eminently represent the employments and enjoyments of the glorified fints 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 thefe fabbaths 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 fupper is pretty fully handled in my facramental catechifm, both in a doctrinal and cafuiftic 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 relating to this ordinance than what is here to be expected; seeing I mainly design in this treatife to give practical directions for the right improvement of communion-fabbaths. The fubject is still 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 under the three following heads:

I. Directions how to prepare for a communion-fab bath before it come.

II. How to spend it when it is come.

III. How to behave ourselves when it is over.

X 2

A

SACRAMENTAL DIRECTORY

CHAP. I.

Containing Directions how to prepare for a CommunionSabbath.

DIRECT. I. Carefully endeavour and study to have a just and right uptaking of the nature, ends, and ufes of the Lord's fupper; and the work of communicating while at the Lord's table.

ΤΗ

HERE are many who have wrong notions of this ordinance, do greatly 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 inftitution of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that fo we may approach his table with distinct uptakings of our works and bufinefs there.

This ordinance was not inftituted 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 the dead, as the Papifts do abfurdly ffirm. Neither was it appointed to make atonement for former fins, to purchase a remiflion, and infure heaven to us opere operato, as fome ignorant people do imagine. Nor was it defigned to cloak fome wicked practices, or 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 vifible reprefentation and commemoration 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 this ordinance: And, while partaking of the outward fymbols of bread and wine, they are believingly and

thankfully

thankfully to remember Jefus Chrift, and his dying love; and alfo to receive and embrace him, as their bleeding high priest, 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 facrament, and of the works of communicating. But, in order to give a more full and diftinct view of this great, and folemn ordinance, we may confider and take it up under these feveral refpects following:

I. As a peculiar fign and diftinguifbing badge of the Chriftian church from the infidel world, and a visible 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 God.

II. As a lively representation and memorial of Chrift crucified, and the inestimable purchase of his death. This factament 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 public 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 tafte of the new wine which believers will eternally drink with him in his Father's kingdom.

III. As a special mean appointed by God for our fpiritual advantage; namely for the weakening of corruption, and the strengthening of grace. The death of our glorious Redeemer, reprefented in this ordinance, gives fuch a difcovery 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 fome

thing

thing of a clearer view of the attributes of God, than they had before: As of his wifdom in the contrivance of our redemption by Jefus Chrift, and his furetiship for us; of his mercy, love, and compaffion, in fparing poor, guilty, and hell-deferving finners, fuch as we are; of his juftice and holinefs, in punishing fin in fuch a manner, yea, rather punishing it in his own fon, than fuffering it to go unpunished; of his veracity and faithfulnefs, in accomp ifhing the Old Teftament types and prophecies, and confirming the covenant of grace, with the mercies therein promifed, by the death of Jefus Chrift.

IV. As a great fenft, wherein Chrift holds communion and fellowship with his people, and richly entertains them. This facrament is the fupper of the great God: The feaft-maker is God the Father, the provifion God the Son, whofe fleh is meat indeed, and whofe blood is drink indeed: The guests are a company of poor unworthy finners, for whom the crumbs beneath 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 Chrift's flesh and blood to the foul! John vi. 55. As bread and wine afford ftrength, comfort, and nourishment to the body; fo the fleth 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 feaft! viz Pardon of fin, reconciliation with God, adoption into his family, peace of confcience, fpiritual ftrength, increase of grace, the precious promifes of the covenant, the gracious prefence of Chrift, the fmiles of his countenance, the comfort, and quickening influences of his fpirit. O what rare and delicious dishes are these for a hungry foul! O for appetites for the full feaft which Chrift doth furnith us in this wilderness!

V. We ought to view this ordinance as the folemn fealing and confirming of a covenant betwixt God and us. This facrament is one of the feals of the covenant of grace which God makes with believers in Chrift; and

by

by it he gives them fafine and infeftment of all the benefits of the covenant, and of the glorious inheritance purchased for tem by Chrift. It was ufual for people in the eastern countries to ratify their covenants by eating and drinking together; fo did Ifaac and Abimelech, Jacob and Laban, &c. Gen xxvi. Gen. xxxi. 2 Sam. in. This facrament is a covenanting feaft, wherein a bargain is fole nniy ratified and fealed betwixt God and us. Gods exhibiting the elements to us, is a feal of the covenant, on God's part, that he will be our God, and doth freely give us his Son with all his purchfe, and will fulfil all his promifes to us in him: Our taking the elements, is a feal, on our part, of our accepting of Jefus Chrift upon the terms of grace, our engaging to be his people, and that we will, in his ftrength, perform all the duties required of us. Here Chrift gives us his body and blood to fave us, and here we give our fouls and bodies to serve him.

VI. As a folemn military oath, whereby we bind ourfelves to be true and faithful foldiers to Jefus Chrif, cur Captain and General in the fpiritual warfare. For the word facrament, according to its ancient ufe among the Romans, (fron whom it is borrowed) doth import fo much. Let no communicants then confider what they do at the Lord's table. You do most publicly, before men and angels, fwear allegiance to the King of heaven, over the broken body and thed blood of the Son of God. Now, if the duft of Chrift's minifters feet will be a witnefs against the flighters of his gofpel, and cry for vengeance on the n; furely Chrift's body and blood will be a more terrible witness against perfidious communicants. Nay, the oath you here fwear is not an ordinary one, but an oath attended with folemn imprecations. When ye tranfact with God in this facrament, you do on the matter fay, "If we be in league with fin and fatan, while we are profeffing to give ourselves away to the Lord; then let that wrath, which Chrift fuffered, fali upon us': And as certainly as we crumble the facramental bread betwixt our teeth, let the mil ftone of God's wrath grind us to powder: And as we drink the facramental cup here, fo let us drink the cup

of