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COMPANION to the ALTAR.

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LL. those Fleffings which we now enjoy, and hope hereafter to receive from Almighty God, are purchased for us, and must be obtained through the merits and interceffion of the holy Jesus, who has "instituted and ordained Holy mysteries, as pledges of his love, and " for a continual remembrance of his death and paffion, to our great and endless comfort." Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xì. 24. But then we must remember, that these benefits and blessings, which the Son of God has purchased tor us, are no where promised, but upon condition that we ourselves are first duly qualified for them. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a folemn ratification of our Baptismal Covenant, where in God for his part hath faithfully promited "pardon " and remiffion of fins to all true penitents," and we for our parts are therein folemnly bound to be faithful and obedient unto him, 2 Tim. ii. 19. Before then we can promife to ourselves any benefit or advantage from the participation of this folemn Rite and Covenant between God and us, we must endeavour (what in us lies) to poffefs our Souls with all those divine qualifications which this Sacramer.t of the Lord's Supper requires to render us worthy partakers thereof.

And what those are, it is the design of this discourse to enquire; wherein I shall endeavour to thew what that Preparation of heart and mind is, which must dispose us for a worthy participation of the bleffed Sacrament: and herein I hope to remove all those Fears and Scruples which arife in our minds, about "Eating and Drinking unworthily, and of incurring our own Damnation thereby," as groundless and unwarrantable; and to do this I shall take occafion to explain that part of our CHURCH CATECHISM, designedly intended for our inftruction, with relation to this duty of a Sacramental Preparation; namely,

2. What is required of them who come to the Lord's Supper ?**

A. "To examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former "fins, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life, have a lively faith in God's mercy " through Chrift, with a thankful remembrance of his death, and to be in chari

ty with all men." This is that Sacramental Preparation which our Church (in as few words as is possible) hath provided for our Companion of Guide to the Holy Altar. The duty then of a devout Communicant consisteth in these fix following particulars I Self-Examination; to examine themselves. 2. Repentance towards God; whether they repent them truly of their former fins. 3. Holy purposes or resolutions of a new life; Stedfastly purposing to lead a new life. 4 Faith in God's Mercy through Christ; to have a lively faith, &c. 5. A thankful remembrance of bis death. 6thly and lastly, Unfeigned love or charity for all mankind; and to be in charity with all men.

The first Part then of a Communicant's Duty is Self-Examination: A duty not only enjoined by human authority, but likewise commanded by St. Paul. But let a Man examine kimself, and jo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Gud 1 Cor. xi 28. Intimating, that no Man should prefume to eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup, without a previous Preparation, if he mean to escape that fame Judgement of Condemnation which these Corinthians brought upon themfelves for their irreverent, finful and disorderly Behaviour at this Sacrament; and this was the Occasion of St Paul's Caution and Reproof: He that eatetb and drinketh anwerthily, fays the Apostle, eateth and drinketh Damnation * to himself, not difcerning the Lord's Body, Ver 29.

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our welcome to this heavenly Feast unto which we are called; I proceed now in the second place to inform you, That if our Repentance or Return to God be real and fincere, it will produce these following good Effects in us.

First, "A Senfe, a Sorrow and Confeffion of all our former Sins. Second

The Nature of

4 ly, A stedfaft Purpose or Resolution to lead a new Life." These a, ture Repen, are the genuine fruits of a true Repentance, and must always accompany our Return to God, if we hope to have it effectual to our Salva

tance

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tion. And FIRST, We must labour to gain a Sense or Sight of all our former Sins and Wickedness; this will readily preient itself to us by comparing our Lives and Actions by the Rule and Standard of God's Word, which we must make the Meafure of our * Examination. St. Paul shews us, Rom. iii. 20.

The Ten Com.

mandments. that by the Law is the Knowledge of Sin; and our own Experience will convince us, that there is no Way more likely to discover our Iniquities, and to humble ourselves for them, than a ferious Application of God's Word to our crooked Paths: And this Duty of Self Examination, is never more properly ap. plied to, than when weintend to receive the Holy Communion; for unless we see the number, and apprehend the Heinousness of our Offences, and fear the Vengeance due unto us for them, we are altogether unfit for the Commemoration of his Death, who died for our Sins, and rose again for our Justification. It is the sense and fight of Sin that must shew us the Need and Neceffity of a glorious Redeemer, and what Obligations we are under to bless and praise God for our falvation by his Son JESUS CHRIST. Of such great Ufe and Advantage is this Duty of Self-Examination, at all times, that Pythagoras, in those Golden Verfes which go under his Name, particularly recommends the same to his Scholars. "Every Night before they fslept, he enjoins them to examine themselves what Good "they had done and wherein they had transgressed. Run over these Things, said "he, and if you have done any Evil, be troubled; if Good, rejoice." This Course, if daily followed, as is suggested by Hierocles, his excellent Commentator, perfects the divine Image in those that use it. Plutarch, Epictetus, Seneca, and the Emperor Marcus Antoninus, agree in recommending the same Practice by their own Example, but especially holy David; I thought on my Ways, and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies, Plalm cxix. 59. And this method, no doubt, is an admirable Means to improve us in Virtue, and the most effectual Way to keep our Consciences awake, and to make us stand in Awe of ourselves, and afraid to fin when we know beforehand that we must give so severe an Account to ourselves of every Action. And when we are employing our Minds in this Duty of Self-Examination, before the Communion; or at any other Time, we must discharge it as

See The Daily Self-Examinants or An Earnest Perfuafive to the Duty of

R. Warren, D. D.

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of Daily Self-Examination, &c. by

impartially as is possible for us, judging as leverely of our own A Gions, as we would do of our greatest and worst Enemy; or otherwise we shall but flatter and deceive ourselves in a Matter of the greatest Weight and Importance, namely, the knowing the State and Condition of our Souls: But if our Enquiries are just and true, we shall then plainly difcover wherein, and how often we have gone aftray and done amiss. We fhall, by the faithtul Discharge of this Duty, bring to Light "all our ungodly, unjuft, and uncharitable Actions; all our vain and filthy Speeches; all cur wanton, proud and covetous Thoughts." Such a strict and impartial Examination will discover to us that accursed Thing, Stn Deut. vii. 26. which has defiled our Nature, made God our Enemy, and will exclude us the Kingdom of Heaven, it not repented of, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. But by fuch a fevere Scrutiny: as this, we shall foon perceive the Number of our Trantgreffions, what vile Wretches and grie vous Offenders we are, how often we have broken our most serious Vows and Refolutions, especially after receiving the holy Sacrament, and in Times of Sickness and Distrets: Such a Sight and fuch a Profpect of Misery as this, should excite in us a hearty Trouble and Sorrow for Sin'; especially if we caft an eye upon the final Issue and Confequences of it, with respect to the World to come. Upon the Ungodly, fays holy David, God will rain Snaves, Fire and BrimAone, Storm and Tempest; this shall be their Portion to drink, Pfalm xi. 7. Great Plagues remain for the Ungodly; Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and Angusb, upon every Soul of Man that doth Evil, Rom. ii. 8. 9. The Wicked shall be turned into Hell, and al the People that forget God. Thete, and many other fuch like Texts, of Scripta re, may give us fome Idea or Notion of the deplorable Condition. of the Wicked in a future State, and of God's Hatred agairst Sin. And is not this then, without multiplying Arguments, fufficient to affect us with great Grief and Sorrow, when we confider that so long as we live in a vicious Courte, so long are we exposed to all those Plagues and forments which God hath in Store for wicked Men, and will most certainly be their Lot and Portion, if not prevented by a timely Repentance?

The SECOND Part of a true Repentance is Contrition, or a forrowful Bewailing of our own Sinfulness in Thought, Word and deed. When we call to Mind Contrition the Sins and Follics of our paft Lives, and the Dangers we are like to fall into, furely we cannot be otherwife affected, than sensibly grieved with the Thoughts and Apprehenfions of our prefent and approaching Mifery. The Sofrows of David, and the Repentance of St. Peter, I Sam. xii. Luke xxii. shewed themselves in Floods of Tears, and were too great to be confined within: But our Hearts are generally so hard and unrelenting, that we fin against God, and lote our own Souls without so much as a Sigh or a Tear. I know that the Tempers of People are different; fome can shed Tears upon every flight occafions and others cannot weep, though their Hearts are ready to break for Grief; and therefore we are not to judge of the Sincerity of cur own or other People's Repentance by such

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Signs and Tokens; nor are Tears always necessary to Repentance, though they very well become us; and the least we can do when we have done amiss, is to be torry for it, and to condemn our Folly, and to be full of Indignation and Difpleasure against hourfolves. I will declare my Iniquity, faith holy David, and be forry for my Sin, Pfal. xxxviii. 18. Especially if we have been very wicked, ard have multiplied our Tranfgreffions, and have continued long in an evil Course, have neglected God, and have forgotten him Days without Number; then the Measure of our Sorrow must bear fome Proportion to the Degrees of our Sins; if they have been as Scarlet and Crimson, Ifa. i. 18. that is, of a deeper Dye than ordinary, then our Sorrow must be as deep as our Guilt: If not fo great, we ought to shew fo much: Trouble and Contrition of Spirit, as to produce in us a penitential Con. feflion of all our foriner Sins.

Confeffion

Which is the Third Property of a fincere Repentance. Iwill acknowledge my fin unto thee, says holy David, and mine Unrighteousness have I not hid. of Sin. I faid I will confess my fins unto the Lord, and so thou forgavest the Iniquity of my fin, Pialm xxxii. 5. Which Confeffion of Sins must not be in general Terms only, that we are Sinners with the rest of Mankind, but it must be a special Declaration to God of all our most heinous Sins in Thought, Word and Deed, with all their several Aggravations. laying open our Sores to our heavenly. Physician; and this we must do to shew that we condemn all our former evil and vicious Courses, with a full purpose and Resolution of Mind (by God's Atistance) never to do the like again. Unless this be done, our Sorrow for Sin, and the Confession of our Wickedness, can never profit us in the Sight of God, if it be not joined with a firm resolution of leading a new Life:

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A now Life

Which is the Fourth and most essential Part of a fincere Repentance, and the only Condition of finding Mercy with God. He that covereth bis Sins shall not profper; but wheso confeffets and forsaketb them shall bave Mercy, Prov. xxviii. 13. Let the wicked Man forfake his Ways, and the unrighteous Man bis Thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have Mercy upon bim, and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon, Isa. Iv. 7. I tell you nay, faith Christ, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish, Luke xiii. 3. Repent ye therefore, ana be converted, that your Sins may be blotted out, Acts ili. 19. Those preceding Parts of Repentance before-mentioned, are only preparative to this; that which must complete and finish the Work of a new Convert is, to become a new Creature, "to turn from our evil ways, and to break off our Sins by Righteouf"ness." This certainly must be the Defire and Intention of all Communicants, if they hope or expect any Benefit of Advantage from this folemn Rite or Covenant; for he that comes with a Design or Intention of continuing in his former Sins, comes some what like unto Juda, that came and received, and at the fame Time continued his Resolution of betraying his Master. That which makes a Man absolutely unfit to receive the holy Sacrament, is the living in the conftant and habitual