gree expedient? If the Lord's Supper is an ordinance of fo comforting and improving a nature, as almost all acknowledge it, fhould we not account the frequent enjoyment of it a privilege? And if God has not deprived us of that privilege, do we act a wife and friendly part for our own fouls, in depriving ourfelves of it?

To give this argument its due force, let us confider a little the nature and design of the Lord's Supper, and what benefits may be expected by those who worthily receive it.

It is the ordinance our Lord Jefus has peculiarly fet apart to keep up the remembrance of his fufferings and death. There we fee the loving and lovely Jefus laying down his life as a facrifice and atonement for our fins; and fhedding his precious blood to purchase for us a happiness large as our wishes, and lafting as eternity. We fee the Lord of Life fuffering a painful, an ignominious, an accurfed Death; that by thus fulfilling the condition of the covenant of redemption, he might fecure grace and glory, and every good thing, not to us only, but to an innumerable multitude, which no man can number, of all tongues, and kindreds, and nations, and languages. We behold the heighth and depth, the length and breadth of divine love to a perishing world: Of the Father's love in inflicting upon him fuch unparalleled fufferings, that we might not fuffer; of his own love and condefcenfion in chearfully bearing them. We behold the Son of Man glorified, in bearing that load of wrath, without fainting under it, which would have funk a whole world in irrecoverable mifery. We behold God glorified in him, and all the divine perfections fhining with united luftre, the juftice of God fweetly combining with

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his mercy to punish our Surety, that we the offenders might be forgiven. From a deep and heart-affecting fenfe, that we, and all the children of Men, who obtain falvation, must be wholly indebted to that amazing transaction for obtaining it; we are made to fay, "God forbid "that we should glory, fave in the cross of "Chrift. We will remember thy love more "than wine: We will rejoice in thy falvation; " and in the name of thee our God will we lift up our banners: For thou, Lord, haft made "us glad through thy work, and we will tri"umph in the works of thy hands. Thanks be "unto God for his unspeakable gift: And blessed "be he who hath come in the name of the Lord

<to fave us. Hofannah in the highest.'

Afk your own hearts, O Chriftians, are you in any danger of remembering these things too much? And if you remember them at all, can you do it in any better method than that which infinite wifdom has prescribed ?

Suppofe a Friend, who had received a deadly wound in defending us from danger, fhould, when about to expire, prefent us with his picture, and recommend it to us with his dying breath, to keep it as a token and remembrance of his friendfhip and affection.-What would gratitude oblige us to do? Would we caft it into fome by-corner out of fight? Would we fuffer it to be fullied with duft? or buried under lumber, neglected and forgotten? Would we not rather hang it in our chief room? Would we not honour it, not only by care to preferve it from abufe, but by frequent looks, thereby to renew, and, if poffible, to increafe an affectionate remembrance how much we were indebted to our departed Friend?

Can

Can we then pretend to honour our Redeemer, when we answer his care in providing and recommending his fupper as a reprefentative of his death, by a contrary care, in feeking pretences to lay it afide?

$3. The Lord's Supper is a visible badge of our Chriftian profeffion.-Nature has taught mankind, and God himself has confirmed it, that every religion fhould have fome folemn rite whereby it may be known to the very eye, from other religions. Circumcifion, the paffover, &c. under the Mofaic œconomy, were all intended, (not excluding other ends) to be figns between God and his people, i. e. rites whereby they might be diftinguished from idolaters: And therefore a terrible threatening was levelled against the neglecters of thefe rites, that foul must be cut off from his people: He has put off the badge of my people, and therefore must not fhare in their privileges. All this being highly rational, Chriftianity has its diftinguishing rites, as well as Judaifm had.

Prayer, thanksgiving, and fuch-like holy exercifes, are common to almost all religions, and obferved by the Jew, the Turk, and the Heathen as well as the Chriftian.-Baptifm we receive in our infancy, and without our own confent; and therefore it cannot be the principal criterion of our Chriftian profeffion.-But by partaking of the Lord's Supper, we diftinguish ourselves from all who defpife the gospel of Chrift, and testify, in the most public manner, our regard to a crucified Saviour, our concern to keep up the remembrance of his death, and our refolutions to adhere to him and his cause, while by others he is difregarded and fet at naught.

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Our Lord well knowing how loath we are to undertake any thing difficult, although for the fake of him who was our best benefactor, would not burden us with any number of troublesome ceremonies: And therefore he only appointed this one ordinance, by which we fhould openly declare ourselves on Chrift's fide, and proclaim to the world our grateful, affectionate sense of his unparalleled love. Ought we not then to be frequent in thus openly confeffing Chrift before men, while too many are afhamed of him and his words in this adulterous and perverfe generation?

The Lord's Supper is alfo intended as a feal and confirmation of the fulnefs and freedom of the offers of grace in the everlasting gofpel. For as really as the minifter offers the bread and wine to the communicants, fo really God the Father offers Chrift, the bread of life, to every one of us for the nourishment of our fouls.And are there any, whofe faith is fo lively and vigorous, that they feldom need the help of this ordinance to ftrengthen and increase it?

Is not the Lord's Supper an ordinance, in which God is often pleased to vouchsafe special communion with himself, and his Son Jefus Chrift? Does it not greatly tend, through the divine bleffing, to ftrengthen the communion of the myftical body of Chrift, and to warm and enlarge our affeclion to all who love our Lord Jefus in fincerity? Does it not often prove meat indeed, and drink indeed to the fainting foul; a means to convey large meafures of fpiritual nourishment and growth in grace? Indeed fuitable impreffions of Chrift's loving us, and giving himself for us a facrifice and an offering to God, of a fweet fmelling favour, are the great means by which holy difpofitions

difpofitions are begun, carried on, and perfected in the foul. And what can tend more to awaken a lively sense of these things, than beholding the fymbols of the broken body and fhed blood of Chrift? How many, who went to the Lord's table feeble and faint-hearted, have received fuch plenteous communications of light and life from the glorious head of influences, that they have been made to renew their ftrength, to mount up with wings as eagles, to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint?

Who is there amongst us, whofe need of the Lord's Supper, for one or other of the above purposes, does not frequently return? Has then God provided for us fo rich an entertainment? Does he allow us often to regale ourselves with it; yea, even invite us in the most warm and earneft manner? And, is it not a contempt of the goodness and condefcenfion of God, and injuring our own fpiritual interefts, to neglect any opportunity of fitting down at the table of the Lord? Our foul neceffities, fays the judicious "Mr. Willifon (d), do call for frequency in "partaking: For we are oft ready to forget "Chrift, and therefore we oft need this ordi"nance to bring him to our rememberance. We

are oft fubject to fpiritual deadness, weakness "of faith, and decays of grace; and there"fore have frequent need of this ordinance for "ftrength and quickening. There is ground to "fear, that the unfrequent celebration and par"ticipation of this bleffed feast, which Chrift "hath prepared for us, is an evil that many in

(d) Sacramental Catechifm, p. 86. and Preface, p. 9.