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they ftared at him in ftupid ignorance, having never heard of any of these things.In the last page the author tells us, the ufe of the fabbath was totally loft among thefe people.If he had told us this in the first page, we should have taken all the reft for granted.

We are not yet, thank God, reduced to fo low an ebb of depravity; but how foon we may be, if we neglect the fabbath ourselves, and neglect to bring up our children, and dependents in the observance of it, God only knows. We fee the light of the gofpel may be totally loft.-Join therefore with me, my brethren, you who are better difpofed, and endeavour to make the fabbath as religiously obferved, as it was in ancient times. Each of us may have fome influence on a neighbour-a kinfman-a fervant-on all at least by his example. But above all, let the heads of parishes take care to fet a good example to those beneath them. If they even think the fabbath of no ufe to themselves, as many of these fashioned gentry may think, yet ftill as it is of the highest importance to their poor neighbours, it is a cruel thing to make them believe, (as far as the example of a fuperior goes, which is generally too far,) that the fabbath is of no ufe at all.-We hope, how

ever, that all are not fuch. Great pains have been taken by many well-meaning people, to infuse religion amongst us; and we may hope that the strict obfervance of the fabbath, among other things, may be established; and with it good order, and religion. For that happy time let us all devoutly pray to God, the author of all good order, and good works; to whom be honour, praise, and glory from all his creatures! Amen.

SERMON XXXI.

LUKE, Xxii. 19.

THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.

FROM these words, I fhall first give you a fhort

account of the inftitution, and defign of the Lord's Supper; and Secondly endeavour to clear it of fuch difficulties, as may be apt to raise fcruples among you.

You have the account of its inftitution in three of the Evangelifts. In St. John's gospel it is not mentioned. St. John wrote long after the other evangelifts; and only alludes to the inftitution of the Lord's Supper, which had been long efta blished; and was fufficiently understood in his days.

He

He rather dwells on thofe divine difcourfes, which our Saviour made about the time of its celebration. The other evangelifts record the feveral circumftances of the inftitution itself. The fum of their united accounts, which vary fcarce in any particular, is this.

Juft before our Saviour fuffered, as he was eating the paffover with his difciples, he took bread, and breaking it, diftributed it among them, ordering them, (and in them, all chriftians) to eat it in a religious remembrance of his death. He then poured wine into a cup, and presenting it likewise to each of them, ordered them to drink it in the fame religious manner, in remembrance of his blood, that was about to be fhed for the fins of mankind.

This is the plain account we have of the inftitution of the Lord's Supper and comparing it with what is faid on the subject in other parts of scripture, we are eafily led to the real defign of it.

As baptifm is an introduction to the chriftian religion; by which we are confecrated, as it were, to God-promifing on our parts, to obey the gofpel; and receiving on God's part, if we do obey it, the promise of everlasting life, through the merits of Christ-so the great defign of the Lord's Sup

per is to preserve the remembrance of Chrift's death, and to fhew, that we still continue the faithful disciples of that bleffed Saviour, who laid down his life for our fins. We receive the rite of baptifm therefore only once, as we are only

once made members of the christian church: but we receive the Lord's Supper frequently, as we ought frequently to commemorate the bleffings of redemption.

Thus then the facraments are a fort of feal fet by God to confirm the promises of the gospelor, in the words of our church-catechism, they are means, whereby we receive the fame; and pledges to affure us thereof means of accepting on our part, and pledges of giving on God's.

But now, befides this end, the facraments are so happily contrived, as to refer to the great truths of the gospel, which are, in fact, the very founda, tions of our religion. Baptifm refers to the purifying of our nature, after the fall of our first parents; which is expreffed in the gospel by putting off the old man-by the renewing of our fpirit-by washing off the filth of the flesh; and a variety of other phrafes, equally fignificant: of all which our being washed, or sprinkled with water in our baptifm, is an outward fign.

The

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