his part of the Covenant prefently, by extending his Grace and Favour to them, and expecting the performance of theirs when they are able. This is an Inftance of his fatherly Care and Tenderness to these helpless Babes; which is a great Security to them, and may afford no fmall Comfort to their Parents, whether they live or die. 2. We learn hence the Danger of omitting or refusing this Ordinance, which is to reject the Kindness of Heaven to Babes and Sucklings, and to deprive them of the ordinary Way and Means of Salvation. We read how Mofes was threatned with Death, and like to be deftroy'd by an Angel, for omitting to circumcife his Child; which made Zipporah perform it in an unusual way to prevent the Danger, throwing the Foreskin in his Face, and faying, A bloody Husband art thou to me because of the Circumcifion; that is, for neglecting of it. And if fo great a Punishment attended the Breach of this Command under the Law, of how much forer Punishment fhall they be thought worthy, who neglect this more eafy Inftitution of the Gofpel? Wherefore let none flight this Holy Ordinance, or refuse to bring their Children to it, when they are fo lovingly call'd and invited to it, nor go about to ftraiten thofe Bowels of Mercy that yearn towards them; but rather thankfully accept thofe Tenders of God's Love to poor Infants, and dedicate them betimes to him who hath promis'd to receive them. H I COR. xi. 24. latter part. AVING fhew'd the Nature and Neceffity of Bap- by which we are enter'd into the Chriftian Church, and admitted to all the Benefits and Privileges of it; I proceed now to that Other Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, by which we are continu'd and confirm'd in it. To this we are led by the next Question in the Catechifm, which asks, Why Why was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ordain'd? The Anfwer whereunto is, For the continual Remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift, and the Benefits we receive thereby. Of which I fhall treat from these words, Do this in remembrance of me: where we have, 1. The Inftitution of this Holy Sacrament, Do this; which the foregoing words fhew to be the celebrating of the Lord's Supper. 2. We have the great End and Defign of it, which was in remembrance of our Saviour. Of the Inftitution and Neceffity of this Sacrament, we have fpoken already: That which is here inquir'd into, and comes now to be handled, is the End and Defign for which it was inftituted, viz. for the continual Remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Death of Christ, and the Benefits we receive thereby. In treating whereof, with relation both to the Text and the Catechifm, it will be neceffary to fhew, First, That the Death of Chrift was truly a Sacrifice. Secondly, That this ought to be had in continual Remembrance. Thirdly, That the Benefits accruing by it, ought not to be forgotten. And, Laftly, That the obferving of this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the beft means of preferving the Memory of both. Of each of these something diftinctly. And, First, The Catechifm and the Text fuppofe the Death of Chrift to be truly and properly a Sacrifice. A Sacrifice, in its proper Notion, is the offering up fomething unto God by way of Atonement and Satisfaction for another. Thus all the Sacrifices under the Law confifted in the fubftituting or flaying something in the room or for the rescue of another. Now to a perfect Sacrifice three or four things were abfolutely neceffary, all which eminently concur'd in the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift. As firft it was neceffary that the thing offer'd up fhould be pure, found, and unblemish'd; for fo we read, Lev. 22. 20. Whatsoever bath a Blemish, that fhall ye not offer, for it shall not be accepted for you. It was not to be blind or broken, Scurvy or scabby, but perfect, found and intire, without Wen, or natural Imperfection; as we read in the following Verfes. Accordingly the Pafchal Lamb, which was a Type of this great propitiatory Sacrifice, was to be without Blemish and without Spot. Now 700 Now this pure and spotlefs Innocence was eminently found in the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift, for he was perfectly free from all natural and moral Blemishes: He did no Sin (faith the Apoftle) nor was any Guile found in his mouth. And therefore the fame Apoftle tells us, That we were not redeem'd with fuch corruptible things as Silver and Gold, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without Blemifh and without Spot. That this was neceffary to his being a full, perfect, and all-fufficient Sacrifice, is evident, becaufe had he been a Sinner himself, he had deferv'd Death on his own score, and the utmost Effect of his Sacrifice had been only the Expiation of his own Guilt; neither would it have been poffible for him to ranfom the forfeited Lives of others, if by his own Sin he had forfeited his own to Divine Justice. And therefore fuch a High Priest became us, who was holy, harmless, and undefiled, feparate from Sinners, and made higher than the Heavens, who needed not first to offer Sacrifice for his own Sins; as we read, Heb. 7. 26, 27. 2. 'Twas farther requir'd to a perfect Sacrifice, that the Thing offer'd fhould be of Value or Worth enough to make Compenfation for the Punishment due to the Offender; for elfe it could neither anfwer the End, nor fecure the Authority of the Law: And herein the Imperfection of all the legal Sacrifices was chiefly feen, that what was offer'd in them came far fhort of the Guilt for which they were offer'd; for they only fubftituted the Life of a Beast in the room of the Life of a Man, between which there is no proportion: And therefore the Apoftle declares, That 'twas impoffible for the Blood of Bulls or of Goats to do away Sin; their Death being not of fufficient Value to atone for the Sin and Punishment due to Man. But the Death of Chrift, who was God as well as Man, had an infinite Worth and Value in it; his Life was worth all the World, and his Death had Merit enough to atone for the Sins of all Mankind. 3. Another thing requir'd to a proper Sacrifice, was to be free and voluntary: Hence we find it commanded, Lev. 1. 3. That he that offers any Sacrifice, fhould do it of his own voluntary Will, at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. It was not to be forc'd or extorted, but to come freely from the Offerer, who being fenfible of his Guilt, and obnoxious to Punishment, fhould be ever ready and willing to make Expiation. This properly likewife was eminently eminently found in the Sacrifice of Chrift's Death: for tho he were perfectly innocent himself, and fo could not, confider'd as fuch, deferve to be punish'd upon his own score; yet having freely taken our Sin upon him, and voluntarily undertook to be our Surety, he might and did freely fuffer. He had the difpofal of his own Life, having power to lay it down, and likewife to take it up: fo himself declares, John 10. 18. No Man taketh my Life from me, but I lay it down of myself; which he did as a Ranfom for many. Lastly, To complete the Sacrifice, 'twas neceffary that what was offer'd fhould be admitted and receiv'd in the ftead of the Offender; without which it could have no effect towards the Expiation of his Sin, or removing the Punishment due to it: For the Law requiring that he that fins fhould fuffer, another's fuffering can be of no avail, unless it be accepted as an Atonement of the Offender's Guilt. This was likewife found in the Death of Chrift; for tho God might justly exact the Punishment of Sin from the Perfons that committed it, yet he was graciously pleas'd to admit of a Surety to fuffer in their ftead: And as God the Son gave his Life a Ranfom for many, fo did God the Father accept of it as a fufficient Expiation; which made the Death of Chrift a proper and perfect Sacrifice. From whence I proceed to fhew, Secondly, That this Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift ought to be had in continual remembrance, which is the Senfe of these words of our Saviour, Do this in remembrance of me. Indeed, all great and worthy Actions are to be kept in remembrance, efpecially thofe that fignally promote the Good and Welfare of Mankind. The Pfalmift tells us, that God Almighty hath so done his wonderful Works, that they ought to be had in remembrance, Pfal. 111. The Lives and Deaths of publick Benefactors to Mankind have been ever recorded with Honour, and the Memory of them tranfmitted to future Generations: And if the noble Acts of Patriots and Prefervers of our Country have been thus remember'd with Renown, how much more ought the Saviour of the World to be had in everlafting Remembrance? This is what he not only deferves, but defires here of all his Followers, that they would remember him when he was gone, and not forget the great things that he hath done and fuffer'd for them. We find the Jews were commanded to to preserve the Memory of their fignal Deliverance out of Egypt; and a Day of Memorials was appointed to keep in mind the deftroying Angel's paffing over the Houses of the Ifraelites, when the Egyptians were all fmitten with the Peftilence, Exod. 12. And if these temporal Mercies and Deliverances were thought worthy to be remember'd to all Generations; fure an Eternal Deliverance from the Powers of Death and Hell will deferve a more lafting Memorial. The Blood fprinkled on the Docrs of the Ifraelites, is not half fo memorable and medicinal, as the Blood of Chrift fhed and sprinkled on our Souls: The former only fav'd their Bodies from the Plague, whereas the latter faves our Souls from eternal Destruction. And what Monument can be great enough to preferve the Memory of fo eminent a Bleffing? If any fhould redeem our Bodies from Bondage or Captivity, or refcue our Lives from imminent Death and Danger, we could not but think ourfelves for ever oblig'd to remember it; and might juftly be branded for Monsters of Ingratitude, if we forgot fuch remarkable Acts of Kindness. Why, Chrift hath ranfom'd our Souls from a worse than Egyptian Bondage or Turkish Slavery: He hath fav'd our Life from Death, and by fhedding his own Blood hath preferv'd ours: And are thefe things to be forgotten by us? Will not fuch Love conftrain us to remember him, and not to fuffer fuch memorable Acts of Kindness to fink into Oblivion? Indeed, 'tis but a flender Requital of his inestimable Love only to remember it, and to keep in mind thofe bitter Sufferings of his for our fake, which we fhould have for ever endur'd in our own Perfons. And fince this is all he calls for, we must be prodigiously ungrateful to deny him this, when we receive fo many great and invaluable Benefits by it. And this will lead us to fhew, Thirdly, That not only the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift, but the Benefits we receive thereby, are to be minded and remember'd by us. What these Benefits are, the Catechifm will after declare: In the mean time I fhall here mention two, that are common to this with the other Sacrament; and they are Remiffion of Sins, and Reconciliation with our Maker: both which are convey'd and begun in Baptifm, and after confirm'd and completed in the Lord's Supper. For |