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fully to decide the quarrel between Deifts and us; and let İnfidels, and the profane fcoffers of these last days, fee, that the bible is the word of God, and that the preaching of it is his inftitution; that there is a fupernatural power attending it, for changing mens hearts as well as lives! May he let the world fee, it is not fine moral harangues, nor the enticing words of mens wifdom; but the plain preaching of a crucified Jefus, is the only remedy for loft finners, that become the power of God to the converfion and falvation of men !"

But fome have their queftions, " By whom fhall Jacob arife? Will he fhew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arife and praise him ?" Thefe, indeed, are nonpluffing difficulties to us, but none at all to him who raifeth the dead, and calleth the things which be not, as though they were. He hath ftill fpirit and clay enough for new inftruments; yea, he can make ftrangers build up his walls, and the greatest enemies become zealous for his glory. And, however unlikely the appearance of things may be at prefent, both scripture and experience affure us, that the time of God's peoples extremity (as I faid before) is his ufual feafon of appearing for them: "It is in the mount that the Lord will be feen;" fo may the text be rendered, Gen. xxii. 14. God did not appear any way for Ifaac's deliverance all the three days journey he made with his father, till he came to the top of the mount, and was juft ready to be facrificed: Neither did he interpofe for the Jews in Efther's time, until the decree was paft, and day fixed, and but a hair-breadth betwixt them and ruin; then God steps in, and posts are instantly dispatched to ftop the execution. Thus the Lord acts agreeably to his promise, Deut. xxxii. 36. "For the Lord fhall judge his people, and repent himself for his fervants, when he feeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up or left." Here, then, is food for faith and prayer in the most ftraitening times. O for grace to pray in hope, mourn in hope, labour in hope, and wait in hope, feeing our deareft Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, who is our hope, is gone up, and fits at the helm! O when fhall the power of this great Lord be prefent to heal us! Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly. Amen.

VOL. I.

X x

INTRO

INTRODUCTION.

Ir being our great bufinefs in the world, to promote

God's glory and our own falvation, and, in order thereto, to feek acquaintance with, and secure an interest in the Lord Jefus Chrift (the fole mediator betwixt God and men) and alfo to labour for the comfortable perfuafion and affurance of this intereft; it hath pleafed God, for our affiftance in this matter, gracioufly to prescribe to us the use of several outward means, as the word, facraments, and prayer, and alfo to promise the inward influences of his Holy Spirit, for making thefe means effectual for the ends forefaid, to fuch as confcientiously attend them and ufe them.

The facrament of the Lord's fupper, one of these means, being inftituted by our Lord Jefus Chrift, as a bright reprefentation and compend of the whole Chriftian religion, and an ordinance nobly adapted for car rying on the ends of God's glory, and our fouls falvation, and particularly for clearing up our intereft in Chrift, and improving our acquaintance with him; it highly concerns every Christian to make confcience of attending in a due and suitable manner.

I have elsewhere fhown, that the Lord's day is of divine appointment, and the celebration of the Lord's fupper is the proper work of this day, and one special defign of its firft inftitution. Now, if ordinary fabbaths do require great diligence and care in our preparing for them, and improving of them; much more do communion-fabbaths, which are folemn and high days, and, in a special manner, days of the fons of men; these being times wherein we make near approaches unto God, and he makes most near approaches unto us; and fo may be called days of heaven upon earth; for they do

eminently

eminently reprefent the employments and enjoyments of the glorified faints in heaven; and, by the right improvement of them, we come to be prepared for living amongst that bleffed company. It is, then, our great duty and intereft, carefully to make ready for thefe fabbaths when they draw nigh, and to improve every hour and minute of them with the greatest diligence, when they actually do come.

The subject of the Lord's fupper is pretty fully handled in my facramental catechifm, both in a doctrinal and cafuiftic manner. And, feeing it is needless to repeat what is there written, I muft refer my reader to it, for a more full explication of feveral things relating to this ordinance than what is here to be expected; feeing I mainly defign in this treatife to give practical directions for the right improvement of communion-fabbaths. The fubject is ftill very large and copious, after all that hath been faid and written upon it; and there is room for much more. What I here intend may be comprehended under the three following heads :

I. Directions how to prepare for a communion-fabbath before it come.

II. How to fpend it when it is come.

III. How to behave ourselves when it is over.

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Containing Directions how to prepare for a CommunionSabbath.

DIRECT. I Carefully endeavour and study to have a just and right uptaking of the nature, ends, and ufes of the Lord's fupper; and the work of communicating while at the Lord's table.

HERE are many who have wrong notions of this ordinance, do greatly miftake the ends and de-figns of it, and therefore cannot rightly partake of it: But, if we would be worthy communicants, we must ferioufly ponder and rightly understand the nature and ends of this folemn inftitution of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that fo we may approach his table with diftinct uptak ings of our works and bufinefs there.

This ordinance was not inftituted to turn bread and wine into the true body and blood of Chrift, for people to worship it; nor to facrifice Chrift again to the Father to be a propitiation for the fins of the quick and the dead, as the Papifts do abfurdly affirm. Neither was it ap pointed to make atonement for former fins, to purchase a remiffion, and infure heaven to us opere operato, as fome ignorant people do imagine. Nor was it defigned to cloak fome wicked practices, or maintain a good name among men, or any other worldly end, as hypocrites do intend. But it is appointed by our great Lord and Saviour, as a vifible reprefentation and commemoration of his death and fufferings for his people, till he come again to judge the world. And, in obedience to his command, all his people ought to come to his table, to celebrate this ordinance: And, while partaking of the outward fymbols of bread and wine, they are believingly and thankfully

thankfully to remember Jefus Chrift, and his dying love; and alfo to receive and embrace him, as their bleeding high priest, into the arms of their faith, apply his benefits, rest upon his merits, feal a covenant with him, look upon him whom they have pierced, with a mourning heart, and a folemn refolve to pierce him not

more.

This is a fhort account of the nature of this facrament, and of the works of communicating. But, in order to give a more full and diftinct view of this great, and folemn ordinance, we may confider and take it up under these feveral refpects following:

I. As a peculiar fign and diftinguifhing badge of the Chriftian church from the infidel world, and a vifible token, that we profefs and own a crucified' Jefus for our Redeemer and Saviour, and that we depend only upon his death, and the merit of his blood, for the remiffion of our fins, and our reconciliation with God.

II. As a lively reprefentation and memorial of Chrift crucified, and the inestimable purchase of his death. This facrament is a compendious map of the gofpel, and a vifible preaching of Jefus Chrift. The word preached holds him forth to the ear; but this facrament reprefents him to the eye, and, in a lively way, difplays his redeeming love, his mighty acts, and unparalleled fufferings for loft finners. This ordinance is a lafting public monument to the world, of Chrift's glorious victories and triumphs, as the captain of our falvation; of his vanquishing death and hell, his fpoiling principalities and powers, and his obtaining peace for us. Likewife, we are to look upon it as a fure pledge of Christ's second coming, and a tafte of the new wine which believers will eternally drink with him in his Father's kingdom.

III. As a special mean appointed by God for our fpiritual advantage; namely for the weakening of corruption, and the strengthening of grace. The death of our glorious Redeemer, reprefented in this ordinance, gives fuch a discovery of fin to the believer as makes his foul to abhor it. And God bleffeth it as a mean to excite and quicken the graces of repentance, faith, love, hope, joy and thankfulness, in believers; by giving them fome

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