all Mankind, from the Creation of the World, to the final Diffolution of it, should be tranfacted; in which we might see the Venom and poifonous Malignity of the Sins of the whole World wrung out into one bitter Cup, and this Cup put into the Hands of the Son of God, to drink off the very Dregs of it; in which we might fee the Gates of Hell broken to Pieces, Devils conquer'd, and all the Powers of their dark Kingdom triumph'd over : I fay, were there fuch a Sight as this, fo dreadful, and yet fo glorious to be reprefented to us, would we not all defire to be Spectators of it? Why, all this is frequently reprefented to us in the Sacrament. There we may fee the Son of God flain, the Blood of God poured out: We may fee him that takes away our Tranf greffions, numbred himself among Tranfgreffors; we may fee him hanging upon the Soreness of his Hands and Feet, all our Iniquities meeting upon him, and the Eternity of Divine Vengeance and Punishments contracted in their full Extremity into a fhort Space. We may fee the Wrath of God pacified, the Juftice of God fatisfied, Mankind redeemed, Hell fubdued, and Devils caft into everlasting Chains. All this is clearly to be seen in this Ordinance, if we bring but Faith to

difcern

difcern it; without which, indeed, all this will be no more to us than a magnificent and exquifite Scene is to a blind Man. Indeed, the Apostle fpeaks of fome who did, in an ill Senfe, crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, Heb. 6. 6. But certainly, in a good Senfe, the Faith of every Believer ought to crucify to himself the Son of God afrefh; and fo lively to represent to himself the whole Courfe of his Sufferings, that the Spectators themselves could not have been better informed of them, nor more affected with them by their Senfes, than he by his Faith.

But that in this we may not be deceived by the Workings of a quick and lively Fancy, and mistake them for the Workings of a quick and lively Faith, let us observe, that when Faith gives the Soul a View of the Sufferings of Chrift, it will ftir up due and proportionable Affecti

ons.

First, It will excite an holy and ingenuous Mourning: Can you fee the Body of Chrift broken, and his Blood poured out, and not have your Hearts broken and bleeding within you? All Nature it felf felt violent Convulfions when the God of Nature fuffered: Heaven put on its Blacks in that miraculous Eclipfe, the Bowels of the Earth were rent with an

1

Earthquake, the filent Chambers of the Grave difturbed, and forced to refign their Inhabitants, as if the whole Frame of the World fuffer'd with the Maker of it. And shall not we be affected, whose Sins caused this fad Tragedy, and whose Interest was fo deeply concerned in it? We our felves had a Share in Crucifying the Lord of Glory: And what St. Peter said to the Jews, Acts 2.23. You have taken, and by wicked Hands crucified and flain him; may be truly faid of us, we have crucified and flain the Lord of Life and Glory. And should not this prick us to the very Hearts, as it did them? What, that we should nail him to his Crofs, and throw that Load of Sin and Sorrow upon him which made him cry out, My God, my God, Why haft thon forfaken me? How fhould this cause us to melt in an holy and kind Mourning, and to fulfil the Prediction of the Prophet? Zech. 12. 10. They shall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they Shall mourn for him, as one that mourneth for his only Son, and fhall be in Bitterness, as one that is in Bitterness for his First-born. And where can we look upon a broken and a pierced Saviour more lively, than in that holy Sacrament which he hath inftituted to be a Remembrance of his Death and Sufferings.

Secondly

Secondly, If Faith, and not Memory, not Fancy only, represents to you the Sufferings of Chrift in this Ordinance, it will

ftir up in you, as an holy Mourning and

Sorrow for your Sins, fo an holy Anger and Indignation against them. Look upon your Saviour with Sorrow, and upon your Sins with Hatred, as thofe that were his bloody Murderers, and fqueezed fo much Gall and Wormwood into the bitter Cup of his Paffion. And fhall I find Pleasure in that in which Chrift found fo much Anguish and Horror! Shall I entertain, and lodge in my Bofom, the bloody Murderers of my God and Saviour? Shall I delight and sport my felf with those Sins which caufed unknown Dolours to him, and must be, if not expiated by his Blood, eternally repaid and reveng'd in mine

Own?

Thirdly, Faith representing the Sufferrings of Chrift in this Sacrament, will stir up an holy Fear, and reverential Awe of God. When Faith fhews us, that the united Force of all that Wrath, which yet would have been unsufferable though parcell'd out among us to whom it was due, met all at once upon him who was not only innocent, but the Son of God himfelf, it will make the believing Soul fear and tremble under the Apprehenfions of

this ftrict and fevere Juftice of God. How can he but think with himself, Alas! what a juft God have I to deal with? A God, who, rather than Sin fhall go unpunish'd, will fo dreadfully punish the very Imputation of it, even in his own Son. And what if Christ had not ftood in my stead, and undergone my Punishment for me? Should not all his Wrath have fallen upon me? Should not I have been fwallowed up in eternal Torments, and have lain under the vindictive Juftice of God for ever? How can the Soul but be furprized with Fear and Trembling at fuch Reflexions as these, which Faith ought to fuggeft to them at their Attendance upon this holy Ordi

nance.

Fourthly, If Faith represent the Sufferings of Chrift to us, it will mightily inkindle and inflame our Love unto him. How can the believing Soul, when he is receiving the Bread and Wine, think that now he is taking that Chrift whofe Love was fo great as to undergo no less than infinite Wrath to fatisfy the offended Juftice of God, and not diffolve into proportionable Love towards Chrift again? To think that Chrift fhould lay by his Robes of Glory, wrap his Deity in Duft and Ashes, hide and eclipfe himself in our Flesh, and all this Abasement only to put