bring forth its store Thoughts offer your first-born God did assume the shape of Man With flesh his glory vail'd Himself he humbled unto death He to the Cross was nail'd III. Made sin us to acquit from sin Accursed us to bless Of Righteousness he wrought a Robe To hide our nakedness Darling of Heaven he was and is The Father 's chief delight Angels wonder the Saints above Are ravish'd at his sight IV. Array'd he is with Majesty Angels do him attend All pow'r is his in Heaven and Earth All to his Scepter bend A glorious Crown is on his head Most lovely is his face Treasures of wisdom are with him For us he 's stor'd with grace V. His Love doth pass dimensions His Love exceeds all thought Stronger than death this Love to us Salvation hath brought Hence all the Clouds away away Darken no more mine eye Fain would I see this lovely one Whose dwelling is on high VI. Open thine Eye here Jesus stands He looks he breathes he moves By Faith thou may'st discern him plain In this sweet Feast of Loves And art thou here indeed my Lord Draw nearer yet to me And nearer nearer my dear Lord Too near thou canst not be VII Come my Beloved let me view Thy beauteous lovely face Thee I would fold in arms of love Fain I would thee embrace I feel I feel a flame within Dear Lord I thee admire Thy sparkling beauty which I see Hath set me all on fire VIII Thy kind looks have me overcome The glances of thine Eye Sweetly my Soul transported have I feel an extasie Unutterable Joys I feel How sweet how sweet how sweet Is this taste of thy Love whilst I And my Beloved meet IX Sure this the Gate of Heaven is Methinks I'm entring in Where I shall always see thy face And no more grieve or sin Ten thousand praises let us give Unto our Lord on high Let heart and lip and life combine To make the melody HYMN II. I. O Come let us joyn all like one The Lord to magnifie Let us together lift his name In sweet sounds to the Sky Sweet Hymns of Love come let us sing Let Love us act and move Let Love our voices tune to praise Our God for God is Love II. God's Love the lofty Heav'ns above In height doth far transcend Its depth the Sea its breadth and length Is without bound or end God's Love to us is wonderful To us who Rebels were God gave his only Son to die That Rebels he might spare III. From guilt and reigning power of sin And Satan's slavery From fire of Hell us to redeem God gave his Son to die Christ suffer'd in our stead he was More harmless than the Dove That God should lay our sins on him This this indeed is Love IV. O come let us give God our Loves Let every heart take fire Let flames come forth and joyn in one And unto Heav'n aspire â—weet Spirit come like Southern Gales Within us breathe and move Blow up our spark into a flame That we may burn with love V. That we with all our hearts may love Our hearts Lord circumcise Of Love persum'd with sweet Incense Accept the Sacrifice VI. Draw near O God unvail thy self Our cloudiness remove O shine and smile on us that we may see thy face and love VII Dear Jesus come and visit us A stranger do not prove Heal wounds of sin speak peace that we Thy voice may hear and love VIII Our selves we offer with our hearts Our whole selves we resign To thee who art the God of Love We are and will be thine HYMN III. I. GOD hath us brought into his Courts And Chambers of his Love That he might feed and feast us here With dainties from above Heav'n opened is before our Eye The Vail is rent that we May upward look and his dear Son Crowned with Glory see II. This Jesus crowned was with Thorns Scourged with cruel hands His flesh was torn when to the Cross He tyed was with Bands Tears trickled from his mournful eyes Sweat dropped from his face Blood flowed from his hands and feet And side in streams apace III. His groans were strong his crys were loud Pressures of wrath did lye Upon his Soul with sense of which In anguish he did dye He harmless was and innocent No guilt upon him lay But as our Surety he our debts Did by his sufferings pay IV. Thus did he Justice satisfie By dying in our room That we might justified be By Faith that to him come The Bread we eat at this great Feast Christ's flesh is and his blood Is represented by the Wine This this indeed is food V. Here is the heavenly Manna which Our God to us doth give Who eateth other bread shall die In eating this we live A hidden life of Grace we have Breathing desires and love Christ is our Life the Author Spring By whom our Graces move VI. Come let us look unto our Lord This Glass will show his face Not veiled over with dark Types As heretofore it was God-man that name is wonderful So is his beauty so His love is full of wonders both Beyond our reach to go VII Yet where we cannot comprehend Looking let us admire Admiring love loving rejoyce And to enjoy aspire Our Lord is present at this Feast He looks let 's meet his Eye With ours sweet glances looks of love It may be we shall spy VIII Come Lord draw near we long we long Thy face to see thy love To taste thy voice to hear within To feel thy Spirit move Thou art all fair thou hast no spot Thy beauty is divine Thou art all love embrace us Lord In those sweet Arms of thine IX We look we wait we hope we trust We long we love we burn Ravish thou dost our hearts whilst thou To us thine Eye dost turn With all the powers of our Souls Dear Jesus we thee praise In songs of joy and thankfulness Our voices we do raise X. Hosanna's we Hosanna's we Do sing with one accord In Hallelujah's of triumph We joyn to praise the Lord. Ye Angels and triumphant Saints Praise ye our Lord above Whilst we his Servants here below Do sing his praise with love HYMN IV. I. THousands of thousands stand around Thy Throne O God most high Ten thousand times ten thousand sound Thy praise but who am I Thine arm of might most mighty King Both Rocks and hearts doth break My God thou canst do every thing But what would show thee weak II. Most pure and holy are thine Eyes Most holy is thy Name Thy Saints and Laws and Penalties Thy holiness proclaim Mercy is God's Memorial And in all Ages prais'd My God thine only Son did fall That Mercy might be rais'd III. Thy bright back-parts O God of Grace I humbly here adore Shew me thy glory and thy face That I may praise thee more Mysterious depths of endless love Our admirations raise My God thy Name exalted is Far above
all our praise HYMN V. I. TO whom Lord should I sing but thee The maker of my Tongue Lo other Lords would seize on me But I to thee belong As thou Lord an immortal Soul Hast breathed into me So let my Soul be breathing forth Immortal thanks to thee II. Sing and triumph in boundless grace Which thus hath set thee free Extol with shouts my saved Soul Thy Saviour's love to thee Sweet Christ thou hast refresht our Souls With thine abundant grace For which we magnifie thy Name Longing to see thy face III. Down from above the blessed Dove Is come into my breast To witness God's Eternal Love This is my heavenly Feast This makes me Abba Father cry With confidence of Soul It makes me cry my Lord my God And that without controul IV. Thou art all power thou art all love And so thou art to me Blest be my God now and henceforth And to Eternity HYMN VI. I. LORD give me a believing heart Advance it more and more Rebuke those doubts and scruples that Are crowding at my door Lord let thy Word and Spirit guide Thy Servant in thy way May I walk closely with my God And run no more astray III. All they that sit down with thee must Be decked with thy Grace Thou smil'st on such Communicants And they behold thy face Come holy Spirit come and take My filthy Garments hence The guilt the stain the love of sin Will give my Lord offence III. Let nothing that is not divine Within thy presence move What e're would cause thee not to shine In tokens of thy Love Awake Repentance Faith and Love Awake O every Grace Come come attend this glorious King And how before his face IV. Let not my Jesus now be strange And hide himself from me O cause thy face to shine upon The Soul that longs for thee HYMN VII I. WE to our heavenly Father give The tribute praise we owe Who by his purifying Grace Prepares us here below Lo here 's the most amazing proof Of great and matchless Love Not that our Early love to God Did his prevent and move II. His motives all to pity us From his own bowels flow Thence came the richest gift of Heav'n To Guilty Men below That to his glorious grace all praise Might be intirely paid Who that he might forgive our sins Christ's Blood our Ransom made III. Let then this glorious gift of God Yet more our Souls refine That his pure Image may in us With greater glory shine Draw us dear Lord and towards thee We with swift wings will move Thou Object of our highest hopes And of our dearest Love IV. Thanksgiving is an heav'nly work It 's all in Heav'n they do To thank and praise the Lord most high On Earth is sweet work too O! blessed are the Saints above How active is your state You ever bless the Lord our God Not at our broken rate VI. But O! how weak are crawling Worms How short our Sabbath-days We die more hours by far in sleep Than we do live in praise O glorious God! accept our wills And weaknesses forgive We wish our Souls were like the Saints Unlike them as we live V. But O my God! reach down thy hand And take us up to thee That we about thy Throne may stand And all thy Glory see All glory to the sacred Three One Everlasting Lord As at the first still may he be Belov'd obey'd ador'd HYMN VIII I. COme let 's adore the King of Love The King of suff'rings too For love it was that brought him down And set him here below Love drew him from his Paradice Where Flowers that fade not grow And planted him in our poor dust Among us Weeds below II. O narrow thoughts and narrow speech Here your defects confess The life of God the death of Christ How faintly you express O thou who from a Virgin root Made'st this fair Flower to spring Help us to raise both heart and voice And with more spirit sing III. To Father Son and Holy Ghost One undivided Three All highest praise all humblest thanks Now and for ever be HYMN IX To the Tune of the 100 Psalm I. TUne now your selves my heart strings high Let us aloft our voices raise That our loud song may reach the Sky And there present to thee our praise To thee blest Jesus who came'st down From those bright Spheres of Joy above To purchase us a dear bought Crown And woe our Souls t'espouse thy Love Long had the World in darkness sat Till thou with thy all-glorious light Began to dawn from Heav'ns fair Gate And with thy beam dispell'd their night We too alas still here had stood As common slaves in this same shade But Jesus came and with his Blood Our general Ransom freely paid And now my Lord my God my All What shall I most in thee admire That pow'r which made the world shall The world again dissolve with Fire Oh no! thy strange humility Thy wounds thy pains thy Cross thy death These shall alone my wonder be My health my joy my staff my breath To thee great God to thee alone Three Persons in One Deity As former Ages still have done All Glory now and ever be HYMN X. I. THE Mighty Jesus fill'd with love Did these dark Regions leave The heav'nly Hosts all wandring stood King Jesus to receive The great Jehovah sets a Throne Installs our glorious King Both Heav'n and Earth must him adore And loud Hosannah's sing II. There sits the King of Peace and Love A Saviour is his name Mercy his Nature and delight And ever so the same Come all that fear come all that want And speedy succour find He n're denies a praying Soul He is soo good and kind III. Behold and wonder at his Love We are his daily care His ear his heart is always fixt To hear and answer prayer Be not afraid to bring your Suit Come with a chearful heart Weak crys mixt prayers cannot bar A grant to his own part IV. Satan it 's true presents his Plea And Justice brings its claim But all are silent when he pleads His Blood his Love his Name Let holy Souls then daily go To Jesus on his Throne And love that all-prevailing Friend Who says we are his own HYMN XI As the 67th Psalm I. O This ungrateful World To kill so kind a Friend That made the Lord of Glory die What might this act portend But wonder holy Souls God's thoughts all thoughts transcend Christ murder'd by a Rebel World And yet he is our Friend II. It 's true Christ left the Earth But is enthron'd above Not to revenge this cruel act But lives and reigns in love II. Sweet is his work on high Peace is the charming voice Let but a Soul embrace his Call The heav'nly Host rejoyce Behold he stands and calls Come Sinners come to me My Love my Kingdom shall be yours To all Eternity III. Believe my faithful Word All my designs are
receive it that you may be pardoned or sanctified or saved barely by the work done or by the outward exercise alone As if God were there obliged to give you Grace while you strive not with your own hearts to stir them up to love or desire or faith or obedience by the means that are before you or as if God would pardon and save you for eating so much Bread and drinking so much Wine when the Canon biddeth you or as if the Sacrament conveyed Grace like as Charms are supposed to work by saying over so many words 8. Lastly It is no appointed end of this Sacrament that the Receiver thereby profess himself certain of the sincerity of his own Repentance and Faith For it is not managed on the ground of such certainty only by the Receiver much less by the minister that delivereth it But only he professeth that as far as he can discern by observing his own heart he is truly willing to have Christ and his benefits on the terms that they are offered and that he doth consent to the Covenant which he is there to renew Think not therefore that the Sacrament is instituted for any of these mistaken ends Direct 2. Distinctly understand the parts of the Sacrament that you may distinctly use them and not do you know not what This Sacrament containeth these three parts 1. The Consecration of the Bread and Wine which maketh it the Representative Body and Blood of Christ 2. The Representation and Commemoration of the Sacrifice of Christ 3. The Communion Or Communication by Christ and Reception by the people 1. In the Consecration the Church doth first offer the Creatures of Bread and Wine to be accepted of God to this Sacred use And God accepteth them and blesseth them to this use which he signifieth both by the words of his own Institution and by the Action of his Ministers and their Benidiction They being the Agents of God to the People in this Accepting and Blessing as they are the Agents of the People to God in offering or dedicating the Creatures to this use 2. This Consecration having a special respect to God the Father in it we acknowledge his three grand Relations 1. That he is the Creator and so the Owner of all the Creatures for we offer them to him as his own 2. That he is our Righteous Governor whose Law it was that Adam and we have broken and who required satisfaction and hath received the Sacrifice and atonement and hath dispensed with the strict and proper execution of that Law and will rule us hereafter by the Law of Grace 3. That he is our Father or Benefactor who hath freely given us a Redeemer and the Covenant of Grace whose Love and Favor we have forfeited by sin but desire hope to be reconciled by Christ 3. As Christ himself was Incarnate and true Christ before he was sacrificed to God and was sacrificed to God before that sacrifice be communicated for life and nourishment to Souls So in the Sacrament Consecration must first make the Creature to be the Flesh and Blood of Christ representative and then the sacrificing of that flesh and blood must be represented and commemorated and then the sacrificed flesh and blood communicated to the Receivers for their spiritual life II. The Commemoration chiefly but not only respecteth God the Son For he hath ordained that these consecrated Representations should in their manner and measure supply the room of his bodily presence while his body is in Heaven And that thus as it were in effigy in representation he might be still Crucified before the Churches eyes and they might be affected as if they had seen him on the Cross And that by Faith and Prayer they might as it were offer him up to God that is Might shew the Father that sacrifice once made for sin in which they trust and for which it is that they expect all the acceptance of their persons with God and hope for audience when they beg for mercy and offer up prayer or praise to him III. In the Communication though the Sacrament have respect to the Father as the principal Giver and to the Son as both the Gift and Giver yet hath it a special respect to the Holy Ghost as being that spirit given in the flesh and Blood which quickeneth Souls without which the Flesh will profit nothing And whose operations must convey and apply Christs saving benefits to us John 6. 63. 7. 39. These three being the parts of the Sacrament in whole as comprehending that sacred Action and participation which is essential to it The Material parts called the Relate and Correlate are 1. Substantial and Qualitative 2. Active and Passive 1. The first are the Bread and Wine as signs and the Body and Blood of Christ with his Graces and Benefits as the things signified and given The second are the Actions of Breaking Pouring out and Delivering on the Ministers part after the Conscration and the Taking Eating and Drinking by the Receivers as the sign And the signified is the Crucifying or Sacrificing of Christ and the Delivering himself with his Benefits to the Believer and the Receivers thankful Accepting and using the said gift To these add the Relative Form and the Ends and you have the definition of this Sacrament Direct 3. Look upon the minister as the Agent or Officer of Christ who is Commissioned by him to seal and deliver to you the Covenant and its benefits And take the Bread and Wine as if you heard Christ himself saying to you Take my Body and Blood and the Pardon and Grace which is thereby purchased It is a great help in the Application to have mercy and pardon brought us by the hand of a Commissioned Officer of Christ Direct 4. In your preparation before-hand take heed of these two extreams 1. That you come not prophanely and carelesly with common hearts as to a common work For God will be sanctified in them that draw near to him Levit. 10. 3. And they that eat and drink unworthily not discerning the Lords Body from common Bread but eating as if it were a common meal do eat death to themselves instead of life 2. Take heed lest your mistakes of the nature of this Sacrament should possess you with such fears of unworthy receiving and the following dangers as may quite discompose and unfit your Souls for the joyful exercises of Faith and Love and Praise and Thanksgiving to which you are invited Many that are scrupulous of receiving it in any save a feasting gesture are too little careful and scrupulous of receiving it in any save a feasting frame of mind The first extream is caused by prophanness and negligence or by gross ignorance of the nature of the Sacramental work The latter extream is frequently caused as followeth 1. By setting this Sacrament at a greater distance from other parts of God's worship than there is cause So that the excess of Reverence doth overwhelm the minds
the workers of iniquity shall I ever more slight such Love as this shall it not overcome my Rebelliousness and melt down my cold and hardned heart shall I be saved from Hell and not be thankful Angels are admiring these miracles of Love and shall not I admire them Their love to us doth cause them to rejoyce while they stand by and see our Heavenly feast And should it not be sweeter to us that are the guests that feed upon it My God how dearly hast thou purchased my Love How strangly hast thou deserved and sought it Nothing is so much my grief and shame as that I can answer such Love with no more fervent fruitful Love O what an addition would it be to all this pretious mercy if thou wouldst give me a Heart to answer these thine invitations That thy Love thus poured out might draw forth mine and my Soul might flame by its approaching unto these thy flames And that Love draw out by the sense of Love might be all my life O that I could Love thee as much as I would Love thee Yea as much as thou wouldest have me Love thee But this is too great a happiness for earth But thou hast shewed me the place where I may attain it My Lord is here in full possession who hath left me these pledges till he come and fetch us to himself and feast us there in our Masters Joy O blessed place O happy company that see his Glory and are filled with the streams of those Rivers of consolation yea happy we whom thou hast called from our dark and miserable state and made us Heirs of that felicity and passengers to it and expectants of it under the conduct of so sure a guide O then we shall Love thee without these sinful pauses and defects in another measure and another manner than now we do when thou shalt reveal and communicate thy attractive Love in another measure and manner than now Till then my God I am devoted to thee By right and Covenant I am thine My soul here beareth witness against my self that my defects of Love have no excuse Thou deservest all if I had the Love of all the Saints in Heaven and Earth to give thee VVhat hath this world to do with my affections And what is this sordid corruptible flesh that its desires and pleasures should call down my Soul and tempt it to neglect my God VVhat is there in all the sufferings that man can lay upon me that I should not joyfully accept them for his sake that hath Redeemed me from Hell by such unmatched voluntary sufferings Lord seeing thou regardest and so regardest so vile a worm my heart my tongue my hand confess that I am wholly thine O let me live to none but thee and to thy service and thy Saints on earth And O let me no more return unto iniquity nor venture on that sin that killed my Lord And now thou hast chosen so low a dwelling O be not strange to the Heart that thou hast so freely chosen O make it the daily residence of thy spirit Quicken it by thy grace adorn it with thy gifts employ it in thy Love delight in its attendance on thee refresh it with thy joys and the light of thy countenance and destroy this carnality selfishness and unbelief And let the VVorld see that God will make a Palace of the lowest heart when he chooseth it for the place of his own abode Direct 8. VVhen you come home review the mercy which you have received and the duty which you have done and the Covenant you have made And 1. Betake your selves to God in Praise and Prayer for the perfecting of his work And 2 Take heed to your hearts that they grow not cold and that worldly things or diverting trifles do not blot out the sacred impressions which Christ hath made and that they cool not quickly into their former dull and sleepy frame 3. And see that your Lives be actuated by the grace that you have here received that even they that you converse with may perceive that you have been with God Especially when Temptations would draw you again to sin and when the injuries of Friends or Enemies would provoke you and when you are called to testifie your Love to Christ by any costly work or suffering remember then what was so lately before your eyes and upon your heart and what you resolved on and what a Covenant you made with God Yet judge not of the fruit of your Receiving so much by feeling as by faith for more is promised than you yet possess Here follows the Authors solemn Resignation of himself to Father Son and Holy Ghost O My God I look to Thee I come to Thee to thee alone No man no worldly creature made me none of them did redeem me none of them did renew my soul none of them will justifie me at thy Bar nor forgive my sin nor save me from the penal Justice none of them will be a full or a perpetual felicity or portion for my soul I am not a stranger to their promises and performances I have trusted them too far and followed them too long O that it had been less though I must thankfully acknowledge that Mercy did early shew me their deceit and turn my enquiring thoughts to thee to thee I resign my self for I am thine own to thee I subject all powers of my Soul and body for thou art my Rightful Sovereign Governour from thee I thankfully accept of all the benefits and comforts of my life in thee I expect my true felicity and content to know thee and love thee and delight in thee must be my blessedness or I must have none The little tastes of this sweetness which my thirsty soul hath had do tell me that there is no other real joy I feel that thou hast made my mind to know thee and I feel thou hast made my heart to love thee my tongue to praise thee and all that I am and have to serve thee And even in the panting languishing desires and motions of my soul I find that thou and only thou art its resting place and though Love do now but search and pray and cry and weep and in reaching upward but cannot reach the glorious light the blessed knowledge the perfect love for which it longeth yet by its eye its aim its motions its moans its groans I know its meaning where it would be and I know its end My displaced soul will never be well till it come near to thee till it know thee better till it love thee more It loves it self and justifieth that self-love when it can love thee it loaths it self and is weary of it self as a lifeless burden when it feels no pantings after thee Wert thou to be found in the most solitary desart it would seek thee or in the uttermost parts of the earth it would make after thee thy presence makes a croud a Church thy converse
maketh a closet or solitary wood or field to be kin to the Angelical Chore. The creature were dead if thou wert not its life and ugly if thou wert not its beauty and insignificant if thou wert not its sense The soul is deformed which is without thine Image and lifeless which liveth not in love to thee if love be not its pulse and prayer and praise its constant breath the Mind is unlearned which readeth not thy Name on all the World and seeth not HOLINESS TO THE LORD engraven upon the face of every creature He doteth that doubteth of thy Being or Perfections and he dreameth who doth not live to thee O let me have no other portion no reason no love no life but what is devoted to thee employed on thee and for thee here and shall be perfected in thee the only perfect final object for evermore Upon the holy Altar erected by thy Son and by his hands and his mediation I humbly devote and offer thee THIS HEART O that I could say with greater feeling This flaming loving longing-Heart But the sacred fire which must kindle on my sacrifice must come from thee it will not else ascend unto thee let it consume this dross so the nobler part may know its home All that I can say to commend it to thine acceptance is that I hope it 's wash'd in precious blood that there is something in it that is thine own it still looketh towards thee groaneth to thee followeth after thee and will be content with gold and mirth and honour and such inferiour fooleries no more it lieth at thy doors and will be entertain'd or perish Though alas it loves thee not as it would I boldly say it longs to love thee it loves to love thee it seeks it craves no greater blessedness than perfect endless mutual love it is vowed to thee even to thee alone and will never take up with shadows more but is resolved to lie down in sorrow and despair if thou wilt not be its REST and JOY It hateth it self for loving thee no more accounting no want deformity shame or pain so great and grievous a calamity For thee the Glorious blessed GOD it is that I come to Jesus Christ If he did not reconcile my guilty soul to thee and did not teach it the heavenly art and work of Love by the sweet communications of thy love he could be no Saviour for me Thou art my only ultimate end it is only a guide and way to thee that my anxious soul hath so much studied and none can teach me rightly to know thee to love thee and to live to thee but thy self it must be a Teacher sent from thee that must conduct me to thee I have long-looked round about me in the world to see if there were a more lucid Region from whence thy will and glory might be better seen than that in which my lot is fallen But no Traveller that I can speak with no Book which I have turn'd over no Creature which I can see doth tell me more than Jesus Christ I can find no way so suitable to my soul no medicine so fitted to my misery no bellows so fit to kindle love as faith in Christ the Glass and Messenger of thy love I see no doctrine so divine and heavenly as bearing the image and superscription of God nor any so fully confirmed and delivered by the attestation of thy own Omnipotency nor any which so purely pleads thy cause and calls the Soul from self and vanity and condemns its sin and purifieth it and leadeth it directly unto thee and though my former ignorance disabled me to look back to the Ages past and to see the methods of thy providence and when I look into thy Word disabled me from seeing the beauteous methods of thy Truth thou hast given me a glimpse of clearer light which hath discovered the reasons and methods of grace which I then discerned not and in the midst of my most hideous temptations and perplexed thoughts thou kepst alive the root of faith and kepst alive the love to thee and unto holiness which it had kindled Thou hast mercifully given me the witness in my self not an unreasonable perswasion in my mind but that renewed nature those holy and heavenly desires and delights which sure can come from none but thee And O how much more have I perceived in many of thy servants than in my self thou hast cast my lot among the Souls whom Christ hath healed I have daily conversed with those whom he hath raised from the dead I have seen the power of thy Gospel upon sinners All the love that ever I perceived kindled towards thee and all the true obedience that ever I saw performed to thee hath been effected by the word of Jesus Christ how oft hath his spirit helped me to pray and how often hast thou heard those prayers what pledges hast thou given to my staggering faith in the works which prayer hath procured both for my self and many others And if Confidence in Christ be yet deceit must I not say that thou hast deceived me who I know canst neither be deceived or by any falshood or seduction deceive On thee therefore O my dear Redeemer do I cast and trust this sinful soul with Thee and with thy holy Spirit I renew my Covenant I know no other I have no other I can have no other Saviour but thy self To thee I deliver up this soul which thou hast redeemed not to be advanced to the wealth and honours and pleasures of this world but to be delivered from them and to be healed of sin and brought to God and to be saved from this present evil world which is the portion of the ungodly and unbelievers to be washed in thy Blood and illuminated quickened and confirmed by thy SPIRIT and conducted in the ways of holiness and love and at last to be presented justified and spotless to the Father of spirits and possessed of the glory which thou hast promised O thou that hast prepared so dear a medicine for the cleansing of polluted guilty souls leave not this unworthy soul in its guilt or in its pollution O thou that knowest the Father and his Will and art nearest to him and most beloved of him cause me in my degree to know the Father acquaint me with so much of his will as concerneth my duty or my just encouragement leave not my soul to grope in darkness seeing thou art the Sun and Lord of Light O heal my estranged thoughts of God! is he my light and life and all my hope and must I dwell with him for ever and yet shall I know him no better than thus shall I learn no more that have such a Teacher and shall I get no nearer him while I have a Saviour and a Head so near O give my faith a clearer prospect into that better world and let me not be so much unacquainted with the place in which I
Thou feest thy debt and thy Saviours payment of it these are no fictions thou hast just now read a sure word of Prophecy that hath confirmed it Those wounds those stripes those bruises which thou readest of he bore for thee and which were due to thee It was thou that shouldst have been led from prison to judgment from prison to the Judgment-seat of the great God who should have sat as Judge he should have arraigned thee sentenced thee and have sent thee to the slaughter-house of Hell where thou shouldest have been weeping and wailing and gnashing of thy teeth But Oh amazing love and grace the Son of God that loved me better than his life stept off his Throne and took my nature on him and became a man like to me only sin excepted he came and bid me comfort my trembling heart he would put himself in my condition and become the prisoner and if my sin would cost his life he would freely part with it Methinks I feel my bowels turn my spirits melt within me was ever love like to his love he was a stranger to me why did he not let me die It was his Father I did wrong why did he not let me suffer What if my punishment was as great as Hell surely I did deserve it What if my pains and screeches were eternal Ah! I was a creature a worm a fly a nothing to him and what need he have cared but he loved me and could he love a prisoner at the Bar I was a sinner a vile polluted one methinks he should have loathed me but he did wash thee and make thee clean again Ay but I was his Fathers enemy and so no friend to him or would he love an enemy or did he not know so much but how could that be when he saw my heart and the enmity that was in it yes he did and yet he loved thee even while we were enemies he died for us But why did he love an enemy or how could he do it I know not why it is past my reason to imagine it Oh inexpressible love Oh love past thought I cannot fathom thee with my reason thy ways are unaccountable he loves because he will love And though his love displeaseth us yet it pleaseth him to love us What ails my heart I cannot find it stir What dead under the reviving thoughts of thy dearest Redeemer I just now said he loved thee though an enemy and when thou lovedst not him I see the enmity is not quite remov'd thou canst not love him yet Arise shake up thy self and look about thee thou dost not sure see thy mercy surely thou understandest not what thou oughtest to understand Come away Oh come away lift up thy drowsie head I will make thee look and love while I set thee all on burning and make thee ere I leave thee confess thou lovest him Think think Oh my soul that thou hadst just now sinned and broke that law which threatned death and upon the breach doth find thee guilty Think that thou sawest a flaming Cherubim a messenger of the Court of Heaven flirt in at that door and arrest thee for High treason and give thee a summons to rise from the seat thou sittest on to make a sudden answer for thy life Look then my soul Ah! I lookt just now I see that door wide open What 's this a spirit Ah me I am undone for I have sinned I think the room shakes under me or else 't is my heart that 's trembling What 's this I hear I must now answer for my life O what shall I say I know not what I have sinned my Conscience tells me that I have sinned the witness within will cast me I see the Inditement writ with blood on my heart the pride sensuality and the earthliness of which I am charged with I am not able to deny one tittle Oh for a mountain to cover me Oh whither shall I go wither shall I flie That Bed these Curtains this closet cannot hide me My Mother Father Wife or Child can not help me O who then shall I run whither I know not vengeance will find me out where ever I go Oh cursed and subtil Satan are all thy fair promises and inticements come to this O my wicked cursed foolish heart that ever I should believe him before my Creator that told me the day I sinned I should surely die Oh that for a little simple transient pleasure I should so madly hazard my eternal life and now I must be cast to Hell to bear the punishment of my folly Think once again think that this were the day and this the very place in which God should come and sit in Judgement on thee Methinks I see the Heavens bow themselves Oh what a crackling do I hear in the Clouds look yonder see who comes it is my Judge his countenance is as a flame of fire he utters his voice like Thunder the mountains skip or rather shake or rather tremble Now now is the time of my utter destruction near at hand Oh how shall I look him in the face his looks do already affright me I shall not say one word and I have not one Friend that will say one word for me It 's true I see a terrible glorious Troop of Angels that do attend him but they are all his friends and therefore all my enemies I dare not speak a word to them and alas if I should they are all but his servants and fellow-creatures with my self alas they cannot yea they will not help me It 's true there is one that one that seems as one with God the beams of whose countenance are far brighter than all the Host of Heaven Besides if God have a Son it may be it is he methinks he is a mirrour of his Fathers Glory but this I know not be what he will he cannot pity me a sinner the doors of hope are all shut up and now as a miserable wretch I must prepare to hear my sentence the Judge is set and with trembling heart and joints I stand a prisoner at the Bar for my life and now I must attend his call God speaks Sinner where art thou The Sinner answers Lord here am I. God speaks How darest thou thus abuse 〈◊〉 Grace and kindle up my zeal against 〈◊〉 that now as stuble it will cons 〈…〉 this the thanks that thou 〈…〉 all the love that I have sh 〈…〉 Must I make a whole world and 〈◊〉 it to thee and as if that was to 〈…〉 I bid thee freely take my self and all and would not this content thee Was I not as a Father to thee the time thou lovedst me and didst obey me Did I not make thy seat a Paradice and strewed thy paths with pleasure Did I not rejoyce over thee as a young man over his bride What evil hast thou found in me that thou shouldst thus rebelliously revolt and break my Laws and for a trifle sell my favour and
get thee away to Hell O then just then he stept down drew near and took thee by the hand and spoke these reviving words to thee Doubt this and doubt thy judgment But why a dream I am not now in Hells torments whither I was just now sentenced My heart is now at ease and quiet surely something must be the reason why the Devil that but now had hold of me hath left me Where is the Conscience that but now was burning in me But Oh cannot the presence of the Lord put me out of doubt Do not his words that were so kind his tender dealing with me doth not his stooping to me taking me by the arm and the gentle lifts that he gives to my drooping soul speak him present Oh! do not my head eyes arms heart breast and the case of every joint and limb about me witness the same Away my unbelieving heart what a stir is here to make thee believe a thing so evident Doubt my mind and freely doubt I 'le give thee leave when thou hast any occasion or reason for it But why should I doubt that which is past all doubt May I not believe my senses I both saw and heard him speak the words or shall I misdoubt his faithfulness I know he is the Son of God he cannot lye but it is true yet my God I pray thee be not angry with my scrupulous heart thou seest in tears I make the doubt let it be an argument to me of sincerity I do not ask that question as one that would be fain perswaded it's true Canst thou think my Lord that I would not be reconciled and cheerfully accept of Grace when thou so freely offeredst it O but Lord speak these words to my heart which thou hast already spoke to my ear and thou wilt melt it into love and thankfulness and I shall never doubt it more Object But yet but what can Heaven love so much Answ Thou silly worm how idly dost thou question must Heaven and so its love be bound up to so narrow and contracted thoughts as thine are What can God love no more than thou canst Love is a perfection and God is infinitely perfect so must be infinitely and incomprehensively loving Thou fool go sound the Sea and tell me its greatest depths give me the height of yonder Stars this possibly thou maist do for the Seas are not so deep but they have a bottom nor the Stars so high but they may by art be known But Oh the heights and depths and breadths and lengths of the love of our Redeemer He is God and his breasts are so full of love that they flow and overflow with love they have no bottom Do but try my soul cast thy self into this bottomless lovely Ocean into this endless Bosom and when thou hast been sinking millions of millions of years tell me whether you come to ground Ye glorious Angels and ye blessed Spirits of just men made perfect that live above you that have been wading downward these five thousands of years do ye feel a bottom or are ye near one Away away my foolish heart if this be all thou hast to plead he may redeem thee and take thee for his Spouse and betroth thee to himself notwithstanding all this Object But Oh this filthy loathsom fleshly self this base unthankful earthly heart that can prefer a dunghill dross and dirt before him that can freely lay out his love to a creature like my self But Oh how hard and stiff and unrelenting am I to my God But Oh he will slight me because I have often put him off and slighted him he cannot love and die for such a one as I am Answ Cease fool thy reasonings he cannot love an enemy because thou canst not he cannot die because thy cowardly heart will not suffer thee Why should he fear the grave that had power over it And what though thou art unworthy of his love if he will have thee and make thee worthy Thy heart is base and what of that if he will mend it thy filthy rotten and polluted soul he intends to wash and cleanse it till it is without spot and wrinkle or any such thing Thy stubborn proud earthly and lustful heart he can make humble tender soft and yielding And when he hath made thee as he would why may not he take thee to himself and lay thee next his heart and delight over thee everlastingly Object But will his Father yield to this I am too poor a match for the Son and heir of all things But will he can he suffer his Son to die to buy such a beggarly thing to himself as I am Answ A way these silly simple childish thoughts how like an inhabitant of this earthly sensual world dost thou reason thou wilt not under-match and therefore will not God his Son Thou fool thou wilt not because thou canst find another equal But dost thou not know that God can find none equal to his Son he must stoop or else go without It 's true he might have gone without but what if he would not why should not Heaven have its will as well as thou Thou hast no dowry and he doth need none and yet thou arguest as if Heaven would make traffick with his Son and his love as we silly worms do here but we are beggars and so are Angels and all the glorious Hosts above they are his Creatures hang and depend upon him and cannot subsist one moment happy without suplies and helps of his Grace and why may he not bring a beggarly man as near to himself as a beggarly Angel if so it pleaseth him Object But doth it so please him Answ How often have I told thee it doth please him and hast thou not believed Come if thy hearing will will not satisfy let thy seeing do it Look if thou hast eyes Come tell me doth not Heaven look as though it was pleased with the offer of his Son What cloud or darkness dost thou see about the Throne What sign or token of displeasure canst thou at all discover Open thine eyes view the God of Glory Do his looks bespeak him to be thy Father or thy Judge And canst thou not be read both Husband Father and Lord and all in his countenance What not see it surely thou art blind If he had not told as much from his own mouth his eyes and looks bespeak his love and favour loud and clear enough to thee But doth he not tell thee to put thee out of all doubt this is my well-beloved Son hear him hear him What 's that believe him whatsoever he says why what saith he O dull and stupid heart hast thou forgot already He said he will pay his life for thine and doth not his Father bid thee hear him He said he would reconcile thee love thee and make thee friends again And is it not comfort when the Father bids thee believe him he said he will pardon wash and
die to all this vain empty glory of the world because I died left it I know thee well enough Thou art mine and I am thine Take it I charge thee eat it as thou lovest me and whilst thou feedest remember the love of thy dearest Redeemer Soul Oh 't is the sweetest meat that ever tongue did tast it sends a relish to my very heart I find it digest s as it descends I feel my nerves and sinews strengthen I never knew that bread was the staff of life till now Oh how fit is my soul now for Christ How easie do I now find his yoke how light his burden Methinks I could watch or pray or read more earnestly resolvedly believingly than ever Oh! methinks I can take his Cross bear it strongly and take the shame and despise it sully Oh 't is a feast of fat things The richest banquet of love that ever I was at it was but a little that I took and it fills me full my hungry stomach now crye 't is enough I find it now verified to my soul and spirit that he that eats of this bread shall never hunger more Well I need not starve when there is such bread in my Fathers house I need not I will not I cannot feed any longer on husks with the swine of the world I fed on air and smoke before I never tasted substantial bread till I tasted of this This is the staff of my life and upon this will I support my self to my very grave The Wine Christ Come my Dearest I have drunk and thou shalt pledge me I have broached my side and drew it on purpose for thee This is a Wine of mine own making when I trod the Winepress of my Fathers wrath It is my blood but take and drink it it was the cause of my wounding but to thy soul it shall prove healing I died and bled it was but to make this Banquet for thee I have brought thee into my Wine-cellar and my Banner over thee shall be love Fear not take and drink thou hast an ulcer in thy heart and this shall cure it spots and stains of guilt on thy soul and this shall purge them away thy spirits are faint this shall revive thee thou art afraid to see thy Fathers face this shall make thee to draw near the Throne of Grace with boldness Drink I charge thee drink on thy love and loyalty to me I command thee as thou wilt have thy heart to mend thy wounds to cure thy spirits to revive thy fears to scatter thy soul to love and obey me take O take this cup into thy hand taste it and praise my love Soul Lord I have taken I have drunk as thou hast bid me I neither could or dare deny thee Can I refuse thy blood when I have accepted thy self Or can I accept my pardon at thy hands and refuse the Seal thereof I know I am vile I am vile but thou hast pardoned me Lord I have abused thy love a thousand times refused thy offered self and withstood the tenders of thy Grace but thou hast covered all my sins thou hast freely justified me by thy Grace and made a full atonement for me by thy blood this is that thou freely biddest me take and I have freely drunk it Never was Wine so full as this is Never was Bowl so full of pleasure as this I have swallowed down my life and pardon at one draught I took it from my Saviours hand it was a cup of his own preparing If ever drink was sugared this was I never tasted better rellisht Wine in all my life The richest Cordials cannot match this draught Divine Spirits of pearls dissolved would but dead this Wine Oh when my hopes but kist the purple dews they hung and cleaved so As if they were loth to let thee go They strove and strugled to get near my heart As if intending there to take a part I dare not say them nay blood from that Bowl May the best room command within my soul What a sudden strange yet happy alteration do I find within my languid spirits are revived my winter is over Methinks I feel my life and joy to spring a main My Aarons Rod a dry stick but now doth bloom and flourish My newly ingrafted soul is full of Infant-clusters Blood at the root of Vines They say produce the richest Wines Oh! if my Lord will undertake to dress this Vine and trickle down his blood into my root then draw it up into each branch of Grace by the warming beam of his reviving love then let my Dears est come let him come as he hath promised and bring my Father and his Father with him and sup both with me and in me Let them come and I will bid them a welcome I shall have a fruit to present them with which they themselves shall say is pleasant I shall not send my Father away now so oft complaining I came to seek for grapes and fruit but behold wild ones The Conclusion Oh! how unwillingly do I rise methinks I could sit here and feast my heart and eyes for ever What running-Banquets doth my Lord afford me here surely he should not need to fear that I should surfeit on himself But alas I must be gone what shall I do in yonder hungry soul-starving world again I have been feeding on my Paschal Lamb and now I must go and eat my sowre herbs but if it be his will I must obey if it be so I must arise I know thou hast prepared the endless feast above where I shall ever sit and enjoy thy love and glut my hungry eye and heart on the Banquet of thy everlasting self As yet I am now on earth my toil and work lyes heavy on my hands I have yet an afternoon to labour out God knows my work is hard too hard for me my self to perform I scarcely should have lasted out so long but that ometimes at such seasons as this is he repaired my sinking spirits by pouring in the Cordials of his Blood Now I must go and perhaps find as sharp conflicts with my self as ever I know the World and Hell have been laying their snares and gins to catch my new-fledg'd soul and all conspire against my welfare Now it is well if I escape a fall a bruise a breaking of my bones in which sad plight I have so often lain that my Lord might have took me for dead but that my groanings told him loudly I lived Lord must I leave this feast must I go Take me then by the hand and lead me if I must walk let me see thee by me that I may know I walk with my God Lead me away and I will go with thee and let me not go till thou bringest me hither again I cannot will not live without thee And do thou Lord say I must not shall not If both our hearts in love so well agree What then shall separate my Christ from me A
hear to my confusion Depart from me I know thee not thou worker of iniquity Thou mayest justly tell me thou hast no pleasure in me nor wilt receive an Offering at my hand But with thee there is abundant mercy And my Advocate Jesus Christ the Righteous is the Propitiation for my sins who bare them in his Body on the Cross and made himself an Offering for them that he might put them away by the Sacrifice of himself have mercy upon me and wash me in his blood cloath me with his Righteousness take away my iniquities and let them not be my ruine forgive them and remember them no more O thou that delightest not in the death of sinners heal my back-slidings love me freely and say unto my soul that thou art my salvation Thou wilt in no wise cast out them that come unto thee receive me graciously to the Feast thou hast prepared for me cause me to hunger and thirst after Christ and his Righteousness that I may be satisfied Let his flesh and blood be to me meat and drink indeed and his Spirit be in me a well of living water springing up to everlasting life Give me to know thy Love in Christ which passeth knowledge Though I have not seen him let me love him And though now I see him not yet believing let me rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory though I am unworthy of the crumbs that fall from thy Table yet feed me with the Bread of Life and speak and seal up Peace to my sinful wounded soul Soften my heart that is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin mortifie the flesh and strengthen me with might in the inward man that I may live and glorifie thy Grace through Jesus Christ our only Saviour In whose words I conclude saying Our Father c. A Prayer after the Receiving of the Holy Communion MOST Glorious God how wonderful is thy Power and Wisdom thy Holiness and Justice thy Love and Mercy in this work of our Redemption by the Incarnation Life Death Resurrection Intercession and Dominion of thy Son No power or wisdom in Heaven or Earth could have delivered me but thine The Angels desire to pry into this Mystery the Heavenly Host do celebrate it with praises saying Glory be to God in the Highest on Earth peace good will towards men The whole Creation shall proclaim thy praises blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and honour and glory for he haeth redeemed us to God by his blood and made us Kings and Priests unto our God Where sin abounded grace hath abounded much more And hast thou indeed forgiven me so great a debt by so precious a Ransom Wilt thou indeed give me to reign with Christ in Glory and see thy face and love thee and be beloved of thee for ever Yea Lord thou hast forgiven me and thou wilt glorifie me for thou art faithful that hast promised With the blood of thy Son with the Sacrament and with thy Spirit thou hast sealed up to me these precious promises And shall I not love thee that hast thus loved me Shall I not love thy Servants and forgive my Neighbours their little debt After all this shall I again forsake thee and deal falsly in thy Covenant God forbid O! set my affections on the things above where Christ sitteth at thy right hand Let me no more mind earthly things but let my Conversation be in Heaven from whence I expect my Saviour to come and change me into the likeness of his glory Teach me to do thy will O God! and to follow him who is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that do obey him Order my stops by thy Word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me Let me not hence-forth live unto my self but unto him who died for me and rose again Let me have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them And let my light so shine before men that they may glorifie thee In simplicity and godly sincerity and not in fleshly wisdom let me have my Conversation in the world O that my ways were so directed that I might keep thy Statutes Though Satan will be desirous again to sist me and seek as a roaring Lion to devour strengthen me to stand against his Wiles and shortly bruise him under my feet Accept me O Lord who resign my self unto thee as thine own and with my thanks and praise present my self a living Sacrifice to be acceptable through Christ. Useful for thine honour Being made free from sin and become thy Servant let me have my fruit unto holiness and the End Everlasting Life Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour In whose words I farther pray Our Father c. A Divine Soliloquy O My Soul thou hast been feasted with the Son of God at his Table upon his Flesh and Blood in preparation for the Feast of Endless Glory thou hast seen there represented what sin deserveth what Christ suffered what wonderful Love the God of infinite goodness hath exprest to thee Thou hast had Communion with the Saints thou hast renewed thy Covenant of Faith and thankful Obedience unto Christ Thou hast received his renewed Covenant of Pardon Grace and Glory to thee O carry hence the lively sense of these great and excellent things upon thy heart Remember O my Soul thou camest not to that holy Table only to injoy the mercy of an hour but that which may spring up to endless Joy Thou camest not only to do the duty of an hour but to promise that which thou must perform while thou livest on Earth Remember daily especially when Temptations to unbelief and sinful heaviness assault thee what pledges of Love thou hast received Remember daily especially when Flesh and Devil and World would draw thy heart again from God and temptations to sin are laid before thee what Bonds God and thy own Consent have laid upon thee Remember O my Soul if thou art a Penitent Believer thou art now forgiven and washed in the Blood of Christ O! go your way and sin no more no more thro' wilfulness and strive against your sins of weakness Wallow no more in the Mire and return not to thy Vomit Let the exceeding Love of Christ constrain thee having such Promises as 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. O cleanse thy self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Amen Hymns suited to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper To be sung in the common Tunes A Hymn for the Sacrament HYMN I. I. A New and well composed Song With raptures fill'd of Love And extasies of Joy let 's tune Unto our Lord above Awake my drowsie sleepy Soul Awake dull heavy heart And all my faculties and powers Joyn in and bear a part II. Let judgment weigh the argument Let fancy it adorn Let memory
Grace Take now the Earnest of my Love Before you see my face Never be strange to me I wait to hear your cry Let me but know your pressing wants And you shall have supply IV. Never distrust my Love I Am this is my Name Sin makes me hide my face a while When yet my Love 's the same Never regard your Foes They are no match for me Plead still my Conquests with your God And you shall Victors be HYMN XII I. FIll'd with the sense of sin and wrath And black despair drew nigh To Christ I fled for succ'ring Grace He heard my mournful cry Under his pleasant shade I sate Sweet notes of Love I heard My welcome was above my thought How was I lov'd and chear'd II. He came to me but not alone Divine fruits were my fair I waited what he first would say Your sins now pardon'd are Peace with Jehovah is my gift No frowns appear above Go boldly to my Father's Throne Love waits your Soul to love III. The Book of Life your Name is there And ever there shall be Love wrote it there Love keeps it there To all Eternity Ask what you will I have God's Ear He never me deny'd Come with your fears come with your wants And you shall be supply'd IV. I give my Angels for your Guard You are their daily care Let Satan tempt and shoot his Darts They can prevent the snare O Lord what can I now reply What love at such a rate But this I 'll pray O let my Love Bear an Eternal Date Another I. The time is past when humane Race Became God's Enemy The World ne're saw so black a Night When Adam eat the Tree Vast gulf of Woes became his due Which had no bounds nor end What e're he did what e're he thought Still guilt did him attend II. God saw this sad tremendous Fall His Truth said might thy Word Justice requir'd the Sinner's Blood No pity him afford But Love that charming Attribute Prepar'd a kind Reply The Pleas of Justice I 'll adjust My only Son shall die III. Blest was the day when Adam heard That chearing word of Grace I 'll send the Lord of Glory here And hide my angry face Hear what he says he knows my heart My Mercy shall rejoice Peace he 'll proclaim the War will cease If you obey his voice IV. Go trembling Sinner go to him Fear not your former guilt His Death has answer'd my demands And I will you acquit Come take the Pledge believe my Son I am your own your All I have a Father's hand and heart To hear you when you call V. My Christ did lovingly invite Me to his charming Feast He added to his wond'rous Love Made me a wiliing Guest I came and found a Banquet rare He brought me Angels food He bid me take and eat my fill For my Eternal good VI. He spoke such chearing words of Grace What do you want my Friend What can you doubt my kind design Consider and attend Sin cannot now defeat my Love Since pardons I will give Sin seems an unresisted Foe It shall not always live VII You feel a dreadful War within Lusts claim a rightless Throne But this united force I 'll break Since now you are my own Satan with all his Darts and Snares Shall prove a fruitless Foe You are design'd for Heaven's Bliss He to Eternal Woe VIII Never distrust my wond'rous Love The best is yet behind No Tongue nor Thought can represent How good I 'll be and kind Refresh your Souls with what I give Wait till you come on high I long till all my Members see What 's in Eternity Another I. What made the Lord of Glory die Shall God the answer make Our guilty Souls may trembling stand To hear Hehovah speak But God has spoke he sent his Son But stay dejected heart Not to condemn a Rebel World But to regain his part II. The Death of Christ no vengeance cries It is a sign of Peace It pardons sins and pays our debts And gives our Souls release Let Law Conscience bring their charge Let Justice plead our guilt The Death of Christ can silence all And God will us acquit III. Oh Soul shall banisht fears return When you can pardon plead Hold fast this charming Pledge of Love For you it is decreed Let Angels sing their highest Note Let Earth triumph below Let the Redeemed of the Lord Their Saviour's Glory show Books sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns the lower End of Cheapside A Body of Practical Divinity consisting of above one hundred seventy six Sermons on the lesser Catechism composed by the Reverend Assembly of Divines at Westminster With a Supplement of some Sermons on several Texts of Scripture By Tho. Watson formerly Minister at St. Stephen's Walbrook London A Paraphrase on the New Testament with Notes doctrinal and practical By plainness and brevity fitted to the Use of Religious Families in their daily Reading of the Scriptures and of the younger and poorer sort of Scholars and Ministers who want fuller helps With an Advertisement of Difficulties in the Revelations By the Late Reverend Mr. Rich. Baxter Six hundred of select Hymns and Spiritual Songs collected out of the Holy Bible Together with a Catechism the Canticles and a Catalogue of Vertuous Women The Three last hundred of select Hymns collected out of the Psalms of David By William Barton A. M. late Minister of St. Martins in Leicester Spiritual Songs Or Songs of Praise to Almighty God upon several occasions Together with the Song of Songs which is Solomon's First turn'd then paraphrased in English Verse By John Mason Penitential Cries in Thirty two Hymns Begun by the Author of the Songs of Praise and Midnight Cry and carried on by another hand Sacramental Hymns collected chiefly out of such passages of the N. Testament as contain the most suitable matter of Divine Praises in the Celebration of the Lord's Supper To which is added one Hymn relating to Baptism and another to the Ministry By J. Boyse With some by other hands A Collection of Divine Hymns upon several occasions suited to our common Tunes for the use of Devout Christians in singing forth the Praises of God The Psalms of David in Metre Newly translated and diligently compared with the Original Text and former Translations More plain smooth and agreeable to the Text than any heretofore Of â—â—ee Justification by Christ Written first in Latine by John Fox Author of the Book of Martyrs against Osorius c. And now Translated into English for the benefit of those who love their own Souls and would not be mistaken in so great a Point An Earnest Call to Family-Religion Or a Discourse concerning Family-Worship Being the substance of Eighteen Sermons Preached by Samuel Slater A. M. Minister of the Gospel The Preaching of Christ and the Prison of God as the certain Portion of them that reject Christ's Word Opened in several Sermons on 1 Pet. 3. 19.
no life in us Whoso eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood hath eternal life and he will raise him up at the last day For his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed He that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him As the living Father hath sent the Son and he liveth by the Father so he that eateth him shall live by him This is that bread that came down from Heaven not as the Fathers did eat Manna and are dead he that eateth this bread shall live for ever I shall here only give you some brief Directions for your private duty herein Direct 1. Understand well the proper ends to which this Sacrament was instituted by Christ and take heed that you use it not to ends for which it never was appointed The true ends are these 1. To be a solemn Commemoration of the Death and passion of Jesus Christ Mat. 26. 28. Mar. 14. 24. Luke 22. 20. to keep it as it were in the eye of the Church in his bodily absence till he come 1 Cor. 11. 24 25 26. 2. To be a solemn renewing of the Holy Covenant which was first entred in Baptism between Christ and the Receiver and in that Covenant it is on Christ's part a solemn delivery of himself first and with himself the benefits of Pardon Reconciliation Adoption and right to Life eternal Heb. 9. 15 16 17 18. 1 Cor. 10. 16 24. And on mans part it is our solemn acceptance of Christ with his Benefits upon his terms and a delivering up our selves to him as his Redeemed ones even to the Father as our reconciled Father and to the Son as our Lord and Saviour and to the Holy Spirit as our Sanctifier with Professed Thankfulness for so great a benefit 3. It is appointed to be a lively objective means by which the Spirit of Christ should work to stir up and exercise and increase the Repentance Faith Desire Love Hope Joy Thankfulness and New-Obedience of Believers by a lively Representation of the evil of sin the infinite love of God in Christ the firmness of the Covenant or Promise the greatness and sureness of the Mercy given and the Blessedness purchased and promised to us and the great obligations that are laid upon us And that herein believers might be solemnly called out to the most serious exercise of all these Graces 1 Cor. 11. 27 28 29 31. 1 Cor. 10. 16 17 21. 1 Cor. 11. 25 26. 2 Cor. 6. 4. and might be provoked and assisted to stir up themselves to this Communion with God in Christ to pray for more as through a sacrificed Christ 4. It is appointed to be the solemn Profession of Believers of their Faith and Love and Gratitude and Obedience to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and of continuing firm in the Christian Religion And a Badge of the Church before the World Acts 2. 42 46. 20. 7. 5. And it is appointed to be a sign and means of the Unity Love and Communion of Saints and their readiness to Communicate to each other The false mistaken ends which you must avoid are these 1. You must not with the Papists think that the end of it is to turn Bread into no Bread and Wine into no Wine and to make them really the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ For if sense which telleth all Men that it is still Bread and Wine be not to be believed then we cannot believe that ever there was a Gospel or an Apostle or a Pope or a Man or any thing in the World And the Apostle expresly calleth it Bread three times in three Verses together after the Consecration 1 Cor. 11. 26 27 28. and he telleth us that the use of it is not to make the Lords Body really present but to shew the Lords Death till he come that is As a visible representing and commemorating sign to be instead of the Bodily presence till he come 2. Nor must you with the Papists use this Sacrament to sacrifice Christ again really unto the Father to propitiate him for the quick and dead and ease Souls in Purgatory and deliver them out of it For Christ having died once dieth no more and without killing him there is no sacrificing him By once offering up himself he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and now there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin Having finished the sacrificing work on Earth he is now passed into the Heavens to appear before God for his Redeemed ones Ro. 6. 9. 1 Cor. 15. 3. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Heb. 9. 26. and 10. 12 26. and 9. 24. 3. Nor is it any better than odious impiety to receive the Sacrament to confirm some Confederacies or Oaths of Secresie for rebellions or other unlawful designs as the Powder-Plotters in England did 4. Nor is it any other than impious prophanation of these sacred Mysteries for the Priest to constrain or suffer notoriously ignorant and ungodly persons to receive them either to make themselves believe that they are indeed the Children of God or to be a means which ungodly men should use to make them godly or which Infidels or Impenitent persons must use to help them to Repentance and Faith in Christ For though there is that in it which may become a means of their Conversion as a Thief that stealeth a Bible or Sermon Book may be converted by it yet is it not to be used by the Receiver to that end For that were to tell God a lie as the means of their Conversion for whosoever cometh to receive a setled pardon doth thereby profess repentance as also by the words adjoyned he must do And whosoever taketh and eateth and drinketh the Bread and Wine doth actually profess thereby that he taketh and applieth Christ himself by Faith And therefore if he do neither of these he lieth openly to God and lies and false Covenants are not the appointed means of Conversion Not that the Minister is a lier in his delivery of it For he doth but conditionally seal and deliver Gods Covenant and Benefits to the Receiver to be his if he truly Repent and Believe But the Receiver himself lieth if he do not actually Repent and Believe as he there professeth to do 5. Also it is an impious prophanation of the Sacrament if any Priest for the love of filthy lucre shall give it to those that ought not to receive it that he may have his Fees or Offerings or that the Priest may have so much money that is bequeathed for the saying a Mass for such or such a Soul 6. And it is odious prophanation of the Sacrament to use it as a League or Bond of Faction to gather persons in to the party and tie them fast to it that they may depend upon the Priest and his Faction and Inerest may thereby be strengthned and he may seem to have many followers 7. And it is a dangerous abuse of it to
cases that are too hard for your selves to resolve and where you need their special help 3. That you lovingly admonish them that you know do intend to communicate unworthily and to come thither in their ungodliness and gross sin unrepented of That you shew not such hatred of your Brother as to suffer sin upon him Lev. 19. 17. But tell him his faults as Christ hath directed you Mat. 18. 15 16 17. And do your parts to promote Christs Discipline and keep pure the Church See 1 Cor 5. throughout Direct 6. When you come to the holy Communion let not the over-scrupulous regard of the person of the Minister or the company or the imperfections of the ministration disturb your meditations nor call away your minds from the high and serious imployment of the day Hypocrites who place their Religion in bodily exercises have taught many weak Christians to take up unecessary scruples and to turn their eye and observation too much to things without them Quest But should we have no regard to the due celebration of these sacred Mysteries and to the Minister and communicants and manner of Administration Answ Yes You should have so much regard to them 1. As to see that nothing be amiss through your default which is in your power to amend 2. And that you joyn not in the committing of any known sin But 1. Take not every sin of another for your sin and think not that you are guilty of that in others which you cannot amend or that you must forsake the Church and worship of God for these corruptions which you are not guilty of or deny your own mercies because others usurp them or abuse them 2. If you suspect any thing imposed upon you to be sinful to you try it before you come thither and leave not your minds open to disturbance when they should be wholly imployed with Christ Quest But what if my conscience be not satisfied but I am still in doubt must I not forbear Seeing he that doubteth is condemned if he eat because he eateth not in Faith for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin Answ The Apostle there speaketh not of eating in the Sacrament but of eating meats which he doubteth of whether they are lawful but is sure that it is lawful to forbear them And in case of doubting about things indifferent the surer side is to forbear them because there may be sin in doing but there can be none on the other side in forbearing But in case of Duties your doubting will not disoblige you else men might give over praying and hearing Gods Word and believing and obeying their Rulers and maintaining their Families when they are but blind enough to doubt of it 2. Your erring Conscience is not a Law-maker and cannot make it your duty to obey it For God is your King and the Office of your Conscience is to discern his Law and urge you to obedience and not to make you Laws of its own So that if it speak falsly it doth not oblige you but deceive you It doth only ligate or insnare you but not obligare or make a sin a duty It casteth you into necessity of sinning more or less till you relinquish the error But in case of such duties as these it is a sin to do them with a doubting Conscience but ordinarily it is a greater sin to forbear Object But some Divines write that Conscience being Gods Officer when it erreth God himself doth bind me by it to follow that error and the evil which it requireth becometh my duty Answ A dangerous error tending to subversion of Souls and Kingdoms and highly dishonourable to God God hath made it your duty to know his Will and do it And if you ignorantly mistake him will you lay the blame on him and draw him into participation of your sin when he forbiddeth you both the error and the sin And doth he at once forbid and command the same thing At that very moment God is so far from obliging you to follow your error that he still obligeth you to lay it by and do the contrary If you say You cannot I answer Your impotency is a sinful impotency and you can use the means in which his Grace can help you and he will not change his Law nor make you Kings and Rulers of your selves instead of him because you are ignorant or impotent Direct 7. In the time of administration go along with the Minister throughout the work and keep your hearts close to Jesus Christ in the exercise of all those Graces which are suited to the several parts of the administration Think not that all the work must be the Minister's It should be a busie day with you and your hearts should be taken up with as much diligence as your hands be in your common labor but not in a toilsome weary diligence but in such delightful business as becometh the guests of the God of Heaven at so sweet a feast and in the receiving of such unvaluable gifts Here I should distinctly shew you I. What Graces they be that you must there exercise II. What there is obiectively presented before you in the Sacrament to exercise all these Graces III. At what seasons in the administration each of these inward works are to be done I. The Graces to be exercised are these besides that holy fear and reverence common to all worship 1. A humble sense of the odiousness of sin and of our undone condition as in our selves and a displeasure against our selves loathing of our selves and melting Repentance for the sins we have committed as against our Creator and as against the Love and Mercy of a Redeemer and as against the holy Spirit of Grace 2. A hungring and thirsting desire after the Lord Jesus and his Grace and the favour of God and communion with him which are there represented and offered to the Soul 3. A lively Faith in our Redeemer his death resurrection and intercession and a trusting our miserable souls upon him as our sufficient Saviour and help And a hearty acceptance of him and his benefits upon his offered terms 4. A joy and gladness in the sense of that unspeakable mercy which is here offered us 5. A thankful heart towards him from whom we do receive it 6. A fervent Love to him that by such Love doth seek our Love 7. A triumphant Hope of life eternal which is purchased for us and sealed to us 8. A willingness and resolution to deny our selves and all this world and suffer for him that hath suffered for our Redemption 9. A Love to our Brethren our Neighbours and our Enemies with a readiness to relieve them and to forgive them when they do us wrong 10. And a firm Resolution for future obedience to our Creator and Redeemer and Sanctifier according to our Covenant II. In the naming of these Graces I have named their objects which you should observe as distinctly as you can that they may be operative 1. To
help your Humiliation and Repentance you bring thither a loaden miserable Soul to receive a pardon and relief And you see before you the Sacrificed Son of God who made his soul an offering for sin and became a Curse for us to save us who were accursed 2. To draw out your desires you have the most excellent gifts and the most needful mercies presented to you that this world is capable of Even the pardon of sin the Love of God the Spirit of Grace and the hopes of Glory and Christ himself with whom all this is given 3. To exercise your Faith you have Christ here first represented as crucified before your eyes and then with his benefits freely given you and offered to your acceptance with a Command that you refuse him not 4. To exercise your delight and gladness you have this Saviour and this Salvation tendered to you and all that your souls can well desire set before you 5. To exercise your Thankfulness what could do more than so great a Gift so dearly purchased so surely sealed and so freely offered 6. To exercise your Love to God in Christ you have the fullest manifestation of his attractive Love even offered to your eyes and taste and heart that a soul on earth can reasonably expect in such wonderful condescension that the greatness and strangness of it surpasseth a natural mans belief 7. To exercise your hopes of life eternal you have the price of it here set before you you have the Gift of it here sealed to you and you have that Saviour represented to you in his suffering who is now there reigning that you may remember him as expectants of his Glorious coming to judge the world and glorifie you with himself 8. To exercise your self-denyal and resolution for suffering and contempt of the world and fleshly pleasures you have before you both the greatest example and obligation that ever could be offered to the world when you see and receive a Crucified Christ that so strangely denyed himself for you and set so little by the world and flesh 9. To exercise your love to Brethren yea and Enemies you have his example before your eyes that loved you to the death when you were Enemies And you have his holy servants before your eyes who are amiable in him through the workings of his Spirit and on whom he will have you shew your love to himself 10. And to excite your Resolution for future odedience you see his double Title to the Government of you as Creator and as Redeemer and you feel the obligations of Mercy and Gratitude and you are to renew a Covenant with him to that end even openly where all the Churches are witnesses So that you see here are powerful object before you to draw out all these Graces and that they are all but such as the work requireth you then to exercise III. But that you may be the readier when it cometh to practice I shall as it were lead you by the hand through all the parts of the administration tell you when and how to exercise every grace and those that are to be joyned together I shall take together that needless distinctness do not trouble you 1. When you are called up and going to the Table of the Lord exercise your Humility Desire and Thankfulness and say in your hearts What Lord dost thou call such a wretch as I What! me that have so oft despised thy mercy and wilfully offended thee and preferred the filth of this world and the pleasures of the flesh before thee Alas it is thy wrath in Hell that is my due But if love will choose such an unworthy guest and Mercy will be honoured upon such sin and misery I come Lord at thy call I gladly come Let thy will be done and let that mercy which inviteth me make me acceptable and graciously entertain me and let me not come without the wedding Garment nor unreverently rush on holy things nor turn thy mercies to my bane 2. When the Minister is confessing sin prostrate your very souls in the sense of your unworthiness and let your particular sins be in your eye with their hainous aggravations The whole need not the Physician but the sick But here I need not put words into your mouths or minds because the Minister goeth before you and your hearts must concurr with his Confessions and put in also the secret sins which he omitteth 3. When you look on the Bread and Wine which is provided and offered for this holy use remember that it is the Creator of all things on whom you live whose Laws you did offend and say in your hearts O Lord how great is my offence who have broken the Laws of him that made me and on whom the whole Creation doth depend I had my Being from thee and my daily Bread and should I have requited thee with disobedience Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son 4. When the words of the Institution are read and the Bread and Wine are solemnly consecrated by separating them to that sacred use and the acceptance and blessing of God is desired admire the mercy that prepared us a Redeemer and say O God how wonderful is thy wisdom and thy love How strangely dost thou glorifie thy mercy over sin that gave advantage to glorifie thy justice Even thou our God whom we have offended hast out of thy own Treasury satisfied thy own justice and given us a Saviour by such a Miracle of Wisdom Love and Condescention as men or Angels shall never be able fully to comprehend so didst thou love the sinful world as to give thy Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life O thou that hast prepared us so full a remedy and so pretious a gift sanctifie these Creatures to be the Representative Body and Blood of Christ and prepare my heart for so great a gift and so high and holy and honourable a work 5. When you behold the Consecrated Bread and Wine discern the Lords Body and reverence it as the Reprsentative Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and take heed of Prophaning it by looking on it as common Bread and VVine Though it be not Transubstantiate but still is very Bread and VVine in its Natural being yet it is Christs Body and Blood in representation and effect Look on it as the consecrated Bread of life which with the quickning Spirit must nourish you to life eternal 6. When you see the Breaking of the Bread and the Pouring out of the VVine let Repentance and Love and Desire and Thankfulness thus work within you O wondrous Love O hateful sin How merciful Lord hast thou been to sinners how cruel have we been to our selves thee Could Love stoop lower Could God be merciful at a dearer rate Could my sin have done a more horrid deed than put to death the Son of God How small a
matter hath tempted me to that which must cost so dear before it was forgiven How dear payed my Saviour for that which I might have avoided at a very cheap rate At how low a price have I valued his Blood when I have sinned and sinned again for nothing This is my doing My sins were the Thorns the Nails the Spear Can a Murderer of Christ be a small offender O dreadful justice It was I and such other sinners that deserved to bear the punishment who were guilty of the sin and to have been fewel for the unquenchable flames for ever O pretious Sacrifice O hateful sin O gracious Saviour how can mans dull and narrow heart be duly affected with such transcendent things or Heaven make its due impression upon an inch of flesh Shall I ever again have a dull apprehension of such Love Or ever have a favourable thought of sin Or ever have a fearless thought of justice O break or melt this hardened heart that it may be somewhat conformed to my crucified Lord The tears of Love and true Repentance are easier than the flames from which I am redeemed O hide me in these wounds and wash me in this pretious blood This is the Sacrifice in which I trust This is the Righteousness by which I must be justified and saved from the Curse of thy violated Law As thou hast accepted this O Father for the world upon the Cross Behold it till on the behalf of sinners and hear his Blood that cryeth unto thee for mercy to the miserable and pardon us and accept us as thy Reconciled Children for the sake of this Crucified Christ alone We can offer thee no other Sacrifice for sin and we need no other 7. When the Minister applyeth himself to God by prayer for the efficacy of this Sacrament that in it he will give us Christ and his benefits and pardon and justifie us and accept us as his reconciled Children joyn heartily and earnestly in these requests as one that knoweth the need and worth of such a mercy 8. When the Minister delivereth you the consecrated Bread and Wine look upon him as the messenger of Christ and hear him as if Christ by him said to you Take this my broken body and blood and feed â—â— it to everlasting life and take with it no sealed Covenant and therein the sealed testimony of my love and the sealed pardon oâ— your sins and a sealed gift of life eternal so be it you unfeignedly consent unto my Covenant and give up your selves to me â—â— my redeemed ones Even as in delivering the possession of House or Lands the deliverer giveth a Key and a Twig and a Turf and saith I deliver you this house and I deliver you this Land So doth the Minister by Christ's Authority deliver you Christ and pardon and title to eternal life Here is an Image of a sacrificed Christ of Gods own appointing which you may lawfully use And more than an Image even an investing Instrument by which these highest mercies are solemnly delivered to you in the name of Christ Let your hearts therefore say with Ioy and Thankfulness with Faith and Love O matchless bounty of the eternal God! what a gift is this and unto what unworthy sinners and will God stoop so low to man and come so near him and thus reconcile his worthless enemies Will he freely pardon all that I have done and take me into his family and love and feed me with the flesh and blood of Christ I believe Lord help mine unbelief I humbly and thankfully accept thy gifts Open thou my heart that I may yet more joyfully and thankfully accept them Seeing God will glorifie his Love and mercy by such incomprehensible gifts as these behold Lord a wretch that needeth all this mercy And seeing it is the offer of thy Grace and Covenant my Soul doth gladly take thee for my God and Father for my Saviour and my Sanctifier And here I give my up self unto thee as thy Created Redeemed and I hope Regenerate one as thy Own thy Subject and thy Child to be saved and Sanctified by thee to be beloved by thee and to Love thee to everlasting O seal up this Covenant and pardon by the Spirit which thou sealest and deliverest to me in thy Sacrament that without reserve I may be entirely and for ever thine 9. When you see the Communicants receiving with you let your very hearts be united to the Saints in love and say How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob How amiable is the Family of the Lord How good and pleasant is the unity of Bretheren How dear to me are the pretious numbers of my Lord though they have yet all their spots and weaknesses which he pardoneth and so must we My goodness O Lord extendeth not unto thee but unto thy Saints the excellent ones on earth in whom is my delight What portion of my estate thou requirest I willingly give unto the poor and if I have wronged any man I am willing to restore it And seeing thou hast â—â—oved me an enemy and forgiven me so great a debt I heartily forgive those that have done me wrong and love my enemies O keep me in thy Family all my days for â— day in thy Court is better than a Thousand and the door-keepers in thy house are happier than the most prosperous of the wicked Numb 24. 5. Psal 133. 15. 4. 16. 2 3. Luke 19. 8. Psal 84. 10. 10. When the Minister returneth Thanks and Praise to God stir up your Souls to the greatest alacrity and suppose you saw the Heavenly Hosts of Saints and Angels praising the same God in the presence of his Glory and think with your selves that you belong to the same Family and society as they and are learning their work and must shortly arrive at their perfection Strive therefore to imitate them in Love and Joy and let your very souls be poured out in Praises and Thanksgiving And when you have the next â—iesure for your private thoughts as when the Minister is exhorting you to your duty exercise your love and thanks and Faith and hope and self-denyal and Resolution for future obedience in some such breathings of your Souls as these O my gracious God thou hast surpassed all humane comprehension in thy Love Is this thy usage of unworthy prodigals I feared lest thy wrath as a consuming fire would have devoured such a guilty Soul and thou wouldest have charged upon me all my folly But while I condemned my self thou hast forgiven justified me and surprized me with the sweetest embracements of thy love I see now that thy thoughts are above our thoughts and thy ways above our ways and thy love excelleth the love of man even more than the Heavens are above the earth With how dear a price hast thou Redeemed a wretch that deserved thy everlasting vengeance with how pretious and sweet a Feast hast thou entertained me who deserved to be cast out with
must abide for ever And as thou hast prepared a Heaven for holy souls prepare this too-unprepared soul for Heaven which hath not long to stay on earth And when at death I resign it into thy hands receive it as thine own and finish the Work which thou hast begun in placing it among the blessed Spirits who are filled with the sight and love of God I trust thee living let me trust thee dying and never be ashamed of my trust And unto Thee the Eternal Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son the Communicative LOVE who condescendest to make Perfect the Elect of God do I deliver up this dark imperfect soul to be further renewed confirmed and perfected according to the holy Covenant Refuse not to bless it with thine indwelling and operations quicken it with thy life irradiate it by thy light sanctifie it by thy love actuate it purely powerfully and constantly by thy holy motions And though the way of this thy sacred influx be beyond the reach of humane apprehension yet let me know the reality and saving power of it by the happy effects Thou art more to souls than souls to bodies than light to the eyes O leave not my soul as a carrion destitute of thy life nor its eyes as useless destitute of thy light nor leave it as a senseless block without thy motion The remembeance of what I was without thee doth make me fear lest thou shouldest with-hold thy grace Alas I feel I daily feel that I am dead to all good and all that 's good is dead to me if thou be not the life of all Teachings and reproofs mercies and corrections yea the Gospel it self and all the liveliest Books and Sermons are dead to me because I am dead to them yea God is as no God to me and Heaven as no Heaven and Christ as no Christ and the clearest evidences of Scripture verity are as no proofs at all if thou represent them not with light and power to my soul Even as all the glory of the world is as nothing to me without the light by which it 's seen O thou that hast begun and given me those heavenly intimations and desires which flesh and blood could never give me suffer not my folly to quench these sparks nor this brutish flesh to prevail against thee nor the powers of hell to stifle and kill such a heavenly seed O pardon that folly and wilfulness which hath too often too obdurately and too unthankfully striven against thy grace and depart not from an unkind and sinful soul I remember with grief and shame how I wilfully bore down thy motions punish it not with desertion and give me not over to my self Art thou not in Covenant with me as my Sanctifier and Confirmer and Comforter I never undertook to do these things for my self but I consent that thou shouldest work them on me As thou art the Agent and Advocate of Jesus my Lord O plead his cause effectually in my soul against the suggestions of Satan and my unbelief and finish his healing saving work and let not the flesh or world prevail Be in me the resident witness of my Lord the Author of my prayers the Spirit of Adoption the Seal of God and the earnest of mine inheritance Let not my nights be so long and my days so short nor sin eclipse those beams which have often illuminared my soul Without thee Books are senseless scrawls studies are dreams learning is a Glow-Worm and wit is but wantonness impertinency and folly Transcribe those sacred precepts on my heart which by thy dictates and inspiration are recorded in thy holy word I refuse not thy help for tears and groans but O shed abroad that love upon my heart which may keep it in a continual life of love And teach me the work which I must do in Heaven refresh my soul with the delights of holiness the joys which arise from the believing hopes of the everlasting joys Exercise my heart and tongue in the holy praises of my Lord. Strengthen me in sufferings and conquer the terrors of Death and Hell Make me the more heavenly by how much the faster I am hastening to Heaven and let my last thoughts words and works on earth be likest to those which shall be my first in the state of glorious immortality where the Kingdom is delivered up to the Father and GOD will for ever be All and In all of whom and through whom and to whom are all things To whom be glory for ever Amen A Pathetical Meditation on the Passion of Christ to be read by Communicants before their reception of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper Quest WHat is the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper Answ It consists of two visible signs Bread and Wine which by the Lords appointment was to represent to the receiver his bloody death that so his Disciples may keep it fresh in their memories Q. But is it only to remember that there was a Christ and that he was crucified and no more Answ Experience tells us that such a bare remembrance as that doth little move upon the heart and upon the affections and so will do little or no good It is not the remembrance of any mans death that doth of it self affect me but as I consider him as a Father or as a Husband or as a Friend with many other expressions of his love to me when living this will exceedingly work upon the heart so as to cause sorrow and grief and the like Quest What is it then that I must call to mind when I think upon a bleeding and dying Christ so as to affect my heart Answ The cruel and bloody nature of his Death here you may consider the whole story of his Arraignment his being betrayed by his own Apostle his being spit upon and crowned with thorns his being mocked and jeered by putting a reed into his hand instead of a scepter afterwards his bearing of a Cross and his being nailed to it in his hands and feet after that his being pierced through with a spâ—ar this Mat. 27. will fully acquaint you with Secondly the causes of his Death it was no natural disease neither was it for any evil done of his own but for us He bore our iniquities upon the cross Thirdly the effects of his death which was to obtain power of his Father to conquer the Devil and pull us out of his hands to break our hearts and to conquer us to himself to pardon our sins and to give unto us eternal life with himself in glory and this upon our faith and sincere repentance Now from all these things are your Meditations to be raised before you come to this Sacrament and when you are receiving of it An Example of Meditation I have here set you down as followeth Away these wanton wandering wordly thoughts you are clogs to my soul Away all trifling worldly business I cannot now attend your call my heart hath now something else
to do Adieu my Friends farewell my Husband Wife and Child I must go see my bleeding Lord that 's dearer to me than you all Come now my soul thou art alone thou knowest the way make hast and seed look yonder see how the people flock cross but this vale and climb but up this mount thou wilt soon arrive at bloody Golgotha where thou shalt see thy bleeding and dying Siviour to sigh and linger out a dying life on the Cross in love for thee This this might Oh my Soul have been thy day and thou might'st have been the prisoner this I say might have been the day in which thou might'st have drunk the bitter cup of the fierce anger of God But look yonder there he goes that must drink up the dregs and all for thee Look again there he goes that must lay down his life that thou maist be reprieved But come my soul draw up a little nearer thou canst not see him well at so great a distance stand here and thou wilt see him passing look there he goes with a train of Virgins following But see how cruelly these barbarous Jews do use him they make him bear his Cross himself and press his wearied fainting limbs above his strength see how they laugh and scoff and wag their heads as if he were their May-game Methinks my heart boils up with rage to see these cruelties revenged Oh! how could the blessed God forbear to see his blessed Son thus wronged Why did he not send twelve Legions of Angels for his rescue Why doth he not send down fire from Heaven upon the heads of these his Sons enemies and so consume them But stay my foolish heart thou knowest not what spirit thou art of this debt was owing and it must be paid God requires so much and it must be given or thou canst not be saved Thy Lord did know this well enough for this he came from Heaven and committed himself to the rage of men he knew he must endure all these revilings and doth it grieve thy soul to see him thus abased Stay but a while and thou shalt see him more look up my soul come tell me what thou seest Oh I cannot sorrow tyes my tongue I cannot speak I see and hear those things that I want a power to utter I see a troop of Virgins following him their weeping Eyes their blubbering lips their sighs and throbbings speak them mourners I see my Lord looks towards them and kindly chides their loving sorrow Why weep ye Oh ye Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me My Lord what need was there for that question Should not they weep when thou must bleed Would not their eyes have been flints if that then they should not drop tears for thee when as thou wert about to pour out thy life and blood for them Ah! could they chuse or do less than weep to see thine innocent self among a herd of Tygers what should a Lamb do there they saw thee in their ravenous jaws about to tear thy heart to suck out all thy blood and leave thee dead Have I not sat and read and read and wept viewing over the story and could they forbear that with their watry eyes saw this scene then acted But whither O whither O ye blinded Jews are ye dragging this my Lord My spirit begins to faint I now can look no longer my heart now begins to swell with grief it must now break or I must vent it at mine eyes in streams Look see the Hammer and Nails the Hammer lift up to strike Bloody man thou durst not sure surely thou dost not know whose hands and feet thou art now piercing it is the Prince and Saviour of the World Foolish heart see how thou art mistaken look see it 's done the nails are driven to the head see how the crimson tears run trickling down his hands and feet and see how hardened hearts be laughing at it Oh silly foolish blinded men what laugh you at This very Christ whom now you mock shall be your Judge this very man Jesus whom you have thus abused shall come attended with thousands of Angels with the sound of Trumpets and shall sit upon your life and death Him whom you now have nailed to a Cross hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour What then will you do when that great and terrible day of the Lord shall come How will you look him in the face whom you have spit on How will you dare to speak a word for your selves to him whom you have nailed to a tree and crucified His wounds in hands side and feet shall all bear witness against you and his innocent blood that you have spilt shall cry aloud about the throne for vengeance against you your flouts shall then be turned into tears and your taunts into lamentations And how will you then look and cry when God passeth sentence on you and thrusts you down to Hell to bear the punishment of your sins this is the Lord that came to spare your lives yet your wickedness spared not his and how at length can you think to escape with yours But once again look up my soul and see what is become of thy nailed and crucified Lord Ah me he is not quite dead look how he gasps and pants for life Oh how his looks are changed How pale and wan do I see his cheeks the blood and all the spirits are quite drawn from them Methinks he should be dead for see how weak his neck is grown that it is not able to support his head that lyes a dying on his bleeding breast What yet not dead see how he shakes and stirs his dying limbs what gasps and groans do I hear him fetch as if his soul were strugling to get out Hark hark he speaks Oh let me catch the least breath of my dying Saviour What saith my Lord Hark what dost thou not hear What My God my God why hast thou forsaken me I am amazed to hear these words How couldst thou suspect thy Fathers love How could he be far from thee who was one with thy self But Oh! this is but the voice of his Manhood and not of his Godhead It was the voice of the dying and bleeding Man Jesus not the voice of the God Jesus But Oh my Lord what are those pains and gripes thou feelest that brings forth these complainings But why do I ask this question hath he not been all this while a drinking up the cup his Father gave him the bitter and sowr and poysonous cup of his Fathers wrath which I and all the world had else drunk of he just now swallowed down the last mouthful of the dregs whose bitter noisom taste hath sent forth these doleful lamentations for mark he had no sooner spoke these words but he gasped his last The causes of his Death And must the Son of God be humbled thus must he that was from everlasting raised and advanced above every man in heaven
thou sayest if thou lookest upon him one way his life was such as thou tellest me of but 't is a strong argument against thy self for just such a one was the Christ to be according to the Prophets the 53 Chap. of Isa shews as much But yet if thou truly understandest what true pump and glory means even to an eye of sense as well as to that of faith Solomon's life imbroidered with all his glorious acts was not comparable to this life of his Was it not filled with miracles and wonders was he not proclaimed the Son of God with voices from Heaven did he not conquer Devils and therefore the Kingdom of Hell Was ever Prince on Earth honoured with so great a Conquest Were not his miraculous Feasts more splendid than those of Princes the fare was but poor and mean but the miracles made it rich and glorious Had I been present should I not have wondered and gazed more at the Master of this Feast and have taken more pleasure to have seen him sit down with these five thousands than with a Table full of Princes and great men Alas it were a trifling sight to this Methinks my unbelief that pleads so much for sense sense it self pleads too strongly against thee for thou canst not argue one Syllable Object But would the Son of God be hanged and crucified could Heaven have suffered this could not the Saviour of the World save himself how could he then save me Answ Hadst thou not the blindness of the Jews thou couldest not reason thus like them but was it not necessary it should be so Did not the Prophets foretell his death and such a death Had he not died and died as he did I might then have had some ground to doubt him whether he were the Messias or not for it was needful that the Prophecies should be fulfilled Dan. 9. But yet as wretched and as contemptible a going out of the world as he had and his manner of dying on the Cross how vile soever it seemed to be yet was there not enough to silence all the doubts that could possibly from thence arise and much for the confirmation of my faith in the wonderful Eclipse of the Sun the rending of the veil of the Temple the opening of the Graves the raising of the dead and afterwards his own rising the third day and ascending up to Heaven in a Cloud If my faith might have staggered in seeing him on the Cross dying it could not when it saw him risen and in the Clouds ascending Object But were those wonders true and certain Answ But hast thou any ground to doubt them are they not written in thy Bible and art thou not certain that it is the word of God or hast thou not sufficient reason to believe it to be so But hast thou not a whole Nation yea Nations that do believe the same and before this age did not our Fathers and Grandfathers and great Grandfathers and so continued a testimony of ages from the time that they were done to this day witness to the truth of them and that so unanimously resolutely that ten thousands have rather chosen to lose their lives than the truth of them Now put all these together and tell me canst thou doubt Away I see thou dost but trifle consess the truth or I am resolved to heed thee no longer Come take and embrace that crucified Jesus account all things else but as loss and dross and dung in comparison with him stick not at his outward meanness scruple not at his ignominious dying it is the very Christ the Saviour of the world Oh why shouldest thou thus torment me Dost thou not see all thy fellow-Christians to glory in that Cross and in that Christ that died on it Do they not bear it as a badge of honour and shall it be to thee as shame Do not all the Christian World eat and drink as often as they can the Symbols of this their dying Lord And do they not all sing and joy and triumph in it and wilt thou the while lye vexing thy self over a company of needless fears and scruples Farewell all needless doubts and tormenting questions I see my faith is built on a Rock blow winds beat waves you cannot now move me Blessed God I thank thee for thy Son thou hast given his life for the spoiler thou hast bowed his back to the enemies long furrows have they plowed upon it and the day of his calamity they laughed at Lord thou hast wounded him for my sins and bruised him for my iniquities These speak the depth of thy counsels and the ways of thy mercy past finding out and the tenderness of thy bowels Thou hast made him my Rock and my shield and my strong tower and in the day of my sorrow through him thou wilt hear me To thee O God will I make my vows and to thee will I pay them I will humble my self before thee I will always lye at the feet of my Redeemer Lord his Gross and his shame shall be no more a stumbling-block to me I will take it up and follow him it shall be my Crown my Song and the glory of my rejoicing I will enter into thy Courts with joy and in the Congregations of thy Saints shall be my delight I will remember thy loving-kindnesses of old and the days in which thou didst afflict thy only Son for the sins of my Soul I will call to mind the Covenant of thy Grace and my heart shall praise thee when I see it founded on blood Then will I betroth my self to thy Son join thou Lord both our hands and hearts and we will strike up a match for ever Praise thou the Lord Oh my soul and all you that love and fear him praise his holy name The SACRAMENT The Dress Lord where am I What! all the Children of the Bride-chamber up and drest and I slumbring in my bed Tell me ye fairest what make you up so early Alas our Lord was up before us all He called us up by break of day and wondered that we were not triming our lamps knowing with whom we were to feast this day Oh well then I will rise up too Oh what a shew do these bright and glittering Saints make in mine eyes What a brightness do these pearls and diamonds cast in mine eyes they do strike me into amazement Oh what a lovely humble look doth crown their brow and what a comly countenance hath joy and Heavenly delight cast on their cheeks surely they did not thus dress themselves it was my Father that made them thus prepar'd to entertain his Son But where are my Clothes Now for the fairest sweetest robe of thoughts and wishes that can be sound or that the wardrobe of my Father can afford me Oh how naked am I But where are my silken golden twists of Faith to hang the jewels of joy and love and humility upon I am never drest till they be on Oh
where where are they I saw them by me but just now I said them by my heart before I went to bed Oh what was I so long a reasoning about Oh what long and many threds did my reason spin even now but to make these twines to tye up my joy and to raise up my love and to hang my Heavenly delight upon But ah I fear this envious world hath with her vanities stollen them away or hid them from me or the envious Devil or unbelief have been ravelling or snarling of them that now I am as far to seek as ever Whither O whither shall I go to find them out Now will the Bridegroom come and I am not ready I cannot dare not go to day Now will my Lord be angry and ask me why I came not and I have no answer to make him And if I go undrest he will ask me where is my Weding-garment and then I shall be speechless Ah foollsh simple heart that thou shouldst take no more care but to let these thoughts of earth so intangle themselves with thy so pure and heavenly contemplations Now how to get them loose again thou knowest not this thou mightest by heed and care have prevented but now what help Lord I have sinned O holy Father pardon this time and I will take more heed Oh come and unty my thoughts from this earth and come and dress me up as best pleaseth thee Come be not discouraged Oh my Soul Let but thy attire of Grace be whole that is sincere thy God and so thy Saviour will accept thee Though thy garments are not so much perfumed with Heaven as thy brethrens are but yet if they are but white and free from the spots of flesh and spirit thou wilt be looked on and liked of well enough Thy Lord doth know that all have not Talents alike and where he gives but a little he expects but little A faith that it richly embroidered over with love and delight is not given to all and is not expected from any but from those to whom it is given Thou hast an honest willing serious heart that thinks it doth despise and trample under feet the nearest dearest pleasures profits and glories in the world in compare with him that gave himself to death for thee and hadst rather anger flesh and blood the dartest friends and all the world than him by sinning against him in the least If this be true fear not thou hast thy Weding-garment on thou art well clad as mean so ever as it is it is such a one as Heaven gave thee and such a one as thy dear Redeemer can and will embrace thee in The Presence-Chamber Fear not O my soul I charge thee do not faint Let not thy weakness and the poverty of thy grace discourage thee â—ee how thy Lord draws nigh Fear not I say he will not ask thee Friend how camest thou hither not having on thy Wedding garment He sees thy heart and sees thou hast it on Oh he comes and it is out to whisper thee a welcome in thine ear it is but to fall about thy neck and kiss thy be-tear'd cheeks and bid thee a kind welcome to thy bleeding Lord. Soul Oh did I think to be thus much made of I thought he would not have minded me but I did no sooner appear and set my feet within the doors but he ran to meet me he took mee in his arms he brought me hither and set me here Is this a house or is it a Palace Is this a Court for Princes or for Angels Never did place more ravish me into amazement than this place Beautiful are thy gates O Zion O how pleasant is the habitation of the most high Is it the place or the company that strikes me into astonishment Now I can say most feelingly say with David My delights are with the Saints of the most high and the most excellent of the earth Their poverty their disgrace their contempt amongst whom they live do not puzzle my quick-ey'd Faith these are the Kings Daughters that are all glorious within their garments are of needle work imbroidered over with pure gold fine-spun gold These O these how poor and mean soever they are or may seem to be these shall sit with Christ to Judge the World Oh! how my soul is ravished with delight to see and look on those with whom I shall live for ever If they are so lovely now what will they be hereafter when our God shall take them and scowr off their rust and wash their Garments bright in the Sun-shine of his countenance and change those mortal and corruptible bodies into immortal and glorious ones and set them upon Thrones about himself and lade their heads with Crowns of massy gold and when I shall hear them warbling out the everlasting Praises of the Lamb whose Body and Blood we shall sit down to feed on Communion-Plate Never was Gold or Silver graced thus before To bring this Body and this Blood to us is more than to Crown Kings or be made Rings For Star-like Diamonds to glitter in The Bread Welcome Fairest take and eat 't is the sweetest dainties dearest morsel Heaven can afford thee Welcome my Dear to the Table of my Lord. Welcome a thousand times I bid thee yea welcomer than thine own heart can wish Take eat this morsel it cost my life it 's a portion thy Father sent unto thee by me and bid me remember thee of his love to thee He bids thee remember a Fathers love Ay a Saviours He hath a heart to give thee and so have I. Take this in earnest of them both in one Take freely if thou wert not welcome I would have told thee I would have asked thee for thy Weding-Garment knew I not thy heart or if I were uncertain of thy love I would have scorn'd thee as unworrhy of my presence did I know thou lovest any thing above me I would have hid my face and never have spoke thee a welcome so feelingly and kindly to thy soul Tell me O tell me dost thou not love me I know thou dost and above Father or Mother Wife or Child Lands or Living or Credit I know thou dost And wilt thou not take the Cross and sollow me I know thou wilt I see and know the labour of thy love I remember the pains and travel of thy soul I saw thee follow me on thy knees in tears and begged my life rather than thy life I know thy heart I saw it bleeding before my Throne I took it in my arms and bound it up and in that breast I remember I put it up again I saw thee when no eye saw thee I heard thee and had compassion on thy groanings whilst thou wert complaining that I had shut out thy prayers I will remember since thy heart did first fall sick with love since the time thy flesh began to die and since thou laidst thy self in the grave down by me and wert willing to
Meditation on the Death of Christ Preparative to the Scrament Pen'd for his private use BUT is he dead Oh sad yet joyful news how strangely is my soul amazed and diversly mov'd and troubl'd by these contrary passions methinks I could pull up the floodgates of my sorrow and vent it out in tears but something bids me hold Shall I mourn for him that 's just now past his state of mourning He 's dead and what of that And so are all his griefs his bloody sweats his sighs and groans concluded He hath drunk on the brook in the way bitter while they were in his mouth and he was living but sweet now they have sunk into his belly and he in Heaven Sweet to him because it was his work he hath finisht it and sweet to me because it was the portion of sorrow death hell that I must have taken And canst thou mourn methinks if thou didst love thine heart should rather sympathize with his He is singing and shalt thou be sighing He is joying that his work is done and now is welcomed into Heaven by God his Father and shouting up by Angels voices as the great Conquerour of the hearts of men on earth and that now in triumph he is returned And will a mournful weed a wet eye and a cloudy brow become thee at these times of Festivals Shall the Heavenly Angels be joyful and thou sad How strangely will this be construed Will it not be said thou dost not love him or thou dost envy his recovered glory that he had left and now again hath taken Or that thou canst not endure to see him wear his Princes Crown in Heaven that for a time he had laid aside to come down to the earth to fetch thee thence to Heaven But ah my Lord thou wilt not sure interpret sorrow thus thou hast not sure forgot to give a meaning unto tears to teach a sigh to speak and then to know its language Hath my Lord forgot so suddenly that he was on earth and that he sweat and groan'd and wept and bled as well as I do now What though now all tears and sorrow and sighing is done away and he ceaseth to be any longer subject to our infirmities yet sure he knows it is not thus with us I am not yet in Heaven nor am I yet quite past the vale of sorrow and it cannot then be strange to him if he sees sometimes our faces look of a sadder hue than those that are in Heaven But why should thus my tears be check'd and my throbbing heart be chidden were it for a thing of nought I might be counted fool or child but shall my Saviour die and vent his Soul in a stream of blood and all in love to me and shall he thus forsake the world and die and then be laid in the grave and I be denied the liberty of following him thither as a mourner Shall it be said of the Prince of Glory that he died and had the burial of an Ass because there was none to sorrow forth those words of Ah my Lord What! shall it be granted to a Wife to mourn for the death of a beloved Husband and to a Child at the burial of a beloved Father Shall not such be blamed but rather pitied And shall their friends come in and confess the loss and the ground of their sorrow just and rather sit them down and bear them company in their grief And must I of all be thus censur'd Away with an Husband Wife or Child to me Is he not more to me than ten Husbands Might I not have had an hundred that would have never done half so much for me as he hath done That first left his glory for my sake and then laid down his life and took the stroke upon himself that I my self deserved and all because he lov'd me Was ever friend like this friend and ever love like this love Many waters cannot quench love but neither waters blood death nor many deaths could quench his love to me But shall he love and die in love and thus be forc'd to leave me because he lov'd me and I not mourn the absence of my best Beloved How unreasonable may any this deny me But ah what a bitter-worded check did I even now receive as if my sorrow would arise from the envying of his now glorious state and not from any love I bare him Oh! what needle-pointed words are those methinks they have pierc'd mine heart in every part and from each prick hath started forth a drop that hath set it o're with a bloody dew But how can it once be thought that envy should get a room in an heart that 's full of love with which it swells it bubbles up and runs all over it cannot be Bear witness heavens I do not grieve that you contain him but that I on earth have lost him Oh my God! I am not sorry that thy Son hath past his sufferings and is arriv'd to rest and got again into thy bosom his ancient nest of love and pleasure Oh you blessed Orders of Seraphim Cherubims and you innumerable company of the spirits of the just men made perfect I do not envy that you have my Lord with you that you see his face and live and walk and joy in the light of his countenance Alas we your poor Brethren could not make him so welcome here on earth as you can there we lov'd him as sincerely as you and believ'd in him and took delight too in him but yet nothing near so much as you You know him better than we do for you know him as you are known and therefore know better how to prize him We know him but in part and the value price love could but be in the like proportion He is therefore far much better there than here and how shall I then either envy him or you And what my soul should I wish him back again what if I thought I could prize and love him more and could promise the like for all his beloved disciples I could not alike engage for the wicked envious malicious unbelieving world I could not promise he should meet with no other Herod to seek his life or that the hard-hearted Jews would give him better entertainment whom they dare yet curse with the name of Conjurer though Moses and their Prophets bore witness to him and though they received a seal from Heaven in voices thunders signs and an innumerable company of real Miracles Oh no! my Lord though I could wish to see thy face again on earth yet not in such a state of misery in the midst of a den of Bears and Lions as not long since thou wast Ah! thou knowest I took no delight to hear that traiterous news of thine own Apostle that had betray'd thee that it fill'd mine heart with anguish to hear how shamefully and scornfully thou wast abused Thou sawest me blush when I heard thy face was spit
on my head did ake when thine was crowned with thorns Anguish and indignation did loose my nerves and with a palsie shook mine hands when thine had a Mock Scepter put into them a reed and a scoff Hail Jesus King of the Jews And did not mine heart break and bleed to hear that thine was pierced Ah my Lord and shall I yet find an heart to wish thee here again No no I am glad thou hast escap'd their bloody hands and now got quite without their reach I am glad thou hast got to perfect ease and rest and know'st no pains nor griefs nor sorrows Oh! take a full possession of thy Fathers breast and sit thee down upon his Throne Thou art a King for ever And take delight in these thy soul did travel die and bleed for on earth I will repine at nothing that shall advance thy glory But Oh! thou cruel bloody unbelieving world you wicked murtherous bloody Jews though I rejoice my Lord is safe arrived home and quietly landed within his Haven yet from you I cannot hold mine anger that made his Sea a Sea of blood and drain'd his heart to make it deep filld his sails with sighs and groans that caus'd his voyage to be so doleful What good got you to stand and laugh to see him sorrowful to scoff and jeer to hear his lamentations what cursed rage was that to make such haste to fetch him vinegar and gall to prolong his life to lengthen out his dolors How could you find such barbarous hearts to triumph over a bleeding dying lamb that was so innocent How could you taunt at him when you heard him praying for you Father forgive them and so tenderly excusing you for they know not what they do Methinks that kindly harmless carriage should have pierced your hearts those melting words should have dissolv'd them and instead of piercing him I should have thought you pierced And ah but that I know an unbelieving heart my self and understand what hardness means I should stand and wonder Oh! it 's too hard an Adament for downy words and doleful sounds and tender carriages to break and shatter How often have I outstood all those my self And when I served my flesh how little did I mind them And when they have been presented to me in the Gospel or in a Sermon told that all these tortures he endur'd for me and I in part believed it too yet was I not as a man bereft of my senses and I was no more mov'd in mine heart as if I had not heard or understood and were quite bereav'd of sense and reason But had I thus continued in my senseless unbelieving state and as I liv'd so died yet how deservedly should I have born the wrath of God and have been sent to Hell as a recompence of mine unbelief And yet you careless secure Jews can you think to escape when God comes to make inquisition for blood How will you do if this sin shall find you out If God requires blood for blood what will become of yours If he had been no more than a common man the Law would then have required your lives for payment But how if in the end he prove a Prophet nay more than that the Son of the most high God the Prince and Saviour whom God had promised to raise the Messiah whom Moses and the Prophets bare witness to and him that you so long'd and wisht to see How will you look what will you say what answer will you make when all these truths are cleared where will you hide your selves for shame and what will you do when confusion shall thus take hold upon you What! will you then confess the fact or will you deny it with what face can you do the first And if you do the latter the curse you and your Fathers drew upon your selves Let his blood be upon us and our children stand still on record against you and will cry you guilty Will you excuse it with your unbelieving ignorance But how will you be able to rub your brows into so much confidence How dare you say you were ignorant of him when you say you know both Moses and the Prophets and they bear witness of him You askt a sign and did he not give you both signs and wonders How often did he cure your Lame How wonderfully did he heal your Lepers and those sick of the Palsie yea of all manner of diseases How did he open the eyes of the blind give light to them that was born blind yea restore the withered hand make the crooked straight and open the ears of the deaf and cast out Devils and raise the dead Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ A Prayer before the Receiving the Holy Communion MOST Holy God I am as stubble before thee the consuming Fire How shall I stand before thy Holiness for I am a sinful Creature laden with Iniquity that have gone backward and provoked the Holy One of Israel when I was lost thy Son did seek and save me when I was dead in sin thou madest me alive Thou sawest me polluted in my blood and saidst unto me live In that time of love thou coveredst my nakedness and enteredst into a Covenant with me and I became thine own Thou didst deliver me from the power of Darkness and translate me into the Kingdom of thy dear Son and gavest me remission of sin through his blood But I am a grievous Revolter I have forgotten the Covenant of the Lord my God I was engaged to love thee with all my heart and to hate iniquity and serve thee diligently and thankfully to set forth thy praise But I have departed from thee and corrupted my self by self-love and by loving the world and the things that are in the world and have fulfilled the desires of the flesh which I should have crucified I have neglected my duty to thee and to my neighbour and the necessary care of my own Salvation I have been an unprofitable Servant and have hid thy Talents and have dishonoured thee whom in all things I should have pleased and glorified I have been negligent in hearing and reading thy holy Word and in meditating and conferring of it in publick and private Prayer and Thanksgiving and in my preparation to this holy Sacrament in the examining of my self and repenting of my sins and stirring up my heart to a believing and thankful receiving of thy grace and to love and joyfulness in my Communion with thee and with one another of thy People I have not duly discerned the Lord's Body but have prophaned thy holy Name and Ordinance as if the Table of the Lord had been contemptible And when thou hast spoken peace to me I returned again to folly I have deserved O Lord to be cast out of thy presence and to be forsaken as I have forsaken thee and to
By Samuel Tomlyns M. A. and Minister of the Gospel of Christ in Marleborough Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion Or the character and happiness of a Virtuous Woman in a Discourse which directs the Female Sex how to expess the Fear of God in every Age and State of their Life and obtain both Temporal and Eternal Blessedness Written by Cotton Mather The Confirming Work of Religion and its great things made plain by their primary Evidences and Demonstrations whereby the meanest in the Church may soon be made able to render a rational account of their Faith The present Aspect of our Times and of the Extraordinary Conjunction of things therein in a Rational View and Prospect of the same as it respects the publick hazard and safety of Brittain in this day These two last by Robert Fleming Author of the Fulfilling of the Scriptures and Minister at Rotterdam England's Alarm Being an account of God's most considerable Dispensations of Judgment and Mercy towards these Kingdoms for 14 years last past and also of the several sorts of Sins and Sinners therein especially the Murmurers against this Present Government With an Earnest Call to speedy Humiliation and Reformation and Supplication as the chief means of prospering their Majesties Councels and Preparations Dedicated to the King and Queen A Family-Altar Erected to the honour of the Eternal God Or a so emn Essay to promote the Worship of God in Private Houses Being some Meditations on Gen 3. 5 2. 3. With the Best Entail or Dying Parents Living Hopes for their Surviving Children grounded upon the Covenant of God's Grace with Believers and their Seed Being a short Discourse on 2 Sam. 23. 5. By Oliver Heywood Minister of the Gospel The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification opened in sundry practical Directions suited especially to the case of those who labour under the guilt and power of In-dwelling sin To which is added a Sermon of Justification By Walter Marshall Minister of the Gospel c. Death improved and immoderate Sorrow for Deceased Friends Relations reproved Wherein you have many Arguments against Immoderate Sorrow and many profitable Lessons which we may learn from such Providences By E Bury formerly Minister of Great Bolas in Shropshire Author of the Help to Holy Walking and the Husbandman's Companion c. The Poor Man's Help and Young Man's Guide Containing 1. Doctrinal Instructions for the right informing of his Judgment 2. Practical Directions for the general course of his Life 3. Particular Advices for the well managing of every day with reference to his Natural Actions Civil Employments Necessary Recreations Religious Duties particular Prayer Publick in the Congregation Private in the Family Secret in the Closet Reading the holy Scriptures Hearing the Word Preached and Receiving the Lord's Supper By William Burkitt M. A. of Pembrook-Hall in Cambridge and now Vicar of Dedham in Essex and Author of the practical Discourse of Infant-Baptism A plain Discourse about rash and sinful Anger as a help for such as are willing to be relieved against so sad and too generally prevailing Distemper even amongst Professors of Religion being the substance of some Sermons Preached at Manchester By Henry Newcome M. A. and Minister of the Gospel there and Author of the Improvement of Sickness The Rod or the Sword the present Dilemma of the Nations of England Scotland and Ireland considered argued and improved on Ezek. 21. 14. By a true Friend to the Protestant Interest and the Protestant Government A Present for such as have been Sick and are recovered Or a Discourse concerning the Good that comes out of the Evil of Affliction Being several Sermons Preached after his being raised from a Bed of Languishing By Nathaniel Vincent M. A. and Author of the Conversion of the Soul The true Touchstoue of Grace and Nature Discourse of Conscience Treatise of Prayer and Love c. Some passages in the Holy Life and Death of the Late Reverend Mr. Edmund Trench most of them drawn out of his own Diary Published by Joseph Boyse Minister in Dublin Advice to an Only Child or Excellent Counsel to all Young Persons containing the sum and substance of Experimental and Practical Divinity Written by an Eminent and Judicious Divine for the private use of an Only Child Now made publick for the benefit of all An account of the Blessed Trinity argued from the Nature and Perfection of the Supream Spirit coincident with the Scripture Doctrine in all the Articles of the Catholick Creeds together with its Mystical Foederal and Practical Uses in the Christian Religion By William Burrough Rector of Cheyns in Bucks A Discourse of Justification being the sum of Twenty Sermons By Walter Cross M. A. Practical Discourses on Sickness and Recovery A Discourse concerning Trouble of mind in three parts By Timothy Rogers M. A. Also a Treatise of Consolation by the same Author A plain and Familiar Discourse on the Sacrament By Bishop Kidder Roberts on the Sacrament Vines on the Sacrament Day 's Sacramental Catechism Doolittle's Second Part of the Discourse on the Sacrament concerning Christ's Sufferings FINIS