ake him a God, whom you worship and pray to, by bidding the devil take this or that.

Obj. I do not ban nor fwear but when I am in paffion and provoked to it.

Anf. 1. This is an aggravation of your fin, first to be in paffion, and then to swear: do you thin that one fin will excufe another? 2. Is it just to flee in the face of your creator, because you are affronted by your fellow creature? Will you ftab your father, because your enemy strikes you? If a man wrong you, will you put forth your anger on God that never wronged you ?

Obj. I wear but little oaths, by faith, confcience, &c.

2.

Anf. 1. The devil would have you think these but little fins now; but, ftay till a death-bed or a judgement-feat, and you will find him alter his note. Do you think it a light matter to make a common baffle of faith, the precious inftrument of your juftification; or of confcience, that is the deputy of the great God; or of your precious foul, that coft the blood of Chrift to redeem it? 3. Thefe are but creatures, and to fwear by them is plainly idolatry': for it is a giving worship, and ascribing divine attributes to the creature.

O curfers and fwearers, be perfuaded to forfake thefe fins, and turn to God in Chrift for mercy. What will God fay to you at the great day, if you do not? You wifht for damnation in your ordinary dif course; you are now holden at your word, and damned fhall you be you fwore in your ordinary discourse; therefore God will fwear in his wrath, you shall not enter into his reft: you could not speak without curfing; therefore you fhall be banished out of God's prefence with a curfe: thefe tongues that were fo liberal of oaths and blafphemies, fhall fry in endless and eafelefs flames, without one drop of water to cool them.'

Again, O liar, forfake your lying, and come to Chrift. Tho' this fin be common, yet confider it is most abominable in the fight of God: the devil is the patron of this fin, and the father of liars; it was with a lie he ruined all mankind, ye shall be as Gods, faid he to our first parents. There is ne. ver a lie thou makest, but the devil is at thine ear, and whispers it to thee. Remember what God did to Ananias and Sapphira for lying, Acts v. he struck them dead with a lie in their mouth; and it will be a wonder of his patience, if he do not fo to thee. Do you know, O liar, whofe children you are? Not God's children, for they are children that will not lie; and therefore you must be Satan's children, for he is a liar from the beginning, and the father of liars. Knoweft thou, O liar, whither thou art going? Even to thy father. Should not children be with their father? You cannot look upward, and fay, our father which art in heaven; but thou mayt look downward, and fay, our father which art in. hell; and there it is (if thou repent it not) that thy tongue fhall be tormented in flames for ever. Tremble at this, O liar, and be affured it is no lie that I tell you turn ye, turnye; for, why will ye die?

Moreover, drunkard, turn from your drunkennefs, and come to Chrift. While you live in this fin, you ly under many woes and curfes, Ifa. v. 11, 12. Ifa. xxviii. 2. 1 Cor. vi. 10. God's curfes are not light, therefore make not light of them; for if you do, O drunkard, remember what is abiding you hereafter, even a cup of red vengeance filled up with the dregs of God's wrath, which fhall be poured down your throat for ever; and yet you hall eternally cry out, I thirst, I thirst; and, for all the drink you have had on earth, you cannot get there a drop of cold water to cool your tongue.

In the next place, O covetous man, cheater and defrauder, turn from your covetoufuefs, your inju

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ftice and unrighteous gain, and come to Chrift. If you do not, you shall pay dear for all your unjuft gain in another world; God is the avenger of all fuch as you defraud, Theff. iv. 6. You think yourself very cunning, when you can cheat your neighbour, of a little money; but, know you not, that the devil in the mean time is more cunning in cheating you of your precious foul, which is infinitely more. valuable?

in him.

O Sabbath-breaker, fecure and prayerless finner, turn from your fins unto God and holiness; flee to Chrift for shelter from them, and the wrath due to them; righteoufnels and redemption are only to be found Would you not count him mad, who being condemned to a cruel death for bafe crimes, and might efcape it, if he would accept of a pardon ready provided for him, and leave off fuch vile facts for the future, would yet obftinately refuse to do it? And are not you yet madder, that flight your Saviour, and hug your lufts, when your danger is a thousand times greater? What madness is it to dishonour God and dam your foul, to gratify the devil or please a vile carcafs that fhortly will be fo lothfome, that men can not endure it above ground?

O finners, I beseech you in the name of the great and glorious Jehovah, and in the name of our glorious Redeemer, be reconciled to God, accept a pardon thro' Chrift's blood, and engage to quit these fins that would deftroy you. Will you please God, and fhew kindefs to your poor foul by doing it? However mach you have abufed God's patience, trampled his love, flighted his calls, defpied his threatenings, and undervalued his promiles; yet he is ftill ftanding and befceching you to be reconciled to him. O will not all this goodness melt your heart, and caufe you with Ephraim, Jer. xxxi. 18. bemone yourself, and cry, turn thou me, O Lord, and I shall te turned? Without this turning, fee that you ven ture not to this facred ordinace; let none with the running

N 2

running ulcers of fin upon them offer to fit down at this holy table, for God's pure eyes cannot look upon them. And, if you would turn aright, lee that ye turn believingly to God in Chrift; for there is no accefs to the king of heaven, without bringing the Prince of Peace,, the King's Son, in your arms; no atonement without Chrift, no acceptance but in the beloved.

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Lastly, If you would turn to God aright, ye must not only turn from fin, but alfo turn to the ways of holiness and new obedience. It is not enough to ceafe to do evil, but you must alfo learn to do well.. Some do part with their fins of commission, but conti. nue ftill in fins of emiffion; they leave their grofs out-breakings, but ftill neglect commanded duties. But the tree is not only adjudged to the fire that bears evil fruit, but also the tree that bears no fruit : So that the neglect of duty will damn as furely as the commiffion of fin. Communicants that God will finile upon, are fuch as not only forfake all known fin, but do fincerely endeavour, thro' grace, to yeild o bedience to the whole revealed will of God, and in Christ's ftrength do fet about the performance of every commanded duty.

But as for thefe communicants that do not study new obedience, and to make confcience of performjug every known duty, God will fay to fuch as he faith to the wicked, Pfal. 1. 16, 17. What haft thou to do that thou shouldst take my covenant (or the feal of my covenant) in thy mouth, seeing thou cafteft my words behind thee? They can expect no communion or fellowship with him at his table.

But, on the other hand, he makes very gracious and comfortable promises to thofe that study obedience; Jer. vii. 23. Obey my voice, and I will be your, God, and you shall be my people. As the Prophet Ifaiah fpeaks to the Jews of the good things of the land of Canaan, fo may we fay to you concerning the good things of the facrament, Ifa. i. 19. If ye be willing

willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land, As the land of Canaan produced very precious fruits, fo doth the Lord's Supper; and these far more excellent than thofe. It is here that the marrow and fatnefs of God's houfe is diftributed to his children. Well, if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good things of the facrament..

It was

But fee that your obedience spring from right principles, from love and gratitude to God, from a true hatred to fin, and a high efteem of holiness. an excellent faying of one, Were there neither heaven nor hell, yet fin fhould be my hell, and holiness my hea ven. The fpritually enlighted foul doth fee an unipeakable deformity in fin, which caufeth him to abhor it and he fees fuch a charming beauty in holiness, that he cannot but love and defire it.

DIRECTION XIII.

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Meditate much upon the Death and Sufferings of our Lord Jefus Chrift, before you approach

to his table.

Would

Ould you have your hearts put in a fuitable communion-frame, then read and think much of the fufferings of Chrift; and in a fpecial manner, take a close view of them on the Saturday's night before the communion. Think on them till your hearts melt, and affections warm.; yea, refolve you will not give over till then; and beg God's bleffing. on your meditations for this end.

Think and wonder at the greateness of the humiliation of the Son of God. Admire the low ftoop and condefcenfion of the Son of God, and King of Glory, that he should be content for us to become a creature, and fuch a mean creature as man; that he, who was equal with God, fhould become lefs than God, John xiv. 28. yea, less than Angels, Heb. ii. 7.

N. 3.

yea,