crament then nothing more than a bare sign and figure, and not a seal also? doth Christ say no more than, this is a memorial of my body and blood, when he calls the bread and wine his body and blood, and the New Testament in his blood? and is nothing but the breaking of the bread, and the pouring out of the wine significative, and is not the eating and drinking of what he calls his body and blood so too? and have believers then no communion with his body and blood? But in this manner must the Socinians, that they may overturn the foundations of Christianity, enervate the sacraments, and the words of Jesus, who never spake one word in vain; but we have learned better, and have more reverence than this for the institutions and words of God; and therefore nothing but a mere desire to slander us induces the Papists to say that we give only bare signs.

APPLICATION.

See, hearers, the orthodoxy and unblamableness of our doctrine, and the conformity of it to the word of God, since we do not ascribe too much to the sacraments, that we may avoid Popery, nor too little, that we may avoid Socinianism. But, hearers, those of you who receive this supper at any time, is your practice likewise so orthodox and unblamable? It would be your happiness, and conduce to the glory of Jesus, and of his church if it were; but how many are there of you, who do not conduct aright in this matter! for,

1. Some act toward this supper no otherwise than Socinians, and as if it were a mere sign of a Christian profession. Is it not true? for have ye had any exercises of soul with respect to the spiritual matters, which are exhibited and sealed in the supper, so that ye did by faith behold and enjoy Christ in his sufferings, benefits, and love, eat his flesh and drink his blood, when ye received the signs? Verily many know nothing of this; it sufficeth them to be good Christians, to appear at the table, to receive the bread and wine, to eat and drink of it, especially if they think at the time of the sufferings and death of Christ; they imagine then that they have quitted themselves well; but was it our duty to forsake the Papists, that we might receive nothing but bare signs? doth this suffice to eat Christ's flesh and drink his blood? doth this prove that his body was broken, and his blood shed for the remission of sins? I conceive not.

I assure you, who conduct in this manner, that ye do thus deny our true Christian communion, our purified doctrine, and your profes sion, that ye have no part in him, and his sufferings, and that the sup per is no seal to you. Hear how Jesus confirms this with a double verily, John vi. 53, "Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

2. Others conduct toward the supper like the Papists. We have departed out of the Romish Egypt, but many return thither again in their hearts. It is evident; for they hold that it is absolutely necessary to partake of this sacrament, as if that were conversion, an entering into Christ and into his covenant by faith, a partaking of the signs, eating the flesh, and drinking the blood of the Lord. Doth it not appear, friends, when ye are perfectly easy and unconcerned about the forgiveness of your sins, and your eternal salvation? for ye have no other ground for your hope. And observe, before ye ap proach to the supper, ye are somewhat concerned and uneasy, ye will then be moral, and desist in some measure from your usuał sins and dissoluteness; but after ye have partaken, presently both your anxiety and morality are at an end, and ye return to your old sins and dissoluteness again. What think ye, do ye, who behave thus, conduct at all differently from the Papists, who think, when they eat the bread in the supper, that they eat Christ himself, and therefore are satisfied, and unconcerned? do ye not evidence by this conduct that ye are sensual, not having the Spirit? do ye not show that ye are Papists in your hearts? What doth it mean to trust in the flesh, of which Paul disapproveth, Phil. ii. 3, if it be not this? Cannot Christ's flesh profit us, as he informs us, John vi. 63, how then can the bread and wine profit us, without his Spirit, who quickeneth us? Alas! how will your ungrounded rest be disturbed, when ye shall pretend that ye "have eaten and drunk in the presence of Christ; for he will say to you, I know you not, whence ye are : depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." He foretels this himself, Luke xiii. 26, 27.

Therefore rouse up from your carelesness, awake and be earnestly engaged in seeking an interest in his body and blood, that your sins may be forgiven, and that ye may thus partake of the supper, as a sign and seal.

But with respect to you, O believers, whose souls cannot be satisfied, nor contented with the bread and wine, endeavour to conduct more orthodoxly toward the sacrament, and therefore,

1. Seek a distinct knowledge and apprehension of the nature of

the supper: we must "discern the body of the Lord" in the supper, if we do not wish to "eat and drink judgment to ourselves," 1 Cor. xi. 29. In this respect Paul saith in the text, "I speak as to wise men, judge ye what I say." We must therefore become wise, if we shall conduct judiciously toward this seal of the covenant; we are sometimes assaulted by deceivers, who corrupt the sacrament; if we have not our senses then well exercised, how shall we defend ourselves, and vindicate the precious truth? We must conduct ourselves wisely, and according to the rule of faith, in partaking of the supper; but we cannot do this if we have not a sufficient knowledge of it; therefore endeavour to "grow not only in grace, but also in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ," as Peter admonisheth, 2 Peter iii. 18.

V. 20.

2. Be not satisfied with knowing Christ only in the letter, and in the outward signs, but endeavour to know him also in the Spirit, nevertheless according to the word: "He hath given you an understanding, that ye may know him who is true," according to 1 John "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in your hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ," saith Paul 2 Cor. iv. 6. It behooves you to exercise yourselves in this, "that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," as the same apostle desired, Col. i. 9. This would not only warm your souls, quicken you by the supper, and deliver you, who know the truth, from the power of your corruption, but, if I may so speak, would transubstantiate, or change you into a conformity to Christ; for when he is contemplated in his excellency, he transmits by such a contemplation his glorious holiness, and holy glory into the soul, as Paul teacheth, 2 Cor. iii. 18. "We all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The apostle hath respect to Moses, whose face shone with a dazzling brightness, in consequence of his beholding the Lord on the mount. See Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30, 3. Verily a better and a more real change than the Popish transubstantiation.

3. Have nevertheless a becoming esteem for the outward signs, that ye may contemplate and use them with reverence in the presence of the Lord. The signs, considered in themselves, are profitable only to the body, but considered sacramentally, they are the bread and wine of the Lord. They are indeed signs instituted by the Lord himself, they signify the most important mysteries, the painful 'sufferings, the testament, the forgiveness of sins, and a partaking of

the flesh and blood of the Lord; they are seals and pledges of these things: the Lord hath enjoined on you to make use of them, that ye may, by means of them, eat his flesh and drink his blood, yea, he breathes his Spirit into them, and so causes you to eat his flesh and to drink his blood, and he thereby "sups with you, and ye with him," as he promiseth, Rev. iii. 20. Therefore the text saith," the bread and the cup are the communion of the body and blood of Christ," and 1 Cor. xi. 27. "The bread and cup of the Lord."

4. Endeavour therefore also to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Lord in and by these signs. If we will "live, and desire that we should dwell in him; and he in us, we must then eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man," according to his word, John vi. 53, 56. Therefore he said, when he gave the bread and the cup to his disciples, "Take, eat and drink; for this is my body and blood." See what we have said on the former Lord's day, in the application.

Show then also the virtue of the sacrament in all your conversa tion, that men may see that ye have not partaken merely of the signs, but also of the things signified by them, to wit, Christ himself, his flesh and blood. Your eyes ought, like the eyes of Jona than, 1 Samuel xiv. 29, to be "enlightened," upon your tasting only "a little of this honey;" your "countenances "ought, by feeding on this "pulse and this water” of life, to become fairer and fatter than the countenances" of the courtiers of earthly kings, who are feasted with royal dainties. See Dan. i. 15. Did "Elijah travel forty days and nights in the strength of a cake baken on the coals, until he came to Horeb, the mount of God," kings xix. 6, 7, 8, and ought not ye then, by means of the bread and the wine of the Lord, to be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, so that ye could run and not be weary, and walk and not faint," according to Eph. vi. 10, Isaiah xl. 10. Ye ought certainly to show that ye resembled Christ in some measure, that men might "know that ye had been with him," as it is said of Peter and John, Acts ix. 13. "The life of Jesus ought to be manifest in your mortal flesh," as Paul speaks, ? Cor. iv. 11. It was indeed foretold concerning you, Isaiah lvi. 9. "All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed." Let then the image of Jesus, even humility, meekness, self-denial and heavenly-mindedness shine forth in you.

Thus ye will evidence that ye enjoy more than the Papists pretend; yea, that ye are even "crucified with Christ and live; yet not

ye, but Christ in you," as Paul testifieth of himself, Gal. ii. 20. The erroneous Papist imagines that his Christ, whom he hath made, remains in his stomach, while he nevertheless casts him forth into the draught; but ye, who eat and drink him truly, spiritually, and sacramentally, shall retain him in your souls for ever; "ye dwell in him, and he dwells in you," as he himself saith, John vi. 56, which will be more especially manifested, when the signs shall be taken away, and ye shall be changed after his likeness; for "we now see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face," as the apostle saith, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. This sight of him will render you like him; “We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is," saith the disciple, whom Jesus loved, 1 John iii. 2. Even your body, which is now corruptible, mortal and vile, "the Lord Jesus will," as Paul saith, Philip. iii 21,"change, that it may be fashioned like his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself," Amen.

VOL. II.