fociety. Wickedness is of a fpreading infectious nature, and the indulgence of it in one inftance may occafion extenfive mifchief; for, fays he, Know ye not that leaven ferments and diffuses itself, till at length it has leavened the whole lump? Juft fo one corrupt member in a church may spread a contagion through the whole. Therefore purge out the old leaven; caft' out this fcandalous offender, and labour alfo to purge your church and your own hearts from all corruption,that ye may be as a new, folid, and pure lump; for ye are more ftrongly bound to keep youfelves morally pure, and to guard your church against infection, than the Jews were to abftain from all things mixed with leaven at the feaft of the paffover; for though that feaft is no more to be observed, yet that which was fignified by the paschal lamb is now come to pass; Christ our paffover is facrificed for us, and the ordinance of his fupper is appointed as a facred feast, in commemoration of him, and our deliverance by him, as the paffover was commemorative of the deliverance from Egypt, and the deftroying-angel. And this is a ftronger reason for the more purity of particular perfons and congregations under the gofpel, than there could be for ceremonial purity under the law. Therefore, fays he, let us keep this evangelical feaft, not with old leaven, not with thofe corrupt difpofitions which we once indulged, and which, like leaven, foured our nature, and fermented through our frame: neither with the leaven of malice, or any kind of wickedness; but renouncing our old temper and practice, and with hearts univerfally fanctified, and full of love and good will to all mankind, let us religioufly celebrate this gofpel feaft with thofe difpofitions which were fignified by the unleavened bread, namely, fincerity and truth. It was the practice of the Jews, when the paffover was approaching, to fearch every corner of their houses with lighted candles, that they might be fure there was no leaven to be found under their roofs. The apostle probably alludes to that practice, and exhorts VOL. II. chriftians M.m christians to a like care in fearching and purging their hearts, and the churches to which they belong, that they may be pure, and fit for partaking of fo holy an ordinance. My defign is to fhew you the principal ends of the inftitution of the Lord's fupper; and as I go along, to delineate the character of those who are fit to attend upon it; for by knowing the former, we may easily know the latter. The Lord's fupper partakes of the general nature of thofe divine inftitutions which are called facraments in this, That it is intended to represent things fpiritual by material emblems or figns which affect our fenfes, and thereby enlarge our ideas, and imprefs our hearts in the prefent ftate of flesh and blood.' As we have not only rational minds, but also animal bodies endowed with fenfes, God has wifely adapted his inftitutions to the make of human nature, and called in the affiftance of our eyes* and our ears to help our conceptions of divine things, and to affect our minds with them. And this method is agreeable to the nature of makind; God has been pleased to use it in every age, and under every difpenfation of religion. The tree of life was the facrament of the firft covenant; a fenfible confirmation to Adam that he should obtain eternal life by his obedience. The rainbow was appointed as a confirmation of the covenant with Noah, that the world fhould no more perish by a deluge; and we have not only the affurance of the divine promife, but we may receive the confirmation through our eyes by beholding that illuftrious fign in the clouds. Circumcifion and the paffover were noted facraments of the covenant of grace, under the Jewish difpenfation; and Baptism and the Lord's Supper are appointed in their room, and answer the like ends under the gofpel. In all these ordinances God confults our weakness, and, as I obferved, per aurem, HOR. *Segnius irritant animos demiffa ferved, makes our bodily fenfes helpful to the devotions of our minds. Indeed this method of reprefenting and confirming things by fenfible figns and fignificant actions is fo natural and expreffive, that men have used it in all ages in their tranfactions with one another. It was remarkably in use among the antients; and it is not quite laid afide in our age, which does not abound in fuch methods of reprefentation. In our age and country it is ufual to confirm contracts by annexing feals to an inftrument of writing; to confirm an agreement by fhaking hands; to fignify love by a kifs, and complaifance by bowing; and we fometimes give fome token as a memorial to a parting friend. I mention these low and familiar inftances that I may, if poffible, give fome juft ideas of a facrament to the meaneft capacity. It partakes of the general nature of these fignificant figns and actions, and is intended, like them, to ftrike our fenfes; and through that medium to inftruct or affect our minds and fuch a sign, such a seal, fuch a fignificant action is the Lord's fupper in particular. Having made this remark upon its general nature, I now go on to fhew the particular ends of its inftitution. And, I. This ordinance was intended as a memorial of the fufferings of Chrift for his people. That this is its immediate and principal defign we learn from the words of the bleffed Jefus at its first inftitution, This do in remembrance of me. That we are to remember him particularly and principally as fuffering for our fins, is evident from his words in diftributing the elements, This is my body which is broken for you. Here a moving emphasis is laid upon his body's being broken; broken, crushed, and mangled with an endless variety of fufferings. So again, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is fhed for you. Hence it is evident this ordinance was appointed as a memorial of a fuffering Saviour; and it is under this notion that we are particularly to remember member him. We are to fhew forth the Lord's death, fays the apostle; his death, which was the confummation of his fufferings, till he come again to vifit our world in a very different and glorious manner. The Lord's fupper in this view is to be looked upon as a token of love, or memorial left by a friend at parting among his friends, that whenever they see it they may remember him. Our Lord knew we should be very apt to forget him; and therefore, that the memory of his fufferings might never be loft, he inftituted this ordinance; and by the humble elements of bread and wine, he reprefents himself to our fenfes as broken under the burden of his fufferings, and fhedding his blood. Corn, out of which bread is made, which is first threshed, then ground in a mill, then baked in an oven, is a very proper emblem to fignify the violences which our Lord's facred body endured; and wine, preffed from the grape, and poured into the cup, is a ftriking reprefentation of his blood, which was forced from him by the crushing weight of his agonies. Therefore there was a peculiar propriety in appointing these elements to be the memorials of his fufferings. This remembrance of a fuffering Saviour must be attended with fuitable affections. To remember him with a careless indifferency, or with contempt, is the moft ungrateful infult. Were he an infignificant perfon, in whom we have no concern, we might treat him thus; but thus to treat the beloved Son of God, and our only Saviour, thus to requite all his love and fufferings for us, what can be more fhocking? What can be more base ingratitude? We fhould therefore remember him in this ordinance with a penitent sense of our fins, which were the causes of his death; with an ardent love and gratitude for his dying love to us; with an humble faith and confidence in the merit of his death, to procure us acceptance with God; and with a voluntary dedication of ourselves to him and his fervice for ever. And And hence you may learn the character of those who are prepared to communicate in this feast. They, and only they, are prepared, who are true penitents, fully convinced of their fins, and deeply fenfible of their malignity, efpecially as the causes of his death, and thoroughly determined to forfake them; who are lovers of a crucified Jefus, and feel their hearts fired with gratitude to him for all his love; who are fenfible that they have no perfonal righteousness, and therefore place all their dependance upon his only; who feel his love constraining them, and are determined to live no more to themselves, but to him that died for them, and rofe again. Self-examination is a neceffary preparative to this ordinance. Let a man examine himself, fays the apoftle, and fo let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. Therefore, my brethren, inquire whether this be your character; if it be not, you have no right to this privilege. It is a fhocking incongruity to pretend to commemorate the death of Chrift without love to him, or penitential forrows for those fins for which he died. Memorials of friendship and lovetokens are only for friends; and when others use them, it is mere farce and hypocrify. Therefore till you have these difpofitions, do not adventure to come to his table. II. The Lord's fupper was appointed as a badge of our christian profeffion, and of our being the difciples of Jefus Chrift. Baptifm is appointed for our initiation into the christian church at our firft affuming the chriftian profeffion and by partaking of this ordinance of the Lord's fupper, we declare our conftancy in that profeffion, and that we do not repent of our choice, nor defire to change our Mafter. We openly profess that we are not ashamed of the crofs, or the religion of the defpifed Nazarene, but publicly avow our relation to him before the world. This perhaps may be intended by that expreffion of St. Paul, fhewing forth the |