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Chrift, after he would be taken away; therefore Chrift, who is to be remembered, cannot be corporally prefent, at the time of fuch remembrance. And as the Bread and Wine were ordained for memorials of his body broken, and blood fhed, for us, his natural body and blood must be abfent, in order to be remembered by means of such memorials. They themselves cannot be the memorials of themfelves, in this rite; for nothing can be eaten, or drunk, in remembrance of itself. They who argue for the contrary doctrine run into the greatest abfurdities. For,

III. The doing any act in remembrance of a perfon, implies his bodily abfence; and we are never faid, nor can we be faid, to perform. that action, if he be corporally prefent, in order to remember him. And therefore, the end of this inftitution being the remembrance of Chrift; it must follow, that to eat and drink in the Lord's Supper must be, to eat and drink in a fenfe confiftent with the notion of this remembrance; and confequently, that to fuppofe, or teach, that chriftians eat his real natural body, in remembrance of his real natural body; and drink his real blood, in remembrance of his real blood, is to teach that they are to do fomething, in order to re-member him, which at the fame time fupposes him corporally prefent, and deftroys the

very notion of that remembrance; and fo directly contradicts the most important words of the inftitution itfelf. Therefore,

IV. It cannot be the natural body and blood of Chrift, which is eaten and drunk in the Lord's Supper: but fomething else, [viz.Bread and Wine in remembrance of them. All this is founded upon the plain notion of the word remembrance, and this remembrance is exprefly mentioned in the original inftitution, as a part thereof, and confequently, it is this remembrance which conftitutes the very nature of this holy facrament. So that,

V. The Real Prefence maintained by Proteftants, is not the prefence of Chrift's natural body, but the real prefence of Chrift's invifible power and grace, fo in and with the elements of Bread and Wine, as to convey fpiritual and real effects to the fouls of such as duly receive them: for, God did not only give his Son Jefus Christ to die for us, but also to be our fpiritual food and fuftenance in that holy facrament: * Now, fpiritual food and fuftenance is doubtlefs the food and fuftenance of the fpirit; fo to eat and drink fpiritually is a figurative expreffion, and fignifies the feeding upon Chrift's Body with our heart, by faith. See John vi. 63.

VI. There

See the thirty-nine Articles of the Church of Eng

land. Book of Homilies,

VI. Therefore, the benefits whereof we are made partakers by this facrament, is the ftrengthening and refreshing of our fouls by the body and blood of Chrift, as our bodies are by the bread and wine.* O happy foul! that feedeft on fuch celeftial food, that art refreshed with bread which came down from heaven, if with a true penitent heart and lively faith, thou receive that holy facrament; for then we fpiritually eat the flesh of Chrift, and drink his blood.+ And

VII. Confider, that bread and wine (or any thing else, which it might have pleafed Chrift to have chofen) may, by the bleffing and appointment of God, be as communicative of grace, as the true natural flesh and blood of Chrift itself can be: for, even that (if you could indeed eat it with your teeth) would no more communicate grace, or any bleffing to the receiver, without such institution and appointment of God, than any other food in the world that you can eat.

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VIII. Wherefore, it is my firm belief, that, as this facrament is matter of mere inftitution and appointment, I am concerned to know no more, either what the facrament is, or how it operates, than it hath pleafed God to reveal in C 2 the

*Church Catechifm, on the facrament of the Lord's Supper. See the fecond exhortation in the Communion Ser

vice, in the book of Common Prayer.

the holy Scriptures. And it will be fufficient for me to believe, that the confecrated elements are both called and made the body and blood of Christ, so verily and indeed, to all fpiritual intents and purpofes, as to convey to the faithful receiver, whatever grace and bleffing Chrift hath annexed to the due performance of thofe holy rites, which he hath ordained as pledges of his love, and for our joy and comfort.

The Hymn on Monday Morning.

Commemorating the inflitution of the Lord's
Supper.

PON that dark, that doleful night,

UPON

When powers of earth and hell arofe

Against the Son of God's delight,

And friends betray'd him to his foes. He, ere the mournful fcene began,

Did take the bread, and blefs'd, and brake; What love through all his actions ran! What wond'rous words of grace he spake! "This is my body broke for fin,

"Receive and eat the living food :"* Then took the cup and blefs'd the wine; "'Tis the new cov'nant in my blood."+ And as his flesh with nails was torn, He bore the scourge, he felt the thorn;

And

Matt. xxvii. 26. Ibid, Alfo Luke xxii. 7, Sc.

And justice pour'd upon his head
Its heavy vengeance, in our ftead.
For as his vital blood was fpilt,
To buy the pardon of our guilt;
When, for black crimes of greatest size,
He gave his foul a facrifice:

"Do this" he cry'd, "till time shall end,*
"In mem❜ry of your dying friend;
"Meet at my table, and record
"The love of your departed Lord."
Jefus, thy feaft we celebrate,

We fhew thy death, we fing thy name,
Till thou return, and we fhall eat
With thee the fupper of the lamb.

The Prayer on Monday Morning. To implore a continuance of God's grace bestowed upon us in this Sacrament.

GR

RACIOUS Lord! unto whom all hearts are open, all defires known, and from whom no fecrets are hid: if thou fhouldst deal with me as I have deserved, how juftly mayeft thou deprive me of all thofe means of grace, and opportunities of working out my falvation, which thou haft hitherto vouchfafed me. But, O merciful Father! thou haft declared thyfelf to be a God, merciful, and gracious, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin.

*Luke xxii. 19.

My

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