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in the ministry of reconciliation; there he is exhibited as "the wisdom of God, and the power of God for our salvation; as the free, absolute, unconditional gift of the Father to a perishing world, and to us in particular: But, on this great day of our New-Testament festival, we are favored with an exhibition of our precious Lord still more tender and affecting; in the element of bread we behold Jehovah becoming incarnate," the Son of God made in the likeness of sinful flesh;" in the breaking of this bread we see the Saviour really suffering for our sins, cloven by the lightnings of his Father's wrath, and "bowing in agony his guiltless head :" In this wine we behold in symbol the surety's blood flowing at the hand of divine justice, and, as it rolls down, washing away the guilt of a chosen world: Sense may now be employed as an hand-maid to faith, and through these visible symbols our eyes may see, our ears hear, our hands handle, our mouths taste, and our souls participate the word of life. In these sacramental elements the Father is really setting him forth as the bread of life, the water of life, and the wine of everlasting consolation; he is reaching him out, communicant, for thine immediate reception and nourishment. He stands at the head of that table which his bounty has replenished, and with all the earnestness, the affection which divine love can inspire, he expostu

lates, "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled: Eat, O friends," ye who have made a covenant with me by improving the sacrifice of my Son, who desire to approach me, adorned with his righteousness as your robe, and drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Be not afraid then, weak, disconsolate communicant, to draw near this table of thy Father, and freely receive that spiritual food which is presented: This flesh is meat indeed, this blood is drink indeed, and thou art as wel come to parke as a reconciled, compassionate, bounteous God can make thee. Love stronger than death, love which tenderness to his own Son could not resist, love which none but Jehovah could exercise, moved him from eternity to provide this Lanb for burnt-offering, and moved by this same love he now offers him for thy consolation and strength. "Open thy mouth wide and he will fill it; he will satisfy thee with the goodness of his house, even of his holy temple."

3. We may infer from this doctrine the peculiar malignity of unbelief; of not embracing the ever blessed Jesus as set forth in the gospel of peace: Of all the crimes with which man either is, or can be chargeable this is inconceivably the most aggravated and exposes the pitiable object to the most intolerable damnation. Other sins pour contempt on particular perfections of deity,

but this pours contempt on all his perfections: It tramples under foot all that is sacred in his authority, all that is tender in his love, all that is awful in his wrath; other sins pour contempt on particular Persons in Jehovah, but this pours the most deliberate, direct contempt on all the Persons in Jehovah; it tramples under foot the body of the Son which was broken, and his blood which flowed to redeem; it scorns the majesty of the Father who appointed him, and in whose name he appears; it gives the lie to the Holy Ghost who testifies that there is no salvation in any other; in short, unbelief spurns the highest conceivable, the highest possible exercise of love, of compassion, of condescension, of long-suffering, of sovereignty which men or angels ever have witnessed, or which to all eternity they ever shall witness. I mention it again, and O that the living, life-giving SPIRIT with his resistless energies may bear the truth to the conscience and the heart of every gospel despiser, of all the crimes with which man is or can be chargeable, the rejection of precious, precious Christ is the most aggravated, and exposes to a degree of torment the most exquisite and intolerable. Shall I go further? There is a coloring of malignity in this offence with which even the prince of darkness can never be charged.It is acknowledged that he violated a law most righteous and reasonable in its require

ments; a law which it was equally his interest and duty and glory to obey; he rebelled against his rightful, benificent sovereign, and united in his train multitudes of the heavenly peers, but he never slighted such love, he never spurned such long-suf fering, he never abused such patience, he never despised such exceeding, abundant grace, he never rejected such tender, repeated expostulations, he never turned his back on the gates of glory set open for his admission, he never rushed with such deliberate hardihood into the flames of hell kindled by his crimes. "If I had not come, and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but now," under the gospel light so clear, under expressions of love so astonishing; under offers of mercy so frequent and fervent, now they have no cloak, no apology, for their sin.

Brethren, are these hard sayings? The Lord God of gods is my witness that I utter them in the most pure, the most fervid love; I have enlarged upon them from an overflowing zeal for your everlasting welfare: Have I painted, although with infinite imperfection, the horrors of the wrath to come, it is only that I may be instrumental in awakening you to flee from that wrath; I have pointed out the guilt, the aggravated guilt of neglecting this great salvation as a mean of rousing you to WALK in the light while it is yet shining around you, and to

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improve the remedy while its offer is continued. The blood of Jesus upon the head is the greatest possible curse, the blood of Jesus upon the conscience is the greatest possible blessing, & it yet flows freely, flows plenteously for your redemption: In God's name I proclaim that here is pardon for the most guilty, a laver that instantly, utterly, everlastingly washes away the foulest stain of human transgression; only apply it, sinner, by a particular, appropriating faith, and though your sins be as scarlet, they shall become white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Him is the Father setting forth this hour, in this assembly, as a propitiation through faith in his blood: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so is the son of man lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him;" that, whosoever believeth; here, man, woman, here is thy warrant for putting in thy plea, a warrant drawn up in the high court of heaven, signed and sealed by each Person in Jehovah: If any are excepted, they themselves make the exception, for the Lord God proclaims aloud, if ANY man thirst, let him come to me and drink; WHOSOEVER will, let him take of the water of life freely: If any be excluded they are self-excluded, for the Lord God declares and pledges all the glories of his throne for the truth of the declaration, "I have no pleasure in your death, but would that you