The Fifteenth Sacrament, June 19, 1731
I BEGAN with observing, that when God called the people of Israel to appear before him at the feast of tabernacles, he appointed them humbly to commemorate their meanness and unworthiness; and particularly to mention the stock from whence they were descended, “A Syrian ready to perish was my father,” etc. Deut. xxvi. 5. So, in our approaches to God, we should consider what we were by nature, as well as what we are made by grace. We have heard that Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. Let us seriously reflect upon this.
Consider what we were. We were lost! — lost to God; lost to ourselves; lost to all well-grounded hope of a blessed eternity. And the Son of man came to seek us. Whence did he come? Whom did he come to seek? What obscure, and
* That is, pray for those who seem not at present “interested in the blessing.” — En.
what guilty creatures! How far had we wandered! How often had we wandered! With what difficulty were we brought home! Yet his love conquered all. He came to seek us, — and that, in order to save us. What a salvation is this! Look upon a poor, guilty, ignorant, sensual creature, and think that such were we. Look, in imagination, on the damned in hell, — and think that such should we have been: and then consider how high this salvation rises. It reaches to heaven itself. Think of what you now feel: — think what we should feel, if all our corruptions were mortified, all our doubts scattered, and all our graces confirmed: — and yet much more than these will be our eternal portion. What a transporting thought! VVhat an abundant cause for gratitude, wonder, and love!
In breaking the bread, I observed, that Christ commands us to do this in remembrance of him. But, alas, how little do we remember him! Strange that we should need a memorial; but how much strantrer that we should forget him even with it! nay, that sometimes we should be ready to forget him at his table; or to remember him there, in a manner but little better than forgetful ness: — yet, he remembers us in heaven itself! — Blessed Jesus, may thy kindness to us, as it shames our unkindness and ingratitude to thee, so cure it!
In giving the cup, I said. It is the cup of blessing — the cup of blessings. O, of what a variety of blessings! Here is pardon; and strength; and grace; and the foretaste of glory! We bless it. May God bless it. So let us bless God that gives us this cup, and humbly pray that it may indeed be a cup of blessing to us. May the taste of it refresh us! and may the memory of it refresh us too!