revealed them to us by his fpirit; for the spirit fearcheth all things yea, the deep things of God.

Laftly, As this ordinance is appointed for the renewal of the believer's love to the LORD JESUS, and to lay him under the ftrongest motives to obedience and thankfulness; he ought through the whole of the participation, to mingle holy ejaculations and heavenly meditations, that the fire of love may burn upon the altar of his heart before the LORD in his fanctuary. Such as,

"LORD JESUS, as thou haft invited me to draw near to thy "table, to partake of thyself, the bread of life which came down "from Heaven, do thou, this day feaft my foul with marrow "and fatnefs;-enrich my mind with thy bleffing, and com"mand the light of thy countenance to thine upon my foul. "And do thou, as the King, fit at the table, that mine eyes "may behold thee in thy beauty, under the banner of thy love. That when I fee the bread broken and imparted, I may difcern thy facred body wounded for my fins, bruifed "for my iniquities, and receive the impartation thereof as the "bread of life which came down from Heaven, to my fpiritual ❝ nourishment and growth in grace, that my foul may abound in faith, hope, love, and new obedience. When the wine is poured forth, I may by faith, behold thy facred blood, "flowing from thy bleeding heart, to make an atonement, fatisfaction, and propitiation for my guilty foul; that fin "may be fenfibly removed, a pardon fweetly fealed, com"munion with my GoD enjoyed, and my lips be filled with "praises to thy adorable name.

At the table of the LORD, when the bread is broken, the wine poured forth, and imparted, the believer, upon difcerning the LORD's body, and blood by faith, approaches ftill nearer to the LORD, with more folemnity and admiration, and me thinks I hear the humble foul thus,

'The table fpread, my foul fhe fpies
The victim bleed, the SAVIOUR dies
In anguish on the tree;

I hear his dying groans, and prove
His bleeding grace, his dying love,
He dy'd, my foul, for thee.

The table fpread-the royal food,
Is JESU's facred flesh and blood,
A feaft of love divine;

His bleeding heart, his dying groans
His facred blood for fin atones,
Atones, my foul for thine.

Whilft at the table fits the King,
Raptur'd with joy, my foul fhall fing
With an immortal flame;

My SAVIOUR'S grace I'll ftill adore,
With joy I'll love him more and more,
And blefs his facred name.

'Tis thus, my foul by faith is fed
On Angel's food, with living bread,
With manna from above;

On facred flesh, on dying blood,
I feaft, till I am full of GOD,
And drink the wine of love.

It is an early antipast,
Of heav'nly blifs it is a taste,

A tafte on earthly ground;
If here fo fweet-if here we prove
Seraphic joy,-celeftial love,

In Heav'n what will be found?

"Bleffed JESUS, whom my foul adores! when shall I fee "thy lovely face; when, O when, fhall I gaze upon thy "matchlefs beauties, thy tranfcendent glories, and fee thee "face to face, in whom all the perfections and glories of the "Deity fhine with fuch fplendid beams, as dazzle the eyes of "the brightest Seraphs around the throne! When shall I fee "thee, whofe refulgent rays fpread infinite glory and grandeur through the heavenly empire, before whom the Angels caft "their crowns, and Saints on high adore thy name in fongs to "us yet unknown! O when, dear JESUS fhall I join the "heavenly choir, and fing the fong for ever new! When "fhall I gaze with ftrengthened fight on thy immortal glories, "and fing in notes more fublime than Angels do around the "throne; For,

"Nothing but glory can fuffice

"The appetite of grace;

"I long for CHRIST with reftlefs eyes,
"I languish for his face.

"Amen, even fo come Lord Jefus, come quickly."

WATTS.

Friendly. This divine feaft of the heavenly Bridegroom delights my foul, and attracts my heart to be a partaker of this royal privilege of God's houfe; but what preparation is meet for this enjoyment?

Truth. The understanding divinely enlightened, fo as to fee the worth, value, and end of it; and a fpiritual appetite to feed thereon.

Friendly. May I then approach the table of my LORD with this qualification only?

Truth. Yes; this is all that GOD requires; and he doth not require this as a condition to be performed by the creature, but gives it as a blessing of the new-covenant to his children, that thereby they might be prepared by divine grace, for that feast, which he has, in infinite wisdom and kindneís, prepared for them, Phil. ii. 13. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Friendly. But do not writers upon this subject speak much of fuch a measure of preparation before the perfon is fit to partake thereof?

Truth. Yes, much more than GOD has commanded them. Surely never did pious Minifters fo mifs a fubject as many have this; efpecially in their directions for a preparation,-enjoyment in it,—and comfort after it. In their preparation for it, they are frequently exhorting the creature to prepare itself by a round of duties. Alas! what must the poor weak backfliding believer do, that has no heart to duties? Befides, the preparation of the heart is not in the creature's, or the Chriftian's power; it is the LORD's work, and, in which he claims a fole prerogative. Prov. xvi. 1. The preparation of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. And fays the Prophet, Jer. x. 23. O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his fteps: Therefore the Chriftian ought to be directed, to look to the LORD for a divine preparation to wait upon him at his table; for it is He alone that can restore a loft appetite of foul, and revive it with fpiritual defires, fo as to enjoy com munion with him at his own feaft. The believer must not be directed as though it were in his power to prepare his own heart for the ordinance, fo as to make it comfortable to him, in the administration, and refrefing afterwards in the reflection upon it: This is to turn (as much as poffible) the glorious gift of Heaven, and the happiness of the Saints, into a kind of bondage; and it is no wonder, under this legal idea, that fo many of God's own children are diftreffed at the feaft

of the

GREAT KING. The only preparation that I know of, is a fpiritual defire to enjoy it, difcerning the LORD's body, dependence upon CHRIST for comfort therein, and holy thankfulness in life and converfation for the enjoyment thereof.

Friendly. But is it not our duty to use means?

Truth. Yes, and our ineftimable privilege that we have them to ufe; but, let us be careful that we never fix our hopes, either of comfort here, or Heaven hereafter, upon our duties; let us have no further dependence upon them, but as means to lead us to an acquaintance with CHRIST, and establifhment in him; through them all, let our faith be fixed on JESUS, then duties of every kind are not only precious, but our fouls are fafe; this is the end for which God hath ordained them.

Friendly. But is it my duty to partake of the LORD'S Supper, when my heart is in a dull and difconfolate frame?

Truth. Yes, as it is the moft animating and enlivening means that God hath provided for the confolation of his people: What can be more moving and melting than a view of the SAVIOUR'S bleeding heart and dying fufferings? What more reviving than a draught of love, which is better than wine? Friendly. But fuppofing I receive no comfort in partaking of the LORD's Supper, is it my duty to attend again?

Truth. Yes; as ordinances are the pofitive inftitutions of Zion's KING, and the appointed means for comfort, it is the believer's duty to attend thereupon, and wait the LORD'S fovereign pleasure for comfort and confolation: They are the divine channels and windows of his grace, but are not conftantly bank full, neither does the KING always fit in the window; but as he has faid, Do this in remembrance of me, no doubt but the LORD JESUS will remember that foul who has a regard to his ways. As it highly behoves the believing foul, out of love and gratitude, to follow the Lamb of God in all his appointed ways, fo let him remember, that CHRIST makes rich knowledge known to his people, even in his abfence, by making them fenfible of the worth of his Divine prefence and favour, humbling them for their unkind behaviour to him, and making them the more earneft and importunate to enjoy communion with Him.

Friendly. But I have obferved fome Chriftians, that seem to pay a great regard to the ways of CHRIST, i, e. to hearing, reading, and prayer, and yet do not feem concerned about partaking of this Supper?

Truth. Yes; there are fome, whom I believe are real

Christians, yet act in this respect, very ungrateful to the Lord of Life and Glory, by thus flighting the folemn inftitution of his death; notwithstanding he hath faid unto them, Do this in remembrance of me. And how they can ftand it out against the command of a Dying Lord, is not only furprising, but methinks I fee their guardian angels blufh over them, that they fhould be fo backward to commemorate the bleeding love of HIM who has died to fave, and ever lives to make interceffion for them. They wrong their own fouls, practically defpife the filver ftreams of divine confolation, and flight the promises of their God, who has promifed to meet them that remember him in his ways, Ifa. liv. 5. In fhort, I think, they may be ranked among thofe that tempt the MOST HIGH, for they expect God to comfort and fave them in a way that he has never promifed: the confolations of the HOLY GHOST are infeparably connected with obedience to his ways; though I do not fay, as fome do, that our comfort depends upon our obedience; no, for fuch an idea makes falvation to depend partly upon works of righteoufnefs which we have done: But this I fay, that a disobedient child of God, has no true foundation to expect confolation in his foul; for he that would abound in hope, through the power of the HOLY GHOST, must follow the LAMB whitherfoever he goes: end and means are clofely connected, and he that doth not regard the inftitutions of GoD's houfe, doth in actions reflect upon the wildom of GOD in appointing, his love difplayed in, and that comfort and establishment which is communicated through them.

Friendly. But may not a believer, through fear of not being qualified, abstain from the ordinance of the LORD's Supper?

Truth. Yes, he may; but then the believer ought to know, that an humble defire to partake thereof, with a view to enjoy the prefence and grace of CHRIST therein, is all that is required, which qualification, I think, a Christian is hardly ever without. And if the believer wants more faith, life, comfort, zeal, and fpirit for GoD, where can he more expect to enjoy thefe diftinguishing favours, but at the feaft of the great King, where the fountain freely flows, through the death of a cruc fied SAVIOUR, with all the fweets of God's falvation; for the death of JESUS is the royal channel of JEHOVAH's grace, which contains the boundless fea of his everlasting love. His love finds vent and free communication through the wounds and bleeding heart of a crucified SAVIOUR, and made him fay, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is fhed for you: this do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me; for as eften