Messias the Anointed holy one of God who as the great Prophet of God hath instructed us in the way of Righteousness and Salvation and having taught us the whole Will of his Father after he had suffered many things in our Humane Nature was Crucified and willingly died a Sacrifice of Atonement for our Sins and was buried and continued till the third day in the state of the Dead and herein was the true High-priest who offering himself once for all hath made Reconciliation for the Sins of the People Do I believe That on the third day he rose again from the dead to die no more and having sufficiently instructed his Apostles in their Office and instituted the Sacrament of Baptism whereby they were to admit men into his Church he was received up into Heaven and sat down on the right hand of God in all Power and Majestly King of Kings and Head over all things to the Church and there as the great High-priest maketh Intercession for us and blesseth us rendring our Services acceptable to God Do I believe that at the day appointed by God he shall come again in Glory to judge the Quick and Dead according to his Gospel and that we must all appear before his Judgment Seat that every one may receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Do I believe That Christ sent the Promise of his Father the Comforter which is the HOLY GHOST to guide the Church into all Truth to be with it for ever and to sanctifie our Hearts to believe love and obey the Truth and to prepare us by Holiness for Happiness in the Presence of God for ever Do I believe that God always had and will have a peculiar People and Society of Men which make One holy Catholick Church or Body whereof Christ is the only Head who ruleth and governeth it by his Spirit and Word and Ministers under him in Doctrine Worship and Discipline That all the true sanctified Members of this Church are enlivened by the holy Spirit of Christ and by the Communion of the Spirit communicate in the Love of the Father and the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ in the Ministry of Angels and the Prayers of glorified Souls and with all Saints in the same holy Faith and Love and Offices of Religion Do I believe that all who faithfully persevere in this holy Communion of Saints have the Pardon of their Sins given them of God through Jesus Christ proclaimed unto them by the Ministry of the Word and particularly applied and sealed unto them in the Sacraments Do I believe That the Bodies of all men shall after Death be raised up again to Life and that the Wicked shall go into everlasting Torments and the Righteous shall live for ever in perfect Holiness and Glory in the Presence of God in Heaven These are the chief Matters of Faith wherein we are to examine our selves But that we may know whether we believe these things savingly we are farther to enquire 1. If we believe them understandingly To be satisfied herein we should do well to have the Approbation and Judgment of God's Minister 2. If we believe them with a divine Faith because of the Truth or Veracity of God who hath revealed them Be perfect therefore in the Scriptures that you may know they are taught therein by God 3. If we believe them firmly so that we are persuaded we dare even lay down our Lives for the Truth 4. If we believe them effectually and practically so that this Belief doth fill our Hearts with the Fear and Love of God and produce strong Resolutions servent Prayers and strenuous Endeavours to honour God by holy and obedient Lives Yet here we are to note That it is not every doubting whether we understand aright or whether the thing be a divine Truth or whether our Faith be firm and strong or have sufficient Influence on our Hearts and Lives that should dismay us but whilst we find that notwithstanding some Doubtings our Faith is able to carry us on in a Christian Course of Life trusting our Souls in well doing to the Mercy of God through Iesus Christ we are to cheer up our selves and using the means of strengthening our Faith say Lord I believe help thou my Unbelief CHAP. V. An help for the Examination of our Repentance and Obedience IT is the great Blessing of the Gospel that CHRIST came to call Sinners to Repentance That after the Law of Innocence was broken and we were under the Curse of Death and an impossibility to be saved by our own Righteousness Repentance is allowed of and a new Obedience Repentance in Scripture is sometimes all one with Conversion that is such a turning and change of Heart and Mind that being brought to the Knowledge of the true God and our Duty to him we renounce our former course of Life and resolve to serve and honour God according to his Word This fits us for Baptism wherein God's Minister in God's Name admits us into the Church and assures us of Pardon upon our continuing living Members of the same Repentance is also an humbling sense of and hearty Sorrow for any Sin or Violation of our Baptismal Covenant with a free Confession of our Demerit an earnest begging of Pardon a resolving to amend and praying for God's Grace so to do Now because all Sin is Disobedience to the Law of God we may at once examine our Repentance and Obedience by that Law it telling us our Duty and our Consciences telling us how we have either done it or are concerned for not doing it Ask then Have I done my best by such helps as God affords me to attain to divine Knowledge and not contented my self to live in Ignorance of God and of his Truth Hath the Knowledge of God wrought in me a most high and honourable Esteem of him an aweful Reverence towards him an entire Resignation of my self to him and humble Obedience to his Government a total dependance and trust to his Goodness an unfeigned Love of him above all things and an ardent Desire to enjoy him Do I love God for the excellency of his Nature and the beauty of his Holiness and his Goodness to me and all men especially as manifested in Iesus Christ Do I love him so as to love his Laws and his Word and Worship his Ministers and his Children his House and Day and every thing that relates to him Is it the earnest desire of my Soul to be able to honour him more and to be more like him in Holiness and can I find no rest to my Soul in any thing but him Have I made his Wisdom
laid down his Life for us to satisfie for our Sins and free us from Vengeance and offereth us a full Pardon on Condition that we will believe in him and be baptized so signifying our Consent to the new Covenant which God is pleased to make with us in him 4. The meaning of which Covenant is this That though we cannot now be innocent and so can never hope for Life by obeying and fulfilling the Law of Innocence given to Adam yet if we will first truly repent and secondly believe the Gospel of CHRIST and thirdly sincerely obey his Commands God will yet be our God and take us for his People and for his beloved Son Iesus Christ's sake pardon our Sins and sanctifie us by his holy Spirit and finally glorisie us with himself in Heaven II. Next we must examine how we have kept this Covenant And here seeing we were baptized in our Infancy and what was promised on our parts was promised by others in our Name we are to examine 1. Whether we have since we came to Understanding at any time own'd and confirmed this Engagement and taken upon our selves the Performance of it Our Church hath well provided that no Person shall be admitted to the LORD's Supper till he be Confirmed or have declared his willingness to be confirmed that is till he have satisfied the Church that he understands the Covenant of Baptism and declareth his Resolution to keep it 2. If we have thus own'd our Baptismal Engagement we must diligently examine how we have hitherto performed it in all the Parts of it viz. Repentance Faith and sincer◠Obedience And this we are to do by posing our selves in the several Articles of our Christian Faith and in the Commandments of God If we find that we have not been faithful to God in this Covenant we must not come to this Sacrament till we have unfeignedly repented of our unfaithfulness and seriously renewed our Engagement to keep it henceforward Therefore III. We must examine how we resolve to keep it for the time to come And here we are to see to these things 1. That it be a serious deliberate and well grounded Resolution not taken up dissemblingly nor rashly nor for weak Reasons But being clearly convinced and become sensible of God's absolute Right in and to us and all our Services his sovereign Authority to govern us and command us and his wonderful Goodness and Love to us more especially declared in his Son Iesus Christ this Sense and Conviction of God's being our Maker our Governour and our Benefactor should be the reason and ground of our Resolution to be wholly his to be ruled by him and love and honour him above all 2. That it be a full and compleat Resolution that we use no Ifs or And 's or rest in some faint Purposings but we must be throughly determined and fixed upon it That whatever we may lose or suffer by it in this World we will by God's help go through with it without any Exception or Limitation whatsoever doing the whole Will of God from the Heart 3. That it be a humble and pious Resolution without any proud Trust or Confidence in our own natural Strength to make it good but yet with all Trust and Confidence in the Goodness of God that if we conscientiously use the means of Grace and Strength which he hath ordained as he hath wrought in us to will so he will strengthen us to do his good Will and finally reward us according to his infinite Mercy When we have thus considered our Covenant of Baptism and are thus resolved by God's help to keep it we should earnestly pray unto God for his Assistance and if we are not already Confirmed it is fit that we humbly offer our selves to Confirmation so soon as we can The very sense of Shame to break a Covenant after this solemn Engagement in the Face of the Church to keep it and the Fear of drawing a greater guilt upon our Souls by breaking a Covenant so renewed must needs be some Restraint upon us to keep us from breaking it And besides this we have good Cause to hope that the Prayers of the Church and the Blessing of God's Minister the Bishop who by his Office blesseth in God's Name shall very much conduce to our greater Strength and growth in Christianity CHAP. IV. An help for the Examination of our Faith WE promised in Baptism to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith These Articles are briefly laid together in the Creed To examine our selves how we keep this part of our Covenant let us in the presence of God the Searcher of Hearts ask our selves these Questions Have the Word and Works of God convinced me that there is an eternal invisible living Spirit every where present throughout the World infinite in all Perfections of Power Wisdom and Goodness called GOD Do I believe that there is but one only true and living God even the FATHER the SON and the HOLY GHOST which being three are yet all three but one GOD blessed for ever Do I believe That the Books of the Old and New Testament do contain the very Word of God and that therein God hath revealed unto us all things that are needful to our eternal Happiness and that he is a God of Truth and cannot lie and that all his Words are true Do I believe That God is the Maker Preserver and Governor of all things that I and all things are his and at his Disposal that our Life Motion and Being are from him and all our Happiness depends upon his Love and Blessing Do I believe That Man was made in the Image of God very good with an immortal Soul with Knowledge and Power enough to understand and do God's Will Do I believe God made many Spirits called Angels and that some of these by Sin fell from their first State and these are the Devil and his Angels for whom Hell was prepared and that the Devil tempting Man to sin in disobeying God all Evil came thereby into the World that we are all naturally Sinners and the Children of Wrath and cannot be happy without being pardoned and cleansed but must be tormented for ever in Hell Do I believe That God of his own free Grace and Goodness hath made us a new way to Happiness through his only begotten SON IESVS CHRIST our Lord and that there is Salvation in none other Do I believe That the SON being the true God and eternal Life became also the Man CHRIST IESVS being conceived by the power of the HOLY GHOST and born of a pure Virgin and being thus God manifested in the Flesh 〈◊〉 an holy Life on Earth in perfect Obedience to his FATHER's Will Do I believe That this is the promised
reading makes all good Books mere Non-sense to you If it were not so you would never be weary of learning your Christian Duty nor of practising it neither and you would particularly never rest till you understood the right way of coming worthily to this heavenly Banquet unto which I here direct you Whenever men are Christians indeed they will set a greater Price than now they do upon this unvaluable Token of Divine Love and they will be ashamed to think that the Table of Devils should have so many Guests and the Table of the Lord so few I have here very plainly shunning all Disputes and Niceties laid the whole Duty before you with the necessity of it and the way to perform it aright I have also removed out of your way all the Rubs and Mormoes which are apt to hinder or affright you Nothing can be wanting but a Will in you to be Christians and to live so now as that you may live eternally This is that which I cannot give you but must not cease to beg it for you of the only Giver of all good Gifts nor to beseech you by the Mercies of God that you will by all means endeavour after it To the Grace of God I do moâ—â— heartily commend you in my Prayers beseeching him to bless this poor Endeavour to the eternal Good of your Souls THE CONTENTS Chap. I. THE necessity of Receiving this Sacrament II. The necessity and way of Receiving it worthily III. How to examine our selves about our Baptismal Covenant IV. A help for the Examination of our Faith V. A help for the Examination of our Repentance and Obedience VI. How to examine whether we be rightly disposed for this Sacrament VII What Affections of Soul are sutable to this Sacrament VIII How we are to behave our selves at this Sacrament IX The pretended Reasons for neglecting this Sacrament briefly answered X. The Stumbling-blocks cast in our way removed Some short Directions and Prayers THE WAY TO THE Lord's Table CHAP. I. The necessity of receiving this Sacrament REverently and Devoutly to receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is so indispensable a Christian Duty that whosoever refuseth to do it doth no less in effect than refuse Salvation and renounce his Saviour There is no Salvation in any other but IESVS CHRIST No man cometh to the Father but by him There is no Salvation by Christ for those that keep not his Commandments but as he is the Author of Salvation to them that obey him So will he come to take Vengeance on them that obey not the Gospel And his express Command he hath left us in these plain Words This do in Remembrance of me Luke 22. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 24. He that hath given us this Command is GOD over all blessed for ever The great God that made us the good Lord that bought and redeemed us with his own most precious Blood he to whom God the Father hath given all Power both in Heaven and in Earth and hath commanded us to hear him in all things whatsoever he saith unto us It is the Command of a dear Friend who loved us as his Father loved him who hath called us Friends and laid down his Life for us in pure Love and hath assured us that if we keep his Commandments we shall abide in his Love The Command of this dying Friend when he was going to reconcile us wicked Rebels by his own bloody Death unto God was this This do in Remembrance of me When dying for us he bequeathed unto us Pardon and his Spirit and eternal Life this he required of us that by doing this we would preserve alive a loving and thankful Remembrance of him and shew his Death and his Kindness therein to our Souls till he come again to receive us to himself and put us into full Possession of eternal Glory And how shall we then look him in the Face if we have refused to do this In this Sacrament he offereth us himself Crucified for us his Body and Blood the most choice Token of his wonderful Love Can we refuse it and not renounce his Love and Friendship thereby Thus would He have us declare our Fellowship with the Father and the Son and with the Holy Apostles and all Saints as joynt Members of his one Body the Church by feasting together at his Table on this one Bread Can we refuse to do this and not renounce all Fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Communion of Saints Two solemn Rites he hath instituted as peculiar to his Religion Baptism and the Supper of the Lord whereby we are to own him openly before the World and profess our selves in Covenant with him As he then that refuseth to be Baptized refuseth to be a Christian so he that having been baptized refuseth this other Sacrament doth in effect renounce his Baptism disown the Covenant apostatize from Christ and cast off the Profession of Christianity He hath not commanded us many chargeable and troublesome Sacrifices such as the Iews offered nor the Blood of our Sons and Daughters which the Gentiles grudged not to offer unto Devils The Cost we are put to is of a little Bread and Wine the Pains we are put to is with holy and thankful Hearts to take eat and drink in Remembrance of our Saviour Can we now disobey so easie a Command of the God of Heaven and Earth the King of the World the Redeemer of Sinners the only Saviour of Souls and not renounce God our Saviour the Christian Religion and all our claim to Salvation No 't is very plain that tho' the want of this Sacrament when it is desired but cannot be had is no Sin if not occasioned by our Sin yet the wilfull neglect of it is no less than a damning Sin unless there be no such thing as Damnation and the Gospel be a Fable from which blasphemous thought Good God preserve us all CHAP. II. The Necessity and Way to Receive worthily HE that eateth not at the Lord's Table must dye and he that eateth unworthily is in danger of Death so St. Paul assures us Whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 27. and again v. 29. He eateth and drinketh Damnation or Judgment to himself If this seem hard to us it is only because we are unreasonable and had rather not do any Duty at all than be at the Pains to do it as we ought As the Duty is necessary and yet very reasonable and not burdensome so to do it worthily is as necessary and no less reasonable or easie if we have a Mind to be Christians The Direction how to communicate worthily we have in these words Let a Man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup 1 Cor. 11. 28. They who are ignorant
and are not sufficiently instructed cannot examine themselves and therefore may not eat and they who either because they are afraid to awaken their Consciences and not be able to sin in Quietness or because they are loath to be at the Pains or take so much time from their worldly Business or Pleasures will not examine themselves may not presume to eat What then must such Persons do for if they eat not they die The ignorant must be Catechised and learn if they be ashamed of this they are ashamed of Christ and must perish for hating Instruction They that will not examine themselves must consider how they can dwell with everlasting Burnings Eat or Die Examine or eat not that 's all the Choice our Sins have left us Yet Examination is not a thing commanded for it self but in order to something else Counterfeit Gold is of no more worth than it was before for being examined or tryed by the Touch-stone We must examine our selves that we may know what we are Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith prove your own selves Know you not your own selves how that Iesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13. 5. We might know whether we be Christians or no would we try our selves and not be content like false Gold to make a shew only And to this end must we by Examination learn to know our selves that we may be able to approve of our selves in our own Consciences before God that we are sincere Christians that we may not think our selves to be something when we are nothing and so deceive our selves let every Man prove his own Work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself Gal. 6. 4. In short we are to examine what Graces God hath given us and be truly thankful what is yet amiss in us and amend it what we yet want and endeavour to obtain it The difficulty of this Duty affrighteth many from this Sacrament and indeed considering how most of us live it is no wonder that it seemeth difficult But we should remember first That this Self-Examination is a Duty necessary not only now and then before a Sacrament but at all times that we may understand how far we are Christians indeed and therefore the Difficulty may as well affright us from being Christians as from this Sacrament and so I fear it doth too many who therefore abstain from the Lord's Table because they have no mind to be Christians any farther than in Name only And then secondly We must remember that whatever Difficulty there is in this Duty it is of our own making and we may make the Duty more easie if we will For 1. We continue willingly ignorant of the Word of God and its use and it must needs be hard for us to examine our selves by a Rule which we understand not But let us take pains to learn perfectly the particulars of our Christian Faith and Duty gathered from the Sacred Scriptures and explained in easie Catechisms and often beg the Minister's help for the right understanding and due applying thereof to our selves opening freely to him all our Ignorances and Doubts and this part of the Difficulty will be removed 2. We live loosly and carelesly not observing well our own Tempers and Actions and having let them slip without any notice of them we cannot recall to mind and examine what we never regarded Let us but once every day take a little time to consider what Inclinations in us have that day shewn themselves and what have been our Thoughts Words and Actions and comparing them with the Rule of Life observe how they agree or disagree with it and heartily blessing God for any Good that by his help we have done humbly bewailing confessing and begging Pardon for all our Failings of Omission or Commission praying devoutly and seriously for more Strength and Grace to live better resolve to do our utmost Endeavour to amend and improve daily we shall soon find all the Difficulty over especially if we would as often as we find cause to doubt of any thing open our Souls freely to our Spiritual Guides God's Ministers for their Assistance Which course till i be taken we shall every where find too few Christians but if we would do thus we should learn to know our selves so well that it would be a very easie matter to examine our selveâ— against a Communion Now that we may be worthy Communicants we must examine our selve both whether we be sound Christianâ— or no and whether we be rightly disposed for this particular Christian Duty 1. We must be of Christ's Family as Christians before we may feast at Christ's Table as Communicants Wâ— are solemnly admitted into the Family or Church of Christ by Baptism wherein we are dedicated to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and admitted into the Bond of a sacred Covenant with the ever Blessed and Glorious Trinity So long as we continue faithful in this Covenant so long are we Christians and therefore this is first to be enquired into Whether or no we faithfully stand to this Baptismal Covenant 2. Then are we duely disposed for this Duty of Communicating when understanding the Nature Ends and Benefits of this Sacrament we find the Affections of our Hearts in some measure suitable thereunto And to this purpose it is that we are more especially before our Approaches to the Lord's Table to examine our selves CHAP. III. How to examine our Selves about our Baptismal Covenant THE faithful keeping of our Baptismal Covenant is our Christianity We are therefore impartially to enquire both how we understand it how we have kept it and how we resolve to keep it 1. To help us to understand it we must know four things viz. 1. That our Good God having made man a rational Creature in his own Image and given him an immortal Soul void of any Inclination to Evil with sufficient Knowledge to understand his Duty and Power enough to do it did command him to live in perfect Obedience to God his Maker whereby he and his might live for ever happy in the Love of God 2. That Adam the first Man and common Father of us all by the Temptation of the Devil disobey'd this Command and thereby brought us all into a state of Weakness Sin and Death And now in such a Condition we come into the World that left unto our selves we would do nothing but sin against God and run upon our own Destruction 3. That our gracious God when he might justly have cut off at once the whole Race of Mankind in Adam and Eve or have left all their Posterity to perish by their own Doings of his wonderful Goodness and Mercy took pity on Sinners and opened â— to us a new way to Salvation by providing for us a Saviour even GOD the SON the only begotten of the FATHER who in our Flesh having taught us what God now requireth of us if we will be saved
so will I compass thine Altar O God I come O my God I come for whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee O hide not thy comfortable Presence from me ¶ Then humbly joyn in the Confession of Sins saying after the Minister and receive in the humblest Posture the Absolution as from Christ himself interceding for you at God's right hand and blessing you Draw Comfort from the Sentences of Scripture read unto you and lift up your Hearts with joyful Praises unto God as you are called upon to do heartily joyning in the following Devotions When the Minister consecrateth the Elements fix your Eye upon the whole Action and your Heart upon your crucified Jesus considering with what Pains and Tortures on the Cross he finished your Redemption When the Minister draweth near you with the Bread say Create in me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me ¶ When you take the Bread say With all Humility and Thankfulness of heart I take this sacred Pledge of thy Love O dearest Saviour Be it according to thy Word with thy crucified Body feed my Soul to Life eternal ¶ Then eating the Bread say O Father Son and Holy Ghost one God blessed for ever I am wholly thine and not my own reign in me rule over me O blessed Iesus now and for ever By thee I live through thee let me grow in Grace and Goodness Keep me from hungring any more after Sin and Vanity Lord evermore give me this Bread till thou bring me to thy eternal Supper in thy Kingdom of Glory ¶ Receiving the Cup say I will receive the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. ¶ Having drunk of it say My Soul was a-thirst for the living God let thy Blood O holy Lamb of God cleanse me and this whole Congregation from all Sin Let thy holy Spirit be in us a Well of living Water springing up into everlasting Life I have confessed my Sin and thou art faithful and just to forgive my Sin and to cleanse me from all Unrighteousness Take now my blessed Lord a full and everlasting possession of thy dear Purchase As I believe we have Redemption through thy Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins so do I here deny my self and resolve by thy Assistance to follow thee even unto Death And O thou God of Peace that brought'st again from the dead our Lord Iesus Christ that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant feed govern and protect thy whole Flock the Universal Church make us perfect in every good Work to do thy Will working in us that which is well-pleasing in thy Sight through Iesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen ¶ During the time of the Distribution if no Psalm be sung or if a Psalm be sung then during the Oblation or at any other vacant times employ your selves in such Meditations as these following O how wonderful is the Love of God! How doth the Lord triumph in his Goodness and rejoyce in his Mercy We that have a thousand times over deserved to be weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth in everlasting Fire are here admitted to feast and rejoyce at the Table of the Lord. O astonishing Love of the blessed Iesus O abominable Sins of us rebellious Wretches Was thy holy Body my dearest Lord and God thus broken and torn they precious Blood thus shed and poured out for our sinful Souls And shall we not abhor those cursed Sins of ours and with all due Hatred and Indignation cast them off for ever Shall we not renounce all Kindness to our beastly Lusts loath our selves for our Iniquities and give our selves entirely to thy Service which is perfect Freedom for evermore O ravishing Love that moved the eternal Son of God to rescue us from everlasting Torments by the sharpest Pains and Tortures of his spotless Body and the bitterest Agonies of his purest Soul That moved the blessed and only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to condescend unto Sufferings Shame and Death and to be made a Curse for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him Wast thou O blessed Saviour content for our sake to be despised and rejected of men to become a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief and have we so long hid as it were our Faces from thee Hast thou been despised and yet have not we esteemed thee Surely thou hast born ou◠Griefs and carried our Sorrows thou wast wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities the Chastisement of our Peace was upon thee and with thy Stripes we are healed All we like Sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on thee the Iniquity of us all Thou wast oppressed and afflicted yet did'st thou not open thy Mouth thou wast brought as a Lamb dumb to the Slaughter thou wast cut off out of the Land of the Living for the Transgression of thy People wast thou stricken O holy Iesus I do most stedfastly believe that thou art the Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World that thou hast in thine own Body born our Sins upon the Tree and that in the Body of thy Flesh through Death thou hast reconciled us who were Enemies to present us holy and unblameable in God's sight Thou wast not ashamed to call us Brethren and because the Children are Partakers of Flesh and Blood thou 〈◊〉 thy self tookest part of the same and through Death hast destroy'd him that had the power of Death the Devil We have not an High-priest which cannot be touch'd with a feeling of our Infirmities but was in all Points tempted as we are yet without Sin Therefore may we come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need Thou O blessed Iesus being made perfect through Sufferings art become the Author of Salvation unto all that obey thee O Lord I poor Sinner fly for Refuge to lay hold on the Hope now set before us Thou art able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by thee seeing thou ever livest to make Intercession for us By thine own Blood hast thou entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal Redemption for us Thou art entered into Heaven it self now to appear in the Presence of God for us Thou art our Advocate with the Father the Propitiation for our Sins and we look for thee to appear the second time without Sin unto Salvation O Lord seeing thou hast given us Boldness to enter into the holiest by the Blood of Iesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the Vail that is to say his Flesh and having such an High-priest over thine House I here draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith having my Heart
Son When we lay polluted in our Filth and odious to thy pure Eyes thou opened'st for us in his precious Blood a Fountain for Sin and for Uncleanness Thou hast not disdain'd to admit me poor Sinner into thy holy Church and Family by Baptism and into a sacred Covenant of Grace and Peace with thy self through the Blood of the blessed Mediator And even now after so many careless and even willful Violations of this holy Covenant thy Mercy follows me with fresh Offers of Reconciliation and thou hast invited me to a Feast of Love in thy House and at thy own Table and on the Body and Blood of thine own dear Son and my blessed Redeemer O my most bountiful God how long have I plaid the ed Prodigal and pleased my self in Sin and Vanity and delighted in disobeying thy Commandments How often have I set light by the Bread of Life in the House of my Father and preferred the Trash of this World before it How often have I boldly and presumptuously without due Preparation approached unto thy holy Table And how often have I return'd thence with the same unclean Heart and unmortified Lusts which I carried thither When I consider this I tremble to think what Entertainment such a monstrous Sinner as I have been might expect from thee O let me not any longer through Impenitence and Negligence lose the Benefits of thy rich Mercy in Iesus Christ. For his sake pardon all my former Neglects Misbehaviours and Breaches of Covenant with thee and grant me now good God I beseech thee such a measure of thy Grace as may fit me for this sacred Ordinance Once more most blessed God I am preparing to come at thy gracious Call but what can I do without thy Help I am clogged with Sin and Corruption I have suffered my Lusts to get the upper hand and to lead me Captive O! shew thy Strength in my weakness pull down every proud and unruly thing in me that exalteth it self against thy holy Spirit strengthen me henceforward for ever to do thy Will Awaken and stir up my dull Affections to love thee and praise thee for thy wonderful love in redeeming us by the Sacrifice of thy beloved Son O Lord I do now renew most heartily my so often broken Vows and Promises to be wholly thine O Father Son and Holy Ghost for evermore Accept of me O my God and let not my great Unworthiness provoke thee to reject thy poor Servant whose Soul panteth after thee Enable me amongst those that keep Holyday in thy House worthily to shew forth the Death of our blessed Iesus even as he hath commanded us in a joyful and truly thankful Remembrance of his inestimable Love in an absolute and entire Dedication of our selves to his Service and Government in a total Reliance upon thy Mercy through his Merits in a cordial Love to him our Head to all his Members yea to all Mankind and even our Enemies for his sake And do thou O merciful Father for thy dear Son's sake herein seal unto our Souls the Pardon of all our Sins confirm and strengthen us in all Grace and Goodness and bring us by the constant and conscientious use of this and all other Instruments of Grace to everlasting Life through Iesus Christ our Lord in whose holy Words I farther beg whatever is needful for my self and for thy whole Church Our Father c. A Prayer after receiving this Sacrament O Father of Mercies and God of all Comforts I have this day tasted and seen that thou art good and that thy Mercy endureth for ever It is well seen O God that thou delightest not in the Death of a Sinner seeing thou vouchsafest so vile a Sinner as I am to feast my hungry Soul at thy Table and to drink of the Rivers of thy Pleasures For ever blessed be thy Goodness and praised for evermore be thy Mercies to us poor Sinners in the Lord Christ Iesus O let the deep sense of this thy wonderful Love ever rest upon my Heart Let the spiritual Relish of this heavenly Feast so delight my Soul as to render all Sin and Vanity unsavoury and loathsome to it for ever Let this great Grace and Favour of admitting me this day to renew my Covenant with thee after so many Breakin gs of it oblige me to constant Thankfulness and continual Obedience to the greatest watchfulness over my Heart◠and Circumspection in all my ways And as I have been shewing the Death of Christ in this holy Sacrament in the midst of the Congregation so give me Grace and Strength to shew it daily in a Christian Life and Conversation and in the continual mortifying and crucifying of my sinful Affections and Lusts. Enable me to resist and vanquish all those Temptations to Sin whereby I have been formerly conquered O holy Iesus I have given my Heart to thee this day take I beseech thee such a full Possession of it by thy holy Spirit that neither the Devil the World nor Sin may ever again have any part or interest in it nor let me ever desire to be any otherwise my own than that I may continue wholly thine at thy sole Command and Disposal O good God pardon all the Infirmities and Failings whereof I have been guilty in the performance of this great Duty And bless I beseech thee this sacred Ordinance to thy whole Church so that Truth and Holiness and Christian Love may ever flourish and abound therein As we have one Faith one Baptism one Lord one Hope and profess our selves one Body by partaking this one Bread so grant us to hold the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace till we come to the Church triumphant in Heaven through him who loved us and hath wash'd us in his Blood even IESUS CHRIST our only Lord and Saviour Amen FINIS Books printed for and sold by John Baker at the Three Pidgeons in Saint Paul's Church-yard THE right Foundation of Quietness Obedience and Concord by Clement Elis. Lately published by Dr. Parker Arch-deacon of Canterbury An Account of Church Government for the first six hundred Years Religion and Loyalty or a Demonstration of the Christian Church within it self octavo in two Volumes The Service-Book in folio in 〈…〉 fit for Churches and Chapls Duport in Psalmos quarto Gr. Lat. idem in Homerum 4 o. idem 4 o. Graece separatim An earnest Invitation to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 12 o. by Ioseph Glanvil A Sermon before the Artillery-Company by Dr. Calamy lately published FINIS Acts 4. 12. Iohn 14. 6. Heb. 5. 9. 2 Thes. 1. 8. Rom. 9. 5. Col. 1. 16. 1 Cor. 6. 19. 1 Pet. 1. 19. Matt. 28. 18. Matt. 17. 15. Act 3. 22. Iohn 15. 9. 10. 13. Rom. 5. 6. 8. 1 Cor. 11. 26. 1 Cor. 10. 16. 1 Iohn 1. 3. 1 Cor. 11. 17. Gen. 1. 27. Eccl. 7. 29. Gen. 3. Rom. 5. 12. Rom. 8. 7 8. Mat. 1. 21. 1 Thes. 1. 10. Mar. 16. 16. Act. 3.