keep up in this ordinance; we would fay, Lord, what is fufficient to be done in memory of this love? Every one of our hearts would echo back at Chrift's call, “Do this in remembrance cf me." Do this! Lord, what is it that I would not do for thy fake? Glorious Jefus, didst thou pafs by the angels, and wouldft have no nature but mine? I'll then stop mine ears against the folicitations of the world, and have no will but thine. Remember thee! Whom fhall I remember if I forget thee?" If 1 forget thee, O my Saviour, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: If I remember not thee, let my right hand forget her cunning." Lord, I cannot but blush when I think that I fhould need any memento or token to keep up the remembrance of thee: Ah! fhall the trifles of the world find room enough in my heart and memory, and my Redeemer's love have scarce any place there? Lord, hadst thou required the dearest of my blood and choiceft of my fubftance to be offered thee in acknowledgment of it, yea, hadft thou demanded my life, I owe it to thee, nay, a thousand lives, if I had them: And, fhall I not cheerfully give thee up my memory and thoughts when thou art pleafed to ask them?

O then, if there be any obligations in the highest authority, any allurements in the fweeteft love, any reality in your profeffed fubjection to Jefus Chrift, give him this proof of it, cheerfully obey his dying charge, meet with his people, and remember his love at his feast of memorial, and join hymns of praise therewith. O please him in this so easy and so small a request.

VIII. Finally, I would have you to remember how provoking the neglect of this ordinance is to him that inftituted it. You are guilty of defpifing the greatest preparation which the King of kings makes for his subjects; for in this ordinance he doth, as it were, kill the fatted calf, and furnish his table with the choiceft rarities of heaven, and fend forth his fervants to invite us, faying, "I have prepared my fupper, come eat of my bread, and drink of my wine which I have mingled; all things are ready, come to the marriage." So great and coftly is this feaft, that it coft the maker of it his own life to prepare it. "Pardon of fin, peace with

God,

God, and communion with him," which are the dainties here fet before you, coft Jefus Chrift no less than his life to purchase them for you. And, do you think this glorious King can take it well at your hands, if you make light of this rare and costly feaft, and flight all the preparation he hath made for you? Can you ever expect to enjoy communion with him in heaven, if you flight the offer of communion with him upon earth? Nay, you provoke him to cut you off eternally from his prefence: For, as of old, the Lord threatened cutting off to the foul of him that neglected to keep the paffover, becaufe he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed feafon, Num. ix. 13. fo he threatens the fame to those who should flight the gofpel-feafts typified thereby, Zech. xiv. 16. 17. 18. Luke xiv. 24. We fee how his wrath was kindled against thofe that neglected to come to the marriage of the king's fon, and how feverely he punished them for it, Matt. xxii. 5. 7. made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise." But, when the king heard thereof he was wroth, and "he fent forth armies and destroyed these murderers, and burnt up their city." He reckons your eating not, no lefs fin than eating irreverently; for, as by this you are guilty of profaning the Lord's body, fo by the other you are guilty of defpifing it, and preferring your lufts before him, which is a crime as heinous.

Objections Answered.

They

HERE it may be proper to answer fome objections which are made against partaking of the Lord's fupper; whether by the prophane, flothful, or fcrupulous.

Object. I. Some profane perfons think meanly of this ordinance, and hence they neglect it, What needs fo much noise (think they) about this matter? It is but eating a little bread, and drinking a small portion of wine; what efficacy can there be in that action?

Anf. This ordinance is of divine authority, and not appointed by men like ourselves. It hath the ftamp of

Zz2

our

our Lord's inftitution, which thould make it to be highly valued by all Chriftians: For, as he hath wifely inftituted it for most important ends and uses, fo he will certainly make it effectual unto thefe ends. A little parchment, with ink and wax upon it, is in itfelf a small thing; yet, being of legal authority and inftitution among men, it ferveth to convey a right and title to a great inheritance, and fo it becometh highly valuable. The brazen ferpent, that was lift upon a pole for healing the Ifraelites, was mean to the outward view; but, being of God's appointment, it was effectual for healing, and therefore none would defpife it. So the elements in this facrament, however common or mean in themselves, yet being of God's appointment, and confecrated for facred ufes, they are powerful and efficacious to the believing receiver, for the great ends of their inftitution.

Object. II. We may remember Chrift in the word; and what need is there for doing it in the facrament?

Anf. 1ft, It is abominable prefumption to think ourfelves wifer than Jefus Chrift, who is the Wisdom of the Father. Hath he thought this ordinance needful; and, will any man judge it needlefs?

2dly, The word only prefents Chrift unto the ear, but the Lord's fupper fets forth a crucified Chrift unto the eye.

3dly, There is more than a fimple remembering of Christ required in the Lord's fupper; there is also a renewing of baptifmal engagements, and a ratifying our covenant with God. And befides, our Lord hath referved fome fpecial bleffings and communications to this ordinance, which are nowife to be undervalued or flighted.

Object. III. It is hard to be at so much pains, and to employ fo much time in meditation, examination, prayer, &c. as is requifite to prepare for communicating.

An 1, There are many who do not grudge to be at much pains and travel, and frequently to hazard their lives, both by fea and land, for a little temporal gain; and, will you grudge fome pains to prepare for this or

dinance,

dinance, which feals a right to the unfearchable riches. of Christ, and by means where of you might, thro' the divine bleffing, be enabled to fubdue your fins, reform your lives, grow in grace, and be made ready for death and judgment? Is not this fpiritual gain better than the gain of a whole world?

2dly, Are there not many who throw away their hours in needlefs pleasures and paftimes? And, with what face can fuch pretend they have not time to examine themselves, and prepare for this bleffed ordinance? What are thefe tranfient pleafures of time you are fo fond of, to the comfortable views of an intereft in Christ, and of living with him throughout eternity, which may be got at his table?

3dly, Will you be at no pains to please that King and Sovereign, to whom you have fworn allegiance, or to obey the command and dying charge of your great Mafter and Saviour? That vile impoftor, Mahomet, forbade his difciples to drink wine; and this command hath been religiously obferved among them: And, fhall our renowned Saviour, who is Lord of angels, and fon of the most high God, injoin us the ufe of the wine in the facrament; and, will any of his difciples adventure to difobey him?"Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Afkelon." Let not this be told among Turks, Jews, Infidels, Atheists, and the refl of the adverfaries of the Chriftian religion, left they fhould infult and triumph.

4thly, Our Lord Jefus had a thousand more difficulties and difcouragements in the work of our redemption, and yet he did not fhrink back, as you do from communicating. He never objected, "The fea is deep, I cannot wade it; the cross is heavy, I cannot bear it; the cup is bitter, I cannot drink it; the wrath is terrible, I cannot endure it." He did not plead, tho' he had cause, "The work is hard, it will coft me dear; and I shall meet with an unthankful world, that will flight my love, refufe my offers, and defpife my inftitutions." No; he overlooked all that, and went cheerfully thro' his fufferings:" With defire have I defired (faith he) to eat this paffover, the cup that the Father hath given me, fhall I not drink it ?" When the Father called

him

him to drink the very dregs of the cup of trembling for you, he readily anfwered, "Lo, I come, I delight to do thy will." But when he calls you to take the cup of falvation, and call upon the name of the Lord; what grudging and backdrawing is there with you! Had Christ fo great defire after the bitter cup of God's wrath on your account; and have you no defire after the cup of bleffing in the facrament? Did he go fo cheerfully to die for you; and, are you unwilling to go and feast with him Be aftonished, O heavens, at this ingratitude!

How wretched and perverfe a creature is man! Still he would be flying in the face of God's authority: For, when God faid to him, " Eat not of this forbidden fruit;" then he will needs eat, tho' it ruin him. But when God faith, "Eat of this bread;" he is backward to do it, tho' it be for his eternal welfare. O how long doth a patient and merciful God bear with us!

Object. IV. I am fo ftated with my worldly bufinefs, that I cannot get time to prepare myself in fecret, and give fuch attendance in public as is needful, and fo I

cannot come.

Anf. ft, Doth not your bufinefs afford you time to eat, drink and fleep, and converfe with unprofitable company; and, can you find no time to converse with God in his ordinances, or to prepare for meeting and dwelling with God throughout eternity?

2dly, Can you have any greater, any better business in the world, than to remember the love of a dying Saviour to put your fouls in order to meet with him at his table, and there to feal a covenant with him, and receive pledges from him of his pardoning and redeeming love? Is there any business upon earth fo preferable to this?

3dly, When fickness and death come, you must find time to attend them whether you will or not; all your bufinefs must of neceffity give place to them. And, muft you find time to be fick and die, how foon the fummons cometh; and will you not find time in your health to prepare for fickness and death before they come ? Now, if you would take time duly to prepare for the Lord's fupper, you should not be found unprepared for death; for the fame preparation is needful for both

Object.