ftrengthened, and my languifhing graces revived. O let the author of spiritual life uphold and preferve life in my foul. Inflame my coldness with the fire of thy love, foften my hardnefs with the dew of thy grace, enlighten my blindness with a beam of thy light, and anoint my blind eyes with thy eye-falve. Let thy compaffion pity my vilenefs, let thy mercy pardon my finfulness, let thy wisdom enlighten my darknefs, and let thy strength fupport my weakness. Oh will the head let a member perifh? Shall a branch wither for want of juice? Thou art the true vine: O communicate fap and influence to my languishing foul. Lord, art thou not as willing to beftow the fruit of thy blood on us, as to thed it for us? Art thou not a ready phyfician, willing to be employed by diseased fouls? Doft thou not bestow thy cures without money, and without price? Lord, here is work for thee, a Job full of boils, à Lazarus over-run with fores, as poor a patient as ever came to the phyfician's door; yet if I could but touch. the border of thy garment, or get but one word from thee, I fhould be made whole: Oh, fay unto me, Be it unto thee even as thou wilt."

14. Pray for a willing and cheerful heart in perform ing this and all other duties. "Oh, did my Saviour fo cheerfully undertake to fuffer for me, and fhall I be flothful and carelefs in approaching to him? Did he

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go fo willingly to the cross to die for me, and fhall I be fo backward to go to the communion-table to remember his death? Lord, make me "run in the thy commandments; and let me pray, hear, and communicate with freedom and enlargement of heart. O draw my heart to thee, and let it be carried on with more unweariednefs and chearfulness in thy service. Send forth the gales of thy Spirit, that may "make my foul like the chariots of Amminadib."

15. Pray for nearness and communion with God in his ordinances, and especially at the communion-table. "Lord, what will a communion-feaft avail me without communion with Chrift in it. I go not there for bread and wine, but to fee Jefus. What are the elements to me without Chrift's prefence? Nothing but this can fatisfy me Lord, what wilt thou give me, if I go from VOL. I.

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thy table Chriftlefs? Shall I go away empty from a treafure, hungry from a feaft, dry from a fountain, cold from the fun, comfortlefs from the comforter? Lord, stand not at a distance behind the wall; fhew thyself through the lattice of thy ordinance, and let me fee the goings of my God and my King in his fanctuary. Lord, do thou not only ftand and knock, but do thou also open the door of my heart; vouchfafe to come in and abide with me, yea, fup with me, and let me fup with thee, that I may be abundantly fatisfied with the fatness of thy house, and drink of the rivers of thy pleasures. And when "the King fitteth at his table, let my spikenard fend forth the fmell thereof." Defcend into my heart by the influences of thy grace, and let me afcend to thee by the breathings of faith, love, and defire. Lord, make this feaft a type and earneft of that eternal banquet above; and let me enjoy thy lightfome reviving company in the ftate of my pilgrimage. O let Chrift appear and be known of me in the breaking of bread: O let him kifs me with the kiffes of his mouth, for his love is better than wine."

Cry importunately to God at this time; fay, "I will not let thee go till thou blefs me: If thy prefence go not with me, carry me not up hence. Wilt thou not relieve an importunate beggar, and hear the cry of a needy fupplicant? Lord, open rivers in the wilderness, and ftreams in the defert. Let Jordan, at this season, overflow all its banks, and let all the dry roots of thy people be watered. And, O let me come from thy table with my pardon fealed, my corruptions fubdued, my graces quickened, my faith strengthened, my refolutions confirmed, my heart enlarged, and my foul refrefhed and encouraged to run the ways of thy commandments, and fo infeparably united unto thee, that no temptation may be able to diffolve the union." O for the fpirit of grace and fupplication at such a time! for it is the praying and wrestling foul that will be the joyful and praifing communicant.

DIRECT.

DIRECT. XV. After you have done your utmost for preparing yourselves for the Lord's Table, fee that ye lay no stress thereupon, but wholly distrust your own Preparations.

O COMMUNICANTS, when you have made the greatest preparations poffible, by felf-examination, repentance, prayer, &c. fay, after all, we are but unprofitable fervants. The greateft ftrefs and difficulty of the Chriftian life lieth in this, to be diligent in duty, and yet wholly denied to our duties. Learn then this great point in Chriftianity, to diftruft all your preparations, and caft yourselves wholly on Chrift for affistance, as if you had done nothing at all; faying, it is only in the Lord that I have righteousness and frength. You ought to do as King Afa did, who, though he had raifed a prodigious army of five hundred thoufand, all mighty men of valour, to fight against the Ethiopians; yet he cried to the Lord, and trufted in him for help, as if he had been left alone without one man to fight for him: For, after all his great preparations, it is recorded of him, 2 Chron. xiv. 8, 11, "And Afa cried to the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God; for we reft on thee, and in thy name go out against this multitude." So let every communicant fay, "Lord, all my ftrength and preparations are nought; I have no power for celebrating this feaft. Help me, O Lord my God; for I reft on thee, and in thy name I go to this great and weighty ordinance." The foul is never fo well prepared, as when it is most fenfible of its own weaknefs, and relies on the Redeemer's ftrength: "When I am weak (fays the apostle) then am I ftrong." And hence it is faid of the ancient worthies, Heb. xi. " Out of weakness, (i. e. felt and apprehended) they were made ftrong. The gaudy flower, that ftands and grows on its own ftalk, doth quickly wither and decay; when the plain ivy, that hangs and leans on the house, is fresh and green all 3 R 2

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the year. We ought then to be denied to ourselves, and write after David's copy, who looked to the Lord both for affiftance and acceptance in all his duties, Pfal. lxxi. 16. "I will go in the ftrength of the Lord, I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only."

A man may in words disclaim the opinion of merit and worth in his duties and preparations, and yet, in his heart and secret practice, put fome truft in them; for there are practical papifts as well as practical atheifts. Hence God warns us against this inward trust and fecret popery, Deut. ix. 4. "Say not, in thine heart, this is for my righteoufnefs." Though with our tongues we do not plead for merit, yet there may be a faying it in the heart; and God doth well underftand the language of the heart. Let us therefore look well to our hearts, when we have done our utmost in duty, and by way of preparation for this ordinance, that we be wholly denied to all, and cherish the thoughts of our own nothingness, according to Christ's noble rule, Luke xvii. 10. "When ye have done all, fay, we are unprofitable fervants." David owns he had nothing to plead when he had done all: For, fays he, "Of thine own, Lord, have we given thee," i Chron. xxix. 14. Of this denied temper was Nehemiah alfo; for, when he had done all for God and his temple that he could, he makes free grace his only plea with God, Neh. xiii. 22. "I commanded the Levites to cleanse themselves," &c. "Remember me, O my God, concerning this also ; and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy." Whatever good things he had done, yet he depends on none of them, but pleads, "Spare me, according to the greatness of thy mercy." Hence alfo Paul wholly dif claimed his own righteousness, and that not only while he was a Pharifee, but even when he was a Christian and renewed man; I account all things lofs but for Christ. O this is a noble attainment, but not eafily come at. Mr Fox ufed to fay, "He was more afraid of his grace, than of his fins," because he found himself in fuch dan ger by them to be puffed up, and tempted to self-confidence. Let us then be denied to our own attainments in preparation for this folemn ordinance, if we would

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be accepted of God: For that man comes to God most worthy, that comes moft fenfible of his own unworthinefs. So much for the first head of the directions, how to prepare for a communion-fabbath before it come. I proceed now to the fecond head, to give directions how to spend it, when it doth.

CHAP. II.

Containing DIRECTIONS for the right spending a Communion-Sabbath when it is come.

DIRECTION I.

EE that you rife fooner this morning than ordi

hand. And, while you are rifing and putting on your clothes, let your minds be filled with fuitable meditations and ejaculations.

Think what a privilege it is, that "your eyes fee fuch days of the Son of man, which many prophets and kings defired to fee, and might not." O that I may be thankful, and may not abufe my mercy! This is a great day; O that it may be a good day to my foul, even a day in God's courts, and in god's prefence, that will be better and sweeter to me than a thousand!

Again think, this may be the last communion day that ever I may fee on earth: This may be the last time that I fhall" drink of the fruit of the vine at a communiontable." It may be the last offer that I fhall get of the water of life; O that I may improve it well! Perhaps feverals who faw the laft communion where I am gcing, and also drank with me of the facramental cup, have now a cup of the red wine of God's vengeance put into their hands, and are eternally finking or swimming in the brimless and bottomlefs ocean of God's wrath; God keep me from unworthy communicating this day, left that be my lot before the next facrament. But, on the other hand, it may be there are fome who

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