of them to the bottomlefs pit; the faints cannot do it, they have burden enough of their own; nay, the whole creation cannot bear my burden, for it is already groaning under the weight of me and it: But, Lord, thou art the mighty one on whom finners help is laid, and haft promised reft to fuch as come to thee. Lord, let all my burdens fall off this day, that I may be at freedom to run the ways of thy commandments."

9. Look to him as a rich and bountiful helper of the needy: Say," Lord, pity a needy beggar this day, that is going to the feaft-houfe to wait for a crumb; thou haft fupplied many: and I have heard a good report of thy bounty: Never came there a poorer wretch to thy door than I is there not a penny of grace left to help me, not a crumb to keep in my life? Lord, let me not go from thy treasure houfe without an alms, there is bread enough in thy house and to fpare, let me not go without a crumb.

10. Look to him as a prophet and teacher, that can open thine eyes, and give thee gracious difcoveries of his truths and ways: Say, " Lord I have heard much of thee by the hearing of the ear, but little have mine eyes feen of thee: I have been long in Chrift's school, but little proficiency have I made; Lord, come this day and teach me to profit; let my eyes be opened, that in this ordinance I may fee the heinous nature of fin, the feverity of divine juftice, the greatness of divine love, the beauty of Chrift, the preciousness of fouls, the excellency of the remedy provided for finners, &c."

11. Look to him as thy head and husband, with whom you are this day to feal a marriage-covenant: Say, "Lord, though I be a most deformed, black and unworthy bride, and have nothing but poverty, debt and danger to recommend me to thee; yet fince thou, who art the chief among ten thousands are content to match with me; O give me a heart to confent willingly to the bargain, and fay, My beloved is mine, and I am his. Lord, help me cheerfully to fay, Amen to the covenant, and all the articles of it, that I was reviewing and renewing yefternight: O let the marriage knot this day be caft, that fin or fatan, death or hell, may never

be

be able to loofe again: Let him this day kifs me with the kiffes of his mouth: O for fweet communion and fellowship with him at his own table: Lord, fhe wme a token fo; good, fet me as a feal upon thine arm ; ma-. nifest thyself to me, as thou doft not to the world."

DIRECTION III.

LABOUR, O communicant, to get thy foul put in a right and suitable frame for approaching God's holy table, and entertaining thy Saviour there: Now the cry is making, "The Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him;" prepare the palace of your hearts for him; cleanse, sweep and wash them; get them adorned and perfumed with the graces of the Spirit. Is Chrift gone to prepare a place for you, and will you not prepare a place for him? Set up a throne for Chrift, go forth to meet him with acclamation and praife, receive him gladly, fet the crown on his head, and fwear allegiance to him, and fay, as the men of Ifrael faid to Gideon, Judges vii. 22. "Rule thou over us, for thou haft delivered us out of the hand of Midian." O but Chrift hath delivered us out of the hand of Satan, a far worfe oppreffor than Midian. Let us welcome him, and compafs him about with fongs of deliverance. O communicants, deal not with Chrift as his country-men the Jews did, John i. 11. "He came unto his own,

but his own received him not:" When he came into the world, there was no room allowed for him any where but in the manger, and thither was he thrust. O deal not fo with your Saviour; think not a foul stall good enough for Chrift, but make clean your hearts, and give him the best room, yea, the upper room there O fend the key of your hearts this morning to Chrift, faying, "Lord, take thy choice where to ly: Alas, I may fay with the Centurion, "I am not worthy that thou fhouldft come under my roof." My foul is a ruinous, fmoky, and defiled cottage, thou haft not a fit place with me to lay my head; But, O thou that didft not difdain to lie in a manger among beafts, and to be entertained in the house of Simon the leper, come into my foul,

repair the house, and prepare an upper room for thyfelf, that I may eat the paffover with thee. Lord, fpeak the word, and thy fervant's heart fhall be healed, cleanfed, end made holy, foft, and pliable, fit for thy ufe and fervice. Lord, none can mend my heart but thou who madeft it: I put it into thy hands: Lord, make it as thou wouldst have it.

Queft. What is that frame and difpofition of foul that we fhould come with to the communion-table?

Anf. Take thefe directions concerning it.

1. Come to it with a holy awe and reverence of God. Were you going to a prince's table, you would go to it with fome awe and concern; and, will you have none when you go to the table of the great Jehovah, who is your judge, fearches the heart, and obferves all your actions? He is a God that is very jealous of his honour, and will not be mocked; you ought to come to this table with a holy dread and reverence, adoring the holinefs and juftice of God manifefted in the fufferings of Chrift. How vehemently did he hate fin, that he would not pity or fpare his dear Son when he cried to him; but feeing he had undertaken to pay our debt, and drink our cup, the leaft farthing or drop he would not abate him? Tho' the finner be fpared, yet fin must be punished to the uttermoft; our cautioner paid dearly for it. We ought to adore his juftice, faying with the men of Bethfhemesh, Sam. vi. 20. "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" There is no standing but at Chrift's back, our bleffed cautioner," in whom God is well pleased."

II. Come with holy fear and jealousy over yourselves, left you be found unwelcome guefts, and draw down the guilt of unworthy communicating upon yourselves; cry, "Lord, keep me from wounding Chrift and my own foul this day; let me not betray the Son of God with a kifs;"" deliver me from blood-guiltinefs, and from drinking damnation." O what if I want the weddinggarment," when the king comes in to view the guests."

II. Come with brokenness of heart for fin, the cause of Chriff's fufferings. Look on your pride, paffion, hypocrify, covetoufnefs, malice, lying, fwearing, &c. as Chrift's only tormentors: Behold how they preffed him

down

down in the garden, till he fwate blood; fee them binding the crofs on Chrift's back; fee them nailing his hands, piercing his temples, and grieving his heart; fee them buffeting and fpitting on him; fee them making him groan, weep, and roar out his complaint, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me?" It was on us this tragedy fhould have been acted, on us these vials of wrath fhould have been poured, " For he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, and bruised for our iniquities," Ifa. liii. 5. O fhall we fee Chrift's heart-ftreaming blood, and our eyes not drop tears? Shall we fee him ftretched out and nailed for us, and our hearts not bleed? Oh, it was my fins that made them nails, they drove them in, they thrust in the fpear, yea, they killed the Lord of life; and, fhall I not mourn? Did you fee a malefactor, that had committed twenty murders, ufed like Chrift, your hearts would be concerned: And, will you not be affected to behold the innocent Lamb of God fo abufed by your fins? "Look on him ye have pierced, and mourn." This paffover must be eaten with bitter herbs. Sow in tears, if you would reap in joy. A weeping communicant is a very pleafing fight to both God and man: A broken hearted weeping finner will fuit well with a bruised and bleeding Saviour.

IV. Come with burning love and affection to Chrift. This is a feaft only for the friends and lovers of Chrift, Cant. v. I. Without love ye have nothing to do here. O believer, is thy heart cold when Chrift's love is warm? Will you not recompence love with love? Can you behold Christ on a cross, dying with love in his heart, and fmiles in his looks; can you fee his bleeding arms open to embrace you, the fpear reaching his heart, and his affections ftreaming out to you in blood, and that when you were enemies to him, and haters of him, and not be ravished with his love? Can you behold his wounds, or put your finger into the print of the nails, and not be fick of love, and cry out with Thomas, "My Lord, and my God?" Can you view him that is the chief among ten thoufand, yea, among an hundred thousand, and among all the thousands in heaven and earth, and your hearts not love him? Turn over all

hings both in heaven and earth, you can find none like him, fo excellent in himself, and fo well adapted to your conditions and circumftances Paul was a learn ed man, and knew many things; a travelled man, and had seen and heard many things: Yet when he cafts up his counts of all he had ever seen, heard or known, he fays, "I count all but dung and lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift," Phil. iii. 8. 9.

V. Come with much hunger and thirft to this full feast. See that your appetites be not glutted with the world, for the full foul lothes the honey comb: It is only the thirsty that are welcome, Rev. xxii. 17. " Christ fills the hungry with good things." When the defire opens the heart wideft, then he opens his hand largest to fill it, Pfal. lxxxi. 10. O then, cry, "Give me Christ, and deny me what thou wilt; a crumb of mercy from thy table, or elfe I am gone for ever." Endeavour to fay, as Ifa. xxvi. "The defire of my foul is unto thee, and to the remembrance of thy name. O that I knew where to find him When wilt thou come unto me?" O for further tokens of his love, and clear evidences of my intereft in him! O for the fmiles of his face, and the voice of joy and gladnefs! There are many heavenly dainties here; here are all the fruits of the tree of life, the comforts of the Spirit, the influences of his grace, the bread and waters of life; therefore come with enlarged appetites. The spouse cries, Cant. ii. 4. "Stay me with flagons; as if he had faid, "My thirft is fo great, it is not a drop or a little cup that will quench it, I would have whole flagons." Fear not to wrong your neighbours: For there is a river to every one of you. Obferve how earnest Christ was to feast with us, Luke xxii. 15. "With defire (fays he) have I defired to eat this fupper with you," though he had no need either of you or it: And will not you, whofe needs are fo great, fay," with defire have I defired to eat this fupper with Chrift before I die; it may be my laft communion, O let me have fomething to carry my expence through the wildernefs; let me have fomething to comfort and fupport me, when I go through the valley and fhadow of death?"

VI.