dent Care: then go again to God's Altar, thankfully commemorate his pardoning Love, and claim anew the Benefit of his gracious Covenant. Following this Courfe honeftly, he will affuredly gain Ground. And therefore fuch as do not gain Ground, do not follow it honeft; but allow themselves to go round in a Circle of finning, then repenting, as they call it, and communicating, then finning again: as if every Communion did of Courfe wipe off the old Score, and so they might begin a new one without. Scruple: which is the abfurdeft, the moft irreligious, the most fatal Imagination, that can be.

II. The next Thing required of them who come to the Lord's Supper, is a lively Faith in God's Mercy through Chrift, with a thankful Remembrance of his Death. And the Faith neceffary is a fettled Perfuafion, that for the Sake of the meritorious Obedience and Sufferings of our bleed Redeemer, God will pardon true Penitents; together with a comfortable Trust, that we, as fuch, have an Intereft in his Merits. But here again you must observe, that different Perfons may have very different Degrees of this Perfuafion and Truft. Some may be weak in Faith; may have Caufe to fay, with Him in the Gospel of St. Mark, Lord, I believe; help thou mine Unbelief; and yet their Prayers, like His, may be gracioully heard. Others may be ftrong, and increafe, till they abound in Faith. And fuch have great Reafon to be thankful to God for themselves: but furely they ouglit never to judge hardly of their Brethren, who have not advanced fo far. The Rule of judging, both in the Catechifm and the Scripture, is not by the Positiveness, but by the Livelinels of our Faith; that is, the Fruits of a Chriftion Life, which it produces: for Faith without Works is dead. If we cannot thew the Evidence of thele, the highest Confidence will do us no Good: and if we can, we need have no Doubts

concerning our fpiritual Condition; and though we have ever fo many, provided we have no fufficient Reafon for them, we may celebrate this holy Ordinance very fafely. For fuch Weakneffes in our natural Temper and Spirits are no Way inconfiftent with having, in our fixed and deliberate Judgment, that full Trust in God's Mercy, which the Communion-Service requires: and we cannot take a more likely Method, either to perfect our Repentance, or to ftrengthen our Faith, than receiving the Sacrament frequently.

Our Catechifin teaches, further, that our Faith in Chrift must be accompanied with a thankful Remembrance of his Death. And furely,,if we believe, that He died to fave us, we must be thankful for it. But then the Measure of our Thankfulness must be taken from the Goodnefs, and Conflancy of its Effects, not from that fenfible Warmth and Fervency, which we cannot, ordinarily fpeaking, feel fo ftrongly in fpiritual Things as in temporal; and of which bad Perfons may at Times have very much, and good Perfons little. For that is the true Thankfulnefs, which produces Love. And this is the Love of God, that we keep his. ments".

But there is one Commandment, as I have fhewn you, peculiarly connected with this Ordinance. And therefore our Catechifm fpecifies it feparately, and in exprefs Terms, by requiring,

Can

III. That we be in Charity with all Men. For we have no Share in the Love of our Creator, our Redeemer, and Sanctifier, uniefs, in Imitation of it, we love one another: and, as the Goodness of God is univerfal, fo muft ours. Receiving the Holy Communion was indeed intended to increase the Degree of it. but the Reality we must have, before we are worthy to receive. And we muft flew it is real, by forgiving them who trejpajs against us; by aflifting, as far as can be reasonably expected, those who need Affiftauce in any Kind; by our hearty Prayers for thofe, whom wę

7.1 John v. 3.

can

ean help no other Way; by faithflly performing the Duties of our feveral Stations and Relations in Life; and by Condefcenfion, Mildness, and Humanity towards every Perfon, as Occafion offers: all which Duties, and particularly that of Forgiveness, have been explained to -you in their proper Places.

These then being the Difpofitions requifite for receiving the holy Sacrament, as indeed they are for ob. taining eternal Happinefs; we are all greatly concerned to examine ourselves, whether we have them or not : and fhould have been concerned to do it, though this Ordinance had never been appointed. But we are now more especially bound to it with a View to this Ordinance; both from the Nature of it, and from St. Paul's pofitive Injunction: Let a Man examine himself, and jo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup 8.

The principal Subjects of our Examination are conprehended under the three Heads juft now mentioned. But as to any particular Method to be taken, or Time to be spent in it, or in any other further Preparation subfequent to it, we have no Command: it is left to every one's Prudence and voluntary Piety. They who live in a conftant Practice of Religion and Virtue, are always fit for the Sacrament: and may, if the Call be fudden, by reflecting for a few Moments, fufficiently know that they are fit. Perfons, who live in any Sin, may as easily and quickly know that they are not. And it is only in doubtful Cafes, that any Length of Confideration is neceffary to fatisfy us about this Matter. But it must be extremely useful for all Perfons, not only to be attentive to their Ways conftantly, but to look back upon them frequently: much more fre quently than alinoft any one receives the Sacrament. And as Things, which have no certain Seafon fixed for them, are very apt to be neglected; we fhould fix upon this, as one certain Seafon for as particular an Inspection into the State of our Hearts and Lives as we can well make, and can hope to be the better for;

joining with it fuitable Meditations, Refolutions, and Devotions. But then in the Whole of this Work, we nuft be careful, neither to hurry over any Part thoughtlessly, nor lengthen it wearifomely. And in our Examination we must be efpecially careful, neither to flatter nor yet to affright ourselves but obferve impartially what is right in us, thank God, and take the Comfort of it; acknowledge what is wrong, beg Pardon, and amend it. For without Amendment, being ever fo forry will avail Nothing.

The laft Thing, to be mentioned in Relation to this holy Sacrament, is our Behaviour at it; which ought to be very ferious and reverent; fuch as may fhew, in the propereft Manner, that, to use the Apoftle's Words, we difcern or diftinguish the Lord's Body; look on the Action of receiving it, as one of no common Nature, but as the religious Memorial of our blessed Saviour's dying for us, and by his Death establishing with us a Covenant of Pardon, Grace, and everlasting Felicity on God's Part, and of Faith and Holiness on ours. With this important Confideration, we should endeavour to affect our Hearts deeply and tenderly: yet neither to force our Minds, if we could, into immoderate Transports, by which we fhall only bewilder and lofe, inftead of benefiting ourfelves; nor exprefs even what we ought to feel, by any improper Singularities of Gefture; nor yet be dejected, if we have lefs Feeling, and even lefs Attention to the Service, than we have Reafon to wifh. For fuch Things may be, in a great Measure at leaft, natural and unavoidable. Or, fuppofing them Faults; they may be, and often are, the Faults of fuch Perfons, as notwithftanding are, on the Whole, very worthy Communicants. They may be, for a Time, ufeful Means of keeping us humble and watchful: after that, God may deliver us from them : and should we continue all our Lives afflicted with them, it would never hinder our receiving all the neceflary Benefits of this Ordinance.

God grant that both it, and all his other gracious Inflitutions, may contribue effectually to build us up in our most holy Faith in a fuitable Practice, that fo we may ever keep ourselves in the Love of God; and on good Grounds look for the Mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift ˇunte eternal Life'.

Jude, ver. 20, 21.

LECTURE XXXIX.

The CONCLUSION.

HAVING now, through God's Mercy, carried on

thefe Lectures to the End of the Catechifm, and in fome Measure explained to you every Part of Chriftian Faith, and Duty comprehended in it, I have only one Inftruction more to add, but the most important of all for you to remember and confider well: that, if ye know thefe Things, happy are ye, if ye do them2; and miferable are ye, it ye do them not.

We all know indeed by Nature, in a great Degree, what Manner of Perfons we ought to be in this World: and therefore, if we fail of being fuch, are in a great Degree inexcufable. For how little Teaching foever fome may have had; yet our Saviour's home Question will reach even them: Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? The Work of the Law is written in the Hearts of Men, their Confcience alfo bearing Witness. Being reafonable Creatures, we are dently bound to govern our Paffions, Appetites, Fancies, and whole Behaviour, by the Rules of Reafon. And who doth not fee, that Sobriety, Temperance, and Mo

2 John xiii. 17.

3 Luke xii. 57.

4 Rom.ü. 15.

evi