A. It is called the facrament of the Lord's fupper; the Lord's table; the communion; the breaking of bread; the cup of bleffing; the feaft; Chrift's teftament; the eucharift; 1 Cor. xi. 20. 1 Cor. x. 16. Acts ii, 46, 1. I Cor. v. 8. Luke xxii, 20.

Q. Why is it called the facrament?

A. It is called fo, by way of eminency: And becaufe here we take a moft folemn oath of fidelity to our Redeemer.

Q. Why is it called the Lord's Supper?

A. Because, r. It was instituted when Chrift was eating the paffover-fupper with his difciples, which was at night. 2. The fupper then was accounted the principal meal of the family. 3. It is ordained only for thofe that dwell in Christ's family, and abide with him both day and night.

Q. Why is it called the Lord's table?

A. Because he is the author of it; yea, he is both the maker and the matter of this entertainment; the feeder and the food alfo,

Q. Why is it called the communion?

A. Because in the right partaking of this ordinance, we have communion and fellowship with Chrift, fhare with him in the benefits of his death and purchase, and alfo have communion one with another.

Q. Why is it called the breaking of bread?

A. Because, in this ordinance, bread is broken and made ufe of, as the outward fymbol and feal of Chrift's wounded and broken body, with all the glori ous benefits flowing therefrom.

Q. Why is it called the cup of bleffing?

A. Because, 1. In the uting it, we blefs God for his free love to us in Chrift. 2. It contains offers, and fealeth to us in a facramental way, all the bleflings of the new covenant.

Q. Why is it called Chrift's Teftament?

A. Because in this ordinance we have Christ's Teftament and latter will fealed, and a copy of it put into the believer's hand, containing the rich legacies he hath left them.

Q. Why is it called a fenft?

A.

A. Because hereby the believers are richly entertained by Christ, have fweet intimacy with him, and great expreffions of his love; and their fouls are nourished and ftrengthened for duty. It is both a marriage-feast and a feast of commemoration.

Q. Why is it called the Eucharist by the ancients?

A. It fignifies the thanksgiving; decaufe, 1. When this facrament was inftituted, it both began and ended with the giving of thanks. 2. Because the great defign of it is to keep up the thankful remembrance of Christ's death and redeeming love. And believers, when they partake, fhould with their whole fouls give thanks to God because he is good; and fing glory to God in the higheft.

Q. What parts doth the Lord's fupper confift of?

4. Of two parts; 1. The outward fenfible figns, 2. The fpiritual and heavenly things thereby fignified. Q. What are the fenfible figns made ufe of in this facra

ment?

A. They are of three forts; 1. Sacramental elements. 2. Sacramental actions. 3. Sacramental words.

Q. What are the facramental elements here made use of? 4. Bread and wine.

Q. What are the things fignified and reprefented by them?

A. The body and blood of Chrift, with all the benefits and bleflings flowing therefrom.

Q. What is the neceffity of two elements or figns in this facrament, bread and wine both, might not one fuffice?

A. The Lord hath thought fit to ordain them both to be used: and for these reasons; 1. To show us the fitness and certainty of his covenant, and to strengthen his people's faith the more in the belief of its promifes. Why hath he annexed two feals or facraments to his covenant, but chiefly for this end? And why hath he instituted a two fold ûgn in this facrament, but for the fame defign? What Jofeph faith to Pharaoh's dream, is moft applicable here, Gen. xli. 32. "The dream is doubled to Pharaoh twice, becaufe the thing is eftablished of God, and God will fhortly bring it to pass." In like manner, O believer, you may perceive here, by

the

the doubling of the fign, that the mercies and bleflings feated in this facrament are firmly established to you; they are even" the fure mercies of David," and God will thortly beftow them upon you.

2. These two figns are both appointed, because of the unbelief and hardness of our hearts. It is a fad truth of us all, what Chrift faid to the two difciples, going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 25. "O fools, and flow of heart to believe what the prophets have fpoken." Nay, we are flow to believe even that which Chrift the great Prophet himself hath fpoken, when he came in our nature to teach us. And therefore, for curing of this plague, the Lord gives us one fign after another, as he did to the hard-hearted and unbelieving Ifraelites in Egypt, when he fent Mofes to deliver them: To convince them the more of his truth and faithfulness, he gave Mofes two figns to fhew them and faith to him, Exod. iv. 8. "And it fhall come to pass, if they will not believe, nor hearken to the voice of the first fign, they will believe the voice of the latter fign.

3. Both thefe figns are appointed here, that we may have a more full and distinct representation of Christ's death and fufferings; and may be helped to be the more diftinct in our meditations and acts of faith upon this wounded and bleeding Saviour.

4. To fhew us the plentiful redemption that we have in Jefus Chrift. That there is in him not only fufficiency, but all fulness and abundance. That he hath fuitable fupplies for our neceffities, and complete nourifhment for our ftarving fouls. There is here both the bread of life, and wine of confolation.

Q. Are not bread and wine too mean things to be feals or figns of God's covenant ?

A. Altho' they are but common things in themselves, yet having the ftamp of divine inftitution, they become highly valuable, in refpect of their fignification and ends. A fmall piece of wax or lead is of little worth in itself; yet when appended to a charter by authority, it ferves to give or confirm a right and title to a great inheri. Of the fame ufe are bread and wine in the Lord's fupper; they are feals appended to God's cove

tance.

nant

nant by divine authority, and ferve to confirm the believer's right to Chrift's purchase, pardon of fin, and eternal life, and fo are highly valuable. Our gracious Redeemer thought fit to chufe for this end things that were not coftly or rare, but common and eafy to be had (though moft ufeful in themselves to human life) because he would not be burdenfome to his people with any of his ordinances.

Q. Why bath Chrift chofen bread to reprefent his body?

A. Because of the refemblance betwixt bread and Chrift's bleffed body, in thefe things: 1. Bread ere it be fit to nourish us must be first fown, and die in the earth; fo Chrift's body behoved to die, and be buried in the earth, in order to feed and nourish our fouls.

2. Bread must be prepared by threshing, bruifing, and grinding in the mill, and baking in the oven; fo Chrift, that he might be a fit Saviour to us, was content to be bruised betwixt the milftones of God's juftice and our fins, and to be scorched in the oven of his Father's wrath.

3. Bread thus prepared is most excellent and useful for nourishing and strengthening our bodies; yea, it is the most neceffary thing in the world, none can live without it Hence it is oft called the staff of bread, as being the fupport of human life. So Chrift's broken body is a most excellent and neceffary means provided by God, for preferving our fouls lives; without which we would eternally perish.

4. Bread is most pleasant, as it doth refresh, ftrengthen, and fatisfy our hungry bodies; and hence it is called bread that ftrengtheneth man's heart, Pfal. civ. fo Jefus Chrift and his broken body is moft precious, pleafant, and fatisfying to a fenfible needy finner. The hungry believing foul will highly prize this food, though others, who are full, and infenfible of their wants, do loath and despise it.

5. Bread must be broken, eaten, and received into the ftomach, before it can be of any ufe to the health, and advantage of our bodies; fo Chrift's body must be broken, received, and fed upon by faith, ere it can be

of

of ufe to the fpiritual health, and advantage of our souls in this facrament.

6. Bread, thus received and eaten, becomes one with our bodies; fo we, by a believing partaking of Christ's broken body, become one with him, John vi. 56.

Q. Why bath Chrift made choice of wine to reprefent his blood in this facrament?

A. Because of the resemblance betwixt wine and his precious blood, in the following particulars :

1. Wine, in order to prepare it for our use, muft be fqueezed out of the grape, which for that end is crufhed and bruised in the wine prefs; fo our bleffed Saviour was crushed in the wine-prefs of his Father's juftice, till the precious juice of his facred body did gufh out, for the faving of our fouls. None could afford our perishing fouls this remedy but Chrift alone: Hence he faith, Ifa. Ixiii. 3. "I have trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people there was none with me.

2. Wine doth refresh and chear the heart of man, Pfal. civ. fo Chrift's blood doth much more chear and refresh the foul of a humble penitent finner, that makes application of it by faith.

3. Wine doth warm the cold heart: Much more doth Chrift's blood warm the cold affections with the heat of divine love.

4. Wine is useful to animate and encourage the fainthearted; much more doth Christ's blood revive and embolden the poor drooping and difconfolate foul. It heartens him to go with a holy boldness to the throne of grace: "yea, to walk through the valley of the fhadow of death, and fear no ill.

5. Wine is good for medicine; it cleanses and cures ; fo the blood of Chrift is the moft medicinal thing in the world; for it cleanfes and cures the putrifying wounds of the foul, 1 John i. 7. Ifa. liii. 5.

6. Wine, however excellent in itself, can be of no ufe to us, unless it be drunk and applied; fo Chrift's blood, (though the most fovereign thing in the whole world for our perishing fouls) will do us no fervice, if it be not received and applied by our faith." K

VOL. II.

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