and have in my proceedings conformed to his prace tice; though never without fome difficulties in my view, which I could not folve: Yet, however, a diftruft of my own understanding, and deference to the authority of fo venerable a man, the feeming ftrength of fome of his arguments, together with the fuccefs he had in his ministry, and his great reputation and influence, prevailed for a long. time to bear down my fcruples. But the difficulties and uneafinefs on my mind increafing, as I became more ftudied in divinity, and as I improved in experience; this brought me to clofer diligence and care to fearch the fcriptures, and more impartially to examine and weigh the arguments of my grandfather, and fuch other authors as I could get on his fide of the queftion. By which means, after ng fearching, pondering, viewing, and reviewing, I gained fatisfaction, became fully fettled in the opinion I now maintain, as in the Discourse here offered to public view; and dared to proceed no further in a practice and administration inconfiftent therewith: Which brought me into peculiar circumstances, laying me under an inevitable neceffity publicly to declare and maintain the opinion I was thus established in; as alfo to do it from the prefs, and to do it at this time without delay. It is far from a pleafing circumstance of this publication, that it is against what my honoured grandfa ther strenuously maintained, both from the pulpit and prefs. I can truly fay, on account of this and fome other confiderations, it is what I engage in with the greateft reluctance that ever I undertook any public fervice in my life. But the ftate of things with me is fo ordered, by the fovereign difpofal of the great Governor of the world, that my

doing this appeared to me very neceffary and altogether unavoidable. I am conscious, not only is the intereft of religion concerned in this affair, but my own reputation, future usefulness, and my very fubfiftence, all feem to depend on my freely opening and defending myfelf, as to my principles, and agreeable conduct in my paftoral charge; and on my doing it from the prefs: In which way alone am I able to ftate and juftify my opinion, to any purpose, before the country (which is full of noise, mifreprefentations, and many cenfures concerning this affair), or even before my own people, as all would be fully fenfible, if they knew the exact ftate of the cafe.

I have been brought to this neceffity in divine providence, by fuch a fituation of affairs and coincidence of circumftances and events, as I chufe at prefent to be filent about; and which it is not needful, nor perhaps expedient, for me to publish to the world.

One thing among others that caused me to go about this bufinefs with fo much backwardness, was the fear of a bad improvement fome ill-minded people might be ready, at this day, to make of the doctrine here defended; particularly that wild enthusiastical fort of people, who have of late gone into unjustifiable feparations, even renouncing the minifters and churches of the land in general, under pretence of fetting up a pure church. It is well known, that I have heretofore publicly remonftrated, both from the pulpit and prefs, against very many of the notions and practices of this kind of people: And fhall be very forry if what I now offer to the public, fhould be any occafion of their encouraging or ftrengthening themselves in thofe

notions and practices of theirs. To prevent which, I would now take occafion to declare, I am still of the fame mind concerning them that I have formerly manifefted. I have the fame opinion concerning the religion and inward experiences chiefly in vogue among them, as I had when I wrote my Treatife on Religious Affections, and when I wrote my Obfervations and Reflections on Mr. Brainerd's Life. I have no better opinion of their notion of a pure church by means of a spirit of difcerning, their cenforious outcries against the standing minifters and churches in general, their lay-ordinations, their lay preachings, and public exhortings, and adminiftering facraments; their affuming, self-confident, contentious, uncharitable feparating fpirit: their going about the country, as fent by the Lord, to make profelytes; with their many other extravagant and wicked ways. My holding the doctrine that is defended in this discourse, is no argument of any change of my opinion concerning them; for when I wrote thofe two books before mentioned, I was of the fame mind concerning the qualifications of communicants at the Lord's table that I am of now.

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However, it is not unlikely, that fome will still exclaim against my principles, as being of the fame pernicious tendency with thofe of the Separatifts: To fuch I can only by a folemn protestation aver the fincerity of my aims, and the great care I have exercised to avoid whatfoever is erroneous, or might be in any refpect mifchievous. But as to my fuccefs in these my upright aims and endeavours, I must leave it to every reader to judge for himself, after he has carefully perufed, and impartially confidered the following Discourse: which, confidering

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the nature and importance of the fubject, I hope all ferious readers will accompany with their earneft prayers to the Father of Lights, for his gracious direction and influence. And, to Him be glory in the churches by Christ Jesus. AMEN.

J. E.

PREFACE.

THOUGH the doctrine here maintained by our dear

and reverend brother, was brought over hither by the pious and judicious fathers of this country from the Puritans in England, and held by them and their fucceffors in our churches above threefeare years without diffenfion; yet fome good and learned men have fince gone into another way of thinking in this matter. And as the WORD OF GOD is our only rule of judging, and this only can bind the confcience in religion, it muft needs concern every man to fearch the Scriptures, that he may come to as fatisfying a knowledge as maz be, whether he has a right to the Lord's fupper, and whether it be his immediate duty to partake of it, or admit of others. And for all that we had hithert read on this subject, it seemed to us, there wanted fur ther fearchings and difcoveries.

And though we have not all had opportunity to read the compofure following; yet we apprehend the reverend Author fingularly qualified to manage this important argument, from his great acquaintance with the Scriptures, and diligent application to the ftudy of them, with a fpecial aim to find the mind of CHRIST and fettle his judgment in this particular; both to get more light himself, and communicate the fame to others. And we have this peculiar motive to excite attention to what he writes, that he is fo far from arguing from the prejudice or influence of education, that being brought up in the contrary way of thinking, and more inclined thereta from a special veneration of his reverend grandb