Magazine of Magazines

4 ^ M A G A Z I N E
of this sacrament ; and then it will be
necessary, for ought 1 can See, to receive
it in the very gesture ufed by our
^saviour, aSter Supper, in an upper
room, not above the number o f twelve
besides him that administers, and only
men, and not women. For if the bare
example of our Saviour makes it necessary
for us to do the like, then every
circumstance observed by him, will
become necessary to us. But this, I
think, is nobody's opinion, and therefore
our Saviour's bare example is as
no force in this matter. Or else the
reaSon must be, becauSe the gesture used
by our Saviour, is in its own nature So
proper and Suitable to the sacrament, as
may Seem to make it necessary ; and
this is that, which I think you insist upr
on. But we must take heed as concluding,
that God hath commanded
or forbidden a thing, because we think
it very Suitable, or unsuitable. By this
argument indeed the papists endeavour
to prove an inlallible judge oS controversies,
and a great many other things ;
lout 'tis a very Slippery and uncertain
ar-^umcnt. And to make the whole
action of the Sacrament, with all the
circumstances of it, to be obligatory
to us, not only the administration as
the sacrament in the elements of bread
and wine, must be expressly commanded,
but every circumstance likewise
must be expressly enjoined. Otherwise
the argument from an imaginable suitableness
will be of no manner of force;
for many things may befuitable enough,
which are by no mean^ necessary. Besides,
that I cannot see but that this
way of arguing is rather as greater
force as to the receiving it after Supper,
since this is expressly mentioned by St.
Paul, i (.'or, xi, where he profeffeth to
deelare the institution just as he received
it, but says not a word of the gesture.
And in AaSs xx. we find, that
the disciples met together in the evening
to break bread, and in an upper
chamber ; So that it Seems they did observe
the circumstances both as time
and place, in which our Saviour celebrated
it. And the circumstance of
time was so constantly obferved by the
apostles, as to give this Sacrament the
name of the Lord's Supper ( i Cor. ri.
2o. ) which hath ever Since continued
in the Christian church, the' the time
hath been altered from evening to
morning. And now if suitableness be
such an argument , it seems to me every
whit as unsuitable to celebrate a Supper
in the morning, as to communicate
at a feast at any other than the common
table gesture.
But then the consequence of the
thing is much worse, because you mult
either during this erroneous persuafioa
(as l think) osyour mind, nut receive
the Sacrament at all, which is to neglect
a great and plain 'institution of
the Christian religion ; or you mult
break the peace, and feperate from the
communion of the church, upon fuck
a reason, as will prnduce seperatioa
without end : for if every little doubt
and s c r u p l e be ground fusficierrt to warrant
a seperation, the peace and unity
of the church will be perpetually in
danger. I have been credibly informed,
that in the late times there was an anabaptist
church in London, that in a Short
Space Subdivided into thirty Several
churches, upon different opinions, about
the circumstances oS administring
the two sacraments; and every party
so stissty insisted upon that circumftance,
which they thought neceffary, that
they could not in conscience communicate
with one another.
And now, Madam, upon the whole
matter, l beseech you Seriously to consider
theSe Sew things : 1st, That one
may Sin greatly in Sallowing she persuasion
of an erring conscience. adly ,
That it is only in things wherein v.e
are perfectly at liberty, that a doubting
conscience binds us Srom acting
contrary to is ; which is the cafe St.
Paul was fpeaking of in the text yen
cite; be thai donbleih, is damned if he
eat. But where there is an obligation
to the thing (for instance, the command
of lawful authority) this ought to ove^*
rule the doubt, whether the thit^
commanded he lawful, but l must he
cleats