THE REASONABLE COMMUNICANT:

OR

AN EXPLANATION

OF THE DOCTRINE OF

THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER

IN ALL ITS PARTS,

FROM THE COMMUNION-SERVICE.

In a Discourse between a Minister and one of his Parishioners.

THE PREFACE.

HAVING been often called upon, both by my office and the rules of charity, to assist good people, who were willing to understand and do their duty, in their preparation for the Sacrament; I never failed of explaining the latter part of the Church Catechism, which relates to the Lord's Supper, by the Communion Service, and recommending it to their frequent reading and most serious meditation; as well knowing that it contained the whole of what the Church of England requires from her communicants, both to understand and practise and being moreover assured, that whoever will speak on this subject with authority and certainty must speak from thence, it being the public and allowed explanation of that doctrine, and the very standard by which all other explanations are to be measured, and accordingly to be either admitted or rejected.

To save myself the labour of very frequently repeating these things, I thought of putting them together, in as short and plain a method as I could, and printing them, that I might have them to offer easily to such as should think fit to advise with me on these occasions.

Whilst I was thus digesting these things, and putting them in order, there occurred to my mind (and naturally I thought) some few particulars, which although they are not absolutely necessary to the FLEETWOOD, VOL. III.

B