and the Affembly's catechifm among fo many Diffenters. In the twenty-fifth article of the church of England, it is faid, that sacraments ordained by Christ be not only badges, or tokens, of chriftian men's profeffion; but rather they be certain fure witneffes, and effectual figns of grace, and God's good will towards us; by the which he doth work invifibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but alfo ftrengthen, and confirm our faith in him. In the Affembly's catechifm, a facrament is defined to be an holy ordinance, inftituted by Chrift; wherein, by fenfible figns, Chrift, and the benefits of the new covenant, are reprefented, fealed, and applied to believers, The Lord's fupper, in particular, is faid to be a facrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Chrifl's appointment, his death is fhewed forth, and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporeal and carnal manner, but, by faith, are partakers of his body and blood, with all its benefits, to their fpiritual nourishment and growth in grace. Agrecable Agreeable to these ideas, it is there faid, that it is required of them who would worthily partake of the Lord's Supper, that they examine themfelves, of their knowledge to difcern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; left coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves. Bishop Burnet, the most rational (and I fhall not be misunderstood if I fay too rational an expofitor of the articles of the church of England) plainly countenances a fuperftitious regard to the facraments. He fays, p. 332, that the Lord's fupper is above the nature of an anniverfary, or memorial feaft; and we do not doubt, but that Chrift, who inftituted thofe facraments, does fill accompany them with a particular prefence in them, and a blessing upon them; so that we, coming to them with minds well prepared, do certainly receive, in and with them, particular largeffes of the favour and bounty of God. A facrament, he fays, is an inflitution of Chrift, in which fome material thing is functified, by the use of fome form, form, or words, in and by which, federal acts of this religion do pass on both fides; on ours, by ftipulation, profeffion, or vows; and on God's, by his fecret affiftances. To these federal acts, he afterwards says, a conveyance of divine grace is tied; and his whole account of the facrament is in the fame ftrain. Many Diffenters have gone deeper into this fuperftition than the divines of the church of England. At least their greater backwardness to attend the Lord's fupper, feems to discover more of a fuperftitious dread of it. The terms of admiffion are also more strict among them, which feems to argue the fame thing. Retaining fewer rites and ceremonies, they have made fo much the more of them. For this I may appeal to almoft every thing the Diffenters have written on this subject, even to Mr. Henry's treatise on the facrament (which, I believe, is more read than any other, and of which I think I have seen the eleventh edition) and more especially to that chap ter ter in it, which is intitled Sights to be feen at the Lord's table. Hence it is, that an account of what is called perfons' experience in religion, as an evidence of their being in a state of grace, and having a title to heaven, is required in fome of our congregations, before they can be admitted to communion. Hence fomething of the idea of the validity of the adminiftration of this ordinance by a regular minifter, and the notion of the neceffity of ordination, previous to his performing this fervice; which, to our fhame be it spoken, remains among most of us; as if this rite required fome extraordinary powers, which could only be conferred in a fupernatural manner, by the impofition of hands, in the ceremony of ordination; and was of a different nature from other minifterial functions, which minifters are, without fcruple, allowed to perform before they are ordained. All this is but a finall deviation from maxims evidently popifh.. Lafly, Laftly, from the same source it is, that we have days fet apart for folemn preparation before the receiving of the Lord's fupper, among all our denominations. It is not denied,but that thefe days may be spent to good purpofe; but care fhould be taken, that they be not made a handle for fuperftition: for, I am free to fay, that these days of preparation for the Lord's fupper, are nothing more than the remains of popery. Indeed, it was impoffible that there fhould have been any fuch thing in primitive times; when the Lord's fupper was received every Lord's day, as a part of their common worship. From this fuperftitious regard to the Lord's fupper, and the air of folemnity and mystery which still remains about it, we often find focieties of fenfible and thinking men, poffeffed of minds free from other vulgar prejudices, to be very large; and yet the number of communicants very fmall; a thing which I would willingly contribute to rectify. SECTION |