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at the fame Table, with our felves. This is the Inference made of it by St. Paul, We being many, 1 Cor. x. 17. are one Bread and one Body, for we are Par

takers of that one Bread. It will, in a word, expofe most sensibly the Wickedness, the Abfurdity, of Hatred, or Revenge, or any malicious Grudge; Of Scorn, or Contempt, or Coldnefs, or Neglect, to Any, for whom Chrift did not difdain to die, as well as for Us. And thus we shall arrive at a Third neceffary Pre-difpofition to Communicating worthily, That of being in perfect Charity with all Men.

Fourthly, Remembring Chrift and his Death does once more prefume a Man fenfible, that he must have been Miferable to all Eternity without it; that this was an admirable Contrivance, for fnatching a whole World out of the Jaws of Death and Hell; that it was an Inftance of unparallel'd Mercy in God the Father, and a most amazing Condefcenfion in God the Son: That they are even Monsters of Ingratitude, who read, and hear, and reflect, Who it was that died, and What he endured, and for Whom; and fee the happy Confequences of his Sufferings; if they do not feel their Hearts wonderfully excited to acknowledge, and magnify, and publifh, the Praises of their Benefactor and only Saviour: If they do not love Him in return, or if they think any thing too much, that He thinks fit to require, as a Teftimony of their Love. And, fince a Person, fo far above us, is not capable of being thanked any other way; if they do not make it their conftant ftudy, to exprefs the grateful Sentiments they have of this ineftimable Mercy, by Acts of Reverence, and Devotion, Diligence to ferve and obey him, and the ftrictest Care never to displease or grieve him. This is a Temper of Mind, which the reafon of the thing proves to be our Duty at all times. But, at the Seasons of partaking in our Lord's Body and Blood, it is fo effential, fo exceeding neceffary, that then Above all things, we must give

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So fit, fo advantagious a Time is This, for feeding on the Body of our Lord; So fcandalous is it, not now to do this in remembrance of Him: So much to be feared, that they do not remember Chrift at all to purpose, who refuse this Refpect to his Command, his Person, his Sufferings; and cannot be prevailed upon to remember him, in the Method of his own appointing.

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18. For I am told, that in these Affemblies there are fome of you, who divide from the reft, and eat feparately;

19. For fuch Divifions, which are the natural effect of Pride,

18. For, firft of all, when ye come together in the Church, I bear that there be divifions among you, and I partly believe it.

and this I believe to be true of fome of you.

19. For there must be alfo Herefies among you, that they which are reproved may be made manifeft among you.

As for

and of other finful Difpofitions, God permits to take place in the Church. other Reafons, fo for this particularly, that They, who are truly good Men, may hereby have Opportunity of fhewing it, and of diftinguishing themselves from the Bad.

20. When therefore 20. When ye come together therefore into one place, this you meet in fuch a dif- is not to eat the Lord's Supper.

orderly manner, this is

not behaving your felves like Men, who come to the Lord's Supper; For that is a Feaft of Love, in which every Perfon in the Congregation hath an equal right to communicate.

21. For your practice 21. For in eating every one taketh before other bis own is, that, inftead of ma- Supper, and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

king this to be one,

common, regular Table; They who come first eat firft; and they who contribure much eat much: So that fome are fent away empty, who had little or nothing to bring; and Others, who bring in plenty, eat and drink to excefs.

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22. What, bave ye not boufes to eat, and to drink in, or defpife ye the Church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

22. If such distinctions between Rich and Poor must be made, why are they not made at home? How is it, that

you thus affront the publick Congregation, by expofing the Poverty of those Chriftians, who are, on fuch occafions, all upon the fame level? This is a Corruption, which deferves very sharp Reproof.

23. For I bave received of the Lord, that which alfo I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jefus, the fame night in which be was betrayed, took bread;

24. And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and faid, Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you This do in remembrance of me.

25. After the fame manner also he took the cup, when be bad jupped, faying, This cup is the New Teftament in my Blood: This do ye, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

23, 24, 25. Confider with your felves, how

different this Proceeding is, from the Method taken by our Lord at the Inftitution of this Sacrament. He, (as I learned from Him, and acquainted you) the night he was betrayed, took Bread into his Hands, and, af

ter bleffing it, and God for it, broke that Bread, and declared this to be a Reprefentation of his Body to be broken on the Crofs; commanding his Difciples to eat it, as a Memorial of his Death and Sufferings for their fakes. And accordingly he diftributed of it, to them all. In like manner he did with the Cup after Supper; declaring the Wine contained in it to be a Memorial of his Blood, fhed for the Ratification of the New Covenant between God and Man; and commanding them, upon every occafion of drinking it, to do it in remembrance of his Blood fo fhed, and this Covenant fo ratified. And every one of them drank of it accordingly.

26. For as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do fhew the Lord's death till be come.

26. Thus you fee, that the End of this Sacrament is, thereby to com

memorate the Death of our Bleffed Lord, and to keep him in cur Minds, during his abfence from us: In which Memorials confequently every Chriftian, of what degree or condition foever, hath an equal right to partake; because every one is equally concerned in the Mercy, remembred and represented by them.

27. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord urworthily, fhall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

27. They therefore, who, by their irregular Practice, fhall profane a Sacrament, appointed

to fo holy a Ufe; and, by unequal and uncharitable Diftinctions, fhall contradict the defign of an Ordinance, which expreffes Christ's Love to all Mankind in general, (high and low, rich and poor alike, ) do treat his Body and Blood, with a contempt, like that of his Murtherers, who affronted and infulted him, as if he had been, not only a common Man, but one of the vileft of Men.

28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

28. Therefore, before every Approach to this Sacrament, 'tis fit, that

a Man fee into, and be fatisfied with, the difpofition of his own Mind; that he come with due Reverence to fo Holy an Ordinance, and with Charity to all thofe, for whom the Death, commemorated in it, was undergone. And then he will partake of this Sacrament worthily.

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obferved, That, in the Primitive Church, it was customary, to bring to their Religious Assemblies, every one as he was able and difpofed, Provifions for a common Entertainment. Out of thefe Provifions a convenient Quantity was fet apart, to be confecrated for the Bleffed Sacrament. This Sacrament was, in fome Churches, celebrated before, in Others after, the Feaft of Love. For fo this Entertainment was used to be called. But in all places, they were Both celebrated in company with each other. The Defign of thefe Feafts was, to exprefs and maintain Friendship and Concord; and to fhew, that Christians esteemed themselves one Family, and one Body: To be a Comfort to the Poor, whofe Neceffities were thus relieved at the publick Expence; and to speak the Charity and Condefcenfion of the Rich, who thus declared their meaner Brethren, in all Christian Privileges, fellow Members, and equal with the Greatest. These voluntary Contributions were ftiled Oblations: Because every Contributor was understood to devote what he brought to a Religious Use, wholly to diveft himself of any property in it, and to make of the whole one common Fund, to which God and the Church only had from thenceforth a right. As therefore these Entertainments were a Feafting with God, and with the whole Body of Believers: So Every one, who had a right to this Table, (as All had, who for fome notorious Offence were not shut out from the Communion of the Lord's-Supper) had right to share alike, tho' all did not contribute alike; nay even, tho' the Circumstances of fome were fo ftrait, that they could not contribute any part at all.

Now when this Parity, an Emblem of Chrift's univerfal Love to Mankind, was broken in upon; When every one would take upon him, to eat at his own time, and in proportion to his own bringing; This was a feparating what had been made common, a taking back that, which had been folemnly given to God and his

Church;

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Church; a defeating of all the Ends and Significations of these Affemblies; a Reproach to, and Robbery of the Poor; by invading the Comforts and the Refreshments, defigned for Them in a more peculiar manner. But efpecially, it was an infufferable Scandal and Profanation, when fuch Feafts, as were intended to promote Religion, became the Occafions of Riot and Excefs. Yet these Abuses grew fo faft, and gave so great and juft Offence; as to render the total difufe of the Agapa, or Love-Feafts, expedient. Hence it became a general Custom, to receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper fingly. And hence, inftead of offering Bread and Wine in kind, Money was brought, for the Support of them that minifter in Holy things, and for Relief of the Poor. And fuch Contributions were, by publick Order, depofited in the Hands of proper Perfons, most likely to know their several Neceffities, and to proportion this Relief accordingly.

Is it not now as clear as the Light, that, in a Church like Ours, Where the confecrated Elements are furnished at the publick Expence; Where no Man brings or takes his own Supper, but all is delivered by the Minifter, without any refpect of Perfons; Where Distribution is made equally, decently, devoutly, and as ' nigh to the Primitive Inftitution, as can well be imagined: Is it not clear, I fay, that the Unworthiness charged upon the Corinthians, neither is, nor poffibly can be, Ours? And, if fo, it must follow, that thefe Texts of St. Paul are perverted to a very wrong use, when made the Pretence of keeping Men from the Holy Table, whofe prefent Circumftances have no manner of concern in, or relation to them.

I readily allow, that Men may be under the danger of receiving unworthily, upon feveral other accounts, as well as This. Every notorious Offence against, every wilful Failure in, the Particulars, which my Last D.fcourfe laid down, as fit Preparations for this Blef

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