with thy God we are to attend the House of Prayer frequent the Sacrament and be holy in all manner of Conversation If we want to be informed in any thing let us have recourse to our Pastor that he may satisfie our Consciences I would advice that our Confession be made to some discreet Minister for 't is a great sign of our Repentance when we are thus willing to take shame to our selves besides 't will be a greater restraint-upon us We shall be affraid to join in the next Temptation when we know we must confess it 't is the depravedness of our Nature to be affraid rather of Men than God We are not scrupulous to do those things in private which we cou'd not do before Men 't is seldom that Companions in Wickedness will suffer one another to be Witnesses of their shame so easie is it to be affraid to confess what we don't blush to commit but this I leave to every Man's Conscience but let him have a care he don't deceive his own Soul We shall be tortured to little purpose to put our selves upon mock Repentances and when our Confessions come willfully short of our sins we willfully exclude our selves from the Favour and Mercy of God 't will be a sad remembrance at the last day to think 't was in our power to be Happy that we were not far from the Kingdom of Heaven and yet must fall short of the Glory of God To prevent which let us deal Faithfully with our Souls when we think we stand be careful we don't fall and having begun our course to continue to our lives end that we may be saved When we come abroad into the World there is a necessity we set a watch over ourselves we must expect to be attack'd if we can bear the first assault the rest will fall by degrees and every Temptation be less powerful when we are first tempted let us remember that this is the very thing that has cost us so much trouble which we vow'd to resist which is our mortal Enemy and which will set us at a greater variance with God How can we do this thing and sin against Heaven Let us Remember this is the first Tryal if we submit how can we think to prevail another time the next Temptation may have a better appearance There may be a Thousand things to render it more taking and so by degrees we shall be brought to our old state and the last condition will be worse than the first We must not allow our selves in the Commission of any one known sin we must resist the beginning we must not suffer our selves to think upon old Habits but with abhorrence for 't is not only a sin but will endanger us to fall back If we take pleasure in their remembrance the Devil wont fail to excite our delight by adding some new relish to make them more acceptable if we would shun the danger we must avoid the occasion and then need not fear being led into Temptation But there is a greater motive yet we must remember we are but beginning and to look back at the first step is such a piece of folly that every body must be ashamed of Sure none can be so unreasonable to desire it should be reckoned among their good Deeds that they only thought of Repentance if we are truly sensible of our sins we shall be very desirous to get rid of them We are taught there is no way but by coming to Christ they that come unto him must do the Will of his Father to those he gives power to become the Sons of God the Children of God are manifest they that do wickedness are not of God Let us endeavour therefore to add to our Repentance Obedience that acceptable Sacrifice and be forward in all the duties of Christianity that so we may approve our selves in well doing for 't is the will of the Lord that we add to our Faith Vertue and when we have tryed our selves that we can resist Temptation and are ready to Good Works let us then prepare to meet the Lord at his Holy Table that we may receive Grace and Strength to walk in the same all the days of our lives This is the great duty of the New Law and there needs no arguments to bring those to the Sacrifice who are sensible of their necessities or are desirous of growing better Our Church has taken care to instruct every Christian how he may become a worthy Receiver by telling him first what he ought to Believe and then what he ought to Practice I shall content my self with the method of the Church in both these Cases and recommend it to those who are desirous to be inform'd Bread and Wine is what the Lord has commanded to be received and the Church has told us that they signifie the Body and Blood of Christ which are verily and indeed taken by the Faithful and the benefits are the strengthning and refreshing of our Souls This is what we are positively to believe and when we can give our intire assent let us according to the Direction of the Church examine our selves whether we repent truly of our former sins steadfastly purposing to lead a new Life have a lively Faith in God's mercy through Jesus Christ with a thankful Remembrance of his Death and be in Charity with all Men. This is in short the Duty of every Communicant and no Man who would come to the Lord's Supper worthily can leave out any of these things instead of a great many Arguments I must press the observance of them 'T is the misfortune of a great many to think they have discharged their Duty if they can use so much Self-denial as to refrain from their usual excess a week before the Sacrament say the Morning and Evening Devotion and bring themselves to confess they are sorry for what upon a little Examination they find a miss This they think is Repentance enough and because their Book finds no more work for them set down well satisfied with their performance They seem willing to compound the matter with God Almighty confess themselves Bank-rupt and desire to be set free for paying half Tribute They have their set times for Devotion are content to be Fools for three Weeks and then set down to make up the Month the other week and confess their Folly Thus for one weeks Pennance think God is obliged to be reconciled and because they have the impudence to wipe their Mouth conclude God will think they have done no ill but we can't deceive God where 't is to be had he will exact the uttermost Farthing let our Consciences be our Judges and our Guides Use Books only as helps to Devotion for 't is impossible for a Book to be writ to suit every Man's occasion there is something particular to every one of us that another perhaps never thought of and 't is not likely such a one is capable to prescribe a Remedy before hand
are in league with the Devil for so every one is that has not been heartily sorry for his sins and seriously intended a reformation of his Life we must not think our selves perfect because our affections are raised and we seem to have a zeal for the Glory of God for no one can approach this solemnity without transport if we examined our selves before entertained Resolutions of Repentance and come with Faith and Humility though during the Celebration of these Mysteries we had Wandrings evil Thoughts and Disturbances yet if we struggled with them then and are sorry for them now God will receive us into his favour therefore 't is very necessary we should now call our selves to an account be sorry for the ill and bless God for the good which may properly be done in the following form A Prayer at Night BLessed be thy glorious Name O Lord for all thy unspeakable Mercies to me and all the World I adore and magnifie thee for thy great goodness in giving thy Son to die for me and making me partaker of his blessed Body and Blood O Lord what is Man that thou regardest him Or what am I a vile and wretched sinner that thou shouldest be thus favourable to me thou hast been pleased to admit me to renew that Covenant with thee which I had broken and to give me assurance of thy readiness to pardon so vile and great a Sinner as I have been I have received the pledges of thy love and been admitted to thy Holy Table I have there devoted my self again unto thee I have vowed Obedience and after the most solemn manner consecrated my self to thy service Thou art a God that knowest the heart and art not to be mocked I tremble when I consider thy infinit Power Wisdom and Holiness let these thoughts beget in my Soul a great fear of thy Name and care to perform thy Will Grant I may not turn the Grace of thee my God into wantonness and that I may not receive thy grace in vain O Lord help thy Servant keep the possession of my Soul which I have unfeignedly surrendred up to thee O pardon the defect I have been guilty of in the performance of the duties of this day and unite my heart O'Lord to sear thy Name grant that I may spend the remainder of my time in obedience to thee and in acts of Charity to my Brethren create a clean heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me guide me by thy Counsel and at last receive me to thy Glory I do greatly desire the Salvation of Mankind and humbly represent to thy Divine Majesty the glorious sacrifice which our dearest Jesus made of himself upon the Cross and by a never ceasing intercession now exhibits to thee in Heaven in the Office of an Eternal Priesthood in behalf of all that have communicated this day in the divine Mysteries in all the Congregations of the Christian World in behalf of them that desire to communicate and are hindred by any accident sear or the sentence of their own Consciences Give unto me O God and unto them a portion of all good Prayers which are made in Heaven and Earth the intercession of our Lord and the supplications of all thy servants unite us in the band of the common Faith and a holy Charity I humbly commend to thee this Church and Kingdom all our superiors in Church or State have mercy upon all states of Men and Women give thy grace speedily to all wicked persons especially those that I have tempted to sin that they may repent live well and be saved to all good people give an increase of Gifts and Holiness to all Scismaticks and Hereticks grant conversion and to all that have erred from the Truth bring thou into the right way O merciful God I humbly pray unto thee in vertue of our Holy Saviour to grant unto us all the graces of an excellent and perfect Repentance an irreconcilable hatred of sin a love of thee an exact imitation of the Holiness of the Blessed Jesus fox the sake of the Sacrifice of thy Eternal Son O Heavenly Father let it be because it is best and because thou lovest it should be so Amen O God the Father of Heaven whose mercy is over all the World I am infinitly pleas'd to behold thy Glory and to hear the praises which thou hast gotten by thy mercy to poor sinners and I could even pour out my Soul in the manifestation of that joy which my heart conceives at thy universal Honour wherefore I will praise thee by Acknowledgments bless thee with Hymns worship thee with the lowest Reverence and glorifie thee to the utmost of my Power I will give thanks unto thee with all my Soul for thy Pitty Patience and Mercy towards thy unworthy and miserable Creatures How shall I express thy welcome into my Soul blessed Jesus Or how shall I celebrate thy Praises I will remember what thou art in thy self and what thou hast done for us O thou Eternal and only begotten Son of God equal to the Father who art thy self both Lord and God How lovely art thou O thou innocent Lamb of God encircled with Millions of redeemed Souls whom thou hast washed in thy Blood O how illustrious a Brightness shines round thee whilst thou art in the midst of all thy happiness interceeding for poor Sinners I adore thee and long to do thee Honour my Lord and my God hear then my importunate supplications and enable me to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. BLessed Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith who art the same Yesterday as to Day and for ever thou hast given Spiritual means to those that fear thee and wilt ever be mindful of thy covenant but my goodness is as a morning Cloud which soon passeth away my Devotion fleeth like a shadow and never continueth in one stay Oh do thou establish me with thy free Spirit that I may not so easily forfeit my Comfort forget my Duty and break my Vows how unwearied art thou dearest Saviour in doing well unto me How constant is thy Love and shall I be so ungrateful to thee so cruel to my self as to forsake thee and my own Happiness I fear the Power and Policy of mine Enemies I do with shame and sorrow call to mind my former returns to folly I most passionately entreat thee not to leave me to my self I have through thy goodness now obtained some measure of Peace my Eyes are enlightned my Heart revived and my purposes seem to be sincere give me thy grace therefore that I may be able to perform whatsoever I have promised that I may be steadfast unmovable always abounding in thy work O Lord let me hold fast that which I have and daily strive to gain more make me faithful to Death that thou mayest give me a Crown of Life Now the God of Peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ that great Shepherd of the Sheep
Glory can intend by puzelling themselves and every Body else with their pretentions to more Reason than God has given them I can't imagine unless under the disguise of Charity to our Reason they would subvert our Religion and by pretending to bring the sublime Truths of God's Word to our understanding they would Ridicule the hidden things of God and so open a way for Atheism and Insidellity by denying first that there is any thing which our reason can't comprehend and then that there is nothing in the Scripture but what can easily be understood This is to make our Reason not the Scripture a rule of Salvation and when once our sense is to judge of these Divine Truths all of them that we can give a Mathematical Account of must be rejected And yet that there are such truths of which they can have no Idea is certain and after all they must own that either they are not to be understood and yet believed or else that they are Non-sence and contradiction which is an impudence they dare not publickly own and what would be fatal to their designs for the Socinian needs only appear in his proper Colour to make him abhor'd and rejected by all and lookt upon as an Enemy to God Religion and the common sence of Mankind But there is yet another sort who pretend an Obedience to the Gospel of Christ and yet make that easie rule of Salvation so confused and perplex'd that either they dare not or cannot give an account of their Faith Their principles if they have any are as unaccountable to themselves as to the World and they agree in nothing so much as to oppose the plain sense of the Scripture that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are positive Institutions the one to be perform'd by Water in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and the other by Bread and Wine in remembrance of our Saviour's Death and Sufferings are as plainly and positively commanded as any one thing in the Scripture That the Apostles and primitive Christians made it their Practise is capable of the same proof as the Scriptures themselves they went about Preaching the Lord Jesus and Baptising all that believed in his Name and the condition of Salvation in those days was Faith Repentance and Baptism that to strengthen People in their Faith they meet on the first day in the Week to break Bread and St. Paul is very careful to instruct our Behaviour that we might receive the Bread of the Lord worthily Yet notwithstanding this as if an aukerd Gravity and sullenness of Behaviour were to pass for Authority they pretend by a New Light to another understanding of the Scripture and impudently prevert that Sense which the Christian Church for 1600 Years and more submitted too So unwilling are they to go to Heaven in the steps of their Fathers that they prefer every wild Enthusiastick Notion to the written Word of God and so fearful of following the Examples of Tradition that each Man sets up for a Rule to himself they have no Priests as well as no Sacraments no settled constitution of a Church and are so little observers of St. Paul's Command to do all things with Decency and Order as if he did not speak it by the Spirit but to gratifie his own Superstition they live as if the Gospel was all Privilege and no Duty are Enemies to a form in Divine Worship and in spight of the Scripture which commands Women to be in silence will needs have them for Speakers among them thus do they play at cross purposes with the Word of God and by their Obstinancy and Fantasticalness make it of none effect But there is an Argument against them which they never thought fit to answer and till they can must be thought Enemies to the Gospel of Christ An Ordinance once enjoyn'd and never repeal'd is still in force but Baptism by Water was once enjoyn'd but never repeal'd Ergo and so of the Lord's Supper and what ever else is accounted an Ordinance in the Church of God and all that lies upon us to prove is That what we assert is an Ordinance and was enjoyn'd by lawful Authority and this is what the Scriptures prove themselves and what has been strengthen'd by the Arguments and Practise of the Church down to this day So that if there is any such thing as Unbelievers false Teachers and denyers of the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles we may find them in this wretched Sect of pretenders to Christianity But now among these who have no knowledge of the Truth or hold it in Unrighteousness or put Godliness into a Form to draw the ridicule and scorn of the World it s no wonder to meet with them Debauch'd or fill'd with Pride Conceit and Devillishness or Deceitful trusting in themselves Hypocrites turning the truth of God into a lie But that we who are Born in a Nation where the true Religion is Established by Law and have all the Advantages which God can give us to make us Happy Our Church teaching us the form of sound Words once deliver'd to the Saints and makes the Word of God her Rule of Faith the Example of the Apostles and Primitive Fathers her Guide and her constitution such as Decency directs that we in the midst of such assistances should fail of the end of Creation and in the spight of God's Grace and Mercy deprive our selves of everlasting Happiness by living in Disobedience to this Church in contradiction to the word of God and in defiance of what our reason tells us is both our interest and duty Whence is this hardness of heart that Men forget they were Baptised and live as if they never heard of Religion Let us all put the Question to our selves and see whether one Reason of this Stupidity and Wickedness is not from our Neglect in the Education of those committed to our Charge We are dedicated to God and Religion as soon as Born according to the command of our Saviour but since most of us are borought to the Church when through our tender Years we are not capable to judge nor perform what is required of us The Church according to an Ancient Prescription has appointed Sureties in our behalf they solemnly Engage for us till we come to an Age that we are able to take care of our selves Whence is it then that notwithstanding this Prudent care of the Church so few are bred up to those Pious Rules prescribed in our Baptism and how many less when they come to Age think themselves bound to perform what was vow'd in their Names Do they who are God-fathers perform their part Do they endeavor early to instruct their Children and inform them to what advantages they are Born that they promised by them who are their Sureties to perform their duty to God and their Neighbour that now they are able they are to be accountable for their own Actions and take upon them that Solemn Engagement to
to do good But these were the least of thy sufferings thy Love to this World urged thee on to greater difficulties and for which the whole host of Heaven must praise and adore thee to Eternity After thou hadst declared thy intention of coming to save Sinners and notwithstanding the opposition of Men and Devils didst deliver the Doctrine of Salvation to compleat thy Father's Will and fullfill the Scriptures concerning thee thou proceedest to give thy self a Sacrifice to attone for those Sins from which neither Men nor Angels were able to set us free Thy Life indeed was an intire piece of sorrow and thou always didst suffer by the contradiction of Sinners Thy works of Charity were received as unkindnesses and thy Miracles supposed to be the works of the Devil tho' thou spakest as never Man spake yet they rejected both thee and thy doctrine Thus didst thou endure those Affronts and Injuries which were never offer'd to any but thy self and with much pains yet admirable patience go on not only to confirm thy former goodness but to add a mercy greater than them all and seal it by thy precious Blood Here all our Thoughts ought to be Silence Amazement Reverence and Admiration with Tears of Love and Contrition that the Eternal Son of God to cloath us with his Grace should cloath himself with our humble Nature and presently load himself with the Burthen of our sins take upon him their punishment and die upon the Cross for them too That the cleansing of us should make him be defiled with the spittings of Blasphemous Mouths that for the washing our Souls he should shed his precious Blood This is a business more proper for our Love than Meditation more to make us active in his Service than Contemplative in our Thoughts and to be expressed more by our wonder than our word BUT O thou God of Mercy thou didst not leave us comfortless thou sawest how much reason we should have to Mourn Fast and Pray when the Bride-groom should be taken hence and therefore didst send thy Holy Spirit to assist us till thy coming again accomplish therefore the number of thine Elect and hasten thy Kingdom that we with all that are departed in thy Faith may have our perfect Consummation in Bliss Jesus my God give me Grace to be ready when soever thou callest that I may meet thee with thy Saints at thy second coming and be fit to enter with thee into thy Glory O My Soul take yet a fuller view of the loving kindness of the Lord consider the infinite compassion of thy Redeemer how great a regard he had to thy Safety when he was in view of his dreadful Passion for that very Night in which he was betrayed into the hands of sinful Men he instituted the Holy Sacrament left us his Body and Blood to be a continual remembrance of him O Infinite Charity which contentedst not thy self with being our Redemption unless thou also becomest our Nourishment O infinit Charity which knowing that our Offences wou'd Nail thee to the Cross wert yet providing a remedy for those Offences Lord is it thy custom to repay Benefits for Injuries Come hither ye Devout Souls bewail with me so great a Sin come Love with me so great a Love come with a Spiritual Hunger and offer up your hearts to receive that Divine Nourishment and prepare your Souls for this beloved Lord to Enter NO sooner had he finished this Holy Mystery but he yielded to be encompassed with the Sorrows of Death having first kindly cautioned his Disciples of the approaching Tragedy the time of which he had often told them was at hand the Shepherd was to be smitten and the Flock scatter'd abroad They had hitherto reposed their confidence in his Protection and had all their safety from him but the time was coming when they too must drink of the Cup which was now preparing for him and that they might be encouraged to follow his blessed steps he first set them the Example of his patience that they might submit with the greater Resignation this was his time of Suffering for them and he only would have them see how willingly he would lay down his life for their Sakes they might surely resist unto Blood when he had trod the dreadful path before them but we find his Sufferings came on too fast and were too severe for them to behold That stout Champion who had formerly confessed him to be Christ and was for dying with him cou'd follow him now but a far off His Agony in the Garden was but the beginning of Sorrows he there saw his Passion but at a distance though that cast him upon his Knees and betrayed the Horrors his Soul laboured under Our sins were pressing upon him and he who knew no sin began to feel the weight of ours and the Wrath of God which was due to us for ever Where O my Soul behold him prostrate on the Ground his Nature racked with an insupportable Amazement and the stream of his Blood turned a contrary course forcing it self through the pores of his Body and his Humanity sunk by an extremity of Sorrow to the Gates of Death He had no sooner overcome this terrible Conflict but behold the fatal Messengers of his Afflictions ready to apprehend him his own familliar Friend who had eat of his Bread conducting them to the place where he was This was their hour and he was to suffer even for the ingratitude of his Murderers he finds himself now forsaken as well as betrayed by his Friends and they who could not watch for his safety could now fly for their own Thus desolate and helpless was the innocent Lamb of God exposed to the extravigance of a Blood Thirsty People who came upon him with Sword and Staves but there was little need of Guards to secure one who was so willing to obey their Summons tho' their strength and number cou'd not add Resolution to their Guilt for his own Confession that I am He aw'd them into a Reverence made them go Backward and fall to the Ground But now he lays aside his Majesty and submits to their Rage who with Infamy and Derision drag'd him to the Judgment Seat Where though their Malice was great enough to say any thing cou'd not make their accusations agree they laid to his Charge things that he never said nor did yet that with the Voices of the chief Priests must prevail and though the judge declared him Guiltless yet the People had among them a Law by which he ought to die Even to this he opened not his Mouth but submitted to all that their Revenge Impudence and Cruelty cou'd invent Since he had profest himself their King they were resolved not to lead him to Execution before they Cloathed him with Vestments of Derision Crown him with a Diadem of Affliction and put the Scepter of Weakness into his Hand they Bow the Knee before him Salute him King and to fill up their Ingratitude
frustrate thy Mercies to me and since thou hast appointed this Spiritual Feast for rich and famished Souls let my desires be answerable to my need of it and do thou qualifie me by thy Grace to receive the full benefits of it O Christ hear me and grant that I may approach thee with more sincere and fixed Reasolutions of an intire Reformation and let me receive such strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many old Habitual Diseases my Soul groans under and though I lie never so long at the pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy Table unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing Vertue they will still remain uncured O thou Blessed Physician of Souls heal me and grant I may so touch thee that there lothsome Issues may immediately stanch that these Sicknesses may not be unto Death but to the Glory of thy Mercy in pardoning so polluted a Wretch Lord have Mercy on me and grant I may approach thy Holy Table with such Humlity and Contrition Love and Devotion that thou mayest vouchsafe to come unto me and communicate to me thy self and all the Merits of thy Passion I acknowledge to my shame and sorrow that this Feast has often been prepared and I have with frivolous excuses absented my self or if I have come it has been rather to defy than adore thee I have brought such Troops of thy professed Enemies unrepented sins along with me as if I came not to commemorate but renew thy Passion of what punishment ought I to be thought worthy who have trampled under foot the Son of God counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing by defiling my self with sensual pleasures and breaking my holy Vows since I received the blessed Sacrament and thereby have incurred the greatest danger by receiving that Unworthily which can take away the guilt of my Sin yet O merciful Jesus this Blood is my only refuge let this make my attonement or I perish Eternally Wherefore didst thou shed it but to save Sinners O let me find its saving Efficacy let not the price of thy Blood be utterly lost but Pardon that heap of sin which I bring to thy Cross to be forgiven that so I may be an acceptable Guest at thy Holy Table which I beg for thy Compassion Sake Jesus my God and Saviour BLessed and all sufficient Saviour I the unworthiest of thy Servants prostrate my self at thy Mercy Seat humbly imploring that Pardon and Forgiveness of my multiplied Transgressions which render me unfit to receive the least of thy multiplied Kindness much less of being made a partaker of the greatest in the participation of the Sacred Body and Blood in the Holy Communion Dear Redeemer let me approach this Divine Institution with a prepared Heart and a purified Soul O that infinite Justice of the Almighty in taking so full vengeance upon sin even upon thee his only beloved Son that we might fear and tremble at the sad Effects of sin O the infinite Mercy of the Almighty ever to think of such a remedy for miserable Man's Restoration O the equal Goodness of thee our dearest Lord who wast a willing Sacrifice who wast Content Ambitious Hungring and thirsting after our Salvation by thy dreadful Passion for which let me how my self at the Footstool of thy Cross and mourn for thy Sufferings as occasioned by my Sins O let the drops of thy Blood trickle down into my Bosom and wash out the stains of sin there let thy Thorns pierce me to the Heart and thy Nails fasten me to thee as much as ever they did thee to the Cross Thou that didst entertain Judas with Tranquility and sufferest him to kiss thy Cheek reject not me thy unworthy supplicant but kiss me with the Benediction of thy Lips and with the Affections of a Saviour thou that dist permit the Soldiers to bind thee to satisfie for my looseness and abused liberty bind me now unto thee with the Chains of Love let that Holy Union dissolve the Cords of Vanity and subdue my Passions and unruly Desires Dearest Lord as in my Body of sin there is no part free so in thy suffering Body there was no whole part nothing but Sores and Stripes Wounds and Bruises I have offended in all my parts thou wast tormented in all thine so that with shame and sorrow I confess that my sins inflicted the misery of thy Passion by the hands of thy barbarous Enemies O let the Spear that pierced thy Heart sweetest Jesus pierce mine with true Sorrow let me contemplate on thy Passion with infinite hatred of sin that occasioned it and with infinite gratitude to thy Love for performing the same I adore thee O Lord Blessed Jesus for instituting the Holy Sacrament strike an awe into my Soul when I approach it and create in me Heavenly dispositions to celebrate so Heavenly an institution let me verily believe that if with due preparation I come to thy Altar as certainly as I receive the outward sings so certainly shall I receive thy most blessed Body and Blood to receive which inestimable Blessing O merciful Lord do thou fit and prepare me for thy mercy sake in Christ Jesus our Lord. O All sufficient Saviour teach me by thy great good Examples Obedience and Submission to thy Divine Will I humbly beseech thee so to prepare my Soul to the due receiving of the Holy Sacrament worthily that I may thereby effectually feel tast and feed on thee my Saviour Christ that I may be thee have Eternal Life Pardon O Lord pardon my unpreparedness to come to so Holy and Divine a Mistery make thy Word and Sacrament always so powerful and effectual in my Heart that I may thereby be sanctified and renewed unto all Holy Obedience unto thy Will in the mortification of my sinful Corruptions renewing of thy perfect Image in me unto Holiness Righteousness Sobriety Truth Knowledge Faith Temperance and Chastity O Blessed Jesus by thee let me have access to thy Heavenly Father that by thee he may accept me who by thee is revealed to me let thy Innocence and Purity procure pardon for my uncleanness and disobedience let thy Humility extinguish my Pride and Vanity and thy Charity cover the multitude of my Faults and that thou wilt with the hands of thy Mercy immediately after this life receive my Soul into everlasting Joy and Felicity there to Reign with thee for ever A Concluding Prayer O Lord God into thy hands I commit my Body Soul and Spirit my Thoughts Words and Works desiring wholly to be thine O my God Gracious and Merciful accept me in thy beloved Jesus Christ for his sake let me not go from before thee without a Blessing a Blessing of Pardon and Peace a Blessing of thy Spirit and of thy Grace to come Holy to thy Table a Blessing of thy favour and of thy love in the Lord Jesus thus Lord say of me that thou hast Blessed me and I shall be
a burning affection open thou the Flood-gates of my Eyes and open thou my Lips that my Mouth may shew forth thy praise O my gracious God unless thou interpose thy power I am very much affraid I shall not keep this little goodness till the next morning which now seems to be in me These weak Thoughts these faint Desires and sickly Affections that are in my Soul I doubt will not live a Night unless thou find ways to preserve and cherish them my inveterate Habits of Evil will smother and choak these new Resolutions I am in fear that all these Meditations will be flown away while I am a sleep and my House be foul again unless thou keep me Ah! my dear God seeing I have bestowed some small pains upon my heart and have conceived some little hopes suffer them not to be dash'd to pieces in a Night spread the Wings of thy goodness over me and maintain that which not I but thou thy self hast wrought Lord let me find when I awake that my afflections and desires are grown beyond the strength of Man and that thy power rest upon me Oh! let me find a greater fervor than ever in thy Service let that spark which I fear would go out be blown into a Flame that will never expire so shalt thou draw mine Eyes towards thy self alone who workest such wonders and my Lips shall ever flow with thy Praises Lord if I may beg this Grace of thee I am verily perswaded I shall languish after none but thee therefore my good Lord I leave my self in thy hands hoping that either I am or would be such as thou desirest and if I am arrived but as far as a Will and Desire to be thine that Will is thine and therefore seeing the Will is mine too and we both conspire together I take the boldness to say Lord let thy will be done Oh! sweet Saviour I was going to say I am sick of Love that I cannot love except thou love me and make me better but I correct my self and 't is enough if I be sick because I cannot love thee Do thou make me sick or rather do thou make me well with love unto thee so shall I come to thy Table with Joy and Gladness hoping that thou wilt kiss me with the Benediction of thy Lips for thy love is better than Wine draw me and I will run after thee yea we will run after thee for I will proclaim to others the loving kindness of the Lord Amen Devotions for the Day we intend to Communicate IT well becomes a Christian's Piety to welcome the day which brings our Saviour so near to us with acts of Joy and Thnaksgiving for the approach of so great a Blessing And since one Night may breed too great a damp and chilness upon our Spirits it will be very wholesome to renew those Thoughts and Affections that we left there when we went to Bed and so go to the house of God in a sense of our unworthiness to entertain so glorious a Person and in a sense of sin which is the cause of that unworthiness together with a joy in our Souls and Praises upon our Tongues that he will forgive them humbly desiring of the Lord that he will accept of us for his Habitation and that he will come and enlarge our Souls by a holy Love to him and longing after him that there may be room for his Sacred Majesty and a place clean and dressed to receive him In order hereunto as soon as we awake let us adore that Sacred Majesty of Heaven in the following Ejaculation A Prayer O Merciful God as thou hast awakened my Body from sleep so by thy Grace awaken my Soul from sin that I may appear before thee this day at thy Holy Altar with a pure and undefiled Soul O Jesus cloth me with the Wedding Garments of Righteousness and true Holiness that being a worthy Receiver of thy Body and Blood I may continue steadfast to my lives end and at the last Trump according to thy Blessed Promise be made a pertaker of thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen The solemnity of this day requires a most exact attendance in the service of God all our affections should be so imployed that even the necessaries of this life ought not to incumber our Souls or take off those Holy Meditations which should be inseperate to our Minds much more should we dispence with things of less moment and therefore however we indulge our selves at other times let us now take leave of our Bed and prepare to meet our God with humble Addresses and rising with a thinkful acknowledgment for the Mercies of the Night past let us say Glory be to thee O Lord for watching over me this Night Lord raise me up at the last day to life everlasting In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified for me I arise he by his cross and Passion save bless and preserve me this day and for ever Amen As soon as we are Dressed let us retire unto our Closet and before we prostrate our selves at the Throne of Grace exercise our Thoughts a little upon the approaching Solemnity and reflect upon our base ingratitude consider how infinitly unworthy we are of such an inestimable benefit and then let us adore that inexpressible Goodness which gives us so glorious an opportunity of waiting on our loving Lord at his Holy Altar after such a religious confusion of Soul let us humble our selves and say Good Lord pardon thy servant why endeavours to prepare his heart to seek thee though I be not cleansed according to the Purification of the Sanctuary A Prayer O Lord I do not presume to come to that great Feast of thy Body and Blood upon the least opinion of my own worthiness for when I look upon my self I dare not come least I should Eat and Drink my own Damnation but when I consider thy infinite Mercies unto us and thy own words calling all men without exception and knowing that thy crucified Body is not only food to nourish but Physick to cure I beg leave that am but Dust and Ashes to come to thy Holy Table and with my weak Faith to feed upon some Crumbs of the Bread of Life I confess O Lord I have no Wedding Garments on me but I come to seek them at thy Cross from thy bitter sorrows to derive into my Soul a Godly sorrow working an unfeigned Repentance from the broken Body a broken Heart from thy warm Blood flowing from thy wounded side Zeal and fervency that I may love and admire thee my God as I ought to do I come O Dear Jesus to fetch Humility and Temperance Chastity and Charity and whatever thou seest needful for me O bury all my sins in thy Grave my stony Heart my natural Corruptions and vile Affections I come O Lord to fetch a new life from thy Holy and Blessed Resurrection for I stand in amazement when I consider my own vileness and
Union but that being begun here in grace it be consummated in Glory Grant this O merciful Father for thy dear Sons sake Jesus Christ our Lord. ONce more O my Soul contemplate that thou art now a preparing thy self for that Divine Banquet which thy loving Lord instituted a little before those Sufferings and that Death before the breaking of his Body and the sheding of his Precious Sacred and Royal Blood which he declared to be signified by the breaking of the Bread and the pouring out of the Wine for he went that very Night into the Garden where his pious Soul apprehensive of Divine Wrath humbly addressed with reiterated supplications for Relief and being sensible of the miseries of Mankind pressing hard upon his spotless Soul the Torments of the approaching Cross the executing Terrors of the Powers of Darkness and the whole Artillery of an incensed God which he was in little time to graple with they shook his very Nature melted him into streams of Blood and so cast down his Spirits that nothing less than an Angel of the presence was able to mittigate the conflicts of this otherwise insupportable Agony These are but the beginning of Sorrows for no sooner then Mercy overcame the afflicting convulsion of his Soul who was sorrowful to Death but he began to fortifie his kind intentions to poor Man by that inexpressibly loving and unparallel'd Resignation to the will of his Heavenly Father he chearfully proceeded to offer up that Sacrifice which was to appease the Divine Justice for the iniquities of an impious World when after a most exemplary submission to the affronts and injuries of implacable Spirits the ingrateful Malice and supercillious Envy of those who thirsted for his Blood being despitefully abused afflicted and tormented denied by some forsaken by others desolate and comfortless in every sense truly a Man of sorrows was forced to add weight to his past Sufferings and bear the Cross of his own Crucifixion Where O my Soul behold by Faith the Lamb of God lifted up for the sins of the World O humble thy self into the center of thy own nothing for of what punishment oughtest thou to be thought worthy that hast so insensed the Majesty of Heaven to give up the innocent and most Holy Jesus thy best thy only Friend and his dear Son to be Tortured and Tormented for thy sins O how cruelly was he scourged with Wips wounded with Thorns loaden with the Cross torn with Nails pierced with a Spear and racked on the most painful instrument of Death his lovely Face defiled with Blood and Spitting his Ears fill'd with Upbraidings and Curses his Eyes drenched in Tears for the ruine of his Enemies and his Soul amazed at the Terrors of an angry God 'till at length all wounded broken and bloody with many groans yet with admirable patience he breaths out his Soul with infinite Charity and Forgiveness O holy Jesu how excellent is thy Goodness O ye blessed Host of Heaven who rejoice at the conversion of a sinner adore and praise that unknown sorrow which ye your selves contemplate with awful admiration I cannot doubt thy power to ease me because of these Suffrings of thy Love I must not question thy willingness who callest me of thy own accord nor dare I suspect thy sincerity who art Truth it self and always in earnest with poor sinners my Guilt has made me think to fly from thee but thy melting Voice has eneouraged me to turn to thee and laid me prostrate at thy feet groaning under my Offences but if thou wilt pitty me I am safe it thou art pleased I am eased if thou pardon me my burden is gone and if thou wilt take away this intollerable Lord I will then venture to draw nearer even to thy Altar O holy Jesu there to receive more refreshment from thy mercy Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy leaden and I will give you rest These are thy words O Christ for you hast spoken them and they are mine because spoken for my salvation O sweet and amiable words in the ear of a poor sinner by which thou invitest an indigent starv'd wretch to pertake of thy Body But who am I O Lord that I should come The Angels and Archangels reverence thee thy Saints and holy Ones fear before thee and yet thou sayest unto me come Unless thou hast said it who could have believed it to be true Unless thou hadst commanded it who durst have attempted this approach Does my Saviour invite and shall I go Shall a sinner dare to sit down at his Table Does he invite and shall I not go Shall a Wretch presume to refuse his Call Rise then my Soul and take thy swiftest wings and fly to the presence of this great Mystery A Feast of Holy Bread and Holy Wine in representation of thy sacred Body and blood where thy all glorious self is freely to the meanest guest a feast of peace and love and incomparable sweetness to which thy own blest mouth thus kindly callest us But stay am I dressed like a friend of the Bridegroom that I safely may come to the Marriage Supper have I considered how chast those eyes should be which go to behold the God of purity have I considered how clean that mouth should be which presumes to eat that Bread of Heaven but most how all caelestial that Soul should be which aspires to a union with the Body of Christ Oh! how poor and dull and empty am I how infinitly unworthy of so divine a Sacrament yet am I call'd by him that can Command by him that sees and pitties my misery he bids me come he surely will receive me and with his bounteous fullness supply my defects Go then my Soul to that sacred Table and take thy part of that delicious banquet go all inflamed with Love and joy and hope and quench thy holy Thirst with that spring of bliss when thou hast tasted his everlasting sweetness and feelest his heavenly streams flow gently on thee open thy happy breast and suck those Waters in and let them freely run over all thy powers Let them soak deep to the root of thy heart and turn thy barren heath into a fruitful soil fruitful in holy thoughts and pious words fruitful in good just and charitable Deeds fruitful in good examples and God of his infinite goodness confirm all this that my Soul may bless his holy Name here and with the whole host of Heaven sing Hallelujah to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for over hereafter Amen Our Father c. O Lord bless me and keep me this day O Lord make thy Face to shine upon me and be gracious unto me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace this day and for ever Amen The Blessings to be obtained and the sense of our Unworthiness which surely by this time is ingrafted in our hearts will inform us that each moment of this
day ought to be carefully employed and therefore in every interval when we can't be upon our knees let our holy Meditations carry us above the contemplations of this world and as this is a day of rejoicing in which our Souls are to be solaced with the ravishing sweet of so divine a repast let our Actions attest this inward satisfaction and shew in some sort by their humble demeanor that they are touched with a sense of those incomparable delights and can relinquish their sensual Enjoyments to attend the Devotions of their better part After we have thus discharged our Duties in private let us prepare for our more solemn Devotions in the House of God In our way thither let us endeavour to get stronger apprehensions of God and the invisible Majesty that dwells there Let us strengthen our Faith by a positive belief of the presence of the Most High and this will occasion a holy Awe and Reverence when we enter the Church and cause us to say with humility Surely the Lord is in this place How dreadful is this place This is none other but God's house This is the Gate of Heaven As soon as we are placed in our seats it will become us to bow our selves before the Lord and in humility of Soul to offer up our Petitions to the Father of Heaven A Prayer O Most gracious and merciful Lord thou hast call'd all those that are weary and heavy laden with the burthen of their sins to come to thee and hast promised to ease and refresh them thou hast invited all those that hunger and thirst after Righteousness to come to thy Table and tast of thy Supper and has promised that thou wilt satisfie them in assurance of these promises I come to the Lord Jesus beseeching thee to ease and refresh me and to satisfie me with thy Mercy for I hunger and thirst after thee and thy Salvation I confess that my daily sins have made me unworthy of my daily Bread much more of this heavenly Banquet O make my Soul ascend to thee in an humble supplication and let my Saviour's intercession procure thine acceptance and give me such a faith as may take possession of all I pray for besprinkle my polluted Soul in the Blood of thy dear Son Jesus O let the Blood of his Wounds and the Water of his Side make me clean that I may come to the blessed Feast of the spotless Lamb. I confess O God that when I consider thy greatness and my nothing thy purity and my uncleanness I see it infinitly unreasonable and presumptious in me to approach thy sacred prescence and desire to pertake of thy Sacrament or hope for a part of thy Glory but when I consider thy Mercy and thy Wisdom thy Bounty and Goodness thy readiness to forgive and willingness to impart thy self unto thy servants then am I lifted up with hopes then I come with boldness to the Throne of Grace even so O Lord because thou hast commanded and lovest it should be so It was never heard from the beginning of the World that thou ever didst dispise him that call'd upon thee or forsake any that did abide in thy fear or that any that trusted in thee was ever confounded but if I come to thee I bring an unworthy person to be joyned to thee and if I come not I shall remain unworthy for ever if I stay away I fear to lose thee if I come I fear to offend thee and that will lose thee more I know O God my sins have seperated between me and thee but thy love O Jesus and thy Passion Holiness and Obedience has reconciled us and though my sins deter me they make it necessary I should come and though thy Greatness amazes yet it is so full of goodness that it invites and incourages me to approach these holy Mysteries this day O mighty God rebuke Satan restrain all Earthly and Carnal affections that they do not once dare to whisper a temptation to my Soul a distraction to my Thoughts while I am in Communion with thee at thy Holy Altar do thou O Lord rule me by thy Grace govern me by thy Spirit and defend me by thy Power and crown me with thy Salvation which I humbly beg in the Name and Merits of my Redeemer Jesus whom with thee O Father and the Holy Spirit I will Worship as one God to all Eternity Amen Let us now employ our Thoughts as becoming the Sons of God and all the vacant time before the service of the Church let us employ in holy Meditation Let us remember not only that we are in his presence but that this is his day on which we are met to glorifie his Name for the good things we have received to ask such things as are necessary for our future well-fare and to hear his Holy Word to direct us in the way to Salvation Let us beg of him to open our Hearts that we may receive with meekness the word we are to hear that for the Merits of Jesus he will receive our Prayers and no doubt when God sees us earnestly and humbly challenging his Word he will for his Truth and promise sake grant us all those good things which he knows needful for us and this should mightily encourage us to be sincere at all times when we enter the place where his honour dwells Certainly every Christian that is sensible of the greatness of God won't dare to dissemble or behave himself irreverently there especially at such a time when our strickest attention is required and even that not enough to contemplate the most High When the Service begins we are to lay aside these Meditations and immediately apply our selves to that if we devoutly attend to every part shall need no Paraphrase to heighten those expressions or make us more in love with that incomparable composure 't is the singular excellence of the Common Prayer that they who frequent it always find out something that deserves to be more admired than they can express I dare affirm no one ever found any flatness or defect that came without prejudice or was piously inclined for it contains all that may occasion a sensible pleasure to a good Man The Sentences and Exhortations are excellent motives to press us to our Duty the confession full of Pathetical expressions and suted to the conditions of all men the Absolution most comfortable to a penitent Soul that wants to be eased from its weary Burthen The Hymns and Psalms very proper to stir up our Souls to a holy rejoycing in the Lord the Scripture has its place that we may receive comfort from those lively Oracles of Truth After the profession of our Faith we supplicate our God according to the Apostle not only for our selves but for those who are in authority over us nay our Charity reaches further to all Christian Kings and Princes and to shew we are not forgetful of those of lesser degree we extend it to all sorts and conditions
of men What can be more agreeable to a devout Soul than thus to exercise it self in the Law of God What can be more moving than to see and hear a devout Priest offering up Prayers and Supplications and others joining in his Petitions by Ecchoing a hearty Amen How does it constrain us to out-vie in Zeal and cause a Holy Emulation when we hear our Minister with fervency crying to the Father of Heaven to have Mercy upon us and we with equal earnestless invocating the Son and Holy Ghost mercifully to hear us Let others mock and call them vain repetitions while we endeavour to express the desires of our Souls in those Pathetical supplications Lord have mercy upon us We are not so vain but to confess our want of that Mercy nor ashamed of the Repetition when we find the benefit even the favour of the Lord which is better than life it self wherefore I must be earnest with every Christian to attend this service don't let our thoughts be roving but correct the wandrings of our minds the whole Service is in order to prepare us to a worthy reception of the Holy Sacrament when once we have got the mastry of our selves and can go along with all the parts of the Church we shall have less occasions for these helps to Devotion we shall find so much contained in the Prayers and Exhortations as will take up all the vacant time in Holy Meditation and this will make Holiness become exceeding delightful when we can turn our Souls towards God and solace them without interruption when we can leave the thoughts of this World and look steadfastly to God But this is to be done by degrees when we have conquer'd the love of this World and wearied our selves from its Alurements and this only to be performed by a constant watch over our words and actions and perseverance in the ways of goodness When the Prayers of the Church are over let us humbly ask God to pardon our defects in his Service and say O Lord Pardon the wandrings and coldness of my Petitions deal not with me according to my Prayers or Deserts but according to my needs and thy infinit mercy in Jesus Christ Amen Having discharged our duty in Prayer to God let us prepare our selves to hear what he will say to us out of his Holy Word we ought to look upon the Minister as an Ambassador of Christ and hearken with reverence to his Doctrine at the end of it to beg that we may bring forth the Fruit of it in our Lives and Conversation and this we can't do in better words than in one of the Collects after the Communion Grant we beseech thee Almighty God that the Words which we have heard this day c. While the People are going out let us devoutly turn towards the Table of the Lord and endeavour with admiration and reverence to contemplate the approaching Ordinance let us entertain thoughts of our unworthiness and then humble our selves before the Lord and say A Prayer O Almighty God who art infinite in Compassion and art able to pardon more sins than I can commit the stretcht out Arms of my dear Saviour upon the Cross can encompass the largest extention of my sins and his Passion affords an ever flowing Red Sea to cover them that they may not become my confusion O then let his Blood be my Bath purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow and to capacitate me for these Mercies let the deepest sorrow wound my Soul Oh! let it grieve my Spirit that I have lived so long to the grief of thine and let me grieve so long that I can grieve no more make my Soul to ascend in an humble supplication and let my Saviour's intercession procure thine acceptance and give me such a Faith as may take possession of all I pray for and least my own trust should deceive me when I have said Amen to my Prayers do thou say Amen to my Amen that so an Establishment of Blessings may be the crown of my Soul which I beg through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ Extinguish O Lord all the Fires of Hell my Lust Pride Envy Malice and Uncharitableness create in me O God a great longing after the Bread of Heaven and a thirst after the fountain of Salvation that as the Heart panteth after the water brooks so my Soul may long after thee my Saviour and Redeemer Amen When the Minister goes up to the Holy Table letus raise our Affections and prepare our selves to accompany him in this great work and fixing our selves in a devout posture when he begins the Exhortation to Charity let our thoughts carry us beyond the litteral Expression of those Sentences and whilst he Reads consider the necessities of the Poor Let us enlarge our desires and wish we were able to satisfie the complaints of those who are in want at least let us resolve to do according as God has put it in our power not Grudgingly and of necessity because 't is the custom and the Church requires it at such Seasons Here we have an opportunity of examining our selves whether we have fulfill'd the will of God in this manner 'T is not to be supposed that we deserve the name of charitable persons who take no time to distribute of this World good but when we can't help it therefore let us ask our Souls at every Sentence Hast thou followed this Advice or obeyed this Command Hast thou performed that great duty of the Law doing as thou wouldst be done by Hast thou restored with interest whatever thou hast unjustly detained from any Man And first have we taken care that they who have sown unto us Spiritual things should reap of our Temporal for 't is meet those who wait at the Altar should be partakers with the Altar for we must know that even so God hath ordained that they who Preach should live of the Gospel Therefore if we have fail'd to do this let us ask God's Pardon and don't let us because the Minister can't exact it take that advantage and pay nothing Secondly have we shew'd our compassion to the poor by giving Alms Have we not turned away our Face from our Brother who was in need but been merciful after our power If our Hearts condemn us not we have confidence in God that he is Righteous and will not forget but reward us in the day of necessity thus may we turn these excellent Admonitions into heads of Examination and happy are we if we have offer'd up such Sacrifices as are acceptable The Church has taken care to tell us what they are and has placed them at the beginning of this excellent Office to exhort us to Good Works We are about to remember that exceeding love of Christ and the wonderful charity of our Saviour therefore 't is very proper in the entrance to this Holy Ordinance to exhort us to be like minded that
Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life Amen The Priest proceeds now to a more immediate invitation and to show us that we ought to think highly of these things calls only those who have such quallifications as he just before told us was absolutely necessary and that we might not come rashly puts it to us again ye that do truly Repent c. But to heighten our esteem and make us more in earnest with our selves let us imagine we hear Christ himself inviting us for 't is the Minister in his stead calling us to Repentance Confession and Humility of Soul these are the Garments wherewith we ought to be cloathed and he that comes without them does but mock God and we have heard the dreadful effect of that presumption 't is provoking him to plague us with Diseases and sundry kinds of Death we kindle God's wrath against us and his indignation will last to Eternity But that the Terrors of the Lord might fright away none but the impenitent the Church assures us all they who come with Faith and Repentance may take the Holy Sacrament to their comfort and accordingly exhorts them to draw near to testifie their sincerity by an humble Confession and to remove all suspicion of Hypocrisy commands that it be done upon our Knees with contrition They who hope for Pardon can expect it upon no other Terms therefore we ought to be very circumspect that we don't call upon God with our Lips when our Hearts is far from him the Sacrifice of such Fools only work their Destruction Don't let us look upon it as matter of form only that we are to tell God Almighty a sad story of our selves and yet in such a manner as if we were not concern'd for the Sin nor God for the punishment of it But when we come to that part of the Confession acknowledging our Offences by Thought Word and Deed let us reflect on some of those Transgressions we have repeated most and have most cause to repent of let us think of them with sorrow and detestation with a resolution to forsake them and a passionate desire to be freed from the Evil of them let our Hearts go along with our Prayers and they are such as will inform us of our condition and being affectionately repeated will teach us to be humble and contrite and that will render us capable of the pardon which follows to be pronounced by the Priest 'T is impossible to prescribe Rules for our thoughts in the time of Absolution we have a hundred Idea's at once in our Minds the Soul is full with Transport Rejoycing and Humilliation we have so much to say that we are confounded in our selves we know not how to bless God enough are affraid of our wickedness and astonished at his goodness there is no re-presenting the Passions of a Soul in this Religious Agony nor how prevailing the confused sighs of a ravish'd sinner are to our merciful God They who are most sensible of their sins can best tell what a boundless joy arises at the thoughts of their forgiveness But lest we should have any mistrust because of our sins the Church has collected some comfortable assurances from the Gospel for 't is no wonder we receive our Pardon doubting and trembling we have need of infallible Authority to perswade us of the truth of these things when our fear had so cast us down that we almost were brought to believe that God had utterly forsaken us we can now cry with chearfulness blessed be God that has not so turned his mercy from us but has sent his Son Jesus Christ to call us to Repentance therefore when we hear the Priest say Come unto me c. Let us humbly say I come unto thee O Jesus ease me of my Burthen so God loved the World c. I believe Lord save me or I perish this is a true saying c. Mercy sweet Jesus I am a miserable sinner If any man sin O thou great advocate of my Soul I bless thee and all that is within me shall praise thy Holy Name Certainly our affections are so moved that we shall be zealous to lift up our hearts with joy and gladness and now confess 't is meet and right to give thanks to which purpose let us summons our strongest affections that we may with Angels and Arch-angels magnifie the glorious Name of God most High If it be upon any particular Feast as Christmas or Easter there is greater reason to strain our selves to the highest Note to give thanks for those particular Blessings We are now approaching nearer to these Holy Mysteries and must express the greater Reverence and before we tast how gracious the Lord is confess our unworthiness to receive him into our Habitation This we can't do in better Words than the Church has provided for us therefore we are to joyn heartily in the following form and beg that our sinful Bodies may be made clean by his Body that being so prepared our Souls may be made fit to receive the Lord of Glory After this excellent Prayer is over let us look towards the Holy Table and whilst the Priest is ordering the Elements Meditate and be astonished at the transcending love of Christ let us lose our selves in contemplation of that Divine Mystery that Heaven should so condescend to Earth and Man be united to God that God should take upon him our Flesh die for us upon Earth and nourish us now he is in Heaven Let us represent to our Faith the intollerable sufferings of our dying Lord his whole Passion upon Mount Calvary and the Agonies of that unknown Sorrow there Imagine we behold him stretch'd upon the Cross and see the Blood issuing from his wounded side Behold him grapling with the fury of an incensed God and all the furies of the Powers of Darkness and this to redeem us from the Horrors of Hell which were due to us for Sin and Wickedness Sure the consideration of these things will create an odiousness of sin which was so great that nothing but the Blood of God could expiate we shall be sensible of our unworthiness and adore withall the forces of our Soul that love surpassing knowledge and beg of our crucified Redeemer to inspire us with holy Zeal that our now softned Souls may Eccho Hallelujahs and all that is within us may sing Eternally to God the Father who contrived this glorious Redemption to God the Son who effected it and to God the Holy Ghost who gives us the benefit thereof Let us now return with the Priest and earnestly beg of our merciful God that the Elements may really become what they represent After we have performed that with Devotion let us leave the rest to God and the Priest and rising from our Knees at the Consecration look toward the Holy Table devoutly attending every Word and Action for all is Mystery and deserves a particular Meditation let us imagine we hear our Saviour consecrating and that
When shall I fully please thee O that I could always serve thee that I could perfectly obey thee Grant me O my only Love that I may continually reverence and adore thee Permit me not O Lord Jesus ever to be seperated from thee Teach me inlighten me direct me and assist me in all things but especially at this time that I may do or say nothing but what is agreeable to thy blessed Will Amen I Have made a large Collection of Meditations and Prayers because of the difference of Congregations some are very numerous and I esteem them pertinent to regulate our thoughts in that interval before we go up to the Altar the lesser Congregations and they who are desirous to be first at the Holy Table may have advantage of variety and make use of them as their inclinations and opportunity will give leave Our thoughts are not always upon the wing we require diversity of Arguments to press us to a forwardness besides they are not designed that our mind should be wholly taken up with them that we should read them all and then think we may safely go up to the Altar of God The best composure in the World will be insignificant if we don't offer it with Devotion Sincerity and Affection one of these Petitions rightly performed is of greater Efficacy than the whole repeated in a rambling disorder Lord have mercy upon me a miserable sinner said with humility was more prevalent than the long Prayer of the wordy Supplicant God knows our necessity before we ask and if we ask with Faith depending on the incercession of our Saviour he will grant our Petitions even before they are ended so that I would have some of them repeated with deliberation and between them call in our thoughts reconcile them to our reason and faith and then offer them up with earnest devotion and so shall we be prepared to receive the Lord of Glory When we have made an end of these Meditations and are ready to go to the Holy Table rising from our Knees with Reverence let us say GReat Captain of my Salvation I am going to learn to fight the good fight of faith in the blessed Sacrament of thy Love let thy great Example there encourage me to fight against all Ambition and Ostentation Censoriousness and Uncharitableness against coveteous lustfull and blasphemous Thoughts against guile and hypocrisie discontent and mistrust of thy providence against such enemies give me Grace to fight over these let me Triumph that having striven lawfully I may at last be admitted to the sight of thy sweet self and be charmed with thy Love for evermore Having thus began our Warfares and declared our chiefest Enemies let us approach the Holy Altar that there we may put on the Armor of God and being endued with Righteousness from above may walk more securely and be defended from the subtilty of Men and Devils therefore as we are going up let us turn our thoughts to God in the following manner As we go up to the Altar I Come Lord Jesus O take me to thee for thou lovest me and hast prepared a Table for me in the seat of thy Love in the multitude of thy mercies O Lord God do I now approach thy Altar O pardon my Sins and receive me graciously if thou shouldst be extream to mark what is amiss O Lord who may abide it but with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption Lord hast thou set open this fountain and wilt thou let a wretched creature die for thirst in thy presence Hast thou prepared such Balm to heal me and shall I languish here before thee I know if thou wilt thou canst make me clean here is the very instrument Grant therefore holy Jesus that I may duly apply it and rightly use it and then it shall prepare me for thee and unite me to thee by such inseperable Bonds as shall never brake unless Eternity have an end Blessed are they who so eat thy Flesh and drink thy Blood so as thou requirest and so as thy Saints have done for they have been cleansed at this fountain and here there Union with thee first began O happy opportunity Lord let me do it well this once and I am thine for ever Let us now kneel before the Lord and say O Jesu Son of God everlasting King receive my Spirit O my Life take my Soul my Joy draw my heart unto thee thou that art my Head direct me Light of mine eyes enlighten me O my comfort rejoice me my sweet Food let me eat thee O Word of God refresh me O Light Eternal shine thou over me that I may understand know and love thee After we have thus dedicated our selves to God let us humbly represent to him the occasion which drew us hither and beg for his promise sake that we may not be sent Empty away O Lamb of God thou hast said he that eateth thy Flesh and drinketh thy Blood hath eternal Life behold thy Servant O Lord be it unto me according to thy Word O Lord God I desire to renew my Covenant with thee and to seal it now with this Sacrament Lord put thy Laws into my mind and write them in my heart and for the passion of thy dear Son which I now commemorate be merciful to my Unrighteousness my Sins and Iniquities do thou remember no more but be thou my God and I will be thy Servant The Minister now approaching us we ought with the Centurion in the Gospel to acknowledge our unworthiness to receive so glorious a guest and after such a Humilliation let us look up with confidence and represent to the Father of Heaven the prevailing sacrifice of his Son LOrd I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof but speak the word Lord and thy Servant shall be whole Behold O Lord the sacrifice of the everlasting Covenant the Lamb that takes away the sins of the World Oh let all the World feel the power of his Intercession hear good Lord the cry of his Wounds and deny me not since I bring thy Son with me let us all know that he lives that was dead and is a live for evermore O holy Bread which camest down from Heaven and givest life to the World come into my heart and cleanse me from all defilements of Flesh and Spirit enter into my Soul heal and sanctifie me within and without O my Soul taste now and see how gracious the Lord is Whence is it that my Lord himself should come to me Let us now with steadfast Faith repeat after the Minister bowing our Bodies The Body of our Lord Jesus c. After we have received the Bread let us lift up our Souls in thankfullness and say Hail Holy Lamb of God thrice welcome art thou to a poor perishing sinner Glory be to thee O Lord who feedest me with the Bread of Life let thy crucified Body deliver me from this body of death Before the Cup. I Will receive the
waiting at his Altar to receive the Bread of Life let us earnestly pray that this Communion may be life to every one that all who are present may meet to Feast in life Everlasting O Thou Eternal Being vouchsafe to bless confirm and strengthen us all who are present before thee deliver us from the day of Condemnation and let us not be confounded when we shall appear before thee in the presence of thy Angels but grant that through the blood of the Cross we may all be cleansed from our sins and presented pure unblamable and irreprovable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter to sing Eternal Hallelujahs to him that sets upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever May what we have now offer'd up to thee O Lord be accepted for the good of the universal World for all those for whom the Holy Jesus shed his most precious Blood for the Glory of thy Holy Name and for the coming of the Holy Ghost that he may please to visit and enlighten all our Hearts O Lord be propitious to the Holy Catholick Church and by the increase of Faith Hope and Charity inlarge its Limits be pleased to remember all that are Fallen all that are in Captivity the Infirm Sick Stranger Fatherless and Widow in great Mercy look upon them all restore heal comfort and relieve them for Jesus Christ his sake Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Amen As soon as the Congregation has communicated let us prepare to glorifie the Lord together in order to it let us reflect upon the Goodness of this God who has done so much for us and if we are attentive to the Prayers of the past Communion 't is impossible to behave our selves coldly or indifferently there is so much life in the expressions that we are forced to utter them with an affectionate concern and the greater our Zeal the greater is the Benefit we receive Each thought must give us an Idea beyond our Expression we shall be so wholly taken up with this wonderful love of Christ that we shall be angry our conceptions are so imperfect that we don't see more clearly this Beauty of Holiness O let us lose our selves in this boundless contemplation and be ravished with the loving kindness of the Lord and now that we are in earnest become the Sons of God we may with confidence lift up our hearts to Our Father which is in Heaven which is the first Prayer the Church has appointed to offer up to God we have been feasting at his Table renewing our Covenants and made pertakers of our Saviour and his Spirit therefore being so clothed 't is very proper our first address be made in his own word After we have repeated that with Reverence let us join in the next for 't is now high time that we make an offering to the God of our Salvation and there is nothing we can give more pleasing than our selves to be a reasonble sacrifice therefore let us intirely dedicate our Souls Body and Spirit to the service of God and be infinitly rejoyced that God is pleased to accept us therein and this will enable us more chearfully to joyn in the following Hymne When our Heavenly King sees us so hearty in his Service so desirous of Pardon that we with the greatest Earnestless cry to the only begotten Jesus Christ and with all so forward to return our humble thanks for his Mercy No doubt he will be near to our Assistance and reward us with more than we can ask or think even exalt us to that state of Glory with him that sits on the right hand of the Father and is most high in the Glory of God After we have thus affectionately joyn'd in the Prayers of the Church let us with Faith and Thankfulness receive the Blessing and then with humble Adoration once more magnifie the goodness of God for who can be weary in praising the noble acts of the Lord PRaise the Lord O my Soul and let all thy Powers be acted with such love and wonder that thou mayest break forth into all the expression of joy and gladness that admiration and gratitude can inspire thee with Glory be to thee O Lord most High Let us rise from our Knees and bow towards the Holy Table shewing our unwillingness to depart the place where his Honour dwells leave it with a reluctance and still say in our hearts 't is good for us to be here They who are arriv'd to such a habit must necessarily desire another opportunity to glorifie God in this manner and be very fond of frequenting his House till this blessed season returns for we are not to think our Duty done with our Prayers we must create a kind of a familiarity with God and no way so likely to do that as by the constant appearance in his House there it is he has promised to be and thither we must come if we would have our Prayers returned with success Though private Devotions be necessary yet the Publick are absolutely so there God is honoured by the company of his Saints and there we have the opportunity to acknowledge him to be the Lord. 'T is there we assemble with one accord to present our Petitions to the Throne of Grace and 't is most likely our Incense should pierce Heaven when it ascends thither in a thick cloud but sure there will be no occasion to use Arguments to those who have felt the Blessings of coming thus together they must see how pleasant it is to dwell in such Unity and prefer the door of the Tabernacle to the Palaces of Princes they who are so unhappy as to be Strangers there who have no taste nor are perswaded of the Truth of these things I could wish they would prevail with themselves to try the deliciousness of the Employment and I am sure they would be obliged to confess not one half has been told them A Meditation for the Communion at Christmas Welcome thrice blessed day the desire of all Nations whose distant glories made the Father of the Faithful to rejoice and whose approaches fill'd the World with wonder and expectation thou wert ushered in with Angelick Hymns and celebrated ever since with Anthems of praise because thou didst bring forth joy and a Redeemer to Mankind Happy am I that have a sacrifice of Thanksgiving in my hand to express the delight which my heart doth feel This Holy Table is the Altar upon which I offer my Acknowledgmets for all mercies And Oh how many how great are those which this day brings to my remembrance so Infinite it cannot be expressed and yet so excellent they must not be forgotten This day hath reconciled Heaven and Earth and Contradictions made freinds to find a way to help us as if nothing might disagree when Man was at peace with God O my Soul summon all thy powers to
admire and worship for all is Miracle and the Height of wonder eternity begins to be the maker of all is made himself an infinite Majesty is shrunk into the dimensions of a Span the Word is made Flesh and God becomes Man yet remains God still Here is a Mother who knew no Man a Son that had no Father on Earth a Child of Adam untainted with the contagion that infects all his posterity an Infant honored with a new gloriou Star adored by Kings worshipped by Angels yet born in the condition of the meanest Fortune All Hail sweetest Saviour How lovely is thy condescention How honourable thy abasement Thou hast more splender in the raggs of humility than all the Grandeurs of this world could give thee thou art more of a King because thou wouldest be like a Slave for our sakes and conquers more hearts by thy stupendious Love and unparalleled self-Denial O how shall I celebrate this great solemnity where withall shall I set forth my gratitude for this most auspicious Day I will receive the Cup of Salvation and with faith and ravishments of delight feast upon that precious Body and Blood which Jesus did this day assume for me It is not enough dearest Lord that thou wast born for me unless that also thou wert born again in me and as it were become incarnate in my heart In thy birth thou wast made one with us thou didst put Flesh and wert a partaker of our Humanity and thou hast appointed this Sacrament that I might be one with thee be replenished with thy Spirit and a partaker of Divine Nature Nor is it any incongruity if I remember thy passion and praise thee for thine Incarnation at once for as soon as thou wast born thou didst begin to die and the life which was here begun compared to that glorious Life which thou didst leave was it self a very death for us which thy Divinity could not feel and thy Nativity was the first Scene of thy passion for it introduced thy Death and that effected our Salvation so that I will remember both together in both thou hast most admirably humbled thy self to the depth of miseries and yet I doubt not but thou would have stupid lower if it had been either necessary or possible but there needs no more Testimonies of thy love blessed Jesus I am already over-whelmed with these that are so strange and undeversed so sweet and ravishing that my Soul cou'd not contain if it did not vent it self in thy praises therefore with Angels A Meditation for the Communion at Easter O My Soul adorn thy self with the Garments of Gladness prepare thy most triumphant Hymns to go forth and meet this great returning Conqueror thou didst rejoice when he was pleased to undertake the combat and didst celebrate his entrance into the Lists with praises How then will it ravish thee to behold him come off with success and Honour his warfare is now accomplish'd and he hath passed through the Scorn and Cruelty of Men the malice and rage of Devils the just but severe anger of God yea the shadow of death and regions of eternal horror and after all this thy surety is set at liberty for he hath paid his debts and cancelled all those dismal Bonds by which thou art forfeited to eternal ruin thy Champion is victorious and as the Trophies of his Conquest he hath the Keys of Death and Hell and leads them both in Triumph vanqished and disarm'd Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord we receive thee dearest Saviour as born to us a second time and this shall be thy Birth-day also the Nativity thought not of our Emperor yet of thy Empire thy Restoration to a Sate of Immortality Thy former Birth shew'd thee to be the Son of Man but this declares thee to be the Son of God and now that our Redeemer liveth he that loved us so infinitely as to die for us doth now ever live to intercede on our hehalf he that expressed such kindness to us in his passion hath so fully demonstrated his own Power in his resurrection that we are sure he is able as willing to deliver us Let the Heavens rejoice and the Earth be glad for this is the day that the Lord hath made a day to be had in everlasting Remembrance a Time destined to Jubilee and rejoycing Behold how nature is raising it self from the grave of Winter and seems annually to celebrate the memory of our Lord's resurrection in her green and fresh attire a season chosen by God a Festival three Thousand years ago and Observed ever since by Jews or Christians or both with the greatest Solemnity see how those blinded Jews rejoyced over their Pascal Lamb in the midst of all their calamities for the deliverance of their Fathers But we have a nobler Pass-over for a greater deliverance Christ our Pass-over is sacrific'd for us therefore let us keep the Feast and that upon the precious Body and Blood of the Lamb of God who is slain but is alive again behold he lives for evermore wherefore I will go to thy Alter with joy and tell out thy works with gladness O most mighty Saviour who hast not only died for my Sins but risen again for my justification and indeed what comfort could I have found in this memorial of thy death if it had not been for thy resurrection this Sacrament would have only remembred thy sufferings and renewed my sorrow to think that so excellent a person had perished in the attempt but it is become a feast of joy because it is an assurance of thy resurrection as well as a commemoration of thy Passion and since thou livest sweet Jesus we live also thy resurrection raised our hearts from sad despair it gives a new life to our hopes it makes our sorrows light our labours easie our lives chearful and our death advantage because it hath lost its sting and is become the Gate into Immortality we can charm all our fears and Troubles with this one word the Lord is risen yea the Lord is risen indeed for thou hast washed us in thy own blood and made us Kings and Preists to God to Offer up at this Altar never ceasing Praises A Meditation for the Communion on Whit-Sunday I Will go to thy Altar O Lord with a new sacrifice of praise because thou hast given me a fresh Instance of thy Love this day thou art slow to punish thy enemies but speedy to comfort thy servants for no sooner was thy misery changed into glory but we received the greatest demonstration of thy affections no sooner didst thou put on thy Crown in Heaven but the earth felt the bounty of thy dispensations for it was not possible for thee sweet Jesus for thy promise to remain long unperformed or the sad expectations of thy Disciples unsatisfied Being assembled therefore this day with one heart in one place they are suddainly surprized with wonder and inspired with a Heavenly power such as
they had never felt before vigorous as a mighty wind chearing as the morning light inflaming their hearts with zeal and filling their mouths with Anthems indited with the Languages of all the World O wonderfull Change their Ignorance is turned into Learning their mistakes into infallibility their fear into courage their weakness into strength their sorrow into joy and they in a moment made able to confound the Arts and conquer the Oppositions of the Heathen world and maugre all the divices of Satan to set up the Kingdom of the Lord Christ and shall we not praise thee for these miraculous dispensations by which the gospel was made known even to us in the most utmost corners and last of times yes Holy Jesus we will also meet thee with one accord at thy table not doubting but thou would give us the measures of thy Spirit there if our duty or our necessity did require it it is enough to us that thou knowest our need more than will supply them we dare not ask lest thou wilt not give thou hast given us thy self wherefore we believe thou wilt not deny us thy Spirit without which we can have no Intrest in thee nor benefit from thee We come not gracious Lord with the carnal Jews to devour thy Flesh but to partake of thy Spirit which only giveth life the flesh profiteth nothing behold thy Spirit hath converted Millions Let me therefore together with thy precious Body receive here such proportions of thy holy Spirit as may suppress my evil Affections revive my dead heart comfort my dejected mind and turn my ignorance into knowledge my knowledge into practice and make that practice so sweet and easie that this may be a day of joy to me also solemnized in the white Garments of Sanctification and rejoycing and finally let not this Heavenly Inspiration be only expressed in Ecstasies and only fervours this day but let thy Spirit rest upon me and dwell in me for ever so shall I always have cause to bless thee for so incomparable a gift Methinks I feel already the force thereof bearing down my corruptions and the bright beams driving the mists of Sin and Error I find its flames warming my heart with Zeal and charity and its quickning power opening my sealed lips to shew forth thy praise A Meditation for the Communion on Trinity Sunday O Admirable mystery to be adored in the profoundest silence by the contemplation thereof when I am struck with amazement I can learn humility and discover mine own Ignorance and I have the opportunity of exercising a Nobler faith than if I could comprehend it with my shallow reasonings and imperfect demonstrations the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity hath been derided by the Heathens and endeavoured to be perplexed by the Wits of all kind of Hereticks but it sufficeth me Blessed Jesus that thou hast revealed it and thy Holy Church divided into many other things hath universally agreed in thy great Truth and I am the more confirmed in it because I learn by it to worship with a regular devotion from hence I am the more confirmed I am taught to pray to the Father in the Name of the Son through the assistance of the Holy Ghost and as long as I live will I praise thee and magnife thee in this manner I will bless thee particularly at this Holy Feast for so excellent a revelation for this Ordinance it self contains many things above my understanding and its all mystery the Trinity is the Article and thy Sacrament the Rite which do distinguish thy true Riligion from all the sects in the World wherefore by observing this Rite I do embrace this Faith and upon the representation of thy death I do profess to live in it and die for it resolving never to have other Lords when I find the Father giving the Son giving and the Holy Ghost dispensing that Gift unto my Soul in this sacred Communion it shall be a greater confirmation to my faith in divine Mystery than can be acquired from the most curious search into it However I am resolved my Reason shall vail to thy word and I will be content to stay for a full apprehension of this sublime truth till I am advanced to a State of Angelick perfection and come to hehold the glories of the true God till then I will bless thee for what I know and believe more than I can conceive and I will worship the same Majesty which the Heavenly Choir doth in these Addresses THE Church has now done her part and leaves us to discharge the rest she has told us the benefits and forewarned us of the danger let it be upon our own Heads if we have drunk Christ's Blood unworthily therefore let us as soon as possible retire and examine our behaviour during the Celebration of these Holy Mysteries How our thoughts were employed and how earnest our longings were after this Bread of Heaven whether we had duly examined our selves before and repented as we ought in what part soever of these things we have done amiss let us ask pardon and endeavour to come more prepared the next time This will show that we are sincere with God and don 't come out of custom but for his Grace and Mercy and let us take every opportunity to ask that for Christ is now come very near us therefore let us lay before him all our wants that so we may be fill'd with his Heavenly Benediction let us not lose a minute on this day but be earnest in all manner of supplication for we must not leave our Devotions with the Church that would be setting open the door indeed that Satan might enter into us but I hardly believe they who have had their hearts kindled at the Altar can suffer them to grow cold before they get home therefore let us retire before Dinner and after we have thus seriously reflected upon what we have been doing let us add to our thoughts the following Meditation A Meditation before Dinner WHen I compare thy acts with mine Holy Jesus I am exceedingly ashamed to behold so a vast a disproportion thou givest me thy Merits and Graces thy Life and Love at present and hast promised to me thy Kingdom in reversion and I have scarce return'd this with the intire devotion of one half hour O how little is my obdurate Heart affected with the sence of my own Guilt the fears of thy Divine Wrath or apprehensions of thy sufferings yet Lord I desire and did endeavour to praise thee so that I hope thou wilt consider my infirmities with much compassion and measure my services not by the exactness of my performance but by the sincerity of my wishes so shall I be accepted before thy Heavenly Father and by the mercy of that acceptance be obliged to thee for ever O Most merciful Lord God I am amazed at the mighty favours which thou hast shew'd to me a sinful wretched Creature I cannot but acknowledge thy
Expectations It was the Observation of a great Man That the more exact he was in keeping the Sabbath his Affairs met with the greater Success in the following Week Whether every Body would be thus happy I can't resolve but am sure there can be no Danger in the Trial and if we fail once it may succeed the next However there is sufficient Reward in it self for we shall have the Satisfaction of doing our Duty and that we can't effect more exactly than by a devout Meditation when alone and a serious Attention when at Church They who have Families are to instruct their Houshold in their Duty and see they discharge it by giving good Examples and Instructions and seeing they follow them for when all is done the effectual Preachers are Parents and Masters Ministers may give the best Counsel and preach the greatest Truths but 't is they must see it has its proper Effect in their own Lives and Conversations and in those that belong to them If this were industriously practised what Encouragement would it be to the Ministers to labour more abundantly for the Salvation of their Flock And how should we all rejoice in the Day of the Lord that they had neither run nor labour'd in vain In short Our Communion on this Day ought to be free from Lightness or Vanity not in Worldly Affairs nor Relations of foolish Stories and as little as possible in common Talk no unnecessary Visit nor any where but when we have an Opportunity of doing good This ought to be our constant Care to apply our selves wholly to God and Religion and avoid every thing as much as possible that would take up our Thoughts on any thing else This is truly to sanctifie the Sabbath And they who can thus observe it will find the Benefit even an Everlasting Rest to their Souls in Heaven After we have dined let us retire again and when we have rais'd our Affections by a serious Contemplation let us say A Prayer after Dinner O Thou All-seeing and most holy God! I have been admitted to make my Oblation of Praises and my self unto thee and am infinitely concern'd that thou shouldst accept me therein not for any Merit in me but for thine own Mercy sake O my God thou knowest I have been polluted with Sin undutiful to thy Commands unfaithful to my Promises and confederate with thine Enemies yea even in the time of these holy Mysteries so obdurate and confused that I might justly fear lest my Wretchedness should make my Sacrifice an Abomination I blush that I am not fitter I lament that I should bring so many Defilements where the Purity of an Angel is scarce sufficient But I take Sanctuary in thy more obliging Condescentions and because I am so unworthy will endeavour to esteem my self as vile as really I am in thy sight Oh do not look upon the Defects of a wretched Sinner but remember thine own Mercies and accept what thou hast required of me and so shall thy Favour be more illustrious because it is bestow'd upon so evil and undeserving a Creature and the Sense of my Unworthiness shall enlarge my Thankfulness and make me praise thee more than if I had approached thee with all Perfections It is a mighty Favour to me O God that thou hast made Bread to grow out of the Earth to nourish my mortal Body But Oh! how far hast thou transcended that Mercy in giving me the Bread of Life from Heaven to feed my immortal Soul Whom was there in Heaven or Earth that I could have wish'd for in comparison of Jesus Christ O my Soul bless thou the Lord I went not to gaze or taste of the outward part but to satisfie my Soul by laying hold of the Merits of my Crucified Saviour yet I have receiv'd the Elements and thou hast made them to me that which I needed and desired even the Body and Blood of thy Son Oh how it fills my Soul with Joy to see thy Sacred Majesty appeas'd But O merciful God I tremble in Expectation of those furious Assaults which will be made upon me by my Enemies from whom I am withdrawn O God thou knowest how often I have return'd to Folly But if thou pleasest to plant thy Grace within me and send thy Blessing upon me I will not fear the Powers of Darkness I have receiv'd that Heavenly Food which is the Means of conveying this Grace unto me I know by this Coelestial Remedy many of thy Servants have been dreadful to the Powers of Darkness and thou didst never cast off an humble Soul Oh bless then this Life-giving Mystery unto me that I may find such Power Strength and Resolution flowing from thence that I may stand firm to the Purposes I have made Sweetest Saviour I am now thy Servant Oh deliver me from Anger Malice and Intemperance from Pride Lust and Covetousness and all the Furies which use to torture me O mark me for thine own and deny me not that Grace which is necessary to make me thine I 'm sure in thee all Fulness of Grace dwells and let it now overflow that I may receive of thy Fulness and then shall I always perform my Vows Gracious God I have beheld the Efficacious Sacrifice which thy Son hath offered for us I have remembred it blessed be thy Name for it though not so highly as I am oblig'd for the Benefits are inestimable There is no Want of Merit in Jesus to deserve nor of Mercy in thee to bestow Remission Oh let there not want in me nor in any for whom Christ died grace to accept this Pardon Behold Lord how I struggle under a load of guilt but I have receiv'd that which is an effectual remedy who was ever reconciled to thee but by Jesus or who was ever so much thy Enemy but this Holy Sacrifice has made their Peace and shall it be ineffectual only to me Dear Father let me find the Effecacy thereof in my self and then I shall be engaged to praise thee more and more for this great Salvation through Jesus Christ Our Father c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus c. HAving thus renewed our desires and fired Souls with an ardent love of Christ let us prepare again to meet the assembly of Saints that we may worship God together and give thanks to his Name that we may receive new instructions for the amendment of our Lives and the confirmation of our Faith that we may inlarge our desires after Heaven and see the pleasures of the Habitation of the Lord. At our return home 't will be necessary that we give up our selves to a serious Meditation of our actions this day if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God if otherwise let us humbly beg Pardon Let us be earnest in this Examination for 't is of great moment to be very circumspect now don 't let us cry Peace when 't is far from us and fancy we are reconciled to God when we
of life and to enable us in this work let us set our Faces towards the Altar of God for 't is there we are to receive strength and comfort and every good thing This is what we obliged our selves to at our Baptism and since we have lived unworthy of the First Sacrament let us in Humiliation and Repentance approach the Second that our sins may be blotted out and we may be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in Light and now if any ask what preparation we ought to make I answer I know of no other than what I have endeavoured to perswade and what is necessary and reasonable even a true Faith and Repentance that the Sacrament is a Duty is generally acknowledg'd yet through mistakes there are abundance neglect it Our Saviour was very particular in this Order to his Disciples and his Apostles devoutly press it in all their Writings and the Ancients received it as an inestimable Blessing We are told that unless we Eat Christ's Body and drink his Blood we have no life in us and that this is to be done by Bread and Wine in the Holy Communion is what the Apostles and generality of Mankind down to this Age have believed Christ when he gave it them told them it was his Body and St. Paul directs our Behaviour that we might not receive it unworthily but discern it as the Lord's body and therefore first to Examine our selves and then Eat of that Bread and Drink of that Cup what then should hinder our approaches to this Holy Banquet that we are wicked is no excuse for why are we not otherwise that we are affraid because of our unworthiness if there is no other reason but our fear is no Excuse For 't is not the sense of our unworthiness that should hinder us but our resolution or unwillingness to be otherwise and that indeed will make us unworthy for ever for where shall we be washed if not in this Fountain which is opened for Sin and Uncleanness If none but such as are perfect could approach this Holy Table who then would venture to come near And what can we think of our Saviour that could propose a Snare to endanger our Ruin No it was ordain'd for such as had a sense of their Unworthiness and were sensible of their load but desired to be eased of their heavy burthen Well but they who come to the Sacrament are obliged to live stricter lives than other Men and some are affraid they can't conform to an exactness of Conversation Why are they not as well affraid that because they don't lead such lives that they shall be punished which would be an argument to put them upon that Tryal and when once they saw the pleasantness of the paths of Righteousness they would endeavour to persevere in them Besides they are not obliged but to lead such lives as is necessary to Salvation and how dares any Man that believes another World do less There is danger indeed in unworthy Receiving and there is as great a danger in staying away both of them are a contempt of the Lord's Body and will receive their reward in short whatever our Scruples are that hinder us from this Ordinance let us with all speed endeavour to remove them for there is no excuse for our Abscence nor any objection but what may easily be answered if we are sincere in our inquiries 't is the neglect of this Sacrament that is the cause of our coldness in Religion and I can't tell how it comes to pass that tho' the Church and State requires all that are at the Age of Sixteen to communicate at least three times in the Year that there is not one in a Thousand observe the order there are a great many considerate persons that never seem to have a desire after it till they come upon their Death-bed and then are willing to have it to conduct them to Heaven The Ancient Church refused to Administer to any that had not received it before and if the discipline was maintained it would make us more circumspect for a great many think if they can have the Minister to pray by them and give them the Sacrament all will be well But if they who refused it in their Health were deny'd it upon their Death-bed it would be a dreadful warning to others not to neglect it and those Ministers who venture now to Adminster it transgress the Rubrick in this case but 't is as indiscreet to trust to This now as to depend upon a Repentance begun at such a time which is hardly possible to be sincere and if not they are lost for ever there are the same Arguments to bring Men to the Sacrament as there are to perswade them to a newness of life without both we are not assured of Salvation and he that pretends to lead a life according to God's Holy Word and yet refuses to eat of the Bread which came down from Heaven how can he hope to be raised up at the last day The truth on 't is Men are not willing to part with their Lusts and as long as they are in that mind they do well to stay away but do very ill to continue in such a resolution but what shall we say if neither Promise or Threats Rewards or Punishments Heaven or Hell will perswade Men to forsake their sins nothing will however we must never be weary in well doing and 't is our Duty to exhort one another daily which was the chief inducement of this Advice to those which never Receiv'd the Sacrament and this I thought I cou'd not do in a better manner than by shewing First the unreasonableness of Sin and then Secondly the necessity of Repentance to this end I have collected a form of Devotion which may be useful in our Conversion and when we are so happy as to be sensible of the folly of our ways that we can set before us the difficulty of returning and yet dare venture thro' all hardships to attain Salvation I thought it necessary to add some Arguments to oblige us to that Duty which is our interest to comply with and which will strengthen our resolutions in Piety to these Directions I have collected another form of preparitory Devotions to be used at any time before we approach the Sacrament and left it to the Reader 's Discretion to use as much of it and as often as he pleases That our behaviour in the Church might be answerable to the Solemnity there is appointed a large Form of Devotion and I have endeavoured to range them in a suitable Order that every Prayer having a particular relation to what we are then a doing our Minds might be more moved and our Souls thus ascending with our Devotions we may pray by the Spirit and the understanding also I 'm very willing to believe that all who come to this Holy Table endeavour to be as devout as they can and 't is possible fancy themselves
and Reformation But 't is uncertain whether we shall come thus to our selves till Death overtake us or since we resolv'd to sin till we could sin no longer whether there will be Place found for our Tears Therefore let every Man call his Ways to remembrance But they who are thus enslav'd in Sin let them make haste to deliver themselves from the Wrath to come their Case is very dangerous they seem to be destin'd to Destruction for they have so long suffer'd their Lusts to have Dominion over them that they know not how to free themselves from this Tyranny of Sin But blessed be God who has provided a Lamb for the Sacrifice there is yet a Way for our Redemption God has not wholly left us without Help in this World Though the Prayers of the Wicked are an Abomination yet those of the Penitent are not so If we are so happy as to stop in this Career have but so much Resolution to begin a Reformation God is so merciful as to add his Grace to help us forward to Repentance But 't is only when God sees us set about it in earnest for he knows our Hearts and Thoughts long before Therefore let us embrace the first Thoughts of Repentance and carry them on to a sincere Reformation Let us retire from the World and humble our selves in Fasting and this not once or twice but often for we have need to cry mightily to God Day and Night to be redeem'd from this worse than Egyptian Bondage On the Day of our Humiliation that the Misery of our Condition may oblige us to the greater Penitence let us first consider the Odiousness of Sin that we may learn to detest it the Aggravation of it by being committed frequently presumptuously and against Knowledge that we may abhor our selves for our Folly and Ingratitude Then let us reflect upon the Number of them which being infinite ought to lay us in the Dust and confess our selves to be worse than nothing Reflections of a true Penitent upon his first Conviction O God! to what an amazing and miserable Condition have I brought my self I stand exposed to thy Severest Judgment here and am liable to thy Indignation hereafter I know I am not in a State of Salvation and yet can't lament my Misery I am a Sinner and reflect upon the evil Consequence of Sin yet am neither Terrified or Sorrowfull What a heap of Contradiction and Wickedness am I made up of that believe the Pleasures of thy Law and yet depart from thy Commandments that fear the Justice of thy Anger and yet can't be perswaded to forsake the Evil of my Ways Thus miserable O God do I behold my self but thou seest that I am infinitly more vile than I can imagine Though my Crimes appear to me beyond my expression and my Heart thus condemns me thou art greater than my Heart and knowest all things Thou knowest how often each Sin has been repeated and the vileness of that Sin and how much more heinous by the habitual Repetition when my Depraved Nature will neither let me know the Baseness of the one or the Ingratitude of the other I am insensible how much thou art offended by one Sin and am forgetfull how often I have repeated that Offence and can only tell that Sin in me is above measure sinful O! that there was a Heart in me even to apprehend this that I cou'd say with a sincere Heart and pensive Soul Lord I am a miserable Sinner But this is not in my power I can only reflect upon my Sins at a distance as if they did not concern me and my poor Soul was not to answer for them at thy Tribunal O God thy Hand is heavy upon me I know my Sins are abominable in thy Sight and that thy Judgment inflicts this Hardness of Heart and that thou art resolved to try me no longer Thou seest that I am Grounded in Wickedness that evil is continually with me that if thou shou'dst forgive I shall revolt again and wherefore shoudst thou withhold thine Hand O my God I have nothing to offer to put a Stop to thy Vindictive Justice but confess I deserve Eternal Damnation But who can be content to dwell in Everlasting Burnings Is there then no Way to escape thy Vengeance Wilt thou be angry for ever Yes O God unless I repent thou wilt bring me to worse than nothing for thou wilt condemn me to Eternal Torment How can I repent unless thou change my Nature and give me a Heart to be sorry and abhor the Evil of my Ways But why should I expect this Mercy that have abus'd all others I can't look up to thee with any Confidence to beg thee to have Patience with me for my Prayers must be an Abomination and my Devotions no way pleasing in thy Sight Oh! the Misery that I have brought my self into God has withdrawn himself and taken his Holy Spirit from me there remains only that I be reserv'd against the Revelation of that Day in which the Righteous Judgments of God will appear to condemn me and all such ungrateful Souls to the Torments of Hell Righteous art thou O Lord and in the midst of Flames will I confess thy Justice Fear is come upon me and thy Judgment is the severer in that I am not sensible of the Danger Wilt thou laugh at this my Calamity And shall not mine Eyes be open till the Flames of Hell terrifie them Wilt thou suffer me thus to sink down into Torment and despise the Groans of a Soul in an Abyss of Misery Oh I cou'd be content to yield to thy severest Inflictions here if I cou'd be brought to the favour of God But I dare not ask of Thee to correct me least thou do it in Judgment and yet I dread thy Rod that it will come and how can I bear to fall into the Hands of the Living God Who can deliver me from thy Power Oh thou Omnipotent God What can I do when Misery thus abounds and each Reflection presents Damnation to my view Surely if I was truly affected with my Condition it would work upon my Spirit and when my Soul was sensible of Sin and how bitter a thing it is to depart from God it would cause such Relentings and Tremblings such Contrition and Humiliation as becomes a Soul loaded with my Crimes Oh that my Conscience wou'd rise up against me and call me to the strictest Account that my Soul was wounded within me That I had the fear of an angry God deeply imprinted upon my Soul Oh that I was a sorrowful Sinner Oh that I could grieve as never Man griev'd but alas 't is not in my power thus to afflict my self and what would it avail me if I could wrack my Soul and put my Nature into terrible Conflicts Can the Sighs and Groans and torturing Convulsions of such a Sinner move Compassion in the Most High will not God be Deaf to my Complaint and regardless of my
Mercies by endeavouring to out-vye them with my Sins what can I expect but to find a Judgment worthy of God such an irreversible ruine as might render me an astonishing instance of thy severity to the whole Earth Thou hast attested thy self to be indeed a Father of Mercies and yet I who enjoy the benefit of them neither consider them as Blessings nor thee as a God but Atheistically defie that providence by which I subsist Thou givest me a time for Repentance but I 'm unwilling to throw off this Bondage of Sin and think it a hardship to submit to that Yoak whieh is easie and delightful and if I cou'd stifle the Terrors of my Conscience wou'd glady proclaim Licence to my Lusts These are the base returns I have made thus have I requited the Lord and incur'd his Displeasure yet I am fearless of his Wrath and can't repent me of my ways nor consider the Evil I have done Surely my Heart is heardned and I am nigh unto Cursing O Lord what can I plead to avert the sentence who am as far from Penitence as Innocence How can I pray against that Vengeance which I make it my business to pull down if thou O Lord shou'dst spare me what wou'd it avail if it serve but to set me at a greater Hostillity with thee O merciful Saviour who gavest thy self a ransom for Sinners look again with compassionate Eyes on me who needs now a second Redemption even a rescue from my self Lord thou seest the miserable state to which I am reduced Where is thy Pitty and the sounding of thy Bowels towards the Afflicted Oh! bow thy Heaven and come down hear the Prayer of a distressed Sinner deliver me from that misery I have involved my self put thy Laws a new into my Heart and write them in my Mind O blessed Mediator who prayedst for thy Crucifiers interceed also for me who have under the name of a Disciple crucified thee afresh and tho' I have nothing to say for my self cannot pretend that I knew not what I did yet let thy Stripes and Wounds thy Cross and Passion plead for me Oh! let thy Blessed Spirit breath again upon me that even these dry Bones may live in thy sight Let him so effectually convince and reprove illuminate and excite me that I may cleanse my self from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit walk worthy of the holy Vocation whereto I am called and evidence my relation to the Prince of Peace Oh that my ways were thus direct but alas how little Disposition have I towards it This change must be only the work of that mighty Power which is able to subdue all things to it self and yet O Lord with what face can I beg of thee to force me to that happiness which I still resolve to resist What can I say to thee O thou preserver thou redeemer of men who have put my self beyond all the ordinary means of thy grace I can only lay my self at thy Feet display my misery and leave thee to consider thine own compassion Oh let that move thee to do for me whatever my wretched state is in need off O Lord Hear O Lord forgive consider and do it for thy name sake Thou art Jesus a Saviour save thy servant from his sin and let me not slide back by a perpetual backsliding Oh abandon not thy poor creature Lord carest thou not that I perish Turn thee again O Lord sanctifie and cleanse me for I am exceeding sinfull create a new Spirit within me melt my obdurate heart into contrition and if it cannot be done without the rigour of thy Laws Lord do that or any thing with me so that I may become a Vessel of honour meet for thy Service But O Lord if thy gentler method may have any effect be pleased to continue thy Long-suffering and though I have no pretence to mercy yet do thou assert thine own work be merciful because thou hast been so dispence to me whatever thou seest most apt to reduce me and that thy outward applications may be no longer in vain enforce and enliven them with thy free Spirit subdue my obstinate perversness and give me at last such Grace as I may not turn into wantonness Oh thou to whom all things are possible who hast been so merciful to me work again greater miracles in me and of a prophane ungrateful wretch make me a penitent and obedient servant that I may study as much to please as I have to provoke thee by a continuance in well doing may obtain the Crown which thou hast laid up for those that serve thee and possess eternal joys in the Kingdom of thy Father which thou O blessed Jesus hast purchased with thy blood and sealed by thy Spirit To which blessed Trinity be ascribed all praise honour Glory now and to eternity Amen O Lord God I am Ashamed and Blush to lift up my Face to thee for my iniquities are increased over my Head and my Trespasses grown up unto Heaven O my Soul what Fruit have I reapt from all the pleasures of Sin but Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Lord I am ashamed of my own Folly Madness and Disingenuity when I call to mind how greedily I have sucked in my own Pollution how treacherously I have betrayed my own Soul to Temptations and combined with the Devils to hasten and increase my own Damnation how obstinately I have fled from thee when thy Mercy persued me with promises of Pardon how unworthily I have abused thy Goodness and Forbearance and Long-sufferings which should have led me to Repentance Son of David Blessed Redeemer Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have Mercy upon me O Jesu be a Jesus unto me Thou that sparedst thy Servant Peter that denied thee thrice thou that didst cast seven Devils out of Mary Magdalen and forgavist the Woman taken in Adultery and didst bear the convert Thief from the Cross to the joys of Paradise have Mercy upon me also Though my Offences are greater than these yet not their Sins nor mine nor the Sins of the whole World can equal thy Glorious Mercy which is Infinite and Eternal as thy Self I acknowledge O Lord that I am Vile but yet redeemed with thy precious Blood thou O Lord lovest to shew Mercy behold then a fit Object for thy pitty My sins are so great and many that to forgive me will be a glorious act of mercy Dispise me not O Lord for I am thy Creature dispise me not for thou didst die for me cast me not away in thine Anger for thou camest to seek and save me Say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation let thy Holy Spirit lead me from the Error of my ways into the paths of Righteousness to great degrees of Repentance and thro' all the parts of a Holy Life to a Godly and Holy Death Grant this O Blessed Jesu for thy Mercies and for thy pitty sake Amen Most merciful and indulgent Jesus hear the
complaint of a sad and miserable Sinner I have searched into the secret recesses of my Soul there I find nothing but Horror and a barren Wilderness a neglected Conscience overgrown with Sins and cares beset with fears and sore Amazement I tremble when I remember that sad Truth If the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Wicked and Ungodly appear I know O Lord that all my secret impurities shall be laid open at thy dreadfull Judgment O just and dear God! how shall I appear who shall plead for me who am loaden with Impurities Vanity Ingratitude Malice and the Terrors of an affrightning Conscience Wilt not thou answer for me O Jesus thou art my Judge and my Advocate thou art to pass Sentence upon me for those Sins for which thou diest O reserve not my Sins to be punished in the life to come for then I die Eternally but bring me in this World to a severe Repentance Behold I am in thy hand grant I may so Weep and be contrite for my Sins that in the hour of my Death I may find Mercy and in the day of Judgment be freed from the Terrors of thy Wrath and the Sentence of the Wicked Thou hast spared me all this while and not taken me off in the midst of my Sins which is an unspeakable Mercy for if thou had dealt with me according to my Deserts I had been now at this instant sealed up to an Eternity of Torments hopelesly miserably fearing the Revelation of thy day with an insupportable Amazement But now under the sweet influences of thy mercy I am praying to thee confessing my sins with Sorrow for my ingratitude but with a full hope in thy Mercy O my dear God let thy Grace speedily work that in me for which thou so long hast spared me even a true Faith and Holy Life establish in me a great contrition for my Sins lead me on to an humble Confession and let thy Grace make me bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance O Blessed Jesu who liveth and reigns ever one God world without end Amen I hate all evil ways O Lord But thy Law will I Love O God with shame I confess that other Lords besides thee have hitherto had Dominion over me Miserable Wretch that I am that I should begin so early to offend my Creator and sin so much in so short a time Lord I fear I never yet throughly considered how evil and bitter a thing it is to depart from thee O make me every day more and more sensible of the Error of my ways and of my own infinit Vileness Miserable Wretch that I am that ever I should commit those sins which expose me to all the vials of thy Wrath to all the curses of thy Law to all thy judgments Temporal or Spiritual in this life and to all the Horrors and Despair and Torments of the Damned in the life to come Miserable wretch that I am that ever I should transgress that Law of thine O God which is so Just Holy and Good perfect and so condescending to my Infirmities and in keeping of which there are so great so unconceivable rewards O Blessed Saviour how can I ever sufficiently lament the guilt of my Sins which was so great that nothing but thy own inestimable Blood could expiate O Blessed Spirit instil true penitential sorrow into my Soul make my Head Waters and my Eyes Fountains of Tears or do thou supply the want of them with Sighs and Groans unutterable But alass I know all the Tears I can possibly shed can never wash away the least of my Sins 't is thy Blood only Lord that can do it O Heavenly Father in the defect of my own Tears I offer thee the Blood of thy own well beloved Son for his sake have mercy upon me I have been in the snare of the Devil and been led Captive by him and sin hath reigned in my Mortal Body and I have obeyed it in the lust thereof but from henceforth I resolve to serve none but thee and from this very moment I utterly forsake all my sins and turn to thee I do from my heart renew my Baptismal Vow I do for ever renounce the Devil and all his Works and the Vanities of this World which may pervert me from thy Service and all the sinfull Lust of the Flesh O my God I do steadfastly believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith I will keep thy Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my life All this I am bound to do and believe and by thy help so I will and I heartily thank thee O Father who hast called me to this state of Salvation through Jesus Christ my Saviour and I humbly pray thee for his sake to give me Grace to continue in the same to my lives end O Lord God I have Sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments but alass I 'm not able of my self to do nothing that is Good not so much as to think one good thought and I no sooner shall rise from my Knees but I fear I shall be tempted to those very sins I have now so solemnly renounced and those Temptations will certainly overcome me unless thou Lord do'st reasonably interpose thy Grace to with-hold me but I can do all things through the strengthning me do thou then O Blessed Saviour perfect thy strength in my weakness for in thee only is my trust O my God thou hast promised to give thy Holy Spirit to those that ask it Behold Lord I do Humbly I do Earnestly ask thy Holy Spirit now of thee O fullfil thy gracious Promises to me O vouchsafe me that Holy Spirit I pray for to purifie my corrupt Nature to strengthen my Weakness to comfort me in Troubles to support me in Discouragements to succor me in Temptations and to asist me in all the part of my Duty Thou O searcher of hearts knowest the sins I 'm most inclined to here name them herein will lie my greatest danger of Back-sliding but O my God I beg a double portion of thy Spirit and invisible aid against them hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my Foot-steps slip not O work in me that victorious Faith by which I may overcome the World the Devil and my own corrupt Nature My help standeth in thee O great Creator of Heaven and Earth and I commit my Soul to thy keeping O thou that art Faithful as well as Almighty keep that safe which is committed to thy Trust watch over me that I may not be beguiled by the deceitfulness of Sin or betrayed by my own treacherous heart or surprised by my Ghostly Enemies and give me grace to Watch and Pray incessantly my self least I enter into Temptation O Heavenly Father for thine own infinit Mercy sake for thy Truth and Promise sake for all the Merits and Sufferings of the Son of thy Love in whom thou art always well pleased pardon all
my Sins and Failings and receive me into thy favour for the sake of him who has taught me to call the Father and when I pray to say Our Father which art c. The following Form to be added when we have some assurances that our Hearts are steadfast towards God O the God of my life and the unexhausted Fountain of mercy which can never be drawn dry I have now by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit gone through though with weak and trembling steps the whole exercise of Repentance for I have confessed my Sins and thou hast promised upon my Confession of them not to impute them to me I have gone one step farther I have repented of my Sins and thou hast promised upon my Repentance thou wilt remember them no more and because thy Holy Word hath taught me that a new life is the only Repentance I have this day in thy sight and in the presence of all the Angels that attend thee in the conversion of a sinner made my firm resolution never to fall again into the Sins I have repented of and now O God the Father of Heaven who canst not be thought so cruel as to make me only to destroy me Have mercy upon me O God the Son who knowing thy Father's Will didst make it thy business to come into the World to save me Have Mercy c. O God the Holy Ghost who to the same end didst sanctifie me in my Baptism and hast so often since breathed Holy thoughts into my Soul Have mercy c. O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trintiy whom in three persons I adore as my one and only true God Have mercy on me Hear me O Lord. Help me O Lord. Save me or else I perish Lord carest thou not that I perish Thou that wouldest have all men to be saved Thou who wouldest have none to perish And wilt thou now shew thine anger against a Worm against a Vapour that vanishes before thee O remember how short my time is and deliver not my Soul into the power of Hell for what profit is there in my Blood no let me live in thy sight let me live O my God that my Soul may praise thee O remember for whose sake it was that thou camest from the Bosom of thy Father Remember for whom it was that thou enduredst the agony of the Cross and shed thy precious Blood Was it not for the Sins of the whole World and hast thou particularly excepted me Can I imagine thou diest for Sinners of a lower kind and left such as I without Remedy O how easie is it to thee to forgive for 't is thy Nature how proper is it for thee to save for it is thy Name how suitable is it to thy only end of coming into the World for it was thy business and when I consider that I am chief of Sinners may I not urge the Father and say shall the very chief of thy business be left undone Mercy Mercy Good Lord. I ask not of thee any longer the things of this World but thy pardoning Mercy O that I could hear thee say as thou didst to him in the Gospel My Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee O that I could never sin against thee more never purposely deliberately willfully sin against thee more and for those sins of daily Incursion those over familiar corruptions of my Nature which thou hast not yet given me strength enough to conquer Lord either subdue them by degrees or lay them not to my Charge but wherein soever my Conscience most accuseth me therein O my God be thou most merciful unto me Save me O Lord as a brand snatch out of the Fire Receive me O my Jesus as a sheep that has wandred but now is return'd to the Great Shepherd and Bishop of my Soul Let this day O my God be noted in thy Book do not thou forget my Prayers nor suffer me to forget my Resolutions though I am weak though I am unworthy though I am unprofitable yet I am thy Servant and here upon my bended Knees I humbly beg of thee that I may live and die so Lord hear my Prayers and let my cry come unto thee Lord pardon my Prayers and let not my coldness and wandrings and infinite unworthiness turn them into Sin Lord hear my Prayer and let my cry come unto thee O Lord Jesu Christ Son of the Eternal God interpose thy holy Death thy Cross and Passion between thy Judgment and my Soul now and in the hour of my death granting unto me Grace and Mercy to all faithfull people pardon and peace to the Church unity and amity to all Sinners especially those I have led into Sin Repentance and Amendment to us all life and Glory everlasting who livest and reignest ever one God World without end Amen O Lord bless me and keep me O Lord Make thy face to shine upon me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace for ever Amen Having performed this Office with due sincerity let us reflect upon what we have been doing 't is possible the result of our Thoughts may terminate in a mixture of fear and joy But we ought not to let either passion prevail more than is justly necessary don 't let our fear depress and cast us into such a Melancholy as may suggest God won't be reconciled and if we have been dull in the performance of these things that God has rejected us The Devil knows how fatal this course is to redeem us from his Power he is very busie to prevent our repentance and abuse our imaginations with allusions perhaps our own disuse of prayer has rendred us uncapable of a due attention 't is impossible to become immediately good from being very wicked or that we should pray with the same steadfastness as they who are accustomed to this duty We are therefore to strive to the uttermost where we fail to be sorry ask God's Pardon and Grace to do better for the future and in a little time we shall prevail to our satisfaction On the other side don't let our joy puff us up and because we have shed a few Tears said so many Prayers Fasted and given Alms that we are now become perfect and need no more Repentance we have but set the first step to this great work of our Salvation were we sure we had fully conquered sin and shou'd not suffer our selves to be deceived any more Yet this negative part of Christianity is not sufficient 't is not enough that we cease to do Evil but learn to do Well we are now to begin our course and as we have many things to unlearn so there are abundance to learn without which we shall never see the Face of God What they are the Scripture will inform us 't is from thence we are to learn our perfection for he hath shewed thee O man what is Good to do Justice to love Mercy and to walk humbly
wherefore when we are arrived so far in our way to Happiness as the forsaking our old Habits and placing better in their room we may venture to draw nigh to that Holy Ordinance of which whosoever is a worthy partaker shall live for ever A good Life is the best preparitive to this Feast 't is not enough we shake hands with our Vices for a time and return to our Folly when the Ceremony is over if we are not qualified before we come we are in danger to receive this Sacrament Unworthily and the consequence of that is so terrible that the thoughts of it must amaze us No Man is qualified that does not sincerely Repent it can't be supposed that God has allotted just so much time to mortifie ourselves or that a week is sufficient to prepare us for Heaven They who have lived in a course of sin and never approached this Holy Communion must not think the first fit of Sorrow sufficient to Denounce them true Penitents It requires time and pains to conquer their Lusts the old Man must be cast off and they must give a signal of their Loyalty before they be accepted Subjects of the Most High in short if upon Examination we find our Faith firm our Purposes steadfast and our Desires after Christ strong we may come to the Altar of God and if we appear there with Charity our Prayers shall be convey'd from thence to the presence of God 'T is upon no other terms we can come with security for there is no concord between Christ and Beliai They who frequent the Sacrament and suffer themselves in the Commission of any known sin are reconciling of contradictions and will find their mistake to their confusion 'T is very certain as long as we are upon Earth we are in a state of Trial no man must expect to be exempt from Temptation But we should make it our business to strive and resist the World Flesh and the Devil If by surprise or other accident we are betrayed into sin we know our duty to be sorry and arm our selves against it for the future We may reasonably expect pardon upon this humiliation if we dont join our good Will and commit the evil with approbation This we certainly do if we suffer our selves to be often over come by the same Temptation such a one ought to suspect the sincerity of his resolution and not approach the holy communion till he is satisfied his heart is perfect in the Commandments of God But after all men must be left to themselves in this matter 'T is certain no man can be a Hipocrite against his knowledge and what pretences men have for Hipocrisy in other cases they are reasons of a prodigious nature which shall induce a man to play the cheat upon himself For no man is forced to the Sacrament and if he was 't is very sad it should be accounted criminal to Oblige them to be good However men trifle in other cases let them be serious in this if they are really sincere God will pardon a multitude of Faults no Man that knows his own sincerity need be affraid to approach the table of the Lord. When the Minister declares the time of the next Communion and invites all such as shall religiously be disposed let us lift up our Souls to God and beg of him that we may become worthy Partakers of his Body and Blood In order to it let us remember the nearer we draw to God in his Holy Ordinances the greater must be our care in the Management of our selves tho' as I have already premised a Good Life is the best preparative to a worthy Reception of the Lord's Supper yet when we approach the Presence of the Lord we ought to be more than ordinary circumspect 'T was David's resolution To wash his hands in Innocency before he approacht the Altar of God God himself commanded Joshua to pull off his shooes when he was upon the holy Ground and then surely 't is our duty to become such as the Lord may be we well pleased with Let us as much as possible this week have our conversation with God Don't let it suffice that we have formerly call'd our selves to account but go over all again there may be something past over in our last Examination or something new to add to our Affliction however the sight of our late Iniquity will sufficiently affect us and beholding our misery afresh we shall be the more desirous of coming to Christ for our Sins when we are sensible of them will be a burthen too heavy for us to bear But to increase our Desires Humiliation and Love let us reflect on the Goodness of God in sending Our Saviour Jesus to be a sacrifice for our Sins that as the Terrors of the Lord first brought us to our selves so now the Wonders of his Love may effectually perswade us to turn to the Lord our God that he may have mercy upon us A Meditation Preparitory to the Communion LOrd what is Man that thou hast respect unto him and the Son of Man that thou so regardest him When we had forfeied thy Favour by a cursed Disobedience to thy Command and deserved to feel the reward of our Folly to Eternal ages if thou hadst only spared us from thy Wrath and delivered our Soul from the neithermost Hell that Mercy had called for our greatest Devotion and employed us to eternity in singing Praises but thy infinite Love would not debar us the priviledge of Creation since thou madest us for thy self thou resolvedst to try all means to bring us to the enjoyment of that Happiness When we were sunk into Misery almost beyond recovery what manner of Love didst thou extend to the dropping World which lay in Darkness and in the shaddow of Death thou emptiedst thy self and communicatedst to us of thy fullness by sending thy Eternal Son out of thy Bosom to make us thy Children and exalt us to everlasting life HOly Holy Holy Lord God of Saboath Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O God Glory be to thee for this incomprehensible Mystery O thou God who wast manifested in the flesh Glory be to thee inspire the universal World to a greatfull acknowledgment of thy Love surpassing knowledge That we may all acknowledge thee to be the Lord for on Earth there is none like thee and among the Gods there is none can do as thou hast done When thou tookest upon thee to deliver Man thou didst not abhor the Virgins Womb but submitted to our flesh that thou mightest open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers O Thou Word of God how didst thou strip thy self of thy Glory and descend from the felicities of thy Throne to take upon thee the form of a Servant Thou wert born of poor Parents and laid in a Manger thou induredst Hunger and Thirst and hadst no place to lay thine head yet did it not discourage thee from going about
deserve is intolerable We fear the Punishment of our Sins but cease not pertinaciously to proceed in sinning Our Weakness is sometimes smitten with thy Rod but our Iniquity is not changed When thou smitest us then we confess our Sins but when thy Visitation is past then we forget that we have wept When thou stretchest forth thine Hand then we promise to do our Duty but when thou takest it away we perform no Promises If thou strikest we cry to thee to spare us but when thou sparest we provoke thee again to Anger Thus O God the Guilty confess before thee Unless thou givest us Pardon it is but just we perish But O Almighty God our Father grant to us what we ask even though we deserve it not Pardon us O Gracious Father and take away all our Sin Destroy the Work of the Devil let the Enemy have no part in us Acknowledge the Work of thine own Hand the Price of thine own Blood and the Purchase of thine own Inheritance and bring us to the Place which thou hast design'd for us by the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant by the Pains of thy Cross and the Glories of thy Resurrection O Holy and Blessed Jesus our Redeemer MOst merciful God and Father I thine unworthy Servant render my humblest Thanks to thy Divine Majesty that it has pleas'd thee notwithstanding my Unworthiness to give me a Heart to approach thy Blessed Sacrament Give me thy Grace that I may be a curious Spender of my Time this Week so as I may best resist or prevent all Temptation Let thy Grace so perpetually assist and encourage my Endeavours conduct my Will and fortifie my Intentions that I may persevere in that holy Condition which thou hast put me in by the Grace of the Covenant and the Mercies of the Holy Jesus Oh let me never fall into those Sins and retire to that vain Conversation from which the Eternal and Merciful Saviour of the World hath redeemed me Let thy Preventing Grace dash all Temptations in their Approach that my Hopes be never discompos'd my Faith weaken'd my Confidence made remiss nor my Portion be lessen'd in the Covenant Give me Grace to put on the Wedding-Garment And since thou hast commanded me to examine my self let me seriously consider and review my Life and Actions and how I am prepar'd for so weighty an Action I desire to do this O Lord help my weak Desires Give me Power to live more exactly than I have done I confess O Lord I am by Nature a Child of Wrath give me therefore a True and Lively Faith that I may be spiritually join'd to thee by the Visible Signs of Bread and Wine And so cleanse my Soul that thou mayest take up thy Habitation within me I know O Lord I am unworthy of this Blessing yet for thy Name sake bestow it upon me And when I present my self before thee at thy Table restrain my Wandring and Idle Thoughts let them be seriously fix'd on the Death of my Saviour And as I receive this Bread and Wine for Bodily Sustenance so cause me to feed on the Body and Blood of my Saviour that it may be real Nourishment to my Soul Which I beg for the sake of him who offer'd both his Body and Blood for my Salvation Jesus thy Son and my Redeemer Amen O Most Good and Gracious Jesus how excellent was thy Love towards us thou leavest thy Body and Blood to be our Food to Nourish us O thou true Food of my Soul receive me who am to receive thee quicken me with thy Spirit feed me with thy Flesh satisfie me with thy Blood and let me receive Life from thee to act and live unto thee O my Lord give me a Heart that I may think on thee a Soul that I may love thee and a Mind to remember thee Let me find thee O my hearts desire let me hold thee O thou whom my Soul doth love O my life for whom all things live by which I live without which I die O my Lord let me renew this life of mine by coming to thy Holy Sacrament Where may I find thee but here O that I may faint in my self and depend on thee O Lord let me love thee because thou didst first love me Where shall I get words to express the signs of thy particular great love towards me I bless thee for my Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this life but most of all for my Redemption and the benefits convey'd to us in the Holy Sacrament O let me go to thy Holy Table to receive Life and Salvation O that I may cry after God even the living God that I may watch for thee more than they who watch for the Morning and that my delight may be in thy Commandments O God I Dare not presume to come to thine Altar Most Holy Lord God before I have cleansed my Mouth by confession of my Sins washed my Hands in Innocency and purified my heart by profession of my Faith in my Redeemers Blood for thy sacred Word teaches me that Holy Thing must not be given to Dogs nor Pearls cast before Swine with loathing of my self and greatest detestation of my rebellious corruption I confess that never Dog so oft returned to his Vomit nor Sow to wallowing in the Mire as I have to sin and sensuality I was at first conceived in Lust and since Lust has conceived in me and brought forth sin and sin had long ago brought forth Death if thy Grace and Mercy had not prevented it I am not able to conceive what sin I have conceived in my heart or uttered with my tongue my best actions are tainted how much more my defects my Prayers against sin are through their many imperfections unless thou cover them abominable in thy sight how much more the sins themselves against which I pray All the remedies which thou hast prescribed in thy Law against the maladies of my Soul have increas'd them and so improv'd my sin that sin is become above measure sinful O Lord thy Commandments are exceeding Broad and extends not only to our Words and Actions but to our Thoughts Desires and Affection the smallest desire of sin is sin the very inclination to sin without consent of the will the delight in sin against the consent of the will our vain fancies by Day and dreams by Night though not in our power to prevent are pollutions in thy Eyes who are purity it self Who then can say his Heart is clean or who knoweth how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou me from my secret Faults Pardon all my known and unknown Transgressions whether they be Omissions of any duty Commanded by thee or Commissions of any thing forbidden O loose me from those Bonds wherewith Satan and my own Lust have bound me thou seest I have abundant need of thee but am so cloged with Guilt that I am not able to move towards thee O let not my impenitence and unworthiness
how miserable my end must be when the Heavens are not pure in thy sight and the very Angels are charged with folly there is no Holiness O Lord if thou with-draw thy Hand no Wisdom profits if thy Government ceases when thou leavest us we perish we are unstable and unsecure unless secured and confirmed by thee we fly to thee for help and yet depart from thy Commandments O how meanly do I deserve to be thought of how little and inconsiderable is the good I do how innumerable how intollerable are the Evils I have done many good things have I received from thee but I have abus'd them thou hast given me Grace but I have turned it into Wantonness thou didst create in me a hope of Glory but I have lost my Confidence Wherefore behold O Lord I come unto thee thou mightest indeed justly censure the approach of such a polluted Creature to be a daring presumption but I beseech the condemn not the action but behold the motives which drew me hither even my own miseries and thy mercies I increase the number of my sins what shall I do to thee O thou preserver of Men Who shall raise me up when I shall fall before thy dreadful Judgment Seat I will lay my Face in the Dust and confess my self to be nothing Pitty my Shame O God bind up my Wounds remove those sins that so easily overcome me and unite me to my Saviour Jesus O help me to supply in Humility what I want in worthiness let my mean and just opinion of my self my bended Knees and broken Heart shew that I durst not have adventured so nigh if thy mercy had not held out the Golden Scepter O then dear Jesus be a Jesus to me and let this Sacrament be a savor of life and thy Body the Bread of life thy Blood the purifier of my sinful life O send me not empty away for I shall faint and die I cannot live without thee O let vertue come from thee and heal my Sickness do thou appear to my Soul in these holy Mysteries enlighten my Darkness turn me from all vain imaginations and illusions of the Enemy all perversness of Will all Violence and Inordinate Passions sensual Desires Lust and Malice Gluttony Pride Envy and Detraction let not sin reign in my mortal Body nor the Divel lead my Will captive nor the World abuse my understanding nor debauch my Conversation O grant I may receive these Divine Mysteries for the amendment of my Life and for a defensative against all my sins for the increase of Vertue and the perfection of the Spirit this I beg O merciful God for the sake of thy Eternal Son my crucified Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen Here rising up read as Follows AND as they were Eating Jesus took Bread and gave thanks and blessed it and brea kt it and gave it to his Disciples and said Take Eat this is my Body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me likewise also he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it for this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you and for many for the Remission of sins and they all drank of it Verily I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of the Fruit of the Vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God my Father I adore thee O Blessed Jesus for instituting this Holy Sacrament O let thy Divinity thus stampt on it strike into my Soul a holy awe in approaching it O create in me a Heaven disposition to celebrate so Heavenly an Institution and for thy Mercies sake pardon all my stupid forgetfulness and ingratitude hitherto do now create in me such a thankful and lively remembrance of thy dying love that may excite me to give up my self intirely to thee as thou didst give up thy self on the Cross for me Kneeling say A Prayer BEhold O sacred and undivided Trinity an unworthy wretched weak and wounded Soul oppressed with an intollerable weight of Misery terrified with the consideration of thy inscrutable Judgments confounded with the memory of her base ingratitude and encompassed with sorrow I have with the prodigal wasted that portion of Grace thou didst bestow upon me and therefore do infinitly want a supply out of thy Treasury but O Lord how shall such a wretch as I dare to approach this Holy Table how shall this spiritual Manna this Food of Angels be given to one Who has chosen to feed on Huscks with Wine nay to one who has so often trampled upon these precious things either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these holy Mysteries O LOrd my horrible guiltiness makes me not dare to stay away for where shall my polluted Soul be washed if not in this Fountain which thou hast opened for sin and uncleanness hither therefore I come and thou hast promised him that cometh thou wilt in no wise cast out this is O Lord the Blood of the New Testament grant me so to receive it that it may be for the remission of my sins and though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof the Sacrament is a seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine be merciful to my unrighteousness and remember my sins no more and not only so but place thy Laws in my Mind and write them in my Heart and by the power of thy Grace dispose my Soul to such a sincere and constant Obedience that I may never again provoke thee Lord grant that in these holy Mysteries I may not only commemorate but effectually receive my blessed Saviour and all the benefits of his Passion and to that end give me such a preparation of Soul as may qualifie me for it give me a deep sense of my sins and unworthiness that being weary and heavy leaden I may be capable of his refreshings Raise up my dull and earthly mind from groveling here below and inspire it with holy Zeal that I may with spiritual affections approach this spiritual Feast and let O Lord that infinite love of Christ in dying for so wretched a sinner inflame my frozen and benumed Soul and kindle in me that sacred fire of love to him and that so vehement that no water may quench no floods drown it such as may burn up all my dross and not leave one unmortified Lust within me and such as may also extend it self to all whom thou hast given me command to love even my Enemies as well as Friends O Lord I beseech thee cloath me with the Wedding Garment and make me though of my self a most unworthy yet by thy mercy an acceptable guest at thy Holy Table that I may not eat and drink my own Condemnation but may have my Pardon sealed my Weakness repair'd my Corruptions subdued and my Soul so inseperably united to thee that no temptation may be ever able to dissolve the
our Lights may shine before men and the world may see the love of God dwelleth in us by our readiness to perform his commands but what need we of Arguments to press us to that which is so reasonable in it self which the Law of Nature teaches we ought to do But a sad experience informs us that neither the law of God nor nature is sufficient to oblige some tempers to compassion but let all such remember however serviceable their Estates are to them in this World they will turn to their destruction in the other their full Barns that have been shut at the knocking 's of the Poor will then be of no advantage nor the multitude of their riches prevail for their security both of them will turn to their reproof the rust of the one and fullness of the other will sink them into despair and exclude them to Eternity from the Happiness of God We have been taught that no one must approach this sacred Feast in bitterness of Spirit we must have love towards the Brethren and if we are in charity with all men shall more especially have bowels of compassion to those who are in want therefore let us while we have opportunity impart of our abundance and bless God for enabling us to do good to the House-hold of Saints and this coming from us so readily will be the more acceptable sacrifice for God loves a chearful giver and that our Alms ascend not alone 't is necessary we accompany them with Prayers and though we have no Angel to assure us they come up before God yet we need not doubt their acceptance for God himself has assured us with such sacrifices he is well pleased therefore let us humbly say at the giving our Alms. Blessed be thou O Lord God for all things come of thee and of thy own do I now give thee O let this Alms be an Odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing in thy sight After the sentences are read we have nothing to do but devoutly compose our selves and joyn with Reverence to the Prayers of the Church if we consider the substance of this excellent Office we shall be freed from the interruptions which often occur in our devotions for when our minds are wholly taken up with the signification of the words we shall have less room for wandrings When the Prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church is begun let us interest our selves in that excellent form that when the Priest comes to beseech God to accept our Alms and Oblations let us in our minds humbly beg it for Jesus Christ his Sake and that together with them God would receive our Prayers for the Universal Church for we can't but enlarge our Passions and desire the good of all Mankind not only of those who confess Christ but that the Heathen may be brought into the Possession of our Saviour and agree in the Truth of his Holy Word we must desire the Well-fare of Princes because they are set over us by God for the punishment of Vice and the praise of them that do well and for the Pastors of the Church there is a great deal of reason for us to pray for them that they may duly administer this Holy Mystery and by their Example and Doctrine both save themselves and those who hear them they who are in Affliction call for our fellow-feeling and since we are all of one body we can't let any member be in disorder and neglect to procure its remedy we are passionately to desire the Health and Salvation not only of those we know want present relief but to all that are in any danger Sickness or other Distress considering it may be our condition and we must desire it with the same Ardour as if it was for our selves and since God has given us the example of good Men who are gone before us we ought to pray that we may follow their steps that so we may arrive to the same degree of Blessedness and to obtain all this more certainly we are to beg it in the name of Jesus Christ believing that God will never refuse any thing that is convenient for us when we call upon him in that most prevailing Name especially since he is our Advocate we have the assurance of his intercession and God can deny nothing to the Son of his Love After this excellent Prayer is over we are exhorted by the Minister to a more serious preparation to the Communion though 't is supposed that every one who approaches this Holy Table has considered before repented and got a competent understanding in this sacred Mystery yet it is very necessary we should attend this Exhortation and Re-examine our selves whether we are such as the Gospel requires The Church has taken care to instruct us in this Duty in such a manner that we can't easily deceive our selves she encourages us with rewards and sets before us the dreadful consequence of our carelesness or neglect We may be over aw'd in our private Examination by the Dominion of our Lusts or perhaps the love of our selves may incline us to think better than we are but when we hear God's Minister urging us to this Duty and powerfully representing those things we have prevailed with our selves to pass over and that God is immediately present to acquit or condemn us we are obliged to confess our Wickedness and be sorry for our sin this is the Repentance we shan't be ashamed of that will put us in a state to be reconciled with our Saviour and make us fit to receive the Body and Blood of Christ and the benefit of that is the becoming one with him and to be pertakers of his Everlasting Glory therefore when we hear the Priest exhort us Judge therefore your selves Brethren let us humbly say I confess my self a sinner and condemn my ingratitude Repent you truly of your sins past c. I repent O Lord and am sorry for my Wickedness Have a lively and steadfast Faith c. I believe O Lord help my unbelief Amend your lives c. O grant me thy Holy Spirit to amend my life Be in perfect Charity c. I forgive all Men their Trespasses Lord do thou forgive me So shall ye be meet partakers c. O make me a worthy Communicant Ye must give most humble and hearty thanks c. I adore thy infinit love to Mankind in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus who did humble thy self to the death upon the Cross c. By thy Cross and Passion sweetest Jesus deliver me He hath c. and ordained Holy Mysteries as pledges of his Love c. I remember thy exceeding Love to us miserable sinners and adore thy infinite compassion in dying for Mankind To thee therefore O Jesus with the Father and the Holy Ghost let us give as we are most bounden continual thanks submitting our selves wholy to thy holy Will and Pleasure studying to serve thee in true
we like his Disciples at the last Supper are waiting to be fed with the Bread from Heaven when we hear the Priest saying Who in the same Night he was betrayed took Bread c. Let us adore that inexpressible love of our Saviour which was working our Salvation when his cursed Enemies were contriving his Crucifixion let us bless the goodness of God and admire the Humillity of our Saviour that would be represented by no richer preparation than Bread Here is no costly sacrifice to exhault our Treasure That we may bestow upon those that want it the poor which we have always with us but for the representation of himself he chuses what is necessary for our sustinance to show us that his Body is as necessary to the strengthning of our Souls as Bread for the support of our Life And when he had given thanks he brea kt it c. O blessed Jesus doest thou give thanks for my Redemption behold I joyn my praises to thine and bless thee with all my Soul O shew thy acceptance of my praises by hallowing these Elements to the purposes they are designed Saying Take Eat this is my Body which is given for you c. Here let us reflect upon the passion of our Saviour and imagine we see him in that unspeakable Passion offering up his pious Soul upon the Cross Do this in remembrance of me O Jesus let me never be so ungrateful as to forget thee likewise also after Supper He took the Cup and when he had given thanks c. Our Saviour was not content to give us his Body alone but to pour out his Blood for us and has chosen Wine for the Commemoration of that inestimable mercy O let our Souls thirst after this Cup of Salvation and when the Minister holds it out to bless it let us call upon the Name of the Lord He gave it to them saying Drink ye all of this c. Do this in remembrance of me This is the time to Exercise our Faith and therefore let us believe they really are to us what they represent and say a hearty Amen for it is unto us according to our Faith if we believe 't is unto us the Blood of Christ indeed that no doubting nor infidelity may unhallow these sanctified Elements to any of our Souls Let us say A Prayer after Consecration LOrd it is done as thou hast commanded and I doubt not but the Mystery is rightly accomplished I am perswaded that here is that which my Soul longeth after a crucified Saviour communicating himself to poor penitent Sinners O let me be reckoned among that Number and then I shall assuredly receive thee Holy Jesus Amen O Holy Saviour I behold thee stretch'd upon the Cross with thy Arms spread ready to embrace all Mankind Glory be to thee O Lord Jesus Lamb of God Son of the Father who didst offer thy self a sacrifie to take away the sins of the whole World Lord have mercy upon me and take away mine also When the Minister is a Communicating let us humbly desire that God would hear his Prayer The Lord hear thee and remember all thy Offerings and Sacrifices grant thee thy Hearts desire and fullfil all thy mind The Lord perform all thy Petitions which thou hast made at this time for thy self for us and all Persons Amen We have nothing to do now but compose our selves for the acts of holy Communion remembering we are to feast with God by Silence and Heavenly Contemplation let us reflect upon the mercies of God in this Sacrament and when we have by Faith beheld the Glory of the Lord confess our unworthiness to appear before him and acknowledge his goodness which gives us the opportunity of adoring his inexpressible Love While others are Communicating O How dreadful is this place Seemeth it a small thing unto thee O my Soul to be feasted with God waited on by Angels fed with the Body of Jesus and refreshed with the Cup of that saving Blood which hath attoned for the Sins of the World What meaneth this secret that so poor a Wretch and sinful a Rebel should receive so mighty a Favour and be received to so near Embraces How can I approach to these terrible Mysteries till I have pulled back the Vail and worshipped him that feeds my Body to convey Grace to my Soul and make that stoop to the Eye of sence which Angels cannot behold with open Faces Here is represented the Almighty Love of an infinite Being here the God of Gods appears all Bloody to fright thee from thy sins here the All-merciful Saviour of the World is as it were crucified before thine Eyes that contemplating the horrid Aggonies of the Cross and remembring the cause of his cruel Sufferings thou mayst mourn for thy ingratitude that brought him to the torments of that inexpressible Passion here the Holy Jesus appears loaded with all the Blessings of Heaven here the everlasting Trinity seems to use his utmost endeavour to perswade thee into a Heavenly Conversation To thy Holy Altar O Dear Redeemer I am coming to renew my Baptizmal Vow to enter into a Solemn Covenant with God and faithfully to promise thee to resign my self intirely to thee to fall out with thee no more to be faithful to thee to vindicate thy Glory to live up to those Laws which thou hast sealed with thy own Blood To this end I eat of thy Bread and Drink of thy Wine and so seal my Covenant with thee Quicken me O Lord and make me more earnest and zealous in thy Service and as thou hast sent thy Son to bring me to thy self do thou likewise send thy Holy Spirit to sanctifie me for thy self and then I who of my self can scarce move unto thy Altar by the assistance of thy Grace may run the ways of thy Commandments Having declared the reasons of our approaching this Holy Table and beg'd God's blessing upon us let us Meditate after this manner Thou O my God hast prepared a Table for me and hast promised whosoever eateth thereof shall never Hunger and drinketh shall never Thirst This consideration alone is sufficient to furnish us with matter for Contemplation The mercy of God in preparing this Sacred Feast the benefits we receive from it and the time in which it was institued when he was surrounded with the Horrors of Death and began to feel the weight of our Transgressions are enough to put us in a confusion and constrain us at once to humble our selves even into our first nothing for abusing such goodness and then adore that amazing constancy of our Lord that in the greatest of his Agony could endure yet more for our sakes and resign himself to the Cross notwithstanding the contradiction of sinners O let us consider this price with which we were bought and glorifie God in our Bodies and Spirits which are his therefore bowing our bodies before the Lord let us consider the wonder of his love BEhold what kind of love
O my Soul is expressed by thy Redeemer when our sins his treacherous Servants and enraged Enemies were contriving his Death he was designing an excellent benefit for us the stream of his affections was so strong that our baseness and ingratitude could not check it we might have expected that the horror of this dismal Night should have made him repent of his undertaking and have put him upon reversing all his former favours but lo he adds a greater than ever he had given before and appoints this as a seal to confirm and convey the rest to us Thy love was stronger than Death and when all the terrors of thy dreadful Passion were in view thy Soul was so calm as to be at leisure to institute this Feast of Joy and Gladness Surely I will entertain this Festival with the dearest regard I can express since it was one of the last and greatest Testimonies of the love of a dying Friend this blessed Legacy this parting Remembrance shall be in my heart for ever Having considered the exceeding great love of God in instituting this Sacrament that very Night he was betrayed and that he should be mindful of us when he was about to drink that Cup of which we were not able let us now contemplate the preparation our Lord then made for us and that we have already heard is Bread but don't let the meaness of the outward part be a disparagement to this mystery but let us adore the Humility of our Saviour who was content with so mean a Re-presentation A Meditation upon the Element of Bread O Blessed Jesus how lovely is thy Humility thou hast chosen to be represented by Bread and though some curious or costly preparation had been more agreeable to thy Dignity yet this best expresses thy condescension Bread is the poor Man's Food yet necessary for the Rich it springs from the Earth yet it is the staff of our Life and given to strengthen Man's heart and so it signifies that Body which thou didst take from the Earth and gavest for the life of the World O that I may receive thee by Faith and then I know I shall draw the most salutary nourishment from thee and thou wilt as effectually be united to my Soul as the Bread which is eaten is to my Body Let me eat this Holy Bread in Charity O do thou make it thy Body and it shall be the Bread of Life to my Soul O merciful Jesus thou hast taken Bread into thy bountiful hands and behold I faint for Hunger I languish for this Spiritual Food and since I am come so nigh thee on this blessed day of Distribution I beseech thee pass not by me as thou takest this Bread so didst thou take thy Body only to be broken in Sacrifice for us and in Sacrament to us let me not therefore want my part O Eternal Word of God by whose power all things were made I will not ask how thou canst give me thy Flesh to eat because I am abundantly satisfied in thy saying this is my Body since thou canst make it become to me whatsoever thou sayest it is I believe Lord help my unbelief what though my senses assure me the outward substances and its accidents still remain yet my Faith and experience tell me there is an Efficacy therein beyond the power of any other thing Alas the Flesh would profit me nothing for he that is joined to thee must be one Spirit O let these sacred Symbols therefore make me partaker of thy Nature and a partner in thy merits let them unite me to thee ingraft me in thee and make that Body mine which did suffer Death for me and then I shall need no further but be more happy than if I could understand all mysteries sure I am this is thy Body in Sacrament it communicates to us the blessings and benefit thereof and though presented with a Figure and by a Holy Right yet it is to all its purposes that which it doth represent I will therefore receive it as thy Body and esteem it infinitly above all other food that I may not be judged for not descerning thy Body O let it be unto me according to my Faith I Am a sinful Wretch O Lord and yet if I bid thee depart from me I banish all true happiness from my Soul I long for thy presence but how shall I entertain thee Thou wast born of a pure Virgin wraped in clean Linnen dwellest now where nothing defiled can enter but never was there so unworthy apartment prepared for thee as my polluted heart into which I durst not presume to bring thee but that I know thou canst make it clean however when by Faith I see that Body which all the Angels in Heaven worship I cannot but abhor my self in Dust and Ashes I am amazed to see such a Majesty come to visit a Sin-sick Soul in so poor a Cottage yea I cannot but tremble at thy presence O thou King of Glory because I am so overspread with the filth of sin but I will lament those corruptions which I cannot fully purge away and beseech thee not to dispise me though I deserve it I confess my self unworthy but thy condesention in stooping to me will be the more illustrious and if thou hast less delight in me for the present thou shalt have more Glory afterwards When thou hast changed my vile Body and made it like to thy glorious Body according to thy mighty Power O My Soul make hast behold thy gracious Master is dealing his Bread to those that hunger after Righteousness be not discouraged at thy unworthiness for he gives to all Men liberally and upbraideth not O dear Jesus give me a share thereof declare me to be thine by feeding me at this Table thou who wert content to be bruised and broken to satisfie my offended God O be pleased to give thy self and the merits of this thy Passion unto me Lord give me ever more of this Bread HOly Jesus I am not worthy to touch this blessed Body as 't is thine yet I presume to approach because thy love hath made it mine This is the sacrifice for my sins the price of my Redemption and that by which my Soul was ransomed from Hell and rescued from a dreadful destruction it was given for me and it shall now be given to me and hast thou made such a preparation for me and offer'd it unto me Lord I am transported at thy love dear Saviour I will love thee with all my powers and strive and pray that I may love thee more as fervently as ever any thy Saints have done I will give my self unto thee and dispise all other things in comparison of thee and when I have once tasted of this all-saving Sacrifice which was given for me I 'm perswaded that neither Life Death Pleasure or Pain things present or to come shall be able to seperate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen O My
Celestial Food the bread that came down from Heaven how does thy sweetness and my own necessities invite me My body is liable to Temporal my Soul to Eternal Death and behold here is the medicine of immortality which will remove the sting of the first and destroy the power of the second which will fill me with the Graces I want fit me for the Glory I desire and advance my Soul and Body above the Power of corruption I feel a mighty Hunger created in me which nothing but this Heavenly Manna can satisfie I despise the meat which perishes and feedeth for Destruction and long with impatience to taste of this Body of Christ of which I may eat and live for ever which will make the Grave unable to hold me and Hell not dare to shut its Mouth upon me O make no long tarrying but give me now and ever this Bread I desire nothing but Christ if I want this repast shall faint or die before I come to the Mount of God O My Soul behold how thou hast incensed the Majesty of Heaven see thy Saviour offered up for thy sins and submitting to the heavy Wrath of God and yet whatever he suffered was thy Portion Wretch that I am to live in such a manner that nothing else could satisfie or make my Peace but here I come this day to call my sins to remembrance I will look on thee whom I have pierced with a most tender and sympathizing Affection and while I break this Holy Bread with my Teeth will commemorate how thou wast bruised for our iniquities how our offences did torture thee with grief and pain Holy Saviour I 'm angry at my self and full of anguish to see what I have brought upon thee I 'm sorry with all my heart that I have given harbor to thy Murderers but I hope this dismal spectacle shall mortifie in me all desires after Evil and make me abhor all those desperate pleasures which must be so dearly paid for by thee or stand charged upon my account for ever A Meditation upon the Element of Wine O What preparation is our gracious Master making for us he thinks it not enough to give us his blessed Body with the merits of all those Torments which he suffered in the Flesh but he is pleased to pour out his Blood and Life together with it that we might drink thereof and so take as it were his very Soul into us miserable Wretches we are that nothing less will help us O how gracious a Redeemer have we that will not deny us this behold O Lord I Thirst and this Wine of joy makes me more impatient to taste of this Cup of Thanksgiving Thou that hast prepared it for me make it thy holy Blood unto me and then it shall cleanse my Soul and make me thine for ever O Lord I tremble at the apprehensions of all those Evils that stand between me and thy Glory the Grave gapeth for me and Satan is ready every moment to devour me wherefore I beseech thee sprinkle me with thy all-saving Blood that the destroying Angel may pass over me Let me drink of this Cup of Life and Death shall be Defeated the Grave Dismantled and Satan disappointed Let me drink of thy precious Blood that I may receive abundance of thy Spirit so shall my body be hallowed into a sacred Temple and my Soul replenished with such Graces that I can never perish O give me this Divine Cordial at present and make to me a preservation for Body and Soul to life everlasting I Dore thy unspeakable Goodness I delight in thy unmeasurable Mercy I desire to know nothing but the Lord Jesus and in him Crucified O let the Power of thy Cross prevail against all the Powers of Darkness let the Wisdom of thy Cross make me wise unto Salvation let the Peace of thy Cross reconcile me to thy Eternal Father and bring to me Peace of Conscience let the Victory of thy Cross mortifie all my evil and corrupt Affections let the triumph of thy Cross lead me on to a state of Holiness that I may sin no more but in all things please thee and in all things serve thee and in all things glorifie thee O my God assist me now and ever graciously and greatly grant that I may not receive Bread alone for man cannot live by that but that I may eat Christ and then I shall be thy servant for ever GReat Advocate of my Soul thou seest my desires to love thee I leave my self to thy Mannagement O enter into this frozen heart and erect thy Kingdom and Empire there let every desire of my Soul be subject to thee and make me willing to submit to any thing so I may but love thee O Compassionate Saviour whose Bowels yearn over the penìtent let my Soul rest in and contemplate thee enlarge my Mind loose me from my Bonds and let the effect of the offering up my Soul in the Holy Sacrament be that I may become a servant of Righteousness and may relish no wisdom but from above O Lord Jesus I am not worthy to come near so great a Mystery but thou can'st make me worthy and though I am a sinner I come to offer the sacrifice thou hast commanded O pardon my Offences and receive me graciously for thy Mercies sake I lament O God my detestable iniquities for having so long so often and so obstinately offended thee O most merciful Lord pardon me for Jesus Christ his sake O hear his dying Groans regard his Agony and Bloody Sweet by his Cross and Passion let my sins be blotted out by his glorious Resurrection and Ascention let every Evil affection and lust be crucified that I may arise to a newness of life Great Friend of my immortal Soul chuse I beseech thee my heart for thy dwelling place replenish it with thy Graces and make me to loath these transitory possessions O Lord what is there in Heaven or what upon Earth that I would have besides thee My heart is ready O God my heart is ready Lord what wouldst thou have to me do grant me to do what thou commandest and command what thou wilt O my sweet Saviour I long for thy Company and am miserable without thee yet dare scarce draw near unto thee because I have nothing pure enough to entertain thee Lord be merciful to me a sinner for I am grieved for my unworthiness and amazed at thy condescention in offering thy self to so vile a Creature O Holy Jesus I am utterly ashamed that ever I should put thee to such exceeding Smart and Torture I am ashamed to think of it and abhor my sins O light of mine Eyes my secure refuge O life of my Soul my Maker my Redeemer and my preserver into thy hands do I commit my Spirit O joy of my Soul when shall I love thee with all my Heart with all my Soul with all my Might When shall I enjoy thee When shall I come and appear before thee
Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. Lord if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me O touch me and say I will be thou clean Oh let this Blood of thine purge my Conscience from dead Works to serve thee the ever living God It will not suffice me dearest Saviour to receive thee in part only for I must be wholly thine and blessed be thy Name that thou hast already given me thy holy Body to cleanse my Nature and now thou art preparing thy precious Blood to wash away my Guilt my sins have poured out every drop thereof wherefore thou presentest it to me by it self to shew how truly thou didst suffer Death for me and now O my Redeemer thou hast said this Cup is the Communion of thy Blood and thy truth is unquestionable thy power infinite and thy love was such as thou gavest thy hearts blood for me I will receive it therefore as the everlasting Covenant the Seal of all the promises of thy holy Gospel I have indeed drunk iniquity like Water and therefore am unfit to tast this Water of Life and yet shall perish without it for I 'me all over defiled and this is the fountain which thou hast opened to cleanse us I am scorched with the Flames of lust and unruly passion and this is the Cup which thou hast provided to cool and refresh us What value is sufficient for me to put upon this immortal Cordial How can I reverence it enough since the God of Heaven esteemed it a price sufficient for millions of perishing Mankind My Soul longeth after it Lord let me taste and my Soul shall live let me wash in this laver before I come to thy great Tribunal so shall I be whiter than snow Let us repeat after the Minister the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ c. After the Cup. IT is finished blessed be the Name of our gracious God Blessing Glory Praise and Honour Love Obedience Dominion and Thanksgiving be to thee O sacred Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost Amen Well come O my good Jesus now dismiss thy Servant in Peace for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation If we have time before we return to our Pews let us add HOw chearing is this Cup to me blessed Jesus which was so dreadful unto thee it was thy Agonies and thy Wounds which afforded me this Wine of Joy Thou didst find how bitter it was when thou wert appeasing an offended God but I taste how sweet it is now that thou hast made him a tender and reconciled Father I receive this Cup O Saviour as a new pledge of thy dearest Love and since thou doest here give me a right to that great Expiation which thou hast made I do most humbly commemorate the same before the Father of Heaven as the full satisfaction for my innumerable Debts and I will remember the dolors of thy Cross with a brisker sense than ever because thou hast made me drink of thy Blood and given me thy Soul thy Life and thy Spirit and since thou hast thus joyned me to thy self O let nothing seperate that which thou hast so graciously joyned together Amen They who have advanced thus far in their Duty and been refreshed at the Table of God will easily acknowledge Thanksgiving to be the least tribute they can pay and won't be satisfied that they have given praises at the Altar but are willing to offer this sacrifice every opportunity therefore let us at our return to our Seats be ready to acknowledge the loving kindness of the Lord. PRaise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his Holy Name was it not enough that thou shouldst suffer so much for me but thou wilt also give all the purchase of those sufferings to me thy loving kindness is truly admirable thou hast taken my sins on thy self and communicated thy Righteousness to my Soul Lord while I believe and consider the benefits of thy Passion I am revived and fill'd with an unwonted Vigour my Conscience does accuse me of many and grievious sins but I do here most humbly and thankfully set forth this perfect sin offering before thy Divine Majesty I know thou cannot except against it I believe it is sufficient to attone thine Anger Blessed Jesus how is my Soul refreshed that is again restored to thy Father's love let Heaven and Earth praise thee for this glorious Sacrifice and I will bless thee while I have any being I have receiv'd thy immaculate Body and it shall cleanse my sinful Body and teach me by the vertue of so rare an Example to relieve my poor Brethren for whom thou hast died and to conquer my Enemies by charity for thus thou hast done to me and both my lips and life shall set forth thy praise for now I begin to find the Mercy Peace Comfort and Grace which flow from the Death of Christ wherefore I will love thee Holy Jesus more than I can express and since thou hast given thy self thy Merits and Graces to me and seal'd a new Covenant with me in thy Blood I here bind my self by this sacred Cup to be sincerely thine I have sworn and am steadfastly purposed to keep thy Righteous Judgments O let me never unhallow that Body or defile that Soul in which the Lord Jesus delights to dwell in let no Oaths or Lying prophane those Lips no Obscenity or Intemperance pollute that Mouth by which these holy Symbols have passed but let thy Mercy keep me in this happy Temper till I have accomplished all my Resolutions Amen Or This ALL is thine Dear Saviour dispose of all that is here of Body and Soul of life and lodging according to thy Divine Will and Pleasure I intend O Lord strengthen me in this very Hour I intend O sweet Saviour a Total Reformation of my Life and Manners an intire Mortification of my Corporal Senses an absolute change in my whole Man grant therefore O good Jesus that at each word of my Mouth at each glance of my Eye at each morsel I Eat at each member I Move at each action Inward or Outward I undertake I may perform all according to thy holy Will and Pleasure I will therefore expect from thee O Heavenly Father the exact Remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect Knowledge from thee O Holy Spirit a true Repentance from thee O Sacred Trinity the entire Absolution and Plenary indulgence from all my iniquities Amen We have been informed that this is the great Feast of Love and are now commemorating that inexpressible love of our Saviour and since his Blood was shed for the sins of the whole World let our Charity extend it self to the uttermost parts of the Earth but more especially the Holy Catholick Church therefore the time we spare from our Devotions let us bestow in good desires to those present sending up a hearty Amen to the Prayers for our Brethren let it rejoyce our Souls to see so many of the Servants of God
goodness though I can make no Retribution had I all the World at my disposal I could freely give it all to thee as a Testimony of my unfeigned gratitude but I hear thy gracious voice saying unto me My Son give me thine heart it is not mine but me thou seekest sinful and misrable though I am yet I am the purchase for which Jesus has left his Glory laid down his Life done and suffered all these things O marvelous Condescension I am nothing I have nothing I am void of all Good full of Evil and deserving thy Wrath so that I abhor my self and canst thou dwell in me Be it so then I will dispute no more with unsearchable mercy I believe O my God and wonder I can no longer resist thy condescending and almighty love I will with all the joy imaginable give my felf unto thee who hast but lately restored me to my self I have been a prisoner to Satan a Slave to Sin and marked out for Destructioon but thou hast procured my Pardon Liberty and Life requiring no more for so inexpressible a bounty but that I become entirely thine had I the life of an Angel the understanding of a Cherubim or the power of one of thy Heavenly Host thou deservest it all I 'm sorry I 'm no better yet such as I am I do most freely surrender my self unto thee my Body and Soul avowing I will be no more my own but thy servant O be thou pleased to come and reign over me take possession of this unworthy heart I hope I shall never be so unjust perjured and sacrelegious as to rob thee of my self hereafter it is indeed a miserable gift that I offer a defiled Body and a stained Soul but 't is all I have to give all that thou requirest and 't will be the better for being thine let me never have another Master let me never sully that which the Blood of Christ hath washed nor sell that to Satan which Jesus hath bought for God Grant me therefore gracious Lord that I may find by the workings of thy Spirit within me that thou hast accepted me give me such help from thee to confirm my hope that I may always perform my vows and never rob thee of that which I have dedicated in the sincerity of my Soul I am thine O save me for thy mercies sake Amen Our Father c. From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Name of the Lord shall be great among the Gentiles in every place incense shall be offer'd unto his Name and a pure offering for his Name shall be great among all Nations Glory be to the c. As it was c. This Day is appointed to be observ'd as a Festival and I would have no Christian so mistake himself as to keep it otherwise But since it is likewise a Day to be kept holy to the Lord we must not indulge our selves over-much lest we run into another Errour and make us uncapable of serving God or our selves as we ought by turning our reafonable Service into sleepy Devotions And since I 'm speaking of the Sabbath it can't be unnecessary to lay down some Rules for our Observation of it There is no Christian but must lament the general Neglect of it for one sort spends it in unnecessary Business the other in impertinent Recreations and even they who are more reserv'd and seem to have a greater Sense of Religion are apt to make large Allowances that except the Time spent in the Church there is little bestow'd on any Act of Religion The Church requires our Belief of the Morality of the Sabbath and if we were persuaded that 't is a Day set a part by God himself for his own Service we should have less Inclinations to lay out so much of it in our own We must positively believe our Obligations to God on this Day and resolve that the Time we don't spend in the Church should devoutly be employ'd at home We should separate our Thoughts from the Concern of this World In the Morning earnestly beg of God that we may sanctifie the Sabbath After Church reflect upon what we heard if it was practical Matter resolve to make use of it in our Conversation if Matter of Faith examine whether we can give our positive Assent to it if we don't justly comprehend it let us endeavour to be better inform'd Let us call to Mind the Benefit of our Creation Redemption and whatever else may beget in us holy Thoughts and a fervent Love to God Let us turn our Thoughts into our selves that we may the better understand our Condition towards God for how is it possible to be sensible of our Affairs if we don't suffer our Souls to contemplate for their Safety There are many that can't accuse themselves of notorious Crimes that can answer to the positive Prohibitions of the Law All these have I kept from my Youth yet if they suffer themselves to go further in their Examination will find Reason with the young Man in the Gospel to be exceeding sorrowful though upon another Account they will find a dismal Account of other things to answer and which are as necessary to be repented of as they are to be observ'd for the future Besides Contemplation is the best Way to improve our Understanding in the Ways of Goodness there is infinite Variety for our Thoughts to work upon and all of them exceeding pleasant 'T is this that will make us in love with Piety and then we shall soon turn our Speculation into Practice They who are us'd to meditate find the Satisfaction of their Consideration Though 't is no easie matter for a Man that has wholly bent his Affection to an immoderate Love of this World to bring under his unruly Desire he shall hardly begin to think what he is why he was sent hither and whither he is hast'ning but he shall stop in the middle and the very Thoughts of the present put him upon enjoying it in another manner So vain and trifling are we when we have given up our selves to be mistaken for a while that 't is hard to bring us to our Senses and persuade us we are our selves when we become Rational Creatures I 'm unwilling to prescribe our Christian Liberty on this Day 't is certain we may extend it to all Things of Necessity but then we should be cautious for we are generally such Latitudinarians in things that concern our selves that we are not willing to lose an Inch of our Liberty and are apt to think our Time lost which is bestow'd in the Service of God Our Trade is not then going on and we are backwarder by one Day in our Affairs of this World never considering we have another Merchandize to care for but if we can secure Wealth enough here have no great Affection to lay up Treasure elsewhere as if we were afraid our Riches would corrupt there or our Venture come short of our
through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant make me perfect in all good Works working always that which is well-pleasing in his sight and the Blessing of God Almighty the Father Son and Holy Ghost be with me for ever Amen Our Father c. Praise the Lord O my Soul Amen There is no occasion to prescribe any Rules for our Behaviour between the Evening Service and the time of rest we have already been informed that no part of this day when we don't communicate ought to be spent in our own inventions then surely it requires our strickest observation when we have had so great an honour confer'd upon us to be adopted the Children of God the thought of this will continually run in our mind and we shall have sufficient reason to be always praising God till Nature puts us in mind of our Necessities and that its time to commit our Souls and Bodies into his keeping when we shall be unable to take care of our selves THE CONCLUSION HAving thus begun our Course Let us run with dilligence the race that is set before us 'T is now that we are begun to be Christians and let us be very cautious how we discredit the holy Name by which we are call'd 'T is not sufficient to assume the Title without departing from Iniquity to compleat the Character Therefore at our return to the World let us have the mercies of God in continual remembrance let that goodness which has so far led us on to repentance move us to be zealous in his service and prevent our ingratitude by keeping our selves from every evil work Let us consider that we are bought with the price of the Blood of Jesus and looking upon our selves so redeem'd let us not sell our selves any more to work wickedness Let us consider the dignity of our Nature that God has made us but a little lower than the Angels that we only came into this World in order for a better that we were born on purpose to be eternally happy Why then should we do any thing to debase our selves and make us uncapable of that blessedness which the Wisdom and Goodness of Heaven has prepared for us The consideration of this will lead us to praise God for our Creation which we ought sincerely to do and shall want no motives to offer up our Thanksgivings if we consider the inestimable benefits we may receive by it Let us consider we are but begun in our way to Glory that to falter in our purposes wou'd endanger our ruin and to return wou'd be to lose the glorious pains we have been at in our conversion All those Prayers and Tears Fasting and Alms-givings which enter'd Heaven in our behalf and by the intercession of our Saviour done so great things for us will turn to our confusion be a terrible accusation of our hypocrisy and banish us to eternity from the presence of God besides how can we expect to attone Heaven if we should attempt a second Repentance when all our former Vows prove false Won't God be deaf to our complaints when they are usher'd in by such treacherous Advocates Can feigned tears move compassion from that God who is a lover of truth What form of Prayer will serve our turn when we have made use of the best composures as a mock to the Judge of Heaven Oh Christian since thou hast approach'd the Altar of God and there vow'd a perpetual Obedience to his Will as thou hopest Heaven has heard thy petitions and sign'd thy release as thou believest thou hast eat the Flesh and drunk that Blood of Christ and by that incomprehensible Mystery art united to our Saviour Jesus as thou hopest from this wonderful mercy to be raised at the last day to Eternal life live worthy of thy Calling by a perfect submission to the Will of God and a holy perseverance in his ways make thy Election sure Since thou hast thus put on the Armour of God and taken to thy self the sheild of faith resist the World the Flesh and Devil and thou shalt at last reap that reward which is laid up for those who have continued in well doing and by their constancy in some sort merited that eternal Gift of God which is a Crown of Glory in endless inconceivable joys Let us endeavour to fill our Souls with all vertues and when we are so happy as to have our inclinations after goodness that we have a fondness for the Glory of God and habituated our selves in his service we shall find the advantage of our conversion for besides the inward peace and satisfaction which is the result of a pious mind we may enjoy with more pleasure the Goods of this World than when we gave a loose to our desires and were led captive by our lusts when we so industriously persue our happiness we shall arrive to that degree of goodness which will make it as uneasie and difficult to commit wicked actions as 't was at first hard to refrain them We shall have an aversion to Vice and see our weakness and folly that cou'd be subject to its embraces it will then lose all its charms and we shall yield to that divine Truth that God is only to be loved that Religion is our wisest choice that to be happy is to understand her for her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace This indeed is what very few believe Men generally frame an austere Notion of Religion think it ties them up from the business and pleasure of this World they have an inclination to serve God but think he requires so much of their time that they have but little for themselves or Families This may be one reason why some are so religious by fits they are mighty zealous against an Easter or any particular time of Devotion but as soon as the Season is over return to their former habit of indifference and can give no other reason but that their Business calls them off as if Devotion consisted in saying just so many prayers at such an Hour to be in their Closset to fast such a day in the week and to neglect the Affairs of this World because we can't serve God and Mamon Such a Notion of Duty is certainly very prejudicial to the practise of Religion God created this World for our convenience and did not design we shou'd be preserved like the Lillies which toil not neither do they Spin but commanded man to get his bread with the sweat of his brow and can we think his labour shall be turn'd to his reproof that whilst he honestly persues the necessary Duties of his Calling that he shou'd be accused for not imploying that time upon his knees Providence has ordered very differing circumstances among men and to discharge with fidelity the Post in which he has placed us is part of our Religion and when justly perform'd as acceptable as our Devotion we may enjoy a great deal of this world and yet be very good