juft as they were before: but God will not be mocked.

II. The next general head is to fhew what judgements unworthy communicating expofes people to. It expofes them,

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1. To bodily ftrokes, as the Corinthians felt, 1 Cor. xi. 30. For this caufe many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep. One falls into a decay of strength, another takes fickness after a communion, another flips off the stage. Some give one reafon for it, and fome another. But O, unworthy communicating is often the procuring cause of all. What a dreadful diftemper feized Belshazzar when he was abufing the ves fels of the temple! Dan. v. ; but the fin of unworthy communicating is more dreadful.

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2. To spiritual strokes, ftrokes upon the foul, blindnefs of mind, hardness of heart, fearedness of confcience, &c. The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain; he will let guilt lie on him. Hence fome after communions are let fall into fcandalous fins; fome meet with greater darkness and deadness than ever before, and fome with fharp defertions.

To eternal strokes. As to fuch as are out of 3. Chrift, unworthy communicating will damn them as well as grofs fins in the life and outward converfation, and no doubt will make a hotter hell than that of Pagans. Murder is a crying fin, but the murder of the Son of God is most dreadful, and the Mediator's vengeance is moft terrible.

And they are faid to eat and drink judgement to themselves; which, I conceive, imports,

1. That the hurt which comes by unworthy communicating comes upon the perfon himself, not on Chrift, whofe body and blood he is guilty of; for themselves has a relation not to others, but to Chrift. They may eat judgement to minifters and fellow-communicants, if they have a finful hand in bringing them

to the table, Only though the flight is given to Chrift yet it rebounds upon the man himself, and hes he y on him with its confequences. They do interpretatively murder Christ, in fo far as they abuse the fym-bols of his broken body and shed blood; but they can do him no harm; they kick against the pricks, which run into their bodies and fouls.

2. That they themselves are the authors of their own ruin. They take their death with their own hand, like a man that wilfully drinks of a cup of poifon, and fo murder their own fouls. And O what a dreadful thing is this for a man to perilh by his own hands!

3. That they fhall be as fure of judgement upon them for their fin, if repentance prevent it not, and cut the thread, as they are of the facramental bread they eat, and the wine they drink. Death is in the cup to them, and it will go down with the elements into their bowels.

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US E. Beware then of unworthy communicating: Profane not the holy things of God by your rafh approaches to this ordinance. If the love of the Lord Jefus will not allure you to a confcientious performance of this duty in a holy manner, let the terror of God affright you. Behold life and death is fet before you. Venture not on the fword point of vengeance, even the vengeance of his temple. O finner, hold thy hand. Do not wound the Lord of glory, and bring innocent blood on thy head. O wound not your own fouls with the wound of an enemy. Provoke not God to give you blood to drink.

Object. 1. We had better bide aback than run fuch a rifk. Anf. If you cannot think on parting with your lufts, but you muft either communicate keeping them ftill or not at all, then affure yourfelves, God will avenge this contempt of himfelf and his Son up`on you, and ye fhall fall into the hands of the living God through eternity, Luke xix. 27. If ye think of

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being better difpofed afterwards, ye deceive your. felves; for the longer ye keep your fins, it will be the harder to part with them. And who knows if ever your eyes may fee another fuch occafion? But if ye mind to part with your fins now, and be in earnest for communion with God in that ordinance, then ye will make confcience of, and fincerely endeavour worthy communicating, which will be accepted; for it is a gospel, not a legal fitness, that we urge.

Object. 2. But that terror confounds me when I think of approaching the Lord's table, left he be provoked to ftrike me dead on the fpot, or I get my dam. nation fealed. Anf. Satan labours either to make us feed without fear, or else to fear fo as we cannot feed. But look ye to God through the vail of the flesh of Chrift, and fo you will fee an atoned and pacified God. If fuch fear feize thee, then acknowledge God is juft if he fhould do to you as you fear: but because you need a Saviour, and he has commanded you to accept of him, take him though with a trembling hand, and having nothing to bring with you, come to get all. Say, Lord, if thou fhouldft confound me before all the people, thou art juft; but plead mercy through Chrift; and if thou wilt give me thy grace, I am content to be a monument of grace. I have nothing, but I am content to be thy debtor for all. And fo you will find a reviving.

I fhall only fay, 1. Examine yourselves as to your ftate, your frame, your graces, your wants, &c. and know how matters ftand with you. Take a look of your former ways, and turn to the Lord with your whole heart.

2. Put away the ftrange gods that are among you. Look what fin has been indulged, and let this be the parting time; for one leak will fink the ship, Pfal. lxvi. 18.

3. Employ Christ for fuitable preparation. Ufe the means, but look to him alone for the bleffing.

4. Laftly, Do this work that ye would do if ye

Sacramentum

were to die on the communion-fabbath. et articulus mortis æquiparantur. In death we go to Chrift, in the facrament he comes to us: And who knows but fome of us may get our provision there for another world, either in mercy or in wrath? But happy they who fet themselves for dying furniture.

The Nature of Prayer.

EPHESIANS vi. 18.

Praying always with all prayer and fupplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perfeverance, and fupplication for all faints.

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RAYER is a duty of natural religion, and by God's appointment is one of the chief means by which Chrift communicates the benefits of redemption to finners, and this important duty is enjoined in these words. In which we have,

1. The duty itself, praying. This is recommended and enjoined to all, as ever they would stand, and not be ruined by their spiritual enemies.

2. The amplification of this weighty subject; where notice,

(1.) The time of it, always, or at every feafon. We must always be in a praying frame, and mifs no feafon wherein God calls for it, but in every season of prayer be praying, 2 Sam. ix. 7.

(2.) The kinds of prayer, all prayer, i. e. all forts of prayer, public, private, fecret, ordinary, extraordinary, &c.; petitioning prayer for good things, here called prayer in a ftrict fenfe; fupplicatory prayer, deprecating evils, called fupplication.

(3) The manner of prayer. [1.] It must be in the Spirit; not with the lip, tongue, and memory only, but with the heart or inward man, or rather by the Spirit of God, with his affiftance. [2.] With watch

Keeping the foul in a wakerife difpofition for am it, that the heart wander not. [3.] With Bezance, continuing inftant in it, whatever may eccato difcourage us.

There we are to pray for, all faints; not only roidlves, but others, especially, though not onfor the children of God.

The text affords the following doctrine.

Door. Prayer is a duty always neceffary, to be perform ed is the feveral kinds of it, and in the right manner, ain which we are to be concerned not only for ourselves, Se por elbens.

To difcover the nature of prayer, which in our catechin is faid to be "an offering up of our defires to

God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name "of Chrift, with confeffion of our fins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies," I will confider the parts of prayer in general, and in particular. 1. Prayer generally confidered confifts of three parts.

1. Petition, or prayer ftrictly and properly fo call ed, whereby one defires of God the fupply of one's wants, begs the good neceffary for himfelf or others, and deprecates evil inflicted or feared. Praying always with all prayer, &c.

2. Confeflion of fin, Dan. ix. 4. It is fo very natural that finners coming to God to afk mercies fhould make confeffion, that it is a very neceffary part of the finner's prayer, and prayer is fo called, Neh. ix. 3. And the deeper one is in confeflion, he readily fpeeds the better in prayer.

3. Thankfgiving for mercies, Phil. iv. 6. God prevents us with his benefits, we are deep in his debt, cre we come to ask of him; and therefore it is neceffary that thankfgiving have a place in our prayers. And it alfo is called praying, Luke xviii. 11.

II. Let us confider the parts of prayer in particular.

fe are,