one, that he had bought a Farm; another, that he went to make Tryal of his Oxen; a third, that he had Married a Wife, and therefore could not by any means come. 'Tis called a Parable, but if you apply it to the Cafe in hand, it is a plain History of the Improvidence and Unthankfulness of thofe, who refufe to come to the Lord's Supper, and would fain come off handfomely, if they could, with feveral Excufes, that fomething or other doth ftill hinder them from clofing with the Invitation. Therefore my next Business must be to fhew, how incompetent and trifling Mens Excufes are; and I must do this the rather, because the shameful neglect which fome are Guilty of, is very Mischievous and Scandalous to others; fo that they both Judge themselves Unworthy of Eternal Life, and (as much as în them lyeth) by their bad Example, do help to draw many more into the fame Condemnation ; and further the hurt of divers precious Souls, for whom the Saviour of the whole World was content and defirous to Dye.

IN the Profecution of this Matter, there are feveral forts of People, I am to speak to. 1. Such as Indulge themfelves in a courfe of Life, that is unbecoming and inconfiftent with Chriftianity; and therefore are very backward and unwilling to

come

come to the Holy Communion. 2. Such as live Honestly and Fairly before Men, but yet are fuch Drudges to the World, and so intent upon making Provifion for their Families, that their whole time is laid out upon Secular Affairs, and they have none left them (as they fay) for the business of Preparation; and therefore pretend, they have no Leifure to come. 3. Such as are willing (and perhaps defi rous) to Communicate, and confess they have time enough to fit themselves by Prayer, Fafting, and Repentance, but yet what out of a Senfe of their manifold Failings, and what out of an apprehenfion of the greatness of the Mystery, and what out of a miftruft of themselves for the future, conceive themselves to be Unworthy and Unfit, and therefore are affraid

to come.

I. NOW, as for thofe in the firft place, who make no Confcience of their ways, but live without having a due regard to the Laws of Religion, I muft premife, that though it be a wonder, that any who have Learned Chrift (who have heard of his Sufferings, of his Laws, and of his Threats) should prefume in fpight of all to live after this rate, yet it is no wonder that they who do live fo, fhould be backward and unwilling to Receive this Sacra

ment.

ment. It would be very dangerous for them indeed to receive it, because S. Paul hath declared, that he who eateth and drinketh Unworthily, eateth and drinketh Judgment to himself; and fuch Men as I now fpeak of, are no more Worthy to eat and drink at the Lord's Table, than Swine are fit to live of the Altar. To fuch, the Holy Sacrament is a dreadful thing indeed, as long as they continue in an Evil Course: They do in a manner drink down Death with the Wine, and fwallow the Bread and the Devil together. Therefore as long as they are in Love with Sin, and Obey it in the Lufts thereof, and yield their Members as Inftruments of Unrighteousness, they muft by all means forbear coming to this Ordinance.

BUT then they must observe, that this forbearing or refraining upon the confideration of an Evil Confcience, will be in no wife excufable in the Great and Terrible day of God; and if any Man be so Vain and Foolish as to think fo, I would offer these following things to his most serious Confideration. 1. That by parity of Reason, he may neglect every other Divine Ordinance, as well as this; for there is none, but what will rife up in Judgment against him, unless he Repent, and An

fwer

swer the great Ends of its Institution. Unto the Wicked, God faith, why dost thou Preach my Law, and takeft my Covenant into thy mouth, seeing thou hateft to be Reformed? Pf. 50. 16, 17. In like manner, why do fuch Men call upon God's Name, or please themselves, that they hear his word? Nay, why indeed do they profess themselves Christians, as long as they hate to be Reformed? For the Displeasure of God is provoked throughout, and God is their Enemy,and they areHis,as long as they thus continue in Sin. For all that fuch Men I do, is Leavened with Hypocrifie; and no Monster is fo hateful to God and Man, as an Hypocrite. He that Prayeth with his Mouth, and hath Villany in his Heart, doth in a manner spit in God's Face. He that Heareth the Divine Oracles with an Uncircumcifed Ear, doth but make a Mockery of Religion: And he that ownCeth himself a Difciple of Christ, and at the fame time is a Son of Belial, infiniteIly affronteth the Son of God, by making him a Friend to Immorality and Wicked5 nefs. Tis an Honest and Upright Heart that rendreth all our Services acceptable; and where that is wanting, the Sinner may as well forbear every Exteriour Profeffion of Religion; as go from the Sacrament; there is the fame Reason for both,

2

because

because he injureth himself, and draweth a Curfe and Judgment upon his Head in other Inftances, as well as by eating and drinking Unworthily. 2. To refuse the Communion, is fo far from Extenuating, that it aggravates the Crimes of an Evil Wretch; because he thereby addeth one Sin to another; and this is the plain Language of his Heart; I have broken the reft of God's Commandments, and therefore I will go on and break this too. Now I would befeech fuch to confider, whether this doth not tend to their greater Condem nation, instead of amounting to a juft Ex cufe. For a Man to fhed his Neighbour's Blood, and then to plead that he had Malice in his Heart, is the ready way not to leffen, but to heighten his Offence; and fo, for a Man to trample under foot the Blood of Chrift (as they in fome Senfe do, that flight and vilifie this Ordinance) and then to pretend in his excufe, that he was an Impenitent Sinner,is to be Guilty in fome measure, of the Sin of the Jews, when they Crucified the Saviour of the World, because he upbraided them with their Incorrigiblenels, Were Men allowed to come to the Sacrament with their Impieties about them, we should have Com municants enough; but because this Holy Rite is an Adversary to their Lufts, and is intended