good hearts are in a state of damnation whether they come to this sacrament or not; because the sentence of damnation is not inflicted upon such men barely for receiving the sacrament unworthily, but chiefly for living and dying with corrupt hearts; the guilt whereof is indeed aggravated by the presumption and hypocrisy of making open vows of obedience with secret resolutions to continue in disobedience. But as long as the heart of a man is not right in the sight of God, he has nothing to expect but eternal damnation, although he never comes to this sacrament, and moreover, such a heart renders him unfit to serve God with any benefit in any other office of religion whatsoever; nay, even makes his prayer "an abomination to the Lord," Prov.

XV. 8.

The exhortation of the priest, "above all things, ye must give most humble and hearty thanks to God," does not mean that faith and repentance are less necessary than thanksgiving; but that these being supposed to precede, the principal point in the act of communicating is a thankful remembrance of God's mercy, disposing us to lay hold of it: and most seasonably does the priest invite us to praise the Lord with him at this time, and calls on us almost in the very words of St Paul, Heb. xiii. 15. We have seen the everlasting love of the Father, the unspeakable kindness of the Son, the incomparable grace of the Holy Ghost, and our own infinite obligations: let us therefore all join in offering up all possible praise and glory, worshipping the holy Trinity with such sincere and hearty thanksgivings, that we may be like the angels, with this only difference, that they openly behold that which we discern by faith; but both they and we "rejoice" in it "with joy unspeakable and full of glory." But because when we have done all we can, we shall come far short, we must resolve not only to

make a few praises in this highest part of our devotion, but to perpetuate the duty to our lives' end: striving to imprint the love of the Lord Jesus so deeply on our minds, that the memory of it may never depart from us, but may dispose us to bless the Lord at all times, in all places, and upon all occasions. And further, since no praises of the lips can be sufficient, we are here prescribed another way to make our thanks to be "continual," namely, by glorifying God in our lives; that is, by resigning up ourselves to the disposal of his providence, and by yielding obedience to his commandments. The eucharist is but for an hour; the hymns will soon be over; but by submission and obedience we may glorify our God continually and every moment.

CHAPTER XIII.

COMMUNION SERVICE,-CONTINUED.

THE INVITATION- -TO THE POST COMMUNION. THE INVITATION consists of three parts; the qualification required in those who are invited, namely, repentance, charity, and holy purposes; the invitation itself, -draw near with faith, that is, not meaning in a bodily, but in a spiritual sense, making a more solemn entrance to God's immediate presence, see Heb. x. 22 ; and lastly, a direction to make an humble confession.

The people are directed to make this CONFESSION kneeling on their knees, for they are standing whilst attending to the exhortation and invitation of the minister; but when about to sue for pardon from the King of Kings, they must do so with reverence and submission, with the most profound humility and devotion. Our voice at the same time should be as humble as

our gesture, not clamorous, so as to disturb any, but sober, so as to excite and animate the devotion of others.

The minister throughout the communion-service is directed to kneel only thrice; at this confession, at the collect before the prayer for consecration, and at the act for receiving. In every other part of the office he is to stand. This was the practice of the ancient Church; and the attitude was probably borrowed from the service of the temple, where the legal sacrifices were offered by the priest standing, for between the legal and evangelical sacrifices there is the same correspondence that exists between the shadow and the substance. The Christian priest offers up the incense of prayers, praises, and alms; the oblation of ourselves, our souls, and bodies; and the memorial of the sacrifice of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

There is peculiar propriety in the confession of sin at this part of the service. We are coming to the altar to remember Christ's sufferings, and therefore should own our sins which were the causes of them; yea, since we hope to have our pardon sealed, we ought first with shame and sorrow to own the transgressions, for his honour who doth so freely remit them; and this is especially necessary, since the solemn penance of so laudable a practice in the primitive Church is laid aside.

I will explain these phrases in the confession: by thought, word, and deed. It being impossible to recite all the particulars in which we have sinned, the Church gives us some method for the furtherance of our penitential recollections, by this brief and full division. Solomon tells us that for every "secret thought"-Christ, that for every "idle word"-St. Paul, that for every "evil deed" God will bring us to judgment. Let us therefore prevent that, by consi* See Commination Service.

dering and judging ourselves. Burden of them intolerable. The weight with which our guilt, if not removed, will finally sit heavy upon our souls, is unspeakably greater than we shall be able to bear.

The Church is right to put into our mouths petitions for grace to amend our lives, in the end of our confession and entreaty for pardon; for otherwise we affront the holiness of God, while we pretend to crave his mercy. He that only desires forgiveness, to be quit of his present fear, is an hypocrite, and doth not hate or grieve for his iniquity, but for the punishment annexed to it; and when that fear ceaseth, he will be as bad as ever. But if we have truly felt the weight of sin, and duly apprehended the misery of having God for our enemy, we shall be desirous to be kept from future sins, as we are to be delivered from our past offences.

THE ABSOLUTION which follows is suitably placed at this part of the service; since God has vested in his ministers a power to support the spirits of dejected penitents, by antedating their pardon in the name of God, there can be no fitter opportunity to exercise it than now, when so many humbled sinners are kneeling before God, and begging forgiveness at his hand. It should, however, be the people's care that their worship be such as the minister believes it to be, and then this absolution of his will be confirmed in the court of heaven. The priest is the person to pronounce the absolution, because to him, and not to the deacon, is given this authority at ordination; unless the bishop be present, and then, for honour's sake, and in token of his spiritual superiority, this act of authority is reserved for him. Let not any of the people, then, by any means usurp the peculiar office of the priest, and disturb the congregation by repeating it after him; but let them all beg of God to confirm what the priest pronounces, by adding to it a decent and hearty Amen.

The three forms of absolution in our liturgy, namely, that in the morning service, that at the visitation of the sick, and that at the communion, are in sense and virtue the same. When a prince hath granted a commission to any servant of his, to release out of prison all penitent offenders whatsoever, it were all one in effect as to the prisoners' discharge, whether this servant says, By virtue of a commission granted to me, under the prince's hand and seal, I release this prisoner; or thus, The prince who hath given me this commission, he pardons you; or lastly, The prince pardon and deliver you, the prince then standing by, and confirming the word of his servant; so it is all one as to the remission of sins in the penitent, whether the priest absolves him in this form,—Almighty God, who hath given me and all priests power to pronounce pardon to the penitent, "he pardons you;" or thus, By virtue of a commission granted to me from God, "I absolve you;" or lastly, "God pardon you," namely, by me his servant, according to his promise," whose sins ye remit, they are remitted." All these are but several expressions of the same thing, and are effectual to the penitent by virtue of that commission mentioned in St. John xx. 23; which commission, in two of these forms, is expressed, and in the last, namely, that at the communion, is sufficiently implied and supposed. For the priest is directed, in using this form, "to stand up and turn to the people,” which behaviour certainly signifies more than a bare prayer for the people. This gesture of standing and turning to the people signifies a message of God to them by the mouth of his priest, a part of his ministry of reconciliation, a solemn application of pardon to the penitent by God's minister, and is in sense thus much,— "Almighty God pardon you by me." These different forms of absolution then sometimes express, and always