found out fince his Time, yet is pretended to be built entirely upon His Doctrine laid down in this place. This Doctrine I have now endeavoured to explain, for the use of fuch Chriftians, in thefe later Ages.

He therefore, who performs this particu lar Religious Duty, in a manner, and with a Temper and Behavior, fuitable to the Nature and Design of it; with a ferious Remembrance of Chrift, as his Lord and Mafter, who has a Right to the Obedience of his life; cannot be faid to eat and drink Unworthily in St. Paul's fenfe; nor ought to be afraid of the Cenfure paffed by Him upon fuch as do fo. But it will not follow from his doing this one Duty worthily, that He is that Good Chriftian, in all refpects, whom His Lord will reward at the laft Day. Nor will it follow from a Perfon's past failures in Other points of Duty, that He partakes of the Lord's Supper Unworthily, in St. Paul's fenfe; if His Temper and Behavior, at the time of partaking, be fuitable to It; and worthy of a true Chriftian. For if this were the cafe; no one who had been once a Willfull Sinner could ever partake of this Rite otherwife than Unworthily: No, not if He could be certain that

He should never again, under any poffible Trials, willfully tranfgrefs the Law of God, thro' his whole life; of which yet it is impoffible for any Chriftian to be affured.

The Corinthian Sinners, whofe Guilt lay in their unchriftian Behavior at this very Rite, were not forbid to come, or at all difcouraged by St. Paul from coming, to it again. On the contrary, It was supposed ftill to be their Duty; and They were required to come to it, in a serious and Chriftian manner: but without the leaft Encouragement to them from hence, to hope for God's favor without their amendment. So likewise, What is here faid cannot encourage Sinners of Any fort, to place the least hope in their partaking of the Lord's Supper, whilst they continue in the practice of their Sins; because this Continuance in Sin is itself the Forfeiture of God's favor; and must end in their condemnation, according to the exprefs Terms of the Gospel. But it is indeed of the contrary tendency, viz. to bring Them to at tend upon this Inftitution, with fuch a ferious Frame of mind as may happily lead them to the forfaking of all their Sins, and a total Amendment of Life. For a perfon, who

who is a fincere Believer, and partakes of the Communion in remembrance of Christ as his Mafter, muft, in confequence of this, be fenfible of the neceffity of a Chriftian Behavior; and of an univerfal obedience to this Mafter and cannot therefore, be accounted guilty of a Crime, in thus partaking of it. But, fuppofing Him not to be guilty of eating and drinking Unworthily, in the ftrict original sense of those words; and not to be condemn'd by Almighty God, upon this account: Yet, if He still goes on in his Sins; the habitual Wickedness of his life, and his own wilful Neglect to reform and amend it, is the most certain and unavoidable Condemnation, pronounced against Him by that very Saviour whom He commemorates in this Rite.

This may be explained by the Instances of Faith, and Prayer, and the like. There are, We may fuppofe, Perfons, inwardly convinced of the Truth of the Christian Religion, and therefore, real Believers in Jefus Chrift as fent into the world by GOD; who yet do not in the courfe of their lives regulate their Practice by his Precepts. In this their Faith, or, yielding their Affent to the convincing Evidences of Christ's miffion; G 3 They

They act a good part, and a part acceptable to GOD. But, by the habitual Difobedience of their lives, They forfeit all title to his favor; and will be condemned at the laft day. The ground of this Condemnation will not be, that These persons were deftitute of Faith; or even of that fame Faith which influences good Chriftians to a truly Christian Practice; but that They were wanting in that abfolutely neceffary Condition of a Virtuous and Holy Life, which They would not fuffer this Faith to lead them to. So, in the Inftance of Prayer; a Perfon may poffibly perform this Duty with his understanding and his affections suitably difpofed for it; and yet relapfe into the practice of Sin. This unhappy man will not be condemned by GOD for performing his Duty of Prayer with Difpofitions agreeable to it but He will be condemned, notwithstanding this, for the willful practice of Sin. There are, without doubt, Wicked perfons, whose Prayer itself is an abomination to the Lord. But thefe can be only fuch as have Hearts wickedly disposed, and far from God, at the very time when They pray; or rather, when They are willing to appear to Men to pray. But I am

fpeaking

fpeaking of the private Prayer of One who is fincerely, at the time of his praying, difpofed to call upon GOD, as his Governour and Judge. And furely, there is no good Man who would tell Such an one that his Addreffes will be an Abomination to the Lord; or, who would not encourage fuch a Perfon, tho' a Sinner, to make his Addreffes to God by Prayer, in order to the amendment and reformation of his life.

It is true, the very Faith and Prayer of fuch a Perfon, will aggravate his Guilt, and confequently his condemnation; unless He amend his whole Behavior. But this, not because his Faith, or his Prayer, are themfelves bad, and unacceptable to GOD: but because They are both, in effect, not only Acknowledgments of what He ought in duty to be; but have a tendency, in their nature and design to make Him better; which Tendency He willfully neglects and refifts.

Thus, in the Cafe before Us, No Chriftian who eats and drinks, at the Lord's Supper, with a fincere and serious remembrance of Chrift, as his Lord and Master, can be faid to eat and drink unworthily, in St. Paul's fenfe ;

G 4