Seal. For hereby Christ is actually fealed, in all the Scope of his Benefits, to those who are his; that is, to those whom his Spirit hath already transformed by the Renewal of their Hearts and Lives. To them, the Elements of Bread and Wine, as inftituted Signs and Seals of the new Covenant, are, facramentally, the Body and Blood of Christ, according to his Words of Inftitution, This is my Body, This is my Blood. Be strong then in Faith, nothing doubting. Be affured that he is faithful, who hath promised; and take Chrift unto you as yours, not only fignified but confirmed to you, by these Pledges and Affurances of his Favor. Nor let the Apprehenfion you have of your very great Unworthiness, prevent your Expectation, that ye fhould not partake of the Free Gift of GOD: But drawing near with Faith, take this holy Sacrament, to your Comfort. May your Souls be refreshed! May ye go forward, in the Influence of that Refreshment, from Strength to Strength, till ye come unto the Mount of God. Yet,

3. REMEMBER, that you have not yet attained. The new Man, formed in you as he is, wants Strength, Growth, and Vigor. You have found yourself imperfect in every Particular, while I have been deferibing to you the new Creature. But you labor to go on unto Perfection. And shall not what you have already received, ferve as an

Earneft

Earneft to give you Confidence,that you shall receive more from him, who giveth liberally and upbraideth not(y)? Who doth not grudge, that we have received much already; but faith, Open thy Mouth wide, and I will fill it (z). Approach then with thankful Boldnefs to this Feast of fat Things, this of all others the most plenteous Channel where Grace flows, the Ordinance of Christ's Appointment, wherein he conveys his whole felf; carrying with thee thefe gracious Words of his, If any Man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink (a). Come, a-thirft as thou art, for the needful Supply of the Spirit, to mortify more effectually thy Corruptions; to blunt the Edge of all the Temptations, wherewith Sin, the World, and Satan befet thee; to quicken thee in every Way of Holiness: Come with thy particular Needs; what is the Sin that moftly affails thee, what the Luft that inveterately ftrives for the Mastery, what the Grace that is in a languishing State? Come, eat and drink to the fatisfying of thy Soul. Amen.

(y) James i. 5.
(a) John vii. 37.

(x) Pfal. lxxxi. 10.

L

SERMON

If any Man be in Chrift, he is a new Creature.

SHAL

HALL I hope, that in the Days past you have been attentively weighing your Thoughts and Words? This is to digest the Food, that is miniftred unto you every Lord's Day. In fuch a Cafe, you must have attained to a clearer Determination, from the Observation and Inquiry you have been making, which Way you are difpofed, what manner of Spirit you are of, whether regenerate or carnal. Confequently, you will be now in the Spirit of Meeknefs ready for farther Discovery in Self-Knowledge, and better prepared for Improvement, from what I am ftill to offer. But if by any it was -heedlefly forgotten; if by any defperately L 2

caft

caft by, as foon as it had been heard; if fuch, as had feen a little, what manner of Men they were, in the Glafs then prefented before them, have gone away and quickly loft Sight of the deformed Appearance they made in their own Eyes; or if there were any Scoffers among you, too forward to blafpheme the Word of Truth, and cry, What would this Babler fay? He feemeth to be a fetter forth of strange Doctrines: With the one or the other of thefe, how fhall I almoft hope for better Succefs? It were Vanity to hope it, were what we speak but the Reasonings of Man: But the Word is GOD's, mighty to pull down ftrong Hilds (b). And the Hand of God is not fhortned (c); it can feize and fix the moft unfettled and carelefs; it can strike to the Ground the most ftubborn, and make the infolent Perfecutor cry out, What shall I do?

UNDER the Influence of this, might I go on to represent to you, one and another, the new Creature's Courfe of Allion. And this negatively, what he doth not do; and pofitively, what he doth.

BUT before I proceed to the negative Description of the new Creature, I must beg to be discharged for a Season from the Confinement I have hitherto, for the most part, been under, in reprefenting the various Characters of Formality andCarele ffnefs. Hence(b) 2 Cor. x. 4. (c) Ifai. lix. 1.

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