A Brief Account of Prayer, and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper

PREFACE.

Publish this Discourse, not for the Information or Entertainment of the I Learned, but (as the Title speaks) for the Instruction of common Chrif

tians; those more especially with whom I am concerned as a Parish Minister, for whose Use the greatest Part of it was originally drawn up. Its Design is to shew the true Grounds of our Salvation by Christ; and what is that pure, spiritual Service, which, as Christians, we are bound to pay. The great Neglect of God's publick Worship, which has been growing for fome Years paft, no doubt, is very much owing to Unbelief and Corruption of Manners; and where this is the Cafe, little Help (I fear) is to be expected from Reason and Argument. But there may be an Indifference to the Gospel Institutions, arifing from low, disadvantageous Notions of them, in those in whom the Principles of Faith and Moral Virtue are not loft; which I apprehend to be a very common Case. They who rest every thing upon Moral Virtue, and confider outward Appointments as naked Signs or Professions only (and these Notions have with great Industry been propagated of late) will be very apt to fall into the Opinion, that, Virtue supposed, the rest is of little Ufe or Consequence. But if we confider Salvation

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Salvation as the Purchase of Christ's Blood; and the Institutions of Chrift, as the Channels through which (by his Appointment) the Grace of the Gospel is conveyed to us; this cuts off all Pretence: For, upon this Foot, a Refusal to join in the Use of these Institutions, will, in Effect, be a Renunciation of our INTEREST in Christ, and a cutting ourselves off from all UNION and CомMUNION with him.

It is in this View that I have placed the Chriftian Worship; and therefore I lay my Foundation in the Doctrine of our Redemption by Chrift; which I have delivered as it lies in the Scripture, without attending to the laboured Artifices, by which the Socinian Writers have endeavoured to obfcure and deface it, To enter into these Niceties was not agreeable to the Purpose of this Difcourse: For how much would common Readers have been the better for it? They who have confidered the Socinian Interpretations, know their Worth; and they who know nothing of them, 1 may venture to say, will never feel the Want of them. Subtil Heads may perplex the cleareft Points; but if any one comes to the reading of the New Testament, only with his plain natural Sense about him; whatever Difficulties he may find in accounting for the Reasons of God's Providence in faving us by the Blood of his Son, offered as a Sacrifice and Propitiation for Sin (which is a Point that we are not at all qualified to judge of) I verily think it will be impoffible for him to doubt whether this be a Scripture Doctrine or not.

The principal Parts of the Chriftian Worship are Prayer, and the partaking of the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood; which have of late been made the Subject of much learned Dispute. And as Difputes, howsoever useful on fome Accounts,

are

are apt to unfettle those who may not have Leisure or Capacities to trace Things backward and forward through a long Series of Argumentation; I thought it might give Help to well-meaning Perfons to place the whole before them, in an easy and familiar Light. And though, in Conformity with this Defign, I have avoided the Formality of Objections and Answers, and pursued my own Thoughts in a plain and natural Way; yet I have paid such Regard to the material Points under each Question, that, in so much as is necessary for common Information, I hope no one will find Cause to complain for want of reasonable Satisfaction. In the Account I have given of the Nature of the Sacrament, I have followed Dr. Cudworth, who feems to me to have hit upon the true Notion of it.

There are two Extreams chiefly to be guarded against, in respect of the Gospel Institutions. One is a fuperftitious Shyness; the other, a presumptuous Familiarity. The first is incident only to the best Difpofitions, whofe Concern to do every Thing in the most acceptable Manner, leads them fometimes into unreasonable Jealoufies, which either keep them back from God's Ordinances, or take away much of that Comfort which they might otherwife reap from the use of them. I have endeavoured to cut off the Occafions of such Scruples, as the Sources from whence they are wont to arife have fallen in my Way; which I thought so much the more neceffary, as Enthusiasm now begins to lift up her Head, and many are running after new Inventions. But I think that our greatest Danger, at prefent, lies on the other Side. To be overfcrupulous is not the general Temper of the Age; and therefore I have been large in shewing the Neceffity of a good moral Life to sanctify our Devotions,

tions, and make them an Offering acceptable in the Sight of God. To give Encouragement to Persons to join in our publick Worship, who bring not with them the due Qualifications, is doing the worst kind of Diffservice to Religion; and could I believe that the Institutions of Christ may be complied with in a Manner agreeable to the End and Design of them, by those who have not one Grain of true Virtue in them; I should certainly have left the Defence of them to other Hands. They would, upon this Supposition, be the useless infignificant Things that Unbelievers would gladly have them thought. But if by the Engagements they lay us under, and the Helps they adminifter, they are Instruments serving to a good Life; as this will be a proper Encouragement to all ferious Christians to be diligent in the Observance of them, so it should cure Unbelievers of fome of their Prejudices, when they see this friendly Alliance between the Gospel and Natural Religion; if they are Earnest in their Boastings about Natural Religion, and do not mean all this Talk as a Cover for Licentiousness.

The Discourse on SPEECH hath this Affinity with the foregoing Subject, that it contains an Account of one Act of Religious Worship, not less material than any of the rest, and with respect to which, Caution is equally neceffary, if Arguments could do any thing to hinder the many Profanations of it. I am not vain enough to think that I shall be able to reform Mankind: But any feasonable Attempt will not be thought, I hope, unbecoming my Profession. And if in but a few Instances I may be successful; or if what is here offered, may help to keep Religion and common Honesty in fome Countenance, in a bad World, I shall think my Pains well bestowed.

CONTENTS.

OF REDEMPTION by CHRIST.

THE Christian Worship relative to the Chriftian Doc-

trine. Natural Religion not the Whole of Chriftianity.
Remission of Sin by the Redemption that is in Jesus

Christ, the proper End of the Gospel. All Mankind loft

in Adam. And restored in Christ. This was effected

by his Death and Sufferings, whereby be became a Sa-

crifice and Propitiation for the Sins of the World, This

Doctrine proved at large from Scripture. Reconciliation

with God by the Sacrifice of Christ, not an abfolute Aft

of Grace, but a Declaration of Pardon, under the Qua-

lifications of Faith and Repentance. Salvation attain-