right to approach, and are of Godinvited thereto; namely, in general, all believers, who, through grace, have been made to flee unto the covert of the blood of the shepherd, into the covert of the blood of the man that is God's fellow, to screen them from the sword of divine wrath. As we dare not, for our souls, allow or encourage any to approach this ordinance, who are unbelievers, under whatsoever names and designations they may be called; so, on the other hand, we dare not, for our souls, disallow, or discourage from this work, any the least, the weakest believer in Christ, that has gone in with the call of the gospel, and closed with, and embraced this sacrifice whereby justice is satisfied: And therefore, in the name and authority of the same glorious God, and gracious Lord, I invite to this table of the Lord, all such, whatever their sins have been, though guilty of the sins that I have named, or whatever else: all such, I say, whatever their guilt be, who have taken this gospel-method of getting their sin and guilt expiated and removed, namely, by hiding their guilty souls under the wings of Christ's righteousness, who gave himself a sacrifice to satisfy the sword of justice. But that it may be known more distinctly whom I mean by such believers in Christ, as I am calling to the Lord's table, you may examine yourselves more particularly from the doctrine; "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat." I hope you that are to communicate as believers, have been examining yourselves before this time; but if you be yet in the dark, there are these four marks may be drawn out of our text and doctrine, for clearing whether you be believers indeed, that have closed with the man that is God's fellow, as a sacrifice to the sword of justice in your room.

(1.) Have you seen, some time or other, the sword of justice awaking against your own souls, the avenger of blood pursuing you? Have you heard such a knell as that in your heart," Awake, O sword:" awake, O law; awake, O vengeance, curses, and threatenings against a man for his sins? Have you been so filled with the fear of hell and wrath, as you have been put to cry, "men and brethren, what shall I do to be saved?" Or, have

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you been put to more concern about salvation, than ever you was about any thing else in the world? And have you seen, in this case, the natural tendency of your heart rest upon some other thing for peace with God than this sacrifice, which Christ offered of himself to the.. sword of justice? There is such a natural inclination in all to rest upon some other thing for peace with God, and it is a good token when it is discovered, and becomes a burden and a ground of a challenge, that they have had a sinful inclination to put duties, prayers, tears, enlargements, and the like, in Christ's room. "Before the law came, I was alive," says Paul; and thought I had a stock of righteousness in myself to be the ground of my peace with God: "But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died:" when, by the law, I got the knowledge of sin, I died to all conceit of myself and my righteousness; "What things were formerly gain unto me, these I counted loss for Christ."-Now if you have been thus pursued by justice, which you see no sacrifice will satisfy, but that of the man that is God's fellow, and have been burdened with your natural inclination to some other sacrifice, I think the Lord has begun the good work upon you, and therefore I call and invite you to the table of the Lord.

(2.) Have you seen the glory and excellency of this sacrifice? What a glorious ransom God has found out for his own satisfaction, that thousands of rams could not do it, but that one lamb could do it, even the Lamb of God sacrificed? Have you seen the sword quenching its thirst in the blood of the Lamb? And have you taken up the love and mercy of God in providing such a lamb, such a ram caught in the thicket, when your neck, like Isaac's was upon the block? Have you seen him to be a worthy ransom, because of the worthiness of the person sacrificed, he being God's fellow, God-man in one person, and so acting in his Father's name, and by his appointment, when he yielded obedience to the death, as being his shepherd, whom he sealed for this end? And has the view and apprehension of him, in this mediatorial glory, drawn forth your esteem of him and of his offering and sacrifice, so as

you could venture heaven, and your eternal salvation upon it; so that you desire to say, "To him that loved me, and washed me in his own blood,to him be glory?" Is the view of this sacrifice that which cheers and delights you most? and is it matter of wonder to you, now and then, that when the stroke of justice was ready to come upon you, Christ should have interposed between you and the fatal deadly blow; Can you say, You count all but loss and dung, that you may win Christ, and be found in him; so that you care not what be cast over-board, if you but get to that shore, even Christ and his righteousness? Then welcome are you to the table of the Lord; I invite you in his glorious name.

(3.) Have you found your souls in safety, from the sword of justice, under this shadow of the blood of the man that is God's fellow? Nothing rightly satisfies the awakened challenges of conscience, but that which satisfies the awakened sword of justice; and that is the smiting of the shepherd, and the blood of the Lamb that is his fellow. Now, have you seen God's justice satisfied thereby, and found your conscience satisfied with the same? Have you, some time or other; found your soul at peace under this covert of blood, knowing that the sword was put up in its scabbard, it being fully satisfied with the blood of God; This is a being pleased with what the Lord of hosts is pleased; and you have thus, being justified by faith, had peace with God, thro' our Lord Jesus Christ. Where go you, when under challenges for sin? Do you find most peace in this sacrifice, even when you have the deepest and most kindly impression of your sin? For the legalist, he can believe well enough, when he has no challenges for sin, but under these challenges, his faith fails him. But for you, believer under all challenges, do you find this is always your only shift, the blood of Christ, the sacrifice of the man that is God's fellow? Is this also your only shift when you think of death, or of appearing before the judgment-seat of God? Do you make such use of Christ's offering to justice, as that it is your constant desire to put Christ in your room? Is the language of your soul, O! I desire no accompting and reckoning

with justice; nay, I dare not count and reckon with Christ, but my soul, as it were, leaves Christ in its room, and runs away from reckoning with justice, to hide itself under his wings, who can count to the utmost farthing. Dear soul, who has attained to something of this in reality, I invite you, in my Master's name to come to his table.

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(4.) Is it oft-times matter of exercise to you, to get over all other sacrifices to this alone, whereby the awakened sword of justice is appeased? Can you say, it has been matter of exercise to you, not only how to get over your sins unto Christ; but also, how to get over your graces and duties to him, so as you might not trust therein to the prejudice of trusting in Christ? Paul not only, while in nature, but even after conversion, found an inclination to account some thing gain, beside Christ; and therefore, in opposition to this inclination, he does, with a doubtless, ery down all things, and count them dung and loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Phil. iii. 8, 9. Taking in his gracious actings, and actions, as well as others, and found a need to cast away the good, as well as the bad in point of justification. Did you ever find it a harder exercise to be quit of your duties, tears, and enlargements in point of dependence, than to be rid of your sins? The believer has one exercise of faith, how to be quit of sin; and another new exercise, how to be freed from resting on duties, and how to be singly engaged in resting on Christ: his mind is not quiet in all his duties, till he come hither, even to be found in Christ, to have his peace with God founded upon Christ, and not upon duties. The legalist, when he gets duties performed, then he has peace; but the believer, though he should be about duties a whole day, and is indeed more engaged in duties readily than the legalist himself, that relies thereon; but let him be about duties a whole day, yet perhaps he has little or no peace, because he would be over all duties, to Christ himself, as his resting place; and so has no peace till he enjoy him to his satisfaction. Hence also he is oft-times full of fears and jealousies, lest, through unbelief, he put some other thing in the

room of Christ's sacrifice. A natural man may, perhaps, suspect his duties, lest they be wrong; but the believer is more taken up in suspecting his faith, saying, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief:" he dares not trust his own faith, knowing his evil heart of unbelief that he has within him. Well, if this be oft-times matter of exercise to you, poor soul, to get over all other sacrifices and services, to this great sacrifice, Christ Jesus, in whom alone the sword of justice is satisfied, I invite you, as a believer, to feast at the Lord's table, upon the sacrifice. Does the faith of this sacrifice purify your heart, so that you long to be perfectly holy, seeing and lamenting your own unholiness and impurity, and desiring daily to bring your impure sins and lusts, to the fountain opened, by the sword of justice, in the heart of a pierced Christ? -I then invite you, in the name of the Lord, to this holy table, as one that has seen the value, and shared of the virtue, and participated of the efficacy of this sacrifice, given by the man that is God's fellow, to the awakened sword of justice.

In a word, is there any here, who, under a sense of sin, see an absolute need of this sacrifice; who under a sense of their unworthiness, are fearing and trembling to approach to the Lord's table, and yet would give all the world for a share of the saving and healing virtue of this glorious sacrifice: and see nothing in the wide world so fit for them as Christ? I invite them to the Lord's table. Are there any here lamenting the Lord's anger and absence at this day? lamenting that things are so far wrong in the house of God, and that there is so little power and glory of God seen in the sanctuary, and panting after communion and fellowship with him crying, "O that I knew where I might find him. O that it were with me as in times past!" O for an heart to love Christ! O for a sealed interest in Christ! O for the healing balsam of the blood of the Lamb to cure the sad plagues of my heart, which I see to be as black as hell! O come and take a drink, poor soul, at the Lord's table, even a full draught of the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin! Is there any here, any poor creature, that sees and laments his own weak