or Few or Many In which Question we ar grow'n very much bolder than St. Augustin He Questioned but durst not Determin between Every day and Som days we boldly Determin against Daily yea Weekly yea Monthly Communions but stablish not Any at all III. IT is manifest say som that Scarceity advanceth and Plenty abateth the valu of every thing Those acts of worship which are Frequently are also Slightly performed and since we cannot keep Both we were better quit Frequence than Reverence For we shall more honor our Lord by doing this more Reverently thogh less Frequently Than more Frequently with less Reverence And in confirmation hereof they vouch not only Experience which sheweth that Those very persons who strained hard to enjoy the Common Prayer when it was not to be had without difficulty contemn it now it is truly Common but as we com now from saying the Authority of our Church too as satisfied with three times in a year This is their Opinion and thus they defend it It were heartily to be wished that the Antecedent wer as fals as the Consequent is weak That there wer as litl Truth in the alleged contemt of Common Prayer as there is Reason thence to be draw'n against making the Communion common as That And it were further to be wished that those who thus pretend to hear the Church would better consider her declared Judgment But This conceit grave as it looks with its countenance of Piety and Prudence we have found to be the very same with that in the Corinthians against which the Apostle leveleth his whole Argument And plausibl as it looks with its Countenance of Conformity to the Church we shall find it more guilty of Non-conformity than what is by its patrons condemned as such And so much the more injurious to the Church bicause it doth not only rob her of het Authority but her Innocence as making her Accessary to the disobedience she condemns And since I ow a duty to the Church as well as to the Question I shall not proceed further 'till I have vindicated Her from so great Suspicion and This from so great a Prejudice as by This pretence they suffer IV. CONCERNING the sens of our Church in this Question it is strange that there should be any Doubt much more that there should be any Error so plainly doth she declare it in her Offices and Rubriks relating to this Sacrament preparatory whereto she hath provided two Exhortations the One shewing the danger of Unworthiness the Other of Forbearance answering the doubl charge of the Apostl Let a man examin himself and so let him eat I doubt this is News to Them who most are concerned in it For if they had do'n the Church and Themselvs the right to Read and Consider That Exhortation which she hath appointed to be read when the Minister shall see the peopl negligent to come they must needs be convinced if not how great the Error is yet certainly how litle the Church favoreth it For what can be said to This Invitation In Gods behalf I bid you All All indefinitely and beseech you for the Lord Jesus Christs sake that you will not refuse to come being so lovingly caled and bidden by God himself And again I bid you in the name of God I call you in Christs behalf I exhort you as you love your own salvation What to this Warning Take you heed lest you withdrawing your selves from this Holy Supper provoke Gods indignation against you And again Consider with your selvs how great an injury you do to God and how sore punishments hangeth over your heads for the same What to this Argument You know how grievous and unkind a thing it is when a man hath prepared a rich Fest decked his Table with all kinds of provisione so that there lacketh nothing but the guests to sit down and yet they who are caled most unthankfully refuse to come c. which of you in such a case would not be moved who would not think a great injury and wrong do'n unto him What to the close of all These things if ye earnestly consider ye will by Gods grace return to a better mind for the obtaining whereof we shall not cease to make our humbl peticions to Almighty God our heavenly Father The Invitation is Universal I bid you All. The charge lieth upon All Persons and at All Times For as often as the peopl the peopl in general are Negligent to com so often is the Minister thus to reprove and warn them and there is no limitation to dispens with Any Person or except Any Time Thus thus it is that the Church incourageth us to dispens with our Duty thus she discourageth Constancy in it Thus she setteth up Reverence against Frequency But since Error cannot subsist without borrowing from Truth let us see what appearances there may be of the Churches countenance in the contrary opinion She declareth say they three times in a year to be sufficient But 1. Churches as well as States ar many times necessietated to comply with the ungovernabl humors of the People And what if our Church have do'n in This Subject as Moses did in That of Divorce bicause of the hardness of the peopls hearts chusing a great inconvenience as an escape from a yet greater mischief The indevotion of the peopl is so incorrigibl that she saw too great reason to fear lest if she should exact the constancy due to it she should thereby rather draw contemt then Guests to the Holy Table and therefor lest by requiring All she should lose All thoght necessary to accommodate her self not to what our Savior Requireth but to what she might hope to Obtene This appeareth by the two first Rubriks which caution against exposing the Sacrament if there be not a convenient number to communicate i. e. if there be not the same number which is necessary for the Grace-cup for so is the number expresly determined to three at least And if she thus doubted of Three when it is so Seldom what could she hope if it were Constantly celebrated 2. Where she may Hope more she Requires more She doth not think the Priests more Obliged to communicate but more Likely to be devout and obedient than the People When therefor there is a competent number of such as in Colleges and Collegiat Churches there often is where they cannot want Opportunity if they want not Piety There she requireth not only three times every Year but once every Week and in This requiring of the Priests she doth more than intimate what oght to be do'n by All thogh she forbear to enjoin it bicause of the too justly supposed hardness of the hearts of the generality 3. Nether is she satisfied with This either in Priest or Peopl When she saith it must be thus often At least she doth not declare This to be the Most that is required by our Lords Institution but the Least that can satisfie her Own Discipline Those
If therefor THIS bread and THIS cup be as I hope I have proved a Singular bread and cup used at Certain Determinate times then have we the Standard whereby we must mesure our Frequency in the Lords Supper And again if we are obliged to do This As often as That then must we understand how often we must Do That So the Relation is perfect and reciprocal Our obligation to celebrate the Lords Supper As often as we Eat THIS c. supposeth it certain how often we eat it And the Certainty of difference between THIS and Other bread and wine determineth how often we are to use Them in the Lords Supper Thus will our Lords mind in This Institution be as plain as in Any other Practical Precept The Apostles Argument as convincing as Any in All his Epistles And our Lord's stile conformable to that of All mankind and that which himself frequently used when most desiros to be understood by the meanest When th u fastest saith he anoint thy head and wash thy face when thou givest thine alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth When ye Pray say Our Fasher c. Had these exercises no other Foundation but the precariosly supposed Will of the performer and That too undrawn by any preceding motive Had they never before be'n heard of in the World as is supposed of This bread and This cup what would such a groundless Precept have signified Who wold thereby have be'n induced to undergo the penance of Fasting the cost of Alms-doing or the labor of Prayer Or what Obligation had there be'n broken by the neglect Whereas now that these Precepts did not Create New performances but Reform Old ones since before our Lord had opened his lips concerning them his Disciples very well knew how frequently Those exercises were performed it must be needless to tell them what they knew already but he must be supposed to imply it in what he bilt upon it And if we may paraphrase his words we may thus do it You often Fast and give Alms and Pray and ye do well in it I give you no new command concerning the Substance or Quantity of those good exercises go on to do as much as you have formerly do'n but I caution you concerning the Manner that as often as you do them you do them sincerely without any misture of Hypocrisie The language is the very same here and so ar all materials A practice presupposed and left to its former mesures a new Precept concerning a change of manner and This mesured in point of frequency by the foreknown Standard Our Lord's and the Apostl's meanings as clear at That time as the supposed practice they both refer to was common I say At That time and insist upon it as necessary both for Justification of the Scriptur and Satisfaction of our Own Consciences that we must redeem That time that therewith we may retrive the Only proper light whereby we may discover both our Lord's and Apostl's meaning And thogh we might now supersede any further proof since our Lord himself may be pleaded the best Interpreter of his own Language frequently used upon like occasions yet because another and more acceptabl sens shall I call it hath gotten possession of Most if not of All minds I shall further observ 1. With what care the Apostle Recordeth these words 2. With what partiality he applieth them to the cup and with what suitable partiality he honoreth the cup for their sake 3. With what care he righteth the bread by giving it equal power with the cup in his own deductions III. 1. IT is very observable with what care the Apostle Recordeth this clause None of the Evangelists mention it and it is probable our Lord used it not in his Institution and therefor the Apostle is careful so to Insert it as withal to Authorise it saying expresly That he receved it of the Lord. This is very considerable and therefor we shall observ 1. This Apostle was our Lords Disciple after another rate than were the rest He enjoyed not as They did an intimate conversation with him upon Earth but was abundantly recompensed with Revelations from Heaven St. Luke indeed is very sparing as became an abridger in recording such Revelations he mentions only That which converted him and a very few others relating to som of his journies Yet in recital of his speech to King Agrippa he plainly intimateth a larger discourse even in That First Vision than himself had expressed and particularly that our Lord promised to make That an earnest of More and Those more instructive I have said he appeared unto thee for This purpose to make thee a Minister and a Witness both of these things which thou hast seen and of Those things wherein I will appear unto thee Which After-appearances were Such and so Many that he declareth himself in danger of being puffed up by them 2. What he declareth himself to have receved of the Lord must needs be This considerabl 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the rest were openly delivered at the Institution to the whole College of Apostles from Them he might have receved them and to their Testimony he might have appeled if his truth had be'n questioned But concerning These important words they must All have joined their testimony Against him if the Evangelists did not join in a strange omission neglecting to report such a considerable clause As therefor our Lord by a very intelligible Ellipsis left these words unspoken because needless at the time of his Institution so doth the Apostle now by another Ellipsis omit the distinction which we are supposed to understand between This clause which he inserted as receved of the Lord by a posthum explication and the rest which All the other Apostles receved without it at his Last Supper 3. These words alone he immediatly resumeth and inforceth as his principal Evidence for all his deductions thence inferred Since this is the Basis of All it oght to be firmly setled and he needed our Lords authority for This only 4. This Authority evidenceth not Only the Truth but the Importance of what was thus delivered These words of deference What I have receved are never paid but to Truths of the first rate In the fundamental Article of the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.1 c. when he had honored it with the most illustrios titles The Gospel That whereby we are to be saved c. he addeth This also I have delivered saith he that which I also receved but expresseth not from whom since the cloud of witnesses was apparent When he would confirm the truth of the whole Gospel and exalt its dignity to the highest he speaketh in the present stile Gal. 1.11 I receved it not of man neither was I taught it but by Revelation of Jesus Christ And since the Stile is the same the Consequence must be the same Here as There If I or an Angel from Heaven teach any other doctrin
Endeareth all other Lawes by new obligations proper to the Nature of a Man II. 2. Is it self a New Law upon a New account III. It is not only a Monument proper to our Lords memory but a Statu lively representing him IV. Our Lord expressed his esteem by his care in recommending it in the most advantageos circumstances 1. It was the Last night in his Life 2. The night in which he was and knew he should be bebetrayed V. The pervers returns many make to This care 1. The Profane make it their Last act as if it wer to shew forth their own death 2. Som make it their Last care by preferring every other before it Business unpreparednes uncharitablenes VI. The Scrupulos refuseing to receve bicause hindered by impossibl conditions blemish our Lords wisdom and goodness THIS and This Only is Appropriate to our Lords Person and Humane Nature and hath thereby a dubl singularity of power 1. It addeth a New inforcement to former Laws upon their Old account 2. It is it self a New Law upon a New account I. IT endeareth all Former Laws upon their Common account which well cast up amounteth to this End Total They promote Our happiness and that in all Kinds and Capacities Private and Publick Inward and Outward Temporal and Eternal They exalt us above the Troubles by putting us above the Cares and Pollutions of this world make us both Useful and Amiable in our generations Spiritual in our affections Godlike in our conversation Perfect as our heavenly father is perfect as much in Happiness as Goodness they promote not any other interest of God but his delight in our felicity And This is a great argument to invite our obedience twisted of Interest and Gratitude And the bonds of Gratitude which oblige us to obey God for Kindness of his Commands ar dubled by That of his Promises He imputeth it as a Service and promiseth Rewards infinitely greater than the best Service could pretend to if we will accept of the happiness he offereth us And what can Love do more Yes our Lord hath do'n yet More Infinitely More for us He hath not only taken Care but Paid for our happiness and the Price was great as the Love that paid it and the Obligation thence derived greater than Both the Other For his Laws and Promises shewed the Love indeed but mingled with the Authority of a Father His Power was thereby Governed but not Weakned they provide for Our happiness without robbing Him of any part of his own What the Psalmist says of his Works we may apply to his Laws and Promises He spake and it was do'n he commanded and they were created But rhe work our Redemtion cost him not onely a word speaking but strong cries and tears whereby he purchased to himself Another Right so much more Obliging to Us by how much more Costly to Himself than that of a Creator That our great Lawgiver should take upon himself the form of a servant and become Obedient yea that of a Malefactor and becom obedient unto Death even the death of the Cross That he should with his Own bloud purchase us a Pardon for breaking his Own so gracios Laws and Himself a peculiar peopl zelos of good works and thereby capabl of his so Promised Rewards leaving us an exampl that we should follow his steps which it is no less Shameful to Desert than Impossibl to Ourgo either in Active or Passive obedience This is indeed a most Admirabl and no less Powerful charm to constrain us to follow such a Captain These Things for their admirable Loveliness the Angels desire to look into and by such cords of Love Humanity must needs be Attracted No voice therefor of this Captain of our Salvation caled more loud upon Us to Follow Him than That whereby he caled upon God as forsaking him Never more a King than when Crowned with thorns Anointed with sweat and bloud and Enthroned on his Cross There There was he exalted on the throne of Love There did he stretch out his inviting Arms There did he open not his Arms only but his Heart who 's wide door let out his Bloud to make room for Us. This doth himself cal his Exaltation I when I am exalted will draw All men unto me All Men of All Humours and Complexions All Nations and Ages The stubbornest metal that will not be Broken by his Authority will be Melted by his Love which cannot be better Kindled or Fueled in our hearts than by the wood of the Cross Nor can That be better ordered than by This Sacrament which was appointed for That very End By This he is still set forth Crucified among Us as heretofore among the Galations however remote in time or place By this he is still Exalted to his Cross By This doth his Heart still open it self to send forth fresh bloud and his Mouth to utter new cries But oh those Cryes must be New indeed and to New but Sad purposes On his Cross he cried upward to his seemingly deserting Father My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me But at his Table he cryeth downward to his too really deserting disciples My friends My friends why do you forsake me Is it nothing to You Oh all you that pass by Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow which is do'n unto Me wherewith the Lord Once afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger for your sakes and which you still repete by your unkind neglects of the salvation I then so dearly purchased and now so lovingly offer Whether his Bloud by speaking more Sweetly do not also speak more Powerfully than his Commands yea or Promises can do I neither Dare nor Need to determin All that I pretend to I hope is plain viz. That This Sacrament by shewing forth his Death draweth us with a New attractive and bindeth us with New obligations to obey such a Lord so purchasing and so offering salvation II. 2. THIS doth not only add New Obligations to former Laws upon their Old account but is it self a New Law upon a New account This is therefor the Cord of a Man bicause it draweth and bindeth us to our Lords humanity He that said If you Love me keep my Commandments recommendeth them after the same proportion as they have interest in his Person to which therefor since This hath greatest Relation it must also have greatest Claim to our Obedience If you love me you will keep all my Commandments bicause they are Mine but This above All bicause it is not only My Commandment but My Monument It s Relation is so singular to our Lords Person that it is Incommunicable even to one part of his Nature In all the Rest the whole Trinity is concerned bicause they serv the whole Divine Nature In keeping them we obey the Father also from whom he professeth to have receved them If we partake his spirit the Holy Ghost is honored but Spirits have not Flesh and