DIRECT. VII. See that you crucify Sin, after you have been seeing Chrift Crucified fet forth before your Eyes in the Sacrament.

HATH fin been fo cruel as to put to death the Son of God? See that henceforth you have, no pity upon the murderer of Chrift your Saviour. As Saul eyed David to kill him, fo do you eye thofe traitors, your fins, from this day forward to kill and deftroy them. Never correfpond or parley with them any more; nenever entertain a favourable thought of them, nor give them a kind look again, feeing they have done fo horrid and inexcufable a deed.

O communicant, haft thou feen Chrift ftruggling to fatisfy juftice for fin, and fave thee from it; and, will you after all chufe wilfully to walk in fin? Will you not burn the spear that pierced him, and break in pieces the nails that crucified him? Every one of Chrift's wounds is a mouth opened to plead for your wounding and killing of fin. Had you feen Chrift wrestling in the garden in his bloody agony, fweating great drops of blood, lying on the ground; had you heard him utter these words, "Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pass from me:" Had you seen his foul beset on all hands by your bloody fins, and even brought to a nonplus, John xii. 27. when he know not (to fpeak with reverence) well what to fay; had you seen him bound, led and nailed to the cross, with a black angry cloud upon his foul, crying out, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me?" Would you not have vowed a revenge upon fin? O could you have loved or hugged the foldier, or been fond of the fpear that pierced his bleffed fide? Well, O communicant, this thou doft, when thou huggeft thy fins, and especially when thou entertaineft thy predominant luft or darling fin: Your other fins are as the nails in his hands and feet; but this as the fpear that made a great wound in his fide, and went nearer his heart than any of the reft.

Oh, never fuffer fin to live any more in you, that would not fuffer your Saviour to live in the world; ne4 G 2

ver

ver allow that a room in your heart, which would not allow him a room amongst the living on earth. O beware of crucifying Chrift afresh.. Never difpute any more, when a temptation is prefented, whether Chrift or Barabbas fhould be preferred; your lufts denied, or Christ crucified: But presently cry out against your lufts, "Crucify them, crucify them." Have you feen God taking off your former burdens, and laying them upon the back of his dear Son, who willingly took them on for you, though they preffed him down to the earth? O then, go not to lay any more loads upon him. Hath he taken you and washed you from your fins in his own blood? O do not return with the fow that is washed to her wallowing in the mire. Hath the Lord been gracioufly fealing the pardon of your fins? Go not to turn his grace into wantonnefs, by venturing to run on in a new score. If you have washed your feet in the blood of the Lamb, O beware of defiling them again.

DIRECT. VIII. Walk always under the fenfe of God's all-feeing Eye upon you in every thing you do.

A HOLY and circumfpect walk is what every communicant should endeavour, efpecially after the facrament; this would tend, not only to your own peace and comfort, but alfo to the glory of God, and the promoting of his intereft and kingdom in the world. Were your lives tender, circumfpect, and fhining in holiness before the world, there would be little need of miracles to confirm the word, or convert infidels; for your converfations would allure ftrangers, and mightily recommend religion unto them; fo that they might thereby be drawn to feek acquaintance with the God of holy communicants, as Nebuchadnezzar was with the God of Daniel and thus you would be inftruments of turning many to righteoufnefs, and fo fhine as the ftars for

ever and ever.

Now, if you would shine in a holy walk and exemplary converfation, then you must, like Caleb, "walk after God," Num. xiv. 24. you muft imitate him in his

holinefs

holiness and purity. Again, you must like Enoch, walk with God, Gen. v. 22. live in communion and fellowfhip with him. And then, you must, like Abraham, walk before God, Gen. xvii. 1. live and carry as thofe who believe he hath a special eye upon you in all that you do. And when you go about any action or bufnefs, fpiritual or temporal, fay to your fouls," I have a watchful eye over me, that pierceth into all my thoughts, that discovers the principles from which I am acted, and the ends to which I move: Let me act then, as one that still believes this, as one that must shortly be accountable to God for all I do, and I know not how foon." Or, fay to this purpose, "Now I am going about such a business, fuch a duty; and, if Christ fhall fend for me at the end of it, what account will I be able to give of my management to him? What do I know, but at the end of this duty I may either be in Abraham's bofom, or in a gulf of mifery ?"

Walk now in all your fteps, as if you faw Chrift crucified before you, breathing forth his dying love to loft finners, and pouring out his blood to cleanse them from fin. Would not that be a great aw-band upon you, to restrain you from fin? Walk now, as a damned foul would walk, were he again to live under the offers of mercy: How diligently (think you) would he obey, how fervently would he pray, and how peremptorily would he reject all temptations to fin? So ought every fincere communicant to do, that intends to please God and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called.

DIRECT. IX. Endeavour to walk cheerfully and contentedly under every lot and condition.

you

YOU may look for trials and difficulties while fojourn in this world: But, in midst of all, you should aim to be much in the eunuch's frame after the feal of baptifm, Acts viii. 39. who "went on his way rejoicing." Have you got the feal of God's covenant? Then, whatever your afflictions be, you cannot but have a reviving cordial, for your fins are pardoned. Let not worthy

worthy communicants fay they are fick, when their ini‐ quities are forgiven them. Should they walk dejectedly, who have got an interest in the new covenant fecured, and all the promises and privileges of it ratified and confirmed to them? For, what do they want, but i to be had here? Whatsoever is a bleffing is fecured here, either fanctified riches, or a contented poverty.

A worthy communicant may fay, Let God do with me as he will in this world, I defire to be content, feeing he hath engaged himfelf to be with me in all states and conditions, and to order all things for my advantage: Surely" he cannot lie, he cannot deny himself;" all his words are oaths for their certainty, and all his promifes "the fure mercies of David." Let my covenanted God chufe out my lot for me, furely it fhall be with more wifdom and with more affection than I can chufe for myfelf. He whom Almighty wisdom and goodness takes a fatherly care of, and hath engaged to feed, cannot but have enough. If Chrift be mine, all things are mine; nothing is excluded, where he is included.

DIRECT. X. Delight in the company of the People of God.

SHAKE off all ungodly fociety, and have your hearts linked to all thofe that bear Chrift's image. Set the Pfalmift's example before your eyes in this matter, Pfal. cxix. 115. "Depart from me, ye evil doers, for I will keep the commandments of And verfe 63. God my "I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. It is a true faying of Solomon's, Prov. xiii. 20. "He that walketh with wife men, fhall be wife; but a companion of fools fhall be deftroyed. Make the livelieft of God's people your greatest intimates, and upon all occafiona improve their fellowship to the best advantage. Beware of the cooling of your affections to the people of God; but let that divine fentence ftill run in your minds, John iv. 11. "Beloved, if God fo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another." Let the love of God, manifefted to you at

the

the facrament engage you to carry lovingly and affectionately to all his people. Henceforth behave yourselves as fervants of the fame family, branches of the fame vine, members of the fame body, and children of the same Father.

DIRECT. XI. Study to shine in the graces of Meeknefs, Patience, and Forgiveness of Injuries.

THIS is the way to make you like your glorious Redeemer and Pattern; and this is the way to adorn the profeffion of religion, and to make it amiable in the eyes of ftrangers. And furely all those who have been fharers of God's infinite mercy and goodness in the facrament, will come away from it with a difpofition to bear injuries, and a readiness to forgive those that do them

wrong.

DIRECT. XII. Labour to keep up conftant longings for Communion Occafions here below, and for the eternal Supper of the Lamb above.

SURELY thofe who have met with Chrift in this ordinance will be breathing for further discoveries of his sweetness and beauty. You ought to be faying, like Moses, when he came down from the mount," I beseech thee, Lord, fhew me thy glory:" Let me have new manifestations of thy excellency, fresh intimations of thy love, and clearer discoveries of thy will. Oh, when will the opportunity return? When fhall I come and appear before God? When fhall I again fee his power and glory in the fanctuary? When shall I taste his love and goodnefs again in the facrament? When fhall I again behold his well covered table, fit down thereat with his children, and be fatisfied as with marrow and fatnefs?

But feeing this lower table is tranfient and uncertain, look for one to come which is fixed and abiding. "Yet a little while, (faith Chrift) and I will fee you again, and I will come and receive you to myself." O believer,

your