Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

proper food is very pleasant to our bodies, fo we ought to take great fatisfaction and complacency in partaking of Chrift and his benefits. Let us fatiate ourselves, in tafting of his goodness, and feasting on his heavenly dainties. And as by our earthly food our bodies are ftrengthened for labour, fo by this fpiritual food our fouls and our graces are nourished and ftrengthened for the duties of religion.

Again, you are to look upon thefe facramental actions, as a mutual giving and taking fafine and infeftment betwixt Chrift and your fouls. Hereby you get infeftment of a crucified Chrift, his great purchafe and glorious inheritance; and hereby Chrift takes infeftment of your foul and body, to be his children, his heirs, his fervants and foldiers, to obey him and fight for him while you live. You are hereby confecrate to be temples for his service and refidence; beware of defiling the temple of the Lord, fuffer not a herd of fwinish lufts to enter therein, left God abhor you and cast you off for ever.

When you hear thefe words of the institution, "This cup is the New Teftament in my blood: This do in remembrance of me : Confider why it is called a Teftament; it is because in his ordinance we have Chrift's teftament and latter will fealed, wherein he leaves many a rich legacy to his poor friends: And here he gives a fealed copy of his teftament into every one of

their hands.

Queft." What are the legacies he leaves?"

Anf. Pardon, peace, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, grace, and glory.

Queft." But how fhall I know if I have any interest herein ?"

Anf. Are you one of Chrift's poor relations? Can you claim any fibness to him by faith and regeneration ? Then your name is in Chrift's Teftament.

Queft. "But how fhall I be fure that the Teftament is in force, and will be execute ?"

Anf. It is become of force by the death of the Teftator, who died, and left his Teftament in the hands of the bleffed Spirit to be executor of it, and to apply it to those the Teftator appointed: Yea, (bleffed be God.

the

the Teftator is rifen again, and lives to fee the execution of it himself likewife.

Queft." But, will I get all Chrift's purchase and legacies juft now?"

Anf. You fhall be infeft, and have your right fecured to all this great eftate left by Chrift's will to you; and out of it you shall have a prefent maintenance, till the time appointed come, when you shall enter into the full poffeffion of the 'nheritance. You are but minors yet, and not fit to be intrufted with it; but it is fecured in good hands for you, till you come to full age. In the meantime, you hear the dving feftator leaves a charge upon you, to" do this in remembrance of him." Think on him and his love to you; think what he has contrived, what he has promised, what he has done, what he is still doing, and what he is about to do for you;. Remember him who remembered you in your lowest eftate, and is still remembering you: Remember him that is coming again quickly in the clouds, to meet you, take you home to his palace, and put you in poffeffion of all. He commands you to fhew his death till he come again.

When you hear of his coming again, confider what a glorious coming and glad meeting that will be. O believer, you now fee Chrift only through these elements by an eye of faith, but then you fhall fee him by an eye of immediate vifion, you shall see him even as he is; and O how mightily furprifed will you be at the fight! You will fay, as the Queen of Sheba faid of Solomon, The half was not told me when I was in my own country; but, "Behold a greater than Solomon is here."

Before you rife from the table, you may think on Elijah 's cake baken on the coals, and his crufe of water, in the strength of which meat he went forty days and forty nights till he came to Horeb, the mount of God, 1 Kings xix. 6. 8. Think how much more substantial, durable and nourishing the food is that thou haft been partaking of, and blefs God for it. Elijah is twice there wakened to take a double meal; and fo ought you to rouse up and provoke your spiritual appetite to take another morfel ere you go; you thould feed plentifully

4 B 2

at

at Chrift's table. It is a virtue to be a holy glutton at this feaft: You know not if ever you get another feaft like this, till you come to the mount of God above; this may be your last communion here, and the laft time you fhall drink of the fruit of the vine in this manner; take a large fill to ftrengthen your foul for your journey, you know not what blafts and ftorms may blow by the way: You have a fiege to hold out, take in provifions here; you have a voyage to go, fee that you victual your fhip: Death will try and put all your graces to it. The wifeft virgins have no grace to fpare at the coming of the Bridegroom: What ftorms of temptations and difficulties do many poor faints meet with on a death-bed? It is with much ado they put fafe into the harbour at laft: O then gather manna while it is falling, for your gathering time may be lost.

Confider, that, while you are at the table, you are near Chrift your Phyfician; therefore be fenfible of your maladies and look up to him with your finger on your fore, and cry with rhe Pfalmift, Pfal. xli. 4. "Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my foul, for I have finned against thee." Now the balm of Gilead is a mong my hands, and it will be fad if I fhould mifs a cure. The blood of Christ, that hath healed thousands, is now at hand; Oh let not my plagues continue with me. O let a drop of that precious blood light on my cold, deed, and hard heart, that fome heat, life and foft. nefs may be got and preserved therein.

You are come to Chrift on a good day, when he is on a throne of grace with a fceptre of mercy in his hand; see that you make all your wants known to him. A feafting time is a time of granting requests: "What is thy petition, and what is thy requeft, Queen Efther?" faid king Ahasuerus at the banquet of wine. So faid King Jefus to the worthy communicant at his royal feaft, "What is thy petition, and what is thy request? What will ye that I fhall do unto you?" as Christ asked the blind men, Mat. xx. 32. Let your requests be like thofe of the Pfalmift, "Confider, and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes, left I fleep the fleep of death, Pfal. xiii. 3. Let my foul live, and it fhall praise

thee,

thee, Pfal. cxix. 175. Purge me with hyffop, and I fhall be clean; wash me, and I fhall be whiter than fnow, Pfal. li. 7. Reftore unto me the joy of thy falvation, and uphold me with thy free fpirit." Pfal. li. 12. Or, you may put fome of the Spoufe's petitions at this time," Draw me, we will run after thee, Cant. i. 4. Awake, O northwind, come thou fouth, blow upon my garden, that the fpices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his plea fant fruits, Cant. iv. 16. Make hafte, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or young hart upon the mountains of spices." Cant. viii. 14.

O communicant, thou art near to a crucified Chrift when at the table, as the penitent thief near to him when on the cross; he got mercy from Chrift when he fought it, and fo may you, if you feek it with the fame frame of heart. Cry, Lord, look on a poor finner at thy table, as thou didft on him that hang on the cross. "Lord, Remember me, now thou art in thy kingdom." Thy wounds are open now; Lord, fhelter me in them. Thy blood is running fresh: O bathe my deceased foul in this fountain, that I may be whole for ever. much for the fecond head of directions. I now proceed to the third head.

So

CHAP. III.

Concerning a Communicant's Behaviour after Partaking, and when the Communion Sabbath is over.

N difcourfing this head, I propofe to do thefe following things: 1. To give fome directions concerning your deportment when rifing and going from the Lord's table. 2. Concerning your carriage when you go home to your clofets and retiring places. 3. Concerning your behaviour and converfation in the world when all the work is over.

SECT

SECT. I. Containing Directions concerning your Deportment when Rifing and Going from the Lord's Table.

BELIEVERS are fometimes ready to fay, " It is good for us to be here, let us build tabernacles, and dwell ftill." But this table, though it be fatisfying, it is not lafting; though the meal be fweet, it is fhort. All things here below are tranfitory, and communions are paffing things with the reft. You must rife and ga down from the mount, and return to the world, and travel in the wilderness again. Oh, may the believer fay," And muft I rife, and go back to that unfatisfy. ing and foul-ftarving world again? What fhall I do there, if my Redeemer go not alongst with me? Lord, take me by the hand, lead me, uphold me, and be thou ftill with me; and at last bring me to that endless feast thou haft prepared for thy people above, where I may ever lye in thy bofom, under the interrupted beams of thy fmiling and cheering countenance, and for ever feed my hungry foul on thy bieffed felf, without the help of fymbols or facraments, and where the guests will be never called to rise from that glorious table any more."

Queft. What is that frame and difpofition of foul that we should have in rifing and going from the Lord's table?

Anf. With refpect to that obferve the following directions:

You ought to rife and go from the table.

I. In a wondering and admiring frame. Continue to wonder at the love of God in giving his beloved Son to die a curfed death for us. Though he loved him moft dearly, yet he wounded him moft deeply, that his precious blood might stream forth and fave us. Hence it is faid, Ifa. liii. 1o. "It pleafed the Lord to bruise him." Junius reads it, Valde delectatus eft; i. e. He was exceedingly delighted in it. Strange! other parents, whofe love to their children is nothing in comparison of the Father's love to Chrift, do follow their children

[ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »