to loft finners, and pouring out his blood to cleanse them from fin. Would not that be a great aw-band upon you, to reftrain you from fin? Walk now, as a damned foul would walk, were he again to live under the offers of mercy: how diligently (think you) would he obey, how fervently would he pray, and how peremptorily would he reject all temptations to fin? So ought every fincere communicant to do, that intends to please God, and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called.

DIRECTION IX.

Endeavour to walk chearfully and contentedly under every Lot and Condition.

You may look for trials and difficulties while

fojourn in this world; but, in midst of all, you should aim to be much in the eunuch's frame after the seal of baptism, Acts viii. 39. who went on his way rejoicing. Have you got the seal of God's covenant? Then, whatever your afflictions be, you cannot but have a reviving cordial, for your fins are pardoned. Let not worthy communicants fay they are sick, when their iniquities are forgiven them. Should they walk dejectedly, who have got an interest in the new covenant fecured, and all the promises and privileges of it ratified and confirmed to them? For, what do they want, but is to be had here? Whatsoever is a blessing is secured here, either, fanctified riches, or a contented poverty.

A worthy communicant may fay, let God do with me as he will in this world. I delire to be content, feeing he hath engaged himself to be with me in all ftates and conditions, and to order all things for my advantage; furely he cannot lie, he cannot deny himself; all his words are oaths for their certainty, and all his promiles the fure mercies of David. Let

my

my covenanted God chufe out my lot for me, furely it fhall be with more wisdom and with more affection than I can chufe for myself. He whom almighty wisdom and goodness takes a fatherly care of, and hath engaged to feed, cannot but have enough. If Chrift be mine, all things are mine: nothing is exclus ded, where he is included.

DIRECTION X.

Delight in the Company of the People of God.

HAKE off all ungodly fociety, and have your hearts linked to all these that bear Chrift's image. Set the Pfalmift's example before your eyes in this matter, Pfal. cxix. 115. Depart from me, ye evil doers for I will keep the commandments of my God. And, v. 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. It is a true faying of Solomon's, Prov. xiii. 20. He that walketh with wife men fhall be wife; but a companion of fools fhall be deftroyed. Make the livlieft of God's people your greatest intimates, and upon all occafions improve their fellowfhip to the best advantage. Beware of the cooling of your affections to the people of God; but let that divine fentence ftill run in your minds, 1 John iv. II. Beloved if God fo loved us, we ought also to love one another. Let the love of God, manifefted to you at the facrament, engage you to carry lovingly and af fectionately to all his people. Henceforth behave yourselves as fervants of the fame family, branchesof the fame vine, members of the fame body, and children of the fame father.

DIRECTION. XI.

Study to fhine in the Graces of Meeknefs, Patience, and forgiving of Injuries.

T

HIS is the way to make you like your glorious Redeemer and pattern: and this is the way to adorn the profeffion of religion, and to make it amiable in the eyes of ftrangers. And furely all thefe who have been fharers of God's infinite, mercy and goodness in the facrament, will come away from it with a difpofition to bear injuries, and a readiness to forgive these that do them wrong.

DIRECTION. XII.

· Labour to keep up conftant Longings for Communion-occafions bere below, and for the Eternal Supper of the Lamb above.

URELY these who have met with Chrift in this

Ordinance will be breathing for further discoveries of his sweetness and beauty. You ought to be faying, like Mofes when he came down from the mount, I beseech thee, Lord, Jhew me thy glory: let me have new manifeftations of thy excellency, frefh 'intimations of thy love, and clearer difcoveries of thy will. Oh, when will the opportunity return? When fhall 1 come and appear before God? When hall I again fee his power and glory in the fanétuary? When fhall I tafte his love and goodness again in the facrament? When fhall I again behold his wellcovered table, fit down thereat with his children, and be fatisfied as with marrow and fatness?

But, feeing this lower table is tranfient and uncertain, look for one to come which is fixed and abiding, yet a little while (faith Chrift) and I will fee you

again, and I will come and receive you to myself. O be. liever, your lovely bridegroom will keep his word and his day, he will come and marry you to himself for ever therefore ever stand upon thy watch-tower, wishfully looking for his appearance; never lack thy watch, nor let thy expectation cool, till he come and take thee home to himself, and set you down at the higher table, where he shall for ever lay afide his vail, and his amiable countenance never more be clouded with frowns; where you fhall not have a facramental but a beatifical vifion; where you fhall not remember him, but behold him as he is; where you shall feed on him without figns, and see him without a vail; where all your forrows fhall be turned into joys; where, for every reproach met with in God's fervice, you fhall reap eternal honour; for every hour of forrow, you fhall enjoy endless ages of comfort. Make hafte, my beloved; let the day break, and fhadows flee away. Even fo, Lord Jefus come quickly. Take me to that place where myfteries fhall be turned into revelations, faith into vifion, hope into fruition, efpoufals into embraces, forrowful fighs into nuptial fongs, drops of tears into rivers of pleasures, tranfient glances into the radiant and direct beams of the fun of righteousness, fhort taftes into everlasting feafting and fulness. How finall are the comforts of the lower table, if compared with thee of the higher table? How dark are the difcoveries believers have here, if compared with these bright manifeftations above? But, becaufe I have infifted on this head formerly, I fhall add no more here upon it; but with that we may come at length experimentally to know the difference, to our everlafting comfort.

FINIS

APPENDIX

MEDITATIONS and EJACULATIONS proper before partaking of the holy Sacrament.

I

MEDITATION I.

Am now called to celebrate the memorials of iny Lord's death at his table; my ftrait is great, I know not what to do; my need is fo great, F cannot think of staying back; and my preparation fo little, I know not how to go forward. Lord, what shall I fay My guilt tops my mouth and fills me with blushing; but, glory to God, thy good. nels is greater than my finfulnefs, and thy mercy furpaffeth my mifery: for, tho' my fins reach even unto the clouds, yet thy mercy is above the heavens, Lord, hear not the cry of my fins, but hear the cry of my wants and miferies. Holy God, if thou help me not for the fake of my miferies which I have deferved, yet help me for the lake of thy mercies which thou haft promised in Chrift thy, fon. Doth not his precious blood cry louder for pardon, than my fins for punishment? Lord, hear the cry of that blood, and let it not be as water fpilt upon the ground Good Lord, for the fake of that blood, pardon every one that prepareth his heart to feek thee, tho' he be not cleaned according to the purification of the fan&tuary. Lord, I trust not in my faith, but in thy faithfulne's; not in my repentance, but in thy gracious pardon; not in my preparation, but in thy ac ceptance. O take away my filthy garments, and cloath me with the best robe, The Lord our righteousness.

MEDITA