this facrament. Befides the general ends of this facrament, common to the other allo, to wit, (1.) To be a fig. nifying fign, (2.) A fealing fign, (3.) An exhibiting fign, of Chrift and his benefits to believers; the particular ends of it are, bas Tobaow L 1. To be a memorial of the death of Chrift till he come again, ver. 24. And this is to be confidered two ways, (1.) As a memorial of it before the world, 1 Cor. xi. 26. as Joshua fet up the twelve ftones. Hereby we keep up a standard for Christ, and openly avouch his dying, and our faith of it. (2.) As a memorial before our own eyes, to revive, quicken, and preserve the affectionate remembrance of his death in our own hearts. This refpects Christ's honour and our duty. 2. To be a badge of and confirm our union and communion with Jefus Chrift himself, 1 Cor. x. 16. What nearer union do we know on earth, than that betwixt us and our food, which incorporates with our fubftance? So this facrament fignifies, feals, and confirms our union and communion with Chrift, as eating his flesh and drinking his blood. This refpects our privilege. 3. To be a fpiritual feaft for our fpiritual nourishment and growth in grace. Take, eat, &c. For therein bel lievers are made partakers of his body and blood, fince they are really exhibited in this ordinance to the faith of the believer. They partake of it not after a corporal and carnal manner, eating and drinking of that bleffed body and blood with the mouths of their bodies, but fpiritually. and most really by faith. This refpects our benefit. 4. Lastly, To be a public testimony of our communion with all faints, members of the fame body, 1 Cor. x. 117.s This refpects the whole church of Chrift, and the duties they owe to one another as members of the fame body. I fhall now conclude this fubject with an inference or 45 aid of 63 two. Inf. 1. Hence we may fee the unparalleled goodness and 1 bounty of a gracious God to his people, in covering a rich table for them in this wildernesfs, ftored with the beft meat and drink for their refreshment and nourifhment in their pilgrimage-state, till they arrive at their Father's houfe in the heavenly Canaan. With what an enlarged appetite ought they to come to and partake of this royal feaft, defigned only for those who are the King's friends! They fhould feed upon it in the exercise of faith, love, defire, wonder, and joy. They fhould welcome every opportunity that presents itself, to feast with their Redeemer, and give fuitable reception to the entertainer, and the entertainment he provides. 2. This holy facrament is children's bread. For none but gracious fouls are capable of managing it to their own advantage. How fhall they remember him who never knew him? declare their union with him, who are not divorced from their lufts and idols? eat his flesh and drink his blood, who have no appetite for spiritual meat and drink? honour him whom they are daily dishonouring by their profane lives and conversations? None but those who believe in Christ are fit guests for his table. Let all unbelievers be exhorted to receive and embrace Chrift as their Saviour, to be clothed with the wedding-garment of his righteousness, and then they will be fit to fit at the King's table. 3. Prepare for this folemn ordinance, if God fhall allow us the opportunity. Delay not a moment to give yourfelves to the Lord, by receiving and embracing the Lord Jefus as your Saviour and Redeemer, and vouching him as fuch in this holy facrament. Let the mortality* and This difcourfe was preached in April 1720, in which season a diftemper as mortal as epidemical raged in the parish of Ettrick. All the author's family, himself only excepted, were seized with it: but, through the goodness of God, happily recovered. It is to this distemper that the author here alludes. And as a careful obfervance of the course of providence in general, with a fingular dexterity in connecting particular providences, was one of the most distinguishing traits in this great man's character; so it was his invariable practice, to adapt his public preaching to the course of providence, and to make use of God's difpenfations towards his own parish in particular, to back and enforce his exhortations to his flock. Add to this, that it was a practice of his, not unu, fual, to obferve a congregational faft when any thing appeared uncommon in the course of providence, that his parishioners might be led to improve it properly; which, from his diary and the fermons then preached, ftill preserved, it appears, he did on the occafion alluded to in the inference. This fast was observed on the 27th of April 1720. And. VOL. III. No. 28. Rr fickness that fo generally prevails, excite you to be more vigorous than ever in preparing for this folemn occafion, as perhaps it may be the last many of us may partake of. O then let us prepare to keep the feaft in due manner! 1 Cor. xi. 28.-But let a man examine himself, and fo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. TH HESE words contain a mean for preventing of the great evil which men are apt to fall into with respect to the Lord's fupper; and fo for our purpose they offer two things to be confidered. 1. An evil, a great evil, a hainous evil, which men must ufe means to prevent; that is, unworthy communicating. But let a man examine himself, &c. This looks back to the preceding verfe, wherein the apostle had declared unworthy communicants to be "guilty of Chrift's body and blood." But (fays he, to prevent this, and that ye may worthily partake) let a man examine himself, &c. 2. The way to be taken to prevent unworthy commu nicating: Let a man examine himself, and fo let him eat of that bread, &c. A man, every man to whom the golpel comes, and who has access to this ordinance, must examine as the fermons then delivered may be useful on like occafions, whichare not unfrequent, they fhall be inferted at the end of this volume. And the propriety of giving them a place in this work will appear from this confideration, That while the ferious reader is employed in pernfing a difcourfe treating of the nature of the Lord's fupper, in which there is a lively representation of the death of Chrift, our paffover facrificed for us, it will be a profitable exercife for him at the fame time to be thinking of his own death, and to be so numbering his days, that he may apply bis heart unto wisdom. " himfelf, as a judge does a matter of fact, or goldsmiths metals by the touch-stone, to discern what is true and what counterfeit. And fo let him eat; not, And then let him eat, whatever cafe his foul be in; but let him follow out this duty till he find his foul in fome fitness for that ordinance, And fo eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. The text affords this doctrine, viz. DocT. "It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's fupper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to difcern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience, left coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves." Here let us confider, I. What worthinefs to partake is. II. The duty of felf-examination neceffary for worthy receiving of the Lord's fupper. III. The neceffity of this felf-examination. I. Let us confider what worthinefs to partake is. And, 1. What is meant by it. 2. Wherein it confifts. First, Let us confider what is meant by worthiness to partake. 1. Not a legal worthinefs, as if we could deserve it at the hands of God; for when we have done all those things which are commanded us, we must say, We are unprofitable fervants, we have done that which was our duty to do," Luke xvii. 10. Those who are that way worthy in their own eyes, are altogether unworthy: for building their acceptance with the Lord in that ordinance upon their own good qualifications, they fhall meet with Simon's entertainment, Acts viii. 20. "Thy money perifh with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchafed with money ;" for they run quite cross to the end of that ordinance, declaring in effect the death of Chrift to be in vain as to them, Gal. ii. ult. "For if righteousness come by the law, then is Chrift dead in vain." 1 2. But it is a gospel-meetness and fitness for that ordinance. As we are to bring forth fruits meet for repentance," Matth. iii. 8. fo one communicates worthily, when he is fit for receiving that facrament according to the rules of the gospel, comes to it in fuch a manner as Chrift bids and welcomes his guests. And much of that lies in coming with a deep fense of our utter vileness and emptiness, If. Secondly, Wherein does this worthiness to partake confift? I answer, In two things. 1. In habitual meetness for it, in refpect of a gracious ftate. The foul in the black state of nature is utterly unfit for this ordinance, Pfal. v. 5. " The foolish shall not stand in thy fight, thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Such a foul is a dead foul, "dead in trefpaffes and fins," Eph. ii. 1. And a dead man is not fit for a feaft, nor a dead foul for the Lord's table, but rather to be buried out of his fight. And from the Lord's table fuch a one may be ex pected to come away twice dead. 2. In actual meetness, in refpect of a gracious frame. In our addreffes to God, not only life, but livelinefs, is requi fite, Pfal. lxxx. 18. A fleeping man is not fit for a feaft neither; and therefore even a true believer may commu nicate unworthily, as fome in the church of Corinth did, 1 Cor. xi. 30, 32. So it is neceffary that we not only have oil in our veffels, but have our lamps burning, if we would be fit, Cant. i. 12. ry II. Let us confider the duty of self-examination neceffa for worthy receiving of the Lord's fupper. And here, 1. The rule or touchstone by which we must examine. 2. The matter we are to examine ourselves about. First, Let us confider the rule or touchstone by which we muft examine. $ 1. Beware of falfe ones. (1.) The common guife of the world. It is not enough that ye are like neighbour and o ther, aye and better than many, like the Pharifee, Luke xviii. 11. Though an ape be liker a man, than a dog is, yet the one is no more a man than the other. Though mere moralifts and formalifts, are liker true Chriftians than openly profane ones are, yet the one are no more true |