The true examination of ourselves, confifts of the

three parts:

First, That every one confider by himself his fins and the curfe due to him for them, to the end that he may abhor and humble himself before God: confidering that the wrath of God against fin is fo great, that (rather than it should go unpunished) he hath punished the fame in his beloved Son Jefus Chrift, with the bitter and fhameful death of the cross.

Secondly, That every one examine his own heart, whether he doth believe this faithful promife of God that all his fins are forgiven him, only for the fake of the paffion and death of Jesus Christ, and that the perfect righteoufnefs of Chrift is imputed and freely given him as his own, yea, so perfectly as if he had satisfied in his own perfon for all his fins, and fulfilled all righteousness.

Thirdly, That every one examine his own confcience, whether he purpofeth henceforth to fhew true thankfulness to God in his whole life, and to walk uprightly before him as alfo, whether he hath laid afide unfeignedly all enmity, hatred, and envy, and doth firmly refolve henceforward to walk in true love and peace with his neighbour.

All thofe then who are thus difpofed, God will certainly receive in mercy, and count them worthy partakers of the table of his Son Jefus Chrift. On the contrary, thofe who do not feel this teftimony in their hearts, eat and drink judgment to themselves.

'Therefore we alfo, according to the command of Chrift and the Apostle Paul, admonish all those who are defiled with the following fins, to keep themselves from the table of the Lord, and declare to them that they have no part in the kingdom of Chrift; fuch as all idolaters; all those who invoke deceafed faints, angels, or other creatures; all those who worship images; all enchanters, diviners, charmers, and those who give credit to fuch enchantments; all defpifers of God and his word, and of the holy facraments; all blafphemers; all those who are given to raise difcord, fects and mutiny in church or ftate; all perjured perfons; all thofe who are difobedient to their parents and fuperiors; all murderers, contentious

perfons, and those who live in hatred and envy against their neighbours; all adulterers, whoremongers, drunkards, thieves, ufurers, robbers, gamefters, covetous, and all who lead offenfive lives.

All thefe, while they continue in fuch fins, fhall abstain from this meat, (which Chrift hath ordained only for the faithful) left their judgment and condemnation be made the heavier. But this is not defigned (dearly beloved brethren and fifters in the Lord) to deject the contrite hearts of the faithful, as if none might come to the Supper of the Lord, but thofe who are without fin; for we do not come to this Supper, to testify thereby that we are perfect and righteous in ourselves; but on the contrary, confidering that we feek our life out of ourselves in Jefus Chrift, we acknowledge that we lie in the midst of death: therefore, notwithstanding we feel many infirmities and miferies in ourselves, as namely, that we have not perfect faith, and that we do not give ourselves to ferve God with that zeal as we are bound, but have daily to strive with the weakness of our faith, and the evil lufts of our flesh; yet, fince we are (by the grace of the Holy Ghost) forry for these weakneffes, and earnestly defirous to fight against our unbelief, and to live according to all the commandments of God: therefore we reft affured that no fin or infirmity, which still remaineth against our will, in us, can hinder us from being received of God in mercy, and from being made worthy partakers of this heavenly meat and drink.

Let us now alfo confider, to what end the Lord hath instituted his Supper, namely, that we do it in remembrance of him: Now after this manner are we to remember him by it.

Firft, That we are confidently perfuaded in our hearts, that our Lord Jesus Christ, (according to the promises made to our forefathers in the old teftament) was fent of the Father into the world: that he affumed our flesh and blood that he bore for us the wrath of God, (under which we should have perished everlastingly) from the beginning of his incarnation to the end of his life upon earth, and that he hath fulfilled for us all obedience to the divine law, and righteoufnefs; efpecially when the weight of our fins and the wrath of God preffed out of him the bloody Vol. II.

I i

fweat in the garden, where he was bound that we might be freed from our fins: that he afterwards fuffered innumerable reproaches, that we might never be confounded: that he was innocently condemned to death, that we might be acquitted at the judgment feat of God: yea, that he fuffered his bleffed body to be nailed on the cross, that he might fix thereon the hand-writing of our fins; and hath alfo taken upon himself the curfe due to us, that he might fill us with his bleffings; and hath humbled himself unto the deepest reproach and pains of hell, both in body and foul, on the tree of the crofs, when he cried out with a loud voice, My God, my God! why haft thou forsaken me? that we might be accepted of God, and never be forfaken of him; and finally confirmed with his death and shedding of his blood, the new and eternal testament, that covenant of grace and reconciliation, when he faid, It is finished.

And that we might firmly believe that we belong to this covenant of grace, the Lord Jefus Chrift, in his last Supper, took bread; and when he had given thanks he brake it, and gave it to his difciples, and faid, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also after supper he took the cup, gave thanks, and said, Drink ye all of it, this cup is the new teftament in my blood, which is fhed for you and for many, for the remiffion of fins; this do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me: that is, as often as ye eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, you shall thereby, as by a fure remembrance and pledge, be admonished and affured of this my hearty love and faithfulness towards you; that whereas you fhould otherwife have fuffered eternal death, I have given my body to the death of the crofs, and fhed my blood for you; and as certainly feed and nourish your hungry and thirfty foul with my crucified body, and fhed blood to everlafting life, as this bread is broken before your eyes, and this cup is given to you, and you eat and drink the fame with your mouth, in remembrance of me.

From this institution of the holy Supper of our Lord Jefus Chrift, we fee that he directs our faith and truft to his perfect facrifice (once offered on the crofs) as to the only ground and foundation of our falvation, wherein he is become to our hungry and thirsty fouls, the true meat and

drink of life eternal. For by his death he hath taken away the caufe of our eternal death and mifery, namely, fin; and obtained for us the quickening fpirit, that we by the fame (which dwelleth in Chrift as in the head, and in us as his members) might have true communion with him, and be made partakers of all his bleflings, of life eternal, righteousness and glory.

Befides, that we by the fame spirit may also be united as members of one body in true brotherly love, as the holy Apostle faith, For we being many, are one bread and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread. For as out of many grains one meal is ground, and one bread baked, and out of many berries being preffed together, one wine floweth, and mixeth itself together; fo fhall we all, who by a true faith are ingrafted into Chrift, be altogether one body, through brotherly love, for Chrift's fake, our beloved Saviour, who hath fo exceedingly loved us; and not only fhew this in word, but alfo in very deed towards one another.

Hereto affift us, the Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, through his holy Spirit, AMEN.

S That we may obtain all this, let us humble ourselves before God, and with true faith implore his grace.

Moft merciful God and Father, we befeech thee, that thou wilt be pleafed in this Supper (in which we celebrate the glorious remembrance of the bitter death. of thy beloved Son Jefus Chrift) to work in our hearts. through thy holy Spirit, that we may daily more and more with true confidence, give ourselves up unto thy Son Jefus Christ, that our afflicted and contrite hearts, through the power of the Holy Ghoft, may be fed and comforted with his true body and blood; yea, with him true God and man, that only heavenly bread: and that we may no longer live in our fins, but he in us, and we in him, and thus truly be made partakers of the new and everlasting teftament, and of the covenant of grace. That we may not doubt but thou wilt for ever be our gracious Father, never more imputing our fins unto us, and providing us with all things neceffary, as well for the body as the foul, as thy beloved children and heirs; grant us alfo thy grace, that we may

take upon us our crofs cheerfully, deny ourselves, confeß our Saviour, and in all tribulations with uplifted heads expect our Lord Jefus Chrift from heaven, where he will make our mortal bodies like unto his moft glorious body, and take us unto him in eternity, AMEN.

OUR FATHER, &c.

Strengthen us also by this holy Supper in the Catholic undoubted Chriftian faith, whereof we make confeffion with our mouths and hearts, faying,

I

Believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jefus Chrift his only Son our Lord; whe was conceived by the Holy Ghoft, born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, he defcended into hell: the third day he rofe again from the dead, he afcended into heaven, and fitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: from thence he fhall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost: the holy Catholic church: the communion of faints: the forgiveness of fins ; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting, AMEN.

That we may be now fed with the true heavenly bread Christ Jefus, let us not cleave with our hearts unto the external bread and wine, but lift them up on high in heaven, where Chrift Jefus is our advocate, at the right hand of his heavenly Father, whither alfo the articles of our faith lead us; not doubting but we shall as certainly be fed and refreshed in our fouls through the working of the Holy Ghoft with his body and blood, as we receive the holy bread and wine in remembrance of him.

In breaking and diftributing the bread, the Minister fhall fay,

}

The bread which we break, is the communion of the body of Chrift.

And when he giveth the cup, >

The cup of bleffing, with which we blefs, is the communion of the blood of Christ.