ing duty. This is not the hypocrite's way, who desires not to search himself, nor that the word should search him; he is for taking all upon trust, and nothing upon trial. And having called thyself to an account in secret, how thou hast heard the word in public, what benefit thou receivedst, and what assistance thou enjoyedst; call likewise thy family (if thou hast any under thy charge) to give thee an account what they heard, and how they understand, endeavouring to inform their judgments aright as to the nature of those divine truths they have heard, and praying with them, and for them, according to the directions given before, chapter VIII. page 42.

CHAP. XIII.

Concerning the Lord's Supper.

'HE sacrament of the Lord's supper being one of

the most divine mysteries of the Christian religion, and the highest act and exercise of religious worship; he must be unthankful to Christ, and unjust to himself, that does not watch over and prepare his soul for so solemn a duty. Therefore that I may assist you in a faithful preparation for this ordinance, and excite you to a frequent participation of it, I shall briefly dispatch the following particulars:

-II shall acquaint you with the nature of this ordi

nance.

2. Inform you of the ends of its institution.

3. Lay before you the obligations you are under to frequent it.

4. Answer the several excuses made by many for the neglect of it.

it.

5. What preparation is necessary to fit you for

6. What directions may be used to assist you in it.

7. How we ought to manage our deportment and behaviour after it."

1. Concerning the nature of this ordinance: Know that the Lord's Supper is a spiritual feast, appointed for a solemn remembrance of Christ's death, and is a seal of that covenant which God has made with us in Christ. The use then of this ordinance is twofold: 1. To be a solemn remembrance of the person and passion of our holy Lord, to excite us thankfully to call to mind all that Christ hath done and suffered for our good, and in our stead; in order to the enflaming our affections with love unto his person, and our wills with resolution to obey his precepts. 2. It is a seal of the new covenant, or covenant of grace, which God has made with us in Christ; in which covenant he hath assured us of pardon of sin and eternal life, upon the conditions of faith and repentance. Almighty God seals to us in the sacraments, and assures us that he, for his part, will make good his promises; and we seal on our part to him, that we will endeavour (by his grace enabling) to perform the conditions. This is the genuine nature of the Lord's Supper.

2. Now as touching the ends of this institution, and the special reasons and purposes for which it was ordained by our Saviour, they are such as these: 1. The renewing of that solemn covenant with God, which we entered into at our baptism, when by the

piety of our parents we are dedicated to the Lord, and took an oath of fidelity unto Christ, the Captain of our salvation, to become his faithful soldiers and servants unto our life's end. Now because our infirmities are many, and the breaches of our baptismal vow too frequent, that we may not want a merciful opportunity to bewail our backslidings, and to renew our covenant, this ordinance was appointed. 2. Another end is, to remember the love of our dying redeemer, in laying down his life for us. St. Luke xxii. 19. "This do in remembrance of me;" in remembrance of my bloody sufferings, in remembrance of my bitter death and passion. 3. To seal unto us the pardon of our sins, and the assurance of everlasting life: St. Matt. xxvi. 28. "This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins." Christ assures us of pardon on his part, if we perform the condition of faith and repentance on our part. 4. Another end of this ordinance is, to fortify the soul with power to resist sin, and to get the victory over it; yea, and to mortify and subdue it, that our souls being as giants refreshed with this spiritual wine, all the enemies of our salvation may fall before us, and we may be more than conquerors over them. 5. The last, but not the least end of Christ in appointing this ordinance, was for the uniting all the professors of his holy religion, together in the strictest bond of love and charity, 1 Cor. x. 17. "We being many, are one bread and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread." That is, as many grains of wheat united together in one mass, one lump, do make one loaf of bread; so Christians, though many, by the death of our Saviour, and by partaking of his supper, are spiritually incorporated into one mystical body, and should labour to be of one heart and one mind.

3. Next let us consider the obligations which lie

upon Christians to attend upon Christ in this ordinance. Now there are especially two, namely, an obligation of duty, and of interest.

First, We lie under an obligation to frequent this or dinance in point of duty and obedience to our Saviour's command: especially if we consider what kind of command it is, namely, the command of a sovereign, the command of a Saviour, the command of a dying Saviour; It is a command of love, a gracious command," eat and live." It is a pleasant, easy, and honourable command. What more pleasant than a feast? What more honourable than to feast with a king, yea, with the King of kings? In a word, it is such a command, the due observation whereof will help us to keep the rest of God's commandments bet ter: It will be an efficacious means to make you al ways do well: Finally, it is a plain, positive, express command, from which nothing can discharge us but a countermand from heaven, which we never expect; or an impossibility of doing it for want of opportunity, which we cannot plead.

Secondly, We lie under another obligation to the practice of this duty, from a tie of interest; for by a due approach to our Lord's table, our baptismal vow is renewed, our weak faith strengthened, our languishing love inflamed, our desires after Christ enlarged, our sorrow for sin heightened, fresh power against and victory over sin obtained, our present joy and comfort multiplied, and our future hopes of heaven advanced. O! how unkind then are they to their Saviour, and also cruel to their own souls, who live all their days in the neglect of this engaging, uniting, quickening, confirming ordinance of the Lord's supper; whom all the melting intreaties and passionate importunities of the ministers of Christ, could never prevail upon to the practice of this most reasonable and most advantageous duty!

4. But let us hear the several pleas and pretences which so many thousands of persons, though profes sing christianity, do make for this notorious neglect of their dying Lord's commands.

1st. Plea, or excuse made by some, is the extraor, dinary dread and solemnity of the ordinance: these put their Saviour off with a compliment; telling him, that the privilege is too great, the dignity too high, and the ordinance too solemn for them to approach

unto..

Answer, This is a good reason why you should ap、 proach the ordinance with preparation and care, but no argument at all why you should turn your back upon it: As if a king should invite and command you to pay attendance at court upon his person, and you very gravely tell him, that it is too high an honour for persons of your rank; you will therefore, out of reverence to his person, violate his precept, and at once affront his authority, and contemn his kindness. Know then, that the reverence which our Saviour expects to this holy institution, is ą reverence of obedience. That man has a due sense upon his mind of the solemnity of the sacrament, who is careful to approach it with all the humility and sense of unworthiness, which becomes polluted dust and ashes; but such a superstitious sort of reverence as makes men afraid of doing their duty, is dishonourable to God, and hurtful to themselves.

2d. Plea, is that of unworthiness. We are unworthy to come, and therefore afraid to come: For "he that eateth unworthily, eateth his own damnation." Therefore we will be on the safest side, and prevent coming unworthily by keeping away, and not coming at all.

Answer, I. There is a twofold worthiness, in reference to the sacrament, a worthiness of merit, and a worthiness of meekness: If by being worthy you