were his thoughts, fo earnest were his prayers, that those who were near, and obferved him, hardly ever beheld him without tears; which he concealed as much as he could, by keeping clofe in the moft private corner of the feat; and he was forced to take fome time, to make his face fit to appear hefore the congregation. For though a forrowful countenance does very well become every devout communicant; yet his principal and conftant practice was, to avoid every thing that might make him obferved by others, or any way raise the character of his piety among men; referving that chiefly to the eye of God.

When he returned from church, he immediately retired into his closet, and spent a confiderable time in his own private prayers and praises. And as his wife was ftill his fellow communicant; fo with her he prayed before dinner, "Bleffing God for that happy opportunity given them both, of commemorating our Saviour's fufferings, and receiving the pledges of his reconciled favour; and praying for all those who had been partakers with them that day, or at any other time, of thofe bleffed means of grace, which they had then received."

That unhappy controverfy, which disturbs our church, about the posture in receiving the Holy Sacrament, was a great trouble to him his great humility did then, in a particular manner, prompt him to fall low on his knees. And in one place, fpeaking of the

Sacrament,

Sacrament, he thus delivers his fenfe of that difpute.

6

What need thefe nice difputes about posture in this holy exercife? We fit at 'God's table, though we kneel in the church. The favour and the privelege he grants us, is that of acceptable guefts, who have leave to fit in his presence, and at meat with him. It is our fouls that fit! well may our bodies be as they that ferve. The table, which we call the holy altar, is but a fhelf of wood: God's table is a fpiritual thing; it implies privilege, and favour, and honour, and freedom: and those that are admitted to this divine feaft, fit at his table, whatever pofture their bodies be in. Were Chrift indeed on · earth, the table he fat at, we should expect (if we were favoured) to fit at it too; because equality in pofture is honour; but now he fits not at this outward table which is before us; why then fhould we? The food which we receive, comes not from thence to us, but from Heaven. We fit at the table • from whence our food comes. It is true, ' on our table, the holy elements are impregnated with the materials of life; like the firft framing of a living creature, or embryo, before it is quickened: but they are quickened with fpiritual life, only upon the faith of each receiver, which God hath • appointed to be the concurring inftrument, C or means of this divine quickening. Then they become to us the feeds of glory, and < the

I 2

• the affured conveyances of fpiritual nourishment, and immortal happiness. And as • fuch, they come to us from a higher table: and while we are admitted to fit at that table, well may we be content, and well does it become us, to kneel outwardly in the church. While we fit with the church ⚫ triumphant, well may we be content to kneel with the church militant.

O Lord, while my body kneels outwardly in thy house, and my foul fits at thy myftical table in thy prefence, through thy great favour; (for it is thou, O my moft merciful Saviour, haft been pleased to bring me, and feat me there, elfe how fhould I have dared to have appeared.) What is the food thou wilt give me from this thy table? It is immortal love, wrapt up in bread. Surely then this is glorious bread, which contains fo infinite a treafure, and may well be called thy body, and the pledge of thy love. And is immortal love, the myftical food of our fouls? O moft loving Saviour, who wert content to have thy body broken, that thou mighteft nourish and fuftain us with this precious food; give us ever of this bread, and be it unto us according to thy gracious. • intentions. Amen.'

His meditations upon the Sacrament are very numerous, as I have already faid; fo that, instead of being inferted in a life, they would make almoft a volume themselves. A fpirit of primitive piety runs through them:

and

I

and it plainly appears, that the author of them fpoke from his heart; and was deeply affected with the fubject about which he wrote. fhall here give the reader a taste of them; and by these few that here follow, he may make a judgment of the reft.

We pray to God, and our Saviour, for 'pardon by his agony and bitter fufferings; how does this oblige God to pardon us? • What right have we to infift on thefe, and reprefent them before God? Women indeed expoftulate with their husbands, by the common pledges of their love; their children by their mutual endearments: and • fometimes one friend with another, by their 'common fufferings in the fame caufe. And it is an argument prevailing upon human nature, to yield to what is fo defired. But ftill there must be fomething common. We • must have a share, and intereft ourselves in what we fo plead by, if we hope to prevail. When therefore we ufe this fort of expoftu lation with God, as the ftrongest and highest argument to obtain what we defire; there must be something common in what we plead by, or the argument lofeth its force. Because the Son of God endured bitter fufferings, What then? What is that to us, if we are ftrangers to these sufferings? It is like the cafe our Saviour himself puts; "Thou haft prophefied in our streets, we have eaten and drank in thy prefence." To whom he will reply, "What then? Ye I 3

are

are ftrangers to me, I know you not." So that it is not enough, that the Son of God hath fuffered for us; we must have a 'common fhare in it, and be mutual fufferers with him, and then indeed we have leave to expoftulate with God by his fufferings, and fhall prevail: we have a kind of right to mention them, and God will graciously be wrought upon by it. But how fhall we be mutual fufferers with him? By laying to • heart what he hath fuffered for us; by being ⚫ wounded with his wounds, and bruifed with his ftrokes; by having the reproaches of them that reproached him fall on us; by having our fouls forrowful with his foul, even unto death; by trembling at the wrath of God due to our fins, which caufed him ⚫ fuch amazement, in making atonement for them. Let us go to Mount Calvary, and • endeavour to put ourselves in his place. We are they, Lord, who have finned, let us fuffer the pains. Thou haft done nothing amifs, why then fhould thy holy body fuffer thefe tortures? Thy righteous foul feels this anguish? But fince we cannot bring thee down, nor exchange conditions with thee, O that we could give thee one moment's ⚫eafe! O that we had not fo finned, as to procure thefe thy tortures! O wretches that we are! to have brought this load upon thee! See, O my foul, what thou haft done! They have brought thy greatest friend, the beloved of God, his only Son,

• the