lial? If thou thrust thyself upon this ordinance, while thou continuest under such a character, instead of doing honor to the Lord Jesus, thou puttest a daring affront upon him, as if he were altogether such an one as thyself; instead of fetching in any true comfort to thine own soul, thou dost but aggravate thy guilt and condemnation: thy heart will be more hardened, thy conscience more seared, Satan's strong holds more fortified, and thou eatest and drinkest judgment to thyself, not discerning the Lord's body-not putting a difference between this bread and other bread; but trampling under foot the blood of the covenant, as a profane and common thing.

(2.) Know, also, that thy condition is very miserable while thou debarrest thyself from this ordinance, and art, as polluted, put from this priesthood. How light soever thou mayest make of it, this is not of thy whoredoms, this is not of thy miseries a small matter, that thou shuttest thyself out of covenant and communion, with the God that made thee: and, in effect, disclaimest any interest in the Christ that bought thee, as if thou hadst taken the devils' words out of their mouths, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of God? And, if thou persist in it, so shall thy doom be; thou thyself hast decided it. If now it be as nothing to thee to be separated from the sheep of Christ, and excluded from their green pastures, yet it will be something shortly, when thou shalt accordingly have thy place among the goats, and thy lot with them for. ever. Thou thinkest it no loss now to want the cup of blessing, because thou preferrest the cup of drun kenness before it; but what dost thou think of the cup of trembling, that will ere long be put into thy hand, if thou repent not? Thou hast no desire to the wine of the love of God, but chusest the puddle-water of sensual pleasures rather; but, canst thou drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which shall be poured out without mixture, in the presence of the Lamb....Rev. xiv. 10. Thou thinkest thyself easy and happy, that

thou art not under the bonds and checks of this ordinance; but dost thou not see thyself extremely miserable, while thou hast no right to the blessings and comforts of this ordinance? If there were not an

other life after this, thou mightest have some color for the blessing thyself thus in thine own wicked way; (and yet, if so, I should see no cause to envy thee), but, wretched soul, what wilt thou do in the day of visitation? Thou that herdest thyself with the sinners in Sion, and choosest them for thy people, canst thou dwell with devouring fire? Canst thou inhabit everlasting burnings ?....Isa. xxxiii. 14. God by his grace open thine eyes, and give thee to see thy misery and danger, before it be too late.

(3.) Yet know, that though thy condition is very sad, it is not desperate. Thou hast space yet given thee to repent, and grace offered thee! O, refuse not that grace-slip not that space. Leave thy sins, and turn unto God in Christ; cast away from thee all thy transgressions...make thee a new heart...begin a new life...forsake the foolish, and live to some purpose, and go in the way of understanding; and then, in wisdom's name, I am to tell thee, that, notwithstanding all thy former follies, thou art welcome to her house, welcome to her table, freely welcome to eat of her bread, and to drink of the wine which she hath mingled....Prov. ix. 4, 5, 6 Now at least, now at last, in this thy day, know the things that belong to thy peace; be wise for thyself, be wise for thine own soul, and cheat not thyself into thine own ruin.

Poor sinner! I pity thee; I would gladly help thee; the Lord pity thee, and help thee! He will, if thou wilt pity thyself, and help thyself. Wilt thou be persuaded, by one who wishes thee well, to exchange the service of sin, which is perfect slavery, for the service of God, which is perfect liberty? To exchange the base and sordid pleasures of a sensual life, which level thee with the beasts, for the pure and refined pleasures of a spiritual and divine life, which will raise

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thee to a communion with the holy angels? I am confident thou wilt quickly find it a blessed change. Awake, shake thyself from the dust, loose thyself from the bands of thy neck...Isa. lii. 2.-Give up thyself in sincerity to Jesus Christ, and then come and feast with him; thou shalt then have in this ordinance the pledges of his favor...assurances of thy reconciliation to him and acceptance with him, and all shall be well; for it shall end everlastingly well.

Secondly, I must next apply myself to those who, having competent knowledge in the things of God, and making a justifiable profession of Christ's holy religion, cannot be denied admission to this ordinance, and yet deny themselves the benefit and comfort of it. Such are hereby exhorted, without further delay, solemnly to give up their names to the Lord Jesus in and by this sacrament. Hear Hezekiah's summons to the passover, (11 Chron. xxx. 8.) Yield yourselves unto the Lord....give the hand unto the Lord-so the Hebrew phrase is join yourselves to him in the bond of the covenant, and then exchange the ratifications....enter into the sanctuary. First give your ownselves unto the Lord, and then confirm the surrender by the solemnity of this ordinance.

1st. Let me direct this exhortation to young people, that were in their infancy baptized into the Christian faith, and have been well educated in the knowledge of God, and of his ways, and are now grown up to years of discretion...are capable of understanding what they do, of discerning between their right hand and their left in spiritual things, and of choosing and refusing for themselves accordingly; and that have had some good impressions made upon their souls by divine things, and some good inclinations towards God and Christ, and heaven: such are invited to the table of the Lord, and called upon to come; for all things are now ready, and it is not good to delay.

You that are young, will you now be prevailed with to be serious, and resolved for God? You now begin

to act with reason, and to put away childish things; you are come to be capable of considering, and you are thinking how you must live in this world: O, that I could prevail with you to think first how you may live for another world! I am not persuading you to come rashly or carelessly to the Lord's table, as, when you were little children, you went to church for fashion's sake, and because your parents took you with them: but I am persuading you, now in the days of your youth, from a deep conviction of your duty and interest, and a serious concern about your souls and eternity, intelligently, deliberately, and with a fixed resolution, to join yourselves unto the Lord in an everlasting covenant, and then to come and seal that cove nant at his table. You are now come to the turning time of life-to those years when ordinarily people fix for their whole lives; I beg of you, for Christ's sake, and for your own precious souls' sake, that now you will turn to God, and fix for him, and set your faces heaven-wards.

Come and let us reason together a little, and I beseech you to reason with yourselves.

(1.) Are you not by baptism given up unto the Lord? Are not the vows of God already upon you? Is not baptism your honor? It is so; but you are unworthy of that honor, unworthy of that comfort, if, when you arrive to a capacity for it, you decline doing that for yourselves, which was done for you when you were baptized. How can you expect that your parents' dedication of you to God then, should avail you any thing, if you do not now make it your own act and deed? Might not your backwardness to confirm the covenant, by this solemn taking of it upon yourselves, be construed as an implicit renunciation of it, and be adjudged a forfeiture of the benefit of it? I believe you would not, for a world, disclaim your baptism, nor disown the obligation of it; you will not, I am confident you will not, throw off your Christianity, nor join with those that say, We have no part in David,

nor inheritance in the son of David. Come, then, and ratify your baptism; either let these articles be cancelled, or, now you are of age, come and seal them yourselves; either stand to the bargain, or say you will not; either be Christians complete, Christians by your own consent, or not Christians at all. The matter is plain; the bonds of both the sacraments are the same: you are under the bonds of the one, which I know you dare not renounce; therefore come under the bonds of the other. Consider, take advice, and speak your minds.

(2.) How can you dispose of yourselves better now, in the days of your youth, than to give up yourselves unto the Lord? These are your choosing days; you are now choosing other settlements, in callings, relations, and places of abode; why should you not now choose this settlement in the service of God, which will make all your other settlements comfortable? Choose you therefore, this day, whom ye will serve God or the world, Christ or the flesh; and be persuaded to bring the matter to a good issue; determine the debate in that happy resolve which the people of Israel came to, when they said, Nay, but we will serve the Lord....Josh. xxiv. 21. Why should not he, who is the first and the best, have the first and the best of your days? which I am sure you cannot bestow better, and which it is both your duty and interest to bestow thus.

(3.) What will you get by delaying it? You intend some time or other solemnly to give up yourselves unto the Lord in this ordinance, and you hope then to receive the benefit and comfort of it; but the tempter tells you, 'Tis all in good time, and you dismiss your convictions as Felix did Paul, (Acts xxiv. 25.) with a promise, that 'at a more convenient season you will send for them.' You are ready to say, as the people did, (Hag. i. 2.) the time is not come....the time that the Lord's house should be built ;' you think you must build your own first, and what comes of those