A very nice copy of an influential work on the Lord's supper in colonial and post-colonial America. And a lovely little piece of ephemera, having been owned by influential Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel West.

Reverend Samuel West (1730-1807) was an influential chaplain in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. This would have come as a surprise to no one. His 1776 "Election Sermon" he affirmed the right of the Colonies to rebel against England, citing both natural law and Christian theology. After the war, he served on committees that drafted the Massachusetts Constitution and ratified the U.S. Constitution.

In terms of the Revolution itself, he played a significant role in deciphering a letter of treason written by Dr. Benjamin Church intended for the British.

Grove, Henry. A Discourse Concerning the Nature and Design of the Lord's-Supper: In which the Principle Things Relating to this Institution are Briefly Considered; and Shewn to Arise Out of One Single Notion of It, viz. As a Memorial of the Death of Christ. The Sixth Edition. To which is Added. I. A Discourse on the Obligations to Communicate, and Answer to the Usual Pleas for Neglecting it. II. Devotional Exercises Relating tothe Lord's-Supper. London. Printed and Sold by J. Waugh, at the Turk's Head. 1752. 177pp.

A good copy, bound in leather, generally solid, with light to moderate foxing. Pages are a bit handled, with pp. 165-168 being torn with loss of 1 inch of text, as well as other occasional tears.