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and refurrection of Chrift, into whom ye were baptized, Rom. vi. 4.

(3., Improve it for your humiliation under your fins and mifcarriages, confidering them as fins against the grace of baptifm, and your engagements to God therein; remembering that fins after folemn engagements to the contrary, are highly offenfiye to God, and attended with more aggravating circumftances, than if you had never been baptized, and fuch folemn engagements entered into by you. The vows of God are upon you; break them not, and go not about after vows to make inquiry.

(4.) Improve your baptifm to the ftrengthening of your faith and confidence in Jefus Chrift, especially in downcaftings under a fenfe of guilt; for it is a fign and feal of remiffion, adoption, &c. and fo may anfwer the question to an exercised foul, How can I be put among the children?

(5) Improve it to the vigorous exercife of, and growth in holiness, fince thereby ye are engaged to newness of life, as ye are raised from the dead, Rom. vi. 4. Were ye dedicated unto God, does not that fay ye fhould be holy in heart, lip, and life? As God is holy, fo be ye licly in all manner of life and converfation; remembering that without holiness no man fhall fee the Lord.

(6.) Lastly, Improve it to the increase of brotherly love, even love to all the faints, who are all baptized into one body, 1 Cor. xii. 13. It is as unnatural for faints not to love one another, or to quarrel with one another, as it is for the members of the natural body to be at war with each other. Then love one another, as Chrift hath loved you

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* See more of this fubje&t in the author's fermons on church-communion, firit printed in 1737-1

A few inferences fhall Inf. 1. Baptism is not a fon oftener than once. of the ordinance, Tit. grafted and regenerated. 2. Improve your ba it, and the ends of its! that we are not oft felves, Into what was no more use of their never been baptized tized, ye fhould be i particularly when (1.) improve it. nels to God, that God's covenant, many in the we! of promife. (2.) Improve tation; confide. own, and are gagement to Co the flesh; and a

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feal, and apply Chrift and his benefits. Here I fhall fhew,

1. When Chrift inftituted this facrament.

2. For what time it is to continue.

3. What the words of inftitution contain.

First, When did Chrift inftitute this facrament? The fame night in which he was betrayed, ver. 23. Yet this does not bind us to that time rather than to another, because that was an accidental circumstance, arifing from fomething peculiar to the firft inftitution and adminiftration. For it could not be fooner, in regard it behoved to be after the paffover, (which was to be killed in the evening, Exod. xii. 6. and eaten that night, ver. 8.), which was to be abrogated by this new inftitution. It could not be later, because quickly after he fell into his enemies hands. The time of its inftitution teaches us four things.

1. The moft tender care and concern our Lord had and has for his people's welfare and comfort, providing for thefe juft while he was to launch forth into the fea of wrath. Admirable love and tenderness indeed!

2. That it is Chrift's dying love token to his friends, and therefore to be highly prized, and duly impro

ved.

3. That it is of fpecial ufe to fit the Lord's people for a time of trouble and trial. Now the difciples were to meet with a ftorm which they had never seen the like of, and he referves therefore the beft wine till

now.

4. That it is of fpecial ufe to fit his people for grappling with death; the which we may learn from his example.

Secondly, For what time is this facrament to continue? I anfwer, Till he come again, and fo it is to laft to the end of the world. While he is abfent, we must make ufe of it, as a memorial, ver. 25. 26.

Thirdly, What do the words of inftitution contain? They contain Chrift's bleffing; which comprehends two things. (1.) A command for the ufe of this fa

crament. (2.) A promite of fpiritual benefit by it to the worthy receivers, viz. that they fhall partake of Christ's body and blood in the right use of it, ver. 24. 25. Take, eat: This is my body This cup is the new teftament in my ·blood.

II. I proceed to confider the fignifying things, or outward elements. Thefe are bread and wine. The bread, ordinary bread, without any determination of what grain it is made, nor whether leavened or unleavened. Our Lord took fuch bread as came to hand, and fo may we without fcruple, though decency is to be observed. The wine, as to the colour of it, is alfo indifferent; and whether a little mixed with water, or unmixed, is fo too. Neceffity and decency muft regulate these things, the church being no otherwife tied by divine' inftitution. Here let us confider,

1. What is fignified by the bread and wine.

2. The resemblance betwixt the signs and the things fignified.

Firf, What is fignified by the bread and wine? The body and blood of Chrift, ver. 24. 25. even a whole Chrift with all his benefits; forafmuch as the divine nature after the incarnation was never separa. ted from the human, though the foul was feparated from the body, and his precious blood from his flesh. Secondly, The refemblance betwixt the signs and the things fignified.

1. Confider the bread and wine feparately.

ift, There is a refemblance betwixt the bread and Chrift's body.

(1.) Bread is for nourishing of natural life: fo is Chrift's body for nourishment to the foul, John vi. 56. For, fays he, my flesh is meat indeed. There the hungry may feed, and be nourished and ftrengthened, to grow up unto eternal life.

(2.) Bread muft be prepared ere it can be bread, or fit nourishment for us, the grain ground, and baked

with the fire. So Chrift was grinded betwixt the upper millstone of the Father's wrath, and the nether millstone of the malice of men and devils, and caft into the fiery furnace of juftice, that he might be bread to our fouls, Pfal. xxii. 14.

(3.) Bread is a common and cheap provision; it is for the poor as well as the rich. Chrifl's falvation is the common falvation, Jude 3. free to all who will receive the fame, Rev. xxii. 17.

(4.). Of all provision it is the moft neceffary. No. thing is fo neceffary for us as Chrift; without him we die, we perish, we all perish, John vi. 53. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his bloud, ye have no life in you.

(5.) Laftly, It is a fort of food which hale people will never loath. So is Chrift ever, fweet to the foul that feeds on him, though diftempered fouls loath the bread of life.

2dly, There is a refemblance betwixt wine and Chrift's blood.

(1.) The wine is fqueezed out of the grapes forcibly by the wine-prefs. Thus was Chrift's blood fqueezed out of his body, by the wine-prefs of the Father's wrath, that it might be drink to our fouls.

(2.) Wine has a medicinal virtue, Luke x. 34. Chrift's blood is the great medicine for the wounds of the foul. There are no wounds fo deep, or fo hopelefs, but an application of Chrift's blood will cleanfe them, and heal them too.

(3.) Wine is refreshing and strengthening to the body, 1 Tim. v. 23. A draught of this fpiritual drink exhibited to us in the facrament, and to be received by faith, would make the foul preffed with guilt, and a fenfe of wrath, to, ftir as a giant refreshed with wine, John vi. 55. My blood is drink indeed.

6.

(4.) Lastly, It is of a cheering virtue, Prov. xxxi.

The blood of Chrift is that whereof those who are of forrowful fpirits, by reafon of guilt, may drink by faith, and forget their forrow, Pet. i. 8. VOL. III. 3 B

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