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therein we folemnly profess and make pro→ mife of.

We must come to it, I fay, in fincerity and faithfulness. The great qualification, which is requifite in all compacts, is faithfulness. For they are the great means of fecurity among men, and the great thing, which they have to depend upon, in their expectations from each other. And therefore it is both pretended, and expected, by all who make them, that they will not prove false and deceitful in them. Every man who covenants, expects of those whom he contracts withal, that they should mean what they profess, and perform what they promife; and maketh fhew alfo himfelf, that he will do fo likewise, And if he doth not, he is a very dishonest unworthy man, fuch as the gospel condemns, and will fentence for the fame in the end (unless he repent thereof) to eternal deftruction: Covenant breakers being ranked by the apoftle among thofe, who in the judgment of God are worthy of eternal death.

And this fincerity or faithfulness confifteth in this; that we come with full pofe and performance, of that repentance

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and obedience, which we profefs, and make promise of. In this covenant, to all us believers, God offers at present a right to pardon, his holy fpirit, and eternal happinefs; and we again profefs, and humbly make offer unto him, of our repentance and obedience. And this right he promifeth, ftill to continue to us, upon the fame terms; and anfwerably, we promise to perform them, upon that expectation, for ever afterwards. And both in thefe profeffions, and promifes, we must deal fincerely with him; and neither pretend a prefent offer of them, when we want them; nor make promises of them for the time to come, when we have no fixed defign, and well-weighed refolution to perform them.

When we come therefore to renew the covenant, which we entered into at our baptifm, and to confirm the fame with almighty God in the holy facrament, giving him both the profeffion and the promise of thefe duties, and receiving from him the proffer and the promise of these graces,we must be hearty and unfeigned with him. Our fouls must really be actuated by that repent

repentance which we profefs, and fully in tend to make good that obedience which we promife. And if we perform in both thefe, we are faithful and fincere in this bufinefs; but if we fail in either, we are diffemblers and hypocrites, who act a part, and go about to impose upon almighty God, which is a very unworthy part of us.

And this fincerity God exprefsly calls for at this feast, and requires us to be faithful with him, when we come to confirm the new covenant by partaking of it. Chrift our paffover, faith St. Paul, is facrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feaft, not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, by adhering ftill to our former wicked ways, which therefore we are to repent of,—but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth.

And as for repentance particularly, which is the great condition of the covenant that is renewed in it, it is the great qualification of all worthy receivers, and is most indifpenfibly required in this holy facrament. It is the chief thing which is looked at in every confirmation of the covenant, and therefore is fo peremptorily required when:

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we are baptized. It is the only thing that can recommend a facrifice; and therefore is the main point, which muft fit us for this feast upon a facrifice.

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As this eating and drinking therefore is a confirmation of the new covenant of pardon and reconciliation, upon our repentance and amendment; it requires that we should be faithful and fincere in doing of the fame. And then we come worthily, and partake of it as we ought, when we truly repent of all our fins, according as we profess, and amend the fame, according as we promise; and fully purpose, and endeavour at all times after, fo to do.

III. A Third end, as I faid, of our eating bread and drinking wine in the Lord's fupper, is, to confirm a league of love and friendship with all chriftians. And this requires, that we lay afide all envy, hatred, and malicious thoughts; and come to it in peace and forgiveness of all who have any ways offended us.

We must not come to it in envy, hatred, and malicious thoughts; for that would be to give the lye to our felves, and to contradict

contradict our own profeffions. For when we come there, to partake of that one bread, we profefs our felves to be all one body, and that we are all the body of Christ, and members one of another. We folemnly declare that we will be friends from that day forwards with all persons, and fully reconciled even to our bitter enemies, and to those who have given us the highest provocations; though not for their own fakes, yet for the fake of our bleffed Saviour, who hath born a thoufand times more from us, and deferves infinitely beyond what this comes to at our hands. We promife mutually, that we will lay afide all little animofities, and not fall out into quarrels and contentions, nor bear ill will, or be vexatious among our felves, nor feek our own pleasure, honour or advantage, at our brethrens lofs: But that we will all have a compaffionate sense of each other's infirmities, and a tender concern and diligent care for each other's welfare; that we will live as members of the fame body, which all feel what befals any, and are all pleafed with the fame joys, and all languish in the fame forrows, and all unite in the fame ends, and all bear the weak

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