our room, would yet engage in the work of our redemption, and steadily pursue it to the last! When the bitter cup was even at his own mouth, he declared with a zeal and earnestness never to be forgotten, but for ever to be admired, With defire have I defired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. This is an instance of love that hath depths in it that invite angels to stoop down to look into, and should peculiarly affect his ranfomed ones, when going to the feaft of love, the supper of their Lord.

Confidering his original freedom and greatness, how infinitely above us, and in no deed of us, &c. What amazing condescension was it in him, thus to testify his concern for us !

He willingly offered himself of old in the council of peace about our redemption, and undertook to make fatisfaction to divine justice: And after his incarnation, he always knew of, and frequently foretold his own fufferings and death. Upon the account of its preparing the way for them, he so earnestly defired to eat this passover the text speaks of, it being the last he should eat of before he fuffered death.

This is wonderful, and the more fo, confidering the greatness of his sufferings, and the flights and neglects which he foresaw he should meet with from some that would call themselves his friends.

2. Did Christ, with his death and crucifixion before him, say to his disciples, With defire have I desired to eat this passover with you before 1 fuffer? How plain is it, that having loved his own, he loved them to the end? That the greatest agonies

I

agonies could not abate his love or make it lefs, and that so much fatisfaction he took in their company, that he speaks with the highest pleasure of one ordinance more remaining, wherein there would be another opportunity for enjoying it before he fuffered?

3. Did Christ speak with so much fatisfaction of eating the passover with his disciples before he fuffered? We may be sure his defire is not less of meeting his friends at his table now, at the feast he hath made for them on his body broken and blood shed, which he hath bid them to eat and drink of in remembrance of him. When he has brought them hither, he hath called them into his banquetting-house, and his banner over them will be love?

4. Did Chrift often think of his death, and at last from eating and drinking with his disciples, willingly go to meet it? Let us herein learn of Chrift, and looking forward to our own change approaching; go to his table to feast with him, thereby to get strength to prepare to meet the king of terrors as he did, without overwhelming fear, nay with pleasing hope, that after feafting with him here in a lower manner, we shall be called to higher entertainments in the kingdom of God above, and there live and rest, and rejoice with him for ever,

SER

SERMON XVI.

JOHN VI. 67, 68.

Then faid Jefus unto the twelve, will ye also go

away ?

Then Simon Peter answered him,

shall we go? Thou hast the

nal life.

Lord, to whom

words of eter

N the latter part of this chapter, we have an excellent fermon of our blessed Lord concerning himself as the bread of life.

Having miraculously fed five thousand men with five loaves and two small fishes, one day, he was followed the next by the same multitude; not because they were convinced from the miracle that he was the Meffiah, and defirous to receive his doctrine for the food of their fouls, but because he had fed their bodies, and, as they hoped, still would do so. This he takes notice of, and charges them with. ver. 26. Verily, verily I say unto you, Ye feek me, not because ye faw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. They followed Christ not for the refreshment of their fouls, but of their bodies, and the respect they seemed to shew to him, arose only from this, that they might have their bellies filled by him.

Upon

Upon this our Lord directs them to look higher, ver. 27. Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth to everlasting life. And he, going on to deliver several matters of doctrine that their carnal minds could not take in, instead of humbly defiring to be farther instructed by him, they first murmured at him, and then left him: they quarrelled at the doctrine, and then turned their backs upon him, the preacher of it, ver. 66. From that time many of his difciples went back, and walked no more with bim. Of his disciples, i. e. of his more frequent hearers that were among this multitude. These being gone, our Lord puts the question for the trial of the faith and resolution of those that abode with him: Then faid Jesus unto the trvelve, Will ye alfo go away? Then Simon Peter anfwered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.

In our Lord's question we may take notice of several things.

1. What christ speaks of, viz. of apoftacy, and of this upon the actual revolt of many that bare the name of his disciples, and had for fome time followed him.

2. To whom he speaks upon this occafion, viz. To his chosen twelve; and it may be to fome others befides them that still remained with him.

3. Of the manner of his putting this question; viz. with an air of concern, sufficiently expreffive of his deep sense of their deplorable state who had fallen off, and of his earnest defire of

the

the salvation of those who were yet with him: Will ye alfo go away?

4. Of Peter's answer in the name of the rest, which is vehement and earnefst, Lord, to whom Shall we go? As if he should say, We have been chofen and highly favoured by thee, and are under so many obligations to thee; we to whom thou haft peculiarly manifested thyself and admitted to communion with thee, are so infinitely obliged, that to whom should we go? Hereby declaring,

1. That there is no other Saviour to whom to go, and in whom to trust, but Christ.

2. That they, these disciples, could not defire, nor did they need any other: Nay,

3. That they could not bear the thought of forsaking and quitting their hope in him: And,

4. That the ground of all this was, He had the words of eternal life: q. d. Let who will, through ignorance or prejudice, think or speak hardly of thee; deny, difown or turn their backs upon thee, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

From the whole we may observe,

I. Their cafe is fad, who after a fair profeffion of being the followers of Chrift, at length forfake him and go away.

II. Christ is tenderly concerned for the fafety of his real difciples, in their abiding with him. III. How many foever go away from Chrift, true believers fee and own they have the greatest reason to abide with and cleave to him, as having the words of eternal life.

I. Their