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our triumph complete, and that we may return to a state of careleffness and indifference, till the next communion: the Christian religion is a state of warfare, against the finful lufts of the flesh, and requires our conftant vigilance to prevent their gaining ground upon us. We must watch and pray, that we may be enabled to present ourselves at every fucceeding facrament, better prepared than at the former; addreffing ourselves to the throne of grace, in the words of Solomon, (I. Kings, chap. viii, ver. 58.): "That he

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may incline our hearts unto him, to "walk in all his ways, and to keep his "commandments, and his ftatutes, and "his judgments, which he commanded our fathers,"

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We must, as Mofes did, bring the tables of the testimony in our hands; that is, we must constantly confefs that Jefus Chrift is our Lord and Saviour; and this must always be done to the honor and glory of God, the Father; as his loving kindness to mankind was the original Qqq 2

Spring

fpring of man's redemption: it was he that gave his only-begotten Son, and delivered him up to death, for us all, reconciling the world to himself in Chrift.

Glory, therefore, eternal glory, be unto God in the higheft! becaufe, in Chrift, there is on earth peace and good-will towards men. We can never be fufficiently thankful for this ineftimable gift of our redemption; as that is the foundation and fore-runner of every other gift. Let this holy joy speak encouragement to our fouls to proceed in our Chriftian profeffion, with fleady and conftant piety, that we may faithfully keep thofe folemn vows which we have made at God's altar. Let us fo employ our precious time, as to make each approach to our Lord's table the fource of increased delight; and then we may be affured that, at each repetition, we shall be more welcome guests; and, fhould we be called hence without warning, we may with reasonable hopes expect to enter into our Lord's prefence with joy.

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May God, of his infinite mercy, inspire our hearts with such a lively sense of his love to us in the institution of this holy ordinance, and of the ineftimable advantages we may derive from it, that we may neither flight or neglect it, under frivolous and abfurd pretences on the one hand, nor, on the other, be guilty of the prefumption of approaching it unworthily, and without due preparation! May he pardon all our past tranfgreffions of this nature, and give us grace to redeem our loft time, by frequently and worthily partaking of it for the future; granting to us, for the fake of his dear Son, Jesus Christ, that we may constantly receive from this holy facrament thofe comforts and bleffings which he has promised to all those who receive it worthily! Amen; Amen.

CHAPTER

CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH,

ST. JOHN, CHAP. XIV.

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" in me.

ET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe alfo

"2. In my Father's house are many "manfions: if it were not fo, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place

" for

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you.

3.

And if I go and prepare a place "for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, 66 there ye may be alfo.

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4. And whither I go ye know, and "the way ye know."

motive

Having now but little time to remain on earth, our blessed Lord employs himfelf in preparing his disciples for the melancholy event of which they were so soon to be witnesses; calling upon them, by that faith they profeffed in God, to believe alfo implicitly in him and the gracious promises he had made them, which would teach them to fubmit with humility and refignation to all God's difpenfations. For this purpose, he urges every which might be likely to confole and enable them to bear his lofs with patience; points out to them, that he was not about to desert them, but was merely going before to prepare a place for them in his father's house, and would come again and take them with him to those blifsful manfions, where they were to refide with him to all eternity. In his Father's house, he tells them, were many manfions;' he was going to prepare for them fuch as were best calculated to promote their happiness; and not for them alone, but for all his faithful difciples. St. Paul

fays,

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