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TREATISE

CONCERNING

The SANCTIFICATION of a COMMUNION-SABBATH.

The

I

INTRODUCTION.

T being our great bufinefs in the world, to promote God's glory and our own falvation, and in order thereto, to feek acquaintance with and secure an intereft in the Lord Jesus Christ,

(the fole mediator betwixt God and men) and alfo to labour for the comfortable perfuafion and af furance of this intereft; it hath pleafed God, for our affiftance in this matter, graciously to prescribe to us the use of several outward means, as the word, faeraments and prayer; and also to promise the inward influences of his Holy Spirit, for making thefe means effectual for the ends forefaid, to fuch as confcienti. ously attend and use them.

The facrament of the Lord's Supper, one of these means, being inftituted by our Lord Jefus Chrift, as a bright representation and compend of the whole Chriftian religion, and an ordinance nobly adapted for carrying on the ends of God's glory, and our fouls falvation, and particularly for clearing up our intereft in Chrift, and improving our acquaintance with him; it highly concerns every christian to make conkience of attending it in a due and suitable manner.

I

I have elsewhere shown, that the Lord's day is of divine appointment, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper is the proper work of this day, and one fpecial defign of its first inftitution. Now, if ordinary Sabbaths do require great diligence and care in our preparing for them, and improving of them; much more do Communion-Sabbaths, which are folemn and high days, and in a special manner days of the son of man; these being times wherein we make most near approaches unto God, and he makes near approaches unto us; and fo may be called days of Heaven upon Earth, for they do eminently reprefent the employments and enjoyments of the glorified faints in Heaven; and by the right improvement of them, we come to be prepared for living amongst that bleffed company. It is then our great duty and intereft, carefully to make ready for these Sabbaths when they draw nigh, and to improve every hour and minute of them with the greatest diligence when they actually do come.

The fubject of the Lord's Supper is pretty fully handled in my facramental catechism, both in a doctrinal and cafuiftick manner. And, feeing it is needlefs to repeat what is there written, I muft refer my reader to it, for a more full explication of feveral things relative to this ordinance than what is here to be expected; feeing I mainly defign in this treatife to give practical directions for the right improvement of Communion-Sabbaths. The fubject is ftill very large and copious, after all that hath been faid and written upon it; and there is room for much more. What I here intend may be comprehended un. der the three following heads;

I. Directions how to prepare for a communion. Sabbath before it come.

II. How to spend it when it is come.

III. How to behave ourfelves when it is over.

CHAP.

Containing directions how to prepare for a Communion-Sabbath

DIRECTION I

Carefully endeavour and study to have a jut and rightuptaking of the nature, ends and ufes of the Lord's Supper; and of the Work of Communicating while at the Lord's Table.

T

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HERE are many who have wrong notions of this ordinance, do grealy mistake the ends and defigns of it, and therefore cannot rightly partake of it but if, we would be worthy communicants, we must seriously ponder and rightly understand the nature and ends of this folemn inflitution of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that fo we may approach his table with diftin&t uptakings of our work and bufinefs there.

This ordinance was not instituted to turn bread and wine into the true body and blood of Chrift, for people to worship it; nor to facrifice Chrift again to the Father to be a propitiation for the fins of the quick and dead, as the Papifts do abfurdly affirm: neither was it appointed to make atonement for former fins, to purchase a remiffion, and enfure Hea ven to us, opere operato, as fome ignorant people do imagine. Nor was it defigned to cloke fome wicked practices, of maintain a good name among men, or any other worldly end, as Hypocrites do intend. But it is appointed by our great Lord and Saviour, as a visible reprefentation and commemoratian of his death and fufferings for his people till he come again to judge the world. And in obedience to his command, all his people ought to come to his table, to celebrate

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this ordinance and while partaking of the outward fymbols of bread and wine, they are believingly and thankfully to remember Jefus Chrift, and his dying love; and alfo receive and embrace him as their bleeding High Prieft into the arms of their faith, apply his benefits, reft upon his merits, feal a covenant with him; look upon him whom they have pierced with a mourning heart, and a folemn refolve to pierce him no more.

This is a fhort account of the nature of this faerament, and of the work of communicating. But, in order to give a more full and diftinct view of this great and folema ordinance, we may confider and take it up under these several respects following;

I. As a peculiar fign and distinguishing badge of the Chriftian church from the infidel world, and a wifible token, that we profefs and own a crucified Jefus for our Redeemer and Saviour, and that we depend only upon his death, and the merit of his blood, for the remiffion of our fins, and our reconciliation with Cod. II. As a lively reprefentation and memorial of Chrift crucified, and the inestimable purchase of his death. This facrament is a compendious map of the gofpel, and a vifible preaching of Jefus Chrift. The word preached holds him forth to the ear; but this facrament reprefents him to the eye, and in a lively way difplays his redeeming love, his mighty acts, and unparalleled fufferings for loft finners. This ordinance is a lafting publick monument to the world, of Chrift's glorious victories and triumphs, as the captain of our falvation; of his vanquishing death and hell, his fpoiling principalities and powers, and his obtaining peace for us. Likewife we are to look upon it as a fure pledge of Chrift's fecond coming, and a taste of the new wine which believers will eter nally drink with him in his father's kingdom.

III. As a Special mean appointed by God for our Spi ritual advantage; namely for the weakening of corruption, and the ftrengthening of grace. The death

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of our glorious redeemer, represented in this ordinance, gives fuch a discovery of fin to the believer as makes his foul to abhor it. And God bleffeth it as a mean to excite and quicken the graces of repentance, faith, love, hope, joy, and thankfulness in believers; by giving them fomething of a clearer view of the attributes of God, than they had before: as of his wisdom, in the contrivance of our redemp. tion by Jefus Chrift, and his furetifhip for us; of his mercy, love and compaffion, in sparing and faving poor guilty and hell-deferving finners, fuch as we are; of his juftice and holiness, in punishing fin in fuch a manner, yea rather pnnifhing it in his own fon, than fuffering it to go unpunished; of his veracity and faithfulness, in accomplishing the old-teftament types and prophecies, and confirming the cove nant of grace, with the mercies therein promifed,` by the death of Jefus Chrift.

IV. As a great feast, wherein Chrift holds communion and fellowship with his people, and richly enter tains them. This facrament is the fupper of the great God: the feaft-maker is God the father, the provifion God the fon, whofe flesh is meat indeed, and whofe blood is drink indeed the guests are a company of poor unworthy finners, for whom the crumbs be. neath the table are too good; yet to fuch doth God give kindly welcome, faying, Eat, O friends; drink, &c. Cant. v. I. A ftrange feaft! Chrift is both the maker and matter of it, the feeder and the food, the giver and the gift! O what noble provifion is Christ's Beth and blood to the foul! John vi. 55 As bread and wine afford ftrength, comfort and nourishment to the body; fo the flesh and blood of Chrift, received here by faith, do yield the fame to the foul. How great is the variety of heavenly dainties prefented to us in this feast! viz. pardon of fin, reconciliation with God, adoption into his family, peace of confcience, Spiritual strength, increase of grace, the precious promifes of the covenant, the gracious prefence

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