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not the difference between the law and the gofpel; the covenant of works and the covenant grace; and between legal and evangelical preaching. All that never felt any thing of the power of God's word on their heart, in convincing them of fin original and actual, and drawing them to Chriit, as their righteoufnefs and ftrength, for juftification and fanctification.-I debar all who hate to be reproved of their faults, and contemn their reprovers; and all who can be witnefs to the fins and faults of others, and yet never give any sort of teftimony again't them.-I debar all who love not the godly, nor care for their company: all who love not the Bible, nor fearch the fcriptures: all who love not Zion, nor care how matters go with the church of Chrift; whether its members be divided or alienated; whether its intereft fink or fwim: All who can go lightly over the belly of their own confcience, for fear of outward loffes or croffes, and eafily crofs their light to please men.I debar all that are not lovers of the truth, but efpoufers of error: Socinians, Arminians, and Antinomians, who are properly fo called, for fome are wrongfully and ignorantly fo defigned.I debar all that think they have believed all their days, and never were convinced of unbelief, nor found religion a work above them, and their natural powers. I debar all who have no errand to the Lord's table, but to take a little bread and wine, and think it an eafy work to communicate; nor ever had any fears or jealousies about their miscarrying in that work: All who come only to keep up a name among profeffors: and all that have no other tokens for communion, but that which they have got from their minifters or elders: all who have been at no pains whatsoever to prepare for this work and all, on the other hand, who think they are prepared enough, and have no other thing to reft upon but their own preparation.--All these, and others of that ftamp, I do, in the name of the living and eternal God, debar from this holy table, as being ftrangers to the Man that is God's Fellow, and ftrangers to the facrifice whereby he has fatisfied the awak, ened fword of infinite juftice: therefore, as you would

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not take a cup of poifon to deftroy yourfelves, as you would not eat and drink damnation to yourfelves, and bring down the guilt of the blood of Chrift upon your head, do not dare to venture to this holy table; for, "He that eats this bread, and drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, fhall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." And if you wil venture notwithflanding, remember, though you have got a token from me, or any perfon elfe, your blood is upon your own head, if you find yourfelf now debarred, and yet come to trample upon the blood of the Man that is God's. Fellow.

But now, left I fhould fright any of the children from their food, who are apt to take these things to them, more than they to whom they are principally directed, therefore I proceed,

3. To a Third inference, with relation to this ordinance, that may be drawn from our doctrine, namely, Hence we may fee the Character of thofe who have a right to approach, and are of God invited thereto; namely, in general, all believers, who, through grace, have been made to flee unto the covert of the blood of the Shepherd; into the covert of the blood of the Man that is God's Fellow, to fcreen them from the fword of divine wrath. As we dare not, for our fouls, allow or encourage any to approach this ordinance, who are unbelievers, under whatfoever names and defignations they may be called; fo, on the other hand, we dare not, for our fouls, difallow, or discourage from this work, any the leaft, the weakeft believer in Chrift, that has gone in with the call of the gofpel, and clofed with, and embraced this facrifice whereby juftice is fatisfied: And therefore, in the name and authority of the fame glorious God, and gracious Lord, I invite to this table of the Lord, all fuch, whatever their fins have been, though guilty of the fins that I have named, or whatever elfe; all fuch, I fay, whatever their guilt be, who have taken this gofpel-method of getting their fin and guilt expiated and removed, namely, by hiding their guilty fouls under the wings of Chrift's righteoufnefs, who gave himfelf a facrifice to fatisfy the fword of

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juftice. But that it may be known more diftinctly whom I mean by fuch believers in Chrift, as I am calling to the Lord's table, you may examine yourselves more particularly from the doctrine; "Let a man ex-amine himself, and fo let him eat." I hope you that are to communicate as believers, have been examining yourfelves before this time; but if you be yet in the dark, there are thefe four marks may be drawn out of our ext and doctrine, for clearing whether you be believers indeed, that have clofed with the man that is God's Fellow, as a facrifice to the fword of justice in your room.

(1.) Have you feen, fometime or other, the fword of juftice awaking againft your own fouls, the avenger of blood purfuing you? Have you heard fuch a knell as that in your heart, "Awake, O fword;" awake, O law; awake, O vengeance, curfes, and threatnings against a man for his fins? Have you been fo filled with the fear of hell and wrath, as you have been put to cry, "Men and brethren, what fhall I do to be faved?" Or, have you been put to more concern about falvation, than ever you was about any thing elfe in the world? And have you seen, in this cafe, the natural tendency of your heart to refl upon fome other thing for peace with God than this facrifice, which Chrift offered of himself to the fword of juftice? There is fuch a natural inclination in all to rest upon fome other thing for peace with God, and it is a good token when it is difcovered, and becomes a burden and a ground of a challenge, that they have had a finful inclination to put duties, prayers, tears, enlargements, and the like, in Chrift's room. "Before the law came, I was alive," fays Paul; and thought I had a flock of righteoufnefs in myself to be the ground of my peace with God; "But when the commandment came, fin revived, and I died:" when, by the law, I got the knowledge of fin, I died to all conceit of myself and my righteoufnefs; "What things were formerly gain unto me, thefe I counted lofs for Chrift."-Now, if you have been thus purfued by juftice, which you fee no facrifice will fatisfy, but that of the Man that is God's Fellow, and have been burdened with your natural inclination to fome other facrifice, I think

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the Lord has begun the good work upon you, and there. fore I call and invite you to the table of the Lord.

(2.). Have you feen the glory and excellency of this facrifice? What a glorious ransom God has found out for his own fatisfaction, that thoufands of rams could not do it, but that one Lamb could do it, even the Lamb of God facrificed? Have you feen the fword quenching its thirt in the blood of the Lamb? and have you taken up the love and mercy of God in providing fuch a Lamb, fuch a ram caught in the thickets, when your neck, like Ifaac's was upon the block? Have you feen him to be a worthy ranfom, becaufe of the worthiness of the perfon facrificed, he being God's Fellow, God-man in one perfon, and fo acting in his Father's name, and by his appointment, when he yielded obedience to the death, as being his Shepherd, whom he fealed for this end? And has the view and apprehenfion of him, in this mediatorial glory, drawn forth your efteen of him and of his offering and facrifice, fo as you could venture heaven, and your eternal falvation. upon it; fo that you defire to fay, "To him that loved me, and washed me in his own blood, to him be glory?" Is the view of this facrifice that which cheers and delights you most and is it matter of wonder to you, now and then, that when the ftroak of jullice was ready to come upon you, Chrift fhould have interpofed between you and the fatal deadly blow; Can you fay, You count all but lofs and dung, that you may win Chrift, and be found in him; fo that you care not what be calt over-board, if you but get to that fhore, even Chrift and his righteoufnels? Then welcome are you to the table of the Lord; I invite you in his glorious name.

(3.) Have you found your fouls in fafety, from the fword of juftice, under this fhadow of the blood of the man that is God's Fellow? Nothing rightly fatisfies the awakened challenges of confcience, but that which fatisfies the awakened fword of justice; and that is the fmiting of the Shepherd, and the blood of the Lamb that is his Fellow. Now, have you feen God's juftice fatisfied thereby, and found your confcience fatisfied with the fame? Have you, fome time or other, found VOL. I.

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your foul at peace under this covert of blood, knowing that the fword was put up in its fcabbard, it being fully fatisfied with the blood of God? This is a being pleafed with what the Lord of hofts is pleased; and you have thus, being juftified by faith, had peace with God. thro', our Lord Jefus Chrift. Where go you, when under challenges for fin? Do you find moft peace in this facrifice, even when you have the deepest and most kindly impreffion of your fin? For the Legalift, he can believe well enough, when he has no challenges for fin, but under these challenges, his faith fails him. But for you, believer, under all challenges, do you find this is always your only fhift, the blood of Christ, the facrifice of the man that is God's Fellow? Is this alfo your only thift when you think of death, or of appearing before the judgment-feat of God? Do you make fuch ufe of Chrift's offering to juftice, as that it is your conftant defire to put Chrift in your room? Is the language of your foul, O! I defire no accompting and reckoning with juftice; nay, I dare not count and reckon with Chrift, but my foul, as it were, leaves Chrift in its room, and runs away from reckoning with justice, to hide itfelf under his wings, who can count to the utmoft farthing. Dear foul, who has attained to fomething of this in reality, I invite you, in my Mafter's name to come to his table..

(4.) Is it oft-times matter of exercife to you, to get over all other facrifices to this alone, whereby the awakened fword of juftice is appeafed? Can you fay, it has been matter of exercise to you, not only how to get over your fins unto Chrift; but also, how to get over your graces and duties to him, fo as you might not truft therein, to the prejudice of trulling in Christ? Paul not only, while in nature, but even after converfion, found an inclination to count fome thing gain, befide Chrift; and therefore, in oppofition to this inclination, he does, with a Doubtlefs, cry down all things, and count them dung and lofs, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Phil. iii. 8, 9. Taking in his gracious actings, and actions, as well as others, and found a need to caft away the good, as well as the bad in