The Meditation on Monday Morning. Upon the inftitution of the holy facrament of the Lord's Supper. -The bread that I will give, is my flesh.-My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.- It is the fpirit that quickneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I fpeak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. John vi. 53, 55, 63. Onfider, O my foul! how by divine pro 1. vidence, we have escaped the dangers of this night, and are continued together in a deep fenfe of our duty, which we yesterday acknowledged and confirmed in the receiving of that boly facrament, which, in its outward part, is only bread and wine which the Lord hath commanded to be received; that is, to be eaten and drank by all fuch as come to his table, in remembrance of the body and blood of Christ, which are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's fupper. * A facrament, which at once, by the bread broken, fignifies the body of Christ broken on the crofs; and, by the wine poured out, fignifies the blood of Chrift, shed at his crucifixion. But guard against that doctrine, which teaches, that we eat the natural body, and drink the natural blood of Chrift; for the natural body and blood of Chrift are in heaven, and not here; it being against the truth of See the church catechifm, on the facrament of the Lord's fupper. * of Chrift's natural body to be at one time in more places than one, and therefore we cannot eat and drink Christ's natural body and blood in the facrament. 2. We are well affured by Christ himself, as well as by his apoftle that the Lord's fupper was exprefly defigned for the remembrance of Chrift, after he should be taken away: therefore Chrift, who is to be remembered, cannot be corporally prefent at the time of fuch remembrance. And as the bread and wine were ordain'd for memorials of his body broken, and blood fhed, for us; his natural body and blood must be abfent, in order to be remembered by means of fuch memorials. They themselves cannot be the memorials of themselves, in this rite: for nothing can be eaten or drank in remembrance of itfelf. They who argue for the contrary doctrine run into the greateft abfurdities. For, 3. The doing any act, in remembrance of a perfon, implies his bodily abfence; and we are never faid, nor can we be faid, to perform that action in order if he be corporally present to remember him. And therefore, the end of this inftitution being the remembrance of Chrift; it must follow from hence, that to eat and drink, See the rubrick in the communion fervice in the common prayer book. in the Lord's fupper, muft be, to eat and drink in a sense confiftent with the notion of this remembrance: and confequently, that to fuppofe, or teach, that chriftians eat his real natural body, in remembrance of his real natural body; and drink his real blood in remembrance of his real blood, is to teach that they are to do fomething, in order to remember him, which at the fame time supposes him corporally prefent; and deftroys the very notion of that remembrance; and fo directly contradicts the most important words of the inftitution itself. Therefore, 4. It cannot be the natural body and blood of Chrift, which is eaten and drank in the Lord's fupper, but fomething else, [viz. bread and wine] in remembrance of them. All this is founded upon the plain notion of the word remembrance, and this remembrance is exprefly mentioned, in the original institution, as a part thereof, and confequently it is this remembrance which conftitutes the very nature of this holy facrament. So that, 5. The real prefence, maintained by protef tants, is not the prefence of Chrift's natural body, but the real prefence of Chrift's invifible power and grace, fo in and with the elements of bread and wine, as to convey spiritual and real real effects to the fouls of fuch as duly receive them: for GOD did not only give his fon Jefus Chrift to die for us, but also to be our spiritual food and fuftenance in that holy facrament: + now, fpiritual food and fuftenance is doubt-lefs the food and fuftenance of the spirit; fo to eat and drink Spiritually is a figurative expreffion, and fignifies the feeding upon Chrift's body with our heart, by faith. || See John vi. 63. 6. Therefore, the benefits whereof we are made partakers by this facrament, is the ftrengthening and refreshing of our fouls by the body and blood of Chrift, as our bodies are by the bread and wine: O happy foul! that feeds on fuch celeftial food, that art refreshed with the bread that came down from heaven, if with a true penitent heart, and lively faith, thou receive that boly facrament; for then we fpiritually eat the flesh of Chrift, and drink his blood. ‡ Ánd, 7. Confider, that bread and wine (or any thing else, which it might have pleased Christ to have chofen) may, by the bleffing and appointment of GOD, be as communicative of C 4 grace, ↑ See the thirty-nine articles of the church of England. Church catechifm, on the Sacrament of the Lord's fupper. See the fecond exhortation in the communion fervice, in the book of common prayer. grace, as the true natural flesh and blood of Chrift itself can be: for even that (if you could indeed eat it with your teeth) would no more communicate grace, or any bleffing to the receiver, without fuch inftitution and appointment of GOD, than any other food in the world that you can eat. 8. Wherefore, it is my firm belief, that, as this facrament is matter of meer inftitution and appointment, I am concerned to know no more either what the facrament is, or bow it operates, than it hath pleafed GOD to reveal in the holy fcriptures. And, it will be fufficient for me to believe, that the confecrated elements are both called and made the body and blood of Christ, so verily and indeed, to all spiritual intents and purposes, as to convey, to the faithful receiver, whatever grace and bleffing Chrift hath annexed to the due performance of thofe holy rites, which he hath ordained as pledges of his love, and for our joy and comfort. The Hymn, on Monday Morning. When powers of earth and hell arofe Against the Son of God's delight, Then |