his nearness to God, being his only begotten Son, who lay in the bofom of the Father (i): in the greatness of the fufferings voluntarily fubmitted to by him; he fuffered death, even the fhameful and painful death of the cross: in the great unworthiness of the perfons to whom this extraordinary favour was shewn; finners, and enemies to God by fin: and, finally, in the furpaffing greatness of the benefits thence refulting, all of them iffuing into, and as it were fummed up in that now mentioned, eternal life. Chrift's willingness to die for the advantage we fhould receive from his dying teftimony to the truth of his religion, and his most instructive and affecting example, must be thankfully owned as a proof of his love. But the greatest proofs of that love are yet behind. To perpetuate the memory of his dying love, our bleffed Saviour inftituted his fupper, to be obferved till his fecond coming, commanding his difciples to do it in remembrance of him. For which reafon it may feem unaccountable, that there should be any so mistaken, as to deny this facrament; or fo ungrateful, as to allow themselves, without any manner of uneafinefs, in the neglect of it; which I fear is done by a great many who own the institution. The Apostles and first Christians religiously kept this ordinance, and much oftener than we do now, though they had the death of Chrift fresh in their memories, and fo could not be fuppofed to need a fenfible reprefenta() John i. 18. tion of it, and of his love manifefted therein, fo much as we, who live at fo remote a distance from the time and place of our Saviour's death. Did not Christ die for us as well as for them? And if fo, are we not equally obliged to celebrate his love in dying for us? Was not this fupper instituted for our fake as much as for theirs? and, in one respect, more, as we are now in greater danger of forgetting our benefactor; because it is now longer fince. that he lived upon earth, and died to procure the benefits of redemption for us? And ought we not thankfully to obferve an inftitution which doth fo mightily affift our faith and gratitude; an inftitution which the primitive Chriftians obferved as much oftener than we, as upon the account now mentioned they needed it lefs? Such a friend and lover of fouls as Chrift hath fhewn himself, deferves never to be forgotten; and, doubtlefs, never will as long as there is a church upon earth, purchafed with his blood, founded by his preaching, and preferved by his providence. But then we have reason to believe, that it is by this ordinance, which, like a pillar, bears his name infcribed upon it, that a lively memory of him is kept up in the church. The unparallelled love of Jefus fhould be our daily meditation; but we must not think that this excludes the advantage, and even neceffity of an ordinance, in which it is remembered after a more open and folemn manner. The worship of God is to be performed every day, in the closet, and in the family; notwithstandC 2 ing ing which, God faw it requifite to fet apart one day in feven for the more auguft and public performance of his worship. And that there is any fuch thing as true religion in the world, we may reckon, in great meafure, owing to the obfervation of the Lord's day; as it is to be attributed to the Lord's fupper, that the memory of Chrift's love fpreads and flourishes in his church. And I am ready to think, that they who cannot be prevailed on to commemorate the love of Christ at his table, are not the perfons who stand in least need of this affiftance. This then is another notion which we are to form of the Lord's fupper; it is the means appointed to eternize the memory of Chrift's dying love, and of the love of God declared by the fame event. And, oh, let not the remembrance of his death ever die! but let our love, inflamed and strengthened by this holy ordinance, keep alive the memory of his. We merit to be eternally forgotten of God, if we can forget our Redeemer. But why is Chrift fo defirous that his love fhould be had in everlasting remembrance? Is it only that it may be the fubject of a barren admiration? or merely for the fake of our praises, and that he may have a name upon earth? Alas, thefe are low ends for the Son of God to propofe; who, being the wonder of angels, and the delightful theme of their fongs, needs not, furely, covet the applaufes of fuch poor, ignorant, and finful mortals as we are! No; we must carry our thoughts further. The love of God, and our neighbour, And bewe ought also to this is the comwho loveth God, And the fame is neighbour, are the two commandments on which hang all the law and the prophets; and both thefe have a new life and strength derived into them from the love of God, and of Jefus, reprefented in the facrament of the fupper. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us (k); but then for this very reafon we are to love him the more, that he first loved us (1). Next to God, who is love, we are to love his Son, who hath loved us, and given himself for us. caufe God hath fo loved us, love one another (m): for mandment of God, that he love his brother also (n). Chrift's new commandment to his difciples. We have all a better title to one another's love, than any of us can pretend to have had to the love of God; and fhall prove ourselves doubly unworthy of this love, if we refufe to make fo eafy and fo reasonable a return for it as this of brotherly affection. It is an additional motive to univerfal love, that we are all comprehended and embraced in the arms. of divine love. And how is our love to difcover itself? Why, if occasion be, in laying down our lives for the brethren (o): and furely, then, much more in a readinefs to bear their burdens, to relieve their neceffities, and to discharge all the other offices of kindness and good-will to them; fince no one who is (k) 1 John iv. 10. () John xiii. 34. (n) 1 John iv. 21. in a difpofition of mind to give the greatest instance of love, can be backward to do that which is much less. "Thy love, O my Sa56 viour, conftraineth me to all this; because "I thus judge, that thou diedft for me, that 66 I should not live to myself, but to thee! "And what am I to understand by living to "thee, but doing those things which will be "moft acceptable to thee, and moft fervice"able to the caufe of religion; that is, the "caufe of Jefus in the world? What but my "being juft, and charitable, and holy; and, "in a word, behaving fo, that the world may "receive fome of thofe advantages, and in a "leffer degree, from me, and others of the "fame fpirit with me, as they would in great"er number, and much higher degree, reap "from thy prefence and company if thou "thyfelf wert upon earth; and so thy Spirit "breathing and acting in us, and fhedding "its benign influences upon all around us, may in fome measure fupply thy perfonal "abfence?" 86 V. TH HE death of Chrift may be confidered as that of a facrifice, by which the difpleasure of God was atoned, and the fin of man expiated. We may here fay, as our Lord's forerunner, when he pointed him out to the Jews, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh |