ture, or the moral law at all; and we fhould as foon chufe to honour God by facrifices, and eating the flesh of them, if it were not for the authority of Jefus Chrift. Herein doth faith give honour to Chrift in his kingly office: This is the most direct profeffion of the fubjection of our fouls and confciences to the authority of Christ, in all our religion. We can give no other reafon, we can take no allufion from things, but merely this, Chrift would have it so. 2. Faith hath a peculiar respect to the love of Chrift in dying for us, making the atonement for us by his blood, and therein the glorifying of the wifdom, love, and grace of God the Father. Faith is led into fpecial communion with Chrift as dying for us to make the atonement; and therein we give glory to Chrift in his priestly office in a peculiar manner in this ordinance, it refpecting the facrifice of Chrift, whereby he made atonement for us. 3. Faith hath refpect to this fpecial manner of the exhibition of Christ to the fouls of believers, under the outward figns and fymbols of bread and wine by his inftitution, making fuch a facramental union between the thing fignified and the fign, that the figns remaining to be what they are in themfelves, they are unto us the thing that is fignified, by virtue of the facramental union that Chrift hath appointed between his body and blood, and the benefits of it; and this bread and wine, though not changed at all in themselves, yet they become to us by faith, not what they are in themfelves, but what is gnified by them, "the body and blood of Christ." Herein we give glory to Chrift in his prophetical office. It is he who has revealed, taught, and inftructed his church in this truth, which depends on the facramental union which follows by his inftitution. That is the third thing wherein faith peculiarly acts itself in this ordinance. 4. The fourth thing is, the myfteriousness, which I leave to your experience, for it is beyond expreffion, the myfterious reception of Chrift in this peculiar way of exhibition. There is a reception of Chrift as tendered in the promife of the gofpel; but here is a peculiar way of his exhibition under cutward figns, and a myfterious reception of him in them really, fo as to come to a real fubftantial incorporation in our fouls. This is that which believers ought to labour after an experience of in themfelves; to find that indeed under thefe four confiderations, they fubmit to the authority of Jefus Christ in a peculiar manner, giving him the glory of his kingly office; mixing faith with him as dying and making atonement by his blood, fo giving him the glory and honour of his priestly office; much confidering the facramental union that is, by his inftitution, between the outward figns and the thing fignified, thus glorifying him in his prophetical office; and raifing up their fouls to a myfterious reception and incorporation of him, receiving him to dwell in them,'warning, cherishing, comforting, and ftrengthening their hearts. I have mentioned these things as those which lie in your practice, and to obviate that (if I may mention it) which you may be tried with. There is but one plaufible pretence that our adverfaries, who defign to oppress us, have in this bufinefs: If, fay they, there be not a real prefence and a real fubftantial tranfmutation of the elements into the fubftance of the body and blood of Chrift, fhew you a way whereby you may have a peculiar communion with Chrift, any more than in the word preached. We fay, we have in these things experience of a peculiar communion with Chrift, in a way made proper to this ordinance, which is not to be found in any other ordinance. THE END, 1 The Doctrine of the Finely vingreased. ven, DD), 2 The Shaking and Translating of Heaven and graith & bermonty SO VZ 3 Prophetical Ecoacts, by Several Ministers of The Gospied 4 the Lord's Supper considered in a Review of the History of its gnolition with oneditations to the Exorce parts of the Artinence le which are purefired several this causes Inwered of the Lord, Table by his bind John Brec Bil |