2. Love to the saints. This is a love- feast : though we must eat this supper with the bitter herbs of repentance, yet not with the bitter herbs of malice. Were it not sad, if all the meat one eats should turn to bad humours ? He who comes in malice to the Lord's table, all he eats is to his hurt : ** He eats and drinks damnation to himself," 1 Cor. xi. 29. Come in love. It is with love as it is with fire; you keep fire all the day upon the hearth, but upon special occa- sions you draw out the fire larger ; so, though we must have love to all, yet to the eaints, who are our fellow-mem^ ers, here we must draw out the fire of our love larff- er; and we must shew the largeness of our affections to them, by prizing their persons, by choosing their company, by doing all offices of love to them, counselling them in their doubts, comforting them in their fears, supplying them in their wants. Thus one Christian may be an Ebcnezcr to another, and as an angel of God to him ; the sacra- ment cannot be effectual to him who doth not receive in love. If a man drinks poison, and then takes a cordial, the cordial will do him little good; he who hath the poison of malice in his soul, the cordial of Christ's Mood will do him no good ; come therefore in h»ve and charity. And thus we see how we may receive the supj)er of the Lord, that it mav be elTectual to our salvation.
Use \.<t(. From the whole doctrine of the sacrament learn, how precious should a sa- crament be to us. It is a sealed deed to make over the blessings of the new cove- nant to us, — justification, sanctification, glory. A small ])iece of wax put to a parchment is made the instrument to con- firm a rich conveyance or lordship to ano- ther: so these elements in the sacrament of bread and wine, though in themselves of no great value, yet being consecrated to be seals to confirm the covenant of grace to us, so they are of more value than all the riches of the Indies.
Use 2d. The sacrament being such an holy mystery, let us come to this holy mys- tery with holy hearts. There is no receiv- ing a crucified Christ, but into a consecra- ted heart ; Christ in his conception, lay in a pure virgin's womb, and, at his death, his body was wrapped in clean linen, and put into a new virgin-tomb, never yet de- filed with rottenness. If Christ would not lie in an unclean grave, sure he will not be received into an iniclean heart, Isa. Hi. 11., " Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord." If they who did carry the vessels of the Lord, were to be holy, then they who are to be the vessels of the Lord, and are to hold Christ's body and blood, ought to be holy.
Use Sd. Consolation. Christ's body and blood in the sacrament is a most sovereign elixir or comfort to a distressed soul. Christ having poured out his blood, now God's justice is fully satisfied. There is in the death of Christ enough to answer all doubts. What if sin is the poison, here is tlie flesh of Christ an antidote against it ! What if sin be red as scarlet, is not Christ's blood of a deeper colour, and can wash a- way sin ! If Satan strikes us with his darts of temptation, here is a precious balm comes out of Christ's wounds to heal us ! Isa. liii. 5. What though we feed upon the bread of affliction, as long as in the sacrament we feed upon the bread of life ! So that Christ received ari«:ht sacramentallv, is an univer- sal medicine for the healing, and an univer- sal cordial for the cheering of our distres- sed souls.
III. The benefits of our redemption are aj)plied to us by prayer.
OF PRAYER.
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OF PRAYER.
Psalm cix. 4. But I give myself unto prayer*
I SHALL not expatiate upon prayer at large, being to speak more fully to it in the Lord's prayer. But to tlie words, " I give myself unto prayer." It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer ; lie who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer, as he who often distri- butes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance; it is the soul's trading with heaven; God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer.
Quest. L What is prayer ?
Ans. " It is an offering up of our desires " to God, for things agreeable to his will, " in the name of Cln'ist."
1a^. '' Prayer is an offering up of our de- sires." Therefore it is called a making known of our requests, Phil. iv. 6. In prayer we come as humble petitioners, beg- ging to have our suit granted.
2(1. 'Tis " offering up our desires to God." — Prayer is not to be made to any but God. The papists pray to saints and angels, but they know not our grievances, Isa. Ixiii. 16., " Abraham be ignorant of us." And all angel- worship is forbidden. Col. il. 18, 19. We must not pray to any but whom we may believe in, Rom. x. 14., " How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" But we cannot believe in an angel, therefore we must not pray to him.
Quest. IVIiy must prayer be made only to God?