however this advance my improvement and fanctification? And fhall not the memorial of Jefus, fhall not all that is calculated to preferve and renew it with myself and others, be of tranfcendent importance to me?

This being the cafe, my pious hearers, you cannot fail of perceiving, that the inftitution of the holy fupper is an extremely wife and falutary ordinance, and that we have no need to look for any myfterious and incomprehenfible matters in this religious rite, to afcribe to it efficacies and effects which it does not poffefs, in order to ftimulate us to a truly devout obfervance of it. No, in the original fimplicity and perfpicuity of its fignification it deferves to be kept with the profoundest reverence, with the utmost fenfibility as a powerful means of cherishing the memory of Jefus amongst us and thereby of promoting our comfort and our fanctification. Let us therefore now thus keep this folemn ordinance, my dear hearers. The memorial of Jefus, and of what he has done and fuffered for our benefit, fhall now take the entire poffeffion of our minds. We will follow him in his life and in his fufferings, we will trace all his steps from Bethlehem to Calvary, remind ourselves of his doctrine, of his promises, of his example and of the intimate and facred relations in which we ftand to him at prefent as his difciples and followers, as his redeemed, and in which we fhall hereafter be placed as partakers in his glory. Yes, to him, that dearest deliverer and faviour, we

are beholden for all that can pacify, confole and rejoice us. Through him we are brought to the knowledge of God and his will: through him we have discovered the road that leads to perfection and happiness through him we are certified of the grace of our offended fovereign and judge: in him and for his fake we may affuredly promise ourselves the forgiveness of our fins, the refurrection from the dead and life everlasting. He has dearly earnt for us these privileges and felicities by fo vaft á facrifice; he has purchased them for us by his blood. This will we never forget, for this will we now thank him with one confent. In this will we now rejoice at his table. For this will we publicly praise him and his heavenly father with united hearts. To this dear deliverer and faviour moreover we unalienably belong. We may no longer live to ourselves, or follow our finful lufts and paffions, but we must regulate our lives by the determinations of him who died and rofe again for us. His doctrine is holy and his life was the perfect expreffion of his doctrine. Therefore fhould we, who profefs his doctrine and call ourselves his followers, be holy even as he was holy. We with him should die unto fin and live again unto righteoufnefs. We fhould like him by godlinefs, by wisdom and virtue, by meeknefs and humility, by beneficence, by zeal for the honour of God and for the interests of our brethren, distinguish ourselves from the great mass of mankind, and like him look rather at the things

that are not seen than at the things that are feen. To frame ourselves upon his temper and to make his behaviour the model of ours fhould be the object of our ambition as it is our true honour and renown. Thereby ought we to fhew in very deed, that real affection and gratitude to him refide in our breasts. This will we henceforth vow to him in fincerity of heart. To this will we here bind ourselves afresh before God and the world. And thus fhall the memorial of Jefus and his death be fubfervient to our confolation and improvement. It fhall be continually finking deeper in our hearts, accompany us in all our ways, shield us against all temptations to iniquity, fortify us under every calamity, keep us stedfast in every difficulty, and hereafter, when we come to die, fill us with hope and affurance for ever. Amen.

Communion.

SERMON LXII.

Account of our Christianity.

GOD, eternal fount of light and happiness, we

publicly and unitedly rejoice before thee in the feveral advantages, with which thou haft favoured us as chriftians. How much more fafe and pleasant is our path of life become by the doctrines and promises of christianity! How much more easily and quickly may we advance upon it to perfection! How much more fatisfaction and felicity may we already here enjoy, and how boldly march onward to that purer felicity and joy, which futurity opens before us! And if all of us were chriftians in deed and in truth, if we were entirely and conftantly pervaded and actuated by the fpirit of chriftianity, how wife, how virtuous, how contented and happy should we be! Oh might we then always be acquiring jufter perceptions of chriftianity, thy choiceft boon, always making a worthier use of it, and always inore completely experiencing its divine power! Might particularly we who intend now to celebrate the memory of its founder, our lord, in the holy fupper, be thoroughly fenfible to the value of thofe fpecial advantages, which as chriftians we poffefs, and be

·

ftimulated thereby to adopt truly chriftian fentiments and pursuits! Might we henceforward live no longer to ourselves, no longer according to the impulfes and cravings of our inferior appetites, but wholly according to the will and to the glory of him, who fo greatly loved us, as to deliver himself over to death for our fakes! Yes, o God, may this be the fruit of our meditations and our facrament of the facred fupper. Accompany them in this respect with the holy influences of thy grace and heavenly benediction, and hearken to our prayer through Jefus Chrift, our lord, in whofe name we further call upon thee, faying: Our father, &c.

GALATIANS ii. 20.

Chrift liveth in me.

WE clofe this year with a perfectly christian act,

my pious hearers; with the ordinance of the facred fupper. And what acknowledgments do we make by it! What benefits and felicities do we glory in there! To have paffed a whole year in the profeffion and faith of the chriftian doctrine, in the imitation of its divine founder, and in the enjoyment of the various privileges procured to us by him: is not this a fignal happiness? What a great value muft christianity confer on every fhorter or longer divifion of our lives! What light, what ferenity, what fatisfaction muft it diffufe over every day of it!

How