fense; or unfuitably to the End of this Rite. Nor can He be faid to eat and drink his own Condemnation: because He does truly difcern the Lord's Body, by remembring it in the most serious manner. He has therefore, performed this one Duty in a proper manner. But if He be ftill a willful habitual Sinner in any one Inftance; He will most certainly be condemned: not for receiving this Sacrament unworthily; (which He does not appear to have done ;) but for the Difobedience of his Life, in thofe Points which are indifpenfably neceffary to Salvation.

What I have faid does not feem to me to imply in it any thing contrary to the Dif cipline of Chriftians, in Juftin Martyr's Age: who informs Us, that They only were allowed then to partake of the Eucharift, who lived, as Chrift had commanded. This general and loofe expreffion is declared, by the most learned Writers who cite it, to be meant only of an imperfect Obedience to Chrift's laws. For they are fenfible of the pernicious confequences of interpreting it rigorously, according to the words. For my Self; I think, Juftin Martyr could mean no more by it than that Profeffed Chriftians who were fcandalously

dalously and notoriously Immoral in the habitual and open Conduct of their Lives, were not permitted, before fome good Signs of Repentance appeared, to partake of this Religious Rite. And in times and places where this can be certainly judg'd of; and the Rule put in practice without prejudice to Any persons who ought not to fuffer by it; it may be a very good Rule ftill. But I take the foundation of it to be this, and this only, That the admitting persons to the Communion was esteemed to be an acknowledgment of them, as Chriftians fit to be received into the Company, and to partake in the Religious Offices, of fuch as are really fo. And upon this account, Those who continued to bring a publick Disgrace upon their Holy Profeffion, were not acknowledged, or treated, as Brethren. This appears still more plainly from hence, that it was not only from the Eucharift that fuch were debarred; but from all Other parts alfo of the Common Worship of Chriftians: Nay, before whole Nations were profeffed Chriftians, from the common Intercourfes of Society and Converfation; according to St. Paul's rule. I Cor. v. II. So that this does not appear to have arifen from Any thing peculiar to

the

the Lord's Supper itself; nor from any opini on that fuch Perfons could not poffibly come to it with good difpofitions, and eat and drink in fuch a manner as not to fall under St. Paul's Denunciations: but, from hence, That they were not fit to be owned publickly by their Brethren, because of their continuing to live, in other refpects, and in a notorious manner, unworthily of the Chriftian Name. This was thought a proper way of bringing them to fome fenfe of their Sins; or, if that could not be done, of vindicating the honour of the Chriftian Society from the Scandal of fuch Members.

I have thus endeavoured to explain the peculiar Nature of the Duty before Us, fo as to preferve the neceffary Distinction between this, and other Duties; in order to prevent the mistakes of honeft minds; and to make it evident that no Chriftian can frame to Himself the leaft encouragement to continue in any one Sin, from his being thus taught to perform one fingle Duty of his Religion, in a right manner. On the contrary, This very Duty, thus performed, naturally leads Him to remember that every Christian is ftrictly required by that Mafter whom He thus commemorates,

to

to regard the Whole Law of God, by which He is to be finally judged; and seriously to confider that the Performance of one Duty, though performed in the Manner required, will not atone for his willfull and habitual Neglect of any Other.

Before I conclude this part of the Subject, I must observe that, the Custom in Our Church, (whether the primitive Custom, or not, I do not now examine,) being this, That the Minister officiating not only delivers the Bread and Wine into the hands of Every Communicant, but at the fame time diftinctly calls upon every Perfon, to eat the one in remembrance of Chrift's Body broken and deprived of Life; and to drink the other in remembrance of Chrift's Bloud fhed: This, (joined to the Difufe of annexing this Rite to any other Feaft) guards it almost against the Poffibility of any serious Chriftian's eating or drinking, unworthily; or unfuitably to the End of it. He is in fuch a manner put in mind of Chrift's Body, when He takes the Bread; and of Chrift's Bloud, when He takes the Cup; that, if He hears the words, and comes with ferioufnefs, He cannot but eat and drink in a Religious remembrance of

Chrift,

Chrift, as his Lord and Mafter; and so, cannot eat and drink Unworthily, in the Apoftle's fenfe; i. e. Unfuitably to this Inftitution; notwithstanding his Imperfections and Failings in other parts of his Conduct, which have no relation to this Inftance of his Duty. I fay this of ferious Chriftians, who fincerely believe in Chrift, as their Master and Judge. As for Others; I am not now speaking to Them.

There are no other Paffages of the New Teftament, except These already produced, in which any fuch mention is made of this Religious Duty, as can lead Us into the knowledge of the Nature and Extent of it: No other indeed, that are fuppofed to speak any farther of it, than as a Practice in the earliest Days, when Christians met together for Religious Worship. Particularly in Acts ii. v. 42, mention is made of their continuing fedfaf, not only in the Apostle's Doctrine; [or rather in Attendance upon their Teaching, as the Sense of the word in this place feems plainly to be;] but in fellowship; (the fame word which fignifies Communion, and participation,) and in breaking of Bread; and in Joint-Prayer.