find that I have been governed by God's good fpirit, by the affistance he has given me to lead a new, that is, a Chriftian life?-And lastly, have I not been diverted from labouring after eternal life, by the false appearances of happiness which we meet with here?

Any Chriftian, who will but ask himself fuch questions as thefe, will easily know whether his faith in the mercies of God through Christ be such as it fhould be; that is, whether his faith has had its faving effects. If fo, then he is always prepared for this holy ordinance.

The next enquiry a Chriftian is to make is, Whether he has a thankful remembrance and fenfe of Chrift's death? And indeed, whoever will but confider how very fad our condition must needs be, when no lefs a facrifice would fatisfy the justice of our offended God, and restore us to his favour, than the death of his own Son: whoever confiders this, cannot but remember that death with a very thankful heart; fince, on account of that facrifice, God is pleased to overlook the untowardness, of our nature, to forgive us our fins, to look upon us as his children, to give us all the affistance we shall want; and, if we behave ourselves as becomes his children, he will, for his fake, make us happy for ever.

In fhort, Jefus Chrift, by his death, has redeemed us from damnation. Whoever confiders the meaning of that word, cannot but

be

be very thankful. But then let us at the fame time remember, that, as we hope for any benefit by his death, we must fuffer him to redeem us from this present evil world, to make us holy, that we may become worthy to escape so great a misery.

The laft enquiry which a Chriftian ought to make, is this, Whether he be in charity with all men? And a very neceffary enquiry this will appear to be, when we remember, that our acceptance with God, and our falvation, depend upon our having fuch a good-will towards all men, as becomes members of the fame family, of the fame body, of the same hope and faith.

Every ferious Chriftian will therefore, before he goes to the Lord's table, ask himself some fuch questions as thefe;-Do I know of any perfon to whom I bear any grudge or ill-will? Is there any person whom I have wronged, and to whom I ought to make fatisfaction, as far as I am able?-Have I any enemies, for whom I cannot and do not pray, and am not disposed to be reconciled to, and to forgive them?-Am I ready to fhew mercy and kindness to men, that I may be entitled to, and receive mercy from God?-Do I pretend to value my foul, and think this too hard a condition?

I will therefore moft gladly close with this condition of pardon which Jefus Christ has ordained;-I will pray that God will inspire

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me with the grace of a forgiving temper; that I may live in union, peace, and charity, with all the world.

And now, Chriftians, you will easily understand who they are that go unworthily to the Lord's table, and who bring judgments upon themselves by doing fo;-even all fuch as have no true sense of the bleffing of a Redeemer, and confequently no true value or love for Jefus Chrift;-all fuch as live in any known fin;-all fuch as are not fincerely refolved to live, and be governed, by the laws of God;all fuch as live at variance with their neighbours;-all fuch as have done wrong, and do not make reftitution and fatisfaction according to their power;-laftly, all fuch as go to the facrament in mere compliance with the laws and custom, without confidering the ends and benefits of receiving:-all fuch go unworthily to the Lord's table, and return without a bleffing.

But that is not the worst. They bring an evil report upon the ordinances of God, as if no good, no grace, attended them. They harden finners, confirm infidels, and bring down certain judgments upon themselves.

In short; it is according to the love that we have for Jefus Chrift, according to the care we take to obey his commands, according to the fense we have of our deliverance by him from fin and hell, according to the love we have for all whom he has redeemed, for all his

houfhold

houfhold and family, that we are worthy or unworthy communicants.

And this will best appear, not by the dispofitions only with which we go to the facrament, but by the life we lead afterwards. For what an horrid crime must it be, to go to the Lord's table, as Judas did, in order to betray our Lord; or as thofe unthoughtful Jews did, who spread their garments before him, and owned and proclaimed him for their Meffiah, and five days after called out to have him crucified!

And fo furely do they, who blafpheme God with the fame mouth which a while ago received the pledges of his love in the bleffed facrament, and pretended to give him thanks for this great inftance of his love to mankind.

So do they, who, forgetting all the refolutions, the promises, and vows, they made at the altar, return again to their usual liberties; and having, as they vainly fuppofe, cleared off all old fcores, go on, without any fcruple, to contract new ones, in hopes of having them eafily forgiven the next time they shall go to the Lord's fupper.

But, O bleffed Jefus! was this thy defign in appointing this holy ordinance? Was it to encourage finners to hope for pardon without amendment of life? Was it for this thou sheddeft thy moft precious blood, that men might fin with greater security?

C 2.

O, no!

O, no!-But it was to convince us, how hateful fin is to God;-how unqualified finners are for heaven and happiness;-how dreadful the condition of thofe is, who die in their fins unrepented of:

It was to convince us of these truths, and of thine infinite concern for loft mankind, that thou, O Chrift, becameft a facrifice for us;-to restore us to the favour of our offended God; to prevail with God to accept of our repentance; to oblige us to live like people who hope for heaven; and to obtain for us the grace and power to do fo:

It was, to make us ever mindful of these mercies, and to preferve the memory of thy death, and to give us an opportunity of pleading the merits thereof before God, for the pardon of our fins, and for grace to amend where we had done amifs:

It was for these reasons, that thou, O Saviour, didft ordain this holy facrament, to be administered and received by all Christians till thy coming again to judgment.

How great then muft the fin of those be who neglect to adminifter, and of those who turn their backs upon this holy ordinance!

We may indeed do as Naaman did, when the prophet bade him go and wash himself in Jordan. We may queftion whether an action fo plain and easy can poffibly be attended with fo many and great bleffings; and we may, through our infidelity, lose all those bleffings,

as