are not to be discovered in you, that repentance, that faith, and that obedience, which mark the character of the people of God? Can we encourage you to believe that your sins are forgiven you, and that salvation is yours? We cannot. That same word of truth, which makes known the mercy of God, denounces also the sentence of everlasting perdition, of utter destruction and misery, against the impenitent, the unbelieving, and disobedient. Oh, then, think upon the awful peril in which you stand! Think what will be the consequence, if you fail of obtaining the salvation of your souls! Think how very short the time may perhaps be, during which the tender mercy of your God will be offered to you; and before the day of grace is for ever ended, "repent ye, and turn from all your trans

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gressions." Earnestly seek the forgiveness of them through the Saviour, who is preached unto you; and henceforth walk before God in newness of life: that relying on his mercy, and walking in his ways, you may have cause for rejoicing, in the hope that you are treading the paths of peace, and that you shall in the end partake of the full, rich, and everlasting blessings of salvation, through the remission of your sins.

SERMON VI.

THE DUTY AND ADVANTAGES OF ATTENDING THE LORD'S SUPPER.

LUKE Xxii, 19.

This do in remembrance of me.'

IN these words we have the command, by which the dying Saviour enforced upon his disciples, a constant attendance upon that ordinance, which he himself specially appointed, to be a perpetual memorial of his love. At the present season, my brethren, you are invited to draw near to your Redeemer, in this holy sacrament. But I would ask of yousupposing there were no other proof of the low state of true religion among us, would it not be most abundantly proved by the fact, that only a very small proportion of our congregations, ever present themselves at the

'Preached the Sunday before Easter.
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table of the Lord? That Redeemer, from whose tender love all our hopes of everlasting salvation must proceed, has appointed an ordinance, in which his disciples, to the end of time, are to commemorate his great goodness. He commands them to join in this commemoration--and yet, multitudes who bear his name, and call themselves his people, go on from year to year, in willing disregard of his dying command. Does not this, I ask, manifest an awful disregard of his will? Does it not shew a daring contempt of his authority?

But, let me not, my brethren, here be misunderstood. Let it not be supposed, that I would indiscriminately urge you to attend on this most solemn ordinance, without regard to your character and conduct. Awful as is the declaration, truth compels us to declare, that many, very many, who bear the christian name, are so totally destitute of all those dispositions that distinguish the acceptable communicant, that their attendance would be a direct act of profane bypocrisy, and would call down the heavy wrath of God upon them. Hear the striking words of our church upon this subject. If any of you be a blasphemer, ' of God, an hinderer or slanderer of his word, an adulterer, or be in malice or envy, or in other grievous crime, repent you of your

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'sins, or else come not to that holy table; lest ' after the taking of that holy sacrament, the 'devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring

you to destruction, both of body and soul.' The man who is careless about the great salvation offered in the gospel; or who does not earnestly desire and endeavour to glorify God, by walking in obedience to his holy will and commandments, cannot, with sincerity, make those professions, which are implied in approaching to the Lord's table. He may

appear among the worshippers there; but he that searcheth all hearts, beholds his want of a worshipping state of heart. He may use the words which they use, but his God perceives that those words do not at all describe the desires and purposes of his soul; and will therefore reject his services with abhorrence.

But, while we would caution you against the vain imagination, that a formal attendance upon the Lord's table will profit you, we would also remind you, that the Saviour himself has commanded his disciples to the end of time to celebrate this ordinance; and we would further remind you, (if you are his true disciples,) that it is both your duty and your privilege to do so, and that by neglecting it, you greatly injure your own souls.

With the design, therefore, of calling your attention to this much-neglected duty; and with the hope of enabling you, on the approaching solemnity, to enter more fully into the nature of this ordinance, I would take occasion, from the words of our text, to call your attention in the first place, To the nature of that remembrance of Christ which is here enjoined upon you; and secondly, To the motives which ought to induce you thus to remember him.

I. First, then, we are to speak of the nature of that remembrance of Christ which is here enjoined upon us. And let me beg of you to approach the subject with the deepest seriousness; for in commemorating the dying love of our Redeemer, we are celebrating an event in which you have a deep personal interest. It is no common occurrence which here calls for our attention. It is not a subject with regard to which, our views and feelings are of small consequence. On the contrary, it is one of the highest imaginable importance to us for the dying love of the Redeemer lies at the very foundation of every hope that we can possess. Had not Jesus died, man must have perished everlastingly. No other way escape could be found. Whatever hope, therefore, of deliverance from condemnation, and of

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