than is discovered to thee in this Sacrament; and if ever thou wouldst be perfwaded to refign thy felf entirely to thy Bleffed Redeemer, make his Will thy Will, and defire what he defires, and hate what he hates, and love what he loves. O come hither to the Crofs, and fee the Son of God weeping for thy fins; come hither, and see him fweat drops of Blood for thy iniquities, and offering thee Pardon and Reconciliation,and Peace with God, and accefs to the Throne of Grace, and Union and Communion with him; and if this be not enough, a Title to eternal Happinefs, or a Right to that Throne himself doth fit on.

But why fo backward, O my Soul, to come to the Table of thy Lord, where thou may'st drink Wine and Milk without Money, and without Price; where thou may'ft be fatisfied as with Marrow and Fatnefs, and eat of the living Bread, whereof whoever eats shall live for ever? Haft thou forgot the peremptory Command of Chrift, Do this in remembrance of me? Is this remembring thy dearest Friend, to think of him folemnly but once or twice a Year? Shouldft not thou remember him as often as thou haft an opportunity? Should thy Saviour remember thee no oftner than thou dost his Death and Paffion, how fearful would thy condition be? Canft thou reprefent his Love too often to thy Mind and Affections? Canft thou remember thy fins, that brought him to the Crofs, too often? Art thou afraid of thinking too much of this Love, and confequently of being too Religious? Art thou afraid of being

too

too much enamoured with this Jefus? Art thou afraid, that the fight of his broken Body will break thy Heart too much? Art thou afraid, that the fight of his effufed Blood will make thee pour out too many Tears, and Prayers, and Praises of his Love? Confidering how dull, how dead thou art, thou hadst need come frequently to the Crofs, to have thy Affections fuppled and foftned with this precious Blood: How frail is thy Memory, and is it not fit thou shouldst refresh it often with the fight of Chrift's incomprehenfible Love? Art thou afraid of renewing thy Repentance, thy Faith, thy Hope, thy Charity too often? The oftner thou doft refort to this bleffed Communion, the greater will be thy acquaintance with thy best of Friends; the greater fense thou wilt get of the need and want of him, the greater encouragement thou wilt find to imitate him in his Holiness, Meekness, Patience, and Humility; and the greater affurance thou wilt get of his Love,and Favour,and Pardon,and everlasting Mercy: And are these Bleffings to be scorned and undervalued? Thou pretendeft want of preparation, but whofe fault is it that thou art not prepared? What can hinder thee from preparation,but love to fin? And fhall love to a fenfual careless Life hinder thee from laying hold of the greatest Treasure? Will this plea hold, when thou fhalt appear before the great Tribunal? O my Soul, this is to excufe fin by fin, and to despise God's Ordinance, because thou despisest his Commands; and how will this aggravate thy folly one day, and fill thee with fhame and horror! O play not with everlasting Mercy, A a 4

let

let not business hinder thee from advancing thy Spiritual and Eternal Intereft; remember what became of the Men that pretended they had Farms to fee, and Oxen to try, and Wives to marry, when they were invited to the Supper of the Lamb'; canft thou think of the Proteítation of the Master of the Feast against these tubborn Wretches, and not conclude thy Fate, by their being excluded from God's Favour for ever? If it be a fenfe of thy own vileness and unworthiness that keeps thee away, thou mistakeft and mifreprefenteft the Goodness of thy Lord and Master. No Perfons more welcome at his Table than the humble and broken-hearted; none meet with a more favourable reception than the poor in Spirit; these the crucified Jefus prays for on his Crofs, Father forgive them; and the everlasting Father hears, and faith to them, Be of good chear your fins are forgiven you.

V. It prepares a Man for an Evangelical Life bere on Earth; for he that frequently confiders and contemplates the Joys, the Triumphs, the Scepters, the Crowns, the Diadems of yonder Kingdom,the everlasting Love,and Peace and Satisfaction, which Angels and glorified Saints enjoy, cannot but think himself, during that Confideration, in Heaven, and participating of that content and happiness, which is poffeffed by the general Affembly of the Firft-born which are written in Heaven. Indeed, this is to make Earth a Heaven, and to change this Wilderness into a Paradife, a Closet into the Seat of Glory, and a Defart into thofe Regions of Blifs and Happiness.

How

How like an Angel may that Man live, that is often engaged in fuch Confiderations as these. Heaven! what do I hear? Heaven! The Harbour of all laden and wearied Souls! Heaven! The end of all my forrow and miferies! Heaven! The Port I have been failing to these many years! Heaven! The Inheritance of those that keep themselves unfpotted from the World! Heaven! The reft of God's Servants, and the habitation of the Mourners in Sion! Heaven! The great mark of my defires, the Anchor of my Hope, the Foundation of my Confidence! Heaven! The Univerfity, where we fhall know even as we are known! How undisturbed, how quiet, do all the Inhabitants of those bleffed Manfions live! There reft those Saints who were made as the filth of the World, and as the off-fcouring of all things. How different are the thoughts of God from those of the World? Thefe Men the World regarded not, behold God remembers them, and when he makes up his Jewels, fpares them, as a Man would spare his own Son that serves him! There refts that Mary Magdalen, that stood behind Christ at his feet, weeping, and washing his Feet with her Tears, and did wipe them with the hair of her head, and kiss'd them, and anointed his head with Ointment. There refts that Lazarus, who defired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the Rich Man's Table. There refts that David, that made his Bed to fwim, and watered his Couch with his Tears. There reft all the Prophets of old, who through Faith fubdued Kingdoms, wrought Righteoufnefs, obtained Promifes, flopped the Mouths

Mouths of Lions, quenched the violence of the Fire, efcaped the edge of the Sword, out of weakness were made ftrong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens. The Reft of all thofe Souls that looked for that bleffed hope, and the glorious appearance of their Saviour Jefus Chrift. The Reft of those Martyrs and Confeffors, that were ready, not only to fuffer, but to die alfo, for the Name of the Lord Jefus. There they reft, encircled with an eternal calm. There they reft, incompaffed with an innumerable company of Angels. There they reft, furrounded with the Gracious Presence of a merciful God. There they rest from all the calumnies and flanders of this poor envious World. There they reft from all Darkness, in eternal Light, and in the Beams of the Sun of Righteousness, for

ever.

Awake, O my Soul, awake, advance into yonder Regions of Glory, retire into yonder Paradife, leave this World, and go higher; let thy thoughts tranfcend the Sun, and Moon, and Stars; get before the Throne of God; take a view of the ftill Waters, whereof the vast Armies of Glorified Spirits drink; where they are, there are no Wolves, no Tygers, no Bears, no Lions, as in this barren Wilderness; in those happy fhades is no noise but that of Hallelujahs; no Difcontent, no War, no Diffentions inhabit there; there all agree, there Ephraim is no more against Manaffeh,nor Manaffeh against Ephraim, nor they both against Judah, but all are delighted with the everlasting Glory and Love of God;

there