kindled in his soul, when he died for you, O believers, while ye were yet sinners and ungodly! Are ye able to comprehend, is it in your power to conceive the breadth, and the length, the depth and the height of the love of Christ, that he gives you his flesh to eat, and his blood to drink? It was a privilege of Israel that they might eat of their thankofferings with joy, Deut. xxvii. 7, but they might not eat of their sacrifices of atonement, although they were only irrational animals; what a precious privilege is it then, that ye may eat of the flesh of the Son of God, which was broken, and his blood, which was shed for atonement, as an evidence that your sins are so perfectly taken away, that they cannot hinder you from exercising the most lively fellowship with God! yea, consider wherein it consists to eat the flesh, and to drink the blood of Christ : remember what hath been said before, and it will excite an eager appetite in you for it, and ye will have a foretaste of it. Dare ye

not think, O weak believers, that it is for you? Hear then from Psalm xxii. 26, 29, that the death of Jesus is also your bread: "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him, your heart shall live for ever." Not only "shall all that be fat on the earth eat and worship; but all they likewise that go down to the dust, shall bow before him and he who cannot keep alive his own soul." Jesus gives you the seal and pledge of this, to strengthen, assure, and seal you; the signs are the bread and the cup of the Lord, which he himself calls his body and blood.

What think ye now, ye who cannot be admitted to the Lord's supper? is it not lamentable, that ye have not yet prepared yourselves for this, by a true faith, and by a confession of your faith? do ye not see this, when ye observe what hath been said above? and O that ye might see it! what hath hindered you hitherto from obeying the truth? why have ye not partaken? will ye know it from me? It is either your blindness and ignorance of the excel lence of the supper, and of eating Christ's flesh, and drinking his blood; otherwise ye would be eager and restless for it, until ye had partaken of it in truth. Or it is your carelesness, ye neglect the salvation and happiness of your souls; yea, do not so much as think of it. Or it is earthly mindedness, your concern about your lands, your cattle, your wife, your merchandizing employs your heart and time, so that ye have neither inclination nor opportunity to attend diligently to the Lord's supper, and therefore ye excuse yourselves, like those who were bidden, of whom the Saviour speaks, Luke xiv. 17-20. Because men's consciences sometimes gnaw them, they will, in order to divert this, persuade themselves that the supVOL. II.

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per is not necessary, they think that they can be saved, though they do not partake of it: but admit that the supper is not absolutely necessary, and that some are saved without ever having received it, those nevertheless who despise and neglect it from ignorance, carelesness, and worldly mindedness, shall not taste of God's blessed supper neither, as Jesus threateneth, Luke xiv. 24. How! do ye not manifest by this conduct of yours, that there is truly no life in your souls, and that ye are not yet hungry nor thirsty for the food of the soul; and therefore ye shall be sent empty away" from the Lord, as the blessed virgin spake, Luke i. 53. Friends, do ye indeed know what ye do? Ye have by your baptism been surrendered in covenant with God; if ye will not then also by a sincere turning to the Lord approach the supper, say then to God, that ye renounce your covenant engagement, and declare that ye will not abide by the promise, which your parents and witnesses made for you to the Lord; yea, ye reject all the grace of God, and declare that ye never will regard it. Do ye ask, if it will then be well with you, when ye confess your faith, and become members? no, it will not be well with you, until ye be truly converted, accept of the Son of God, actually enter into an everlasting covenant, and oblige your selves to serve the Lord, for otherwise the bread and the wine of the supper can be of no more advantage to you, than the real flesh and blood of Christ was to the Capernaites, according to John vi. 63.

Therefore we may not approve of all those members of our Church; who, by making a confession of their faith have procured their names to be enrolled in the register of the church, for they have not just on that account been written by the Lord with the righteous. Ju das was numbered with the apostles, and Demas with the compan ions of Paul, and how many are virgins by profession, who have nev er tasted of the flesh and blood of Christ? that manna is hidden from them. Hear this, ye many members and communicants of our church, is it not true? it certainly is: for (a) many of you are exceedingly ignorant and unskilful in divine truths, and especially in the nature of the Lord's supper, "they do not discern the body of the Lord," and hence it is that they "eat and drink unworthily, and When a judgment to themselves," as Paul speaks, 1 Cor. xi. 29. they made their confession, they repeated indeed the lesson which they had learned with difficulty; but how little of it did they understand! yea, what they knew of it then, they have entirely forgotten since, they know no more of it at all; but what think ye, O ignorant members, is the soul without knowledge good? the wisest of kings saith nay, Prov, xix. 2. Did it suffice when ye were first ad

mitted, that ye knew so little? it can surely not suffice to approach the supper, that ye know less now, we forbid scandalous members to partake of the supper; but might we not with propriety forbid you also, on account of your gross ignorance? I cannot see how it could be considered as illdone, if we should oblige you to learn and confess the divine truths anew. (b) Others, it is true, have a par tial notion, yea, some are far advanced in the knowledge of the truth; they know exceedingly well how to discern the body of the Lord, and can discourse admirably well on the nature of the supper; but this is indeed all. Ye then, who have knowledge, what is your knowledge? hath it been taught you by the Spirit of the Lord, so that ye know God and Christ also? have ye learned the truth, as it is in Jesus, so that it renders your souls hungry, and thirsty after Christ, warms and sanctifies your souls? this would be precious, acceptable to the Lord, and an evidence to you of your right to the Lord, and to this seal of his covenant: but is your knowledge only a "literal and natural knowledge, and doth it puff you up? ye do then know nothing, as ye ought to know," as Paul speaks, 1 Cor. viii. 1, 2. And therefore ye do not yet eat Christ's flesh, nor drink his blood in the supper. O how well would it be for you, if ye knew your spirit. ual ignorance, and became fools, that ye might be wise," as the same apostle speaks, 1 Cor. iii. 18. (c) If we inquire further, how many are there among us who draw near to the Lord's table without any motive, or from a wrong one? for many approach from custom; some to conceal their ungodliness from the world, imagining that men must, and will then entertain a good opinion of them; others to obtain the forgiveness of their sins, and to pacify in some measure a restless conscience; and there are those also, who think that the injunction to receive the supper is like one of the ten commandments, which all men are obliged to obey, because Christ saith, "Do this in remembrance of me," which is certainly said to believers only, as we will show in its proper place: yet if we were to ask many why, and for what end they partock of the supper, would they not be speechless, like "the guest without a wedding garment ?" Matt. xxii. 12. But friends, of what advantage can the supper be to you, when ye do not aim at, nor pursue the true end of it? How do ye aggravate your condemnation! But this we will show, when we treat on the thirtieth Lord's day. Alas, that ye would once open your eyes, be concerned, and earnestly desirous to enter into the covenant, and to be admitted into the testament of God, in order to obtain a right, and to be qualified to partake of the supper; for ye are called and invited to the covenant of God, when it is said to you,

Luke xiv. 17, "Come for all things are ready." Do not then draw back, for "if any man draw back," saith Paul, in the name of the Lord, Heb. x. 38, "my soul shall have no pleasure in hïm.”

But with respect to you who cannot keep your souls alive, and who have therefore flcd for refuge to the Son of God, and have entered into his covenant, and procured an admission into his testament, in order to be found in him.

1. Let your souls earnestly desire the atoning flesh and blood of the Lord, in order to eat and drink of them until ye are satisfied. For the hungry and thirsty are invited: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without price," saith the Lord, Isaiah lv. 1. These have the promises, that they shall be filled; "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled," saith Jesus, Matt. v. 6. Mary, the mother of Jesus, said from her experience, Luke i. 53. "He hath filled the hungry with good things." Are not the signs served up to you, that they may excite an eager appetite in you for this tasteful meat and drink, the flesh and blood of Jesus? of what service can the sacrament be to you, if ye do not long for it? is it not then a tasteless meat and drink? hunger is indeed the best sauce: "The full soul loatheth the honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet," saith Solomon, Prov. xxvii. 7. What can be more precious, and more worthy of an eager appetite, than the flesh and blood of the Lord? what is more capable of satis fying the soul. than to eat and drink of this? it is indeed making Christ his sufferings, and all the good things of his testament our own, uniting ourselves to him in the most intimate manner, strengthening ourselves more by that meat and drink, that we may go, not only forty days and nights, but our whole lifetime, until we come to the mountain of God, like Elijah by the bread of angels. Yea, it is to satiate and delight ourselves fully and abundantly with the good things of the New Testament. Suffer me to excite your appetites by giving you a taste from the covenant of God, according to Jer. xxxi. 12, 13, 14, "Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil. and for the young of the flock, and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with

fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the It is the new Lord." Do ye not know what this is, believers ? name, the hidden manna, pardon of sins, peace with God, the shedding abroad of the love of God, secret communion and joy with and in the Lord. Let your "souls" therefore, with David, Psalm xliii. 1, 2, "thirst and pant after it, as a thirsty hart after the waterbrooks."

2 Do not only desire, but eat and drink also the flesh and blood of the Lord. Ye have a right to it: he suffered his body to be broken, and his blood to be shed for this purpose; he hath confirmed the testament by his death, that ye, his heirs, might "receive the promise of an eternal inheritance," Heb. ix. 15. He gives you also the bread and wine, as signs and seals; he instituted this sacrament that he might feed and nourish you with his flesh and blood: it is his will that ye should partake at his table plentifully. "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved," doth he cry, Song v. 1, and "open thy mouth wide," Psalm lxxxi. 10. Take therefore freely, and indulge your appetite. "Eat that which is good, and let your souls delight themselves in fatness," as he commandeth, Isaiah Iv. Stretch forth the hand of your faith, lay hold on him and his benefits, that ye may receive him and his blessings in your hearts, may strengthen yourselves therewith, and delight yourselves therein, "that he may dwell in your hearts by faith, and that ye may be rooted and grounded in love; that ye may comprehend fully with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God," as we read, Eph. iii. 17, 18, 19.

3. Eat and drink nevertheless in a sacramental manner. As it is not enough to receive the bare signs, so it is not enough to partake of his flesh and blood spiritually; we can do this indeed every day, but the Lord Jesus hath instituted this sacrament more particularly for this purpose; he also gives his blessing with it, of which he grants you to taste repeatedly, and that he is good. The godly often act very improperly, when they receive the sacrament, looking for an immediate supply of soul satisfying grace, and when they do not obtain it, being troubled; but this is out of God's way, in which "he meeteth him who rejoiceth, and those who remember him in their ways," as it is said, Isaiah lxiv. 5. "We ought then to act upon and with the sacrament, that we may eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ thereby; and therefore to look upon the