166 An Abridgement of the preceding Chap. 17. the Means of making serious Impressions on their Mind! May they read it, not only as my Language, but as their own; and learn to fear the Lord my GOD and with me to put their Trust under the Shadow of Ilis Wings for Time and for Eternity! And may they also "learn to adore with me that Grace, which inclines our Hearts to enter into the Covenant, and condescends to admit us into it when so inclined; ascribing with me and with all the Nations of the Redeemed, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that Glory, Honour, and Praise, which is so justly due to each Divine Person, for the Part He bears in this illustrious Work! Amen." 3 N. B. For the Sake of those who may think the pre ceding Form of Self-Dedication too long to be tran:scribed, (as it is probable many will,) I have at the Desire of a much esteemed Friend, added the following Abridgment of it, which should by all Means be attentively weighed in every Clause, before it is executed; and any Word or Phrase which may seem liable to Exception, changed, that the whole Heart may consent to it all. "Eternal and ever-blessed GoD! I desire to present myself before Thee, with the deepest Humiliation and "Abasement of Soul; sensible how unworthy such a " sinful Worm is, to appear before the Holy Majesty of. "Heaven, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and especially on such an Occasion as this, even to enter into 66 a COVENANT Transaction with Thee. But the Scheme, "and Plan is Thine oron. Thine infinite Condescen sion hath offered it by Thy Son, and Thy Grace hath inclined my Heart to accept of it. I come therefore, acknowledging myself to have "been a great Offender; smiting on my Breast, and sayC6 ing with the humble Publican, GOD be merciful to me a Sinner! I come, invited by the Name of Thy Son, and wholly trusting in His perfect Righteousness; in. treating that for His Sake Thou wilt be merciful to 66 my Unrighteousness, and wilt no more remember my Sins, Receive, I beseech Thee, Thy revolted Creature, who Chap. 17. Form of Self-Dedicatión.. 167 "who is now convinced of Thy Right to him, and desires nothing so much as that he may be Thine! "This Day do I, with the utmost Solemnity, surrender "myself to Thee. I renounce all former Lords that have had Dominion over me and I consecrate to Thee all “that I am, and all that I have; the Faculties of my "Mind, the Members of my Body, my worldly Possessions, my Time, and my Influence over others; to be all used entirely for Thy Glory, and resolutely employed in Obedience to Thy Commands, as long as Thou continuest me in Life; with an ardent Desire, "and humble Resolution to continue Thine, through all the endless. Ages of Eternity: Ever holding myself in an attentive Posture to observe the first Intimations of Thy Will, and ready to spring forward, with Zeal and Joy, to the immediate Execution of it. "To Thy Direction also I resign myself, and all I am "and have, to be disposed of by Thee, in such a Manner, as Thou shalt in Thine infinite Wisdom judge most "subservient to the Purposes of Thy Glory. To Thee "I leave the Management of all Events, and say with"out Reserve, Not my Will, but Thine be done; rejoicing "with a loyal Heart in Thine unlimited Government, cc as what ought to be the Delight of the whole Rational "Creation. "Use me, O Lord, I beseech Thee, as an Instrument "of Thy Service! Number me among Thy peculiar People! Let me be washed in the Blood of Thy dear SON! Let me be clothed with His Righteousness! Let me be sanctified by His Spirit! Transform me more and "more into His Image! Impart to me, through Him, all needful Influences of Thy purifying, cheering, and "comforting SPIRIT! And let my Life be spent under "those Influences, and in the Light of Thy gracious "Countenance, as my Father and my GOD! "And when the solemn Hour of Death comes, may "I remember this Thy COVENANT, well ordered in all "Things, and sure, as all my Salvation, and all my "Desire (a), though every other Hope and Enjoyment is perishing: And do Thou, O Lord, remember it too! Look down with Pity, O my Heavenly Father, on (a) 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, Thy 168 A Form of Self-Dedication. Chap. 17. "Thy languishing dying Child! Embrace me in Thine "everlasting Arms! Put Strength and Confidence into 66 my departing Spirit! And receive it to the Abodes of "them that sleep in Jesus, peacefully and joyfully to ❝ wait the Accomplishment of Thy great Promise to all "Thy People, even that of a glorious Resurrection, and "of eternal Happiness in Thine Heavenly Presence!"And if any surviving Friend should, when I am in the "Dust, meet with this Memorial of my solemn Transactions with Thee, may he make the Engagement his "own; and do Thou graciously admit him to partake in all the Blessings of THY COVENANT, through Jesus "the great Mediator of it; to whom with Thee, O "Father, and Thy Holy Spirit, be everlasting Praises ascribed, by all the Millions who are thus saved by "Thee, and by all those other Celestial Spirits, in whose Work and Blessedness Thou shalt call them to "share! Amen." CHAP. Chap. 18. The Soul is called to Church Communion. 169 CHAP. XVIII. Of entering into Church Communion by an Attendance upon the LORD's Supper. The Reader, being already supposed to have entered into Covenant, with GOD, §. 1. Is urged publicly to seal that Engagement at the Table of the Lord: §. 2. (1.). From a View of the Ends for which that Ordinance was instituted; §. 3. Whence its Usefulness is strongly inferred, §. 4. And (2.) From the Authority of Christ's Appointment; which is solemnly pressed on the Con science. §. 5. Objections from Apprehensions of Unfitness, §. 6. Weakness of Grace, &c. briefly answered; §. 7. At least, serious Thoughtfulness on this Subject is absolutely insisted upon. §. 8. The Chapter is closed with a Prayer for one, who desires to attend, yet finds himself pressed with remaining Doubts. §. 1. I HOPE, this Chapter will find you by a most express Consent, become one of God's Covenant People, solemnly and cordially devoted to His Service: And it is my hearty Prayer, that the Covenant you have made on Earth may be ratified in Heaven. But for your further Instruction and Edification give me leave to remind you, that our Lord Jesus Christ hath ap-' pointed a peculiar Manner of expressing our Regard to Him, and of solemnly renewing our Covenant with Him; which, though it does not forbid any other proper Way of doing it, must by no means be set aside, or neglected, for any Human Methods, how prudent and expedient soever they may appear to us. §. 2. Our Lord has wisely ordained, that the Advantages of Society should be brought into Religion; and 170 The Covenant shall be publicly sealed, Chap. 18. as by His Command professing Christians assemble toge ther for other Acts of public Worship, so He has been pleased to institute a Social Ordinance, in which a whole Assembly of them is to come to His Table, and there to eat the same Bread, and drink the same Cup. And this they are to do, as a Token of their affectionate Remem brance of His dying Love, of their solemn Surrender of themselves to GOD, and of their sincere Love to one another, and to all their Fellow-Christians. §. 3. That these are indeed the great Ends of the Lord's Supper, I shall not now stay to argue at large. You need only read what the Apostle Paul hath written in the Tenth and Eleventh Chapters of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, to convince you fully of this. He there expressly tells us, that our Lord commanded the Bread to be eaten, and the Wine to be drank, in Remembrance of Him (a), or as a Commemoration or Memorial of Him: so that as often, as we attend this Institution, we shew forth our Lord's Death, which we are to do even until He come (b). And it is particularly asserted, that the Cup is the New Testament in His Blood (c); that is, it is a Seal of that Covenant which was ratified by His Blood. Now it is evident, that in Consequence of this, we are to approach it with a View to that Covenant, desiring its Blessings, and resolving by Divine Grace, to comply with its Demands. On the whole, therefore, as the Apostle speaks, we have Communion in the Body, and the Blood of Christ (d), and partaking of His Table and of Ilis Cup, we converse with Christ, and join ourselves to Him as His People; as the Heathens in their idolatrous Rites, had Communion with their Deities, and joined themselves to them; and the Jews, by eating their Sacrifices, conversed with JEHOVAH, and joined themselves to Him. He farther reminds them, that though many, they were one Bread and one Body, being all Partakers of that one Bread (e), and being all made to drink into one Spirit (f); that is, meeting together as if they were but one Family, and joining in the Commemoration of that one Blood, which was their common Ransom, and of their Lord Jesus, their common Head. Now it is evi dent, (a) 1 Coro xi, 24, 25. (c) 1 Cor.xi. 25. (e) 1 Cor. x. 17. |