es, if I do not; and therefore I must break off this vain and sensual course of life, which unfits me for, and indisposes me to that ordinance: therefore I must disentangle myself from that society, and disengage myself from that incumbrance, whatever it is, which cools pious affections, and quenches that coal.' Shake off that, whatever it is, which comes between you and the comfort and benefit of this ordinance; dally no longer in a matter of such vast moment, but speedily come to that resolution, (Psal. cxix. 115.) 'Depart from me ye evil doers and evil doings, for I will keep the commandment of my God.'

3dly, Let me address this exhortation to those whose desires are strong towards the Lord, and towards the remembrance of his name in this ordinance; but they are timorous, and are kept from it by prevailing fears. This is the case of many who, we hope, fear the Lord, and obey the voice of his servant, but they walk in darkness and have no light, (Isa. l. 10.)-who follow Christ, but they follow him trembling. Ask them why they do not come to this sacrament, and they will tell you they dare not come...they are unworthy...they have no faith, no comfort in God, no hope of heaven; and therefore, if they should come, they should eat and drink judgment to themselves. They find not in themselves that fixedness of thought, the flame of pious and devout affections which they think should be; and, because they cannot come as they should, they think it better to stay away. What is said for the conviction and terror of hypocrites and presumptuous sinners, notwithstanding our care to distinguish between the precious and the vile, they misapply to themselves; and so the heart of the righteous is made sad, which should not be made sad. We are commanded to strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees to say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not.... Isa. xxxv. 3, 4. But wherewith shall we comfort such, whose souls many times refuse to be comforted? If we tell them of the infinite mer.

ty and goodness of God, the merit and righteousness of Christ, the precious promises of the covenant, their jealous hearts reply, All this is nothing to them; the Lord, they think, has forgotten them...their God hath forgotten them, and 'utterly separated them from his people; as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.... Prov. xxv. 20.

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But, O ye of little faith, who thus doubt, would you not be made whole? Would not you be strengthened? Is it not a desirable thing to attain to such a peace and serenity of mind as that you may come with a humble, holy boldness to this precious ordinance ? For your help, then, take these two cautions(1.) Judge not amiss concerning yourselves. As it is a damning mistake, common among the children of men, to think their spiritual state and condition to be good when it is very bad; for, there is that maketh himself rich, and yet hath nothing;' so it is a disquieting mistake, common among the children of God, to think their spiritual state and condition to be bad, when it is very good; for, 'there is that maketh himself poor, and yet hath great riches'....Prov. xiii. 7. But it is a mistake, which I hope, by the grace of God, may be rectified: and though a full assurance is rarely attained to, and we ought always to keep up a Godly jealousy over ourselves, and a holy fear, lest we seem to come short, yet such good hope through grace, as will enable us to rejoice in God, and go on cheer fully in our work and duty, is what we should aim at, and labor after, and which we ought not to deny ourselves the comfort of, when God, by his grace, hath given us cause for it. Wherever there is such a serious concern about the soul, and another world, as produceth a holy fear, even that gives ground for a lively hope.

You think you have no grace, because you are not yet perfect; but, why should you look for that on earth, which is to be had in heaven only? A child will at length be a man, though, as yet, he think as a child,

and speak as a child.' Blessed Paul himself had not yet attained, nor was already perfect....Phil. iii. 12. Gold in the ore is truly valuable, though it be not yet refined from its dross. Despise not the day of small things,' for God doth not... Zech. iv. 10. Deny not that power and grace which hath brought you out of the land of Egypt, though you be not yet come to Ca

naan.

You think you have no grace, because you have not that sensible joy and comfort which you would have; but those are spiritually enlightened who see their own deformity, as well as those that see Christ's beauty. 'The child that cries is as sure alive as the child that laughs.' Complaints of spiritual burdens are the language of the new nature, as well as praises for spiritual blessings.

Drooping soul, thou art under grace, and not under the law; and therefore judge of thyself by the measures of grace, and not by those of the law. Thou hast to do with one that is willing to make the best of thee, and will accept the willingness of the spirit, and par don the weakness of our flesh. Take thy work before thee, therefore, and let not the penitent, humble sense of thy own follies and corruptions eclipse the evidence of God's graces in thee, nor let the diffidence of thy self shake thy confidence in Christ. Thank God for what he has done for thee: let him have the praise of it, and then thou shalt have the joy of it. And this is certain, either thou hast an interest in Christ, or thou mayest have. If thou doubt, therefore, whether Christ be thine, put the matter out of doubt by a present consent to him: I take Christ to be mine, wholly, only, and forever mine-Christ upon his own terms, Christ upon any terms.

(2.) Judge not amiss concerning this ordinance. It was instituted for your comfort, let it not be a terror to you; it was instituted for your satisfaction, let it not be your amazement. Most of the messages from heaven which we meet with in scripture, delivered by

angels, began with Fear not;' and particularly that to the women which attended Christ's sepulchre, (Matt. xxviii. 5.) Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Je sus ;' and do not you seek him? Be not afraid then. Chide yourselves for, chide yourselves out of these disquieting fears which steal away your spear, and your cruse of water (1 Sam. xxvi. 12.)-rob you both of your strength and of your comfort.

You say you are unworthy to come; so were all that ever came, not unworthy to be called children, nor to eat of the children's bread; in yourselves there is no worthiness; but is there none in Christ? Is not he worthy, and is not he yours? Have not you chosen him? Appear, therefore, before God in him. Let faith in his mediation silence all your fears, and dismiss their clamors with that, 'But thou shalt answer, Lord, for me.'

You say you dare not come, lest ye should eat and drink judgment to yourselves; but, ordinarily, those that most fear that, are least in danger of it. That dreadful word was not intended to drive men from the sacrament, but to drive them from their sins. Can you not say, through grace you hate sin...you strive against it...you earnestly desire to be delivered from it? Then, certainly, your league with it is broken; though the Canaanites be in the land, you do not make marriages with them. Come, then, and seal the coyenant with God, and you shall be so far from eating and drinking judgment to yourselves, that you shall eat and drink life and comfort to yourselves.

You dare not come to this sacrament, yet you dare pray...you dare hear the word: I know you dare not neglect either the one or the other; and what is the sacrament but the doing the same thing by a visible sign, which is and ought to be done in effect by the word and prayer? Nor ought we to put such an amazing distance between this and other ordinances. If we pray in hypocrisy, our prayers are an abomination: if we hear the word and reject it, it is a savour of

death unto death: shall we therefore not pray...not hear? God forbid. Commanded duty must be done; appointed means must be used; and that which disfits and hinders us must be removed, and we must in sincerity give up ourselves to serve God-do as well as we can, and be sorry we can do no better; and then, having an high priest, which is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, we may come boldly to the throne of grace, and to this table of grace.

You say your faith is weak, your pious affections are cool and low, your resolutions unsteady, and therefore you keep away from this ordinance. That is, as if a man should say, he is sick, and therefore he will take no physic; he is empty, and therefore he will take no food; he is faint, and therefore he will take no cordials: this ordinance was appointed chiefly for the relief of such as you are-for the strengthening of faith, the enflaming of holy love, and the confirming of good resolutions: in God's name, therefore, use it for those purposes; pine not away in thy weakness while God has ordained thee strength; perish not for hunger while there is bread enough in thy Father's house, and to spare; die not for thirst while there is a well of water by thee.

Thirdly, This chapter must conclude with an exhortation to those that have given up their name to the Lord in this ordinance, and have sometimes sealed their covenant with God in it, but they come very seldom to it, and allow themselves in the neglect and omission of it. Frequent opportunities they have for it...stated meals provided for them...the table spread and furnished. Others come, and they are invited; but time after time they let it slip, and turn their backs upon it, framing to themselves some sorry excuse or other to shift it off.

Shall I desire such to consider seriously?

(1.) How powerful the engagements are which we lie under, to be frequent and constant in our attendance on the Lord in this ordinance ? It is plainly in