Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

your way rejoicing, and to make a sensible progress in your journey towards the heavenly Canaan.

The remembrance of those solemn engagements, with which you would then be binding your souls unto the Lord, would be a ready answer in hours of future temptation. You would start back with horror at the thought of alienating your service from a God, to whom you had so seriously and publicly devoted them; and of returning to those follies and sins, which you had in a peculiar manner covenanted against: For this would appear to be adding sacrilege and perjury to the guilt of all your other offences.

I shall only add here, that, by entering thus early into the communion of a church, you will be brought under the more immediate inspection of the pastor of it, and likewise of your christian brethren; whose faithful and tender admonitions may be of great assistance to your unexperienced youth, and happily promote your progress, both in the paths of prudence and of holiness. Nay, the very thoughts of having drawn upon you the eyes of a society, and of others too, would engage you to some more than ordinary care, that you might not incur their censure, or disappoint the expectations which many have raised of you. And, in confirmation of all this, I cannot but observe, that many of the most eminent christians, I have ever known, were found amongst those, who in their early days took this method of giving themselves to God and his people.—I might farther shew you,

(2.) That your compliance with the exhortation I am now enforcing, might be useful to others, as well as to yourselves. This is indeed, in part, a consequence of the former, for, the more your own souls are advanced in knowledge and holiness, the more capable, and the more ready will you be, to pro. mote the interest of Christ in the world, and to do good to those that are round about you. But I would especially lead you to consider, that your attendance itself, separate from these remoter consequences of it, might probably be useful to others.

Other young persons would, very probably, be awakened to a sense of their duty by your example; and those who are more advanced in years may be shamed out of their neglect, when they see those, who are so far below them in age, getting the start of them here. Nor have instances been wanting within the circle of our own acquaintance, where parents have been stirred up to a holy emulation, by the early zeal of their own children in this respect. It will be a joy to all that wish well to

the cause of a Redeemer, to see that God is giving him Youth, like the drops of morning-dew*, and causing converts to flock to him, Like doves unto their windows+: But ministers will have a peculiar share in the pleasure, when they See of the travel of their soul, and find, that there are at least some instances, in which they do not Labour in vain, and spend their strength for noughts. Especially shall those of us, who are entering on the work of the Lord I, rejoice to meet our younger brethren at this ordinance, as it will give us encouragement to hope, that religion will not die in our hands, and be buried in the graves of our more aged friends; but will be supported and adorned by you, and transmitted to those that are yet unborn. The joy of our heart on this occasion may add vigour, as well as pleasure, to our labours; and so, through the. concurrence of almighty grace may have a tendency to render them still more successful.

Let me then intreat and conjure you, by the authority of the King of glory and of grace, and by a regard to the honour, the pleasure, and the usefulness of your lives, that you no longer persist in the neglect of an ordinance so sacred, and noble, so delightful, and advantageous.

I am persuaded you must know, and own, that the arguments I have urged are both evident and weighty; and yet I fear you will find something to oppose to them, which, if it be not examined, may prevent, or at least diminish, their success. I proceed therefore,

II. To obviate some objections, which may be offered in excuse for a longer delay.

And here I shall not raise difficulties merely to canvass them, but confine myself to such objections, as I have heard some urge on this occasion; and shall briefly suggest some hints by way of answer to them. And if the enumeration be not so large, or the reply so full, as you could wish, you know where you will be always welcome to propose your scruples as freely, and to state them as amply, as you please.

1. The most obvious reply to the preceding address is, that you fear you are not prepared for this ordinance, and therefore, apprehend, that your attendance would prove dangerous, rather than beneficial."

To this I answer; if the case be indeed thus, I have already told you, that you are not the persons to whom I have.

† Isa. lx. 8.

Isa. liii. 11.

* Psal. cx. 3. § Isa. xlix. 4. N. B. This sermon was first preached several years ago, April 14, 1725.

3

been addressing. Nevertheless, give me leave to remind you, that you ought not rashly to form such a conclusion against yourselves. I am sure the matter requires a very attentive examination; and perhaps, on such a review, you may find things are not so bad as you imagine.

You say, you are not prepared: But I hope you know, that there is a great deal of difference between the nature and importance of an actual and habitual preparation. It is plain that actual preparation consists in those extraordinary devotions, which, when opportunity permits, we should use in our approach to this sacrament; and therefore supposes such an approach to be determined, and consequently there can be no room, in the present case, to object the want of that.

But you fear that you are not habitually prepared i. e. that you are not persons of such a temper and character, as Christ the great Lord of the feast, has invited, and will welcome to it. To determine that, consider the purposes for which the ordinance was appointed, and observe how far your present temper corresponds to them. It was appointed to commemorate the death of Christ, and in this view, all are fit for it, who regard him as the great atoning sacrifice, and desire that their hearts may be affected, and their lives influenced, by a sense of his dying love. It is a pledge of our mutual affection to each other, even to all our brethren in the Lord; and in this respect, all are prepared for it, whose hearts are divested of all turbulent and unfriendly passions, and overflow with undissembled charity and diffusive benevolence. True, will you perhaps say; but is it not also designed as a seal of the covenant of grace? It certainly is; and it must be a very criminal profanation to attend it, while an alien from that covenant: Your determination therefore must turn on the answer which conscience will make, as to your readiness to enter yourselves into it. For if this be your prevailing desire, and stedfast resolution, you have not only a right to the ordinance, though it be a seal of the covenant, but its being appointed by Christ, in this view, is an additional and very weighty argument for your immediate and frequent attendance upon it. And here the question is in short this; " Do you sincerely desire to make an unreserved surrender of yourselves to God, as your owner, ruler, and supreme felicity, with an humble dependence on the mediation of his Son, and the enlivening and sanctifying influences of his Spirit?" If this be your prevailing desire, and

VOL. II.

T

sincere purpose, you may assure yourselves of the kindest welcome, though your graces may be attended with a great deal of imperfection and weakness. But if you are strangers to such a desire, I must allow the objection in its full force, and own, that you have no business at the table of the Lord.

Nevertheless I cannot part with you so. Oh my friends, is there nothing mournful, and, I will add, is there nothing dreadful, in such a conclusion as this?" I have no business at the table of the Lord; I have no part in this blessed repast, because I have no part in that Redeemer, whose death is commemorated there: And therefore I am shut out, by his own appointment shut out! And is not that a sad intimation with respect to what is yet to come? When I enter on the invisible and eternal state, as I this night may, will he admit me to live and reign with him in a world of glory, who would not allow me so much as an approach to his table on earth? Oh my soul it is too plain thou must be separated from his blissful presence, and driven to an eternal distance, whence thou wilt behold with despairing eyes these pious souls, who have eaten and drunk with him here, sitting down with him in his kingdom." This will not seem a light matter then; Oh that it might now be duly regarded!

From all this it will appear, that if this objection from an unprepared temper be true, it ought not to be lightly passed over, but should rather be seriously considered, and the removal of it, through divine assistance, immediately attempted; since, till you are prepared for this sacrament, you cannot be prepared for heaven; and consequently are in circumstances of the extremest danger, and daily walk on the precipice of eternal ruin.

But I would hope, many of you, on enquiry, find this is not your character and case. The unfitness you object will amount to no more than this; that you find grace weak and languid in your souls, though you have reason to hope you are not wholly destitute of it. And is this a just excuse for absenting yourselves from so confirming and edifying, as well as so delightful an ordinance? It is just as reasonable, as if you were to plead, "I am very faint, and therefore I will not take the most noble reviving cordial. I am very weak and therefore I will refuse the most nourishing and strengthening food." Thus much for the first objection. It is more than time that I proceed to those that remain:

2. Others fear, that "the society of christians, to which they would join themselves, may be unwilling to admit them into such a relation."

Now I must own, that if this objection be made by persons who have been notorious on account of their immoralities, and who are but lately recovered to a sense of divine things, it will not admit of an immediate answer; nor can I invite such to this sacred ordinance, till they give evidence of the reality of a change in their hearts, by an apparent reformation of life, and some steady and prevalent resolution in a religious course. In the mean time, a regard to the honour of christian society may oblige the church to be a little reserved towards such persons; and such a reserve is consistent with the greatest tenderness towards them, and the most affectionate concern, that they may not Break the bruised reed, or quench the smoaking flax*.

But as for such young persons, or others, who have been preserved from such irregularities, whose conduct has been fair and honourable, and who have not only arrived at a competent knowledge of the great truths of christianity, but have for some time been impressed with them so that they have formed a determinate resolution for the service of God, and, it may be, for some years made trial of his ways; far be it from us, my brethren, to say one word to discourage your approach. On the contrary, we would rather invite it; for we know it is most evidently reasonable, that when The Spirit appears to say, comet, the bride, i, e. the church, should echo back the call. We know, my friends, that we are not the master of this holy feast: We know, that it is not for us to set bounds of our own about this sacred table, and say, "Thus low must you bow to us, before you take your seats there." This is a conduct which we not only abhor, as inhumanity to you, but dread, as an insolent usurpation on the rights of our common Lord. If you have indeed tasted, that the Lord is gracious, you will not sure be unwilling, with meekness and modesty, to Give some reason of the hope that is in yout; and blessed be God, we have not so learned Christ§; as to make our own phrases, or forms, or any thing singular in our own experiences, or the customs of our own society, the standard by which we judge either of the faith, or the piety of our brethren.

Mat. xii, 20. † Rev. xxii, 17.

+1 Pet. iii. 15. § Eph. iv. 20.

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »