The same character extends to the external rites and ordinances of Christianity. They are quite simple, easy to be performed, and such as must give joy, instead of trouble, in the performance, where the heart is at all affected with the serious impressions of religion. Thus the institution of the Sabbath, one day in seven on which man and beast are permitted to rest from their labour, and a pause is put to the ordinary business of the world; on which, in some measure, all distinctions are removed; and all men, the high and low, the rich and poor, seem to occupy the same place, that of creatures bending before the throne of their Creator; a day on which, in the Christian institution, nothing heavy is imposed upon men; "no burdens hard to be borne," but the simple offerings of praise and thanksgiving, and of prayer from a pure heart, are alone required from all who come before their Maker, depending on the intercessions of their common Mediator ;what institution could possibly have been devised, more free from vain pomp, or more comfortable to human nature?

In like manner, the two Christian sacraments, which our Lord himself enjoined on his disciples, are rites very simple and easy, and refer, in a beautiful manner, to the most interesting of all events. The sacrament of baptism, by which we are initiated into the church of Christ, and the privileges of the gospel covenant, requires only a small sprinkling of water; and, by means of that element, shadows out the most excellent of all the benefits which God has conferred upon man; no other than that purification of the soul which is effected by the Holy Spirit, and is promised to all those who

sincerely ask it. The sacrament of the Lord's supper, for which we are now preparing, is equally easy in its performance; and if we attend to the several circumstances of it, it will appear to be a very beautiful institution, and admirably adapted for affecting the mind with those impressions which our Lord had in view in enjoining it. A few observations to this purpose may be attended with use; and I shall, therefore, beg leave to draw your attention, first, to the circumstances in which this sacrament was instituted; secondly, to the mode in which the rite is performed; and, lastly, to those impressions which it is meant to convey to the mind.

First, The circumstances in which this sacrament was instituted, are detailed by the evangelists, and by St. Paul, in that part of his writings from which my text is taken; and never, surely, in any story, was there a collection of particulars so very interesting. Our Saviour knew, that the close of his important life was at hand; that the design of his mission was about to be accomplished; that he was soon to pass through his last and most difficult trial; that already one of his disciples had consented to betray him; that the rest would desert him in his distress; that all would be offended because of him that very night, for "the Shepherd was to be smitten, and the sheep of the flock to be scattered abroad." With these thoughts labouring on his mind, he resolved yet to have one meeting of love and easy intercourse with those whom his Father had given him, and whom "he loved unto the end;" and, making use of the opportunity presented by the feast of the passover, "when the even was come (says the evangelist), he sat down with the twelve."

Such was the interesting period at which the sacrament was instituted. "The Son of Man was about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners." All his exertions for the sake of the human race, were to meet with this unworthy return! His prophetic eye saw the scenes which were preparing; beheld the machinations of hell; and he who loved mankind so well, must have been affected with the deepest sorrow, that they were to become the instruments of such shocking depravity. Thus, like a father on his death-bed, surrounded by his children, he sate among the disciples, informing them, in terms too plain to be misunderstood, that he was not long to be with them. With a view of impressing them strongly with the awful importance of the events which were about to happen, "as they were eating (we are told), he took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins."

It may be remarked, that this method of instituting a memorial of his death, was quite in the manner adopted by our Lord in all his instructions, and in his common conduct. It seemed part of his plan, to show that wisdom might be collected from every incident, the most trivial, and that the most serious truths might be impressed upon the mind from the occasion of very slight events. Thus his instructions were constantly drawn from some of the circumstances in his own or his disciples' situation; and every common occurrence in their lives he turned into a source of useful doctrine.

On

this occasion, bread and wine were incidentally on the table before them; and, by a natural reference to his body and blood, to which these elements bore some resemblance, he made them symbols of the most important event which was ever to happen in the annals of time.

The beauty and interesting nature of this sacrament appear, accordingly, from attending to the circumstances in which it was instituted. Secondly, let us attend to the manner of its observance. The event to be commemorated, is the death of our Saviour for the sins of the world. The manner in which this is commemorated, is not in sackcloth and ashes, in tears and lamentations, and stripes and penance. We are not required" to give our first born for our transgression, the fruit of our body for the sin of our soul." We are not desired to go forth on pilgrimages to the holy sepulchre; to collect from every quarter relics of the cross; and to wear out the sacred pavements in prostration and kneeling. Nothing harsh, nothing burdensome, nothing melancholy is required from us. We are only desired to meet in fellowship around the table of our Lord; to personate the holy apostles; and to receive the sacred elements which he formerly distributed to those well-tried servants, when he met them for the last time before his death. We are desired to kneel down together with the kind affections of Christian brethren, of men who partake in the same misfortune, and who look forward to the same deliverance. Perhaps, it may not be going too far to say, that the very form of this sacrament is a proof, that in the whole course of our Christian warfare, nothing is expected from us which requires any very extraordinary

or violent exertion.

Our Saviour has done so much,

that we are desired to do little more, than with faithful and honest hearts to look forward to the completion of his work. He asks nothing that is grievous and distasteful to our feelings; he only bids us remember him; and the manner in which we are to remember him, is not with downcast and sorrowful countenances, but with glad hearts, and by a social and friendly ceremony. "This do in remembrance of me." What? Nothing more, than "to eat this bread, and to drink this cup."

I proceed, in the third place, to point out those religious impressions which the sacrament of the Lord's supper is designed to fix upon the heart. These are implied by St. Paul in my text: "as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." The first thing remarkable in these words is, " ye do show the Lord's death." Let us then, my brethren, contemplate this circumstance, the Lord's death, and we shall see what meditations ought to employ us while we celebrate this memorial of it. It was, then, the death of one who, through the whole course of his life, showed the most ardent love to mankind, and who never seemed employed to his own satisfaction if he was not forwarding the good of man and the glory of God. The death of the best of men would, in itself, be a very affecting circumstance, even although it were attended with no reference to us. We read with admiration and delight the stories of illustrious heroes, of the wise and good in all ages; and when, as has very frequently happened, these men have fallen a sacrifice to the barbarous policy of their opponents, or