Of Drinking in Remembrance of the Dead

And it will certainly come about to this again, whenever Truth and Loyalty shall triumph over Infidelity and Faction.

The Queftion is not,

Ift, Whether we have an Honourable Remembrance of great and worthy Perfons; and perpetuate the Memory of fuch as have been ufeful and exemplary in their Lives, by promoting the Honour of God and Religion, and the Good of their Country? This was the Design of the Diptychs in the Primitive Church, and is countenanced and encouraged in Scripture, which propofes it as a Reward confequent to Virtue and Goodnefs in this Life; and fays, That the Righteous fhall be bad in everlasting Remembrance.

Nor, 2dly, Whether we are to be well affected to the late Revolution? Tho' we cannot fo far limit the Power and Wisdom of God, as to fay, that he could not have delivered us by any other Means or Methods more advantageous; yet whofoever confiders that it was the Hand of God, a remarkable Difpenfation of his Providence, and the Method by which he chofe to work fo great a Deliverance for us, muft not only acquiefce in it, but return God the Glory of fo great and general a Bleffing. But, if we magnify it only as a Revolution, and not as it was the faving us from Deftruction; then the next Revolution may be the over-turning our whole Conftitution in Church and State.

Nor, 3dly, Whether we ought to honour the Memory of King William! All People who

own

own the late great Deliverance thefe Nations have had from Popery and Arbitrary Power, muft likewife acknowledge our late Sovereign, of Glorious Memory, to have been the Happy Inftrument in the Hand of God for bringing all that to pafs. And one way of expreffing our Gratitude to God, is, by an Honourable Remembrance of thofe by whom his Bleffings were convey'd to us. So that if we set up Statues, erect Trophies, raife Pyramids, ring Bells annually, and magnify him in Encomiums, Difcourfe and Hiftory, I fee nothing in all this finful in the Nature of the Thing; tho' it may become accidentally fo; as particularly, when any thing of this is done with a disloyal or factious Design.

Nor, 4thly, Whether drinking fuch a Health is a Sacrament? or whether it is done Sacramentally? But whether the very Action it felf of Drinking, applied to the Memory of the, Dead, is made Sacramental? For if the Action it felf is made Sacramental, then the Confequence is clear, that it must be a horrid Abufe of it, to prophane it to any civil or common Ufe. As clear, as that if a Houfe is dedicated' to God, we cannot apply it to common Ufe without Prophanation and Sacrilege; only with this Difference, That the Defecration of the former, is a Guilt of a much deeper Dye, and of a more abominable Nature.

Nor, sthly, Whether we may remember any abfent Friend, or our Sovereign, by wishing them Health and Profperity when we drink, as the Cuftom is? This may be innocently

done;

done; not but that one hearty and warm Ejaculation for them will do them more Service: however, by this we may fhew our Good Will and our Loyalty. But the Question is, Whether if my Friend or my Monarch were dead, I may, without Sin, perpetuate his Memory, by a Cuftom of Drinking in Remembrance of him; and that with the Epithets of Dear, or Glorious, or Immortal, or Pious, &c. This is what I take to be highly finful.

Now we need go no farther for the Proof of the Sinfulness of this Practice, than the exprefs Words of Scripture, 1 Cor. 11. 25, 26. This Cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do fhew the Lord's death till he come. From which thefe feveral things are very plain.

Ift, That Drinking to the Memory of a Perfon dead, is the moft profound Mystery of the Gospel, and Foundation of our whole Christianity. All the Difpenfations of God from the Beginning of the World were center'd in that Death of Chrift which we drink to, and are compleated by it. Therefore he calls the Cup, The New Teftament in my blood, i.e. No lefs than that Covenant of Pardon and Salvation, which you have in my Blood fhed for you on the Crofs.

2dly, That the Drinking to the Memory of a Perfon dead, is an Action made Sacramental; 'tis adopted into Religion, and confecrated to the Glorious Memory of Chrift only. And

that

that by an exprefs Command and folemn Inftitution, Do this in remembrance of me.

3dly, That the very Effence of the Euchariftical Sacrifice, confifts in that Action of Eating and Drinking to the Memory of a Perfon once dead. 'Tis not the Drinking, nor drinking Wine and Water, or both mixt, or fitting, or ftanding, or kneeling; no, nor the doing it religiously, or by way of Praise or Thankf giving even to God; all these are but appendant Circumftances. 'Tis in the Drinking to the Memory of Chrift's Death, in which the very Life and Being of that Sacrament confifts 'Tis the fhewing forth the Lord's death till he come, that conftitutes it a Sacrament. 'Tis the very Ground and Reason of the Inftitution, that which makes it myfterious and obligatory on all Chriftians, till his Coming to Judgment.

If it's faid here, That the very Form or effential Part of that Sacrament, is in Drinking to the Remembrance of Chrift's Death only, i. e. to his very Act of Dying for us; but that in Drinking to the Glorious Memory of a dead Monarch, we mean not to celebrate his Death, but the Glorious Actions of his Life and therefore that this can be no prophaning of that Sacrament in that very Inftance which is moft effential to it. I anfwer, That if we could abftract the Perfon of Chrift from his Death; could celebrate his Death without remembring him dead, and what he did for us when alive; or if we could drink to the Me mory of a dead Man, without implying and neceffarily including his Death, there wou'd

done; not but that one hearty and warm Ejaculation for them will do them more Service; however, by this we may fhew our Good Will and our Loyalty. But the Question is, Whether if my Friend or my Monarch were dead, I may, without Sin, perpetuate his Memory, by a Cuftom of Drinking in Remembrance of him; and that with the Epithets of Dear, or Glorious, or Immortal, or Pious, &c. This is what I take to be highly finful.

Ift, That Drinking to the Memory of a Perfon dead, is the moft profound Mystery of the Gospel, and Foundation of our whole Christianity. All the Difpenfations of God from the Beginning of the World were center'd in that Death of Chrift which we drink to, and are compleated by it. Therefore he calls the Cup, The New Teftament in my blood, i. e. No less than that Covenant of Pardon and Salvation, which you have in my Blood fhed for you on the Crofs.

2dly, That the Drinking to the Memory of a Perfon dead, is an Action made Sacramental; 'tis adopted into Religion, and confecrated to the Glorious Memory of Christ only. And

that

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Of Drinking in Remembrance of the Dead: Being the Substance of a Discourse ...