The paffover was one of the Jewish facraments, which they were to eat after having duly prepared themselves. Now we find,

[2 Chron. xxx.] that "a multitude of people had not cleanfed themselves, yet did they "eat the paffover otherwise than it was writ"ten: but Hezekiah prayed for them, faying, "The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to feek God, the Lord God "of his fathers, though he be not cleanfed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, " and healed the people." From whence it is plain, that if a man does but fet his heart truly to feek God, God will pardon a great many imperfections befides.

But fuppofe a perfon has some reason for staying fome time from this duty; that reafon ought not to hinder him a second time. Hear what God appointed to be done in a like cafe:

The people of Ifrael are strictly commanded [Numb. ix.] to keep the paffover on the fifteenth of the first month; but if any perfon knew himself not prepared, according to the words of the law, to come then; he was not to fail to come the fifteenth of the fecond month, or else that foul was to be cut off. Here is a plain direction.

But, faith another, I do not find myself sufficiently humbled for my fins. But you know whether you defire to be fo; if you do so in

fo

good

good earnest, you ought to go to the facrament; because humility being God's gift, you are fure to find it in his own way.

But I am, fay you, not sure that I can forfake my fins: You are, however, fure that you muft leave them fometime, or you are undone for ever. Something you can do towards it. You can pray to God to enable you; and let any man be affured of this, that he who against his inclinations forces himself to go to the Lord's fupper, purely because he finds himself unable to keep God's commandments, fuch a person is better prepared than he is aware of. Come unto me, faith Chrift, all ye that travail, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.

Here is true faith to come to God, and to depend upon him for help. For be affured, that it is more acceptable to God to do what we can, than to do nothing. This the word of God has decided in that parable where the flothful fervant is fent to a fevere punishment, because he would not ftir one foot to improve his talent, because he was afraid he should not please his lord.

But my heart has deceived me, and I find that, notwithstanding my former purposes, I have fallen into fin. And you defire to know what to do? You fhall be judge yourself: A fon promises his father never to disobey him; but afterwards he does. What is it that the father expects from this fon? Why; that he

fhould

should renew his promife, and endeavour to observe it better afterwards. Why now, God is our Father, and knows our infirmities, and pities us, and loves us more than any man alive can love his fon. And will not he forgive us, as often as we mean well?

This is our comfort in the midft of our imperfections, that God expects no more from us than he will enable us to do; but this he does expect from all of us,—that we be fincere in what we profefs, and that we go to him for help.

By the facrament of baptifm, God is pleafed to enter into covenant with us; we are made Christians, and are dedicated to God almost as soon as we are born. And that we may not lose the benefit of fuch an early dedication, the church of God has provided, that as soon as we are capable of understanding our duty, we fhall make good what was promised for us by folemnly taking it upon ourfelves before the congregation.

Now, because it is poffible for those who have thus engaged themselves to God's fervice to forget their vows; therefore has our Lord appointed another facrament, that of the Lord's fupper, in memory of his death; that in the confcientious ufe of this, men may fatisfy the world and their own confciences that they continue to be members of Christ's church, the children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

But

But that men may not diffemble with God and his church, in coming to this facrament without full purposes of living like Christians, God has declared, that the danger is great of those who shall prefume to receive unworthily; that is, without confidering before, what it is they are going about. They eat and drink their own damnation, not confidering the Lord's body; they kindle God's wrath against them; they provoke him to plague them with divers difeafes, and fundry kinds of death.

Here then is the cafe, and it requires our moft ferious confideration. If we do not receive the facrament of the Lord's fupper, we are no longer Chriftians, and in covenant with God: if we receive it unworthily, we are in danger of God's judgments. So that there is no way for a man to take (who cares what will become of himself) but to endeavour to be a worthy partaker of this holy facrament. To do this, these following things are required of us:

ift. A man muft feriously confider, whether he does in truth defire to be faved? Whether he defires it so much as to take fome pains to be faved?

2dly. He must confider, that no man can be faved, who cannot refolve to leave his fins, and honeftly endeavour to keep God's commandments:-And,

3dly. Because no man can be faved by his own merits, but only by the merits of Chrift; therefore

therefore he is to confider, that it is neceffary to depend entirely upon Chrift for grace to do what is required of us, and to take the way of obtaining this grace which he has appointed.

Now, if I do indeed defire to be faved;-if I can seriously refolve to be at any pains about it;-if I can in good earnest purpose to part with my fins, which are offenfive to God, and which will keep me out of heaven; and if I do purpose in my heart to lead a good life, according to that measure of knowledge and ftrength which God fhall give me; then may I come worthily to the Lord's table;-there I may confidently expect that God will pardon all my former fins for the fake of Jefus Chrift; there I may promise myself new fupplies of grace and strength, to enable me to work out my falvation;-and I may look upon that facrament as a fure pledge, that God will make all his promises good to me, of grace here, and of heaven hereafter.

you

So that fee there is no great learning required to make a perfon a worthy communicant. The great matter lieth in being truly convinced of the danger of continuing in fin, and in poffeffing our fouls with a great defire of pleafing God, and going to heaven.

Nor is it neceffary that a man should have a great deal of time to fpare to fit himself for this duty; for he that is at his labour, and getting bread for his family, if his heart be right, and if he depend upon God for a bleffing, is

doing