God over all, blessed for ever." A recollection of his original dignity, is necessary to our forming just conceptions of the depth of his condescension, the efficacy of his atonement, and the greatness of his love. We are to remember what he became for us.-"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. God was manifest in flesh. Verily he took not hold of angels, but he took hold of the seed of Abraham: forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also took part of the same." Astonishing condescen'The mighty God," a feeble babe! "The Father of Eternity," a child, whose duration is measured by days and years! sion! 66 We are to remember what he did." He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. He did always the things which pleased the Father. He went about doing good, healing diseases, and teaching the people. He finished the work which the Father gave him to do." We are to remember what he said. We are to think of the many "gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth;" which made even unbelievers to marvel, and acknowledge that "never man spake like this man.” We are to call to mind "the glad tidings of great joy" which he proclaimed, the doctrines which he taught, and the laws which he promulgated. We ought especially to remember, the precious instructions and consolations which he administered to his disciples immediately after the original institution of the Lord's supper *. * I must here be permitted to remark by the way, that few exercises are, by the blessing of God, better calculated to prepare us for communicating, than a careful and devotional perusal of those discourses recorded in the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the Gospel by John. These chapters not only furnish us with proper subjects of meditation when at the table of Jesus; but they breathe so pure and fervent a spirit of piety and benevolence, as, could we but catch a portion of it, would make us at once accep. table and happy communicants. We are to remember what he suffered: What he suffered from God, from devils, from men, both his friends and his enemies: what he suffered in his body, in his soul, in his reputation, in his external circumstances. We are to recollect how infinitely varied, how inconceivably severe, how awfully violent,-how early in their commencement, how close in their succession, how permanent in their continuance, were his sufferings. We are to remember that he died, and how he died. We are never to forget that his death was that of a traitor and blasphemer, a felon and a slave,-exquisitely painful, peculiarly shameful, divinely accursed. And while we recollect the Saviour's sufferings and death, we must not be unmindful of their cause. Useless are the tears of mere human sympathy for the sorrows of the Saviour. We must remember how deeply we are interested in these sufferings; that his body was broken, and his blood shed for our benefit, and in our stead; that "he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and that by his stripes we are healed." We are to remember the important consequences of his sufferings and death. And what are these? The sins of an elect world expiated, the wrath of the Almighty appeased, the demands of justice answered, the honours of the divine character secured, the rights of the divine government vindicated, the everlasting covenant ratified, the gates of paradise unfolded, "peace on earth, and good-will towards men," rapture to the angelic millions, and "glory to God in the highest." But this is an endless theme. I only add, that we are to remember what Jesus is now doing, and will yet do for us. We are to commemorate the death of Christ as the death of him who was once dead, but is now alive, and liveth for evermore, and has the keys of hell and death." We are to remember that "he is ascended up far above all heavens, and set down for ever on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" exalted "far above all principalities, and powers, and thrones, and dominions, and every name which can be named, either in this world or that which is to come;" that the difference in his circumstances, has caused no alteration in his affections; that he loves his people with an unabated and unchangeable attachment; that as he bled for them on earth, so he intercedes for them in heaven; that he is preparing a place for them, and that "he will come again and take them to himself, that where he is, there they may be also." Such are some of the recollections which ought to employ the mind of the Christian, when eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of his Saviour. (2.) Let us now shortly inquire how we are to remember the Saviour, or what are those dispositions with which our recollections respecting Christ should be accompanied. The Saviour is to be remembered with faith, love, reverence, penitence, and joy. We ought to remember the Saviour with faith. With the nature of this heavenly grace, I hope none of you are unacquainted. With its importance, use, and necessity in religious duties, you cannot be too deeply impressed. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Necessary in all duties, it is peculiarly so in the Lord's supper. Without it, the Lord's supper is a useless ceremony; without it, we cannot "discern the Lord's body," we cannot "eat his flesh nor drink his blood;"-to speak without a figure, we cannot understand the truth emblematically represented in it, nor participate in the blessings shadowed forth by the instituted symbols, we cannot have communion with - him in his righteousness and grace. Sensible of the importance of this grace, let us, in the prospect of observing the Lord's supper, use every appointed method for strengthening our persuasion of the truth as it is in Jesus; and let our prayer be, "Lord, increase our faith." Love is another disposition of heart with which we should remember the Saviour. And is it possible to remember him without love? Can we think of his essential excellencies, his mediatorial qualifications, and his invaluable benefits, without feeling the fire of ardent affection burn within us? Ah! my friends, we know little of ourselves, if we are not ready to complain of the languor of our devout affections, even in those exercises which are best calculated to excite them. There is more than a possibility of a good man's observing the Lord's supper with a coldness of heart miserably unworthy of those wonders of love which he is commemorating. In the prospect, therefore, of engaging in this service, let us employ every means, in order to fan the " smoking flax" into a flame. Let us think much of our Redeemer. Our meditation, if it is characterized by faith, will be sweet, and productive of love. Let us contemplate him in the glories of his divine perfection, and in the milder beauties of his mediatorial character. Let us think of his love, how unmerited, how unsolicited, how early in its commencement, how seasonable in its display, how uniform in its exercise, how lasting in its duration, how rich in its consequences. Contemplating the "unsearchable riches" of the Saviour's love, let us earnestly beseech the Spirit of love to enable us to love him who so loved us; and, convinced that the warmest affection we are capable of entertaining, is utterly disproportioned to the Saviour's loveliness and love, "let us cast ourselves at his feet, and sigh, and weep, can love him no more." that we We ought to remember the Saviour with reverence. We must not forget, that while Jesus is our Saviour, he is also our God. "He is our Lord, and we ought to worship him." "He is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." Though, with ineffable condescension, he calls us, "not servants, but friends," we must always remember the infinite distance which subsists between him and us. The affection to be cherished towards our Lord is altogether of a different character from human friendship. It ought to have more than all its fervour; but the confidence of devotional intercourse must not be allowed to degenerate into indecent familiarity. The Lord's supper is an act of worship. "Having therefore received a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and with godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire." We must remember the Saviour with penitence. Looking at "him whom we have pierced," we must "mourn" for our sins. The incarnation and obedience, the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, are the strongest evidences which the world has ever received, or ever can receive, of the inconceivable malignity of human transgression: and it is surely impossible for a Christian mind to recollect those wonderful events, without feeling at the same time a deep sorrow for his own sin, and an unconquerable and continually increasing abhorrence of all sin, as that "evil and bitter thing" which fixed the Lord of glory to a cross, and laid him low in the dust of death. Never are we in a better frame for communicating, than when thus 66 sorrowing after a godly sort." The genuine penitent is uniformly an acceptable communicant. |