Friends and Fellow-fubjects.

FROM the confideration of belief and trust in the chriftian religion, it is neceffary you fhould know how foolish some men are, and what pains they take to frighten themfelves, and become arrant cowards in the christian warfare: They profefs to fight under the banners of Chrift; and yet defert him as soon as they get into the field - He commands us to remember him, and as a token of our remembrance to partake of his Supper, and in heart and spirit to acknowledge the infinite obligations due to him. Will you forget, or can you neglect him? J. H.

E

See what is faid in the

X C U SE S

for not frequenting the

HOLY COMMUNION

ANSWERED.

And a brief Account of the End and Defign of the

LORD's SUPPER; the obligation to receive it, and the way to prepare for it; fitted to the meaneft capacities;

Extracted from the late Moft REVEREND

Dr. EDWARD SYNGE, Archbishop of Tuam.

SECT.

SECT. I.

The Command of Jefus Chrift to receive the facrament of bis laft Supper.

IT is

Tis undenied by all who pretend to be Chriflians, that Chrift died for our fins: That it is only for the fake of his merits and fufferings that we can hope for pardon and eternal life at the hand of God: That before his death he left this command with all that should be called by his name, that they fhould eat of this bread, and drink of this cup in remembrance of him; with a view to fhew forth his death until his coming again: And lastly, That this ordinance is the communion of the body and blood of Christ, or, in other terms, the means whereby we do communicate in the benefits of that facrifice which Chrift offered, and in the merits of that death and paffion which he underwent in his body, and by the fhedding of his blood for us. Hence it follows, that the receiving thereof is our duty, and also a great advantage and benefit.

These things are fo univerfally owned by all who profefs Christianity, that I need not offer any thing for the proof of them, or any part of them. Surely then one would think, that when men, who are thus perfuaded, do abfent themfelves from this ordinance,

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dinance, there must be fome great difficulties in their way; whereas God never denies to thofe who feek it, fuch affiftance as is neceffary to perform our duty.

SECT. II.

Excufe as being great finners, answered.

Some men say, they are great finners, and therefore upon that account dare not come to the holy communion; but it may be obferved here, that they are bold enough to disobey a ftrict command, as if they meant to continue great finners in spite of conviction. If a man lies under the guilt of any fin, and does not refolve to forfake and amend it, it is indeed a prefumption, whilst he continues in that ftate, to come to the communion. But this argument extends equally to his prayers, whilft he goes on in a wilful difobedience. I wifh this were. seriously confidered by thofe men, who make no fcruple of addreffing themselves to God in prayer, whilft, by reafon of their fins, of which they have not repented, they dare not approach his holy table.

Whatever fins a man has been guilty of in times paft, if he truly repents of them, and heartily forfakes them for the time to come, God has fo often, and fo plainly promifed, in this cafe, to grant a

full and free pardon of them, that they cannot juftly be pretended as any obftacle which should hinder us from approaching to him in any of his ordinances.

Since then it is in the power of every man, by the affiftance which God continually offers to us, to repent of his fins, if fuch a man looks upon his fins as a bar between him and the holy communion, yet it is plainly fuch a bar, as is equally in his power to remove.

But fome fay, though they fhould fincerely refolve to forfake their fins, yet they may be tempted to return again to them: but as no man intends to fin out of mere prefumption, fins of frailty and infirmity, fuch as a hafty word, or a fudden and unadvised action, ought not to hinder him from coming to the holy communion; for as St. James tells us, that in many things we offend all (a), fo there is not any man upon the face of the earth who can be fure that he fhall always keep himself free from all manner of fin. On the contrary, as there is no man but has his fhare of human infirmities, fo is it reasonable to conclude, that, in the courfe of his life, these will fometimes unavoidably surprise and betray him into fome fins. We must therefore ftrive for the victory, and we may as reasonably

(a) Jam. iii. 2.

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hope,

hope, that by God's grace, and our own diligent and careful endeavors, we shall every day more and more pevail against them. If it were a good reafon for abstaining from the holy communion, because a man cannot at once get a full and perfect victory over them; I cannot fee, how even the best of men could fafely venture to partake of it; and confequently this would be the way wholly to lay afide and abolish the very ordinance itself.

As for wilful and deliberate fins, or returning again into an habitual course of wickedness, there is no man, but by the grace of God, and his own endeavors, may, if he pleases, for ever secure himfelf against it. For however God may think it fit, for our greater humility, and a farther trial, to leave us exposed to some of the common infirmities of our nature; yet in respect of all habitual or deliberate fins, we may affure ourselves, that he is faithful, and will not fuffer us to be tempted above what we are able; but will with the temptation alfo make a way to efcape, that we may (if it be not our own fault) be able to bear it (b). Nor will he fail to draw nigh unto us, whilft we continue careful to draw nigh unto him (c). Let us then but fted faftly refolve, that we will be hearty and industrious in doing what lies in our own power, and we need not

(b) 1 Cor. x. 13.

(c) Jam. iv. 8.