4. Hence we may fee in what manner believers are to approach, and come to a communion table.

Now, a word to each of thefe, and then we fhall proceed to the work.

1. Then, the doctrine I am upon, may give us fome infight into the nature and end of this facrament. Why, it is just a celebrating the memorial of the death of the man that is God's Fellow, when, as the glorious Shepherd, he yielded himfelf a facrifice to the awakened fword of justice, in the room of the fheep. In this facra, ment, Chrift is fet forth evidently crucified among us, and therein we may hear the Lord of hots faying, "Awake, O fword! against my Shepherd, against the man that is my Fellow; fmite the Shepherd." This facrament is appointed to be a commemora ive sign of the death of Chrift; "As often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you fhew forth the Lord's death till he come. Do this in remembrance of me;" of ME, who became a facrifice to the fword of juftice; by which facrifice all spiritual bleflings, peace, pardon, reconciliation with God, grace, glory, and all good things, are purchafed. The fword of juftice having bathed itself, to fatisfaction, in the blood of this facrifice, the facrament of the fupper is a feaft upon the facrifice, 2 Cor. v. 7. "Even Chrift our paffover is facrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast." This is the feat of fat things, and of wines on the lees well refined. Upon the body and blood of Chrift, reprefented by the elements of bread and wine, which is just a feeding upon, and viewing by faith, the value and virtue of the facrifice for fatisfying God, for expiating fin, for vanquishing hell, and for purchafing heaven, and all the means that lead unto it; as alfo, for fealing the covenant of grace, and all the promises of it, which are all yea and amen in Jefus Chrift, the teftament being ratified and confirmed by the death of the Teftator, Heb. ix. 16. But again,

2. From this doctrine we may fee who they are that ftand debarred and excluded from meddling with thefe facred fymbols of the body and blood of Chrift in this facrament; namely, in general, all unbelievers, who never having feen their wicked ftate, as liable to the ftroak

of

of divine wrath, because of their fin and guilt, had not filed under the covert of the blood of the Shepherd, of the blood of the man that is God's Fellow, who was fmitten in the room of the fheep. What have these to do with the fign, who never appréhended the thing figpified, namely, the propitiation of the blood of Chrift? And therefore, in the great and awful name and authority of the great and glorious JEHOVAH, I folemnly debar and excommunicate, from the table of the Lord, all who never found them'elves in any meafure purfued by the avenger of blood, the fword of the Lord of hofts, and never have fled for refuge to the blood of Chrift, the man that is God's Fellow, to ftand between them and the avenging fword of justice; thefe that will not come to Chrift, let them not dare to come to his table, nor come to abuse the fymbols of his blood; who, by unbelief trample his blood under their feet, and will not make ufe of it as the facrifice to fatisfy juftice in their room. But, that it may appear more diftinctly, whom I here debar, in the name of the Lord, I fhall tell you, whọ they are, that never made any faving ufe of the blood of Chrift, the man that is God's Fellow, but flight and neglect this facr fice and offering for fin, which he has made of himself to the fword of justice, and so stand debarred and excommunicated from the table of the Lord.

(r.) All these who think to make their peace with God, without minding the neceffity of any thing interveening between him and them; not knowing that peace with God muft be founded upon the blood of the man that is his Fellow. Some are utterly careless how their peace be made, or whether it be made or not, they hope for it, and think to come at it, but they cannot tell how; and are careless to know the way. Others prefume, and think God loves them, because they love. themselves; and though they know they have fin, they think God will not be fo ill-natured as to reckon with. them; they think God loves them, but they cannot give a ground for it. Others think that God is merciful, and therefore they conclude they will be pardoned and accepted; becaufe a merciful man fometimes feeks no fatisfaction, so they think much more will a mercj

fuk

ful God feek none; not k: owing, that though God be merciful, he will not fhew mercy to the prejudice of his juftice. But the thought of thefe people is upon the matter, that they would have obtained mercy though Chrift had never become a facrifice to the fword of juftice, without refpect to the mediation of the man that is God's Fellow.-Thefe therefore I debar, in God's great name, from the table of the Lord.

(2.) Another fort, who defpife this facrifice made to the fword of justice, is, all thefe who take the legal way of making their peace with God. Not as if they thought to appear before God without fin and holineís, as the covenant of works requires; but who think, that if they fin, they will make amends; and that either by fome. thing Negative, that they have not done, or fomething Pofitive, that they have done; or fome internal qualification, that they reft upon. Some think to make amends to God by fomething Negative; that they have not been fo ill as other people; and if they go to hell, they think few will go to heaven; and if they were to, die, they think they care not, they have done no perfon any injury; they have carried, very harmle fly, like the Pharifee, "God, I thank thee, I am not like other men; I am no drunkard, or adulterer, or oppreffor, or fwearer;" and when they fee any profane perfons, they are puffed up with a good opinion of themfelves, becaufe they are not fo profane as they there I debar, in the name of the Lord. Others think to make amends to God by fomething Pofitive; they do many good duties, like the fame Pharifee, that boafted, "I faft twice a week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs;" if any duty be performed, or any good be done by them, their fingers are ready to stick to it; they reft there, and hope God will be pleafed and pacified on this account: thefe I debar, in the name of the Lord. Others, upon this fame head, think to make amends by fome internal qualifications, that they reft upon if at any time they have liberty, and motions of affection in prayer, flirrings of convictions in hearing; and joys of heart, like the ftony-ground hearers; any forrow of heart, or fadness for fin, these they think will do their turn, and they think they need no other facrifice to God,

but

but a broken heart; fadly mistaking the nature of a true evangelical brokennels of (pirit. It is certain, both from fcripture and experience, that many hundreds of profeffors dah and perifh on this ftumbling-block; "They call themselves of the holy city; yea, and ftay themfelves upon the God of Ifrael, Ita. xlviii. 2. They feek him daily, and delight to know his ways; yea, delight in approaching to God," Ifa. Iviii. 2. Expectation of happinefs, grounded upon fome weak performance, and fome internal motions and qualifications, do cut the throat of many civil and difcreet men, that are not grofly profane. All these, therefore, that make any of thefe things the ground of their hope of peace with God, I debar and excommunicate from the table of the Lord, as being firangers to the true ground of peace, the man that is God's Fellow, becoming a facrifice to the fword of juftice.

(3.) Another fort, who make no right use of this facrifice offered to the sword of juftice, are thefe, who, though they make use of Chrift, as the object of their worship, yet make not ufe of his blood as the ground of their juftification and peace with God as if they would not altogether neglect Chrift, and yet they neglect his offering, and would make ufe of himself, but not of his facrifice like the man that came to him, faying, "Good mafter, what fhall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?" He was going upon the ground of his own righteousnefs; fo feme, they may come to Christ, to defire his help to enable them to do duty, that by doing thereof they may work out their own salvation; and be helped this way to make their peace with God: thus, by grace, sought and received from him, they hope to be their own Saviour and Peace-maker, with God; and fo were never brought to ground the making of their peace with God, upon Chrift's facrifice and offering alone. Thefe therefore I also debar from this holy table.

(4.) A fourth fort, that never made right ufe of this facrifice to juftice's fword, and propitiation in the blood of Chrift, are all thefe, who never got fuch a view of the love of God, in this facrifice, as to kill the love of fin in them, and to bring down the reigning power of fin;

for

for the great end of Chrift's fufferings was to bring us to God; the great end of his giving himfelf a facrifice to the fword of juftice, was to redeem us from all iniquity; and to purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And hence they are yet firangers to Chrift, who never felt any meafure of the virtue of this facrifice, in fanctifying, purifying, and making them ftudy holinefs. And therefore I debar from this table, all impenitent finners and breakers of God's commandments; all whofe names are in that black catalogue, Mat. xv. 19. Rom. i. 27,-32. all whofe names are in that black lift, Gal. v. 19,-21. and all whofe names are in thefe black rolls, 1 Cor. vi. 9,,10. Rev. xxii. 15. All Atheists that practically deny the being of God, in their lives and converfations; and ignorant perfons that know not the principles of religion, and the nature of this ordinance; and profane perfons, who mock at facred things, neglect public ordinances, on week-days or fabbath-days, and neglect family-worfhip, and fecret prayer. All profane fwearers, whether by God, or the devil, or faith, or confcience, or whatfoever is more than, yea and nay.All fabbath-breakers, who put no difference between that and other days.

All that are unfaithful in their relative ftations; as magiftrates or fubjects, mafters or fervants, parents or children.-All murderers, and thefe who give way to the killing fins of malice, paffion, revenge; and the felf-murdering fins of drunkennefs, gluttony, and tipling. All whoremongers, adulterers, fornicators, Sodomites, and unclean perfons, who never mortified the deeds of the body.-All thieves, oppreffors, and cheats, that study to over-reach their neighbour in their dealing. All falfe witneffes and liars, that make no confcience of fpeaking the truth; perjured perfons, that make no bonds of unlawful oaths; covenant-breakers, and fuch as are enemies to a covenanted work of reformation in these lands.-All covetous perfons, whose hearts are glued to the world. In a word, I debar all formalifts, and hypocrites, and legalifts; all that never faw and bewailed their heart-plagues of atheifm, enmity, pride, hypocrify, and unbelief: all who know

not