and mediation of Jefus Chrift. This is frequently reprefented in fcripture under the fimilitude of a feaft. The metaphor is natural and expreffive, and may very properly be applied to the folemn ordinance ofthe Lord's Supper, of which you have fo near a pro-fpect; for here, all the invaluable bleffings of the gofpel, as purchafed by the blood of Chrift, are in a manner provided and brought forth for our entertainment; fo that I may now fay, as our Saviour did on another occafion, "This day is this fcripture fulfil"led in your ears;" and with the apostle Paul, in his fermon at Antioch, "I declare unto you glad " tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the fame to us "their children." For in this mountain hath the "Lord of Hofts made unto all people a feast of fat: "things, a feaft of wines on the lees, of fat things. "full of marrow, of wines on the lees well re"fined."

By the mountain here, where this feaft is provided, we are plainly to understand the gofpel-church, of. which Mount Zion, with the Jewish temple erected upon it, was an eminent type. There hath the Lord of Hofts made unto all people, to perfons of all ranks and degrees, of every ftation and character in life, to the faithful in all nations, the Gentiles as well as the Jews, a feat of fat things, and full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. The figures which are here employed, are bold and-lively. Fat and marrow, wines that have flood a competent time on the lees, and then well refined; plainly intimating, that there is abundance and variety, not only of fpiritual food and nourishment, but even of delicacies, provid ed in the gospel for the entertainment of believers. The table is richly fpread and furnished with the choiceft delights; for, as the,apoftle expreffes it,

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Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have en"tered into the heart of man, the things which God: hath prepared for them that love him (a).”.

(a), I Cor. ii. 9. :

In's

In difcourfing farther on this fubject, I fhall endeavour, by divine alfiftance, to confider, First, the Author and Master of this fpiritual feaft; Secondly, the nature of it, in fome of its excellent and diftinguifhing characters; Thirdly, the entertainment provided in it for the guests; and, Lally, conclude with a fhort application.

I. I begin, by briefly pointing out to you, the Au thor and Mafter of this fpiritual feaft. And here, indeed, its excellence will chiefly appear; for the Lord of Hofts himself hath made it. The infinitely glorious and exalted Jehovah, the Sovereign Majefty of heaven and earth, defigned and prepared it in the eternal counfels of his will; he gave his only begotten Son to purchase it, and the Holy Ghoft to reveal and apply it to every fincere believer.

1. God the Father, the Sovereign Majefty of heaven and earth, defigned and prepared this fpiritual feast in the eternal counfels of his will. "Bleffed" fays the apoftle to the Ephefians, "be the God and "Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath blessed "us with all spiritual bleffings in heavenly places in "Chrift; according as he has chofen us in him be"fore the foundation of the world, to the praise of "the glory of his grace (g)." God the Father is then the author and giver of this feaft. He provided it from all eternity, in order to difplay the riches of his grace, and make his chofen people holy and happy. We have heard of fumptuous and fplendid feafts, of which, the preparation and arrangement had required much industry and art. But here is fuch a feaft, as the united wifdom of angels and men could never have contrived; a feaft of fuch excellence and value, as was worthy of infinite wifdom and goodness to give; but which, before it was bestowed, man could not have conceived, and far lefs expected.

2. As God the Father defigned and prepared this fpiritual feaft for the entertainment of his chofsen

(g) Eph. i. 3, 4, Q.

people,

people, fo he gave his only begotten Son to purchase it, by his obedience and fufferings in their room and ftead. "For," fays the apoftle, "when the fulness. "of time was come, God fent forth his Son, made "of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them "that were under the law, that we might receive "the adoption of fons (a)." Nor did the Son of God, at whatever expence it might be procured, decline to make the purchafe. He left the bofom of the Father, and all the glories of heaven. He appeared in the form of a fervant, and made himself of no reputation. He led a poor, defpifed, and forrowful life; and at laft, fhed his own precious. blood, that he might do his Father's will, and procure for his people all the bloffings of the covenant. cordingly, we find, that he is reprefented in the Proverbs of Solomon (b), under the notion of wisdom, as having purchafed and provided this fpiritual feaft: "Wisdom hath built her houfe, fhe hath mingled "her wine, fhe hath alfo furnished her table :" and as fending forth her fervants to invite us to accept of the entertainment, "Come," fays fhe, "eat of $6 my bread, and drink of the wine that I have "mingled."

Ac

Laftly, The Holy Spirit is alfo given to reveal and apply the defigned and purchased benefits to every fincere believer. He is now at hand to take of the things of Chrift, and fhew them unto us. He gives the fpiritual appetite, and enables the Christian to feed by faith on a crucified Redeemer, and the purchase of his blood. I will add, that the new covenant of God's grace is now fully established by the death of Chrift, as a divine charter, in which the Almighty configns over all thofe purchased benefits to every one that believes, or that comes to him through a Redeemer. All things are therefore now ready. How juftly, then, may He, who is the Lord of Hofts, be ftyled the Maker and Master of this feaft

II.

Gal. iv. 4, J.

(b) Prov. ix.

II. But I now proceed, Secondly, To open up the nature of it, in fome of its excellent and diftinguishing characters. And,

1. It is a fpiritual feaft. Though it be described in Scripture, by emblems that relate to objects of fenfe, we are not to imagine, that there is any thing fenfual in it, or adapted to the bodily tafte: no, every thing here is pure and fpiritual; the food and entertainment of those whofe minds have been favingly enlightened to difcern the things that are fpiritual. Our Saviour, fpeaking of himself, and the benefits he has purchased, fays, "This is the bread "which came down from heaven, that a man may "" eat thereof and not die (c)." And as it is of a fpiritual nature, and heavenly origin; fo, the defign and tendency of it, is to raife our fouls to heaven, and improve their relish for the enjoyments of that bleffed world. In a word, it is the fame in kind with that celestial feaft, that pure river of the water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, which the inhabitants of heaven, the fpirits of just men made perfect, fhall for ever enjoy. It differs from it only in degree; for communion with God in this world, is a dawn of heaven, and the foretaste of eternal happiness.

2. It is a feast upon a facrifice. Under the law, after part of the facrifice was confumed upon the altar, the priest, and they for whom it was offered, were allowed to feaft upon that which remained, But here is a feaft upon an infinitely greater and more excellent facrifice, the great propitiatory facrifice of the blood of Chrift, which made full and complete atonement for fin, fatisfied the demands of impartial juftice, and brought in everlasting redemption; a facrifice, which, when offered, our High Prieft could fay, "It is finished;" a facrifice, in a word, moft acceptable and well-pleafing to God, which can purge the confcience from dead works, and fit us for the fervice and worship of him who is

(e) John vi. 30.

a Spirit, in fpirit and in truth. To feaft on such a facrifice, must therefore be a delightful and refreshing entertainment to the foul of the believer. "He," fays our Saviour, "that eateth my flesh, and drink"eth my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise "him up at the laft day; for my flesh is meat in"deed, and my blood is drink indeed." But, further, it is likewise a feast upon a facrifice; as, in it, believers, who are made priests unto God for that end, offer up the fpiritual facrifices of prayer and praife, and other acts of devotion; being affured, that they fhall be accepted in the Beloved. Nay, they are, as the apoftle exhorts them, to offer up themselves a living facrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is their reasonable fervice (d). And this leads me to obferve,

3. That it is also a feast upon a covenant. In the Old Testament we read, that as feafts were made upon a facrifice, fo they frequently covenanted -toge ther at feafts. We meet with a remarkable instance of this in Gen. xxxi., where Jacob and Laban rati fied their covenant of friendship, not only by offer ing facrifice, but by feafting together: and under the New Teftament, the apoftle fpeaks of the communion of the body and blood of Chrift, as correfponding to the eating of the facrifice. Upon feating ourfelves at the table of the Lord, and partaking of the facred fymbols, we declare our acceptance of the gofpel-covenant, that we take the Lord for our God, and devote ourselves to his fervice: and, certainly, the obligations which we then come under, excel every other tie, as much as the facrifice of Chrift excels the facrifices of the Jews; or the fpiritual eating and drinking of his body and blood, the partak ing of the ancient facrifices at the altar. In a word, by our eating and drinking at the table of the Lord, we take a folemn oath, that we will be true and faithful to him; and if we are fincere in this covenantengagement, he gracioufly promifes, that he will be

(d) Rom, xii. i.

our