edly giving yourselves to him. On every sacramental occasion, the love of Christ should constrain you to renew your solemn vows and engagements to him. He justly claims you, by the right of creation, and by the right of redemption, and by the right of dedication.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. Since the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was appointed to be a memorial of Christ's death, we see a good reason why his pious followers should experience so much comfort, and derive so much benefit from attending it. We seldom read the lives of any pious persons, who do not thankfully mention the spiritual views, affections, and enjoyments they had experienced at the communion table. They speak of their frequently looking forward to it, preparing for it, and finding peculiar light, and joy, and comfort at it. This is easy to believe; for the time, the place, and circumstances of attending the sacrament, are all suited to bring the most glorious objects into view, and to awaken every holy and delightful affection towards them. Of all scenes in this world, the celebration of the memorials of Christ's death bears the liveliest resemblance of the enjoyments of the heavenly world. While christians are separated from the world, and sitting together in heavenly places, they often enjoy the promised presence of Christ, who has told them, that where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he will be in the midst of them. Though his presence be invisible, yet it is sensible, by the happy effects which he produces in their hearts. He exerts his influence in producing faith, and love, and joy, and that peace, which passes all understanding. He gives them to realize what they shall be, and do, and enjoy, when they arrive at the mansions, which he has gone before to prepare for them. He causes them to feel as the apostle John did, when he said, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." It is difficult for christians to keep their hearts in a devout and solemn frame, while they are necessarily employed in the common courses of life; but it is comparatively easy to fix their attention and affections upon spiritual and divine objects, when the world is shut out from them and divine things are clearly brought into view at the table of Christ, where his friends mutually promote each other's holy and devout affections. Indeed, the solemnities of a sacramental occasion, can scarcely fail of

not.

affecting the hearts of all the communicants, whether they are holy, or unholy, and of giving them sensible pain or pleasure. Those who keep their hearts in the love of God, while they sit under the bower of Christ, sit under it with great delight, and his fruit is sweet to their taste, and they joyfully anticipate the glory and blessedness of heaven. They experience the truth of Christ's gracious declaration, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

2. If the sacrament be designed to be a standing memorial of Christ's death, then those who never find any pleasure or satisfaction in attending this sacred ordinance, have reason to fear that they are real enemies to the cross of Christ, and to the whole gospel way of salvation. The whole gospel is founded upon the death of Christ, and if his conduct in coming into the world to suffer and die on the cross, was not an expression of divine wisdom and benevolence, then there is no wisdom or benevolence in the gospel; and all men who despise and reject it are to be justified and approved. But if the death of Christ was the only expedient that infinite wisdom and love could devise, for the recovery and salvation of this guilty and perishing world, then Christ, in coming into the world and dying a propitiatory sacrifice, displayed the highest and purest love in pouring out his soul unto death as a sacrifice and atonement for sin, and in opening the way for God to be just in justifying and pardoning every penitent and believing sinner. Those who do not love Christ for his dying love, hate him for it; and those who hate him for his death, hate the gospel, which is founded upon it. These are truths and objects too great and important to be viewed with indifference; they must be either loved or hated. Christ would not allow that any could be neuters in their feelings and conduct towards him and his gospel. He said, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." Those who love Christ, love the gospel, and take pleasure in commemorating the death of Christ, upon which the gospel is founded. This appears from the very nature of love, which delights in the objects upon which it is placed. And this appears from what they tell us concerning the comfort and benefit they have derived from commemorating the dying love of Christ, and the rich blessings which flow from it. The inference to be drawn from this is too plain to be denied, or doubted, that those who find no pleasure or satisfaction in attending the Lord's supper, are enemies to the cross of Christ, and opposed to the whole scheme of salvation revealed in the gospel. They are as really unqualified to attend the sacrament, as an Egyptian was to

attend the Passover. Though really pious persons may sometimes feel torpid and stupid at the table of Christ, yet this is not always the case. And when this is the case, they feel dif ferently from those who never loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Their stupidity is a burden to them, and they mourn for it; but the graceless rejoice that they are able to maintain their stupidity, and stifle the painful reflections which they have often felt while eating and drinking judgment to themselves. Their stupidity or remorse at the table of Christ, are nevertheless strong indications that they have no right in the sight of God to be where they are, and join externally in celebrating that sovereign and saving grace, which they internally hate and oppose. Their feelings and conduct are both extremely criminal and extremely dangerous, because highly displeasing to Christ, who has expressed his severe displeasure against such insincere professors. "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."

3. If the sacrament be a memorial of Christ's death, then none are duly prepared to observe it, who do not cordially approve of the vindictive justice of God. It was the vindictive justice of God, which rendered the death of Christ necessary, and which it was the design of his death to display. Had not God been possessed of the amiable attribute of vindictive justice, he might have saved sinners without any atonement at all. But he could not exercise pardoning mercy in contrariety to his holy and righteous disposition to punish sin, which he perfectly hated. And this amiable attribute of his nature he displayed, not by the obedience, but by the death of Christ on the cross. "For, says the apostle, "what the law could not do, in that it was weak. through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." God gave a brighter display of his hatred and disposition to punish sin, in the face of Jesus Christ on the cross, than he ever has given, or ever will give, in the punishment of fallen angels, or in the punishment of finally impenitent sinners under the gospel. To commemorate the death of Christ with proper feelings, is virtually to commemorate the brightest display of God's vindictive justice. And none can do this, with an unholy heart, which loves and justifies sin, and hates to see it punished according to its just desert. It is impossible cordially to celebrate the pure, disinterested love of God in sending his Son to die, and the pure, disinterested love of the Son in dying to display divine justice,

without loving that justice which the death of Christ was designed to display, and did display. The grace of God and of Christ displayed in the sacrament, is sovereign grace, and founded upon vindictive justice, and cannot be loved and admired, without loving and admiring the justice upon which it is founded. This, communicants are too apt to overlook, when they celebrate the ordinance, which so strikingly displays divine grace in the face of Jesus Christ.

4. Since the sacrament was appointed to be a standing memorial of Christ's death, it is of great importance to keep up and maintain this sacred ordinance. The continuance of the Christian religion in the world, greatly, if not absolutely, depends upon the continuance of the memorial of Christ's death. If this memorial should cease, Christianity would naturally cease with it. It is principally owing to christians' observing the sacrament, that Christianity has been conveyed down to us from the primitive days of the gospel. If christians had neglected to attend and maintain this sacred ordinance for more than eighteen hundred years past, we have no reason to think that we should ever have heard of the person and death of Christ, or the religion which he taught. We and the whole world are indebted to the church of Christ, for maintaining the memorial of his death, and thereby maintaining his religion among men. We have abundant evidence of this from the well known fact, that in every nation and country, and town and parish, where the sacrament has been long neglected, religion has languished and died. Many seem to think, that it is of no importance to attend the sacrament, only on their own account and for their own personal benefit; but they forget the highest end to be answered by it, and for which it was principally appointed; that is, to show forth Christ's death till he come at the end of time. Those who sincerely love Christ, love his religion, and desire to see it spread and prevail in every part and every age of the world. And for this, above every other reason, they are bound to attend the sacrament, which is absolutely necessary to preserve the very existence of it in the world. I wish to impress this idea so deeply upon every mind, that it cannot be eradicated or forgotten. I have never urged any person to attend the sacrament, without being scripturally prepared; but I have often urged all who are scripturally prepared to attend it, not merely for their own benefit, but for the honor, preservation and promotion of religion from age to age, to the end of the world.

5. If the sacrament be a standing memorial of Christ's death, then we may see how little the gospel is prized by the great body of the Christian world. The gospel is enjoyed by some of the most numerous, most civilized, and most intelligent nations of

the earth; and all who enjoy the gospel, except Jews and infidels, call themselves christians. But what a vast majority of the Christian world, despise and neglect the sacrament of the Lord's supper? And is not this practically rejecting Christ, and his gospel which is founded upon his death? And if despising and rejecting and neglecting the Lord's supper, be a visible evidence of despising and rejecting the gospel, then we have striking evidence how little the gospel is prized by those who enjoy and sit under it. How few professors are there in any denomination of christians, and how clearly does their neglect of the sacrament show how little they prize the gospel, in any part of the christian world! This is a visible criterion, by which Christ meant to distinguish the friends from the enemies of the gospel. He spake the parable of the gospel supper, to mark this distinction, and calls those who excused themselves from coming to his supper, his enemies that would not that he should reign over them. And he expressly said, that he would be ashamed of them who were ashamed to name his name, and observe the standing memorial of his death. Though the general neglect of attending the sacrament may not be a decisive evidence of the want of religion in every one that neglects it, yet it is a decisive evidence that religion is here declining; and that those who neglect attending the memorial of Christ's death, are practically increasing the declension of religion. Let the neglect continue and increase but a few years longer, as it has continued and increased for many years past, and this church, like many others, may become extinct. Where are the rising and middle generation? Are they to be seen at the table of Christ? But very few. How long will they be seen in the house of the Lord, when the table of the Lord shall become neglected and forsaken? If coming to the table of Christ is any evidence of love to him, then neglecting to come is an equal evidence of want of love to him. This evidence against themselves, many are exhibiting from Sabbath to Sabbath, and from sacrament to sacrament.