V

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or deed, there to bewail your own finfulness g, and to confefs your felves h to Almighty God, with full purpose of amend ment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be fuch as are not only against God, but also against your neighbours; then ye shall reconcile your felves unto them is being ready to make reftitution and fatisfaction ac cording to the uttermost of your powers, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other k; and being likewife ready to forgive others that have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God's band. For otherwife the receiving of the holy Communion doth nothing else but increafe your damnation 1. Therefore if any of you be a blafphemer of God, an binderer mor flanderer of his Word, an adulterer n, or be in malice, or envy o, or in any other grievous crime; Repent you of your fins, or else come not to that boly Table; left after the taking of that holy Sacrament the devil enter into you, as be entred into Judas p, and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring you to deftruction both of body and foul.

g Not only for fear of the punishment, but for fo offending our

Infinitely kind Father,

and for being fo un-
thankful for his Infinite
Mercy in giving his
Only Son to Die for
us upon the cross, and

All

for all other his infinite
mercies to us.
your fins, with the
circumstances that do
increase their guilt, as ›
far as you can remem-
ber; and earnestly beg
of him to forgive you.
See the Command

I

ments, 27. 2 d. e.
i. Seek their pardon.
If thou doft heartily
thy part for a reconci-
liation, and thy offend-
ed neighbour will not
be reconcil'd; the fault
of being not reconcil'd
is wholly in him: and
his fault may not hin-
der thee from partak
ing of the Communi-

on. k See the Com-
mandments, 752 and
notes. / If you do
not earnestly repent
of
fo great a fin. Such
a one is he that hinders

m

any that belong to him

to learn God's Word,
or does not take care
to have them duly
taught. One that
commits any kind of
whoredom. • Grief
for another's good.

P

It is not here affirm'd that Judas did take this Sacrament.

I 4

For

For he did not take it. And this fhall be here fhew'd, to take away an excufe for giving it to known impenitent finners.

Altho' John 13. 2, our tranflation fays, fupper was ended before Judas went out; the words fupper being ended are in the original Servo yevouéve, in fupter time, or when fupper was come. And fo the word for being ended, is rendred in the Gofpels of Matthew and Mark and Luke, upon the occafion of the fame fupper, in these words, when the even was come, in the evening, when the bour was come.

This fupper is faid ver. 1, to be before the feaft of the pa over because it was the evening before, which was the beginning of the day of the Paffover. For Chrift then kept this Pallover, because he was to fuffer before the time appointed of the Paffover. Ch. 18. 28. Ch. 19. 14. Matth. 26. 18.

Luke writes immediately after Chrift's words of the cup, But behold the band of him that betrayeth me, is with me on the table. But this does not fhew that Chrift spake these words after his words of the cup. For Matthew and Mark write the fame thing before their accounts of the Sacrament. Luke's abrupt writing those words, was proper to exprefs the horror of the treafon. Compare Luke's words with Matth. 26. 20, 21. Mark 14. 17, 18. and John 13. 26. It will then appear that Judas his treafon was discover'd while they were eating the supper. And there was but one discovery of it. Matth. 26. 21 to 26. And Judas being gone out as foon as he was discover'd, (John 13. 30) and the Sacrament being after supper, Judas could not receive it.

What Luke writes immediately after Chrift's words of the cup, John plainly fhews to be not then spoken, but with his difcourfe upon the occafion of his washing his disciples feet. For his washing their feet at fupper, fee Luke 7. 37, 38. John 12. 2, 3.

To Judas his going out before the Sacrament, it is no objection, that after the relation of his going out, John immediately writes Chrift's difcourfe after the Sacrament, with these words, Therefore when be was gone out Jefus faid, &c. For this proves no more than that he faid it not while Judas was prefent, but fome time after he was gone out. But if the words that Jefus faid ver. 31, 32, were faid immediately after Judas his going out, John might put them together with other words, that were faid fometime after upon the fame occafion.

And

And because it is requifite that no man fhould come to the boly Communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy q, and with a quiet confcience; therefore if there be any of you who by this means r cannot quiet bis own confcience herein, but requireth further comfort or counfel; let him come to me, or to Some other difcreet and learned Minister of God's Word, and open his grief, that by the miniftry of God's boly Word s, be may receive the benefit t of Abfolution u, together with Ghoftly v counsel and advice, to the quieting of bis confcience, and avoiding of all fcruple and doubtfulness.

A full truft that

God will have mercy
on him for Chrift's

fake. Heb. 11. 6.
By examining your
felves, and repenting,
as is aforefaid. By
the Minifters abfolving

him according
God's Word. The

Seal, and comfortable
affurance of God's for-
giveness. See the
Lord's Supper, 22 2.
note *. That for
giveness which God
has given his Ministers
power to give.
the Lord's Supper, 22
2. For his foul.

See

Or in cafe he shall fee the people negligent to come to the holy Communion, instead of the former, he fhall ufe this Exhortation.

w That understand the Catechifm and the Communion Service, and live accordingly; and are Confirm'd, or ready and defirous to be Confirm'd. Here

cannot be meant fuch ignorant people, or fuch evil doers, as cannot be prepar'd for the prefent opportunity.

-

Dearly beloved brethren, on I intend, by God's grace, to celebrate the Lord's Supper: unto which in God's behalf I bid you all that are here prefent w; &c.

x In view of the holy Table, and that they may orderly come to it: as this Exhortation fays, ye that mind

At the time of the Celebration of the Communion, the Communicants being conveniently placed for the receivx ing of the holy Sacrament, the

to come; and as they Prieft fhall fay this Exhortation.

are after invited

to

Draw near.

xt

It is very indecent to have the holy Signs carried up and down, either in the Church, or in the Chancel. Therefore, whether there be rails or not before the holy Table, the Communicants ought to draw near to it in order; and where there are no rails, to Receive at such distances as the rails fhould be. Dearly beloved y in the Lord z, ye that mind to come to the holy a Communion b of the Body and Blood c of our Saviour Christ, must confider bow St. Paul exhorteth all perfons diligently to try and examine themselves, before they prefume to eat of that bread, and drink of that cup d. For as the benefit is great, if with a true penitent heart e, and lively faith f we receive that holy Sacrament (for then we fpiritually & eat the Flesh of Christ, and drink bis Blood h; then we dwell in Chrifti, and Christ in us k ; we are one with Chrift 1, and Chrift with us m:) fo is the danger great, if we receive the fame unworthily. For then we are guilty of the Body and Blood n of Chrift; we eat and with Chrift's Death. g In our fouls, with our penitent hearts and lively faith. Receive the forgiveness and grace, and all other anercies obtain'd by his crucified Flesh and Blood fhed. Are true members of him, truly ferving him. k By his Word and grace, and other mercies. John 6. 56. 7 As true members n 1 Cor. 11. 27. of him. m Our head taking care of us. We abufe the Body and Blood of Chrift, by abufing the Signs and Remembrance of them.

9

@ I Cor.

Rom.

y 1 John 3. 16. Ch. 4. 10, II. z Chriftians. 16. 7, 8, 11. a To be reverently receiv'd. Partaking or joyning with Chrift in his offering the Sacrifice of his Body and Blood, and by fo doing partaking alfo of the Be

nefits. See the Lord's Supper, to note b. Of the Sacrifice of

the Death. d. 1 Cor.

11. 28. e Earneftly

repenting of all our fins, and giving up our felves to obey all the Commands of the New Teftament feal'd with Christ's Death. Sted

faftly believing that God will then give us the forgiveness and

grace, and all other mercies promis'd in the New Teftament feal'd

1

.1

4 1 Cor. 11. 30.

drink our own damnation, not confidering the Lord's Body ps" we kindle God's wrath against us; we provoke him to plague us with divers diseases, and fundry kinds of death q.

Judge whether
you are duly prepar'd;

and if you are not, de-
part. Stedfaftly be-
lieve, that God will
give you, that truly re-
pent, the forgiveness
and grace, and all other

mercies promis'd in the
New Teftament fear'd
with Chrift's Death.
t Matth. to the

Judge therefore your felves r brethren, that you be not judged of the Lord. Repent you truly for your fins faft; have a lively and stedfaft faith in Christ our Saviour s; amend your lives; and be in perfect charity with all ment: fo fhall ye be meet partakers of those holy mifteries u. And above all things ye must give most bumble v and hearty thanks to God the Father w, the Son x, and the Holy Ghost y, for the Redemption of the world by the Death and Paffion of our Saviour Chrift z, both God and mana: who did bumble himself even to the Death upon the cross, for us miferable finners, who lay in darkness, and the shadow of death b; that he might make us the children of God c, and exalt us to everlasting life d. And

end. See the Lord's
Supper, 26 2. Signs
of fpiritual mercies, of
Chrift's Body Broken
forgiveness of our fins,
and to feal the New
Teftament. u Con-
feffing, our felves moft
unworthy of fuch In-
finite Mercy. w Who

and Blood fhed for the

+

gave his only Son to
Die for us. 1 John
4. 10. x who laid
down his life for us.

1 John 3. 16. y Who

brought Chrift into the world to Die for us. Matth. . 18, 20, 21. z For Chrift's Dying for the forgiveness and falvati on of the world. Eph. 1. 7. Heb. 9. 12. a He Suffer'd and Died as he was Man. His being God made his Sufferings and Death of Infinite Value, and fufficient for the fins of the whole world. John 2, 2. Being born in fin, and ther children of wrath.

John 1.12.

John 1.12. d John 10. 27, 28:

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