him in the hands of his enemies to do unto him what they pleafed. And when Jefus fuffers and dies, fhall a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his fins? When he fuffers to expiate the fins of others, shall I not be contented to fuffer the pains and afflictions neceffary for the cure of my own finful affections, and the trial and improvement of my own virtues? Surely, if he laments his being forfaken, who was undoubtedly the Son of God, I have no just reason to question my being a child of God, or (fuppofing myself to be fo) to think I am hardly dealt with, merely because deftitute of thofe fenfible confolations which I have fometimes enjoyed.

WAS

AS there ever forrow like that of my Saviour? Can any thing be imagined, to exceed it? Yes, O my foul, though his forrows were inconceivably great, his love was greater for his love made him willing to pass through fuch a fea of forrows; his love brought him to that dark hour, and fupported him in it; love to the rebellious fons of men; love to thee, O my foul! Hereup-. on I cannot forbear crying out, Was ever love. like his love? And, reflecting on the unparallelled greatnefs both of his forrow and his love, I further fay to myself, Is there any evil like the evil of fin, the guilty, the curfed occafion of this dolorous fcene? From whence

I am unavoidably led to ask, What ingratitude, O my foul, can be equal to thine, if, after all that thy Redeemer hath done and fuffered for thee, thou wilt not be perfuaded to break thy league with his enemies, that is, with thy fins; Chrift having no enemy but fin, or fuch as fin hath made enemies to him?

WHY, O my foul, is this bread called the communion of the body of Chrift, but at once to fignify the object commemorated, a dying crucified Jefus, and the near relation among thofe who join in commemorating him; that becaufe the bread is one, we also being many, are one body, forafmuch as we are all partakers of the one bread? Chriftians confpiring in this facred action, may justly be called a communion; fince the bread is one of which they jointly partake, and the facrifice one and the fame reprefented by this bread. They are hereby taught, that all the difciples of Chrift, how great foever their number be, (acknowledging this facrifice, and putting their truft in it, which they declare by their united participation of that one bread, which is the memorial of it), conftitute but one mystical body, or fociety, of which they are the members, and Chrift Jefus is the head. O my foul, let thy most ardent wishes, thy moft importunate prayers, thy moft unwearied endeavours, be for the peace and unity of the

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Christian church; that all the faithful in Chrift may be one, even as thou, Father, art in the Son, and the Son in thee, that they may be made perfect in one, and dwell and walk in Jove! And refolve, O my foul, that no prejudice, no provocation, fhall ever alienate thy affections from any of those who are fellowmembers of the fame body with thee, and make thee forget what thou owest them, or rather what thou oweft to thy Saviour; thy regard to whom thou canst not better exprefs, than by thy zeal to promote the peace of his church, and welfare and happiness of all belonging to it!

SE C T. X.

Could the Jews fay, Behold how he loved him, feeing Jefus weep at the grave of Lazarus and may I not with much more reafon cry out,-Behold, how he loved us,when I think of his fhedding, not tears, but blood, his vital blood, for us? He loved us, and washed us from our fins in his blood. His condescending to wash his difciples feet, did not more plainly, or in a more affecting manner, difcover his humility, than his washing us in his blood does his love. And for fuch love, what is the most proper return but love? What other return can I make that will be accepted, if love be wanting? If I love him, he first loved me: his love was a love of compaffion and benevolence, mine is a love of gratitude;

gratitude; mine is a debt, his free. If I love my fellow-chriffian, if I love all mankind, if I love my enemies, the honour is his to have fhewed me the way; and having such a guide and pattern, it would be an indelible reproach upon me not to follow him.

SEC T. XI.

OBferve, O my foul, the time when thy Lord gave his difciples the new com

mandment of love; becaufe, though only, a circumstance, it is exceeding instructive and quickening! It feems to have been foon after he had been inftituting his fupper. And what more proper feafon for the delivery of this law, or ftronger conviction of the reasonablenefs of it, than that afforded by this ordinance; in which the love of Jefus is feen rifing, and spreading itself beyond all bounds, and triumphing over all oppofition? If the commandment is new, in refpect of the height to which the difciples of Chrift are to carry their love, the example is ftill more new and uncommon by which it comes recommended. Should they be called to lay down their lives for the brethren, they would herein only love one another as he, their Lord and Master, had loved them. Nor can I regard it as fuch a hard faying, that I am to love my enemies, (which he also injoins me); fince, when we were enemies, Chrift died for us, that he might reconcile us to God; and, when dy

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ing, prayed for his enemies, enemies whom nothing but his blood would fatisfy, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. I will learn, O my Saviour, how to love of thee! Never was the world taught a more excellent leffon; never before had this leffon fo excellent a teacher.

THis cup is the new teftament, or covenant, in Chrift's blood; the blood of the new covenant, which was fhed for many for the remiffion of fins. First, this blood of atonement was shed for the remiffion of fins; then, after a fhort space interveening, the gofpeldifpenfation was more fully opened, the new covenant folemnly proclaimed, and repentance and remiffion of fins preached in the name of Chrift among all nations. Befides the confirmation which the gospel, containing God's covenant of grace with mankind, receives from the blood or death of Chrift, confidered with all its circumftances; this blood, being the blood of a facrifice, appointed by God, and reprefented in the facramental fupper, is, as fuch, a fign or feal on God's part by which the covenant is folemnized, and our affurance of his defigns of favour and mercy towards us rendered as compleat as we can reasonably wish it to be. Think well of this, O my foul, and never more harbour the leaft fufpicion of the freenefs, the abundance,

or