finefs brought on them, not by themselves, but by the providence of God, they are excufeable for their omiffion at one occafion; but then they should be careful to lay hold upon the next. In keeping of the paffover, there was a difpenfation allowed to thofe that were under ceremonial uncleannefs, or engaged in bufinefs on a journey, Numb., ix yet it was allowed, not for a year, but for a month's oniiffion. For, when they could not keep it upon the 14th of the firft month, they were ordered to keep it on the 14th of the next month, and not to ftay until the next annual revolution, Numb. ix. 10, 11. As it would be agreeable to this injunction, so it would be a defireable attainment in the church and an advantage to the members of it, if matters were so ordered among us, that, when perfons are neceffarily hindered from partaking of the Lord's fupper in their own congregation, they might be fure of an occafion to do it next month, if not in their own, at least in the neighbouring congregation.

Object. V. "The laft time I was at the Lord's table I got no benefit by it; nay, I fear I communicated unworthily: Now, for me to come frequently in this manner, I fear to contract greater guilt, and do myself more hurt than good. Therefore I will not foon adventure upon another approach."

Anf. ft, There are fome good things implied in this objection, fuch as, a review of former actions, fome fenfe of fin and trouble for it, and a loathness to offend God; which are fome defireable tokens of repentance, and may yield fome comfort to an exercised foul.

2dly, In this cafe, long deferrings will do you more hurt than frequent communicating: For, as by too much fafting, we often lofe our ftomachs; fo, by long withdrawing from the Lord's table, you may come to lose your defire after the food of your fouls, and to have a low esteem of Chrift, and of his folemn ordinance.

3dly, The is no communicant, but, upon a review, may fpy many defects in his frame and preparation, for which he could not anfwer, if God did enter into judgment with him : But he must not therefore abandon his duty, but flee to Christ's fountain for washing, and to the

covert of his righteousness, to skreen all his imperfec tions. We read of severals in Hezekiah's time, 2 Chron. xxx. that were not fo fuitably prepared for the paffover as they should have been, and ate it otherwife than it was written; and yet, upon Hezekiah's praying for them, God pardoned their fin, and healed them.

4thly, It may yield comfort to a troubled foul, if upon a review he can fay, it was his earnest defire to communicate humbly, with a lively frame, and the exercise of all the facramental graces; and whatever short-comings he was chargeable with, they were not wilful and allowed, but matter of grief and mourning to him. If this be your cafe, then your defects are fins of infirmity, which your gracious God will pardon for Chrift's fake.

5thly, Whatever your fhort-comings formerly have been, you ought to be humbled for the them, flee to the blood of Chrift for pardon, and refolve in his strength to come more reverently, humbly and believingly, to his table for the future, and that in order to renew your covenant with God, and receive a feal of the pardon of all your former fins, and, particularly, of the fin of unworthy communicating. And this you may expect, if you perfevere in the road of duty, looking to God in Chrift, who is ftill ready to welcome and pardon the penitent believer: But to absent and withdraw from God's ordinance, is to put yourself out of the road of his mercy, and to aggravate your former fin of unfuitable partaking.

Object. VI. "If we did communicate fo frequently, we would not have fuch time to prepare ourselves for this ordinance as were needful, and as now we have."

Anf. If we did partake more frequently, lefs pains and time about preparation-work might be more fuc cefsful, and fooner reach the end, than all the pains and time we now beftow that way: For thus we might be helped to keep up a communion-frame habitually, and it would be no fuch difficulty (as now we find it) to get the tears of repentance poured out, or the fire of divine love blown up, when called to celebrate this ordinance.

The

The believer, when in a frame, the oftener he comes to the communion, he adds the more nourishment, and hath the greater delight in it; and fo he comes to have fuch a longing for the ordinance as the child hath for the mother's breast.

DIRECT. IV. Be perfuaded of the neceffity of folemn preparation before you approach to the Lord's table.

IF we be required to take heed to ourselves when we enter the house of the Lord, Ecclef. v. 1. much more doth it concern us to look to ourselves when we approach the table of the Lord. Why? This holy table is under the gospel the folemn tryfting-place of the great God, where he ufeth to meet with men, and to entertain converse and communion with them. And, have we not then ground to call to you in the prophet's words, Amos iv. 12. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel ?” Remember who it is that tryfts with you; it is God, even thy God. Did an Angel tryst to meet you at a certain place, against fuch an hour, would you not prepare with all ferioufnefs and folemnity to keep tryst with him? Oh, but it is the God of Angels that tryfts with you here; even that God, before whom all the Angels adore, and the devils tremble: A holy and jealous God, who hath declared that he will be fanctified in them that come nigh to him, Lev. x.. 3. And can you come fo near him any where in the world, as at his holy table? What Samuel spoke to the Elders of Bethlehem, in the cafe of offering facrifice, may well be applied to communicants in the cafe of approaching to the Lord's table, 1 Sam. xvi. 5. "Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the facrifice." So, well may your ministers say to you, Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the facrament. Come here, and behold the facrifice. of the lamb of God unto divine juftice for your fins: For "even Chrift our paffover is facrificed for us, I Cor. v. 7. Here he is reprefented as a lamb flain, to pacify a holy God for our impurity and unholinefs. It

is most fit then that we prepare and fanctify ourselves, when we adventure fo near this holy God, and take upon us to celebrate the commemoration of this bleffed facrifice in our gofpel-paffover.

The Jews had their preparation for their paffover, John xix. 14. They took the pafchal lamb and fet it apart from the rest of the flock on the tenth day of the month, but did not kill it till the fourteenth, Exod. xii. 3. 6. And during the four days the lamb was kept alive (Jewish rabbies tell us) they tied it to their bed-posts, that hearing the bleatings of the lamb as they came in and went out, lay down and rofe up, two things thereby might be brought to their remembrance: ft, They might look back to Egypt, and remember the forrows and bondage they endured there, and be thankful for their redemption; and, especially, for their deliverance from the deftroying Angel, that night he paffed over their houses, which were fprinkled with the blood of the lamb: 2dly, They were to look forward to the Meffiah, and remember the bitter agonies and fufferings he was to endure for their fins. Thus the pafchal lamb for feveral days was to be prepared for its fufferings, to teach the people of God folemnly to prepare themselves for eating thereof, and therein to celebrate the memorial of the Meffiah's fufferings, which were thereby typified. That the four days feparation of the lamb was a continual standing fermon, preaching and preparation, to the Ifraelites, as if God had faid to them, Be ye alfo fiqueflrated from the world, and take time to think on the bleatings of the lamb, the agonies of Chrift, and prepare yourfelves for this folemn ordinance. Oh, what fhall we fay of thofe, who, inftead of four days, never spent four hours, in ferious preparation for our great gospel-paffover! O worthy communicant, as foon as you hear the Lord's fupper intimated, let the lamb be tied to your bedpofts; entertain the lively meditation of your Redeemer's fufferings, and beg preparation of heart from God, for celebrating the memorial thereof. Was our Lord fo long a time in preparing for them, and fhall we take no time in preparing to behold them, efpecially when it is fo highly for our advantage fo to do? 3 C

VOL. I.

We

We read, that the primitive Chriftians, and ancient fathers, ufed to fit up whole nights at prayer, before they approached to the Lord's table, which they called their Vigilia.

In this ordinance, God makes great preparations for us; he hath provided a feast which hath coft more than ten thousand kingdoms, or a million of worlds: And, ought not the guefts, who are honoured with an invita tion to it, to make great and folemn preparation for it? Were we called to dine with an earthly prince, we would dress ourselves, and fee to have every thing about us in good order: But here we are called to feaft with a holy and all feeing God, who will infallibly spy out every unprepared communicant, "when he comes to fee the guests," Matt. xxii. 11.

If the linen on the communion-table, or the veffels that contain the elements, were foul, you would be ready to cry out, It is a horrid fhame and abomination to fee them in fuch a cafe; and fo, indeed, it would, for there ought to be an outward decency in these things; our Lord would have the very room in good order, where he was to eat the paffover. But, O, it is a fmall crime to have a foul cloth or veffel for receiving the outward elements, in refpect of what it is to have a foul heart, an unpre pared foul, to receive the body and blood of Chrift."

Jofeph prepared himself, by fhaving himfelf and changing his raiment, before he went in unto Pharaoh; and, wilt thou not prepare thyf lf, by putting thy foul in the holieft drefs and humbleft pofture, when thou art to go in to the King of heaven and earth? O communicant, thou exceedingly wrongeft thine own foul, if thou do it not. Preparation is the feed time, receiving is the harvest: "As a man foweth, fo fhall he reap. He who foweth fparingly, fhall reap alfo fparingly: And he who foweth bountifully, fhall reap alfo bountifully, 2 Cor. ix. 6. It is in the duty of partaking, as in the duty of praying, the more prepared the heart is to pray, the greater is a man's return from heaven, Pfal. x. 17. "Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt caufe thine ear to hear." So, in the cafe of receiving, it may be faid, Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine hand to give. When

God