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
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
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
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