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Charity, and that however the Uncertainties and Chances, or the Evils of this World may fever or diftinguish us, yet nothing may be able to feparate us from the love of thofe for whom Chrift died.

THESE are Divine things to exercise and employ, your Minds at this great Solemnity. And as touching your outward deportment, there are these particulars, which I would recommend to your Christian practice at the time of Miniftration.

1. THAT ye dispose of your felves as near as may be to the Lord's Table, that you may behold what is tranfacted there. For befides the Decency, which is in the thing it felf (when the Children of God humbly prefent themfelves round about his Table) this is apt to exalt and heighten your Devotion ftill, and to give your Affections a new warmth, when you fee, as it were, Jefus Chrift crucified before your Eyes.

2. THE Mystery of his Paffion being thus vifibly reprefented, by the breaking of the Bread (the Symbol of his Body) and by the pouring out of the Wine (the Symbol of his Blood) then furfum corda as the Exhortation was in the Primitive Ages of Chriftianity) lift up your Hearts to him who was dead, and is now alive. for evermore, and offer unto him private

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ly thefe, or the like holy Ejaculations : Ó Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World, grant us thy Peace: 0 Lamb of God that takeft away the Sins of the World, have Mercy upon us.

3. THROUGHOUT the Prayer of the Church wherein you are concern'd, be fure to bear your Parts with Heart and Voice too. For this doth not only help to preserve a Man's own Zeal in a due Fervour, and to keep his mind fixt and intent, and free frorn diftraction, but it is moreover an excellent means to raise the Devotion of other Communicants. When every one affifteth, and all jointly mingle their Devotions, the common flame is very much increased, every one bringing fparks to the Altar, to kindle in each others Heart the love of Chrift. For the confirmation of this, I appeal to every fenfible Mans experience, who defires to ferve God in the Beauty of Holiness. How lovely, how delightful a thing is it, when People meet together to Worship God, to fend up their Prayers and Praises to him with one Lip? And how apt is this to infpire every good Heart with Fervency, and to heat every ones. Affections, each Man catching fome fire from his Neighbour? How like then is the Church to Heaven, and how tranfported do we seem

to

to be, as if we were among that blessed Quire above, where St. John in his Vision faw the four and twenty Elders falling down before him that fat on the Throne, and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever, and caft their Crowns before the Throne, Saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive Glory, and Honour, and Power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy Pleafure they are and were created, Rev. 4. 10, 11. And where fhould we imitate this bleffed and Heaven-like Harmony, if not at this Divine Solemnity, where we celebrate the memorial of our Redempti on too? of our Redemption, I fay; the great work of God, a work fo worthy of God, So ftupendious, fo full of the Riches of his Grace, that to be unconcern'd among the common Thanksgivings of the Church, muft needs be an Argument of a Mind very dull and infenfate, very deeply poffeft with a Spirit of Slumber.

4. WHEN you are now to receive the Divine Food, and Jefus, as it were, coming under your Roof, receive with all Humility; let every lofty imagination fall, and every Knee Bend: Not that we may adore the Sacramental Bread and Wine (that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Chriftians) but as an humble Profeffion of our own great unworthiness, and as a grateful

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Acknowledgement of those infinite Mercies werewith God is pleased to crown us at this time, it is no more than what is de cent and becoming us to be proftrate before him.

CHA P. XI

Of Kneeling when People
Receive.

AND

NY Reasonable and Humble Man may think, that of those few Ceremonies which are enjoyned in the Church of England, none can be lefs liable to Objections, than the pofture of Kneeling at the Celebration of this Myftery, where we poor finful Wretches are to receive so many ftupendious Mercies at the hand of God. And yet confi.dering the Scruples which have been created in fome Peoples minds about this Ceremony, and that many have run away from this great Chriftian Ordinance, upon pretence that Kneeling is unlawful; I have thought it needful to infert here a fhort discourse, to undeceive well dif pofed Perfons as to this particular.

FOR

FOR your fatisfaction in this case, I muft lay down this principle, that whatfoever is unlawful, must be contrary to some Law or other, either Moral or Po fitive, either Natural or Revealed. For a Man cannot be faid to do an unlawful action, if that which he doth be not against fome Rule: because Sin is the Tranf greffion of the Law, 1 Joh. 3. 4. So that where no Law is, there is no Tranfgreffion faith St. Paul, Rom. 4. 15. And again, Sin is not imputed where there is no Law, Rom. 5. 13. If then the pofture of Kneel ing when we receive the holy Sacrament, be unlawful, we must suppose it to be á Violation of fome Law; and then these three things must be supposed also.

1. THAT the Law against Kneeling (if there be any fuch) is plain. For every Law being the Rule of Action, of Neceffity it is required that it must be évident; because, otherwise we cannot know when we go right, or when we go wrong; which would be fo far from governing us, that it would hinder us from acting at all; because in all dark and doubtful cafes infinite Scruples must arise, which would render our Duty impracti cable. As for inftance; if it be faid that there is a Divine Law about receiving the Holy Sacrament in fuch or fuch a

posture,

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