hand, and pointing out the way, we should answer, with a triumphant pleasure, "Lo, I come. I delight to do thy will, O God, and thy law is within my heart." May the ordinance we now attend be subservient to these pious resolutions, and be the means of bestowing that grace, whereby alone they can be rendered effectual.

In breaking the bread I said, thus was the body of Christ broken! As it is said, the Lord is risen, he is risen indeed: so the Lord was crucified, he was crucified indeed. As sure as this bread was broken, so sure was the body of Christ extended, and his blood poured out on the cross. And is this a sight to be seen with indifference? Was it thus that the Lord of Life was used? One would have imagined that he should have met with the most thankful reception, and that after his appearing in the world all the contentions among the children of men should have been who should have done him the greatest honour; who should have offered him the most valuable tribute. And was he insulted and reviled? was he tortured and murdered? was he used like a villain, and like a slave, with every circumstance of cruelty and of contempt? And shall our hearts behold this sight without some emotion? especially when we add, he thus loved us, and gave up himself for us? Why have we the power of remembrance, if not to remember Christ? why have we hearts susceptible of humanity and generosity, if not to be employed here? why have we tears to shed, if they are not to be poured out on such an occasion? Better, O blessed Jesus, a thousand times better, were it that we had neither eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor tongues to speak, nor power to breathe, than that our hearts should not be filled with love to thee, our tongues employed in thy praises, and all our powers both of soul and of body for ever devoted to thy service.

In pouring out the cup I said, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world!" If we were the

first sinners that had ever ventured upon his grace, here would be encouragement to do it, when we consider who this Lamb of God is. But we are treading in a beaten way. Oh, if the world of glory were thrown open to our survey, what a surprising sight would it be! We should there see thousands of splendid and glorious creatures, concerning whom, if the Divine revelation did not assure us of it, we could never have imagined that they ever dwelt in clay; so bright, so glorious, so like to the angels, so like to God! One could hardly imagine that they were once struggling, mourning, weeping, and trembling as we are. And when we wish to inquire into their change, let us ask the blessed angels; and they will tell us, "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Let us ask them, and they will reply, Christ has loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And is there not then the greatest reason most cheerfully to repose ourselves upon him?

Let every creature in the

We are now conversing with that God who knows the heart and searches the reins! There is something awful and delightful in the thought. assembly consider it. He knows the heart! how awful a thought to the careless sinner! He knows that I am here present in his house without any serious regard to him or desire after him. The Lord knows that all the solemnities of a sacrament day cannot warm and melt my frozen stony heart. He knows that I prefer the amusement of every vain thought to all those contemplations which might delightfully employ the mind of an angel! But to the pious soul it is a thought of comfort. My beloved, when we have lively views of the Redeemer's love I am persuaded that sentiments arise in our souls too great for the most emphatical language to express, and we are forced to adopt the words of David, And now, Lord, what should thy servant say unto thee? How delightful is it to add, as he does, But

thou, Lord, knowest the heart of thy servant, and seest those lively workings of gratitude, love, and duty, which no language can speak.

When the communion was over, observing some of the elements remain. This is an emblem of the provisions of the Gospel. Here is bread and wine enough and to spare. Enough for all; enough for more than are here; and if any perish, it is not for want of a sufficiency of grace, but for want of a heart to use it. In giving at the collection.— It is pleasant to think this is not merely to defray necessary charges, but that it is an offering to Christ's poor members. We have devoted ourselves, our all to him. I hope it is a pleasant thought. It may add a relish to the meanest offerings as it adds a worth to them in the sight of God. Lord, I give thee this in token that I am ready, according to my engagements, actually to give thee all when thou shalt demand it of me.

Sunday, April 18, 1731.

A SCHEME OF BUSINESS TO BE DESPATCHED, IF
POSSIBLE, BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY.

I HAVE a great variety of business before me, and have need to use much greater diligence than I have done in order to despatch it.

With my pupils, having already ended logic, I propose to finish civil history, and then to enter upon Rohault's Physics, reading about twelve lectures in them, which I hope may be to the end of the twelfth chapter. I shall probably conclude with Mr. Wilkinson's class, and hope to make some progress in Archimedes. Not having dear Jennings with me to pursue Cæsar's Commentaries, I shall, however, do something at the Greek with my new pupil Henton; and as for Hebrew, we must, by all means, read the sentences and learn the vocabulary. In the clas

VOL. V.

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sics, we shall only read Tully and Plautus of Latin, and Xenophon of Greek.

In my own study I shall have employment enough no doubt; for I intend to read over both volumes of Rohault's Physics, Le-Clerc's Logic and Physics, the second volume of Saurin, and the first volume of St. Evremond's Works. And for divinity, shall end Owen on the Spirit, on Prayer, Apostacy, &c. to page 202; Tillotson to page 614; Howe to page 356; Bates to page 370; Baxter to page 846. I also intend to make references to civil law, and Hebrew sentences and the vocabulary; to finish conic sections, compose a Sermon on God's Watering his Church, and to transcribe that which I preached yesterday to young people, and to contract the references to the remaining lectures on logic.

I hope to take a survey of the state of the congregation, at least in town, and to write some account of it. After this I will select some catechumens from among the young people, and have a catechetical lecture at least once a fortnight. If I can perform all this business in about nine weeks, I shall have a great deal of reason to reflect upon it with pleasure, and to own the Divine goodness in carrying me through it; but I much fear that a great deal of it will be the employment of the next half year.

SOME MEMORANDUMS OF WHAT PASSED AT THE FOURTEENTH SACRAMENT, ADMINISTERED MAY 16, 1731.

I INTRODUCED the discourse with acknowledging that evil heart of unbelief which attends us at all times, and follows us even to the table of the Lord. This hinders us from profiting by providential occurrences, by ordinances, even those of a sacramental nature. Let us endeavour to conquer our unbelief by having recourse to the promises. Observe how free, how full, how suitable they are. I par

ticularly directed my hearers to the blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all sin. We have brought then to the table of the Lord a multitude of sins, many committed since the last time we came hither. These sins need expiation; these pollutions need cleansing. We are sensible of the pollution of them, and therefore are unwilling that others should be conscious to them; had rather be caught in the greatest disorder, in the foulest as well as the meanest dress, than that all our sins, in all their circumstances, should be exposed to each other; much more should we be ashamed of them in the presence of the holy God. And it becomes us at this time to loathe and abhor ourselves, and to repent as in dust and ashes. But the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin, and procures not only pardon, but the sanctifying Spirit, and by serious reflections upon it as a moral means, our hearts are purified. Let none then dread the sacrament because they are sinners: for our very coming implies a confession that we are so, otherwise we should have no business here. The only question is, do we desire cleansing? If we do not, we have indeed no business at it, and can receive no benefit by it. In this instance Christ does in effect say to every one of us, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." But I hope we can appeal to him, that it is our desire that he would wash our feet, hands, head, and heart, that we may be entirely purified. And if this be indeed our desire, then we are welcome guests to the table of the Lord. Let us go into his presence, and plead this blood in the hope of being purified and accepted by it.

In breaking the bread, such reflections as these arose in my mind: " "Lord," says the Psalmist," who knoweth the power of thine anger?" It is known but to the damned in hell! They completely know it. Yet something we know of it in other instances, especially in the humiliation and death of Christ. But is there not reason, on the contrary, to say, "Lord, who knoweth the power of thy love?" we