this Restriction affign'd; For as often as ye do this, ye Thew forth the Lord's Death; i. e. It is an "Action confecrated to the Memory of the 'Lord..

- This Claufe ὁσάκις ἂν πίνητε, was left out of fome Ancient Copies, and particularly the Ethiopick Verfion, and Alexandrian Manufcript; because it feem'd incoherent, needlefs, and to interrupt and perplex the Senfe. But this Foolifhnefs of God is wiser than Men, who forefaw that in After ages an Action fo confecrated to the moft Holy and Divine Purposes, and in Memory of our Lord, wou'd be apply'd to Civil and Prophane Ufe, as it is now moft fhamefully at this Day. And it is very remarkable, that this Claufe is left out in the Inftitution of the Bread, and apply'd only to the Cup; with Defign, in the Purpose and Fore-knowledge of <God, to be an invincible Argument to all future Generations, for the Truth of that Doarine I am now defending. As the Words, Drink ye ALL of this, were, no doubt, levell'd by the fame Wisdom, at that Sacrilegious Cuftom in the Church of Rome, of denying the "Cup to the Laity.

Now tho' there are not those reftraining Words in the Confecration of the Bread; yet if a Company of Chriftians fhou'd, after Dinner, have a Piece of Bread diftributed to every one of them; and each of them, in their Turn, put it into their Mouths with this Expreffion; Here is to the Glorious Memory of King William: This wou'd fhock, and every one wou'd cry out upon it, as horrid and blafphemous in the

Implication: And yet this you fee does not come up to that Impiety, of doing the like with the Wine.

But to make the Cafe plainer yet, if there be Occafion for it, let us take a parallel Inftance in the other Sacrament; and fuppofe that Dipping, or Sprinkling, were made a Form of Admiffion into any Civil Corporation: The very Effence of that Sacrament confifts in Admitting Perfons Members of the Church, which is a Body Corporate. I ask then, Whether this would not be, not only a Leffening and an Abufe of that Action, but also a moft heinous and impious Prophanation of it? And why? Because Water is apply'd in that very Inftance wherein the Effence of that Sacrament confifts; which is, the Admiffion of Perfons into a Vifible Body.

No more need be faid upon this Subject, for the Conviction of fuch as are in a Difpofition to be convinc'd: God has made no Provision, by way of Remedy, for Wilfulness and Obftinacy. Such as are felf-will'd, and abound in their own Senfe, there is no Help for them; they must live and die full of themselves, and their own Opinion.

Tho' we were not able to answer all the Objections which fuch Perfons make, yet this is no Reason why we fhould part with a plain Truth. But the Cafe is fo far otherwife, that all the Objections and Inftances made againft it, do but conduce to the farther Confirmation of it, and fetting it in a clearer Light.

Obj.

Obj. 1st. We keep Feafts in Memory of the Saints. Anfw. But not to pay them the fame Honour we do to Chrift. And therefore, let us inftance in the greatest Saint in Heaven, the Virgin Mary; and fuppofe that after Dinner or Supper, on her Day, a Company of zealous and devout Chriftians fhou'd each of them take a Cup or Glafs of Wine, and in their Turn drink it with thefe Words, Here is to the Glorious Memory of the Bleffed Virgin Mary; and then bring themselves off with the Popish Diftinction, faying, They mean not the Cultus Latria; no, God forbid! They mean no more by it than Honouring fo great a Saint, to whom they are under infinite Obligations. After all their nice Difquifitions upon Civil, Religious, and Divine Honours, the Answer would be in fhort, That of all Honours paid to her, this ought to be avoided; becaufe 'tis the most folemn way we have of Honouring Chrift himfelf; fo that this wou'd be in it felf a worfe Idolatry than that of the Church of Rome. The Papifts only kneel and pray to her; but this wou'd be, in no fmall degree, applying to her that which is made the moft Solemn Act of Worship and Adoration to the Divinity.

W

2dly, They don't do this Religiously, i.e. by way of Paying King Wm any Divine Honour. But can't Men pay Divine Honours, without defigning them fo? Hath any thing been more common among Heathen and Papifts? And did they not both ever make the fame Excufe for their Idolatry? If they drank

that

that Health with fuch a defign, this wou'd be a grievous Aggravation of that Action, and they wou'd be worse than Turks or Jews. The Question is not, Whether this Action may have many circumftantial Aggravations, from the different Ufes Men make of it? But whether the Action it felf, which is confecrated to fo Divine an Ufe, may be apply'd to any Civil Purpofe whatfoever. The Queftion is not, Whether they do it Religioully? But whether they fhould ever do it otherwife than Religi ouly, and after the manner inftituted by Chrift?

3dly, Another objects, He has no Intention of prophaning the Sacrament by that Cuftom. All that can be inferr'd from this, is, Therefore he is not worse than an Heathen. This is another Aggravation. There have been many Aggravations of that finful Action, as particularly, Drinking to the Glorious and Immortal Memory of a dead Monarch upon Men's Knees, and before his Statue; and in thefe Words, I drink this in Remembrance, &c. and by the Title of Saviour, taking off their Hats when they do it, &c. And there may be yet worfe Ufes made of it i and too probably there will, by the Enemies of REVELATION; who can't be ignorant, that applying that Action of Drinking to the Memory of the Dead, to civil or common Ufe, ftrikes at the very Root and Foundation of all Chriftianity; and have already taken Occafion from this very Practice, to fay, in Contempt of our Holy Eucharift, that it is no more than an HEALTH. The Devil has Views in

palliating and promoting finful Cuftoms, which we can't fee to the End of; and no Man can tell what Confequences this will yet have, now it is once fet on foot, or where it will end.

4thly, Another fays, Drinking to the Memory of a dead Monarch cannot be Sacramental, because it has not all the Circumftances of that Sacrament. Who fays it is? The Queftion is not, Whether it is Sacramental; but, Whether 'tis a grievous Abuse and Prophanation of that which is truly fo? And whether it ought ever to be done but Sacramentally, and with those Circumftances of Confecration, &c. and as our Saviour did inftitute it?

5thly, Says another, The Cafe is not parallel. There is no fhedding of Blood in the Cafe of K. Wm. True; but the Action is exactly parallel in that very Inftance wherein the Being of that Sacrament confifts. And 'tis that which makes it finful, to use the fame Action by way of Civil Honour.

6thly, Says another, We kneel to God, and we kneel to Man; and this fhews the fame Action may be us'd both in a Religious and a Civil Way. True; and fo may Drinking; and what then? But neither of them in Honour of the Dead: So that this does not touch the Queftion, which is not about Drinking or Kneeling to the Honour of one or the other; for the Nature of the thing will be alter'd, as you defign a Religious, or a Civil Worship by either of thofe Actions: The Queftion is about Drinking in Remembrance of the Dead; Whether, this being confecrated to a Religious Worthip,

you