3. Then there is the merit of Christ; which is another object of faith that we should call over in the celebration of this ordinance. Why was " he made sin"? It was " that we might become the right- eousness of God in him." It is answerable to that other expression in Gal. iii. 3 3, 14, He hath borne the curse, — " was made a curse for us." To what end? That "the blessing of faithful Abraham might ^ome upon us;" or, that we might be completely made righteous. The design of our assembling together, is to remember how we come to be made righteous. It is, by Christ's being made sin.
III. We may see three things concerning ourselves: —
1. Our own sin and guilt: he was made sin " for us." If Christ was made sin for us, then we were sinners.
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2. We may remember our deliverance, — how we were delivered from sin, and all the evils of it. It was not by a word of command or power, or by the interposition of saints or angels, or by our own endeavours ; but by the sufferings of the Son of God. And, — -
3. God would have us remember and call to mind the state where- into we are brought, — which is a state of righteousness; that we may bless him for that winch in this world will issue in our righteousness, and in the world to come, eternal glory.
These things we may call over for our faith to meditate upon. Our minds are apt to be distracted; the ordinance is to fix them: and if we act faith in an especial manner in this ordinance, God will be glorified.
DISCOURSE II.1
" The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? The bread which Ave break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"— 1 Cor. x. 16.
There is, in the ordinance of the Lord's supper, an especial and peculiar communion with Christ, in his body and blood, to be obtained. One reason why we so little value the ordinance, and profit so little by it, may be, because we understand so little of the nature of that special communion with Christ which we have therein.
We have this special communion upon the account of the special object that faith is exercised upon in this ordinance, and the special acts that it puts forth in reference to that or those objects: for the acts follow the special nature of then objects. Now, — •
1. The special object of faith, as acted in this ordinance, is not the object of faith, as, faith; that is, the most general object of it, which is the divine veracity: " He that hath received his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true/' John hi. 33. The divine veracity, or the truth of God, that is the formal object of faith, as faith; and makes our faith to be divine faith. But now this is not the special ob- ject of faith in this ordinance, but something that doth suppose that.
2. The special object of faith, as justifying, is not the special object of faith in this ordinance. The special object of faith, as justifying, is the promise, and Christ in the promise, in general, as " the Saviour of sinners : " so when the apostle called men " to repent and believe," he tells them, " The promise is unto you/' Acts ii. 39. And I suppose
' Delivered November 26, 1669.
524 SACRAMENTAL DISCOURSES.
I need not insist upon the proof of this, that the promise, and Christ in the promise as Saviour and Redeemer, is the object of faith, as it is justifying. But this also is supposed in the actings of faith in this ordinance ; which is peculiar, and gives us peculiar communion with Christ. Therefore, —
3. The special and peculiar object of faith, the immediate object of it in this ordinance, in its largest extent is, —
(1.) The human nature of Christ, as the subject wherein media- tion and redemption was wrought. Christ is considered to come as a sacrifice ; that is laid down as the foundation of it, Ps. xl. 6 ; Heb. x. 5, "A body hast thou prepared me;" which is synecdochically taken for the whole human nature. Faith, when it would lead itself unto the sacrifice of Christ, which is here represented, doth in an especial manner consider the human nature of Christ; that God pre- pared him a body for that end. This Ave are to have peculiar regard unto when we come to the administration or participation of this ordinance. For that end we now celebrate it. Nay, —
(2.) Faith goes farther, and doth not consider merely the human nature of Christ, but considers it as distinguished into its integral parts, — into body and blood; both which have a price, value, and virtue given unto them by their union with his human soul : for both the body of Christ and the blood of Christ, upon which the work of our redemption is put in Scripture, have their value and worth from their relation unto his soul ; as soul and body, making the human nature, had its value and worth from its relation unto the Son of God : otherwise, he saith of his body, " Handle it, it is but flesh and bones." But where the body of Christ is mentioned, and the blood of Christ is mentioned, there is a distribution of the human nature into its integral parts, each part retaining its relation to his soul ; and from thence is its value and excellency. This is the second peculiar in the object of faith in this ordinance.