any

with all the terrors and difconfolation of darkness, and the utmoft malice of devils and damned spirits, and the highest shame and confusion of face. All which they must undergo, without any eye to pity, or friend to comfort them, or any one to refresh them, or abatement or intermiffion, for evermore. And this is a ftate of fuch horror and aftonifhment, as no man who looks upon it, can abide in: It is a condition of such extreme danger, as no one in his wits can willingly endure. So that if So that if any of those, who are impenitent, will but be at the pains. to lay to heart, and confider of the sadness of their state; they can by no means perfift therein, but will run with hafte to repent, and inftantly fet about the amendment of their ways, that fo they may bę delivered from it.

And as foon as ever they do so, this hindrance is gone, and they are worthy to come to the holy communion. For that which fits us for it, is not an high pitch and perfection in faving virtues, or any extacy and transport in devotion; but fuch true repentance and change of life, either in deed, or at least in will and purpose, as maketh us acceptable and honeft chriftians.

So

So that whatever we were before, whilft we continued impenitently wicked; we are meet partakers of this holy feast, when we have repented of all our wicked ways, and are fully refolved to become obedient; and need not fcrupulously to draw back, but may come to it gladly when we are called, and expect a friendly welcome from our bleffed Lord and Saviour, when we meet him there.

AND THUS have I confidered this great and most common plea, whereby fo many are kept back from the holy facrament, namely, their thinking themselves unworthy of it, and unfit to receive it; and have fhewn plainly, that no ill man can be excused, and that no good man ought to be hindred thereby. And the result of it is this; If any person says, that he cannot come to this holy feaft, because he is unworthy to join therein; he ought to confider withal, That he should not only be afraid of unworthy coming to it, but also of unworthy abstaining from it; and that unless he is impenitent, and still unrefolved to leave all his fins, he is worthy to come to it; and that if such impenitence is the cause of his not coming, it is no excufe for the fame;

and

1

and

and that he must confider of the danger and mifery of that state, and so repent get out of it; and when once that is done, he will be worthy, fince every true penitent is welcome thereto. If he is truly penitent, he is worthy; and if he has not repented yet, he must instantly repent, that he may be worthy: And then let him not hold off from this heavenly banquet, but chearfully approach to it as often as he is invited.

And as to the danger of unworthy receiving, which the apostle speaks of, when he fays, he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himfelf, this hath nothing to do with any receivers of these days; and the damnation he speaks of is only temporal damage and lofs, fuch as fickness, diseases, and death, occafioned by their eating and drinking to great excefs, which alfo is the unworthiness in receiving which he there speaks of.

But fuppofing him to speak of eternal damnation, and that the unworthiness he fpeaks of is not the eating and drinking to excefs, but coming to the facrament in an impenitent ftate; yet the meaning thereof will not be, that fuch person shall

be

be inevitably damned for it, but that he commits a damning fin, which will prove deadly to him unless he repent thereof: And this is true, not only of unworthy eating and drinking, but also of sinful abstaining; fo that as to that point they are equal.

And that the meaning cannot be, that he fhall be inevitably damned for it, is plain from this, because God, for Chrift's fake, hath promised, to forgive us all our fins upon our true repentance, and therefore this of unworthy receiving amongst the rest.

But only, that he commits a damning fin, which will prove deadly to him, unless he repents of it. He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself; that is,-Unless his repentance, that gospel remedy for all fin, prevent it, he fhall be liable to be punished, not only for an abuse in meat and drink, but for violating and profaning the body and blood of Chrift, in approaching thereunto in a ftate of impenitence.

And this is true, not only of unworthy eating and drinking, but also of finful abftaining from the holy facrament. For to abftain therefrom our Lord alfo hath ex

prefsly

prefsly forbidden, and that in fuch fort as fhews, that he laid a very great weight upon it; fo that we moft highly offend him therein, and cannot expect to regain his favour, till we repent and amend the fame: and therefore, as I faid, as to that point they are both equal. We shall be condemned, without amendment, for unworthily eating, and fo we fhall too, for finful abftaining. And therefore if the fear of damnation be of force with us, it fhould equally draw both ways, and neither fuffer us to neglect this feaft, nor to come to it unworthily.

AND THUS have I done with this great plea, which is fo apt to draw perfons from the communion. And upon the whole matter it appears, that it can be no just excuse for mens neglect of the bleffed facrament. No ill man can be excused thereby, and no good man need or ought to be hindred by it. So that every man, as he tenders our bleffed Lord's command, and his own foul's everlasting intereft, ought to be careful, reverently and devoutly to partake in this holy feaft, when he hath an opportunity, and is called so to do.

SER