2. The sufferings of Christ in soul and body axe attractive of, and do draw the souls of believers to him. " They shall look on me whom they have pierced, and mourn." It is a look to Christ as pierced for sin, under his sufferings, that is attractive to the souls of believers in this ordinance; because these sufferings were for us. Call to mind, brethren, some of these texts of Scripture; see what God will give you out of them : — " He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." " He was made a curse for us;" and " he bore our sins in his own body on the tree;" and "died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God." If Jesus Christ be pleased to let in a sense of his suffer-
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ings for us, by these Scriptures, upon our souls, then we have another experience of his drawing us as he is lifted up.
S. Christ draws us as he is lifted up, by the effects of it. What was he lifted up for ? It was to make peace with God through his blood : " God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself/' When? When " he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin/' It is the sacrifice of atonement; it is the sacrifice wherewith the cove- nant between God and us was sealed. This is one notion of the supper of our Lord. Covenants were confirmed with sacrifice. Isaac made a covenant with Abimelech, and confirmed it with sacrifice ; so it was with Jacob and Laban : and in both places, when they had con- firmed the covenant with a sacrifice, they had a, feast upon the sacri- fice. Christ by his sacrifice has ratified the covenant between God and us, and invites us in this ordinance to a participation of it. He draws us by it to faith in him, as he has made an atonement by his sacrifice.
These are some of the ways whereby Christ draws the souls of believers unto communion with him in this ordinance, that represents him as lifted up: — by expressing his love, by representing his sufferings, and tendering the sealing of the covenant as confirmed with a sac- rifice, inviting us to feed on the remainder of the sacrifice that is left to us, for the nourishment of our souls. 0 that he would cast some of these cords of love upon our souls ! for if he should be lifted up, and we should not come, if we should find no cords of love cast upon us to draw us into actual communion, we should have no advantage by this ordinance.
How shall we come in actual communion unto Christ in this ordi- nance, upon his drawing? what is required of us? Why, —
1. We are to come by faith, to " receive the atonement," Rom. v. 11. We come to a due communion with Christ in this ordinance, if we come to receive the atonement made by his death, as full of divine wis- dom, grace, and love ; and, as the truth and faithfulness of God is con- firmed in it, to receive and lay hold on this atonement, that we may have peace with God. Isa, xxvii. 5, "Let him take hold of my strength ; and he shall be at peace with me." Brethren, here is the arm of God, Christ the power of God, Christ lifted up. We ourselves have sinned, and provoked God. What shall we do? shall we set briers and thorns in battle array against God? No; says he, " I will pass through and devour such persons." What then ? " Let him take hold of my strength," of my arm, " and be at peace." God speaks this to every soul of us, in this lifting up of Christ. Now, receive the atone- ment as full of infinite wisdom, holiness, and truth.
2. Faith comes and brings the soul to Christ as he is thus lifted up ; but it is always accompanied with love, whereby the soul adheres to Christ when it is come.
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Doth faitli bring us to Christ, on his drawing, to receive the atone- ment ? — set love at work to cleave unto him, to take him into our hearts and souls, and to abide with him.
3. It is to come with mourning and godly sorroiv, because of our own sins. " Look unto him whom we have pierced, and mourn/' These things are very consistent. Do not think we speak things at random : they are consistent in experience,- — that we should receive Christ as making an atonement, and have peace with God in the pardon of our sins, and nevertheless mourn for our own iniquities. The Lord give experience of them in your hearts !
Let us now pray that some of these cords wherewith he draws the souls of believers may be on our souls in this ordinance.
DISCOURSE XVII.
When we have opportunity of speaking to you on these occasions, it is for the direction of the exercise of your faith in this ordinance in a due manner. Here is a representation of the death of Christ ; and there is in the word a representation of that which we should principally consider, and act faith with respect unto, in the represen- tation that is made in this ordinance ; and that is, of a blessed change and commutation that is made between Christ and believers, in the imputation of their sins unto him, and in the imputation of his right- eousness unto them : and the principal part of the life and exercise of faith consists in a due consideration and improvement thereof. God taught this to the church of the Old Testament in the type of the offer- ing of the scape-goat : —