sanctified use of my creature comforts, my fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; "all is mine, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are mine." I have meat to eat that the world knows not of, joy that a stranger doth not intermeddle with.-Let thoughts of these great privileges work in thee, O my soul ! a holy disdain of the pleasures of sense, and the profits of the world; whenever they come in competition with the gains of godliness, and the delights of spiritual life, offer those to them that know no better.

7. Let us set ourselves to think of the communion of saints. This contributes something to our comfort in communion with Christ, that through him, we have fellowship one with another. "So that we being many, are one bread and one body; for Christ died to gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad;" that all migh be one in him in whom we all meet, as many members in one head, so making one body; many branches in one root, so making one vine; and many stones on one foundation, so making one building.

Enlarge thy thoughts, then, O my soul! and let it be a pleasure to thee to think of the relation thou standest in to the whole family, both in heaven and earth, which is named of Jesus Christ; to think that thou art come, in faith, hope, and love, even to the " innumerable company of angels, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." Even these are thy brethren and fellow-servants. Rejoice in thine alliance to them, in their affection to thee, and in the prospect thou hast of being with them shortly, of being with them eternally. Here we sit down with a little handful of weak and imperfect saints, and those mixed with pretenders; but we hope shortly to have a place and a name in the general assembly of the first-born, and to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of our Father," with all the saints, and none but saints, and saints made perfect, and so to be together for ever with the Lord.

Please thyself also, O my soul! with thinking of the spiritual communion thou hast in the acts of Christian piety, and in the exercise of Christian charity, with "all that

66

in every place on this earth call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." Some good Christians there are, that fall within the reach of our personal communion, to whom we give the right hand of fellowship. Others, within the line of our acquaintance and correspondence; and many more whom we know not, nor have ever heard of, never saw, nor are ever likely to see in this world; but all these are our companions in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ." They and we are guided by the same rule, animated by the same spirit, conformed to the same image, interested in the same promises, and joined to the same great body; they and we meet daily at the same throne of grace, under the conduct of the Spirit of adoption, which teaches us all to cry, Abba, Father; and they and we hope to meet shortly at the same throne of glory, under the conduct of the same Jesus, who will gather his elect from the four winds, and present them all together unto the Father. Christ hath prayed, that "all that believe may be one;" and therefore we are sure they are so, for the Father heard him always. Let this subject yield us some delightful thoughts here in a scattered world, and a divided church.

8. Let us set ourselves to think of the happiness of heaven. A pleasant theme this is, very improvable, and pertinent enough to an ordinance which hath so much of heaven in it. If indeed we have heaven in our eye, as our home and rest, and our conversation there, we cannot but have it much upon our hearts. Have we good hope through grace, of being shortly with Christ in the heavenly paradise, where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore,-where we shall see God's glory, and enjoy his love immediately, to our complete and eternal satisfaction? Do we expect that yet a little while the vail shall be rent, the shadows of the evening shall be done away, and we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known? Are we in prospect of a crown of glory that fades not away, an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance?

Raise thy thoughts, then, O my soul! to the joyful contemplation of thy glory to be revealed. Arise, then, and survey this land of promise, as Abraham. Go with Moses to the top of Pisgah, and take a view of it by faith. Get

a Scripture map of that Canaan, and study it well. Think, my soul, what they see in that world, who always behold the face of our Father, and in it see all truth and brightness, and the perfection of beauty. Think what they have there, that eat of the tree of life, and the hidden manna ; whose faculties are enlarged, to take in the full communication of divine love and grace, and who have God himself with them as their God. Think what they are doing there who dwell in God's house, and are still praising him, and rest not day nor night from doing it. Think of the good company that is there, thousands of thousands of blessed angels, and holy souls, with whom we shall have an intimate and undisturbed converse in perfect light and love.

Compare the present state thou art in, my soul, with that thou hopest for; and let it be a pleasure to thee to think, that whatever is here, thy grief and burden shall be there removed and done away for ever. Satan's temptations shall there no more assault thee; thine own corruptions shall there no more insnare thee, the guilt of sin, and doubts about thy spiritual state, shall there no more terrify and perplex thee; no pain, nor sickness, nor sorrow, shall be an alloy to the enjoyments of that world, as they are to those of this world. All tears shall there be wiped away, even those for sin.

On the other side, whatever is here thy delight and pleasure, shall there be perfected. The knowledge of God, joy in him, and communion with him, are here, as it were, thy running banquets; there, they shall be thy continual feast. The work of grace begun in thee, is that which reconciles thee to thyself, and gives thee some pleasure now in thy reflections upon thyself. This work shall be there completed, and the finishing strokes given to it, by the same skilful and happy hand that begun it.

Come now, my soul, and "neglect not the gift that is in thee, but meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them." Be thou in them, as in thy business, as in thine element. Think of the things of the invisible and unchangeable world, till thou findest thyself so affected with them, as even to forget the things that are here below, that are here behind, and look upon them with a holy negligence, that thou

mayest, with great diligence, reach towards "the things that are before, and press towards the mark for the high calling."

II. We must not only meditate, but we must pray, and cry earnestly to God for assistance and acceptance in what we do. When the apostle had reckoned up all the parts of the Christian's armour, he concludes with this, "praying always." Prayer must gird on the whole armour of God; for, without prayer, all our endeavours are vain and ineffectual. Therefore, in our preparations for the Lord's Supper, time must be spent, and pains taken in prayer, for two reasons:

1. Because this is a proper means of quickening ourselves, and stirring up our graces. One duty of religion is of use to dispose and fit us for another; and the most solemn services ought to be approached gradually, and through the outer courts. In prayer, the soul ascends to God, and converseth with him; and thereby the mind is prepared to receive the visits of his grace, and habituated to holy exercises. Even the blessed Jesus prepared himself for the offering up of the great sacrifice by prayer, a long prayer in the house, and strong cryings, with tears, in the garden. Three times was Christ spoken to, while he was here on earth, by voices from heaven, and they all three found him. praying. That at his baptism: "Jesus being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened."-That at his transfiguration: "As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered."—And at a little before his passion, when he was praying, Father, glorify thy name," the voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it," &c. Saul of Tarsus prays, and then sees a vision; and afterwards, Cornelius had his vision when he was at prayer, and Peter his. All which instances, and many the like, suggest to us, that communion with God in prayer prepares and disposes the mind for communion with him in other duties.

2. Because this is the appointed way for fetching in that mercy and grace which God hath promised, and which we stand in need of. In God is our help, and from him is our fruit found; and he hath promised to help us and to give us a new heart, to put his Spirit within us, and to cause us, to walk in his statutes." I will yet for all this be inquired

of by the house of Israel to do it for them." How can we expect the presence of God with us, if we do not invite him by prayer? Or the power of God upon us, if we do not by prayer derive it from him? The greatest blessings are promised to the prayer of faith, but God will not give if we will not ask: why should he?

But what must we pray for, when we draw near to God in this solemn ordinance? Solomon tells us, that both the "preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." To him, therefore, we must apply ourselves for both. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in these prayers, and in it the blessed Spirit "helpeth our infirmities, forasmuch as we know not what to pray for," in this or in any other case, as we ought.

1st, We must pray that we may be prepared for this solemnity before it comes. Whatever is necessary to qualify us for communion with God in it, is spoken of in Scripture as God's gift; and whatever is the matter of God's promise, must be the matter of our prayers; for promises are given, not only to be the ground of our hope, but also to be the guide of our desire in prayer. Is knowledge necessary? Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding," and at wisdom's gates we must wait for wisdom's gifts, rejoicing herein "that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding." Is faith necessary? That is not "of ourselves, it is the gift of God." Him, therefore, we must attend, who is both the author and the finisher of our faith. To him we must pray, Lord, increase our faith: Lord, perfect what is lacking in it: Lord, fulfil the work of faith with power. Is love necessary? It is the "Holy Ghost that sheds abroad that love in our hearts, and circumciseth our hearts to love the Lord our God." To that heavenly fire we must therefore go for this holy spark, and pray for the breath of the Almighty to blow it up into a flame. Is repentance necessary? It is God that gives repentance, that takes away the stony heart, and gives a heart of flesh; and we must beg of him to work that blessed change in us. "Behold the fire and the wood," the ordinance instituted, and all needful provision made for our sacrifice, "but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?" Where is the heart to be of