set free from all earthly affections and fixed upon thee and upon things that are above and give up my heart and my life wholy to serve and glorify thee my God in a holy and a heavenly conversation which is the true state of Conversion help me to confesse my sins with sorrow and to reforme with joy and to make restitution where I have done wrong as thou givest oportunity and ability and where either are wanting let not will be wanting nor thy acceptance be wanting unto my sincere desires and endeavours Help me to accuse my self that thou mayest acquit me to judge condemn my self that thou mayest absolve me help me to exercise an holy revenge upon my self that thou mayest spare me help me to endeavour a redress of all scandals that I have given to reduce those whom I have seduced or with whom I have complied in any evill way and seal unto me thy pardon in the blood of Christ by the inward testimony of thy sanctifying spirit and let the reformation of mylife be an evidence unto me of the forgiveness of my sins which is the authentick seal of thy Spirit giving the impression of thine own Image Grant me a lively saving faith to believe thy Gospel and all thy Heavenly truthes that thou hast revealed in thy holy Word and to subdue and bring down all mine own thoughts apprehensions imaginations and affections thereunto that I may trust in the Lord with all mine heart and not lean unto mine own understanding Convince me O Lord of that great article of faith that my Jesus is thy Christ and the Son of the living God which is the rock upon which thou buildest thy Church and the gates of hell shal not prevail against it that I may not believe it by relation onely from men but by revelation from thee being wrought unto a full perswasion thereof by the arguments of thy spirit by the holy Prophecies that went before of him in the Old Testament which were all fulfilled in him in the New by the wonderfull miracles which he did by the descending of the Holy Ghost upon him in the visible form of a Dove by the voice from Heaven declaring him to be thy well beloved Sonne in whom thou art well pleased which voice was sent from thy heavenly Throne after his baptisme and at his tranfiguation by the holiness of his life the excellency of his Doctrine by the wonderfull sending of his Holy Spirit upon his Disciples in the likeness of fiery tongues and those excellent and wonderfull gifts that were bestowed upon them by the dreadfull judgment that fell upon the Jews for Crucifying him and reviling the Gospell by the blood of thy victorious Martyrs who sealed thy heavenly truth by their constancy in their sufferings and cruell deaths which they chearfully under went for the Testimony thereof and by the wonderfull wayes whereby thou hast carried on and maintained thy Church and Gospell against all the wisdome and power of the world that was against it Convince my Soul O Lord of that great truth by these arguments and by the experiment of the work of thy Grace in my Soul that I may firmly believe it and rely upon it for my falvation and that I may believe infallibly that this my Saviour by his death and passion hath satisfied for my sins that he hath justified me by his righteousness and that by his mediation he prevails with thee for obtaining of spiritual blessings all mercies needful for me and for the bring home of the fruit and benefit of that redemption which he hath wrought for me unto me bring a penitent sinner Give me faith to lay hold upon the Sacramental promise that I may come with a full and assured expectati on to receive thy Sons body crucified and his blood shed upon the Cross for my sins with all the benefits of his death and passion and of that great Redemption he hath wrought for me truly and really conveyed and applied and sealed to my soul in that thy holy Ordinance Let me take thy heavenly mysteries as thine earnest to oblidge me to serve thee and as thy pledges to assure me of thy love unto me and of my Interest in thy Christ and my Jesus unto my salvation And let my Faith work by Love that in the sense of thy great goodness offered and given unto me in Christ Jesus-I may love thee and thy Christ above all and with all my heart and soul mind and strength Let me think nothing too much to do or suffer for the who didst not think it too much to give thy son thy beloved son to suffer and die for me Enflame me with holy love unto all people that I may give up my self to them to serve them in love make me to own them in al their concernments to pitty them in all their miseries to be ready to relive them in all their wants to comfort them in all their distresses to counsel them in al their perplexity to pardon all their miscarriages towards me to bear their infirmities to study their good to love brotherly fellowship to delight in thy Sts. and holy ones and to walk comfortably chearfully together with them in thy holy worship and service Let not any poisoned dart of rancour or envy or malice or heart burning toward any rankle or feaster my soul But make us al up more more into the mistical body of thy Son that we may keep the unity fo the spirit in the bond of peace that we may be all one in thee as thou and thy Son Christ Jesus are one And let the Peace of God which passeth all nnderstanding rule in our hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord. Give me a thankfull sense and sweet relish of thy great mercy in that great redemption thou hast wrought for my soul by thy blesed Son That I may have an high esteem of thy love in giving thy son for me to be a sacrifice for my sins upon the Cross and in giving him unto me to be the nourishment life of my soul in the Sacrament Oh make me to receive him from thee there with a gratefull soule to return thee the devout and thankfull homage of my heart Strike me into an holy amazment at the wonders of thy great mercy toward me in him to poure out my soule in the praises of thy name to embrace thee in thy Christ and my Jesus with all the dearest affections of my heart to devote and consecrate my self unto thee to be a sacrifice of praise unto thee in the whole course of my life and conversation to rejoyce in the mercy and the loving kindenesse of my God Affect me with an awfull Reverence toward the greatnesse of thy Majesty with whō I there come to renew my Covenant toward the excellency of thy sonne whom I come to receive into my soul Toward the holiness of thy spirit by whom I come there to be
you may become good Communicants and use that holy and excellent Ordinance to Gods honour and your own comfort and salvation The first is to convince you of the necessity that lies upon you to make a frequent and a diligent use of that great means and pledge of your salvation and to perswade you that it is your duty to be constant therein and that you cannot neglect any oportunity whereby you are called thereunto in the Congregation of which you are members unlesse you have some weighty and innocent cause to the contrary without violating both the authority of Christs command and the love of his invitation in the institution of the Lords Supper and if you do but consider these obligations that Christ our Lord hath laid upon us and the great and excellent duties that we there are called to offer unto God and the great manifold graces mercies that God therein offers unto us and remember what I have often said unto you touching this matter I cannot see how you will be excusable if you shall wilfully without some very weighty warrantable impediment abstain from the use of this holy Ordinance of God assure your selves neither pride nor sloath nor love unto any sin nor wilfull ignorance when the means of instruction is offered and despised no nor servile fear nor the love of this world will be accepted for discharges of our attendance upon God in this Christian duty for all those are sinfull and therefore are not like to excuse us from duty The Second is that you be directed and perswaded to a due preparation of your selves unto this holy Sacrament that we may not eat that bread and drink that cup of the Lord unworthily least we bring thereby both great guilt and judgement upon our soules and make even that Table to be asuare unto us whilest we approach with impenitent unbelieving uncharitable unthākfull cold and earthly minds not discerning the body of Christ The Third is that we be rightly advised and assisted for the due disposition of our hearts imploy ment of our thoughts and affections in about the time of the receiving the holy Supper of the Lord. You will I hope finde somthing in this little Manuall that may be serviceable to you for all these purposes as in the little Catechism and some devotions that are added unto the former edition thereof and I do earnestly desire all of you from the eldest to the youngest that are capable to acquaint themselves with that little Catechisme so as to be able to give an account thereof and if they would exercise their humility so farr as to give me leave to receive it from them it would be a comfort to me I hope no hurt or dishonour unto them remember that of our blessed Saviour Except ye become as little children ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Mat. 18.3 And that of St. Peter Be ready to give an answer unto every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear 1 Pet. 3.15 But the first and peculiar business of this Book was to be helpfull unto you and others for their more easy and orderly delivery of holy thoughts about the time of the receiving of the Lords supper and after the use thereof The work that is done in that holy Solemnity is of that nature that though it aimes at the greatest unity and fellowship that can be in an holy Congregation which are all thereby gathered up close together into Christ yet it offers particular and retired employment to thoughts and affections of every particular receiver Unto whom being rightly quali fied and prepared it offers seals all that mercy grace which the Gospel promiseth in general unto all that are penitent Sinners true Believers and requires of every one a very serious attendance unto private and secret meditation and holy devotion There are in the time of that sacred Celebration many pauses and intermissions of the joynt imployment of the Congregation which doth as it were separate them unto their several works in their Soules Whilest some are Receiving it is the businesse of others to be in the holy preparation of themselves to the Duty And they that have thus passed through both these performances are to be exercised in the admiration of that mercy they have received in the inflaming of their hearts unto the holy praises of the Lord. Some course hath been taken heretofore in some Congregations to prevent the chasme that might be in the spiritual work the falling of thoughts for want of holy suggestions by the singing of a Psalm at the very time of the celebration But besides that the pattern of our Saviours practise Mat. 26.30 leads us to believe that to be a work more proper and fit to succeed than accompany that holy Business The very noise of that service in those that are at leasure to be employed in it appears to be too great an Enemy unto that severe attention and holy sequestration of spirit that is required in those that are to be employed in Receiving which doth least of all admit of the offers of distraction I know no way better to prevent all inconveniencies to make up all gaps in that sacred celebration than to offer some variety of short Meditations Devotions into the hands and unto the hearts of the particular Receivers to be used according to those severall works that they have to doe which may be as so many several notes of the Spiritual Song which being composed in their right order and consent will make up an holy Harmony in the ears of the Almighty If any part seem too long there is nothing imposed but every Communicant may satisfie the bents of their own devotions answer the measure of their time and leasure by marking out some of the shortest forms unto themselves especially in that which is to be done about the time of the receiving Or if they have better of their own or from any other they may spare their troubling of themselves with this God I hope will pardon the infirmities and his people accept of the poore endeavours of him Who is a poore Sinner and an unworthy Labourer in Gods Vineyard Tho. Warmstry A Prayer for incitement of affection to attend upon the Lord in the use of the Lords Supper O Most gracious Saviour who hast not only vouchsafed in the great Mystery and work of thy Incarnation to take our humane flesh and blood together with an humane soul into the unity of thy divine person that God and man might be one Christ that so it might become possible for the immortal God to dye for us and for the spiritual God to be wounded pierced and to shed his blood for us nor yet only hast been pleased to give up thy blessed body to be crucified and thy precious blood to be shed for our Redemption but art pleased still to revive thy death
excellency and perfection The Angels are amazed at the brightnesse of thy glory The Devils tremble at the dreadfulness of thy Majesty what am I that I should approach unto thee Oh my God Thou art a holy God and of purer eyes than to behold iniquity Thou canst haveno communion with Belial thou canst have no fellowship with unrighteousnesse And I am a base wretched unholy unthankful sinner overspread from top to toe soul and body with a leprosy of sin and my very righteousnes are as filthy rags Thy Angels thou chargedst with folly and the Stars are not pure in thy sight and how shall I then appear before thee or draw near unto thee Oh my God thou art all light and I am a cloud of darknesse Thou art a wise God and I am a foolish and simple creature so blinde that I can neither bear thy light nor discover my own blindeness as I ought to do and how then shall my darkness endure the beams of thy heavenly light and not be confounded at thy unsupportable brightness Oh my God I am a poor a weak feeble worm trodden under foot and trampled bruised in the dirt and mire of corruption by mine own sins and wickednesses thou art a strong a powerfull and an Almighty God that artable with a look of thine to frown me into no thing and into hell that art able with one thought of thine to think me to destruction how then dare my weakness and nothingnesse approach unto thy Grace invisible strength and not expect to be crushed into nothing undone And yet O Lord now thou callest me I am about to come unto thee and what shall I say or doe O God how am I perplexed with severall sears if I come not when thou callest I am in danger to provoke thy wrath by dispising thy Authority if I come I may seem to be in danger to incense thine anger by offending against thy Majesty I may justly he afraid to come by reason of my sin and yet O Lord if I forbear to come this will encrease my sin And in so great a strait that I am in what can thy poor sinfull creature do Oh my God I am undone know not what to do unles thou help me To thee therefore I come O Lord desiring to receive thy heavenly Councel and advice that I may obey thy authority that I may not faile of thy mercy Othou that hast called me unto thee let thy compassion pitty my vileness let thy mercy pardon my sinfulnesse let thy grace cleanse my filthinesse let thy wisdome enlighten my darkness let thy strength support my weakness Pardon me by thy mercy that I may receive thy grace fit me by thy grace that I may receive thy mercy Let thy spirit be thy holy Harbinger to provide entertainment for thy Son and my heavenly Lord Christ Jesus in my soul that he may come and make it the Sanctuary of his holiness Adorne me O God with the wedding garment of the righteousnesse of thy Son the holiness of thy spirit that all my nakedness may be covered and my great deformities may be hid from thine eyes Purge away all the polutions of my heart life that thou mayest not be offended at me nor in ty displeasure cast me out Fill me with heavenly desires toward my Lord Jesus with holy meditations of the wonders of thy love with holy devotions to the excellency of thy glory Send a beam of thy light from heaven into my heart that I may be illuminated thereby to the right understanding of those great mercies thou offerest unto me vailed with the cloud of thy divine mysteries and that I may understand my Saviours heavenly language in the Sacrament both in the mysterious signs what he speaks in them in the mysterious words what he speaks of them That I may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent which is eternal life That I may know the power of his sufferings And that I may be able to comprehend what 's the breadth and the length and the depth and the height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge That I may know them so as to be enflamed by them Oh let thy heavenly beams be contracted upon my heart and shine upon it through the burning glass of thy love in this Sacrament That all the light may burne and that all my knowledg of thee and of thy misteries may be turned into love unto thee for they only know thee indeed that love thee For if any man love God he knoweth God or rather is known of him And as thy holy Prophet when he was exalted into a sight of thy Majesty was there by stricken down into an humble sense of his own vileness and iniquity as with a flash of thy heavenly lightening bringing with it a thunder bolt of humiliation that broke his heart as it were in pieces and made that lamentation of his gush out at a breach of his wounded soul Woe is me for I am undone for I am a man of uncleane lips and dwell among a people of uncleane lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts So let the sight of thy Glory cast me down into a sense of mine own vileness and iniquity strike an holy terrour into my soul and lay me in the dust at the apprehension of my sins send a thunderbolt of grace from heaven and dash my heart in pieces with contrition for mine offences that I may be undone in my self that so I may be made up again in thee smite the rock of my hard heart with the rod of thy holy fear that the water of repentance may flow out even that pretious heart wate of penitent tears and Godly sorrow for all my transgressions Make me to sow in tears that I may reap in joy and let the apprehension of thy love to me and the heat of my love to thee and my Jesus imprint he impression of his wounds upon my soul that they may wound me first and then heal me and let that love affect me with a perfect hatred against sin and against my self for sin for my sin against thee my great my glorious my gratious God my Maker my Saviour and the God of all my mercies against those sins of mine that have been the Traitors and Murderers of my Dear Saviour and let the sense of thy pardon of my great and manifold sins would me yet the more for them make me to mourn more for pardoned sin than for sin as exposing unto judgement Oh let thy mercy soften me more than thy wrath and make me out of love with all things that engage or move me into sin out of love with the world with the flesh and with my self with my own corrupt and sinfull heart and inclinations that have been so often the factours and the snares of Sathan to my soul that so I may be
from proceeding in judgement against his people Pillers to support the ruinous fabrick of the tottering societies of men to keep the world from ruine and destruction according to that saying I take it of the Jews Sine stationibus non consisteret mundus The world is held up by the Congregations of Gods people and if there be any charms to be had that may raise up our dry bones of this confused and distracted and demolished Church and Nation they must be had not from Councels or Armies but from the devout performances of the congregations of Gods people which may shew you the reason why I have been so earnest with you for your presence and assistance in these assemblies in these times of our calamity of non conformity Sure I am if the Devill trembles at any thing that can be done upon earth it is at the gatherings of holy Congregation and at the work that they have in hand And of all the holy actions of a Congregation the most heavenly excellent the most perfect glorious and comfortable is the Holy Solemnity of the Supper of the Lord which is as it were the summe and recapitulation of all other duties There the Covenant of Baptisme is renued and confirmed There the Word is administred and sealed There the Laws of God are owned and subscribed as the articles on our part in that treaty of Peace between God and us which is there presented and managed There the promises the articles on Gods part are made sure established particularly unto every faithful receiver which are promised in general in the Holy Book and the Gospel is brought home unto every devout soul with all the blessings thereof for look what the Gospel promiseth that the Sacrament sealeth and delivereth unto every faithfull receiver in particular Their solemn praise and thanksgiving is offered unto God in the thankfull memorial of the death and passion of Christ which is there presented unto us for that great redemption that he hath wrought for us There the sweet incense of most earnest prayers and holy desires are exhaled unto God And there we have our petitions granted subscribed and sealed with the blood of Christ There we offer up our selves in homage unto God and Christ that gave his Son and that offered up himself for us There we present our Almes and Oblations to the Lord that we may answer his Mercy and Compassion unto us in mercy unto others and devotion unto him There we binde up our selves afresh and more and more in the holy Communion of Saints with the Church triumphant in Heaven and militant upon Earth There we are confirmed in our Union and Communion with Christ and receive his body and blood inseparably united to his Divinity with all the benefits of his Death and Passion really and truly applied unto our soules that by the merrit of his death and sufferings our sins may be pardoned that by the merrit of his Righteousnesse our persons may be justified that we may be enlightened by the beams of his heavenly Wisdome sanctified by the holinesse of his heavenly Graces refreshed with the cordials of his heavenly Comforts that we may be strengthened by the might of his heavenly Virtue that we may be enriched with the riches of his heavenly Blessings that we may be crowned at length and saved by his heavenly Glory and Salvation And receiving Christ we have power in him to become the Sonnes of God John 1.12 And if Sons then heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together Rom. 8.17 Yea we have God in him For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily Col. 2.9 We have the Father in him For he that acknowledgeth the Sonne hath the Father also and truly our fellowship is with his Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 2.23 1 Joh. 1.3 And if we have the Father and the Sonne we have the Holy Ghost For hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath giveu us 1 Joh. 3.24 So that the whole blessing of the Apostle is upon us in the use of this holy Sacrament The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen What shall I say it is visibile Evangelium a visible Gospel and if you use it as you ought to do it will be to you vivum Evangelium a living Gospel a working Gospell a Gospel in possession not in your ears but in your hearts Here all mercies are conveyed and sealed all graces are confirmed and exercised Here repentance is imployed quickened faith is actuated strengthned hope encouraged devotion enflamed charity kindled peace concord established if there be a heaven upon earth it is in the holy opperation of a congregation devoutly celebrating the holy Supper of the Lord. This is the Holy plaister or love-charm to make us in love with God and one another and to make God also in love with us The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or soveraign antidote against sin The food of life the viaticum of eternity The universal medicine for all our diseases and an Ark of safety against all our dangers And now by this you may know the reason why I have been so earnest with you of my Congregation not to neglect the blessed opportunities that God offers you for your addresses unto him in the use of this holy mistery and to prepare your selves thereunto and why I have offered you this help which is presented unto you in this ensuing Treatise The truth is that I finde my self under very great obligations unto you I have received much of the comfort of my life from you and the great tenderness love and care that you have shew'd unto me in my late sickness the recovery from which Low under God in a great measure unto some of you addeth unto the endearments that are upon my soul toward you and it lies upon me to do my endeavour to answer your love which God in his mercy inable me and direct me to do in such a way as may be most for your good and spirituall advantage and truly I think I am in the way for I cannot pitch upon any thing that can be done more summarily or effectually in order to all your good and happinesse than to assist you in that great and excellent performance of the use of the Lords Supper for since it is a duty of so great perfection and so comprehensive of the whole businesse of a Christian and so entitling us to the whole treasure comfort of the Gospel if I shall prevaile with you to be good Communicants I am sure I shal have then prevailed with you to be good Christians and then you must needs be both a holy and a happy people Now there are three things that I finde necessary to be done that
that he may stand with joy and comfort before the Tribunal of thy Sonne Christ Jesus and receive the blessed sentence of everlasting life and salvation give him a saving sight and sense of his sinns that he may mourn for them from the bottom of his heart and offer unto thee the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit which thou O God wilt not despise grant him that godly sorrow that worketh Repentance unto salvation not to be repented of let nothing be so grievous unto him as that he hath sin'd against thee his mercifull and gracious God the God of his life and of his being and of all the blessings and comforts that ever he hath enjoyed The God that didest not spare thine own Sonne but gavest him up to dye for him enable him to confesse his sins unto thee that he may mouth for his sinns and finde pardon from thee affect him with a perfect hatred against sin that he may hate it above death hell it self Help him to loath himself for all those offences that he hath committed against thee make him vile in his own eyes that he may be dear precious in thy sight and give him a true love unto thy Lawes and Commandements that it may be the joy of his heart to do thy heavenly will in all things and let the sense and horrour of the corruptions of his nature and the wickednesse of his life not drive him from thee but let it drive him unto thee that he may fly for refuge into the bosome of that rich mercy that thou hast opened unto him in the Lord Jesus Christ Help him to reforme every thing that is amisse and to give himself up wholly unto thee to seek thy glory and to do thy heavenly will in all things purge and cleanse his soul from all evill thoughts ungodly affections distempered passions from all sinfull inclinations whatsoever and fill him full of holy thoughts of heavenly meditations devour affections and good inclinations toward thee his God wean him from the world and from all the vanities thereof and from all the sinfull pleasures of the flesh that he may set his affections wholly upon thee and upon things that are above where Christ Jesus sitteth at thy right hand seal unto him his pardon in the blood of thy Sonn by the inward testimony and grace of thy spirit let thy spirit of adoption cry Abba father in his heart strengthen his faith unto an holy and comfortable assurance of his interest in Christ crucified and in all thy mercies towards thy people in him make him to know that though he is a miserable sinner in himself yet the Death and Passion of thy Son hath satisfied thy Justice for all his iniquities and that though he hath no righteousnesse of his own to plead unto thee yet the righteousnesse of thy Son is his Justification in thy sight Oh Transcribe the promises of thy holy Gospel upon the Table of his heart that they may be unto him the sure evidence of his eternal inheritance in heaven Oh let the Mediation and Intercession of thy Sonne Christ Jesus at thy right hand prevaile with thee for all those mercies and graces and heavenly blessings that are needfull for him And let the sense of thy great mercies toward him and of thy great love unto him in the Lord Jesus his Saviour enflame his soul with an holy and fervent love unto thee that he may love thee with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his minde and with all his strength that he may love thee above his life and above his soul and that he may be willing to part with all that is dear unto him for thee that nothing may be dear unto him in respect of thee That he may love thee in all thy perfections in all thy mercies and all thy works in all thy dispensations in all thy corrections that thou art pleased to lay upon him Help him to discover thy tender mercy and Fatherly loving kindnesse unto his Soul shining forth unto him through all the clouds of that sickness and affliction that is or shall be upon him from thy hand and to taste thy sweetnesse in all the bitternesse of his trouble give him some comfortable relishes of those incomprehensible joyes and delights that are in thee that as the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so his soul may long and thirst and faint and languish after thee make him sick of love toward thee which is the only true health of his Soul Blessed God furnish thy servant with true Christian love charity to all thy people for thy sake Help him to forgive al that have wronged him to love his enemies to blesse them that curse him to do good to them that hate him to pray for them that despightfully use him and persecute him Give him reconciled affections to all with whom he hath had any difference make him desirous to do good unto all and as much as in him lyeth to live peaceably with all men Direct him and incline him readily willingly to seek reconciliation and to make satisfaction in case he hath done wrong or given any just cause of offence unto any Help him to settle his estate according to the rules of prudence righteousnes and charity to shew mercy to the poor as thou enablest him and to order all his affairs with discretion Bind him up in the Communion of thy Church and in the fellowship of a spiritual love and of a heavenly life with thy people give him tender affections towards thy Church and to those that are thine in faith and holinesse that he may be known to be thy disciple by his love unto thy people Give him patience to submit unto thy chastisements that he may bear them with a christian minde make him with a child like affection to accept of thy correction and to kiss every rod wherewith thou smitest him for his good give him an heart wholy resigned up unto to thy heavenly pleasure that he may refer himself entirely unto thee to choose for him and to deal with him as thou knowest to be most expedient that he may entrust thee as his merciful father reconciled to him in Christ and as the alwise and all sufficient God with his life and soul and all his happiness and with all his relations and concernments And deal with him in all things tenderly and graciously according to those bowells of compassion that thou bearest to thy people Be thou health unto him in all his sicknesse strength unto him in all his weaknesse comfort unto him in all his distresse life unto him in death it self stand by him in all temptations and trials to keep him from fainting and to give him the victory in Christ Jesus that he may obtain the Crown of thy heavenly glory Binde up Satan and all his spiritual enemies that they may not be able to hurt him make thou all his bed in his sicknesse and
to cause the flame of thy love to burn and the streams of thy blood to run into thy peoples souls in thy holy Sacrament at thy Supper and hast enjoyned us by the authority of thy Command and encouraged us by the invitation of thy Love to make use thereof to the Glory of thy Mercy and the Eternal good of our Soules grant unto us and to all thy people that in al holy and awfull obedience to thy command and all thankfull and dear observance of thy Love we may make an holy and conscionable use of that thy holy Ordinance upon all occasions conveniencies that thou offerest us that we may neither violate thy great and dreadfull Authority nor despise thy great wonderful mercy let the apprehension of the greatnesse of thy heavenly blessings discharge us from al worldly impediments let us not harken unto the occasions or pleas of dross and dung to keep us from the pursuit of thy heavenly treasures let no prohibitions from earth prevaile against the calls of heaven let no civility towards men make us commit sinfull iniquity against thee our God in the neglect of the Celestiall banquet when the King sumons us let not vassalls detain us let us not commit such Idolatry with any relation or dignities as to prefer our respects to them before our duties to thee let us not dare to be so impudent as to bring dust and ashes in competition with thee nor prize the vain societies of sinners before the holy Communion Fellowship with thee our Saviour with thy Angells thy heavenly Stsand thy holy people in that thy sacred Ordinance much less O Lord let us not once dare to think of preferring Sathan and sinne before Christ and heaven so as to keep away from those thy great Mysteries mercies because we are loath to part from any beloved sin when a Saviour calls let not our greatest and thy vilest enemies prevaile with us to keep away but make us willing to part with the dearest bosome-corruptions that we may partake of thy heavenly benediction divorce our souls from all iniquity that we may contract our selves unto thee in that thy marriage Feast and Solemnity let not any blessings that thou hast bestowed upon us in earthly things make us to forget the dependance we have upon thee for them or the great need we have of thy heavenly mercie neither let any advancements that thou hast given us teach us to despise thee or to neglect the pursuit of those celestial dignities which thou offerest us in Christ Jesus but the more thou doest blesse us the more make us to serve thee and the more thou hast exalted us the more make us to exalt honour thee the higher thou hast made us above others in the dignities of this world the more let us labour to get above others in spiritual dignities and make us alwayes to esteem it our greatest honour to honour serve thee and to enjoy thy favour Let not idleness or sloath or servile fear discourage us or betray us to the neglect of those great inestimable advantage that thou offerest unto us in that thy blessed Ordinance for our eternal good but make us action and diligent lively and fervent in our holy addresses unto thee to think no pains no industry too much to get heaven and eternal life-Oh let not our sinns though great and many affright us from thee because we are unworthy of thee but let the humble sense of them drive us to thee because we have great need of thee and the more and the greater our diseases are the more earnest speed let us make unto thee who art the great Physician of our soules whose blood is balsome for the most deadly wounds who hath both the skill and the will to cure and to heal the most desperate diseases of those that with penitent hearts seek unto thee for recovery and relief let al our weaknesses send us unto thee for strength let all our wants drive us unto thee for supply let all our sorrows dispatch us unto thee for comfort let all our afflictions hasten us unto thee for redresse let all our dangers make us fly unto thee for refuge and shelter and let the sense of that death and hell which is due unto us for our iniquities move us to seek life and heaven in thee which thou offerest unto us by thy heavenly mercies who callest not those that are perfect or righteous but sayest Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Oh God we are heavy laden with our unsupportable load and burden of sins ready to press us down unto the nethermost hell if we be not supported by thy heavenly goodness make us to labour under this load with a contrite broken spirit that we may find eternal rest in thee Let me not be so foolish as to seek excuses to divert me from thee who art the summe of all my felicity neither suffer me to hearken unto any that may put me off or delay me from thee But make me watchful against all impediments and prevident beforehand for all advantages that may promote and expedite my holy addresses unto thee at thy heavenly Table and active in the use of all other means of my spiritual good and in all offices of thy Divine Worship whereby I may glorify thee or benefit my soul or maintain and further the enjoyment of an holy communion with thee and thy faithfull people Make me to come unto thee as the hungry unto food As the thirsty unto the waters As the sick unto the Physician As a poor drowning soul into the ark of thy mercy As a weather-beaten Ship-wrack passenger into a far and a sase harbour As a poore needy wretch unto a rich treasure And be thou all in all unto me let me seek thee earnestly and receive me graciously through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Psal 42.1 c. As the Hart panteth after the water Brooks so longeth my soul after thee O God My Soul is a thirst for God even for the living God Oh when shall I come and appear before God Psal 63.1 c. Oh God thou art my God early will I seek thee My soul thirsteth for thee my flesh also longeth after thee in a barren and dry land where no water is Thus have I looked for thee in holinesse that I might behold thy power and glory For thy loving kindness is better than the life it self my lips shall praise thee As long as I live will I magnify thee on this manner and lift up my hands in thy name My Soul shall be satisfied as with marow and fatness when my mouth praiseth thee with joyfull lips A Prayer for the preparation to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper OH my God thou art a great God and I am a poor inconsiderable wretch a poore vile lump of dust and clay and thou art a Glorious God incomprehensible in thy