is not only our duty but our greatest interest For thereby know we that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 John 3.14 The remembrance therefore of the dying love of the blessed Jesus ought to stir up in us at this time a love to God and to the Brethren 7. The consideration of the whole should create in us an humble and thankful frame and temper of mind It should put us upon offering the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving unto God not only in word but in every action of our life for Christ and all his benefits and to testify the reality of that gratitude by renewed acts of Faith Repentance and Obedience all our days Thus ought we to receive this Sacrament in remembrance of Christ 2. What it is to shew forth the Lord's Death till he come Ans An Historical Narrative of the Sufferings and Death of Jesus Christ to be able to tell that he died at Jerusalem in the Eighteenth Year of Tiberius the Emperour Pontius Pilate being the Roman Deputy in Judea and Josephus Caiphas the High Priest that same year This is not to shew forth the Lord's Death in the Apostles sense But such a serious Meditation thereof as may inhanse our hatred of sin our love to God and our thankfulness to Jesus Christ if it be constant and continued will best declare our sense of our Saviour's Sufferings and shew forth his Death till he come 1. When therefore we are at God's Table and there see all things prepared for us when we consider that Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us and that we are now invited to a Feast upon that Sacrifice We cannot but reflect upon the just anger and indignation of God against sin We cannot but observe that such was the severity of Divine Justice and the heinousness of sin that no reconciliation could be made between God and Sinners till the punishment due to sin was suffered So highly was God incensed so great was his wrath justly conceived against sin that he was not to be pacified by any thing but only the deprecation and Death of his own Son. These ought to be our thoughts especially at this time and if thus we employ our selves when we are at this holy Feast and in pursuance of these thoughts do for the time to come loath and abhor hate and avoid all manner of sin then and thereby shall we truly shew forth the Lords Death till he come 2. When we are at God's Table and there see the dainties provided for us that there is not only food for our bodies but for our Souls also not only such as may sustain our frail Bodies or support and maintain the union between our Souls and Bodies here but such as will nourish us up in grace here and fit us for Glory hereafter When we consider that such was the love of God to Mankind that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 have we not the greatest Specimen of God's mercy and goodness towards us that we can desire and is not this love writ in Characters so legible in this holy Sacrament that he that runneth may read them and if so what cause have we with grateful acknowledgments to own and declare the goodness and mercy of God to praise and thank him for it to love him again and to testify that our love by keeping his Commandments Which if we do and persevere in so doing then shall we truly declare and shew forth the Lord's Death till he come 3. When we are at God's Table and there under those symbolical Elements of Bread and Wine can clearly discover the Body and Blood of Christ really though not corporally offered to us how lively is the dying love of our blessed Saviour therein represented to us May we not therein plainly read those dreadful pangs those dying groans and those unspeakable sufferings which the blessed Jesus did willingly undergo for our sakes and ought we not with all possible expressions of love and gratitude to commemorate this his kindness This is all i. e. this with the dependencies thereupon that he requireth of us for all that he hath done and suffered for us viz. to celebrate this Feast in remembrance of him which if we rightly do and continue so doing then do we truly declare or shew forth the Lord's Death till he come For this Meditation cannot fail of filling our hearts with grateful sentiments of our Saviours Love and those sentiments will certainly imploy our tongues in thankful acknowledgments and engage our whole lives in dutiful returns unto him for it Thus have I shown you in the first place how you ought to demean and behave your self when you are at God's Table viz. you ought to do this in remembrance of Jesus Christ But there is one thing more yet required of you viz. 2. In the doing of this there ought to be a Discerning of the Lord's Body This expression hath been mightily strain'd by some who have racked their inventions to find out such notions of it as I am apt to believe were never intended by St. Paul but I shall not now either trouble my self or you with the Examination of them My design is only to instruct you plainly and make things as intelligible to you as I can In order whereunto all that I shall do at present shall be only to acquaint you with the full importance of the word Discerning and by that means to show you the true and genuine sense of the Apostle in this expression The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used and rendred Discerning imports only a discretional act whereby we do exempt some one thing from the common order of others and set a more honourable value and esteem upon it This sense of the word is warranted by the usage of it in other places St. Jude v. 22. adviseth us to have compassion of some making a difference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. between such Sinners as are treatable and willing to be instructed and such as are intractable obstinate and disobedient And St. Paul putteth the question saying 1 Cor. 4.7 Who hath made thee to differ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. who hath separated thee from the rest of Mankind and placed thee in an higher Form than them from both which places the importance of the word is very plain that it implies only a discretional act whereby one thing is distinguished from another and more honour and respect paid thereunto than to the other To discern the Lord's Body therefore in St. Pauls sense is to look upon the sacred Elements of Bread and Wine in this holy Feast as the most precious symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ to put a difference between them and all other common meats and drinks to use them with a religious reverence and not to approach this holy Table without a lively Faith in
according to their several Necessities giving them Patience under their Sufferings and an happy Issue out of all their Afflictions And as we Pray unto Thee so we desire to Praise Thee for all Mercies at all Times and upon all Occasions afforded to us We bless Thee for our Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life In an especial manner we adore thy Great and Good Providence for thy Protection of us this Night past and for that competent Measure of Rest and Sleep which we have enjoyed We bless Thee for that Thou hast safely brought us to the Beginning of this Day Defend us in the same with thy mighty Power and grant That this Day we fall into no Sin neither run into any kind of Danger But that all our Doings may be ordered by thy Governance to do always that is Righteous in thy Sight We bless Thee for all those thy Saints and Servants who are departed this Life in thy Faith and Fear Beseeching Thee to give us Grace so to follow their good Examples that we with them may at last obtain a Glorious Resurrection in the Life Everlasting But above all we adore and magnify thy Great and Glorious Name for the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ the Fountain and Foundation of all our Mercies for the Means of Grace here and the Hope of Glory hereafter For all these Mercies we Pray unto Thee and for all these Blessings we desire to Praise Thee in that most Sacred Form of Words which the Holy Jesus hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Evening Prayer may be continued thus WE Praise and Glorify thy Great and Glorious Name O Lord God for thy most Gracious Providence over us and Protection of us this Day past that by the Assistance of thy Grace and Holy Spirit Thou hast withheld us from falling into many Sins which our own Lusts and Corruptions might have betrayed us into and prevented us from running into many Dangers into which our own Folly and Vanity might have led us Continue we pray Thee the same Providence over us this Night and let it watch over us for Good. Lighten our Darkness we beseech Thee and by thy Great Mercy defend us from all Perils and Danâ—â—e of this Night Furnish us with a competent measure of Rest and Sleep and let that Sleep be sweet and pleasant strengthening and refreshing to our wearied Bodies Let it be our Care to compose our Minds into a quiet and sedate Temper and to fill them with such Holy Thoughts and Heavenly Meditations that there may be no room for our extravagant Fancies to work upon them nor any place for evil or idle Dreams to disturb them And grant we beseech Thee That by that Rest and Refreshment which we shall this Night receive at thy Merciful Hands we may be so enlivened and invigorated that the Day ensuing we may be able in the Strength thereof and by the Assistance of thy Grace not only to discharge the Duties of our Particular Callings in this World but also those of our General Callings in order to our Everlasting Happiness in the World to come And this we beg for the sake of thy dear Son and our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ in whose Blessed Name and Words we Conclude these our broken and imperfect Prayers saying as He himself hath taught us Our Father which art in Heaven c. FINIS Books Printed for and Sold by L. Meredith at the King ' s-Head at the West End of St. Paul 's Church-Yard A Short Discourse upon the Reasonableness of Men's having a Religion or Worship of God. By his Grace George Duke of Buckingham The Songs of Moses and Deborah Paraphras'd with Poems on several Occasions Never before Published To which is added A Pindarick on Mr. L' Estrange Two Treatises The First Concerning Reproaching and Censure The Second An Answer to Mr. Serjeant's Sure Footing To which are annexed Three Sermons Preached upon several Occasions and very useful for these Times By the late Learned and Reverend William Faulkner D. D. An Introduction to the Old English History comprehended in Three several Tracts The First An Answer to Mr. Petyt's Rights of the Commons Asserted and to a Book Entituled Jani Anglorum Facies Nova The Second Edition very much enlarged The Second An Answer to a Book Entituled Argumentum Antinormanicum much upon the same Subject Never before Published The Third The Exact History of the Succession of the Crown of England The Second Edition also very much enlarged Together with an Appendix containing several Records and a Series of Great Councils and Parliaments Before and After the Conquest unto the End of the Reign of Henry the Third And a Glossary expounding many words used frequently in our Antient Records Laws and Historians Published for the Vindication of Truth and the Assistance of such as desire with Satisfaction to read and truly understand the Antient English Historians and other Pieces of Antiquity By Robert Brady Doctor in Physick
Saviour that he may evermore dwell in me and I in him Grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ's sake our only Mediator and Advocate Amen When you Approach the Lord's Table and there see the Symbols of Christ's Body and Blood placed in order and ready to be Consecrated to that Holy Vse you may use this following or some other short Prayer to this purpose I Am here O Lord in Obedience to thy Command and am very desirous to do my Duty I come to renew my Covenant with Thee and beg thy assisting Grace That I may keep it better for the time to come To this end be pleased to increase and strengthen that Faith which Thou hast already wrought in me and grant That I may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in Newness of Life I find a Table spread for me blessed be thy Name for it give me I beseech Thee a Spiritual Appetite thereunto I am unfit I confess for so great an Honour I am unworthy to partake of these Holy Mysteries I have no Merits of my own to trust to but I have thy Mercies to depend upon and the Merits of my Blessed Saviour to plead for me Hear them O Lord and for their sakes look graciously down upon me upon their Account let me find Favour with Thee here and obtain Everlasting Life when Time shall be no more hereafter Amen When you see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out by the Minister then use this following or some other short Prayer to this purpose O Holy Jesu who for my sake didst suffer thy self to be Apprehended Arraigned and Condemned and at last to suffer Death upon the Cross for my Sins Give me Grace to be truly affected with the Remembrance of what Thou hast done and suffered for me Write it on the Tables of my Heart that I may ever be mindful of it and let the Consideration thereof cause me to hate Sin and love Holiness Create in me O Lord a new Heart and renew a right Spirit within me that for the future I may make it my business to Perfect Holiness in thy Fear That as Thou diedst for Sin so I may die to Sin That as thy Body was broken and Blood spilt upon the Cross for the Sins of Mankind so my Heart may be broken under the Sense of Sin and broken off from the love and likeing of any Sin and at last fixed upon Holy and stedfast Resolutions of better Obedience for the future Amen Whilst the Minister is Receiving the Sacrament himself and Administring it to the rest of the Communicants you may use this following or some other short Prayer to this effect O Blessed Lord God! Who am I that Thou shouldst be thus mindful of me That Thou shouldst admit me a Guest to thy Table I know I am unworthy to appear in thy Presence and should have wanted Confidence to approach this Sacred Place if I had not received thy Command so to do Lord Let me not suffer for my Obedience thereunto But as Thou hast thought fit to invite me hither so be pleased to prepare my Heart for the Reception of these Holy Mysteries provided for me And grant That my so doing may in some measure be instrumental to the Advancement of thy Glory the Good of my own Soul and the Edification of others And this I beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen When you have Received the Holy Sacrament whilst the Minister is Administring it to others or returning to the Table and placing things decently and in order there you may use this following or some other short Prayer to this purpose O Almighty God and Heavenly Father I most heartily thank Thee for that Spiritual Food which I have now Received Let not I beseech Thee any Failure of mine deprive me of the Advantages of this Holy Feast But be pleased to add thy Blessing thereunto that so it may be Food indeed and nourish my Soul not only in Grace here but unto Glory hereafter I am so sensible of the Obligation that Thou hast been pleased now to lay upon me that I do henceforward devote and consecrate my self Soul and Body wholly to thy Service humbly beseeching Thee to accept this my bounden Duty and to give me Grace ever hereafter rightly and truly to perform the same to thy Honour and Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen When you return Home and are retired into your Chamber or Closset you may use this following or some other Prayer to this purpose O Almighty and most Merciful Father who art Good and do'st Good Thou art an inexhaustible Fountain and an unfathomable Depth of Mercy and Goodness Of thy Fulness we all receive and are filled without lessening thy Store How great an instance have I this Day had of thy Bounty How large an Experience of thy Mercy I confess I am a Sinner and a great Sinner the unworthiest of those that worship Thee unfit for the Company of thy Saints and Servants And yet I have this Day had the Honour to sit at thy Table and to be entertain'd by Thee at a most Heavenly Banquet I have had the Happiness not only to Feast with my Saviour but to feed upon Him to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood which whosoever doth He hath assured me Shall have Everlasting Life and He will Raise him up at the last Day What shall I render unto Thee O Lord for all this Mercy and Goodness I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of my God I will make it my business to serve and please Thee as long as I live These are my Resolutions Lord Let not thy assisting Grace be wanting to me for the Performance of them Write I beseech Thee this thy Mercy upon my Mind in such Characters as may never be blotted out Give me such a due Sense of it that my Heart may be unfeignedly thankful and that I may shew forth thy Praise not only with my Lips but in my Life by giving up my self to thy Service and by walking before Thee in Holiness and Righteousness all my Days through Jesus Christ our Lord In whose Blessed Name and Words I further Pray as He hath taught me saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. FOrasmuch as no Business either Religious or Civil can be well done by us without the Grace and Assistance of Almighty God nor any thing prosper under our Hands without his Blessing thereupon And that neither his Grace and Assistance nor his Blessing upon what we go about can reasonably be hoped for unless with Pious and Devout Hearts we faithfully and diligently Pray unto Him for the same It will highly concern us even in point of Interest as well as Duty to take the Counsel of St. Paul and Pray continually i. e. To keep our Hearts and Minds in such an Holy and Devout Frame and Temper that at all Times and upon all Occasions we may be ready to offer up pure Hearts and clean
IMPRIMATUR Guil. Needham RRmo in Christo P. ac D.D. Wilhelmo Archiep. Cantuar. a Sacr. Domest Ex Aedib Lambeth Feb. 15. 1685. A DIALOGUE Between A Pastor and Parishioner Touching the LORD's SUPPER WHEREIN The most material Doubts and Scruples about Receiving that Holy Sacrament are removed and the Way thereto discovered to be both Plain and Pleasant Very usefull for private Christians in these Scrupulous Times With some short Prayers fitted for that Occasion and a Morning and Evening Prayer for the use of Private Families By MICHAEL ALTHAM Vicar of Latton in Essex The Third Edition LONDON Printed for Luke Meredith at the King's Head at the West End of St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXVII THE PREFACE IT was a Saying of the Jewish wise men He that contemns the Feasts or the sacred Conventions of which the Passover was the chief and he who maketh void the Covenant of Abraham our Father which was Circumcision there is no portion for him in the World to come A Saying worthy their consideration who despise things sacred whether the holy Assemblies or the holy Sacraments Correspondent whereunto is that expression of one of our own men who tells us That to neglect the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper hath more of evil and danger in it than people do usually think of For 1. It is next to the disowning of Christianity or not professing our selves to be Christ's Disciples 2. It is a cutting our selves off from the Body of Christ an open Declaration that we have no Communion with him and therefore as plain a confession that we deserve to be rejected and cast off by him for whom we have so little regard Both which Sayings do evidently declare the sence of their Authors as to the necessity of Sacraments and sacred Conventions These Sayings have so much of weight in them not only from the Authority of their Authors but also from those reasons upon which they are founded that no man will have cause to wonder when I tell him that at first sight I was very much affected with them But when I had seriously considered the Institution of the sacred Eucharist or Supper of the Lord and deliberately weighed the word of command which attends it I could not but stand astonished to observe the slight and neglect which people usually put upon it This deeply engaged my thoughts for some time and made me mighty desirous to discover the reason and if possible to find out some sutable remedy To this end I set my self seriously to observe the design of the Author and Instituter of this holy Feast and upon the most diligent search and exactest scrutiny that I could make could find nothing intended by him but only the good of Mankind I examin'd the thing it self and could discover nothing therein but what had a real tendency to man's happiness I heard God by his Ambassadors the Ministers of the Gospel with all the kindness and earnestness imaginable inviting and perswading men thereunto and I saw men with all the aversion scorn and contempt possible refuse the kindness that was offered and reject the invitation that was given them I saw a Table spread a rich Feast provided and nothing wanting but the Guests to sit down and I beheld those who were invited and who ought thankfully to have received so great a favour stand off and keep at as great a distance as if there had been really Mors in Ollâ Death in the Pot or some deadly poyson in the Bread and Wine which was offered to them This surprised me so that I stood amazed and could not be at quiet till I had found out the cause of this rude behaviour This put me upon being more curious and inquisitive than before And at last I espied two evil Daemons lurking in their secret Corners viz. Ignorance and Prejudice and plainly found that they had been the occasion of all this To obviate therefore both these by better instructing the ignorance of some and removing the prejudices of others is the great business of this small Treatise and was the only design of the Author And if in any measure it may prove serviceable to these great and good ends Let God have the glory of it Did men truly know what it is to be admitted guests at God's Table to have the honour not only to feast with him but feast upon him that it is none of those common mercies which are equally shar'd among the sons of men but a priviledge peculiar only to the followers of the holy Jesus That man as man hath no right thereunto but as he is a Christian man one who hath embraced the Faith and submitted himself to the Gospel of Christ Jesus Did all who pretend to Christianity truly know this how much would they value themselves upon that account How fitly may that of the Poet be applyed to such O fortunatos bona si sua norint How happy are Christians if they knew their own happiness But alas how little is this understood or if at all how little is it valued by any of them Certainly were men so sensible of their own happiness as one would think they ought to be we should not need so earnestly and yet so unsuccessfully to invite them to this holy Feast as usually we do They would with less reluctancy and more readiness embrace and with greater Reverence and Devotion use such opportunities With what longing desires and greedy appetites would they receive them With what care and caution would they fit and prepare themselves to be present at so great and glorious an entertainment Then would they employ all their thoughts and all their time so to deck and adorn their Souls that nothing might appear unhandsome or unseemly either in them or about them when they come into the presence of the holy Jesus Then would they cloth themselves with Faith and Charity as with a garment and having with tears of true and unfeigned repentance bewail'd the miscarriages of their by-past lives they would with resolutions of better obedience for the future and grateful acknowledgments for the present opportunity address themselves thereunto But it is too sad a truth The name of Christian makes a great noise in the World whilst the power and life of Christianity is almost I wish I might not say altogether lost among us There are indeed a great many Christians but little Christianity left in the World. It is storied of Diogenes that he went with a Candle and Lanthorn at Noon day to search for an honest man in Athens and so may we too and I am afraid lose our labour as he did to search for a true Christian among the crowd of those who call themselves by that name Shall we call him a Christian whose unchristian practices contradict his pretensions thereunto who denies obedience to the Laws of Christ's Kingdom and declines all opportunities of approving himself such an one The Celebration of the Lord's Supper is a business of our blessed
You must make it your great concern with all care and Conscience to perform your Baptismal Vow and Covenant in all the parts and branches thereof i. e. You must take care to spend the remainder of your lives in living holily towards God and righteously towards all men And thus have I endeavoured to perform the third and last part of my Promise by acquainting you what it is that will be expected from you after you have had the honour to be admitted a Guest at God's Table and to bear your part in the Celebration of this holy Feast Pashioner Sir You have to my great satisfaction fully performed all that you promised And now it is my part not only to remember but carefully to observe and conscienciously follow those good Rules and Instructions which you have given me And that from this time forward I will endeavour by God's Assistance to do I beg your Pardon for the trouble I have given you and heartily thank you for the pains you have taken with me I hope you will excuse the One and I will endeavour to improve the Other to those good Ends and Purposes which you design'd it And that I may the sooner set about that Work I will at present take my Leave of you Pastor God b'w'y ' good Neighbour Go and do as you have said and the Lord give a Blessing thereunto Be not you wanting to your self in your Endeavours and God Almighty will never be wanting to you in his assistance But that you may carry on this work the more comfortably be frequent in your Prayers to God for his blessing and direction and rest assured my Prayers shall not be wanting at the Throne of Grace that you may be successful therein A SHORT FORM OF PRAYERS Fitted for the more Worthy RECEIVING OF THE Holy Communion WITH A Morning and Evening Prayer for the Use of Private Families WHen you hear the Exhortation read by the Minister on the Sunday or Holy-day before and find your selves thereby invited to and admonished to prepare your selves for the Celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper consider seriously by whom and to what you are invited imprint upon your minds a due sense of that great honour which is done you by God and of the great love of your dying Saviour and think with your selves with what Godly Preparation you ought to approach thereunto And that these impressions may not wear out let me advise you constantly to use this following or some such like Prayer and Confession every Morning and Evening the Week before O Almighty and most merciful Father who of thine infinite goodness hast been pleased to invite me not only to Feast with thee but to Feast upon thee who hast provided for me not only Sacramental Bread and Wine but the Bread and Water of Life the Body and Blood of my blessed Saviour How infinite is thy mercy and how unspeakable is thy loving kindness herein I am overwhelmed with the thoughts of it and lost in admiration But when I consider That Thou art a God of purer Eyes than to behold the least Iniquity That Thou neither dost nor canst approve of any Sin in any one then my fears arise and my confidence faileth me How shall I who am a great and grievous Sinner appear before thee How shall I dare to approach thy presence I cannot but own that both in thought word and deed I have grievously offended thy most Sacred Majesty and that too frequently and with too high an hand I have done what in me lay to forfeit thy favour and to provoke thy wrath and indignation against me What therefore can I expect but with him who wanted the Wedding-Garment to be rejected with scorn and exposed to Punishment But O Lord with Thee is mercy that thou mayst be feared It is thy property to have mercy and to forgive In confidence therefore of this thy great mercy and in hopes of Pardon and Forgiveness it is that I am now humbly bold to appear before Thee Behold me O Lord thus prostrate in thy presence with the tears of true and unfeigned Repentance bewailing the miscarriages of my by-past life and for thy mercies sake and for the merits sake of thy dear Son Jesus Christ humbly begging not only Pardoning Grace for Sins past but Preventing Grace against Sin for the time to come It was for my Sin that my Saviour suffered it was to wash away the stain thereof that he shed his Blood O let me not lose the benefit of it If there be any thing in me that may render me uncapable of it be pleased to remove it If there be any thing wanting in me to make me fit for it let thy Holy Spirit O Lord work it in me Subdue and mortifie all my Lusts and Corruptions and implant in me principles of Holiness and true Righteousness Teach me to love and fear Thee as I ought Give me an humble and obedient temper of mind Let it be my great pleasure to walk in thy ways and my only delight to keep thy commandments Make me thankful for all thy mercies and careful to improve them to thy glory my own comfort and the good of others Fit me for all states and conditions of life and prepare me for every good work but especially for the celebration of that Sacred Feast which I am now invited to Let nothing O Lord be wanting in me that Thou knowest requisite for me when I appear in thy presence Let me be found a welcome guest at thy Table and there receive that heavenly Food which alone can nourish up my Soul unto Eternal Life All which I humbly beg in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ and in that Sacred form of Words which he himself hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. In the Morning of the Communion-Day before you go to Church use this following or some such like Prayer O Lord my God the Day the joyful Day is come on which Thou hast promised to provide and invited me to be a guest at a most Heavenly Banquet This day I am to Feast with Thee and Feed upon my blessed Saviour and Redeemer Give me I beseech Thee a due sense of that Honour and Happiness I am now going to be made partaker of and make me truly thankful for it I am now going to Thy Table good Lord fit and prepare me for it furnish me with such Graces and Ornaments of Mind as may be suitable to so high and honourable an entertainment fill my Soul with Fear and Reverence with Humility and Meekness with Piety and Devotion and with Faith and Charity that nothing may be found wanting in me when I appear before Thee Let thy Blessing go along with me and let Thy Holy Spirit guide and direct me Let me find a gracious reception there and a full satisfaction to all my wishes and desires Enable me so to Eat the Flesh and Drink the Blood of my blessed
Hands unto God in Prayer But though this ought to be the constant Frame and Temper of our Souls yet there are some particular Seasons when we ought seriously solemnly and on set purpose to exercise the same especially Morning and Evening And because all Masters of Families ought with the good Joshuah to take care that not only They themselves but those of their House serve the Lord and that this can never be well done without keeping up some Religious Order and Discipline in their Families it will not only be convenient but necessary for them to set apart some certain Times and Seasons wherein both they and their Houshold may jointly exercise this so immediate Act of Worship and together offer up their Prayers and return their Thanks and Praises unto God. This Part of Religious Worship I am afraid is too much neglected if not wholly laid aside in many Families at this Day To restore therefore this Holy Order and Discipline in private Families to revive the Exercise thereof and to assist those who are not already better supply'd in that Godly Practice I have Composed this following Prayer and do heartily wish that all Masters of Families would take care that either this or some such like Prayers be constantly at least every Morning and Evening used in their Houses The Prayer O Almighty most Merciful and Eternally Gracious Lord God! Thou art a God hearing Prayers therefore to Thee shall all Flesh come Thou art Good and doest Good Thou art the Great and Glorious Creatour of Heaven and Earth the Wise Orderer and Disposer of all things therein We the unworthiest of thy Creatures here on Earth are at this time prostrate in thy Presence humbly confessing our Sins and thankfully acknowledging thy Mercies We confess O Lord we have sinned against Heaven and against Thee and are no more worthy to be called thy People We have left undone those things which we ought to have done and we have done those things which we ought not to have done We have omitted many Duties and committed many Enormities We have sinned against great Light and great Love discovered to us in the Gospel of thy Son. Our Sins we confess have been so out of measure sinful that should'st Thou deal with us as we have deserved or measure out unto us a Vial of Wrath proportionable to the Ephah of our Iniquities it might in a drowning measure and manner fall upon us But with Thee O Lord is Mercy that Thou may'st be feared and therefore is it that we are once more humbly bold to offer our Persons and our Devotions to the Throne of Grace beseeching Thee for thy Mercy 's sake and for the Merit 's sake of thy dear Son and our Blessed Saviour in Mercy to look upon us to open our Eyes and make us sensible of our Sins to open our Hearts and make us sorrowful for our Sins to work in us a Repentance never to be repented of to subdue and mortifie in us all our Lusts and lustful Inclinations all our corrupt Thoughts and Imaginations And instead thereof to implant in us Principles of Holiness and true Righteousness Give us a lively Faith in thy Son a sincere and entire Obedience to thy Will a profound Humility and unwearied Patience under thy Hand and an holy Contentedness with every Estate and Condition wherein Thou shalt please to place us Justifie we pray Thee our Persons and sanctifie our Natures Wash us throughout in Soul and Body and Spirit that so both our Persons and our Performances may now and evermore be acceptable in thy Presence O Lord our Strength and our Redeemer With us we pray Thee be mindful of all Thine Bless thy Universal Church and every Member thereof particularly these Churches of England Scotland and Ireland And herein in a particular manner let the choicest of thy Blessings rest upon the Head and Heart of thy Servant but our dread Soveraign JAMES by thy Grace and especial Providence of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith in all Causes and over all Persons as well Sacred as Civil in these his Realms and in all other his Majesty's Dominions and Countries Supreme Moderator and Governour As Thou hast done Great things for Him so we pray Thee do Great things by Him In Him give unto us the Blessings of Government and in Him fulfil amongst us the Ends of Government Bless Him and Us in the Safety and Preservation of his Royal Person and in the Health and Happiness of his Royal Relations In particular Bless Him and Us in blessing his Royal Consort and our Gracious Queen MARY make her a joyful Mother of Children and happy in them And in Blessing be pleased to bless Katherine the Queen Dowager their Royal Highnesses Mary Princess of Orange the Princess Anne of Denmark and all the Royal Family Endue them with thy Holy Spirit enrich them with thy Heavenly Grace prosper them with all Happiness and bring them at last though late to thine Everlasting Kingdom Bless Him and Us in blessing the Ministers of thy Holy Word and Sacraments as well Arch-Bishops and Bishops as other Pastors and Curates Bless the Lords and the rest of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy-Council Bless all the Nobility Gentry Judges Magistrates and Commonalty of the Realm Bless them all from the Highest to the Lowest with Religious Hearts towards Thee their God Loyal Hearts towards their Soveraign and Loving and Charitable Hearts one towards another And now O Lord we pray Thee for a Blessing upon Us even Us who are here before Thee at this time Bless Us in our Persons in our Off-spring in our Servants in our Relations in our Acquaintance in our Habitations and in all our Lawful Actions Thus far this Prayer may be used both Morning and Evening and the Morning Prayer may be continued thus LET thy good Hand of Providence be over us this Day for Good Let it preserve and defend us from all Dangers both of Soul and Body We are now going to Converse with a subtil and sinful World be Thou pleased to fortify our Minds against both the Allurements and Contagion thereof Let neither our own in-bred Lusts and Corruptions betray us nor the Power of Sathan nor Policy of the World prevail upon us to swerve from the ways of thy Commandments Be pleased O Lord to go in and out with us in all our Undertakings and to bless and prosper us therein Imprint upon our Minds such a warm and vigorous Sense of thy Divine Providence over us as may engage us always to walk in thy Ways and oblige us to study nothing more than how to serve and please Thee all our Days Nor are we mindful of our selves alone but of all those also who are in worse Condition than our selves who are any ways afflicted or distressed in Mind Body or Estate especially those who either desire or stand in need of our Prayers Let it please Thee to comfort and relieve them