of Salvation, and refolves directly to damn himself And what a desperate Resolution is this in one, who believes there are eternal Flames prepared for those who die in mortal Sin? But, if he refolves to confefs it fometime or other, why not fooner as well as later? Nay, why not at first, as well as afterwards? For the longer he runs on in this Courfe, the harder it will be to get out of it: Because whenever he fets about it, befides his being then bound to declare the Sin till then concealed, and the Number of Sacrileges fince added to it over and above; all Confeffions, fince his first Abufe of the Sacrament, being void and null, must be looked back into, and repeated.

And is not the ripping up of fo many old Sores, and the unravelling a Confcience perplexed with Multiplicity of Sins, a Tafk that will put him to a much greater Shame and Confufion, than what he pretends to decline at firft? Is it not much eafier to confefs a fingle Sin, whatever it be, than when it comes attended with a long Train of other Sins, befides the grieVous Aggravation of Sacrilege? This therefore being the unavoidable Confequence of facrilegious Confeffions, in Relation to one that is not refolutely bent upon damning himself; 'tis evident, that

all

all Delays and Put-offs in this Matter, cannot but increase the very Difficulty upon which they are pretended, and ferve to no other Purpose, than to cut out Work for a fadder Repentance, and a more mortifying Shame.

But fome perhaps depend upon an easier Expedient; viz. of making one Confeffion for all upon their Death-bed: For then, fay they, they care not what their Confeffors think of them. But fuppofe this fine Project should mifcarry; fuppofe they should die fuddenly, or be out of their Senfes in their last Sickness; what becomes of them then? Are they not loft without Remedy? However, allowing them the fairest Chance fuch an Unchristian Design will admit of, it is but too much to be feared, that they who confess not till they just feel themselves dropping into Deftruction, are fo difpofed at Heart, that they would not even confefs then, had they any Prospect of a longer Life: And they must give me Leave to tell them, that a Confeffion made with this Disposition, is but a very unfafe Bottom to hazard their Salvation upon. Befides, what is done under a great Fright and Confternation, proceeding mostly from a mere fervile Fear; the Confeffion and Repentance a Sinner is fcared into by seeing Hell-fire just before L 5 him,

him, looks fo like that of a Man upon the Rack, who is willing to fay or do any thing for a little Eafe, that there is all the Reason in the World to fufpect there is more of Shew than Reality in it.

I fay not this to encourage Defpondency in any one, that should prove fo unhappy as to have put Things upon the laft Ha zard, because, whatever his Cafe may be, endeavouring to repent, and make his Peace with God, is certainly the best Thing he can do at any Time whatever; and the laft Moments of his Life cannot be better employed, than in a Work so neceffary, as that of Confeffing, and Repenting: However, I think myself bound to deter all Men from hazarding their Salvation upon fo great an Uncertainty, and letting Things come to a Pass, that a Death-bed Repentance is all they have to depend upon.

In a Word, Almighty God is not to be mocked; and those who defignedly put off the confeffing their Sins till they come to die, will, I fear, find, by woful Experience, that they have only played the Devil's Game for him, and been induftrious in laying Snares to their own Souls. Let us befeech Almighty God, to preserve all Chriftians from this fatal Blindness; and infufe into their Souls fo large a Portion of the Spirit of Truth, that they may ever abomi

abominate all Infincerity or Double-dealing; but especially when the Honour of his holy Sacraments is concerned, and their own eternal Intereft lies at Stake.

The LVIIIth ENTERTAINMENT.

The fatal Confequences of unworthy Communions.

He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself. 1 Cor. xi. 29.

Snough has been faid) ufually lead the

Acrilegious Confeffions, (of which e

Way to unworthy Communions; the fatal Confequences whereof fhall be the Subject of this Entertainment,

Before I enter upon this Subject, I fhall explain briefly, the Nature of this Sin; which St. Paul expreffes in the strongest Terms poffible, when he tells us, that Whoever shall eat this Bread, or drink the Cup of the Lord unworthily, fhall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. 1 Cor. The Reafon whereof is thus given by St. Chryfoftome: Because (fays he)

xi. 27.

whoever

whoever approaches to this Divine Table unworthily, is like those, who pierced the Body of our Lord; not to drink, but to Spill bis Blood: That is to fay, not to apply to themselves, the fpiritual Fruit and Benefit of it, but to prophane it, and trample it under Foot, according to St. Paul's Expreffion in another Place.

Whence it follows, that the Sin of an unworthy Communicant is Sacrilege in the highest Degree: Because, the fpecifick Nature of this Sin confifting in an Abuse or Prophanation of any thing that is Holy; the Confequence is, that it is more or less enormous, in Proportion to the Holiness of the Thing that is abused. A Church is, for Example, holy; and the Altar and Veffels belonging to it are likewife holy; because they are confecrated to holy Ufes; and a contemptuous Abufe of any of thefe Things is Sacrilege in a certain Degree; tho' 'tis manifeft they have no intrinfick Holiness inherent in them, but are only holy from the Relation they have to the infinite Holinefs of God, to whose Service they are appropriated. But the bleffed Eucharift is intrinfically, nay, infinitely holy; because it contains the very Source and Fountain of Holinefs, and it is literally true, that in it dwells the Godhead corporal: So that it eminently excells the other Sa

craments