PROPOSITION VI.

OF THE LORD'S SUPPER-OF PRIVATE DEVOTION

AND PRAYER.

"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."-John vi. 56.

He that dwelleth in Christ, and Christ in him, does inwardly and spiritually partake of the Lord's Supper, without the intervention of any outward or visible sign. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching; verily, I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

"Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and will open to me the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he shall sup with me." Those who watch his coming, and hear his voice, and open their hearts in faith to receive him, do verily partake of that inward and spiritual grace which is the holy communion of the Lord's Supper, and no stranger intermeddleth with their joy.

The wind bloweth where it listeth thou hearest the sound thereof, and its influence is perceptible to thy feelings, but thou canst not tell whence it comes or whither it goes, neither canst thou prolong its stay or command its return: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. What I say unto

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you, I say unto all, watch, for ye know not the hour when the Comforter cometh. Not every one, that saith, Lord! Lord! is permitted to enter into the presence chamber, but all are commanded to watch. The Lord will be sought unto, and that by the whole house of Israel; he will be waited upon, and watched for, even more than those who sit in darkness and watch for the morning light. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staid upon thee, because he trusteth in thee. The Lord is not far from every one of us, for in him we live, and move, and have our being. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure.

They that wait on the Lord do know their spiritual strength to be renewed, and thereby they are enabled to withstand the temptations of the evil one; they run in the way of the Lord's commandments without weariness, and walk in his fear without fainting. It shall be said in that day, Lo! this is our God, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation.

ON PRAYER.-When thou prayest, be not as the hypocrites, who make long prayers to be seen of men; verily, they have the applause of the world, which is their reward. The sacrifice of the wicked is

OF PRIVATE DEVOTION AND PRAYER.

prayer

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of the up

an abomination to the Lord, but the right is his delight. Watch unto prayer, and as the Spirit helpeth thine infirmities, pray to thy Father in heaven, who seeth in secret, and he will reward thee.

No man having a petition to present to his royal Sovereign, immediately rusheth into the presencechamber, but waiteth and watcheth until the door is opened, then may he offer, in faith, his prayer, or praise, or thanksgiving. Christ is the door : no man cometh to the Father but by him, he is the only mediator between God and man. The Lord knoweth what we stand in need of before we ask him : and this is the confidence we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.

When our prayers ascend to God by the Spirit of Christ which is in us, we have access to him, and through the same medium does he reveal himself to us; then have we confidence towards God.

Every secret aspiration, assisted by the Holy Spirit, even if no words be expressed, is prayer, and we may be in the exercise of it when our hands are engaged in our lawful occupations. Sighs and groans which cannot be uttered, are heard in heaven. "True prayer is the Spirit speaking in us: when God hears our prayer, he hears his own language in us," and he will accept the offering of his own preparing.[Rowland Hill.] 'Lord, teach us to pray!"

ON PUBLIC WORSHIP.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."-Romans xii. 1.

The rich and the poor meet together, the Lord is the maker of them all. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, not forsaking the assembling ourselves together for the public worship of Almighty God, as the manner of some is. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them :" "but without me ye can do nothing."—"What I say unto you, I say unto all, watch.""God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, for he seeketh such to worship him."-" Divine worship does not consist in outward ceremonies, or a repetition of words, which the wicked and the hypocrites may easily adopt, but in having the mind prostrate before the Lord."-[Emperor Alexander.]

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their spiritual strength, they shall mount upward, and heavenward, as on eagle's wings.

ON PUBLIC WORSHIP.

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God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is he worshipped with men's hands. He hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being, as he hath said, “I will dwell in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." God is no respecter of persons or of places; he hath given to every man a measure of his own good spirit to profit withal. Christ within the hope of glory, is the crown and diadem of all rightly gathered worshippers. To that man will he look who is poor and of a contrite heart, whether he dwell in a cottage or in a palace, whether he worship in a chamber or in a cathedral. In vain do they worship God who teach for doctrines the commandments of men they draw nigh to him with their mouths, and honour him with their lips, whilst their hearts are far from him.

They that hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ shall be filled, but those that are rich and full of their own performances, shall be sent empty away. They that are whole need not a physician, but those who are sick Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

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