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GROUNDED UPON SCRIPTURE TEXTS,

PROPER FOR COMMUNICANTS,

To prepare their Hearts, excite their Actions, quicken their Graces,

́and enliven their Devotions on Sacramental occasions.

AND LIKEWISE

Useful to promote Gracious Difpofitions, and Refolutions in
Chriftians at all times, by the Remembrance of a
Crucified Jefus.

TO WHICH IS ADDED

A Short Christian Directory,

CONSISTING OF

Forty-five directions proper for all Chriftians intending Heaven.

By the REV. JOHN WILLISON,
Late Minister of the Gospel at Dundee.

CE THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME."

Jesus Christ.

WILMINGTON:

Printed by Bousal & Niles, for the Rev. William Pryce

THE NEW YORK FUSIC LIBRA

6531 A

ULDEN FQU

L

THE

PREFACE.

HE eternal Son of God, when taking his leave of an ungrateful world, inflituted the facrament of the supper, as a lively resemblance and memorial of his bloody fufferings and death in the room of his people; and alfo to be a bright and lasting evidence of the amazing love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to perifhing finners.

As God once fent his Son into the world in a lowly habit, clothed with human flesh to fave finners; fo now he fends him in an homely drefs, clothed with the elements of bread and wine, to affure us of his love, and to engage us to come to him. Kings expect that their children will be refpected, tho' their officers be neglected. Surely (faith God) They will reverence my Son: they will make him welcome and hearken to him.

In this most august ordinance of the new teftament, the Great God approaches very near to us, and we to him; and yet it is to be deeply regretted, that many who profefs to believe this, come to it with fo little thought and preparation, and with fo much indifferency and careleffnefs of fpirit. Oh, fhall we adventure fo near the Great God, who is infinitely holy, in whofe fight the heavens are not pure, and the bright feraphims do gather in their wings, and account themselves as little flies before him! And thall we, who are creatures fo mean and fo vile, be carelets and unconcerned, when we make the nearest approach to this great and holy God, that we can make on this fide heaven!

CI

YTZ

Ought we not to go blushing, ashamed and deeply humbled on many accounts, and particularly for our ingratitude for redeeming love, that love which paffeth knowledge; and for our contempt of God's unspeakable gift, the greateft fin in the world; yea, we fhould go wondering that we are out of hell; for houfands are burning there, who have not finned fo heinously, in making light of precious Christ as we have done.

many

Moreover, reader, confider, if you go to this br dinance unpreparedly, or with indifference, you not only make light of the Lord Jefus Chrift, but you are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, I Cor. xi. 27. Surely that word may cause you to quake and tremble; blood guiltiness of any fort is a dreadful fin, and efpecially to be guilty of the blood of the Lord. Murder is a fin that cries for vengeance on the actor, and gives God no reft till he punish it, Gen iv. 10. The voice of thy brother's blood crieth to me from the earth. If it be a crying fin to murder a common perfon, what must it be to murder a king? Who can firetch forth his band again the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless? 1 Sam. xxvi.¡9. O then what a crime it must be to murder the eternal Son of God, who is thy exalted King, thy ever. lafting Father, thy dear Redeemer, and thy God, who gave thee a being! Child murder is a heinous crime, but what Chrift-murder is, no tongue can tell. If on him that flew Cain (that wicked man) vengeance fould be taken feven fold, what vengeance will be taken on him that crucified afresh the Lord of glory? This confideration fhould make all of us afraid of careless and unworthy communicating.

I

If we could communicate worthily, we must be earneft, not only for the life of grace, but also for the livelinefs of grace; not only for the truth and

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