desires Col. 3.3 that my life may be hid with Christ in God that when Christ who is our life shall appear I may appear with him in Glory to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all Honour Praise Might Majesty Dominion and Obedience now and for evermore Amen General Prayers to be said at any time A Confession of Sins O Eternal God! Heb. 1.3 Thou art the Almighty Creator and wise disposer of all things Thou hast been very gracious unto me from my youth up until now Thou hast blessed me with every thing that is necessary for the instruction of my soul and for the support and pleasure of my life O what obligations hast thou laid upon me by thy particular Grace and favour towards me to serve thee all the days of my life with a perfect heart What then shall I say unto Thee O Thou that art the Judge of men How have I requited thee for all the benefits Thou hast done unto me I blush and am ashamed to appear before thee Ps 139.8 Amos 9.2 3 4. Ps 51.3 but I cannot fly from thy presence I will therefore acknowledge my transgressions and mine iniquities I will not hide How have I employed my childhood and youth in trifles How has my mind been filled and possess'd with vanity How impatient and yet how frivolous have I been in my desires how foolish in all mine actions How insensible of my duty to thy Sacred Majesty how cold in my Devotions how negligent of Instruction how indifferent to sober Counsels How have I preferred the profit the pomp and pleasures of the World before my duty to God my neighbour and my self O Lord I am very sensible that my sins are more in number than the hairs of my head more in weight than I am able to bear Mine only hope is in Thy mercy mine only refuge are Thy Gracious Promises of pardon and favour to repenting sinners through the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ our only Mediator and Redeemer Amen A Prayer for Pardon O Most Holy and Righteous God! I humbly prostrate my self before thy Glorious Majesty to acknowledge and bewail my many and grievous sins which I have committed against Thee Jam. 3. I do not know how often I have offended The sense of my miscarriages is very sharp upon my spirit and the apprehension of Thy just displeasure is very terrible But Thou hast invited all that travel Matt. 11 28. and are heavy laden to come unto Thee and hast promised to refresh them Thou hast laid help upon one that is mighty to save Ps 89.19 even the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the World â—â—h 1. He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows â—â—i 53. and on Him is laid the iniquities of us all Lord of thine infinite mercies wash away my sins in the blood of my dear Redeemer nail them to his Cross bury them in his Grave that they may never rise in Judgment against me to accuse and terrifie my Conscience here or condemn me to everlasting punishment in the life to come thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Resolution O Eternal God! I acknowledge and adore Thy Goodness towards me that Thou hast made me a reasonable Creature that I am not driven by necessity as other Beings are Gen. 1.26 but am created in the Image of God himself O how just and reasonable is it that we should glorifie our bountiful Creator with all the faculties which He has given us O God I bewail mine own defects of Duty towards Thee I have not improved mine opportunities of knowledge I have been contented to know but little and have practised less my mind has been employed and satisfied in trifling objects my will has followed after vanity and God has not been in all my thoughts Psal 10. But now O Lord I am very sensible of my folly as well as of my sin and I am resolved for the time to come Psal 119. to run the way of Thy Commandments when Thou shalt enlarge mine heart I do most sincerely and devoutly offer and present my self my soul and body Rom. 12. â— a lively reasonable sacrifice unto Thee I unfeignedly resolve that sin shall no more have dominion over me Rom. 6 1â— I will not yield my members instruments of unrighteousness to sin but I will yield my self to God Psal 96. â— I will endeavour to affect my mind with the beauty of holiness till I Love by thine affections chuse what Thou proposest believe what Thou revealest expect Thy promises and intirely resign my self to the obedience of thy Law Lord of thy Goodness accept mine offering have mercy and compassion upon me pity mine infirmities consider my Contrition accept my Repentance encourage my sincerity and restore me to Thy Grace and favour through Jesus Christ my Lord and only Saviour Amen An Act of Hope ALmighty and most merciful Father Thou art Infinite in all Perfections the Author and Fountain of all the scattered excellencies in the World â—m 1.16 as Thou art just to punish Wickedness 〈◊〉 145.9 so Thy Mercy is over all thy Works Thou remembrest that we are but men 〈◊〉 103.14 Thou considerest the various temptations to which we are exposed the weakness of our reason the violence of our passions the treachery of our hearts 〈◊〉 17.9 the infirmities of our Bodies and all the imperfections of our present state Thou art not therefore extreme to mark what we do amiss Thou art slow to anger full of compassion Exo. 34.4 and abundant in goodness and truth Ezek. 18.23 Thou hast no pleasure in the death of him that dies but if at any time the wicked will turn away from his sins and do that which is lawful and right Thou hast promised that he shall surely live he shall not die that iniquity shall not be his ruine Thou O blessed Jesus Eph. 1.14 Heb. 9.12 2 Pet. 2 1â— 1 Cor. 6.20 1 Joh. 1. â— Heb. 7 2â— hast purchased pardon and redemption for us at the price of Thy precious blood Thou art the propitiation for our sins our Advocate and only Mediator who art able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by Thee seeing Thou ever livest to make intercession for us I know O Lord that never a word shall fail that Thou hast spoken 1 King â— 56 and therefore I will never add the sin of distrust to the number of mine offences but I will always worship before my God with the most honourable thoughts the most worthy apprehensions I can conceive or frame Lord make me truly penitent for what is past perfect in the purposes of mine heart sincere in the professions of my Tongue and diligent to live thereafter for the time to come and then I will humbly hope in the promises of thy Gospel and serve thee without fear â—uk 1.74 O blessed God
do with me whatsoever pleases Thee Though Thou shouldst slay me yet will I trust in Thee I throw my self into the Arms of Thy mercy beseeching Thee to lay no more upon me than Thou shalt enable me to bear 1 Cor. 10.13 and all I beg upon the alone Account of the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ my Lord and only Saviour Amen A Prayer for Protection with Thanksgiving O Eternal God! Thou art the Almighty Father of the world I was created by thy Power and am preserved by thy Wisdom and Goodness I am truly sensible of Thy particular Grace and favour towards me in all the periods and states of life thro' which I have passed * Mention here the particular blessings of your condition whether in pious Parents or in hopeful Children prosperous estate faithful friends bountiful benefactors good busband discreet or virtuoâ— wife c. O blessed God affect my mind as it ought to be with a sense of thy bounty and beneficence that I may rely upon Thy Providence for the time to come that I may be wholly resign'd to Thy most blessed Will and fully satisfied under all Thy dispensations towards me Endue me O Lord with all those gifts and graces that may enable me to acquit my self as I ought to do in all the conditions of life which thou shalt be pleased to call me to open mine understanding rectifie mine errors quicken my diligence strengthen my faith and with my capacities inlarge my Charity that Thou mayst still continue to be gracious to me to direct my Counsel to preserve my health to guide my hand and to bless me in all my ways and works thro' Jesus Christ our Lord in whose most holy name and words I conclude mine imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. THE END Matth. xxii 37 38 39. Jesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind This is the first and great Commandment And the second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self THE Immortality of the Soul and a future state of Bliss or Misery according as our actions in the flesh have been good or evil are the common Notions the indeleble Opinions the universal expectation of Mankind And therefore a distinct and perfect knowledge of Religion or of such an Institution of Faith and Manners as will certainly be accepted of God procure his favour here and everlasting blessedness in the Life to come is a matter of the highest concernment to us No reasonable Man that believes a future Judgment with the consequent Rewards and Punishments can find any peace or contentment in his Mind till by a clear understanding of his duty and a firm resolution to fulfil it he has founded to himself a rational hope of a happy life in the other World But though the thing it self has been always steddily believed yet a consistent regular account of this future Life was never stated nor the methods by which it might certainly be obtained which so much concerns us discovered to the World till the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel appeared to give us the knowledge of Salvation Even the Jews had no distinct and clear conception of the Life to come The opinions of the Pharisees themselves concerning it who were the most zealous assertors of it were very absurd and sensual insomuch that Josephus compares the heaven of the Phanisees to that of the Greeks who dream'd of fortunate Islands replenished with all imaginable delights of the Body quick and more curious appetites and more perfect objects of satisfaction But by the Ministry of our Blessed Saviour Life and Immortality are brought to light proposed intelligibly and asserted with Divine Authority Hence the Pharisees having heard of the Wisdom of our Saviour that he had put the Sadducees to silence cleared the Doctrine of the Resurrection and was able to answer all the doubts and questions concerning the life to come sent a Lawyer from amongst themselves V. 35. to make an experiment of his Judgment who enquires of our Saviour under the style of Master Which is the great Commandment Jesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy self The Text is a general Account of the way and method whereby we may attain everlasting life of such a conversation and course of action here as will procure to us everlasting blessedness in the world to come And all the Duties Qualities and Habits which are required of us as conditions of Eternal life are comprehended by our Saviour under these Two Heads The first respects our duty towards God Thou shalt love the Lord thy God c. The second respects our duty towards our Neighbour Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self I begin with the first of these which respects our Duty towards God Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind This is the first and great Commandment And in the handling of this copious Argument I shall confine my thoughts to this following Method First I shall explain the terms and give you a more general account of the nature of the duty and the Principles into which it is resolved Secondly I shall consider the particular parts the necessary acts and exercises of Love to God First With all the Heart and with all the Soul And Secondly With all the Mind Thirdly I shall consider upon what Accounts the Love of God with all the Heart and with all the Soul and with all the Mind may be said to be the First and Great Commandment Fourthly I shall perswade and encourage you to the practice of this duty and the pursuit of this habit of Love to God by several motives couched and implied in this one word Thou shalt love the Lord thy God Fifthly and Lastly I shall make Application of the whole I begin with the first of these the Explication of the terms and the consideration of the nature of the duty in the general and the Principles into which it is resolved Thou shalt love the Lord thy God To Love is to take delight and pleasure in the Object with a desire of such an enjoyment of it as the nature of the thing will bear and Reason will permit and the causes or reasons of such Delight and Desire are only two however various the objects about which they are exercised may be namely an opinion of personal excellency in the object it self or a sense of kindness or benefits received from it These are the onely Principles of Love these are the onely causes of all the delight and desire in the world that is voluntary and chosen Persons 't is true may be and very frequently are mistaken in their apprehensions of beauty and goodness whereby this best and most
corrupt affections from every evil habit that is contrary to his Holy nature to his most pure and righteous Law that you may serve and worship him with some degrees of knowledge and with a sincere and perfect heart then you may assure your self that you are worthy to receive that your Devotion will be accepted and your Offering rewarded that you shall have Grace and assistance from above to grow better and better till you come to be perfect in Christ Jesus The sum of all is this the Minister by the command and in the name of God exhibits and offers the blessings of the Gospel to the Communicants and they by receiving the outward signs thereof profess themselves the Disciples of our Lord that they believe his Doctrine trust in his Mediation hope in his Promises and are resolved to live according to his Laws He then who is sincere in these his professions and resolutions receives worthily and he who presents himself in such a solemn manner at the Holy Sacrament making and being understood to make profession of his Christian Faith and a solemn dedication of himself to the obedience thereof for ever when at the same time he neither understands it regards it or designs to practise it is an Hypocrite a Prophaner 1 Cor. â— 27 a Blasphemer of God and therefore eats and drinks damnation to himself incurs the high displeasure of God and may therefore expect that the Judgments of God should follow him For for this cause many are sick and weak among you and many are fallen asleep as S. Paul interprets the damnation spoken of before v. 30. Par. Sir I thank you with all mine heart and if I be not too tedious to you give me leave to ask you one question more before I go Min. Pray ask me what you will for I assure you I am mightily pleas'd to find you so inquisitive Par. What is the reason then since as I understand by you a disposition to every Christian Grace is requisite in a worthy Communicant that the Rubrick â—re the â—â—munâ—ice and all Divines insist in a particular manner upon Love and Charity reconciling and being reconciled to our enemies Min. It is well observed they do so yet not as exclusive of any other duties But indeed there is all the reason in the world to remind our Communicants in a more particular manner of the duties of Love and universal Charity First Because the Religion of our Blessed Saviour which we here so solemnly profess is founded in Love and Mercy in the most perfect and ineffable goodness which moved Almighty God by the mediation of our Blessed Saviour to offer easie terms of Pardon Peace assistance and eternal Life to all that should embrace them 1 Joh. â— 10 Joh. 3 1â— Rom. 5. â— For He loved us when we were yet his enemies and sent his only begotten son into the world that whosoever would but believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life And therefore malice hatred envy and evil will are dispositions radically contrary to Christianity such as render us utterly unfit to have any thing to do with the solemn rites of this Religion Moreover secondly The Religion it self that Christian Law which we here profess to embrace and resolve to practise is a Law of Love Universal Charity is the principle and life of our Religion which influences the whole and mingles it self with every part thereof insomuch that it is distinguished and describ'd by this single Grace of Love â—om 13.9 â—al 5.14 â—att 22 â—9 â— Joh. 3.9.23 For love is the fulfilling of the law saith S. Paul And Hereby sayes S. John speaking of Love we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him And this is his commandment that we believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us Commandment So that all our professions of Faith and Obedience at the Holy Table are a prophanation of the name of God and wholly ineffectual to us so long as the temper of our minds and the dispositions of our Souls are contrary to the Religion we profess For unless Christ be in us Cor. 13. says S. Paul that is the Spirit of Christ the Goodness Love Meekness Compassion Patience Forbearance Condescension of Him and his Religion We are reprobates Malice indeed is an indication of a Diabolick Nature of a mind throughly vicious and degenerate It is a temper wholly inconsistent with a true principle of Christianity For in this the children of God are manifest 1 Joh. 3 10. and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother Again There is a particular fitness and congruity in forgiving injuries and reconciling enemies to the tenor and intention of the Holy Sacrament God is there exhibited as willing to be reconciled to repenting sinners He there renews and revives his Covenant of Grace and Mercy to us Does not reason then that is to say the Law of our Nature and the eternal immutable Law of reasonable Beings require of us that we in our capacity should do the same How can we expect that from another which in the change of circumstances we are not willing to do Therefore Matt. 7.12 if thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest 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 Which words though they are spoken by our Saviour with immediate respect to the Peace-Offerings for the Atonement of sins yet the reason holds in all our addresses to God for pardon and has been generally applied by Divines to the Holy Sacrament Here in especial manner we pray for and expect his Mercy But is it reasonable to hope for such a favour at the hands of God unless we are willing to give satisfaction to our power for the injuries we have done to others and are ready to forgive offences against our selves Our very nature will rebuke such a vain presumption And our Saviour has expresly taught us in the Parable of the Lord and his steward that a readiness to forgive our enemies is indispensably necessary in order to the pardon of our own miscarriages The Lord forgave his steward a vast debt but he forgetting the goodness of his Lord to him sues and seizes his debtors and fellow servants for trivial sums Wherefore his Lord was wroth Matt. 18. ult and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him So likewise says our Saviour shall my heavenly father do to you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses Nay he has taught us to acknowledge the reasonableness of it in our daily prayer Matt. 6. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us He
and Virtue which are the indispensable conditions of our acceptance We may prevent our growth in Grace by thinking our selves unfit to use the means thereof An hearty desire of perfection with such endeavours Improvements Devotions and preparations as our capacity and opportunity will permit intitle us to the use and to the benefits of the Holy Sacraments For how could they be said to be the means of Grace if none but persons already vested with it in great degrees were allowed to use them So that the sincere though imperfect Christian at the present has a particular propriety in the Holy Sacrament because they are appointed of God to be the means of obtaining that which these especially want For I am not come Matt. 9.12 13. says our Saviour to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And again The whole need not a Physician but the sick Not that there are any so righteous as not to need Repentance or so whole as not to need a Physician but the more confirmed and establisht Men are in a course of Obedience to God the more they are under the power of Religion and the longer they have so continued These comparatively speaking have the less occasion to use the means I say not this to encourage carelesness or indifference in the worship of God in any God knows the frailties of the best are so great and so many that there is little fear of diverting a good Man from the worship of God because of the comfort and support he feels therein and the great necessity in this state of uncertainty and war that he finds thereof But since our Saviour allows it I would by His own similitudes expel and dissipate all fatal scruples out of the minds of the sincere though young Beginners in Religion Par. Sir I thank you for your pains and I hope they are not ill bestowed by the Grace of God you shall see the good effect thereof in a little time Min. Ay that is the end of all I pray God confirm your Resolutions and be sure you let me see you as often as you can that I may explain or enlarge upon any Article of our Discourse or refresh your Memory as occasion may require THE END Proper Prayers suited to the foregoing Account of the Holy Sacrament A Preparatory Prayer OAlmighty God! although thy Councils are unsearchable Rom. 11.33 and thy ways past finding out tho' neither I nor the Angels of thy presence shall ever comprehend the mystery of Man's Redemption thro' Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.12 yet it is enough for me that thus it is revealed and therefore I believe with all mine heart I adore the mystery and resolve my hope and trust into the merits of the Cross I will now and ever implore thy Pardon Grace and Assistance for His sake alone whose Body was broken and whose Blood was shed for the Remission of my sins mine only Saviour and Redeemer And O that I might meet my Lord this day in the appointed Signs and Sacrament of his Passion with an heart as sted fast in the Faith as if I had seen his Miracles as full of Love as if I had been healed of my diseases by his Power as full of Joy as if Himself had said unto me Be of good chear thy sins are all forgiven Matt. 9.2 as constant in my Resolutions against all Impiety and sin as if I had seen my Lord in his Agony and heard Him say My God my God why hast Thou forsaken me Matt. 27.46 O Lord encourage my sincere desires and enable me to perform the intended duties with these and all such holy dispositions as Thou requirest of me assist my weakness by thy power support and strengthen all those Graces which Thou hast begun and perfect them at last in habits of Obedience Love and Praise through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A short Ejaculation upon the receiving of the Bread O Lord I am a sinful man Matt. 8.8 not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof O cleanse my soul from all impurity and filth make me fit to receive so glorious a guest and then abide and dwell in me for ever thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A short Ejaculation upon receiving of the Cup. Lord Mar. 9.24 I believe help thou mine unbelief that the Bread which I eat and the Wine which I drink thus blessed and given by thy Command may be indeed the Body and Blood of Christ to me the Seal of my Pardon and the earnest of Eternal life thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer to be said immediately after you have received the Elements O Most merciful God and Father How wonderful is Thy love to me a wretched sinner that Thou now vouchsafest to receive me as a guest to thine own Table and hast fed me with the Bread of Heaven Joh. 6.55 That thou shouldst make an offer of peace and reconciliation to me That Thou shouldst never be weary of shewing mercy That the blood of our Saviour should be salutary still and exhibited for ever to the relief of all that are willing to be healed Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him Psal 8.4 or the Son of Man that Thou so regardest him O make me worthy of this inestimable blessing purifie my thoughts rectifie my will sanctifie mine affections strengthen my resolutions that I may go on from one degree of grace unto another Col. 1.28 Mat. 25.23 till I come to be perfect in Christ Jesus that I may improve my Talent and be the better sensible for every Sacrament I receive till my Faith shall at last be perfected in Vision and the Communion of thy Body and Blood shall be finally resolved into the full enjoyment of thine Eternal Deity O Blessed Jesus Amen A Prayer to be said in your Closet after your return from the Holy Communion O Eternal God! Ps 7.9 Rev. 2.23 Ps 51.6 That searchest the hearts and triest the reins of men Thou that requirest truth in the inner parts O purge my soul from all Hypocrisie and guile that I may now and always serve thee with that sincerity and purity as I ought to do O Lord I hope my inward self my very soul and heart did indite the Praises Prayers and Vows of my Tongue this day before thee O thou that remembrest whereof we are made Ps 103 14. and considerest that we are but men Heb 4.15 O Thou our great High Priest who art touched with the feeling of our infirmities accept of my good intentions and forgive the coldness of my Devotions and the remisness of my mind the wandring of my thoughts and the many imperfections of this and of all mine Holy things and O Lord I beseech thee continue upon my soul that Holy disposition that Religious sense which by thy Grace I have been affected with this day that I may be united to thy self in the same affections and