fires fhall be fully fatisfied; where we fhall fee our Lord and Saviour in his glory, and feast our eyes with the fight of his perfections; yea, where we fhall be ravished with the fight of God himself, and fhall drink of the pleasures that stream from the light of his countenance.

And, after all these things in the world to come, we should strive to ftir the longings of our foul; we fhould defire to be in heaven, and thould thirst after thofe eternal pleasures; and to pafs from this dark glass, and this veil of the facraments, to the clear fight and enjoyment of God himself.

FINALLY, and in the conclufion, We fhould give God thanks for these great favours, for the hopes of his glory, for the tastes which he gives us beforehand, for all the fruits of his Son's death, and the earnefts we have of the eternal inheritance. And indeed who can fufficiently praise his divine Majefty? The tongues of angels fall fhort in uttering of his goodness; and we become dumb, the more we endeavour to

fpeak

fpeak of it. The highest of our praises is humbly and affectionately to acknowledge, that we cannot fufficiently praise him; the greatest of our endeavours is daily to admire him; the furtheft we can strain our fouls, is to long for eternity, wherein it may be our employment to admire and praise him for ever.

I fell therefore end the whole in those words of the Pfalmift; Bless the Lord, ye angels of his, which excel in ftrength; that do bis commandments, hearkening to the voice of his words. Blefs the Lord, all ye bofts; ye minifters of his that do his pleafure. Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion. Blefs thou the Lord, O my foul.

SERMON XXV.

Sacrament: Behaviour after receiving.

[From Bishop PATRICK'S Menfa Myftica.]

I COR. XV. 58.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know, that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

T

HE apoftle here is exhorting to ftedfaftness and perfeverance; that having begun well, we fhould continue in the fame path of duty and obedience, and never fwerve therefrom during the courfe of our lives. And he lays before us one of the strongest motives in the world for so doing; namely, because we know that our labour in that kind fhall not be in vain in the Lord.

Which advice of the apostle falls with a peculiar weight and force upon our minds, at those folemn feasons, when we have been receiving the holy facrament: Then it becomes us more efpecially to renew our resolutions of conftancy and perfeverance, that having advanced fo far in our duty, we may not, by falling away afterwards, lofe the reward of all that we have done.

Therefore I fhall take occafion from hence, at this time, to confider, what behaviour becomes us, after we have received the facrament of the Lord's fupper; fo as that we may enjoy the benefits thereby intended us, and that our labour may not be in vain in the Lord. And the

I. THING to be done herein, is this; Not immediately to take off our thoughts from this action; but spend as much as we can of the remaining part of the day, in acts of love and delight, of thanksgiving and praife, to God for his favours.

We ought to exercife ourfelves in admiring his love and kindness to us; and to H h converse

VOL. IV.

converfe with him about the affairs of our fouls to lay before him the fecrets of our hearts, acquaint him with all our wants and weakneffes, fpread before him all our defires, and earnestly intreat him to make his abode with us.

We fhould endeavour to faften the covenant that is between us, ftill the clofer, and stronger; and should be afraid of going presently into the world again, left it fhould be loofed and diffolved.

We should pass that day at least in hea venly converfation with him, in expreffions of our love and affection towards him, in acts of defire after infeparable union with him, and in promifes and refolutions that we will always be faithful and obedient to him.

We should praise him for his kindness, extol the riches of his goodness, fhew forth our love unto him, and crave his pardon for our follies, and intreat him not to be affended at us.

And in truth, there is no exercise more proper upon every Lord's day, than that of giving thanks and praifes unto God, for VI, all