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ftrong hold to them in the day of trouble. And, when you meet with mercies and comforts, you may receive them as tokens of his fpecial love: They come to you wrapt up in the bowels of Chrift, and dipt in his blood, and fo are doubly fweet. When you get a deliverance from any diftrefs, you may fay as Hezekiah, Ifa. xxxviii. 17. "Thou haft, in love to my foul, delivered it from the pit of corruption." O believer, all thy mercies are covenanted to thee, which may make them sweet to thy tafte: That word in Eccl. ix. 7. belongs to thee, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works." Every morfel of bread thou eatest comes from thy Father's hand, fweetened in the blood of Chrift, and is an earnest of greater and better things laid up for thee.

God's wifdom and faithfulness may rejoice thy heart. He is a skilful phyfician, he ponders our cafe, weighs our neceflity, and knows how to prefcribe fometimes bitter potions, and fometimes cheering cordials: He knows how to time our bleffings and our croffes alfo. O covenanted foul, it may be sweet to thee to think that all thy afflictions, as well as mercies, are the fruits of infinite wifdom and faithfulness: Yea thy being within the covenant, alters the nature and property of thy croffes, and makes them become good and medicinal to thee; thou art now to look on them as mercies covenanted and promised to thee. "When his children tranfgrefs, he will vifit them with the rod.-In faithfulness haft thou afflicted me, faith the Pfalmift." O what comfort may this bring thee, when thou confidereft that all thy afflictions are an article of the covenant, the effect of God's love, and a fruit of Chrift's purchafe; fo that you may fay of every rod you meet with, The Lord fees I want this, otherwife I fhould not be exercifed with it: My covenanted God and Father knows that this, and no lefs than this, is needful for me; What am I, that he should be so mindful of me?"

You may rejoice in the almightiness of God. He hath an arm that is full of power, that can eafily level your fpiritual Goliahs, pull down fatan's ftrong holds, and make good all his promifes.

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You may rejoice in his immutability. He is unchangeable in his love and in his covenant. Mutable creatures change their respects, and break their leagues and covenants: But God's covenant is indiffolvable; for he is engaged for our part, as well as his own, Jer. xxxii. 40. "O believer, God hath promised both for himself and thee:" As you may further fee in Heb. xiii. 5. compar ed with Jer. xxx. 9, and 2 Tim. i. 12. If once in the covenant, thou art always in it; you may fing that fweet fong, Pfal. xlviii. 14. "For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death;" yea, likewife in death, and over death. That which diffolves the marriage-covenant among men, will not diffolve this: Adultery will not do it; for God faith, "Though ye have played the harlot with many lovers, yet return unto me.-Turn, ye backfliding children, for I am married unto you." Death cannot diffolve it; yea, it brings you nearer to your covenanted God, where you fhall ever rejoice in his prefence. Though death robs worldly men of their poor happiness, and hungry heaven, yet it doth no harm to you: Nay, when you find death begin to affault your tabernacle of clay, you may "lift up your head with joy; for, behold, the day of your redemption draweth nigh," You may fing with the Pfalmift, Pfal. lxxiii. 26. "My flesh and heart faileth; but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my por tion for ever." What though my eye and my heartftrings be ready to break, and the lamp of my life be like a candle burnt to the focket, and near the going out; yet ftill God is my God and portion for ever.

Thus Olevian, a dying faint, comforted himself; " My hearing is gone, my fmelling is gone, and my fight is going: My fpeech and feeling are almost gone; but the loving-kindness of God fhall never depart from me." When the worldling's portion is gone, yours remains fure to you: Lofe what you will, you cannot lofe that. Good caufe had Habakkuk to fay, Hab. iii. 17. 18. "Altho' the fig-tree fhall not bloffom, neither thall fruit be in the vines, &c. yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of my falvation. Obeliever, the more you view your portion, you will find the more ground for

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your rejoicing therein: For in God you have all things you need; all things you can defire; yea, more than "eye hath feen, ear heard, or heart can conceive."

But, fecondly, as you ought to go from this ordinance rejoicing in God, so likewife in the ways of God; and, like Jehoshaphat, you ought to have your hearts lift up in the ways of the Lord. Put on holy refolutions, to proceed with zeal, delight, and alacrity, in the ways of God's commandments: Your hearts fhould now be enlarged to run and fing in his ways, and go about every duty with pleasure. Stedfaftly refift every fin, and especially the fin that hath moft eafily befet you, your predominant fin, your beloved idol: Abhor both inward and outward fins; flee drunkennefs, uncleannefs, fwearing, lying, cheating, fabbath breaking, &c. Make religion your main work, and make confcience of heartholinefs ftudy to live near Chrift, make ufe of him, and conftantly depend on him, for righteoufnefs and ftrength. Study to perform the duties both of the firft and fecond table: Carefully obferve family-duties, and fecret prayer. In a word, go on cheerfully in the ways of piety and devotion, and efpecially in thofe duties wherein communion and correfpondence with God is to be obtained and kept up. Go on joyfully in the ways of juftice and honefty, meeknefs and peace, temperance and fobriety, charity and beneficence, humility and felfdenial; and truft in your covenanted God, for covenant ftrength and furniture for every good word and work.

IV. In going from the Lord's table, you ought to mix your joy and praifes with a holy fear and trembling : And you have great caufe for this, when caufe for this, when you confider 1. Your manifold fhort-comings in this folemn approach to God. Surely your fouls were not cleanfed according to the purification of the fanctuary, your preparation was defective in the fight of God. Have you not cause to be afhamed, that your hearts were not more deeply affected with the great fights prefented to your view, and the glorious things put in your offer? Have you not ground to be humbled for the coldness of your hearts, the waverings of your minds, the deadnefs of your fpi

rits, and carnality of your affections, when you was about this heavenly and fpiritual work? Alas for the weaknefs of our graces, the inconftancy of our frames, and the manifold infirmities which cleave to our best performances! Had we no more fin to answer for, but the iniquities of our holy things, they would be too heavy for us to bear. Let us be humbled under the fense of them, and look to our great high-priest to make atonement for them.

2. You have caufe to be humbled and fear, confidering the manfold dangers you are exposed to, and enemies you are environed with, who are never more bufy than after a facrament, and our being admitted to nearnefs with God. Chrift, immediately after his baptifm, and the folemn manifeftation he had from heaven, was led away to be tempted of the devil, Matth. iv. 1. And it was after the Lord's fupper that Chrift told his disciples, that "fatan defired to have them, that he might fift them as wheat," Luke 22. 31. It was after Paut was rapt up to the third heaven, that he was in hazard of being exalted above measure, or puft up with pride, and therefore had a meffenger of fatan fent to buffet of him, 2 Cor. xii. Have you got any thing of the riches Chrift, and the treasures of heaven, at this ordinance? Then look well to yourselves that you lofe it not, for the devil is going about seeking to rob you thereof: Therefore be not lifted up or fecure, but be humble and watchful, and walk circumfpectly.

SECT. II. Containing Directions how to Behave when you go home to your Closets and Retiring Places.

THINK not your work over on a communion-fabbath, when you are come home from the church: But as foon as poffible, retire.

I. For prayer. You fhould be more bent upon prayer now than ever. The Pfalmift, when God had dealt kindly with him, refclves therefore that he will call upon God as long as he lived, Pfal. cxvi. 2. This is a strange return he would give God for former favours: He would go and beg new favours from him, and lie the

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more closely about his hand; I will love God, and love prayer the better all my days. This is not the manner of men, but God is delighted with fuch a return.

Queft," But what fhall we pray for now? Can God give more than what he hath given us in the facrament ?"

Anf. Though God hath here given you the feal of the covenant, and a right to all its privileges and promises; yet he will be enquired of by you for the particular application and accomplishment of them: You muft put God to his word, and pray with the Pfalmist, Pfal. cxix. 49. "Remember the word unto thy fervant, upon which thou haft caufed me to hope. Be it to thy fervant according to thy word." Again, you fhould pray that God may continue and preferve any good frame or tenderness of heart, fpiritual motions and refolutions, or any warmnefs of affections and defires that have been wrought in you by this ordinance; 'for our hearts are ready to cool, and our goodness to vanish "like the morning clouds and the early dew:" You have need therefore to pray with David, 1 Chron. xxix. 18. "Lord, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of my heart:" And, Pfal. Ixviii. 28. "Strengthen, O God, that which thou haft wrought for us." Your hearts are naturally deceitful, and your feet bent to backfliding; pray as in Pfal. xvii. 5. "Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps flip not." You have no ftrength in yourselves to keep the promises, and perform the vows to the Lord which you have made : Therefore beg from your covenanted God, that he may furnish you for every good word and work; for "it is he that worketh in you both to will and to do."

II. Self-examination is a duty moft neceffary on the back of this folemn ordinance, as well as before it. Review your carriage at it, fo that you may be humbled for defects, or thankful for attainments; caft up your accounts, and see what you have gained at this gofpelmarket. Will you not be as wife for your fouls, as you are for your bodies? Were you at a market trading for the things of this world, you would take this courfe after you had come from it: But, O" what will it profit

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