not receiving, yet the danger of neglecting ⟨and⟩ contemning a plain Inſtitution of Chriſt is ⟨not⟩ thereby avoided. Surely they in the Parable ⟨that⟩ refuſed to come to the Marriage feaſt of the King's Son, and made light of that gracious invitation were at leaſt as faulty as he who came without ⟨a⟩ wedding garment. And we find in the concluſion of the Parable, that as he was ſeverely puniſhed ⟨for⟩ his diſreſpect, ſo they were deſtroyed for ⟨their⟩ diſobedience. Nay of the two, it is the ⟨greater⟩ ſign of contempt wholly to neglect the Sacrament, than to partake of it without ſome due qualification. The greateſt indiſpoſition that can be ⟨for⟩ this holy Sacrament is ones being a bad man, and he may be as bad, and is more like to continue ⟨ſo⟩, who wilfully neglects this Sacrament, than he ⟨that⟩ comes to it with any degree of reverence and preparation, though much leſs than he ought: ⟨And⟩ ſurely it is very hard for me to come to ſo ſolemn an ordinance without ſome kind of religious awe upon their ſpirits, and without ſome ⟨good⟩ thoughts and reſolutions, at leaſt for the preſent. If a man that lives in any known wickedneſs ⟨of⟩ life, do before he receive the Sacrament ſet himſelf ſeriouſly to be humbled for his ſins, and to repent of them, and to beg God's grace and aſſiſtance againſt them; and after the receiving of ⟨it⟩, does continue for ſome time in theſe good reſolutions, though after a while he may poſſibly ⟨relapſe⟩ into the ſame ſins again; this is ſome kind of reſtraint to a wicked life, and theſe good moods and fits of repentance and reformation are much better than a conſtant and uninterrupted courſe ⟨of⟩ ſin: Even this righteouſneſs, which is but as the morning cloud and the early dew, which ſo ſoon paſſeth away, is better than none.
And
