our God. For fuch we find to be the tenor of the covenant: "I will be their God, and they fhall be "my people (e)." And, as I formerly obferved, this covenant is unalterably confirmed, by the fhedding of Chrift's blood; fo that every believer may now triumph in the reafoning of the apoftle,-He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us. all, and who gives us his broken body and shed blood to feaft upon, how shall he not with him alfo freely give us all things?

4. It is alfo a feaft of love. The Jewish paffover, which was an eminent type of it, was a feast of love as well as of remembrance; for it was celebrated by the whole nation of the Jews, affembled together in one place; plainly intimating, that they were one body united together in love. But the Lord's Supper is much more a feast of love; for it is a memorial of the unexampled and aftonishing love, which the Son of God expreffed in laying down his life for us; and furely, on our parts, it ought to be kept with the warmest gratitude and affection. Our hearts fhould burn with love to him, who loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood. But befides this, it is also a feaft of love, as it is moft fignificant of that Chriftian charity and love which the guests fhould bear to one another; for they all fit at one table, and eat of the fame bread, and drink of the fame cup. Nay, by this folemn action, they declare their love to each other, as children of the fame divine family, and members of one myftical body, of which Chrift is the Head; and therefore they ought to be united together in the tendereft bond of fympathy and affection. Happy are they who abound in this grace. The God of love and peace fhall be with them.

5. And, lafly, It is a plentiful feast, and freely given; the provifion of a God, who delights to exercife loving-kindnefs in the earth, and will supply all the wants of his people, according to his riches in glory

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(<) 2 Cor. vi. 16.

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by Chrift Jefus. There is bread enough in your Father's houfe, and to fpare; enough to answer every exigence, to fatisfy every defire, and to fill up every capacity of enjoyment: for it hath pleafed the Father, that in Chrift fhould all fulness dwell, and out of his fulness you may all receive, and grace for grace. If then you will come with enlarged hearts, hungering and thirsting after Chrift, you fhall be abundantly fatisfied with the goodness of his house, even of his holy temple. And finally, This spiritual feast, as it is full and fatisfying, fo it is freely given. How ample and generous is the invitation to it? “ Ho,

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every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters "and he that hath no money, come, buy wine and "milk, without money and without price. Who"foever will, let him come, and take of the water "of life freely." Though it was dearly purchafed by your Saviour, yet he offers it to you in the kindeft and most encouraging manner: "Behold," fays he, "I ftand at the door and knock; if any man hear 46. Imy voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him and he with me."

III. And this brings me to confider, thirdly, The entertainment provided in it, or on what communicants are invited to feaft at the table of the Lord.

In general, then, they are to feast on a crucified Redeemer, his broken body, and his fhed blood. Now, the fufferings of Chrift, when contemplated by faith, afford the moft delightful entertainment to a believer.-For,

1. He fees, in them, that divine juftice is fully fatisfied, and provifion made for his pardon and juftification. "In Chrift," fays the apoftle," we have "redemption through his blood, even the forgivenefs of fin." Nay, divine juftice itself is concerned, upon, the account of Chrift's death, to pardon the iniquities of his fervants." If," fays the apostle John, "we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just forgive us our fins ;" juft, not indeed with re

gard

gard to us, for his grace is unmerited and free; but just, with regard to the death of Chrift: for he having paid the debt, the discharge muft in juftice follow. Now, what a feaft is this to a convinced and humble foul? Son, be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee. What a refreshing cordial is this? What joy muft fpring up in the mind, when the fweetnefs of pardoning mercy is infufed into our cup of confolation? "Bleffed is he," fays the Pfalmift, "whofe "tranfgreffion is forgiven, whofe fin is covered: "Bleffed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not 66 iniquity."

2. Another fruit of the fufferings and death of Chrift, that we are here invited to feaft upon, is peace with God; for this infeparably accompanies the former. "Being justified by faith," fays the apostle, we have peace with God through our "Lord Jefus Chrift." And what a bleffed privilege is this! how divinely fweet and ravishing to the foul! To be reconciled to God, who is the best of friends, and whofe favour is better than life; and not only to be reconciled, but to be affured of his favour, of his dearest, and tendereft love: What more canft thou defire? What greater comfort, what more fatisfying joy, than to be able to say with the Pfalmift, "This God is my God for ever and ever, and "he will be my guide even unto death?" "Yea, "though I walk through the valley and fhadow of death, he will be with me; his rod and his ftaff "will comfort me."

3. From thence, as another part of your entertainment, there refults peace and tranquillity of confcience. This is one of thofe precious legacies which Chrift bequeathed to his difciples when he was leaving the world: "Peace," fays he, "I leave with

you, my peace I give unto you." This peace is fuch as the world can neither give nor take away ; for it arifes from a fenfe of our reconciliation to God, and the affurance of an interest in his love. But what this is, how pleafing and delightful to the

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foul,

foul, is better felt than it can be expreffed. Peace in the confcience is a cordial inexpreffibly delightful. When the peace of God is fhed abroad in the heart, the pleasure of it paffeth underftanding. In a word, it is the bread and the water of life; it exalts the foul to a tafte of celestial enjoyment, and confers a fense of internal fecurity, which the wicked cannot feel. And hence, fays the Pfalmift, when reflecting on the goodness of God in granting him this peace," Re"turn unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath "dealt bountifully with thee."

4. Another fruit of Chrift's death and fufferings, on which believers are invited to feaft, is communion and fellowship with God. There is nothing that has a greater tendency to fweeten human life, than the intercourfe of one friend with another. What then. can be imagined more pleafing to the foul, than the friendship of God, and communion with him? Now, this alfo is provided as a part of the devout communicant's entertainment at the table of the Lord; for there he is admitted to fee the King in his beauty, and the land that is afar off. He taftes that the Lord is gracious, and feels his love fhed abroad in his heart; and he can therefore fay with the Church, “I

"

fat down under his fhadow with great delight, and "his fruit was fweet to my tafte. He brought me into the banqueting-houfe, and his banner over me was love." Nay, fuch is the happiness which the people of God fometimes experience in communion with him at his table, that they are made to fay with. the difciples on the mount, "Lord, it is good for "us to be here :" and as Jacob did of Bethel, "Surely "the Lord is in this place; this is none other but "the houfe of God, this is the gate of heaven.” And indeed, my brethren, when the foul is favoured with fuch near and intimate communion as this, it enjoys a kind of heaven upon earth; it taftes the food of angels, and receives as it were the firft fruits, in the joyful hope of reaping the full harveft.

Thefe

Thefe then are a few of the rich and invaluable bleflings purchafed by the death of Chrift, and which are provided for your entertainment, who are fincere and faithful communicants.

But again, you are likewife to feaft upon his death, as it is the new teftament in his blood, i. e. a ratification of the new teftament or covenant, by this facred fymbol,-the fhedding of his blood. Thus, we find, the apoftle to the Hebrews reprefents the death of Chrift, in allufion to a teftamentary difpofition or fettlement, which of neceffity requires the death of the teftator (a). Hence, the precious fruits of the death of Chrift, and all the bleffings which he has bequeathed to the heirs of promife, are by this means unalterably confirmed and fecured to them; and in fcripture they are called the fure mercies of David: nay, all the promifes are faid to be in him, Yea, and in him, Amen, to the glory of God.

Many other views of our Redeemer's death might have been given you, as a fuitable and pleafing entertainment at a communion table. I might have obferved to you, that, by his death and fufferings, he is made a perfect Captain of falvation, and a moit compaffionate and merciful High-prieft; for in that he himself fuffered, being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted. I might have obferved farther, that, by his death and fufferings, he merited his triumphant entrance into the highest heavens, and that, not only in his own name, but to take poffeflion of the heavenly glory, as our Head and Forerunner. And, finally, that, in virtue of his blood fhed upon the crofs, he makes effectual and never ceafing interceffion at his Father's right hand. But on thefe, the limits of this difcourfe will not allow me to infift.

I only add, that believers in Chrift are called to feaft upon his death, becaufe, by this one offering, he hath for ever perfected them that are fanctified; and as he has purchafed all that is neceffary to make you perfect, fo he is invefted with full power and au L 3 thority

(a) Heb. ix. 16, 17.