Christ are difturbed by temptations, and put away from their refting-place, they are like Noah's dove, they cannot rest till they return; and they defire to fly as doves to their windows, and to ly as the child in the mother's lap. When the foul is full of restless vexations, fluctuating and tumbling up and down, in a whole ocean of perplexities and fears, and can fee no fhore, no land, no hayen of comfort, then it must get to the ark, and ufe the foliloquy of the pfalmist, "Return to thy reft, O my foul." Q

5. The man that hath fat down under this fhadow, hath found inexpreffible pleasure in doing fo: I fat down under bis fhadow with great delight: I delighted and fat down. The foul is delighted with the shadow, and delighted with the feat under it: he hath joy and glad. nefs more than the worldling can have when his corn. and wine increaseth: you have found wifdom's ways pleasantnefs, and fuch great delight as difgraces all carnal delights.

ment.

6. You have found the fruit of the apple-tree sweet to your taste and not only that it was a fhady tree for fweet folacement, but a fruitful tree for fweet entertainCan you not say, You have got fuch an experimental tafte of his goodness, that his name was as ointment poured forth to you, and all his garments fmelled of aloes, myrrh, and caffia, out of the ivory palaces ? So fweet, that the tafte raifed your appetite after more and more of it; and fweet, as being a pledge of the love of God, and a foretaste of his glory? Q Sirs, you that have taken your feat under the fhadow of the apple-tree, the tree of life; fee that you take your feat at his table, even though at present you fhould want the sweet and fenfible experience of the delicioufnefs of his fruits if you fit down by faith under his fhadow, you will find fenfe in due time; but, you are to live by faith, and not by fenfe: your life lies in the tree itfelf; and therefore, let your life be a life of faith on the Son of God, and the fweet fruit will drop down in your Jap in his time, who hath made every thing beautiful in his feason, and who is the tree of righteousness that brings forth his fruit in his own feafon: he knows the

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proper season of fhaking the tree, and giving you a fweet fill of his fruit; only abide under his fhadow by faith and dependance: give evidence of your fitting down under his fhadow, by fitting down at his table; do not dishonour him by ftaying away, when you have fo much need, and more need, perhaps, than ever : he hath been fpeaking to you; yet, may be, you do not know fo much, till he make himself known to you in the breaking of bread.

TO

AT THE

SERVICE OF THE TABLES.

NOW, believing communicant, you are come again

to fit down under the fhadow of the matchlefs Apple-tree, under the fhadow of the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift; and as there is no want of protection under fuch a thick fhady tree; fo there is no want of provision under the fhadow of fuch a fruitful tree: this tree of life, is alfo the bread of life, and the water of life.

The bread of life is here; for, "In the fame night wherein he was betrayed, he took bread," &c.

Here is alfo the water of life, reprefented in the communion of the blood of Chrift; "After fupper he took the cup," &c.

Now, believer, you are called to eat the fruit, and to drink the juice of the apple-tree, while you fit under the fhadow thereof; and you fhould do it with great pleasure and delight. It pleafed the Lord to break and to bruife that tree; the facrifice Chrift offered of himself to fatisfy divine juftice, was a facrifice of a sweet-smelling favour unto God: juftice was delighted

with it; Chrift, whofe delight was with the fons of men from everlasting, in the profpect of this work of redemption, delighted to do the Father's will in this doing and fuffering work; and when he fees the travail of his foul, he is fatisfied and delighted; with delight, then fhould we fit down under the fhadow of this tree; for, Chrift's delight lies in feeing poor hell-deferving finners hiding themfelves from the wrath of God under the shadow of his fufferings. Here is one of the grand motives to faith, that you do God a pleafure, you do Christ a pleasure and fatisfaction, when you fit down under his fhadow with pleasure and delight, and eat the pleasant fruit of his labour, and toil, and death, and refurrection: he feeks no more fatisfaction from you, for all his foul-travails, but that you make uft of his fufferings, and the fweet fruits thereof. It is a fatisfaction to Chrift, when that which gave fatiffaction to juftice, gives alfo fatisfaction to your heart; and when you that have nothing in yourfelves to boast of, are chearing and delighting yourselves in him, and in that which is in him. This day would be a day of the gladness of his heart, and a joyful feaft to him, if you be brought joyfully to feaft, upon his flesh and blood; that is, his incarnation, that he took on our nature; and fatisfaction, that he gave to juftice therein. He takes pleasure in them that hope in his mercy venting through this channel, to the glory of juftice, and that rest upon his grace reigning through his righ teousness to eternal life: "He meeteth him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness," faying, "In the Lord only have I righteousness and ftrength." In this manner we are to fit down under his fhadow with great delight, giving him employment for pardon of fin, for peace with God, for fanctification, and for confolation. What a delightful communion will this be, if Chrift and you be both delighted! He fees the travail of his foul, and is fatisfied; and when you fee it, and are fatisfied too. O what a powerful argument is this to excite faith, as it is a fitting down under his fhadow with great delight! namely, That by making ufe of his death and fuffer

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ings for our happiness, holiness, and comfort, we not only fatisfy and fave ourselves, but make glad the heart of our Lord Jefus Chrift; yea, we cannot please nor fatisfy him, but by fitting down with delight and fatiffaction under his fhadow. We give him fatisfaction, when we take delight and fatisfaction in him for our own good. O what a wonderful Saviour is here, that will not be pleased and satisfied with us, unless we take rest, pleasure, and fatisfaction in him! He is the fovereign Judge; and the day comes, when, if you had all the world, you would give it to please him, and who will pronounce the fweetest or the fadeft sentence upon you, namely," Come to me, ye bleffed;" or, " Depart from me, ye curfed; and that according as we have fatisfied him in this matter or not, of fitting down under his fhadow with great delight, that he may be delighted as well as you, and fatisfied for his pains and travails in doing and dying for you. It is as if a phyfician fhould fay to a fick or dying patient, Here is a healing medicine for you, that will bring you to life and health, and I will not be pleafed nor fatisfied unless you take it off my hand. Or, as if a parent fhould fay to a child, I have bought fuch a fine fuit of cloaths for you, and I will not be fatisfied unless you put it on and adorn yourfelf with it. It is a feaft to him to fee a poor foul feeding and feafting upon the fruit of his purchase. The more bills you draw upon him for clearing all your accounts, and paying all your debt, the more you please and glorify him; the more employment you give him to kill and fubdue your fins and corruptions, the more you fatisfy him; the more burdens you caft upon him, and the more weight you lay upon him, you do him the more pleasure; yea, it is all the compenfation he feeks for all the wrong you have done him, and all the fatisfaction he requires for all the good turns he hath done to you, that you juft fit down under his fhadow with great delight, that in this way you may find his fruit fweet to your tafte; for fweetening all the bitter things in your lot in this world, bitter troubles, bitter reproaches, bitter waters of Marah; and for keep

ing the tafte of your mouth till you eat to the full at the upper table, that fhall never be drawn.

Now, though you rise from this table, yet never rise from your feat under his fhadow; the life he calls you to in this wilderness, is a life of faith on the Son of God, which is a fitting down, and fitting still under his fhadow with great delight; and there may his fruit be always fweet to your taste.

SERMON