man Purifie me from all remaining filthiness either of the flesh or of the Spirit Bring in all thy heavenly graces along with thee into my soul And be my perpetual defence by giving me a fuller communication of thy holy Spirit and more mighty aids to do my duty towards thee and towards all men And for that end compose mine unsetled thoughts before I approach to receive the holy Mysteries That I may attend thee with a full and clear conception of their meaning with an actual belief of thy whole Gospel with most sensible love to thee and desire to be more like thee with thy high praises in my mouth and joy unspeakable in mine heart May I presume most gracious Father to ask such tastes and rellishes of thy wondrous love that I may never be able to delight in any thing so much as in the remembrance of it But mine eyes may be ever towards the Lord and I may hunger and thirst perpetually after thy righteousness till I am perfectly made pertaker of thy divine nature and rendred meet to be translated to that high and holy place where I shall see thee not as now in mysterious representations but openly and face to face Amen Lord Jesus who art able to save to the uttermost all them that come to God by thee In thy most blessed name and words I continue my humble prayers Our Father c. A Meditation after the Sacrament WHen you come home or some time after ask your soul what wentest thou out to see where hast thou been and what hast thou been doing Bid it never forget that thou hast been with the Lord of life and that before God Angels and Men thou hast acknowledged him and devoted thy self to his obedience That he hath vouchsafed to represent unto thee his marvellous love the pains he hath taken for thy salvation and the great desire he hath to see thee with him in immortal glory Of which he hath given thee such earnests and pledges by making thee pertaker of his body and blood that thou mayst say of that place where he was pleased to meet thee This is no other than the gate of Heaven I have been in the porch of his dwelling place and begun to enter into the joy of my Lord Here you may read over again that which I said our Lord might be conceived to speak unto you there and then go on and say How shall I escape if I should neglect such great salvation God forbid that I should receive this grace in vain As I have received Christ Jesus the Lord Col. 2.6 so will I walk in him I will endeavour to keep my self holy and unblameable before him in love and to have my conversation as becomes the Gospel There are no joys like to the joys of God No pleasures comparable to those of Christian piety All his Commandments are sweeter than the hony and the hony-comb and in keeping of them there is great reward Shall I cease then to delight my self in the Lord and to do good Shall I leave off to do the rest of his will now that I have done this in remembrance of my Saviour Shall I go away from him now that I am gone from the place where his honour dwelleth Alas whither shall I go thou Joh. 6.68 Lord hast the words of eternal life Thou art the author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey thee Heb. 5.9 I will go in the strength of the Lord God Ps 71.16 I will make mention of thy goodness even of thine only 1 Thess 4.1 As I have received how I ought to walk and please God so I will abound more and more Ephes 4.15 24. I will grow up into him in all things who is the head till I perfectly resemble him in righteousness and holiness of truth Here you may meditate upon all the parts of his holy life and the compleat example he hath set us of all divine vertues more especially those which shone at his death And as I have known some do you may single out one or two for your daily meditation all this month that you may bring your self to an habitual imitation of him suppose in his great HUMILITY and tread in his steps who did no sin 1 Pet. 2.22 neither was guile found in his mouth And as you have begun the New year well so resolve you will continue it and become a new man by leading a more exactly holy course of life Mat. 26.41 Watch therefore and pray that you fall not into temptation And often represent to your self the great love of Christ that it may constrain you because you thus judg that if one died for all then were all dead 2 Cor. 5.14 15. And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again The Prayer O Most Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Heaven and Earth are full of the glory of thy Majesty I most heartily joyn with all the Saints on earth with the Angels in Heaven and the holy ones that are above in giving blessing honour and praise unto thee Glory be unto thee O God most high thou great Creator and possessor of Heaven and Earth thou preserver of all things thou spring of an eternal Mercy who hast made Angels and men to know thee and acknowledg thee and praise thee and love thee and be beloved of thee for ever who hast so loved mankind that thou hast opened thy bosom and sent thy dear Son to convey thy charity to us All laud and praise and thanksgiving be to thee O Father of Mercies who hast now made me taste how gracious and good thou art And glory be to the Son of God who took on him the form of a servant who died for us upon the Cross who purged away our sins by his blood who hath left us so many remembrances of his love and given us his body and blood to preserve our souls and bodies to eternal life who lives for ever to make intercession for us and hath promised to come again and take us up unto himself And blessed be the holy Spirit the mighty power of God the Author of all good thoughts the inspirer of all heavenly desires the light and comfort of our minds the purifier of our hearts the guide and strength of our life who hath given us the earnest of the eternal inheritance Thus will I praise thee whilst I live Psal 63.4 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever Psalm 86.12.89.1.71.23.86.5 My lips shall greatly rejoyce when I sing unto thee and my soul which thou hast redeemed For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee I have now tasted of the abundance of thy grace and dearest love the savour of which O that it may remain fresh for ever in my heart
Christian Kings and Rulers may be employed to be a terror to all evil doers and to give praise and incouragement to all that do well That all the servants of the Lord in holy offices may be gentle unto all men apt to teach 2 Tim. 2.24 patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves And all those that are under their care 1 Thess 5.13 may have the grace to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and laying apart all filthiness Jam. 1.21 and superfluity of naughtiness receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save their souls I recommend to thy mercies all the poor the sick the fatherless and widdows and whosoever are in any distress that they may remember the words of the Lord Jesus Luk. 21.19 and in their patience possess their souls And the Lord deliver us all from every evil work and preserve us unto his heavenly kingdom 2 Tim. 4.18 to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen May. Meditation before the Sacrament CAst your eyes now on the beautiful face of the earth and see how all things smile upon you How God hath crowned the year with his goodness and cloathed the pastures with flocks the gardens with flowers and fruits and the vallies with corn How the little hills as the Psalmist speaks are girded with gladness Psal 6â— and every creature shouts for joy and sings And then think with thy self how uncomly it is that thou shouldst be the only dull and silent thing whom the Lord hath adorned with greater riches and honour and set over all the works of his hands Think what nobler beauties he hath made thee to behold and set before thy mind even himself in all his glory which shines upon thee in the face of Jesus Christ Think how he calls thee to a Paradise of delight now that he hath invited thee to his holy Table where he represents unto thee the Son of his love the express image of his person and all the happy fruits of his manifestation in our flesh Bid thy soul therefore awake and meditate on his humble descent from Heaven for our sake with the acclamations of all the heavenly host on all his miraculous works of charity his holy and useful life his bitter passion his bloody and shameful death his glorious resurrection and ascention his power at the right hand of God and all the benefits he hath by these means obtained to us and crowned our nature withal Bid it sing aloud and give praise and shout for joy Stir up all that is within thee to bless his holy name That while all things round about thee are fresh and spiritous and full of life thou mayest not remain the only dead and heartless creature but spring up together with the rest in all the acts of spiritual life Say to thy self what a new world do I see God dwelling here among men God in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Friendship made between heaven and earth Death swallowed up in victory The gate of heaven set open to all believers Jesus our fore-runnner there already inthroned waiting for all his faithful followers and filling them now with good hope peace and joy in the holy Ghost O what a glorious sight is this which the Angels themselves admired what a new heaven and new earth should this have made wherein dwelleth righteousness what ailes us that we do not all become new creatures And beholding as in a glass the glory of our Lord are not changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord I am ashamed of my barrenness in the knowledge of Christ Jesus into whom I was ingrafted long ago It is high time to be more fruitful in all good works For he hath said that every branch in me that beareth not fruit John 1â— 2 8. my Father taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit And herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples I will go therefore and open my heart to him who is the root and fountain of life that I may derive new spirit vigour and strength from him I will go and declare that I believe in him that I have placed my hope my comfort and satisfaction in his love and value his favour and blessing more than all the world I will shew him how I long to be changed more and more into his divine image and am resolved to abide in him v. 7. and that his word shall abide in me I will give him all the assurance of it I am able by renewing my covenant with him and making a chearful oblation of all that I am and have and can do unto his service Then sure he will communicate more of himself unto me I shall feel his divine power and vertue quickning me and because he lives John 14.19 I shall live also The Sun when he returns to visit us with his warmth doth not more revive all things and renew the face of the earth than I shall find him inlivening and renewing me that I may have my fruit unto holiness Rom. 6.22 and the end everlasting life For he himself hath said Joh. 15.7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you Be it unto me O Lord according to thy word I ask nothing but that I may still have the grace to continue in thy love by keeping thy Commandments That I may grow and increase in wisdom and Holiness and be filled with all the fruits of the Spirit With love joy peace Gal. 5.22 long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance and that they may abound in me more and more to thy praise and glory Amen The Prayer before O Most blessed God who art most lovely in thy self and in all thy works and full of love and kindness to us whom thou hast made to understand thy glorious perfections Thou art beloved of all those that seriously fix their eyes on the beauties of thy holiness wisdom and goodness and observe thy bounty to all thy creatures Thousands of Angels and Saints thou hast whose hearts burn continually with love to thee and thou hast had many faithful servants that have dyed for the love of thee I am one of those fools and senseless wretches that have loved every thing better than thee my Creator and merciful Saviour While others have burnt in the fires for thee I have been unwilling sometimes to take the pains of a few serious thoughts about thee And my mind at best is apt to start away from that most heavenly employment it is hard to think even of thy surpassing kindness to me without interruption but for a few moments I am too unlike the ancient Disciples of the Lord Jesus being
wilt sooner part with it than not perform his holy will in every thing Vow to him again that thou wilt be true and faithful to him Embrace all thy Brethren there assembled with a kind affection because they are his friends and followers Desire that all the world should know him and be acquainted with him and that a perpetual memory of him may be preserved by doing this as long as the Sun and Moon endure And canst thou do it without those passions which the thoughts of a Friend are wont to raise up in thy heart None of them sure will be absent upon this occasion They will all attend thee in this holy action and thou wilt feel the greatest gratitude to thy Saviour who hath done so much to deserve thy love which is so little worth to him Then thou wilt hear him as good as say unto thee Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee All that I have is thine I will be an everlasting friend to thee and make thee inherit all things It is my Fathers good pleasure to give thee a kingdom and here I give thee the earnest of that purchased possession What reason hast thou to doubt of the injoyment if thou art my friend by doing whatsoever I command thee Do not friends partake in each others goods My power which I have over all things in Heaven and earth shall assist thee My Angels shall be thy guardians My spirit shall be thy guide and director My comforts shall incourage and support thee Because I live Joh. 14.19.10.10 thou shalt live also For I came that my sheep might have life and that they might have it more abundantly The Prayer before O Most holy and eternal God who art good and dost good the whole earth is full of thy goodness Thy mercy reacheth unto the Heavens and thy faithfulness unto the Clouds Thou art great in power wisdom and all other perfections and therefore greatly to be feared honoured and loved by all understanding creatures When I consider how much thou hast done for me or how much I have often promised to do for thee I am on both hands confounded and ashamed in my own thoughts Thou art my Creator my Father my Saviour deliverer and constant Benefactor the God of my life of my health of all my present comforts and future hopes I have promised often to be thy faithful servant and thy dutiful child to honour and glorifie thee both with body and soul and all the good things thou hast bestowed on me In my Baptism I was dedicated unto thee and have many times confirmed that gift and renewed my engagements to continue in thy obedience In my promises protestations and vows I have been very liberal but how sparing in performance thou who art acquainted with all my ways knowest And I my self know so much of my negligence that I may justly wonder thou still retainest me in thy family and lettest me enjoy the priviledg of thy children Adored be thy great long suffering and patience towards me and all mankind Thanks be to the name of the Lord who after our abuse of so many blessings hath added the gift of his dear Son and sent him to pay a ransome for us O the unconceivable greatness of that love which hath so much befriended the most ungrateful enemies I humbly mention the blood of his Cross as a sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction not only for my sins but the sins of the whole world I lift up my hands unto thee in his name to receive that gracious pardon which he hath purchased for me hopeing thorough him that thou wilt still continue thy love unto me who am stedfastly resolved to love thee above all things Far be it from me to think that the love of our Lord should maintain me in any rebellion against thee or countenance my contempt of thy holy Laws No love me so much good Lord as to change my will and renew my nature into thy own likeness that I may be truly a friend of God I wish for no greater happiness than to feel my soul at peace and friendship with thee by an intire and unchangeable love to all righteousness goodness and truth And I am going to remember his dying love that with the heartiest affection I may devote my self wholly to thy love and service I do as unfeignedly desire that all my sins may die as I am glad that Christ died to be a propitiation for them And I as sincerely offer up my self my understanding my will my desires and passions and all that I have unto thee as I really believe that he offered up himself for me O that the power of the holy Ghost may accompany me and unite my thoughts and affections to make a most thankful commemoration of his loving kindness Represent unto my mind most feelingly all that Jesus hath done and endured for our sake Fix my mind and heart upon the inestimable benefits he hath obtained to me That I may not only behold the outward figures of him but receive those pledges of his love with the humblest reverence with such a lively faith and vehement love and ready submission of my will to him that Christ Jesus may be inwardly formed in me I long for the happiness of knowing assuredly that I am a friend of his by my delighting greatly in his Commandments and trusting my self and all my concerns intirely in his hands and contenting my self in his love and good will toward me and rejoycing in the Soveraign Dominion power and glory which thou hast given him with most earnest desires that all the world may love and obey him Amen Our Father which art c. The Meditation afterward WIth what unwillingness are we wont to leave the company of a Friend in whom we delight How doth the remembrance of him stick unto our mind How often do we think of the kind words we heard from his mouth and view the tokens he hath left with us of his love Do we not use to cast our eyes behind us when we go from him and look after him as long as he is in sight Are we not glad to see but his back when we cannot behold his face O sweet Jesus then shouldst thou say to thy self who can be content to part with the thoughts of thee when he sees the love thou bearest to us and all the blessings thou impartest to thy friends and followers What heart can endure to lose the sight of such happiness or suffer thy remembrance to die out of its mind I should look as far as heaven rather than suffer thee to go out of my thoughts and always be casting mine eyes to thy dwelling place that I may behold at this distance though never so little of thy most excellent glory So one would think in reason But this dull flesh begins to complain that it is tired and cannot thus follow thee any further It makes me sigh to think that I must lose
observe them with my whole heart and rejoyce in thy pretious promises accounting them better than thousands of gold and silver My hope my satisfaction my comfort is in thy word which incourages me to wait on thee for the grace of thy holy Spirit blessing thee for that portion of it which I have already received I thank thee for all thy other goodness to me and trust thee for the continuance of it as far as thou seest profitable in thy wise providence to which I heartily refer my self I hope thou wilt accept of these poor but sincere acknowledgments and not condemn me out of my own confessions but pardon my errors and miscarriages confirm my holy purposes pitty my infirmities and strengthen my pious endeavours That I may perfectly mortifie all sinful lusts and desires faithfully discharge my dutie in my several relations thankfully and soberly use all thy mercies patiently bear the heaviest afflictions and improve my soul in wisdom and goodness by all the helps thou affordest me by thy holy Gospel by the good counsels of others the inspirations of the holy Ghost thy many remarkable providences about me and whatsoever courses thou takest with me to bring me safe through this world into an happy eternity And now that I am about to address my self to the Table of the Lord O that I might have such a sweet remembrance of his love as may revive my spirit encourage my hope excite me to all my duty and put an humble confidence in me to look up unto thee again for thy pardon and for the grace of thy holy Spirit to enable me to please thee better ever hereafter Thou who knowest all things seest that my soul waits for thee O God and longs to be more like thee and is ready to offer up its understanding will and all its affections unto thee That I may remain stedfast and unmoveable in justice and charity meekness and humility temperance and purity contentedness and patience devotion and piety with all other fruits of thy good Spirit Suffer nothing to appear in my soul before thee but reverend thoughts of thee most zealous love to thee passionate desires that Christ Jesus may live in me and appear in all the actions of an innocent harmless and useful life That so the day when I approach unto thee may be a day of good tidings of great joy a day of peace and reconciliation of feasting and refreshment of comfort and incouragement to walk before thee with a perfect heart as long as I live Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest Phil. 4.8 9 19. whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise help me alwayes to think on these things And the God of peace be with me and supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus In whose name and words I still recommend my self to thy grace saying Our Father which art c. The Meditation afterward THou art my portion O Lord Psal 119.57 I have said that I would keep thy word Why should I repent me of my choice or start from my resolution Thy Counsels and commands are the surest guide thy power the strongest defence thy good providence the fullest store-house thy eternal justice and holiness the best security thy promises the richest treasure and good hopes in thee our highest happiness It is enough enough O Lord to be beloved of thee the all-sufficient good who comprehendest all things in thy mind and canst do all things by thy power and delightest in raising such monuments of thy wisdom and greatness as thy almighty love may dispense endless blessings unto I am well satisfied now that I can say Psa 142.5 thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living The Lord is my portion whom shall I envy The Lord is my portion for what shall I be discontented The Lord is my portion of whom shall I be afraid Why art thou cast down Ps 42.11 O my soul why art thou disquieted within me How can his friends fail to partake of his bounty who treats even his enemies with so much kindness 62.5 My soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him Trust in the Lord and do good 37.3 4 34. and verily thou shalt be fed Delight thy self also in the Lord and â— he shall give thee the desires of thy heart Cast thy burden on the Lord and he shall sustain thee 55.22 he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved Wait on the Lord and keep his way For the eyes of the Lord are upon them that love him Ecclâ—â— 34.16 17. He is their mighty protection and strong stay A defence from the heat and a cover from the Sun at noon a preservation from stumbling and a help from falling He raiseth up the soul and lightneth the eyes He giveth life and health and blessing Judeth ult 16. All sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour to him and all the fat is not sufficient for his burnt-offering but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times Ecclus. 34.13 The spirit of those that fear the Lord shall live for their hope is in him that saveth them My heart shall rejoyce in him because I have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord Psal 33.21 22. be upon me according as I hope in thee And I hope that I shall never forget thy word which I have said that I would keep the revelation of thy wisdom the declaration of thy will and the description of thy most holy and happy life My God I have taken thy precepts as my heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart Psal 119.111 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even unto the end This day I have added one vow more of consecration to thee I have made over my self intirely to thee to be thy portion Whom shall I love whom shall I serve to whom shall I resign my will and wayes but only to thee the Father of lights and the Father of mercies who hast not thought thy Son too much to give to me Never will I forget this happy day which hath brought me a taste of the joy and peace and serenity which spring from the very beginning of a God-like nature I will alway be devoted to him Let his will be done on earth as it is in heaven for it is the will of my heavenly Father Let these words remain upon record against me if I endeavour not to make him my pattern and not only in that place where I have now been but in all my behaviour in this world that great Temple of his demean my self holily and purely with that humility reverence meekness and submission which becomes his presence What have I here to
should we have besought his favour to us that had highly affronted his Sovereign Authority and Sacred Laws he hath dispatched a glorious Message as if we were the greatest persons and so many little Gods And had it not been too great an honour for us to think of if he had sent one of his meanest servants in the Heavenly Court to visit us Or if he had bidden an illustrious Seraphim to come and comfort and chear us by his bright appearance or one of the Cherubims to flye all over the Earth and make proclamation in their ears that the King of Heaven would be reconciled to his rebellious subjects Would it not have filled the whole world with wonder and made all mankind stand at a gaze to see themselves so highly favoured O what a grace then was it that God should send his Son his only begotten Son the Prince and Sovereign Lord of all that Heavenly host upon this business of reconciliation See my Soul that which astonishes not men only but Angels themselves who proclamed the birth of this Prince of life with the loudest shouts of joy saying Glory be to God on high Luke 2.14 and on Earth peace good will towards men Towards men do they say Lord what are they that thou shouldest put this honour on them What are the greatest and noblest men on Earth What is their excellency and worth that such addresses should be made unto them O joyn thy self my Soul as well as thou art able with those bright morning-Stars that sang for joy when the foundation of the new world was laid and say Glory be to the eternal majesty of Heaven and Earth who possesses all things and can suffer nothing that he would deign to send to us his poor subjects Glory be to his Almighty love who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish Joh. 3.17 but have everlasting life For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved O blessed Jesus how ardent how powerful was that love which brought thee down from the Heavenly company above to us here on Earth yea Ephes 4.9 Psal 139 15. to the lower-most parts of the Earth To be cloathed with our rags to dwell in our mortal flesh in the likeness of sinful flesh Mightest thou not at least have been apparelled like the best of men and been found in the habit and fashion of the noblest of us but thou wouldest also condescend to the form of a servant that the most despicable of all mankind might never suspect they should be despised by the King of glory O what an humble love was this to us most wretched sinners What heart can conceive the infinite force of it How infinitely is it above all words We do but declare that we know little of it if we are able to talk much about it It is fit for our wonder and silent admiration for adoring thoughts and devout exstasies of love Only I will go and declare in the assemblies of his people these wonderful works of the Lord and publish his goodness with the voice of thanksgiving and praise Lord what new wonder is that which there I behold This glorious person murdered by his subjects The new born Prince of the world the Heir of all things caught Matth. 21.39 and cast out and slain by those to whom he was sent to demand their obedience O the miraculous wisdom of this love That he should be born and come among us to die for us and take our flesh that he might offer it on the Cross and make peace and reconciliation by being slain and shedding his bloud Go my Soul and shew forth his death to Angels and Men. For this is the up-shot of his love that while we were yet sinners Christ would die for us By this he hath made an atonement for us by this he hath obtained an Eternal Redemption with this offering God is well satisfied and by this he hath exalted our Nature to the right hand of God that he may always appear in his presence for us With what love and joy and zeal should we commemorate this never to be forgotten love With what hearty affection should we offer our selves to him How glad should we be of this new opportunity to vow to him our obedience With what tender love should we embrace all our Brethren who are flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone as he is And how comfortably may we hope that God will be gracious to us who hath not only sent his Son to make his abode among us but also to lay down his life for us Let us go and bless his name that to us a Son is born to us a Child is given even Christ the Lord that he hath â—aised up a mighty Salvation for us and hath redeemed us out of the hands of all our enemies that we might serve him without fear all the days of our life And let us receive these earnests and pledges of his good will as hopeful assurances that he will never end his love till he hath conveyed us thither where Jesus is But how shall we come there unless it be in those steps whereby he ascended from Earth to Heaven Go therefore and offer to him an heart of flesh to be moulded and framed into what figure he pleases Desire him to form his own image in thee to subdue thee perfectly to his will that it may be thy meat and drink to do it and to finish the work he hath for thee in the world Think thou hearest him say as Abimelech to the men of Schechem to move them to elect him for their King Remember that I am your bone and your flesh Judg. 9.2 Behold my body which I took for your sake See here how dear you were to me and how nearly related I stand to every Soul of you Will you not suffer me to rule over you Such a Lord as is so much concerned for you Will you not be governed by me that am your Brother as well as your Lord And then me-thinks we should all answer with one accord other Lords have reigned over us but now none but thou O Christ none but thou O Christ Rule and reign over us for ever for we are thy Servants The Prayer before O Eternal God the Soveraign Lord of all creatures both in heaven and earth who art before all things and on whom they all depend To whom we owe all honour and homage all love and dutiful affection all praise and thanks service and obedience throughout our whole life I acknowledg O Lord that I am never more unjust than when I do not render all this most freely and chearfully unto thee I cannot deny the debt wherein I stand engaged though I have too often denyed to pay it For thou hast raised me out of the dust and preserved me from
countenance Thou hast given him power over all flesh Joh. 17.2 that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Adored be thine Eternal love which appeared in the sufferings of Christ and the glory that followed after Adored be thy love 1 Pet. 1.3.11 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Cor. 15.20 Joh. 11.25 which hath given us a lively hope through the Resurrection of Christ Jesus who hath brought life and immortality to light being the First-fruits of them that slept and the Resurrection and the Life I rejoyce in the consolation which thou has sent unto us and that we in this furthermost part of the Earth are become his inheritance I praise thee I bless thee I most heartily devote my self to the obedience of Jesus as is but just and meet For to this end Christ hath died Rom. 14.8 9. and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living I reverence his Soveraign authority I submit my self to his Laws and depend upon his care and good providence I refer my self to his wise will and pleasure in all things desiring nothing more but that whether I live or die I may be the Lords O that thy Spirit which raised up Jesus may dwell in me guide and govern me Rom. 8.11 that thou who raisedst up Christ from the dead mayest also quicken my mortal body by thy Spirit dwelling in me O that the rest of the World may become his possession too and all with one mind and one mouth glorifie thee the God and Father of Jesus Christ Who is the faithful witness and the first-begotten of the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Rev. 1.5 6 to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen Ascension-day or Sunday The Meditation before AH how duskish are my thoughts in house of Clay How dull my affections under this load of flesh My Saviour is in Heaven crowned at Gods right hand with glory and honour Heb. 2.9 Ephes 4.10 1 Pet. 3.22 He is ascended up far above all Heavens Angels Authorities and Powers being made subject to him And I can scarce cast a look thither but am instantly pulled down to this Earth again Blessed be his goodness who hath left us a lively Image of himself to help our infirmities To represent his dying and departure from this World and to be a pledge likewise unto us that we shall one day ascend up to Heaven and be for ever with the Lord. O blessed news 1 Thess 4. ult the hope of it fills me with joy already and raises me up a little toward that high and holy place where Jesus dwells I will go and bless the Father of mercies for his great charity towards us that he would accept of an offering for sin and that he would be satisfied without demanding of us the debt That he would grant new and easie conditions of Salvation for us through the Bloud of his Son and seal a gracious Covenant in that same precious Bloud I will go and testifie my love to him even by my joy that he is gone unto the Father Joh. 14.28 and hath triumphed over his enemies Coloss 2.15 after he had overcome them and spoiled Principalities and Powers Ephes 4.8 He hath led captivity captive Acts 2.33 and received the promise of the Holy Ghost and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Heb. 12.2 and made the Lord of all All the Angels of God worship him Acts 10.36 and in the Heavenly Sanctuary attend upon him where he is an High-Priest for ever Heb. 1.6.8.2 holy undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens 〈◊〉 6.10.13 There he makes intercession for us from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot-stool And we have boldness also by the Bloud of Jesus 10.19 6.20 Joh. 14.2 3. to enter into the holiest whither he the fore-runner is for us entred and gone to prepare a place for us and will come again to receive us unto himself that where he is there we may be also Psal 24.3 ◠5. But who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord And who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his Soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his Salvation I will go then and offer him my heart that it may be formed to his likeness Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth I will go and submit my self to him as the Lord of all and renew my Covenant of love and friendship with him I will vow again that I will fight valiantly under his banner who is the Captain of our Salvation Heb. 2.10 made perfect through sufferings against sin the world and the Devil I will be faithful to him unto the death and no suffering shall deter me from following the Prince of life For I doubt not but the Sacrifice he made was most acceptable to God and that he by himself having purged our sins Heb. 1.3 H b. 2.13 sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high and will help and succour all his faithful followers 1.14.2.10 and send forth his Angels to minister unto them and bring them to glory Rev. 2.10 and reward them with a crown of life O lift up thy self my Soul when thou comest to the Table of the Lord. Now if ever listen to the Priest of God when he calls saying Lift up your hearts Now is the season above all others to answer with the whole Quire of pious Souls in that joyful voice We lift them up unto the Lord. Rear thy self aloft my Soul and look beyond these shadows Fix thine eyes on the splendor of that Majesty wherewith thy Saviour shines and think thou hearest him calling unto the whole company of believers saying Come come my beloved for whom I died Come and dwell with me It is still my will and desire that you may be where I am and that you may behold the glory Joh. 17.24 which my Father hath given me Come on therefore Whither I am gone you know 14.4 and the way you know Tread upon all the glittering temptations of the Countrey where you are as dirt and dung in compare with the Kingdom which I will give you Make haste unto me and let nothing hinder you for I expect you and long when you are meet for it to see you The travel of my Soul will not be satisfied till you be with me O my Soul why do we linger Why do we look after any thing so much as his Eternal life Why should we be discouraged or faint in our minds This Lord of glory came to his Throne out of as low a condition as we can possibly be in He was once a servant the
Soul only but most bountifully providest for my Body too not only thy Son but a great number of thy Creatures losing their lives continually to preserve mine There is all reason that I should serve thee with unwearied diligence who hast made so many things constantly to serve me And here I present my self again before thee to tender thee my hearty service to beseech thy acceptance of the vows and promises I have already made to thee and to express my hope in thy mercy for power from on high to assist and further my pious desires and resolutions I believe in thee O God through Christ Jesus who hast raised him up from the dead 1 Pet. 1.21 and given him glory that our faith and hope might be in thee our God I live in a full perswasion that thou designest to make me everlastingly happy and therefore humbly look to receive from thy Divine bounty the communication of thy Holy Spirit to help me to fit and prepare my self for such a glorious state with Christ in the Heavens That there my thoughts and my heart may be where my hopes are treasured up and all things may seem little and mean in compare with the glory to be revealed and I may think my self exceeding high and great in the humility meekness goodness patience and contentedness of the Lord Jesus and in the holy hope he hath given me of Eternal life Preserve in my mind a constant sense of that blessed hope as incomparably beyond all possessions on Earth that so I may walk worthy of my High and Heavenly calling chearfully doing and suffering thy will and believing that thou who hast done so much for us as to advance our nature to such glory in the Heavens will take care of us while we are here on Earth and conduct us by humble submission to thee and patient continuance in well-doing to that place whither Jesus the fore-runner is entred for us Psal 98.4 And let all the Earth make a joyful noise unto the Lord make a loud noise and rejoyce 97.1 and sing praise For the Lord Jesus reigneth 29.10 He sitteth King for ever Let them praise his great and holy name For the Kinds strength loveth judgment 99.3 4. he doth establish equity He executeth judgment and righteousness in the Earth Psal 5.11 And let all those that love him be joyful in him Rejoyce in the Lord 97.11 12. ye righteous and give thanks to the memorial of his holiness For light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself 2 Th ss 2.16 17. and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace Comfort our hearts and establish us in every good word and work Amen Whitsunday The Meditation before O Holy Spirit of grace what news is this that thou blessest our ears withall What glad tidings are these that thou art come to tell us What means the sound of so many various tongues the gifts of prophecy of wisdom of knowledge of faith and miracles with all the rest which thou dividedst severally to every man as thou wouldest Doth Jesus yet live hath he indeed conquered the grave and is he exalted at the right hand of God and invested with all power in Heaven and Earth It is enough I will go then and see him when I die That word is no longer dreadful to me I am not afraid of the King of terrors since Jesus lives and is the Lord and King of all Witness the Holy Ghost the Comforter which he hath sent down from the Throne of his glory to assure us that he not only lives but reigns in Majesty and Power and is mindful of us and of his promises Those fiery tongues that came with the noise as of a might rushing wind tell me that he is able to transport us when he pleases in fiery Chariots unto Heaven I hear them call my thoughts up thither Heb. 2.9 and bid me see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour and scattering his royal gifts among his servants I am thy servant O blessed Jesus Psal 119.125 135. make thy face to shine upon me Let thy mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word Ver. 41 49 Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope That WHERE I AM Joh. 12.26 THERE SHALL ALSO MY SERVANT BE. What words of grace and life are these It is enough O thou that dwellest in the Heavens that I be there where thou art Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psa 73.24 and afterward receive me to glory And till I go to see that glory which the Father hath given thee I will go and see the representations thou hast left us of thy self and receive the pawns and pledges of thy Eternal love I will go and remember thy obedience to the death for which cause thou art highly exalted and made most blessed for ever 21.6 And O that the Holy Spirit of grace which fell on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost would fill my heart with a sense of that love and swell my Soul with a full apprehension of all the blessings that it contains that so I may burst forth into thy praises as they did and speak the wondrous works of God Acts 2.11 Marvellous are thy works O Lord Ps 139.14 and that my Soul knows right well I see by the light of the Holy Ghost sent down on them that Jesus indeed was the Son of God holy and without fault that all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily Coloss 2.9 that he hath made peace by the bloud of his Cross and reconciled Heaven and Earth Coloss 1.20 that he is ascended up far above all Heavens Ephes 4.10 Ephes 2.6 that he might fill all things and that thou O Lord hast raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus I see what a powerful Advocate we have in the Court of Heaven Joh. 17.2 and that thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him I see that all thy promises in him are yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 22. by whom thou hast also sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit One tongue is too little to speak the praises of the Lord. I will go therefore into the Assemblies of thy people that they may magnifie the Lord with me Psal 34.3 and we may exalt his name together I will declare the exceeding greatness of his love and the superlative bounty of Heaven in sending him to die for us Yea My Soul shall make her boast in the Lord Psal 34.2 and glory in his
bounty in this invaluable blessing and make mention of this which his Son hath suffered for us as a compleat satisfaction for all our offences against him We must approach therefore to the Table of the Lord with affectionate acknowledgments of his infinite goodness extolling and praising his merciful kindness in bestowing on us so great a gift professing we will never forget the tender love of our Lord who laid down his life for us and beseeching the Father of Mercies to receive us into his grace and favour for the sake of his dear Son whose Death we shew unto him We should resolve to express the sense of our hearts in some such words as these Psal 92.1 2 3. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name O thou most high To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work I will triumph in the works of thy hand 66.16.86.13 Come and hear all ye people I will declare what the Lord hath done for our Souls For great is his mercy towards us and he hath delivered our souls from the lowest hell Glorious things are spoken of thee John 1.14 29. Colâ—ss 1.15 Joh. â— 12 O Jesus thou lover of Souls The word made flesh the Image of the invisible God the light of the world the Lamb of God that takes away its sin the first begotten from the dead the heir of all things Rev. 1.5 the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Heb. 1.3 Heb. 8.1.9.24.7 25. an high Priest who is set down on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens who appears in the presence of God and lives for ever to make intercession for us Psal 89.6 Who in the Heaven can be compared to the Lord who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord For thou Lord art highly exalted thou art exalted far above all Gods 9â— 9 In this most powerful name O Father Almighty we humbly cast down our selves before the Throne of thy Glory Give us leave to mention before thee the Death of him who said behold I come to do thy will O God Behold O Lord the bleeding wounds of thy well-beloved in whom thou hast testified by a voice from Heaven that thou art well pleased Remember how his Body was broken for us and his Blood poured out In him we believe thou art perfectly satisfied and therefore are bold to hope that thou art reconciled to us on that account O hear his dying groans regard his Agony and Bloody sweat by his Cross and Passion let our sins be blotted out and by his glorious Resurrection and Ascension let us feel every evil affection and lust perfectly killed and crucified We have nothing to plead if he have not done enough and fulfilled all thy will But since he hath laid down his life in obedience to thee O let us by vertue of that voluntary Sacrifice which now we represent before thee obtain thy mercy and grace We cannot be content to lose our share in so great a Love And since thou hast bid us to Commemorate it we hope we shall as certainly pertake of it as we do of this Feast to which thou hast invited us Ps 79.13.145.1 2. So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever We will shew forth thy praise from generation to generation We will extol thee our God O King we will bless thy name for ever and ever Every day will we bless thee and will praise thy name for ever and ever In such Meditations as these when we shew forth the inestimable value of Christs Sacrifice we do as it were offer it unto God or rather make before him a commemoration of his Offering And in this sense the Ancient Christians did call this Sacrament a Sacrifice and every Christian they lookt upon as a Priest and a Sacrificer when he came to the Table of the Lord. Because Christ not only bad his Apostles do this in remembrance of him but S. Paul requires every one of us to do the same and to shew forth his Death till he come There is none mentions this Sacrifice more frequently than S. Chrysostome but to explain himself after he had said we do not make another Sacrifice as the high Priests of old but always the very same he adds or rather we make a Commemoration of a Sacrifice * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Heb. 10. p. 523. edic Savil. And in the very same manner Eusebius writes in his first Book of his Evangelical Demonstration Christians cannot think fit saith he to return back again to the first and weak Elements he means the Mosaical Sacrifices which were but Symbols and Images not the Truth it self ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. cap. 10. p. 37. since they celebrate every day the Commemoration of his Body and Blood and are made worthy of a better Sacrifice and ministery than the Ancients were And a little after speaking of Christs wonderful oblation and most pretious bloody Sacrifice to the Father he adds that he delivered also to us a Remembrance instead of a Sacrifice to offer up continually unto God * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 38. By which words it is manifest he took the Remembrance or Commemoration of Christs death to be that Sacrifice which we make to God And again he saith in the very next page to celebrate the remembrance or commemoration of that Sacrifice upon the Table by the Symbols or representations both of his Body and saving Blood we have received according to the ordinances of the New Testament Hither he applies those places out of the Psalms offer to God Thanksgiving Let the lifting up of our hands be as an evening Sacrifice The Sacrifices of God are a contrite Spirit c. So that they thought of no other Sacrifice in those days but that of praise and Thanksgiving together with the offering of our selves our Souls and bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively Sacrifice unto him as it is admirably expressed in our Communion Service * Prayer after all have Communicated With which the Author now mentioned perfectly agrees and delivers his mind almost in the same words We Sacrifice ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Ib. pag. 40. saith he a divine venerable and most holy Sacrifice We Sacrifice after a new manner according to the New Testament a pure Sacrifice c. we both Sacrifice and offer Incense too Celebrating the remembrance of that great Sacrifice according to the Mysteries delivered by him to us and offering Thanksgiving for our Salvation by godly Hymns and Prayers to God consecrating our selves also wholly to him and to our high Priest the word devoting to him both our Souls and Bodies It would be easy to add much more to the same purpose but
grateful mention of all the benefits he hath bestowed on us and intends unto us and to all our Christian Brethren whose concernments should be very dear unto us as well as our own And truly the ancient Church were so much in love with this duty that they gave thanks to God for all good things the benefits we enjoy by all his creatures as well as for our redemption by his Son Jesus Because this feast accompanied that of Charity in which their bodies were fed as in this their Souls and because of the offerings they then made of some of the fruits of the Earth as we do now of money in lieu of them for an acknowledgment to God that he was the Author of all the blessings which they enjoyed But this alwayes made the principal part of their acknowledgments that God had sent his Son into the world to save sinners And therefore as our Church teaches us in the exhortation just before the Communion above all things we must give most humble and hearty thanks to God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost for the redemption of the world by the death and Passion of our Saviour Christ both God and man who did humble himself even to the death upon the Cross for us miserable sinners who lay in darkness and the shadow of death that he might make us the children of God and exalt us to everlasting life Without which thanksgiving to speak the truth we do not do that which Christ commanded and so cannot hope for the blessing he hath promised Hear S. Chrysostom in stead of all that treat of this matter who excellently declares the manner and reason of this Thanksgiving Homil. 25. in Matth. p. 178. Edit sav in a Sermon of his upon Eighth chapter of S. Matthew A perpetual memory saith he and thanksgiving for a good turn is the best way that can be found to secure and preserve it to us And therefore the dreadful mysteries and full of Salvation which we celebrate in every assembly are called the Eucharist because they are a commemoration of many benefits and shew forth the principal piece of divine Providence and dispose us always to give him thanks For if to be born of a virgin was a great wonder what was it to be crucified to shed his blood for us and to give himself to us for a Feast and a Spiritual banquet what shall we call this where shall we place it we can do no less than give him thanks perpetually Let this precede both our words and works and let us give him thanks not only for our own good things but for those of others For by this means we shall destroy envy and bind charity faster and make it more genuine and of a kindly nature For a man will not be able to envy them any more for whom he gives thanks unto his Master And therefore the Priest when this Sacrifice is in hand bids us thank God for the whole world for what is past and what is present and for those things that are to come This sets us free from the Earth and translates us to Heaven and of men makes us Angels For they making a Quire gave thanks to God for the good things he bestowed on us saying Glory be to God in the highest on earth peace good will towards men Thou wilt say perhaps what are they to us they live not upon the earth nor are men like unto our selves It is all one for that this signifies very much to us For we are taught hereby to love our fellow servants so as to account their happiness to be our own Let us do so then giving thanks perpetually for our own blessings for others for little for great or rather there are none little that come from God And that I may pass by other things which are more than the sand for multitude what is there comparable to this dispensation For that only begotten son of his who was more pretious to him than all things besides hath he given for us enemies And not only given him but after that gift set him before us for our Table doing all things himself for us both to give and then to make us thankful for his gifts For mankind being generally ungrateful he undertakes throughout and doth all things for us himself And what he did for the Jews putting them in mind of his benefits from PLACES and TIMES and FEASTS that he hath done here from a kind of Sacrifice casting us into a perpetual remembrance of the good he hath wrought for us None labours so much that we should be approved and great and ingenuous as God who made us And therefore he doth us good oftimes even against our will and gives us many good things which we know not of It is but reason then that whatsoever we do in word or deed we should do all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God and the Father by him Coloss 3.17 which Theodoret refers to this business There being those saith he that required them to worship Angels the Apostle enjoyns the contrary that they should adorn their words and deeds with the memory of our Master Christ and send up thanksgivings to God the Father by him and not by Angels To him we should address all our Services in a grateful remembrance of his love in Jesus and as our Communion Book excellently expresses it we should give him as we are most bounden continual thanks submitting our selves wholly to his holy will and pleasure and studying to serve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life But especially when we go to this holy Communion we should enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise we should be thankful unto him and bless his name Saying Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised Psal 145.3 his greatness is unsearchable Great and marvellous are thy works Rev. 15.3 O Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways thou king of Saints Psal 106.2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord who can shew forth all his praise 100.3 He made us and not we our selves 116.8 we are his people and the sheep of his pasture He holdeth our souls in life and keepeth our eyes from tears and our feet from falling 66.9 36.6 Thou Lord preservest man and beast 145.15 16 Thou givest food to all flesh The eyes of all wait on thee and thou givest them their meat in due season Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing 34.3 O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good and his mercy endureth for ever Psa 136.1 2 23 24. O give thanks unto the God of Gods for his mercy endureth for ever 138.1.149.6 Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for
it Which is a question so easy to be resolved from what hath been said that I have assigned no part of this discourse for the discussing of it If you are baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus and seriously believe his Religion if you take upon your selves to make good that promise vow and Covenant which was made in your name when you were baptized if you understand the ends of this holy Communion which I have named and are willing and desirous to perform them if you lie not under the censures of the Church for any violation of those sacred vows which you have made to our Saviour You are the persons whose company he waits for and would gladly see at his Table Nay he will take it ill and account it a neglect of him and of your duty a breach of your promise to obey all his holy commands if you accept not of his kindness in inviting you thither because this is one of his Commands as I have proved that you should do this in remembrance of him Do not intangle your selves therefore in endless doubts and scruples about the qualifications that are required in those that come to this Supper of the Lord but only examine your hearts by this plain and certain rule Do you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be the truth of God Do you consent to be governed by his Laws Do you remember and will you stand to the Vow that was made in your name when you were baptized Are you desirous to renew that Covenant in the manner that I have described Do you value his favour and grace declared in his pretious promises above all earthly things Would you pertake of this holy Communion that you may commemorate your Saviours dying love that you may own and acknowledg him to be your Lord that you may devote and unite your heart unto him in stricter friendship that you may bind your self in the bond of peace to all your brethren and that you may receive more of his grace and greater assurance of his love as the most invaluable blessing Then lay aside all your fears and humbly approach unto him to render him the Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and to receive fresh tokens and pledges of his unchangeable good will and affection to you I shall make no more words of this matter but only add that you may know sufficiently by the invitation which the Minister makes to you at the Communion in Christs name according to the order of our Church who are persons qualified for this feast And it is expressed in such plain and pregnant words that better cannot be devised for your direction and satisfaction They are these Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins and are in love and charity with your neighbours and intend to lead a new life following the Commandments of God and walking from henceforth in his holy ways draw near with faith and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort Which that you may be able to do I shall now proceed according to the method I have propounded in my endeavours to put you into such a temper of mind when you are at this holy Sacrament that you may perform all that which hath been said with more ease and edification also to your selves And that I may the better raise those affections in you which are sutable to this action it will not be amiss to remember you a little of the excellency and dignity of the feast to which you are invited To make a true Feast these four things in the opinion of the most learned of all the ancient Romans must conspire and meet together Varro lectis viris lecto loco lecto tempore lecto apparatu Chosen and select persons a choice and delicate place a choise time and season and choise provision proportionable to the quality both of him that makes it and of those that are invited to it Now in all these regards if we reflect a while on them this Supper of the Lord which he makes for us will be found to be incomparably beyond the noblest entertainment which the world ever saw For as concerning the persons that here meet together they are our blessed Lord the Master of the feast and those that believe on his name to whom he hath given the right or priviledg to become the sons of God Joh. 1.12 A company of souls that are larger than the world heirs of a Kingdom rich in faith as full as they can hold of love and charity towards each other and towards all men So that there cannot be either more honourable or more sweet society found under heaven Then for the place you see it is prepared in the house of God where we give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name and shew forth his salvation from day to day where we pay our vows unto him in the presence of all his people and make a joyful noise unto him by singing of his praises where the Angels as I may say are waiters and the heavenly host are glad to attend upon us according to those words of the Apostle in that very chapter where he treats of this Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.10 the woman ought to have a covering on her head because of the Angels As for the time you see likewise it is commonly the Lords-day on the day when he rose from the dead when he trampled under his feet the great enemy of mankind when the Angels not so glistering as he brought news that he had accomplished our redemption when the host of heaven was at a gaze to see mortal man made immortal and restored to the state of paradise again when we have nothing else to do but to rest and rejoyce to declare the works of the Lord to give thanks unto his holy name and triumph in his praise And lastly for the provision it self I have told you already what it is the body and blood of the Lord of life bread that excells the Angels food a cup of blessing of which those sons of glory never tasted To these our Lord calls us nay beseeches and intreats us to come that we may feast our selves on his Sacrifice of himself and be filled with his love and satisfie our selves with his joyes and everlasting consolation Now what soul is there that can be willing to lose his share in such divine food that would be shut out from such society or absent from such a place or desire to spend his day better than in near communion with our Lord Either men do not believe these things or they do not reflect on them and lay them to their hearts for otherwise there is none that reads this writing but will be moved to make one at this holy feast But then as you cannot chuse if you seriously consider but judg it very desirable to be admitted to it so you cannot but think in what manner it becomes you to be adorned and how
attended withal are not worthy to be named with the joys of those that sing continually and say Blessed be the Lord our God for ever Neh. 9.4 5 c. blessed be thy glorious Name which is exalted above all blessing and praise Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made Heaven the Heaven of Heavens with all their host the earth and all things that are therein the Seas and all that is in them and thou preservest all and the host of Heaven worshippeth thee Eph. 1.4 1 Pet. 1.21 Thou art the Lord the God and Father of Jesus Christ who hast chosen us in him before the foundation of the world and redeemed us by his blood raised him from the dead and given him glory that our faith and hope might be in thee our God Thine 2 Chron. 29.11 O blessed Jesus is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is thine thine is the kingdom O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all In thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name Psal 115. ult We will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore Yea bless the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that do his Commandments hearkning to the voice of his word Bless ye the Lord all ye his hosts ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion bless the Lord O my Soul Thus if we did converse with him and such holy communication did heartily pass between us it would be so pleasant and delightful that we should cry out with the Jews in another case Joh. 6.34 Lord evermore give us this bread We should long for such another repast and be desirous every day to wait on him at his Table At least we should greedily embrace the next invitation that he gives us to come unto it And because we cannot every day do this in remembrance of him we should secretly retire unto him in our own heart as into his holy Temple and there call to mind what he hath done unto us commemorate his love maintain our acquaintance preserve our friendship and renew to him our vows that by all these ways we may prepare our selves for his fellowship and society in the eternal world It may happen indeed that there may be but a few communicants at the Table of the Lord and so you may not have time there to do all this In which case you may use only some part of it or thus in brief open your heart to him when you see how he declares his love to you Adored be thy condescending love O merciful Saviour to thine unworthy servant who blushes to lift up his eyes towards thee even when thou invitest me unto thee For besides my other guiltiness this most gracious representation which now thou makest of thy self to me doth but little move my dull and heavy affections to love and rejoyce in thee I am heartily ashamed of my self only I desire and resolve to become better And here I prostrate my self before thee as a humble worshipper of thee presenting thee with a poor oblation of my soul and body which I dedicate again with the most dutiful affection I am able to excite unto thee Do thou O Lord excite a greater that when I shall appear before thee again I may present thee with a soul more pure humble meek merciful and improved in all other fruits of thy holy Spirit In thy mercies alone are all my hopes For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is thy mercy toward them that fear thee As far as the East is from th West Psal 103.11 12. so far hast thou removed our transgressions from us O be merciful unto me be merciful unto me for my soul trusteth in thee 57.1 Looks thou upon me and be merciful to me as thou usest to do to those that love thy name 119.132 Thou art my portion O Lord I have said 57.173 that I would keep thy word Let thine hand help me Ephes 3.16 for I have chosen thy precepts Strengthen me with might by thy spirit in the inner man that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2.12 I may live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and thee our Saviour Jesus Christ Now unto him that is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty Jude 24 25. dominion and power both now and ever Amen But when there is time to do the whole you will not spend it I hope in any thing else but such Meditations as these Which that they may be disposed in such order as every one of them may come in its season you may make use of in this manner Think you hear our Saviour speaking to you by the Bread and the Wine when you see the one broken and the other poured out Then you may immediately imploy your thoughts in the four first together with the second Meditation set down in the second part while the Minister is Communicating himself and others with him The V. and the VI. will be seasonable after you have received the Bread and the VII and VIII after the Cup together with those mentioned before in the same place And the two last in like manner after you have withdrawn your self from the holy Table or before according as you can find room for them And if your spirit be not able to hold out in so many thoughts and expressions of the inward sense and affection of your heart you may single out those which you find to give you the most lively touch and lift up your heart highest toward the Lord. And at some opportunity the rest perhaps may be as acceptable or more welcome meditations nay you may feel your soul inlarged and run out in more pious thoughts and affections than I can suggest or excite by all that I am able to say on this subject But I desire you never to omit one meditation when you behold the rest of the company receiving which is that all those and the whole Church who pertake of this holy Communion are your Brethren To whom you must stir up as I directed you before the most fervent charity and the readiest disposition to relieve counsel assist comfort or admonish them as there shall be occasion And with whom you must resolve to live in the strictest Unity and peace as those who are Members of the very same body When you think therefore that our Lord tells you there is nothing he desires of you
the flesh and the Devil and serve thee without fear in righteousness and holiness all the dayes of my life Hear my words O Lord consider my meditation Psal 5.1.17.1 Give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips And make me to know and feel that Jesus who dyed for me Rev. 1.18 is alive from the dead and liveth for evermore and that he is an eternal fountain of life and strength of comfort and refreshment to all those that by him believe in God 1 Pet. 1.21 who raised him from the dead and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God In his most powerful name I sue unto thee for all that is comprehended in his own holy words saying Our Father c. Meditation afterward SOmetime that day and as often as you can after reflect upon your own thoughts resolutions and vows and consider that there may be but a few dayes perhaps hours remaining before you must appear at the Tribunal of him who hath now entertained you at his Table The next sight you have of him may be upon his throne 1 Pet. 5.5 as one that is ready to judge the quick and the dead Put your soul in mind of the great account you must then give of all that you have done in the body and of your sacred actions no question as well as of the rest And therefore ask your self in the most serious manner and bid your soul tell you with what affection hath the death of the Lord been now remembred Hast thou as sincerely renounced all thy evil wayes and consecrated thy self to the life of Christ as thou hopest to be saved As God shall judge the world in righteousness art thou resolved and determined to become a new Creature and to pass the time of thy sojourning here in fear O how dreadful will he then appear to those who return with the dog to his vomit after they have eaten of this holy bread and drunk of this holy Cup who can stand before him that hath known and remembred his transcendent love and yet loved his ease his pleasure his money or any other thing better than him and his eternal life It concerns me nearly O my soul to keep him ever in my thoughts and to express him in my life That when he comes he may see himself in me and behold his own image in righteousness and true holiness fairly ingraven on my heart For many will say unto him at that day Lord Luke 13.26 27. We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets But he will say I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity Most dismal changeâ— now he invites now he saith come but then he will say depart if we come not to his Table with hearts to entertain him to suffer him to dwell in us and to be the sole disposer of all our actions God forbid that ever that terrible voice should sound in mine ears This one word DEPART from me how confounding will it be It must needs strike the stoutest soul into eternal sorrow The searcher of my heart knows that I went unfeignedly thither to give him possession of it and here again I confirm the gift Let him command what he pleases and I will obey it Let him bring his Cross along with him I will submit unto it Come poverty come reproaches come imprisonment come pains and torments come death it self rather than be so miserable as to depart from the living God Depart from me Psal 119.115 rather ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandments of my God Psal 101.2 3. I will walk within my house with a perfect heart No wicked thing will I set before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave to me All my delight shall be upon the Saints that are in the earth Psal 16.3 and upon such as excel in vertue And that you may preserve these good purposes let your heart be often there where they were conceived and made though your body cannot Look often back upon the Table of the Lord and say with the same holy Psalmist O when shall I come and appear again before thee 42.2 Early will I seek thee O my God Psal 63.1 2 c. my soul thirsteth for thee that I may see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee Thus will I bless thee while I live I will lift up my hands in thy name My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and with fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips And to furnish your soul with greater plenty of good thoughts you may often reflect upon the example which Christ hath set you in his death as well as in his life And perticularly resolve to spend this month in meditating every day upon his great CHARITY 2 Cor. 8.9 who though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that by his poverty we might be rich In this God commended his love to us Rom. 5.8 that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15.13 But we when we were enemies were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5.10 and therefore shall much more be saved by his life Excite in your self hereby a great and compassionate love to all mankind especially to your Brethren with whom you are knit in one body That you may be strongly inclined to do good as occasion is offered to refresh the bowels of the poor and needy to comfort and support the feeble minded to live with all in unity and peace till your Christian friendship be perfected in endless love in the other world Remember that God is the God of peace and Christ is the Lord of peace Often meditate on the words of our Lord that it is better to give than to receive and upon these words of a good man that He is the best Merchant who layes out his time upon God and his money upon the poor The Thanksgiving and Prayer I Cast my self down before thee O Lord in the deepest humility of soul to worship and praise thee together with all the heavenly Host saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Heaven and Earth are full of thy glorious goodness Thou art the joy of all those happy creatures above who continually behold the brightness of thy glory and thy presence and the light of thy countenance makes Heaven upon earth to us thy servants whom thou admittest thus near unto thee Glory be to God in the highest who to all other blessings hath added the gift of his dear Son and delivered him up for us all Glory be to the Son of God
recommend my self unto thy merciful kindness saying Our Father c. The Meditation afterward WHen you have leisure to retire alone by your self you may say to your self as the people did when they beheld the sick man at our Saviours word take up his bed and walk Luke 5.26 I have seen strange things to day I have seen the marvellous love of Heaven to us sinful dust and ashes I have seen how the Son of God dyed for the love of us how the blessed Jesus was hanged and bled upon a Cross for our Salvation I have beheld him presenting himself unto me and offering to make me pertaker of all his benefits With what affections did I meet and receive his strange love Did not my heart burn within me when he opened the Counsels of his heart to me Did it not melt and dissolve into love when he shewed me how passionately he loved me Did I not offer my self both soul and body to him and promise to be his faithful servant Did I not remember that I was his already and renew my vows to cleave unto him in loyal obedience O what a transforming sight was it to behold Jesus who was made a little lower than Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour and promising by patient continuance in well doing to lift me up also at last unto glory Lord what is man that thou takest knowledg of him Psal 144. â— or the Son of man that thou makest account of him How is it possible to forget this love or my own ingagements For what pleasures shall I leave these of Communion with God and my gracious Master Christ Jesus You offer too little all ye flattering temptations upon earth that would draw my affections from so great an happiness There can be nothing comparable to being beloved of the undoubted Lord of Heaven and earth One thing have I desired of the Lord Psal 27.4 that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple This is sufficient to indear an holy life unto me that I may be always fit to be one of his guests to feast with him at his Table to be filled with his comforts and live in hope to live with him in endless joys And could 〈◊〉 but see what things he hath prepared for those that love him the height of his glory the attendance of his Ministers the pleasures that are at his right hand there would be more spirit in me This little that I have seen makes me say 1 King 10.8 Happy are those thy servants that stand continually before thee Psal 65.4.84.3 Blessed are they whom thou hast chosen and caused to approach unto thee that they may dwell in thy heavenly courts they will still be praising thee I will never foregoe the beginnings of this bliss For a day in thy Courts is better than a thousand I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness For the Lord God is a Sun and shield Psal 84.10 11 1â— the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly O Lord of Hosts blessed is the man that trusteth in thee And here it will be fit to remember how every deliberate sin after such fresh experiences of Gods goodness new obligations from him and new resolutions and vows to him will be of a more crimson die and a bloodier nature And therefore you must be sober and watch unto prayer And remember withal on the other side that every good action will be the more acceptable when it proceeds out of mere love to our Master Jesus who hath loved us so much And therefore always indeavor to quicken the one by reflecting upon the other More particularly you may resolve to meditate all the Month following upon the great MEEKNESS of the Lord Jesus Who was dumb as a sheep before the sheerers Isa 53.7 and as a Lamb that is brought to the slaughter He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth When he was reviled â— Pet. 2.23 he reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously And so labour to tread in his steps and to imitate him in this lovely grace To speak evil of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekness unto all men For we our selves also were sometimes foolish Tit. 3.3 2. and disobedient and deceived c. This vertue the Apostles there and in other places * 1 Pet. â— 15. require us to exercise especially toward Rulers and Governours And S. Peter recommends this to Wives as the most handsome and becoming attire even the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit 1 Pet. 3.4 which is in the sight of God of great price The Thanksgiving and Prayeâ— PRaised be God Let all â—â—â—â—tures in Heaven and Earth praise the name of the Lord. For his name alone is excellent his glory is above earth and heaven Glory be to thee O God most high the Creator of all the Father of mercies who openest thy hand and fillest every living thing with good Blessed be thy name O Son of the Father the ever blessed Jesus to whom I humbly bow my self as the Image of God the brightness of his glory the redeemer of our souls the Mediator of our peace and our intercessor at the right hand of the Majesty on high O thou holy Spirit of grace the Almighty power of God inspire my heart that I may know that I may acknowledg that I may love delight in obey and praise the Lord our God from henceforth and for ever Thanks be to the eternal goodness for the everlasting Gospel for the constant services of thy Ministers for the happy Communion of Saints for all the comforts of food and health and peace and friends above all for the death resurrection ascention and exaltation of our Lord Jesus for all the fruits of them and for the earnests and pledges I have received of forgiveness of sins and immortal life One day is too short to recount thy Mercies While I live I shall never be able to find out how much thou hast already loved me how many blessings thou hast loaded me withal since I came into this world And yet in the careful improvement of these thou intendest to bring me to higher and endless felicity O that the remembrance of what I have seen and felt of thy love may always cleave unto my mind and that I may every day see and be made sensible of more That the powerful operation of it in my heart may defend me against all the allurements of the world and the flesh and nothing may be able to intice me from my duty nor be hard and difficult to do for thy mighty love Incline
of it forced upon thee by the meer greatness and power of his love Think that thy love to him will grow faint and cold without these endeavours so that it will be a doubt to thy self O how uncomfortable is that whether thou lovest him or no. And the better to preserve it thou mayest resolve particularly to Meditate often all this month upon this piece of Christs love in instituting and ordaining just before he died these HOLY MYSTERIES at this Divine feast as pledges of his love and for a continual remembrance of his death to our great and endless comfort O what a kindness was this mayest thou think with thy self what wonder of love which is here fairly represented to us and set before our eyes what a pleasure is it to see our selves thus beloved of the Sovereign of the world to behold our selves in the arms of the Almighty the only wise and all-sufficient good who will never fail to take care of us provide for us direct support assist comfort and protect us yea and eternally bless us This is love indeed that we have such pledges given us of his everlasting kindness that we shall see him in the other world where we shall know him and love him as much as we can desire Nay what an happiness is it that we can love him at all And that he will take such care to excite our love to so great an height in this world O what pleasures have I felt in loving him and offering my heart with sincere affection to him How doth my will sweetly melt into his when I think how good he is and how much I am obliged to him We should never have praised him so much if he had not thus represented his love to us And that together with intire friendship and concord to which he also here ingages us is the happiness of Angels and glorified Spirits I will never cease to think of these pleasures that I may never cease to injoy them but be still more and more praising thee till I come to praise thee in the company of the Blessed The Prayer and Thanksgiving afterward O Most holy and ever blessed God Thy name alone is excellent thy glory is above the Earth and Heaven All the heavenly powers continually proclaim thy greatness and raise themselves not thee by admiring loving and praising thy eternal Majesty I most humbly adore and extol thy unsearchable Wisdom thy uncontroulable Power thy boundless Goodness and thy unspotted Holiness and Truth It is a shame I acknowledge that ever I should think of esteeming or loving any thing like to thee who art so infinitely above all the world and it being so impossible for me to be safe or happy but in thy love And it is no less shame to make mention of thy Name without the greatest joy and satisfaction of heart in thy love and favour For thy wisdom is the surest guide and most certain director thy Power is our strength and safeguard thy good Providence is our all-sufficient treasure thy holiness and truth is our security thy goodness is our hope and comfort thy unerring will is our satisfaction in all events that here befall us I cannot wish when I seriously recollect my self to live in a world without thee It would be better not to be at all than to be forsaken of thee and left to the conduct of my own childish thoughts and desires and to the protection and provision of my own weakness How much do I owe thee even for this knowledge of thee And I have had daily yea minutely experience of thy loving kindness ever since I had a being A great number of thy creatures serve me and minister unto my content and comfort by thy command And thy own Son is become a Servant to me and submitted himself to the vilest state and condition for my happiness I deserve not to live if I should not love thee intirely For thou art every day adding new fuel to my love and taking care that it may never go out What tokens of thy love hath this day brought along with it to my Soul Thou hast given me leave to wait upon thee and feast with thee at thy own Table To see the love that the Lord Jesus bare and still continues to me that I may be still more induced to love thee and strongly ingaged to be so happy as to continue in thy love by cordial obedience to thee Who can look on thee O blessed Lord and not love thee Who can think of what thou hast done unto us and not devote himself eternally to thy love and service But alas our eyes are weak our thoughts are short and transient we are soon weary of beholding and thinking even on thy love Direct my thoughts therefore by thy mighty power more strongly towards thee Fasten in my mind a more lively remembrance of thee that I may at least be often looking back unto thee and delight to reflect upon thy wondrous love Psal 119.37 Turn mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken thou me in thy way And O that all my love may be changed into obedience that I may be ever very fearful to displease thee and careful to omit no part of the duty I owe thee but I may spend my days in acts of holy love towards thee and towards all men 1 Thess 5.15 16 17 c. That I may rejoyce evermore pray without ceasing in every thing give thanks prove all things and hold fast that which is good never rendring to any man evil for evil but ever following that which is good both among our selves and to all men And I desire the happiness of all mankind especially that the Faith of all Christian people may grow exceedingly 2 Thess 1.3 and the Charity of every one towards each other may abound That so they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things Tit. 2.10 and recommend his Religion effectually by their good and innocent lives to all the world Give the King thy judgments O God Psal 72.1 2 c. that he may judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with judgment That the greater powers may bring peace to thy people and the lesser also by righteousness That they may judge the poor of the people and save the children of the needy and break in pieces the oppressor That we may all fear thee as long as the Sun and Moon endure throughout all generations Now unto him that hath chosen us tâ— Salvation 2 Thess â— 13.1â— â— through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he hath called us by the Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ be thanks and praise and love and obedience rendred world without end Amen June The Meditation before the Sacrament IS it possible that the great God should be manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 Act. 20.28 And that he should purchase those
evil concupiscence and covetousness no anger wrath malice or evil speaking to be found any more within me And now that I am about to remember the death of Jesus help me to mortifie all these more perfectly and to hate them worse than death Behold O Lord I abandon all worldly lusts My soul is open and I have emptied my heart to receive the fulness of thy grace Take an absolute possession of me rule in me by thy laws guide me by thy counsels fill me with thy love satisfie me with the comfort of thy promises and refresh me with thy divine joys that I may have a great delight to be thy faithful and obedient servant O that I may feel at thy Table the liveliest apprehensions awakened in me of what thou hast done for my soul Hold my thoughts close unto thee inspire me with devout Meditations strengthen and increase in me all good resolutions and inable me to bring them to good effect I know thou never failest those that heartily seek thee Our Saviour hath bid us ask and we shall receive seek and we shall find knock and it shall be opened to us Fulfil then O Gracious Lord all my petitions so give unto thy servant what he humbly asks let him that seeks find open the gate to him that knocks that I may be made partaker of Christs most blessed body and blood And feeling the comforts of holy fellowship and friendship with him and studying to maintain it by a pure and blameless life I may now and ever triumph in thy Salvation and sing thy praises in thy Church on earth and among thy Saints and Angels in heaven giving honour blessing power and dominion unto thee O Father Almighty and unto thy Son Christ Jesus to all Eternity Amen Our Father which art c. A Meditation afterward DOst thou mind O my Soul whaâ— thou sayest when every day thou callest God Father thy Father which is in Heaven How happy art thou if thou art beloved of God Almighty So beloved that the Lord of Heaven and Earth is thy Father What is there that thou canst desire what canst thou long for beyond this How well satisfied and contented shouldst thou be in the poorest condition how well assured that all shall be well with thee if thou art sure of this one thing that he is thy Father And what should make thee doubt of it though so great an honour Where hast thou been now what hast thou been doing Hast thou not been with Jesus Hast thou not professed thy self a Christian â— Joh. 1.3 And truly their fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ He hath shown thee the love which God bears to thee He hath bidden thee by those tokens rest assured that he will never cease to love thee For he hath given himself to thee and thou hast given thy self to him The Covenant of friendship and eternal love hath been renewed between us Thou hast made oath again of fidelity to him and he hath sworn in his holiness that he will not take his loving kindness from thee nor suffer his faithfulness to fail O how rich is he that possesses God and is heir of his immortal glory How chary should we be of this inestimable wealth How void should we be of all other cares but only this to preserve the love of our heavenly Father What should covetousness do in that heart which enjoys such a Treasure What should ambition what should vain-glory do in him that can boast of the honour of having God for his Father Need he fear that he shall want who is so well provided Should he murmur or repine who hath such fulness Is there any cause of anger if our Father be not angry Shall we be uncharitable to any who partake of such great charity Watch O my Soul and walk circumspectly that thou lose not such exceeding abundant grace as this which is bestowed on thee Go forth in this new strength and comfort which thou hast received and perfect thy conquests over the world the flesh and the Devil and resolve that nothing shall separate thee from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well mayest thou stand to this resolution if thou remembrest that he is thy Father For what is it that hath tempted thee and drawn thy heart at any time from him Nothing but a little short pleasure Nothing but a vain and many times foolish breath of a mortal man whose breath is in his nostrils and must shortly die and all his thoughts perish Nothing but that which the Moth can corrupt or the rust consume or a Thief despoil us of Nothing but a fading beauty which sickness or time will certainly bring to decay What are all these to the pleasure of pleasing God to the commendation and praise which comes from unerring and eternal wisdom to the durable riches honour and beauty which our heavenly Father will give us for our portion Our hopes in him now are infinitely better than any thing else The love of such a Father is more worth than all that the whole World can do for us Value thy self highly then upon this account and never call him Father more but with the greatest joy and contentment of heart Be careful for nothing Phil. 4.6 7 but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let thy requests be made known unto him Look often into thy heart and ask if he be there and say it is enough God is my Father in this will I rejoyce The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep my heart and mind through Christ Jesus And here you may resolve all this month to meditate often upon the great FAITH and confidence which he reposed in his heavenly Father and expressed when he died saying Father Luke 23.46 into thy hands I commend my Spirit He trusted himself with him that he should have a blessed resurrection His flesh rested in hope Acts 2.26.31 that he would not leave his soul in hell neither suffer his holy one to see corruption Though he was then scorned abused made the vilest of men and shamefully put to death upon a Gibbet yet he took Gods word for it that he should rise and reign and be glorified eternally triumphing over all his enemies Hell and Death it self Do thou labour to imitate him in this holy Faith both for all the things of this life and of that which is to come Form thy self to an habitual trust in Gods careful Providence and precious Promises and commit thy self unto him in well doing Take care of that only and leave all the rest with an assured confidence to him Let thy conversation be without covetousness be content with such things as thou hast Heb. 13.5 6. for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man can do unto me This is the
Merciful Father the Fountain of all life and happiness who bountifully communicatest thy blessings and every where overflowest in thy mercies to all thy creatures More especially to the sons of men who are surrounded with an Ocean of them the bounds of which we cannot see and the depth whereof we cannot fathom And the more thirsty any Souls are and humbly desirous to receive them the more it pleases thee to pour out thy mercies upon them the more thou delightest in the issues of thy bounteous goodness to them I thine unworthy servant encompassed about with thy salvation come to make my humble acknowledgments and such returns of love and dutiful affection as I am able to thy Divine Majesty If I had the Spirits of all Creatures united in me I could not conceive or worthily express thy loving kindness Who hast raised me out of Nothing to an excellent degree of being indued me with reason and wisdom instructed me in the Christian faith and therein let me see such things as eye never saw 1 Cor. 2.9 ear never heard Psal 68.18 nor did it enter into the heart of man to conceive that the Lord God should dwell among us Ephes 1.20.21 and our Nature be exalted at his right hand far above all Angels Principalities and Powers and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come Blessed be the infinite wisdom and goodness of God which sent his Son Jesus born of a woman to die for us and to be a propitiation for our sins and by means of death hath crowned him with glory and honour that we might have a blessed hope of glory honour and immortality together with himself I ought to be overwhelmed with the thoughts of thy mercies which I cannot comprehend The great load of them The exceeding great load of them ought to press my heart continually to send them all back again in eternal love and obedience Accept good Lord I beseech thee of such poor expressions of them as I have now made unto thee and of my vows at thy holy Table to render unto thee better There thou hast been pleased to give me a sweet remembrance of thy past loving kindness and assurance of the future Bestow upon me likewise such a wise and considering heart that I may sink my thoughts deeper and deeper into the vast Sea of thy mercies and think my self happy when I am filled with such a great sense of them that all my thoughts desires and actions are under the power of Heavenly love O that the love of God my Saviour may be ever admirable in mine eyes that I may delight to think of thy love to speak of thy love and to imitate thy love so that all inordinate affections may die in me and I may perform most ready and easie obedience to all thy commands Thou hast laid also great ingagements upon me in that whilest thou makest this extraordinary provision for my Soul thou hast not neglected my Body but taken care that a world of good things should serve my needs and pleasure continually O that my heart were but duly sensible of all thy goodness I know then that I could not deny thee any thing thou desirest who hast opened thy hand so liberally to me even beyond my desires I could not but trust thee and resign my will wholly to thee and be contented with what thou orderest for me and in every thing give thanks which is thy will in Christ Jesus concerning me All that I have and can do is too little to give thee I can love thee but a little and therefore I desire that all the world would love thee and worship thee and glorifie thy name For thou art great and dost wondrous things Psal 86.10 thou art God alone O that all the Kings of the Earth would praise thee O Lord. Yea 138.4 5. that they would sing in the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord. That they may think it their greatest honour to be the Subjects of our Saviour and their greatest security to obey him and observe his Laws That being intrusted with thy divine power they may imploy it to right those that suffer wrong to ease the oppressed of their burdens supply the wants of the poor defend the fatherless and widow and comfort all mankind in their miseries I recommend this Church and Kingdom our Sovereign and all his Subjects to thy most powerful Protection beseeching thee to endue us all with thy Heavenly grace to dispose us to love thy true Religion and to be zealous of good works that our Lord and Master may be honoured by us and all men may know we are his Disciples by our loving one another Now to the most High God Dan. 4.34 35. who liveth for ever whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom from generation to generation before whom all the inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as Nothing and he doth according to his will in the Army of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the Earth be blessing and honour and praise rendred by me and by all Creatures now and eternally Amen August The Meditation before DOTH it not seem long my soul since thou wast at the Table of the Lord With what thoughts with what affections then dost thou receive this new invitation to it See what joy what delight it raises in thy heart that thou mayst know whether indeed thou lovest him or no. His love is so great that one would think it should never slip out of thy mind Our Lord hath done such great things for us that we may be tempted sooner not to believe them than to forget them But this is one piece of the greatness of that love that it hath taken care it should be alway remembered He hath not thought it enough to die for us but he hath left us a representation of it and a command to shew forth his death until he come What dost thou think of that command Is it a burden to thee to yield obedience to it Dost thou unwillingly hear the motion to go and do this in remembrance of him What Is it a sad thing to think of declaring the goodness of the Lord To magnifie the love of God our Saviour To celebrate his praises To profess our selves his servants and to ingage to him our fidelity Doth it make thee sigh to think of going to receive the tokens of his love To represent the death and satisfaction of Christ Jesus for thy sins To wait on God for the pardon of them And to be put in assured hope of immortal life Thou art not such a stranger sure to thy own happiness but knowest better things even things that accompany salvation Give glory therefore to the Lord that he calls thee again so graciously to shew forth his death Let him know that thou meanest to obey him to attend him at his holy Table and thank
resolution to all the rest and made choice of him again for my only Master how careful ought I to be that I prove not a false Disciple Hast thou never read or heard of an holy man who never used the name of Jesus but he immediately added not without the appearance of singular pleasure MY MASTER This was his glory this he thought the highest honour on Earth that he served such a Master Let this be one of thy thoughts every day Let it work in thy mind till the sense of these words be ingraven on thy heart My Master JESVS Consider that when thou wast baptized thou wast dedicated to his holy service That if thou hast owned confirmed that Sacred Covenant thou hast renounced all other Masters the Devil the World and the Flesh and professed thou wouldst be a Servant of Jesus And every time thou hast been at his Table thou hast done this over again and protested thou wilt have no other Master but only him Is there any cause dost thou think to repent of thy choice of following his service Is it not a great preferment to be one of his family who is Lord of Heaven and Earth the Heir of all things the Prince of all the Kings of the Earth the Lord of Life and the King of Glory Dost thou not profess in thy daily Prayers that his service is perfect freedom Can any reward their servants like to the blessed and only Potentate who only hath immortality Do any servants in the world serve in such hopes or enjoy such promises or receive such earnests as he is pleased to bestow on his Is not death the wages of sin but the gift of God eternal life What servants are admitted to such familiarity with their Lord as thou art at his Table Who are entertained with such a Feast or live upon such delights as they that receive his Body and Bloud And yet how zealous how diligent how forward are they to do their Masters will who serve only for the wages of unrighteousness How proud is a man of the honour to follow the Court of an Earthly Prince But if he should be advanced to eat continually at his Table the world would envy his too great happiness What a shame will it prove then if thou art not fervent in spirit serving the Lord If thou dost not think thy self honoured enough and art not well contented in any condition who followest such a glorious Master Thou wilt not pardon thy self if thou art unfaithful to him or disgracest his service by murmuring repining dejection of spirit or any other unworthy behaviour toward him For what Master ever merited so much at his Servants hands We have heard of Servants that have died for their Masters but where did we ever read or hear of a Master that freely died even for his rebellious Servants The business was Jesus would purchase us to himself by his own Bloud and make us if we have but any good nature in us to be most entirely devoted to his chearful obedience Ask thy self therefore every morning whose Servant am I What did I promise my Master such a day If I call him Lord and Master why do not I do the things that he saith And shall I go about my Masters business with a drooping countenance and an heavy heart Shall I sigh when I hear his voice though he bid me deny my self and take up my Cross and follow him Shall any of his Commandments seem grievous to me after so many so solemn professions of love to him God forbid that I should cast such reproach upon him I have not so learned Christ Jesus whose I am and whom I serve who hath said Joh. 12.26 If any man serve me him will my Father honour Can there be words of greater grace than these God be thanked Rom. 6.17 18. that I was the servant of sin but have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered me It is a favour to be the servant of righteousness I ought to account it an honour to receive his commands and to study to do his will on Earth as it is done in Heaven How comfortably then shall I live how comfortably shall I die How will it make my heart leap for joy to hear that voice of his Matth. 25.21 Well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Here you may resolve to meditate all this Month how our Lord and Master himself took upon him the form of a SERVANT and being found in fashion like one of us became obedient unto Death Phil. 2.7 8. even the Death of the Cross That absolute OBEDIENCE of his you should set always before your eyes for a pattern that you may not live as if you were ashamed of his service or thought any thing below you or too mean to submit unto which he requires at your hands Never suffer your reputation your ease your wealth no nor life it self to stand in competition with his commands But presently remember that though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered Heb. 5.8 9. And being made perfect he became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him And remember again that The Disciple is not above his Master Luk. 6.40 but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward FOr ever hallowed be thy great Name O Father of mercies the God of love the fountain of all good and blessedness All the heavenly host delight continually to praise thee They never cease to ascribe wisdom power dominion riches honour and glory unto thee who livest for ever O how great is thy goodness who invitest us that dwell in houses of clay to bear them company in their praises and thanksgivings They can add nothing at all unto thy fulness but it is our happiness to spend our days here in loving thee in speaking good of thy Name in doing thee honour and service and to pass the life of the other world in the perfection of admiration love thanksgiving and obedience to thee Psal 126.3 who hast done such great things for us of which we are glad Blessed be the Name of God our Father who hath raised us out of Nothing and hath not appointed us unto wrath 1 Thess 5.9 but to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ And of God our Saviour who hath redeemed us from the hands of all our enemies and purchased us with a great price unto himself And of God our Sanctifier strength and assister the God of our Salvation who keeps us every moment from ruine and destruction I thank thee O Lord of Heaven and Earth for that liberal portion which thou hast given me thine unworthy servant in thy grace and favour For the knowledge of thy holy Gospel which hath brought life and immortality to light For all the good instructions I have received
from thy Ministers and the tender care * You may mention these and others if you have had this benefit religious education of my Parents Tutors and Governours For all seasonable reproofs wholsom counsels good admonitions and every truth I have received from my Friends or Enemies For the pious examples and good conversation of any of my Neighbours for all holy opportunities and the leisure I have to attend upon this heavenly employment For thy merciful chastisements and thy wonderful deliverances For all the good Books thou hast brought to my hands and the good advice which I have any way received For all my Benefactors all those that love me and pray for me And above all for thy gracious inspirations from above the holy thoughts thou hast put into my mind and the pious desires and purposes thou hast stirr'd up in my heart with all the furtherances helps and assistances thou hast vouchsafed me in my way to Heaven particularly now at this holy Feast where thou hast made me know and feel how good thou art beyond the compass of all our thoughts What shall I return unto thee for all thy love What shall I give unto my Lord who hath given himself for me I have given thee my whole self and now devoted all the powers of my soul and body to thy service that all my thoughts my words my desires my passions and actions may be disposed according to thy will and not my own And I think my self happy O blessed Jesus in the choice I have made of thee for my Lord and Master I rejoyce in the disposal I have made of my self to thy service and obedience For a world I would not revoke my consent to be absolutely ruled and governed by thee as long as I live Sin shall not reign in my mortal body Rom. 6.12 that I should obey it in the lusts thereof But here I come again to yield my self unto thee my God and to profess thy service to be the most perfect freedom and the noblest employment To beseech thy pardon for all mine unfaithfulness and the constant power of thy Holy Spirit to assist me in the doing thy will here on Earth as it is done in Heaven that all my resolutions may be persevering my endeavours successful and my obedience perfect and compleat in all things Lord Jesus do what thou pleasest in me and what thou pleasest with me Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and I will make my boast continually in this that I serve the Lord Christ May I but ever love thee and stedfastly cleave unto thee and chearfully obey thee and faithfully live to honour thee I desire nothing else Come prosperity or adversity come sickness or health life or death so that I may but glorifie thee and be made conformable to thee and bear thine image in holiness here and in glory hereafter And let all the Earth stand in awe of thee thou Lord and Ruler of the whole world Let the hearts of all people submit themselves to thy Kingdom and Authority Psal 45.3 4. In thy Majesty ride on prosperously O thou most mighty because of truth and meekness and righteousness till all thine enemies fall under thee and think themselves happy in thy most just and merciful government I commend thine own family to thy gracious and powerful protection and this part of it especially in these Kingdoms That we thy servants being hurt by no persecutions may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church and triumph in thy praise saying Psal 48.14 This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto Death Now unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Bloud and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father Rev. 1.5 6 to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen September The Meditation before the Sacrament SHall we not be too bold in going so oft to the Table of the Lord May we not offend him by our forwardness to approach into his presence No sure not if love carry us thither and accompany us there And who can want that who knows and considers how forward he was to do that which we remember When he came to offer himself a Sacrifice for us he saith Lo I come Psal 40.7 8. in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O God And when he eat the last meal with his Disciples he said again Luk. 22.15 with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer Behold what a hearty vehemence there was in his love what an ardor in his desire to be made an offering for us and to be remembred by us With what love should we commemorate his dying love with what desire should our souls approach to his holy Table in remembrance of him who took such content in dying for us and was so desirous to institute this holy feast for a perpetual remembrance of his death With the same joy that children use to welcome a Festival with such an hunger and thirst as a labouring man goes to his supper ought we to go to the Supper of the Lord that we may chear and refresh our souls with the memory of our Master and only Saviour with praises and joyful thanksgivings with the love of God and of our Brethren with the hopes of his Mercy here and eternally Awake awake then thy Faith call up thy love quicken thy desires excite all that is within thee to bless the Lord and speak good of his name Say with a great joy Lo I come according to thy command and delight to do thy will O God With desire I have desired to do this in remembrance of my Lord to declare thy mighty acts and shew forth the greatness of thy love to profess my self thy servant and to glory in the holy name of my Master Jesus to offer up my self unto thee an oblation of love to renew my covenant with thee and with all my Brethren to give thee thanks that I am one of thy family and for all the benefits I received and thou hast still in store for thy faithful servants But who is able to tell how much he hath done already for us Or find out all that he designs unto us Who can praise him according to his excellent kindness and his wonderful works for the children of men The thoughts of Angels are not wide enough to comprehend them And if we had their spirits and could love him and acknowledg him with their inlarged affection it would be too little a present to make unto him O give thanks therefore unto the Lord for he is gracious for his mercy endureth for ever O give thanks unto him who is so desirous of us such narrow souls such little hearts that can hold so little love unto him Let us go to him and desire that he would
the force of all temptations to sanctifie even our afflictions to us and the infirmities of our crazy bodies to take out the sting of death and to make it an entrance into an immortal life Thou hast advanced him to intercede for us at thy right hand to be our Advocate with thee when by our weakness we sin against thee or are afraid to approach thee to pardon us when we repent and return to thee and to bless us by giving us repentance and turning us from all our iniquities And to all other benefits thou hast added the comforts and refreshments of thy holy Table where I have now partaked of his most blessed Body and Bloud Thou hast shown me the greatness of my Saviours love and tied me in new resolutions to love and serve thee for ever and given me strong assurance of thine everlasting mercies in Christ Jesus These very acknowledgments will witness against me if I should carelesly throw away this new portion which thou hast given me in thy love The remembrance of them will be intolerable if I should not improve this extraordinary grace which I have now commemorated I flee unto thee therefore again O most merciful Father for the help of thy Holy Spirit to continue in me a perpetual memory of that love which thou hast bestowed on me and of the professions I have made of an unmovable love to thee O thou inspirer of all holy thoughts and desires O thou who delightest to incourage all those that seek after thee with thankful hearts stop not the currant of thy bounteous love but as thou hast drawn me to thee and moved me to devote my self to thy obedience so preserve and keep these thoughts and purposes in my heart for ever I believe thou hearest me and wilt be with me And filled with thy power and might and with constant hope in thee I will walk and not be weary and run the ways of thy Commandments and not faint To that Almighty goodness I commit my self of which I have had such long experience I will never doubt of thy readiness to assist and further me but always look up unto the Heavens from whence cometh my help My help cometh from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth The Lord shall preserve me from all evil Psal 122.2 7 8. he shall preserve my Soul The Lord shall preserve my going out and my coming in from this time forth and even for evermore O that all the ends of the Earth may see thy Salvation and worship thy Name for it is holy And especially all those to whom is given a Kingdom Dan. 5.18 Majesty Glory and Honour may evermore praise 4.37 and extol and honour the King of Heaven all whose works are truth and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase Psal 68.3 Let all the righteous be glad let them rejoyce before God yea let them exceedingly rejoyce 35.27 Let them say continually The Lord be magnified which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his Servants O that all mankind would praise the Lord for his goodness Psal 107.8 9 13. and for his wonderful works to the Children of men For he satisfieth the longing Soul and filleth the hungry Soul with goodness They cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saveth them out of their distresses Blessed be the Lord God Psal 41.13.68.19 even the God of our Salvation from everlasting to everlasting Amen and Amen October The Meditation before HOw long is it since thou thoughtest of the best friend thou hast in the whole world And what were thy last thoughts of him Didst thou not a very little while ago long for his company and wish the time would come wherein thou mightest again enjoy him Didst thou not count the days till that happy time when he promised to return or to send unto thee And suppose he be dead with what passion dost thou follow his memory How art thou moved with the mention of his dear name How glad to possess any relique of him though it be but his shadow Or how oft dost thou look upon the lively picture of him which is drawn in thy own imagination And dost thou think it could fail to put thee in mind of what he left thee in charge when he departed this world Couldst thou forget the legacies he left thee or the inheritance he bequeathed to thee as the heir of his love O how long then is it my soul since Jesus was in thy thoughts Canst thou not tell Was there ever such a Friend as he that dyed to save thee Can any one pretend so much to thy love or merit of thee so kind a remembrance Who is there that ever died for the sake of his enemies O how pretious how dear should the Name of Jesus be unto thee with what joy shouldst thou receive the news that he is coming to visit thee How welcome must this invitation be from thy blessed Saviour whom if thou lovest thou canst not but long to see It is the voice of thy well-beloved that calls unto thee and saith come and feast with me Come and see by these sensible signs which I have left to represent me how much my love hath made me suffer for thee Behold the lively figure of my Body and Blood which was broken and shed to redeem thee I have caused it to be made on purpose that thou mightest not forget me What dost thou answer to him Canst thou say thou hast looked for this day That thou thoughtest it long till thou mightest go to his house or at least wast desirous to go and see him set forth crucified before thine eyes Why What good did the last sight of him do thee What pangs of love didst thou feel in thy heart what pleasure what joy in the remembrance of his kindness Did it call all his Commands to mind and recommend them effectually to thy love Did it stir thee up to do his will and make thee more zealous ever since in working that which is pleasing in his sight What didst thou think of the inheritance he hath given thee An inheritance incorruptible 1 Pet. 1.4 and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for thee Didst thou believe his word Col. 3.24 and verily expect to receive the reward of this inheritance How did that faith then work in thy heart Did it give thee extreme content Having hope to see him did it make thee purifie thy self 1 Joh. 3.3 even as he is pure Go then now as a friend of his and do the same again Renew thy remembrance of him Shew him the belief thou hast in him the love thou bearest to his name and word how resolved thou art never to forget him and how happy thou thinkest thy self in the portion he hath given thee in his grace and love Profess to him that his Commandments are dearer to thee than thy life and that thou
to love purely is our perfection upon earth whom to possess in an unchangeable wisdom charity and purity is heaven it self It was thy great goodness to make us to know thee and â—ove thee and be like unto thee And a greater to sue unto us and intreat for our affections But it is the greatest of all a miracle of thy love that thou hast sent such a person as thy Son Jesus to beseech us and to add mighty importunities to his intreaties that we would do that which we ought to be desirous to be admitted to do as the greatest happiness we are capable of Lord what is man that thou art thus kind unto him we are very little things hugely below so much of thy notice We are naturally infirm and crazed in our bodies And our understandings are short sighted our reasonings weak and childish our passions easily disordered our resolutions inconstant and by sin we have made our selves worse and turned these into greater mischiefs So that if thou hadst been pleased to shew but a little pitty and compassion to us and not suffered us to become extreamly miserable what could we have expected more from thy goodness But that thou shouldest design to advancâ— such piteous and wretched things a we are who know not how to valuâ— and esteem thy benefits to the statâ— and dignity of thy children to makâ— us like thy self in righteousness goodness and truth and at last to give us a blessed immortality in soul and body O how astonishing is this love which thou hast shewn to us in the Son of thy love the Lord Jesus I am ashamed to think that this grace hath waited so long upon me and been no better entertained and improved That my apprehensions of it are still so dull my reasonings of so little force to constrain my whole soul unmoveably to love thee and delight in thee and to live to thee for ever I most humbly flee to that grace which hath abounded thus towards me for the pardon which it hath promised to those who yield themselves to be governed by it O let not thy unwearied goodness be provoked yet to cast off the care of me But continue to hold before mine eyes thy love in Christ Jesus and the great glory which he hath purchased for us till my heart be overcome and subdued perfectly to his obedience That I may abandon every evil way which is inconsistent with the enjoyment of his favour and happiness and it may be the very business of my life to purifie my self as thou art pure from all inordinate cares and fears from sensual lusts and bruitish passions from anger and hatred envy and malice pride and vanity falseness and dissimulation murmuring and discontent and whatsoever is opposite to thy blessed Nature and Will declared by Christ Jesus O that the Faith of Christ which thou hast already planted in my heart may take a deeper root that as I believe him to be the Lord of all who died for me and bought me with a price and is risen again to be the author of eternal Salvation to those that obey him and will come to judg the quick and the dead so I may constantly reverence him and religiously keep his holy Commands and stedfastly trust him and make him my hope and love his appearing that I may be found of him then in peace And now that I am going to make him my renewed acknowledgments and devote my self to his holy obedience Lord fill me with such worthy thoughts affections and resolutions that I may know that I love him and may rejoyce in hope of his eternal love unto me O that nothing may interpose when I am at thy Table to hinder the effect of these holy desires that no cloud may arise in my mind to obscure my sight of his love no vain thought to draw me aside from meditating on his death and passion for my sake but I may be carried then and alwayes with a strong and irresistable inclination to do his will Let my prayer come before thee Ps 141.2 as the incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening Sacrifice Hear me O Lord Psal 143.1 â— and give ear to the voice of my supplications in thy faithfulness answer me and in thy righteousness And enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Our Father c. The Meditation afterward WHAT our Saviour said to the people concerning John the Baptist may be imitated by thee with a small alteration Luke 7.24 c. What went you out for to see a reed shaken with the wind a thing of no moment But what went you out for to see a man clothed in soft raiment Some worldly pomp and bravery behold these are in kings Courts But what went you out for to see a Prophet Yea I say unto you and much more than a Prophet For among those that are born of women there is not a greater Prophet than John the Baptist Where hast thou been mayest thou say to thy self At an ordinary meal or a common entertainment What wentest 〈…〉 out to receive a piece of bread and 〈◊〉 cup of wine that we have in our 〈◊〉 houses Or what wentest thou from 〈◊〉 to see a dumb shew a silent gray 〈◊〉 company of serious faces Those w◠〈◊〉 see in them that mourn for any dead friend Or what wentest thou out for to see Bread broken and wine poured out in a solemn and holy manner by the appointment of Christ Jesus Yea and much more than so Christ himself the Son of the blessed under those signs and figures of his death This is he of whom it is written behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Verily there is none born of women like unto him the only begotten Son of God the heir of all things And thou hast been at his Table thou hast beheld the astonishing love of God in delivering him up to suffer for thee thou hast received the pledges of his dearest love and the earnests of all those goods that he possesses Couldst thou see no beauty in him that thou shouldst desire him Nor taste no pleasure in having friendship with him Is it nothing to partake of the merits of his sufferings To be made the Son of the King of Heaven and the heir of his love by being made partaker of his divine nature and disposition Where were thine eyes then What were thy thoughts doing None ever believed and considered this love that God bears to us who was not moved and inflamed by it to love him above all things For the Creator and Possessor of Heaven and earth to love thee what a word is that Who can hear it and not be at once both amazed and transported Especially when he loves thee so much as to send his own Son unto thee yea his only Son the Son of his love who hath so loved thee as to spend
keep my body inâ—eâ—perance soberness and chastity Not to coâ—â— nor desire other mens goods but to learn aâ—â— labour truly to get mine own living and to 〈◊〉 my duty in that state of life unto which it shâ—â— please God to call me I desire also the good of all mankind that they may partake of the knowledge of the Lord and enjoy the fruits of his Death and Resurrection especially that all Christian people may walk worthy of the Lord who hath called them to his Heavenly Kingdom And particularly all Kings Princes and Governours may be as careful to observe his Laws as they are desirous others should observe theirs That they may remember the honour thou cast done them in exalting them so â—igh to the end they may imitate thee 〈◊〉 doing good to all below them Purge out of thy Church every thing â—hat dishonours the Religion of our Lord and endangers Souls Unite â—ll the members of it in the profession of the true Faith and in sincere Charity that the poor may be relieved the sick comforted the fatherless and widows visited in their affliction sinners â—eclaimed the obstinate softned and all that are in unbelief brought into the â—â—ock of Jesus Christ And grant unto us all that havâ— Communicated together this day thaâ— peace which passeth all understanding humility meekness obedience fortâ—tude contentedness patience longinâ— desires after Heaven and willingneâ—â— to die that we may rest in an hoâ—â— Hope and have a blessed Resurrectioâ— with the just Amen December The Meditation before the Sacrament NEed I be told after a whole years service at least of my blessed Master Jesus what that duty is I am now going to perform unto him Am I not preparing my self according to his command to make a solemn commemoration before God Angels and Men of his unheard of love in dying for us To make a profession of my sincere love and affection to him To engage to him my fidelity To renew the Covenant that is between us To open my heart to him and to confirm to him the most absolute possession of my Soul and Body To wait on him for his continued grace and that I may feel the â—ower of his Death and Resurrection To â—â—ow him my willingness even to take up â—is Cross and to be his Disciple and follower to the very death To testifie the â—ove I bear unto and the Communion I desire to hold with all the Christians that â—re throughout the world To exalt the â—ame of the Lord and to speak his praises who would give his Son for us and who hath condescended to a treaty of peace with us and upon such easie terms to become friends with us yea reward us and do great things for us O how sweet is the remembrance of these blessings How happy am I that he will not let me forget them But with a continued kindness invites me again to this delightful employment I will go and give him thanks for all his benefits and for this among the rest that he hath made me so often partaker of his blessed Body and Bloud and now gives me a new opportunity to celebrate in this manner the memory of his love And O that my heart were lifted higher than ever after so long acquaintance with him in admiration of his grace in faith in love in joy in praise and thanksgiving in strong and vehement desires and in cordial resolutions to be his devout and faithful Disciple O that the hearts of all men else who shall approach his Table may be disposed to the like zeal and fervent affection to his service and so many Souls as there are then present so many living Sacrifices there may be to God so many wills resigned into his hands with ardent love That so those holy Spirits which the Apostle tells us were present in their Christian assemblies may be invited to come into ours And beholding nothing but what is reverend serious pure and full of true devotion they may be excited to rejoyce and praise God together with us for our sincere affection to his Religion And they may make report among their Heavenly company above that Christian piety is still remaining in the world and that we have made a great increase in growth in it this year by our frequent remembrance of the Lord Jesus which may stir them up all to bless the great and glorious name of our God which is exalted above all blessing and praise The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all Psal 103. Bless the Lord ye Angels of his Bless him all his hosts Bless him all ye works of his in all places of his dominion Bless the Lord O my Soul Stir up thy self to bless the name of God our Saviour who hath not cast us out of his sight when we threw off our obedience to him but sent his Son to gather us again to him to invite us by precious promises to endear himself to us by shedding his heart bloud for us to open the gate of Paradise again and restore us to immortality to make us equal with the Angels and rank us among the eldest sons of glory Let us go and if it be possible excite a greater love in our heart toward him than ever we felt before Let us offer up our selves to him with a stronger flame of devotion which may always burn and rise up higher and higher till it touch heaven and lift us up thither where our Saviour is in the high and holy place God blessed for ever Amen The Prayer before ETernal God whose omnipotent word brought me and this whole world of creatures into being Out of the fulness of whose goodness we are all fed and maintained and by whose rich and abundant grace it is that our souls are not in a desperate and forsaken condition but may approach with some confidence to thee our Maker who in thy Son hast revealed thy self unto us a most merciful Father I fall down before thee in an humble reverence to perform that Religious duty which I owe thee as thy creature and much more as thy redeemed one through the purchase thou hast made of us by the blood of Jesus I admire adore and love all that I know of thee I extol and praise thy wisdom thy bounty thy holiness and truth which endureth for ever I acknowledg my self beholden to thee beyond all my words or conceptions either I reproach my self for my base ingratitude and all the wrongs I have done thee I confess the justice of thy proceedings shouldst thou strip me of all those good things thou hast bestowed on me I give thee the glory of thy ineffable and never enough to be valued love in thy Son Christ I disclaim all opposition to thy will as base unjust and unaccountable I vow to thee my intire service and obedience and approve all thy Commandments as righteous wise and good I lay new bonds upon my self to keep and
whatsoever thou seest good and wholsome for me in this world referring my self wholly to thy wisdom and looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2.13 in whose prevailing name I am emboldned to make these addresses to thee and still to offer up my desires in his holy words saying Our Father which art c. The Meditation afterward Psal 118.24 22. THis is the day which the Lord hath made I will rejoyce and be glad in it The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner God hath raised up Jesus whom they slew and hanged on a tree Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour Act. 5.30 31. for to give repentance and remission of sins It is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes God is the Lord that hath shewed us light offer unto him the Sacrifice of righteousness Psal 118.23 27 28 29. Psal 4.5 and say thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God I will exalt thee O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Could I ever cease to rejoyce if I heard for certain that a dead friend the dearest in the world was alive again and not only alive but preferred to the highest dignity and honour O my dulness that I rejoyce no more in God my Saviour For that Jesus whom I have now seen crucified before mine eyes is alive from the dead That Jesus who was such a friend that he died and hung on a gibbet for me is revived again and sits on the throne of glory Without all doubt he lives and reigns for me also and being reconciled by his death Rom. 5.10 I shall much more be saved by his life For God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless us in turning every one of us from his iniquities Act. 3.20 And we wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead 1 Thess 1.10 even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come He is the first begotten from the dead and hath the keyes of the grave Rev. 1.5 He will change this vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Phil. 3.21 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thess 4.14 Lord what a blessed hope is this seeing we look for these things what manner of persons ought we to be in holy conversation and godliness 2 Pet. 3.11 4. How diligent should we be that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless What can be more disagreeing than a crucified Christ and a carnal Christian What more contrary than a Saviour despising the world and one that professes friendship to him loving it above God himself A libeâ—al Saviour and a covetous disciple A Saviour that indured pain and anguish and â—orrow and a servant that will live in nothing but ease and pleasure A Saviour weeping and bleeding and a man acquainted with grief and a world that nothing but laughs and sports and maketh merry A Saviour that suffered all things and a world that will suffer nothing no not the mortifying of unreasonable lusts and desires A humble and lowly Saviour and a proud vain-glorious self-conceited people that profess him A meek and patient Saviour and a passionate angry and revengeful generation that pretend to be his followers A Saviour that was ever thinking of our good and men that call themselves his lovers who never to any purpose remember hiâ— love A gracious Lord that did us the mosâ— real courtesies and benefits and servantâ— that only complement with him and call him Lord Lord but do not that which he saith A master that never quarrelled with any oâ— Gods Commands no though it were to die and such schollars that count all his Commandments grievous murmur at all his lessons and say that it is impossible to obeâ— them O how unlike is a diffident distrustful Christian to a Saviour that laid dowâ— his very life in hope How il-favoured do these two sound together a conquering Christ and a Christian that is a slave Jesâ— that hath conquered death and a Christiaâ— that cannot conquer himself An head that is in heaven and a member of his that only looks at things on earth God forbid that having professed my self so often to be dead to sin I should live any longer therein I was buried with him by baptism into death Rom. 6.4 5 6. that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so I also should walk in newness of life And now I am again planted in the likeness of his death by partaking of his broken body and his blood that was shed and therefore shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin God be thanked that though I was the servant sin Ib. v. 17 18. yet now being made free from it I am become the servant of righteousness Henceforth I will serve no other master 1 Cor. 5.7 8. For even Christ our passover by whose blood we are redeemed from everlasting destruction is sacrificed for us And therefore I will keep the Feast not with malice and wickedness but with sincerity and truth Building up my self in our most holy Faith praying in the holy Ghost I will keep my self in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life The Thanksgiving and Prayer of afterward O Most mighty Lord the Creator and possessor of Heaven and Earth who art every where and canst not be excluded from any place no not from the closest thoughts of any of our hearts Who art always the same and canst no more change than thou canst cease to be what thou art unmoveably fixed in thy own eternal blessedness Thou needest not go out of thy self for any thing and I am sensible that I cannot possibly make thee greater or more happy than thou art But it is my bounden duty to admire and extol to laud and praise to worship love and honour thee and it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and praise is comely All the Host of Heaven delight to sing perpetual Hymns to the glory of thy infinite Majesty with whom I beseech thee to give me leave to joyn my poor and imperfect praises The whole world was made out of Nothing by thy Power and proclaims thy greatness wisdom and goodness in the multitude variety beauty comeliness and order of all thy works of wonder The Heavens are the work of thy
hands the Earth stands fast by thy appointment and every thing keeps the course wherein thou hast set it with admirable constancy Thou governest all things without any trouble because at once thou knowest and canst do what thou pleasest and thou dost all things with the greatest reason justice mercy and pleasure to thy self Man was raised by thee out of the dust of Earth and thou didst inspire him with a wise and understanding Spirit and placedst him in a Paradise surrounded with thy blessings and Lord over the work of thy hands And when he had degraded himself and forfeited by his disobedience his garden of pleasure thou didst not leave him without a remedy but openedst the way for him into the Paradise above Thou didst send thy holy Prophets and messengers in all ages to thy people and in the fulness of time thine own dear Son the brightness of thy glory whom thou hast made Heir of all things and to whom thou hast graciously committed the care of us Blessed be thy unspeakable goodness who hast made him in all things like unto us sin only excepted so that we know and are sure that he will take care of us and pity us and relieve us I adore thy unparalell'd love in giving him to die that he might make expiation for our sins and that he hath overcome death by his rising again and is set down at thy right hand because he was obedient to the death From thence we have received the gift of the Holy Ghost thanks be to thy Grace to confirm us in the belief of his Resurrection and of all his promises by signs and wonders and mighty deeds and to give us power to perform our duty towards thee and towards all men Thou hast spread this Gospel of Salvation into the furthermost parts of the Earth and the light of it hath long shone upon this Kingdom where I live I was born into this light as well as into the light of the Sun and had early assurances given me of thy love In my very infancy I was devoted to thee and all the engagements I was capable of laid upon me to be happy by being a faithful Disciple of Christ Jesus Thou hast not failed since to breath on me by thy Holy Spirit and to move me to my duty that I might be able to make the answer of a good Conscience towards thee 1 Pet. 3 21. and so be saved by his his Resurrection from the dead Many happy opportunities hast thou put into my hands to improve my self in Christian wisdom and vertue and engaged me to thee in many solemn vows only to seek the glory honour and immortality which Christ hath brought to light by patient continuance in well-doing I have now received the pledges of it and commemorated his love in dying for us and thy love in raising him to life again that he might perfect our Salvation and assure us he hath obtained an eternal redemption and comfort us against the fears of death and take care of us for ever and receive the power and glory thou promisedst him that he may be able to bless us and do us all good O how hath thy love abounded in Christ Jesus Besides a world of outward blessings which thy bounteous hand hath poured on me and still continues merely out of thy goodness and liberality How can I praise thee for all thy mercies to all mankind who cannot comprehend all those which thou hast bestowed on my self alone None can understand how much we are beholden to thee but those that know what thy Son Jesus was and what the blessing of the Holy Ghost and what the Resurrection of the dead and the unsearchable riches of thy Kingdom and Glory are Accept blessed Lord of such acknowledgments as I am able to make thee Accept of my whole self which I yield up unto thee with love unfeigned Thou whose infinite understanding pierceth into the greatest depths and secrets knowest that I love thee Do even what thou pleasest with me for it is but just and reasonable that I should not live unto my self henceforth but unto him that died for me and rose again I am twice thy Creature Thou hast given me life a second time by Christ Jesus through whom thou hast created me to good works in hope of a blessed Resurrection from the dead Inspire me good Lord with such a strong and lasting sense of thy love that I may alway live in sincere obedience to him and never forfeit the new title thou hast given me to life immortal But believing the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead I may most heartily acknowledg him to be the Lord and stedfastly believe his Doctrine obeying his commands hoping in his promises and fearing his threatnings and endeavouring thereby to prepare my self in all purity and holiness of life for the joys of the World to come And * The words of the Church Catechism explaining the Lords Prayer I desire my Lord God our Heavenly Father who is the giver of all goodness to send his grace unto me and to all people that we may worship him serve him and obey him as we ought to do And that he will send us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bodies and be merciful to us and forgive us our sins and that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers ghostly and bodily and that he will keep us from all sin and wickedness and from our ghostly enemy and from everlasting death Which I trust he will do of his mercy and goodness through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Now the God of peace Heb 13.20 21. that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Bloud of the everlasting Covenant Make us perfect in every good work to do his will working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen This short acknowledgment may be used sometime that Week Acts 4.24 25. LOrd thou art God which hast made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all that in them is who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said Psal 2.7 8. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy possession Thy word is true from the beginning Psal 119.160.89.90 For ever O Lord thy word is setled in Heaven Thy faithfulness is unto all generations For thou hast sent thy holy Child Jesus Rom. 1.4 and declared him to be the Son of God with power by the Resurrection from the dead Though he was Crucified through weakness 2 Cor. 13.4 yet he liveth by the power of God Thou wouldest not let thy holy one see corruption Acts 2.27 28. But hast made known to him the ways of life and made him full of joy with thy
meanest of servants He humbled himself to be subject to the basest usage and to suffer the greatest despite and publick reproach Let us be assured then that he will not despise the poorest wretch now that he is in his glorious state And let us not think it strange if we be despised and reproached for righteousness sake But rejoyce in as much as we are partakers of the sufferings of Christ 1 Pet. 4.13 that when his glory shall be revealed we may be glad also with exceeding joy The Prayer before O Most blessed God who dwellest in the highest heavens and art adored by the highest creatures who blush before the brightness of thy majesty but dost not despise us poor worms that dwell upon the earth Who art happy in thy self and yet makest sute to us that we would love thee who commandest us to do good to our selves and entreatest that duty from us which thou mayst command who takest it kindly when we give thee thine own and rewardest us for that which by thy grace only we can perform and pardonest us also when we fall short in our performance and givest us repentance that thou mayest pardon us and receive us into favour and hast sent no less person than thine own Son to obtain a pardon for us and exalted him at thy own right hand that he might be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins Before thee O Lord most High I humbly prostrate my self desiring to be admitted to thy holy Table that I may adore the riches of thy grace and beg forgiveness for my unworthy returns to such great love Give me leave O Lord to come and make at least my acknowledgments to thee of the duty I owe thee Yea I would take thy yoke upon me with the greatest thankfulness and tye those bonds faster wherein I stand already engaged to thee and bless thee for such easie and gracious terms of reconciliation as thou hast propounded to us and express my hearty consent unto them and declare my belief of thy pretious promises and acknowledg thy goodness in making me so certain of their truth by the resurrection of Christ from the dead and his ascension to heaven that he might sit down at thy right hand to make good all that he hath said Blessed be the Lord who hath rewarded his obedience with such honour power dominion and authority that we might be incouraged to follow him and depend upon him and have a setled hope of immortality by him I rejoyce in the glory which thou hast with the Father of all O Lord Jesus whose throne is for ever and ever A Scepter of righteousness is the Scepter of thy kingdom thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity Hâ—b 1.8 9. therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladness above thy fellows O God that I could forget all other things when I present my self before thee and ascend up in my thoughts and desires and resolutions to heaven where Jesus is that when I come down again to converse with these things here below I may look upon them as objects of my contempt or as proofs of my vertue or as incitements to praise thee the Creator of all and as occasions to manifest how much I love thee by quitting the dearest thing in this world if thou requirest it for thy sake who hast raised man to such an height or glory and honour above all O that I may hate every thing that would not let me love thee better than it That I may fear to offend thee and be very sollicitous to please thee and studious in all things to approve my self to him whom thou hast raised from the dead promoted unto glory so that he is able to prefer all his faithful servants to that glorious place where he is Shew me O Lord that he is not held by death but reigns with thy self for ever by the power of thy holy Spirit in my heart raising me above my self and enabling me to comply with those high and heavenly thoughts desires and designs which thou hast wrought in my heart O blessed Jesus who sittest at the right hand of the Father and hast said thou hast life in thy self and all power in heaven and in earth John 5.26 Matth. 28.18 that I and all others who prostrate themselves before the throne of thy grace might find thy power still to remain as great as ever chasing away the darkness of our minds warming and thawing our frozen affections melting and dissolving our wills into the will of God inspiring us with might and strength to do that which we cannot but desire lifting up our hearts to have our conversation in heaven and to live above the love of riches pleasures and honour a contented humble sober and thankful life O that we may ever demonstrate our belief of thy ascension up on high by our living and walking in the Spirit and no longer fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and by improving all the grace thou sendest down to us till we be fit to be translated from hence and come to see what we now believe and behold thee in the glory of the Father Amen Lord Jesus where thou art let us be also rejoycing with thee for ever and while we stay here I will alway say most heartily Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven c. The Meditation afterward O The height of that glory wherein my Saviour is inthroned 1 Pet. 3.22 Heb. 7.26 Eph. 4.8 Eph. 1.21 Who is gone into the heavens and made higher than the heavens nay is ascended up far above all heavens far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come What a comfort is it to dust and ashes to see their nature shining brighter than the highest stars of glory To behold their flesh the greatest beauty of the Paradise of God Where should my conversation be but in heaven Where should the members and the heart be but where their head and their treasure is What should I seek but those things above Coloss 3. where Christ is at Gods right hand O ye little vanities How contemptible are all your pleasures How â—ow are all your dignities and honours How base and vile the rest of your temptations when I look up to heaven where my Saviour sits in unmatchable glory and majesty Never speak to me any more never perswade me to follow worldly lusts thy thoughts are not now so mean I am dead to all those things and my life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is my life shall appear then shall I appear with him in glory But is that eternal life with Jesus the thing thou seekest Is thy heart indeed set on things above where he is at Gods
right hand Search and try dost thou in good earnest travel with high and heavenly designs Art thou ambitious of nothing so much as to be like to Jesus and by the most self denying wayes to obtain his glory Dost thou spare no pains to flatten thy too eager desires towards the things on earth to let out thy vain and aiery conceits to sharpen thy appetite after real righteousness to inflame thy love to heighten thy desire and hope to strengthen thy faith to excite thy watchfulness and ingage thy serious endeavours that thou mayest possess the things above Art thou sure taht the wisdom from above is the crown of thy glory Jam. 2.17 Humility thy honour To do good thy riches and treasure to be Religious thy business and to rejoyce in God thy highest pleasure Doth the peace of God which passeth all understanding keep thy mind and heart Pâ— 4.7 Art thou above the threats the contempt the hatred the oppression the enmities and affronts of this evil world Above thine own and other mens passions and peevish affections So that thou returnest good for evil kindness for injuries and prayers for curses Is that sweet thing that heavenly love to all thy Brethren the darling of thy bosome which is the very joy of Heaven Then the Angels give thee joy of an happy resurrection and ascension with Christ Jesus He hath made thee already to fit with him in heavenly places Eph. 2.6 The day star is risen in thy heart foretelling thy approaching glory Thou beholdest the morning of eternal joy the dawning of the day of recompences And thou mayest rest assured that God will not leave thee in the grave nor suffer thee for ever to see corruption but it shall deliver thee into the arms of thy Lord 1 Cor. 15.53 2 Cor. 5.4 and corruption shall put on incorruption and this mortality be swallowed up of life Nay thou mayst now triumph and say I am an heir an heir of God Rom. 8.17 and joynt-heir with Christ who hath also given me the earnest of the inheritance Eph. â— 14 For he hath formed already a model of the heavenly Sanctuary within thy breast where Christ Jesus himself is enthroned and the name of God is continually honoured and glorified And therefore thou mayst humbly conclude in the words of Jesus Joh. 12.32 If God be glorified in me God shall also glorifie me in himself And O that the Father of glory would be pleased more and more to enlighten the eyes of our understanding Ephes 1.17 18 19 20. that we may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in Heavenly places c. Amen The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward O Most Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty who art to be most humbly adored worshipped and admired but thy perfections no tongue can express and thou art above the thoughts of the highest and purest of all Creatures They all give glory to thee in their several kinds and declare thy power thy greatness thy wisdom and goodness which spreads it self throughout the world Psal 113.3 4. From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Lords name is to be praised For the Lord is high above all Nations and his glory above the Heavens They sound continually with the praises which the holy Angels give thee who know thee better than we that are shut up in houses of clay and can see but little of thy glory And yet thou art pleased not only to admit but to invite us to lift up our hearts unto thee and unite them with that Heavenly company in rendring thee our poor praises and thanks which are infinitely below thee Accept Good Lord of such as I have to give and inspire me graciously from above with such a sense of thy goodness that I may offer thee an heart full of love which may be ever making grateful acknowledgments unto thee I bless thee that thou hast made man such a noble Creature capable to look back to thee the Author of his being and to be happy in loving thee and bearing a likeness to thee O how great was thy goodness that when he forgot thee that formed him and lightly esteemed thy love and favour thou wouldest not call him out of thy care but mercifully and speedily madest a promise of a Redeemer to him I thank thee O God that in the fulness of time thou hast sent him thy only begotten Son into the world not only to converse lovingly with us as our Friend and Brother but also to die for us and to die the accursed death of the Cross Who can understand the greatness of thy love O blessed Jesus that would hang in such shame and pain and bleed to death and lie in the Grave for us wretched sinners And the greatness of thy love O Father of mercies who hast raised him again from the dead and exalted him with thy right hand to the Throne of Glory in the Heavens and given him a name above every name Phil. 2.9 10 11. that at the name of Jesus every knee might bow both of things in Heaven and things on Earth and things under the Earth and that every tongue might confess that Jesus is the Lord to thy glory I confess his Sovereign power and authority whom the Angels worshipped and adored and I give glory to thee O Father of all who hast made him head of the Church Ephes 1.22 23. which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Glory be to thee O Lord most high who hast put all things under his feet and made Angels themselves to be ministring Spirits Heb. 1.14 sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation Glory be to thee Acts 3.26 who hast sent him to bless us in turning every one of from our iniquities 5.32 and hast made him a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins and made him able to save them to the uttermost that come unto thee by him Heb 7.25 27. seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them To thy eternal praise and glory be it remembred that we have such an High-Priest Heb. 8.1 who is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens who needeth not daily to offer up Sacrifice but hath done it once when he offered up himself I bless thee that thou hast now admitted me to partake of that Sacrifice which is able to perfect for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 And that to the blessings of thy house thou hast added also those of my own Thou feedest not my
holy Name Let the wise man if he please glory in his wisdom and the rich man glory in his riches and the mighty man in his great strength But I will glory in this that I understand and know thee that thou art the Lord the God and Father of Jesus Christ Jer. 9.23 24. which exercises loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the Earth for in these things are thy delight I will glory in this that I am the Disciple and Heir of the crucified Jesus that I know the power of his Resurrection Phil. 3.10 and the fellowship of his Sufferings that he hath made a new Covenant with us of grace mercy and peace that we have received the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 whereby we call him Father and that I am taken into the fellowship of the Saints and have hope to be numbered with them in glory everlasting I will send up my heart to Heaven where he is in holy love and engage my self to be ever mindful of his Covenant especially of that new Commandment to love one another even as he hath loved us By this shall all men know that I am his Disciple because I love the Brethren Ephes 4.4 5 6 7 8 c. For there is one Body and one Spirit even as we are called in one hope of our calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all Who gave to every one grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And he gave some Apostles blessed be his bounteous goodness and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the fulness of Christ From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and coâ—â—acted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh encrease of the body unto the edifying of it self in love The Prayer before O Lord who livest for ever and changest not Whose power made me and all the world before whom the whole world is as a little grain of a ballance Wis 11.22 or a drop of the morning dew that falleth on the Earth Whose wisdom governs and orders all things both in heaven and earth whose goodness and bounty provides constantly for their comfortable support under whose Soveraign and everlasting dominion we live and unto whom we owe all homage service and fidelity which ought most readily and heartily to be paid by every one of us I adore thee in the humblest reverence of my Soul and body I acknowledge my dependance on thee and subjection to thee I desire above all things to live in thy fear and in thy love and obedience as long as I have any being Blessed be thy goodness that I may love thee and that I am alive to worship and acknowledg thee Blessed be thy goodness that thou hast not been provoked to cut me off in my forgetfulness of thee nor now to open the gates of death for me and command me to dwell in silence but the doors of thy house that I may enter in and praise thy holy Name To thee belongs all blessing honour worship and service to me nothing but shame and confusion of face which ought to cover me when I approach thy presence I thank thee most humbly for the good news thou hast sent us that thou art in thy Son Christ 2 Cor. 5.19 reconciling the world to thy self I rejoyce in thy love who hast delivered him up for our offences Rom. 4.25 and raised him from the dead for our justification that we may know thou hast accepted of his death as a sufficient satisfaction for us and believe that all his words are faithful and true and that we shall be accepted in thy beloved I thank thee O God that thou hast exalted him to sit in thy throne of glory that he may be able to perform his own promises and enable us to obey his Commands That thou hast given us such good hope in thee by patient continuance in well doing to come to the resurrection of the dead and to be made partakers of life immortal Blessed be the Lord for the assurance we have of this that we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour by the descent of the Holy Ghost which is the earnest of that eternal bliss that thou hast sent thine Apostles to preach the Gospel to every creature and that when they went forth thou wroughtest with them Mark 16. ult confirming their word with signs following and that I my self have felt the effects of his royal power in the heavens by the breathings of thy holy Spirit in my heart perswading me to love thee and thy Son Jesus who hath shown all long-suffering towards me and waited with great patience upon me that I might return to thee and live I thank thee O Lord and desire to be admitted to thy holy Table that I may thank thee better and renew my acknowledgments to thee in the most solemn manner laying my self at thy feet to tender thee my hearty service resigning my self to thy will recommending Soul and body to thy wisdom submitting to thy government approving all thy laws and devoting my self to the constant observance of them I hope thou wilt mercifully accept and own me in all these acts and stand by me to guide assist and encourage me and to work in me whatsoever is well pleasing in thy sight That I may be such an one as thou canst love and delight in and reward and I desire nothing else in heaven or in earth I do most freely give my self up to the conduct of the Holy Ghost and stedfastly depend on thee for its continual presence with me to possess my mind with such a strong sense of these things which it hath revealed unto us that they may operate powerfully on my will and affections and make them conformable unto Christ O that by walking in love and shewing all meekness to all men by patience and peaceableness gentleness and goodness uprightness and fidelity temperance and moderation contentedness and joy in every state and condition and by all other fruits of the spirit I may so resemble my blessed Lord and Master Jesus that I may nothing doubt to bear the image of his glory in heaven as I bear the image of his holiness here on earth O that the eyes of my understanding may be opened more and more to see the wondrous things which thou hast written to us in thy Gospel that apprehending and believing and following the wisdom given to us by thine Apostles through the
preserved pure and undefiled as the Temples of the Holy Ghost it may be my constant guide strength and comfort and lead me safely through all the difficulties and dangers of this world the enticements of the flesh and the crafts and subtilties of the Devil to a place of peace and safety in the regions above where I may for ever dwell in thy love and sing thy praise O that all the people did praise thee O God that all the people did praise thee That the whole Earth were filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea and all those that know thee did walk worthy of thee as children of the light and of the day having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Bless thy Church planted in these Islands that we may not receive in vain that grace bringing Salvation 2 Cor. 6.1 Tit. 2.11 12. which hath appeared to us teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world But from the highest to the lowest have grace Heb. 12.28 whereby we may serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear Comfort all my Friends forgive all my Enemies relieve those that are in any misery draw all sinners to repentance and help all good men to perfect holiness in thy fear that at last with one consent we may all unite our hearts and tongues in thy everlasting praises Now the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God 2 Cor. 13. ult and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with us all Amen November The Meditation before WIth what wonder and admiration do we entertain those things which are strange and unusual The very news of them carries great numbers to see them and the sight of them fixes their eyes on them as if they could never have enough of them Behold here the wonder of wonders which thou art called to see and seed thine eyes and heart withal God is come to dwell in Flesh This flesh is made a sacrifice for the sins of the world And he invites thee now to a Feast upon that Sacrifice that thou mayest dwell in him and he in thee O marvellous love what eyes ever saw such a sight as the Son of God dying on a Cross The only begotten of the Father bleeding as a malefactor The glorious King of Heaven laying down his life freely for his own subjects Rebels I should have called them and enemies to him Where are all my thoughts Where is my admiration What is become of my love Whither are all my desires gone It will be a new wonder if they do not all assemble themselves together at the commemoration of such love which doth me the grace to make me partaker of that Body and Bloud which was so offered up to God Strange that my thoughts should be so heavy and my affections so cold that my hunger and thirst should be no more excited at the very motion to go to the house of God to make a thankful remembrance of his death We think the Angels lead an happy life in their blessed employment of giving continual Praises to God why do I not go then with a more forward joy into the Courts of the Lord to do this in remembrance of Christ which those Heavenly creatures do not do For he hath not taken hold of the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 but of the seed of Abraham for whom he hath prepared also this Sacred food of which they never tasted Vnto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son Heb. 1.5 13 this day have I begotten thee or sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy foot-stool Art thou not desirous of honour and greedy of gainful preferment Art thou not prone to seek great things for thy self What greater honour or dignity can there be than to be so nearly related to the Lord of all to be members of him that is Head of all Principalities and Powers Behold the treasures of grace and glory which he offers thee and by these signs of his Body and Bloud would make over to thee Is not Love the very life and Soul of the World Is it not the â—oy and satisfaction of hearts Behold here the worthiest object of it that ever was See how he would fill and possess thy whole Soul with perfect contentment And lest thou shouldest be so unhappy as not to dwell in love see how he would engage thee by these bonds in which thou â—rt going to tye thy self to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul and strength and thy neighbour as thy self How doth he comply with thy most natural inclinations How doth he study to gratifie thee in thy most noble desires Call up thy best and purest thoughts Strain thy self to the heighth of admiration Endeavour to forget all other things and only to look at present upon Jesus If any thing can make thee love God it must be his love If any thing can make thee hate sin it must be this Sacrifice for it If any thing can make thee willing and obedient â—it must be his obedience to the death Think then when thou comest into his presence that thou seest him hanging on his Cross Think thou seest him spreading out his arms and resigning himself to the will of God That thou beholdest hiâ— gaping wounds and the Bloud trickâ—ling down his Sacred body That thou hearest him cry unto thee Did I not love thee when I bled to death for thee Did I not love thee when I endured this painâ— and sorrow to redeem thee Could I do more than give my self to deliver thee from death and open the Kingdom of Heaven and Eternal life And then what heart iâ— there that need be taught what it should say and what it should do on this occasion Who can refrain himself from giving blessing and praise and glory in the highest to him Who can want thanks to render him for such invaluable benefits Oâ— find in his heart to deny him his serviceâ— Nay who would not rejoyce to think oâ— serving one that hath merited thus of him and intends to reward his duty with that very glory which the Father hath given him Our Lord cannot but expect to see thy mind fraught with Heavenly thoughts and a most high esteem of him thy hearâ— mighty full of love and vows and resolutions ready to be presented to him thy will bowing and submitting it self wholly to his disposal And to all such he saith by his Ministers Come to my Supper for all things are ready Come and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort Rejoyce with me and be exceeding glad for I love you and will love you to the end The Prayer before O Most holy Lord of Heaven and earth the greatest and most desirable good the only rest and satisfaction of our souls Whom to know is the beginning of life whom