ourselves: but observe impartially what is right in us, thank God, and take the comfort of it; acknowledge what is wrong, beg pardon, and amend it. For without amendment, being ever so sorry will avail nothing.

The last thing, to be mentioned in relation to this holy sacrament, is our behaviour at it; which ought to be very serious and reverent; such as may shew, in the properest manner, that, to use the Apostle's words, we discern or distinguish the Lord's body * ; look on the action of receiving it, as one of no common nature, but as the religious memorial of our blessed Saviour's dying for us, and by his death establishing with us a covenant of pardon, grace, and everlasting felicity on God's part, and of faith and holiness on ours. With this important consideration, we should endeavour to affect our hearts deeply and tenderly: yet neither to force our minds, if we could, into immoderate transports, by which we shall only bewilder and lose, instead of benefiting ourselves; nor express even what we ought to feel, by any improper singularities of gesture; nor yet be dejected; if we have less feeling, and even less attention to the service, than we have reason to wish. For such things may be, in a great measure at least, natural and unavoidable. Or, supposing them faults; they may be, and often are, the faults of such persons, as notwithstanding are, on the whole, very worthy communicants. They may be, for a time, useful means of keeping us humble and watchful: after that, God may deliver us from them: and should we continue all our lives afflicted with them, it would never hinder our receiving all the necessary benefits of this ordinance.

1 Cor. xi. 29.

God grant that both it, and all his other gracious institutions, may contribute effectually to build us up in our most holy faith in a suitable practice, that so we may ever keep ourselves in the love of God; and on good grounds look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life *.

Jude ver. 20, 21.

LECTURE XXXIX.

THE CONCLUSION.

HAVING now, through God's mercy, carried on these Lectures to the end of the Catechism, and in some measure explained to you every part of Christian faith, and duty comprehended in it, I have only one instruction more to add, but the most important of all for you to remember and consider well: that, if ye know these things, happy are ye, if ye do them *; and miserable are ye, if ye do them not.

We all know indeed by nature, in a great degree, what manner of persons we ought to be in this world: and therefore, if we fail of being such, are in a great degree inexcusable. For how little teaching soever some may have had; yet our Saviour's home question will reach even them: Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? The work of the law is written in the hearts of men, their conscience also bearing witness. Being reasonable creatures, we are evidently bound to govern our passions, appetites, fancies, and whole behaviour, by the rules of reason. And who doth not see, that sobriety, temperance, and modesty, are things perfectly reasonable; and excess, and dissoluteness, and indecency, mischievous + Luke xii. 57.

• John xiii. 17.

Rom. ii. 15.

and shameful? Being social creatures, we are so evidently bound to whatever will make society happy. And since we are sensible, that others ought to treat us with justice and kindness, peaceably mind their own business, and diligently provide for their own maintenance; we cannot but be sensible that we ought to do the same things. Then lastly, being creatures capable of knowing our Creator, who is not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being *: it follows very clearly, that we are not to forget him, but worship and obey him as the almighty, all-wise, and all-good Maker and Lord of the universe; acknowledge our dependence on him, be thankful to him for his mercies, and resign ourselves to his disposal.

Thus much, one should have thought, all men must have known, without supernatural teaching: and certainly they might, and therefore are justly blameable and punishable, if they do not. But still it hath appeared in fact, that wherever men have been left to their own reason, neither every one hath taught himself nor the wiser part of the world taught the rest, even these plain things; so as to produce any steady regard to them, as duties, or even any settled conviction of them, as truths. And for want of it, sin and misery have prevailed every where. Men have made others and themselves wretched in numberless ways and often doubly wretched by the reflections of their own hearts; knowing they had done ill, and not knowing how to be sure of pardon.

Foreseeing from eternity these dreadful consequences of human ignorance and wickedness, God provided suitable remedies of instruction and grace; which he notified to the world from time to time, as

* Acts xvii. 27, 28.

his own unsearchable wisdom saw would be fittest; increasing the light gradually, till it shone out in the full day of Christianity. But revelation, as well as reason, hath been given in vain to a great part of mankind. The propagation of it through the earth hath been strangely neglected: in many places, where it hath been received, it hath been lost again: and in too many, where it is retained, it is grievously corrupted and obscured. Without question, we ought, to judge as charitably as we can of all who are in any of these conditions: but at the same time we ought, from the bottom of our hearts, to thank God that none of them is our own. Undoubtedly he is and will be gracious to all his creatures, as far as they are fit objects: but it is the riches of his grace *, that he hath bestowed on us; and as, with justice, he might dispose of his own free gifts as he pleased: so, in mercy, he hath conferred a large proportion of them on this nation and age. Blessings, that are common and familiar, though indeed much the greater for that, are usually but little regarded. And thus, amongst other things, the opportunities that we enjoy of religious knowledge, it may be feared, are often very lightly esteemed. But would we often reflect, how much less means of being acquainted with the duties of this life, and the rewards of another, not only the unenlightened heathen world, but the Jews, the people of God, had formerly: and much the greatest part even of Christians have had for numbers of successive generations, and have still, than we : it would make us feel, that our Saviour's words belong to us also: Verily, I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them: and to hear those things Eph. i. 7. ii. 7.