 
 the Lord God of their fathers with all their 
 heart, and with all their foul". It follows in! 
 the 15th v. "and all Judah rejoiced at the 
 oath ; for they had fworn with all their heart : 
 a nd God was found of them". Surely, nd 
 one will fay, that, by "all the heart", in this 
 pafTage, we are to underftarjd a heart that had 
 
 P beeri 
 
 with bad perfons, was called before the church, and 
 admonifhed, the 3d of the I ft month, 1653". 
 ■ <f Being of the age of 21 years, born and bap- 
 tifed in the fellowihip of this church, for his commit- 
 ting the fin of forni«ation, and his contempt of the 
 church, that he would not come to hear them, was, in 
 the name of the Lord Jefus, and with the confent of the 
 church, excommunicated, on the 28th of the 4th month 
 
 1657. 
 
 I have here inferted the fenfe of this church, refpeft- 
 ing their duty towards baptifed perfons, and their practice 
 thereupon, in a way of difcipline ; becaufe, as I ima- 
 gine, they are truly fcriptural, and if copied after, 
 
 " with due care and wifdom, would ferve the church of 
 God vaftiy more, than all that has ever been contrc- 
 verfially wrote, about the right of perfons that have 
 Jbeen baptifed to bring their children to baptifm, or to 
 
 V> break bread" thc»felves at the table of the kcrd* 
 
I!4 Religious fears and Jernftn^ 
 
 been renewed by the grace of God. The 
 mod the pbrafe can be iuppoled to import 
 U, that thev entered into this covenant in 
 real earned, as- having in motion the feveral 
 palTions and arTe&ions of their heart. So this 
 eunuch believed, befcrs he was baptifed & 
 snd yet, neither he, nor they, might be the fub- 
 je&s of that fan&ifyirg grace, without which 
 they could not enter into- that life which is> 
 eternal in heaven. 
 
 The other objection is taken from thofe 
 words of the apoftle Paul, which he fpakc. 
 with immediate reference to a participation at 
 the Lord's- Supper, i Cor. n. 28. "Let a 
 man examine himfelf, and fo let him eat of 
 that bread, and drink of that cup". Now, a 
 man's having, or not having, that faith which 
 interefts him in the pu-chafes of the redeemer's 
 crofs, being an affair of the greateft impor- 
 tance, it is fuppofed, that this is the faith 
 about which we are di reeled to examine 
 our felves, and fo go, cp forbear to go, to the 
 Lord's- Supper, as we find ourfelves to be, or 
 net to be, the fubjecls of it. 
 
 In anfwer whereto, I would fay. It is rea- 
 dily acknowledged to be a matter of great im- 
 portance to examine into our faith, that wp 
 c:ay know, whether it is a faith that is connecl- 
 
mentimed and ton/idered. 115 
 
 £d Mrith falvation ; and it may be fit and pro- 
 per, as it would anfwer fome very gocd ends, 
 thus to examine ourfelves, when we are about 
 to go to the table of the Lord ; thotigh this 
 is not the examination the apoftle has here in 
 his view. Tfce examination he directs to, does 
 not fo much relate to the chriftian's character 
 as favingly converted, as to his knowledge 
 and faith, with reference to the facramental 
 fupper. * The cafe was this, Tne Corinthi- 
 ans, -to whom he was now Writing, had been 
 
 very 
 
 * The famous Henry Stephens, to whom our greek 
 lexicographers are greatly indebted, and from whom 
 they have greatly copied, affixes to doUmazo, as ex- 
 preflive of its meaning, the words, exploro, prcbo, 
 txperior, examine, aftimo ; and exhibits a number of 
 examples, from the beft greek writers, of thefe feve- 
 ral meanings of the word. And in all thefe fenfes, 
 and perhaps in fome other, it is uied in the new- 
 tcftament-books ; examples of which might eafily be 
 pointed out. But, inilead of this, I would rather 
 obferve, that its more fpecial fenfe is always to be 
 determined by its connexion in the difcourfc of 
 which it is a part. It may alfo be worthy of remark, 
 whether it tigniries, in any place, to prtvs, approve, 
 eftesm, or the like, the bafij of this meaning is, the 
 true meaning of the englilh word, examine. I would 
 further fay, to examine, explore, Jift a matter by 
 thorough inquiry, is moft frequently the (cn(^ in 
 wlilch d'jkivtazo • i$ ufed ; though this fenfe is fignified 
 
 m 
 
i i 6 Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 j'^ry irregular and diforderly in their cele- 
 bration of the Lord's-Supper, for which the 
 zrpoftle , in this nth chapter of his epiftle to 
 them, (harply reproves them •, and, in order 
 to rectify their diiorders, he particularly re- 
 lates 
 
 in our btble-tranflation, by various englifti words 
 of one and the fame import. And this, as I judge, is 
 its proper , or more fpecial, fenfe in the text we 
 are upon. When the apoftle fays, Dokimazsto de 
 anthropos eauton" , the translation in our bibles, " let 
 a man examine himfelf", is, I imagine, as proper 
 and juft an one as could be given. For, let it be re- 
 membered, in order to rectify the diforders of the 
 church at corinth, in relation to their obfervance of 
 the facramental fupper, he had particularly recited to 
 them the original inftitution, as he had received it 
 from Chrift himfelf : Upon which he immediately^ 
 fubjoins, "let a man examine himfelf, and fo let 
 Kim eat." To what end could he here fet, before 
 the view of the Corinthians, the pure, uncorrupt in- 
 ftitution of the fupper, if it was not, that, by ex- 
 amining their conduct by it, fhey might be influ- 
 enced to behave better for the future. Surely, the 
 ' duty here injoined them can be no other, than a 
 trial of their u eating" the Lord's-Supper by the 
 inftitution itfelf, in order to their comporting with 
 the end propofed by it. His meaning may, I think, 
 be clearly and fully exprefTed in the following pa- 
 japhrafe, let a man bring himfelf to the teft of the 
 inftitution, as 1 have given it in the words of Chrift 
 himfelf; let him examine, explore, try, and lift him- 
 felf 
 
mentioned and conjidered. \ \ y 
 
 iates to them the inftitution of the fupper, as 
 he had received the account of it immediate- 
 ly from Chrift himfelf, that, knowing its 
 nature and defign, they might obferve it in a 
 more worthy manner In order whereto, his 
 direction follows "let a man examine him- 
 felf, and fo let him eat of that bread, and 
 drink of that cup". As if he had faid, I have 
 
 laid 
 
 felf by it : In this way, he can be at no lofs to de- 
 termine, that his conduct will be greatly to blame, if 
 he eats and drinks at the facramental fupper in that 
 irreverent manner I have defcribed, and am endeavour- 
 ing to reform ; but will fee himfelf obliged to do 
 this in agreement with the nature, and defign, of 
 this facred appointment : " And fo let bim eat" ; that 
 is, conforming the manner of his eating to what up- 
 on examinatioa, he finds it ought to be ; as what tye 
 does in this matter is, in obedience to a facred ap- 
 pointment of Jefus Chrift. And this fame trying, 
 exploring, examining, a man's felf, by comparing his 
 thoughts, his views, and his temper of mind, with 
 the nature and de%n of the facramental inftitution, 
 as kere recorded by the apoftle, will, at all times, 
 and with refpeft to all chriftians, in all places, have 
 an happy and powerful tendency, not only to guard 
 them againft all irreverence and indecency in their 
 celebration of the Lord's-Supper ; but to excite their 
 care to eat of the bread, and drink of the wine 
 there, fo as that they may do this in a manner be- 
 coming fo facred a rite of the religion of Jefus 
 Ghriit. 
 
I !$ Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 laid before you, in plain eafie words, the 
 nature and defign of the facramental fuppcr* 
 as instituted by Jefus Chrift, Examine your* 
 felves by this rule, and do it fenoufly, care- 
 fully and faithfully. This I advife you to, 
 as a proper and fuitable expedient to prevent 
 your coming to this ordinance in the irreve- 
 rent, indecent manner you have formerly done. 
 In this way, you may come in a more wor- 
 thy and becoming manner, to the honor of 
 Chrilt, and your own fpirirual profir. What 
 the apoftle aims at is, to put them upon duly 
 diftinguifhing between this fupper of the Lord, 
 and their own, which they ate previous to it $ 
 looking upon it, not as a common meal, and 
 partaking of it as fuch, but as an inilituted 
 memorial of Chrilt's dying love. This they 
 might do, though their faith as yet was no 
 other than that, which is me effect of the or- 
 dinary influence of the divine Spirit. Doubt- 
 lefs, a very con fide r able number of thefe Co- 
 rinthians had no higher a faith than this ; 
 and if the apoftle intended, that they mould 
 fo examine themlelves as not to come to the 
 facrament any more, unlefs they could find that 
 they had faving faith, a very great part of this 
 church mu(t have abftained from the ufe of 
 this ordinance. But this the apoftle had not 
 
 in 
 
mentioned and confidtred, n^> 
 
 m view. His only defign was, to direct toTuch 
 an examination, more efpccially in relation ta 
 the facramental fupper, as might happily in- 
 fluence them to come to it in a more beco- 
 ming manner, and as might reafonably be ex- 
 pected of thofe, who eat and drink of thole 
 fymbois, which figuratively reprefent the dying 
 love of Chrift towards finners. 
 
 But the defign of the apoftle in this chap- 
 ter will be more largely iliuftrated, when I 
 come to confider the next difficulty that hin- 
 ders many ferious chriflians from an approach 
 to the Lord's table. This is an important 
 difficulty, and the occafion of perplexing fear 
 to a great many. The confideration of ic 
 mult therefore be left to fome other opportu- 
 nity. 
 
 I shall only fay further at prefent, It is 
 not an eafie matter for chriftians, efpecially 
 chriftians that are weak in faith, or that are 
 but beginners in religion, to determine con- 
 cerning their faith, that it is, not of the com- 
 mon, but faving kind. It would therefore be 
 inconvenient and Unfit to put them upon ftiak- 
 ing this determination, previous to their go- 
 ing to the facrament, and as a qualification 
 in order to ir, and without which they might 
 *ipt attend at it. It would unavoidably throw 
 
 th*. 
 
HP Rdigicus fears and fcruphs ■ 
 
 the minds of many that are real chriftiansy 
 as well as other ferious well-difpofed perfons* 
 into perplexity and fear, and keep them 
 from coming to this ordinance, though they 
 might othcrwife come to it with profit to 
 themfelves, and fo as to honor their mafter 
 Jefus Chrifl. I cannot fuppofe, the apoftle 
 would have given this occafion of diftreffing 
 concern, as he muft have done, in thoufands 
 of inftances, if the examination he direds to, 
 in this text, refers to a determination of our 
 faith as faving, in order to our going to the 
 facramenj. 
 
 The good Lord blefs what has been now 
 faid to the removal of thofe fears, which keep 
 any from the table of the Lord j and may there, 
 for the time to come, be feen a greater nam* 
 ber of welcome guefts at it ! 
 
 AMEN. 
 
* m m %. m 4 
 
 S E R M O N V 
 
 Acts. II. 42. 
 
 ^?i they continued Jleadfaftty — in breaking 
 " of Bread" 
 
 3e3c3fe HAVE taken occafion from this 
 
 f£ i &* CCAt t0 fp ea k to tn °fe wn °fe 
 
 ^w ^ minds are perplext with diffi- 
 
 3^5? ciilties, which keep them from 
 attending the facranuntal "break- 
 ing of bread, 5 ' Several of thefe difficulties 
 have been already mentioned, and that faid 
 which was thought fufficient for the removal 
 of them. 
 
ReBpcm fisrs mi fcrwfln 
 I now proceed to another dUncolry, and 
 
 a the waj :: many ferious* wefl- 
 
 c..*:: r~ : L:is- table j and 
 
 fh s :i :ei: cf 1 -*:^ i~ _ dr.->Tg _ • - 
 
 : ::-.!;*', art : .-. ~ z _ 
 
 dbe body and blooc be Lord", and 
 
 • damnation to thcmlelves". This 
 
 . ::: bis _- - ■ : - ::.:: : f::~ : - - 
 
 ::: : of the 
 
 iz~.r..t ?. ... I :- .:. : -. ■ v- ; . -v : - 
 
 thai] e:: this bread, and dr: -5 cup of 
 
 Lord unworthily, fhall be : :: I be 
 
 body and blood of the Lord 9 *^in, 
 
 ' : _ . : :, * H: 
 
 - :: .-i;y, : : -. :- 
 
 . not c : r .; the i_ - 
 
 J :..,..'.. 
 
 7>:: -:::.". :-.i ~:fi :5:£fjal way, as 
 
 I im: to rtatc this diilkulty, aad 
 
 ---, z : \ ; "- : ' z •■-■: :, :■ 
 
 I be perpleaed with I be to be 
 
 ar.d ttkafi in aice? taioirj u : 
 
 precife meaning of the apotUe, in the phrafe 
 
 ■ : :-. '- :_ _ : 
 
 ■ " ■ - . " : " z ' ' : : - • : : : " r : - : / 
 
 mi blood of the Lore and * ; e ig 
 
 Tination to hicnfelf " ; and 
 
 *«£n at may be oft td to 
 
 tr." 
 
mentioned and confidered, 123 
 
 the cafe of thofc, who may be under per- 
 plexing fear, from thefe paffages of facred 
 writ, in a few remarks, or ©bfervations, fuited 
 to give them relrer and help. 
 
 I shall, in the firft place, endeavour,' 
 with all plainr.efs, to open the meaning of 
 the apoftle in the above recited words, that 
 have been the occasion of difficulty to ferious 
 chriftians. 
 
 Only, before I come to this, I would 
 make a previous note, and delire it may be 
 particularly attended to, and all along remem- 
 bered, in the following difcourfe. It is this. 
 The pafiages we are going to explain are not 
 indepcndanc fentences, the proper meaning of 
 which is to be gathered, from the meer force 
 of the words, in themfelves fimply, and nakedly* 
 confidered, but parts of a well cohering dif- 
 courfe ; and can therefore be explained in no 
 way, but by confidering the defign in view, 
 *he part they bear in the difcourfe, and how 
 they (land connected with it. The not duly 
 confidering thefe things is, I believe, the rea*. 
 fon their true meaning has fo often been un- 
 happily mifunderftood. "Eating and drinking 
 unworthily" at the Lord's table, confidered 
 in general, will never lead one into the true 
 meaning of it in this place s becaufe the apoftle 
 
 is 
 
1*4 Religious fears and fcruphs 
 
 is fpeaking of a fpecial cafe, and the particu- 
 lar unworthinefs of a particular number of 
 ehriftians, which can be known in no wa^ 
 but by confulting the context. The nature 
 and meaning of this u unworthinefs" and the 
 *' fpecial punifhment" incurred by it, muft be 
 meafuredby that, and by that alone; unlefs 
 it may be thought allowable to break in upon 
 the apoftle's courfe of reafoning, and put a 
 fenfe on his words that has no pertinency 
 to the defign he is upon -, which is certainly 
 an unfair treatment of an human writing, and 
 ought much lefs to be pradlifed in regard of 
 one that is facred, as being of divine infpiration. 
 Having made this remark, the way is 
 clear to look into the contexr, as the only 
 proper method to underftand the apoftle, in 
 the phrafes we are about to explain. And by 
 doing this we (hall find, that great diforders, 
 particularly with reference to the facramental 
 fupper, had crept into the Corinthian church. 
 It was on account of thefe diforders, that the 
 apoftle wrote this chapter ; and if we would 
 know, what that " unworthy eating and drinks 
 ing" is, which he blames thefe Corinthians for, 
 and would rectify for time to come, we muft 
 know what the indecences, and diforders 
 
 were, that prevailed among them. For this 
 
 un~ 
 
mentioned and CQnJidered. 125 
 
 ^ unworthinefs" mud be explained by thefe 
 diforders. 
 
 The apoftle, before he comes to parti- 
 cular inftances of their mifcondudl, declares 
 in general, as in the 1 7. ver, " I praife 
 you not, that you come together not for 
 the better, but for the worfe". More is 
 intended in thefe words than is exprtfled. 
 Their meaning is, far from commending yog, 
 I think you are greatly to be blamed. What 
 I rebuke you for, and with feverity too, 
 is, that, when you affcmble together for the 
 performance of the public offices of religi- 
 on, you behave fo as that your coming to- 
 gether, inflead of being for your fpiritual 
 advantage, tends rather to the increafe of 
 your guilt. 
 
 Having fpoken thus generally, he now 
 comes to particulars •, mentioning the fpecial 
 inftances, wherein they were blame worthy. 
 And they are thefe that follow. 
 
 The firft is, their having divifions among 
 them. Says he, (ver. 18.) " when ye come 
 together in the church, I hear there are di- 
 vifions among you ; and I partly believe it." 
 It fhould feem it was by report from others, 
 and not perfonal knowledge, that he became 
 
 acquainted with this diforder in the church 
 
 at 
 
t i 5 Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 at Corinth. But fuch was his intelligence* 
 that he believ'd it "in part", or rather . 
 fully " of part" of the church. And a fcan- 
 dalous diforder this was* The word, (in the 
 original Schifmata) here tranflated civifions ; 
 means, not meerly, or only, divifions in their 
 affeftions towards each other, but divifions 
 in their outward conduft. It is true, they 
 met together in the fame place for commu- 
 nion at the Lord's- Supper, but it was in a 
 fchifmatical manner, dividing thernfelves into 
 parties, and not appearing, as they ought to 
 have done, as one body, affectionately united in 
 commemorating the dying love of their 
 common Lord. It cannot be deduced from 
 any thing that is faid in this chapter, or 
 in any part of the epiftle, that they had as, 
 yet feparated from each other under the form 
 of different fetts, meeting in different places 
 for worfhip : but the apoftle tells them, 
 that fo it might be expected it would be. 
 The prejudices, the lufts, and unfubdued 
 tempers of men would lead to this, and God 
 in his righteous providence might permit 
 it, that it might be made to appear who, 
 upon trial, would be approved as ftedfaft and 
 immoveable. So his words run, ver. 19, " For 
 
 there muft be alfo herefies [ in the original, 
 
 Aire/eis 
 
'mentioned and conjidered. ^27 
 
 AtnfeiS) fifts * J among you, that they which 
 are approved may be made manifeft among 
 you". But though this corinthian church wa* 
 not at prefent divided into two, or more 
 feparate focieties, but continued one chriftian 
 community, meeting together in the fame 
 place, yet they behavtd in their afiemblies 
 in an unbrotherly, fa&ious and fchifmatical 
 manner. The apoftle, accordingly, applies to 
 them, as in the 20 vcr. M when ye come to- 
 gether therefore into onf place, f this is not 
 
 to 
 
 * The englifh word, herejie, is, by ecclefiaftical 
 writers, moft commonly, if not always, reftrained in 
 its meaning to doEtrinal tenets, fuppofed to be dange- 
 roufly corrupt ; but this is not the fenfe of the 
 greek word, airejis from whence it is derived, as 
 ufed in the new-teftament-books. It rather means 
 what we call a feSf, or people in a ftate of fepera- 
 tion from others, and meeting together as a different 
 denomination. I have looked over all the places in 
 the new teftament, where the word is ufed, and find 
 that this is the fenfe in which it is to be underftood, 
 in every text, one only excepted, which may admit 
 of difpute. 
 
 f The phrafe,in the original, epi to auto, being of 
 the neutral kind, may as well fignifie vjith the fame 
 dcfign, for the fame thing, as to cue place ; and it is 
 accordingly often fo to be underftood. But the tranfla- 
 tion here, to one place, beft fuits the connection, as I 
 imagine* 
 
ltd F^igious fears and fcrizpks 
 
 to eat the Lord's-Supper." As if he had 
 faid, though you afTemble,' as a chriftian 
 fociety, in one and the fame place, and 
 there eat ; yet you do it after fuch a man- 
 ner, that it would be a difhonour to a facred 
 inftitution of Chrift, to fpeak of it as eating 
 the Lord's Supper, This leads to 
 
 A number of other faults, thefe Corin. r 
 thians are obvioufly charged with, and fevere- 
 \y reproved for j as we may fee, in the 2 (9 
 and 2 2d ver. in which they arc thus addref- 
 fed, H in eating every one takcth before other 
 his own fupper, and One is hungry, and ano- 
 ther is drunken. What ! have ye not houfes 
 to eat, and to drink in ? or defpife ye the 
 church of God, and fliame them that have 
 not ? (hall I praife you in this ? I praife 
 you not" ? 
 
 Their having a u fupper of their own" 
 in the houfe of God, when about to cele- 
 brate the fupper of the Lord, is here evi- 
 dently fpoken of as indecent and irregular. 
 When the apoftle fays, <c every one eateth 
 before other his own fupper", it is eafie to 
 perceive, that he alludes to a cuftom which 
 had obtained among them, whatever gave rife 
 to it, namely, that of having a common feaft 
 
 in the place of worfhip, here called H their 
 
 own 
 
mentioned and confukred. \i^ 
 
 own fupper," * either previous to, cr mixed 
 with, the <w Lord , s-Supper. ,, This he plainly 
 condemns, and would reprefent as a diforder 
 unhappily introduced among them. What elfe 
 can be the meaning of thole feverely reprehen- 
 five interrogatives, " what, have ye not houfes 
 to eat and to drink in ? or defpife ye the 
 church of God" ? As if he had laid, Is ic 
 
 R not 
 
 * There is no room to queftion, whether chrifti- 
 ans, in the apoftolic age, and afterwards, had their 
 feafts, their agaprf, that is, their love or charity f caffs* 
 Jude fpeaks of thefe feafts ; fo does Ignatius, which 
 may give fome a favorable opinion of them ; fo do 
 Clement of Alexandria, Tertuliian, and others. It 
 does not appear, from any thing that is faid in any 
 paflage in the new-teftament books, that thefe feafts 
 were a divinely inftituted preface, or appendix, to 
 the Lord's-Supper. They were, without all doubt, 
 the invention of man. Probably, they might take rife, 
 with refpccl to both Jeivifn and Gentile converts to 
 the chriftian faith, from the fame general caufe. 
 
 We all know it was after our Lord had eat, the 
 paffover-feaft with' his difciples, that he eat with them 
 his ovon fupper ; and he did it with what remained 
 of the paftbver bread and wine, firft folemnly fepa, 
 rating them to the fpecial ufe of remembering him. 
 The Judaizing chriftians, under the guidance (h is 
 likely ^ of Judaizing ttachers, introduced of their own 
 heads, tinged with jewiili fuperftition, a fupper pre- 
 vious to the Lord's t as the Lord's-Supper, when firft 
 inilituted, was preceeded with the paffover-fuDper. 
 
 Ar4 
 
r3© Religions fears and fcrupkt 
 
 rot to your d fzrace, and can you do any- 
 other than think fo., that you make the 
 houfc of God a place for common feafting, 
 when you have houfes of your own, you may 
 ufe to this purpofe, as proper occafions may 
 be offered therefor ? Your confeiencts, duly 
 enlightened,, will reproach yoo for iuch un- 
 fuirabte conduct. 1 cannot but fnppofe, that 
 thefe fuppers, in the place of worfhip, and 
 corjoined, as it were, with the Lord's, let them 
 be called Uve-fafrs^ or by whatever o.her 
 
 name 
 
 And this previous fupper of their's might, as to the 
 principles of its introduclion, favor fo much of that 
 which was JexviJJi in religion, as to give occaficn of 
 offence to the Gentile chriftians. 
 
 On the otnerhand, the Gcnti'e chriftiaLS, as the Lord's-, 
 fupper was confequent upon a feaft, fome of the me.- 
 terials of which were fet apart and confecrated in 
 remembrance of Chrift, might think it proper to pre- 
 face the fupper of the Lord with one of their own, 
 making uh of the bread, and wine of their own 
 fupper in their obfervance of our Lord's. And ther 6 
 may be the more reafen to give this rife to this pre- 
 vious funper among the greeks, as it is known to 
 have been their cuftora to ha_ve focial feafts or flippers. 
 I would add here, this previews fupper, thus differen- 
 ced as to the cirumftances attending its rife, with refpect 
 to the Jcxvifn and Gentile chriltians, ftiight be one 
 oecaiion of the ($chifma.ta) div/Jions there were amon^ 
 Skem, and coaiplaintd of by the apoftle in the. i8ih ver. 
 
Mentioned and confidered. iai 
 
 riim j ; arc hfre fjL-mly prohibited by the 
 apoitle ; efpecially, when h^ aids, " fhall t 
 praife you in t'r.s ? I praife yoa not.'' Hi 
 could fcarce, in any wav of d:clion that was 
 rfiore linking, hive exprcfTrd his condemnation 
 of this pra&ice among them. 
 
 Anjt'ier irregularity they arc rebuked for^ 
 is, their confounding, or lb mingling, " their 
 own" with the " Lord's-Supper," that they 
 were neither properly, nor fufficiently diftin- 
 guilhed from each other, as thty ought t© 
 ,have been. It is with fpecia! reference to 
 this diibrder, that the apoftte charges them, 
 ver. 29, with' " not decerning the Lord's • 
 body", or, as the original words, \me dia- 
 •krinon\ might, perhaps, be more properly ren- 
 dered, " n ;t differencing *, not difcriminating, 
 the Lord's body," that is, the facrsmental 
 bread, ftguraiively called by our Savior in the 
 iuftitution or *'his flipper,", and by the apoftle 
 Paul in this chapter, " the body of Chrifl", 
 
 from 
 
 * So the original word means, and is tranflated to 
 mean, in the following texts, Ac~t. 15. 9. 1. Cor. 4. 
 7. Jude ver. 22. And this, undoubtedly, is its moie 
 fpecial meaning here ; leading us to think, efpecially 
 comparing this 29th with the 33d ver. that cne thing the 
 Corinthians are blamed for is, their eating the Lord's- 
 'Supper as a part of their own, or fo mingling them 
 together, as not to preferve a due diftincUon between 
 them; which moll certainly they ought to have dope. 
 
fjl Religious fears and Jcruples 
 
 n the bread cf " their own fopper.' 1 
 And in ih-ir way of celebrating the "(upper 
 of the Lord", it is plain it was tibt luitably 
 differenced, or difcriminated, fiom their "own 
 (upper" ; ncr did it appear, as in ought to 
 have done, an open, folemn, relrg'otts. deck- 
 ration, or (hewing forth, of his death. 
 
 Another fault Mill they are charged with 
 is, their fo eating their own (upper as to be- 
 tray a want of thai kindnefs, yea, that com- 
 mon decency, which would have been blame- 
 worthy in thofe who knew nothing of Christi- 
 anity. By comparing the 2 id with the 33d 
 ver. we fhall find, that they did not "tarry 
 for one another", but as they came to the 
 place of wprlhip fell to, as the vulvar phrafe 
 is, and eat every one of what he had brought - r 
 by which means thofe who had brought a 
 plenty were fatiated, while thole who, being 
 poor, had brought nothing, were made afha- 
 med, not having wherewithal to keep them 
 from hunger. A ftrange manner of conduct 
 this ! It net only difcovered the prefent inope- 
 ratjoa of that brotherly kindnefs, which is the 
 glory of a chriftian, but downright incivility ; 
 and they are both aggravated, as they were 
 now purpofely aflembied, and aifembling, 
 
 rhac 
 
mentioned and conjidtred. 13 3 
 
 th.:t they might unite in celebrating a facred 
 rice of the religion of Jeius. * 
 
 The lad, but grcattft diforder, among 
 
 thcie 
 
 * The diforder complained of, in the above para- 
 graph, alwavs appeared unaccountable to me, until I 
 had the opportunity of reading Raphelius's " phil 7 - 
 gical ahnctations" ; where 1 met with thefe v. 
 vol. ii. pag. 344, " moris fait athenis"— that is, "it 
 was a cuftom among the atheniass, in the age of So- 
 crates, for perfons who came to a fupper, to brir.g 
 every one of them fomething for himfelf ; which was 
 hot made common to all, but for the moft part every 
 one eat that which was his own. An example of 
 this he holds out to view from Xencphon, in his 
 " memorab", lib. in. pag. 623; which is as full an 
 illuftration of this diforder among the Corinthians as 
 can be defired. The words are thefe ; " Opcte de" — In 
 engliih thus, " when of thefe who came together that 
 they might fup, fome had brought with them a very 
 little, others a great deal of provifion, Socrstes ordered 
 a lad to put the little in common, or to dirlribute to 
 each a part: In confequence of which, thofe who had 
 brought a plenty with them were both afhamed not to 
 partake of what was ferved up in common, and not 
 to produce their cwn. They therefore put down their 
 provifions in common, and becaufe they enjoyed no 
 more than thofe who had brought but little, they defifled 
 from expending much in procuring vicluals". Itfhould 
 feem, from this citation, that even a Socrates was afha- 
 med of that diforderly conduct among the , pagan 
 Greeks, at their collation /uppers, which appears to 
 have been continued among the Corinthians after their 
 converfion to chriflianity. 
 
134 Religious fears and fcrnples 
 
 theie Corinthians, was their excrfs, or intempe*- 
 ranee \ which, at any time, is highly criminal, 
 but eminently fo when about to eat br?ad, 
 and drink wine, at the facramental fupper. 
 The charge aga inn: them, in the 2 1 it vtr is, 
 not only that, "in eating every one taketii 
 before other his own topper", buz that, while 
 "one is hungry, another drunken**. It has 
 been thought fcarce poffible, that thefe chrifli- 
 ans, especially while together in order to cele- 
 brate fo folemn a rite as that of the Lord's- 
 Supper, fhouid be chargtabic with drunkennefe* 
 literally andgrofsly fpeakinkj. Expofitors there- 
 fore have commonly undesflood the word here 
 in a more lax fenle \ fuppofing the moil that 
 can be meant by it is, that they had ufed 
 too great freedom at their "own fupper", eat- 
 ing and drinking to a degree of excels ; and 
 that, in this unfuitable frame, they partook, 
 ibme of them, of the facramental bread and 
 wine. And this was the thought i was led to 
 entertain of this matter, until I had given it a 
 more critical examination ; fince which I rrna- 
 gine,'t may juftly be fufpecled, rhat fome, among 
 thofe who had brought a lufficiency for a iull 
 repaft, were guilty of intemperance in too 
 grofs a- fenfe of the word. * 
 
 * The principal reafon inclining me to judge, that 
 * -fome of the chriftlan profei3brs at Corinth, were 
 
 chargeable 
 
mentioned and cw/tdered. ji? 
 
 Thfse now were the indecencies and irre- 
 gularities of the Corinthian chriitians, with 
 reference to the holy ,'acramenral fuppcr. Ac- 
 cordingly, th^z /pedal unwcrthinefs, I am ex- 
 plaining, which the apoftle would fallen upon 
 
 them, 
 
 chargeable with intemperance in a worfe fenfe than 
 expofitors commonly fuppcfe, is this. The word, 
 Mstkuci, here tranflated, is drunk, really means, in 
 all its grammatical variations, throughout the new tcfta- 
 ment, and is accordingly translated in our bit let- io as 
 to mean, this kind of intemperance, one place only 
 excepted ; which, perhaps, had as well been trajii]att;d, 
 fo as to carry a fenfe more nearly agreeing with that, 
 in which all the others are taken, as we may fee 
 prefently. In the mean time I would obferve, the 
 fubftantives, Methue, and Methufos, are to be met with 
 in five texts : the former in three, Luk. 21. 34. Rom. 
 13. 13. Gal. 5. 21. ; the latter in two, 1 Cor. 5. 
 J I, and 6. 10. The verb paflive, Methuskomai, is 
 found in three places, Luk. 12. 4c. Eph. c. 18. 
 7 Thef. c. 7. The verb active, Metheuo, is ufed, 
 betides in John 2. 10, the excepted place, in Matt. 
 24. 49. Acts 2. 15, in the text we are upon, in Thef. 
 5. 2. Rev. 17. 2, and in the fixtji verfe : In all 
 which texts, it not only fignifies, but -by our tranfla- 
 tors is made to fignirie, a groflly faulty excefs in drink- 
 ing. It would therefore carry with it the appearance 
 of a defign to ferve a caufe, ftiould we depart, in this 
 place, from the invariably tranilated, as well as genu-* 
 ine fenfe of the word, wherever it is to be met with 
 in the new-teftament books : Nor is it eafily fuppofe- 
 
 ablc, 
 
i Ai Relhious fears and fcruples 
 
 them, mud be considered in connection here, 
 with, and interpreted hereby. It accordingly 
 means* in one word, the fame thing pre- 
 cTfHv with their celebration of the Lora's- 
 Sup,>er in that diforderly, irreverent, and 
 prophane manner that had been mentioned. 
 
 The 
 
 able, the apoftle would have u fed this word, which has 
 ib bad a meaning, if he had intended only fomc light 
 degree of excefs. It will, probably be faid here, it 
 would be too great a reflexion on any of thefe chrifli- 
 ans to fuggeft, that they were intemperate to the ex- 
 cefs that has been mentioned ; and that the wan: 
 of candor only could influence any to put fo fevere 
 a fenfe on the word ufed by the apoftle. The plain 
 anfvver is, the apoftle would not have ufed this word, 
 if he had not intended to convey by it the fenft it is 
 always taken in, and by himfelf too, every where in the 
 facred books. The charge therefore of too great feverity' 
 in reflecling upon thefe chriftians, if juft, muft light 
 upon the apoftle, and not on thofe who interpret his word* 
 according to their invariable ufe, both in the gofpels, 
 and epiftles. The only way to exprefs candor towards 
 them is' to obferve, in mitigation of their fault, which 
 was a very grofs one, that intemperance at collation 
 /uppers, among ,the Greeks, had been common; and 
 the pafs over meal, among the Jews, was allowed to be 
 a full one ; and too often it was carried into txccU. 
 If therefore fome of thefe chriftians, whether from 
 judaifm, or gentilifm, through the force of habit not 
 fully eradicated, and by being off their guard, had been 
 
 unhappily betrayed into what may be juft ly called in- 
 
 temperante; 
 
mentioned and ccn/idered. ?,/. 
 
 The apoftle is to be understood, as i-f he hacj 
 /aid> he that eateth and -drinketh in the man- 
 ner I have pointed out, is the He that " eat- 
 eth and drinketh unworthily". Thefe thing? 
 are connected in his difcourfe, and expLirj 
 .each other. 
 
 But Tome, perhaps, will fay, is this all th$ 
 unworthy eating and drinking at the L.ord\s T 
 -table, , th at gueils there may be chargeable 
 with ? I anfwer at once, without the leafl: 
 hefitaiion, no, by no means. There are other 
 ways, wherein peribns may bring upon them- 
 
 5 felves 
 
 temperance in drinking, it ought not to be looked upon 
 
 .as incredible. Dr. Whitby's note on the word, O; de 
 
 metheuei, and another is drunken, I mall think proper 
 
 to infert here. Says he, <( This may either. refer to the 
 
 GentiU converts among the corinthians, retaining iiill 
 
 their heathen cuftom of" drinking liberally after their 
 
 iacririces, whence viethuein, to be drunk, is, by 
 
 /grammarians, thought to have its original from meta to 
 
 jthuein, becaufe of the free drinking they indulged to 
 
 after their facrifices ; or to the judaizipg converts,, w.]id 
 
 I thought themfclves obliged to drink plentifully at their 
 
 feftivals, four large cups of wine, fays Dr. Lightfoot, 
 
 at the Pafchal-f upper, and to be quite dnpk, fays 
 
 Eupttorf, in the feaft of Purw". w-'l have now .given 
 
 my opinion, Let every one judge for himfelf. 
 
 It was faid juft now, there was a text, John 2. lb, 
 in which the fame word, that is here ufed by the 
 apqftle, is tranflated in our bibles, well drank" : not 
 
 importing any criminal degree in drinking. There # as 
 
 ■ 
 
i$l Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 felves this guilt. AH fuch do fo, who eat 
 and drink of the facramental bread and Wine 
 in a carelefs. thoughtlefs, inattentive, cufto* 
 mary manner ; much more may unwofthi- 
 nefs be charged upon thofe, who come to the 
 fupper of the Lord to ferve their reputation, 
 or that they may be under better advantage 
 to carry on their worldly defigns ♦, and it may 
 in a worfe fenfe Hill, and in as bad an one 
 
 as 
 
 no need of giving the word fo low a fenfe, and fa 
 different an one from that in which it is every where 
 elfe taken in the new-teftament. For, let it be obfer* 
 ved, what is here faid was fpoken, not by our Savior,nor 
 as insinuating a charge againft any of the prefent guefts* 
 but referring to what had been a cuftom upon fuch oc« 
 cafions. The word, tncthusthofi , might therefore here 
 have well enough been tranflated in a fenfe nearer to 
 the genuine import of the word, in other texts ^of the 
 new teftament. The " new verfion of the new-tcfta- 
 ment", by an anonymous author, has it thus, "when 
 the guefts had drank pretty freely". Harwood, in his 
 late " tranflation of the new- teftament", gives it thi* 
 fenfe, " when the tafte of company was blunted witl* 
 drinking". And if it had been literally and ftri&ly 
 tranflated, " when they were overcome with drink"* 
 it would, as I imagine, have been but a fair and juft 
 verfion ; nor would fuch a one have carried with it the 
 leaft reflection, either upon our Savior, or any of 
 the guefts with whom he was now at a wedding. The 
 word refers wholly to a cuftom, in that day at wedding* 
 feafts ; when if fome of the company had drank too 
 much, it would not have been ftrange ; and, perhaps* 
 &is was no uncommon thing. 
 
mentioned and tonjidered* isq 
 
 as can eafily be conceived of, be fattened 
 on your irreligious, prophane men, who, with- 
 out any becoming fenfe of God, or regard to his 
 Son, but folely with a view to qualify them- 
 felves for fome peft of honor, or profit, kneel 
 before the altar, and take into their polluted 
 mouths the facred fymbols of the body an<i 
 blood of Chrift. In a word, it may juftly be 
 faid of all, that they eat and drink unworthi- 
 ly, who do not do it conformably to the 
 nature and defign of this inftituted rite, and 
 as it is fit and reafonable it flxould be done. 
 But all this notwithstanding, the facial unwor- 
 tbinefs, the apoftle is here fpeaking of, is that 
 fchifmatical, diforderly, non-differencing, and 
 intemperate attendance at the facramenta! 
 fupper, which he had been blaming, and con- 
 demning, the Corinthians for : Nor can any be 
 guilty of " unworthily eating and drinking" 
 in that fpeeial fenfe, in which this fault is 
 charged upon this chriftian fociety, unlefs they 
 eat and drink at the holy fupper of the Lord, 
 in the like indecent, irregular, and prophane 
 manner which they did. 
 
 Having thus explained the firfl words, 
 that have been the occafion of difficulty to 
 ferious minds, " He that eateth and drink- 
 eth unworthily", I go on to do ihe fame by 
 the next, "ihall be. guilty of the body and 
 
•140 Religious fears and fcflipks 
 
 blood of the Lord". Some, through weak- 
 nefs, the undue influence of fear, or a mind 
 Unhappily tinclured with fuperftition, have 
 been kept from the facramental (upper, bs- 
 ing led, by thefe words, to imagine, that, 
 mould they unworthily partake of it, they 
 would be chargeable with the very fin the 
 Jews were, when, literally fpeaking, they 
 ** wounded the body, and died the blood of 
 Chriil". But this is fo vain an imagination, 
 ft> grofs a contradiction not only to the known 
 life of thefe words in fcripture, but to com- 
 mon fenfe, that the bare mentioning of it is 
 fufficient to expoie it as ridiculoufly abfurd. 
 " The body and blood of Ghri(i", here fpo„ 
 ken of, are to be interpreted, not in the lite- 
 ral, but figurative fenfe. They mean, not 
 iC his real body and blood", buc thefe fymbo- 
 lically confidered, or as reprefented under the 
 emblematical figns of "bread and wine", at 
 the facrament. So the words were meant by 
 our Savior in the in&itutibn of the fupper* 
 and fo they are underftood by the apoftle Paul 
 in this very chapter, in the account he has 
 given of the original confecration of "the bread 
 and wine". 
 
 Accordingly, when it is faid of thofe, 
 who ^eat and drink unworthily" ac the facra- 
 
 tnent] 
 
mentioned and confidereL 141 
 
 ment, that they arc " guilty of the body and 
 blood of the Lord", the true meaning is, that 
 they jullly expofe themfelves to that judgment 
 God will inflict upon thofe, who make an 
 undue, finful, and prophaneufe of that "bread 
 and wine", which, facramentally, figuratively, 
 or fymboiically, are M the body and blood of 
 ChriiV\ What this judgment in ipecial is, as 
 threacned in this chapter, we go on to (how, 1 
 under the laft words we propoied to explain, 
 namely, 
 
 " Eating and drinking, damnation to one's 
 felf ", in cafe of eating and drinking u unwor- 
 thily'* at the Lord's table. The englifti word, 
 damnation, does not anfwer to the true import 
 of the greek word (Krima) here ufed by the 
 apoftle. And it is a thaufand pities it was 
 thus tranflated, as it has been, unhappily, the 
 occafion of much perplexity to many ferious 
 good chriltians. Says the excellent Dr. Dod- 
 dridge, in his note upon this word, "I think 
 it the mod unhappy miftake in all our verfion 
 of the bible, that ^the word, Krima, is here 
 rendered damnation. It has raifed a dread in 
 tender minds, which has greatly obstructed the 
 comfort, and edification, they might have re- 
 ceived from this ordinance". I fully join 
 with this great and good man in the fentirnent 
 Saere exprefTcd ; and the rather, becaufe, ha- 
 ving 
 
142 Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 ying confulted all the expofhors, and writer* 
 upon the facramental fupper, I could come 
 to the fight of, I find, that they unite as one 
 in fpeaking of the " judgment", more efpeci- 
 ally intended here by the apoftle, zs of the 
 temporal kind, not of "damnation" in the fu- 
 ture world. It is true, this word (Krima) is 
 fometimes ufed to fignify the damnation of 
 liell ; but it ofener means judgment in this 
 prefent ftate. The apoftle Peter fays, ( 1 . Epif. 
 4. 17.) "The time is come, when judgment 
 ( Krima) is to begin at the houfe of God". 
 Will any one fay, damnation to future wrath 
 is the judgment htre meant ? It cannot be 
 fuppofed. The evangelift Luke (chap. 23. 
 40. ) brings in one of the malefactors, who were 
 crucified with our Lord, rebuking the other 
 in thefe words, " doft thou not fear God, 
 feeing thou art (en to Krima) in the fame 
 condemnation" ; that is, adjudged to one and 
 the fame temporal death : Yea, in the 24th 
 chap. 20th ver. he fpeaks of the chief priefts, 
 and rulers, as having delivered our Lord (en 
 Krima tbanatou) to be condemned to death : 
 Not furely to damnation in a future world. 
 It would be blafphemous to fugged fuch an 
 untruth. From thefe texts it appears, that the 
 word ( Krima) we are now explaining, may* 
 agreeably to its ufe elfewhere in fcripture* 
 
 mean* 
 
mentioned and conjsdered. 143 
 
 mean, not punifhment in hell, but temporal 
 evil in this world. 
 
 And that this was the judgment the apoftJe 
 had dire&ly in his eye, when h« made ufe of 
 the word Krima> which, in our bibles, is tranfla- 
 ted " damnation**, he has taken all proper care 
 to puc beyond all reafonable difputc. For, 
 let it be particularly minded, in the verfe im- 
 mediately following that wherein he fays, "he 
 that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eatcth 
 and drinketh damnation to himfelf", he adds, 
 as though on purpofe to prevent our miftaking 
 his meaning, in the ufe of the word tranflated 
 damnation, " for this CAusE,many are weak, 
 and (ickly among you, and many fleep". As 
 if he had faid, your diforderly, prophane man- 
 ner, at the facramental (upper, has brought 
 down upon you the judgments of God. For 
 this caiifc, on account of this your unworthi- 
 nefs, he has vifited you [ perhaps, a miracu- 
 lous vifitation may be here intended] with bodi- 
 ly difeafes, and temporal death itfelf : And 
 this you have had exemplified among you, in 
 many in (lances* of thofe, who have been fick, 
 and died. But to make it yet more certain, 
 that by this Krima, which has been unhappi- 
 ly tranflated by the englifh word "damnation", 
 in our bibles, we are to understand temporal 
 
 judgment, and not the miferiei of hell, the 
 
 apofUc* 
 
144 Rtligious feats and fmiplti 
 
 apoftle, in the 32c} ver. has exprefsly affignec!, 
 the reafon of the infliction of the punifliment 
 (Krima) he had fpoken of. His words are 
 thefe, "when* we are judged, we are chaftened 
 of the Lord, that we might not be condemn- 
 ed with the world". You obferve, the evil, or 
 punifliment, be it what it may, to which thefe 
 Corinthians had been adjudged, for their un- 
 worthy behaviour at the Lord's table, is here 
 confidered, by the apoftle himfelf, as difapti* 
 nary only, a "divine chaftening" •, and as 
 inflicted too, with a view to prevent their dam- 
 nation in the other world. It is impoffible 
 therefore, the punifliment, he here connecls 
 with this unworthirrels, mould mean, being of 
 the medicinal kind only, any other than tem- 
 poral judgment. In a word, the apoftle, far 
 from giving the lead countenance to the fenfe 
 of the word Krima, as tranflated "damnation", 
 and meaning the "damnation of hell", has faid 
 that which is obvioufly and abundantly fuffici- 
 ent to lead every intelligent reader to under- 
 ftand by it, temporal punijhment ; fuch as had 
 been inflicted upon fome of thefe Corinthians, 
 but in a way of difcipline only, and in order to 
 prevent their damnation, beyond the grave, 
 
 with the wicked world. 
 
 It will, perhaps, be afked here, does not 
 Unworthy eating and drinking at tlje Lord's 
 
mentioned and conftdertd. 14^ 
 
 Ubie expofe to damnation in the other world ? 
 I anfwer; without all doubt it does. And 
 Jo does unworthy hearing of God's wcrd, 
 unworthy praying to our father who is in 
 Heaven, and unworthy performing any du- 
 ly whatever in religion. The exact truth is* 
 every fin, of whatever kind, or in whatever 
 degree, whether it be a fin of omifiion, or 
 commiffion, does as really expofe to damnati- 
 on, as unworthy eating and drinking at the* 
 Lord's-Supper. 
 
 But this notwithstanding, future damnati- 
 on is not the punifhment, the apofllc more 
 immediately intends, in the pafiage we are 
 upon ; but, as has been faid, temporal evil* 
 •which he explains by thefe words, "weaknef^ 
 ficknefs, and the deep of death" : Neither 
 does he connect, even, this temporal judg- 
 ment with every fort, or degree, of unworthy 
 receiving the facrament ; but with thatgrofsly 
 irreverent, and prophane manner, in which the 
 Corinthians received it. So that none have 
 any juft reafon to appty that fpecial punifh- 
 ment, here fpoken of, be it what it may, to 
 themfelves, unleis they can charge themfelves 
 with attending on the ordinance of the (up- 
 per in the like wicked manner, which thefe 
 Corinthians did ; which is not much 10 be 
 feared at this day. Their fcandalous irregu- 
 T larities 
 
146 Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 larities, efpecially their divifive, intempe- 
 rate manner at the LordVSupper, for which 
 God, perhaps beyond the ordinary courfe of 
 nature, ftnc ficknefs and death among them, 
 are not the faults we are in preient danger 
 of falling into the commiffion of. Thoie, to 
 be fure, are at the utmoft diftance frcm this 
 unworthinefs, v/ho come not to the facramental 
 table from a confciencious fea-r, left they fhould 
 be chargeable with it. They, of all perfons 
 in the world, have the lead reafon to apply 
 this text to themfelves. Their cafe as widely 
 differs from that of [theie Corinthians, as light 
 differs from darknefs. ilnd as their cafes are 
 thus altogether different, it is quite befide the 
 apoftle's intention, and a downright abufe of 
 his words, to perplex their minds, and dis- 
 courage themfelves from duty, in confidera- 
 tion of that, which is no ways applicable to 
 them. 
 
 I may not improperly fubjoin a few words 
 here, in order to undeceive cbofe, who ground 
 a fear, from this paffage of the apoftle we 
 have been upon, left they mould be certainly 
 and unavoidably damned, (hould they happen 
 to eat and drink at the facramental fupper, 
 in an unwonhy manner. This, I have reafon 
 to think, has given perplexing uneafinefs to 
 fome ferious fouls, rcflraining them from 
 
 remembering 
 
mentioned and conftdcreL i\j 
 
 remembering (Thrift in the way of his appoint- 
 ment. But they have herein grofsly impofed 
 upon themfelves. S lould it be fuppofed, that 
 the apoftlc was fpeaking, in this text, of dam- 
 nation in the coming world, which we have 
 feen abundant reafon to think he is not, he 
 ought by no means to be underftood, as mean- 
 ing, that it would inevitably prove damnation 
 to a perfon, fhould he come to the table of 
 the Lord, and eat and drink there in an un- 
 worthy manner. For the gofpel of the bleiTed 
 God has provided, through Chrift, and promi- 
 fed, pardoning mercy to repenting finners, 
 however many, or heinous, their fins may have 
 been. Unworthily receiving the facrament may 
 t iierefore, in common with all other unwor- 
 thinefs, be forgiven by the intervention of 
 repentance, and fo damnation be prevented. 
 Should a perfon unhappily come to the fupper 
 of the Lord, fo as to be an unworthy gueft 
 there, through negligence, carelefsnefs, or any 
 other faulty caufe, he might, by the grace of 
 God, be brojght to repentance •, and this would 
 as certainly fecure him from damnation, as it 
 is true, that God is * ready to pardon", and 
 embrace penitent finners in the arms of his 
 mercy. Without all doubt, many are now 
 in heaven, and many will, in time to come, 
 have ad niffion into this bleffed place, who 
 
 have 
 
148 Religious fears and fcruples 
 
 have often been at the facramental table in 
 an unworthy manner : not becaufe it was not 
 their firt 5 but becaufe, by repentance, they 
 obtained the forgiving mercy of God. 
 
 I have now particularly, though as briefly 
 as I well could, explained thole words of the 
 apoftle Paul, which have been the occafion 
 of fears and fcruples in the minds of many, 
 with refpcd to their attendance on the inftitu- 
 tion of the fuppcr, and retrained them from 
 coming to it. It only remains, as was propofed, 
 
 II. To make a few remarks, upon what has 
 been offered, tending to remove away thefe 
 fears and fcruples, and make the way of thole 
 clear to the table of the Lord, who have been 
 kept from it, by the influence of them. And, 
 
 1. It is obvious to coilecl,. from the expla^ 
 nation we have given of the apoftle's words, 
 which have been ihc occaflon of perplexity to 
 too many, that their fears and diitreffes, ta- 
 king rife therefrom, are altogether ground lefs, 
 
 Are any of you afraid to come to the facra- 
 mental fupper, left you fliould " eat and drink 
 unworthily*' ? There is no reafon for fear, left 
 you mould come unworthily in the fenfe, in 
 which this fault is charged upon the Corin- 
 thians. It is indeed morally impoffible, that 
 peribns, in your ferious, concerned ftate of 
 mind, fhculd come in that grofsly indecent 
 
 manner, 
 
mentioned and conjidered. 149 
 
 manner, which gave occafion to the words, 
 which have been perplexing to you. However, 
 'tis commendable in you, as there are other 
 ways, in which you may eat, and drink unwor- 
 thily at the Lord's table, to be fo far afraid 
 as to ufe all due cauticn, that you may be 
 welcome guelts there. This is the only reafon- 
 able operation of fear, refpedYng this article of 
 duty. It ought not to ke^p you from com- 
 munion at the facrarnental fupper ; but mould 
 rather put you upon your guard, and fuch 
 endeavours as may be proper in order to your 
 avoiding that, which is the ground of your 
 fear. Should your fear reftrain you from your 
 duty, its operation would be faulty. It would 
 not, in confillency with what is right and fit, 
 anfwer the defign of its excitement in you, un- 
 lefs it mould prompt you to your duty, and to 
 a care to fee that it be well done. 
 
 Are any of you afraid, if you mould come 
 to the lacramental fupper, that you mould be 
 " guilty of the body and blood of the Lord"? 
 You cannot be thus guilty, unlefs you finfully 
 eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, which 
 are divinely inftituted figns of " the body and 
 blood of Chrift." For this is the only mean- 
 ing that can, with propriety, or truth, be ap- 
 plied to thele words. And you do well to be 
 afraid ot fin> whether ic relates to the or- 
 dinance 
 
I^o Religious feats and fcrupks 
 
 dinance of the fupper, or any other fervice of 
 piety. Only, you fhould remember, and im~ 
 prefs your minds with a ferious fenfe of its 
 being true, that this very fear of your's will 
 become fmful, if, inftead of ftirring you up 
 to the performance of duty, and a due 
 care to perform it in a fukable manner, it 
 at all retrains you from it 5 much more, if 
 it influences you to an habitual, and toral neg- 
 lect of it. You fay, you fear to come to the 
 fupper of the Lord, left you (hould be "guilty 
 of his body ana* blood". You cannot eafily 
 be thus guilty, in the fenfe, in which the 
 Corinthians were. There is no danger of your 
 ufing the facramental bread and wine, which 
 represent figuratively, " the body and blood of 
 Chrift", in the rude, fa&ious, prophane manner 
 they did. Any, at this day, would be afham- 
 ed of fuch conduct : Nor need you be afraid 
 of being chargeable with the guilt of it. You 
 may, it is true, be faulty in the ufe of rhe 
 «' bread and wine", which are inftituted fign$ 
 of the " body and blood of Chrift ; and you 
 may reafonably fear, left you mould be thus 
 faulty. But what ought to be the effect of 
 this fear ? Mod certainly, not difobedience to 
 as plain, and peremptory, a command as 
 any in the bible ; but caution, watchfulnefs, 
 and circumfpecYion, that you may comply with 
 it, in the beft manner you can. £&e 
 
mentioned and confidered* 151 
 
 j 
 
 Are any of you afraid of being chargeable 
 with the guilt of " not difcerning the Lord's 
 body" (hould you come to the ordinance of 
 the fupper ? You muft be grofsly ignorant, if 
 you do not know, that there is a great and 
 wide difference betwixt facramental and common 
 bread and wine. And the way, now in ufr* 
 of eating and drinking facramental bread and 
 wine, is io different from that in which it was 
 done by the Corinthians, when thefe words 
 were wrote, *hat it cannot be fuppoied you 
 could be guilty of "not difcerning the Lord's 
 body", in the fenfe that they were :■ For which 
 reafon, a fear of this guilt, in the minds of any, 
 is wholly gfoundlefs. Not but that there may 
 be fear, andjuftly too, left the facramental 
 bread and wine (hould not, in the exercife of 
 faith, be difcriminated from that which is cem- 
 mon y ate and drank in a manner becoming their 
 confecfation to fo folemn a ufe as that of re- 
 membering the dying love of Chrift. But it 
 would be altogther befide the proper and jufl 
 tendency of this fear, to keep any from parta^ 
 king of this bread and wine. Its only influ- 
 ence fhoulci be to difpofe, and engage all to 
 a due aire to ear, and drink of them, agreably 
 to the nature, and end, of fo lacrcd an in- 
 flitution. \ 
 
 In fine here, are any of you afraid of co- 
 * ming 
 
152 keUgious fears and ftrupks 
 
 fning to the holy fuppef, left you fhould "eat 
 and drink damnation to your felves ? Your 
 fear, fo far as it takes rife from the englifh word, 
 damnation, has no juft reafon for its fupport. 
 For, it is not exprefiive of what the apoftle 
 Paul means by the greek word Krima, he here 
 jjfes ; as has, I truft, been already made abun-* 
 dantly to appear. 
 
 Not but that "eating, and drinking unwof* 
 thily", at the Lord's table, expofes to "damna- 
 tion", meaning by it damnation to wrath in the 
 future world; and you may reafonably fear fo 
 eating and drinking , as to render yourfelves 
 liable to this awful punifhment : Not indeed 
 becaufe this punifhment is the fpecial judgment 
 intended by the apoftle ; but becaufe it is the 
 punifhment elfewhere, in fcripture, threatned 
 againft fin in general, be its kind, or degree, 
 what it may. For the fame reafon, therefore, 
 that you are afraid of coming to the Lord's- 
 Supper, left by doing this unworthily, you 
 fhould' c eat and drink damnation to yourfelves", 
 you fhould fear left, by an unworthy negleR 
 of this ordinance, you fhould expofe yourfelves 
 to this fame punifhment. For the truth is, 
 there is as real danger of incurring damnation 
 by a neglect of this inftance of duty, as by an 
 unworthy performance of it. You, who fear 
 
 to come to the facramental fupper, left you ex- 
 pofe 
 
mentioned and considered. 153 
 
 p6fe yourfelves to damnation, while, at the 
 fame time, you have no fear upon your minds* 
 left, by the neglect of this facred inftitution, 
 you fhould as juftly make yourfeiveS liable to 
 rhe fame punimment, would do well ferioufly 
 to confider this. There is like danger in both 
 cafes i and you will only delude yourfelves, if 
 you think to avoid the danger of eating and 
 drinking unworthily, by not eatrng and drink- 
 ing at ail. 
 
 It may, perhaps, be faid here, the apoftlc 
 Paul has particularly denounced damnation 
 again ft unw or thine fs at the Lord's- Supper., 
 while neither he, nor any of the facred .pm- 
 men, have, with like particularity, pointed 
 out this punimment, in cafe of not coming to it. 
 The anfwer is obvious,- and, as I imagine, 
 Entirely fatkfactory. The apoftle 5 in the words 
 referred to, is fpeaking, as has been made evi- 
 dent, of temporal judgment, and inflicted only 
 with a falmary view, in a way of fatherly 
 cbaftifemenc $ not of damnation, meaning by 
 it punishment beyond the grave : Nor is this 
 kbd of punifhment denounced any where, in 
 the bible, ugainft unworthy receiving the fa- 
 cr'ament, but in thofe texts which denounce 
 this fame wrath againft the negkft of duty, as 
 well as the unworthy performance of it. So 
 that a difobedient neglect of that fupper which 
 
 U 5 
 
 -1 - 
 
154 Religious fears en I females 
 
 has been folemnly appointed by Jefus Chrifi% 
 does as really expofe to damnation, as an un- 
 due attendance at it. Why then mould any 
 abftain from facramental eating and drinking* 
 through fear, left they mould eat and drink un- 
 worthily ? Sin lies at the door in either cafe, and 
 danger too. And it is, without all doubt, 
 both more/infill, and more dangerous^ with re- 
 fpecl: to the perfons whole fears I have been' 
 endeavouring to remove, to negkft turning to 
 the facramental fupper, than to come to it 
 with that imagined unw'ortbinefs which keeps 
 them from it. 
 
 2. Another remark is this, that, fhould 
 any have unhappily attended the ordinance of 
 the fupper in an unworthy manner, the bed 
 advice to them is, not to ceafe from attending 
 their duty in this fpecial inftance \ but to take 
 proper care to perform it better for time to 
 come. This remark naturally arifes from the 
 general tenor of the apoftle's difcourie, in the 
 chapter we have been confide ring. He had 
 been blaming, and rebuking, the church at 
 Corinth for their rude, dilorderly, and prophane 
 manner of celebrating the holy fupper. And 
 what does he hereupon advife them to? Does he 
 forbid them the ufe of this gofpel ordinance ? 
 Does he fay any thing tending to dilcourage 
 them from going again to it ? Not a word 
 
 of 
 
mentioned and tonfidered, 155 
 
 oi r this nature is to be feenin any part of what 
 he has wrote to them. Far from this, though 
 they had come to the fupper of the Lord with 
 fuch indecency, and irreverence, as are not 
 known in the prefent age, he fuppofes it to 
 be their duty (till to come to it -, and what he 
 endeavours is, to engage them, by proper ar- 
 guments, to reform what had been amils, and 
 to attend their duty in a fuitable manner in 
 time to come. Chriftian profeiTors would aft 
 wifely in taking due notice of the apoftle's care, 
 tlvat the holy fupper might not be neglected, 
 and, at the fame time, that it might not be un- 
 worthily celebrated. Should they be confci- 
 ous, that they have waited upon Chrift at his 
 table in an unbecoming manner, they mould 
 not be difcouraged, through fear, from waiting 
 upon him again ; but mould rather be excited 
 to give the more earned heed, to get their un- 
 worthinefs removed, that they may attend their 
 duty conformably to the will of their Lord for 
 
 the future. 
 
 I may not improperly add here, if any of 
 
 thofe are ferioufly thoughtful of coming to the 
 fupper of the Lord, who have never as yet been 
 there, they mould not be difcouraged from their 
 duty, in this refpett, by the influence of fear, 
 left they mould come unworthily. Their fear 
 mould not drive them away from this ordi-? 
 
 nance, 
 
15.6 Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 nance, but rather put them upon the ufe of 
 proper pains, that they may come in a worthy 
 manner. The Corinthians had been guilty of 
 fchifm, rudeneis, and intemperance in their ce- 
 lebration of the facra mental (upper ; and yet, 
 the apoftle does not advifethem to lay afide the 
 ufe of this ordinance, but to take care to come 
 to it, for the future, in a worthy manner. And 
 this is the beft advife that can be given chrifti- 
 ans at this day. It is not allowable for them 
 to treat this ordinance with constructive con- 
 tempt, by abftaining from the ufe it 5 and if 
 they are afraid of coming to it unworthily, the 
 effec-t of their fear mould be ? their more diligent 
 endeavour to come in the manner they would 
 de-fire, and as may be for the honor of their 
 Lord. 
 
 3. Another remark ftiil may be, that: 
 it ought not to be fuppofed, that the apoftle 
 Paul, in the chapter we have been explaining, 
 had it in his heart to difcourage thofe chrifti- 
 ans, from an attendance at the facramental 
 table, who difcourage themfelves, and from 
 what he has (aid too. Lee us attend a little 
 to their character, more efpecially as drawn 
 from the ground of their difcouragement. 
 Why are they kept back from remembering 
 their Lord, in the way of his appointment ? 
 Is 18 not becaufe they fear, left they mould not 
 
 do 
 
mentioned and confidered. 157 
 
 do this with that faith, love, humility, and 
 holy reverence, which become a (acred mUitu- 
 tion of gofpel worfhip ? Is it not becaufe 
 they have worthy fentirnents cf Jefus Chrill, 
 who has appointed the facramental iupper, 
 and would willingly be communicants at it, 
 but that they have fcruples in their minds, 91 
 to their fitnels to be fo ? Is it not becaufe they 
 are jealous ever themfelves with a Godly 
 jealoufy, jealous of the honour of their Lord, 
 and would ferve him with their btft ? Is it not 
 becaufe they are heartily defirous of pleafing 
 Chrift, and are afraid, left they mould fail of 
 doing fo, fhould they come to his table ? 
 
 Can it now be imagined, with any face of 
 reafon, that it was the defign of the apoftle, by 
 any thing he has faid, in this chapter, to dif- 
 courage this kind of perfons from giving their 
 prelence at the facramental iupper ? Could 
 it have entered his heart to block up their 
 way to the table of the Lord ? It ought not 
 to be luppofed. Surely, if he did not difcou- 
 rage the Cornthians from attending this ordi- 
 nance, though they came to it in fuch an irreve- 
 rent manner, as that they were vifited by God, 
 'for tkis very cause, with "weaknefs, fick- 
 nefs and death, "he could never intend to throw 
 any uifcouragement in the way of the perfons 
 I have deicribed. And if he could know 
 
 how 
 
i u S Religious fears and fcrupks 
 
 how they h*ve mifconftrued his words, and 
 t Jcen occafion, from them, to neglect the 
 fupper of the Lord, he would fcarce be able, 
 though in heaven, to refrain from grief. And 
 could he now fpeak to them from the excel- 
 lent glory, it would be to advife them forth- 
 with to lay afide their fears and fcruples, and 
 honor their Lord by celebrating the memorial 
 of his death. 
 
 4. The laft remark is, that it mould be the 
 ferious endeavor of all to come worthily to the 
 table of Chnft. The apoftle Paul aimed main- 
 ly at this, in all thai he faid to the Corinthians, 
 in that part of his epiftle to them we have 
 been confidering. To this end he fet before 
 them their faults, and gave them the direcli- 
 ons proper, in order to their rectifying them, 
 that thy might come to the fupper Chrift had 
 appointed, not to condemnation, but to praife 
 and honor. And this mould be the care aifo 
 of all, who profefs themfelves the difciplcs ok 
 Jefus. They fhould not efteem it a matter of 
 trifling concern, how they partake of the fym- 
 bois of their Lord's death, but mould endeav- 
 or to do it, fo as to glorify Qod, and promote 
 their own fpiritual advantage. 
 
 Many, I am fenfible, would be glad to come 
 to the facramental fupper who were never 
 there - y and what has kept them back is, this 
 
 matter 
 
mentioned and conjidered. ijy 
 
 natter of worthily partaking there. Being 
 convinced, that they ought to come worthily, 
 they are reftrained from coming, becaufe they 
 fear they (hall not be able thus to come. 
 But this is a difficulty that will as truly hold 
 againft all the other duties of religion. They 
 ought all to be performed in a worthy man- 
 ner ; and if perfons fhould imagine they can- 
 not thus perform them, why may they not as 
 reafonably leave them all undone, as this of 
 remembering their Savior at his fupper ? Is 
 this right ? What muft be the effect of fuch 
 conduct but a total difregard to all the fer- 
 vices of piety ? The exact truth is, the influ- 
 ence of fear, refpecting the fupper cf the 
 Lord fhould never be, to keep us fom it, but 
 to excite our care that we may be welcome 
 guefts at this goipel feaft -, and thus we fhall 
 be, if the fubjects of that meetnefs, which 
 is fuited to the nature and defign of the duty. 
 And this meetnefs, 1 will venture to fay, thole 
 are certainly poffclled of, who are mod fenfible 
 of their unworthinefs, and mod fearful left they 
 mould difhonour Chrift, by an undue attend- 
 ance at his table. With refpect to perfons 
 of this character, there is no danger of their 
 ludely, or irreverently, rufhing upon this 
 ordinance. They are the men, who are molt 
 ^concerned, that they may be prepared for a 
 
 due 
 
3f6o Religious feat s and fcruples 
 
 due approach to it ; and there is no doubt but they ought to? 
 be ranked among thole, who would be moft welcome to it. 
 
 1 have now laid all that I had in view to fay, in the 
 choice of ihe fubject 1 have been fo long upon. I have, in 
 as plain and faithful manner as I could, laid before you the 
 obligations chriftians are under to celebrate the inftituted 
 memorial of their Lord's dying love. 1 have been particu- 
 lar in fpeaking to the carelcfs and fecure ; the luke- 
 warm and indifferent ; the confeientious and careful, in re- 
 gard of their attendance on the other inft'itutions of gofpel 
 worfhip i and, in fine, the fcrupulous and fearful : endea- 
 vouring to conilder, and remove, all the doubts, difficulties 
 and fears, which have kept any from an attendance at the 
 table of Chrift, fo far, at leaft, as they have come within 
 reach of my knowledge. 
 
 What will be theefFec~l of my having been thus large, 
 and full, in treating upon this fpecial article of chriftian du- 
 ty, is known to God only. If what has been difcourfed 
 may, under the divine blefling, be influential upon any to do 
 honoF to their Savior, by remembering him in the way he 
 has prefcribed, it will be labor fpent to good purpofe. It 
 will occafion joy of heart to all the friends of Jefus ; yea, it 
 will be pieafing to him, who loved us, and died for us ; yea, 
 it will be a pleafure to that God, who fo loved us, even 
 while we were firmers, as to give his only begotten Son to; 
 be (lain a facrrfice fo atone for our tranfgreflions. But if 
 what has been faid fhould prove labor in vain, as being fol- 
 lowed with no good effect, ashavingno influence to prevail 
 upon any to join' with their chriftian fiiends in breaking-' 
 of that bread, which is the fymbol of ChrifVs broken body, 
 ft will be remembered another day, that you have been' 
 faithfully entreated, warned, directed, and encouraged to' 
 the practice of this article of duty; and you will be the 
 more inexcufable on this account. I fhall only fay, I have 
 delivered my foul, and have done it faithfully in this 
 instance, however defective I may have been in others. 
 The good God grant, that this chriftian point of practice, 
 which has been ferioufly and folemnlv urged, may prove a 
 favor of life unto life unto many, and not of death unto-" 
 death — to any one foul. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
Arlington 
 
 &irert 
 
 (Sljurrl? 
 
 SJibrarjj 
 
 ♦ 
 
 * • 
 
 (gift of 
 
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