from those heavy Punishments that are due unto them but from their Power and prevailing Influence on my Mind from all my Sins even those which have been most dear unto me and am willing to cut off my Right Hand or pluck out my Right Eye so I may but enter into the Kingdom of Heaven My Saviour came to take away the Sins of the World He has born all our Griefs he has carried our Sorrows he was wounded for our Transgressions he was grieved for our Iniquities he has excepted none out of that General Pardon which he has purchased for Mankind and offered to all those who are qualified for receiving it I present the Merits of his inestimable Sacrifice before thee O offended Majesty of Heaven I have no Merits of my own I have nothing I am nothing but vile Dust and Sin But he is worthy for whose sake I beg Mercy of thee which I most humbly implore and expect only in that way which thou hast appointed and on those Conditions which thy Son has revealed in his Holy Gospel by an unfeigned Repentance a firm Faith a sincere and an impartial Obedience O therefore take away all mine Iniquities and receive me graciously who like the Prodigal desire to return to my Father's House And since 't is thou alone who dost both put into our Minds good Desires and canst also give us Grace to perform the same assist me now and ever in those Holy Resolves which I make of new and better Obedience Vouchsafe me thy Grace to avoid all those Occasions and Temptations whereby I have been too often drawn to Evil. Let thy Blessed Spirit evermore comfort and guide me and lead me into all Truth and all Goodness Let me henceforth Evidence my unfeigned Love to my Saviour by keeping his Commandments and let that and all other Graces be excited and encreased in me at this Time in my approaches to his Holy Table Pardon the frivolous and sinful Excuses which I have too often made for my Absence from it my want of Preparation for it the Deadness and Indevotion of my Soul in receiving it and my shameful Unprofitableness by it O that I may now sit under my Saviour's shadow with great Delight and that his Fruit may be sweet unto my Taste That I may in this Sacrament receive greater Strength than ever against my Sins and be thereby nourished up unto Everlasting Life that so after this painful Life is ended I may sit down with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdom of Heaven for the sake of Jesus Christ who ever lives to make Intercession for us in whose most perfect Form of Word I conclude my unworthy and imperfect Prayers saying Our Father c. Collect for Perseverance O GOD of all Power and all Love who art the same yesterday to day and for ever and hast assured us in thy Holy Word that thou wilt not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. Accept I beseech thee for the sake of thy Dear Son any weak beginnings of Goodness which thou mayst have wrought in me by thy Holy Spirit Despise not the Day of small things Help me to continue to the End that I may be saved And now that I have put my Hand to the Plough grant I may never look back lest I be accounted unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven My Strength O Lord I ascribe unto thee for my own Heart has often deceived me and I know that all my Strength is weakness and my Wisdom folly Assist me therefore by the mighty Aids of thy Holy Spirit and while I am to wrestle not only against Flesh and Blood but against Principalites and Powers let the strong Man be bound by a stronger than he and the God of Love bruise Satan under my Feet Let me be content to suffer shame for thy sake and never be drawn away by the Number or Greatness of bad Examples Lead me not into Temptation and let me never be so hardy and presumptuous as to rush into it Keep me always sober and vigilant temperate and humble ever upon my Guard watching and praying that the Enemy may obtain no advantage against me Accept and confirm all my Vows and Resolutions of Obedience Let me have a constant Respect unto the blessed Recompence of Reward and by patient continuance in well doing seek for and at length obtain Glory Immortality and Eternal Life thro' thy Mercies in Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen! Amen For Faith O LORD who hast said that he who has but Faith as a Grain of Mustard-seed may remove Mountains and that without Faith it is impossible to please thee Increase my Faith and let me thereby overcome the World and the Flesh and quench all the fiery Darts of the Devil Let me firmly believe all thy Promises to the Penitent and Obedient and all thy Threatnings against impenitent Sinners Let me not rest in a dead Faith a presumptuous Opinion that I shall be pardoned or saved without performing all those good Works which thou hast prepared for me to walk in Give me that Faith which worketh by Love and by an impartial Obedience to thy Commands Let me firmly believe in the Lord Jesus that I may be saved and not trust in my own Righteousness but in his Merits who is the Way the Truth and the Life Let me always hope in him for Pardon of what 's past and Grace to serve thee better for the future Let me have a lively and stedfast Faith in him when I approach to his Table that I may draw near and take the Holy Sacrament to my Comsort and that it may powerfully help me forward in the right way which leads unto Everlasting Life To the unfading Glories of that happy State where Faith shall be changed into sight where with Holy Souls who are departed this Life in the true Faith and Fear of thy Holy Name I may enjoy the End of my Faith the Salvation of my Soul and see and love thee to all Eternity thro' Jesus Amen A Thanksgiving before the Sacrament WHAT shall I render to thee O God of all Grace for the Riches of thy Goodness towards me a miserable Sinner How utterly unworthy am I even of the common Blessings of Life And yet art thou pleased out of thy infinite Mercies once more to permit me to invite me to tread thy Courts to sit at thy Table and to Feast on Angels Food O that my Heart could be fully possest with Thoughts of Gratitude and Love O let my Mouth be filled with Thanks and my Lips with Praise for those inestimable Benefits God will in very deed dwell with Man tho' the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him My Saviour will fulfil his gracious Promise and be present with his Church in his own Institutions till the End of the World I have now one happy Opportunity more offered me to renew that Covenant which I have so often broken to obtain greater Strength against my Sins and to sacrifice
greatest Ioy and the greatest Reverence the first thing we do would be to sequester our selves from the World nay even from all worldly Thoughts and the troublesome Cares of Life To do this with all possible Intention and with the whole force of our Minds with firm Resolves and full purpose of Heart not to admit any other Business any other Thoughts unsuitable to this great Work Which having begun with devout Prayer for the Divine Assistance let us proceed in the impartial Examen of our Consciences on the following Heads 1. Of our Repentance 2. Holy Resolutions 3. Faith 4. Thankfulness And 5. Charity All which if we find in some good degree wrought in us by God's Holy Spirit we may approach with comfort to this Sacrament § VIII And first We are to examine our selves concerning our Repentance wherein the Nature of it consists whether habitual or actual and under actual Repentance may be included our particular Examination by the Rule of God's Commands before we approach the Sacrament The general Nature of Repentance consists in a thorough Change of Heart and Life so as to hate all Sin and turn to God to love God more than the World or our Lusts or even than our own Lives in the prevailing bent the settled Choice of our Minds and to evidence this by keeping his Commandments To live in the course of no greater Sin such as Drunkenness Swearing Uncleanness neglect of Publick Worship or the like which waste the Conscience and are a perfect Contradiction to true Repentance and must be left immediately as we would avoid eternal Misery not to indulge so much as Sins of Infirmity nor to say is it not a little one such as sloth passion forgetfulness of our Duty in some Instances wandring Thoughts or the like for a Christian is to fight against all Sin and such as are at first comparatively little yet do all deserve God's Anger and eternal Punishments and will if they are neglected grow bigger and at last perhaps irresistible I say true Repentance is a thorough Change of the whole Man the Principles Inclinations and Desires as well as outward Actions and hence it 's call'd in Scripture the New-Man the New-Heart the New-Creature because we are all by Nature the Children of Wrath and guilty of Original Sin * Vid. Discourse of Baptism nor is there any who has lived to years of Discretion but what has made that sad use of his Reason to sin against his Maker and to commit many actual Transgressions if not to fall into grosser habits of wickedness from which God knows very few can say they are wholly innocent in this degenerate Age Now there is no way to recover from this and to escape God's Anger but by forsaking Sin with the greatest abhorrence and detestation 'T is therefore evident that those are miserably and dangerously mistaken who fansie they repent because they have some Fear of Hell some light checks of Conscience and transient Sorrow for offending God without effectually leaving all wickedness and coming to God from whom they have wander'd and leading a Holy Life Then have we this habitual Repentance when by God's Grace we do in the main course of our Lives express our Love to God and hatred of Sin and sorrow for it and are become New Men and make it our chief Business to strive against our Corruptions manfully to resist them effectually to work out our own Salvation To have that Image of God renewed in us which we lost by the Fall And thus much for habitual Repentance § IX Actual Repentance is that which every good Man puts in practice on his falling into any Sin and which he should renew more particularly and exactly before he comes to the Lord's Table whereunto we are directed in the first Exhortation on the Sunday before the Communion which we would therefore do very well seriously to peruse in order to our Preparation for it Wherein we are taught That 't is our Duty to search and examine our own Consciences and that not lightly and after the manner of Dissemblers with God but so as that we may come Holy and Clean to this heavenly Feast And we are further directed to do this by the Rule of God's Commands and whereinsoever we shall perceive our selves to have offended either by Will Word or Deed there to bewail our own sinfulness and to confess our selves to Almighty God And to assist us herein we may find large and exact Catalogues of Sins in several Books of Devotion particularly those annexed to the Whole Duty of Man which if you have not you may if you please make use of this following and examine your self concerning the particular Breaches of God's Commands either of the first or second Table § X. The Breaches of the first Command of the first Table are 1. Atheism or at least Atheistical Thoughts or Discourse too common among the foolish Wits of the Age 2. Polytheism or believing or worshipping more Gods than one the main thing forbidden in this Command under which may be included Ditheism or worshipping two Gods of which those cannot clear themselves who pay Divine Honours to any whom they believe not essentially one with the Father and Tritheism if any now are guilty of it which is worshipping three Gods whereas there is but One Supreme there can be but One God tho' Three Persons who is over all blessed for ever 3. Covetousness which is Idolatry Immoderate Love of our selves or of the World that Carnal-mindedness which is Death A violent and unreasonable Passion for any Person or Thing in this World 4. Wilful Ignorance of God or of his Word carelessness of our Souls neglecting or despising Instruction 5. Presumption upon God's Mercy A false Peace and Security in Sin As on the other side distrusting his Power or Goodness or murmuring against him or despairing of his Mercy 6. Worshipping Angels or Saints 7. Witchcraft or doing interpretative Homage to the Devil by using Charms consulting with Wizards cunning Men and the like which is esteemed by our greatest Divines a degree of renouncing our Christianity * Bp. Hopkins Bp. Andrews W. D. of Man c. 8. Unthankfulness Lukewarmness Indevotion Pride Impenitence 9. Want of Love to God Faith in him Dependance on him Submission and Resignation The Breaches of the second Command are 1. Idolatry which is making any Images with intent to bow down to them or worship them or actually paying such Worship to them even tho' God himself be represented by them any visible corporeal Representation of God being a contradiction to his pure spiritual Nature and a high Breach of this Command * Deut. 4. 15. as is even the forming any corporeal Image of him in our mind much more believing a material God 2. Sacrilege Robbing or profaning Churches detaining Tythes or any thing that is dedicated to God God forgive all Nations Families and Persons that are guilty of it 3. Loathing Manna neglecting or
them all before God at his Holy Altar even after I have either frequently slighted the like Invitations or been present at thy Holy Table without due Preparation and Devotion or have soon forgotten those Promises which I there made and those Vows of God which have been upon me But O Lord as my utter unworthiness does more magnifie thy infinite Goodness so let the Sense of the one produce in my Mind more lively and lasting acknowledgements of the other For which help me to magnifie thee O God my King and to praise thy Name for ever and ever and grant that I may now approach thy Table with such devout Praises such true Gratitude such humble Love as may there be accepted of thee and being increased and confirmed by the renewed Pledges of thy Favours I may continue to shew forth thy Praise in the steddy Course of a fruitful thankful and obedient Life thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen! A Collect for Charity O LORD who hast told us that all our doings without Charity are nothing worth pour into my Heart I beseech thee the most excellent Gift of Charity that I may love thee above all things and love my Neighbour as my self I am now approaching once more to that Feast of Love which my Saviour has provided for me O that my Heart may be entirely penetrated with his Love and that the endearing Thoughts of what he has done and suffered for me even while I was an Enemy may wholly subdue in me all Hatred and Wrath and Malice and Revenge and criminal Self-love and Peevishness and immoderate Anger and may render it as delightful to me as 't is necessary to forgive all that have offended me as I expect that God for Christ's sake should forgive me Give me a constant Disposition to love my Enemies to bless them that curse me do good to them that hate me and pray for them that despightfully use me and persecute me Here if you have any Enemies 't would be well in particular to name them and ask Pardon for them and then add Forgive O Lord my Trespasses as I desire from the bottom of my Heart to forgive all those that trespass against me and help me by a wise a gentle and a peaceable behaviour and by all good Offices towards them to heap Coals of Fire upon their Heads and melt them down into a better Temper Grant that I may more and more covet that best Gift of Charity and may feel it daily encrease in my Heart towards all my Christian Brethren Let my Love unto them be advanced in proportion to their Excellency in Piety and nearer Resemblance to God Especially unite me in the most fervent and tender Affection to all those with whom by thy Grace I shall partake of the Bread of Life at the approaching Communion Let us be all one Body and one Bread and grant that I may heartily seek the Welfare both of their Souls and Bodies Bless thy Holy Catholick Church especially that part of it planted in these Kingdoms Reform her Professors heal her Breaches disappoint and convert her Enemies Pity all that suffer for Righteousness sake Here add any particular Church that is persecuted as suppose in France Scotland c. Comfort the afflicted support the miserable help those that have no helper and in thy due time deliver thine Israel out of all their Trouble for Christ his sake Amen! § XVIII Having thus finished the Directions concerning such a stated Examination and Preparation as is necessary or highly convenient to those who have Opportunities for it in the Week before the Communion I should here add a Summary of them for the use of such as have not Time or Convenience for such a larger Preparation But think it more proper to remit that to the End of this Tract and shall add a word or two in the Conclusion of this Chapter concerning our Behaviour betwixt this forementioned Preparation and our actual approach to the Sacrament especially in the Morning of the Communion § XIX For the former as for the Time that passes between our Preparation and Reception he who desires to be a Worthy Communicant can hardly be too careful or too much upon his Guard lest he should build again the things he had destroyed and fall from his stedfastness He cannot therefore do better than to repeat his Examen not only every Evening which has been the Custom even of Heathens and every Evening and Morning as many serious Christians but even oftner in the day if there be Opportunity according to the practice of devout Persons of other Communions * Marquis de Renti Father Paul the Venetian c. for why should we not follow a good Example whoever it be that gives it And hereby we shall preserve that good Frame which 't is to be hoped we have already acquired by our solemn Preparation and if any criminal Thought Word or Action should escape us may immediately wash it off again by a speedy recollection and Repentance that our Wedding Garment may be clean and unspotted when we enter into the Marriage In order whereunto 't would be advisable to avoid mingling with worldly Business as much as possible however to shun such Conversation and Diversion as would be apt to efface or lessen those good Impressions which with so much Pains may have lately been fixed on our Minds § XIX In the Morning which immediately precedes the Communion shake off Sloth betimes remember who 't is that calls rise early to meet your Redeemer And with the Royal Psalmist Psal. 5. 3. in the morning direct your Prayer unto him and look up for his Grace and Assistance contrary to the very ill Custom of too many who make the Lord's Day as short as they can and indulge their Sloth and Idleness on the Day more than on any other But so will not the pious Christian especially when he designs and desires to be a Worthy Communicant but considers the great Advantages of being early at his Devotions before his Mind be filled or diverted by any other Object and that wonderful Spirit and Life which it adds to his Meditations and Prayers when his Mind is thus fresh and vigorous his Body refresht by rest and sleep and his Spirits recreated and révived when he sees and hears all the Creation round him praising God with whom he may joyn and make it his first happy Employment to sing his Praises either in the Lxiii Psalm O God my gracious God c. the five first Verses Or if he pleases in the Sacramental morning Hymn Awake my heart c. annexed among others to this Treatise Then after his Examen he may repeat the Devotions used at the Preparation or any other from the Whole Duty of Man or other pious Books or of his own Composing As for eating or not eating any thing the Morning before we receive 't is a thing in it self indifferent and therefore must be determined according to the
the Mind from all wordly things till it acquires a contrary bent and inclination and mounts freely and vigorously towards Heaven despising and trampling all the ridiculous trifles of this perishing World and counting all things but Dung and Dross for the Knowledge for the Love of a crucified Redeemer which every very good Man experiences in some happier moments of his Life Now the way to obtain this is the vigorous acting of Faith Repentance Humility and Divine Love and the Energy and inward free motion of the Mind towards Heaven And to this the Church invites in those Words which were used on this occasion in the Primitive times The sursum corda or Life up your Hearts to which the Congregation replys We lift them up unto the Lord which we have the highest reason to do when he confers such inestimable Favours upon us and when Christ instituted this Feast as has been said principally for this Reason that we should think upon him our absent Friend give our selves a little ease and breathing from the amusements and care of Life escape from this World and fix our Hearts upon a better upon that happy place where Christ sits at the right Hand of God and whither if we are faithful to him we shall at length also arrive seeing he has prayed to his Father That all those whom he has given him may be with him where he is that they may behold his Glory St. Iohn 17. 24. § X. A fourth Grace is Humility This is indeed included in Repentance for a true Penitent must be humble But we must be more explicite in it and are directed by the Church to form a particular Act thereof immediately before the Consecration when the Priest kneeling at the Lord's Table says in the name of all that communicate We do not presume to come to this thy Table O merciful Lord trusting in our own Righteousness but only in thy manifold and great Mercies We are not worthy so much as to gather up the Crumbs under thy Table And indeed one would wonder that any Christian should think he could express too great Humility either of Body or Mind when he comes before the Throne of God to receive his Pardon 'T is this most humble prostration of Soul this abasement and annihilation of our selves and utterly disclaiming our own merits which seems to be the bottom of that seraphical Divinity which has made so much noise in the World If they make it more than this 't is dangerous Enthusiasm as has appeared both in the Church of Rome and others If they rest it here as is done in some part at least of Sancta Sophia it is accountable and rational and may be of great Advantage in the course of a Christian Life especially in the Sacrament where the lower we abase our selves the higher will God raise us And this we ought particularly to exercise when we see the Minister approaching to us with the Bread or Wine and firmly to believe that we shall receive our Saviour together with them § XI But yet fifthly this ought not to hinder but rather to encrease our Thankfulness because as has been said the Sense of God's Goodness must needs be advanced by the consideration of our own unworthiness To this the Church especially directs us Above all things ye must render most humble and hearty Thanks to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the Redemption of the World by the Death and Passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And again after the Sursum Corda we are invited To give Thanks to our Lord God to which the Congregation answers 'T is meet and right so to do On which follows that solemn Act of Thanks and Praise which the Priest alone pronounces as 't is said our Saviour did in St. Luk. 22. 19. and in 1 Cor. 11. 24. He took Bread and when he had given Thanks he broke it From which Actions the whole Sacrament obtained two Names the Eucharist from giving Thanks as 't is expresly called in two or three places of the New Testament in the Syriac Version and breaking of Bread as 't is stiled in the Acts of the Apostles Now this praising God and acknowledging and adoring his infinite Goodness ought to spread it self thro' every part of the Office And even our Repentance and Humility would be so managed as to encrease our Praises But we should more especially exercise our Thankfulness when the Minister says It is meet right and our bounden Duty that we should at all times * 1 Thess. 5. 16. and in all places give Thanks unto God on which follows that Seraphical Anthem repeated by Saints here below and Angels above Therefore with Angels and Arch-angels c. In which the pious Communicant joins both in Heart and Voice as well as in the particular Prefaces before it wherein we are directed to praise God either for the Birth of Christ or his Resurrection or Ascension or for his sending the Holy Ghost or else we adore the Divine Trinity in the Unity of the Godhead which Prefaces seem to have been added because the Church does not doubt but that so often at least as these greater Festivals return there will be a Communion And after we have received We entirely desire our heavenly Father mercifully to accept our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving and we most heartily thank him that he has vouchsafed to feed us who have duly received these Holy Mysteries with the spiritual Food of the most precious Body and Blood of his dear Son and assured us thereby of his Favour and Goodness towards us And then we again break out into that Hymn of Praise to the whole Blessed Trinity part of which is the same that was sung by the Angels at the Birth of our Saviour Glory to God on High on Earth Peace Good-will toward Men. But more especially are we to have our Hearts filled with the most exalted Praises in the very Act of Receiving to which the Minister exhorts us in the delivery both of the Bread and Wine Nothing but Faith and Holy Ioy and humble Praise are then to be admitted Then when the Holy Soul is in the Mount with God and says 't is good for her to be here and if any thing of disturbance can find Entrance 't is because she must so soon return again to a sordid vexatious impertinent World when she is now already on the Wing for Heaven is advanced so far upward in that glorious Road and would so gladly fly away and be at rest in the Bosom of her Redeemer § XII The last Grace is Charity taken in the largest Sense for Love to God and to our Neighbour 1. Love to God the Soul of all Piety which quickens and enlivens every Christian Duty This is here encreased by remembring God's Love to us in sending his Son and our Saviour's Love in giving himself to die for us This Sacrament is the dearest Token of his Love and the
Torment one Drop of the precious Blood of the Son of God! So thou didst think who madest us out of nothing who didst take this most endearing method to obtain our Love And wilt thou accept it may I offer it wilt thou receive a Magdalen after she has so long wandred from thee wilt thou dwell in such a Breast which has been so long a Cage of unclean Spirits yes thou thy self hast said it thou hast assured me of it thou hast sealed my Pardon at thy own Table and requirest nothing of me in return but my worthless Love I grieve and I love O my Redeemer for all that thou hast done for me for all that I have done against thee O when shall I love thee without any Interruption any Disturbance from this intruding World when shall I be ever with thee and be satisfied with thy Love My Heart beats towards thee my Soul desires and pants and longs earnestly to be united with thee never never more to be divided I would fain be more like thee I would refuse nothing for thee O how shall I express my Love and what shall I do for him who has done all for me Come O thou whom my Soul desires to Love thou chiefest of Ten Thousands and all together lovely and fill my Heart so full with the Sense of thy Goodness and with longing desires after thee that I may frequently that I may constantly present my self here at thy Table to meet thee and bless thee That I may shew I have been with Jesus by telling what great things he has done for me by endeavouring to make all others admire and love him that I may still aspire more earnestly towards those blessed Regions of Peace and Love where he is entered before me to prepare a place for me and in the mean time let all my Actions be guided by the Love of Jesus that I may be made perfect in his Love and it may expel all other Loves from my Heart that are inconsistent with it That so when he shall appear I may be like him and see him no longer in Types and Sacraments but Face to Face see him as he is and be for ever with the Lord. Make haste my Beloved and be thou like a Roe or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices Amen! Amen! CHAP. V. § I. HAving already in the First Chapter of this little Treatise given an Account of the Nature of the Sacrament In the Second Of the Obligation which lies on all adult Christians to receive it and even to frequent Communion and answered the Objections which are commonly brought against it In the Third Given some Rules for our Preparation for it and Heads of Examination in order thereunto In the Fourth Discoursed of our Behaviour at the Time of the Celebration and those Graces which are then in a particular manner to be exercised I proceed in the Fifth and last Chapter to add some plain Directions after we have received and what Influence this Holy Sacrament ought to have upon us and how we ought to behave our selves in relation to it both immediately after and between one Sacrament and another as well as through the whole Course of our Lives § II. First Immediately after our Receiving The first thing to be done at our return would be to retire from the World and fall upon our Knees before our Father which sees in secret and bless and adore him with all the ardor of our Souls for his undeserved Mercy in having admitted us once more to his Holy Table and for all the good things which he has there bestowed upon us After this to reflect on the whole Action and carefully to examine our selves how we have performed every part of it Whether our Minds have been deeply affected with the Sense of our Sins and of our Saviour's Love in dying for us Whether our Thoughts have been wandring or fixed on the engaging Objects before us Whether the sacred Food of our Saviour's spiritual Body and Blood has been sweet and delightful to us and we thereby find our selves comfortably satisfied of God's Favour and Goodness and strengthened in his Fear and Love and our Hearts more raised towards Heaven If we find the contrary and that we have been cold or wandring and opprest with that deadness or aridity of Spirit as some call it which even good Men sometimes complain of we must enquire into the Reasons thereof as whether this was not for want of due Preparation or from sloth or negligence in the Morning or want of earnestness in our private Devotions or of taking a just Care to raise our Hearts towards Heaven and to fix them on the Feast and the Inviter or from our unnecessary mingling over-much with the World soon afterwards or not keeping our Feet our Thoughts and Affections in good order when going to the House of God or when present there or not bending and fixing them with the utmost Intention to what we were employed in or not considering as we ought Christ's Love and God's Presence and Goodness and Majesty and Glory or coming in our own Strength and depending too much upon it not casting our selves entirely on God's Mercy thro' Christ some or more of which miscarriages may have been the cause of our want of Comfort or Advantage from this Sacrament for which we therefore ought to blame our selves and not to charge God foolishly to be humbled for them and carefully to note them down or remember them against the next Sacrament that we may be then more watchful against them and avoid what has now been so disadvantageous unto us Nor are we to be unthankful if on Reflection we find that God's Grace has preserved us from any such Inconveniences that our Hearts have been fixed our Devotions enflam'd our Affections raised our Love to God and hatred of Sin heightened and augmented by what has past at that heavenly Feast and that it has been sweeter to us than the Honey and the Honey-Comb and helpt us to despise the World and to long for Heaven These are Blessings which ought not to be forgotten but the Remembrance of them should be dear unto us we ought to revive the Impression of them upon our Hearts and to sink them deeper there that they may have a future lasting Influence on our Practice § III. And here it may be necessary to interpose a double caution as to these Matters There are some who are so afraid of Enthusiasm that they almost forbid a devout Christian to expect or to desire any more than ordinary Ioy or Delight in God's Service nay to suspect it when ever he finds it while others fansie that they have no Communion with God in any Duty nor are indeed any thing the better for it if they have not always these sensible tasts of his Goodness A rational Christian ought to keep the mean between these two Extreams so as neither to despise far be it from him that heavenly
Treatise with an earnest Request to all those who were baptised in their Infancy that they would always remember the Vows of God that are upon them and evidence the same by their Care to fulfil what they have so solemnly promised To renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh and stedfastly believe God's Word and obediently keep his Commandments That they would continue stedfastly in the Doctrine and Fellowship which is so agreeable to the Apostolical Practice and to the Word of God And lastly That they would by no means forget to pray earnestly for their mistaken Brethren That God would please to bring into the way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived That he would take away all Pride Uncharitableness Prejudice and Blindness and whatever may hinder godly Union and Concord That as we have but one Lord and one Faith so we may have but one Baptism that so we may come in the Unity of the Faith and the Knowledge of the Son of God to true Christian perfection to the measure and stature of the fulness of Christ. To whom with the Father and Holy Ghost Three and One be Glory in the Church throughout all Ages Amen! Amen! The Great Hallel or Paschal Hymn which was sung by the Jews at the Passover and by our Saviour and his Apostles at the Institution of the Lord's Supper consisting of Psalms 113 114 115 116 117 118. The two former were sung towards the Beginning of the Feast the rest at the End of it Lightfoot ' s Vol. II. pag. 258 260. The first of these Psalms the 113. is still used by the Tigurine Churches at the Communion Tigurine Liturgy p. 116. And any of them as they are here turned into Metre may be sung either in Private or by a Family before or after Sacrament PSALM CXIII The same Tune with that in the old Version 1. YE Priests of God whose happy Days Are spent in your Creators Praise Still more and more his Fame express Ye pious Worshippers proclaim With Shouts of Joy his Holy Name Nor satisfy'd with Praising bless 2. 3. Let God's high Praises ay resound Beyond old Times too scanty Bound And thro' eternal Ages pierce From where the Sun first gilds the Streams To where he sets with purple Beams Thro' all the outstretcht Universe 4. The various Tribes of Earth obey God's awful and imperial Sway Nor Earth his boundless Power confines Above the Sun's all-cheering Light Above the Stars and far more bright His pure essential Glory shines 5. 6. What Mortal form'd of Dust and Clay What Idol even more weak than they Can with the God of Heav'n compare Pure Angels round his glorious Throne He stoops to view nor those alone Even Earth born Men his Goodness share 7. 8. The Poor he raises from the Dust The Needy if on him they trust From sordid Want and Shame he 'll raise That they with mighty Princes plac'd With Wealth and Power and Honor grac'd May sing aloud their Saviour's praise 9. The Barren Womb whose Hopes were past His boundless Power unseals at last And saves her Memory and Fame He fills the House with hopeful Boys Who their glad Mother's Heart rejoyce O therefore praise his Holy Name PSAM CXIV Like the CXLVIII 1. 2. WHen ransom'd Israel came From faithless Egypt's bands The House of Iacob's Name From hostile foreign Lands Iudah alone God's holy Place And Israel's Grace Was his bright Throne 3. 4. Amaz'd old Ocean saw And to its Chambers fled While Iordan's Streams withdraw To seek their distant Head Tall Mountains bound Like jocund Rams The Hills like Lambs Skipt lightly round 5. 6. What ail'd thee O thou Sea To leave thy antient Bed Why did old Iordan flee And seek its distant Head Ye Mountains why Leapt ye like Rams While Hills like Lambs Skipt lightly by 7. 8. All Natures utmost bound The God of Iacob own Where Sea or Land is found Fall trembling at his Throne At whose Command Hard Rocks distill A Crystal Rill And drench the Sand. PSALM CXV Like the C. 1. NOT unto us we all disclaim Glory alone to God's blest Name Whose Truth shall stand for ever fast Whose Love to endless Ages last 2. Why shou'd th' insulting Heathens Pride Our Hopes alike and him deride Where is your God why shou'd they cry Ye Hebrew Slaves O Saviour why 3. Blasphemers know he reigns above And soon will your vain hopes remove He all Events disposes still And all obey his Sovereign Will 4. Not so the Gods to whom they pray Of Silver and of Gold are they To whom in vain their Vows are paid Adoring what their Hands have made 5. Tho' Mouths they have yet all their Art Can neither Breath nor Speech impart Nor can they turn their useless Eyes On those who kneel and sacrifice 6. Tho' loud their Slaves for succour cry They neither hear nor make reply Nor can their Nostrils ought receive Tho' they rich Clouds of Incense give 7. 8. The Bolts they wield they cannot throw Their Feet can neither move nor go With neither Breath nor Sense nor more Who them erect and them adore 9. The Rock of Israel is not so In whom we trust and whom we know Still trust his watchful Providence Who is our help and strong Defence 10. Ye Priests of God who daily bring Incense and Praise to Heav'ns high King O trust in that Almighty Friend Who still will help and still defend 11. 12. He 'll such whose hope on him is staid Against all Fears and Dangers aid Still he 'll his Love on Israel place Still smile on Aaron's sacred Race 12. Those who from Regions wide away Their Vows at his High Altar pay In vain they shall not thither come But go with Blessings loaden home 14. Their pious Children too shall share Th' Almighty's Kindness and his Care Whose wondrous Bounty shall extend To future Days and know no end 15. O happy Israel who partake His Blessings who the World did make 16. Who o're the Heavens triumphant rides And Earth's wide Globe to Man divides 17. 18. The silent Dead no Praises give But we who by his Favour live While we have Breath will Offerings bring And grateful Hallelujahs sing PSALM CXVI Like the XCV 1. O God who when I did complain Did all my Griefs remove O Saviour do not now disdain My humble Praise and Love 2. Since thou a gentle Ear didst give And hear me when I pray'd I 'll call upon thee while I live And never doubt thine Aid 3. Pale Death with all its ghastly Train My Soul encompast round Anguish and wo and hellish Pain Too soon alas I found 4. Then to the Lord of Life I pray'd And did for succour flee O save in my distress I said The Soul that trusts in thee 5. 6. How good and just how large his Grace How easie to forgive The simple he delights to raise And by his Love I live 7. Then O my Soul be still nor more With