ordinance, must be exhorted to qualify themselves, and then come. 2. Those who, through grace, are

in some measure meet for this ordinance, must be exhorted speedily to enter themselves. 3. Those who

have entered themselves, must be exhorted to be constant in their attendance upon it.

1. I must apply myself to those that, by their ignorance, profaneness, irreligion, or reigning worldliness, put a bar in their own way, and may not be admitted to this ordinance. If these lines should fall under the eye of any such, let them know I have a message to them from God, and I must deliver it, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

Dost thou live a carnal wicked life, in the service of sin and Satan, without fear, and without God in the world? Light is come into the world, and dost. thou love darkness rather, not knowing nor desiring to know the way of the Lord, and the judgment of thy God? Art thou a drunkard, a swearer, a Sabbath-breaker? Art thou an adulterer, fornicator, or unclean person? Art thou a liar, a deceiver, a railer, or a contentious person? Art thou a mere drudge to the world, or a slave to any base lust? Doth thy own conscience tell thee thou art the man, or would it not tell thee so, if thou wouldst suffer it to deal faithfully with thee?

(1.) Know then, that thou hast no part nor lot in this matter; whilst thou continuest thus, thou art not an invited guest to this feast; the servants dare not bid thee welcome, for they know the Master will not, but will ask thee, "Friend, how camest thou in hither? What hast thou to do to take God's covenant and the seal of it into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction?" Read that scripture, and hear God speaking to thee in it: "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs." Thou art forbidden to touch these sacred things with thine unhallowed hands: for "what communion hath Christ with Belial?" If thou thrust thyself upon this ordinance, whilst thou continuest under such a character, instead of doing honour to the Lord Jesus, thou

puttest a daring affront upon him, as if he were altogether such a one as thyself; instead of deriving any true comfort to thy own soul, thou dost but aggravate thy guilt and condemnation; thy heart will be more hardened, thy conscience more seared, Satan's strong holds more fortified, and thou eatest and drinkest judgment to thyself, not discerning the Lord's body; nor puttest a difference between this bread and other bread; but trampling under foot the blood of the covenant, as a profane and common thing.

(2.) Know also, that thy condition is very miserable whilst thou debarrest thyself from this ordinance, and art, as polluted, put from this priesthood. How light soever thou mayest make of it, this is not a small portion of thy miseries, that thou shuttest thyself out of covenant and communion with the God that made thee; and, in effect, disclaimest any interest in the Christ that bought thee, as if thou hadst taken the devils' words out of their mouths, "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?" And if thou persist in it, so shall thy doom be; thou thyself hast decided it. If now it be as nothing to thee, to be separated from the sheep of Christ, and excluded from their green pastures, yet it will be something shortly, when thou shalt accordingly have thy place among the goats, and thy lot with them for ever. Thou thinkest it no loss now to want the cup of blessing, because thou preferrest the cup of drunkenness before it; but what dost thou think of the cup of trembling, that will ere long be put into thy hand if thou repent not? Thou hast no desire to the wine of the love of God, but rather choosest the puddle water of sensual pleasures; but canst thou "drink of the wine of the wrath of God," which shall be poured out without mixture in the presence of the Lamb? Thou thinkest thyself easy and happy, that thou art not under the bonds and checks of this ordinance; but dost thou not see thyself extremely miserable, whilst thou hast no right to the blessings and comforts of this ordinance? If there were not another life after this, thou mightest have some colour

for blessing thyself thus in thine own wicked way; (and yet, if so, I should see no cause to envy thee;) but, wretched soul, "what wilt thou do in the day of visitation?" Thou that joinest thyself with the sinners in Zion, and choosest them for thy people, "Canst thou dwell with devouring fire? Canst thou inhabit everlasting burnings?" May God by his grace open thine eyes, and give thee to see thy misery and danger before it be too late!

(3.) Yet know, that though thy condition is very sad, it is not desperate. Thou hast space yet given thee to repent, and grace offered thee. O refuse not that grace, slip not that opportunity! Leave thy sins, and turn unto God in Christ; cast away from thee all thy transgressions, make thee a new heart, begin a new life, forsake the foolish, and live to some purpose, and go in the way of understanding: and then in wisdom's name, I am to tell thee, that notwithstanding all thy former follies, thou art welcome to her house, welcome to her table, freely welcome to "eat of her bread, and to drink of the wine which she hath mingled." "Now at least, now at last, in this thy day, know the things that belong to thy peace;" be wise for thyself, be wise for thine own soul, and cheat not thyself into thine own ruin.

Poor sinner! I pity thee, I would gladly help thee; the Lord pity thee and help thee! He will, if thou wilt pity thyself, and help thyself. Wilt thou be persuaded by one that wishes thee well, to exchange the service of sin, which is perfect slavery, for the service of God, which is perfect liberty? to exchange the base and sordid pleasures of a sensual life, which level thee with the beasts, for the pure and refined pleasures of a spiritual and divine life, which will raise thee to a communion with the holy angels? I am confident thou wilt quickly find it a blessed change. "Awake, shake thyself from the dust, loose thyself from the bands of thy neck." Give up thyself in sincerity to Jesus Christ, and then come and feast with him: thou shalt then have in this ordinance the pledges of his favour, assurances of

thy reconciliation to him, and acceptance with him, and all shall be well, for it shall end everlastingly well.

2. I must next apply myself to those, who, having a competent knowledge in the things of God, and making a justifiable profession of Christ's holy religion, cannot be denied admission to this ordinance, and yet deny themselves the benefit and comfort of it. Such are hereby exhorted, without further delay, solemnly to give up their names to the Lord Jesus, in and by this sacrament. Hear Hezekiah's summons to the passover: "Yield yourselves unto the Lord, give the hand unto the Lord;"-so the Hebrew phrase is: join yourselves to him in the bond of the covenant, and then exchange the ratifications; enter into the sanctuary. First give your own selves unto the Lord, and then confirm the surrender by the solemnity of this ordinance.

Let me direct this exhortation to young people that were in their infancy baptized into the Christian faith, and have been well educated in the knowledge of God and of his holy ways, and are now grown up to years of discretion, are capable of understanding what they do, of discerning between their right hand and their left in spiritual things, and of choosing and refusing for themselves accordingly; and that have had some good impressions made upon their souls by divine things, and some good inclinations towards God, and Christ, and heaven: such are invited to the table of the Lord, and called upon to come, for all things are now ready, and it is not good to delay.

You that are young, will you now be prevailed with to be serious, and resolved for God? You now begin to act with reason, and to put away childish things; you are come to be capable of considering, and you are thinking how you must live in this world. O that I could prevail with you to think first how you may live for another world! I am not persuading you to come rashly and carelessly to the Lord's table, as when you were little children you went to church for fashion's sake, and because your

parents took you with them; but I am persuading you now, in the days of your youth, from a deep conviction of your duty and interest, and a serious concern about your souls and eternity, intelligently, deliberately, and with a fixed resolution, to join yourselves unto the Lord in an everlasting covenant, and then to come and seal that covenant at his table. You are now come to the turning time of life, to those years when ordinary people fix for their whole lives; I beg of you for Christ's sake, and for your own precious souls' sake, that now you will turn to God, and fix for him, and set your faces heavenwards.

Come, and let us reason together a little, and I beseech you to reason with yourselves:

1. Are you not by baptism given up unto the Lord? Are not the vows of God already upon you? Is not your baptism your honour? Is it not your comfort? It is so; but you are unworthy of that honour, unworthy of that comfort, if, when you arrive at a capacity for it, you decline doing that for yourselves, which was done for you when you were baptized. How can you expect that your parents' dedication of you to God then, should avail you any thing, if you do not now make it your own act and deed? Might not your backwardness to confirm the covenant, by this solemn taking of it upon yourselves, be construed as an implicit renunciation of it, and be adjudged a forfeiture of the benefit of it? I believe you would not for a world disclaim your baptism, nor disown the obligation of it: you will not, I am confident you will not, throw off your Christianity, nor join with those that say, We have no part in David, or inheritance in the Son of David. Come then and ratify your baptism; either let these articles be cancelled, or now, that you are of age, come and seal them yourselves; either be Christians complete, Christians by your own consent, or not Christians at all. The matter is plain; the bonds of both the sacraments are the same: you are under the bonds of the one, which I know you dare not renounce; therefore,