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he died he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

10. Q. Do not those who believe transubstantiation, believe the bread and wine to be changed into Christ's mortal and passible body?

A. No, they do not; but into that body in which he now sits at the right hand of God in heaven.

11. Q. How then does their belief of transubstantiation contradict the sense of the holy scriptures as to what concerns the nature of Christ's body in the eucharist?

A. Because by supposing Christ's glorified body to be that which we receive in this sacrament, they utterly destroy the very nature of it. It was the design of this sacrament to exhibit and communicate to us the body and blood of Christ not any way but in the state of his suffering; as he was given for us, and became a sacrifice for our sins. Now this he neither was, nor could have been in his present glorified estate. So that if the body and blood of Christ be in this sacrament, it must be not that which he now has in heaven, but that which he then had, when he suffered for us upon earth; and they must not only bring Christ down from above, but must bring him back again to his mortal and passible estate; or they will never be able to make good any such change as they pretend to: and that I think is sufficiently contrary to scripture, as well as in the nature of the thing itself impossible.

PROOF SUBJOINED.-† 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25, 26. And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This

cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

SECT. L.

Of the Adoration of the Host; and the Idolatry committed by the Papists therein.

1. Q. What have been the ill effects of this error? A. Chiefly those two which I before mentioned; that it introduced the doctrines of the mass sacrifice, and of the half-communion; to which may be added, thirdly, the adoration of the host.

2. Q. What do you call the host?

A. It is the wafer which those of the church of Rome make use of instead of bread, in this sacrament.

3. Q. Do those of that church adore the consecrated wafer?

A. They do, and that as if it were really what they pretend to believe it is, our Saviour Christ himself.

4. Q. Is there any great harm in such a worship? A. Only the sin of idolatry: for so it must needs be, to give divine worship to a piece of bread.

5. Q. Ought not Christ to be adored in this sacrament?

A. Christ is everywhere to be adored; and therefore in the receiving of the holy communion, as well as in all our other religious performances.

6. Q. How then can it be sinful for those, who believe the bread to be changed into the body of Christ, upon that supposition to worship the host?

A. As well as for a heathen who believes the sun to be God, upon that supposition to worship the sun. 7. Q. But he intends to worship Christ, and that can never be justly said to be idolatry?

A. And so the other intends to worship God; but to put another case, which may more easily be understood. If a man will, in defiance of sense and reason believe a post to be his father, aud upon that supposition, ask blessing of a post, does his opinion, or rather his madness, alter the nature of things, and make him ever the less ask blessing of a post, because he takes that post to be his father? The papist will needs have a piece of bread to be Christ's body; and, upon that presumption, he pays divine honour to it; does he ever the less give divine honour to a piece of bread, because he fancies that bread to be the body of Christ?

8. 2. Will not his intention direct his action aright? A. No, it will not: or if it would, his very intention itself is wrong. For his intention is to adore the host. 'Tis true, he believes it to be Christ's body, and therefore adores it: but still right or wrong, the host he adores; which being, in reality, no more than bread, he must needs commit idolatry in adoring of it.

SECT. LI.

Of the Preparation which every one ought to make of himself, before he comes to the Lord's Supper.

1. Q. What is required of them who come to the Lord's Supper?

A. To examine themselves, &c.

2. Q. When ought such an examination to be made?

A. It were much to be wished that men would be persuaded to live under the constant practice of it; aud consider every week, or indeed every day, how their accounts stand towards God. But, at least, if they neglect it at other times, yet certainly they ought to do this very nicely and scrupulously before they come to the holy communion. 1 Cor. xi. 28, 30, 31. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

3. 2. How must this examination be performed?

A. By a careful and diligent search into our lives and actions; that so we may, if possible, know what the true state of our souls is, in all those particulars. concerning which we are here directed to examine ourselves. And this accompanied with earnest prayer to God for his assistance in, and blessing upon, our endeavours.

4. Q. What is the first point concerning which we are to examine ourselves?

A. Whether we repent us truly of our former sins, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life.

5. 2. How may we know whether we do this so effectually as we are here required to do?

A. We can only judge by the present frame and disposition of our souls. If we are heartily sorry for and ashamed of our sins; if we earnestly desire God's forgiveness of them; if we are instant with God in our prayers for pardon, and where we have done any injury to our neighbour, are ready to ask his forgiveness also, and to make all reasonable satisfaction to him: if, lastly, as far as we can judge of ourselves,

we do all this uprightly and sincerely: if we reserve no secret affection for any sin in our souls, but universally resolve to forsake all our evil ways; and in every thing to follow the rules of our duty: we may then justly conclude that our repentance and resolutions are hearty, and without deceit; and, as such, will qualify us for the worthy receiving of this holy

sacrament.

6. Q. But what, if after all this, we should relapse into sin again?

A. If we do it by surprise or infirmity, if we fall back only into some lesser sins, and such as are hardly together to be avoided by us in this present life, we ought not to be discouraged. But, indeed, if after this we should fall into the commission of some heinous, deliberate, wasting sin, but especially should relapse into a habit and course of such sins; this would be of a dangerous consequence to us, and make our last state worse than our first.

7. Q. Would it not therefore be the safest way rather to abstain altogether from the holy table, than to run the hazard of coming unworthily to it?

A. Were it a matter of indifference whether we ever received this sacrament or no, this might the more reasonably be insisted upon; but, as the case now stands, it is altogether idle and absurd. For, first, to come to the holy table is a matter of express duty: Christ has commanded us to do it; and it is equally dangerous not to come at all, as it is to come unworthily to it. Secondly, by not coming, we deprive ourselves of the grace of God, which this sacrament was designed to convey to us; and in that, of the greatest present benefit, as well as comfort to

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