of the Evil and Danger of Sin, to bring us out of love with it, and to engage us to a new and better Life; furely then the Confideration of the fame things represented to us in the Sacrament, the Commemoration of his Death and Paffion there made, may also serve for the fame great Ends and Purposes.

If Chrift died that we should die unto Sin, certainly then the Memory of his Death may justly be accounted a proper means of killing Sin in us: nay, what in the nature of the thing can be imagined a more likely Inftrument to turn us from a life of Sin to the practice of Holiness, than the frequent confideration of what our blessed Lord hath done and fuffered for us? And if fo, it cannot be neceffary that this Change fhould be completely wrought in us, before we ever folemnly commemorate his bloody Paffion; for that were to fuppofe it neceffary that the End should be obtained before we use the Means.

It is not therefore abfolutely neceffary that we should be fully affured that we are in a state of Grace, and in God's favour, and have repented enough, and truly forfaken all our Sins, before we venture on this Sacrament; it is fufficient that we heartily and fincerely refolve against them, that we ap proach the Lord's Table with honest and deyout Minds, that we be really willing and defirous to use all means to become better: and if thus difpofed we come to the Sacra

ment,

ment, I doubt not but we fhall find it a moft effectual means for the enabling us to leave our Sins, and to lead a better Life. It is not our Unworthiness, but our refolving to continue in that state, that makes us unqualified for this Sacrament.

4.

If therefore by your Unworthiness you mean that you live in Sin, and are refolved to do fo, and therefore dare not come to the Sacrament for fear you fhould farther provoke God Almighty; I will fuppofe that in this you act prudently and warily but then I would advise you for the fame reason, and on the fame account, to leave off all other Duties of Religion as well as this. If you would act upon the fame grounds, you ought to reckon it the fafeft way never to pray to God any more, nor ever again to appear in any religious Affemblies, nor to join in any part of God's folemn Worfhip: for God hath often declared that he doth far more abominate all fuch formal, whining, cringing Hypocrites, and will more feverely punish them than the open and bold Contemners of his Authority and Laws. The Prayer of the wicked Man is an abomination to the Lord. He hates the Addreffes of those who call him Father and Mafter, and in words acknowledg him, but yet continually do the things that are difpleafing in his fight. His Soul loaths and naufeates all the Services of impure Worshippers: You do but mock God, bafely fawn upon and impudently flatter him,

when

when you prefent your felves before him as his People and Servants, and yet fecretly hate him, and wish him out of the World. Nay, for the fame reafon for which you forbear the Sacrament, e'en lay afide your whole Christian Profeffion, openly renounce your Baptifm, deny your Saviour, difown his Religion; for that is the fafeft Course, whilst you refolve to continue in Sin and Difobedience for God's Wrath fhall be in the first place revealed against wicked Christians; and better will it be in the last Day for Tyre and Sidon, for Sodom and Gomorrah, than for those who were called by Chrift's Name, and yet did not depart from Iniquity.

If this Pretence be true, that you go out of the Church when the Sacrament is to be adminiftred, left you should farther provoke God by unworthy receiving it; by the fame reafon keep from the Church altogether, left you as highly provoke God by being present at thofe Prayers you do not heartily join in, nor ever intend to live according to. Or rather (to speak yet more fully what is the true Confequence of this) you now know your felves unworthy, and are refolved yet, at least for some time, to continue fuch. Alas! what need fuch as you be afraid of this Text? In this cafe it ought to feem indifferent to you whether you receive or not; Damnation here threatned cannot be fuppofed reasonably to fcare him from the Sacrament, who

runs

runs the constant hazard of it by living in known Sin. This can be no fuch terrible Word to an habitual and refolved Sinner. He that can swear and talk profanely, and live intemperately and loofly, and without any fear or regret commit mortal Sin, in vain pretends fear of Damnation for not doing that which is indeed his Duty; for it is a moft odd and ridiculous thing, to be afraid of doing what our Saviour hath commanded us, whilft we are not in the least afraid every day of doing what he hath forbidden us. How ftrange is this, for Men out of a dread of Damnation to neglect their Duty, and yet at the fame time not to be afraid to live carnal and fenfual Lives? Never therefore let any amongst you, fo long as you continue in your Sins, plead, that you are afraid you fhould offend your Saviour, if unworthily you eat his Body and drink his Blood, and therefore dare not communicate; for your daily Practice confutes this Pretence, whilst you notoriously break his Laws, and violate his Authority, and scandalize his Religion.

You pretend Fear of Damnation; no fuch matter, this is not the true reason of your abftaining from this Sacrament. You are rather afraid the Sacrament will engage you to leave thofe Sins you have no mind as yet to part with; that it will put you upon the practice of those Duties which are inconfiftent with your Profit, Pleasure, or fecular Inte

rest.

rest. You are not afraid of displeasing God, but of being too ftrictly tied and bound to please him. You are afraid left that Solemnity should raise fome Scruples in your Minds, which you have no leisure to confider of. You would not be troubled with such a serious Bufinefs; you fufpect you fhall not be able to fin fo fecurely and quietly after it, as now you do.

Let not such therefore as neglect this Duty, invent any fuch pitiful Excufes, but confefs plainly that they love Sin and the World too much, that they prize them above the Benefits purchased by Jefus Chrift; that they refolve to go on in their Wickedness for fome longer time, and that therefore they do not come to this Sacrament. They are loth to engage themselves fo folemnly to do that, which they find in themselves no Heart or Will to perform. This indeed is the fecret Thought of many Men, tho it is a very foolish one; for they are very much mistaken who think themselves at

greater liberty to do evil whilft they abftain from this Sacrament; for Chriftians are engaged by receiving this Sacrament to no other Obedience than they were before by their Baptifm: it doth not fo much oblige us to new Duties, as engage us to make good thofe Obligations which our Profeffion of Christianity hath already laid upon us.