fhew that it may be adminiftred any Day as well as Sunday.

་

This is fufficient, I think, to shew that the Church gives great Encouragement to the often receiving the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Chrift. I could indeed have wished, that what is made here a Matter of Liberty, might have been made one of Neceffity; I mean that every Minifter fhould have been obliged to have had a Communion every Sunday in his Church 1. Whenever a Review of our Liturgy fhall be thought expedient, this, I hope, will be confider'd. The famous Refor mer Calvin laboured hard at his firft coming to Geneva, to have weekly, or at least monthly Communions fettled among the People, and cenfures the Pepifh Custom of receiving only once a Year, as moft certainly the Invention of the Devil; but he was forced to yield to a Rule which requires the People to communicate only four Times a Year. However he fays he took Care to have it entered on Record 1, that this was an evil Custom, to the Intent

Beveridge of Prayer, &c., p. 106 † Office for the Sick. "Our Reformers feem to have been guilty of a confiderable Overfight, that they laid afide the Solitary or "Private Maffes, without appointing Publick Communions

in the Room of them. The Fault in the Church of Rome "was not in the Frequency of the Confecration of the Elements, but in the Priest's eating and drinking all himself after the Confecration. I humbly conceive therefore, it "would have been more prudent in them to have retained the former, and only to have laid afide the latter." Pierce's Effay in Favour of the ancient Practice of giving the Eucharift to Children, p. 176.

Calv. Refp. de quibufdam Ecclef. Rit.

that

1

that Pofterity might with more Eafe and Liberty correct it. And indeed this great Man was much in the Right, for there can be no folid Reafon given why weekly Communions fhould not be every where established; and why the People should not receive the Sacrament as regularly as they come to the Prayers and Sermon. Let it not be faid here, that our Saviour has not prescribed the Number of Times that we must receive the Lord's Supper; for neither has he prefcribed the Number of Times we must go to Church, nor the Quantity in Alms-giving, &c. Thefe Things, and many others of the like Kind, are left to our Difcretion, as well on account of the various Circumftances wherein it was impoffible to provide abfolutely for all, as well as for a Trial of our Love to Chrift. But indeed his having fix'd no Time how often we are to do it, far from being an Excufe to lukewarm Chriftians to abftain from it, feems to me to be a plain Indication that our Saviour intended this Inftitution to be a Part of our ordinary Chriftian Worship; for had he intended that we should have received thefe Myfteries only at fome fet and folemn Times, he would have told us fo; but having appointed no Time for it, diftinct from other Parts of religious Worship, we muft conclude that this is a Part of that Worship, which he expects from Chriftians in all their Affemblies, whenever they meet to worfhip God, and their Saviour *. And being fo,

*See Sherlock's Difcourfe of religious Affemblies, P. 314. I can

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I cannot but think it a very great Irregularity for any Perfon to affift at the other Part of the Service, and to withdraw when the Sacrament is adminiftred. This is as abfurd as it would be to go away in the Middle of the Prayers, or Sermon. And it is owing to Custom, and not to Reason, that one would be reckoned fcandalous, and that the other is not fo. And therefore the Rule to be obferved by all good Chriftians, and the Measure of their Obedience to Chrift in this Particular, is to take Hold of every Opportunity that offers itself, in the Place where they live, to remember Chrift in the Way which he has specially appointed.

I know it is urged by fome that fuch frequent Reception of this holy Supper diminishes the Respect due to it; but (waving that in arguing thus, they would fhew themselves wiser than the Apostles and primitive Chriftians, who used to receive it, as we have faid, almost every Day) does not this Objection, I pray you, lie every whit as ftrong against Prayer and every other religious Duty? But as in praying often, we learn to pray well; fo by frequent communicating we do it to better Advantage. I will not deny but that the frequent Repetition will take off certain Raptures which fometime accompany young and rare Communicants; but is it not better to obey the Com mand of Chrift, and do this often, tho' not in fo fervent a Manner, than to break his Commands, in order to do it in a devouter Strain ? But indeed there is great Reafon to fufpect the

Sincerity of fuch a Fit of Devotion, which may be more owing to the Rarity and Unufualness of the Action, than to a true and real Spirit of Religion; like those who feldom converfe with great Men, the Awe they feel in their Prefence proceeds more from their not being ufed to frequent their Company, than from the Opinion of their true Worth and Greatness. True Devotion does not confift in these Emotions; in these transitory Extafies, but in a fincere and conftant Endeavour to please God, and to be made like unto him; and I dare appeal to the Experience of all fincere Chriftians whether those who live under a ftrict Senfe of their Duty in this Particular, and embrace all Opportunities, which the Providence of God of fers them of receiving the holy Sacrament, are not more holy in their Converfation, have not more Love to their Saviour, are not more charitable and tender-hearted, as well as more dead to the World, than thofe that under the Pretence of greater Refpect and Devotion receive it but very feldom? This is a Fact which every diligent Obferver may be eafily convinced of, and from which we may draw this natural Confequence, that nothing is more advantageous and more falutary to a good Chriftian than to receive the Sacrament often.

From hence I may now naturally proceed to give an Account of the proper Difpofitions with which we ought to approach the holy Table, and I do it the more willingly to take off many Miftakes which have crept in

on this Subject, for Want of a right Underftanding of the Paffages of Scripture which treat of this Matter.

CHA P. III.

Of the proper Difpofitions for receiving the boly Sacrament.

IND

N the laft Chapter I have endeavoured to fhew the Obligations which lie upon all Chriftians to receive this holy Sacrament; but as it is not fufficient to perform any Duty how good foever it be, unless it be done with fuch Difpofition, as the Nature of the Duty requires, I come now to explain wherein the Difpofitions for receiving the Sacrament aright confift. The noted Paffage of St Paul, I Cor. xi, (wherein the Apostle fpeaks of Self-Examination as a neceffary Preparation in order to come acceptably to the Lord's Table) having a very intimate Relation to the Subject, it will be proper to enquire into the Meaning of it, which will give me an Occafion to rectify feveral Miftakes which many overfcrupulous Perfons have entertained in this Matter.

It appears by the eighteenth Verse of this Chapter, that the Corinthians were (exceed