young and tender, and most fufceptible of these Impreffions; and fince Godfathers and Godmothers are obliged in the most folemn Manner to take care, that the Children whom they bring to Baptifm fhall be fo educated and inftructed; the Baptifm of young Children therefore, as our Church juftly determines (Art. 27.) is in any wife, or by all means to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the Inftitution of Chrift.

LECTURE

LECTURE VII.

T

HE other Sacrament is that of the Lord's Supper, fo called because instituted by our Bleffed Lord at the Time of the Pafchal Supper among the Jews, and in order to fupply the Place of it.—And the Church here teaches us what was the End and Defign of this Inftitution of our Lord; what the Parts, what the Benefits, of this Sacrament; and what Qualifications are required of those who would reap these Benefits, by duly partaking of it.-And fince in all other Cafes it is allowed to be one most reafonable and juft Method of Interpretation (if not the only one) to explain fuch Paffages of any Author as are obfcure or difficult, by fuch other Paffages in the Works of the fame Author as are more clear and perfpicuous; and fince the Church of England has perhaps more clearly expreffed her Doctrine of this Sacrament in her Articles and Offices, than fhe may be thought to have done in this Part of the Catechifm; I fhall therefore have recourfe to the one, in order to ascertain the Meaning of the other, and fhew her Senfe from her own Words. This is the most impartial, and indeed

deed the only authorized Interpretation which fhe has given us; and this, I apprehend, is the fureft Way of learning her Doctrines of this bleffed Sacrament, as well in Oppofition to those who make too little, as to thofe who make too much of it.--I mean, as well in Oppofition to the Socinians, who make it a mere Ceremony, without any peculiar Benefits annexed to it, or Qualifications neceffary for it; as to the Romanists, who firft deify, and then fall down and worship it.

The first Queftion and Answer shew us the End and Defign for which this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was ordained; namely, For the continual Remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift, and of the Benefits that we receive thereby.

That our Bleffed Lord offered up himself on the Crofs for the Sins of Men, has been before fufficiently fhewn, in fpeaking to the 4th Article of the Creed; that, as God accepted the Sacrifices of Beafts under the Law of Mofes, fo he likewife accepted of this Death of his Eternal Son, as a full and fufficient Sacrifice for the Sins of the whole World, has likewife been already fhewn under that Article; and that the Benefits of this Death and Sacrifice are all our fpiritual and eternal Bleffings; that in him, and by him, and through him, are all our Hopes of Peace with God here, and of Happiness with him hereafter, has been largely enough fhewn, in speaking to the Ad

vantages

vantages of the other Sacrament, whereby we are made Members of Chrift, Children of God, and Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven; and what we are here taught is, that the End of our Lord, in ordaining this Sacrament of the Eucharift was, that we should frequently, duty, and conftantly remember this Death and Sacrifice, and these Benefits which are derived from thence, to the End of the World.-That this was his End in the Inftitution is plain, because the Evangelifts exprefs no other: His own Words were, This do in Remembrance of me; and St. Paul, who was informed by Revelation from Chrift himself of the Manner of his inftituting this Sacrament, gives us this fuller Account of it: That when he had given Thanks and broken the Bread, he faid, This do in REMEMBRANCE OF ME; and after the fame Manner alfo he faid concerning the Cup, This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in REMEMBRANCE OF ME; adding this, as an Explanation of what he meant by thofe Words, For as often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye DO SHEW THE LORD'S DEATH till he come, 1 Cor. xi. 24, 26.-And therefore, agreeably to this Divine Interpretation of our Lord's Will by his Apostle, the Church of England, in her Communion-Office, declares the End or Defign of the Use of this Sacrament to be, that of eating Bread and drinking Wine in Commemoration of our Lord's Death.-In her Exhortations the fays,

that

that the religious and devoutly difpofed ought to receive the most comfortable Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Chrift, in Remembrance of bis meritorious Death and Paffion, whereby alone we obtain Remiffion of our Sins, and are made Partakers of the Kingdom of Heaven; that, as the Son of God did vouchsafe to yield up his Soul by Death upon the Cross for our Salvation, fo it is our Duty to receive the Communion IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE SACRIFICE of his Death, as he himself hath commanded; and that he inftituted and ordained thefe Holy Myfteries as Pledges of his Love, and for a CONTINUAL REMEMBRANCE OF HIS DEATH, to our great and endless Comfort, to the end that we should ALWAYS REMEMBER the exceeding great Love of our Master and only Saviour thus dying for us, and the innumerable Benefits which by his precious BloodShedding he hath obtained to us.-And so in the Prayer of Confecration itself fhe afferts, that our Lord did inflitute, and in his Holy Gospel command us to continue a perpetual Memory, or Memorial, of his precious Death, until his coming again.

And if then this was his End and Design in this Sacrament, they who come duly prepared to it, and thankfully eat the Bread, and drink of the Cup in a proper manner, as Signs and Remembrancers of the Death and Paffion of their Lord; they answer the End which was defigned by it, and are worthy Partakers of