St. Chryfoftom, ftand round about the Altar, and while the Minister of the Ordinance is praifing him, that lives for ever and ever, fall down at the fame time rejoycing at the Bleflings and the Manna which falls down from Heaven on the Children of Men; fo that here we may cry out, as the Patriarch did of Bethel, How dreadful is this place.

The Preceding Confiderations reduced to Practice.

"TH

THIS Sacrament being a Feast, prepared by the greatest Prince for his Servants, thofe Servants muft needs be inexcufable, that refuse to give their attendance here. I do not deny, but there may be just Excuses, and lawful Causes of our Abfence, fuch as Sicknefs, Weakness, Faintness, and Diftempers, Pains, Aches, and fome fudden Accidents and Difafters, which will not fuffer us to fix our thoughts on fo reverend an Ordinance; but these happening against our Wills,and importing no wilful neglect, God bears with us, under fuch Circumftances; but to act as if we did not hear our Master call, and to fuffer the World to put a stop to our coming; to be fo enamour'd with our Profits and fenfual Satiffactions, as not to think our felves concern'd in the Duty; to refuse approaching, because we are loth to be at the pains of fearching our Hearts, and trying our ways; to neglect coming, because we are loth to fequefter our Thoughts from Sublunary Objects, and to part with our Sins; to abfent our felves, because we relish the enjoyments of this Life, before this Celestial Food; this is to flight what God esteems, and to fpurn at the greatest Mercy; this is to thruft away Salvation, as if it were worth nothing, and to undervalue the pains God takes to bring us to himself; and what God muft think of fuch Scorners, I need not tell you, for your felves may guefs, except you believe God to be Stone or Stock, how he must resent it; and one would think, it should cause

cause fome fad thoughts within you, if you believe what he faith, Sam. 2. 30. They that love me, I will hongur, but they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed.

H. When the Church invites us to this Feaft, we muft fuppofe, that our Lord himself makes an Addrefs to us, as it is in Matth. 22. 4. Behold, I have prepared my Dinner, my Oxen and my Farlings are killed, and all things are ready, come ye to the Marriage. This Holy Ordinance is the Marriage Feaft, which declares our being joyned to the Son of God, the King immortal, invisible, blessed for evermore. Hearken therefore, O Daughter,and confider, forget alfo thine own People, and thy Fathers House, fo fhall the King greatly defire thy Beduty, for he is thy Lord,and wor Ship thou him. This Feaft requires fuitable Garments, not Tyrian Purple, not Perfian Silks, nor that outward adorning with broider'd Hair, or Gold, or Pearl, or coftly Array, but the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit, which in the fight of God is of great price. A Garment of Sackcloth is a more glorious fight in the Eyes of him, who is the Master of this Feaft, than all the bravery of the tinkling Ornaments of the Daughters of Sion, and a Contrite Heart invites his gracious Afpect; and this the primitive Believers were fo fenfible of,that before their coming to this Feaft, they humbled their Souls with Fafting; and as courfe and uncomely as this Garb appears to fenfual Men, yet He that is the lofty and Holy one, who inhabits Eternity, hath declared his liking and approbation of it, For to that Man will I look, who is of an humble and a contrite Spirit, and trembles at my word, Ef. 66. 2. El. 57. 15. We read of a Garment of Praife too, Ef. 61. 3. a Garment, which the Angels of Light are adorned and deckt withal, a Garb fo pleafing, that the Eternal Father fmiles on them, and it smells Tweeter than that of Efau ; God, like old Ifaac, takes notice of it, and bleffes them. St. Paul understood this, and wore it conftantly. Hence it is, that we find him fo liberal in praising the Cross of Chrift with this he seems always tranfported, and he feldom talks of Chrift without Raptures, an Object upon which

"

7

the thought he could never fay enough. Being rapt up into the Third Heaven, he had heard the melodious Voice of the four and twenty Elders, and the new Song, they fung to the Lamb that was flain; Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the Seals thereof, for thou wast •stain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue and people, and nation, Rev. 5. 9. and he could not have a better Pattern. And now that we make us

1

fpeak of Garments, thelcome Guests at

this Table, we must not forget the Garment or Ornament of good Works, which St. Paul takes notice of, 1 Tim. 2 10. Thefe are the fhining Robes our Souls muft be ambitious of; these adorn our Profeflion, charm Spetators, attract Followers, and are apt to make People in love with goodness: And what is more, change us into the fame Image with the Author and Finisher of our Faith, whofe Providence and Imployment was, going about and doing good, as we are told, Alt 10 38. and confequently this cannot but be a proper Ornament, to appear in, at this Banquet: And of this nature is the white Garment we read of Ecclef. 9. 8. or the Garment of Innocence and Purity, whereby we hate the Garment Spotted by the Flesh, and keep Confciences void of offence toward God and toward Men. In these Garbs we may boldly fhew our felves at the Table of our Lord, and expect the fame Welcome, that the Spouse received in the Canticles, Cant. 4. 10, 11. How fair is thy Love, my Sifter, my Spouse! how much better is thy Love than Wine, and the fmell of all thine Ointments, than all Spices! Thy Lips, O my Spouse, dro as the Honey-comb; Honey and Milk are under thy Tongue, and the smell of thy Garments is like the fmell of Lebanon.besides doyunds doll

The P R A YEAR

Holy and merciful Saviour, merciful beyond example, who treateft me as thy Child, haft prepared a Table for me, and made my Cup run over! Be thou my Shepherd, let me want no Grace, no Mercy, no Affiftance that's neceffary.

for

for me in the profecuting of mine Eternal Happiness. Drefs me with thy Robes, adorn me with the Enfigns of thy Favour. Let me rejoice at the Supper thou hast prepared for me. Teach me to entertain thy Call with gladness. Let me fee clearly what thou haft prepared for them that love thee. Thou knoweft my fubborn and lazy Heart, rouze it from its flumber; melt it by the fire of thy love; breath upon thefe dry Bones, and they fhall live: Let me not with Efau prefer a morfel of Bread, eaten in fecret, before my Birth-right to Eternal Glo

ry.

Let me confider thy Condefcention in inviting fuch a Wretch to fup with thee. Let not the evil examples I fee before me, be any temptation to me. Uphold me by thy right Hand. Let me dread thine Anger, and count it a greater difgrace to be defpifed by thee, than to be made the filth and off-scouring of all things. Give me a just esteem of thy favour, let me prefer it before all the Contents of this prefent World. Let me feel that thy loving kindness is better than Life, this Life will fade away, but thy Mercy endureth for ever. Let Goodness and Mercy follow me all the days of my Life, dwell in thy Houfe for ever.

Amen.

and make me

CHA P. II.

Of the Mystery of Chrift's Inftituting this Sacrament, in that very Night in which he was betray'd.

The CONTENTS,

The Treachery of Judas: His Character, and how That is imitated by Nominal Chriftians at this day. Chrift betray'd to wicked Men and to Devils; betray'd partly for filthy Lucre, partly for his unchangeable Integrity. The fame is ftill done by Hypocrites in Religion. This Sacrament inftituted that very Night, when he was betray'd, for

three

three Reasons. The different appearances of Sin when Surveyed flightly, and when confidered in its Designs and Tendencies. While we deteft the Treafon of Judas, we are to take heed, we do not become guilty of the fame Crime. The Prayer.

T

1.Hough in the firft Chapter I have already hinted the reason why Chrift made ufe of the Night, to inftitute this Holy Sacrament, yet the Evangelifts laying an Emphasis or weight upon his inftituting of it that Night in which he was betray'd, it's fit we fhould fearch into the Mystery of it: But before we can do this, fome Circumstances of that Treafon must be confider'd, which will give light to Chrift's defign in pitching upon that time, and no other. The Person that did venture on this height of Impiety, was Judas Iscariot, a Man, who, by this Treafon, hath indeed left an everlafting Name behind him, but fuch an one, as all Ages must deteft, and talk of with greater Indignation than the Heathens did of Heroftratus, who, to make himself illuftrious by doing mischief, burnt the famous Temple of Diana: By this Man, the ever-blessed JESUS was betray'd; and if you will allow me to give a true Character of him, fome of us in this Glass may see their own Treachery and Deformity:

1. He was betray'd by one, who made profession of Religion, but was a Hypocrite, i. e. his Actions contradicted his Profeffion, profeffing one thing, he did another, and feeming to be good, he proved a Devil. Hypocrifie at this day makes Men Traitors to Chrift, even their coming to the Temple of the Lord, and adhering to their known Sins, their frequenting the Ordinances of God, and being unconcern'd at his Promises and Threatnings; their believing the Articles of Religion, and acting contrary to the defign of them; their finding fault with thofe Sins in others, which they have no aversion from in themselves; their fpeaking honourably of God with their Lips, and difpenfing with Affronts, put upon