and pledges of affuring us of divine grace and favour. For, although thefe facramental figns. were ordained by God in gracious condefcenfion to our infirmities, 'thereby to inform our understandings, to refresh our memories, and to excite our affections; yet their farther efficacy is not owing to any power in themselves, but to the bleffing of Chrift upon his own inftitutions and appointments; 7and we are not to doubt, but that, in the right ufe of the outward means, he will, by the power of his fpirit, tho' in a manner unknown to us, convey, and confirm, 'in Baptifm; and convey, and confirm, in the Lord's Supper, to the worthy receivers thereof, the divine grace fignified thereby, according to his own moft true promife." The Church teaches us, that the outward. vifible fign [or form] in Baptifm is water, wherein the perfon is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. Now water is peculiarly fitted to the purpofe, for which it is here appointed; for as cleanfing is one well known Of Biptifm. vi. 19. II Cor. xiii. 12. 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. Rom. vi. 19. 4 Rom. 4. Gal. iii. I. 5 Exod. xii 27. Heb. x. 3. Luke xxii. 6 Zech. xii. 10. John i 20. Rev. i. 7. 7 1 Cor. 2 Cor. i. 21. 8 John i 8. 9 Tit. iii. 5. Mark Gen. xvii. II., 1 Acts xxii. 16. Acts ii. 38. iii. 7. xvi. 61. I Rom. iv. II. Eph. i. 13, 14. John vi. 57 16. 5 Matt. xxvii. 28. 5 Heb. x. 23. I Cor. X. Theff. v. 24. known property of Water, it is evidently a fit fign to denote our being wafhed from fin, by virtue of the blood of Chrift; and fince all men were to be invited into his Church, and fome form of admiffion to be ordained, it argued great wisdom and goodnefs in our Lord, to take away the painful rite of circumcifion, and, inftead thereof, to appoint the most common, and the most eafy fign that could be invented, to be the door of entrance into that Church." Now the Lord's Supper is fo called, because the Jewish custom of eating bread and drinking wine, at Why fo called. The Lord's Supper. the conclufion of the Pafchal Supper, was by our Lord converted into the facrament of his moft precious body and blood. But this does not transfer any obligation upon us to receive this Sacrament after Supper or in the Evening, any more than to receive it in an upper chamber, a table pofture, or with any other circumstances of the like nature, wherewith our Lord did eat the paffover with his Difciples, before he fuffered. For in matters of this kind, we are to be directed by the lawful difpenfers of this holy mystery; who with a due regard to its fu perior Eph. v. 25, 26. Acts xxii. 16. Tit. iii. 5. Heb. x. 22. 1 Cor. x. 1, 2. } 1 John i. 7. Heb. ix. 14. 9 Mat. xi. 30. 1 John v. 3. Acts xv. 10. Heb. ix. 10. Luke xxii. 19, 20. I Cor. xi. 20. 1 Cor. x. 21. Acts xx. 7. 4 I Cor. iv. Heb. v. I, 4. Pet. ii. 5. Jer. xxxiii. 18. perior dignity and the imitation of scripture, have appointed the Lord's Houfe, and the Lord's day, and the fore-part of that day, 8 for the fated celebration thereof. And you are to take notice, that it is ordered to be received three times a year at least, whereof Easter to be one, 'in the humble posture of kneeling; and with all thofe inward acts of fuitable devotion, which our most excellent office of adminiftration cannot but raife in every attentive communicant," The Church affures us, that the facrament of the Lord's Supper was ordain➡ Why inftituted. ed for the continual remembrance of the facrifice and death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby; and this memorial of Chrift's death is to be a standing fervice in his Church, fo long as it continues militant here on earth; for Chrift did institute, and in his holy Gofpel commands us, to continue a perpetual memory of that his precious death, until his coming again. 5 Now Tim. iii 16. Dan x. 21. 6 1 Cor. xi. 22. Deut. xii. 5, 5. Deut. xvi. 22. . xxvii. 6. 7 Acts xx. 7. Rev. i. 10. 8 1 Cor. xi. 20, 21. Acts iì. 15. 9 Exod. xxiii. 14, 17. Deut. xvi. 16. Heb. x. I. Heb. xiii. 15. Acts ii. 42. * Cor. v. 7, 8. Exod. xxii. 17. Dent. xvi I. Numb. 4 Phil. ii. 9, 10, II. Rom. xiv. 11. xi. 13. Eph. iii 14, lfa, xxv. I. Col. iii. 16. 6 I Cor. xiv. 26, 40, 7 Eccl. v. 1. Matr. xv. 3. 8 1 Cor. vi. 26. Afts i. 11. Matt. x. 32, 33. Heb. ix, 28. Now the death of Chrift is called a Sacrifice, because that our heavenly Father, of his tender mercy, gave his only Son Jefus Chrift to fuffer death upon the Crofs for our redemp tion; who made there (by this one oblation of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, oblation, and fatisfaction, for the fins of the whole world; 'and thereby we receive the benefits of obtaining remiffion of our fins, and being made partakers of the kingdom of Heaven: and by this we are to understand, that as the Son of God did vonchfafe to yield up his foul by death upon the Crofs for our falvation; fo it is the duty of all chriftians to receive the communion, in remembrance of the facrifice of his death, as he himself had commanded; and to do it fo frequently, that they may always have a fresh and lively remembrance thereof in their minds." Its outward fign. Now the Church teaches us, that the outs ward part or fign of the Lord's Supper is Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be re ceived; and from hence we are to obferve, that notwithstanding it is our duty to reft fa. tisfied in our Lord's will and pleasure, with out Heb. ix. 26. Heb. vii. 27. John i. 29. 2 Cor. v. 216 * Pet. iii 18. 4 Heb. ix. 28, 12. Heb. x. 10, 12, 14, 18. 2 Cor. v. 21. Cal. i. 21, 22. $ I COE. Mi Rom. v. 10. 25, 26. out feeking after a reafon for his appointments; "we cannot but obferve, that as our fpiritual purification is appofitely reprefented by water in the other facrament, fo our fpiritual fuftenance by bread and wine in this; and that, both bread and wine being parts of one complete nourishment, and feparately ineffectual, this facrament is commanded to be administered in both kinds.? The Church likewife tells us, that the inward part or thing fignified, is the The thing Body and Blood of Chrift; by fignified. which we are to understand, that God did not only give his Son Jefus Chrift to die for us, but also to be our spiritual food and fuftenance in this holy facrament; and that, if we receive it with a truly penitent heart, and lively faith, we do fpiritually eat the flesh of Chrift and drink his blood: 10. and you are to infer from what the Church thus teaches in the communion fervice, which she also teaches in the thirty-nine articles; namely, that the body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the holy fupper, after a heavenly and fpiritual manner; and that the means, whereby the Body of Chrift is received and eaten in the fupper, is faith.!" 6 I Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25. The 9 Mat. 7 Pfal. civ. 15. Jude ix 13. 1 Tim. v. 23. 81 Cor. ix. 24, 25. 1 Cor. x. 16. xiv. 22, 23. 1 Cor. x. 16, 17, 18. John vi. 55. xxvi. 26, 27, 28. II John vi, 35, 40, 47, 63. Gen, iii, 1. Eph. iii. 17. Io Mat. John i. 12. |