works before grace, in the 9th and 13th articles above recited.

In

juftification of his conceit. - Metaphorical or figurative expreffions, though they may be used with great propriety to convey an abftrufe or hidden meaning, are very unfit to be introduced into articles or confeffions of faith. The eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man does not fhock us, because we are accustomed to the found of the words; but let us hear another Scripture metaphor, which we are not used to, propofed as an article of faith, and we shall perceive our judgement to revolt at it.-David describes the providence of God over the righte ous, by faying, " He fhall keep them under his wings, "and they shall be safe under his feathers," and the metaphor is easily understood; but who would not be offended if he was required to declare his folemn belief that he was kept under God's wings, or that he was verily and indeed under God's feathers; and yet this metaphor is not more revolting than that of eating flesh and drinking blood.-How thefe expreffions came to be used by our Saviour, and afterwards by St. Paul, I once heard moft fatisfactorily accounted for by that most excellent and learned Divine, the prefent Bishop of Bath and Wells, in a fermon he preached

D 2

In the first of the thirty-nine articles the following definition of the word God

is

preached about twenty years fince at St. George's Church; and as that fermon has not been published, though I hope it, and many others of his Lordship's, will be, I fhall venture to ftate his argument as well as my recollection at this distance will enable me to do, and I trust to his Lordship's goodness for pardon if I mistake any thing. After fhewing that it was the custom of our Saviour to avail himself of every prefent circumstance or occurrence to inculcate a precept or recommend a duty, and mentioning the inflances of his calling himself the living water from Heaven to the woman of Samaria who came to draw water, the bread to his Difciples when they wanted bread, and the door, the fhepherd, the vine, and fo forth, upon other occafions, his Lordship told us, that it was the custom among the Jews, at the celebration of the paffover, for the master of the family to divide the pafcal lamb among his guests, faying to each, as he gave him his portion, This is the pafcal lamb, take and eat it in remembrance of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Now as the pascal lamb was the type of Chrift's facrifice of himself, and when the thing typified was performed the type was to

ceafe,

is given "There is but one living and "true God, without body, parts, or paf "fions,

cease, and a new inftitution to take place of it in commemoration of what the type had prefigured, our Saviour, in conformity to the Jewish cuftom, and to apply the pascal lamb immediately to himself, takes: the bread and wine, which were hereafter to be eaten and drank in commemoration of his death and our de liverance thereby from the bondage of fin and death, and gives them to his Disciples in like manner as was done with the pascal lamb, only altering the form of the words to fuit the change in the thing given and the thing to be remembered; for, instead of saying take and eat the pascal lamb, in commemoration of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage, he fays, "Take and eat this my body, which is given for 66 you, and drink this my blood of the New Tefta"< ment, which is fhed for you, and for many, for "the remiffion of fins; do this in remembrance of

me, who am the facrifice typified by the pascal « lamb, and am now going to lay down my life to "redeem you and all mankind from the bondage of "fin." The words, therefore, this is my body and this is my blood, can be only understood to have the fame reference to the real body and blood of Christ

as

"fions, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodnefs, the maker and preferver of ❝ all

as the words this is the pafcal lamb were understood to have to the very pascal lamb which the Ifraelites had killed and eaten the night before they left Egypt, and no other. This account, faid his Lordship, is by no means intended to leffen the refpect and reverence ontertained for the facred ordinance of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, or to abate the hopes of advantage from it. Those who present themselves at the communion table, earnestly repenting of their fins, in love and charity with their neighbour, fully purposing to lead a new life, following the commands of God, and walking henceforth in his holy ways, not trusting in their own righteoufnefs, but in the manifold and great mercies of Almighty God, and in that full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, oblation, and fatisfaction, made by his only Son Jefus Chrift for the fins of the whole world, may rely úpon the inestimable benefits of his death and paffion, the remiffion of their fins, and the ftrengthening and refreshing of their fouls, by his grace and heavenly benediction.Ifhall only prefume to add to this excellent difcourfe, that it ought to be remembered, that, although a feven-days' folemn preparation was required of those who celebrated the paffover, yet the pascal fupper

"all things both visible and invisible; and in unity of this Godhead there be three

66

perfons, of one substance, power, and eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy "Ghost." This definition clearly and perfectly correfponds with the command

fupper was confidered as a feaft by the Jews, and those who partook of it made a hearty meal. When, therefore, the Eucharift came to be celebrated in its room, the lovers of good cheer could not brook the fubftitution of a cruft of bread for a flice of lamb, and fuch of them as could afford it brought other victuals with them to eat along with it; and as the Eucharift was always celebrated in thofe times at every meeting, a habit of gluttony and inebriety was acquired by many of the new profelytes. This was particularly the cafe of the Corinthians; and to their cafe, and fuch as refemble it, St. Paul's Epiftle to them is to be applied: and the confequences of <disease and death, which he fays had fallen upon

them, being no other than the natural effects of gluttony and drunkenness, which no Chriftian can now be guilty of at the communion table, no Christian has now to apprehend, however unworthy he may think himself, of approaching it.

of