communion be oftener celebrated than it hath been of late in all places of the kingdom; and am sure, that if people were but sensible of the great advantage it would be to them, they would need no other arguments to persuade them to frequent it as often as they can. For we should soon find, as many have done already, by experience, that this is the great means appointed by our blessed Redeemer whereby to communicate himself, and all the merits of his most precious death and passion, to us, for the pardon of our sins, and for the " purging

our consciences from dead works to serve the living God." So that, by applying ourselves thus constantly unto him, we may receive constant supplies of grace and power from him to live in his true faith and fear all our days; and by conversing so frequently with him at his holy table upon earth, we shall always be fit and ready to go to him, and to converse perpetually with him, at his kingdom above, where we shall have no need of sacraments, but shall see him "face to face," and adore and praise him for ever, as for all his other blessings, so particularly for the many opportunities he hath given us of partaking of his most blessed body and blood.

VII.

ARCHBISHOP POTTER.

In the Christian Church there is only one proper sacrifice, which our Lord offered upon the cross; and consequently Christians cannot partake of any sacrifice in a literal and strict sense, without allowing transubstantiation. Lest, therefore, they should want the same pledge to assure them of the Divine favour which the Jews enjoyed, our Lord appointed the elements of bread and wine to signify his body and blood offered in sacrifice; whence they are expressly called his body and blood-it being common for representatives to bear the name of those things or persons which they represent: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread," &c. The elements were not his literal body and blood, nor understood to be so by the apostles or any primitive father; but they were the symbols of his body and blood, the partaking whereof is all one to the receivers, and does as much assure them of the favour of God, as if they should eat and drink that body and blood of Christ which was offered upon the cross. To this purpose is the discourse of St. Paul, "The cup of blessing," &c. (1 Cor. x. 16-21.) Where, it may be observed, 1. That eating the Lord's supper is the same rite in the Christian Church with eating the things offered in sacrifice

among the Jews and heathens. 2. That it is an act of communion or fellowship with God, at whose table we are said to be entertained; and therefore it is declared to be inconsistent with eating the Gentile sacrifices, which is an act of communion with devils, to whom those sacrifices are offered. 3. That it is an act of communion between Christians, who eat at the same table, and by that means are owned to be members of the same evangelical covenant under Christ. Whence the apostle declares in another place, that the Jews, who are not within the Christian covenant, and consequently not in communion with Christ and his Church, have no right to partake of the Christian altar: "We have an altar," says he, "whereof they have no right to partake who serve the tabernacle" (Heb. xiii. 10). Hence it is manifest, that to eat the Lord's supper is to partake of the sacrifice of Christ, which is there commemorated and represented. For which reason the primitive fathers speak of eating at the Christian altar. So that it is plain, both from the design and nature of the Lord's supper, and from the concurrent testimony of the most primitive fathers, who conversed with the apostles or their disciples, that it was reckoned through the whole world to be a commemorative sacrifice, or a memorial of our Lord offered upon

the cross, first dedicated to God by prayer and thanksgiving, and afterwards eaten by the faithful.

VIII.

BISHOP WILSON.

Every Christian, even the most unlearned, is capable of understanding (if it be not plainly his own fault), and of performing, all the duties of a worthy communicant.

For when he is informed that this is the true Christian sacrifice-the only means o rendering our persons and all our prayers acceptable to God—of obtaining the pardon of our sins, the assistance of God's grace, and everlasting happiness after death; when he sees that done before his eyes that Jesus Christ himself did, who the same night in which he was betrayed, having devoted himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for the sins of the whole world, did institute this holy sacrament by taking bread and wine, and blessing them, and making them by that blessing the true representatives of his body and blood, in virtue and power as well as in name :

When he is made sensible that this service was ordained by Christ himself, not only as a testimony of his great love for his poor creatures, but as a means whereby he would communicate all the benefits of that

death which he was then going to suffer; and by which he would apply the merits of his death to all people and ages of the world :

Lastly, when he is assured, even from Christ himself, that whoso eateth and drinketh this his flesh and blood after this holy manner, dwelleth in Christ, and Christ in him; that such a one has a right to eternal life, and that God will raise him up at the last day :

Let a man, I say, be never so unlearned, yet he will easily understand that he is not to look upon and receive this bread and wine as common food, but as holy representatives of Christ's body and blood, made such by an especial blessing of God; that he is to receive it in remembrance of the death of Christ, and to believe assuredly that the blessing of God will attend his doing so; for it being God's own ordinance, he cannot but bless it, and him who observes it.

IX.

BISHOP HALL.

That sacrament of our spiritual nourishment, which our Saviour, as his farewell, left us for a blessed memorial of his death and passion, can never be celebrated with enough of devotion. Far be it from us to come to this feast of our God in our common garments; the soul must be trimmed up, if we would