pofe; whether this was Confecrated, Commanded, Inftituted, Dedicated by Jefus Chrift? And if fo; Whether the making the fame Ufe of Wine, and applying that very one, only, particular, fingle Action, which, of all Actions on Earth, Chrift has chofen to himself, to perpetuate the Remembrance of him thro' all Generations of Chriftians; may be apply'd to any other Perfon, without moft Horrid Defecration and Sacrilege?

And therefore, here to obviate a Hundred Objections at once: Tho' Churches and Plate, fay they, are Confecrated to Divine Ule; yet we may have Houses to live in, we may use Plate, &c. in common Ufe. Yes, we may fo. But to make the Objection full, and the Anfwer clear, let us take in Bread and Wine, which tho' Confecrated in the Eucharift, yet we may ufe Bread and Wine for our ordinary Suftenance. All this is granted. But then, if any particular House or Plate, &c. or Bread or Wine, is dedicated to God by Confecration; then that Houfe, Plate, &c. Bread or Wine, may not be apply'd to Common Ufe, without Defecration and Sacrilege; and therefore what is left of the Bread and the Wine after Confecration, are order'd by the Church, to be eat and drank before the Congregation depart. And this fhews the Force of all my Reasoning upon this Subject; namely, Because that one Particular Action of Drinking, applied to the Memory of the Dead, is Confecrated into a Sacrament, and fo Dedicated to the Memory of Chrift; therefore 'tis Prophane and Sacrile

gious, to abuse it to common Ufe: And more deteftably fo, than it poffibly can be in any other Inftance, except that of admitting Perfons into a Visible Body, by Dipping and Sprinkling. And why? Because in all other Inftances, the Confecration is by Man ; but in this one Inftance, 'tis immediately by Chrift himfelf, in his own Perfon, by a Pofitive Command, and with exprefs Words of Inftitution.

But, to carry this Objection as far as ever it will go, it may be faid, that the Action of Drinking to the Memory of the Dead, by being repeated, becomes a different Action; and fo alters its Nature, as it is apply'd to God or Man. But it muft be confider'd, that if it is Ten Thousand times repeated, and apply it how and where you will, 'tis the fame Action ftill; that very one, fingle Action, Confecrated to the Memory of Chrift. And therefore, there is no Similitude or Parity between this and a House, or Bread, or Wine, or Plate, or any other Thing dedicated or confecrated to the Service of God. Nor can there be any Parallel, unless you fuppofe that there is but one House, or Piece of Plate, or Cup of Wine, or Loaf of Bread in the World; and that too dedicated to God. And upon that Suppofition, tho' that one Thing might be of perpetual Ufe in the Worship of God; yet it would be the Higheft Sacrilege, to apply it in any other way. If there are Ten Thousand Houfes, they are all different Houfes; and fome may be apply'd to common Ufe, and others dedicated to the Service of God. But this being the fame Action,

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tho' a Million of Times repeated, which was Confecrated to the Memory of Chrift, 'tis the Higheft Prophanation and Sacrilege, to apply, it to any other Perfon.

Now, as to all other Objections that may poffibly be made, how many and of what Kind foever they are, I fhall only defire those who make them, to poffefs their Minds with this one fhort Truth; That the Action of Drinking, apply'd to the Remembrance of the Dead, is a Sacramental Action; and then they will anfwer themselves And all their Reasonings must at laft center in this, That what is now under the Gospel become in its own Nature Sacramental, is moft Holy; and therefore ought never to be us'd otherwife than Sacramentally; and that to use it otherwife, is moft impious and abo-; minable.

When all Objections are answer'd, and not one of these Arguments touched, fays another, I do not fee the Force of this Reafoning. Then. that is either because of the natural Weakness, or the Prejudice of his Understanding: There may be fome Excufe for the firft, but none for the latter. And therefore here what a Man hath to do, is, to be fure that his Under ftanding is as weak as he thinks it; for otherwife he is inexcufable. But ftill fome fay, 'tis not my Opinion that there is any Ill in that Health; and therefore let them forbear it, who think there is. This is the moft fatal and prevailing Error in the World, and the Rock upon which more Souls have been caft away, than upon any other whatsoever. But I must tell them,

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another furprizing Truth; and that is, That when those who are in Error come to answer for their Souls before Jefus Chrift, the Question will not be what Opinion they were of? and whether they acted according to that Opinion? But what Opinion they might and would have been of, if they had ufed their Underftanding Faculties with as much Humility, Diligence, and Impartiality in this Matter, as they did in making a Bargain?

Is any thing plainer than the Nature of SCHISM; that it is a dangerous and crying Sin; and no lefs than a Man's cutting himself off from a particular National Church, in which he may not only communicate without Sin, but arrive to the greateft Perfection of Moral Virtue, and Evangelical Holiness, that is by the Grace of God attainable in this Life ; and that hereby he cuts himself off from the Body of the Catholick Church. And yet as obvious as this is, Multitudes build their Hopes of Salvation upon their not being of that OPINION, tho' at the fame time they would not cut themselves off from a Civil Corporation, in which they found their Account, for any Argument or Perfuafion upon Earth: Nay, tho' all the Rules of it were not exactly agreeable to their Humour. And if they fhould be over-perfuaded at any time fo to do, they would never hope for any Share in the Privileges or Advantages of that Society.

Can any thing in all Religion be more obvious, than that worshipping a Wafer is rank Idolatry? and yet what Numbers are there in D

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the World who do it habitually? tho' God gave them their five Senfes on purpofe to judge whether it is meer Bread or not, and their Reafon to manage the beft advanthofe five Senfes to tage; and yet they will lay them all afide int this most concerning and important Point; when at the fame time, all the Sophiftry in the World cannot deceive them in a brafs Shilling.

And to give but one Inftance more, Is any thing more frequent among us, than for Men to profefs themfelves of one Communion; and yet fpeak, and act thro' their whole Lives in favour of another; to vilify and expofe it on all Occafions, and run into all Meafures for the Encouragement and Support of Separation? Tho' the being thus falfe to that Communion, in which they hope for Salvation, be a Folly monftrous beyond expreffion, yet how many. lamentable Inftances are there of it in the World?

All thefe, 'tis true, are of their own OPINION, and profefs to act according to it; yet no indifferent Perfon can fay, this will be any Excufe for them in the Day of Judgment. And why? Because the Queftion will not be whether SCHISM, and IDOLATRY, and that other Sin not to be comprehended in ONE WORD, were agreeable to their OPINION; But whether they fuffer'd themfelves to be fo deceiv'd in any Matter of this World? Men are never blinded with fuch Sophifms in the common Affairs of Life; and this will be the great Article of their Condemnation,