friends and followers of the divine Redeemer; and none have a right, in the sight of God, to come to the communion table, but those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. It must be supposed, that those whose hearts are united to Christ, and who love him supremely, must sit under his banner with great delight, and the provision he has made for their nourishment and growth in grace, must produce these holy and happy effects. But if any go from the table of Christ, without being fed and nourished, and strengthened, and comforted, and animated, they have reason to conclude, that their souls are destitute of spiritual life and health. If they were children, they would love children's food, and desire it, that they might grow thereby. No person is in sound health, who nauseates rich and nourishing food. The nature and design of the sacrament, and all the circumstances attending it, are suited to try the hearts of the communicants. They understand all these things so well, that they are tried before they come to it. They know it requires a peculiar preparation of heart, and they can hardly resist the question, whether their hearts are prepared, and whether they shall use the proper means to prepare their hearts. These questions do not so readily occur, in respect to the common duties of the Sabbath. They will then have no special occasion to separate from the men of the world, but may mingle with them as usual, without any visible distinction. So that they find no great trial of their hearts from Sabbath to Sabbath, in attending, or not attending public worship. But when the sacrament is in prospect, they begin to hope or fear, to rejoice or regret, and feel concerned about preparation for the solemn scene. Those who have experienced great pleasure at the table of Christ, and derive much spiritual benefit from it, take care to set their souls in order, and to prepare their hearts for the holy and joyful festival. But those who have never found any satisfaction at the communion table, nor derived any comfort, edification, or benefit from it, feel tried whether they shall do any thing to prepare themselves for an attendance, or neglect to attend. They have only a choice of evils. It is an evil to them to neglect to prepare, and it is an evil to neglect to attend. Their hearts are tried, and found wanting. This is the effect that the prospect of the sacrament produces in the hearts of the gracious and graceless. It tries them. The hearts of all the

tribes of Israel were tried, when Hezekiah sent messengers to call them to attend the passover. Some rejoiced, and some laughed the messengers to scorn. They were all tried before the passover came. Just so every Christian church is tried in the prospect of an approaching sacrament. Some rejoice, and some regret. Nor is the trial less when the day arrives, whether they do, or do not come to the table of Christ. Those who have prepared their hearts to seek the Lord, find their hearts comforted, their hopes enlivened, and their spiritual strength increased; while those whose hearts are not prepared, nor right with God, find their comfort, their hopes, and their strength weakened, or destroyed. Nor do the communicants find the happy and unhappy effects cease after the solemn ordinance is over. The effects of Hezekiah's passover made deep and lasting impressions upon the minds of those who attended, or did not attend. The pious were strengthened and animated, but impious and bold transgressors were disheartened, weakened, and constrained to renounce their evil ways, and fall before the spirit and power of the triumphant reformers. The same effects, in a greater or less degree, often flow from the proper attendance on the Lord's supper. It never fails to try the hearts of the sincere and insincere. These effects the world are looking for, before the sacrament, at the sacrament, and after the sacrament. Every sacrament day serves to show the richness or nakedness of the land, the growth or decrease of religion, the strength or weakness of the church, in the eyes of the world, who hopes or fears, accordingly. A small, weak, declining, discordant, lukewarm church, carries no terror to the world, who feel their hearts and hands strengthened. They have nothing to fear from professors attending the sacrament, but have much to hope. They hope they will lose their restraining power, and give it up, and they have too much ground for their fond and criminal hope.

4. If God is especially to be sought at the sacrament, then we learn what is the most dark aspect respecting religion in this place. It is not the conduct of those who are without, and acting agreeably to their native characters. It is to be expected, that they will walk in the way of their hearts and in the sight of their eyes, cast off fear and restrain prayer before God, disregard his word, profane his name and his day, and treat all

divine ordinances with contempt and neglect. We know their hearts are fully set in them to do evil, and it is a sport to them to do mischief. Such persons are not a reproach to religion, but a foil to it, to display its beauty in contrast to the deformity of impiety and irreligion. Nor does the visible irregularity of a few professors exhibit so dark a prospect respecting the cause of Christ here. But it is the coldness and negligence of professors in general, in observing divine ordinances. These are the criteria by which the state and characters of professors are to be tried and estimated. How did Hezekiah discover the religious declension in Israel? Was it not by their neglecting the passover for a long time, and other duties of public worship? And is there any other better criterion, at this day, to try and estimate the state of religion in this, or any other church? You hear of a revival of religion in one place and another, and do you not expect to hear, that they more generally and solemnly attend divine ordinances, and improve every proper opportunity of meeting God where he has appointed to meet them, to seek his face and enjoy his favor? If Christians would prepare their hearts to seek God in their attendance on the sacrament and other divine ordinances, would they not make it manifest that they had been with Jesus and imbibed his spirit, and grown in grace? But do Christians here flourish in the court-yards of their God? Are they fat and flourishing? Do they bring forth much fruit? Is the prospect respecting religion here promising, or unpromising? If unpromising, should it not awaken all its friends to look into their own hearts and conduct, and inquire whether they are not, in a great measure, the blamable cause? It is not easy to determine whether professors neglect their domestic duties, and secular concerns. Because this cannot be discovered without particular attention and inquiry. But those who neglect instituted duties discover it publicly by their absence from the house of God and table of Christ; and were there not a very small remnant of constant attendants upon instituted duties, would not almost every seat in this house be empty? And now let me ask which is probably the most easy thing to do, to reform the church, or to reform the congre gation? But if the church be not reformed, can there be much ground to expect that the congregation will be? And if they

be not reformed, will they not continue mutually to corrupt each other?

But some may be ready to ask, what must be done in such a case as this? The case is not singular. There were often declensions in the Jewish church; but a few pious, faithful friends of God often reformed them. There have been declensions in all the churches in this land; but a few pious, faithful friends of God have often reformed them. It is not a duty to despond, and say, as some of God's ancient people said, There is no hope. God's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear deaf that it cannot hear. He is, perhaps, only waiting for his people to prepare their hearts to seek him, and he will be found of them. He has not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. Those who have been at the table of Christ must see their duty, and feel their obligations to do it.

SERMON XXXIV.

THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANS.

PREACHED NOVEMBER 24, 1822.

Ye are the salt of the earth. Matthew 5: 13.

OUR Saviour begins this chapter, by describing the views and feelings of real saints. He represents them as humble, as broken-hearted, as hungering and thirsting after righteousness, as meek, merciful, and peaceable. Having given them this amiable character, he proceeds to point out the great and salutary influence which they have upon the rest of mankind. "Ye are the salt of the earth." This metaphor is easy to understand. We know it is the peculiar nature of salt, to preserve corruptible things from corruption. Christ undoubtedly meant, by this metaphor, to represent good men as the preservers of the moral world from moral evil. It is proposed, therefore, in this dis

course,

I. To show that good men do preserve the world from moral corruption. And,

II. Show how they produce this salutary effect.

I. I am to show that good men do preserve the world from moral corruption. Christ calls them "the salt of the earth." We have the same kind of evidence, that good men do actually preserve those among whom they live, from moral corruption, as we have that salt preserves natural things from natural corruption. It has been found, by universal observation and experience in all ages, that salt will preserve material things from