1 Corinthians 10:33

REFLECTIONS

Who would have thought, on reading Israel's history in coming up out of Egypt, that all the great outlines of Christ's Church is here shadowed forth? Yes! my soul, thy deliverance from the worse than Egyptian bondage of sin and death, of Satan's captivity and prison-house, was here represented. As all our father's in the Church were baptized unto Moses, as the Lord's minister, in the cloud, and in the sea; ate and drank of the spiritual sustenance, by faith in Christ; and eyed Christ as the sum and substance of all: so thou, by the same faith in the same God and Savior, art now passing through the same wilderness dispensations; and fetching strength for every new exercise by living on Jesus, and of his fulness receiving grace for grace. Oh! God the Holy Ghost, bring me under thy continual baptisms! Let my spiritual life in Christ, be maintained, as the faithful Israelites were, by the same spiritual meat; and let My soul's thirst be continually satisfied in drinking of the same spiritual drink; for He that went before in the pillar of the cloud, and that followed them in the pillar of the fire, is the same Lord Jesus to me, as them; even the Rock whose work is perfect, just as true is He! Precious Lord Jesus! do I not know? hast thou not taught me? that all grace for thy whole family here, and all glory for thy redeemed above, is treasured up, and hath been treasured up, in thine Almighty Person, as the Covenant-head and Husband of thy Church from all eternity?

Sweet cup of blessing in my Lord's Supper! may it be my holy joy and delight often to take thee. For surely, it is an ordinance of Jesus' own appointing. And He who appointed it at the first, promised to be present at every celebration, and will continue to the last, to make it sanctified to every true partaker. Surely it is among the love-tokens of Jesus. He will be always there where his people are assembled. We shall feed on Him by faith. And we shall know heartfelt experience, while the King sitteth at his table, and this graces of our souls, which he himself hath given, and calleth forth into exercise, is like the spikenard, that the cup of blessing which we bless is indeed rich communion with the blood of Christ; and the bread we break is indeed precious communion of the body of Christ! Oh! for the sweet quickenings of God the Spirit leading to the feast, that my soul may be often taking the cup of salvation, and calling upon the name of the Lord. And do thou, dearest Lord, so lead, so guide, so daily, hourly, momently, bring my soul under thy blessed teachings, and influences; that in providences as well as seasons of grace, at my own table or at the Lord's, wherever I am, however employed, in the Church or in the market place, in dealings with men, or sweet communion with the Lord; whatsoever do, in word, or deed, do all to the glory of God, in the name of Jesus Christ.