f/^ /I ;/ ^:v^ 'A^lt^/ LIBRARY PRINCETON, N. J. „ Divisran No. Case, /2z ' No. Shelf, _ Secj^ffen^ „ No. Book, ^ ^JJ^ -r.\ LORD'S SUPPER FULLY CONSIDERED, IN A REVIEW OF TH£ HISTORr OF ITS INSTITUTION. WITH Meditations and Ejaculations fuited to the feveral Parts of the Ordinance. To which are prefixed Three Disccurses delivfred at the Lord's Table. BT.THE LATE REV. JOHN OWEN, D. D. IfoXl. EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR J. OGLE, PARLIAMENT SQUARE, AND M. OGLE, WILSON STREET, GLASGOW. 1798. \ TWO TREATISES BY Dr JOHN OWEN. VIZ. THE LORD'S SUPPER FULLY CONSIDERED. IWENTT FIVE DISCOURSES ON THE LORD'S SUPPER. DISCOURSE I. June 8. 1673. FAITH is bounded in every ordinance by its objedliT' and afts. The general objeft of faving faith refpefting God is the truth of his word and promil'es, Kom. xviii. 8. The fpecial objedt vi our fiitU iu this ordinance, is the death and fuft'eiings ot Chriil. Herein he is " evidently lt:t forth crucified before our eyes." And we mull ad faith upon three things with refpeft to his death. F/r/?, The perfonal love of Chriil to our perfons j from- whence it was that he died for us, fo faith the apoiUe " who loved me and gave himfelf for me," Gal. ii. 20, Were we helped to raife up our hearts by faith to ap- prehend Chrill's love to our perfons, it would greatly help us in this ordinance. The Lord lift us up above our fears, and give us a view by faith, not only of the love of Chriil in general, but that he perfonally loved us, even this whole church. Secondly, l"he futl'crings of Chriil. In this ordinance we are to a-il faith upon his death, as therein undergoing the punidiment due to our fins. It is to mind us that " he made his foul an offering for fin, that he fuffered the jull for the unjull, bearing our fins in his own body oa the tree," that they fhould not come into judgment. Thirdly, The etfeds of Chrifl's death, which was the making an atonement for all our fins, the making peace between God and our fouls, bringing in everlailing righ- tcoufncfs. Under the law \vc find, that " tlie blood of bulls and goats, and the allies of a heifer fprinkling the unclean, fanftified to the purifying of the ile(h," and the people were therehv legally cleanled j " How much more " ' A 2 [ 4 J Ihall the blood of Chiift, who through the eternal Spi- rit offered himfelf to God, purge our confciences from dead works to ferve the living God," Heb. ix. 13, 14. The afts of faith in this ordinance are, Tirji^ Recognition. That faith which is cxercifed on the death of Chrift that is part, is to call it over, and make it prefent to the foul. It is to realize it, and bring it before us. It is not a bare remembrance of it, but fuch a one as makes it prefent. And where there is faith there is the fame advantage to a believing foul in the participation of this ordinance, as there could have been if we had flood by the crofs. Secondly, Faith works by reflefting to humiliation, ** Thev (hall look on him whom they pierced, and mourn" for all their uukindnefs and unthankfulnefs to their Saviour. And when we come to this work in this ordinance, felf-abafement, felf abhorrence, and broken- refs of heart will be aAed, and How forth in abundance of love to Jefus Chriif . Thirdly, Another a£l of faith in this ordinance is, Tliankfulnefs to God for his wifdom and grace, in con- triving this way of our falvation, and thankfulnefs to Chvirt, in whom was this mind, that " being in the form fif God, and thinking it no robbery to be equal with God, he took upon hJm the form of a fervant, and be- came obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs," that he might fave us from our fins. If the Lord be pleafed to le.id us to aft faith in any of thefe things, in fomc fignal and eminent manner, we fliall find an advan- tage in this ordinance. DISCOURSE II. To help you in the exercife of faith in the r.dminiftra- tion of this ordinance, I would briefiy fhew what it is to have a facramental participation of Jefus Chrift. When the world had loll the underltandlng of this myltery, for want of fpiritual light, thev contriA'ed a [ 5 ] means to make it up, very eafy on the pnrt of them that did partake of it, and very prodigious on the part of the prieit. For he, in a few words, turns the bread into the body of Chrift, and the people had no more to do but to receive it, as fuch, into their mouths. It was the lofs of the underrtanding of this myilery that put them upon that invention. There is indeed a figure or reprefentation in this or- dinance, but that is not all; when the bread is broken it is a figure, a repreientation th'^t the body of Chriil; v,as broken for us. Eut there is alfo a real exhibition of Chriil unto every believing foul. This is diflinft from the tender of Chrilt in the promifes of the gofpel. In tlie promifes, the perfon of the Father is particularly looked upon as propofmg and tendering Ckriit to us. In this ordinance, as God exhibits him, fo Chrilt makes an immediate tender of himl'elf, and calls our faith to have refpedl to his grace, to his love and to his readinef?, to unite and fpiiltually incorporate with us. He tenders himfelf to us not in general but under a fpecial confide- ration, viz,, as having made an end of lln, and done all that was to be dene between God and fanners that they might be at peace. Chrilt made a double prefentation of himfelf. F//j/', As the great mediator, when he offered hiirfelf a facri- iice on the crois for the accomplilhing the work of man's redemption, ^tcondly^ He prefented himfelf to God in heaven, there to do whatever remr.ined to be done with God on our behalf by his interceHlon. The iiitcrcefiion of Chrilt is the prefentation of himfelf to God upon his olilation and laciifice. He prefcnts hhnfelf to God to do with him what remains to be done on our part to pro- cure mercy and peace for us ; and he prclents himfelf to us in tliis ordinance (which anfwers to that intercef- fion of Chrift above, and is a counterpart of it) to do what remains to be done on the part of God ; to give in peace, and mercy, and the fealed covenant to us. There is this fpecial exhibition or tender of Jefus Chrift •, and this direfts to a fpecial exercife of faith, that we may know how to receive him in this ordinance. And F//77, Let us receive him as one that hath actually accomplillied the great v/ovk of making peace with God A3 r 6 J for us ) blotting out our fins, and bringing in everlafting righteoufnei's. Secondly^ As one that hath done this work by his death. It is a lelief when we have an ap- preheniion that Chritt can do all this for us : Eut he dees not tender himfelf to us as one that can or will do it upon fuch and Inch conditions as (ball be prefcribed, but as one that hath done it, and fo we muA receive liim, if we intend to glorify God in tliis ordinance, vi%. as having blotted out all our fins, and purchafed for us eternal redemption. Let us aft faith on Jefus Chrift, as one who brings along with him mercy and paidon, procured by his death : all mercy and grace that is in the heart of God and in the covenant. To have fuch a view of him, and fo to re- ceive him by faith is the way to give glory to God, and to have peace, and reft in our own bolonis. DISCOURSE III. Aug. 10. 1673. To a due attendance on this ordinance it is requlflte, 3iot only that we be in a fpiritual frame, but that we en- deavour to bring and fix ourheartsto fome fpecial thoughts v.ith refpeft to this fpecial ordinance 5 wherein the prin- cipal aft on the part of God, and the principal aft on our part, with refpeft to Chrift, are glorioufly reprefent- cd. The great: aft of God, with reference to Chrift, is the cxhibituig of him. God did two ways exhibit Chrift. Fn-Ji., There was, as 1 may call it. on the part of God, a legal exhibition of Chrift. mentioned by the apoftJe, Rom. iii. 255. " Whom God hath fet forth to be a.pro- *' pitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his " righteoufnefs, for the remiffion of fins, that he might ** be juft and the juftifier of him which believeth in je- " fus!" This I call God's legal exhibition of Chrift, when he fet him forth to undergo the curfe of the law, that we might be bleffed. This fetting forth of Chrift is here reprefented in this ordinance when the bread is C 7 ] broken. And this is that which you may exercife ycuf faith on in this ordinance, that as the bread is here let forth to be broken, lb Cxod, to declare his own righte- oufnefs, hath fet forth Chrilt to be bruifed and bioken, to undergo the fentence of the law. Thus we have a gracious light of God's holitiefs in this ordinance. Secondly, He doth exhibit Jelus Chrilt in the proxni- fes of the gofpel. And it might be with fome relpe Not that the re mcmbrance of Chrill is one end of this inftitution, fcv that I readily grant •, but that this remembrance is tht /o/e or chie/'and uhii7iaie end of it. And I deny tha' this appears from any of the paffages referred to. It is plain indeed that the remembrance of Chrift, is the oclj end of the iniiitution, that isfpoken of in ex- prefs words. For he did not fay, " This do that you " may be found in this or tha<- duty, as that you may *' love me, for inftance j" but only, " This do in remem- " brance of me :" But may not more be implied in his words than they exprefs r Is it not thus in feveral inftan- ces of the fame nature with this ■' How frequently are hearing, knowing, confidering, &c. the only things men- tioned J and with a defign to put us upon thofe duties^ and that carriage to which thefe acts fhould in reafon be leading us ? Nay, thus it is as to the remembrance of God- For the words of Solomon, " Remember now " thy Creator in the days of thy youth," Eccl, xii. i. are readily underilod as meaning the fame as if he had faid, '"'' Fear God. keep his commandments, in the days of " thy youth," ver. 13. For it cannot be thought that he reccommends this remembrance, as what alone and by Jtfelf, will be of any fervice : No, but as a means leading to fuch an end. And by a parity of reafon we may fay, that Chrifi^^ did not inflitute fuch rites, and com-- mand us to obferve them in remem.brance of himfelf, and ib recommend this remembrance to us, .a.s what alone, and by itfelf will be of fervice to us j no, but as proper to lead us to fuch duties as are agreeable to the nature of this remembrance. It appears from the account that St Paul gives us of the behaviour of the Corinthians, i Cor. xi. 20, &:c. that they did not go fo fiir as this, the ferious remem- brance of Chriil at his table. For, not diicerning tlie Lord's body, that is, not considering the facramental bread and wine, as fignifying his body and blood, they did eat and drink as at a common meal, or as if this were only the continuation cf a foregoing entertainment, and even without obierving the rules ot temperance ; and, eating and diinking thus unworthily, they v ere gtulty of the body and blood of the Lord, or, of an high offence [ 13 ] and indignity againil his body and blood ; and (a were eating and drinking damnation, or judgment to tlienj- felves 5 that is, prolaningthis ordinance, they laid theni- lelves julUy open to the difpleafure of Almighty God, p. 64.-67. And it mull be owned, that we are not to think, that they who eat this bread, and drink this wine in a ferious remembrance of Chrift, do adl fo unworthily, and fo un- fuitably to the inlHtution, as thefe Corinthians. And, as they are not, like them, profnningthis ordinance, they have not the leal! caule to tear " any of thofc th eatcnings ** of St Paul, which belong only to thofe who do fo" pro- fane it, p. 122. But 1 cannot fee the force of our author's reafoning, VIZ. " That he who does truly difcern the Lord's body, " by remembeiingitinthemoft ferious manner, has there- " fore performed this one duty in a proper manner," p. 88. He has not indeed been eating ancijdrinking unwor- thily, in the apoftle's fenfe of the phrafe ; but, as the not being as wicked as fome other men are, is no proof of a perfon's being righteous, fo his not behaving at the Lord's table as the Corinthian finners behaved them- felves, is no proof of his performing the duty in a pro- per manner, fo as to anfvver the end of it. There are degrees of unworthy receiving, and they may eat and drink unvvorthily, though not in St Paul's lenfc, wlio do not imitate the Corinthians in " the one " particular inllance of their indecency. Whatever tem- " per or behaviour, at tlic time of eating and drinking, " is utterly unfuitable to the defign of the duty, mull, " in its dcgrt c, come under tlie ceni'ure of this paflage," p. 8o. Suppofing therefore that there be a ferious, and in this fenfc, a religious remen)brance of Chriil, that is, tliere is (bme regard to his inllitulioii, yet if this re- membrance has no good effeft upon us, and does not lead us to thofe duties to which In reafon it fliould lead -us, as we have a temper and behaviour unfuitable to the deiign of the duty, fo we are in fome meafure, unworthy re- ceivers, thougli not in that degree, as the Corinthians were. Befides, " to perform the duty fo, as that it may be B [ 14 ] " of advantage to us, is, in other words, to perform " it worthily j or in a manner fuitable to the nature and *' end of it," p. 79. And from this it follows, by the rule of contraries, that to perform the duty fo, as that it cannot be of any advantage to us, is to perform it un- worthily, or in a manner unfuitable to its nature and end. And from thefe things we may argue the neceffity of being found in other duties beiides a ferious remembrance of Chrift, when we are at his table : For a remembrance of him that is alone, and has no good effeft upon us, like a faith that is alone without works, is dead, awd cannot profit us, James ii. 17, &c. It is true, as the author fpeaks upon another occafion, " We are not to confound duties •, and make that pecu- " liar to the holy communion, which was never made pe- " culiar to it by Chrilt, or his apoftles j which is proper *' for every feafon of our time, and every part of our life, " and which would have been equally a duty, whether " it had pleafed our Lord to inftitute the holy commu- '* nlon or not," p. 76. But what is peculiar to the ho- ly communion ? Nothing, as I fee, but the obeying the command of Chrift, in obferving the rites which he has inftituted, vi-z^ the breaking of the conlecrated bread, and the taking and eating of it, as the fymbol of his body, given and broken for us, together with the receiving and drinking of the confecrated cup, as what he gives us as the fymbol of his bldod, " the blood of the new covenant, " fhed for us and for many, fur the remifhon of fins 5" and as being the token and feal of this covenant, both on God's part, and on our's. For, as to even the remem- brance of Chrift, in which the effence of this duty is made to conuft, p. 103. it cannot juftly be laid to be peculiar to the holy communion ; for fince whatever we do in word or deed, we are to do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, Col. iii. 17. we are certainly to remember him in all we do. The very fame duties may be fuitable to different or- dinances, which are not peculiar to any one of them. Thus it is as to the duty of preparation for the wordiip of God, which our author juftly fpeaks of as not pecu- liar to the holy communion. For though not peculiar to it, yet, as he rightly obferves, " it is and muft be, al- [ 15 ] " ways of great ufe to Chrillians," p. 76. And it fuits all other ordinances as well as this. The fame may be faid of that faith in Chrill, and that covenanting with God, of which I fpeak in the review. Thefe are duties, which " may be done every day, and every hour," p. 176. when we are praying to God, or reading or hearing his word, as well as when we partake the lacrament : But it mull be owned, that they are luitable, though not pe- culiar to this ordinance, becaufe its rites, as we {hall fee, dired and encourage us to thefe duties in particular j iV.itable, did I fay, nay, they are neceflary to render it ufeful and advantageous to us : for then, and then only, when the remembrance of the benefits of Chrilt's body broken, and blood (hed, is the mean of leading us to thefe duties, it is one mean of procuring thefe benefits, p. i 59. I agree with our author, that there is a millake in calling the " Lord's fupper a renewal of the new cove- " nant on our part," p. 164, For we cannot infer, from cur partaking of this facrament, that we have been cove- nanting with God, and that he is our God, in covenant with us. And the like we may fay of faith, or believ- ing in Chrill *, wc cannot conclude, that we have been found in this duty, from our having been eating and drink- ing at his table. But it may reafonably be thought, that as the facra- mental cup is always to be conlidered, as will be fliewn, as thefeal of the new covenant, on God's part, fo, anfwer- ably to this, we are always to receive it in token of our hearty and thankful acceptance of this covenant, and of our giving up ourfelves in covenant unto God in return. It may likewife be thought, that as Chrill is always fct before us, in the facrament, as having given his body to be broken for us, and as having flied his blood for us, fo it is always our duty to look to him by faith, for the be- nefits of his body broken, and blood Ihed, whenever we partake of this bread and this wine. And where we are found in thefe duties, when obferv- ing the facramental rites, we not only remember the be- nefits flowing from Chrill's fufferings and death, but ac- tually partake of them ; not all. indeed, but fome of thele benefits, and thofe fo confiderable, as that we may look upon them as the pledge and earnell of the reft. [ i6 ] " To fay that this communion is the aftual partaking " of all the benefits of Chrift's body broken and blood " flied ; or in other words, of his living and dying for *' our good, is to put that upon one fingle a6t of religi- " ous obedience, which is by our bleffed Lord made to " depend upon the whole fyftem of all virtues united," p. 158. But this no ways affefts me j for I do not fay, that this communion is the a£lual partaking of thefe be- nefits : And I do not put this partaking of them, upon this one fingle ad of obedience, the obfcrving the facramental rites, no j but upon that which the gofpel puts it upon, viTi. That faith in Jefus ChriA, which conftrains us to give up ourfelves in covenant unto God as his fervants j and where there is this faith, there is the whole fyftem of all virtues united. It is the fame, as to the remiffion of our paft fins through Jefus Chrift. " If it be alked, (fays our author " page 144.) do we not partake of this benefit, by our " partaking of the Lord s fupper worthily r I mull an- " fwer, no ; if the gofpel be true." This alfo is no good objedion to any thing that I affert. For I do not fay that v,-e partake of the rcraiflicn of fins, by partaking of the Lord's fupper, no j but that on fuppofiiion that we do believe in Chrift, and covenant with God, v.hen we partake of the Lord's fupper, we then partake of this benefit: and thus it evidently is, if the gofpel be true ; for *' he that believeth on him is not condemned," John iii. 18. Andthe covenanting with God, being the fame with yielding ourfelves to him as his fervsnts, fuppofes, or in- cludes the " forfaking our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts, and the returning to the Lord." And as to every one who does this, he may be fully alTured, that God has " mercy on him, and abundantly pardons him," Ifa. Iv. 7. It follows, " For in that, (the gcfjiel,) no pardon of " pail fins is promifed, or given, unlefs to thofe juft con- '• verted, renouncing their fins, and baptized into the " Chriftian faith ; or to thofe, who have finned after bap- " tifm, actually amend their iives," page 144. But it ought to be cbferved, that wherever there is that faith in the Lord Jefus, which leads us to the covenanting C 17 ] ^vith God, there is a real converfion, and amendment j not only a foundation laid for this amendment, and a dif- poUtion towards it, but the beginning of it. I cannot, therefore, but think, there is amiftake in this that is added, " A difpofition towards t!ie amendment of " our lives, and a reiolution to amend, are very good Heps j " but neither this difpofition, nor this refolution, let them " be never ib finccre, are themfelves aflual amendment." Page 145. This holds true, indeed, of our carriage to our lellow cieatures, but not of our carriage to God, That which makes the difference in the two cafes, is the different nature of the law of men, and the law of God. For as the law of men refpetls only the outward actions, lo it is not broken, but by fome overt-ad ; but the law ot God refpeding the heart, as well as outward adions, may be broken by adifpolition, or refolution, that is con- trary to it, as well as by an outward adion : and from this it evidently follows, that fucii a diipoiition or refo- lution, as is agreeable to this law, m:iy be juilly called an adual amendment. This, properly and ffridly fpeaking, is the amendment of the heart, which is often confidered as different from the amendment of life : but when it is faid, '' that the for- " givenefs of iins is promifed to thoie who am.end their *■ lives," to Ipeak according to the gofpel, we muff un- derlland the propofition, as taking in the amendment of the heart. And, indeed, this araerdment is the firll and great thing in religion; and as where there is this it will Grew itlelf in the amendment of the life; [o all amendment cf the life is no better than hypocrify in the ii[;ht of God, where that of the heart is wanting. Sui)pofing, therefore. That " adual aiycndment is fo " neceffary a qualification, that there is no forgivenefs of "^ fins after baptifm promifed without it : and that no " ad cf religion, without this, can be a title to fuch for- " givenefs, and that it cannot be obtained without a prac- " tice, conformable to tlie laws of the golpel." Page 145. This is no ways inconfrffent witli faying, *' that " we partake of this benefit when at the Lord's table, we believe in Chrill, and covenant with God ;" becaufe when we are found in thefe duties, there is an adual a- mendment ; and as a good foundation is then laid for a B3 [ i8 ] practice conformable to the laws of the gofpel, fo there is the beginnmg of fuch a praftice. But our autiior thinks it evident, from what he has laid down, " that the proper and coniiftent way of ex- " prellion upon this fubjeft, is this," page 179. " That " partaking worthily of the Lord''s fupper is one particu-- *' lar duty of a Chriltian j that this partaking of it wor- *' thily is no more than the performance. of one duty, " in a manner, and with diipofitions fuitable to the " defign and nature of it : and therefore ought not to " be accounted of any more importance towards the *' fecuiing our acceptance with God, than the perfor- " mance of a fingle duty of this fort can be." To which I finfwer, That if by partaking worthily of the Lord's fupper be meant the partaking of it with a ferious, but inerticacious remembrance of Chrift, it canfcarce be laid to be fo much as the performance of one duty, for it is far from being the whole of it, and it is of no importance at all towards the fecuring our accep- tance with God ; but if by this partaking worthily be meant the partaking of the Lord's fupper, in a man- ner, and Avith difpolitions fuitable to the defign and na- ture of it ; (which I think is the right notion of par- taking worthily,) if it may be faid to be but one duty ; yet it is a duty of fuch a fort, that like the fear and love of God, It gives us reafon to conclude that they are accepted of him, through Jefus Chrilf, who are really found in it. As therefore all they, who when partak- ing of the Lord's fupper, do believe in Chiift, and co- venant with God, peforming the duty in a manner, and with difpofitlons fuitable to its defign and nature, do par- take of it worthily ; fo we may be allured that tliey all enjoy this blefl'ednels. There is nothing contradi(51ory to this in th e author's fol- lowing words," that every Chriilian is obliged not only to '* perform this duty worthily, but every other duty of his *' religion, upon principles fuitable to its nature •, and " as to final acceptance with God through Chrift, ought *' to have his eye conltantly, and particularly, upon the " whole fyftem of moral duties, upon which, through- "*' out the New Tellament, his acceptance is conllantly •' put j and upon thofe catalogues of vices, which are *' as conftantly there declared to exclude all who praftife " them from the kingdom of heaven, let their religious " performances in other refpefts be what they will," page 1 80. And I fliall not digrefs from the fubjett 1 am up- on, to make any remarks on tliis 1 a lage j but joia with the author in recommending to coramunicanis the two things that are here mentioned. The one is their being concerned about the worthy performance of every duty of our religion ; every or- dinance of divine fervice, as well as the Lord's iupper, as prayer to God, the reading and hearing his word, &.c. I'o be tritiing and carelefs in thefe, is likely to have a bad eifecf upon us, and to make us the lame in this du- ty •, but to perform thefe upon principles, and in a man- ner fuitable to their nature, with luch dilpolitions and aft'e6tions of foul, as they may call for, lb as that they may be really ufeful to us, Is a proper mean to prepare us for the worthy partaking of this ordinance, and to quicken us to our duty in all other inftances. 71ie other thing above mentioned, is the having a re- gard to all moral duties, as well as pofitive inllitutions. 'i'his is the fame as to fay, that we fhould do our duty at all other times, and in all other places, as well as when we aie at the Lord's tible, or attend on any ordinance of divine fervice, whether in the church, or in the cloftt. And as to this, communicants ftand upon a level with all others. They can have no acceptance with God, either here or hereafter, without a lincere and hearty concern about moral duties, or in other words, without " a rc- fpe6l unto all God's commandments," Pfal. cxix, 6. Our bleffed Saviour, the Judge of all the world, has exprefsly affured us. That " not every one that faith un- to him, Lord, Lord, fliall enter into the kingdom of hea- ven ; but he alone that doeth the will of his Father which is iti heaven," Mat. vii. 21. And that it will not at all Tivail us, to plead at the lall day " we have eaten and drunk in thy prefence •," for if found among tlie " wor- kers of iniquity, he will anfwer, and lay unto us, 1 know you not whence you are, depart from me," Luke xiii. 25, &c. Moral duties are conllantly recommended to us, as ^* the weightier matters of the law •," as far beyond any pofitive inllitutions j as what we are in tlie firft place to be the doers of, though we are " not to leave the other undone," Mat. xxiii. 2^. Thefe are duties of the ut- moit importance ; and comnauiiicants, as well as others [ 20 ] cannot eafily be too often put in mind of them. Thefe duties, the minifters of the word are to teach ; to the praftice of them, tliey are to exhort their people, i Tim. vi. 2. *' Thefe things they are to affirm conftantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works : Thefe things are good and pro- fitable unto men," Tit. iii. 8. But alas ! how many perfons may we meet with, v/ho fpend a great deal of time and pains in this and the other religious fervice, and are ferious in what they do, when- they are fo far from having a regard to the whole fyllera of moral duties, that they pra61ife one, or more of the vices which the New Teilament does evidently fpeak of, as excluding men from the kingdom of heaven. They can have no peace in their minds, if they do not read fo many chapters, and fay fo many prayers every day, and hear fo many fermons every week, and partake of the facrament at all opportunities ; but it gives them not the leafl uneafinefs to negleft the duties of their places and relations j to be " lovers of pleafure, more than lovers of God j" to be " covetous, unrighteous, fornicators, a- dulterers, drunkards." &c. i Cor. vi. 9, 10. Do not fpeak peace, or prophefy fmooth things to f.ich perfons. " O my foul come not thou into their fe- cret." " Such a doftrine as this," that leads Chrillians to think/that if they have but a regard to this and the o- ther religious performance, they may partake of all the benefits of Chrift's life and death, although they negledt, moral duties, and live in the practice of vice, " would, " in my opinion, be inconlirtent with the plaineft de- *' clarations of the gofpel, and not only inconliilent with, . " but diredlly contrary and deftructive to the main de- *' fign of it," p. 144. 1 have here made ufe of our author's words, be- caufe none can better exprefs my fenfe, But whereas he fpeaks of that paffage of St. Paul, i Cor. x. 16. " in *' which the partaking of the cup and of the bread at the *' Lord's table, is faid to be the communion of the blood " and of the body of Chrill; ;" and tells us, that he had fhewn that the words do not fignify " an aftual partak- " ing of all the benefits of his fuflferings and death for " our fakes :" and whereas he afferts, '* that this one " fingle inftance of obedience to the will of God, how- [21 ] *' ever worthily performed and fuitably to its nature , *' and end, cannot be the partaking of thefe benefits, p 1 44 5 It may be proper to obfeive, that although there may be this iullance of obedience to the will of God where ne do not partake of thefe benefits, yet, if it be lo worthily performed, and fo fuitably to its nature as to lead us to, and be attended with faith in Chrilt, and the covenanting with God, we are certainly partakers of them. I hope the reader will not forget that which was be- fore oblVrved, vi%. that faith in Chrirt and the cove- nanting with God are ot fuch a nature as to lead us to all other duties ; fo that the faying, that where found in thefe, we are partakers of the benefits of Chi ill's death, is not to put this partaking of thefe benefits upon one fingle inftance of obedience to the wil-. of God. And I ftiould not have mentioned it here, but for the fake of this ufeful inference that tlows from it, vi%. that he, and he only, may be jullly faid to be found in thei'e things at the Lord's table, and to be a partaker of this bleffednefs who is led to the fincerc " practice of his whole duty, ** and of that univerfal holinefs, without which no man *' Ihall fee the Lord, p. 179. If therefore a wicked or unrighteous perfon, at his coming from the Lord's table, Ihould fpeak after this manner, " Now it is well with me, my fins are all par- " doned ; my lalvation is fecured •■, for by faith 1 have *' received Chrilt as my Saviour, when receiving the " fymbols of his body given and broken for me, and of " his blood filed for the rcmiffion of my fins. Now I " may look on all the blefl'ings of the new covenant as " mine, for I have been drinking of the facramental tup, " the token and feal of tliis covenant, both on G<:d's " ])art and on our's." If this, 1 fay, be the language of a wicked and unriohteous communicant, we may thus an- fwer ; " But what is thy faith in Chrift ? If it be of the " ri^^ht kind, that which is juilifying, and will be laving, " flitw it by thy works : " Wilt thou know, O vain man, " that faith without works is dead," James ii. 20. " Why Ihouldll tliou pleafe thyfelf with tlie thoughts " that the blethnps of the new covenant are thine, when " thou art not God^s covenant fervant, devoted to his " fear ? tlie moll that can with reafon bs faid of what [ 22 J " thou haft been doing, is, thou haft paid feme outward re- " fpeft unto God, but thy heart was far from Him. Why " Ihouldrt thou think that thou haft faid unto him with *' thy foul, I am thy fervant, when thou art not for ferv- " ing him ? why (houldft thou fancy that thou haft any " part or lot in his favour, when thy heart is not right *' in his fight, found in his ftatutes ^ repent therefore of " all thy wickednefs, and pray God that it may be for- *' given thee. How reafonable is this advice ! how *' fuitable to thy cafe I for it is eafy -to perceive that *' thou art in the gall of bitternefs, and in the bond of " iniquity," A6ls viii. 2i, &c. The author obferves, that we are not to " think it a- *' ny exaltation of Chrift's Inftitution, to magnify it in- " to what he never defigned it to be," p. ; 8 r. But fince, as will appear from the review, the facramental rites are in their nature proper to direft and encourage us to faith in him, and the covenanting with God, how can we think any other than that they were inftituted with a defign, not only to keep up the remembrance of Chrift, but to lead us alfo to the doing of thefe duties. And to fay, that when found in them at the Lord's table, we partake of the benefits of his fufterings and death, is not to magnify this inftitution, becaufe, as we have feen, it does not put the partaking of thefe benefits upon the obferving it ; but It is rather to magnify thefe duties j or to fpeak more properly, it is to maguify the riches of the grace of God, in his kindnefs towards us through Jefus Chrift, in promiling thofe benefits to all fuch as are found In thefe duties. Thefe duties. Indeed, as has been faid, '* are not pe- " cullarto the holy communion, but may be done every " day and every hour," p. 176. when we pray to God, or read, or hear his word, or meditate on what we have read or heard, as well as ^vhen we are at the Lord's ta- ble ; and fince the benefits of his fuff'erings and death are promifed to all who are found in thefe duties, the attending on this ordinance cannot juftly be faid to be abfolutely neceffary to our enjoying thefe benefits : but we ought to confider, that that may be of great fervice to us that is not abfolutely neceffary to our bleffednefs. And, to reafon a little with my reader on this head,. [ 23 ] how canft thou anfwer it to God and to thine own con- fcience, to live in the negleft of any ordinance of divine appointment ? Has our bleffed Lord and tiaviour faid, This do, and wilt thou not do it ? Has he commanded us to obferve ceitain rites in remembrance of himlelf, he who has given us the moil amazing proof of his love, and wilt thou not readily, cheerfully obferve them ' Why (houldll thou think that thou art his difciple indeed, when thou dolt not walk in all his commandments and ordi- nances ? iJefides, it ought to be confidered, that fome duties are of fuch importance and confequence, that as we fliould be fure not to fail of being found in them, fo it will be good for us often to repeat them ; the oftener the better •, the more holy we are like to be in all manner of converlation j the greater and more continued com- fort and joy we may look for in this world •, and the more reaion we fliall have for the fulleft hopes, that an " entrance fliall be minirtred unto us abundantjy into the everlalling kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrill." Of this nature is faith in God, faith in his pro- mifcs, the love and fear of him, ike. And the lame may- be faid of faith in Chriit, and the covenanting with God that we will be his fervants. And as there are feveral ordinances of divine fervice, to each of which every one ■of thofe duties is iuitable and feafonable j fo they all agree in this, the being means proper to put us upon the repe- tition of tliem ; And on this account it is our wifdom to attend on each of thcfe ordinances as often as the feafon for obferving them may return. To this 1 may add, that the attending on one ordi- nance with difijo'itlons and in a manner fuitable to the deiign and nature of it, is the way to prepare us, as was before hinted, for other ordinances, and to render them the more ufeiul to us. And from this it follows, by the rule of contraries, that the neglect of any one ordinance, or the being carelefs in obferving it, is the way to unfit us for others, and to hinder us of that beneHt we might otherwife have received from attending on them. But alas I fo many are kept ofl" from the Lord's table by their fears, left not exercifing that f.iih in Chrllf, which conftrains them to yield themlelves to God, asliis [ 24 ] feivants, they fhould eat and drink damnation to them- felves, that it will be neceffary to ofter iomething lor their relief. And fince the fears of thefe perfons are occafioned by the threatnings of St Paul to the Corinthians, it may be proper to remind them of that, which was before oblerv- ed, vi-z. that as they do not, like thefe finners, profane the inftitution, fo it cannot be juUly faid that thofe threat- nings belong to them. But why fnould thdy fear incurring the difpleafure of God, and drawing down his judgments upon themfelves, by going to the Lord's table, who are really concerned to be found in the duties to which the inftitution diredls and encourages them ? With how much more reafon may they hope that all the good ends of the ordinance will be anfwered ; and that their obferving of it will be for their comfort, as well as quickening in the fervice of God? It muft be owned that it is very defireable indeed for every communicant to be affured of this, that he has re- ceived Chrilt Jefus the Lord by faith in him, and given up himfelf in covenant unto God, as his fervant. The more he is aflured of this, the more likely he is to have all fuch difpofitions and affeftions of foul, when he is at the Lord's table, as are fuitable to the nature of the in- llitution : But we are not to look upon this affurance as abfolutely neceffary 'o fit us for this ordinance ; fo that if the attending on it be not our fin, yet it is at bell, unprofitable and in vain, v^-here this affurance is wani- ing. Supppofing therefore that thou canft not fay how it has been with thee, as to thefe duties, in time pall, yet if it be now thy heart's defire and prayer to God, tliat thou mayll be found in them, it will be reafonable for thee to conclude that he invites thee to his table, who calleth on the fimple in this manner •, " Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled : for- lake the foclilh, and li/e, and go in the wi\y of under- ftanding," Piov. ix. 5, 6. Surely it will be good for thee to accept of his kind invitation. " Fear not then, neither be difcouraged, but arife and be doing : May the Lord be with thee I Bleffed aie C 25 ] they which do hunger and thirfl after righteoufners, for they fliall be filled," Mat. v. 6. " The 'meek Hiall eat, and be fatisfied : They fhall praife the Lord, that feek him J your heart iliall live for ever," Pfalm xxii. 26. REVIEW O F T H E History of the Inllitution of the Lord's Supper. CHAP I. Of the Bread. THE account which the writers of the New Tella- menthavegivenusof theinlHtution of this firll part of the Lord's fupper, we have in the following paiTages : St. Mat. xxvi. 26. yls they ixeve eatitig^'jefus took bread and biejjed It, and brake it, and gave it to the difciples^ and /aid, take, eat this is my body. St. Mark xiv. 2 2. y^s they did eat, J ejus took bread, and blejjed and brake it, and gave to them and Jaid, take, eat, this is my body. St. Luke xxii. 19. He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them,Ja\ing, this is my bo- dy, which is given for you : This do in remembrance of me. St. Paul, 1 Cor. xi.23, 24. The Lord Jifus, the fame night in which he was betrayed, took bread ; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and f aid, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remem- brance of me. [ 27 ] Thefc pafiages may be thus difpofed in the order of an harmony : The Lord Jcfus, the fame night in ivhich he was be- trayed, as they were eating, took bread; and when he had hlelfcd it, and given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to the difci/>/es, and [aid. This it my body which is given and broken /or you : This do in remembrance of me. Section I. The Lord Jcfus the fame night in which he was bet ray ' ed, as they were eating, took bread. T. The Lord's flipper was inlllluted by our blelTed Saviour, when he knew that the dreadful hour of his fufferings was at hand j but a little before he went into tlie garden, where fuch terrors fet themfelves in array againit him, that " being in an agony, his fweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground," Luke x.xii. 44. and not many hours before he was crucified, and " gave himfelf for us, an offering and a facrifice to God." 2. This circumftance of the inftitution of this ordi- nance may lead us to think that our Lord did not com- mand us to obferve it, merely to difplay bis own autho- rity, and do honour to himlelf j but from a concern for our good, and becaufe he knew that the right obfervance of it would be very much for our advantage. 3. Chrilt had been eating the Pafchal fupper with his difciples, and it may be, they had a piece of the Lamb in their mouths, which was to be their laft morfel *, and were jult about to fwallow it, when he took the bread •, and if fo, they had reafon to attend to what he was doing j for they knew that he did not defign it for their ufe in that fupper, but for fome other purpofe. 4. Tlie breadwhichjefus took, was unleavened; It was iieceffary that he Ihould make ufe of fuch bread, becaufe ♦ Sec Ainfworth, on Exoil. xji. S. [ 28 ] no other was to be found in the houies of the Jews at that time, Exod. xii. 19. But as we are not under the fame necefTity ; fo, for all that appears in Scripture, wc may ufe that which we can moft conveniently come at, whether it be leavened or unleavened, and whether it be made of wheat or rye, or any other grain. 5. We do not find that any thing was faid before the prayer of our Lord to let the difciples know the mean- ing of his taking the bread ; but it is reafonable to fup- pofe that he took it in fuch a manner, as to let them fee that he had forae extraordinary purpofe to ferve by it. Probably, they were thinking that he dcfigned to make ufe of it for the conveying to them fome divine inftruc- tion, as he had done but a little before this, by the wafli- ing of their feet *. 6 But it may be tliought that the prayer of Chrift, or however that which he did and faid immediately after he had ended his prayer, fully fatisfied all, who were prefent, that his taking of the bread was the feparating of it from that which was common, and confecrating of it, or the fetting it apart to a facred ufe. 7. And as this is the meaning of our taking bread for the Lord's fupper, fo it may be obferved that, as foon as ever it is fet upon the table, we are to put a difference between that and common bread. The nature of it is not indeed altered, either by fetting it upon the tab'e, or by the minifter's taking it into his hands, or by any words he may pronovuice over it, no ; it is as much bread, and the fame bread it was before ; but we are then to look upon it as holy to the Lord, let apart for his worihip. * See Doddridge's haririony on Johnxiii. 4. Sec. [ ^9 J S B C T I O N II, And when he had L/eJ/lil it, and given thanks, he brake It. 1. St Luke and St. Paul tell us, that Jefus took bread, and gave thanks, St. Matthew and St. Mark fay that he blefled it j but they all mean the fame adlion, viz. the prayer that our Lord made upon thij; occiiJion. And it is natural to think that as in this, he blelfcd the bread which he had taken j \o in this alio, he gnve thanks, that is, in other words, he prayed to God with thankigiving for his bleflingupon it. 2. Prayer to God with thankfgiving is our reafonable fervice, and never more necelLiry, and ieafonable, than when we are entering on thisfolenuioidinahce. No won- der, therefore, that our Lord ihould heie recommend it to us by his own example j and from this it follows, that it mutt certainly be very proper for us to confider what thofe things are, for which we are here to pray and give thanks 5 but this may be learnt from the meditations and ejaculations in the lail part of this book. 3. Ihe breaking of the bread, is taken notice of by each of the facred writers, who fpeaks of the inftitution of the Lord's fupper, and tiiey all place it in th*i fame or- der, viz. jult after his praying to God, with thankfgiving, for his bleiliug upon it. 4. Our Saviour took, as we may think, but one of the loaves or cakes which lay upon the table, and he brake it, not only that he might divide it amon^;li liis difciples, who were to take and eat of it, and to teach them to do the fame in after times, in the cele- bration of this ordinance j but that it might the better ferve for that which, as we fliall fee, he defigned it for, viz. to be the fymbol, or figu 01 his broken body. One of the loaves, while ^vhole and unbroken, might have ferved for a fymbol of Chriit, " the iread of life." Jjhn vi. ■^^. that " bread which came down from heaven," C3 r 30 ] ver, 3:2. But it muft be broken, to be the proper fym- bol of his body broken for us on the crofs. It vs next obferved, that our Lord gave his difciples the bread which he had broken, and commanded them to take and eat j but that we may fee the leaion of thefe" things, it will be proper for us to confider, firit, fome of the words that he fpake as he was puting it into their hands. Section III. Yhis is my body. 1. The Papifts tell us that thefe words are to be taken literally, and that asfoon as ever they are pronounced by the priell, if with a proper intention, a fubftantial change is made of the bread into the natural body of Chriil j that very body which was born of the Virgin Mary, and which was nailed to the crofs ; as the like change is alfo made of tlie wine in the cup, upon the prielVs lay- ing over it, this cup is my blood j this they call tran- lubftantiation. 2. But how is it poffible that I fliould look on that as the body of Chrilt, which I fee, and taile, and feel to be bread, and which has the Imell, not of tlefli, but of bread ! Is it faid, " That I mult not give credit to " my fenfes, but believe the words of our Lord Jefus," I may very well afk, " why then ftiould the apollics " have given credit to their hearing ? might not that " fingle fenfemore eafilyhave deceived them than all the " reil of their fenfes ? and if fo, how could they have " been fatisfied that Chriil faid of the bread, this is my " body ? BeOdes, if I am not to believe my fenles, how " can I be fatisfied that there is fuch a book as that we call " the New Teftament j and that fuch words are to be " found in it ? or how can I be certain as to any faft " whatfoever, that is faid to have been done by ano- '* ther . as for inltance, the miracles faid to have been " wrought by Jefus, and that grand fafl. in particular, *' on which Chriflianity is founded, the refurredion [ 31 ] " of Chi i ft ? I Cor. XV. 17 . For, if no credit is to be " given to the fenfes, they who have written of thcle " tiiin,';s, and who, as they tell us, were eye-witneffts of " them, I John i. t. might have been deceived, and have " only fancied that they law them done j or 1 may be " millaken, and only dream that 1 read of them in their " writings." 3. But granting that our Lord faid of the bread, this is niv body, and allowing the truth of the fcripture hif- tory in all other particulars ; yet we may be very lure that he did not in the leall deiign to contradict the evi- dence of lenfe, and that he was tar irom deliring his dif- ciples to believe that to be his natural body, which, as far as they could judge of it by their fenfes, was no o- ther than bread •, becaufe within a few days " fliewing himfelf alive to them after his palTion, he appealed to their fenfes, and called on them to make ule of their fen- fes, in order to their being latisfied that his body was raifed from the dead, and that they were not deluded by a ghoft and apparition : For he ipake to them in this manner, " why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arile in your hearts .? behold my hands and my feet, that that it is I myfelf J handle me, ana fee, for a fpirit has not ilelh and bones as ye fee me have," Luke xxlv. 38, 39. And agreeably to this, " when he had thus fpoken, he Ihewed them his hands and his feet,'' ver. 40. and his lide alfo, Johnxx. 20. And a little after he took the like method for the convii^lion of St Thomas, who was not then with the difciples, ver. 27. 4. But is not this ading a very inconliftent part, for Chrilt, at one time to tell his difciples that that was his natural body, which to judge of it by their fenles they could look upon as no other than bread ; and a tew days after, to defire them to make ufe of their fenles to fitisfy themfelves that it \Yas a real body, and not a mere gholt, or phantom, th^it Hood before them ' 5. St Luke /peaks of thefe proofs of the refurreftion of Jefus, that the apollles had from their fenles, as infal- lible, Ad^ i. 2, 3- A.nd is it not evident to a demon- llration that our Lord alfo had the famr notion of thefe pro-ils, 'ince he left it altogetler to the i'enfes ot tlvjfe, who doubted of it, to give them full fatisfa6tion concern- [ 32 J ing it : here, therefore, we may reft the matter, and fay, " That as the apoilles had infallible proofs from their fenfes, that Chriit was really riien from the dead, fo we have infallible proofs, from our fenfes, that that Mhich we take and eat at his table, is not his body, but bread." 6. Is it faid, " But what account then can be given of his thus fpeaking of the bread, this is my body >' or what is the meaning of his words ?" It may be anfwer- ed, " That the name of a thing is frequently given to that which is the iign of it. Thus the feven kine, and feven ears of corn, are faid to be feven years, Gen. xli. 26, 27. And thus circumcifion, had the name of the covenant, and the fign was called what literally it was not, but what it really and truly exhibited by divine ap- pointment *. And the like it is here : our Lord fpeaks- of the bread as his body ; not becaufe of its being tran- fubilantiated, or changed into his body ; but becauie he had appointed it to be thefymbol or token of his body, and would have us to confider it under this notion, when • taking and eating of it." Section IV. This is my body, ivhich is given and brohcn for you. I. St Matthew and St Pvlark fay nothing of Chrift's body being given, and broken \ but as the former c£ thefe things is taken notice of by St Luke, fo the latter is mentioned by St Paul, and the filence of fome of the facred writers, as to any thing that is fpoken of by ano- ther, is no argument againtt it. 2. The body of ourbleffcd Saxiour was firft taken, that it might be given, and then given, that it might be broken ; and the meaning is, that he freely confented to the break- ing of it. His body was broken by the nails, that were driven through his hands and feet, to faften it to the crofs \ and by the fpear with Vvhich they pierced his fide. Firft, " He took upon him the form of a fervant, and was * See Waterland's review of the Eucharift, Chap. vii. [ 33 ] made in the likenefs of men, and then being found in fa- niion as a man, he humbled hirafelf, and became obedi- ent unto death, the death of the cioi's," Phil, ii, 5, 6. So that the bread broken, as fignifying his body broken, fcts him before us as crucified. 3. Do any objed, " But Chrilt had not been crucified, " and confequently his body had not been broken, when " he thus fpake." It may be anfwered, " That his " words are to be underltood, not in a literal, but figu- *' rative fenfe, and they are, as if he had faid, " That " which I do now put into your hands, is no other than " bread, but I call it my body j becaufe I have appoint- " ed it to lignify my body ; and becaufe I would have " you to confider it under this notion, as often as you " ihall eat it at my table. And having broken this bread, " to lead your thoughts to the breaking of my body, 1 " now fpeak of itas my body, which is given and bro- " ken ; becaufe I now appoint it to (ignify my body, " conlidered as given and broken. You now liear " me fpeaking to you, and know that I am alive, and " you cannot but be leniible that my body neither is, nor *' has been given and broken j but thus I fpeak of it, " and thus I would have you to confider it both now, " and whenever in time to come, you (hall oblerve this " ordinance which I now inftitute." 4. The giving of Chrill's body to be broken, may be faid to be not only his own aft, but the aft likewife of God and our father. For all that which our Saviour did in this, was according to his will. Gal. i. 4. " God fpared not his own Son, but dilivered him up" to fiift'cr and to die. Rom. viii. 32. And Chilli oh'ercd a " facrlfice to God," that very body which he had pre- pared him, Heb. x. 5. And becaufe " lie humbled liim- felf, and became obedient to the death of the crofs ; God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name •, that at that name of Jelus every knee (hall bo\s-, Phil. ii. 9. 10. 5. The body of our Lord is all that which he here fpeaks of as given ; but as God " gave his Son," John ill. 16. lo Chrilt gave hlnifelf, his whole man, " for our fins," Gal. i. 4. And although the breaking of his body, is all that is here taken notice of, )ct this was far from be- [ 34 ] ing tlie whole of his fufferings •■, and it is not fit that we fliould pafs over thofe of his foul. 6. The death of the crofs, was not only a lingering and painful, but a nnoil ignominious death. It Avas rare- ly feen that any other than llaves, and the bafefl male- factors, were punilhed in this manner : Beildes it was looked upon, in common, as a token of a perfon's being , under the curfe of God for his fms. Deut. xxi. 23. Gal. iii. 13. Well therefore, may it be faid, that " God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet finners, Chrid tiius died for us." Rom. v. 8. And well may we look on this as an amazing inrtance of the grace of our Lord [efus Chrift, that he fhould be wil- ling for our fakes to fuft'er fuch a death as this. And yet we may fay that there were other parts of his fuffer- ings, which were far beyond the pain and lliiame of the crofs. 7. Thus we may fpeak of what he futTered in the gar- den, the night in which he was betrayed, when he him- felf complained to his difciples, " My foul is exceeding forrowful even unto death," Mat. xxvi. 38. when he prayed again and again, " Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs from me, " ver. 39, &c. and when, althoagh an angel appeared to him from heaven to ftrengthen him, he was in fuch an agony, that " his fweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the groand, Luke xxii. 44 -J an agony that, had it continued but a little longer, mull needs have diffolved the earthly houfe of his tabernacle j and if he had felt fuch a violent per- turbation and diilrefs of foul as that occafioned, after his enemies had apprehended him, we cannot conceive it poffible for him to have behaved with a proper calm- nefs and comp:)fure of mind under all their infults. 8. But '* when he had offered up prayers and fuppli- cations, witli itrong crying and tears unto him that was a- ble to fave him from death," which this agony had well- nigh brought upon him, "he was heard in that he fear- ed," Heb V. 7. and his heavenly Father did again fpeak peace and comfort to him. However, theie is fome reafon to think, tliat our bleffed Saviour was not wholly free from all fufferings of this nature, when he was upon the crofs, but that his forrow and diilrefs of ibul had le- [ 35 J turned upon him, though not, it may be, to fo high a degree. Thus it feems to have been, when he cried witli a loud voice, faying, My God, my God why halt thou forlaken me ? Mat. xxvii. 46. 9. They who were crucified with Chrifl, like him, were " made a fpetlacle to the world, to angels and to men," i Cor. iv. 9. and might feel as much pain in their bodies as he fuftered. But what was all this to the " Fa- ther's biuifing him ?" Ifa. Hii. 10. and to the diltrefl'es and terrors of his foul ? With an eye to thefe, he might with reafon be faying, " Is it nothing unto you, all ye that pafs by ; behold and fee, if there be any forrov/ like unto my furrow, which is done unto me ; where- with the Lord hath afflicled me, in the day of his fierce anger r" Lam. i. I2. Thefe forrows and fufterings of our Saviour are indeed of luch a nature as that they can- not in any manner be reprefented by the breaking of the bread : But, as they were the principal part of his fufferings, it mult be owned to be highly reafonable to give them even the chief place in our meditations, while obferving thut rite which feems appointed to lead our thoughts to this fubjert. 1 3. We mult not tail to take notice of the concern or intereft that we have in the givingaiidbieakingof Chrilt's body, and by a parity of reafon in all his fufferings. It was " given and broken for us. As he gave himlelf for our fins, that he might deliver us from this preient evil world,'" Gal i. 4. fo God " fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up to fuffer aiid die for us all, Rom. viii. 32. " He was wounded for our trar.fgielTions ; he was bruifed for our iniquities. The challilement of our peace was upon him j and with his Itripcs we are heal- ed. All we like iheep have gone allray : we have turn- ed every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him tlie ini(iuities of us all," Ifa. liii, 5, 6. 11. " As God lb loved the world tliat he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him Ihould not periQi but have eveilalling life ; and fent not his Son into tlie world to condemn the world, but that the world through him, might be faved,"Johniii. 16. 17. So we may fay, thit Chritt fo loved us, as to give his body to be broken for us, that whofoever believeth in . [ 36 ] him ftiould not perifh, but have everlafting life : and he fuffered and died, not to condemn us ; but that we through him might be faved : and it is neceff;uy for e- very communicant to be fenfible of this ; this he fliould confider, and with application to himielf, that he may be encouraged to look to him by faith for all the bleffed fruits of his fufferings and death*. Section V. And game it to the difciples, and /aid, take^ eat, 1. That which our bleffed Saviour had taken, he brake ; that which he had broken he gave to his difciples^ and that which he gave, they did take, and eat : and this as wc have feen, {Se£i 3.) was no other than bread. But forafmuch is he has appointed the broken bread to fignify his body given and broken for us, we may rea- fonably confider his giving us this bread as the giving us his body j and agreeably to this, our taking and eating it is to fignify our taking and eating his body. So that while taking the broken bread with our hands, and eat- ing it with our mouths, we are by ibme aft of our minds to receive and eat Chrilfs body as given and broken for us. 2. We may therefore fay of facramcntal eating as is faid of circumcifion, Rom. ii. 29. " It is that of the heart ; in the fplrit, and not of the letter; whofe praife is not of men, but of God." There ought to be a decent and reverend behaviour in all who do obferve this rite : and Ashere there is this, we may gain the good opinion of our fellow communicants. But we have not the leall * " The fpecial cbjedt of our faith in this ordirancc is the death " and fufferings of Jefus Chriit; and tlie firft thing tliat we are to " ;i(n faith upon, v> ith relpeiil to his death, is the perfonal love of " Ghrift unto our perfons. So faith the apoftle, " Who loved me, and " iTAYt hiinfelf for aie," Gal. ii. 20. The Lord lift us up above our " fears, and give us to view by faith, not only the love of Chriit in " general, but that he perfonalJy loved us, even tliii whole church."' T>r Ou'Cii's difcourfcs at the Lord's tubie. [ 37 ] reafon to think that God will approve and accept of ■what we do, and that it will be to the advantage of our fouls, unlefs ive are found in that which this takinj; and eating; the broken bread is to fignify •, that is, unieis we take and eat the body of Chritt, as given and bro- ken for us : And this is to be done no other way than by faith in him, as having been crucified for us. ^. This language of our Lord, " This is my body, take, eat •," with that which follows in the inliitution, " This cup is my blood, drink ye aH of it," is of the fame kind with that which we have in St Jolin, chap, vi. " Verily, verily, I lay unto you, except ye eat the fielh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood ye have no life in you. Whofo eateth my riefh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raife him up at the lall day ; For my tlefli is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed," ver. 53, 54, ^^. And the only dift'e- rence between his doftrine in that chapter, and this, which is reprtfented and inculcated in the lacrament, is this ; that whereas this ordinance lets the ilifferings and death of Chvlll before us, as pall, he there fpeaketh of them, as to come •, telling his hearers, not tliat he had given, but " would give his llelh for the life of the world," ver. 51. 4. The Lord's fupper not having not been infiituted when he fpake in this manner, \\t cannot fuppclie th.it he had any reference to it j but when at the inicitution ef this ordinance he made ufe of the like language, we may rcafonably put the fame conllruAion upon it. As therefore the words that he then fpake were " fpirit and and life," ver. 6^. and are to be fpiritually, and rot 1'- terally underllood ; fo the fiune we are to think of his wordi in the facrament : For, although it mav be faid that here, as well as there, he fpeaketh of his natural body, that very body which was in the nomb of his \ ir- gin mother, and of his natural blood, thit very blood whicli circulated in that body, yet eating his body, and drinking his blood, are figurative exprefiions, 5. There is, indeed, in the literal fenie of the words, an eating and drinking in the facrament ; but as that which we put into our mouths is bread and wine, aj,d not the very body and blood of our Lord, fo bread and D [ 38 ] wine are all that, literally fpeaking, we can be faid to eat and drink. But the broken bread which we eat at his table, being made the figure or lign of his body, confidered as given and broken for us, and the wine in the cup, which we there drink being alfo made the figure of his blood, which he fhed for us, our eating this bread is likewife the fi- gure of our eating his body, and our drinking the wine the figure of drinking his blood. But how can we eat the flelh, or body of the Son of Man, and drink his blood ■■ notfurely by putting them into our mouths j no, but on- ly by feme ail of our minds, that is, as was obferved, by faith in him, as having offered up himfelf on the crofs, as a factifice to God for us. 7. The body or flefli of our blelTed Saviour, as given and broken for us, and his blood, as fired for us, may with reafon be prefented to us, under the metaphors of meat and drink, becaufe no meat and no drink can be of fuch fervice to us, in refpeft of this temporal life, as thofe may be, in refpeft of the fpiritual and eternal life. And the receiving his body and blood by faith in him crucified, may well be fpoken of as the eating and drink- ing them, becaufe it is by this faith that they are made ufeful and ferviceable to us, juft as our common food is by our eating and drinking it ; for then, and then only, when we truly believe in Chrifl, his paffion is our re- demption y by his death we live, and ihall live for ever. 8. The great defign of our Lord, in John, Chap. vi. ver. 27, h'c. is to fhew us the neceflity of faith in him- felf. There is no reai'on to think that he faid, " Ex- cept ye eat the Hefli of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you," ver, ^^. meaning by this, that all mull unavoidably perifli, who do not receive the facrament, becaufe many of his hearers might have been in their graves before his inllitution of this ordinance. Befides, it is not true of all who partake of the facra- ment, that, as he fpeaks, ver. 34. " They have eternal life." But we may reafonably fay to all who have the gofpel, and can underfland it, and to communicants, as well as others, " Except ye believe in Chrilt, ye have MO life in you, " ver. 33. And that whofo believeth in [ 39 J him, " hath eternal life ; and he avIII raife him up at the lart day," ver. 54. " 9. This then, the believing in Clirill, is the great work to which we are to attend, when taking and eat- ing the facramental bread. He who hath a right faith in the Lord Jefus, and fo eateth him, " even he fliall live by him, ver. 37. But we may as reafonably expert that the natural bread ftiould nourilli and ilrengthen our bodies without taking and eating it, as that the crucified body of our Lord, this fpiritual bread, this food for our fouls, ihould give us eternal life, Avithout receiving and' eating it by faith in him, crucified for us. What is bread to us, if we do not eat of it > No more is the Saviour of the world to us ; no more are bis fufferings and dea'h, if we do not believe on him. But what is this faitli or believing in Chriil ^ This is fo important a o^uellion, and it is fo very nccelVaiy to give a lull and Clear anlwer to it, tliat 1 fliall make it the fubjeft of a- rjother fection. Section VL Of that faith by which we are to eat Chriji'^s body and drink his blood in thefacrament. 1. There is no plainer notion of faith or believing on Chrift than that which St. John gives us ; who fpeaks of it as being the fame with receiving him, as in ch. i. ver. 12. *' As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name. 2. Faith in Chrift fuppofes fome knowledge of the gofpel of God concerning his Son ; for we may well be fnid to " believe in him of whom we have not heard," Rom. X. 14. as to believe in him of whom we are wholly ignorant. 3. It alfo fuppofes an aflent to the truth of the gofpel : for the cleareft and fulleft notions of it will not at all profit us. unlefs we look upon it as true, Heb. iv. 2. A. This knoAvledge of the gofpel, and i-lVcnt to the D 2 [ 40 ] truth of it, tnuft lead us to the receiving of Chrifl : for what reafon can we have to think that he is ours, and to lay claim to the blefiings that come by him, unlefs we receive him ? 5. When we fpeak of faith in Chrift, as the receiving of him, we muft confidcr him as fet before us, and oiFer- ed to us in the gofpel. 6. The principal, if not the only notion of Chrift, which is given us in the facrament, is that of a Saviour. And we need not view him under any other notion, pro- vided we obferve that he came into the world not only to deliver us from the guilt of fin, but alfo to blefs us, " in turning away every one of us from his iniquities," Adls iii. 26. And that he " gave himfelf for us, to purify unto bimfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Titus ii. 14. But, forafmuch as there are many who trull in Chrift as a Saviour, while they have no concern about being his people, and " obeying his gofpei," s'Tlieff. i. S. the fcripture fpeaks of him as a prince or Lord, as well as a Saviour, Ads v. 31. 2 Peter i. 11. and plainly teaches us, that we muft receive and own him as our Lord, or we can have neither part nor lot in him as a Saviour. 7. That which is meant by the receiving of Chrift, is an hearty and unfeigned conlenting to this, that he ftiall be ours, that is, agreeably to whai has been faid, our Saviour, in the fulleft fenfe of the word, or, if you will, our Lord, as well as Saviour. 8. Then it may be faid that we confent to this, that Chrift- ihall be our Saviour, when we look to him, and truft in him for falvation in all its parts and branches. 'J'o this we are led by the fear of the wrath of God, due to us for our fins ; by the high thoughts that we have of that falvation that comes by the Lord Jefus, and by the fenfe of this, that iniiim alone is our help found, and that, as he is able to fave to the uttermoft all them that come unto God by him, fo he calls on us to look to hiiK, that we may be faved. 9. And then it may be faid that we confent to this, that Chrift fliall be our Lord as well as Saviour, when we own and fubmit to his authority, or yield ourfelves to hira as his fubjefts and fervants, at the fome time that [ 41 ] we look unto him for f^lvation. This fuppofes tliat we cliule his fcrvice above all other iervice ; and that we are fuly deter. nined to forfake all that fervice which is contrary to, or inconfilteut with his. ID. But it Ihould be carefully obferved, that this re- ceiving of Chrilt, or confenting that he (hall be ours, is not a iadden riafii of pailion, which, how violent foever it may be for the prelent, is foon over and gone, but a tixed and abiding principle in the foul, that brings forth fruit to perfcdion, Luke viii. 14. ir. Some will have it that faith is an habit begun-, and others contend that is an act beginning an habit*. But, not to difpute about words, it may be fudicicntto fay, that we can have no certain evidence of our receiv- ing Chrill Jefus the Lord, or believing on him, to the juftifyingand faving of our|fouls, ^vhere our faith does not work in us as the principle of our aftions. 12. The fcripture exprefsly tells us, that «o/ l&e hear- ers of the law are jujl he/ore God^ hut that the doers of the law Jhall be jujiffied, Rom. ii. 13. And hence it fol- lows, that no faith in Chrilt canjullify us, but what makes us doers, the fincere doers of the law of God. And whereas we read, that the wicked " fliall go into ever- lalting punifliment, but the righteous into -life eternal," Mat. XXV. 46. we may be very lure that there is no faith that can fave us, but what makes us righteous. 13. Agreeably to thefe things, we find that faith is ufed in Icripture, as. being to the fame fenfe with the new creature 5 Gal. vi. ij. chap. v. 6. and that It is faid to " work by love," chap. v. 6. to " to purify the heart," Adls XV. 9. to " overcome the world," 1 John v. 4. And becaufe it makes fuch a wonderful change ;n our fouls, and produces fuch effefts, the power wnich God has employed upon thofe who believe, is ipokcn of p.s ex- ceeding great, and as correlponding to that mighty power, which he exerted in the railing of Chriit ti )m the dead f . i4. It may be faid indeed, that a man is juiliiied, and * Dices fidtm fvimo injlanti eft habitus inchoatus ; refpotulc 1 nequaqtiam fed eft actus hubitiim iiichouns. Limborch TheoJo^ia, Lib. V. Cap. XL. Seft. 6. f Locke's parRphrafe on Eph. i. 10 C 42 ] in a ftate of falvation, as fooniis ever he lieartily confents that Chrirt fhall be his Lord and Saviour •, but then it, ought toi be obferved, that as he is jultitied, i'o he is alfo' fandtified by the faith that is in Jcfus, Atlsxxvi. i8. I'he fpiritual life, a life of holinefs, and a life of happi- nefs, is begun in him, the very moment of his receiving Chrift Jefus the Lord j and as he is every day and in every ordinance, to be repeating his faith in him, or to be anew receiving of him ; fo the life begun in his foal is to be maintained by frefli a61s of faith. Every true believer therefore may fay, with the apoftle, " The life which I now live in tlelh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himfelf for me," Gal. ii. 20. Thus I have given you a brief and plain account of faith in Chrift, that faith which juftifieth and faveth, and that faith by which alone we can be faid to eat his body and drink his blood at his table. If any look on this as a digreffion from my fubjeft, the only apology I (hall make for it is this, " that nothing is more neceltary than " to have right notions of faith in Chrift." And now I have confidered every thing that we meet with in the liiftory of theinftitution of the Lord's Supper, relating to the bread, excepting his words, This do in re- 'membrance of me . But as the fame words were alfo fpoken on his giving of the cup to his difciples, I ftiall confider th.em in their proper place, in the next chap- ter. V [ 43 ] CHAP. 11. Of the Cup. THE hiftory of the inflitutlon of this part of the Lord's fupper is as follows : St Mat. xxvi. 27, 28. And he took the cup, and gave thanks y and gave it tu them, faying, Drink ye all of it i for this is my blood of the New Tefament, which is Jhed for many, for the remifjion of Jins. St Markxiv. 23, 24. And he took the cup, and when he had given jhanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it ; and he faid unto them. This is my blood of the new tejlament, ivhich is Jhed for many. St Luke xxii. 20. Likewife atfo the cup after fupper^ faying, This cup is the new teflament in my blood, which is Jhed for you. St Paul, I Cor. xi. 2^. After the fame manner alfo he took the cup, when he had fuppcd, faying. This cup is the flew tejlament in my blood ; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Thel'e four accounts may be thus digeftcd into one : And after the fame manner he alfo took the cup, after fuppcr, andgave thanks, and gave it to them,faying. Drink yc all of it ; for this is my blood of the new covenant *, and this cup is the new covenant * in my blood, which is jhed for you, and for many, for the remifjion ofjins. And they all drank of it. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in I eniembrance of me. * I have here put covenant infteiul of teftament, which feems tlie proper meaning ol" the original word in this place, becaufe the old difpcnfation, to which the new is oijpoled, had nothing in it of the nature of a ttllament, but was purely a covenant, or fti- pulation between God and his people the Jews promifing mercies tu them, and requiring duties of them. See Hammond on the New TcAamcnt, p. i, 2. feirce ou Heb. ix. i6, 17. [ 44 ] Section I. And after the fame manner he alfo took the cup^ oferfup- per^ and gave thanks. 1. The cup, as well as the bread, was taken \n fuch a manner as to lead the difciples to think that ibme fpeci- al and extraordinary purpofe was to be ferved by it. And, confidering that which our Lord had done and faid, \vith rel'peft to the bread, they might well look upon his taking of the cup as the confecrating of it, or the fetting it apart to a facred uie. And the pafchal Tapper being then fully ended, they muft needs be fenlible that the cup was not taken with a view to that ordinance. 2. But we may fay of the cup as was faid of the bread-. (Chap. i. Seft. i. 7.) that it is to be confidered as holy to the Lord, fet apart for his worfliip, as foon as ever it is fet upon the table •, fo that the minifler's taking it in- to his hands, or laying his hands over it, is to be looked vipon as no more than a recognition of its confecration. 3. The wine, we may fuppofe, was in the cup when our Lord took it : and as that fignifies his blood, as wc fhall fee prefently, fo it fets it before us Ihed, But for- • aimuch as nothing is faid of his pouring the wine into the cup from another veffel, I fee no reafon to confider this as a rite fignifying the {bedding of Chrift's blood,, and defigned to teach us, that while this is doing, we fliould view him as bleeding on the crofs. And indeed,. v\'hen by the bread broken, he had reprefented his body as given and broken, or in other words, had fet himfelf before us as crucified-, and when, in faft, his blood was {lied at the fame time that his body was broken j why {liould we think that he hath inftituted another rite, the pouring the wine into the cup, to direft our thoughts anew to him, as yet alive on the crofs, {bedding his blood and fu{Fering for us ? 4. It mu{l be ow^ned indeed, that it is very {itting for every communicant to make the fufferings of our blelTed Saviour, in part, the fubjeft of his meditation, when he [ 45 ] is at the table : but tbe bread Hgnifylng his body, the breaking of the bread niuft fignlly the breaking of his body, and fo it muurally directs our thoughts to his fuf- ferings. While therefore the bread is breaking, we may ■with great propriety meditate on Chrill's fufferings ior us. But when we come to this part of the lacrament, the taking of the cup, we are not to condder our Savi- our on the crofs, but as having been crucified •, we are no longer to view him as fuffeiing, but as having fuft'er- ed •, not as Ihedding, but as having ihed his blood for us ; and then our bufinefs is to attend to the bleffed and glo- rious fruits of his fufferings and death. 5. When our Lord had taken the bread, he bleffed and gave thanks, that is, he prayed to God with thankfgiv- ing for his blefiing. And as we cannot but fuppofe that he did the fame upon his taking of the cup, fo it is high- ly reafonahle, that in this alio, we fliould follow his ex- ample. For now another and a glorious fcene opens to our view j new wonders of grace are let before us ; and as this demands our thankfgivings and praifes, lb it likewife calls for our prayers to God, that we may be aright affe(Sted with a ienle thereof, and make anfwerable returns of love and gratitude for fuch a favour. But this will more fully appear from confidering the words which our Lord fpake upon this occafion, when his prayer and thankfgiving was ended. Section IL This is my blood. I. Can it be thought, that on the pronouncing of thelc words, tlie cup was tranfubltanliated or changed into blood ? " No, fay the papilts, not the cup but the wine. " Tlie cup is the fame as it was before the words were " fpoken, but the wine is no longer wine, but the very " blood of ChiilL" And, according to the dodrine tliUt they teach us, r.s in the former part of the lacnimcnt, the difciphs liad been eating Chrill's body, that very body which they might have i^^w Handing, fitting, or lying before them, all the while they were eating it 3 lo [ 46 ] • when he hadipokcn thefe words, they were llkewifc drink- ing his blood, that very blood which was then running in his veins. 2. When the proteftants do objeft, " But is it poffible to bring any lliew of reafon for things fo abfurd as thefe ?"• The papiits anfwer, " Yes, the words of the Lord Jefus *' are plain, this is my body, and this cup is my blood. " We do not aft like Chrillians, if we deny the truth *' of all that he has faid *." But to this it may be replied, " That we a»-e indeed to believe the words of " our Lord j but they are not to be underftood in a " literal, but a figurative fenfe. And, as when he faid "of the bread, This is my body, he defignedno more than •* to lead his difciples to confider it as iignifying 1iis bo- *' dy 3 fo we are alfo to think, that in faying of the cup, *' This is my blood, he meant no more than if he had " faid, Look on this as fignifying my blood. 3. The papills admit of one metonomy in the words, that of the cup, for the wine contained in it ; and we plead for another, that of the fign for the thing fignified j and it is hard to fay which of thefe figures of fpeech is the mofl: common. The plain abfurdity that there is in the literal fenfe, that is, the abfurdity of fuppofing that the cup becomes blood, and that we aie to drink the cup, forces them to give up that, and fly to the figura- tive fenfe. And in like manner, the plain abfurdity of fuppofing that a wafer or a piece of bread may be the body of a man, and a little wine his blood ; and the plain abfurdity alfo of fuppofiing that we may eat his body and drink his blood, while we fee him alive, whole and unbroken before us, and while, as I may add, agreeably to what has been faid, our fenfes aflTure us that that which we eat and drink is no other than bread and wine : Thefe plain abf^rdities, I fay, force us to give up the literal fenfe of Clirift's words. This bread is my body, and this cup, or this wine is my blood, and to fly to their figurative fenfe, and underfland them as meaning * " It is not meet for any Chrlftian to appeal from Clirift's words " to his own fenfes or reafon for the examining the truth of what he " has faid, but rather to fiibmit his fenfes and realon to Chriit's " words in Obfequioufaefs of faith." A Pflp'Ji rnifreprefeiitfd and, rcprefcnted. L 47 J no more than that the bread and the wine are to be CDn- fidered as fymbols or tokens of his body and blood. Section III. • The Blood of the New Covenant. 1. Firrt, our bleflfed Saviour teaches us by the bread broken, that he fufFered and died for us j then he repeat- eth and confirnieth the fame by the wine in the cup, the fymbol of his blood, which he Ihed for us : and here he leadeth our thoughts to the new covenant, as the grand fruit of his fufferings and death. And we are now to obferve that God To loved the world, as to give his Son to offer up himfelf a propitiatory facrifice "to declare his righteouiuefs, that he might be jult,"' Rom. iii. 2j. and vet make a covenant of peace and friendlhip with fuch linful creatures as we are, even every one that be- lieveth in Jefus. 2. ChrilPs blood being Qicd for this purpofe, " accor- ding to the will of God and our Father, Gal. i, 4. and agreeably to his compad with hiiT), Heb. x. 5, &c. w~ may reafonably look upon it as the bafis or foundation of God's covenant with us. And lince that which our Saviour has done is fulHcient to anfwer this end. (as ap- pears froD*. his railing of him from the dead, and receiv- ing him up into glory) we may juitlv fay, that the foun- dation of this covenant is fuie. And for this reafon wc may alio fpeak of his blood as the feal of this covenant. And it is certain that no figning and fealing of a deed can do more to ratify and confirm it, or to flitisfy thoi'e to whom it is given, that every article in it fliall be per- formed, than the blood of Jefus does to alTare us that God will art in every relpert agreeably to his covenant. For this our bleiTed Saviour may claim as a debt due to him on the accoiint of his lutFerings and death. This therefore the faithfulnefs and jullice of God may encou- rage us to look for. See 1 Johui.9. 3. Many are the bleflings Ipoken of in X.V\s covenant; but I Ihall only obftrve, in the general, that the exceed- r 48 ] ing great and precious promlles, which God has given us in his word, are as fo many articles in his covenant, to the performance of which he is binding himfelf : and that from coniidering their nature and extent^ we may- fee the blefiednefs of thofe who have him in covenant with them. And well may it be faid, '" Happy is that people that is in fuch a cafe j yea happy is that people whofe God is the Lord," Pfalm cxliv. 15. " For what (hall we fay to thefe things, if God be for us, if the Almighty hath made a covenant of peace and friend- fhip with us, who can be againil us?" Rom. viii. :?i. What need they fear who have " Him for their fun and fhield •, and are affured that he will give them grace and glory, and with-hold no good thing from them ?" Pfalm Ixxxiv. II. Sect. IV. And this Cup is the New Covenant in my hlood. I. If feme of the facred writers had told us that our Lord had faid, *' Tliis cup is my blood of the new co- venant," and others, that he took the cup, faying, " 'I'his cup is the new covenant," and, if they had added no more, there would not have been the leaif colour of rea- fon for thinking any other than that he delivered both thefe propofitions. But " this is my blood of the new covenant, and this is the new covenant in my blood," be- ino- much the fi-une words, in a different pofition, feveral confiderable authors* have taken it for granted that but one of thefe was ufed, " fnice they both tend to the fame " end, and defign the fame thing." But i cannot be oT their mind, becaufe thef*; two propofitions feem to me to give us different notions of the cup, and to anfwer ve- ry different purpofes : For in the former our Saviour di- re6ls us to confider the cup as his blood, " This cup is my blood 5" and in the latter he fpeaks of it as the new * Hammoncrs woiks, Vel. I. p. 176. Patrick's Menfa Myftica. p. 75. Plain accaviour. *' To this end 1 was born, and lor this caufe came 1 into the world, and made my foul an of- fering for fin." And 1 now give thee this bread, the fym- bol of my body given and broken for tliee, in token of my calling on thee to look to me, uith hope and joy, for all the blefl'ed fruits of my fuflerings and death : " be not faithlefs, but believing." " And furely it wiU become thee to fay, in return, ** Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. Mine ini- " quities tellify againll me, and my tranfgreflions, which " have been multiplied. Ah, how have I defpifed the " commandments of God, and done evil in his light. It ** is of liis mercies, that I am not confumed. But why " Ihould the fenfe of my fins cauie my heart to defpair, ** when thou, O bleffed Jcfus, the hope of Ifrael, and " the Saviour thereof, callell: to all the ends of the " earth, to look unto thee, that they may be faved, Ifa. " xlv. 22 ; to come unto thee, that they may have reft, " Matt. xi. 26. '• Encouraged therefore, not only by thy word, but *' by this fenfible pledge of thy favour, which thou here " givell me, 1 now fly to thee as my Saviour. In thee " alone 1 trull : Lord, fave me, or I perilh. To thee " 1 now look for repentance, and the forgivencfs of all " my fins j for a righteoufnefs to juftify me ; for thy " Spirit to fanftify me ; for reconciliation and peace with " God, and all the blcfiings thou haft purchaied. " To thee 1 now folemnly and heartily devote myfelf. " Lord, I am thine ; fully lefolved, la an human depen- " dcnce on thy grace, to ipend all my days in thy ler- " vice : and 1 now take, and eat this bread, in token of *' my acknowledging thee as my Lord, and of my triift- " ing and hoping in thee as my Saviour." If there be any time between the receiving of the bread, and the other part of this ordinance, it may be employed in fome fuch thoughts as thefe : *' Thou haft now named the name of Chrift, let it be ** thy care, O my foul I to depart from all iniquity. " Like one of his familiar friends, thou haft been ** eating of his bread, give proof of tliy loving him, [ 63 ] ** by keeping his commandments. Be concerned to ap- " prove thyielf to him, as his difciple indeed, by conti- " nuiiig in his word, living in his fervice. Let thy con- ** verfation be as it becometh his gofpel j fo as to adorn " this doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. As *' thou hall received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk in " him, rooted, and built up in him, and ftabliflied in " the faith, abounding therein with thankfgiving. Q " mayeft thou never forget that he is thy Lord, but dai- *' ly worlhip and ferve him. Always remember that he " is thy Saviour : the life which I now live in the flefii, " I live by the f:uth of the Son of God, who loved me, " and gave himfelf for me. " O Lord I do thou enable me to maintain a conilant " dependence on any grace, and grant that 1 may find it " fufficient for me in all difficulties and trials, O thou *' bleffed Jefus ! thou almighty Saviour I keep that " which I have committed unto thee againft that day. *' Pray for me, that my faith may never fail ! Lord, in- " creafe and ftrengthen it ; perfe6l that which is lack- *' ing in it. Fulfil all the good pleafure of thy goodnefsj " and the work of faith with power. May its adlings " be more vigorous and lively, in the remaining part of *' this duty, than they have been in that which is now " over. Mine eyes are unto thee, O Lord, have mtr- *' cy upon me." Our meditations and ejaculations, relating to the cup, fhould be fuitable to the leveral things that our Lord obferved, as he prefented it to his diiciples ; as that it is the fymbol of his blood, which he flied for us, for the remiflion of fins ; that this blood, of which the cup is the appoinXed fymbol, is the blood of the new cove- nant •, and that agreeably to this, the cup is alio to be confidered as the token and feal of this covenant, in Chrilt's blood, both on God's part and on ours. The confidering the cup, as reprefenting the blood of Jefus (lied for us, and for many, for the remiflion of fins^ " that whofoever belleveth, through him might be lav- ed," may lead us to exprefs our thoughts in iuch words as thefe : *' Thou art now again, O my foul ! to view the cru- " ciSed Jefus j for he is again evidently let forth before [ 69 ] *' thine eyes, as crucified among us. Behold the price " of thy redemption, the forgivenefs of thy fins j not " corruptible things, as filvcr and gold, but the preci- *' ous blood of Chrirt, as of a lamb without blcmifli, and *' without fpot. How great is that falvation, which was " purchafed by the Son of God at fo dear a rate ! how " fliall I efcape if 1 negledl it ! *' But be not call down, O my fonl ! why fliouldft " thou fear, and not hope in the Saviour of all men, e- " ven every one who believeth, when he aflureth thee, " that he fuffered and died for thee, and again calleth " on thee to look to him for all the bleffed fruits of his " fufterings and death ; nay, again prefenteth them un- " to thee ! " Do not forget that he who was delivered for thine " offences, was raifed again for thy jultification ; and •* that, as by his blood, that blood which he (hed for " the remiffion of thy fins, he entered into the holy place, " heaven itfelf, now to appear in the prefenceof God for *' thee ; fo he is able to fave them to the uttermort, that " come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make *' interceffion for them." When confidering the cup, as fetting before us the blood of the new covenant, you may proceed as fol- lows : " O may the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Fa- *' ther of glory, enlighten the eyes of my underrtanding, ""that I may know what is the hope of his callings " what the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindnefs " towards me through Jefus Chrifl: ; how very defirable *' that bleflfednefs is, which is noiv fet before me. " Had no more been faid of the blood o Jefus, than " that it was (hed for the remiffion of fins, it might have " been thought, that the being faved from wrath through *' him, is all I am to look for. But how fliouldll thou '* wonder, () my foul ! at tlie gracious words which pro- *' ceeded out of his mouth I This is my blood of the *' new covenant : words evidently defigned to encourage " thy hopes of the fum of all bleiTednefs, the having the *' Lord for thy God, in covenant with thee. " And now thou art not merely to view, but receive *' Chrift by faith, as having ooce fuffered for fins, the [ 70 ] " juft for the unjufl, that he might bring thee to God 5- •• that God, of an enemy, might be thy friend •, that his *' covenant of life and peace might be with thee ; that ** all the exceeding great and precious promifes in his *' word, promifes of the life that now is, and of that *' which is to come, might be thy portion. In Chrift " they are yea, and in him, amen j ratified -and confirm- " ed by his blood. " Now thou art to look up to God in the heavens, as *' fitting on the throne of his grace, holding out the " golden fceptre, inviting thee to draw near, and in how '* condefcending, how kind, and moving a manner ! in- *' cline thine ear ; come unto me ; hear, and thou flialt *' live, and I will make an everlarting covenant with " thee, even the fure mercies of David, Ifa. Iv. 5. " Be aftonifhed, O ye heavens, at this ! let angels, as " well as faints, iland amazed at the love of God, in giv- *' ing his Son ; and the love of Chrift, in giving himlelf '* to fuffer and die that we might partake of this blelTed- " nefs. Oh how rich is God in mercy ! How great is *' the love wherewith he hath loved us ! How exceed- *' ing abundant is the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift ! *' Shoulaft thou not love him who firft loved thee ! " What is there, O my foul ! of greater importance *' than this, the having God's covenant with thee. Thy *' life ; thy all •, thy peace and comfort, in this world, " and eternal bleffednels in the other depend upon it. " Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help ; " whofe hope is in the Lord his God, who made hea- *' ven, earth, and fea, and all that is therein; whokeep- " eth truth and Ihall reign for ever, even thy God, O " Zion, unto all generations I" That each of thefe notions, which our Lord has given us of his blood, may be further improved for your com- fort, it may be proper to add. " And what can do more to filence all thy fears, nay, *' to fill thee with all joy, and peace in believing', and *' even give thee to abound in hope of this unfpeakable " privilege, through the power of the holy Ghoft, than *' that, which thy blefTed Saviour has obfcrved concern- " ing his blood ? [ 71 ] " Thy fins, O my foul, have been many, thy guilt has *' been great ; but be of good comfort ; the blood of " Jefus was fhed for thee, tor the remilTion of thy fins : *' if therefore thou confeffeft and forlakell them, e- *' ven the faithfuluefs, as well as mercy, of God, may *' encourage thy hopes of forgivenefs, i John i. 9. Prov. xxvii. 13. " Thou haft rebelled againft the moft high God, the *' pofl'efl'or and Lord of heaven and earth j and there " is nothing thou canft do to merit his favour •, but doll " thou repent of thy wickednefs and chufe the things " that pleale him, it is no prefumption in thee to take " hold of his covenant, and look for all the bleflmgs it " fpeaks of , for this blood, which was Ihed for the re- " milTion of thy fins, is alfo the blood of the covenant, " the price of theie bleflings." The viewing the cup as the new covenant in Chrift's blood, may lead you to fpeak to yourfelves in fome fuch manner as this. '• And ihould it not remove every difcouragingthought, " to behold the Lord Jefus ptefenting thee with this cup, " the lymbol of l)is blood, and commanding thee to re- " ceive it, as the new covenant in his blood. It is a " fenfible pledge of God's favour to thee ; the feal, as *■' well as token of his covenant ; and defigned, not meer- *' ly to lead thy thoughts to the gracious declarations " and promifes of the word J but to excite and Ibength- " en thy faith and thy hope in them, and to ferve as a *' witnel's for God, that there (hall not fail one word of " all his good proiTiifes. " Make ufe then, O my foul, of that liberty that is *' granted thee, to enter into the holiell by the blood of " Jefus •, tliat blood by which he hinifelf is entered ; and " go boldly, though with reverence and godly fear, to *' the throne of grace, that thou mayell obtain mercy, " and find grace to help in time of need. " And now, O Lord, I draw near to thee. O may *' I do it with a true and upright heart I In thy favour *' is life. Thy loving kindnefs is better than life. My " flelh and my heart faileth ; and all things here will •' fail ; but if I have thee for my God, in covenant with " nte, my hapninei's will befecure and lulling •, for thou C 7^ ] *' wilt be the ftrength of my heart and my porlion for *' ever. This is all my falvation, and all my deiire. " I acknowledge my fin unto thee, and mine iniquity " will I not hide j to me belongeth confuiion of face, " becaufe I have iinned againft thee, I am not worthy " of the leaft of all thy mercies ; if thy compafiions had " failed, how very milerable had I now been ! who am " I, O Lord God ! whence is this to me, that thou " fliouldft fpeak of making with me an everlalling cove- " nant, ordered in all things and fare j but fuch are the " riches of thy grace, that as in thy word thou fettelt " this bleffednefs before me, fo this cup is prefented to *' me to encourage myhopes of enjoying it. *' And now having full affurance of faith, being firm- " ly perfuaded of the efficacy of the blood of Jefus , that *' blood which he Ihed for the remiffion of my fins, the " blood of the new covenant, I receive, and drink of this " cup as the fymbol of this blood, and as the token and *' feal of this covenant, and this I do, for a teftimony of " my taking thee for my God and dedicating myfelf " to thy fervice. " O Lord, thou art my Lord, my lot, my portion, the life of my foul ; the father of mercies ; the God of all comfort. All my fprings are in thee. In thee >vill I put my trull:. In tliee will I boalf all the day long. I will praife thy name for ever. Li this alone will I glory, the underllanding and knowing thee. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens ; thy faithfuluefs reacheth unto the clouds. Thou exercifell loving kind- nefs, judgment and righteoufnels in the earth. Thou wilt abundantly fatisfy thy people ; thou wilt make them ' to drink of thy pleafures. For with thee is the foun- tain of life. In thy light fliall we fee light. " I now yield myfelf unto thee as thy fervant ; all the powers and faculties of my foul, and all the members of my body, as inftmments of righteoufncfs unto God. I now enter into thv covenant and into thine oath, that I will be thine ; and will walk in thy ways, will live in thy fervice. 1 now folemnly engage to make thy word the rule of my life, and thy glory the end of my living. *' O take away all iniquity, and receive me gracioul- ly : turn not away from me, but rejoice over me to do me good, and put thy fear in my heart, that I may ne C 73 ] never depart from thee. Thou who art the God of peace, that hart broiioht again from the dead our Lord Jelus, through the blood of rhe everlaliing covenant, make me perfeti in every good work to do thy will, working in me that which is well pleafing in thy fight, through Je- fus Chrilt, to whom be g'ory for ever and ever. A- men." Thefe devotional exercifes relating to the cup, may prepare your hearts for the praifes as well as prayers which are to be offered up to God in public, after the receiving it. 1 fpeak of praifes as well as prayers, becaufe it ap- pears from the hillory of the inltitution of the Lord's lupper, as might have been obferved in the review, that Chrill and his apoftles fang an hymn before they left the houfe in which he had inltituted it, Mat. xxvi. 30. Mark xiv. 26. We cannot fay, whether this was the hallel of the Jews, which began at Pfal. cxiii. and ended with Plal. cxviii. •, or a part of it only j or fome other hymn more fuited to his new inftitution. But, be this as it will, as the reafon of things led the Jews to fing praifes to God, when they had eaten the paffover, fo it ll^ould. much more lead Chrirtians to do the fame, on thei^.'inv- ing received the Lord's fupper : for no inJi^rice of the love and grace of God is equal to that) 'which this ordi- nance lets before us. But the laudable cuftom tliat prevails amongft us, makes it needlefs to ini-'ft on the proof of this point : for, as the Church of »)gland, in her communion fervice, direfls us to fa^'v or fing, " Glory be to God on high, and on eartU peace, good- will towards men ; wc piaife thee, wp'iefs thee, we worlhip thte, we glorify thee, we jr-'''^ thanks to thee for thy great glory, 6 Loid God, Jh>'.venly King, God the Father Almighty ; fo the dif- Tenters have various collections of hymns for their ufe at the Lord's table. I (hall tranfcribe a few Ifnes from Dr. Watts, becaufe of their fuitablenefs to that which I have obferved concerning the facraajeatal cun. G E 74 1 Mope in the covenant. TjrOW oft have fin and Satan ftrove ■*--*■ To rend my foul from thee, my God But everlafling is thy love, And Jefus feals it with his blood. The oath and promife of the Lord Join to confirm the wondrous grace j Eternal power performs the word, And fills all heaven with endlefs praife. Amidft temptations fliarp and long My foul to this dear refuge flies : Hope is my anchor firm and llrong, While tempells blow and billows rife. The gofpel bears my fpirits up j A faithful and unchanging God .Lays the foundation for my hope ^" oaths, and promifes, and blood. Hymns, B. L cxxxix, T.he New Covenant ftaled. -- '"I^HE promife of my Father's love -*• Shall Hand for ever good ; He faid, and gave his foul to death And feaPd the grace with blood. To tl\is dear cov'nant of thy word I fet my worthlefs name ; I feal the engagement to my Lord, And make my humble claim. Thy light and ftrength, and pard'ning grace And glory ftiall be mine j I 75 ] My life and foul, my lieart and fleili, And all my povv'rs are thine. Here in thy courts I leave my vow. And thy rich grace record ; Witnefs, ye faints, who hear me now, If 1 forfake the Lord. B. III. iv. Pfal. cxvL Unlefs John xvii.isone of Chrift's Sacramental pray- ers, we cannot plead his example for praying after re- ceiving of the cup. But iince there is no colour of rea- Ion for thinking that this duty is then improper, or un- feafonable, wliy ihould any be for breaking in upon tlie cullom of concluding this feaft with prayer, which (o generally prevails* r And now the public worfhip being over, all that re- mains is for every communicant to make the molt ferlous rellection on what he has done, and to be found in fuch exercifes of the heart in his retirements as are fuitable to his cafe. If Deifts as well as Chriftians, they who deny, as well as they who believe the gofpel of God concerning his Son Jefus Chrift our Lord, arc amoifgthe communicants, they may put fuch queftions as theie to themfelves. " Is this that I have done to be juitiaed ? have I a£l- ed honelUy, and with a regard to truth r were I in Tur- key, or in China, might 1 1'rot join with the Mahometans, or Pagans in their fuperftitions, as well as join with the Chriilians in this, which they look upon as the moll; fo- lemn inllitution of v.hat they call their Religion ? may not Shadrach, Melliach and Abednego be juftly applaud- ed for their bravery and noblenefs of their fpirits in ha- zarding their lives rather than fall down and worlhip the golden image that Nebuchadnezzer had fet up ? and may not I as juRly be condemned for being governed by the bafell principle in receiving the facrament with no other view thanthat I may have a legal qualification for an office ? Is it fit upon any confideration whatever to be found in any aft of falfe worfhip, and to do honour to an impoilor. * Oratio cQnviviiim dirimit. Tertul. Apol. [ 76 ] " But why fliovild I thus fpeak of Jefus of Nazareth, who, if the hiftories of him in the New Teftament be true, was a man without guile j and approved of God, as a teacher come from Him, by many miracles, and won- ders and figns, which were openly done by him, and at length declared to be the Son of God by his refurrec- tion from the dead ? " This inllitution, indeed, fets him before us as cru- cified ; but is this the only notion under which I ought, in reafon, to conlider him ? had he been a deceiver of the people, mull there not have been a full end of all faith in him, and regard to him, upon his having been put to death, and in fo infamous a manner r but is it not certain that Chriftianity very much prevailed, and that the number of his difciples mightily increafed, for many years after his crucifixion ? and is it not alfo ceitain that men in thofe times, could not reafonably hope for any worldly advantages from profeffingthemlelvesChiiftians j fofar from it, that this was the way to endanger the lofsof their ertates, their friends, their liberties, and even their lives ? what then fhould lead fuch multitudes to this, but the full evidence they had of the truth of ChrilVs refur- reition ; and that he was indeed exalted by the right hand of God, to be a prince and a Saviour, to give le- pentance to Ifrael, and forgivenefs of fins ? " When this was the cale, have I no caufe to fufpeft that there is feme paflion, fome prejudice or other, that has hitherto blinded my mind, and hindered the light of his'golpel from fliining upon me ^ will it not be prudent, is it not necelTary, to examine my heart with all poflible care, that i may difcover the fecret fprings of my car- " Was not the author and finifher of the ChrifHan's faith for this purpofe manifclled, that be might deilroy the works of the devil ? and fin and iniquity being the devil's work, did he not come into the world to faA^e his people from their fins, and to blefs them in turning away every one of them from his iniquities ■' is not this, the leading us to holinefs in heart and in life, the end of the dodrine he taught, and is it not proper to anfwer this end ? fliould not this recommend it to us as a dodlrine worthy of God, and profitable to men ■* and yet is not TWENTY-FIVE r)ISCOURSES SUITABLETO THE LORD'S SUPPER, Delivered juft before the Administration of that facred Ordinance. By the Reverend and Learned J O H N O W E N, D, D. Of the laft Age. Heb. xi. 4. He being dead, yet fpcaketh. Vol. 1 EDINBURGH: fjtiNTED FOR J. Ogle, Parliament-Sciuare, and M. Ogli?, WiLSON-SxrtEET, Glasgow. 1798 TO Mrs COOKE, of Stoke -Newington. Madam, Four years ago the world was favoured, through your means, with a volume of Doc- tor Owen's fermons, which never before ap- peared in print ; and it is at your inflance that the the following facramental difcourfes of that fame venerable Divine are now made public. Hereby, Madam, you at once ex- prefs your high value and juft efteem for the memory and works of that incompara- ble author, with your generous concern, and prevailing defire of being ferviceable to the taufe of Chrift, a caufe much more dear to you than all the worldly poflellions with which the providence of God has blefled you. With the greateft fincerity it may be faid, your conflant afFedtion to the habita- tion of God's houfe, your fteady adherence to the peculiar dodlrines of Chriftianity, your kind regards to the faithful minifters of the gofpel, your extenlive benevolence to the indigent and the diftrefled, your affabili- ty to all you converfe with, and, in a word. ( iv ) your readinefs to every good work, are fo fpread abroad, that, as the apoflle fays to the ThelTalon ans, there is no need to fpeak any thing. That the Lord would prolong your valu- able life, daily refrefh your foul with the dew of his grace, and enable you, when the hour of death approaches, to rejoice in the- full profped: of eternal life through our Lord* Jefus Chriil, is the prayer. Madam, Of your afFeftionatc and obedient Servant, Took*s Court, Curfitor-ftreet, March 4. 1760. Richard Winter.. [ 77 ] tills that which makes me unwilling to receive it, and acknowledge the divine authority of its teacher ? but if this be fo, does not my reafon, ray confcience condemn me < and mull 1 not conclude that the God of truth does alfo condemn me ? and that I may efcape his righteous judgment ought I not immediataly to fall down on my knees, and pray, Lord pardon the fins of which I have been guilty, and give me to do thy will, that I may know of the doclrine of Jefus, whether it be of thee or whether he fpake of himfelf ?" Let the Deilts make the experiment, and I am apt to think they will find that their giving a fatisfa6\ory an- fv.-er to theie quellions will fliew that it is highly rea- fonable for them, to refolve either to go to the Lord's table no more, or to obferve his inllitution for the fu- ture with other afFeftions and to a different purpofe than they have ever done it before. And that it may be the fame with another fort of com- municants, thofe I mean who pvofefs to believe the goi- pel of Chrift, b\it do not obey it, fuch as call him, Lord, Lord, but know in their conlcicnccs that they do not the things that he faith j let them, as is meet, reafon with themfelves after fome fuch manner as this. " Wherein is it better with me than with a Deift ? what benefit may I expeft from partaking of the lacra- ment, which he may not look for ? we are adled by the fame principles and aim at the like ends in that which we have done. 1 may fay as well as he, that it was not inclination to this duty, affection to Chrilt, a defire to fhew refpeft to him, a concern for my fj)iritual advan- tage, or any thing of this nature, that carried me to the Lord's table, no ; but the love of this world, and a re- gard to its profits, its pleafures. or its honours. Had it i.ot been to pleafe my friends, or to gain the reputation of a pious man, or to qualify me for fuch an office, or for fome end like thefe, I had thought nothing of eating this bread and drinking this wine. " But what hypocrify and folly have I been guilty of ! I may have impoftd on my fellow communicants ; but be not deceived, O my foul, God is not mocked. He who fearcheth all hearts, and underftandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts, cannot but know all the [ 78 ] fpnngs of my actions •, even my moft feciet fins are not ' hid from his eyes, and whatloever 1 fow that Ihall I al- fo reap. " What an evil fervant have I been ! I have troden under foot the Son of God, I have counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and done deipite to the fpi- rit of grace ; and 1 may juftly be thouj'ht worthy of the foreft punifhment. What a wonder of mercies is it that my Lord did not come and cut me akinder, and ap- point me my portion with hypocrites, where lliail be weeping and gnafhing of teeth ! '• But hitherto, O Lord, thou hafl kept filence, and waited to be gracious unto me. Should I go on to de- fpife the riches of thy goodnefs, forbearance, and long- fuffering, and not be led thereby to repentance, what can I think but that I fhall treafure up unto myfelf wrath againfl the day of thy wrath, and revelation of thy righ- teous judgment, who wilt render to every man accord- ding to his deeds ? " BlelTcd be thy name that I am yet the living before thee and have fome iight of the danger I am in ; imprefs my heart with a more affefting fenfe of it. May my flelh tremble for fear of thee. Pv'Iay I be fo afraid of thy judg-ments, as not to dare to take one Hep more in the way of fin. " But why, O Lord, fliould I give up all hopes of being laved when I yet hear of a Saviour ; and when his blood which cleanfeth from all fin, is yet fet before me : and when I yet enjoy the miniftry of reconciliation by which I am affured that thou art in Chrili reconcil- ing the world unto thyfelf, not imputing their trefpafies unto them, and befeecheif me to be reconciled unto thee. " What amazing love and grace Is this ! Lord ! give me to feel that it conftraineth me to throw down my arms immediately, and yield myfelf unto thee ; and O have mercy upon_me according to thy loving kindnefs, accord- ing to the multitude of thy tender mercies, in Chrift, blot out my tranfgreffions. Wafli me thoroughly from mine iniquities, and cleanfe me from my fin. Create in roe a clean heart, O God 1 and nenew a right fpirit within me. Let no iniquity any longer have dominion over r 19 ] mc J but break, all the cords of my fins, wlierewlth I have been holden : fet my foul at liberty, by the power of thy grace j make me thy fervant, and help me to fpend the remainder of my days in thy I'eivice." It may be fome who fear that they are among this fort of communicants may be fecretly moved, while thus pray- ing, to add with pleafure and joy. " And now, O Lord, thou givefi: me my heart's defire, and hart not withholden the requelts of my lips. For now 1 feel the holy lire kindling in my brealt, and am made willing to be thine. Thou art my portion, faith my foul, therefore atIII I hope in thee. Thou art my rightful Sovereign, and I now fubmit myfelf unto thee. Other lords, in time pall;, have had dominion over me ; but by the afliftance of thy grace, thee only will I ferve for the future. O that my heart may be right with thee, lledfart in thy covenant ; and that having my fruit unto holinefs, my end may be everlarting life, thro' Je- ius Chrirt our Lord." But this leads our thoughts to the truly pious •, for it cannot jurtly be faid of any other perfons, that theirhearts fpeak fuch language : and the proper workings of their minds, when retired, after they had been at the Lord's lable, may be thus cxprciled. *' I have lifted up my hand unto the moft high God, and I cannot go back. I have fworn, and I will per- form it, that I will keep his righteous commandments. I love my mafter, and 1 will not go cut free. Lord to whom fliall I go ? Thou hall the words of eternal life ; I love thy fervice, and am fully refolved never to leave it. It is profitable unto all things, having promile of the life which now is, and of that which is to come. " But knowing that I am in an evil world, in which I fliall meet with many temptations to forget God, and dealfalfely in his covenant, and being fenfible that the flefii is weak, and ready to comjjly with them, 1 da'-e not trull in my own heart, nor place any confidence in my own rtrength ; but 1 Hy to thee, my blelTed and almigh- ty Saviour. Thou art the mediator of the new cove- nant, and a witncfs of my oath ; be thou a furety for me, and help me by thy Spirit to aft agreeably to all my foleran ejigagcraents. Lord, confirm me unto the end. [ So ] Perform the good work begun in my foul. Keep mc by thy power through faith unto falvation, " How great is that bleffednefs which has been pie- fented to me at the Lord's table ! all the fruits of his fuflFerings and death, all the bleflings of the new covenant. Look diligently, O my foul, left thou fail of this grace of God. Fear left thou ftiouldft fo much as feem to come (liort of it. Seek after a bright and continued evi- dence of thine intereft in this bleflednefs •, that Chrift is thy Saviour, and that the Lord is thy God in covenant with thee. This will be the way to have that cheerful heart which doth good like a medicine, and to be rejoi- cing in all thy tribulations with joy unfpeakable and full of glory. " Prefs then, O my foul, toward the mark for this prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus. Be not flothful in bufinefs, but fervent in fpirit,ferving the Lord. Give all diligence to add to thy taith virtue ; and to virtue knowledge •, and to knowledge temperance ; and to temperance patience, and to patience godlinefs, and to godlinefs brotherly-kindnefs, and to brotheriy-kind- nefs, charity. " O that thefe things may be in me abound, that I may be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Thus my calling and eleflion being made fure, I ftiall go on my way rejoicing, and an entrance ftiall be miniftred unto me abundantly into the everlafting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." THE END. THE PREFACE. THE preceding dedication is fuiTicient to acquaint tiie public, that tlieie la- cramental difcourfes are the genuine pro- dudlions of that great man of God, Dodor John Owen, who was for fome time in the laft age vice-chancellor of Oxford. Thev enter the world through the fame channel, as his thirteen fermons on various occafions, publifhed four years lince, viz. They were at fiift taken in fhort-hand from the Doctor's mouth, and by the late Sir John Hartopp, Baronet, Mrs Cook's pious grandfather, were tranfcribed into long-hand. Mr Matthew Henry has this note in his annotations on 2 Kings ii. " There are re- mains of great and good men, which like Elijah's mantle, ought to be gathered up, and preferved by the furvivors ; their fay- ings, their writings, their examples ; that as their works follow them in the reward of them, they may Itay behind in the benefit of them." Not that our faith is to fland in the wifdom of men : the bible alone is the llandard of truth ; and there we are bid to go by the footileps of the flock ; and to keep the paths of the righteous. There is a Itrange itch in the minds of men after no- velties ; and it is too common a cafe, that b [ vi ] they who are for ftriking out fomething new in divinity are ready to pour contempt on the valuable writings of thofe who are gone before them ; and even the moll learned, peaceable and pious men fliall not efcape their unrighteous cenfures. This is notori- ous in the condud: of thofe who embrace the new fcheme. If we inquire of the former age, we fhall find there flourifhed in it fome of the great- elt and belt of men, for whofe printed works many acknowledge they have abundant caufe to blefs God to eternity. Among thefe the writings of Doctor Owen fliine with a peculiar lultre, in the judgment of judicious Chriftians ; and I am perfuaded, they who perufe them with the fpirit of love and of a jound mind will be as far from alTerting, that in his manner of maintaining the doclrine of faith, his " right arm appeared to be weakened," as from faying, that his right eye was darkened, and unable to difceru the objedl of it. As to the following difcourfes, which th^ Dodor calls familiar exercifes, they are now printed in hopes they will be made ufeful, through the divine bleffing, to affift the me- ditations of Chriftians of all denominations in their approaches to the Lord's table, fee- ing they are fo well adapted to anfwer that facred purpofe. DISCOURSE r. OBoher lo. 1669. 2 Cor. v. 21. For he hath made him to be Jin for us, who knew no fin ; that we might be tnade the righteoufncfs of God in him. I Shall not enter into the opening of this fcripture, but only propofe fomc few thing?, that may be a fuita- ble fubjeft for your prefeat-'neditation. There are three things concerning God the Father j three things concerning the Son j and three things concerning ourfelves ; all in thefe u'ords that I have mentioned, and all fuitable for us to be acting faith upon. I. I would confider, if the Lord help me, the fover- eignty of God the Father, his juj/ice and his grace. His Sovereignty ^ He made him ; God the Father made him. His jullice j He made him to be fin ; a facrifice and an offering for fin. And his grace ; " that we might be made tlie righteoufnefs of God in Chrill." I. The fovereignty of God. I could mention, that this fovereignty of God extends itfelf to all perfons chof- cn, and Ihew for whom Chrill Ihould be made fin ; for he was not made fin for all, but for them who became the righteoufnefs of God in him. — Alfo the fovereignty of God over things, dilpenfing with the law fo far, that he fuiTered tor fin, who knew no fin : and we, who had fin- ned, were let go free. The fovereignty of God in ap- pointing the Son to this work ; he made him ; for none elfc could : he was the fervant of the Father. So that the whole foundation of this great tranfadion lies in the fovereignty of God over peribns and things, in re- ference unto Chrill. Let us then remember to bow [ 8 ] clown to the fovereignty of God in this ordinance of the Lord's fupper. 2. There is thtjujiice of God. He made him to be fin, imputed fin unto him, reckoned unto him all the fins of the eleft, caufed all our fins to meet upon him, made him a fin-offering, a facrifice for fin, laid all the puniih- ment of our fins upon him. To this end he fent him forth to be a propitiation for fin, to declare his righteoufnefs. The Lord help us to remember, that his righteoufnefs is in a fpecial manner exalted by the death of Chrift. He would not fave us any other way but by making him fin. 3. There is the grace of God manifefls itfelf in the aim and defign of God in all this matter. What did God aim at ? It was " that we might become the righ- teoufnefs of God in him j" that wc might be made righ- teous and free from fin. IL There ate three things that lie clear in thefe words, that we may call to remembrance, concerning the Son. There is liis innocency, \ii& purity j " he knew no fin." There is his /l^c rings ; he was made "to be fin." And there is his merit ; it was " that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him." Here is another objeft for faith to meditate upon. 1. There are many things in fcripture that direft us to the fpotlefs purity, righteoufnefs, and holinefs of Chriif , when we think of his fuPferings. A Lamb of God with- out fpot. He did no nn, nor had any guile in his mouth. He was " holy, harra!ef;i, undefilcd, and feparate from finners." Faith ihould call this to mind in the fafferings of Chrift, that he knew no fin. That expreiTion fets fin at the greateft diliance from Jefus Chrift. 2. Thcfufferings of Chrift ; " he was m^de fin j" a comprehenfive word, that fets out his whole fufferings. Look, whatever the julHce of God, the law of God, whatever the threatenings of God did require to be in- flifted as a punidiment for fin ; Chrift underwent it all. They are dreadful apprehcnfions we ourfelves have, or can take in concerning the ifliie and effeft of fin, from the wrath of God, when under convictions, and not re- lieved by the promifcs of the gofpel. But we fee not [ 9 ] the thoufandth part of the evil of fin, that follows infe- parably from the righteoufnefs and holinefs of God. The effe^ls of God's julHce for fin will no more enter into our hearts fully to apprehend, than the effecls of his grace and glory will : yet whatever it was, Chrill under- went it all. 3. Then there is the merit of Chrifl ; which is ano- ther objei!:!: of faith that wc (houli call over in the cele- bration of this ordinance. Why was he roade fin? It was, " that we might become the righteoulnels of Go.l in him." It is anfwerable to that other expreflion in Gal. iii. 13, 14. He hath borne the curfe, was made a curfe for us. To what end ? " That the blefling of faithful Abraham might come upon us j"" or that we might be completely made righteous. The defign of our affembling together, is to remember, how we come to be made righteous j it is, by ChrilVs being made fin. III. We may (ee three things concerning ourfelves. 1. Our own Jin and (^ui/t : he was " made fin for us." If Chrilt was made lin for us, then Ave were finners. 2. We may remember our deliverance ; how we were delivered from fin, and all the evils of it. It was not by a word of command, or power, or by the interpofitioa of faints or angels, or by our own endeavours j but by the fufFerings oi the Son of God. And, 3. God would have us remember and call to mind tlie fate w hereunto we are brought, which is a fiate of righteourncfs ; that we may blefs him for that which in this world will iflue in our righteoufnefs, and in the world to come, eternal glory. Thefe things we may call over for our fnith to medi- tate upon. Our minds are apt to be diftrafled j the or- dinance is to fix them : and if we a£l faith in an efpeci- - al manner in this ordinance, God will be glorified. B3 [ JO ] DISCOURSE IL November 26. 16 '19. 1 Cor. X. 16. Ibe cup ofbleffm^ ivhich we b/ejs, is it not the commti' tiion oj the blood of Lhrijl? The bread which we break ^ is it not the communion of the body of Chrifl F THere is, in the ordinance of the Lord's fupper, an efpecial and peculiar communion with Chrifl: in his body and blood to be obtained. One reafon why we fo little value the ordinance, and profit fo little by it, may be becaufe we underfl:and fo little of the nature of that fpecial communion with Chrill, which we have therein. V/e have this fpecial communion upon the account of the fpecial objeft that faith is exercifed upon in this or- dinance, and the fpecial afts that it puts forth in refer- ence to that, or thofe objefts. For the acls follow the fpecial nature of their objects. Now, 1. The fpecial objeft of faith, as a61ed in this ordi- nance, is not the object of faith, as faith ; that is, the mofl general obje61 of it, which is the divine veracity. " He that hath received his tellimony, hath fet to his feal, that God is true," John iii. ^^. The divine veracity, or the truth of God, that is the formal objeft of faith, as faith •■) and makes oar faith to be divine faith. But now this is not the fpecial objedt of faith in this ordinance, but fomething that doth fuppofe that. 2. The fpecial objeft of faith, as juflifying, is not the fpecial objeft of faith in this ordinance. The Ipecial ob- ■je£l of faith, as jufl:ifying, is the promife, and Chrifl in the promife, in general as the Saviour of finners : fo when the apoftle called men to repent and believe, he tells them, " The promife is to you," Aftsii. 38. And, I fup- pofe, I need not iniift npon the proof of this, that the promife, and Chrifl in the promife, as Saviour and Re- deemer, is the objecl of faith, as it is juftifying. But C II ] this alfo is fuppofed In the aftings of faith in this ordiv nance ; which is peculiar, and gives us peculiar commu- nion v.ith Chrilt. Therefore, 3. The fpecial and peculiar objeft of faith, the imme- diate objeft of it, in this ordinance, in its largeit extent, is, ( I.) The human nature of Chriif , as the fubjeft where- in mediation and redemption was wrought. Chrilt is confidered to come as a facrifice ; that is laid down as the foundation of it, Pfal. xl. 6. Heb. x. 5. " A body haft thou prepared me j" which is fynecdo- chically taken for the whole human nature. Faith, when it would lead itfelf unto the facrifice of Chrift, which is here reprefented, doth in an efpecial manner confider the human nature of Chrift ; that God prepared him a body for that end. This we are to have peculiar regard unto, ^vhenever we come to the adminiftration or participation of this ordinance j for that end we now celebrate it. Nay, (2.) Faith goes further, and doth not confider merely the human nature of Chrift, but confiders it as diftinguifti- ed into its integral parts, into body and blood ; both which have a price, value, and virtue given unto them, by their union with his human foul j for both the body of Chrift and the blood of Chrift, upon which the work of our redemption is put in fcripture, have their value and worth from their relation unto his foul j as foul and body, making the human nature, had its value and worth from its relation unto the Son of God : othcrwife he faith of his body, " Handle it, it is but flefti and bones." But where the body of Chrift is mentioned, and the blood of Chrift is mentioned, there is a diftribution of the human nature into its integral parts, each part retaining its re- lation to his foul, and from thence is its value and excel- lency. This is the fecond peculiar in the objed of faith in this ordinance. (3.) There is more than this : they are not only con- fidered as diftinguiflied but feparate alfo ; the blood fe- parate from the body, the body left without the blood. This truth our apoftle, in this chapter and the next, doth moft fignally infift upon, viz. the diftinft parts of this or- dinance, one to reprefent the body, and the other to re- [ 12 ]. prtfent the blood j that faith may confider them as fe- parate. The Papifts, we know do facrilegioufly take away the cup from the people : they will give them the bread, but they will not give them the cup : and as it always falls out, that one error rnurt be covered with another, or elfe it will keep no man dry under it , they have invented the doctrine of concomitance ; that there is a concomi- tance, that is, whole Chriil is in every kind, in the bread, and in the wine •, the one doth accompany the other j which is direftly to overthrow the ordinance upon ano- ther account, as it is to reprefent Chrift'sbody and blood as feparated one from the other : our Lord Jefus bleffed the bread and the cup, and faid, " This is my body j" %vhich cannot be fpoken diftinftly, Unlefs luppofed to be feparate. Here then is a threefold limitation of the aft of faith, even in this ordinance, in a peculiar manner reftraining It to a fpecial communion with God in Chrift ; that it hath a fpecial regard to the human nature of Chrill ; to his human nature, as confifting of body and blood ; and as it refpefts them as feparated body and blood. Yea, (4.) It refpefts them as feparate in that manner. You all along know, that I do not intend thefe objects of faith as the ultimate objeft •, for it is the perfon of Chrift that faith reds in ; but thofe immediate objefts that faith is exercifed about, to bring it to reft in God : it is exercifed about the manner of this feparation ; that is, the blood of Chrift comes to be diftindi:, by being Ihed ; and the body of Chrift comes to be feparate by being bruif- ed and broken. All the inflituted facrifices of old did fignify this, a violent feparation of body and blood j the. blood was let out with the hand of violence, and fo fe- parated, and then fprinkled upon the altar, and then to- tvards the lioly place *, and then the bady was burned, diftinft by itfelf : fo the apoftle tells us, " It is the cup; which we blefs, and the bread which we break 5" the cup is poured out, as well as the bread broken, to remind faith of the violent feparation of the body and blood of Chrift. From this laft conhderation of faith a£ling it- felf upon the feparation of the body and blood of Chrift, by way of violence, it is led to a peculiar acting of it- I ^3 ] felf upon all the caufes of it ; whence it was, that this body and this blood of Chriil was reprelented thus fepa- rate ; and by inquiring into the caules of it, it finds a moving caufe, — a procuring caufe, — an efficient caufe, — and a Hnal caufe •, which it ought to exercife itfelf pe- culiarly upon always in this ordinance. f 1.] A moving caufe ; and that is, the eternal love of God in giving Chrlll in this manner, to have his body bruifed, and his blood ffied. The apoftle, going to ex- prefs the love of God towards us, tells you it was in this, that " he fpared not his own Son." Rom. viii. 32. One would have thought, that the love of God might have wrought in fending his Son into the world, but it alfo wrought in not fparing of him. Thus faith is called in this ordinance, to exercife itfelf upon that love which gives out Chrilf not to be fpared. [2.] It reflecls upon the procuring caufe •, whence it is, or what it is, that hath procured it, that there fhould be this repreientation of the fcparated body and blood of Chrift ; and this is even our own fin : He was delivered for our iniquities, given for our tranfgreffions, died to make reconciliation and atonement for our fins ; they were the procuring caufe of it, upon fucli confiderations of union and covenant, which I lliall not now infill up- on. It leads faith, I fay, upon a fpecial refpc6l: to fin, as the procuring caufe of the death of Chrifl. A natural confcience en the breach of the law leads the foul to the confideration of fin, as that which expofes itfelf alone to the wrath of God and eternal damnation : but in this ordinance we confider fin as that which expofeth Chriil; to death ; which is a peculiar confideration of the nature ©f fin. [3.] There is the efiicient caufe j whence it was that the body and blood of Chrift was thus feparated ; and that is threefold, principal, inllrumental, and adju- \-ant . What is the principal efTicient caufe of the fuffering of Chrilt •' Why, the juHice aed righteoufnefs of God. " God fet him forth to be a propitiation, to declare his own rigliteoufnefs," Rom.iii. 25. Whence it is faid, *' He fpared him not j" he caufed all our fins to meet upon him ; the chailifcment of our peace was upon hira. [ 14 ] ■ Again, There is the inftrumental caufe ; and that is the law of God. Whence did that feparation, which is here repreiented unto us, enfue and flow ? It came fronx the fentence of the law, whereby he was hanged upon the tree. Moreover, the adjuvant caufe, was thofe outward in- ftruments, the wrath and malice of men : " For of a truth againlt thy holy child Jefus, whom thou haft anoint- ed, both Herod and Poniius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together," Afts iv. 27. Faith confiders the caufe whence it was that Chrifl was thus given up, the eternal love of God 5 the procur- ing caufe was our own lins •, and if once faith doth take a view of fin, as that which hath nailed Chrill to the crofs, it will have a bleffed effetl upon the foul : and it confiders the efficient cauie, which is the jufiice and righ- teoufnefs of God. The Idw of God was the inftrument in the hand of righteoufnefs, which was holpen on by thofe outward inltruments who had a hand in his fuffer- ing ; but none in his facrifice. [4.] Faith confiders in this matter the end of this re- paration of the body and blood of Chrilt, which is thus reprefented ; and that is ultimately and abfolutely the glory of God. He fet him forth for the declaration of his righteoufnefs, Rom.iii. 25. Eph. i. 6. God aimed at the glorifying of himfelf. 1 could eafi', manifeft un- to you, how all the glorious properties of his nature are advanced, exalted, and will be io to eternity, in this fuf- fering of Chrift. — The fubordinate ends are two ; I mean, the fubordinate ends of this very peculiar a£l of this feparation of the body and blood. (1.) It was to confirm the covenant. Every cove- nant of old was to be ratified and confirmed by facrifice ; and in confirming the covenant by facrifice, they divid- ed the facrifice into two parts and paffed between them before they were off"ered ; and then took it upon them- fclves, that they would ftand to the covenant, which was fo confirmed. Jefus Chrift being to confirm the cove- nant, (Heb.ix. 16.) the body and blood of Chrift, this facrifice, was to be parted, that this covenant might h". confirmed. And, C 15 ] (2.) A fpecial end of it was for the confirming and ftreiigthening ot our faith. God gives out unto us the objeft of our faith in parcels : we are not able to take this great myllerious fruit of God's love in grofs, in the lump ; and therefore he gives it out, I fay in par- cels. We fhall have the body broken to be confidered j and the blood Ihcd is like wile to be confidered. This is the peculiar communion which we have with Chrill: in this ordinance •, becaufe there are peculiar objefts for faith to aft itfelf upon in this ordinance above others. The very nature of the ordinance itfelf gives us a pe- culiar communion ; and there are four things that attend the nature of this ordinance that are peculiar. It is com- memorative, profeffional, euchariftical, and federal. t. The ordinance is commemorative: " Do this in remembrance of me." And there is no greater joy to the heart of finners, and a man knows not how to give greater glory to God, than to call the atonement of fin into remembrance. It is obferved in the offering for jcaloufy, Numb. V. 15. if a man was jealous, and caufed an ofi'ering to be brought to God, God allowed neither oil nor xrankincenfe j and the reafon is, " Becaufe it was to bring fin to remembrance." But how fweet is that offciing that brings to our remembrance the atonement made for all our iins ? That is pleafing and acceptable unto God and fweet unto the fouls of finners. 2. It has a peculiar profeffion attending it ; faith the apoflle, " Doing this, ye (hew forth the Lord's death till he come :" you m^ke a profeffion and manifedation of it. And, give me leave to iay it, they that look to- wards Chriit, anil do not put themlelves into a way of partaking of this ordinance, tliey refufe the principal part of that protclhon which God calls thein unto in this world. The truth is, we have been apt to content ourfclves with a piotellloa of moral obedience ; but it is a profclTiun of Chrill 's inUitution by which alone we glorify hiin in this world. I will have my death fliewnr forth, faith Chriit, and not only remembeied. The ufe of tliis ordinance is to ihew forth the death of Chrift. As Chrill requires of us to (hew forth his death, fo fure- ly he hath defcrved it by his death. [ x6 ] 3. It is peculiarly cuchariftical : there is a peculiar thankfgiving that ought to attend this ordinance. It is called the cup of blefling, or the cup of thankfgiving : the original word is ufed promifcuoully for blefling and thankfgiving. It is called the cup of blefling, becaufe of the inftitution, and prayer for the blefling of God up- on it ; and it is called the cup of thankfgiving, becaufe we do in a peculiar manner give thanks to God for Chrill, and for his love in him. 4. It is a federal ordinance, wherein God confirms the covenant unto us, and wherein he calls us to make a re- cognition of the covenant unto God. The covenant is once made, but we know that we ftand in need that it fhould be often traniafted in our fouls, that God ftould often teftify his covenant unto us, and that we ftiould of- ten actually renew our covenant-engagements unto him. God never fails, nor breaks his promifes : fo that he hath no need to renew them, but tefliify them anew : we break and fail in ours, fo that we have need adlually to renew them. And that is it which we are called unto in this ordinance, w hich is the ordinance of the great feal of the covenant in the blood of Chrilt. Upon all thefe accounts have we fpecial communion with Chrirt in this ordinance. There is none of them but I might eafily enlarge upon ; but I name thefe lieads •, and my defign is to help my own faith and your's from roving, in the adminiilration of ordinance, or from a ge- neral acting of itfelf, to fix it to that which is its pai'ti- cular duty ; that we may find no wcarinefs nor heavinefs in the adminiilration : heie in thefe things is there e- nough to entertain us forever, and to make them new and frelh to us. But while we come with uncertain thoughts, and know not what to diredl our faith to aft particularly upon, we lofe the benefit of the ordinance. For the ufe, it is, 1. To blefs God for his inftitution of his church, which is the feat of the adminiilration ot this ordinance, where- in we have fuch peculiar and intimate communion with Chrill. There is not one inllance of thofe which I have named, but, if God would lielp us to aft faith upon Chrill in a peculiar manner through it, wonld give new ftrength and life to our fouls. Now in the church we have all [ 17 ] this treafurc. We lofe it, I confefs, by our unbelief and^dirdteein of it ; but it will be found to be an inelH- Tnal)le trealure to thofc that ufc it, and improve it in ;i due manner. 2. Doth God give us this favour and privilege, that we fliould be invited to tiiis ipecial coriimuiuou with Chrilt in this ordinance •' Let us prepare our hearts for it in the authority of its inftitution. Let us lay our fouls and confciences, in lubjetHon to the authority of Chrilt, who hath commanded thefe things, and who did it in a fignal manner the fame night wherein he was be- traved. So there is a fpecial command of Chrill lies upon us J and if vve will yield obedience to any of the commands of Chrift, then let us yield obedience to tliis. Prepare your fouls for fpecial communion with him then, by lubjugating them thoroughly to the autho- rity of Chrift in this ordinance. 3. It will be good for us all to be in a gradual exer- ciling of our faith unto ihefe fpecial things, wherein we have communion with ChrilL You have heard fundry particulars: here is an objeft of your faith that is given to be reprefented unto you in this ordinance, that God hath prepared Chrift a body, that he might be afacrificc for you ; and that this body was afterwards diftinguilh- cd into his body flriclly fo taken, and his blood feparat- ed from it ; and this in a defign of love from God as procuring the pardon of our fins, as tending to the glory of God, and the eliablifningof the covenant. — Train up a young faith " in the way it Ihould go, and it will not depart from it when it is old. And new things \\ill be found herein every day to Ifrengthen your faitli, and ) ou will find much fweetnefs in the ordinance itfclf. [ i8 ] DISCOURSE III. December 10.^1669. I Cor. X. 16. The cup ofbtejjtng which we b/efs, is it not the commu- nion of the blood of Chriji? The bread which webreaky is it not the communion of the body of Chxift ? I HAVE been treating fomewhat about the fpecial communion which believers have with Chrifl in the ordinance of the Lord's fupper. There remains yet iomething farther to be fpoken unto for our direftion in this great work and duty j and this is taken from the immediate ends of this ordinance. I fpake, as I remem- ber, the lall day to the fpecialty of our communion, from the confideration of the immediate ends of the death of Chrift ; now I Ihall fpeak to it in reference unto the im- mediate ends of this ordinance j and they are two, one •whereof refpefts our faith and our love, and the other refpe^ts our profeffion j which two make up the whole of what is required of us. For, as the apolUe fpeaks, Rom. X. 10. " With the heart man believeth unto righ- teoufnefs, and with the mouth confeflion is made unto falvation." Both thefe ends, that which refpeds our faith and love, and that which refpefts our profeffion are men- tioned by our apoftle in the next chapter, ver. 24. There is mention of that end of this ordinanance which refpefts our faith j now that is recognition. Recognition is a calling over, or a commemoration of the death of Chrift; *' Do this, fays he, in remembrance of me." That which refpefts our profellion, is a reprefentation and declaration of the Lord's death, ver. 26. " When you eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye {hew forth, ye declare, ye manifeft the Lord's death till he come. 1 hefe are the two im- mediate great ends of this ordinance, a recognition of the death of Chriil, which refpeds our faith and love j [ 19 ] and a reprefentntlon of it, which refpefts our profcfTion : both are required of us. There is that which refpeifls our faith. The great work of faith is to make things that are abfent, prefent to a foul, in regard to theirfweetnels, power and efficacy ; whence it is faid to be the evidence of things not feen j and it looks backward into the caufcs of things ; and it looks forward unto the effefts of things ; to what hath wrought out grace, and to what grace is wrought out ; and makes them in their efficacy, comfort, and power, to meet and centre in the believing foul- Now there are three things, in reference unto the death of Chriif, that faith in this ordinance doth recog- nize, call over, and commemorate. The firlt is, the faith of Chrift in and for his work. The fecond is, the obedience of Chrill:. And the third is the work itfelf. r. Faith calls over the faith of Chrifl. Chriit had a double faith in reference to his death •, one with refpccl unto himfelf, and his own intereil in God ; and the o- ther in refpeft to the caufe whofe management he had o- vertaken, and the fuccefs of it. He had faith for both thefe. ly?. The Lord Chrift had faith in reference to his own perfon, and to his own intereft in God. The apof- tle, declaring, Heb.ii.14. "that becaufe the children were partakers of tlelh and blood, Chrill alfo did partake of the fame," that fo he might die to deliver us from death, brings that text of fcripture, ver. 13. in con- firmation of it, which is taken out of Pfal. xviii. 2. " And again, faith he, I will put my truft in him. How doth this confirm what the apoltle jiroduce:; it for ? Why from hence, That in that great and difficult work- that Chrift did undertake, to deliver and redeem the children, he was all along carried through it by faith and trull; in God. *' He trulled in God," faith he, and that made him un- dertake it : and he gives a great inftance of his faith when he was departing out of the world. There are three things that rtick very clofe to a departing foul 5 — the giving up of itfelf; — the ftate wherein it fhall be when it is given up ; — and the final iffue of that ellate. Our Lord Jefus Chrill expreflfed his faith as to all thre>i of them. As to his departure, Luke xxiii. ^6. " He [ 20 ] cried with a loud voice, Father, into thy hands I com- mend my fpirit : and having faid thus, he gave up the glioit." — What was liis faith as to what would become of him afterwards ? That alfo he exprelTcs, Pfal. xvi. lo. " For thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, neither wilt thou fufi'cr thine holy One to fee corruplion. My foul ihall not be left under the ftate of the dead, whereunto it is going j nor my body fee corruption Vvhat was his faith as to tne future iifue of things ^ That he expreires, ver. II. " Thou wilt fhew me the path of life j (which is his faith for his riling again) ; In thy prefence is fulnefs of joy, and at thy right hand are pxeafures for e- vermorej'" v.liere he was to be exalted; and thefe words, " Father into thy hand I commend my fpirit," were the firtt breaking forth of the faith of Chrill towards a con- queif. He looked through all the clouds of darknels round about, him towards the rifing fun •, through all ftorms to the harbour, when he cried thofe words with a loud voice, and gave up the ghoft. And by the way it is the higheit aft of faith upon a Itable bottom and foun- dation, futh as will net fail, to give up a departing foul into the hands of God, which Jeius Chrift liere did for our example. Some die upon prefumptions, lome in the dark*, but faich can go no higher than, upon a lure and liable ground, to give up a departing foul into the hands of God ; and that for thefe reafcns, to fliew the faith o£ Chrift in this matter. (i.) B^caufe the foul is then entering into anew ftate, whereof there are thefe two properties that will try it to the utmoll ; that it is invilible, and that it is unchange- able. I fay, there are two properties that make this a great a<9: of faith. [l.] The ftate is inviiible. The foul is going into a condition of things that " eye hath not feen, nor ear heard j" that nothing can take any profedf into but faith alone. Hov^ever men may talk of the inviiible ftate of things, which our fouls are departing into, it is all but talk, and conjefture, belides what we have by faith. So tl»t to give lip a foul cheerfully and comfortably in- to that Hate, is a pure aft of faith. [2.] It is unchangeable, it is a ftate wherein there is no alteration. And chough all alterations ftiould prove [ 21 ] for the worfe, yet it Is in the nature of man to hope good from them. But here is no more alteration lelt : the foul enters into an unchangeable ftate. And, (2.) The 2drealbn is, becaule the total fum of man's life is now call up, and he fees what it will come to. While men are trading in this world, though they meet with feme llraits and difficulties, yet they have that going on which will bring in fomething this way, or that way. But when it comes to this, that they can go, no farther, then they fee how things lland with a departing foul j the whole fum is call up, there is no more venture to be made, no more advantage to be gained, he mull lland as he is. And when a man takes a view of what he is to come to, he needs faith to obtain a comfortable paifage out of it. And, (3.) Even death itfelf brings a terror with it, that no- thing can conquer but faith ; 1 mean, conquer duly. He is not crowned that doth not overcome by faith. It is only to be done through the death of Chrill. " He de- livered them that by reafon of death were in bondage all their days." Ihere is no deliverance that is true and real, from a bondage frame of fpirit to death, but by faith in Chrift. I touch on this by the way, to manifeft the glorious fuccefs the faith of Chrill had, who in his dying mo- ment, cried out, " Father, into thy hands I commend my fpirit j" and this is that we are to call over in the re- membrance of his death. It is a very great argument the apollle ufes to confirm our faith, when fpeaking of the patriarchs of old ; he fays, " All thefe died in faith." But that a/1 is notliing to tliis argument, that Jefus Chrill, our head and leprefentative, who went before us, he died in faith. And this is the principal inlet intV) life, immortality, and glory, the confideration of the death of Chrill, dying in that futh, that he gave up his foul into the hands ot God, and was perfuaded God " w'ould not leave his foul in hell, nor fuftcr his holy One to fee cor- ruption i but that he would Oiew him the path" of life, and bring him to his right hand, where there are piea- fures for evermore." idly, Chrill had a faith for the caufe wherein he was CDgnged. He was engaged In a glorious caufe, a great C3 [ 2:^ 3 iindertaking, to. deliver the eleft of God from death, hell, S.itan, and iin ; to anfwer the law, to undergo the curfe, snd to bring his many children unto glory. And dread- ful oppofitions lay againll him in this undertaking, bee ^vhat faith he had for his caufe, If. 1. 7, 8, 9. " The Lord- Ciod will help me, therefore iiiall I not be confounded : tlierefore have I let my face like a Hint, and I know that I fliall rot be alhamed. He is near that juftifieth me, who will contend with me ? let us Hand together: who is mine advcrlary ? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me, who is he that fiiall con- demn me ? Who is my adverlary r" or, as in the He- brew, " Who is the mailer of my caufe r" I have a caufe to plead ; who is the maittr of it r I ?m engaged in a great caufe. fauh he, and I am greatly oppofed 5 they feek to make me alhamed, to confound me, to condemn me : but here is fr.ith for his caufe 5 " The Lord God will jullify me," faith he. It was with Chrift as it would have been with us under the covenant of v.orks j man ought to have believed he (hould be jultined of God, though not by fefus Chrift j lo here he had faith that he iliould be juftified. God will juftify me ; I Ihall not be condemned in this caufe that 1 have undertaken. It is matter of -eat comfort and fupport to confider, that when the Lu _ Jefus Chrift had in his eye all the iins of all the eleft upon the one hand, and the whole curie of the law and the wrath of God on the other, yet he cried, " I ftiall not be confounded, I ftiall go through it, I Ihall fee an end of this bufinefs, and make an end of fin, and bring in everlafting righteouinels j and God V, ill juftify me in it." We are in an elpecid manner to call to remembravice the faith that Chriil had for his caufe, and we ought to have the fame faith for it now, for this great conqueft of overcoming the devil, fin, death, hell, and the faving of our fouls : he hath given us an example for it. There is one objeftion lies againft all this, and that is this : Eut did not Chrift deipond in his great agony in the garden, when he cried three times, " Father, if it be pofiible lett his cup pafs from m.e '" and in that dreadful outcry on the crofs, which he took from the xxiid. pfalm, a prophecy of hirn, " My God, my God, why haft thou [ 23 ] forfaken me ?" Dotli not Chrlft feem to repent here, and to defpond ? I anfvvcr, In this difficult inquiry two things are to be flated 5 l. In reference to his perlon, that it was inipoi"- fible Chrill fliould have the indiilolubility of his perfon- ?1 union utterly hid from him. He knew the union of liis human nature unto the Son of God could net be ut- terly difl'olved, that could not be utterly hid from him j fo that there could not be deipair properly lo called in Chrift. And, 2. This is certain alio, that the contracl he had with the Father, and the promifes he had given him of being fuccefsful, could never utterly be hid from him. So that his faith, either as to his ptjfon or caufe, could not poflibly be utterly ruined. But there vas a fevere and terrible conHift in the human nature, arifi/g from thefe four things. (i.) From the view which he was exalted to take of the nature of the curfe that was then upon him. For the curfe was upon him, Gal. iii. 13. " He was made a curfe for us, as it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Give me leave to fay, Jefus Chriil faw more into the nature of the curfe of God for fin, than all the damned in hell are able to fee •, which cauf- ed a dreadful conflift in his human foul upon that prof- pcct. (2.) It arofe from hence, that the comforting influen- ces of the union with the divine nature were rellrained. jellis Chrift was in liimlelf, " a man of furrows, and ac- quainted with grief.*' But yet all the while tliere were the influences of light and glory from the divine nature to the human by. vii tue of their union ; and now they are rellrained, and inftead of that, was horrible darknefs, and trembling, and the curfe, and fin, and Satan, round about him •, all prefenting themlelves unto him ; wliich gave occalion to that part of his prayer, Pfal. xxii. 20, 21. '* Deliver my foul from thefword •, my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth," &c. There was the fword in the curfe of the law, and the dog and the lion, or Satan, as it were, gaping upon him, as if ready to devour him j for it was the hour and power of darknefs, dread and 'error : belides there were cruel men, which he compares to the bulls of Bafhan, which rent him. Thi> cuuicd that terrible confli6t. [ 24 ] (3-) It '"'^s from the penal defertJon of God. That he was under a penal deiertion from God, is plain j " My God, my God, why hail thou forfaken me ? And when I fay fo, I know littie of what 1 fay, i mean, what it is to be under fuch penal defertion. For the great punifhment of hell, is an everlafling penal defertion from God. (4.) It was from the unfpeakable extremity of the things that he fuffered. Not merely as to the things themfelves which outwardly fell upon his body ; but as unto that fword of God, which was awakened againif him, and which had pierced him to the very foul. The advantage w-hich he had in his fufferings by his divine union, was that which fupported and bore him up under that weight, which would have funk any mere creature to nothing. His heart was enlarged to receive in thofe pains, that dread and terror, that otherwife he could not have re- ceived : and notwithftanding all this, as I fliewed before,. Chriif kept up his faith in reference to his perfon, and kept up his faith in reference to his caufe ; and a great example he hath given unto us, that though the dog and the lion fbould encompafs us, though we (hould have de- fertion from God, and preffures more than nature is a- ble to bear, yet here is a way of keeping up faith, truft, and confidence through all, and not to let go our hold of God. Now this is the firft thing we are to call over in ra^ membrance of Chrilt, in relerence to his death ; that faith he had, both for his perfon and his caufe, in his death. For if yod remember any of the martyrs that died, you will Hick upon thefe two things, more than up- on the flames that confumed them ; they expi eifed great faith of their interell in Chrilt, and in reference to the caufe they died for. They are things you will remem- ber. And this you are to remember of him, who was the head of martyrs, our Lord Jefus Chrilf 's faith. 2. We are to call over his obedience in his death. The apoftlc doth propofe it unto us ; Phil. ii. 5, 6, 7, 8. " Let this mind be in you, which was alfo in Chrift Jefus : who being in the form of God, thought It not robbery to be e- qual with God 5 but made himfclf of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant, and became obedient [ 25 ] unto death, even the death of the]|crofs." We nre to call over the mind of Chiift in fuftering. Aud the follow- ing things the fciipture duth peculiarly direft us to con- lider in the obedience of Chriil unto death : the princi- ple of it, which was love, — readinefs to and for it, — I'ubmilTion under it, — his patience during it. They are things the icripture minds us concerning the obedience of Chrift in his death. t. Conllder his love, which is one of the principal things to be regarded in this obedience of jChrill. The love wherewith it was principled : Gal. ii, 20. " He lov- ed me, (faith the apoille,) and gave himlelf for me. i John iii. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of Gcd, becaule he laid down his life for us." It was his love did it •, Rev. i. 5. Who loved us, and walhed us from our lins in his own blood. This gives life to the whole iuftcrings of Chrift, and to our faith too. It was nn high a£t of obedience to God, tliat he laid down his life ', but that obedience was principled with love to us. And now, I pray Ged, to enable me to conuder this with my ov,u foul, what that love would liick at, that did not Itick at this kind of death we have been fpeak- ing of. If Jefus Chriil had referved the greateft tiling he was to do for us unto the laft, we had not known but his love might have ftuck when it came to that ■, I mean, when it came to the curie of the law, though he had done other things. But having done this, he that would not withdraw nor take off from that, becaufe he loved us, what will he ftick at for the future ^ Our hearts are apt to be full of unkind and unthankful thoughts to- uards him, as though upon every dark and black temp- tation and trial he would defert us, whofe love was fuch, as he would not do it when himfclf was to be defertcd and made a curfe. Call over then the love of Chrift in this obedience. Yes j but love prevails fometimes, you will fliy, with many, to do fome things, that they have no great mind to : we come very dithcultly to do fomc things, when yet out of love we will not deny them. But it was not fo with Chrift j his love was fuch, that; he had, [ 26 ] (2.) An eternal rcadinefs unto his work. There are two texts of fcripture informs us of it; Prov. viii. 30. where the Holy Gholl defcribes the profpeft that the wifdom of God, that is, the Son of God, took of the world, and the children of men, in reference to the time he was to come among them ; I was, faith he, daily his de- light, rejoicing always before him ; rejoicing In the habita- ble parts of his earth, and my delights were with the fons of men. He confidered what work he had to do for the fons of men, and delighted init. The 40th pfalm expounds this, ver. 6, 7, 8. " Sacrifice and offering thou didlf not de- lire, mine ears haftthou opened ; burnt-offeiing and fin-of- fering haft thou not required. Then faid I, Lo, I come : in the volume of the book it is written of me, &c. Sacrifice and burnt-offering will not take away fin, faith he ; Then, Lo, I come. But doth he come wiUingly ? Yes, I de- light, (faith he), to do thy will, O my God ; yea, thy law is within my heart. What part of the will of God was it ? the apoftle tells you, Heb. x. 10. " Offering the body of Jefus Chrift once for all ; by which will we are fanftified. He came not only willingly, but with delight. The baptifm he was to be baptifed with, he was ftr alien- ed till it was accomplifhed. Tlie love he had unto the fouls of men, that great defign and projecl he had for the glory of God, gave him delight in his undertaking, notwithilanding all the ditf.culties he was to meet with. (sO We are to remember his fubmifTion to the great work he was called unto. This he expreffes. If. 1. 5. 6. " The Lord God," faith he, " hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the fmiteis, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair : I hid not my face from fhame and fpitting." The Lord God called him to it, and he was not rebellious, but fubmitted unto it. There is one objedlion arifes againft this fubmiffion, and that is the prayer of Chrift in the garden, " Father, if it be pofTible, let this cup pafs from me." I anfwer. That was an expreflion of the horror which was upon the human nature, which we mentioned before. But there were two tilings that Chrift immediately clof- ed upon, which gave evidence to this fubmifTion-, that he did not draw back, nor rebel, nor hide himfelf, nor turn C 27 ] away his face from (liame and fpitting. One was this, *' Father, thy will be done," faith he j and the other was this, that he refufed that aid to deliver him which he might have had ; " Know ye not that I could pray the Father, and he would give me more than twelve le- gions of angels r" He then fuffeted under the Roman power, and their power was reduced to twelve legions. Saith he, I could have move than thefe ; which argues his full fubmiflion unto the will of God. (4.) We are to call over his patience under his fufFe- rings, in his obedience, If. liii. 7. " He was opprelTed, and he was afflifted, yet he opened not his mouth j he is brought as a Lamb to the ilaughter, and as a (heep before her fiiearers is dumb, fo he openeth not his mouth ; The highelt expreffions of an abfolute, complete, and perfect patience. Though he was afflifted, and though he had all manner of provocations, " though he was re- viled, he reviled not again." The apofte tells us,Heb. xii. 2. " he endured the crofs." (that is he patiently en- dured it, as the word fignifies), " and defpifed the Ihame, that he might fit down at the right hand of God." You fee then the end of this ordinance of the Lord's fupper, is to Itir us up to call over the obedience of Chrill, both as to his love in it, as to hisreadinels for it, fubmiflion to the will of God in it, and patience under it. 3. Faith is to call over the work itfeU', and that was the death of Chriit. I Ihall not now be able to mani- feft under what confideration in this ordinance faith calls over the death of Chrift ; but thefe are the heads I Ihall fpcak unto. It calls it over as a facriBce, in that it was bloody ; — it calls it over as lliameful, in that it was under the curfe ; — it calls it over as bitter and dreadful, in that it was penal. It was a bloody, fliamefii], and pe- n.il death ; as bloody, a facrifice ; as curled, ihameful ; and as it was penal, it was bitter. In the work of faith's calling over thefe things, there is a peculiar work of love a!fo. Saith our Saviour, " Do this in remembrance of me." Thele arc the words we would ufe unto a friend, when we give him a token or pledge, " Re- m'imber me." What is the meaning of it r* Remember my love to you ; my kinknels for you, remember my pcrfon. There is a. remembrance of love towards Chrilt . [ 28 ] to be acled in this ordinance, as well as a remembrance of faith ; and as the next object of faith is, the benehts of Chrili, and thereby to his perfon ; fo the next objedt of love, is the perfon of Chiift, and thereby to his bene- hts y I mean as reprefented in this oidinance. Remem- ber me, faith he, that is, with an heart full of love to- wards me. And there are three things wherein this re- membrance of Chrift by love, in the celebration of this ordinance, hoth conliil ; delight in him, — thankfulnefs unto him, — and the keeping of his word. He that re- members Chrili with love, hath thefe three affedtions in his heart. (i.) He delights In him. Thoughts of Chrift are fweet unto him, as of an ablent friend ; but only in fpi- ritual things we have this great advantage, we can make an abfent Chrift prefent to us. This we cannot in na- tural things. We can converfe with friends only by imagination; but by faith we can make Chiiit prefeiit with us, and delight in him. (2.) There is thankfgiving towards him. That love which is fixed upon the perlbn of Chrift will break forth in great thanktulnefs, which Is one peculiar a£l of this ordinance. The cup which we blefs, or give thanks for. (3.) It will greatly Incline the heart to keep his word. If ye are my diiciples, " if ye love me, keep my com- mandments." Every act of love fixed upon the perfon of Chrili, gives a new fpring of obedience to all the or- dinances ot Chrili : and the truth is, there is no keeping up our hearts unto obedience to ordinances, but by re- newed afis of obedience upon the perfon of Chrili. This n'ill make the ioul cry, VvHien (liall I be in an adtual obfervation of Chriil's ordinance,'vvho hath thus loved me and waflieu me with his own bload, that hath done fuch great tLings for ire ? This is the end ol the detith of Chrift, Vvrhich concerns our faith and love ; the end of commemoration, or calling to remembrance. There is an end of profefTion alfo ; which Is to fhew forth the Lord's death till he come. But tliis mufi be fpoken to at foir.e other time. If we come to the prac- tice of thefe things, we faall find them great things to call over ; viz. the whole frame of the heart of Chrilt [ 29 ] in his death, and his death itfelf, and our own concern therein, and the great example he hath fet unto us. Some of them 1 hope may abide upon our hearts and fpirits for ufe. DISCOURSE IV. December 24. 1669. I CoR. xi. 26. ^s often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do Jhew the Lord^s death until he come. ONE end, youfce, of this great-ordinance, is to ^lew the Lord's death, to declare it, to reprefent it, to (hew it forth, hold it forth •, the word is thus vari- oufly rendered. And in the efpecial ends of this ordi- nance it is, that we have fpecial communion with our Lord Jefus Chrift. Now there are two ways whereby we fhew forth the Lord's death j the one is, the way of reprefentation to ourfelves j and the other is, a way of profeffion unto others. I. The way of reprefentation to ourfelves. The work of reprefenting Chrilt aright to the foul, is a great work. God and men are agreed in it ; and therefore God, when he reprefents Chrift, his defign is to repre- fent him to the faith of men. Men that have not faith have a great defire to have Chriil reprefented to their fancy and imagination \ and therefore when the way of reprefenting Chrift to the faith of men was loft amono- them, the greateft part of their religion was taken up in reprefenting Chrift to their fancy. They would make piftures and images of his crofs, refurre£l;ion, afcenfion, and every thing he did. There are three ways whereby God reprefents Chrift to the faith of believers •, the one is, by the word of the gofpel itfelf, as written ; the fecond is, by the rfii. nifry of the gofpel, and preaching of the word \ and d - [ 30 ] the third in particular is, by this facr amenta wherein we leprefent the Lord's death to the faith of our own fouls. I. God doth it by the word itfelf. Hence are thofe defcriptions that are given of Chriil in Scripture, to re- prefent him defireable to the fouls of men. The great defign of the book, of Canticles, confifts for the moft part in this, in a myftical, allegoiical defciiption of the graces and excellencies of the perfon of Chriit, to ren- der him defireable to the fouls of believers •, as in the fifth chapter, from the ninth verfe to the end, there is nothing but that one fubjedl. And it was a great pro- mife made to them of old, Ifa. xxxiii. 17. TLine eyes Jhall fee the King in his beauty. The promifes of the Old Teftament are much fpent in reprefenting the per- fon of Chrift beautiful, delirous, and lovely to the faith of believers. And you will fee in 2 Cor. iii. 18. what is the end of the gofpel : We all with open face, behold- ing as in a glafs, the glory of the Lord, are changed in- to the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The gofpel is the glafs here intend- ed J and looking into the glafs, there is an image ape- pears in it, not our own, but the reprefentation the gof- pel makes of Jefus Chriil, is the image that appears in the glafs. The work and defign of the gofpel, is to make a reprefentation of Chrift unto us. As Chriit makes a reprefentation of the Father, and therefore he is called hii image, the image of the invifible God : why fo ? becaufe all the glorious properties of the invifible God are reprefented to us in Chrift, and we looking up- on the image of Chrift in this glafs, that is the reprefen- tation made of him in the gofpel j it is the eft'ectual means whereby the Spirit of God transforms us into his image. This is the firft way whereby God doth this great work of reprefenting Chrift unto the faith of men, ■which men having loft, have made it their whole reli- gion to reprcfent Chrift unto their fancy. 2. The fecond way is, by the minifiry of the word. The great work of the miniftry of the word, is to re- prcfent Jefus Chrift. The apoftle Paul tells us. Gal. iii. I. Ofoolifh Galatians, who hath bewitched you, thai [ 31 ] you Jhould not obey the truth, before whofe eyes *jefus Chrijl hath been evidently Jet forth, crucified among you ? He is de/>i&us crucifixui, crucified before their eyes. How was this ? not before their bodily eyes \ but the apoltle had in his preaching made fuch a lively reprefen- tation unto their faith of the death of Chrift, that he was as one painted before them. One faid well on this text, " Of old the apoltles did not preach Chrift by paint- ing, but they painted him by preaching j" they did in fo lively a manner reprefent him. Abraham's fervant, in the 24tli chapter of Genefis, that was fent to take a wife for his fon Ifaac, is by all grant- ed to be, if not a type, yet a refemblancc of the mini- fters of the gofpel, that go forth to prepare a bride for Chrift : and what does he do ? truly he is a great ex- ample J when he came to the opportunity, though he had many things to divert him, yet he would not be di- verted. There was fet meat before hira to eat, but he faid, " I will not eat till I have told my errand." No- thing fliould divert the minifters of the gofpel, no not thrir neceffary meat, when they have an opportunity of dealing with fouls on behalf of Chrift. What courfe does Abraham's fervant take ? He faith, " I am Abra- ham's fervant; and the Lord hath bleffed my mafter great- ly, and he has become great ; and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and filver, and gold, and men-fervants, and maid fervants, and camels, and aiTes." What is all tliis to Ifaac '' he was to take a wife for Ifaac, not for Abra- ham. He goes on •, " And Sarah, my matter's wife, bare a fou to my mafter when ftie was old ; and un- to him hath he given all that he hath." The way to procure this wife for Ifaac, was to let them know, that this great man, had given all that he had to Ifaac. And it is the work of minifters of the gofpel, to let the peo- ple know, that God the Father hath given all things in- to the hands of his Son-, they are to reprefent Chrift, as Abraham's fervant does here his mafter Ifaac, as one who inherited all the goods of Abraham ; fo Chrift is the appointed heir of all things, of the kingdom of hea- ven, the whole houfehold of God. They are to repre- fent him thus to the fouls of men, to make him defire- able to them. This is a great work, of minifters vrfio [32 J are ambailadors of God j they are fent from God to take a wife for Chrift ; or to make ready a bride for him from among the children of men. 3. The fpecial way whereby we reprefent Chrift un- to our fouls through faith, is in the adminijlration of this ordinance, which 1 will fpeak to upon the great end of ftiewing forth the death of the Lord. Now t!]e former reprefentations were general, this is particular j and I cannot at this time go over particu- lars. I blefs the Lord my foul hath many times admir- ed the wifdom and goodnefs of God in the inftitution of this one ordinance, that he took bread and wine for that end and purpofe, merely arbitrary, of his own choice, and might have taken any thing elfe, what he had pleaf- ed J that he {hould fix on the cream of the creation, which is an endlefs ftore-houfe, if purfued, of reprefent- ing the myfteries of Chrift. When the folly of men goes about to invent ceremonies that they would have lignificant \ when they have found them out, they can- not well tell what they fignify. But though I do ac- knowledge, that all the fignificancy of this ordinance de- pends upon the inftitution, yet there is great wifdom in the httting of it ; the thing was fitted and fuited to be made ufe of to that end and purpofe. One end of the ordinance itfelf is to reprefent the death of Chrift unto us j and it reprefents Chrift with reference to thefe five things. I. It reprefents him with reference to God's Jet- ting him forth. 2. In reference to his ov^n pajj^on. 3. In ret'erence to his exhibition in the promife. 4. To our participation of him by believing. And, 5. To his /«- corporation with us in union. 1. The great end of God in reference to Chrift as to his death, was, his fettihg of him forth. Rom. iii. 25. " Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation." And in the very fetting forth of the elements in this ordi- nance, there is a reprefentation of God's fetting forth his Son, of giving him out for this work, of giving him up unto it to be a propitiation. 2. There is a plain reprefentatlon of VispaJJiony of his fuffeiing; and death, and the manner of it. This, v^it:l all the concerns of it, I treated of the laft Lord's day. [ 33 3 under the head of recognition, or calling over thC death of Chriit, *' Do this in remembrance of me j" and fo I fhall not again infill upon it. 3. There is a reprefentation of Chrirt in it, as to the exhibition and tender of him in the promife. Many pro- mifes are exprelTed in invitations, " Ho ! every one that thirlls, come," take eat : there is a promife in it. And in the tender that is made even of the facramental ele- ments, there is the exhibition of ChriTc in the promife reprefented to the foul. I told you before God hath carefully provided to reprefent Clirilt unto our faith, and not to our fancy j and therefore there is no outward 11- militude and figure. We can fay concerning this ordi- nance with all its reprefentations, as God faid concern- ing his appearing to Mofes upon mount Horeb, " Thou i'awell no hmilitude." God hath taken care there IhalV be no natural figure, that all reprefentations made may Hand upon inllitution. Now there is this tender with an invitation. The very elements of the ordinance arc a great, reprefentation of the propofal of Chiift to a be- lieving foul. God holds out Chriit as willing to be re- ceived, with an invitation. So we fliew forth the Lord's death. 4. There is in this ordinance a reprefentation of Chrlft as to our reception of him ; for hereon depends the ivhole of the matter. God mi^ht make a feafl of fat things, and propofe it to men •, but if they do not come to eat, they will not be nourillied by it. If you make a tender of payment to a man, if he doth not •re- ceive it, the tiling remains at a dlHance as before. Chrifl being tendered to a foul, if that foul doth not receive him, he hith no benet.t by it. — All thefe fteps you may go. Tlieie may be God's exhibition of Chrift, and fetting of him t'oithj theremay be his own oblation and luffeting, lay- ing the foundation of all that is to come y there may be an exhibition of him in the promife, tender and invita- tion, and yet, if not received, we have no profit by all thefe things. What a great reprefentation of this re- ceiving is there in the adminiltration ot this ordinance, when every one takes the reprefentation of it to himfelf, or doth receive it ! . I HAVE been treating of that fpecial communion which believers have with Chrift in the adminiftra- tion of the ordinance of the fupper of the Lord ; and thought I fhoiild have tre^^ted no more of that rubjerade a breach up- on Uzzah j and it is faid, the thing God did difpleafed r 48 ] David, it quite unframed him, and threw a damp on his joy and delight for the prefeat. But he afterwards gathers it up, I Chron. xv. I2, 13. '" He fpake to the Levites, Sanclify yourfeives both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark. of the Lord God of Ifrael, unto the place that 1 have prepared for it. For becaufe ye did it not at the firil, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we fought him not after the due order." We fought him, faith he, but not after the due order. And what that due order was he iliews in the next ver- fes, where he declares that the Levites carried the ^ik upon their own Ihoulders, \vith the If^ves thereon, as Mofes commanded, according to the word ot the Lord j whereas before they carried it in a cart, which was not for that fervice. It is a great thing to have the admi- nillration of an ordinance in the due order. God lay*, great weight upon it, and we ought to take care that the order be obferved- This is what we have to offer to you concern- ing the two general propofitions, That there is a prepa- ration required of us for the obfervance of all f >lemn or- dinances J and, That this preparation confiftsin a due re- gard to God, to ourfelves, and to the ordinance, what- ever it be. To God as the author," as the objecf, and as the end of ordinances j to ourfelves, to lemove tiiat which would hinder, not to regard iniquity, to be felf abafed in our hearts with refpeft to the infinite diHance thnt there is between God and us, and with a love unto ordinances ; with refpeft unto the ordinance itfelf, that it be of God's f.ppointment for the matter and manner. Tliefe things may help us to a due coniideration, whether we have failed in any of them or not. I have mentioned nothing but what is plain and evi- dent from the fcripture, and what h practicable •, nothing but what is really required of us j fuch things as we ought not to ellecm a burden, but an advantage ; and whereinfoever we have been wanting, We fliould do well to labour to have our hearts affedted with it for it hath been one caufe why fo many of us have laboured in the fire under ordinances, and have had no profit nor benefit by them. As I laid before, conviflion i:- the founda- tion, cullom is the building of moll in their obfervation F 49 ] of ordinauces. Some grow weary of tliem j fome wear them on their necks as a birden ; fome (eek relief from thein, and do not find it ; and is it any wonder if this great duty be wanting ' having neither confidered God, nor ourfelves, in what we go about 1 and above all things take heed of that deceit I mentioned, which is certainly very apt to rmpofe itfelf upon us, That where there is a dii'polition in the perfon there needs no prepa- ration for the duty. There was a preparation in thofe whom God broke out upon, becaule they were not pre- pared acoi'ding to the preparation of the fandluary ; that is, in that way and manner of preparation ; they had not gone through thofe cleanfings which were inftituted un- der the la IV. D I S C O U R S E VI. January li. i6tI« I Cor. xi. 28. But let a man examine himfe/f, and Jo let him eat of that breed, and drink of that cup. -Have been treating in fundry of thefe familiar exer- cifes about communion vnth Jefus Chrill in that great ordin:ince of the Lord's I'upper, intending prin- cipally, if not folely, the inflru6lion of thofe who have, it may be, been leail exercifed in fuch duties. 1 have fpoke fomething of preparation for it, and on the lalt opportunity of this kind I did infifl upon thefe two things. That there is a preparation required unto the due obfervance of every folemn ordinance j and I did mnni- fcR, Vv-hat in general was required to that preparation. I have nothing to do at prelent, but to coniidcr the ap- plication of thofe general rules to the fpecial ordinance of the ll.'.pper of the Lord. For the fpecial preparation for an ordinance confilts in the fpecial relpeft which we have to that ordiaance in our general preparation \ and 1 lliall fpeak to it plainly, fo as that the weakeft, who are concerned may Jee their interefl in it, and have fome guidance to their practice. And there are t-'.vo things which may be confidered i so 1 to this purpofe, The iime wherein this duty is to be per- formed J and, The £/ufy of preparation itfelf. Fi>yi, The time of the performance of the duty j for, that indeed regards as well vv'hat hath been faid concern- ing preparation in general, as what lha]l now be farther added concerning preparation in particular, with refpedt to this ordinance. Time hath double refpeft unto the worfliip of God, as a part of it j fo it is when it is ieparated by the ap- pointment of God himfelf ; and, as a neceiTary adjunft of thofe aftions whereby the worfhip of God is perfcim- ed J for there is nothing can be done, but it iruft be done in time, the infeparable adjunft of all aftions. And therefore having proved that a preparation is neceiTary, I fliall prove that there is a time neceffary •, for there can be no duty performed, but it mult be pertorm- ed, as I faid, in fome time. For the right dating of that therefore I fhall give you thefe rules. ^ 1. That there is a time antecedent to the celebration of this ordinance to be fet apart for preparation unto it. The very nature of the duty, which we aW pre/iaratiorty doth inevitably include this, that the time for it muft be antecedent to the great duty of obfervlng the ordinance itfelf. So Mat. xxvii. 6 1, the evening before the paf^ fover is called the preparation of the paffover, time fet ajjart for the preparation of it. ' 2. The ftcond rule is this, That there is no particular fet lime neither as to the day, or fealon of the day, as to the beginning or ending of it, that is determined for this duty in the fcripture j but the duty itfelf being com- manded, the time is left to our own prudence, to be re- gulated according to what duty doth require ; fo that you are not to expect that I Ihould preclfely determine this or that time, this or that day, this or that hour, To long or fo (liort ; for God hath left thefe things to our liberty, to be regulated by our own duty and neceffity. ' 3. There are three things that will greatly guide a man in the determination of the time, which is thus left unto his own judgment according to the apprehenfion of his dutv. [ 5t ] (i.) That he chufe a time wherein the preparation of it m-.iy probably influence his mind and fpirit in and unto the ordinance itlelf. Perfons may chufe a time for pre- paration, when there may be luch an interpofition of worldly thoughts and bulinefs, between the preparation and the ordinance, that their minds may be no way in- fluenced by it in the performance and obfeivation of the duty. The time ought to be fo fixed, that the duty may leave a favour upon the foul unto the time of the celebration of the ordinance itfelf, whether it be the pre- ceding day, or whether it be the fame day. The work is loll unleiij a man endeavours to keep up a fenfe of thofe impreirions which he received in that work. (2.) Providential occurrences and intimations are great rules for the cliufing of time and feafon for duties. Paul comes to Athens, Afts xvii. and, in all probability, be intended not to preach immediately upon his journey. He intended to take fome time for his refre(hment. But obferving the uickednefs of the place, vcr. 16. " that ihey were wholly given to idolatry," and obferving an altar to the unknown God, ver. :^2. he laid hold of that hint ot providence, that intimation given him by God's providence from tiiefe things, and immediately fell up- on his work ; which God bleffed with grent" luccefs. There be a thoiilinid vvajiS, if I may fo fay, wherein an obierving Chriliian may find God hinting and irtimat- ing duties unto him. The fins of other men, their graces,' meicic-j, dangers, may be all unto us intimations of a fea- ion for Uuty. Wert- none of us ever fent to God by the outrageous uickednefs of others^ by the very obferva- tion of it ? And it is a fign of a good fpirit to turn pro- vidential intimaiicMis inio duties. The Pfalmiit fpeaks to that purpofe, Pfal. xxxii. 8, 9. " i will guide thee by mine eye," laith he 'I he next A\ords are, *' Be not as the hoilc, or a's ihc irule which hath no underllanding ; whofe mouth mult be I. eld in with bit and biidle.'' God loves a pliable fpirit, thac upon every look of his 'eye will be guided to a duty. ]jut thofe who are llk^ horfes an J males, that mull be held v\itlr a llrong rein, that will not be turned, till God ])uts great ftrength to it. are pof- feftcd with fuch a frame of fpirit which God approves not You are left at liberty to chufe 3 time, but obfervc [ 52 ] any intimation of providence that may dhtd: to that time. (3.) Be fare to improve farprifals with gracious difpo- fitions, 1 mean ia the approach of folemn ordinances. Sometimes the foul is farprifed with a gracious difpoli- tion, as in Canticles vl. iz. "Or ever I was aware, my foul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.'' I knew it not, faith the church, I was not aware of it, but I found my foul in a fpecial willing manner drawn forth to communion with Cbrift. Is God pleafed at any time to give us fuch gracious furprifals, with an holy dif- pofition to be dealing with him, it ivill be the belt fea- fon ; let it not be omitted. Thefe things will a little diredl us in the determina- tion of the time for preparation, which is left unto our own liberty. 4. Take care that the time defiigned and allotted, does neither too much intrench upon the occafions of the out-, ward man, nor upon the weaknefs of the inward man. If it doth they will be too hard for us.> I copfefs in this general obfervation which profeffors are fallen into, and that cullom which is in the obfervation of duties, there is little need to give this rule. But we are not to ac- commodate our rule unto our corruptions, but unto our duties j and fo there is a double rule in fcripture tliat fortifies this rule ; the one is that great rule of our Sa~ vl6ur, " That God will have mercy, and not.faciitice." Where theie duties of obferving facrifices do fenhbly in- trench upon duties of mercy, God doth not require it j ■\vhich hath a gi-eat regard even unto our outwaid ccca- fiorts._ And th.e other rule is this, " That bodily exer- cife profits little." When we alngn fo long a time as we.uies out our fplrits, and obferve the time, becaufe of tlie time, it is bodily exercife j when the vigour of our fpirits is gone, which is a facrifice God delights not in*. As Jacob told Elan, if the cattle were drjven beyond their pace they would die j fo we find by experience, that though with ilrong lefolutions we may en^^age unto duties in fuch a manner as may Intrench upon thefe out- ward occafions, or thole wep.kneiTes, they w ill return, and be coo hard for us, and inlu^ad of getting ground, they will drive us olT ours j fo that there ii prudence to be re- quired therein. [ 53 J 5. Let not the time allotted be fo fhort, as to he un- meet for the going through tvith the duty eilectually. Men may be ready to turn their private pjayeis into a few ej iculations, and going in or out of a room may lerve tliem for preparrtion for the moll folemn ordinance. This hath lott us the power, the gloiy, and the beauty of our profclRon. Never was profclllon held up to more glory and beauty, than when perfons were moU exaft in tlieir preparation for the duties of their proftirionj no- thing will ferve their turn, but their fouls having real and fuitable ccnverfe with God, as unto the duty that lies before them. 6. 'The time of preparation is to be exercifed and made more folemn upon extraordinary occaiions. The intervention of extraordinary occaiions niuli: add a folem- iiity to the time of preparation, if we intend to walk with God in a due manner. '^Ihefe extraordinary oc- cafions may be referred to three heads, particul.ir fins, particular mercies, particular duties. (i.) Is there an intervenier^cy upon the confcience of any fpecial fin', tliut either the fjul hath been really over- taken with, or that God is pleafedto fet home afrtlli up- on the fpirit, there is then an addition to be made unto the time of our preparation, to bring things to that iffue between God and our fouls, that we may attend upon the ordinance, to hearken what God the Lord will now fpeak, and then he will fpeak. peace. This is the fiilt principal extraordinary interveniency, that mult ra.ike fiU addition to tlie time of preparation for this ordinance. (2.) The interveniences of mercies. l"he ordinance hdtli the nature of a thankoliering, and is ttie great me- dium, or means, of our returning praife unto God, th.it we cm make ufe of in this woild. And then are we truly tlnnkful for a temporal mercy, when it engages our hearts to thank God for Chrill, by whom all mer- cies are blcHed to us. Hath God caft in any fpecial mercy ? add unto the fpecLil preparation, that the eart may be fit to blefs God for him, who is' the founta n and caufe of all mercies. (3.) Special duties require the like. For it being the folero-i time of our renewing covenant with God, we (land in need of a rene\val of ilrength from God. if we f [ 54 ] intend to perform fpecial duties ; and in our renewing covenant with God, we receive that fpecial liren^th for thefe fpecial duties. Thefe rules I have offered you concerning the time of this great duty of preparation, which I am ipeakiiig un- to ; and I (hall add one more, without which you will eafily grant that all the reft will fall to the ground, and with w^hich God will teach you all the reft ; and that is, He Jure you fet apart fame time. I am greatly afraid of curtomarinels in tiiis matter. Perfons complain, that in waiting upon God in that ordinance, they do not receive that entertainment at the hand of God, that refrefnment which they looked for. They have more reafon to won- der, that they were not caft out, as thofe who came with- out a wedding garment. That is not only required of us, that we come with our wedding garment, which every believer hath, but that we come decked w-ith this gar- ment. A man may have a garment that may fit very ill, very unhandfomely, about him. The bride dechs her- felf with her garments for the bridegroom. We are to do fo for the meeting with Chriil in this ordinance, to ftir up all the graces God hath beftowed upon us, that we may be decked for Chrift. There lies tlie unprofitable- nefs under that ordinance, that though God has given us the wedding-garment that ive are not caft out, yet we take not care to deck ourfelves, that God and Chiiit may give us refreiliing entertainment when we come into liis prefence. Our failing herein evidently and apparently witneffes to the faces of moil profeflbre^, that this is toe ground of their unpr^fitablenefs under that ordinance. So much for the time. Secondly, I lliall now fpeak a little to the duty itfelf of oreparation for that ordinance ; remembering what I fpake before of preparation in general, unto all foltmn ordinances, which muii ftill be fuppofed. Kow the duty may be reduced to thefe four heads, mediratJon, examination, fupplication, expedlaticn. And if 1 miitake not. they are all given us in one verfe j and thoiigh not diredly applied to this ordin-nnce, yet to this among other ways of our intimate communion with Chrift: Zech. xii. lO. " I -viH pour upon the ;!Oufe of David, and upon the inhabitaiits of Jcrufalera, ihc [ 55 1 Spirit of grace and ot fuppllcatlons, and they (hall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they Ihall moura for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and (liall be ill bitternefs for him, as one that is in bitternefs for hiu firlt born." 'Ihere is (i.) Meditation: thuy Jhall look u/jon bint i this is no otherwiie to be performed but by the meditation of faith. Our looking upon Chrill is by believinjf meditation. Looking argues the iixing of the fjght ; and meditation is tl.e fixing of faith in its aftings. Looking is a fixing of the eye 5 faith is the eye of the foul j ami to look is to fix faith in meditation. And there is (2.) Examination, which producvlh the mourn- ing here mentioned. For though it is faid, Ibey Jhall mourn jor bun; it was not to mourn for his fuffe rings j for To he faid, " Weep not for me ;" but to mourn up- on the account of thofe things wherein they were con- cerned in his fufFerings. It brings to repentance j which is the principal defign of this examination. (3.) There is Supplication •, for there Ihall be poured cut a fpirit of grace and fupplication. And (4.) there is Expectation; which is included alfo in that of looking unto Chrill. I. The firlt part of this duty of preparation confifts iu vieditatlon : and meditation is a duty, that by reafon of the vanity of our own minds, and the variety of objeds which they aie apt to fix upon, even believers them- felves do find as great a difficulty therein as any. 1 ihall only mention thofe fpecial objefts which our thoughts are to be fixed upon in this pieparatory duty ; and you may reduce them to the following heads. (1.) Ihe principal obje6l oi meditation in our prepa- ration for this ordinance, is t'lt horrible guilt and pro- vocation that is in iin. There is a reprefentation of the guilt of Iin made in the crofs of C hritt. I'here was a great reprefentation of it in the punilhment of angels ; a great reprefentation ol it is made in the deltru£tion of Sodom and Gomorrah •, and both thele are propoied un- to us in a fpecial manner, (2 Pet. ii. 4, >, 6.) to fet forth the heinous nature of the guilt of fin •, but they come very ihort, nay, give me leave to fay, that hell itielf comes fliort of reprefentii g the guilt of fin, in compari- fon ot the crofj of Chrilt. And the Holy Ghoit would have us mind it, where he faith, " He was made fin for [ 56 ] jjs,'' 2 Cor. V. 21. See what comes of fin, faith he, what demerit, what provocation there is in it j to fee the Son of God praying, cryino, trembling, bleeding, dying, God hiding his face from him ; the earth trembling under him j davknefs round about him ; how can the loulbut cry out, O Lord is this the elFed of iln 1 is all this in lin ! Here then take a view of lin. Others look on it in its plea- fures and the advan^'ages ot it *, and cry. Is it not a little one ? as Lot of Zoar. But look on it in the Crols of Chrift, and tliere it appears in another hue. All this is froni my fin, faith the contrite foul. (2 ) The purity^ the hoiuicfs, and xh^feverily of God, that would not pafs by iin, when it was charged upon his Son. " He fet him forth (Rom. iii. 25.) to declare his righteoufneis." A*s there was a reprefent.ttion of the guilt of fin, fo there was an everlafting reprefentation at the holineis and righteoufnefs of God in the crofs of Je- fusChrift. He.fpared him not. And may the foul fay, Is God thus holy in his nature, thus fevere in the exe- cution of his wrath, fo to punifli, and fo to revenge fin, when his Son undertook to anfwer for it ? How dread- ful is this God I ho^v glorious I what a confuming fire ! It is that which will make finners in Zion cry, " Vv ho among us ihall dwell with the devouring fire ' who a- mong us fiiall dwell with cverlalling burnings f" Ifa. xxxiii. 14. Confider the holinefs and the fevcrity of God in the crofs of Chriil, and it will make the foul look a- bout him, how to appear in the prefence of that God. (3.) Would you have another objeft of your medita- tion m this matter j let it be the infinite wifdom and the infinite love of God that found out this way of glorify- ing his holinefs and jultice, and dealing with fin accord- ing to its demerit. " God fo loved the world, (John iii. 16.) as to fend his only begotten Son. And herein is love, love indeed! (i Johniv. 10.), that God fent his Son to die for us." And the apoltle, Eph. iii. lo. lays it upon the manifold wifdom of God. Bring forth your faith ; be your faith never fo weak, never io little a rea- lity, do but realize it, and do not let common thoughts and notions take up and poflefs your fpirits : here is a glo- rious objeft for it to work upon, to confider the infinite wifdom and love that found out this wav. It was out [ 57 J of love unfearchable. And now what may not my poor finftil foul expert {rom this love ? what difficulties can I be entangled in, but this wifdom can difentangle me ? and what dillempers can 1 be under, but this love may heal and recover ? There is hope then, faith the foul, ia preparation for thefe things. (4.) Let the infinite love of Jefus Chrift himfelf be al- fo at fuch a feafon had in remembrance. Gal. iii. 10. " Who loved me and gave himfelf for me." Rev. i. 5. '■' Who loved us, and walhed us in his oun blood." Phil, ji. 6, 7, 8. " Who, when he was in the form of God, and- thought it no robbery to be equal with God, humbled himfelf, and became obedieiit unto death, even the death of the crofs." 2 Cor. viii. 9. " This was the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrilt, that though he was rich, yet for your fakes he became poor, that ye tlirough his poverty might be rich.'' 1 he all-conquering and all endearing love of Chrift, is a blelTed preparative meditation for this gre-it ordinance. (5.) There is the erid, what all this came to j this guilt of fin, this holinefs of God, this wifdom of grace, this love of Chrilt \ what did all this come to ^ Why the apollle tells us. Col. i. 20. " He hath made peace through the blood of his crofs." The end of it all was to make peace between God and us j and this under- taking iffued in his blood, that was able to do it, and no- thing elfe •, yea, that hath done it. It is a very hard thing for a foul to believe, that there is peace made with God for him, and for his fin ; but really trace it through thefe Heps, and it will give a great deal of rtrength to faith. Derive it from the loweft, the deep- eil pit of the guilt of fin •, carry it into the prefence of the feverity of God, and fo bring it to the love of Chrift, and the iffue which the fcriptures teftify of all thefe things was, to muke peace and reconciliation Some may fay, that tliey would willingly meditate up- on thefe things, but they cannot remember them, they cannot retain them, and it would be long work to go through and think of them all j and fuch as they have not ftrength and feafon for. I anfwer [i. | My intention is not to burden your me- mory, or your praftice, but to help your faith. 1 do f3 [ i8 ] not prefcribe thefe things as all of them neceffary to be gone through in every duty of preparation ; but you all know, they are fuch as may be ufed, every one of them fingly in the duty ; though they that Avould go through them all again and again, would be no lofers by it, but ivill find lomething that will be food and refreshment for their fouls. But, [2. J Let your peculiar meditation be regulated by your peculiar prefent condition. Suppofe ior inilance, the foul is preffed with a fenfe of the guilt of any fin, or of many fins ; let the preparative meditation be fixed upon the grace of God, and upon the love of Jefus Chriil, that are fuited to give relief unto the foul in luch a con- dition. — is the foul burdened with lenfeleflfnefs of fin ? doth it not find itlelf fo fenfible of iin as it would be j but rather that it can entertain flight thoughts of fin •? let meditation be principally direfted unto the great guilt of fin as reprefented in the death and crofs of Chrift, and to the leverity of God as there reprefented. Other things may lay hold on our carnal affedions j but if this lay not hold upon faith, nothing will. I have one rule more in thefe meditations 5 Doth any thing fall in that doth peculiaily atteCt your fpirits, as to that leoard which you have to God ? Set it down. Moft Chrirtians are poor m experience ; they have no ilock ; they have not laid up any thing for a dear year or u hard time : though they may have had many tokens for good, yet they have forgot them. When your hearts are laifed by intercourfe*between God and yourfelves in the performance of this duty, be at pains to fet them down for vour own ufe •, if any thing do immediately afteft your ■ ibiritsyouwill be no lofer by it j itis as eyfy a w;.y togrow :ich in fpiritual experiences as any 1 know. — I'his is the 'part of this duty of preparation, v/hich, with the rules given, may be conilantly fo obferved, as to be no way buvdenfome lior wearifome to you ; but very much to vour advantage. The other duties I Ihall but name, and io have done. 2. There is examination. Examination is the word in my text, snd that duty which .;ic;t have commonly fpcke unto, that have treated any thing about prepara- [ 39 ] tion for this ordinance. It refpecls principally two things, vi-z. Repentance and taiih. (i,) Our examination as to repentance, as far as it concerns preparation unto tiiis duty, may be referred to three heads. I i.l To call ourfelves to account, whether indeed we have habitually that mourning frame of Ipirit upon us, which is required in then who converle with God in the cr-jfs of jefus Chrill. " 'I'hey Ihall look, upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn.'" There is an ha- bitual mourning frame of Ipirit required in us 5 and we may do well to learch ourielvcs about it, whether it is maintained, and kept up, or no ? whether worldly i'ecurity and carnal joys do not devour it ■* For fpirituai joys will not do it. Spiritual joys will take off nothing from fpi- rituai mourning*, but worldly fecurity, and carnal joy and pleafures will devour that frame of fpirit. [2.] Our examination as to repentance refpctls a<5lual fins, efpecially as for thofe who have the privilege and advantage of irequtnt and ordinary participation of this ordinance. It relpeils the furprilals that have befallen us, (as there is no man that doth good find hnneth not), fnice we rt-ccived the laif pledge ot the love of God in the adminiliration of that ordinance. Friends, let us not be afraid ot calling ouriclves to a Itnct account. We have to do with him that is greater than we, and know- cth all things. Let us not be afraid to look into the book of conlcience and converlation. to look over our furprilals, our negk'(!:^s,our finful tailings and njifcarriages, 1'liefe things belong to this preparation, to look over them, and mourn over them aho I would rot be thouglit to myfelf or you to prefcribe an hard burden in this du- ty of preparation. It is nothing but what God expects from us. and what we m tft do if we intend any commu- nion with him in this ordinance. I mny add, [3.1 VVhetlier we have kept alive our lalt received pledges of the love of God ? It may be at an ordinance we have received foine fpecial intimations of tiie goodwill of (jod. It is our duty to keep them alive in our Ipirits j, and let us never be atraid we <^>:i'l have i,^ lOo n for more. The keeping of them muKCs way ior what far- [ 6o J rlier i-s to come. Have we loft fuch fenfible impreflions ? there is then matter for repentance and humiliation. (2.) Examination alfo concerns faith j and that in ge- neral and in particular. In general : Is not my heart hy- pocritical ? or do I really do what in this ordinance I pro- Icfs ? which is placing all iiiy faith and hope in Jefus ■Chrifl for life, mercy, falvation, and for peace with God. And in particular, Do 1 itir vip and aft faith to meet Chrift in this ordinance ? 1 flrail not enlarge upon thefc things that are commonly fpoken unto. 3. The third part of our preparation, is fuppHcalion ; that is adding prayer to this meditation and examina- tion. Add prayer, which may iniay and digeft all the reft in the foul. Pray over what we have thought on, what we have conceived, what we have apprehended, what we delire, and what we fear: gather all up into fupplications to God. 4. There belongs unto this duty, expeBation alfo ; that is, to expect that God w-ill anfwer his promife, and meet us according to the defire of our hearts. We fhould look to meet God, becaufe he hath pronufed to meet us there j and we go upon his promife of grace, expecting he will anfwer l«s word and meet us. Not going at all adventures, as not knowing whether we fhall find him or not J God may indeed then furprife us, as he did Ja- cob when he appeared unto him, and made him fay, " God is in this place, and I knew it not. Bui we go where we know God is. He hath placed his .name upon his ordinances, and there he is •, go to them with expectation, and rife from the reft of the duties with this expecta- tion. This is the fubftance of what might be of ufe to feme in reference unto this duty of preparation for this great and folemn ordinance, which God hath gracioufly gi- ven unto any of you the privilege to be made partakers of. Have we failed in thefe things, or in things of a like nature'' Let us admire the infinite patience of God, that hath borne with us all this while, that he hath not caft us out of his houfe, that he hath not deprived us of thefe enjoyments, which he miglit juftly have done, when we have fo undervalued them, as far as lay r 6i ] in us, and defplfed them ; when we have had lb little care to make entertainment for the receivinjj of the great God and our Lord Jel'us Chrift, who comes to vilit us in this ordinance. We may be ready to com- plain of what outward concerns, in and about the wor- ftiip of God fome have been deprived of. We have in- finite more reafon to admire, that there is any thing left unto us, any name, any place, any nail, any remernbrance in the houfe of God ; confidering the regardleilnefs which hiith been upon our fpirits in our communion witli him. '* Go avay, and fin no more, led a worle thing beialus." If there be in any, that have not rifen up in a due man- ner in this duty, any conviction of the neceffity and ufe- fulnei's of it, God forbid we fliould be found unning a- gainll this convittion. DISCOUP.se VII. Ju/y 7. 1673. I SHALL (hew brieHy what it is to obtain a facta- mental part of Jefus Chriil in this ordinance of the Lord's fupper. It is a great myftery, and great wifdom riid exercife of faith lie in it, how to obtain a participation of Chrift. When the world had loit an uuderilanding of this myltery, for want of fpiritual fight, they contrived a means to make it up, that fliould be eafy on the part of them that did partake, and very prodigious on the part of them that adminittered. The prieit, with a few words, turned the bread into the body of Chrid ; and the peo- ple have no more to do but to put it into their mouths, and foChrilt is partaken of. It was the iois of the myl- tery of faith in the real participation of Chrilt, that put ihem on that invention. Neither is there in this ordinance, a naked figure, a naked reprefentation j there is lomething in the figure, fomething in the rei)refcni.ation, buttliere is not all in it. W'len the bread is broken, it is a figure, a reprefen- tation that the body of Chrift was broken for us ; and r 62 ] the pouring out of the wine is, a figure and reprefen*- tation of the pouiiii^j oi the blood 01 Ciiriit, or the pour- ing forth of his ioul unto death. And there are ufeful meditations that may arife from thence. But in this or- dinance there is a real exhibition of Chriil, unto every Ijtelieving foul. I lliall a little enquire into it, to lead your faith into a due exercife in it, under the adminiftration of this or- dinance. Fny7, The exhibition and tender of Chrill; in this or- dinance, is diftinft fiomthe tender of Chrift in the pro- mife of the gofpel ; as in many other things, lo it is in this : In the promife of the gofpel, the perfon of the Father is principally looked upon, as propofing and ten- dering Chriil unto us : in this ordinance, Chrill tenders himfelf. " This is n;iy body," faith he, " do this in re- membrance of me." He makes an immediate tender of himfelf unto a believing foul ; and calls our faith unto a refpeft to his grace, to his love, to his readinefs to unite, and fpirituaily to incorporate witli us. Again, Secondly, It is a tender of Chrill, and an exhibition of Chrirt under an efpecial confideration ; not in gene- ral, but under this confideration, as he is, as it were, new- ly (io the word is) lacriSced ; as he is a new and frefli facrifice in the great work of reconciling, making peace with God, making an end of fin, doing all that was to be uone between God and finners, that they might be at peace. Chrill makes a double reprefentation of himfelf, as the ureat Mediator upon his death, and the oblation and facrifice which he accomphihed tliereby. He reprefents himlelf unto God in heaven, there to do whatever remains to be done with God on our behalf, by his interceffion. The interceflion of Chrill is nothing but the prefentation of himfelf unto God, upon his ob- lation and facrifice. He prefents himfelf unto God, to do with him what remains to be done on our part, to procure mercy and grace for us. He prefents himfelf unto us, in this ordinance, to do with us what remains to be done on the part of God j and this anfwers to his interceffion above, which is the counterpart of his prefent mediation, to do with us what r 63 ] remains on the pnit of God, to give out peace and mer- cy in the leal of the covenant unto our fouls. There is this fpecial exhibition of Jelus Chrill. and it is given direftly for this fpecial exercife of faith, tliat we may know ho»v to receive liim in this ordinance. J. We receive him as one tliat hatli actually accom- plidied the great work (lb he tenders himfelf) of mak- ing peace with God for us j for the blotting out of fins, and for the bringing in evcrlaliing rightcoufnefs. He doth not tender himfelf only as one that can do thefe things. It is a relief when we have an apprehenfion that Chrill can do all this for us. Nor doth he tender him- felf as one that will do thefe things upon any fuch or fuch conditions, as fiiall be prefcribed unto us. But he ten- ders himlelf unto our faith, as one that hath done thefe things ; and as fuch ara we to receive him, if we intend to jilorify him in this ordinance ; as one that hath a6lu- allv done this, aclually made peace for us, aclually blot- ted out our fins, and purchafed eternal redemption for us. Brethren, can ^\e receive Cluifl: thus ? are we willing to receive him thus f If lo, we may go away and be no morj iorr wful. if we come fhort herein, we come fhoit of that fiitli, hich is required of us in this ordinance. Pray let us endeavour toconiider how Jefus Chrill doth Iieieby make a tender of himfelf unto us, as one that hatli actually taken away all our fins, and all our iniquities, that none of them ihall ever be laid unto our charge : and to receive him as Inch, is to give glory unto him. 2. He tenders iiimielf as one tuat hath done this work by his death ; for it i; the remembrance of his death in a peculiar manner that we celebrate. What there is of love, what there is ot eilicacy, of power and comfort in that, whnt there is of fecurity, 1 may have occafion a- nother time to Ipcak unto you. — At prefent this is all I would offer ; that for the doing of thefe great things, for the doing the t;ieatelt, the h;n-Jtft things t'lat our faith is exerciled aijout, which are the pardon of our fins, aninal cuife (in the day that thou eateft thereof, th'Mi fh.ilt furely die) Iny upon us all. The cnifcqueut curfe, " Curfed is every that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them j" t'at alio l-,»y upon us all. We were under b"i-)i.tl^e ori" 'mI and the confequent curfe. V\ e know what is in the curie g [ 66 ] even all tlie anger and wrath that a difpleafed holy God can and will intiidl upon iintul creatures to all eternity. In this ilate and condition then, all lay upon us, and all muit lie upon us ; unlefs we come to have an incerelt in the lufferings of Chiift, there is no relief for us. I will not infill upon calling to your mind, that heaven and earth, and all God's creation combining together, could not have procured relief for one of our fouls. Chrift, the Son of God. offered himfelf, and faid, Lo, I come. Indeed it was a good faying of David, it was nobly faid, when he faw the angel of the Lord deflroying the peo- ple with a pellilence, " Lord, (faith he), it is I, and my father's houfe that have finned j but as for thefe iheep, (thefe poor people) what have they done r" It was other- tvife with Chrift j he came in the place of finners, and faid, " Let not thefe poor flieep die." If God would by faith give your fouls and mine a view of the volunta- ry fubllitution of Jefus Chriit in his perlon in our room and on our behalf, it would comfort and refrelh us. When the curfe of God was ready to break forth upon us, God acceptedofthistender,of this offer of Chrift: ''Lo Icome to do thy will," to beafacrifice. And what did he do ? Why, faith he, this God did ; then if he will come, if he will do it, let him plainly know how the cafe Hands 5 the curfe is upon them, v/rath is upon them, punifliment muft be undergone ; my holinels, faithfulnefs, righteouf- nefs, and truth, are all engaged. Yet, faith Chriit, " Lo, I come." Well what doth God do ? He tells you, ifa, liii 6. All we like Iheep liave g. ne afti ay, u e have turn- ed every one to his o^vn way, and .the Lord hath caufed all oui iniquities to meet upon him." God fo far relax- ed his own law that the fentence ftiall not fall upon t'leir perfons, but upon their Subftitute, one that hath put himfelf in their place ;^nd ftead. Be it fo ; all their in- iquities be upon thee ; all tlie iniquities of tins congre- gation, faith God, be upon i-ny Son fefus Chrift. Well, what then did he fuffer " He futff.'ed that which anfwered the juftlce of God. He fuffe ed that which anfwered '■he la.v of God. He fuffe red that which fully rejiaired the glory of God. Brethren, h^X us encour- age- oixrfelve.s in the Lord. \£ theie :t any de- mands to be made of jou or rae, it muft De upon the ac- [ 67 ] count of tTie righteoufnefs and juftice of God j or upon the account ot' the law of God ; or upon the ac- count of the lofs that God fuffeied in his glory by us. If the Lord jefus hath come in, and anfwered all thele, we have a good plea to make in the prefcnce of the ho- ly God. 1. He fuffered all that the juftlce of God did require. Hence it is laid, that " God fet him forth to be a pro- pitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righ- tfoufnefs for the forgivencfs of fins, Rom. iii. 25. And you may obferve, that the apoifle ufes the very fame words in refpecl of Chrill's fufferings, that he ules in refpecf of the fufferings of the damned angels. Rom. viii. 32. " God fpared them not." And when he would fpeak of the rightcoufnefs of God in intlidl- ing punifhment upon the iinning angels he doth it by that very word, " God fpared them not." So that whatever the rightcoufnefs of God did require againftfinners, Chrifl theiein was not {pared at all. What God requited a- fainit your fins and mine, and all his eleft. God fpared im in nothing, but he paid the utmoll farthing. 2. The fufferings of Chrift did anfwer the law of God. That makes the next demand of us. The law is that which requires our poor guilty fouls to punifliment in the name of the jullice of God. Why, faith the apoille, " He hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, by- being made a curfe for us," Gal. iii. 13. j by undei go- ing and fuffering the curfe of the law, he redeemed u* from it. 3 . He fuffered every thing that was required to repair and makeup the glory of God. Better you and 1 and all the world (liould perifli than God (hould be enda- maged in his glory. It is a truth, and I hope God will bring all our hearts to fay, Chrilt, hath fuffered to make up that. The obedience that was in the fufferings o£ Chrilf, brought more glory uito God than the diibbedi- ence of Adam, who was the original of the apollacy of the whole creation from God, brought dilhonour unto him. That which feemed to relieft great dillionour up- on God was, th .t all his creatures fliould as one man fall oil ny apoftacy from him. God will have his honour re- paired, and it is done by the obedience of Chriit much C 68 ] more. There cometh, 1 fay, more glory to God by the obedience of Chriil and his fufferings, than there diddif- honour by the difobedience of Adam j and fo there conies more glory by Chrill's fufferings and obedience •upon the crofs, than by the fufferings of the damned for ever. Godlofesno glory by fetting believers free from fuf- .fering, becaufe of the fufferings of the Son of God. This was a fruit of eternal wifdom. Now having thus touched a little upon the fufferings of Chriil, v.'hat iliall we do in a way of duty ? (i.) Let us by faith confider truly and really this great fubilitution of Jefus Chrift •, " the juft fuffering for the unjuft ;" in our Head, in our room, undergoing what we fliould have undergone. The Lord help us to admire the infinite liolinefs, righteoufnefs, and truth that is in it. We are not able to comprehend thefe things in it ; but if God enables us to exercife faith upon it, we fliall admire it. Whence is it that the Son of God Ihouid be fubitituted in our place ? Pray remember, that we are row reprefenting this infinite effeft of divine wifdom in fubfiituting Jefus Chrift in our room, to undergo the wrath and curfe of God for us. (2.) Let us learn from the crofs of Chrift, what in- deed is in our iins •, that when Chrift, the Son of God, in whom he was always wellpleafed, that he did the whole will of God, was in his bolom from all eternity, came and fullituted himfelf in our room, God fp ;red him not. Let not any finner ur.der heaven that is eftranged from Chrift, ever think to be fparcd. If God would have - fpared any, he would have fpared his only Son. But if he will be a Mediator of the covenant, God will not fpare him, though his own Son. We may acquaint you hereafter, what it coll Chriil to ftand in the room of lin- ners. 1'he Loid from thence give our hearts Icme fenfe of that great provocation that is in hn, that we may mourn befoie him, when we look on him whom our Iins have pierced. (3 ) Will God help us to take a view of the iffue of alt this, of the Hibftitution of Jefus Chrift, placing him in our ftead, putting his foul in the place of our fouls ; his peifon in the piace of our perions ; of t'le commuta- tion of pui/iQiment, in which the righteoa&efs, holinefs, [ Co 1 and wlfdom of God laid that on liim wlilch was due un- to us. What is the iflue of all this ? It is to biiii;' us unto God j to peace with God, and acquitment from all our fins J and to mat;e us acceptable with the rigute- ous, holy, and faithful God ; to give us boldnefs before him : this is the iflue. Let us confider this ilTue of the fufl'erings of Chriit, and be thankful. DISCOURSE IX. February 22. 167J:. IT is the table of the Lord that we are invited to draw nigh unto. Our Lord hath a large heart and boun- tiful hand ; hath made plentiful provilion for our fouls at this table \ and he faith unto us by his Spirit in his word, " Eat, O my friends, yea drink abundantly." It is that fealt that God hath provided for finners. And theie are three forts of iinners that I would fpeaka word unto to ftir them up unto a due exercife of faith in this ordinance, according as their condition doth require. There are fuch as are not fenfible of their fins, fo as they ought to be j they know they are not ; they are not a- ble to get their hearts affeiiTted with their fins, as they de- fire There are fome that are fo burdened, and over- preffed with the fenfe of their fins, that they are fcarce able to hold up under the v^ eight of them •, under the doubts and fears wherewith they are dillreifed. And there are finners, who are in enjoyment of a fenfe of the pardon of fin ; and do defire to have hearts to improve it in thankfulnefs and fiuitfulnefs. Something of thefe feveral frames may be in us all j yet it m;iy be, one is predominant, one is chief ; one in one, another in another j and therefore I will Ipeak a few words diftinctly to them all. I. There are finners, who are believers, who cannot get their hearts and fpirits aftefted with fin I'o as they ought and fo as they defire. There is not a fadder complaint of the cliurch, as I know in the whole book of God, than that Ii. lxiii.17. "Why haR thou hardened our g 3 [ 70 ] hearts from tliy fear ?" Poor creatures may come unto that jr.rplexity througli an apprehenfion of the v. ait of a due knfe of the guilt of iin, as to be ready thus lo cry out, Why is it thus with me > Why am 1 fofenfelefs un- der the guilt of all the lins that I have contrafted ? I have a word of diredtion unto fuch perfons. Are there fuch among us ? It is a direction unto faith to be atting in this ordinance. It is that which we have, Zech. xii. lo. " I'hey iliall look unto him whom they have pierc- ed and mourn." Vv hy, brethren, Chrift is reprefented un- to us ii> this ordirance, as he was pierced, as his preci- ous blood was poured out for us. Le^us act faith, if God help us, in two things. (i.) Upon the dolorous fufFerings of Chriil which are reprefented here unto us. Let us take a view of the iion of God under the curfe of God. (2.) Remember that all thefe fufferings were for us j " They fhail look upon him whom they have pierced, and tten mourn." The afting of faith upon the fuf- ferings of Chriil, as one that fuffered for us, is the great means in this ordinance to bring our hearts to mourn for iin indeed. Therefore pray, let us beg of God, who- ever of us are in any meaiure under this frame, that our inienfiblenefs of the guilt and burden of fin may be our great burden. Let us try the power of faith in this or- dinance, by getting our hearts alfefted with the fuffer- ings of Chrift in our behalf. Let us bind it to our hearts and confciences ; and may the Lord give a bleiling. 2. There are others who, it may be, are preiTed under the weight of their fins ; walk mournfully, walk difcon- lolateiy. I linow there are forae fo, in the condition ex- preffed by the Pfalmill, Pfal. xl. 12. '* Innumerable evils ha^^e compaffed me about, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, fo that I am not able to look up : they sre more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart laileth me." bome may be in that condition, that their hearts are ready to fail them, through the multitude of their iniquities taking hold upon them What would you diret^l fiich unto in this ordinance ? Truly, that which is given John iii. 14. 15. " As iVJofes lifted up the fer- pent in the wildernefs, even fo muft the .ion of man be lifted up J that whofocver believeth in him, fticuld not r 71 ] perlHi, but have eternal life." The Lord Jefus Chrift is lifted up. as Mofes lifted up the feipentin the vvildernefs, and here he is lifted up, as bearing all our fins on his own body upon the tree. Plere is a reprcfcntation made unto poor Tinners, whole hearts are molt burdened j here is Jeius Chrift lifted up with all our fins upon the tree. Let fuch a foul labour to have a view of Chriil as bearing all our iniquities, that beliving on him we (hould not per- ifh, but have life everlafting. God hath appointed him to be crucified evidently before our eyes, that every poor foul that is llung with fin, ready to die by fin, ihould look up unto him, and be healed ; and virtue will go forth, if wc look upon him. for " by his ftripes we are healed." 3. There may be fome that live in full fatisfa«^ion of the pardon of their fins, and are felicitous how their hearts may be drawn forth unto thankfulnefs and fiuitfulnefs. Remember that place. Rev. i. 5. 6. *' To him that lov- ed us and waQied us from our fins in his own blood, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." Remem- ber this, that whatever your Hate and condition be, you have here a proper objeft for faith to exercife it elf upon ; only be not wanting unto your own comfort and advantage. DISCOURSE X. May 17. 1674. Matt, xxviii. 20. Teaching them to ob/erve all things ivhatfocver I have commanded you : and lo, I am with you alway^ even un- to the end of the world. BY the end of the world, ive are to underftand the confummation of all things ; when all church-woik is d( iR, and all church-duties are over j when the time e<. ..es that we (hall pray no more, hear no more, no more adnuiiller ordinances; but till then, faith Chrilt, take this tor your life and for your comfort, Do what I com- C 72 ] mand you, and you (hall have my prefence with you. There are three things whereby Chrilt makes good this promife, and is with his church to the end of the world. Firjl^ By his Spirit. " Where-ever, (faith he), two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midll of them." (Mat. xviii. 20.) by his quicken- ing, guiding, direftlng Spirit, as a Spirit of grace and fupplication, as a Spirit of light and holinefs, and as a Spi- rit of comfort. Secondly^ Chrift is prefent with us by his word. Saith the apoPle, Col. iii. 16. " Let the word of Chrill dwell in you richly." or plentifully. And how then ? Then^ faith he, Eph. iii. 17. " Chrift dwelleth in us by faith.'* The word dwelleth in us plentifully, if mixed with faith •, and Chrift dwelleth in us 5 he is prefent with us by his word. Thirdly, Chrift is prefent with us in an efpecial man- ner in this ordinance One of the greateft engines that ever the devil made ufe of to overthrow the faith of the church, was by forging luch a prefence of Chrift as is not truly in this ordinance, to drive us oflF from looking after that prefence which is true. I look upon it as one of the greateft engines that ever hell fet on work. It is . not a corporal prefence j there are innumerable argu- ments agaift that j every thing that is in fenfe, reafon, and the faith of a man. overthrows^hat corporal prefence. But I will remind you of one or two texts wherewith it is incoiiliftent. The firft is that in John xvi. 7. " Never- thelefs, (faith our Saviour), it is expedient for you that I go away ; for if 1 go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.' The corporal presence of Chrift, and the evangelical prefence of the Holy Ghoit,as the Cora- forrer, in the New Tcftament, are inconliftent. 1 muft •' go away, or the comforter will not come " But he fo went away as to his prefence, as to come again "with his bodily prefence, as often as the prieits call. No, faith Peter, Afts iii. 2i. '' The heavens muft receive him; (foj how long) '' till the tiuie of reftitution of all things." I go Hwav as to my bodily pjefence, or the Comforter will not come ; - and when he is gone away, the heavens muft receive him until the time of the reltitution of aU [ 73 ] things. We muft not therefore look after fuch a pre- fcnce. I will give you a word or two, what is the prefence of Chrifl with us. in this ordinance ^ what is our duty j and how we may meet with Clirirt when he is thus pre- fent with us •, which is the work 1 have in hand. Chrill is prefent in this ordinance in an efpecial manner three ways, by reprelentation, by exhibition, by obfignation, or fealing. I. He is prefent here by reprefentation. So in a low, fhadowy way God was prefent in the tabernacle, in the temple, in the ark, and mercy-feat ; they had a repre- fentation of his glory. But Chrill here hath given us a more eminent and clear reprefentation of himfelf. 1 will name but two things. 1 . A reprefentation of himfelf, as he is the food of our fouls. 2. A reprefentation of himfelf, as he fuffered for our fins. Thefe are two great ways whereby Chrift is reprefent- ed as the food of our fouls, in the matter of the ordi- nance j and Chrill as fuffering for our fins is reprefented in the manner of the ordinance j both by his own ap- pointment. The apoftle fnith, Gal. iii. i. " Jefus Chrill was evidently crucified before their eyes." Itvidently crucified, doth not intend particularly this ordinanoe, but the prf aching of the gofpel, which gzve a delinea- tion, a pitlure and image of the crucifixon of Chnii un- to the faith of believers. But of ad tblr-js that i>c»- long unto the gofpel, he is mofl; evident! rucitied be- fore our eyes in this ordinance j and it is ..greed on all hands that Chrill is reprefented unto the foul in this or- din'ince. How fl\all we do this •' (hall we do it by cru- cifixes, pi(5lures and images ■ No ; they are all curied of that God who faid, " Thou flialt not maki unto 'hyfelf any graven image." But that way by which God himfelf, ami Chrill hirafelfhith appointed to reprefentthele things unto us, that he Ljleffes, and makes eftedual. Tliis >vay, as I have often (hewed, is the way that was chofen by the wifdom and goodnePs of jefus Chrill j the name of God i upon it ; it is blelTed unto u ;, and will be eft'ec- tual, it we are not wanting to outielves. [ 74 ] II. Chrill Is prefent with us, by way of exhibition j that is, he doth really tender and exhibit hirofelf unto the fouls of believers in this ordinance, which the world hath lort. and knows not what to make of it. They ex- hibit that which they do not contain. This bread doth not contain the body of Chrift, or the flefh of Chrift ; the cup doth noi contain the blood of Chriil j but they ex- hibit them ; both do as really exhibit them to believers, as they partake of the outward figns. Certainly we be- lieve that our Lord Jefus Chrill doth not invite us un- to this table for the bread that periihes, tor outward food J it is to feed our fouls. What do we think then ? doth he invite us unto an empty, painted feaft? do we deal fo with our friends ? Here is foraething really ex- hibited by Jefus Chvilt unto us, to receive, belides the outward pledges of bread and wine. We muft not think the Lord Jefus Chrift deludes our fouls with empty ihews and appearances. That which is exhibited is him- felf, it is his flefh as meet indeed, and his blood as drink indeed j it is himielf as broken and crucified, that he ex- hibits unto us. And it is the fault and fin of every one of us, if we do not receive him this day, when an exhi- bition and tender is made unto us, as here, by way of food. To what end do we receive it ? Truly we re- ceive it for thefe two ends^ for incorporation, for nou- riihment. 1. We receive our food, that it may incorporate and turn into blood and fpirits, that it may become one with us j and when we have fo done, 2. Our end and defign is, that we may be nourlfhed, nature ftrengthened, comforted, and fupported, and'we enabled for the duties of life, Chrift doth exhibit himfelf unto our fouls, if we are not wanting unto ourfelves, for thefe two things, incor- poration and nourilliment j to be received into union, and to give ftrength unto our fouls. III. Chrift is prefent in this ordinance by way of ob- flgnation : he comes here to feal the covenant j and therefore the cup is called, " the new teftament in the blood of Chrift." How in the blood of Chrift ? It is the new covenant that was fealed, ratified, confirmed, and made fo ftable, as you have heard, by tlvc blood of c 75 :i Jefus Chrift. For, from the foundation of the world, no covenant was ever intended to be ellablrlhed, but it was confirmed by blood ; and this covenant is confirmed by the blood of Chrill j and he comes and feals the cove- nant with his own blood in the adminiilration of this or- dinance. Well, if Jefus Chriil; be thus prefent by way of repre- fentation, exhibition, and obfionation, what is required of us that we may meet him, find be prefent with him ? For it is not our mere coming hither that is ajneeting with Chrilt ; it is a work, of faith : and there are three a6ls of f iith whereby we may be prefent with Chrifl, who is thus prefent with us. 1, The firit is by recognition, anfwering his reprefen- tation. As Chrill in this ordinance doth reprefent his drtath unto us, fo we are to remember it, and call it over. Pray confidcr how things were done formerly in refer- ence unto it. The pafchal lamb was an ordinance for remembrance ; " it is a night to be had in remem- brance;" and this they (houid do for aremembrance : and it was to be eaten with bitter herbs : there was once a year a fealt wherein all the fins, iniquities, and tranfgref- fions of the children of Ifrael were called to remem- brance ; and it was to be done by greatly afflifting of their fouls. If we intend to call to remembrance the death of Chrift, we intiy do well to do it with feme bit- ter herbs ; there ihould be fome remembrancK of fin with it, fome brokennefs of heart for fin, with refpe6l to hiin who was pierced and broken for us. Our work is to call over and Ihew forth the death of Chrilt. Pray, brethren, lei us a little confider, whether our hearts be fuitabjy aifefted with refpecl to our fins which were upon Jefus Chrill wlien he died for us, or no •, lelt we draw nigh un- to him with the outward bodily prefeuce, when our hearts are far from him. 2. If Chrill be prefent with us by way of exhibition, we ought to be prefent by way of admiflion. It will not advantige you or me. that Chrilt tenders himfelf unto us, unlcfs we receive him. This is the great work ; here- in lies the main work upon all the nembers o*^ i| e church. When w^ are to difpenfe the word, the firft work lies upon the minillers j and when the work is luf- C 76 3 ficiently difcharged, they will be a good favour unto Gocf in them that believe, and in them that pcrifli : but in this ordinance, the main work lies upon yourfelves. If in the name of Chrift xve make a tender of him unto you, and he be not a61ually received, there is but half the work done ; fo that you are in a peculiar manner to ftir up yourfelves, as having a more fpecial intereft in this du- ty, than in other duty of the church whatfoever j and you may take a better meafure of yourfelves by your ading in this duty, than of us by our adling in the rai- niilry. Let Chrift be received into your hearts by faith and love, upon this particular tender that he af- fuiediy makes in this ordinance ot himfelf unto you j for, as I faid, he hath not invited you unto an empty painted feait or table. 3. Know what you come to meet him for, which is, to feal the covenant, lolemnly to take upon yourlelveS again the performance of your part of the cove- nant. 1 hope I fpeak in a deep fenfe of the thing itfelf, and that which I have much thouglit of. This ift that which ruins the world, the hearing that God hath made a covenant of grace and mercy ; it is preached to them, and declared unto them, and they think to be faved by this covenant, though they them- felves do not perfoim what the covenant requires on their part. \\'hat great and glorious words do we fpeak in the covenant, that God gives himlelf over unto us to be our God ! Brethren, there is our giving ourfelves unto God (to anfvver this) univerfaliy and ablblutely. If we give ourfelves unto the world, and to our lulls, and to felf, ■we are not to expect any benefit by God's covenant of ' grace. If it be not made up by ourfealing of the cove- nant of grace, or by an univerlal refignation of ourfelves in all thar we are and do unto him, we do not meet Je- fus Cbrilt 5 we difappoint him when he comes to feal the covenant. Where is this people, faith Chrift, that would enter into covenant with me •" Let it be in our hearts to fee him feal the covenant of grace as repreiented in this ordinance ; and to take upon ourfelves the perfor- mance of what is required of us, by an univerfal giving up ourielves unto God, C 77 ] DISCOURSE XI. ^ugujlg. 1674. I SHALL now produce fome few places of Scripture, one efpecially, that may adminifter occafion unto you for the exercife of faith, the great duty required of us at this time. You may do well to think of thefe words of the prophet concerning Jefus Chriil, concern- ing his fufFerings and death, which we are here gathered together in his name to remember. They are, IsA. liii. ic. He Jhallfee of the travail of his foul ^ and fh all befatis- fed. There are two things that the Holy Ghoft minds us of in thefe words. 1 That Jefus Chriil was in a great travail of foul to bring forth the redemption and falvation of the church. 2. He minds us that jefus Chriil was latisfied, iitid much rejoiced in the confideration, the effefts and fruits of the travail of his foul. I ihall fpeak a word to both, and a word to fliow you how both thele things are called over in this ordinance, both the travail of the foul of Chriil, and ris fatistac- tion in the fruit of that travail. FirJ}^ Chriil was in a. great travail of foul to biing forth the redemption and falvation of the church. It was a great work that Chriil had to do. It is ufually faid, we are not faved as the world was made, by a word ; but there was travail in it j it is the word whereby the bringing forth of children into the world is expreffed ; the travail of a woman. And theie are thret ihings in that travail j an agony of mind •, outcry- ing for help J and fenle of pain. All theie things were h [ 7S ] in the travail of the foul of Chrift. I will name the Scriptures, to call them to your remembrance. 1. He was in an agony, Luke xxii. 44. An agony is an inexpreflible conHift of mind about things dreadful and terrible. So it was with Chrift. No heart can conceive, much lefs can tongue exprefs, the conflici that was in the foul of Jefus Chrift, with the wrath of God, the curfe of the law, the pains of hell and death, that flood before him in this work of our redemption. There was an agony. 2. There was an outcrying for help, Heb. v. 7. *' Who in the days of his flefti offered up prayers and fupplications, with ftrong crying and tears, unto him that was able to fave him." buch is the outcry of a perfon in travail, crying out unto them that are able to fave them. So it was with Jefus Chrift when he was in the travail of his foul about our falvation. He made thefe ftrong cries unto God, to him that was able to fave him. 3. There was pain in it. which is the laft thing in travail ; fo that he complained that " the pains of hell had taken hold upon him." Whatever pain there was in the curfe of the law, in the wratii of God j whate- ver the juftice of God did tver defign to inriict upon fin- ners, was then upon the foul of Jefus Chrift ; fo that he was m travail. This is the fii ft tbuig I would mind you of j that, in the bringing forrii the work of our redemp- tion and falvation, the Lord Jefus was in travail. Secondly, It was a fatisfadlion, a rejoicing unto the Lord Jefus Chrift, to conlider the fruits and effetSls of this travail of his foul, which God had promiled he fhould fee. He was fatisfied in the profpeft he had of the fruit of the travail of his foul So the apoftle tells us, Heb xii. 2. " that, for the joy that was fet before hiu. /■' whic'i was the jov of bringing us unto God, of bein^j the Captain of falvation unto them that ftiould o- bey him, " he endured the crofs, and defpifed the ftiaiTi'e j" he went through all with a profped he had of the fruit of his travail ; there xvould jov come oat of it ; the joy that v. as fet before him •, :is he fpeaks, Pfal. xvi. 6. '■. 1 e't God prerCDts uiiro him what he fliall have by this travail, what he ihdll get by it j faith he, *' The [ 79 J lines are fallen unto me in a pleafant place, yea I have a goodly heritage," It is the Tatisfaftion that Jefus Chrill (who is there ipoken of only in that pfalm) takes in the fruit of the travail of his loul j he is contented with it. He doth not do as Hiiam, who when Solomon gave Jjim the twenty cities in the land of Galilee, calls them *' Cabul, they were dirty, and they difpleafed him,'* I Kings ix. II. iJV. No : but " the lines are fallen unto me in a pleafant phice j" he rejoiced in his travail. It is exprclTtd, in my apprehenfion, to the height, in Jer. xxxi. 25. 16. " 1 have fatiated the weary foul, and I have repleniihed every forrowful foul." What follows ? * Upon this 1 awaked, and beheld ; and my lleep was %vect unto me." 'I hey are the words of Jefus Chrilt ; and he fpeaks concerning his death, wherein he was as aflcep in the grave. Now coniider what was the effect and fruit of it ? It was fweet unto jefus Chiill alter all the travail of his foul, that he had " fatiated the weary foul, and repleniflied every forrowful foul." * In one word, both thefe things, the travail of the foul of Chrirt, and the fatisfaftion he took in the fruit of his travail, are reprefented unto us in this ordinance. There is the travail of the foul of Chrill to us in the manner of the participation of this ordinance, in the breaking of the bread, and in the pouring out of the ■wine, reprefenting unto us the breaking of the body of Chrill, the fliedding of his blood and the feparation of the one from the other, which was the caufe of his death. Now, though thefe were outward things ia Ciirill, (becaufe the travail of his foul cannot be repre- fenced by any outward things, wherein the great work of our redemptioR lay), we are in this ordinance to be led throufrii thefe tutward things to the travail of the foul of Ciirift : we are not to red in the mere outward aft or .lits of the breaking of the body of Clirilt, and pour- ing out of his blood, the feparation of the one from the otlier, and of his death thereby, but through all them we are to enquire, what is under them " There was ChritVs making his foul an offering for fin ; there was Chi ill's being made a curfe under tliem, Chiiii's n avail of K) 1 in an agonv to bring forth the redemption and lalvation of the church. [ 8o 1 Brethren, let us be able, by faitb, not only to look through thefe outward figns to that which makes the re- prelentation itlelf unto us, the body and blood ot Chrirt 5 but even with them and through them in the travail of the foul of Chrift, the work that he was doing between God and himfelf for the redemption of the church. And here is alfo a reprefentation made unto us of that fatisfaftion the foul of Chrift received in the fruit of his travail, having appointed it in a particular manner to be done in remembrance of him. No man will appoint a remembrance of that which he doth not delight in. When Job had no more delight in his life, he defired that the time of his birth might never be remembered. When God brought the children of Ifrael out of Egypt, vphereby he exalted his glory, he appointed a paflover, and faid, " It was a day greatly to be remembered 5'* becaufe the people had a great deliverance, and God re- ceived great glory and great fatisfaflion, therefore it was greatly to be remembered. We are to celebrate this ordinance in remembrance of Chrift, and therefore, there is a reprefentation of that fatisfadlion which Jefus Chrift did receive in the travail of his foul, fo that he never repented him of one groan, of one figh, of one tear, of one prayer, of one wreftling with the wrath of God. It is matter of rejoicing, and to be remembered j and do you rejoice in the remembrance of it ? Again, It is apparent from hence, becaufe this ordi- nance is in an efpecial manner an ordinance of thankfgi- ving ; the bread that is bleffed, or which we give thanks for J the cup which is bleffed : Chrift gave thanks. Now, if hereby we give thanks, it is to call to remem- brance, not merely the travail of Chrift's foul, but the fuccefs of that travail j hereby aU diiFeiences were made Up oetween God and us y hereby grace and glory were pui chafed for us, and he became the Captain of falvation unto us. To fhut up all, here is by Chrift's inftitution, bread and Wine provided for us j but it is bread broken, and wine poured out. There are two things in it, there is the weak part that is Chrilfs, there is the nourilh-ing part thskt a given unto us the Lord Chrift hath chofei» by this ordinance to reprefent himfelf by thefe things tha.t [ 8i ] are the ftaff of our live,- ; tlity comprife tlie wliole nou- rifliment and lultcnance of our bodies. He hath fo cho- leii to repFeicnt them by breaking and pouring out, that (hall lignify his fuffcrings ; here are both, as the bread is broken, and as the vviiie is poured out, there is'the re- piefentation of the travail of the foul of Chrill to us ; as bread is received, and the cup, which is the means of the nouriihn^ent of man's life, here is the fruit of Chiift's death exhibited unto us, and his fufferings. The Lord help us to look into the fatisfadion that Chrift received from this, that we may be partakers of the one and the other. DISCOURSE XII. February 21. 167*. WE are met here to remember, to celebrate ancl fet forth the death of Chriif, to profefs and plead our intereft therein. And there are two things that we fliould principally confider In reference to our- felves, and our duty, and tiie death of Chrilf . The fivft is, the benefits of it, and our participation of t.'t-m ; and the (econd is our conformity unto it : both are meution- e«l together by the apoltle in Phil. iii. IC5. That I may know him, and the poijoer of ha refurreflion, and the fellow Jl)ip of his Jufferirigs, being made eon for- mabla unto his death. I (liall fpeak a word or two (upon this occafion of re- membering the death of Chriif) unto the latter claufe» oi our being made conforranble unto his death, whtiein a very great part of our due preparation unto tliis tidi- nance doth confut ; in i for the furtherance whereof we.do in an t pecial manner wait upon God in this part of his worfiiip. Therefore I Hk.Ii in a few words, mind you ^3 [ 82 ] wberein we dught to be conformable unto tlie death ot" Chriit, and how we are advantaged therein by this ordi- nance. We are to be comformable unto the death of Chrift, in the internal, moral caule of it, and in the external means of it. The caufe of the death of Chriit, was fin. The means, of the death of Chrift, was fufFering. Our being con- formable upto the death of Chriit, mull refpedl iin and fdft'ering. The procuring caufe of the death of Chrift was fin> He died for fin 3 he died for our (in j our iniquities were upon him, and were the caufe of all the punilhment that beiel him. Wherein can we be conformable unto the death of Chritl with refpeft unto fin ' We cannot die for Iin. Our hope and faith is, in and through him, that we (hall ne- ver die for fin. No mortal man can be made like unto Chrift in laffering for fin. Thofe that undergo what he •Underwent, becaufe they were unlike him, muft go to hell, and be made more unlike him, to eternity. Therefore the apoftie tells us, that our conformity unto the death of Chrift with refpedl anto fin lies in this, that as he died for fin, fo we fliould die unto fin j and that fin which he died for, fhould die in us. He tells us fo, Rom. vi. 5. " We are planted together in the likenefs of his death j" we are made conformable unto the death of Chrift, planted into him, fo as to have a likenefs to him in his death. W^herein P " Knowing that our old man is crucified with him," faith he, ver. 6. It is the cru- cifixion of the old man, the crucifying of the body of fin, the mortifying of fin, that makes us conformable unto the death of Chrift a»to the internal moral caufe of it, that procures it. So another apoftie tells us, f Pet. iv. I, 2. " Forafmuch then as Chrift hath fuifered for us in the flefti, arm yourfelves likewife with the fame mind : for he that hath fuffered in the flelh, bath ceafed from fin, that he no longer ftiould live the reft of his time in the fiefli, to the lulls of men, but to the will o{ God." Here is our conformity to Chrift as he ftifftred in the flelh, that we (hould no lonj^er live to opr lufts, nor unto the will of man, but unto the will of God. And, brethren, [ 83 ] let me tell you, he who approacheth unto this remem- brance of the death of Chrilt, that hath not laboured, that doth not labour for conformity to his death in the univerfal mortification of all lin, runs a hazard to his foul, and puts an affront upon Jefus Chrift. O let none of us come in a way of thankfulnels to remember the death of jefus Chrilt, and bring along with us the mur- derer whtreby he was llain. To harbour with us, and bring along with us to the death of Chrilt, unmortified lulls and corruptions, fuch as we do not continually and fincerely endeavour to kill and mortify, is to come and upbraid Chrilt with his murderer, inftead of obtaining any fpiritual advantage j what can luch poor fouls ex- pert ? To be conformable unto the death of Chrift as to the outward means, is to be conformable Unto him in fuffer- ing. We here remember Chrilt's fufferings. And I am perfuaded, and hope I have coniidered it, that he who is unready to be comformable unto Chrift in fuffer- ing, was never upright and fincere in endeavouring to be conformable unto Chrilt in the killing of fin j for we are called as much to the one as to the other Chrift hath fuffered for us. leaving us an example, that we ftiould alio luffer when we are called thereunto. And our unwil- lingnefs to fuffer like unto Chrift, arifes from forae un- mortified corruptions in our hearts, which we have not endeavoured to fubdue, that we may be like unto Chrift in the mortification and death of fin. There are four things required that we may be con- formable unto the death of Chrift in fuffering ; for we may fuffer, and yet not be like unto Chrift in it nor by It. 1. The firft is, that we fuffer for Chrift. i Pet. iv. I >, i6. " Let none fuffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or >^s an evil doer, iss'c. But if any man (uffer as a Cluif- tian, let him not be aihamed." To fuffer as a Chiiftian, is to fuffer for Chrift ; tor the na'me of Chrift -, for the truths of Chrift ; for the ways of Chrift ; for the wor- (hip of Chrift. 2. It is required that we fuffer in the ftrength of Chrift j that we do riot differ in the ftrengtii of ou' own will, our own reaion, our own relolutions •■, but that we luffer, [ 84 1 I fay, in the ftrength of Chiift. Wlien we fuffer aright, " it is given unto us in the behalf of Chrilt, not only to believe on him, but to fuffer for him." As all other gra- ces are to be derived from Chrift, as our head and root, flock, and foundation j fo in particular that grace which enables us to fuffer for Chriil, mull be from him. And we do well to confider whether it be lb or no \ for if it be not, all our fufferings are loft, and not acceptable to him. It is a facrifice without fait, yea without an heart, that will not be accepted. 3. It is required, that we fuflFer in imitation of Chrift, as making him our example. We are not to take up the crofs, but with defign to follow Chriil. Take up the crofs, is but half the command : " Take up the crofs, and follow me," is the whole command j and we are to fuffer willingly and cheerfully, or we are the moil unlike jefus Chriil in our fufferings of any perfons in the world. Chrift was willing and cheerful, " Lo. I come to do thy will : I have a baptifm to be baptized with, and how am I llraitened till it be accomplifhed r" faitk he. And, 4. We are to fuffer to the glory of Chrift. Thefe are things wherein we ought 10 endeavour conformity to the death of Chrift, that we now remember. I pray, let none of us truft to the outward ordinance, the perfor- mance of the outward duty. If thele things be not in us, we do not remember the Lord's death in a right man- ner. How may we obtain ftrength and ability from this or- dinance, to be made conformable to his death, that we: may not come and remember the death of Chrift, and go away and be more unlike him than formerly ^ There is power to this end communicated to us doc- trinally, morally, and fpiritually. There is no fuch fermon to teach mortification of fin,, as the commemoration of the death of Chrift. It is the greatell outward inltrudlionunto this duty that God. hath left unto his church ; and I am perfuaded which- he doth moft bleft to them who are fincere. Do we fee Chriil eminently crucified before oui eyes j his bo- dy broken, '""s blood iiieJ 'of 'in \ anrl is it not of pow- erful inftrudion to us, to go on to mortify fm ? He that r 85 1 hath not learned this, never learned any thing aright from this ordinance, nor did he ever receive any benefit from it. There is a conftraining power in this inllruc- tion to put us upon the mortification of fin ; God grant we may fee the fruit of it. It hath a teaching efficacy j it teaches, as it is peculiarly blcfled of God to this end and purpofe. And I hope many a foul can fay, that they have received that encouragement, and that ftrength by it, as that they have been enabled to more fteadinefs and conftancy in fighting againll fin, and have received more fuccefs afterwards. There is a moral " Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteouliicis." JnftiHcation and acceptance with God is tlie liledhig of faithful Abraham. Here is the great txchan/'C repic- fented to us iu the Scripture in thefe things, that all our fiiis are transferred upon Chriit by imputation, and tlie lighteoufnefs of Chrilt translered to us by imputation. Both tliele are a6ls of God, and not our ads. It is God who imputes our lin to Chrill ; fie h:^th m£d>i him to be fin for us ; and it is (jod who imputts the righteoulhcis of Chriil to us j it is God that juiiilies : he who made Chrift to be fin, healfo makes us to be riohleoufnefs. Thele ads of God we ought to go over within our minds by faith, which is that 1 now call you to. The way to apply the benehts and advantage of tliis great commutation to our fouls, is in our minds by faith to feal to theie acls of God. Chrilt in the golpel, and ef- pecially in this ordinance, " is evidently cvutificd before our eyes," Gal. iii. i. " God hath let him forth to be a propitiation :" fo he is declared in this ordinance, and Chrilt at the lame time calls us to him, " Come unto me ; Look unto me all the ends of the earth. Come with your burdens ; come you that are heavy laden with the guilt of fin. What God has done in a way of righteous imputation, that we are to do in this ordi- nance in a way of believing. We are, by the divine help, to lay our fins by faith on Jefus Chrill, by clofing with that aft of God which is reprefcnted to us in the word, that God has iraputtd all our fins to Jefus Chrilt. Let you and I, and all of us, fay Amen by faith. So be it, O Lord. Let the guilt of all our fins be on the head of Jefus Chrilt ; and therein admire the goodnels, the grace, tlie love, the holinefs, the infinite vvifdom of God in this matter. If we were able to fay Amen to this greit truth, we fliould have the comfort of it in our own louls, to acquiefce in it, to find power and reality in it. Then the other aft of God is the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chriil to us. It is not enough to us, that our fins are all carried a\vay into a land not inhabit- ed ; we ftand in need of a righteoufnefs whereby we may be accepted before God. He ruakes us to be the righteoufnefs of Godj we do not make ourlclves fo, [ io8 ] brut are made fo by imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chrift. Our fecond afl of faith that God may ftir us up unto in this ordinance, is to receive the atonement. So the apoftle expreffes it. Rom. v. ii. We receive toge- ther with it all the fruits of the atonement. Now if the Lord will be pleafed to ftir up our hearts from under their deadnefs, to gather them in from their • wanderings, to make us I'eiifible of our concern, to give us the aciing of faith in this matter, that truly and real- Ly the holy God has laid all our iniquilies upon Chrilt, and tenders to us life, righteoufnefs, juftification, and mercy, by him, we ftiall then have the fruit of this ad- miniilration. D/iSCOURSE XVIIL- j^pril 1 6. 1676. I SHALL offer a few words with a view to prepare- our minds to the exercife of faith and communion with God in this ordinance : and becaufe we ought to be in the higheft exercife of faith in this ordinance, I fliall take occalion from thofe words, which exprefs as high an aiSling of faith, I think, as any in the fcripture,, 1 mean thofe v/ords of the apoflle, in Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified with Chrijl ; never the! efs I live ; yet not /, but Chrijl liveth in tne ; and the life xvhich 1 novo live in thejiejh, I live by the faith of the 6on of God, who loved me, and gave hinfelffor mg. Our inquiry now is. How we may a£l faith ? It afts two ways. I. By way of adherence, cleaving to, trufting and ac- quiefcing in God in Chrilt, as declaiing his love, grace, asd good will in his piomifes. This is the faith where- C 109 ] by we live, nhereby ive are juftified ; the faith without which this ordinance will not profit, but difadvantage us ; for without this faith we cannot difcern the Lord's body, we cannot difcern him as crucified for us : this is that we are in an efpecial manner to examine ourfelves about, in reference to a participation of this ordinance, for felf-examination is a gofpel inlHtution proper foe this ordinance. And this is the faith whereby we are in Chrilt, without which a participation of the outward figns and pledges of Chrill: will not avail us. So then with faith thus a6ling we are to be qualified and prepared un- to a participation of this ordinance. 2. Another way by which faith ought to aft in this ordinance, is that of fpecial application. Who loved me, and gave himfelf for me ; this is faith afting by par- ticular application. I hope the Lord has given us that faith whereby we may be prepared for this ordinance : and now I am to enquire and direci you a little in that faith which you may act in this ordinance j I fay, it is this faith oi fpecial application to our own fouls, that God now requires we lliould a61: j and I prove it thus, it is becaufe in this ordinance there is a propofition, ten- der, and communication of Chrill to every one in par- ticular. In tiie promife of the go.'pel, Chrill is prop6(ed indefinitely to all that believe •■, and fo the faith I men- tioned before, of acquiefcence in him, anfwers what is re- quired of us by virtue of the promils in the gofpel : but in this ordinance, by God's inllitution, Chrill is tendered and given to me and to thee, to every one in particular j for it is by his inftitution that the elements in this ordi- nance are dillributed to every particjlar perfon, to flicv, that there is a tender and communication of Chrill: to particular perfons. Now, fuch a particular communi- cation is to be received by this particular faith, the faith of application, to receive him to our own ibuls. And then, moreover, one great end of the ordinance is m uiiftllly, that it requires the acting of faith in a par- ticular way of Epplication to every one of us j it is for a farther incorpoiation ot Chrill in our fouls ; it is for receiving Chrift as nourifhment, as the bread that came down from heaven, as giving bis body tmd blood for fpi- ritual food. Now eveiy one knows, that whatever fealis be prepared in the world, unlcis every one in particulai: [ 110 ] takes his own portion, and eats and digefts It, it will not turn to nourirtiment unto him. This particular a&. of ap- plication anfwers that eating, drinking, and digefting, which the nature of the ordinances does require. So, brethren, this is that I aim at, that it is oar duty in this ordinance to aft a particular faith as to the ppplicatlon of Chrift and all his benefits, each one to his own foul. You will fay then, -what is the fpecial objeft of this fpecial faith ? Truly that which the apoftle tells us here. It is fpecial love, in the firil place ; and it is the fpecial defign of the death of Chrift, in the next place. " Who loved me and gave himfelf for me." The objeft you ought to fix upon in the exercile of this faith of applica- tion to your own fouls, is the Ipecial love of Chrift j that Chrift had a fpecial love, not only to the church in general ; but the truth is, Chrift had a fpecial love for me in particular. It will be a very hard thing for you or me to rife op to an aft of faith, that Chrift hath a love for us in particular, unlefs they can anfwer this quef- tion. Why ftiould Cluift love you or me in particular ? What anfwer can I give hereto, when I know he does not love all the world ^ I can give but this anfwer to it, Even becaufe he would. I know nothing in me, or in any of you, that can deferve his love. Was there ever fuch a thing heard of, that Chrift ftiould have a particu- lar love for fuch as we are ? Would ever any perfon gc^ and fix his love on a creature who was all over leprous ? Is this the manner of man ? Truly Chrift would never have fixed his love upon any of our poor, defiled, leprous fouls, but upon this one cunfideration, " I know I can cleanfe them, and I will." He loved us. But what will he do with fuch de'ormed, polluted creatures as we are ? Why, " He loved the church, and gave himfelf for it, that he might wafli and purify it,- and prefent it to him a glorious church, not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing." Though we are altogether deformed and defiled, though no example, no inftance can be given in things below, or among the creatures, of any fixing love on fuch as we are ; yet Chrift has done it out of fovereign grace, with this refolution, that he would cleanfe us with his own blood, to make us fit for himfelf, O that God would help you and me to forae firna. [ III ] T.infliaken afls of faltli, that Jefus Chiiil did out of fove- reign gr?ce love us in particular, and that in purfuit of this love he has vvaflied us in his blood, to make us love- ly and meet for himlelf ! This is love to be adored and celebrated in time and to eternity. This Ipecial love of Chrilt is not only to be confider- ed by us in this fpecial adling of faith, as free and un- deferved, but it is to be confidered as invincible, that VNOuld break through all oppofitions, or whatever flood in the way, that nothing Ihould hinder or turn him afide in his defign of doing good to our fouls. It is a glori- ous pitch that the fpouie rifes to in Cant. viii. 7. " Ma- ny waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it : if a man would give all the fubllance of his houfe for love, it would utterly be contemned 5" fpeak- ing of her own love to Chrift ; nothing could quench, nothing could drown it, nothing could make a purchafe of it Irom her, but her love was invincible and would carry her through all difficulties. O how much more was the love of Chriit ! for our love, being once fixed on Chrill, meets with no difficulties of that nature, that the love of Chriil met withal when it was fixed on us. What did the love of Chiilf meet with when it was fix- ed on us ? that we mull take along with us, viTi. the " curfe of the law" was the firll thing tliat prefented it- fclf to him : " The foul that iinneth iluiU die. Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." That he xvas to " make his foul an offering for fiu," was prefent- ed to him. We are to look on this love of Chrilt as fo- \ ereign and free, and w ith a defign of making our fouls lovely J 1g invincible alio, that it broke up tlie eternal obllack's, that nothing could Hand before it, until it had accomplilhcd his whole work and defign : " Who loved me, and gave hirafelf for me." I fpeak on this m.unntr, and of thefe things, to en- courage and direft the weakelf and moft unlkilful in the myfteries of the gofpel, to inftru£l them in the exercife of faith in this ordinince; and therefore, I fliy, that as this fpecial faith (which 1 proved to you to be our duty in this ordinance), is to reloed the love of Chrilt, fo it is to refpeft more cfpccially the peculiar acting of the »-- [ 112 ] love of Chrift, wbfereby he " gave himfeif for us.'* Gave himfeif ! how is that •' Truly thus, brethren ; the Lord help me to believe it, that I Hood before the judg- ment feat of God, charged with my origr.inal apollacy from him, and with all the fins of my life multiplied a- bove the hairs of my head, and being ready to peri(h, to have the fentonce pronounced againll: me ; then Chrift came and flood in my place, putting the finner afide, and undertiking to anfvver this matter j " Let the poor fin- " ner ftand afide a while ; come enter into reil, abide " here in the clift of the rock •, I will undertake thy *' caufe, and plead it cut at God's judgment-feat." In this undertaking, God " fpared him not :" as if God fliould fay, If you will ftand in the place of the finner, and undertake his caufe, then it muft go with you as with him •, I will not fpare. " Lo, I come, (fays Chrill, not- withilaading this), to do thy will, O God:" whatever thou doll require to make good this caufe I have cfpou- fed, lo, I come to do it. So Chrift loved me, and gave himfeif for nic. Ever- lafting rell and peace will dwell upon cur fouls, if the Lord will be pleafed to help us to exercife faith on Chrift"s love in this ordinance, wherein all thcfe things are reurefented to us. DISCOURSE XIX. ji^fie 1 1. 1676. Gal. ii. 20. I am crucifu'd %vhh Chrijl : Ntverlhelejs I live ; yet not I, but ChriJl iiveth in me : and the life which I noxu live in thejlejh, I live by the faith of the Son of Go//, who loved me^ and gave himfeif for me. THE apoftle in this place is exprefling the vigour, and indeed the triumph of the life of faith, " Ne« C "3 ] vcrtlielcfs I live." To (hew the excellency of that life, fays he, " Yet not I, but Chrittliveth in me," ih'c. That which I would to our purpofe obferve from thefe words is this, That the exercife of faith on the death of Chriil (" who loved me, and gave himfelf for me,") is the ve- ry li:''e of faith. This is what we are now called to, to the exercife of faith on the death of Chrift j and I can- not more recommend it to you than by this obfervation, to (hew that the life of faith does greatly confift in this peculiar exercife of it upon the death of Chrift. And that, 1. Becaufe Chrift in his death, as the ordinance of God for the falvation of believing finners, is the proper and peculiar objedt of faith, as it juftifies and faves. Now when faith is in its exercife upon its direct imme- diate proper objeft, it is like a perfon that is feeding on his proper food, which gives refrelhment, fpirits and ftrength j for faith and its obje6l are in Scripture fet out as an appetite and food j and eipecially it is ib reprefen- ted to us in this ordinance, where the fpiiirual food of our fouls is conveyed to our faith under the fymbol and reprefentation of food to our bodies, which "we eat and diini^. Therefore, brethren, cur faith is in its proper place, it is about its proper work, it is direfting the foul to its fpecial food, when it is exercifed about the death of Chrift, as the ordinance of God for the falvation of fmners. 2. As the death of Chrift is thus the immediate and direft objeft of our faith, for God has " fet him forth as a propitiation for (in, through faith in his blood," which is the proper objeft of faith as it jultilies j fo the ultimate and fupreme objedl of our faith is, the proper- ties of God as manifefted and glori(ied in the death of Chrift j that you (liall fee how faith has its plain and full work in coming to this, " who loved me and gave him- felf for me." The properties of God are God himfelf j the properties of God as mahiftfted and glorified,' are God's name j and God himfelf and his name are the fu- preme and ultimate objedl of our faith and truft. All the inquiry then is. What fpecial properties of the na- ture of God, God did defign to manifelf and glorify in the death of Chrift, fo as we (hould make them the fpe- 1 [ i'4 J clal ultimate objeft of our faith, that v.hich faith will find reft and fatisfaftion in, and wherein it will give glo- ry to God ? For the reafon why God has made faith the alone inftrument, and no other grace, of juliification, and fo of falvation, is not becaule it is fo fitted and fuited to receive in us, as that it is the only grace whereby we give glory to God, and can do io. Now let us fee, that we may know how to exercife faith therein, what are thofe properties of the divine nature which God deligns to nianifelt and glorify in tlie death of Chrift, that our faith may itand in, and be fixed up- on them. I find feveral things that God diilinclly pro- pofes of his divine excellency, for our faith to fix upon in the death of Chrift. (i.) His righteoufnefs. Rom. iii. 25. " Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs." I (hall rot fiiew how, or wherein ; but to rne, this it is that nianifcfis his righteoufnefs in granting foigivencls of fin in the death of Chrift, in that he caufed dtl our iniquities to meet upon him. Remember, brethren, we are here lo give God the glory he deligned to himfelf in fending Chrift to die for us ; and he telk us plainly what it was, and therefore it is expetted of us, that we fliould give glory to him. Let us labour to be in the actual exer- cife of faith, whereby we may declare the righteoufnefs of God in this thing. (2.) God defigned to gloiify his love. This is more particularly infifted on than any property of God in this matter. " God fo loved the world, as to fend his only begotten Son. God commended his love unto us, ia that, when we were yet finners, Chrift died for vs. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he lov- ed us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins." There is no property of the nature of God which he doth fo eminently defign to glorify in the death of Chrift, as his love. That we may kno'.v that '* God is love ; that the Father himfelf loves us j" he has fent Jefus Cliriit out of his eternal love to fave finners ; and if we have not due apprehenfions of thefe things, it is not our ap- pearing in this place that will give glory to God. C iii ] (3.) God does defign to glorify his grace or par- doning mercy, Eph. i. 6. " He hath made us accept- ed in the beloved, to the praife of the glory of his grace," This God purpoied, to make his grace in par- doning finners very glorious by giving Chnlt to die for us. (4.) God defioried to glorify his wifdom. Eph. i, 8. " He has abounded towards us in all wiidom and pru- dence." Eph. iii. 10. there appeared the manifold wif- dom of God. 1 Cor. i. 24. " Chriil the power of God, and the wiidom of God." Now let us gather up thcfe things. The fpecial ul- timate act of fai.h vvhcrtby we are julliried, aie thofe divii.e properties of God's nuture which he deiigned to manifelt in the death of Chriil, his rightcoufnefs, his love, his gra«e, his wif4,om. The reaion therefore why the life of faith does con- fiilin its exercife on the de-.th of Chriil, is, becaufe the death of Chriil is the immediate proper objedt of faith, as the ordinance of God for the falvation of finners ; and becaufe the glorious properties of the nature of God, which are manifefted in the death of Chrift, are the ul- timate objeft of our faith, wherein we give glory to him, and iind reft to our own fouls. Let us then be called on and be ftlrred up to this ex- ercife of faith upon this prefcnt occafion. And to that end, 1. We might confider the deplorable condition of all our fouls without this bleffed provifion, and ordinance of God for our deliverance by the death of Chriil. We had been in a deplorable condition, the wrath of God a- biding on us, had not God made this a bleffed way for our deliverance. 2. If you would be found afting faith in this matter, labour to come up to a firm, vigorous affent of your minds, not only that thele things aie true, but that this is the way wherein God will be glorified to eternity. The truth of it is, that perfon who is firmly fatisfied, antl heartily plealed, that this way of The death of Chrift for the fiilvation of finners by the forgivenefs of fin, is the way whereby God is, and will be glorified, I fay, that perfon is a true believer. Now let not your affent be [ n6 J only to this thing, that It is true, that Chrlft came into the world to favc iinners j but to this, that this is the way whereby God is and will be glorified. He will be glorified in pardoning fucli guilty creatures as we are, in imputing righteoufnefs to fuch finners as we are. He is glorified in laying all our iniquities on Chrilt. By this way, his righteoufnefs, his love, his grace, and wif- dom are all manifefted y this is God's being glorified. If our fouls come up to a free clofe with thefe things, that all thefe properties are manifefted in this way, that is an aft of failh, and may the Lord help us unto it. 3. Let us gather up our minds to this inflitution, where- by thcie things are reprcfented to us. Here is reprefent- cd the death of Chrift, the immediate objedl of our faith, as God's ordinance. If the Lord help us to fee it fo re- prefented to us, as that divine righteoufnefs and wifdom,^ love and grace, do all centre therein and appear eminent- ly to our fouls, we fliall have communion with God in this ordinance. DISCOURSE XX. September 3. 1676. YOU have been minded of, and inftrufted in the na- ture and benefit of our love to God ; and 1 fhall take occafion thence a little to mind you of the love of Chrifi unto us, the love in an elpecial manner which he Ihewed in dying for us, which is that we are here gathered to- gether to remember and celebrate, not barely the death of Chrift, but that which is the life of that death, the love of Chrift in his death. And I would ground it on that which the apoftle fpeaks in C 1^7 J Rom. v. 5, 6. The love of Cod is fued abroad in our hearts^ by the Ho- ly Gho/l ivhich is giVi'n unto us. This is that which I know you all long for, and prize above life ; " the loving kindnels of God is better than life." Why fo ^ " For, (fays he), when we were yet witbout ftrergth, in due. time Chrilt died for the un- godly." An appreheniion of the love, of Chrillas -dying for us ungodly creatures, is that which is ihed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Gholl:. Do not let your minds go upon uncertainties: when the Holy Gholl gives you a due apprehendon of Chrilt's love in djing for ungodly liiinersj^s wc ait, thea is this love flicd abroad in our hearts,. The apoflle tliere proceeds to I'hew how great thisf love W'as, in that Chrilt died : he died, not lor good men, and righteous men, and for tiiends, but he died for tlie ungodly, for finaers, and for enemies. This was great love indeed. We are here to remember that love of Chrift wherewith he gave hiitifelf to death for us, when we were enemies, and would have continued fo to .eternity,^ had he not loved us, and given himfelt* for us. Brethren, if we barely remember the love of Chrift in the way of an ordinance, and our hearts be not pow- erfully afTcded u'lth it, we are in danger of being diiad- vantaged Ly our attendance. Pray remember it j you know how plainly I u'e to Ipeak. on thele occafions j I lay, we hrive fit(^uent opportunities of remembering the love of Clirill ip dying for us, in this ordinance re- prefenting of it j but if our hearts be not not powerful- ly inlluenced and afiefted by it, ive Ihall be lolers by the frequency of ordinances. J. will add ore word more j according as our hearts are affetted with the love of Chrilt, lo will be our love to Chriit, and no otherwife. And truly, even that faith which difcovcrs too much felfillinefs is very dangerous. If wc come here to aft faith, to look for no other eflfcdl 1.3 C "8 ] of It, but what evidence and fenfe we have of the par- don of onr fins, how ourconfciences may be quieted and cleared, faith ends xnfelf; it is dangerous leil it (hould be only a branch from, and commenfurate' with convic- tions. True faith afting itlelf on Chrift in this ordinance, ■will work by love unto Chrift : I would not fay, prin- cipally, or in the firil; place j I know poor creatures are apt to look after themfelves, and their own relief j but it will fo work alfo : and truly, brethren, this it will not do, we fliall not have faith working by love towards him, unlefs we have fome fenfe of the love of Chrift on our hearts. How fliall we know, whether our hearrs are under the powerful inlluence of the love of Chrift in dying for us ? Why, the love of Chrift in dying for us has three pro- perties with it, which will have an influence on our fouls, if we are affeiled with it. 1. It has a transforming power, property, arid efficacy with it. They are plain truths 1 am fpeaking, but of great concern to our fouls, to know whether we are af- fefted with the love of Chrili or not. If we are right- ly aiFefted Tvith it, 1 fay, it will transform and change our whole fouls in fome meafure into the likenefs of Chrift. How fo ? I will tell you in the moft familiar manner I am able : If you are aflfefted with the love of Chrift, it lays hold upon, and pcflelTes your affections j the affec- tions being poffeffed, ftir up many thoughts \ thoughts are the very image of the foul, reprefent it, to fliew you what the foul is : and thofe things concerning which your thoughts do moft abound, that carries the frame of the foul. Let a man profefs what he will, if his thoughts are generally converfant about worldly things, he has an earthly and worldly mind j and if his thoughts are converfant about fenfual things, he has a fenfual and car- nal mind j for whatever he may outwardly fay, as he thinks fo is he j there is the image and likenefs of the foul. Now, if we are affefted with the love of Chrift, It will beget in our fouls many thoughts of Chrift, in our lying down and in our rifirg up, in our bed^,■in our ways, on our occafions, as well as in ordinances. If indeed our hearts are affedted with the love of Chrift, our C "9 ] thoughts of Chrift will abound, and thofe thoughts will work, again on our affeflions, and coniorm our fouls more and more unto the image of Jelus Chrilt. That man who thinks much of tlie earth, becaufe affe(Sed with it, his foul is like the earth ; and that man who thinks much on the love of Chrilt, becaufe he is affedted with it, his foul is like Chrilt. If it has not been thus with us, brethren, in our pre- paration, for this ordinance, or at any time, that thoughts of Chrilt have not abounded, verily there has been a failing in us. Let us llrive for the future to amend it, that we may find the love of Chrilt hjegetting in us ma- ny thoughts of him, working upon our affedlions, and with a transforming power changing the frame of our fouls into his own likenefs. ' Again, 2. The love of Chrifl, if we are affefted with it, has an attradive power." John xii. 23. " And I, if I be lilted up, will draw all men unto me." 1 caimot llay to fliew you the drawing power and efficacy there is in the love of Chrill when dying on the crofs ; but this I will fay, it is that which converted the world of all that did believe. It was the love of Chrift, fet forth in his death as one crucified for them, that drew all men unto him. " When I am lifted up, when 1 have accomplifh- ed, manifefted and evidenced the unfpeakable love which I have for the finful fons of men, in being lifted up for them, I will draw them unto me." If you have a true fenfe, brethren, of the love of Chrift in dying for you, it will draw your louls unto him. Cant. i. 4. *' Draw me, we will run after thee." I do not now fpeak to you about the firrt drawing of Chrilt, which is as unto believing •, I hope Chrift has fo drawn all our fouls-, but tlie following eftlcacy of the love of Chrift, to draw louls that do believe nearer uuto him. Who- ever is fenfible of this attractive power of the death of Chrift, it will have this eflicacy upon him, it will have adherence and dcli^'ht ; it will cauie him aio^ie to cleave to Chiift. The loul will cleave to Cnrill with delight, that is :iffe£led with the -ittradtive drawing powei ot his loving kindnefs in his death. Thcve is a great deal in that word, " Cleave unto Chrift with love and deligiit," with the beft of our affedlions ana oea elt '>f our valua- I 120 ] tions, to cleave to him with truft, and to him alone. I do but remind you of what you know, that you may re- duce it in^o praclice. . Pray, in this ordinance, labour to have fuch a fenfe of the drawing power of the love of Chrift in his death, that you may refolve to cleave un- to him with full purpofe of heart, to cleave unto, this Chiift Wiio^has thus loved us. 5. Whenever we are affefted with the love of Chrift, it is accompanied with a conftvaining power, 2 Cor. v. 14. " The love of Chrift conftraineth us," and thst conftraint is unto obedience j it conftrains us to judge, that we ought to live to him who died for us^^ It is a blcffed thing, brethren, to walk in our obedience un- der a fenfe of the conftraining efficacy of the love of Chrift. Take but this one word to difcover to ycu, whether you walk in your obedience under a fenie of the conftraining power of Chrift, it comprehends all o- thers, I John v. 3. " His commandments aje not griev- ous." When a foul works out of love, what it doth is not grievous. And the inward and outward commands of Chrift will be grievous to all that are not under the conftraining power and efficf cy of his love. I have no more to fay, but only to tell you, that we fhould labour to have our hearts affedled with the love of Chrift in this ordinance. I have fliewed you the danger, if it be otherwife 5 and given you fome ways to examine your hearts, whether they nre fo afFe£led or not. The Lord grant, that where they. are, it may be increaf- ed ; and where they are not, that God would renew it by his Spijit in us. DISCOURSE XXI. r, Oclober 29. 1676. WE have had, through the providence of God, fo good and feafonable a word unto the prefent occafion, that there is no need, as well as but little time to offer any thing farther unto you. Yet a few words, C 121 ] in compliance with what we have heard, may not be al- together unfeafonable or unufeful. Our bufinefs and duty is to let forth the fufferings and death of our Lord Jelus Chrill, and thtrein principally to call to mind his love What you have heard may ve- ry well occafion us to think, of that paflage of the apof- tle, wherein he earneltly prays for them. £pH. iii. 29. And to know the love of Chriji^ which pajfeth knowledge.. This is a peculiar kind of expreflion j the meaning is, that we may know that, experimentally, which we can- not know compreheniively ; that we know that in its power and effcfts, which we cannot comprehend in its nature and depths. . A weary perlbn may receive refrefhment from a fpring, who cannot fathom the depths of ihe ocean from whence it doth proceed. And if we would have our hearts in this ordinance, and at other times, affefted with the love of Chrill, which is the thing we are to aim at, (to know his love, and to experience the power of it), it is of great adv'antage to us to confider, that it is fuch a love as pafles knowledge, that our faith concerning it muft ifiue in admiration, not comprehenfi.on. I (liall name two or three things, that may give a little ienfe of this love as it paffes knowledge. I. The love of Chrift is the fountain and fpring of all the glory that is in heaven, or fiiall be there unto all eternity. God's eternal glory is eternally the fame j '• from everlaftingto everlalting thou art God j" but all the created glory that is in heaven, or ever (hall be there, fprings out of the love of Chrift. It is true, the angels were not redeemed by him, but they were confirmed by him. They were not recovered out of a loft eftate by him, but they were continued in their firft eftate by him. Hence it is, that God *' ga- thered all things in heaven and earth unto an head in him, "Eph. i. ic. And there is a great deal to the fame purpofe in that expreffion of the apoftle, when he had [ 122 ] mentioned " principalitiej and powers," Col. i. 7. " In him all things confift," they have their confilience ia him. All would diffolve and fall to nothing, if they had not their confittence in Jefus Chrift. Certainly this is a love that pafl'es knowledge, that is the fountain and fpring of all the glory that is in heaven. If God help us by faith to look within the vail, and to take a view of all thofe glories wherewith the Holy God is encom- paffed, we fhall fee that this love is the fountain and fpring of them ; the interpofition of Chrift faved the creation, and brought in that everkfting glory that (hall dwell in hea\'en. God knows this love, God under-. ftands the way of it ; but as to us it pafl'es knowledge. Again, 2. This love of Chrifl psffes the comprehen- fion and knowledge of angels ; and therefore Peter tells us, 1 Pet i. 12. fpeaking of the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that followed, " Which things, (fays he), the angels defire to bow doivn, and look into." The an- gels in heaven live in an admiration of the love of Chrift unto finners, that is, that love he expreffed in fufFering, and in the glory that did er.fue. And O ! what thoughts ought we to have of this love, who have all the benefits of it ? The angels had no benefit by the fuiFerings of Chrift, but their benefit and advantage en- fued on the aiTumption of the human nature to bring the creation into a confiftence, and his interpofition between God, and all his creatures. They admire and adore it. What ought iuch poor creatures as we are to do ? It may well be faid to pafs our knowledge, for it pafles the knowledge of all the angels in heaven. 3. It paffes knowledge,, in that the effefts of it In Chrift himfelf pafs all our knowledge and comprehen- fion. To give but two inftances. (i.) His condefcenfion to affume our human nature pafles all our comprehenfion. No man can fully under- ftand the myftery of the affumption of our nature into the perfonal fubfiftence of the Son of God. Some dif- pute, whether we Ihall underftand the myftery of the in- carnation in heaven ; here %ve believe it. It is love •which paffes knowledge, that the eternal Son of God ftiould take our nature into perfonal union with himfelf ; it is that we may admire and ought to admire } and God^ [ 123 ] help us, we p.re fuch poor earthly creatures, that wc cannot admire It a5 we ought j though it be much in our nature to udnure what we cannot comprehend. (2.) We cannot fully underltand his paGion and fuf- ferings. God alone knows what is in the cuife of the law ; we do not know it. God alone knows what is the true defert of fin •, it cannot be fully vinderftood by any but himfelf. They who undergo it, mull; lufttr to eter. nity, there is no end ; they never lee, never know what fin deferred. Ho>v do we know then what Chrift fuf- fered, when the punilhmcnt due to our fin, when all our iniquities roet upon him, with the curfe of the law ? God only knows what is in thefe things ; the fruits and effefts of this love in himfelf, in his incarnation and paf- fion, are palt our knowledge, therefore the love itfelf furpalTes our knowledge. 4. Give me leave to fay, the very fruits of it in our- felves do pals knowledge. No man that lives knows what there is in thefe three general heads of the fruits of Chriit's love, in juilification and pardon of iin, in the renovation and fantlilication of our natures, and in the inhabitation and confolations of the Holy Spirit. No man living can find out thefe things to perfedion. None of us fully und:;rllands and comprehends what it is to be juiljfied in the fight of God, to have fin pardon- ed, to have our natures renewed, and traniformed into the likentfs of God, imd to have the Holy Ghoft dwell in us. The love of Chrift therefore paiies all know- ledge, for the verv fruits of it in ourfelves are beyond what we can comprehend ; there is a greatnefs in them, we cannot reacli unto. Why then, my brethren, let us Ifibour to have cur hearts affected vnth this love. If God would be pleafeJ to oive unto every one of us fome fenfe and imprelTion of the greatntis of this love of Chrilt, glance it into our hearts, beam it upon u< in this ordinance, we ihould have caufe to blefs him all the days of our lives. The faith and light of it iffue in admira- tion J the light of glory will bring us to comprehcnfion; Let us have fuch a fenfe as may caufe us to admire what we cannot now comprehend. (i.) I could fpeak lomtthing, but I will not now, to the adings of faith in admiration j it being the proper [ 124 ] nature of faith to Iffue itfelf in the admiration of that •which is infinite. If we can get our fouls up to an ho- ly admiration of this love, we have fome gracious fenfe of it upon our hearts, if we can go no farther. (2.) Let as learn to run up all the mercies we are partakers of, whatfoever it be we value, to the proper fpring, " Who loved me, and gave himfelf for me." If we have any relief, or fupply, or refreftiment of foul, in a fenfe of pardon of fin, in fpiritual light or confola- tion, pray let us exercife ourfelves to run up all thefe things to the fountain : it is all from the love of Chrilf, that unfpeakable love which paffes knowledge. (3.) In this let us be afhamed, feeing the love of Chrift to us is fuch as paffes our knowledge, our love to him is fo weak, that lometimes we know not whether we have any or not. For this let us be greatly hum- bled. This is not the way to anfwer that love which paffes knowledge, to knov/ not whether we love Chrift again or not. Let us be alhamed for our want of love. And lajlly. Let us abound in praife and thankfgiving for his love, and all the fruits of it. For my part I do not know, whether that vifion in Rev. v. 9. does exprcfs the rejoicing of the church a- bove, or the duty of the church below ; but both, I am fure, are of fo near affinity, that apply it to which you will, you do not mifs it. And what do they th^re ? why, it is faid, " They fung a rcw fong, faying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the feals of it : for thou wall ilain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hall made us unto our God kings and priells," iS'c. And it is faid again, " Worthy is the Lamb that was Ilain, to receive power, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and blef- fino- •," and again he repeats it in ver. 13. I {^^^ I know not whether this be a repvefcntation of the rejoi- cing of the church above, or a reprefentation of the du- ty of the church belo^v j but I can conclude from it, that the enjoyment of the one and the duty of the other, confills greatly in continual giving praife and thankfgi- ving to Chriil, for his unfpeakable love in our redemp- tion. [ 125 3 DISCOURSE xxir. February 18. 1676. WE are met here to remember the death of Chrill in the way and by the means that he himfelf hath appointed j and in remembering the death of Chrifl, we are principally to remember the love of Chrift, " who loved us, and waflied us from our lins in his own blood j" and that which on our part is required herein, is faith in Chrill who died for us, and love to Chrift, who loved us fo, as to give himfelf an offering and a facrifice to God for us. I. That which I would now obferve is this, (to make way for the ftirring up of our love) that the perfon of Chrift is the adequate complete objedl of the love of God, and of the whole creation that bears the image of God, 1 mean, the church of God above, the angels and faints •, and the church of God below in believers, which are the creation that has the image of God upon it. The perfon of Chrift is the firft complete objeft of the love of God the Father. A great part (if I nniy fo Ipeak, and I muft fo fpeak) of the effential bleffednefs of the holy Trinity, confifts in the mutual love of the Fa- ther and the Son, by the Holy Ghoft, which is the love X)f them both. That which I would now take notice of, I fay, as the foundation of all. is this, thnt the divine nature in the perfon of the Son, is the only full, refting complete ob- jefl of the love of God the Father. 1 will give you a place or two of fcripture for it, and fo go onto another inftancc. Prov. viii. 30. " Then (faith he, that is, from everlafting,) I was by him, as one brought up with him j and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him," that is, as the fpecial objeft of his love j as among you men one that is brought up with you, as your child is. The delight of the Father from all eternity was in the Son. The ineffable love and mutual delight of the Father and m [ 126 J the Son by the Spirit, is that which is the leaft notion we have of the bleirednefs ot the eternal God. Jolm i. i8. *' The only begotten Son, who is in the bofom of the Father." Pray obferve it, that I yet fpeak. only of the di- vine perfon of Chrill antecedent unto hjs incarnation, and the ineffable mutual love of the bleffed perfons in the holy Trinity, which Jefus Chrift wonderfully lets out in John xvii. There is his relation unto God, he is the only begotten Son, by eternal generation ; what follows ? he is in the bofom of the Father, is in the Father's eter- nal infinite love. Herein is God's love •, and every thing clfe of love is but a free act of the will of God. a free emanation from this eternal love between tlie Fa- ther and the Son. God never did any thing with- out himfelf, but the end of it was to manifetl what is in bimfelf. The old and new creation that God hath wrought, was to manifell; what was in himfelf. God made this world to manifell his power and wifdom ; God made the new world by Jefus Chriil, to manifell his grace, his love, gocdnefs, &c. The fole reafon why there is fuch a thing as love in the world, among the creatures, angels or men, that Gcd ever implanted it in the nature of rational creatures, was, that it might (hadow and reprefent the ineffable eternal love that the Father had unto the Son, and the Son un- to the Father by the Spirit. Contemplative men of old did always admire love, wherein they would have the lite, luftre, and glory of all things to confift ; but they could never ";e the nfe of it : and they traced fome things to this, that Gcd necef- farily loved himfelf; and it is true, it cannot otherwife be ; but God's loving of himfelf, abfolutely as God, is nothing but his eternal bleffed acquiefcence in the holy, felf-fuflicing properties of his nature. This they had fome reach after ; but of this eternal ineffable love of the Father to the Son, and of the Son to the Fa- ther by the Spirit, that they had no conjecluie of. But this is the fountain and fpring head ; and all fuch things as love in the old and new creation, as 1 faid, is but to refemble and fliadow out this great prototype of divine love. I acknowledge there is little dil'cerned of thefe things, by reafon of the weaknefs of our under- [ 127 J ftandlngs ) but the fcripture having fo direftly declared to us the mutual love of the Father and the Son, (which, truly is of luch fmgular ui'e, that I would fix perfons up- on it in conceiving of the doclrine of the Trinity), that it is matter of admiration and thankfulnefs to us. Here lies the foundation of all love, whereunto we hope to reduce our love unto Chrilt, viz. in the unchangeable love of the Father to the Son. 2, The perlon of Chrilt as vefled with our nature, and undertaking the work of mediation, is the firft ob- je61 of the Father's love, wherein there is any mixture of any thing without hirafelf. The full love of God the Father to the Son is that we call ad intra, where the divine perfons are objefts of one another's actings ; the Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father ; the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father j and fo conlequently of the Holy Ghoft, the medium cf all thefe actings. But now, 1 fay, the firft a6t of the love of God the Father, wherein there is any thing ai/ extra, or without the divine eflence, is the perfon of Chrift, confidered as inverted with our nature. And had not the love of God been fixed in the firft place in all things upon the perfon of Chrift, there would have been no redundancy, to us, nor communication of love unto us. From the firft eternal love of God proceeds all love that was in the firft creation ; and from this fecond love of God to the perfon of Chrift, as incarnate, proceeds all the love in the fecond creation. See how God expreffes it in a profpeft of what he ftiould be, Ifa. xlii. i. " Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine eleft in whom my foul de- lighteth." And this is fingular in the whole fcripture, that God fpake the fame words twice from heaven im- mediately, and they were thefe, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed j" at his baptifm. Mat. iii. 17. and at his entrance on his fulferings. Mat. xvii. 5. which was the voice which came from the excellent glory. I would obferve this unto you, becaufe I think it is what God would have us take notice of, the cmpha- fis in the words, " Behold my fervant, mine eleft, my Son, my beloved Son ! (what of him) ? in whom I reft, ill whom I am well pleafed and delighted." All of them C 128 ] emphatical words. Saith God, Let the fons of men (I fpeak it from heaven again and again) take notice of this that the infinite love of my whole foul is fixed on the per- fon of Jefus Chrift, as incarnate. And you wiU find the Lord Jefus Chrill pleading this as the ground of that trull committed unto him, and all that he received, John iii. :^5. " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." John v. 20. " The Father loveth the Son, and fheweth him all things that himfelf doth j and will lliew him greater works than thefe." He lays the foundation of all the truft that God the Father com- mitted unto him, in the peculiar love of the Father to him as the Son incarnate. Truly I fliall not go beyond this foundation, to ma- nifeil to you, that the peifon of Chrift is the complete adequate objeft of the love of the Father. The great fatisfa6tion of the loul of God, wherein he refts and de- lights, confitts in love to Chrift as incarnate. I will make but this one inference from it •, propor*. tionable to the renovation of the image and likenefs of God upon any of our fouls, is our love to Jefus Chrift.. He that knows Jefus Chrift moft, is moft like unto God, for there the foul of God refts, there is the complacen- cy of God J and if we would be like to God, have pled- ges in ourfclves of the renovation of this image upon us, it muft be in the gracious exercife of our love to the perfon of Jefus Chrift. And pray let me obferve it to you, the world, that is full of enmity to God, doth not exercife its enmity againft God immediately under the firft notion of God, but exercifeth its enmity againft God in Chrift : and if we return to God by the renovation of his image, we do not exercife our love to God immedi- ately as God, but our love to God by and in Chrift ; that ye through him might believe in God. Here is a trial, brethren, of our return to God, and of the renovation of his image in us, viz. in our love to Jefus Chrift. There God and man do meet, there God and his church above and below centre. The Lord grant that this ordinance may be the means to ftir up our hearts more to the ex- ercife of this "race ! [' 129 ] DISCOURSE XXIil. -July 8. 1677. I Shall fpeak to them who have a mind to be founff performing their duty ;, but it may be, it doth not occur to them what is particularly required of them. They are {iich as are leall acquainted with this myftery that I wo aid have moll refpcd unto, that nothing of God's provilion in his houfe may be loft to his children, for want of underftandinq aright to come to his table, where he makes this provilion. I pray you, brethren, exercife your Uioughts unto the inftitution of this ordinance, wherein you exercile your obedience j unto the propofilion of Chrift in this ordi- nance, wherein confifts the peculiar ading of your faith ; and unto the exhibition of Chiift in this ordinance, which is the ground of your tlunkfulnefs. What fliall I do that I may pleafe God now, pleafe Jefus Chrilt, and benefit my own Ibul in the adminiftra- tion of this ©rdinance ? Why, I. Confider the infiitution of it, wherein we have the authority of Jefus Chrift put forth, and afting towards our ibuls. " Do this in remembrance of me." Labour therefore to bring yoar hearts into an aftual o- bedience to the authority of Jefus Chrift in what we are about. This the Lord Jefus doth require at our hands. We do not come here in a cuftomary manner to fatisfy our conviftions, becaufe we ought to come ; we do not come here merely to make ufe of our privilege, but our hearts are to bow to the authority of Jefus Chrift. Con- fider, I pray you, (.he iiiflitution of ililc ordinance and labour to bring your fouls into adual obedience to Jelus Chrift. We do it becaufe Chrift hue required it of '^s. If our hearts are in that frame, that we arc nere upon the command of Chrift, to do what he has appointed, and we can recommend our confciences uato him, that it « 5 E 13Q 1 U In obedience to his command that we are here, then our obedience is in exerclfe. 2. Coufider the propofition' that is made of Jefus Chrill in this ordinance to us, that our faith may be in its pro- per exercile. The Lord take off our hearts from the confideration of the outward figns merely. Chrill in leiis love, Chrift. in his bloodPaed, agony ar.d prayer, Chrift in his death- is here propofed before us. " Ye Ihew forth the Lord's death." Who propofes it ? He that hath appointed ihefe things propoles it. And there is the en- gagement of the faithfulnefs of God and Chrift in this propofition and tender that is made of Jefus Chrill ; and ii: is a peculiar way, and as I could prove, full of love, that God hath found out a way to propoand- Chrift as dying, and crucified, to all our fouls. Therefore llir up ycur hearts to this. To every one of you there is, by the grace and faith fuLefs of God, a propofal of Jefus Chiift in his death, and all the be- nefits of it, unto your fouls. The whole qaeftion is, Whether you will ftir up your hearts to a nev/ and frefh receiving of Jefus Chriit, who is thus propofed aiid ten- dered unto you, evidently crucified before your eyes, of- fzizd to you by the love and faithfulnefs of God ? But if we do not endeavour every one pf us, in the par- ticipation of this ordinance, a frcfli acceptance of Jefus Chrift, we do what we canto make God a liar, as though lie was not tendered unto us. The efpecial exercife of your f-^ith in this ordinance, is upon the love, grace and f iithfulnefs of God, propofing and tenderingof Chrill unto vou, the death of Chiift, and the benefits of Chrift in this way which he has chofen ; fabmit unto it, and em- brace it. c^. As your obedience Is required with refpeft to the infliiution ; (we give this account before God, angels Hnd men, tliat we are here in obedience to the command of our Lord Jefus Cb'fi) ? «"« »« faith is required with ■•"I'^a CO the propofition of Chrift, whereby he is evi- to the fouls of men, v^ho exercife faith upon him in this C 131 : ordinance *, really exhibited with all the benefits of hi* death. And want of receiving by faith in particular Chrift as exhibited and communicated in this ordinance, is the great ground of our want of profiting by it, and thriving under it ; of our want of receiving itrength, joy, and life by it ; becaufe we do not exercife ourfeives to the receiving of Chrift as he is exhibited, as God. doth roily give him out, and communicate him to them that do believe. That there is fuch an exhibition of Chrirt, appears, (1.) By the facramental relation there is between the outward elements and the thing fignified. " This is my body, (fays Chrift ; this bread is fo j and) this is my blood." It is the body of Chrift and the blood of Chrift, that we are invited to the participation of. If there was no more in this ordinance exhibited, but only the outward elements, and not by virtue of facramental re- lation upon God's inftitution, the body and blood of Chrift, his life, and death, and merits exhibited unto us, we fliould come to the Lord's table like men in a dream eating and drinking, and be quite empty when we have done, for this bread and wine will not fatisfy our fouls. (2.) As it is plain from the fign and the thing figni- fied, that there is a grant, or a real communication of Jefus Chrift unto the fouls of thtm that do believe j fo it is evident from the nature of the exercife of faith in this ordinance ; it is by eating and drinking. C>B-you eat and drink unlefs fomething be really communicated ? You are called to eat the flefh, and drink the blood of the Son of man j unlefs really communicated, we can- not eat it nor drink it. We mry have other apprehen- lions of thefe things, but our faith caimot I.- exercifed in eating and drinking, which is a receivin. »,: what is really exhibited and communicated. As truiy, my bre- thren, as we do eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, which is really communicated to us, fo every true belie- ver doth receive Chrift, his body and blood, in all the benefits of it, that are really exhibited by God unto the foul in this ordinance : and it is a means of communica- ting to faith. We come to receive a crucified Chrift, come to be made partakers of the body and blood of the Lord, to C 13^ ] have the Lord Jefus really united to our hearts more and more. The Lord open our hearts to embrace the ten- der, receive the exhibition, take in Jefus Chrift as food, that he may be incorporated in our hearts by faith, that he may dwell in us plentifully, more and more j that we may go away refrefhed by this heavenly food, this glo- rious feaft of fat things which the Lord has made in his mount for his people. The whole of our comfort de- pends on our particular receiving of Chrift by faith, and carrying him away by believing. DISCOURSE XXIV. September 30. 1677. ' E are met together again, by the patience and kindnels of God, for the celebration of this great ordinance, and therein to Ihew forth the death of the Lord. I have often fpoken to you on this occafion concern- ing the nature of this ordinance, the expreffion of the love of God and Chrift that is in it, and the efpecial adts of faith and love that are required of us in this ordi- nance. I have one word now fomev,rhsit of another nature^ but yet fuch as I judge not unfeafonable ^ and it is to this purpofe, that we, who fo frequently enjoy the privilege of the reprefentation of the death or Chrift unto us, ought to be very diligent in enquiring after an experi- ence of the power of the death of Chrift in us. Without this, our privilege will not be to our advan- tage. 1 he power and efficacy of the death of Chrift, which we now remember in a peculiar manner, is two-fold, 1. Towaids God, as the confummation of the facri- fice of atonement. This v.e have often fpoke to. 2. Towards our own fouls, towards the church ; and that is to be an example, a precept, a pattern of what is to be wrought in us. In this fenfc the power of the [ 133 ] death of Chrift is its efficacy to conformity with Chrift in liis death. It is to be " crucified with Chrift," as the apoftle Ipeaks, Gal. ii. 20. Power comes forth from the death of Chrift, if received by faith in a due manner, to render us conformable to him in the death of fin in us. The apoftle has a great and glorious word concerning himfelf, 2 Cor. iv. 10. " Alwiiys bearing about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jefus." I acknowledge, the words are ufually applied to the reprefentation of the fufferings of Chrift, in the fufferings of the minifters of the gofpel, concerning which the apoftle there dif- courfes ; but the antithefis in the following words, *' that the life of Jefus might be manifeft in our body," does certainly lead to a larger fenfe. Then, brethren, we may have an experience of the power of Chrift ia us, when we can fay, we always carry about with us the dying of the Lord Jefus, to carry it in our meditation, to carry it in our converfation, to carry it in our con- ftant univerfal endeavours for conformity to it 5 and without this we have not experience of the power of his death in us, and it will not avail us to have the na- ture of his death reprefented to us. 1. We are always to " carry about the dying of Je- fus Chrift," in our thoughts and meditations. O that our thoughts were much fixed upon it ! T verily believe that the life of faith doth anfwer in proportion to our thoughts about the dying of Jefus. The dying of Jefus comprifeth the love from whence he died, the death It- felf he died, and the end for which he died. Let us carry about us always thoughts hereof, for his fake who loved us, and who died for us. Meditate more on thefe things. 2. In our converfation. It is not a time to refleft up- on any, unlcfs I did it upon myfelf. But truly, bre- thren, I am afraid we do not carry about and manifeft to all the dying of the Lord Jefus in our converfation ; to perform all things, fo as it may appear and be made manifeft to ourfelves and others, that our hearts are fet upon his dying love, that we have not fuch quick, fuch aftive, and vigorous affeftions to the world, and tJie things of the world, nor that fury of diligence after them and in them, as other men have, and we have had ; wje cannot do it j the dying of the Lord Jefus crucifie^^ [ 134 ] our hearts. Thefe are hard words I know ; how far from our pra6lice ! But if we live not in an endeavour after it, in all things to manifelt that our hearts are full of the dying of the Lord Jefus, we have not experience of the power of it in our fouls. Thefe things depend on one another. If we dwelt more upon this fubjedl in our meditations, we (hould manifeft it, and carry it a- bout, and reprefent it more in our converfation. 3. Carry it about in a conltant endeavour for confor- mity to Jefus Chrift in all things in his death. Did Chrifl die, and fliall fin live ? Was he crucified in the world, and {hall we have quick and lively affeftlons to the world ? O where is the temper and fpirit of that a- poftle, who by " the crofs of Chrifl was crucified to the world, and the world crucified to him ?" If there be a- ny among us that fhould be indulgent to the life of any one lull: or corruption, that foul can have no experience of the power of the death of Chrifl in himfelf, cannot carry about him the dying of Chrift. Endeavour to de- flroy fin, that we may be like unt« Chrift. 1 will not make particular application of thefe things to all the concerns of our walk, but leave it with you, with this word, begging of you, and my own heart, and of God for us all, that having thefe bleffed reprefenta- tions of the death of Chrift to us, we may have no reft in ©ur fpirits, but when we have experience of the power of the death of Chrift in as. DISCOURSE XXV. September 20. 1 68 2. IT is a common received notion among Chriftians, and it is true, thst there is a peculiar communion with Chrift in this ordinance, which we have in no other or- dinance : that there is a peculiar afting of faith in this ordinance, which is in no other ordinance. This is the C ^35 1 faith of the whole church of Chrift, and has been fo in all ages. This is the greateft myftery of all the praifti- cals of our Chrirtian religion, a way of receiving Chrill by eating and drinking, fomething peculiar that is not in prayer, that is not in the hearing of the word, nor in any other pait of divine worfliip whatfoever ; a peculiar participation of Chrift, a peculiar aftingof faith towards Chrift. This participation of Chrift is not carnal, but fpiritual. In the beginning of the miniftry of our Lord Jefus Chrift, when he began to inftrudl them in the com- munication of himfelf, and the benefit of his mediation to believers, becaufe it was a new thing, he e.xpreifes it by " eating his fleih, and drinking his blood," John vi. 53. " Unlefs ye eat the flefti, and drink the blood of the Son of man, ye have no life in you." This oft'ended and amazed them. They thought he taught them to eat his natural flefti and blood. " How can this man give us his tlelh to cat '" They thought he inftrufled them to be canibals. Whereupon he gives that ever- lalting rule for the guidance of the church, which the church forfook, and thereby ruined itfelf; faith he, '* It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flefti profiteth no- thing •, the words that I fpeak, they are fpirit, and they are life." It is a fpiritual communication, faith he, of niyfelf unto you ; but it is as intimate, and gives as real an incorporation, as if you did eat my fleih and drink my blood. The church forfaking this rule of a fpirit- ual interpretation, ruined itfelf, and fet up a monfter, in- ftead of this bleffed myfterious ordinance. We may enquire, therefore, now faith doth peculiar- ly aft itieif towards Chrift in this ordinance, whereby we have a diftinft participation of Chrift, othcrwife than we have by and in any other ordinance whatfoever. And I would mention four things unto you, which you may make ufe cf. 1. That faith hath a peculiar refpeft to the foie au- tliority of Chrift in the inftitution of this ordinance. All other ordinances draw upon the light of nature, and upon the moral law, as prayer, preaching the word, and fmging of pfahns to the praife of God •, but this, that we fhould receive Jefus by eating of bread, and drinking cf wine, has no refpeft to the light of na- [ 136 ] ture, or the moral law at all ; and we ftiould as foon chufe to honour God by facrifices, and eating the flefli of them, if it were not for the authority of Jefus Chrift, Herein doth faith gire honour to Chrift in his kingly ofhce. This is the moft direct profeflion of the fubjec- tion of our fouls and confclences to the authority of Chrift, in all our religion. We can give no other rea- fon, we can take no allufion from things, but merely this, Chrift would have it fo. 2. Faith hath a peculiar refpeft to the love of Chrift in dying for us, making the atonement for us by his blood, and therein the glorifying of the wifdom, love, and grace of God the Father. Faith is led into fpecial communion with Chrift as dying for us to make the a- tonement j and therein we give glory to Chrift in his priefily office in a peculiar manner in this ordinance, it refpecling the facrifice of Chrift, whereby he made a- tonement for us. 3. Faith hath refpeft to this fpecial manner of the exhibition of Chiift to the fouls of believers, under the outward figns and fymbols of bread and wine by his in- ftitution, making fuch a facramcntal union between the thing figuified and the fign, that the figns remaining to be what they are in themfelves, they are unto us the thing tliat is fignified, by virtue of the facramental union that Chrift hath appointed between his body and blood, and the benefits of it •, and this bread and wine, though not changed at all in themfelves, yet they become to us by faith, not what they are in themfelves, but what is ligrified by them, " the body and blood of Chrift." Herein we give glory to Clnift in his prophetical office. It is he who has revealed, taught, and inftrudled his church in this truth, which depends on the facramental union which follows by his inftitution. That is the third thing wherein faith peculiarly adls itfelf in this or- dinance. 4. The fourth thing is, the myfterioufnefs, which I leave to your experience, for it is beyond expreflion, the myfterlous reception of Chrift in this peculiar way of exhibition. There is a reception of Chrift as tendered in the promife of the gofpel ; but here is a peculiai way of iiis exhibition under outward figns, and a myfterious [ ni ] reception of him in them really, fo as to come to a real fubftantial incorporation in our fouls. This is that which believers ought to labour after an experience of in them- felves J to find that indeed under thefe four confidera- tlons, they fubmit to the authority of Jefus Chrift in a peculiar manner, giving him the glory of his kingly of- fice •, mixing faith with him as dying and making atone- ment by his blood, fo giving him the glory and honour of his priellly othce j much confidering the facramental union that is, by his inftitution, between the outf/ard figns and the thing fignified, thus glorifying him in his prophetical office j and raifing up their fouls to a my- llerious reception and incorporation of him, receiving him to dwell in them, warning, cherilhing, comforting and itrengthening their hearts. I have mentioned thefe things as thofe which lie ix your praftice, and to obviate that (if I may mention it) which you may be tried with. There is but one plaufi- ble pretence that our adverfaries, who defign toopprefs us, have in this bufinefs : If, fay they, there be not a real prefence and a real fubftantial tranfmutation of the elements into the fubftance of the body and blood of Chrift, ftiew you a way whereby you may have a peculiar communion with Chrift, any more llun in the word preached. We fay, we have in thefe things experience of a peculiar communion with . Chrift, in a way made proper to this ordinance, which is not to be found in any other ordinance. y^£ END.