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Direct. I. thing of a clearer view of the attributes of God, than they had before: As of his wisdom in the contrivance of our redemption by Jefus Chrift, and his furetiship for us; of his mercy, love, and compaffion, in fparing poor, guilty, and hell-deferving finners, fuch as we are; of his juftice and holinefs, in punishing fin in such a manner, yea, rather punishing it in his own fon, than fuffering it to go unpunished; of his veracity and faithfulness, in accomplishing the Old Teftament types and prophecies, and confirming the covenant of grace, with the mercies therein promifed, by the death of Jefus Chrift.

IV. As a great feaft, wherein Chrift holds communion and fellowship with his people, and richly entertains them. This facrament is the fupper of the great God: The feaft-maker is God the Father, the provifion God the Son, whofe flesh is meat indeed, and whofe blood is drink indeed: The guests are a company of poor unworthy finners, for whom the crumbs beneath the table are too good; yet to fuch doth God give kindly welcome, faying, Eat, O friends; drink, &c. Cant. v. I. A ftrange feaft! Christ is both the maker and matter of it, the feeder and the food, the giver and the gift! O what noble provifion is Chrift's flesh and blood to the foul! John vi. 55. As bread and wine afford ftrength, comfort, and nourishment to the body; fo the fleth and blood of Chrift, received here by faith, do yield the fame to the foul. How great is the variety of heavenly dainties prefented to us in this feaft! viz. Pardon of fin, reconciliation with God, adoption into his family, peace of confcience, fpiritual ftrength, increafe of grace, the precious promifes of the covenant, the gracious prefence of Chrift, the fmiles of his countenance, the comfort, and quickening influences of his fpirit. O what rare and delicious dishes are these for a hungry foul ! O for appetites for the full feaft which Chrift doth furnifh us in this wildernefs!

V. We ought to view this ordinance as the folemn fealing and confirming of a covenant betwixt God and us. This facrament is one of the feals of the covenant of grace which Ged makes with believers in Chrift; and

by

by it he gives them fafine and infeftment of all the benefits of the covenant, and of the glorious inheritance purchased for them by Chrift. It was ufual for people in the eastern countries to ratify their covenants by eating and drinking together; fo did Ifaac and Abimelech, Jacob and Laban, &c. Gen. xxvi. Gen. xxxi. 2 Sam. iii. This facrament is a covenanting feast, wherein a bargain is folemnly ratified and fealed betwixt God and

us.

God's exhibiting the elements to us, is a feal of the covenant, on God's part, that he will be our God, and doth freely give us his Son with all his purchase, and will fulfil all his promises to us in him: Our taking the elements, is a feal, on our part, of our accepting of Jefus Chrift upon the terms of grace, our engaging to be his people, and that we will, in his ftrength, perform all the duties required of us. Here Chrift gives us his body and blood to fave us, and here we give our fouls and bodies to ferve him.

VI. As a folemn military oath, whereby we bind ourfelves to be true and faithful foldiers to Jefus Chrift, our Captain and General in the fpiritual warfare. For the word facrament, according to its ancient ufe among the Romans, (from whom it is borrowed) doth import fo much. Let no communicants then confider what they do at the Lord's table. You do most publicly, before men and angels, swear allegiance to the King of heaven, over the broken body and fhed blood of the Son of God. Now, if the duft of Chrift's minifters feet will be a witness against the flighters of his gofpel, and cry for vengeance on them; furely Chrift's body and blood will be a more terrible witness against perfidious communicants. Nay, the oath you here fwear is not an ordinary one, but an oath attended with folemn impreca tions. When ye tranfact with God in this facrament, you do on the matter fay, "If we be in league with fin and fatan, while we are profefling to give ourselves away to the Lord; then let that wrath, which Chrift fuffered, fall upon us: And as certainly as we crumble the facramental bread betwixt our teeth, let the millftone of God's wrath grind us to powder; And as we drink the facramental cup here, fo let us drink the cup

of

of God's unmixed wrath eternally, if
God in his covenant." And thus
thy communicants and diffemblers
and drink judgment to themselves,'
VII. We fhould take up this fa
a feaft of love betwixt Chrift and
a bond of mutual love and unity a
felves. As this feaft of love is a
greatest love that ever was manif
dying love to finners; fo it is
procuring and advancing unity
faints and fervants of God. It
uniting believers more firmly to
alfo of uniting and endearing the
tical body to one another.

Let us view the Lord's fupper refpects, that we may fee what is, and have fome diftinct uptal ends, before we approach to it.

DIRECT. II. Be firmly perf the Lord's fupper is a most neglecting of it is a very §

THAT communicating is a ne upon us, and not a matter of it do, or not do, as we think fit, lowing obligations which God

I. We have the command giver, to partake of this feast, gelifts: He faith to all his di them, Eat; he faith to the faith to them, Do this in re cepts to pray, praise, hear, more plain or exprefs, than So that we are as much be as to those.

II. Gratitude ftrongly mand, if we remember w O believer, did he not of as an atoning facrifice to

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ve you not as great need ne, then, to this enriching take but a view of the be

ift presents to you, and al and apply to you in this and blood, and all the me; furely Christ and all sa vaft portion: Behold, you have a feal and pledge, all.

ou have here a fealed remif, with the blood that was vi. 28,

rom wrath and damnation : represented endured that for he who eats this food fhall n vi. 50. 51.

d's family, and a right to the med; for your being admittable, and eat of the childrens

of fin, and fubduing of corve food that kills fin.

fanctification, and strengthenyou have food that nourisheth ing Spirit is promised in that e fealed, Ezek. xxxiv. 27. nmunion with Chrift in the most faith he, John vi. 56. "He that Irinketh my blood, dwelleth in me dwell in him, by faith and love, Spirit.

eternal life, John vi. 51. "If any id, he thall live for ever."

romife of a glorious refurrection, ofo eateth my flesh, and drinketh my I life, and I will raife him up at the

i right to all the promises of the new are great and precious, viz. That God aws in our inward parts, and write them Y y 2

"in

of God's unmixed wrath eternally, if we deal falfly with God in his covenant." "" And thus we fee how unworthy communicants and diffemblers with God, do “ eat and drink judgment to themselves," with a witnefs.

VII. We fhould take up this facrament, not only as a feast of love betwixt Christ and believers, but also as a bond of mutual love and unity among believers themfelves. As this feast of love is a remembrance of the greatest love that ever was manifefted, viz. of Chrift's dying love to finners; fo it is an excellent mean for procuring and advancing unity and love among the faints and fervants of God. It is a mean, not only of uniting believers more firmly to Chrift their head, but alfo of uniting and endearing the members of his myftical body to one another.

Let us view the Lord's fupper in the forefaid feven refpects, that we may fee what a mighty ordinance it is, and have fome diftinct uptakings of its nature and ends, before we approach to it.

DIRECT. II. Be firmly perfuaded, that partaking of the Lord's fupper is a moft neceffary duty; and the neglecting of it is a very great fin.

THAT communicating is a neceffary duty incumbent upon us, and not a matter of indifference which we may do, or not do, as we think fit, will appear from the following obligations which God hath laid upon us:

I. We have the command of our great Lord and lawgiver, to partake of this feaft, oft repeated by the Evangelifts: He faith to all his difciples, Take; he faith to them, Eat; he faith to them, Drink ye all of it; he faith to them, Do this in remembrance of me. His precepts to pray, praise, hear, read, meditate, &c. are not more plain or exprefs, than his precepts to communicate. So that we are as much bound to give obedience to this, as to those.

II. Gratitude ftrongly obligeth us to obey this command, if we remember what he did for us, who gave it. O believer, did he not offer up himself, foul and body, as an atoning facrifice to fatisfy divine juftice for thy

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