[afes abottt t/Je Sacr~ment. from contempt, than the omitting or difplacing of it. 6. Every Lords D1y is no after then chri– flians need ir. 7· The frequency will teach them to Live prepared, and not only to make much ado once a Moncth or Quarter, when the fame work is ncgldted all the year befide: Even as one that Jiveth in contii1ual expeCb.tion of death, will live in continual preparation: when he that expe– deth it.but in fame grievous ficknefs will tbcn be frigiJtned into fame fecming prepuations, which are not the habit of his foul, but laid by •gain when the difeafe is over. 2 , But yet l muft add, that in fame undifciplin'd Churches, and upon Come occafions it may he longer omitted or fel~orner ufed : No_duty is a duty a~ all times: ~nd therefore extraord.i~a!y cafes may nile fuch impedtmc:nts as may hmder us a long ttmc from th1s and many other pnvtledge~. But the ordinary fauhinetS of our imperfect hearts, that are apt to grow cuftomary and dull, is no good reafon why it 01ould be ~e!dome: Any more dun ~hy orh:r rpccial duties o~W?rll1ip and Church-commm1ion !hould be leldome : ·Read well the Eptlllcs ot Paul to the Corznthuns , and you will tiud chat thc.y were 1hu1 as bad as the true: Chriflians t now, and that even in this S1cramcnt they were very culpable : and yet Puul fcckcth not w cure them by their fcldomer 6o~ communicuing. • §. 2r. Q:!ell. 3· Are all the mtmbers of the vifible Church to bt admitted to thir Sacrament l or fi!!efl· 3; communicate? A 1 t[w. All are not to feek... it or to take it, bccau(c many may know their own unfitnt{s, when the Church or PJllors know it not: But all that come and fer~ it arc to be admitted by the P~flbrs, except fuch Cbildren, Id.•ots, ignorant perfom or Heretick.J, as know not what thc:.y are to receive and dJ, and fuch as are notorioufly wick._!d or fcandalour, and have not manifefied their repen– tance. But then it is prefuppofed that none fhould be numb~red with the adult memberr of the Church, but rhofe tlm have perfonally owned their Blptifmal Covcoant, by a Credible Proftffion of true CbrijliJitif.)'· . , ~· 22. Q!d\. 4• May a mJn that bath. k._nowledge, and civility, a'!d CIJmmon gifir come and ~r/o 4• tak.f rhU SllcramMt, if he Jtitlow tint he i1 ;•et v9iel of true Repemance and otker {aving Grace? Anftr· No : For he then know'eth himfdf to be one that is uncapabte of ir, in his prefmt fiat e. §· 23. Q:!cfi. 5· M1y an ungodly man reccivt tbil Sacr>ment, who /l,.noweth nol himfelf 10 ~e f1!.!!rf1. 5· ungodly l Anfrr. No: For he rJUgbt to know it; and qjs finfu\ ignorance of his own condition, will not make his fin to be his duty; nor excufe his other faults btfore God. ~· 24. Quell. 6. Muft t: finctre Chriftian receive, that ir uncertain of IJir fincerity, and in contin.tal fil..!eft. d. doubting l Anfw. Two preparations are necdTary to this Sacrament : Thegenrral preparation, which is afiate of grace ; and this the doubting Chrifiian hath: And theparticular preparation, which confiflethin hi! prefent adual fitnr:fs : And all the quellion is of this. And to know this, you mull further diOinguifh, berween Immediate duty and more Remote; and between tht degrees of doubtfHlnefi in Ch~i!tians. I· Theneareji immediate duty of the doubting Chrifiian is, to ufe the means to have his doubts re– folved, till he know his cafe, and then his Hext duty is to receive the Sacrament: And both thefe 1\ill r<main his duty, to be performtd in this order : And if he fay, I cannot br rrfjlvtd wben I have done my bejl1 yet certainly it is fome fin of his own that kecpeth him in the dark, and ·hinde– rerh his alfurance: and therefore Duty ceafeth not to be dury; the Law of Chrifi I\ill obligeth him both to get a.(fur.Jnce, and to reaivt ; and the w~nt both of the ~nowledge of his Hate, and ofRe– ceiving the Sacrament, are his cuntinual fin, if he lye in it, never fa long through thefe fcruples: though it be an infirmity that God wil\ not condemn him for : ( 1-~or he is fupgoft::d to be in a fiate of grace). But you will fay. Wbat ifftiU he cannot be rrfolved rt'hetht•r he IJJve true faitb andRepe~... tance or not? 1¥hatjhottld ht do while he U in doubt l l anlwer, lt is one thing to ask, what is bil dnty in this ·cafe; and another thing to a~k, TYbich U· tht fmaller or lefs d.mgrroui fin l Srill his duty is both w get the ~now/edge of his heart, and to communic:zte ; But wbile In finneth ( through iofic- • mity ) in [cJiling of the firjf, wtre he brtter-alfo omit the other or 1101? To be well refolved of that, you muil difcern, 1. Whether his judgement of himfelf do rather incline to think and hope that he U fincere in hH repentance and faith, or that he U not l 2. And whether the con[tqucntl are like to be good or bad to him. If his hopes that he is fincere be as great or greater tban hH fears of the contrary, then there is no fuch llt confequent to be feared as may hinder his communicating; but it is his bdl way to do it, and wait on Gotl in the ufe of his Ordinance. ~ut if the prrfwaficn of his gracrlrfoefr be greater than the hopu of his finurit)", then he mu(\ obferve how he is like to Oe af– fected it he do communicate : If he: find that it is like to dear up his mind, and incrc:;"fe his hopes by the actuating of his grace, he is yet bell ro go: But if he find that his heart is like to be over– whclm~.d with horror and funk into dcfpair, by running into the fuppofed guilt of unworthy Re.. ceiving, then it will be 11'orfe to'do it, than to omit it. Many fuch fearful Chrifiians I have known that are fJin ma!'ly years to ab{e;nt the.mfclves from the Sacrament: becattft: if they !hould receive i~ while t.hey are perfwaded of their_ utter unworth_ine:fs, they would be fwal\owed up of defperarion, and rhmk that they had tal<en then own damnauon, ( As the twenty fifth Article of the Courch of Engltmd faith the unworthy receivers do.) So that the chief fin of fuch a Doubting Rtaiver is not that he recei.vetl~ thoug/J he do~tbt: for daubtin~ ~ill nm excufe us for the finful omiirion of a dut)r ( no more ot t~JS (han of Pr~yer, or T.ha!lksg1vmg ;) But only Prudence requireth fuch a one to for· bear .that, wh~eh through hts own ddlemper would be a means of his defpair and ruine: As thal Phyfick
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