by the way to be fending up ejaculations for this end, and frequently to be crying, Awake O north wind, and come thou fouth, blow, &c. (The minifter's words will be but as wind, and a beating of the air, unless the wind of the fpirit blow) fpirit of God come influence my heart this day; I dare not go to the table without thy prefence. Lord, ftand not this day behind the wall; for there cannot be a fudder fight in the world, than a poor hard-hearted communicant, with God's back turned upon him. If thy prefence go not with me, carry me not up hence.--O Lord, it is time for thee to work; I never flood more in need of thy prefence than at this time: It is my errand to meet with thee at thy table; Lord, fend me not away with a fore heart: a communion day, without communion with Chrift, will never fatisfy my foul.

Plead with God, O young communicant, that this may be the day of your acquaintance with Chrift, even the day of your efpoufals, and a day to be had in everlafting remembrance. And indeed, if you enter this day into the bond of the covenant, it will be a very meinorable day: God will blefs the memory of this day, for he will gain a fon; Jefus Chrift will write this day in his kalendar, for he will gain a brother the Holy Ghoft will rejoice, for he will gain a temple; angels and faints will be glad, for they will gain a fellow fervant; and you especially may rejoice with exceeding great joy, for you will gain an eterna inheritance.

DIRECTIONS

CONCERNING

Our Carriage when the Time of Receiving the Sacrament doth approach.

I.

WHE

HEN the time is come, or near, that you are to go to this holy table; confider, that this is the moft folemn and auguft ordinance under heaven, and requires the most profound awe and reverence from you. The place is holy, the table is holy, the bread and cup are holy; and God is terrible from his holy places. Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? Your danger is great, if you make a rafh approach, and feek him not after the due order: the leaft wrong look, or wrong touch at this time, is criminal, and may cost you your eternal falvation: it may provoke the Lord to make a fearful and vifible: breach among you, as he did upon Uzzah and the men of Bethfhemefb; for the nearer to God's altar you come, the fire of his jealoufy burns the more vehemently. Labour then to go to this table with holy fear and trembling; for as communion-love is the fweeteft, fo communion wrath is the foreft: heavy judgments, both fpiritual, temporal and eternal, hang over the unworthy communicant's head. If you would prevent thefe, adventure to this table with holy fears and dread: for, if the woman with the bloody iffue feared fo much to touch the hem of Christ's gar.. ment, Mark v. how much more ought you to fear to touch the fymbols of his body and blood, to put your hand into his wounds, and feel the print of the nails? If fuch a holy man as John the Baptift thought imfelf unworthy to bear Chrift's fhoes, how much

more

more are vile finners, like you, unworthy to touch and feed upon his broken body and shed blood? Let your fouls then be humble as the dust when you approach, in a deep fenfe of your great unworthiness, former guilt, and breach of former vows made at this table; for, to fuch humble fouls God has promised to look in mercy, Isa. lxvi. 2.

II. When you are going to the table, labour to stir up your fouls, and all your faculties and affections excite all your graces and defires to attend Chrift.: O fee that your fouls be lively, and your hearts fixed, when you are about to draw near and feal a marriage-covenant with Chrift. You have great need to look to your hearts and frames at this time: A dead heart, or an ill frame now, is very unfuitable; it is like the dead fly in the box of ointment, it will be fair to fpoil your communicating: for God's fake, look to it.

Obj. I. Oh! (feys one) my heart is in a lifeless and Aupid frame, even at a dead fland, and thinks neither of good nor ill: What shall I do with it?

Intreat

Anf. v. Dispatch prefently, a fwift meffenger to heaven, an earnest ejaculation and prayer, to call for the help of God's spirit, as Cant. iv. 16. him to breathe on your dry bones with a fresh gale, and take a coal from his own altar to inflame your affections.

2. Call on your hearts to awake to a lively frame.. It is a mistake of Chriftians to think they are only to call upon God; you must also call upon yourselves, and rouse up yourselves, as Pfalm lvii. 8. Awake up. my glory, &c. Stir up yourfelves, and all that is within you, according to Pfalm ciii. 1. Speak to your hearts, and expoftulate with them: fay, Oh my drowJy blockifh heart, art thou not ashamed to think fo. coldly of thy bleeding Saviour? Is his heart fo warm, and thine fo cold? Doth a dead heart become: the fervice of a living God?

Obj..

Obj. II. Ob (faith another) my heart is a roving, wandring heart, I cannot get it frayed a moment upon one fubject; it prefently gets away, and hunts vanities: O what shall I do with the levity and excursions of my

heart?

Anf. 1. Labour now to overawe your heart with the deep apprehenfion of God's prefence and all-feeing eye: God noticeth you more now than ever.

2. Chide and check your heart for its vain excurfions: Say, Did I come here to think of any thing but of Chrift and heaven? Is this a place for think ing on worldly toys? Is this the way to fhew forth my Saviour's death, which is my business here? What, cannot I watch with Chrift one hour now? ́ How then will I behold and contemplate him for• ever?'

Obj. III. Tho' I am come this length in obedience to a dying Saviour's command, yet I fear to go forward, for I doubt my right; I cannot fay that I am in covenant with God, or that I have faith, and an intereft in Chrift, or that his body was broken for me.

Anf. O difcouraged foul, though you have not the faith of affurance, yet fee if you can get the faith of adherence: tho' you cannot fay that ever you took holdof Chrift or the covenant before, yet try if you can get a grip of Chrift now; you are much nearer to him now than at other times. Make an endeavour, ftir up your fouls, and go to Chrift with all the faith you can win at, faying with that poor man, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. If you cannot apply Chrift to yourfelves, will you apply yourselves to Chrift: if you cannot fay Chrift is your Saviour and hiding place, will you run like a malefactor to him for refuge, and try if he will now fhelter you in his wounds, when they are fo wide opened in the facra. ment. He noticeth any poor finner that is engaging his heart to approach unto God.

and

Again, tho' you cannot lay that Chrift is yours, you are in covenant with him; yet, are you not wil

Fing to be his, and to give up yourself to him? The covenant indeed is mutual, Cant. ii. 16. My beloved is mine, and I am his; but, if you cannot claim to one part of it, try if you can grip to another. Is it your language, tho' I cannot fay he is mine, yet I a am re.. folved to be his, and to giveup myfelf to him? That is well faid, poor foul; for you must first confent to be his, before ye know that he is yours: you must be refolute in your covenanting with Chrift; when you are driven from one horn of the altar, hold faft by another. Flee now to Chrift, faying, Lord, the I cannot fay thou art mine; yet I can fay, Lord, I am content and refolved to be thine, wholly thine, only thine, and everlaftingly thine. David could not always fay, God is mine; but, when he cannot say that, he cries, I am thine, Lord fave thou me, Pfal. cxix. 94. Here one that belongs to thee, and has furren dered himself to thee; Lord, fuffer not one of thine to perish.

Obj. IV. Alas! I cannot fay to God, I am thine: I fear he will not accept of me, or own me for his.

Anf. Tho you cannot fay, I am thine by God's acò ceptance; yet, can you not fay, Lord, I am thine. by my own refignation, I do devote and give up my "felf wholly unto thee, I will not be the devil's, the "world's, or luft's; I will not be my own, but I will be thine; I am thine, fave thou me :' Go to him with that plea the Campani came to the Romans with, after they had refufed to help them as neighbours and allies against the Grecians, who were di ftreffing them fore, and that because the Romans and the Grecians were in friendship together at that time: the Campani went and gave up their whole country in vaffalage to the Romans, faying, "If you will not help as as our allies, help us as your vaffals and fubjects, as we are content to be; we are fure you will not let your tributaries perifh.' And indeed this argument prevailed with them, and fo will it with God, if you go to him with an importunate faith, and faften yourself upon him. Plead, Lord,

"

if