Church, than the Lord's Supper. In the preceding discourse, I have mentioned, that it was one design of this Institution to unite Christians in a known, public, and efficacious, bond of union. Here, I then observed, they appear often; actively; publicly; as one body; as professors of his religion; as his followers, and his friends. Here, they exhibit themselves as united in one faith, as having one common interest, and as bound to one final, everlasting, home.

Another design, as I observed at that time also, was to edify Christians in the Divine life, by improving their views, their affections, and their conduct, with respect to the objects of religion. In both these respects, this ordinance is of incalculable importance to the Church.

At the table of Christ chiefly, after their baptism, Christians are seen, and see each other, as a public body; as mutual friends; and as followers of the Lamb. Here, mutually, they give and receive countenance and resolution; worship together as Christians only; rejoice together; weep together; and universally exercise the Christian graces, invigorated, refined, and exalted, by the sympathy of the Gospel. Here the social principle of the Intelligent nature ascends to the highest pitch of dignity and excellence, of which in this world, it is capable. Mind, here, refines, enlarges, and ennobles, mind; Virtue purifies and elevates Virtue; and Evangelical friendship not only finds and makes friends, but continually renders them more and more worthy of the name. In the mean time, the Church, as a body, is here most happily prepared for such events, as in the present world it is taught to expect by the Word of God. Prosperity it is prepared to receive with moderation, gratitude, and praise. Adversity it is fitted to meet with patience and submission, with serenity and firmness. In every revival of religion, it is enabled to exult with thanksgiving; over every decay of this Divine influence, to mourn, and to pray, with sympathetic tenderness. Thus for all its duties the Church finds, here, a preparation indispensable to the best performance of them, and motives to fidelity in this performance, im mense in their importance, and appealing directly to the best af fections of the heart.

He, who loves the prosperity of the Divine Kingdom, who seeks to promote the strength and stability of the Church, and who feels an Evangelical desire to increase these invaluable blessings to his fellow-Christians, will find in these considerations a motive, more than sufficient to the faithful performance of the duty in question. By the frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper, every communicant continually beholds the Church a compact body, possessed of all the strength, firmness, and energy, which result from the cordial union of many in a great and good design. Without this Blessing Christians are feeble, because they are solitary, and are easily broken down; because they are destitute of mutual support,

counsel, and sympathy. The benefits, which result to wise or religious men, from walking with others, who are also wise, I have elsewhere displayed. Suffice it here to say, that these benefits are peculiarly found in communion at the table of Christ.

4. Another powerful motive to the performance of this duty, will be found by every Christian, in his own Personal good.

No exercises of the Christian life are ordinarily more pure, vigorous, and evangelical, than those which are experienced at the sacramental table. The sense which we here feel of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, is apt to be vivid, and impressive, in an unusual degree. Equally impressive are the views which we form of forgiving, redeeming, and sanctifying Love. Here, godly-sorrow for sin is powerfully awakened. Here, are strongly excited complacency in the Divine character, admiration of the riches of Divine grace, and gratitude for the glorious interference of Christ in becoming the propitiation of our sins. Here, Brotherly love is kindled into a flame; and Benevolence, warm, generous, and expansive, learns to encircle the whole family of Adam. Here, more perhaps than any where else, Christians have the same mind, which was also in Christ, and prepare themselves to walk as he walked. Every Evangelical affection here, becomes vigorous and active; virtuous resolutions, stable; and the purposes of the Christian life, exalted.

By the influence of these affections, the views of every good man concerning religious truth become gradually purified; and his willingness to receive, entire, the humbling, painful, doctrines of the Gospel, is insensibly increased.

In the prayers, particularly, and thanksgivings, which are offered up on this occasion; prayers, rendered by the occasion itself peculiarly humble and sincere; thanksgivings, by the same means, made ardent, unreserved, and elevated; the mind is prone to feel a sublimity of devotion, an Evangelical refreshment, a Heavenly rapture, not often, it is believed, found elsewhere.

By all these means a Christian is furnished in the celebration of this ordinance, perhaps more frequently than in any other situation, with supporting evidence of his religious character. He finds here the lively, and therefore the distinguishable, exercises of a good mind; that disposition, particularly, to obey God, which is the soul of his religion, and without a conviction of which, all things else, commonly considered as evidences of piety, must stand for nothing; and with a rational conviction of which, all these things are chiefly unnecessary. The existence of this disposition, he also finds most happily evinced by its increasing strength; the best, the indispensable evidence, that it has begun to exist. Multitudes of good men obtain this invaluable blessing here, who elsewhere look, and sigh, for it in vain. There is scarcely a greater discouragement to him who has entertained comfortable hopes of being a religious man, than the regular destitution of these blessings at the sacramental

table, Graces, and hopes, and comforts, which elsewhere decay, almost always revive here; not indeed, regularly, at every celebration of this ordinance; but at certain happy seasons, returning so often, as at least to prevent the Christian from entire despondence, and usually so, as to furnish him with a good degree of resolution in the course of his duty,

How much such beings, as we are, need all these benefits, it is hardly necessary to remark. Should any Christian who is present, hesitate concerning this subject; let me request him to remember the sorrows, doubts, and despondencies of the Psalmist; a man after God's own heart; a man inspired; a man often furnished with eminent tokens of the Divine favour. Let him listen to the complaints of his fellow-Christians; and learn from their own mouths their lukewarmness, their sloth, their reluctance to their duty, their slowness of heart to believe, and their general self-condemnation; together with the fears and doubts, and melancholy forebodings, springing from these unhappy sources. Let him, finally, remember how often himself has suffered, when temptations arrested him; his resolution became enfeebled; apprehensions multiplied; hope gradually receded from his sight; faith lost its hold on the Divine promises; and he appeared to himself as vibrating between Earth and Heaven, and as a settled inhabitant of neither. If, with these things in full view, he is at a loss concerning the importance of the blessings, which I have recited, it will, I am afraid, be difficult, if not impossible, to explain to him their inestimable value.

REMARKS.

From the observations which have been made in these discourses, I deduce,

1. The wisdom of this Institution.

The ends, proposed in the Institution of the Lord's Supper by the Redeemer of mankind, are certainly of a most benevolent and glorious nature, and peculiarly worthy of the All-perfect Mind. They are the enlargement, and rectification, of our views concerning the noblest of all subjects, the purification of our affections, and the amendment of our lives. The means, by which these ends are accomplished, are equally efficacious and desirable. They are, at the same time, simple; intelligible to the humblest capacity; in no respect burdensome; lying within the reach of all men; incapable of being misconstrued without violence; and, therefore, not easily susceptible of mystical, or superstitious perversion. In their own proper, undisguised nature, they appeal powerfully to the senses, the imagination, and the heart; and, at the same time, enlighten, in the happiest manner, the understanding. Accordingly, Christians in all ages have regarded this sacrament with the highest veneration; have gone to the celebration with hope; attended it with delight; and left it with improvement in the Evan

gelical character. God has been glorified by it in a peculiar manner. The numbers, virtues, and comforts, of his children, have been increased; and the religion of the Cross has been enabled to triumph over the callous, obdurate, heart.

2. These observations strongly enforce the duty of Preparing curselves for every celebration of this ordinance.

This duty, as every person may easily see, is powerfully urged by almost every thing, which has been said in these discourses; by the solemnity of the command, by the nature and design of the Institution; by the nature of the disposition with which we are required to attend it; by the numerous and important benefits which it confers; and, peculiarly, by the glorious character of the Saviour by whom it was enjoined.

The only manner in which we can rationally hope to fulfil these duties, or share in these blessings, is the faithful celebration of the ordinance itself. To such a celebration it is ordinarily indispensable, that we make ourselves ready for the performance of this duty. He who comes to the sacramental table with a thoughtless, indifferent, worldly spirit, may expect to go from it without profit, and without comfort. Nay, more; as he comes with an unworthy disposition, he is bound to believe, that he will eat and drink judgment to himself. The merely external performance of any duty neither promises, nor conveys, any blessing to the performer. The road to all blessings is obedience; and obedience always has its seat in the heart.

The proper means of preparing ourselves for the Lord's Supper, are solemn contemplations on the great subjects of it; the attentive reading of the Scriptures, or other religious books; particularly those parts of them, which are employed upon the sacrifice of the Cross, and the love of the Redeemer; self-examination; and prayer. Let a man examine himself, says St. Paul, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body: that is, not distinguishing the true nature and design of this ordinance. The solemn contemplation, the diligent reading, which I have recommended, are indispensable means of this discernment; as self-examination is, to a knowledge of the views and disposition of our own minds. Prayer, though not the only, is beyond a doubt the best, mode of self-examination. In the awful presence of Jehovah, while employed in the confession of our sins, and supplication for his mercy, we cannot avoid feeling our own unworthiness, the reality, multitude, and aggravation, of our sins, and the necessity of his grace to give us the victory over them; a candour, and an integrity of investigation, not easily attainable in any other situation. With these means, faithfully employed, we may humbly hope for just apprehensions concerning this solemn ordinance; evangelical dispositions in our attendance upon it; and that blessing of God, which will make

it efficacious to our comfort, peace, and advancement in the Divine life.

When the glorious Person, whom God has set King upon his Holy Hill of Zion, comes in to see the guests at his table; how delightful will it be to each of us, my brethren, to be found by him clad in: the robe of righteousness, and thus prepared to receive him with the honour which is his due! How delightful to be welcomed by, him to his table, and received with smiles of complacency! How distressing on the contrary, how dreadful, to appear before him without a wedding garment! Who must not be speechless, when He sternly and awfully demands the cause of this unseemly, and irreverent appearance? Who must not be overwhelmed withanguish and dismay, to hear, pronounced concerning himself, the terrible sentence, Bind him, hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth?

VOL. IV.