our offences if we do not from our hearts forgive our brother his Our hearts must be perfectly cleared of all the leaven of malice before we can as we ought keep this Feast CHAP. XII I Come now to shew how we must behave our selves after we have been partakers of this Table of our Lord. And that I shall do in the following Severals 1. Let us out of gratitude for so great a favour from Gods hands shew mercy to the poor This the Jews did upon a festival Jom Toff c. 1 and they give particular rules about it It well becomes us when God hath vouchsafed to entertain us at his Table to entertain the poor at ours We can make no amends to God for his mercy to us but yet we may shew our gratitude by shewing mercy to our poor brethren who bear his image God hath substituted them to receive our grateful acknowledgements This we shall cheerfully do if we have upon our minds a lively sense of the mercies of God to us and of our unworthiness of the least of them We read to this purpose what the first Christians did That they brake their bread i. e. received the Lords Supper from house to house and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart or liberality praising God and having favour with all the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Dr. Hammond in loc or as it hath been thought those words do import exercising mercy and shewing kindness to those that wanted We shall do well to imitate this example and when God shews us so much mercy let us not be without compassion to one another For verily if our hearts be hardened against our poor brother we have great reason to think our selves void of the love of God 2. Let us use an after examination Let us presently reflect and consider what was amiss in us when we were waiting upon our Lord and humble our selves for it forthwith Otherwise it is to be feared we shall soon relapse to our wonts and be so far from being better that we shall be much worse If we do not rebuke our selves quickly we shall soon return to our vain Conversation again 3. Let us by all means sequester our selves from our worldly divertisements and concerns and employ our time in prayer and praises It is very advisable that we should be alone that we should for some time separate our selves from our worldly employments and spend our time in our private devotions Our Saviour after he had kept this Supper with his Disciples and sung an Hymn or Psalm of Praise after it with-draws from his Disciples and betakes himself to prayer unto God And this he does three several times The world will be very ready to thrust in upon us and to make us forget our vows and good resolutions we shall be in great danger if we be not very cautelous And therefore we must pertinaciously resolve to watch over our hearts and when our Souls are clean we must be greatly careful that we be not defiled again We must do here as Physicians advise us to do when we use their prescriptions we must also take care that we use them cum regimine we must not take cold nor commit any other error which will make their rules become ineffectual When our house is swept and garnished we must take care that an unclean Spirit do not re-enter lest our latter end be worse than our be ginning 4. Let us be very careful that we do not relapse and fall back into an evil course of life Certain it is that it stands us in hand to use our utmost care to this purpose We must do as the Spouse did when she had found him whom her Soul loved she held him and would not let him go Cant. 3.4 We must not only receive our Lord Jesus but we must also walk in him We must for the time to come devote our selves to the service of our Lord. We must set our selves upon the obedience of all his precepts and upon the mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections We must inure our selves to the works of Religion and the labours of a pious life We must use our selves to bear the Cross to forgive injuries to bridle our anger to cross our carnal desires and appetites and contradict the cravings of the Animal life If we presently return to our sins again we shew that we have but played the part of hypocrites and dissemblers and shall pay dear for our hypocrisie Our condition will be very sad if we now return to our vomit Let us therefore renew our purposes of a new life and be greatly careful that we return no more to folly We may reason thus with our selves when we are retired into our Closets I have now once more renewed my Covenant with God I have promised him solemnly that I will be his servant I have to bind my self the faster taken the body and blood of my Lord. I am now fast bound to be constant and faithful to him Sure I am that God with whom I have had to do is a God that will not be mocked I may deceive others him I cannot deceive What a wretched creature shall I be if I should now prove false What cords will hold me if I break this How can I think that God will ever trust me or how can I ever trust my self if I now relapse The blood of Christ will call for vengeance against me if I now run on in my former courses My sins were great before but now they will be aggravated Wo is me if I now run on in my excess of folly Shall I suffer any corrupt speech to proceed out of that mouth which hath received my Lord Shall I abuse my body to intemperance which my Lord hath entered into How shall I ever look my Lord in the face if I should now betray him or deny him Good God look upon thy servant and whatever plagues I meet with in this world suffer me not to forsake thee Have pity upon me O God and let me not start aside from thy precepts Let me die rather than I should deny thee Suffer me not so far to dishonour thy name and wrong my own Soul Let thy grace be sufficient for me do thou give me power that I may keep thy statutes at all times Thus may we reason with our selves when we come to our Closets after we have received the Body and Blood of our Lord. And we shall find it very needful to awaken our selves to a new obedience as we would avoid the greatest indignation of Heaven For certain it is if we willfully return to our follies again we shall bring great wrath upon our selves And though perhaps we may not be punished with sickness and sudden death as the Corinthians were for the abuse of this Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.30 yet are there more dismal plagues than these which will overtake us such are hardness of heart blindness of mind
are about We had need use our utmost care that we may attend upon God without distraction else will our hearts before we are aware slide into vain or impertinent entertainments And when they are once let loose we shall not so very easily recollect them and bring them back They will soon run into the ends of the earth and if we be not watchful and resolute they will leave nothing but our bodies for so great a service as this Our hearts are treacherous and our thoughts are like the servant of the Prophet who secretly run after the Syrian for a talent of Silver and two changes of raiment without the leave of his master and if we call them not in they 'l contract a more dismal leprosie than that servant did We cannot let them gad abroad without a great loss at such a time as this We may be assured they will fare as Dinah did they will return defiled home And therefore let us be sure to set a strict watch upon our selves lest our spiritual enemies steal away our hearts at such a time as this Let us lift them up to God and there let them be kept whiles we worship his holy name 2. When you approach to the Table of the Lord endeavour to raise up your heart to the greatest thankfulness to Almighty God for his undeserved love to thee O consider how gracious thy Lord is unto thee a wretched sinner That he should not only give thee his Son to die but also give thee his flesh to eat Not only receive thee to pardon but also entertain thee at his own Table as his guest and friend Say within thy self Lord what am I that thou shouldest not only shew me pity but do me so great a favour to receive me as thy friend What a love is this that thou art pleased to shew to my Soul when there are so many that have not heard of these thy mercies so many that have foregone them I may well wonder that thy mercy lets me live that I have bread to eat or thy air to breathe in and yet thou art pleased to give me Angels food and to feed me with bread from Heaven I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies but then this miracle of love may well overwhelm me Who has ever heard of such a love of so great a condescension Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Let me never forget so great a mercy never be ungrateful after such a condescension of Heaven What shall I render unto the Lord for such an unspeakable love as this that he should spread me a Table and fill my Cup who am unworthy of the crumbs that fall from his Table Oh the height and depth the length and breadth of this love which passeth knowledge It well becomes us thus to raise up our hearts to all thankfulness to God when we do approach to this Feast For we do here commemorate the greatest mercy that was ever shewed to Mankind And it requires of us the greatest praise and thanksgiving This is a service of praise and therefore it is called the Eucharist And certainly if we think our selves obliged to commemorate our Benefactors and Friends which we frequently do we must think our selves much more obliged with all thankfulness to remember the love of our dearest Lord who dyed that we might live 3. VVhen we see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out let us meditate at once upon the Passion of our Lord and the hainous nature of our sins that put him to that pain Think you saw your dearest Saviour hang upon the Cross that you were eye-witnesses of the shame and sorrow that he underwent O think you saw the blood that he shed running down his Body that you saw the Spear and the Nails that pierced his Hands his Feet and Side Call to mind the Agony that he was in the sorrowes that he underwent Have some pity and regard to thy bleeding Lord pass not by but see and behold that there is no sorrow like to his sorrow Thy heart is very hard sure if thou dost not now relent Thou art very devoid of pity if thou hast no compassion for thy bleeding Lord. But then remember what it was that brought upon him all this sorrow and shame that thou seest him in Not any fault of his own but thy sins were the cause of it They nailed him to his Cross they pierced his Side they Crowned him with Thorns and gave him Gall and Vinegar to drink they did him the despight and the affronts which he endured They were the Judas the Pilate the false Witnesses the chief Priests that contrived and accomplished his sorrowes 'T was thy Covetousness that betraid him thy unbelief and wickedness that brought him to his Cross and caused him to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Raise up then a great indignation against thy sins as thou hast any love or pity for thy dying Lord. Say thus to thine own heart Shall I not be ashamed of those sins which put my Lord to so much shame shall I not mourn for those sins which put him to so much pain may not they well break my heart which have so deeply wounded and pierced my blessed Saviour If he dyed for sin well may I be ashamed to live in it If my sins made him cry out and bow the head how shall I then give them any entertainment Well may they be heavy on me which were so great a burden to my Lord. How have I made a sport of that vile wretch as I am which made my Saviour sweat drops of blood Did my Saviour suffer such pains that he might destroy sin and have not I harboured it I have taken part with the most implacable enemies of my dying Lord. Alass I have not considered the sorrowes of my Saviour but like a vile wretch I have Crucified him afresh I have trampled on his Blood and done him open despight and shame Methinks I see him hang on the Cross and methinks I hear him cry out to me and bid me see whether there were ever such a sorrow and also that I should not be ungrateful to forget his love What an hard heart have I had that have had no more regard to him Oh that mine eyes were a fountain of tears that I might mourn for my sins that have Crucified my Lord. Sure my heart is very hard if I do not mourn now for mine iniquities when I behold my bleeding and dying Saviour I have tears for other things have I none for my sins none for my Lord I have sometimes wept when I have thought of a dying Friend Have I no tears for my dying Saviour who dies that I may live O my God smite this rocky heart of mine that I may weep when I look upon him whom I have Crucified Look upon me my Lord as thou didst once upon thy Disciple who denied thee
every evil way and purifie my self as thou art pure Keep me O Lord for the time to come from every thing that is hurtful to me and displeasing to thee From the excesses both of care and fear from snares and great perplexities from carnal desires and brutish inclinations from covetousness and hatred from envy and pride from vanity and dissimulation murmuring and discontent And make me stedfast in justice and charity in humility and meekness in purity of heart and heavenly mindedness and sincere devotion And to these Holy ends vouch safe me the presence of thy Spirit and power of thy grace and endue me with heavenly Wisdom and all this I beg for the sake and in the Mediation of Jesus Christ Our Father which art c. Ejaculations to be used at the Lords Supper THE Lord hath done great things for me whereof I am glad If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life At the Receiving of the Bread THou hast said O Blessed Jesus I am the living Bread which came down from heaven If any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever Be it unto thy Servant according to thy Word in which thou hast caused me to trust Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my Life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us ward They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred I am thine O Lord I devote my self to thee O save thy Servant who trusteth in thee I have enclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even unto the end Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandments of my God At the Receiving of the Cup. O Blessed Saviour let thy Blood purge my Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood I will not henceforth live unto my self but unto him who dyed for me and rose again Blessed be the Lord my God who only doeth wondrous things And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole Earth be filled with his Glory Amen and Amen After Receiving BLessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead To an inheritance uncorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Perfect that which concerneth me and forsake not the work of thine own hands I intreat thy favour with my whole heart Be merciful unto me according to thy word I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous Judgements O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not A Prayer after the Receiving the Sacrament BLessed be thy glorious name O Lord for all thy unspeakable mercies to me and to all the World I adore and magnifie thee for thy great goodness in giving thy Son to dye for me and making me partaker of his most pretious Body and Blood O Lord what is man that thou thus regardest him And what am I a vile and wretched sinner that thou shouldst be thus favourable to me Thou hast been pleased to admit me to renew that Covenant with thee which I had broken and to give me assurance of thy readiness to pardon so vile and great a sinner as I have been I have received the pledges of thy love and been admitted to thy holy Table I have there devoted my self again unto thee my Soul and Body all my powers and faculties I have vowed obedience to thee and after the most solemn manner consecrated my self to thy service Thou art a God that knowest the heart and art not to be mocked I tremble when I consider thy infinite power wisdom and holiness Let these thoughts beget in my Soul a great fear of thy Holy name a great care to do thy will Grant I may not for the future turn the grace of thee my God into wantonness and that I may not receive the Grace of God in vain There is nothing hid from thee Thou knowest my weakness and infirmities and the temptations with which I am assaulted and to which I have too often yielded I am surrounded with snares and my spiritual Enemies are powerful and active O Lord help thy Servant and grant that I may both resist and vanquish them by the aid of thy Holy Spirit Keep the possession of my Soul which I have unfeignedly surrendred up unto thee Unite my heart O Lord to fear thy name and grant that I may spend the remainder of my time in obedience to thee and in acts of Charity to my brethren Create a clean heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me Forsake me not O Lord if thou leave me I perish Guide me by thy Counsel and at last receive me to thy glory I do greatly desire the Salvation of mankind and humbly commend to thee this Church and Kingdom the Kings Majesty and all our Superiors in Church and State humbly intreating thee to direct and guide them all into those holy wayes that are pleasing to thee and beneficial to those who are under their charge and influence And work in the minds of all Christians an unfeigned Charity a peaceable temper patience and exemplary meekness and all the other fruits of thy Holy Spirit And grant me thy heavenly grace that I may so use things temporal that I may not miss of thy Eternal Bliss for the sake of Jesus Christ my onely Mediator and Advocate Amen A Morning Prayer for a Family O Almighty and Eternal Lord God the great Creator of Heaven and Earth and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ look down from Heaven with pity and compassion upon thy servants who humbly cast ourselves down before thee in a great sense of thy mercies and our own misery There is an infinite distance between Thy Glorious