other Appointed means but by a due receiving the Holy Communion The Young Persons Devotions upon his first Admission to the LORD'S TABLE Expostulation WIlt thou then O God vouchsafe me to partake of that which my Soul has so long thirsted after Shall I this day be admitted a Guest at that Divine Banquet from which my own unworthiness ought for ever to exclude me Wilt thou be so gracious to a miserable sinner as to accept of a renewing of the Covenant I made in Baptism after that by numerous ways I have violated and broken it Then Lord I will not absent my self but draw near hoping to be found in the number of those whom thou dost invite even of those who truly and earnestly repent of their sins who are in Love and Charity with their Neighbours who intend to lead a New Life to follow thy Commandments and to walk from henceforth in thy Holy Ways For upon these and no Terms else do I come to the Holy Sacrament which yet I dare not receive till with all Humility of Soul and Body I have prostrated my self and made Confession of my sins The Confession ALmighty God Father oâ— our Lord Jesus Christ Maker of all things Judge of alâ— Men I acknowledge and bewail my manifold Sins and Wickedness which I from time to time most grievously have committed by Thought Word and Deed against thy Divine Majesty provoking most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my Misdoings the Remembrance of them is grievous to me the burden of them is intolerable Have mercy upon me have mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in Newness of Life to the Honour and Glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Prayer for Pardon FOrgive me O Lord whatsoever I have transgrest against thee from the time of my Baptism even to this very Moment whether against Knowledge or through Ignorance at home or abroad sleeping or waking in Thoughts Words or Deeds Whether occasion'd through the fiery Darts of my Ghostly Enemy or by the unclean Desires of my own Heart Have Mercy upon me and grant me pardon through Jesus Christ Amen Remember not the sins of my Youth nor my Transgressions According to thy Mercy remember me for thy goodness sake O Lord. Lord the sins of these my Younger Days are many the Breaches innumerable wherewiâ—â— I have ignorantly or foolishlâ— for want of Knowledge or Coâ—sideration offended against thee Lay them not I beseech thee tâ— my Charge but of thy owâ— free Mercy and Compassion to 〈◊〉 wretched sinner be thou pleased to be reconciled unto me anâ— seal the same to my Soul by thiâ— blessed Sacrament For thy Name sake O Lord pardon my iniquity for it is great I have many ways greatly sinn'd against thee and have no ground of hope for Mercy but only from thy free abundant Pardon which I know exceedeth my Sins and for which I am the more abundantly qualified by how much my state is more truly Miserable On the account therefore of thy Free Pardon to the greatest sinners so they be truly penitent I beseech thee be reconciled unto me who this day unfeignedly repent and turn to thee For Purifying the Heart ALmighty God unto whom all Hearts be open all Desires known and from whom no Secrets are hid Cleanse the Thoughts of my Heart by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that I may sincerely love thee and worthily magnifie thy Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Lord give me Grace this day to receive the blessed Body and Blood of thy Son my most blessed Saviour into a Clean Charitable and Thankful Heart that it may perfectly cleanse me from all Dregs of sin that being made clean it may nourish me in Faith Hope Charity and Obedience with all other Fruits of spiritual life and growth in thee That in all the future Course of my Life I may shew my self such an engrafted Member into the Body of thy Son that I may nevâ—â— be drawn to do any â—hing thâ— may dishonour his Name Granâ— this O Lord I beseech theâ— eveâ— for his Merit and Mercy sake Amen For Self-Examination ALmighty God and most merciful Father give me I beseech thee that Grace that I may duly examine the inmost of my heart and my most secret thoughts that I may know how I stand before thee Lord I confess all my sins and my unworthiness to present my self at thine Altar But thou and thou only canst forgive sin and give true Repentance do both gracious Father and them behold I am clean to come unto thee Lord make me a worthy Receiver of that for which I come even Christ and Forgiveness of sin in Christ and that for his own Mercy-sake and thine Amen For belief of Christ's Presence without disputing the manner O Lord God hear my Prayers And while others dispute grant that I may stedfastly believe behold I quarrel not the Words of thy Son my Saviour's blessed Institution I know his Words are no gross unnatural Conceit but they are Spirit and Life and supernatural He hath promised me if I come worthily that I shall receive his most precious Body and Blood with all the benefits of his Passion without amusing my self then about the manner of receiving Him Lord make me able make me worthy to receive Him For grant me this Favour and I know I can no more die Eternally then his Body and Blood can again die and be shed Lord so wash and cleanse my Soul that I may now and at all times else come prepared by hearty Prayers and Devotion and be made worthy by thâ— Grace of this blessed Sacramenâ— the Pledge and Earnest of Eternâ—â— Life in the Merits of the same Holy Jesus who gave his Body anâ— Blood for me Amen Immediately before the sight of tâ—â— Bread O Lord God how I receive thâ— Body and Blood of my moâ— blessed Saviour the price of mâ— Redemption is the very wondeâ— of my Soul Yet that I do receivâ— them is my firm and constant belief At this time they are graciously tender'd to me and my Faith Lord make me a worthy Receiveâ— and be it unto me according to mâ— Saviour's Word Amen Looking upon the Bread and Winâ— say O Thou that sittest on high with the Father and art here invisibly present with us come and sanctifie these thy Creatures of Bread â—nd Wine and those by whom â—hey are to be received Amen As the Bread is coming to you say LEt thy Body I beseech thee O Lord Jesu Christ which was given for me preserve my Boâ—y and Soul unto Everlasting Life â—nd grant that I may take and eat â—n Remembrance that thou hast died for me and feed on thee in my Heart by Faith with Thanksgiving Amen As the Wine is brought say LEt thy
kept so long for this speaks it your want of Will and not of Power and that it was not your Weakness but something else that moved you to leave the Road wherein you had walked so long a time with ease and safety XC Use makes hard things easie the chief if not onely difficulty in Holiness is want of practice and a being accustom'd to the contrary The ways of Gods Commandments neither waste the Spirits nor gall the Feet of those who use constantly to walk in them Let the like serious and holy Thoughts possess your Soul for the future that you have the day of receiving and continue to co-operate with that Grace God gives you at the Sacrament and I see not why your whole Life may not be all of the same piece and your Conversation continue as vertuous and well-govern'd after as it was at the time you came to the Holy Communion from which I will no longer stay you than with this hearty Wish That when you come thither to renew your Covenant in Vows and Purposes of better Obedience God may vouchsafe to assist you with his Grace and to strengthen you with his Power that you may pay the Vows you then make unto him and that by Virtue of the heavenly Nourishment you there receive you may grow up in Grace and Holiness till at last you come to be a perfect man in Christ Amen THE Communicants Assistant BEING A COLLECTION OF DEVOTIONS To that purpose A Prayer before communicating WHY should I O God who by innumerable wayes have offended thee why should I dare to come to thy Table which none ought to approach but obedient Children and faithful Servants But seeing thy fatherly Goodness this day doth invite me to receive the blessed Pledges of my Peace and Reconciliation with thee and seeing thy well-beloved Son whose Death I now with all Thankfulness commemorate doth call unto him those and only those who travail and are heavy laden to whom the remembrance of their Sins is grievous and the burthen of them is intolerable Finding my self in this number I know thou wilt not reject me Raise O raise up my Heart and Spirit unto thee Strengthen my Faith and help my Infirmities Grant me power to perform and to persevere in all those good things thou now requirest at my hands and grant that the whole course of my Life may be answerable to the present purposes of my Heart and bring me at last to the enjoyment of those Blessings which at this thy holy Table thou art pleased to propound unto me Amen O My God raise up my Thoughts unto thee increase my Faith Hope and Charity warm my Heart with the divine Fire of thy Love purifie my Conscience with the Spirit of Sanctification Grant this day I may with full affiance in thee receive the Pledges of thy Goodness and the Seals of that Covenant which thou hast graciously contracted with me by the Mediation of thy Son my Saviour O My God save and deliver me from all my Offences and at the end of my Life receive me into thy heavenly Kingdom to the accomplishment of all those things which are represented at thy holy Table Let my future Conversation be as one of thy Sheep living in thy Church an Example of Peaceableness Charity Humility Patience and Justice Give me a firm reliance upon thy Promises a holy zeal for thy Worship and a sincere obedience to all thy Commands Fill my Heart with spiritual Joy keep me from the immoderate Cares of the World and among all disquiets here give me that Peace which the World can neither give nor take away from me For forgiveness of Sins FOrgive me my Sins O Lord forgive me the Sins of my Youth and the Sins of mine Age the Sins of my Soul and the Sins of my Body my secret and my whispering Sins my presumptuous and my crying Sins the Sins that I have done to please my self and the Sins that I have done to please others Forgive me my wanton and idle Sins forgive me my serious and deliberate Sins forgive me those Sins I know and those Sins which I know not the Sins which I have striven so long to hide from others that at last they are even hid from mine own Memory Forgive them O Lord forgive them all and of thy great Goodness let me be absolved from all mine Offences Amen PRAYERS FOR The several things required of those who come to the Lords Supper 1. To repent them truly of their former Sins A Prayer for true Repentance TO thee O God all Hearts are open all desires known and from thee no Secrets are hid so that if I would I cannot conceal my Sins from thee And now that I confess my Sins unto thee it is not to inform thy infinite Knowledge but to obey thy gracious Pleasure and to make me capable of that forgiveness promised to all who confess their Sins With a sorrowfull Heart therefore I confess my Sins unto thee I accuse my self here before thee of innumerable wicked thoughts and desires which I have conceived form'd and foster'd in my Heart of infinite corrupt and evil Words that I have utter'd with my Tongue of many naughty and ungodly Deeds which I have wrought with my Hands by all which I have provoked most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me but it is thy Nature and Property always to have mercy and to forgive the Sins of them that are penitent Grant me therefore Holy Father the Grace of true repentance create in me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me Grant I may truly lament my Sins whose burden is intollerable and whose remembrance is so grievous unto me And for the future inable me to cease from evil and learn to do well to cast away the Works of Darkness and to put on the Armour of Light and to bring forth Fruits of Repentance in amendment of Life to the Praise and Glory of thy Grace in Jesus Christ my blessed Redeemer 2. Stedfastly purposing to lead a new Life A Prayer for Perseverance in good Purposes GRant O God that I may bring the good Purposes with which this day I come to thy Holy Table Grant I may bring them to good effect I know I am light and unconstant turn'd with every blast diverted by every allurement and ready to yield to every Temptation But do thou O God who art the same Yesterday to Day and for ever do thou graciously impart some of thy unchangeableness to establish my Understanding in Truth and to keep it from the Snares of all seducing Spirits that I may not be led away with the Errours of those who are cunning to deceive Fix my irresolute and wavering Will and cause it faithfully to adhere unto that which is good Let neither the Flatteries of the World nor of my own Heart so far work upon my Affections as to draw me from that intire Obedience which I resolve from this day forward to
yield unto thy Word But grant that I may continue stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord and by patient continuing in well doing seek for and in the end obtain eternal Life Suffer not my own weakness nor the number or strength of Temptations to turn me from that holy course upon which I have now resolved to enter But grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of Life to the Honour and Glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ Amen 3. To have a lively Faith in Gods Mercy through Christ A Prayer for the same SEeing O God that it is impossible without Faith to please thee and that whatever I do without Faith is Sin Pour into my Heart this most excellent Grace of Faith for it is thy Gift and not my procurement Let thy Spirit work in my Heart such a Faith as may be acceptable in thy sight and which at this time may be as a Hand to receive a Mouth to eat and a Stomach to digest and turn the Elements of this blessed Sacrament into the Food and Nourishment of my Soul O let me not rest in a dead ineffectual Faith but grant it may be such as may shew it self in good Works inabling me to overcome the World and to conform to the Image of that Christ on whom I believe that so at the last I may receive the end of my Faith even the Salvation of my Soul by the same Jesus Christ Amen 4. With a Thankful remembrance of his Death THou O God expectest no other return for all thy Mercies but Praise and Thanksgiving let me O Lord never defraud thee of that so easie tribute but let my Heart be ever filled with the Sense and my Mouth with the Acknowledgment of thy Mercies It is a joyful and pleasant thing to be thankful O suffer me not I beseech thee to lose my part in that Divine Pleasure especially grant that with humble and sincere Devotion I may now and after with all imaginable Thankfulness celebrate the Memorial which thy Son hath commanded to be made in remembrance of his most blessed Passion and Sacrifice that by the Power thereof now represented before thy Divine Majesty I and all thy whole Church may obtain remission of our Sins and be made Partakers of all other benefits of his most precious Death and Passion Grant that as often as thou vouchsafest me this blessing so often I may thankfully receive it and with an affectionate and devout Heart offer up thanks to thee for the same And grant that I may not only with my Lips but with my Life shew forth thy Praise by consecrating my self to thy Service and walking in Righteousness and Holiness before thee all the days of my Life Amen 5. And to be in Charity with all Men. A Prayer for the same O Mercifull Lord who hast made of one Blood and redeem'd by one ransom all Nations of Men let me never harden my Bowels against any thaâ— partake of the same Nature anâ— Redemption with me but granâ— me an universal Charity toward aâ— Men. Give me O thou Father oâ— Compassions such a tenderness oâ— Heart that I may be deeply aâ—fected with all the Miseries and Calamities outward or inward of my Brethren and diligently imploy all my Abilities for their succour and relief Let thy Spirit of Love enter and dwell in my Heart and cast out thence Malice Envy Hatred and all Uncharitableness make me seek not to please my self but my Neighbour for his good to Edification even as Christ pleased not himself Thou hast taught me O Lord that all my doings without Charity are nothing worth pour into my Heart that most excellent Gift of Charity without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ's sake Amen A SHORT OFFICE OF Private Devotions To be used 1. Before 2. At and 3. After the receiving of the Blessed Sacrament 1. Before Receiving When you enter into the Church I. LOrd I have loved the Habitation of thine House and the place where thine Honour dwelleth II. I will wash mine Hands in Innocency O Lord and so will go to thine Altar When you are kneeling before the Communion Table I. THou art worthy O Lord to receive Glory and Honour and Power for thou hast created all things and for thy Wills sake they are and were created II. Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanks and Honour and Power and Might be unto our God for evermore Amen III. Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come receive my Prayer I. ALmighty Lord who hast of thine infinite Mercy vouchsafed to ordain this dreadful Sacrament for a perpetual memory of that blessed Sacrifice which once thou madest for us upon the Cross grant me with such diligent remembrance and such due reverence to assist at the holy Celebration of so heavenly and wonderful a Mistery that I may be made worthy of thy Grace to obtain the Virtue and Fruits of the same with all the Benefits of thy precious Death and Passion even the remission of all my Sins and the fulness of all thy Graces which I beg for thy only Merits who art my only Saviour God from everlasting World without end Amen II. O Lord our heavenly Father Almighty and everlasting God regard I beseech thee the Devotion of thy humble Servant who does now celebrate the memorial which thy Son our Saviour hath commanded to be made in remembrance of his most blessed Passion and Sacrifice that by the Merits and Power thereof I and all thy whole Church may obtain remission of our Sins and be made Partakers of all other the Benefits of his most precious Death and Passion together with his mighty Resurrection from the Earth and his glorious Ascension into Heaven who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever one God World without end Amen III. BE pleased O God to accept this our bounden Duty and Service and vouchsafe that the Prayers and Supplications together with the remembrance of Christs Passion which we now offer up unto thee may be received into thy heavenly Tabernacle and that thou not weighing our own Merits but looking upon the blessed Sacrifice of our Saviour which was once fully and perfectly made for us all mayest pardon our Offences and replenish us with thy Grace and heavenly Benediction through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Devout Thoughts immediately before the receiving of the blessed Sacrament I. I Will go to the Altar of God even to the God of my Joy and Gladness II. I will offer thanksgiving unto my God and pay my Vows unto the most highest III. O Lamb of God that takest awâ—y the Sins of the World have mercy upon me IV. O Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World grant me thy Peace V. Grant me gracious Lord so to eat the Flesh of thy dear Son and to drink his Blood that my
the good things I want and have the good things I enjoy and that by his Blessings the Creatures aare sanctified to my moderate and thankful use I likewise under the term of daily Bread pray That God would give me that continual supply of his Grace which may sustain and nourish my Soul unto Eternal life PETITION V. And forgive us our Trespases c. By Trespasses or Debts anâ— meant my Sins for which I aâ— daily to beg Pardon and to be seech God not to exact of mâ— the Penalty of them but to accept of Christ's satisfaction foâ—me and for his sake to discharge me from the Debt which I owe to his Justice And that I may not forfeit God's Pardon by denying mine to my Brethren â— pray for those Bowels of Compassion to others which I stand in so much need of from God My forgiving others their Trespasses being here used as an Argument to move God to forgive me mine And if I who am prone to revenge can by God's Grace forgive others How much more will God who is infinite in Mercy forgive me But if I â—o not forgive I shall not be forâ—iven PETITION VI. And lead us not into Tempâ—â—tion but deliver us from Eâ—â—ll As in the former Petition I â—m taught to pray for deliveâ—ance from the guilt and condemâ—ation of sin so in this I pray â—o be delivered from the power â—f sin And seeing I am unable â—o withstand those multitudes of Temptations that daily assault me â— beg of God either to restrain â—hem or in his faithfulness not to â—ffer me to be tempted above â—hat I am able but in all my Temptations to make me a way â—o escape that I be not overâ—ome by them And because â—â—tan is that Evil One which alway tempting me to sin I beseech God to deliver me froâ— him and from being taken his Snâ—â—es The CONCLUSION For thine is the Kingdom Power and the Glory for eâ— and ever Amen Some tell me that these Woâ— are no Essential Part of Prayer but an addition whâ— I may use or omit without a Injury to this Sacred Form But for my own part I thâ— these words ought to conclaâ— this and all my Prayers â—â—cause they contain an Acknoledgment of God's Majesty Poâ—er Glory and Eternity whâ— are chief Motives to pray a which give life and spirit the Duty For these Excellâ—â—cies being all in Him to whâ— I pray they are as so many proâ— to my Faith and assurances tâ— I shall be heard For it is a principal Reason for my Praying to God That his is the Kingdom and that he Rules over all the World and that as a good and loving King he is easie to be intreated by his Subjects ready to protect and supply them amidst all their Wants and Adventures And by my acknowledgment of God's Kingdom I oblige my self to obey his Laws and submit to his Government So that while I retain any one Rebel-lust out of his Obedience I cannot be thought to be in earnest when I say Thy Kingdom come and Thine is the Kingdom The Power The Belief of God's Power and All-sufficiency is a second Reason to pray unto him It were to no purpose to make a Petition to One who is not able to bestow what I desire For be the Will never so ready yoâ— where Ability is wanting thâ— Petitioner is never the nearer tâ— obtain his Request But seeinâ— God is my Father he cannoâ— want Will and seeing he is a so my King he cannot wanâ— Power to give what I ask him Now seeing that the Bowels of Father and the Arm of a Kinâ— are both in him to whom my Supplication is directed I not onlâ— may but justly ought to relâ— upon him for all things necessarâ— for this Life and the Life tâ— come And when I fail tâ— place my whole and final Dependance on God instead oâ— honouring I reproach him when I acknowledge his Power The Glory The Glory of God as it encourageth my Prayers to him so it is that of which himself is most tender My Glory I will not give to another This is the aim of all his own Dispensations and ought to be the end of all my Faith and Practice And when I tell God that his granting my Prayers is for his Glory I lay so strong an Obligation upon him as methinks he cannot resist But if the Honour of all I have or am be not as it ought to be ascribed unto God from whom I receive all If I impute any thing to my self or my own Procurement I cannot say as I should Thine is the Glory For Ever and Ever This is my acknowledgment of God's Eternity that he is the same yesterday to day and for Ever His Kingdom shall have no End and his Power and Glory is not like that of Earthly Princes fading and transitory but Eternal without Beginning and End Were I to make my Requests to a mutable and a mortal God one subject to Change or Ending I should want one of the most concluding Arguments for Prayer But seeing he whom I Petition is for Ever and Ever the same merciful God who hath always heard and doth still hear the Prayers of Poor Penitent Sinners For ever a King and so obliged to help his Subjects for ever a Potentate and so able to do them good and one for whose Glory it is to grant my Requests I may with comfort conclude that this Almighty most Merciful and Everlasting Father will hear and do for me though not always according to my wish and desire yet always as he shall see most convenient for me Amen With this I am told the Jews used to close all their Prayers and that the Christian Church injoyned the People in their Liturgies to conclude all their Prayers with this also And it was thought of so great importance that it was called the Seal of Prayer And by my hearty and zealous saying Amen to what is prayed for I express 1. My faithful assurance and reliance upon God that he will hear me as he has promis'd Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee Ask and ye shall have 2. I express by my saying Amen with the Congregation that I agree with them and that we all do present but one common Vote that with one Heart and one Voice we all petition God And I have this to encourage me in this Harmony and Consent That if God will grant the Requests of Two or Three gather'd together in his Name he will much more lend his Ear to a pious Multitude to a whole Congregation 3. My humble and zealous saying Amen doth testifie my Attention to the Prayers that I am not asleep or have my Thoughts wandring And indeed one way to keep out drowsiness and distracted idle and impertinent Thoughts at the hearing of Prayers is the Consideration that at the end thereof I am to say Amen that is I am as it were to set my Seal to what has
your heart by his Holy Spirit if you do not resist and quench it which gives you strength to overcome Temptations to sin and enables you to do what God requires of you And that you might have no pretence to refuse the Kingly Government of Christ as too heavy and difficult he has made his Yoke easie and Burden light having taken off from the hardness of the Law first given to Adam and instead of that sinless Obedience or the never committing the least sin upon pain of death which was required of him he now looks for no more than your honest and hearty Endeavour to do what you are able and accepts of sincere Repentance where you fail or miscarry And it being the gracious nature of Christs Kingly Office thus to govern and rule you and to subdue your Enemies it would be something worse if possible than disingenuity and ingratitude to disobey and hold out any disloyal passion or rebel-lust against him not to vow and pay unto him perfect Loyalty and entire Allegiance not to entrust him with your Protection not to have Peace or War with any but his Friends and Enemies not to pay him your Homage and Reverence not to give him a tribute of your Substance by Relieving his necessitous Members c. Now to keep you from flattering in these particulars and to oblige you to a cheerful discharge thereof Christ as your King hath promised and will not fail to prefer you in his Celestial Court to an eternal weight of Glory and to make you co-heir with himself of that Kingdom of Heaven which he went to take possession of at his Ascention and which he will give to all who by their impenitent continuance in iniâ—uity make not themselves unfit â—o receive it Your duty herein â—s to be exceeding careful not â—o forfeit your share in that â—ingdom which Christ has purâ—hased for all that faithfully oâ—ey him which certainly you â—o if you continue impenitent â—n any sin XIV And when you have thus â—lainly consider'd the Mercies â—hich in the second Covenant â—re on Gods part made over to Man you are next to consider that those Conditions are â—hich on Mans part are requiâ—ed by God and which you â—re to observe if ever you hope â—o be partaker of the Benefits of â—e second Covenant And â—ese you will find to be not â—1 a perfect absolute exact Obedience so as never to â—â—fend in any kind this was tâ— Condition of the first Covenanâ— Nor 2. never to have foâ—merly committed any delibâ—rate sin Nor 3. never 〈◊〉 have gone on in any habituâ— or customary sin for the timâ— past though this be be moâ— heinous and provoking anâ— may justly throw you into thâ— fearful apprehension of the Dâ—vine displeasure But it is thâ— New Creature or a reneweâ— sincere honest faithful Obâ—dience to the whole Gospeâ— giving up the whole heart unâ— Christ the ready performinâ— of that which God enables yoâ— to perform and bewailing yoâ— frailties and cordially sorrowinâ— for the iniquity both of yoâ— past and present life and beseching Gods pardon in Christ iâ— all that you have done amisâ— sincerely labouring to mortiâ— every sin and perform Uniform Obedience unto God and from every Fall rising again by Repentance and Reformation In short the Condition required to make you capable of the Benefits of the second Covenant is first by Faith to accept of Christ as your Priest to Save your Prophet to Teach and your King to Rule you Next to have all those Graces Faith Hope Charity Self-denial Repentance c. mentioned in the Gospel united and truly and sincerely rooted in your heart though mixed with much weakness and imperfection and perhaps with many sins which if not wilfully and impenitently lived and died in cannot debar you of the Benefits of the second Covenant But if you neglect these things your condition will be worse than if no second Covenant had been made for you shall theâ— be to answer not for the breach of the Law only but for the abuse of Mercy which is of all sins the most provoking XV. Now if your guilty mind tells you that you have broken these Conditions and therefore forfeited the Mercies of the second Covenant then know that it cannot be renewed but by a worthy receiving of the Secrament and worthily you cannot recieve it till you repent oâ— your sins and all those thing are to be accounted sins anâ— transgressions of the Covenant which are disagreeable to you Vow of Baptism in which thâ— general parts of your Duty anâ— contained and it is a competent Rule by which all you actions ought to be measur'â— Knowing then what in Baptism you have vowed to do by applying your actions unto that Vow you may easily conclude wherein you have done amiss Only take heed you deal not partially with your Soul by looking upon your sins in gross but do your utmost endeavour to discover the particulars Recal as far as you can all the passages of your life Consider all the instances wherein your Vow has been transgressed as wherein you have yielded to the Temptations of Satan and the World to gratifie the sinful lusts of the flesh How you have failed of that holy Conversation to which you solemnly bound your self when you promised to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith every one of which Articles is a Pledge of good living And how you have wandred from those Commandments in which you vowd to walk all the days of your life XVI And you will find this partâ—cular search of your sins botâ— proper and necessary in ordeâ— to their Forgiveness which cannot be expected withouâ— confessing and forsaking them But how either of those can bâ— done without a distinct knowledge of your sins or how yoâ— can distinctly know them without this particular search I aâ— not yet so far under the poweâ— of Fancy as to imagine Anâ— albeit that by no possible diâ—â—gence you can discover or caâ— to mind every sin committeâ— since Baptism and albeit toâ— there is no particular confeâ—sion requir'd of the sins when of you are insuperably ignoranâ— yet ignorance of your sins will be no Plea when it is supine and occasioned through neglect and proceeds from a want of timely considering what you have done XVII In drawing up a List of your sins take heed of setting down such only as hang scandalously in the Eye of the World and â—re so notorious as that the Sun bears witness of their commission But you are to search your Soul to the bottom to â—ifle every corner of your heart as knowing you have â—o deal with God whose Law â—n nothing more declares its peâ—uliar excellency than in reachâ—ng mans thoughts and desires â—nd forbidding him no less to â—ovet than to steal his Neighâ—ours goods and no less to lust after another mans Wife than to commit adultery with her And this consideration is argument enough to inclineâ— you to an accurate search anâ— enquiry first
Language out of an idle conceit that it is an argument of a great Spirit or that it comes of a want of Reverence to the holy Name of God or that men using such Oaths think others are like themselves namely so faithless as not to be believed without them And as to Execrations and Cursings of your self or others consider I beseech you what David hath said not barely by way of wish but also of prophecy in Psal 109.18 19 c. I shall mention no other ways whereby you may sin in your Speech 1. because all the fault thereof may be reduced to these four and 2. because men are more eminently liable to offend by speaking filthily reproachfully falsely or prophanely XXVI And having thus brought your Thoughts and Words to the Test you are in like manner to deal with your Actions in order to find out their obliquity and pollution And because every Christian is no less accountable for the good he has omitted when it was in his power than for the evil he hath committed when he might have prevented it You are therefore in the search of your Actions to begin with the things you have left undone which you ought to have done and then to proceed to consider the things that you have done which you ought not to have done The former are usually call'd sins of Omission the latter sins of Commission And here give me leave to tell you that besides a search into the sorts you are also to seek into the degrees of your sins For though sins consider'd naked in themselves and as bare transgressions of a Rule may seem to be all equal yet looked upon in the circumstances wherewith they are clothed some will manifestly appear greater than other And though no sin whatsoever can be said to be little every one being a transgression of that Law which God has appointed to be the Instrument of his own Glory and mans Salvation yet there are circumstances which raise even little sins into high provocations XXVII And you need no other Star to guide you in taking the degrees of your sins against God than the consideration of the circumstances by which you are to measure the injuries done to your self And I need not tell you how the harm a man doth you is the more hainous if he do it knowingly and willingly than if he did it ignorantly and against his mind Next when he doth it purposely and with deliberation than when he doth it suddenly and at unawares when he doth it in the heat of Passion and blindness of Zeal and according to his present sentiments than when he doth it contrary to the checks and resistances of his Conscience and the cool dictates of his Reason You likewise judge the injury more grievous and provoking the oftner it is repeated and you can with less trouble forgive a few than many faults You also find your self more sensible of the wrong done by him you often pardon'd and long spar'd whom by many benefits you have oblig'd and who has vow'd and promised to do so no more And in the last place it makes the wrong intolerable that it is become customary and that he that doth it can by no reproof threatning exhortation advice or punishment be diverted but that notwithstanding all means used to the contrary he goes on and takes pleasure to trespass against you XXVIII But these and the like circumstances you find the injury aggravated that is done against your self and by application you may also conclude how your sins against God become aggravated Whom you may find you have too often offended knowingly deliberately against the checks and motions of your own Conscience after vows and promises of amendment after the private admonitions of Friends the publick exhortations of the Ministry the menaces and promises of the Word XXIX And when you have thus proceeded in the search both of the kinds and degrees of your sins you are to know that the end of all this unpleasing travel is to bring you to Repentance To which you can want no motives when you apprehend that by your sins you have incurr'd his displeasure who is a consuming fire and as an impartial Judge will render to every man according to his deeds And were your heart never so hardned it will melt at the apprehensions of those misdoings by which you may perhaps have incensed Gods Mercy as well aâ— Justice and set his bowels nâ— less than his hand against you Sins in Scripture you know are call'd debts which you arâ— altogether unable by any otheâ— way to discharge but by Repentance A Duty though aâ— all times yet now in an especiaâ— manner required of you wheâ— you come to the Sacramenâ— And Repentance being the surâ— and abridgement of all the Duties to be discharged by you aâ— your coming thither I shaâ— briefly mind you what it is 〈◊〉 wherein it consists XXX And not to trouble you witâ— the Opinions of Schools Fatherâ— Doctors and Divines you may find out the nature of Repentance toward God by considering what the Repentance is which is required by one man from another Where from him that has injured you you expect no less than that he should confess how he hath offended you Next that he be sorry for having done so And thirdly that he make reparation and resolve to do so no more So that that which in Religion is properly called Repentance consists in Confession Sorrow Reparation and Resolution XXXI And first as to Confession of sins it is upon the account of common Ingenuity to be expected from every one who knows himself to be guilty Now that Confession which is valuable with the Almighty ariseth from an abhorrence of the iniquities you confess thaâ— thereby you have displeased God and worthily deserved his Vengeance And it runs througâ— all the sorts of sins whereof yoâ— know your self to be conscious Aggravating them with aâ— their heightning circumstances and comprizing your unknowâ— sins in David's penitent form Who can tell how oft he offendeth Cleanse me O Lord from my seâ—cret sins But if in Confessioâ— of sins you should be never 〈◊〉 particular yet if it be done witâ— any milder purpose towarâ— them than their utter destrâ—ction it will look rather like 〈◊〉 Inventory than a Confession a counting up the goods yeâ— have a mind to preserve rathâ—â— than an acknowledgment 〈◊〉 the sins you resolve to abandoâ— God forbid you should be evâ—â— so infatuated and befooled bâ— your own fancy as to imaginâ— the pure Eyes of God should be taken with the sight of your filthiness and obliquity or that you should think he is delighted in the Narrative of those iniquities whose committing he hath so strictly forbidden and doth so greatly abhor When you open your Ulcers unto God with any other intent than to have them healed their view will excite his indignation and not his pity When therefore you do not really intend to forsake the sins you confess you do â—n
truth defend them how loudâ—y soever your Tongue may accuse them He only who confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy If you thus forsake your sins God is faithful and â—ust to forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness 1 John 1.9 He â—s bound in Fidelity and Justice â—o fulfil that promise of Pardon to you which he has made to all Penitents upon their humble Confession of sins and sincere Reformation This being the only course whereby you may free your self from all punishment of sins and become capable of Mercy XXXII But besides this Confessioâ— thus to be made to God theâ— is also a Confession to be madâ— unto the Guide of Souls in case of a troubled and doubting Coâ—science and to the Church 〈◊〉 point of publick Offence and Scaâ—dal Which sorts of Confessioâ— as to their conduct profitableneâ— and necessity I shall not now haâ—dle having designed them a dâ—stinct Treatise XXXIII The second branch or ingredient of Repentance is Sorrow which naturally results from Confession For when by this you as you must needs have inform'd your self how you are guilty of many and heinous sins and the miseries to which they have exposed you it were strange if the sight thereof should not make you sorrowful XXXIV But seeing sorrow for sin has vulgarly engrost the whole Notion of Repentance and that men are prone to think they have quite extinguisht the wrath kindled by sin when they have dropt a few tears upon it I shall here mind you of the nature of that sorrow which accompanies true Repentance And first you will find it to have a double spring the one a fear of danger the other a dislike of sin And first XXXV That sorrow which ariseth only from a sense of the danger to which your sins have betray'd you it doth not say the Schools break the heart but only fret it So that this sense or fear of present danger being blown over the sorrow caused by it doth also vanish not leaving any mark of amendment behind it And yet to this sorrow that we shall be punished called Attrition though never so empty of reformation by the absolution of the Priest is turn'd into Contrition say the Roman Casuists Which is aâ— most unkind deceit of Souls the Scripture having made noâ— promise that flying from the wrath to come shall be sufficient to obtain pardon without bringing forth meet fruits of Repentance XXXVI Secondly There is a sorrow arising from a dislike to sin and conscientious thoughts that thereby you have undutifully grieved and provoked so good a God so compassionate a Father so gracious a Redeemer and so blessed a Sanctifier And this never misses of producing the effect of true sorrow which is to sin no more For for a man to be sorrowful out of an apprehension of the punishments God has annext to sin rather than that hereby his Law has been transgressed and the Conscience polluted this is to grieve rather that God is just than you are guilty XXXVII Sorrow for sin is very propeâ— to turn your stomach against it and you must have less sense than the Brute you ride on iâ— you shun not that has caused you to smart and put you to pain But yet there are otheâ— fruits of Repentance that musâ— deliver you from the wrath to come for meer fear of dangeâ— can be no further reasonable oâ— useful than as it disposeth you to forsake the sins that causeâ— it But if you should be so faâ— bewitched through the deceitfulness of sin that you will noâ— leave it though you die in it arms or if you grieve thaâ— you have sinn'd and yet still go on to sin if knowing the malignity and having poised and found the weight of sin to be as a talent of Lead upon your Soul and notwithstanding all this you still venture on to commit it this will leave you unpardon'd because unreform'd and make all your tears as water spilt upon the ground XXXVIII Sorrow for having offended God the greater it is the more acceptable it is to him and profitable for your self For it being a sort of punishment the more afflictive it is the more surely it will accomplish the intent of all punishments even the amendment of the Offender And if you once have felt the pain and trouble of a wounded Conscience you will have no great mind to venture afresh upon the sins that caused it In short sorrow arising out of fear of danger proceeds from love to your self and therefoâ—â— can never avail you for pardoâ— But godly sorrow working â—pentance to salvation ariseâ— from a love to God whom 〈◊〉 more you love the more yoâ— will grieve to have offendeâ— him Sorrow arising from seâ— of Gods vengeance usually teâ—minates and ends in a sullen dâ—spondency and desperate dâ—jection of Spirit but sorrow 〈◊〉 having provoked God changeâ— the mind turns you from 〈◊〉 to holiness and the constaâ—â— practice of all those Christiâ—â— Duties which the Gospel râ—quires at your hands But you find your self herein to â—â—lumpish and heavy and thâ— you cannot grieve to that dâ—gree you ought then the waâ— to quicken up your penitentiâ— sorrow is to quicken up yoâ— love to God to which his continual favours do most powerfully oblige you Wicked men love those that love them and if you were sensible which is impossible of no other of Gods kindnesses but his sparing you when you deserved punishment and his giving you space to repent when he might have cut you off in your sins this were enough to engage you to love him with all the kinds and degrees of the purest affection Imagine how many have been snatcht hence in a moment whose offences have perchance not been so provoking as your own Consider what could move God to spare you in a continued course of many years disobedience against him but his own unspeakable goodness and because he was loth to have you perish Let pure thoughts of Gods love dwell in your heart and they will melt it down into an humble and contrite sadness that you have dealt so unkindly as to forsake the Lord. XXXIX And if the sole consideration of Gods long-suffering be so ingenuous an Engagement to make you grieve for having sinn'd against him you will find the multitude of his other mercies to cause Rivers of waters to run down your eyes for having broken his Laws And if your heart be so hard that it will not relent upon these considerations then have you great reason to importune God with humble prayer that he would smite that Rock your heart that it may flow with the tears oâ— true repentance the waters oâ— a second Baptism that he would give you such a clear sight of your sins as may at once cause you to sorrow for and abandon them XL. Reparation is a third branch of true Repentance and is due to God to Man First to God who in all injuries is the first party injured For though you may
you may here do wisely to call to mind by what occasions and with what baits you have been â—nd still are apt to be drawn away and enticed to the end you may with greater vigilance and courage avoid and resist them For common Prudence will teach you to strengthen the Fence where the Beast useth to break in and to re-inforce that Avenue where the Enemy is wont to make and prevail in his Attack XLVIII The last thing I shall mention concerning your Religious Resolutions is their speedy execution for delay therein has ever been thought dangerous aâ— having a throat wide enough tâ— swallow the biggest opportunâ—ty And you cannot be suâ—â— till you practise what you puâ—pose for seeing your life coâ—tinually walks to and fro â— a breath and that you have 〈◊〉 warrant of being able to do thâ— the next hour which this yoâ— neglect and put off this througâ—ly concludes for the present dâ—ing of what you purpose Anâ— if holy Resolutions might safeâ—â— be delay'd yet they can be delay'd no longer than your comâ—ing to the Scarament becauâ— you cannot safely approach thâ— Ordinance without stedfastâ— purposing to lead a new lifâ— for till you are a new Creaturâ— or begin to lead a new life yoâ— are in sense of Scripture deaâ— And how absurd a thing is it 〈◊〉 put Bread and Wine into a deaâ— mans mouth none so stupid aâ— not to imagine You may indeed naturally eat and drink the Bread and Wine receive into your stomach the elements of the Sacrament but if you live in the liking much more in the commission of any thing you know to be sin you can receive no more spiritual nourishment in the Sacrament than a dead Carcass at the best Entertainment XLIX And this is another consideration that lays upon you a necessity presently to renounce your sins to give them a Bill of Divorce and to withdraw from them all degrees of kindness and respect For without this you can be in no fit disposition to be married to Christ and to embrace all the Graces flowing from him In short that Resolution which I call a branch of Repentance and which is indispensible required of you when you come to the Lords Table is made up of these two things First Renouncing of all sin Secondly Embracing of all Christian Vertues The first without the second is but sweeping the house without furnishing it And therefore when you have cleansed your Soul of the nastiness and dirt of sin you are not to let it lye empty but to furnish it with all those Graces commanded you in the Gospel such especially as are required in every one coming to the Supper of the Lord. And those are chiefly three namely Faith Charity and Devotion L. The necessity of Faith is expresly taught you by your first Catechism where it saith That a lively Faith in Gods Mercies through Christ is required of every Communicant and that the Body and Blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lords Supper For it is by Faith that you there look upon him whom God hath set forth to be the Propitiation for your Sins even Jesus Christ the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World Rom. 3.25 John 1.29 You easily perceive the necessity of Faith when you mind that in receiving the Holy Sacrament you are to believe that Jesus is the true Seed of the Woman which was promised in the beginning and was sent in the fulness of time that in hiâ— all the Nations of the Earth iâ— they will may be blessed he being the Universal and Mighty Saviour who both will and can save all that come unto him there being no other in whom Salvation is to be expected Yoâ— are likewise to believe that he was crucified or died an ignominious or cursed death and that the Merits of his death are sufficient to save all Sinners and that all those Merits are convey'd to you in the Sacrament when it is worthily received LI. But as to the clear Nature oâ— that Faith now required of you the Church fairly intimates whaâ— it is when she calls it a lively Faith in Gods Mercy through Christ LII And Faith is said to be lively when it works through Love shewing it self in well doing for where Life is there will be Action And the Life of Faith like that of Nature will shew it self in the Heart Tongue and Hands In the first by sincereness of Devotion and holy Thoughts in the second by wholsome and gracious Communication And in the last by works of Justice and Charity LIII The Object of this lively Faith is God's Mercy upon which it reflects as the Fountain whence the Scriptures have proceeded in which Gods Covenant for Mans Redemption is established and his Promises to believing penitent Sinners are contained And if you shall inquire into the reason of all this you will find that nothing but his meer Mercy moved God to make known his Will and in the Holy Scriptures to reveal the Means of Salvation and make the way to Heaven plain and easie It was onely to shew the great love wherewith he loved you and the exceeding Riches of his Grace that prevailed with God to be thus kind unto you LIV. But all this is through Christ he is the Conduit of all these Blessings being of God made unto all Believers Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification Redemption He is the Author oâ— all true Knowledge the cause oâ— your Justification your Sanctification and will be also of your Deliverance and rescue from all Calamities that you are subject to in this Life and at last from Death it self by raising you again 1 Cor. 1.30 And as by a voice from Heaven God declaed with Solemnity that he was well pleased with Christ so he hath likewise declared that he is well pleased with Believers only for his sake By Christ you are predestinated adopted accepted and pardon'd and shall be glorified So that in your own Person you may speak as the Apostle did in the Name of all Christians Ephes 1.3 4 5 c. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed me with all spiritual Blessings in heavenly things in Christ according as he hath chosen me in him that I should be holy and without blame before him in Love LV. In whom I have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of Sins according to the riches of his Grace c. It is impossible in any Duty without Faith to please God or to be accepted of him because whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin But in the matter of the Holy Sacrament Faith hath a more appropriate Office for by it as by a Hand Mouth and Stomach you receive eat and digest the spiritual Food and heavenly Sustenance by which your Soul is nourished to eternal Life And in the sense of the Spirit to eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ is properly to believe on him
in the Sacrament which doth not only represent unto you the manner of Christs Death and in visible Actions set before you what he suffered on the Cross Nor doth the Sacrament only convey unto you that Grace which flows from Christs Death but it doth seal and confirm unto every worthy Communicant all the Benefits of Christs Passion For God to magnifie his Mercy and Goodness towards Believers was not content to give them only a general offer of his Promises in Christ but thought sit to seal them to every particular penitent Christian and in the Sacrament actually to deliver him them Faith apprehending and applying the benefits of Christ which are all comprized in the Forgiveness of Sins and Salvation the sum of all the Happiness of this World and of that which is to come LVI And having tried and found your Faith toward God to be such as he has promised not to be displeased with your next business is to examine your Charity toward your Neighbour for it is required of them who come to the Lords Supper to be in Charity with all Men. If thou bringest thy Gift to the Altar and there rememberest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy Gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy Gift This was our Saviour's advice to the Jews and may thus be translated to your self and every Christian If at any time you are coming to the Lords Table and there call to mind that you have done any man any Injury do you repair first to that Person whom you have injured use means to reconcile him to you repair the wrong and if you cannot let him know your willingness and request his Pardon and having done thus return to compleat your intention and receive the Sacrament in testimony of your Peace with God and your Neighbour This reconcilement with your Brethren is absolutely necessary not only to make your participation of the Sacrament but all other performances acceptable to God And you see it consists in a confession of your wrong and repairing it it being reasonable that in order to obtain his pardon whom you have injured you acknowledge your fault to him and to the utmost of your Ability make him amends LVII And as to this Charity here spoken of the very Elements of the Lords Supper figure and enforce it for the many grains made up into one Loaf and the many Grapes pressed into one Cup signifie how we being many are made one Bread and one Body And nothing can make all Christians to be affectionately one but Charity or mystically and spiritually one except Charity the Bond of Peace and Union And this is that heavenly temper of Mind to which Christians are obliged upon the account of the nearness of that relation which is amongst them for they have all but one Father one Saviour one Sanctifier they all profess one Faith have all received one and the same Baptism and all expect one and the same Inheritance But if in spight of all this you trample Charity under Feet and instead of being reconciled to your Neighbour you malice and hate him you are no more fit for the Sacrament than a Murderer for such are all those who hate their fellow Christians according to St. John in the third and fourth Chapters of his first Epistle LVIII And as Charity binds you to seek to be reconciled to those whom you have injured and to obtain their Pardon so it likewise engageth you to forgive those by whom you have been wrong'd And indeed the forgiving others their Trespasses is the condition of obtaining the forgiveness of your own for if you forgive Men their Trespasses your heavenly Father will forgive you but if you forgive not men their Trespasses neither will your Father forgive your Trespasses This was our Saviours own Doctrine Mat. 18. from verse 23. to the end and also his Practice when he pray'd for the forgiveness of his Crucifiers and that at a time too when his own most grievous Agonies and Pains might justly have diverted all respect to others especially to those who were then actually putting him to death How dismal then is your Condition if instead of having your Heart replenished with Charity it be full of Malice if instead of obeying the Doctrine and following the Example of Christ you act quite contrary If you find your brest barren of this kindness to your fellow-Christians pretend not to any real respect to the blessed Author of that Name 1 John 4.20 For if a man say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a Lyar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he never saw You never beheld God with any Eye but that of Faith and therefore could never have Opportunity if he needed it to shew any kindness to his Person So that all you can do to testifie you love him is your Obedience to his Commands whereof this is the sum That he who loveth God loves his Brother also 1 John 4.21 LIX And if this love be without dissimulation such as Scripture and common Equity requires at your hands it will not only appear in a merciful forgiveness of Offenders but also in a liberal relief of the needy And I mention this latter Act of Charity because I find that something was ever given to the Corban of the Poor by those who came to the Sacrament If you consult the practice of the Primitive the best Guide for the present Church you will hardly find that the Lords Supper was ever administred without an Offertory In Acts 2.45 46. you have mention made of selling Possessions and Goods and parting them to all as every man had need And that this was done at the solemn times of publick Prayers and receiving of the Sacrament there is light enough in the Text to clear it You read likewise of a Command That upon the first day of the Week every man should lay by him in store as God hath prospered him The first day of the Week was that we now call Sunday and the Lords day whereon the Lords Supper was constantly received 1. Cor. 16.2 unto which they never came emptie but according as God had increased their Goods the Communicants gave to the relief of the Poor And if you look into the ancient Liturgies you will find them generally taking notice of this Religious Custom And that this was intended by our own Church is concludible from her placing Texts to persuade to this sort of Charity and desiring God to accept our Alms and Oblations in the Communion-office Apol. 2. In Justin Martyr a Father of the second Age we read how the Christians brought forth some of the good Fruits of the Earth and offer'd them at Gods Table and the Bishop or in his absence the Presbyter received them as an Abel's Offering and blessed God for the Fruits of the Season
others and beget a discountenance in your self But there will be no ground left for this surmise when it is duely consider'd that the Person to whom you are thus to reveal your self is a pious and discreet Minister of Gods Word one who will be as faithful to conceal as you are to discover your infirmities and as ready to heal your sores as you are to rip them up one too who will be so far from insulting over your Weaknesses or thinking ill of you for discovering them that he will love and encourage your ingenuous and Christian dealing and restore you in the Spirit of meekness and help to set things at rights between God and your Soul But suppose the discovery of your Scruples should indeed turn to your shame which is the worst you can fear yet to abstain from doing it upon this account is to betray in you a less care of your Soul than of your Body For the foulest and most shameful Diseases of the Body you can without blushing lay open to your Physician and will you then be coy and squeamish to confess the sickness of your Soul of which your care ought to be infinitely greater than of your Body as no less excelling it than the heavenly Manna did the Earthen Pot that contained it So that neither fear of shame nor any thing else ought to keep you from using such means as any way tend to its Salvation LXXV And thus having with what brevity and plainness I was able run through the several Duties to be perform'd at your coming to the Communion and brought you as it were to the Rails of the Holy Table before I leave you I will take the freedom to mind you how you are there to carry your self Where two things are now required of you namely a Devout frame of Mind and a decent gesture of Body LXXVI As to that Devout frame of Mind required of you at the time of receiving it chiefly consists in thoughts of your own unworthiness of being a Guest at so Divine a Banquet And in order to raise in and to humble you under a due sense of this Unworthiness call to mind the sins you have committed since you were last at the Sacrament because you are now come again to repeat and renew that Covenant which thereby you have broken LXXVII Be attentive to the actions of the Minister and when you see him breaking the Bread and pouring out the Wine meditate How Christs Body was broken and his Blood shed upon the Cross And above all think with your self that it was your Sins that drove the Nails into his Hands and Feet and pierced his blessed Side with the Spear That it was your sins with the sins of others occasioned all his Sufferings the pains of his Body and Soul and that if he had not suffered once upon the Cross you had been tormented to everlasting Ages And upon these sober Thoughts you will even abhor your self and with indignation behold your cruel dealing with your Gracious Lord. Consider too how nothing but the Blood of Christ can cleanse your sins and that it doth not like Abel's speak for Vengeance but loudly calls for Mercy upon them who spilt it if they repent and reform and still draws down Blessing upon all who worthily receive it in the Sacrament Consider too how Christ by those Sufferings which are represented and commemorated in the Sacrament has made an Atonement for your sins appeased the Wrath and satisfi'd the Justice of God which you have provoked and incensed against your Soul And this will raise up your hopes and make you come with an humble and religious boldness to the Communion being assured God will not onely there seal unto you but put you in possession of the benefits of Christs Sufferings namely Reconciliation with God and Pardon of your Sins LXXVIII Let your Tongue and Heart joyn with the Minister in that excellent Prayer wherewith he delivers the Bread and Wine The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given c. The Bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed c. Lift up your Heart unto the Lord. Let your Thoughts be wholly set upon Christs death and its benefits for the remembrance of Christs death as it was one main end of the Institution so is it of your receiving of the Sacrament And look not upon the Bread and Wine being consecrate and blessed as ordinary things but as they are after a spiritual manner the Body and Bloud of Christ LXXIX And as these and the like considerations may serve to render your Soul devout so will they also make your Body humble For though Humility properly belongs to the Heart yet it cannot be outwardly expressed but by gestures of the Body And you are to manifest your Reverence at the Lords Supper by using such gestures as the custom of the place where you receive it account most decent humble and reverend Kneeling is the posture appointed by our National Church as fittest to signifie your humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ therein sealed to every worthy Receiver and for the avoiding of such profanation and disorder in the Holy Communion as might otherwise ensue LXXX If you look to the first Institution of the Sacrament you will find Christ employing therein such a singular care that nothing low or mean appears about it And in all times where Schism and Faction were excluded nothing but solemnity and expressions of greatest reverence appear'd at the receiving it But to proceed LXXXI Besides Humility and Reverence there is required of them who come to the Lords Supper a thankful remembrance of Christs death And this you cannot want when you reflect upon what he suffer'd for you both in credit and Body when he underwent the most painful and ignominious sort of dying and in those sharp and fearful Agonies of his Soul which forced him to cry out His God had forsaken him And seeing all this was to save you from perishing this must needs awaken you to an holy ambition of making your Thankfulness if possible as unspeakable as his Sufferings And how can you but praise and magnifie his Goodness who hath redeem'd you at so dear a rate especially when you come to the Sacrament to make solemn Commemoration of Gods mercies in sending his Son to die for you and appointing the Sacrament to be a continual Pledge of your Thankfulness for the same With Angels therefore and Arch-angels and all the Company of Heaven laud and magnifie his glorious Name praising him and saying Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high Thanksgiving or praising of God was the devout practice of the first Christians at the receiving of the Lords Supper Acts 2.46 47. And in after-Ages Thanksgiving was thought so necessary at its celebration that the Sacrament it self thence got the name of Eucharist A word though it be not found
sinful Body may be made clean by his Body and my Soul washed through his most precious Blood At the receiving of the Bread LOrd I am not worthy thaâ— thou shouldest come undeâ— my Roof but speak the Word and my Soul shall be healed Adding with the Priest THE Body of our Lord Jesuâ— Christ which was given foâ— me preserve my Body and Soâ— unto everlasting Life Amen At the receiving of the Cup. WHat Reward shall I give unto the Lord for all the Benefits that he hath done unto me I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. Adding with the Priest THE Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for me preserve my Body and Soul unto Everlasting Life Amen Immediately after your receiving of the Sacrament say OH my God thou art true and holy Oh my Soul thou art blessed and happy Oh the depth of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are his Judgments and his ways past finding out Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name which saveth thy Life from Destruction and feedeth thee with the Bread of Heaven Glory be to God on high and in Earth Peace good Will towards men I praise thee I worship thee O Lord and I magnifie thy Name for ever who hast vouchsafed to fill my Soul with Gladness and to feed me with the heavenly Mysteries of Christs sacred Body and Blood I humbly beseech thee that from henceforth I may walk in all good Works and serve thee in holiness and pureness of living to the Honour of thy Name Amen Meditations whilst others are Communicating HAppy are those Servants whom when their Lord cometh he shall find thus doing Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you If any one defile the Temple of God him will God destroy Behold thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing happen unto thee Be ye followers of God as dear Children and walk in love even as Christ loved us and gave himself an Offering and a Sacrifice of a sweet savour unto God for us As you go from before the Communion Table this Doxology TO thee O King eternal the immortal invisible and only wise God be all Honour and Glory now and for evermore Amen A Thanksgiving after the receiving of the Communion to be said at Home THou O my God hast comforted my Soul thou hast strengthned and refreshed me with thy Blessings and rejoyced my Heart with the tokens of thy Love O how sweet are thy comforts how ravishing are the Effects of thy Goodness toward them that fear thee Wonderfuâ— vouchsafement Thou hast treated a vile wretched Sinner at thâ— own Table and fed me with thâ— Bread that came down from Heaven Wherein am I better than those to whom thou dost not grant this Favour It is not it is not for my Merits but because thou wilt be glorified in doing good to the most unworthy thou hast this day made me a happy Example of this thy free Grace and Bounty Vouchsafe me this favour also O my God that through the whole course of my Life I may give thee Praise and Glory and that the due sense of thy Mercies may make me unfeignedly thankful and that my thankfulness may appear in my care to walk before thee in Holiness Sobriety and Righteousness all the days of my Life Amen FINIS Books Printed for W. Crooke at the Sign of the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar near Devereux Court HISTORY 1. AN Institution of general History or the History of the World being a compleat Body thereof in two Volumes by W. Howel late Chancellour of Lincoln in folio price 2 l. 10 s. 6 d. 2. Clelia the whole Work in five parts written in French now put into English in folio price 1 l. 5 s. 6 d. 3. Scarron's Comical Romance being an Historical account of a company of Stage-Players full of variety of Novels rare Adventures amorous Intreagues c. being both witty and pleasant in fol. price 6 s. 4. Popish Cruelties being an account of the Treasons of Dr. Parry against Qu. Elizabeth with his Confession of it at his Tryal and his Denial at his Execution Folio price 1 s. 5. The Life of Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury written by himself in Latin since translated into English in folio price 6 d. 6. 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A Discourse of the Dukedom of Modena containing the Original Antiquity c. of that Dukedom in 40. price 6 d. 10. The Travels of Vlysses how he went to Hell and came back again c. by Tho. Hobbs price 1 s. 11. The present state of London containing the Antiquity Fame Walls Rivers Gates Churches Bridge with the Customs and Infranchizements by J. Bridal Esq price 1 s. 12. The Life and Death of Mahomet being the first estate of Mahometism shewing all the Designs that that Impostor Mahomet had to carry on and settle the Turkish Religion Written by L. Addison D. D. and Dean of Lichfield price 1 s. 6 d. The Primitive Institution OR A Seasonable DISCOURSE OF CATECHIZING Wherein is shewn The ANTIQUITY BENEFITS and NECESSITY thereof TOGETHER With its Suitableness to heal the Present Distempers of this National CHURCH By LANCELOT ADDISON D. D. Dean of Litchfield The Second Edition LONDON Printed for William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar near Devereux-Court 1690. TO THE Right Reverend Father in God SETH Lord Bishop of SARUM My LORD YOur Name is here prefixed to the Ensuing Discourse neither for Charm nor Amuâ— to save it from the Rude and Censorious for it doth not at all â—gard what Entertainment it meets â—ith at such hands But it assumes â—is Honour upon the Account of â—s Author who having the Happiâ—ess to be one of your Diocesan Clergy thinks all he can perform in that Relation ought to be devoted to your Lordship as a sincere Testimony of his bounden acknowledging your Paternal