by faith, we may be rooted and grounded in love; comprehending with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and heighth; and knowing the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that so we may be filled with all the fulness of God. Such meditations and exercises as these will purify and raise our souls, and best dispose us for approaching to the table of the Lord. And the Lord pour out upon us the spirit of grace and supplication, that we may look upon him whom we have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

A PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY

SACRAMENT.

JOSH. iii. 5.

Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

WHEN God is to make any signal discovery and manifestation of himself to his people, he calleth them to solemn preparation, that they may be in a fit posture to attend and receive it. Three eminent instances whereof we meet with in the travels of his ancient people of Israel. The first is in Exodus xix. 10, 11. where, being to descend upon Sinai to promulgate a law, and enter into a covenant with them, the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people. Thus also, when he was at once to satisfy and punish the inordinate appetite of that people who loathed the manna, and lusted after flesh, by bringing innumerable quails from the sea, and causing them to fall about their

:

camp, he commanded Moses to say unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh.* A third instance is that of the text. The Lord had brought his people to the borders of Canaan, and was now to give them the seisin and possession of that promised land: he was to divide the waters of Jordan before them; and thereby both facilitate their passage; and assure their possession. Hereby, said Joshua, ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites, and Hivites, and the Perrizites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth, passeth over before you into Jordan. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come doun from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. Now, to dispose them for so great a mercy, Joshua gives them this advertisement in the text, Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

unto you.

And sure this same advertisement must needs be very seasonable to us, who are expecting that God will manifest himself to-morrow in this place, in a way no less glorious, and far more comfortable and advantageous, than any of those we have mentioned We hope he shall descend from the habitation of his glory, that he will rend the heavens, and come down into this house, not with fire, and blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which they that heard, intreated that the word should not be spoken unto them any more; because they could not endure that which was commanded:† but with the gentle ↑ Heb. xii. 18, 19, 20.

Numb. xi. 18.

and enlivening flames of love, with the refreshing beams of divine light, with the still and quiet whisper of his Holy Spirit, which are only heard in calm and silent souls. He is coming to proclaim another law, a law of liberty and love; to enter into a new and better covenant with us, not according to that covenant which he made with the house of Israel, in the day when he took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt: but this is the covenant he maketh with us, that he will put his laws into our minds, and write them in our hearts: and he will be to us a God, and we shall be to him a people; that he will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and remember our iniquities no more.*

To-morrow the Lord will give us flesh to eat; not the flesh of quails and feathered fowls, to sustain this crazy and decaying frame; but the flesh and blood of the son of man; that flesh which is meat indeed, and that blood which is drink indeed: which giveth life and everlasting happiness to the soul, and consigneth these mortal bodies to a blessed resurrection: for whoso eateth my flesh, end drinketh my blood, (saith our Saviour) hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.t

To-morrow the Lord will open a passage for his people towards the heavenly Canaan, place them, as it were, in the confines of that promised land, in the suburbs of happiness and glory at least he will shèw them a token for good, and sign a right and security unto it. And, though floods of sin and sorrow were ready to overwhelm their souls, he will restrain and divert them: Surely in the floods of great waters, they shall not come nigh unto them. What fitter terms could we therefore choose to bespeak you in, than hose of this holy man, Sanctify yourselves, for to-mor

~ow,

&c.

*Heb. viii. 9, 10. 12. ↑ John, vi. 34, + Psal. xxxii. 6.

The words contain an exhortation, and a reason enforcing it. In applying them to the present occa`sion, we shall invert the order, and handle the latter part of the text first, because of the influence it hath on the former. We shall first tell you what those wonders are which the Lord is to do among us tomorrow; the consideration of them being of great use, both to excite us to sanctify and prepare ourselves, and also to instruct and direct us in it.

I. What then are those wonders we expect to see? A little bread broken and divided among us; a little wine poured forth and drunk. Is there any thing to surprise and amaze us here? What better is this than our ordinary entertainment at home? Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?* Such may be the thoughts of profane and ignorant fools; for the outside of this ordinance is very poor and mean, hath nothing in it that may dazzle or delight the vulgar eye, that may please or affect a carnal mind: but those whose eyes are opened to right apprehensions of spiritual and divine things, can easily see through this coarse and contemptible vail, and discern astonishing wonders in this ordinance, wonders of power, and wisdom, and love.

If we consider what is represented to us in this sacrament, we therein have occasion to behold the most wonderful and astonishing spectacle that ever was seen in this lower world; the only begotten Son of God suffering for the sins of the world; the Lord of glory hanging betwixt two thieves: for in this ordinance Jesus Christ is evidently set forth as crucified before our eyes. We may read and hear of it at other times; but this is a more clear and solemn_representation of it: our dying Lord commanded us to do it in remembrance of him. * 2 Kings, v. 12. + Gal. iii. 2.

Here

our thoughts are more fixed, and our meditations higher raised; we get a nearer and more advantageous prospect. And our faith comes not only by the ear; our senses contribute unto it, that we may say in some sense, with the beloved disciple, that we have not only heard, but have seen with our eyes, we have looked upon it, and our hands have handled the word of life,* "Tis true, there might have been contrived a more sensible resemblance, and tragical representation of the death of Christ. That spectacle represented upon the scene, would perhaps affect our senses and fancy more, and might sooner draw tears from our eyes, and occasion some warm and affectionate passion. But is a mean and low devotion that is seated in the inferior faculties of the soul, which outward objects do excite by their natural strength, without the exercise of the soul's considering and meditating powers. And therefore (as one hath well observed)" the representation of Christ's death in the sacrament is so ordered, that it might both help the soul, and leave it something to do in forming its own apprehensions and resentment." In it we see so much as to awaken our souls, but not so much as to keep them awake without themselves. The outward object serves to excite our faith; but then leaves it to its proper exercise and employment. Faith takes the hint which sense doth give it, and in the sacramental bread and wine can behold the blood and wounds of our blessed Saviour. It placeth us, as it were, at the foot of his cross, and makes us observe the whole transaction. And thus that holy ordinance we are to celebrate, presents to our view the wonderful redemption of mankind, which shall be the admiration of men and angels to all eternity: so that, if there were not more, on this account we might say in some * 1 John, i. 4.