this precept; "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread." Which will be easily explained, by recurring to what has been already said of the nature of the sacrament.
By partaking of the communion, we declare, in the most solemn manner, in the presence of God and man, that we hold the faith of Jesus; that we are his followers, who expect eternal salvation from his merits; and, therefore, that we engage ourselves to that obedience to his commands, and that strictness and regularity of life, which he requires from those who place their confidence in his mediation. We profess, likewise, that we sincerely and humbly repent of those offences by which we have separated ourselves from him; and that, in consequence of this profession, we unite ourselves again to the communion of the church.
Nothing can be more reasonable, before this solemn profession, than that a man examine himself, whether it be true; whether he really and unfeignedly resolves to accept the conditions of salvation offered to him, and to perform his part of the covenant which he comes to ratify; or, whether he is not about to mock God; to profess a faith which he does not hold, and a purity which he does not intend to aim at.
The terms, upon which we are to hope for any benefits from the merits of Christ, are faith, repentance, and subsequent obedience. These are, therefore, the three chief and general heads of examination. We cannot receive the sacrament, unless we believe in Christ, because by receiving it we declare our belief in him, and a lying tongue is an abomination to the Lord. We cannot receive it without repentance, because repentance is the means by which, after sin, we are reconciled to God; and we cannot, without dreadful wickedness, by partaking of the outward tokens of reconciliation, declare that we believe God at peace with our souls, when we know that, by the omission of repentance, we are yet in a state of voluntary alienation from him. We cannot receive it, without
