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of your heavenly King with a cold refusal ? Are you still framing excuses when you should accept it with joy and thankfulness? If neither the pious duty of remembering your Saviour's death, neither the opportunity of strengthening your souls, nor of uniting with Christian brethren in the bonds of charity, can prevail to bring you to the passover of the New Testament, listen at least with seriousness to the last argument which I shall offer; and, having heard it, reflect whether you can still refuse to come without abandoning all claim to the title of Christians; and to that salvation which the name implies. It is this, Christ, our Passover, commanded all his disciples to partake of this holy sacrament; and the command is given in language as positive as he ever made use of, "this do in remembrance of me, drink ye all of it." It was given too under circumstances which should induce us by every consideration of gratitude and affection to obey it without hesitation. One night only remained before his hour came ; that fearful hour, when the deepest distress and agony of which the body and soul of man is capable, was to be undergone; it

was whilst he looked forward to this hour with a full knowledge of its bitterness, yet with a solemn and a touching patience, that calling the bread of the communion his body, about to be pierced and broken for our salvation, he gave it them, saying, “this do in remembrance of me." That calling the wine his blood "that is shed for the remission of sins," he said " drink ye all of this!" of what must that person's heart be made, who can slight and disobey a command given by such a friend and at such an hour?

How can we hope to receive the benefits of this his precious bloodshedding, if we cannot resolve to bring it to our remembrance, as our dying Saviour has required? Add to these reflections that most important consideration, that he who did all this for our salvation, he who requested this of us almost with his dying breath, he who has laid it upon us as a positive commandment and decree-is Emmanuel, the mighty God, the everlasting Father. See therefore that ye refuse not him that speaketh."

SERMON XIX.

ON THE LORD'S SUPPER.

1 COR. xi. 28.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.

IF it be granted that to partake of the sacrament of the Lord's supper is no less a Christian's duty, than to obey any other commandment of his divine master, the reasons which prevail upon many to neglect this part of their religious service should be indeed strong, and grounded upon evident authority of scripture. That the excuses generally made are both weak and unwarranted, it may be necessary, but it will not be difficult to maintain.

Those who allow their obligation to partake of the communion at some period of

their lives, must, during their present disobedience, satisfy themselves that it is good and right to refuse it; having an intention before death to return, on this point also, to their duty. Now, not to mention the possibility that they may be snatched away by death before they have an opportunity to receive the sacrament at all; being thus set before the face of their Judge under all the guilt of having disobeyed his last commandment; such persons may be asked whether they understand the meaning and purpose of this holy sacrament. Why are we told to do this in remembrance of our crucified Lord? —why did he say "do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me?"- Not surely that we should recal him to our minds upon a death-bed, when a few hours or minutes must show him to us as he is; but that the frequent, solemn, and regular recceiving of the sanctified bread and wine might breed in us an abiding and affectionate recollection of his exceeding great love to sinners; and that such recollection might excite us to a zealous imitation of

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our master, an active obedience, and an abundant manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit. To suppose that this sacrament will act as a charm, to fit for heaven a soul which has spent its time of earthly trial in making provision for the flesh, is an error most absurd and mischievous. ther is it to be viewed as a sign or practical declaration of a certain advancement which the Christian may have made in grace. A sign it is, and mark of our profession; but we profess no more than our intention and unfeigned desire to live by God's help as becomes the redeemed of the Lord: if we have already received grace so to walk, we give praise to the Giver of all goodness in silence and in fear: if we be weak in faith, and our desire stem with difficulty the flood of inbred corruption, we seek in the Lord's supper that "strength" which "is perfect in our weakness." Nor is it possible to conceive a service, in our present circumstances, better adapted to that end. The bread broken, and the wine poured out, at this holy feast, bring to our minds, in many

a 2 Corinthians, xix. 9.

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