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ters, loofe all my bonds, and bring my foul out of prifon, that I may praife thy name."

4. Look to him as a mediator and peace-maker, to remove all enmity and quarrels betwixt God and thy foul, and fay, "Lord ftand betwixt me and thy flaming fword, let thy atoning blood this day quench the fire of thy Father's anger, and bring the news of peace to my foul."

5. Look to him as an advocate to plead for thy guilty foul: Say, "Lord, my crimes are great, and my cause is bad: But never any caufe mifcarried that thou took in hand: Be thou mine advocate, and let every one of thy wounds this day be as fo many open mouths to plead for me; let thy blood fpeak, that fpeaketh better things than the blood of Abel."

6. Look to him as thy refuge-city and hiding-place, and fay, "Lord, I flee to thee for my life: Fer the avenger of blood, the law and juftice of God, are at my heels pursuing me; and, if they find me affar off from thee, I am flain without mercy: The clefts of the rock are my only hiding-place: Lord, be a fafeguard to me. A heathen could fay, when a bird scared by a hawk flew into his bofom: I will not give thee up to thine enemy, feeing thou cameft to me for fanctuary: And furely thou wilt not deliver my foul, when I flee to thee for fhelter."

7. Look to Chrift as the ark, that can only fave thee from being drowned by the flood of God's wrath: Say, "Lord, there is no ark to fave me but thou alone: L am fhipwrecked in Adam, and there is no plank but Chrift to bring me to fhore: I clasp to thee by the hand of faith. Lord fave me, elfe I perifh

8. Look to him as a reliever of burdened fouls: Say, "Lord, here is a heavy laden finner coming to thee this day for reft: O, fin is heavier than a milftone, it is weighed down with the law's curfes; and, O how many of these millstones are on my back! Lord, I come this day to roll them upon thee, who art the fure foundation that God has laid in Zion, able to bear me and all I can lay upon it: Angels cannot free me of my burden, for the burden of one fin has funk many thousands. 3 S 2

of

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of them to the bottomless pit; the faints cannot do it,
they have burden enough of their own; nay, the whole
creation cannot bear my burden, for it is already groan-
ing under the weight of me and it: But, Lord, thou art
the mighty one on whom finners help is laid, and haft
promifed reft to fuch as come to thee. Lord, let all my
burdens fall off this day, that I may be at freedom to
run the ways of thy commandments."

9. Look to him as a rich and bountiful helper of the
needy: Say," Lord, pity a needy beggar this day, that
is going to the feaft-house to wait for a crumb; thou
haft fupplied many: and I have heard a good report of
thy bounty: Never came there a poorer wretch to thy
door than I is there not a penny of grace left to help
me, not a crumb to keep in my life? Lord, let me not
from thy treasure houfe without an alms, there is
bread enough in thy house and to fpare, let me not ga
without a crumb.

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10. Look to him as a prophet and teacher, that can open thine eyes, and give thee gracious discoveries of his truths and ways: Say, "Lord I have heard much of thee by the hearing of the ear, but little have mine eyes feen of thee: I have been long in Chrift's school, but little proficiency have I made: Lord, come this day and teach me to profit; let my eyes be opened, that in this ordinance I may fee the heinous nature of fin, the feverity of divine juftice, the greatness of divine love, the beauty of Chrift, the precioufnefs of fouls, the excellency of the remedy provided for finners, &c."

11. Look to him as thy head and husband, with whom you are this day to feal a marriage-covenant: Say, "Lord, though I be a most deformed, black and unworthy bride, and have nothing but poverty, debt and danger to recommend me to thee; yet fince thou, who art the chief among ten thousands are content to match with me; O give me a heart to confent willingly to the bargain, and fay, My beloved is mine, and I am his. Lord, help me cheerfully to fay, Amen to the covenant, and all the articles of it, that I was reviewing and renewing yefternight: O let the marriage knot this day be caft, that fin or fatan, death or hell, may never

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be able to loofe again: Let him this day kifs me with the kiffes of his mouth: O for fweet communion and fellowship with him at his own table: Lord, the wme a token fo; good, fet me as a feal upon thine arm ; manifeft thyself to me, as thou doft not to the world."

DIRECTION III.

LABOUR, O communicant, to get thy foul put in a right and suitable frame for approaching God's holy table, and entertaining thy Saviour there: Now the cry is making, "The Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him;" prepare the palace of your hearts for hin; cleanfe, fweep and wash them; get them adorned and perfumed with the graces of the Spirit. Is Chrift gone to prepare a place for you, and will you not prepare a place for him? Set up a throne for Chrift, go forth to meet him with acclamation and praife, receive him gladly, fet the crown on his head, and fwear allegiance to him, and fay, as the men of Ifrael faid to Gideon, Judges vii. 22. "Rule thou over us, for thou haft delivered us out of the hand of Midian." O but Chrift hath delivered us out of the hand of Satan, a far worfe oppreffor than Midian. Let us welcome him, and compafs him about with fongs of deliverance. O communicants, deal not with Chrift as his country-men the Jews did, John i. II. "He came unto his own, but his own received him not:" When he came into the world, there was no room allowed for him any where but in the manger, and thither was he thrust. O deal not fo with your Saviour; think not a foul stall good enough for Chrift, but make clean your hearts, and give him the best room, yea, the upper room there; O fend the key of your hearts this morning to Chrift, faying, "Lord, take thy choice where to ly: Alas, I may fay with the Centurion, "I am not worthy that thou fhouldft come under my roof My foul is a ruinous, fmoky, and defiled cottage, thou hast not a fit place with me to lay my head; But, O thou that didst not disdain to lie in a manger among beafts, and to be entertained in the house of Simon the leper, come into my foul,

repair.

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repair the house, and prepare an upper room for thyself,
that I may eat the paffover with thee. Lord, fpeak the
word, and thy fervant's heart fhall be healed, cleanfed,
and made holy, foft, and pliable, fit for thy use and
fervice. Lord, none can mend my heart but thou who
madeft it: I put it into thy hands: Lord, make it as
thou wouldst have it.

Queft. What is that frame and difpofition of foul that
we fhould come with to the communion-table?

Anf. Take thefe directions concerning it.

I. Come to it with a holy are and reverence of God. Were you going to a prince's table, you would go to it with fome awe and concern; and, will you have none when you go to the table of the great Jehovah, who is your judge, fearches the heart, and obferves all your actions? He is a God that is very jealous of his honour, and will not be mocked; you ought to come to this table with a holy dread and reverence, adoring the holiness and juftice of God manifefted in the fufferings of Christ. How vehemently did he hate fin, that he would not pity or fpare his dear Son when he cried to him; but feeing he had undertaken to pay our debt, and drink our cup, the leaft farthing or drop he would not abate him? Tho' the finner be spared, yet fin must be punished to the uttermoft; our cautioner paid dearly for it. We ought to adore his justice, faying with the men of Bethfhemesh, 1 Sam. vi. 20. "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" There is no ftanding but at Chrift's back, our bleffed cautioner," in whom God is well pleased.”

II. Come with holy fear and jealousy over your felves, left
you be found unwelcome guefts, and draw down the
guilt of unworthy communicating upon yourselves; cry,
"Lord, keep me from wounding Chrift and my own
foul this day; let me not betray the Son of God with
a kifs," "deliver me from blood-guiltinefs, and from
drinking damnation." O what if I want the wedding-
garment," when the king comes in to view the guests."

III. Come with brokenness of heart for fin, the caufe of
Chrift's fufferings. Look on your pride, paffion, hy-
pocrify, covetoufnefs, malice, lying, fwearing, &c. as
Chrift's only tormentors: Behold how they preffed him

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down in the garden, till he fwate blood; fee them binding the crofs on Chrift's back; fee them nailing his hands, piercing his temples, and grieving his heart; fee them buffeting and fpitting on him; fee them making him groan, weep, and roar out his complaint, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me?" It was on us this tragedy fhould have been acted, on us thefe vials of wrath Thould have been poured, " For he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, and bruised for our iniquities," Ifa. liii. 5. O fhall we see Chrift's heart-streaming blood, and our eyes not drop tears? Shall we fee him ftretched out and nailed for us, and our hearts not bleed? Oh, it was my fins that made them nails, they drove them in, they thruit in the fpear, yea, they killed the Lord of life; and, fhall I not mourn? Did you fee a malefactor, that had committed twenty murders, ufed like Chrift, your hearts would be concerned: And, will you not be affected to behold the innocent Lamb of God fo abufed by your fins?"Look on him ye have pierced, and mourn." This paffover must be eaten with bitter herbs. Sow in tears, if you would reap in joy. A weeping communicant is a very pleasing fight to both God and man: A broken-hearted weeping finner will fuit well with a bruised and bleeding Saviour.

IV. Come with burning love and affection to Chrift. This is a feaft only for the friends and lovers of Chrift, Cant. v. I. Without love ye have nothing to do here. O believer, is thy heart cold when Chrift's love is warm? Will you not recompence love with love? Can you behold Chrift on a crofs, dying with love in his heart, and smiles in his looks; can you fee his bleeding arms open to embrace you, the fpear reaching his heart, and his affections ftreaming out to you in blood, and that when you were enemies to him, and haters of him, and not be ravished with his love? Can you behold his wounds, or put your finger into the print of the nails, and not be fick of love, and cry qut with Thomas, "My Lord, and my God?" Can you view him that is the chief among ten thousand, yea, among an hundred thousand, and among all the thoufands in heaven and earth, and your hearts not love him? Turn over all

things

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