as it embraces and lays hold on Chrift, fo it delivers up <the foul to Chrift; and, as it takes Chrift wholly, fo it gives up the foul wholly to him. Did you give all you are, and all you have, your children, relations, honours, eftates, interefts, time, talents, health, firength, and all to Chrift, to be difpofed of, and employed by him, according to his pleasure? Then this is a good mark of thy fincerity.

5. Were you in a renouncing frame, willing to part with every luft, and put a bill of divorce in the hands of every Delilah or beloved idol? Then it is a good fign; for every fincere foul will fay at fuch a time with Ephraim, what have I to do any more with idols?

II. Confider the frame and difpofition of your fouls fince you came from the Lord's Table; for you may find out your fincerity hereby.

I. Afk your fouls that question, which Chrift himfelf once asked the Pharifees, Mat. xxii. 42. What think ye of Chrift?Covenanted fouls, to be fure, will have a very high opinion of him for to all that believe he is precious. Can you fay then, that you have high and admiring thoughts of Christ, and that you wonder at his beauty: once I was at peace without Chrift, but now I fee nothing but fire and wrath out of him: once I faw little beauty in him, and said, as the daughters of Jerufalem faid to the fpoufe, what is thy beloved more than another beloved? But now I fee him altogether lovely: Yea, I fee not only a matchlefs beauty in his perfon, but alfo in his way, his word, his ordinances, his people; nay, in his very cross, and every thing that belongs to him?

2. All covenanted fouls will be mightily pleafed with the contrivance, frame and defign of the cove nant; they will fay, it is well ordered in all things; they will be fatisfied with all the articles of it, and with all the offices and relations of Chrift, they will be content to be governed by his laws, as well as to be juftified by his righteousness, All they who have entered

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entered into a marriage-covenant with Chrift, will look to his perfon more than to his patrimony, and they will embrace his precepts as well as his promises. Try therefore if it be fo with you. Are you pleased with the defign of the covenant, viz. to exalt free grace? Would you have Chrift all, and yourselves nothing? Would you be content of heaven, tho' it were for no more than to ftand an eternal monument of free grace? · and that you might with others join in your note to glorify and exalt it? Do you love ftill to cry, not un to us, not unto us, but to Chrifl be the glory? Then this is a good fign you are within the bond of this

covenant.

3. Have you heart-melting thoughts at the remembrance of Chrift's wounds? Are you fenfibly touched for your fins that pierced bim, and refolved thro' his grace to pierce him no more, and that you will never give any harbour to these traitors that put to death the fon of God? Then it is a sign you have eyed him by faith at his table, and taken hold of his covenant.

4. If you be his covenanted friends, you will refolve to obey every commanded duty, John xv. 14. Ye will be a people zealous of good works. And remember this, ye will refolve to perform covenant-duties in a covenant-way, and in a gospel-method, i. e. ye will do all out of love and gratitude to your benefactor and Redeemer; ye will do all to glorify him; ye will go out of yourselves even to Christ for strength, and depend on hirn for all.

Quelt. 2. How shall I know if I have met wih Chrift at his table, aud enjoyed any thing of his gracious prefence there?

Anf. Chrift hath many ways of vifiting his people, and holding communion with them; and, tho' he hath not done it in the way you were expecting, do not conclude that he hath not done it at all.

1. He fometimes draws near his people in this ordinance, by bringing light to their understandings, and

making gracious dijcoveries to their fouls.Sometimes he discovers to us his greatnefs and purity, fo as to humble us to the duft, and make us feem nothing in our own eyes, and confefs we are the vileft of finners, and wonder that we are out of the pit: fo was it with thefe holy men, Job xl. 4. Ifà. vi. 3.Sometimes he difcovers his goodness and mercy, in giving his fon to die for fuch wretches, and offering pardon to fuch rebels; and thereby he fheds abroad his love into our hearts. and melts them into tears, confeffions, and thankful refentments of his love, as in Luke vii. 44. 1 Tim. i. 16.-Sometimes he difcovers Chrift to be altogether lovely, fin to be altogether vile, the world to be altogether vain, holiness to be altogether neceffary, and heaven to be altogether glorious.

2. He kindly vifits his people, when he draws out their graces to a lively exercife, and particularly fends his quickning Spirit to melt their hearts into the exercife of repentance and mourning for fin, or to actu. ate their faith, and enable them to lean on Chrift for pardon and falvatim, and fay with that poor man, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief:

Or when he kindles love in the heart, and makes it to burn while he talks to them, and opens the fcriptures, as he did to the two difciples going to Emmaus or helps you to fay with Peter, Lord, thou that knoweft all things, knoweft that I love thee: Or when he draws out the defires, longings and pantings of the foul after himself, and makes us thirst after him, and follow hard after him. Hence we fee what a mistake many are in, who think there is no communion with Chrift but by fenfible confolations and manifeftations of his love for, where there is a holy fhame, grief and forrow wrought in the foul for fin, it is as real an e vidence of his gracious prefence, as when the foul is affectionately melted into love, praife and joy. Tho' Chrift come not to you by the higher way, yet be thankful if he come in the lower way.

3. Chrift holds communion with his people in this ordinance, by ftrengthening them for duty, and making them delight in his fervice, and count it their meat and drink to do his will, and reckon one day in bis courts worth a thousand elsewhere.

4. When he intimates his fpecial love and favour to their fouls, which he doth many ways, by diffolving their doubts and fears, fcattering their clouds, fhining on their graces, and clearing up their evidences; or whispering by his Spirit into their coufciences, fear not, I am your falvation: be of good cheer, all your fins are forgiven you: the Lord hath put away thy fin, thou shalt not die. It is this way the Lord fometimes brings his people into the banqueting-houfe, fatisfies them as with marrow and fat nefs, makes them to hear the voice of joy and gladness, fills them with peace that paffeth understanding, with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. It is thus that he kiffes them with the kiffes of his mouth, i. e. applies the comforts of his promifes, which are the fweet words of his mouth, yea, fweeter to them than honey or the honey comb it is here he makes them to drink af the rivers of his pleasures, brings them to his holy mountain, and makes them joyful in his house of prayer it is here he brings them out of the miry clay, Jets their feet npon a rock, establishes their goings, and puts a new song in their mouth, even praise to our God.

It might be proper in this place to speak to the cafes of feveral forts of communicants: but, having done this pretty fully in my facramental catechism, I fhall here fpeak only to two forts.

I. Thefe who after fecret self-examinaton, and reviewing of their communicating, are put to complain that they do not find any comfort or fpiritual advantage by the folemn ordinance of which they have been partaking.

II. These who cannot but acknowledge to the praife of free grace, that they have been kindly dealt

with, and privileged with fpecial manifeftations of God's love and favour at this holy ordinance.

First, As to the first fort of communicants;

There are fometimes found not a few of God's people, who, on the back of their communicating, are in a difconfolate condition. O (faith one) I have been examining myself fince I came from the Lord's table,. and reviewing my communicating and I fear I have not met with Chrift there, nor got any comfort or fpiritual advantage by the ordinance. I think God is angry with me and, what shall I do?.

Anf. 1. Granting it to be fo that thou haft got no benefit by this ordinance, beware of laying the blame in the least upon the mafter of the fealt, who is a bountiful Lord, and delights in mercy; but leave your complaint intirely upon yourfelt, and fearch for the caufe of your difappointment in your felf. And it is likely upon due fearch you will find, that cither you have been flight in your preparations for the duty; your appetite hath not been fharpned with a fenfe of fpiritual wants; you have not been, watchful over your heart, either before, in time of, or after your communicating; or perhaps you have gone about this work too much in your own trength, without looking to God for ftrength and quickning in the gofpel method. Jacob told his wives, Gen. xxxi. I fee your father's countenance, it is not toward me as before. Now, what was the rea fon of it? Jacob (fay Laban's fons) hath taken away all that was our father's, he hath enhanced his riches. Well, halt thou dealt thus with thy heavenly father? Haft thou robbed him of his glory in any meafure by thy felf-confidence? Then it is no wonder that his countenance was not fo pleafant toward thee as at other times. Be humbled then for your defects and fhort-comings: and fay, Lord, thou art righteous, but I am wicked.

2dly, God may hide his face from his people at the facrament, either for their trial, or for their fpi

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