24.

Internal Sacrament, a Solecijin. APPLI. CON

death; by his violation, he was cut off from God, from life, from every enjoyment. In like mannor God declares concerning circumcifion, and the Pullover, that he who neglected them, fhould be cut off from his people.

They therefore must greatly err, who in opinion difown any external baptifm, or other Sacramental token; and fay there are none befide internal Sacraments. This is an impropriety of speech; for there can be no fuch thing, as internal Sacrament, for a Sacrament is the external vifible Token,answering to, and denoting the internal operations of tie Divine Spirit, which are out of fight; as faith the wife man, Thou knowefl not what is the way of the Spirit. It is inconceivable by creatures. From which, as before obferved, is the neceffity of ex-ternal, visible, fenfible figns or tokens, denoting thofe invisible things, to excite and maintain in our minds, a proper fenfe of thofe invifible oper ations. And God having commanded them, makes them efficacious for the purpose for which he inftituted them; either for the benefit and falvation of those who duly attend to, and perform them; or the rejection and condemnation of those: who neglect them.

II. APPLICATORY.

HERE then is fomething which deferves the most ferious and folemn attention of thofe, whe, though they do not in opinion reject the Sacraments; yet live in the neglect of them.

Of thefe I have no doubt there are many true chriftians, who are held in bondage, through mif. apprehenfion, especially of those words, 1 Cor. xi. 2). For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, cat ath and drinketh damnation to himself.

APPLI. Cos. Eateth and drinketh Damnation, obviated. 243

Here I have known many ferious perfons ftumble; fuppofing by this text, that if they fhould approach the Lord's table in an unconverted flate, they fhould feal their damnation; and they have not affurance that they are converted; therefore are afraid they are unworthy to come to the Lord's table. For it is a very folemn ordinance. It is the marriage of the king's fon; and they are afraid they have not on the wedding garment. And they are afraid they fhall not live up to their profeffion; and they had better not vow; than to vow, and not perform.

On fuch kind of confiderations, they conclude they had better ftay away than to come.

I will endeavor to obviate thefe mifapprehenfions, by which perfons neglect God's ordinances.

In that text in Cor. above mentioned, faying, cateth and drinketh damnation to himfelf: The word damnation, does not fo properly anfwer to the original, as the word judgment, as it is rendered in the catechifm. But as I from the beginning profefs to build wholly on the Scriptures, I will fill keep to them; and invite the reader to notice the next verfes; obferve their connection with this 29th verfe, where it is rendered; cateth and drinketh damnation, verfe 30th. For this caufe (viz becaufè they had eaten and drunk damnation to themselves) many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep. It is as plain as words can make it, that the calamities of fickness and death, the Apofile fpeaks of in the 30th verfe are the damnation he fpeaks of in the 29th. Becaufe they had treated that visible token unworthily; therefore Chrift had vifited them with thofe vifible calamities or judgments. The next two verses, alfo prove the fame Idea, that it was vifible or temporal calamity,which the Apoflo

246 The 11th of Cor. is not about qualification. APPLI. Com meant by the word rendered damnation, in the 29th verfe."For if we would judge ourfelves, we fhould not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chaftened of the Lord, that we fhould not be condemned with the world." This plainly fhows that the word rendered damnation ought to be rendered judgment. For to read this in the 31, and 32 verfes confiftently with that in the 29th, being rendered damnation; these must be read thus. Fori£ we would damn ourselves, we fhould not be damn e. But when we are damned, we are chaftened of the Lord that we fhould not be condemned with the world.

So that it is manifeftly a great miflake, to fuppofe that the Apostle had any reference to eternal perdition, in the word he ufed, which is tranflated damnation. Becaufe that fenfe is repugnant to what he fays in clofe, and infeparable connection with it, in the fubfequent verfes. So that here is nothing that ought to deter any perfon from the Lord's table.

But they are afraid they are unworthy to come to the Lord's table. Taking this from the Apole's faying he that eateth and drinketh unworthily &c. Here again is a very great miflake. What the Apofle here fays, has no reference to the qualifi cation of the perfon: But the manner of his attending the ordinance.

The Apoftle does not fay; He that eateth and drinketh being unworthy: But unworthily, which is an adverb, and has a direct reference to the manner of eating; as he was then reproving the Corinthians for their irregular, diforderly and indecent manner of attending the Lord's Supper. The Apolle does not fo much as lifp any thing that they were unworthy to come to the Lord's tas

APPLI. CON. Self examination, for the LORD's Surrer. 147 ble; he fays nothing like telling them they had better not come. But directly the contrary. Let a man examine himfelf and fo let him cat. Take this in connection with the whole of what he fays here, together with what he fays in the 5th chap.; where he compares the Lord's Supper to the Paffover. And this Examination which he directs to, will fairly contain the following Ideas: viz. Let a man examine himself. Let him retire within himfelf; baving the avenues of his foul fprinkled with the blood of Chrift: By faith viewing that, as the only fecurity from death and the divine wrath; not daring to venture himself one moment without that divine fprinkling. And there, let him examine, explore and contemplate his own condition and character; as in himself; that he is under bondage to fin, expofed to death, deferves it from God, and his infupportable vengeance, in everlasting mifery. Thus apprehending himself; Let him with bitter remerfe, and deep repentance; alfo with fincere benevolence and ardent love, eat of that bread and drink of that cup, which was exprefsly inftituted, to exhibit the death and fufferings of the immaculate Lamb of God; who died for our fins that we through him might be faved. then in a proper frame of mind and to receive it according to the offer. take eat, this is my body which is broken for you, for fuch unworthy ill-deferving, felf condemned creatures as you are; this is a vifible fenfible fign and token of my infinite benevolence, and com. paffion towards fuch ill deferving unworthy finners as you are. And for the perfon to receive it with fuch views, and upon thofe terms, he eats of that bread, and drinks of that cup worthily. He Confiders and treats the ordinance as of infinite

The man is apprehenfion

Chrift fays,

248 Excufes for neglecting ordinances, ebviated. APPLI. Com worth and importance. But to come to it, and to eat and drink lightly as the Corinthians did, or to wholly neglect it, is treating of it as worthlefs and incurs the guilt and judgment the Apostle speaks of in that text. This therefore applies equally again neglecting; as against attending unworthily.

The next thing which deters perfons, is, It is a very folemn ordinance.

This is an important truth. And by how much the more folemn it is, by fo much the greater fhould be the awe, and dread of violating it! Bus to neglect it, is certainly violating it. It is a command of Chrift, as appears in his inftitution of it. And the Apoftle tells the Corinthians he received it of the LORD. Which is of Supreme authority. The command and obligation to ob ferve it, is folemn. Therefore to alledge the folemnity, as a reafon or ground of ftaying away from it, or neglecting of it; is placing the Awe of the ordinance, entirely on the wrong fide. Hence the folemnity of it is a cogent reafon or ground why we fhould attend it, with profound reverence, humility, repentance and fenfe of our unworthinefs.. For it is a violation of the ordinance, either to abfent, or to come, with a light trifling mind, or in a light manner.

The next thing in the way of perfons' coming to the Lord's table, is, They are afraid they have not on the wedding garment.

It is worthy of confideration here, that in the parable, the doom of those that stayed away; was as bad, as his who came without the wedding garment; fo that here is far from being any ground for neglecting to come, as being more fafe; or lefs hazardous, than coming without the wedding garment. The truth is, there is no fafety in either of