as his Saviour, defirous to renounce himself and his own righte oufnefs, and to rest upon the mere mercy of God as revealed in the Gospel, refolving to deny every carnal luft, to strive against every unruly paffion, and to walk with God in duty; then he ought to draw near to the facred board and partake of the fymbols of his Lord's fufferings.

Secondly, the word examine, fignifies to try or prove, and this is his own perfonal duty. It is not enough that he is examined by the minifter or reprefentatives of the church howe ver they may approve of him or not; this is an injunction incumbent upon each individual. This is not a fervice to be performed once in a perfon's life, but it is ordained as a standing prepara. tive to the facrament. It is true there may be more or less time for this performance according to a variety of providential incidents, yet it ought ever to be remembered as a preparative duty. Let a man examine himself as to the difpofition of his heart, the prevailing tenor of his life, his thoughts, words, and actions; his faith, love and repentance; mourn over and confefs to God what is amifs, and folemnly purpose a better and more circumfpect conduct in future, and "fo let him eat "of this bread and drink of this cup." Let him pass thro one duty to another that Christ may be obeyed and his own fpiritual intereft promoted.

Thirdly obferve, felf-examination is a common duty, fomewhat like prayer, incumbent upon christians at all times. "Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith, prove your

own felves. Let us fearch and try our ways. I commune "with mine own heart faid Afaph, and my fpirit made diligent "fearch." But it is here conftituted and made a special duty previous to our attendance upon the Lord's fupper. Can any christian approach the table without previous prayer; so neither let him do it without felf- examination, left he be found difobedient to God, and it prove to him as a barren ordinance.

Fourthly obferve, the moft important part of this duty, to wit, the manner in which it should be performed. It is not a matter fuddenly to be rufhed into, without ferious thought er confideration, nor haftily passed over as of little moment. Choose a proper place of retirement, and time for the purpose, and enter not upon it, as is the cafe with too many, with prepoffeffions and preconclufions in your favour. Engage in it with fome proper understanding of the fcriptures, and a determination they fhall be the standard of the trial. Confider well the operations of your own minds, and how you have felt your hearts inclined to good or evil; whether you have yielded to temptations or refifted them. Let your fouls be awakened and aroused to all attention in the investigation of yourselves, your tempers and lives. Be impartial and honeft as far as poffible in the fearch, Accompany all your reflections with folemn and fervent prayer. Strive with your reluctant hearts and compel them to the work. Keep them from wandering and trifling, and especially guard against deceit. "Keep thy "heart with all diligence for out of it are the iffues of life."

A fifth obfervation is, that we fhould attend to the things about which we should examine ourselves. These are elegantly fummed up in our shorter catechism in the answer to this quef tion, "What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord's "fupper? It is required that they examine themselves of their "knowledge to difcern the Lord's body, of their faith to "feed upon him, of their repentance, love and new obedi "ence, left coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment "to themselves." The compend is important and the arrange ment beautiful. The firft matter of this examination is of our knowledge. The apoftle fully fuggefts to us that we must have a competency hereof to difcern the Lord's body. Know. ledge may be confidered as of two kinds, doctrinal and experi mental. By the former is meant an understandig of the truths of the gofpel; by the latter an acquaintance with the power of

them on the heart and confcience. This knowledge would feem fhould proceed thus far at leaft; that we should have fome proper views of the perfections of God and his law; of the evil of fin and our own miferable ftate by nature and practice, of the extent and efficacy of the remedial provifion for the falvation of finners through the fulness of the atonement of Jefus Chrift; and fome just apprehenfions of the nature, defign, and ufe of this holy ordinance. The more perfons have of this knowledge and experimental acquaintance with divine truth, they are likely to have the clearer difcernment of the Lord's body, the intention of his fufferings and death, and the more comfort and joy in the holy communion.

Secondly, we are to enquire into our faith to feed upon him. We approach not the table of the Lord merely to eat. a fmall morfel of bread or drink a little quantity of wine, but to fhew forth his death, and to feed upon his body and blood, for our fpiritual nourishment and growth in grace, and this only can be done by faith. Chrift is often spoken of under the figure. of bread, and it is neceffary we fhould eat this bread of life, and faith is the means by which it must be done. Bread is neceffary for the fuftenance of our mortal bodies, fo faith in Jefus Chrift is of equal importance to the falvation ofour immortal fouls. Without faith it is impoffible that any fhould be faved. Hence we fhould fincerely enquire whether we are poffeffed of this grace. Have we been convinced of our fin and mifery, our inability to deliver ourselves? Have we fled to Jefus of Nazareth, and unfeignedly accepted him as the Lord our righte oufnefs?--Have we embraced him in all his offices, and do we wait upon and truft in him alone for eternal life?

Thirdly, our repentance must be examined into. We must come to the Lord's table forrowing and mourning over our fins, confeffing our iniquities, with real purposes of heart to carry on a conftant war againft our corruptions.

T

A fourth branch of examination refpects our love; love to God, love to the Saviour, and love to our neighbour. Do we love God fupremely? Is the bleffed Redeemer precious to us as he is to them that believe ?--and are we cultivating love to our neighbour, or loving him as ourselves?

Laftly, we fhould enquire into our new obedience; whether our obedience arifes from new views, new principles and new motives. Do we make choice of the law of God for the rule of our life? Do we delight in it after the inward man? Are we honeftly endeavouring after conformity thereto ?--Thus we should examine ourselves as a duty preparative to our celebration of the fupper of the Lord, left coming unworthily we eat and drink judgment to ourselves.

But it is time that this fubject fhould be brought to a conclufion. And this fhall be done in a brief exhortation.

Let all be folemnly exhorted to the practice of this important duty of felf-examination. Be not flothful and careless in a matter of fuch momentous confequence. Beware you at tend not upon this ordinance through formality, or as custom leads the way. But engage in it in felf-dedication, renewing your covenant with God, fetting to it this feal, that God is true. Maintain a deep fense of your exceeding great finful. nefs and unworthinefs. Loath and abhor yourfelves, and repent around the facred board with a broken heart. Look on him whom you have pierced and crucified by your iniquities, and mourn in bitternefs, with all that melting feeling, and fincerity, which affli&s the foul of him who mourns for a first born child.

Confider the fins you have been guilty of fince the laft time of communicating; the paffions which have burst forth; the corruptions that have been indulged, and acknowledge them in deep contrition before God. Let us lay afide malice, envy, wrath and every bafe propenfity and inclination, and wait on

our precious Saviour in faith and love, in the exercife of every grace, and with full purpose of foul to live in the practice of every virtue. "Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a "new lump as ye are unleavened, for Chrift our paffover is ** facrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast not with "the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and s truth."