XI. Chriftians, meeting together for Religious Worfhip; and eating Bread and drinking Wine, in Remembrance of Chrift's Body and Bloud, and in honour to Him; do hereby publickly acknowledge Him to be their Mafter, and Themfelves to be His Difciples: and, by doing this in an Affembly, own Themselves, with all other Christians, to be One Body or Society, under Him the Head; and confequently, profess Themselves to be under His Governance and Influence; to have Communion or Fellowfhip with Him, as Head, and with all their Christian Brethren, as FellowMembers of that fame Body of which He is the Head.

This indeed, all flows from, or is included in, the primary End of the Inftitution, the Remembrance of our bleffed Lord. For this ferious and Religious Remembrance suppofes

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poses a Belief in Him; and consequently implies in it an acknowledgment of our being His Disciples; that is, in other Words, Members of that Body of which He is the Head: and, as fuch, obliged to All the Duties, and entituled, (unless We be wanting to our Selves in any one neceffary Point,) to All the Bleffings of fuch a Relation.

2. The Other Paffage I must mention, is in I Cor. XI. v. 20,

34.

Ver. 20. When you come together therefore, into One place, This is not to eat the Lord's Supper.

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21. For in eating every one taketh before other, his own Supper: and One is hungry, and Another is drunken.

22. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or defpife ye the Church of God, and Shame Them that have not? What fhall I say to you? Shall I praife you in this? I praise you not.

The two firft of these Verses fet forth the Crime of Some of the Corinthian Chriftians in this manner. V. 20. "When therefore, "You come together, profeffing to eat and

"drink in remembrance of your Mafter; "and at the fame time behave yourselves "indecently, as I have been informed you "do: This, I tell you plainly, is not to "eat the Lord's Supper, as it ought to be "eaten, according to the Design of the "Inftitution: V. 21. For, as I hear, many "of you behave yourselves rather as Per"fons eating your own Suppers, to fatisfy "and even indulge your own appetites: "Those of You who are able to provide plentifully for themselves, eating at that Feaft, to which you join the Lord's Supper, without waiting for their poor "Brethren; and not like Perfons meeting

to partake of a Common Feast. And thus, " in the most indecent manner, the poor <man, in this Affembly, is hungry without "being fatisfied; whilft Another who can fupply Himself plentifully, feasts himself even beyond due bounds."

For this Crime He reproves them feverely, v. 22, thus, "Have ye not Houses of ર your own, for your ordinary Eating and Drinking? Or have you no sense that thefe Affemblies of Chriftians come toge"ther for the Religious purpose of Eat"ing and Drinking in remembrance of their "Mafter ;

"Mafter; and that the Place where they' "meet for this good End is not the pro

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per place for your Ordinary Meals; much "lefs for your Exceffes in Drinking? Do

ye thus despise the Church of God; the "Affemblies of Chriftians, and the * Place "You at this time profefs to meet in, for

Religious, and not for common purpo"fes? and thus put to Shame Thofe of your poor Brethren, who are not able to "make provision for Themselves, by fuch << a Behavior as feems to infult their Poverty and Hunger in fuch publick Meetings? Can I praise you for this? Far " from it. On the contrary, I condemn "You, as acting inconfiftently with the Original Inftitution of this Holy Rite;

at

a true Account of which I will now lay.

*This Paffage does not imply that particular Places were this time fet apart, or confecrated, to a Religious Ufe, fo as to be entirely free from all the Common Ufes of life: nor indeed, was it poffible, in thofe early days, to follow any other Rule, than that of Meeting together by Agreement, in fuch place, and at fuch time of day, as might be most convenient for All, and moft fecure from Danger. It argues only, that Whatever place They agreed to meet in, though often changed; That this place, I fay, at the time of their affémbling in it for an Act of Religion, was not a proper place for their ordinary Meal, or their feasting in order to fatisfyand indulge their Bodily Appetites.

"before

"before you." This is contained in the three following verses, viz. 23, 24, 25. which I have already produced and explained, p. 10, &c. The Apoftle then argues from this Inftitution, V. 26. For as often as ye eat THIS Bread, and drink THIS Cup, ye do fhew the Lord's death till He come. That is, "From the Inftitution itself "it is plain that the Design of your meet

ing to eat this bread, and to drink this "Wine" (for upon this is the Stress laid) "is very unlike to That of your meeting "to eat and drink Bread and Wine in a "Common way; and is no other than the "ferious purpose of fhewing forth, or keeping up the remembrance of, the death of

Chrift, in this particular Manner, till He "fhall return in glory." After this, He goes on,

Ver. 27. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord UNWORTHILY, fhall be guilty of the Body and Bloud of the Lord.

28. But let a Man examine Himself, and fo let Him eat of that bread, and drink of that Cup.

29. For