ground, and all to fatisfy a gnawing appetite after happiness. But there they are as far from their mark as ever. For, though the enjoyment of a luft may pleafe them for a while; yet it is but like a man, eating or drinking in a dream, he awaketh, and behold he is faint, and his foul has appetite, Ifa. xxiv. 8. There is a bitter dreg remaining behind. Striking at this rock for water, they caufe fire to flash out on their faces; and fucking at these breafts, draw out blood instead of milk. Travelling through the barren region of the law for fomething to fatisfy their scorched consciences, they can find nothing but muddy and falt waters, which can give no ease truly fatisfying, but raises the thirft again. For the purging of the confcience is what the law cannot do, Rom. vi. 3.; compared with Heb. ix. 14. What can duties do to the purging of the conscience? Ifa. lxiv. 6. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteoufneffes are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Will mud wash out mud? What can tears do for this end? Without fhedding of blood, there is no remiffion of fins. Even our tears must be washed in the Mediator's blood, or they will defile the confcience, and leave a new stain in it. What can trusting to uncovenanted mercy do? and fuch is the mercy of God in refpect of all who are not in Chrift, Acts, iv. 12. 2 Cor. v. 19. They may make a plafter for their wounded confciences of thefe, they may lay it on,. but all their art can never make it ftick, it will fall off before the wound heal.

WE come now,

II. To explain what the provifion is which Chrift has prepared for the fouls of fuch a famish

ed

1

ed world. This, in a word, is his precious felf; the Maker of the feaft is the matter of it, even Christ crucified; his body broken for us, is that feaft to which hungry fouls are called, and which they are to feed upon: "Take, eat, this is my body broken for you." Gal. ii. 20. "I am crucified with Chrift: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." We have heard of mothers who have eaten their own children, but who ever gave themselves to be meat unto them? But Jefus died that we might live, gave himself to enliven and nourish our fouls. -Let us confider,

1. The meat which is ferved up in this feast for the hungry heart. This is Chrift's body: John, vi. 55: For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." Never was there fuch a coftly feaft in the world as this, Chrift's body broken and bruifed by juftice, that it might be food to us. This is the provifion offered to you all in the word, exhibited to you, O believers in the facrament. And ye may eat, and muft cat of it, or you will perifh: John, vi. 53. "Then Jeius faid unto them, Verily, verily, I fay unto you, Except ye eat the fich of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."Take him by faith, receive him with a faith of application, and unite with him in the covenant; relish the fweetnefs of Chrift, improve every part of Chrift, his low birth, his forrowful' life, his bitter death, his burial, refurrection, and afcenfion to heaven. --Chrift's body is the fat things of this feaft, which will completely fatisfy the hungry heart; fo that thy foul feeding upon it by faith, fhall be filled and fatisfied, like the hungry in fant, when

it

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it is fet to its mother's full breafts: Pfal. lxxxi. 1. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." How can these things be? will an unbelieving world fay. We anfwer, in two things.

(1.) There is a fulness of the spirit of fanctification in him, which is communicated unto all who receive him: John i. 16. « And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for/grace." And the more eagerly that the foul feeds on him, the more of that spirit they receive. The first entering of his fpirit into the foul gives life; the further measure of the fpirit, gives life more abundantly. And there is a double effect of the spirit of fanc tification received from Chrift.-[1.] The fpirit of Christ in the foul dries up the devouring deeps of unmortified defires after the world of lufts, ftops their mouths by ftabbing them to the heart, that the foul may live fpiritually: John, iv. 14. "But whofoever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him, fhall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, fhall be in him a well of water, fpringing up into everlasting life." Never thirst, that is, at the rate he did in his natural state. Gafp they may, as a thief upon the crofs, but they fhail never gape fo wide and fo inceffantly as before, the foul being determined to ftarve them.-[2.] The spirit of Chrift in the foul stirs up holy defires in the heart, which are the predominant motions and affections there: Pfal. xxvii. 4. "One thing have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell in the houfe of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." The man's choice is altered, his defires run in another channel. Sometimes it was, Who will fhew us any good? but now it is, Lord, lift upon us the light of thy countenance, Pfal. iv. 6. Now his longings are

shall

after

after the Lord, Pfal. xlii. 1. and lxiii. 1. His forrowings are for the want of his prefence; his comfort is in enjoying the light of his countenance. If he has a God in Chrift to be his God, you may take from him what ye will: Pfal. Ixxiii. 25. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there' is none in all the earth that I defire befides thee." Let thefe defires be fatisfied, and he is filled as with marrow and fatnefs.

(2.) The fulness of the Godhead is in Chrift: Col. ii. 9. "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." The tabernacle of meeting betwixt God and the finner is the flesh of Chrift; in him they have the enjoyment of God as their God. Taking Chrift by faith, God is their's, for he and the Father are one: thus in Chrift they are complete, Col. ii. 10. They are at the utmost ftretch of their defires as to the fubftance of them; for having God to be their God, they have all. And thus the foul may feed on all the perfections of God: on his power, as their's to protect them; his wisdom, as their's to guide, &c.; on his word and all the promises of it, which are their's. Here there is both plenty and variety. Let us confider,

2. The drink which is afforded at this feast for the thirsty confcience. This is the precious blood of Chrift: John, vi. 55. "My blood is drink indeed." This is that fpiritual drink which is offered in the word, and exhibited in the facrament: "This cup is the New Teftament in my blood." If ever you would have life, you must all drink of this blood, by a believing application of it to your own fouls: Rom. iii. 25." Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to - declare his righteousness, for the remiffion of fins that are paft, through the forbearance of God."

This

This is wines on the lees, well-refined," effectual for purging the confcience of the most guilty creature, when it is believingly applied to the foul: Heb. ix. 14. "How much more fhall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without fpot to God, purge your confcience from dead works to ferve the living God?" This blood is atoning blood, it answers all the de: mands of justice, affords a covert under which a guilty creature may stand before God, and not be condemned: Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus."--It is fin-expiating blood, "fhed for remiffion of fins unto many." Lay all your guilt over on this blood. It will blot out all the items out of the debt-book of justice; it will draw the fting out of your confcience, for which all other perfons and things have been physicians of no value. It is peace-making blood. Lay the weight of your peace with God on it: "Chrift is our peace," Eph. ii. '14.-It is justifying blood; by it is brought in an everlasting righteoufnefs.-It is heaven-opening blood, for time, in accefs to God and communion with him on earth; and for eternity, that believers in it may be ever with the Lord, Heb. x. 19. 20. How can these things be? Why, in one word, this wine is the juice of the choice vine of heaven, it is the blood of the Son of God, and therefore of infinite value, 1 John, i. 16. When the blood of bulls and of goats could avail nothing to cool the heat of fcorched confeiences, when rivers of oil, and the fruit of one's body, could avail nothing for the fin of the foul; the Son of God took on him man's nature, and in that nature died, fhed his precious blood, to be a ransom for elect finners, to deliver them from the pit, Jub, xxxiii. 22.—30. .

WE