No believer whatever, if left to himself, would be stedfast in it Our daily transgressions are sufficient to exclude us from it for ever But God's love changeth not He betroths us to himself in faithfulness for everm He loves and keeps us, not for our sake, but for his own name's sake" Hence all our security arises°-] The covenant, however, does not make void our obligations to holiness— III. The improvement we should make of it The privileges of Christians are exceeding greatBut we are in danger of turning the grace of God into licentiousness Hence the apostle cautions us against abusing, this CovenantP [They "who name the name of Christ" are those who profess Christ's religion And that profession supposes them to be interested in the Covenant But continuance in sin would be inconsistent with that profession The covenant prohibits the indulgence even of the smallest sin It provides strength for the mortification of every lust- It engages for our salvation only in a way of holinessLet it not then be made a ground of presumptuous security Let it rather operate as an incentive to diligence Let it incline "every one" to stand at the greatest distance from sin1-] INFER What rich consolation is here for every true believer! I Jam. i. 17. Rom. xi. 29. n Deut. vii. 6-8. m Hos. ii. 19. • St. Paul considers with, and dependand to this is their If xal were transmore clear: it has the stedfastness of the foundation as connnected this sense in many places; and is so translated, 2 Tim. iii. 11. and 1 Cor. xvi. 12. 9 Αποςητω ἀπὸ [There ever have been some apostates from the church of Christ But their defection does not disprove the stability of God's covenant The reason of their departure is accounted for by St. John' Let not then any be dejected when they see the falls of others God "knows" his sheep, and will suffer "none to pluck them out of his hands”. Nor need any despond on account of their indwelling corruptions It is not sin lamented, but sin indulged, that will destroy the soul Let every one be more anxious to lay hold on this cove nant It will be found at last, that it is "ordered in all things and sure"-] r1 John ii. 19. LXXXVI. THE DESIGN AND IMPORTANCE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. for 1 Cor. xi. 24. 26. This do in remembrance of me.... as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. THE Corinthians had shamefully profaned the Lord's supper St. Paul reproves them, and rectifies their views of that ordinance I. The design of the Lord's supper Our ungrateful hearts are prone to forget the richest mercies To keep up "the remembrance" of his death, Christ instituted his last supper When we celebrate that ordinance, we "shew forth" his death [The passover was a memorial of the deliverance vouchsafed to the Jews from the sword of the destroying angelVOL. I. 3 S ? At every returning celebration of it the reason of that ordinance was declareda Christ in his death has effected a greater deliverance for usIn partaking of the bread and wine we "shew forth" his death We shew forth the manner of it as excruciating and bloodyb We shew forth the end of it as a sacrifice for our sins— We shew forth the sufficiency of it for our full salvation"—] We shew forth his death "till he come" [Christ will, in due season, come again to judge the world— Then his people will no longer need such memorials as these They will incessantly enjoy the brightest vision of his person, and the richest fruits of his death But till then the remembrance of his dying love, and the expectation of his future advent, must be thus preservedSuch was Christ's end in instituting, and such should be our end in observing it-] To enforce the observance of this ordinance, we will proceed to shew II. The necessity of attending it The duty of commemorating our Lord's death is much neglected But a neglect of it involves us in the deepest guiltIt implies 1. Rebellion against the highest authority [Christ, the supreme governor of heaven and earth, has said, "Do this" Yet the language of too many is, "I will not”— a In reference to Exod. xii. 26, 27. a custom obtained among the Jews that a child should ask the meaning of the passover, and that the person who presided should then give an account of its intent and origin, that so the remembrance of God's mercy might be transmitted to their latest posterity: and this was called "the declara"tion" or "shewing forth." Dr. Gill on the text. The breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine seem well calculated to impress this idea. 1 In this light it is represented by St. Paul, 1 Cor. v. 7, and by our Lord himself, Matt. xxvi. 28. d We express our affiance in his blood as the Jews did in the blood of the Paschal Lamb, when they sprinkled their door-posts with it, and eat of the flesh that had been roast with fire. But they who disregarded the passover did not go unpunished Much less shall they who slight the invitations to Christ's supper Surely it is no less than madness to persist in this rebellion-] 2. Ingratitude towards our greatest benefactor [Christ has even "given his own life a ransom for us". And shall we disregard his dying command? On the same night that he was betrayed, did he institute these memorials of his death Had he at that season such a concern for us, and can we refuse to do so small a thing in remembrance of him?— The Jews went thrice every year up to Jerusalem, from the extreme parts of Judea, to commemorate their deliverance— And shall we turn our backs on the table when it is spread before us? Shall not God visit for such ingratitude as this?-] 3. Contempt of the richest mercies [To communicate, without discerning the Lord's body, can profit us nothing But to approach the table in humility and faith is a sure mean of obtaining all spiritual blessings Christ sometimes reveals himself in the breaking of bread, to those who had not so fully discovered him in the ministration of the word And do they not manifest a contempt of these mercies, who will not use the means of procuring them?— How may the Saviour take up that lamentation over them!-] 4. A renunciation of our baptismal covenant [In baptism we covenanted to renounce the world, &c. and to serve God This covenant we ought to renew and confirm at the Lord's table • If a man had contracted any ceremonial defilement, or were on a journey, he might omit eating the passover at the appointed time; only he must eat it a month afterwards. But if he forbore to eat of it without any such impediment, God said concerning him," that soul shall be cut off, that man shall bear his sin." Numb. ix. 7—11. f Luke xiv. 24. Let such conduct be expressed in words; "Thou didst indeed give thy body to be broken, &c. for me; and only requirest me to eat bread, &c. in remembrance of thee; but I account even that too much to do for thee:" Who could dare to utter such language? Or who would endure it if spoken by his servant or his child? Yet such is the language of our actions h Luke xxiv. 30, 31. Matt. xxiii. 37. But our refusing to confirm it is a tacit renunciation of itAnd can we hope that God will fulfil his part while we violate ours? Will he be our God when we refuse to be his people?-] We shall CONCLUDE with answering some excuses ["I am not prepared"-How then can you be prepared to die?k "I am afraid of eating and drinking my own damnation”— Are you not afraid of damnation for neglecting your duty? "I am afraid of sinning afterwards, and thereby increasing my guilt" If sins after receiving the Lord's supper were unpardonable, none should receive it till the last moment of their livesTM— "The time of administering it interferes with other engagements". To those who cannot deny themselves in any thing, we say with Paul But where the difficulties are insurmountable, God will accept the will for the deed They however, who are at liberty, should attend " as often" as they can Only they must be careful to communicate with reverence, humility, faith, and gratitude-] * Is not this acknowledgment the strongest reason for immediate repentance? In neglecting duty you insure condemnation; in practising it as well as you can (to say the least) you may avert it. m If you really desire strength, where would you so soon obtain it? But if you determine to live in sin, your condemnation will be equally sure whether you come or not. Rom. iii. 8. ad fin. • Matt. xii. 7. 凿 LXXXVII. ON THE PREPARATION REQUISITE BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPER. 1 Cor. xi. 28. Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. GOD is an holy and jealous God, and greatly to be feared In all our approaches to him we should be filled with awe |