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DISCOURSE XV.

An Homily concerning the Worthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

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LUKE XXII. 19.

This do in rememberance of me.

HE receiving the bleffed facrament of the Lord's fupper, is one of the moft powerful means held forth in Chirft's church (of which we all profefs to be members) to ftrengthen our faith and confidence in our bleffed Savior; and to obtain from him thofe needful graces, which the very best men require to have improved, to keep them ftedfaft in their calling, and to enable them to go on to that perfection, fo incumbent on all real christians to ftrive to obtain.

It behoves us therefore to give this neceffary proof of our belonging to Chrift, and that we are not afhamed to be called his difciples indeed, nor unwilling to be qualified, in his own way, for a place in his holy kingdom, when we depart hence; for whosoever shall be ashamed of me, or of my words, (saith our bleffed Lord) of him fhall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

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The great love of our Savior Chrift towards mankind, doth not only appear in that inestimable work of our redemption, which he purchafed for us, at the dear price of his moft precious blood, and bitter paffion; but alfo, in the wife and gracious provision he made, that this moft merciful facrifice might be kept in continual remembrance, and thereby produce fuch good effects in us, as were confiftent with its bleffed defign; for as tender parents are not fatisfied to get a good fortune, and valuable poffeffions for their children, but take care also that they may be preferved and fecured for their benefit: fo our bleffed Lord did not think it enough to procure for us the renewal of his Father's love and favor, (which is no less than the inexhauftible fountain of all good, even eternal life itfelf) but he likewife contrived fuch ways, in his divine wisdom, whereby we might apply the bleffings he had obtained for us, fo as to reap real advantage by them. Among other means of grace that he hath left us, the public celebration, or acknowledgment of the memorials of his precious death, by partaking of the Lord's fupper, is one of the moft awful and ufeful that our religion contains. For however lightly it may be regarded by Jome, yet when it is fincerely received by the faithful, it not only becomes inftrumental in correcting the general weakness of mankind (which in confequence of a degenerated nature, is more ready to remember injuries than benefits) but it helps to promote and strengthen the growth of the inward man, in joy and peace, and in working grateful praise towards that Bleffed Redeemer, by whofe grace we become more cautious in our future life and converfation; thus by the fpiritual nourishment we feek in this ordinance, it becomes gradually as meat and drink, to do the will of God in all things. And as we read in the xiith of Exod. that God of old ordained, that the astonishing mercies and deliverances

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fiverances which he fhewed his people, fhould be kept in remembrance by the ceremony of their eating the paffover, and the ufe of other particular rites attending it; fo our Bleffed Savior in the place of that holy inftitution, practifed by the Jews, has eftablished for the obfervation of all true chriftians, that the remembrance of his great mercy towards the fouls of men, by his gracious death and fuffer- · ings, fhould be kept up by the inftitution of that facrament, which we call the Lord's Supper.

To this all humble chriftians are invited as grateful guests, to feed their own fouls by an actual partaking; for we cannot reasonably fuppofe, that the employing others will profit us, as is the cafe where only the priest or minifter receiveth, it being most natural to believe, that as the body is fuppoted by the food it takes itself, so can the foul be benefited only, by its own particular obedience, and regular application of the means of grace. Indeed the exprefs commandment obligeth us all to communicate in perfon. Thefe are the words, Do ye this, drink ye ALL of this, and the exprefs promife doth further encourage it: This is my body which is given for you, confequently we muft ourselves be partakers of the outward figns, that remind us of this facrifice of Chrift. It is highly neceffary also, that when we receive this holy facrament, it fhould be done in the most devout, and folemn manner; left as medicine which is intended for the restoration of bodily health, when misapplied, may do more injury than benefit; fo this moft comfortable cordial of the foul, if taken unworthily (that is, without confideration, without an humble mind, prepared by a due fenfe of its unworthiness, and great need of help and favor) may provoke the gracious author of all good to punish fuch irreverent prefumption. As a caution against this, St. Paul faith, He that eateth or drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh his own condemnation, that is, he thereby fets his own feal

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to the judgment he deferves. But here it is neceffary that the true fenfe of this word unworthily, be made moft clear to you; for otherwife; none of us, not the very beft, could venture to clofe with their Lord's command in this refpect; becaufe ftrictly, we are all unworthy of any favor, efpecially fo great a one as this. Nay we receive this facrament in faith, that it will prove inftrumental, through God's bleffing, on our future endeavours, to become daily better prepared to ferve him every time we fhall have the opportunity of this particular indulgence. By unworthily, therefore, the apoftle here means a carelefs, indecent manner of outward behavior; and alfo, not being previously and fincerely refolved to amend our lives, not confidering the nature of this facrament; or as the Apoftle words it, Not confidering the Lord's body.

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weighing the infinite value of the facrifice for fin, nor being truly fenfible that we need God's grace; that is, a further power to help our weakness, than we find fufficient from our own mere will and ability. You are likewife to obferve, that St. Paul was here particularly exhorting the Corinthians, a people who had pofitively behaved with the greatest profaneness, in the use of this facrament, even by coming drunken to it, and by using it as a common meal. These he moft earnestly counfels to amend, left they fhould bring condemnation upon themselves, for fuch grofs mifconduct, in fo folemn a duty; as doubtlefs every pious chriftian must allow, they might juftly expect. But the Apostle does not intend to fignify by this, thar any are truly worthy, in a spiritual fenfe, of God's goodnefs to them; nor is there, I hope, the least danger of any of us ever coming unworthily, in the fenfe he does fpeak of; but the more unworthy you feel yourfelves to be, in a truly religious and fpiritual conviction withing to become better, and refolving to ftrive fo to be, the fafer may you come, and the

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