Mercies by endeavouring to out-vye them with my Sins what can I expect but to find a Judgment worthy of God such an irreversible ruine as might render me an astonishing instance of thy severity to the whole Earth Thou hast attested thy self to be indeed a Father of Mercies and yet I who enjoy the benefit of them neither consider them as Blessings nor thee as a God but Atheistically defie that providence by which I subsist Thou givest me a time for Repentance but I 'm unwilling to throw off this Bondage of Sin and think it a hardship to submit to that Yoak whieh is easie and delightful and if I cou'd stifle the Terrors of my Conscience wou'd glady proclaim Licence to my Lusts These are the base returns I have made thus have I requited the Lord and incur'd his Displeasure yet I am fearless of his Wrath and can't repent me of my ways nor consider the Evil I have done Surely my Heart is heardned and I am nigh unto Cursing O Lord what can I plead to avert the sentence who am as far from Penitence as Innocence How can I pray against that Vengeance which I make it my business to pull down if thou O Lord shou'dst spare me what wou'd it avail if it serve but to set me at a greater Hostillity with thee O merciful Saviour who gavest thy self a ransom for Sinners look again with compassionate Eyes on me who needs now a second Redemption even a rescue from my self Lord thou seest the miserable state to which I am reduced Where is thy Pitty and the sounding of thy Bowels towards the Afflicted Oh! bow thy Heaven and come down hear the Prayer of a distressed Sinner deliver me from that misery I have involved my self put thy Laws a new into my Heart and write them in my Mind O blessed Mediator who prayedst for thy Crucifiers interceed also for me who have under the name of a Disciple crucified thee afresh and tho' I have nothing to say for my self cannot pretend that I knew not what I did yet let thy Stripes and Wounds thy Cross and Passion plead for me Oh! let thy Blessed Spirit breath again upon me that even these dry Bones may live in thy sight Let him so effectually convince and reprove illuminate and excite me that I may cleanse my self from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit walk worthy of the holy Vocation whereto I am called and evidence my relation to the Prince of Peace Oh that my ways were thus direct but alas how little Disposition have I towards it This change must be only the work of that mighty Power which is able to subdue all things to it self and yet O Lord with what face can I beg of thee to force me to that happiness which I still resolve to resist What can I say to thee O thou preserver thou redeemer of men who have put my self beyond all the ordinary means of thy grace I can only lay my self at thy Feet display my misery and leave thee to consider thine own compassion Oh let that move thee to do for me whatever my wretched state is in need off O Lord Hear O Lord forgive consider and do it for thy name sake Thou art Jesus a Saviour save thy servant from his sin and let me not slide back by a perpetual backsliding Oh abandon not thy poor creature Lord carest thou not that I perish Turn thee again O Lord sanctifie and cleanse me for I am exceeding sinfull create a new Spirit within me melt my obdurate heart into contrition and if it cannot be done without the rigour of thy Laws Lord do that or any thing with me so that I may become a Vessel of honour meet for thy Service But O Lord if thy gentler method may have any effect be pleased to continue thy Long-suffering and though I have no pretence to mercy yet do thou assert thine own work be merciful because thou hast been so dispence to me whatever thou seest most apt to reduce me and that thy outward applications may be no longer in vain enforce and enliven them with thy free Spirit subdue my obstinate perversness and give me at last such Grace as I may not turn into wantonness Oh thou to whom all things are possible who hast been so merciful to me work again greater miracles in me and of a prophane ungrateful wretch make me a penitent and obedient servant that I may study as much to please as I have to provoke thee by a continuance in well doing may obtain the Crown which thou hast laid up for those that serve thee and possess eternal joys in the Kingdom of thy Father which thou O blessed Jesus hast purchased with thy blood and sealed by thy Spirit To which blessed Trinity be ascribed all praise honour Glory now and to eternity Amen O Lord God I am Ashamed and Blush to lift up my Face to thee for my iniquities are increased over my Head and my Trespasses grown up unto Heaven O my Soul what Fruit have I reapt from all the pleasures of Sin but Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Lord I am ashamed of my own Folly Madness and Disingenuity when I call to mind how greedily I have sucked in my own Pollution how treacherously I have betrayed my own Soul to Temptations and combined with the Devils to hasten and increase my own Damnation how obstinately I have fled from thee when thy Mercy persued me with promises of Pardon how unworthily I have abused thy Goodness and Forbearance and Long-sufferings which should have led me to Repentance Son of David Blessed Redeemer Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have Mercy upon me O Jesu be a Jesus unto me Thou that sparedst thy Servant Peter that denied thee thrice thou that didst cast seven Devils out of Mary Magdalen and forgavist the Woman taken in Adultery and didst bear the convert Thief from the Cross to the joys of Paradise have Mercy upon me also Though my Offences are greater than these yet not their Sins nor mine nor the Sins of the whole World can equal thy Glorious Mercy which is Infinite and Eternal as thy Self I acknowledge O Lord that I am Vile but yet redeemed with thy precious Blood thou O Lord lovest to shew Mercy behold then a fit Object for thy pitty My sins are so great and many that to forgive me will be a glorious act of mercy Dispise me not O Lord for I am thy Creature dispise me not for thou didst die for me cast me not away in thine Anger for thou camest to seek and save me Say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation let thy Holy Spirit lead me from the Error of my ways into the paths of Righteousness to great degrees of Repentance and thro' all the parts of a Holy Life to a Godly and Holy Death Grant this O Blessed Jesu for thy Mercies and for thy pitty sake Amen Most merciful and indulgent Jesus hear the
inhumanly defile his Face with Spittle After the Horrid Pomp of this Solemnity was over they divested him of this Dignity and proceeded to treat him like a Slave and that his Death might appear more dreadful they usher it in with all its Terrors with Stripes and Scourges and all the Torments their malice could Inflict Thus bruised and wounded with the weight of our Transgression he ascends the last steps of his Passion and without the least Reluctance stretches out his Arms to be fix'd on the most painful instrument of Death where O my Soul behold the Son of Man lifted up O dearest God who wast Wounded Despised Crucified and Crowned with Thorns and for my sins wert Nailed to the Cross I beseech thee by the Merits of them all O sweetest Jesus to pardon my Offences His Death was now a hastning on and their Diversion near to a Conclusion they were resolved to make the best use of their time and make their ingratitude last as long as his life they rail on Him treat him with all the marks of Infamy and continue their Revilings to his dying Minute Their Madness Folly and Aggrevations reached Heaven put the World into disorder and turned the Day into Night but could not move his Soul he saw their Madness felt the weight of their Offences and only prayed for their Forgiveness he pittied their Misery and when they endeavor'd to pull the Vengenace of his Blood upon their Heads he was sheding it as Sacrifice for their Wickedness But when the Majesty of Heaven grew Angry and exerted his Fury and laid on him the iniquities of us all he trembled at his Wrath cou'd not bear the direction of the Deity and groan'd away his Soul when God with-drew his presence from his support yet neither the Frowns of his angry Father nor the Rage of Men or Devils could make him sink till all was fullfil'd which the Scriptures spake concerning him when that was finish'd he only tarried to recommend his Mother to the pious care of his beloved Disciple bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost O crucified Jesus let thy Blood wash my Scul I am not ashamed of thy Cross but adore thee in thy Passion and acknowledge thee to be God Let us now turn the Scene and think how we have offended this God and lived in a continual Rebellion and then of what punishment ought we to be thought worthy who have Slighted Contemned and abused such infinite Mercy Who have returned the Love of God with the basest ingratitude and had no other reason for our Wickedness but that God was Good What an inconceivable Mercy is it that we are not this minute in those unquenchable Flames where the exquisitness of the Torment should oblige us instead of crying for Mercy to breath out horrid Blasphemies And as we slighted his Government here Curse and Dam his severity thee still sinking our selves deeper in the intollerable Misery where will be no Mittigation of the Torment nor end to our sad Affliction Let us constrain all the forces of our Soul to praise God that we are alive entreating his Pardon Let us beg Pardon even for taking that liberty to praise him and withal that he would still help us to praise him more O let us reflect on every thing that may move us to confess our Wickedness and be sorry for our sins The thoughts of these things may well enough put us in a heat and when our Passions are throughly urged vent themselves in Sighs and earnest desires of Reconciliation that both of them may meet with success let us add alms to our Fasting and Prayer for when our Petitions are thus assisted the mercy of God will not deny us a suitable return therefore in the entrance to our Devotion let us set apart something for the Poor and humbly offer it up in the following form O God Blessed be thy Name all things come of thee and of thine own do I now give thee O let this Alms be as an Odour of a sweet smell and acceptable in thy sight Preparitory Prayers before the Communion ALmighty Eternal God thou art the comforter of all that call upon thee thou hast concluded all under sin that thou mightest have Mercy upon all Look upon me O God and have pitty on me lying in my Blood and Misery in my Shame and in my Sins in the fear and guilt of thy Wrath in the shadow of thy Death and in the Gates of Hell I confess to thee O God what thou knowest already but I confess it to glorifie thy Mercy who hast spared me so long I am guilty of the vilest and basest Follies which usually dishonour Fools and the worst of Men I have been Proud and Covetous Envious and Lustful Angry Indevout and Irreligious restless in my Passions Sensual hating wise Counsels and soon weary of the Offices of a Holy Religion I cannot give an account of my Time and I cannot reckon the Sins of my Tongue my Crimes are Intolerable my Imperfections Shameful and my Omissions Innumerable What shall I do O thou preserver of Men I 'm so Vile I cannot express it so Sinful that I 'm odious to my self and I 'm much more Abominable in thy sight I have sinned against thee without Necessity sometimes without Temptation only because I would Sin I have been so Ungreatful Foolish and Unreasonable that I have put out my own Eyes that I might with confidence and without fear sin against so good a God so mighty a Redeemer my sin is grown shameful and aggravated even to Amazement O God I 'm amazed and confounded in thy presence BUT yet O God thou art the healer of our Breaches and the litter up of our Head I must not despair I 'm sure thy gooness is infinite thou doest not delight in the Death of a Sinner my sins though very great are infinitely less than thy Mercies I 'm not worthy to look up to Heaven but be thou pleased to look down into the Dust let me not perish in my Folly or be consumed in thy Displeasure give me time to Repent give me the power of thy Spirit that as by thy Gift and Mercy I intend to amend what is amiss so I may indeed have Grace and Power faithfully to fullfil the same Inspire me with the Spirit of Repentance and Mortification that I may always fight against my sins till I be more than Conqueror Support me with a Holy Hope confirm me with an excellent Operative and unreprovable Faith enkindle a bright and burning Charity in my Soul and grant by the power of thy Spirit I may overcome all Carnal and Spiritual Wickedness be wholly delivered from sin preserved from thy Wrath and at last pass on to the Glories of thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ my Saviour A Meditation of St. Austin BEfore thy Eyes O Gracious Lord we bring our Crimes before thee we expose the Wounds of our bleeding Souls That which we suffer is but little that which we
they had never felt before vigorous as a mighty wind chearing as the morning light inflaming their hearts with zeal and filling their mouths with Anthems indited with the Languages of all the World O wonderfull Change their Ignorance is turned into Learning their mistakes into infallibility their fear into courage their weakness into strength their sorrow into joy and they in a moment made able to confound the Arts and conquer the Oppositions of the Heathen world and maugre all the divices of Satan to set up the Kingdom of the Lord Christ and shall we not praise thee for these miraculous dispensations by which the gospel was made known even to us in the most utmost corners and last of times yes Holy Jesus we will also meet thee with one accord at thy table not doubting but thou would give us the measures of thy Spirit there if our duty or our necessity did require it it is enough to us that thou knowest our need more than will supply them we dare not ask lest thou wilt not give thou hast given us thy self wherefore we believe thou wilt not deny us thy Spirit without which we can have no Intrest in thee nor benefit from thee We come not gracious Lord with the carnal Jews to devour thy Flesh but to partake of thy Spirit which only giveth life the flesh profiteth nothing behold thy Spirit hath converted Millions Let me therefore together with thy precious Body receive here such proportions of thy holy Spirit as may suppress my evil Affections revive my dead heart comfort my dejected mind and turn my ignorance into knowledge my knowledge into practice and make that practice so sweet and easie that this may be a day of joy to me also solemnized in the white Garments of Sanctification and rejoycing and finally let not this Heavenly Inspiration be only expressed in Ecstasies and only fervours this day but let thy Spirit rest upon me and dwell in me for ever so shall I always have cause to bless thee for so incomparable a gift Methinks I feel already the force thereof bearing down my corruptions and the bright beams driving the mists of Sin and Error I find its flames warming my heart with Zeal and charity and its quickning power opening my sealed lips to shew forth thy praise A Meditation for the Communion on Trinity Sunday O Admirable mystery to be adored in the profoundest silence by the contemplation thereof when I am struck with amazement I can learn humility and discover mine own Ignorance and I have the opportunity of exercising a Nobler faith than if I could comprehend it with my shallow reasonings and imperfect demonstrations the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity hath been derided by the Heathens and endeavoured to be perplexed by the Wits of all kind of Hereticks but it sufficeth me Blessed Jesus that thou hast revealed it and thy Holy Church divided into many other things hath universally agreed in thy great Truth and I am the more confirmed in it because I learn by it to worship with a regular devotion from hence I am the more confirmed I am taught to pray to the Father in the Name of the Son through the assistance of the Holy Ghost and as long as I live will I praise thee and magnife thee in this manner I will bless thee particularly at this Holy Feast for so excellent a revelation for this Ordinance it self contains many things above my understanding and its all mystery the Trinity is the Article and thy Sacrament the Rite which do distinguish thy true Riligion from all the sects in the World wherefore by observing this Rite I do embrace this Faith and upon the representation of thy death I do profess to live in it and die for it resolving never to have other Lords when I find the Father giving the Son giving and the Holy Ghost dispensing that Gift unto my Soul in this sacred Communion it shall be a greater confirmation to my faith in divine Mystery than can be acquired from the most curious search into it However I am resolved my Reason shall vail to thy word and I will be content to stay for a full apprehension of this sublime truth till I am advanced to a State of Angelick perfection and come to hehold the glories of the true God till then I will bless thee for what I know and believe more than I can conceive and I will worship the same Majesty which the Heavenly Choir doth in these Addresses THE Church has now done her part and leaves us to discharge the rest she has told us the benefits and forewarned us of the danger let it be upon our own Heads if we have drunk Christ's Blood unworthily therefore let us as soon as possible retire and examine our behaviour during the Celebration of these Holy Mysteries How our thoughts were employed and how earnest our longings were after this Bread of Heaven whether we had duly examined our selves before and repented as we ought in what part soever of these things we have done amiss let us ask pardon and endeavour to come more prepared the next time This will show that we are sincere with God and don 't come out of custom but for his Grace and Mercy and let us take every opportunity to ask that for Christ is now come very near us therefore let us lay before him all our wants that so we may be fill'd with his Heavenly Benediction let us not lose a minute on this day but be earnest in all manner of supplication for we must not leave our Devotions with the Church that would be setting open the door indeed that Satan might enter into us but I hardly believe they who have had their hearts kindled at the Altar can suffer them to grow cold before they get home therefore let us retire before Dinner and after we have thus seriously reflected upon what we have been doing let us add to our thoughts the following Meditation A Meditation before Dinner WHen I compare thy acts with mine Holy Jesus I am exceedingly ashamed to behold so a vast a disproportion thou givest me thy Merits and Graces thy Life and Love at present and hast promised to me thy Kingdom in reversion and I have scarce return'd this with the intire devotion of one half hour O how little is my obdurate Heart affected with the sence of my own Guilt the fears of thy Divine Wrath or apprehensions of thy sufferings yet Lord I desire and did endeavour to praise thee so that I hope thou wilt consider my infirmities with much compassion and measure my services not by the exactness of my performance but by the sincerity of my wishes so shall I be accepted before thy Heavenly Father and by the mercy of that acceptance be obliged to thee for ever O Most merciful Lord God I am amazed at the mighty favours which thou hast shew'd to me a sinful wretched Creature I cannot but acknowledge thy
my Wickedness and be sorry for my Sins I will pour out my Prayers in the bitterness of my Spirit and therefore now Lord call my Sins to my Remembrance and when thou hast so done blot them out of thy Remembrance and Pardon me A Confession of Sin O Thou great Judge of Heaven and Earth before whose glorious Majesty even the good Angels who never sinned fall prostrate and tremble with what debasement and dread ought I to appear before thy awful Presence who am but Dust and Ashes and which is infinitely worse a miserable Sinner Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity with the least approbation the way of the wicked and the sacrifice of the wicked is an Abomination unto thee Wo is me then O Lord Wo is me for I have inclined unto Wickedness but for the sake of thy well-beloved Son cast not out my prayer nor turn thy mercy from me Miserable wretch that I am I have gone astray from the very Womb I was shapen in Wickedness and in Sin did my Mother Conceive me Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean What is Man then O God that he should be Clean or he that is born of a Woman that he should be Righteous Thou Lord puttest no trust in thy Saints The Heavens are nor clean in thy sight and the very Angels thou chargest with folly How much more abominable than am I who daily drink iniquity like Water Lord Pity cleanse forgive and save me for thy mercies sake I know O God that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for when I would do Good Evil is present with me and I see a Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind bringing me into Captivity to the Law of Sin Lord have mercy on me and deliver me from this body of Death from this tyranny of Sin Alass my whole Nature is corrupt infinitely prone to all Evil and a verse to all that is Good my Understanding is full of Ignorance and error my will perverse my Memory tenacious of all things that may pollute me but forgetful of my Duty my Passions are inordinate my Senses the inlets to all impurity I have abused all my faculties and am unclean unclean Lord pity cleanse forgive and save me for thy mercies sake O Lord God how have I through my whole life violated the sollemn Vow I made to thee at Baptism by eagerly persuing the Vanities of this Wicked World by early yeilding to the Temptation of the Devil by greedily indulging my own carnal Desires and Lust by a fruitless and dead faith and by a disobedience to thy holy Will and Commandments Father I have Sin'd against Heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy Son I have Sin'd O Lord God I have Sin'd against Thee By c. Here make your confession of Sins against God and then add O Jesu Lamb of God Son of the Father let thy Blood cleanse me from these sins O pity forgive and save me for thy mercies sake I have sin'd O Lord God I have sin'd against thee and my own self By c. Here confess your sins against your Self and then add O Jesu Lamb of God c. I have sin'd O Lord God I have sin'd against thee and my Neighbor By c. Here confess your sins against your Neighbor and then add O Jesu Lamb of God c. O Lord God my wickedness is exceeding great and my iniquities are infinite they are more in number than the hairs of my head and my heart would fail me but that I know thy mercies are greater than my sins Have mercy upon me therefore O God according to the multitude of thy mercies do away my Offences Who alas can tell how oft he Offends Oh cleanse thou me from my secret faults from all my sins of Ignorance or Infirmity or Omission or which I have not observed or which I have forgot Lord lay none of them to my charge Father forgive me Lord Jesus have mercy upon me O remember not the sins and offences of my Youth but receive me O heavenly Father into the Arms of thy Fatherly compassion and forgive me all my Transgressions for the merits of Jesus thy Son and my Saviour Amen O Lord God of Mercy and Pardon give me a just remembrance and sad apprehension of my sins teach me to bewail them with as great indignation and bitterness as I have committed them with complacency and delight Let my Prayer and Confession come into thy presence and obtain mercy and pardon for me Let not thy Justice and Severity so remember my sins as to forget thy own mercy and though I deserve to be condemned yet thou canst not lose that glorious attribute whence flows comfort to us and hopes of being saved Spare me therefore O merciful God for to give pardon to a sinner that confesses his faults and begs remission is not impossible to thy Power nor disproportionate to thy Justice nor unusual to thy mercy Blessed Jesu acknowledge in me whatsoever is thine cleanse me from whatsoever is amiss Have pitty on me now in the time of mercy and condemn me not when thou comest to judgment for what profit is there in my Blood Thou delightest not in the death of a Sinner but in his Conversion is joy in Heaven and when thou hast delivered me from my sins and saved my Soul I shall praise and magnifie thy Name to all Eternity O Jesu God be merciful to me a miserable Sinner O Lord who art the God that hearest prayers and alone has power finally to forgive sin I beseech the mercifully hear and graciously answer these my Petitions for pardon I am a sinner and deserve punishment but O Lord remove my guilt and spare me who do now confess with shame and sorrow my sins unto thee that I whose Conscience by sin is accused so justly now before thee by thy merciful pardon may be absolved from my Guilt for the sake and through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. By thine Agony and bloody Sweat by thy Cross and Passion by thy precious Death and Burial Good Lord deliver O Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World Have mercy upon O Christ hear me Lord have mercy upon me Christ have c. Lord have mercy c. Our Father which art c. A Prayer O most gracious God who out of thy boundless Compassion to thy Creatures art never wanting in any means that may draw them to thy self I the unworthiest of thy Servants desire to give Glory to thee in a hearty acknowledgement that thou hast afforded me all the methods that might either force or allure me to Obedience but I have resisted that goodness of thine which should have lead me to Repentance Thy compassion has been affronted by my continuance in sin and thy forbearance only serv'd to harden me in Iniquity I have lived to provoke thy
our Lights may shine before men and the world may see the love of God dwelleth in us by our readiness to perform his commands but what need we of Arguments to press us to that which is so reasonable in it self which the Law of Nature teaches we ought to do But a sad experience informs us that neither the law of God nor nature is sufficient to oblige some tempers to compassion but let all such remember however serviceable their Estates are to them in this World they will turn to their destruction in the other their full Barns that have been shut at the knocking 's of the Poor will then be of no advantage nor the multitude of their riches prevail for their security both of them will turn to their reproof the rust of the one and fullness of the other will sink them into despair and exclude them to Eternity from the Happiness of God We have been taught that no one must approach this sacred Feast in bitterness of Spirit we must have love towards the Brethren and if we are in charity with all men shall more especially have bowels of compassion to those who are in want therefore let us while we have opportunity impart of our abundance and bless God for enabling us to do good to the House-hold of Saints and this coming from us so readily will be the more acceptable sacrifice for God loves a chearful giver and that our Alms ascend not alone 't is necessary we accompany them with Prayers and though we have no Angel to assure us they come up before God yet we need not doubt their acceptance for God himself has assured us with such sacrifices he is well pleased therefore let us humbly say at the giving our Alms. Blessed be thou O Lord God for all things come of thee and of thy own do I now give thee O let this Alms be an Odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing in thy sight After the sentences are read we have nothing to do but devoutly compose our selves and joyn with Reverence to the Prayers of the Church if we consider the substance of this excellent Office we shall be freed from the interruptions which often occur in our devotions for when our minds are wholly taken up with the signification of the words we shall have less room for wandrings When the Prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church is begun let us interest our selves in that excellent form that when the Priest comes to beseech God to accept our Alms and Oblations let us in our minds humbly beg it for Jesus Christ his Sake and that together with them God would receive our Prayers for the Universal Church for we can't but enlarge our Passions and desire the good of all Mankind not only of those who confess Christ but that the Heathen may be brought into the Possession of our Saviour and agree in the Truth of his Holy Word we must desire the Well-fare of Princes because they are set over us by God for the punishment of Vice and the praise of them that do well and for the Pastors of the Church there is a great deal of reason for us to pray for them that they may duly administer this Holy Mystery and by their Example and Doctrine both save themselves and those who hear them they who are in Affliction call for our fellow-feeling and since we are all of one body we can't let any member be in disorder and neglect to procure its remedy we are passionately to desire the Health and Salvation not only of those we know want present relief but to all that are in any danger Sickness or other Distress considering it may be our condition and we must desire it with the same Ardour as if it was for our selves and since God has given us the example of good Men who are gone before us we ought to pray that we may follow their steps that so we may arrive to the same degree of Blessedness and to obtain all this more certainly we are to beg it in the name of Jesus Christ believing that God will never refuse any thing that is convenient for us when we call upon him in that most prevailing Name especially since he is our Advocate we have the assurance of his intercession and God can deny nothing to the Son of his Love After this excellent Prayer is over we are exhorted by the Minister to a more serious preparation to the Communion though 't is supposed that every one who approaches this Holy Table has considered before repented and got a competent understanding in this sacred Mystery yet it is very necessary we should attend this Exhortation and Re-examine our selves whether we are such as the Gospel requires The Church has taken care to instruct us in this Duty in such a manner that we can't easily deceive our selves she encourages us with rewards and sets before us the dreadful consequence of our carelesness or neglect We may be over aw'd in our private Examination by the Dominion of our Lusts or perhaps the love of our selves may incline us to think better than we are but when we hear God's Minister urging us to this Duty and powerfully representing those things we have prevailed with our selves to pass over and that God is immediately present to acquit or condemn us we are obliged to confess our Wickedness and be sorry for our sin this is the Repentance we shan't be ashamed of that will put us in a state to be reconciled with our Saviour and make us fit to receive the Body and Blood of Christ and the benefit of that is the becoming one with him and to be pertakers of his Everlasting Glory therefore when we hear the Priest exhort us Judge therefore your selves Brethren let us humbly say I confess my self a sinner and condemn my ingratitude Repent you truly of your sins past c. I repent O Lord and am sorry for my Wickedness Have a lively and steadfast Faith c. I believe O Lord help my unbelief Amend your lives c. O grant me thy Holy Spirit to amend my life Be in perfect Charity c. I forgive all Men their Trespasses Lord do thou forgive me So shall ye be meet partakers c. O make me a worthy Communicant Ye must give most humble and hearty thanks c. I adore thy infinit love to Mankind in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus who did humble thy self to the death upon the Cross c. By thy Cross and Passion sweetest Jesus deliver me He hath c. and ordained Holy Mysteries as pledges of his Love c. I remember thy exceeding Love to us miserable sinners and adore thy infinite compassion in dying for Mankind To thee therefore O Jesus with the Father and the Holy Ghost let us give as we are most bounden continual thanks submitting our selves wholy to thy holy Will and Pleasure studying to serve thee in true
we like his Disciples at the last Supper are waiting to be fed with the Bread from Heaven when we hear the Priest saying Who in the same Night he was betrayed took Bread c. Let us adore that inexpressible love of our Saviour which was working our Salvation when his cursed Enemies were contriving his Crucifixion let us bless the goodness of God and admire the Humillity of our Saviour that would be represented by no richer preparation than Bread Here is no costly sacrifice to exhault our Treasure That we may bestow upon those that want it the poor which we have always with us but for the representation of himself he chuses what is necessary for our sustinance to show us that his Body is as necessary to the strengthning of our Souls as Bread for the support of our Life And when he had given thanks he brea kt it c. O blessed Jesus doest thou give thanks for my Redemption behold I joyn my praises to thine and bless thee with all my Soul O shew thy acceptance of my praises by hallowing these Elements to the purposes they are designed Saying Take Eat this is my Body which is given for you c. Here let us reflect upon the passion of our Saviour and imagine we see him in that unspeakable Passion offering up his pious Soul upon the Cross Do this in remembrance of me O Jesus let me never be so ungrateful as to forget thee likewise also after Supper He took the Cup and when he had given thanks c. Our Saviour was not content to give us his Body alone but to pour out his Blood for us and has chosen Wine for the Commemoration of that inestimable mercy O let our Souls thirst after this Cup of Salvation and when the Minister holds it out to bless it let us call upon the Name of the Lord He gave it to them saying Drink ye all of this c. Do this in remembrance of me This is the time to Exercise our Faith and therefore let us believe they really are to us what they represent and say a hearty Amen for it is unto us according to our Faith if we believe 't is unto us the Blood of Christ indeed that no doubting nor infidelity may unhallow these sanctified Elements to any of our Souls Let us say A Prayer after Consecration LOrd it is done as thou hast commanded and I doubt not but the Mystery is rightly accomplished I am perswaded that here is that which my Soul longeth after a crucified Saviour communicating himself to poor penitent Sinners O let me be reckoned among that Number and then I shall assuredly receive thee Holy Jesus Amen O Holy Saviour I behold thee stretch'd upon the Cross with thy Arms spread ready to embrace all Mankind Glory be to thee O Lord Jesus Lamb of God Son of the Father who didst offer thy self a sacrifie to take away the sins of the whole World Lord have mercy upon me and take away mine also When the Minister is a Communicating let us humbly desire that God would hear his Prayer The Lord hear thee and remember all thy Offerings and Sacrifices grant thee thy Hearts desire and fullfil all thy mind The Lord perform all thy Petitions which thou hast made at this time for thy self for us and all Persons Amen We have nothing to do now but compose our selves for the acts of holy Communion remembering we are to feast with God by Silence and Heavenly Contemplation let us reflect upon the mercies of God in this Sacrament and when we have by Faith beheld the Glory of the Lord confess our unworthiness to appear before him and acknowledge his goodness which gives us the opportunity of adoring his inexpressible Love While others are Communicating O How dreadful is this place Seemeth it a small thing unto thee O my Soul to be feasted with God waited on by Angels fed with the Body of Jesus and refreshed with the Cup of that saving Blood which hath attoned for the Sins of the World What meaneth this secret that so poor a Wretch and sinful a Rebel should receive so mighty a Favour and be received to so near Embraces How can I approach to these terrible Mysteries till I have pulled back the Vail and worshipped him that feeds my Body to convey Grace to my Soul and make that stoop to the Eye of sence which Angels cannot behold with open Faces Here is represented the Almighty Love of an infinite Being here the God of Gods appears all Bloody to fright thee from thy sins here the All-merciful Saviour of the World is as it were crucified before thine Eyes that contemplating the horrid Aggonies of the Cross and remembring the cause of his cruel Sufferings thou mayst mourn for thy ingratitude that brought him to the torments of that inexpressible Passion here the Holy Jesus appears loaded with all the Blessings of Heaven here the everlasting Trinity seems to use his utmost endeavour to perswade thee into a Heavenly Conversation To thy Holy Altar O Dear Redeemer I am coming to renew my Baptizmal Vow to enter into a Solemn Covenant with God and faithfully to promise thee to resign my self intirely to thee to fall out with thee no more to be faithful to thee to vindicate thy Glory to live up to those Laws which thou hast sealed with thy own Blood To this end I eat of thy Bread and Drink of thy Wine and so seal my Covenant with thee Quicken me O Lord and make me more earnest and zealous in thy Service and as thou hast sent thy Son to bring me to thy self do thou likewise send thy Holy Spirit to sanctifie me for thy self and then I who of my self can scarce move unto thy Altar by the assistance of thy Grace may run the ways of thy Commandments Having declared the reasons of our approaching this Holy Table and beg'd God's blessing upon us let us Meditate after this manner Thou O my God hast prepared a Table for me and hast promised whosoever eateth thereof shall never Hunger and drinketh shall never Thirst This consideration alone is sufficient to furnish us with matter for Contemplation The mercy of God in preparing this Sacred Feast the benefits we receive from it and the time in which it was institued when he was surrounded with the Horrors of Death and began to feel the weight of our Transgressions are enough to put us in a confusion and constrain us at once to humble our selves even into our first nothing for abusing such goodness and then adore that amazing constancy of our Lord that in the greatest of his Agony could endure yet more for our sakes and resign himself to the Cross notwithstanding the contradiction of sinners O let us consider this price with which we were bought and glorifie God in our Bodies and Spirits which are his therefore bowing our bodies before the Lord let us consider the wonder of his love BEhold what kind of love
When shall I fully please thee O that I could always serve thee that I could perfectly obey thee Grant me O my only Love that I may continually reverence and adore thee Permit me not O Lord Jesus ever to be seperated from thee Teach me inlighten me direct me and assist me in all things but especially at this time that I may do or say nothing but what is agreeable to thy blessed Will Amen I Have made a large Collection of Meditations and Prayers because of the difference of Congregations some are very numerous and I esteem them pertinent to regulate our thoughts in that interval before we go up to the Altar the lesser Congregations and they who are desirous to be first at the Holy Table may have advantage of variety and make use of them as their inclinations and opportunity will give leave Our thoughts are not always upon the wing we require diversity of Arguments to press us to a forwardness besides they are not designed that our mind should be wholly taken up with them that we should read them all and then think we may safely go up to the Altar of God The best composure in the World will be insignificant if we don't offer it with Devotion Sincerity and Affection one of these Petitions rightly performed is of greater Efficacy than the whole repeated in a rambling disorder Lord have mercy upon me a miserable sinner said with humility was more prevalent than the long Prayer of the wordy Supplicant God knows our necessity before we ask and if we ask with Faith depending on the incercession of our Saviour he will grant our Petitions even before they are ended so that I would have some of them repeated with deliberation and between them call in our thoughts reconcile them to our reason and faith and then offer them up with earnest devotion and so shall we be prepared to receive the Lord of Glory When we have made an end of these Meditations and are ready to go to the Holy Table rising from our Knees with Reverence let us say GReat Captain of my Salvation I am going to learn to fight the good fight of faith in the blessed Sacrament of thy Love let thy great Example there encourage me to fight against all Ambition and Ostentation Censoriousness and Uncharitableness against coveteous lustfull and blasphemous Thoughts against guile and hypocrisie discontent and mistrust of thy providence against such enemies give me Grace to fight over these let me Triumph that having striven lawfully I may at last be admitted to the sight of thy sweet self and be charmed with thy Love for evermore Having thus began our Warfares and declared our chiefest Enemies let us approach the Holy Altar that there we may put on the Armor of God and being endued with Righteousness from above may walk more securely and be defended from the subtilty of Men and Devils therefore as we are going up let us turn our thoughts to God in the following manner As we go up to the Altar I Come Lord Jesus O take me to thee for thou lovest me and hast prepared a Table for me in the seat of thy Love in the multitude of thy mercies O Lord God do I now approach thy Altar O pardon my Sins and receive me graciously if thou shouldst be extream to mark what is amiss O Lord who may abide it but with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption Lord hast thou set open this fountain and wilt thou let a wretched creature die for thirst in thy presence Hast thou prepared such Balm to heal me and shall I languish here before thee I know if thou wilt thou canst make me clean here is the very instrument Grant therefore holy Jesus that I may duly apply it and rightly use it and then it shall prepare me for thee and unite me to thee by such inseperable Bonds as shall never brake unless Eternity have an end Blessed are they who so eat thy Flesh and drink thy Blood so as thou requirest and so as thy Saints have done for they have been cleansed at this fountain and here there Union with thee first began O happy opportunity Lord let me do it well this once and I am thine for ever Let us now kneel before the Lord and say O Jesu Son of God everlasting King receive my Spirit O my Life take my Soul my Joy draw my heart unto thee thou that art my Head direct me Light of mine eyes enlighten me O my comfort rejoice me my sweet Food let me eat thee O Word of God refresh me O Light Eternal shine thou over me that I may understand know and love thee After we have thus dedicated our selves to God let us humbly represent to him the occasion which drew us hither and beg for his promise sake that we may not be sent Empty away O Lamb of God thou hast said he that eateth thy Flesh and drinketh thy Blood hath eternal Life behold thy Servant O Lord be it unto me according to thy Word O Lord God I desire to renew my Covenant with thee and to seal it now with this Sacrament Lord put thy Laws into my mind and write them in my heart and for the passion of thy dear Son which I now commemorate be merciful to my Unrighteousness my Sins and Iniquities do thou remember no more but be thou my God and I will be thy Servant The Minister now approaching us we ought with the Centurion in the Gospel to acknowledge our unworthiness to receive so glorious a guest and after such a Humilliation let us look up with confidence and represent to the Father of Heaven the prevailing sacrifice of his Son LOrd I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof but speak the word Lord and thy Servant shall be whole Behold O Lord the sacrifice of the everlasting Covenant the Lamb that takes away the sins of the World Oh let all the World feel the power of his Intercession hear good Lord the cry of his Wounds and deny me not since I bring thy Son with me let us all know that he lives that was dead and is a live for evermore O holy Bread which camest down from Heaven and givest life to the World come into my heart and cleanse me from all defilements of Flesh and Spirit enter into my Soul heal and sanctifie me within and without O my Soul taste now and see how gracious the Lord is Whence is it that my Lord himself should come to me Let us now with steadfast Faith repeat after the Minister bowing our Bodies The Body of our Lord Jesus c. After we have received the Bread let us lift up our Souls in thankfullness and say Hail Holy Lamb of God thrice welcome art thou to a poor perishing sinner Glory be to thee O Lord who feedest me with the Bread of Life let thy crucified Body deliver me from this body of death Before the Cup. I Will receive the
goodness though I can make no Retribution had I all the World at my disposal I could freely give it all to thee as a Testimony of my unfeigned gratitude but I hear thy gracious voice saying unto me My Son give me thine heart it is not mine but me thou seekest sinful and misrable though I am yet I am the purchase for which Jesus has left his Glory laid down his Life done and suffered all these things O marvelous Condescension I am nothing I have nothing I am void of all Good full of Evil and deserving thy Wrath so that I abhor my self and canst thou dwell in me Be it so then I will dispute no more with unsearchable mercy I believe O my God and wonder I can no longer resist thy condescending and almighty love I will with all the joy imaginable give my felf unto thee who hast but lately restored me to my self I have been a prisoner to Satan a Slave to Sin and marked out for Destructioon but thou hast procured my Pardon Liberty and Life requiring no more for so inexpressible a bounty but that I become entirely thine had I the life of an Angel the understanding of a Cherubim or the power of one of thy Heavenly Host thou deservest it all I 'm sorry I 'm no better yet such as I am I do most freely surrender my self unto thee my Body and Soul avowing I will be no more my own but thy servant O be thou pleased to come and reign over me take possession of this unworthy heart I hope I shall never be so unjust perjured and sacrelegious as to rob thee of my self hereafter it is indeed a miserable gift that I offer a defiled Body and a stained Soul but 't is all I have to give all that thou requirest and 't will be the better for being thine let me never have another Master let me never sully that which the Blood of Christ hath washed nor sell that to Satan which Jesus hath bought for God Grant me therefore gracious Lord that I may find by the workings of thy Spirit within me that thou hast accepted me give me such help from thee to confirm my hope that I may always perform my vows and never rob thee of that which I have dedicated in the sincerity of my Soul I am thine O save me for thy mercies sake Amen Our Father c. From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Name of the Lord shall be great among the Gentiles in every place incense shall be offer'd unto his Name and a pure offering for his Name shall be great among all Nations Glory be to the c. As it was c. This Day is appointed to be observ'd as a Festival and I would have no Christian so mistake himself as to keep it otherwise But since it is likewise a Day to be kept holy to the Lord we must not indulge our selves over-much lest we run into another Errour and make us uncapable of serving God or our selves as we ought by turning our reafonable Service into sleepy Devotions And since I 'm speaking of the Sabbath it can't be unnecessary to lay down some Rules for our Observation of it There is no Christian but must lament the general Neglect of it for one sort spends it in unnecessary Business the other in impertinent Recreations and even they who are more reserv'd and seem to have a greater Sense of Religion are apt to make large Allowances that except the Time spent in the Church there is little bestow'd on any Act of Religion The Church requires our Belief of the Morality of the Sabbath and if we were persuaded that 't is a Day set a part by God himself for his own Service we should have less Inclinations to lay out so much of it in our own We must positively believe our Obligations to God on this Day and resolve that the Time we don't spend in the Church should devoutly be employ'd at home We should separate our Thoughts from the Concern of this World In the Morning earnestly beg of God that we may sanctifie the Sabbath After Church reflect upon what we heard if it was practical Matter resolve to make use of it in our Conversation if Matter of Faith examine whether we can give our positive Assent to it if we don't justly comprehend it let us endeavour to be better inform'd Let us call to Mind the Benefit of our Creation Redemption and whatever else may beget in us holy Thoughts and a fervent Love to God Let us turn our Thoughts into our selves that we may the better understand our Condition towards God for how is it possible to be sensible of our Affairs if we don't suffer our Souls to contemplate for their Safety There are many that can't accuse themselves of notorious Crimes that can answer to the positive Prohibitions of the Law All these have I kept from my Youth yet if they suffer themselves to go further in their Examination will find Reason with the young Man in the Gospel to be exceeding sorrowful though upon another Account they will find a dismal Account of other things to answer and which are as necessary to be repented of as they are to be observ'd for the future Besides Contemplation is the best Way to improve our Understanding in the Ways of Goodness there is infinite Variety for our Thoughts to work upon and all of them exceeding pleasant 'T is this that will make us in love with Piety and then we shall soon turn our Speculation into Practice They who are us'd to meditate find the Satisfaction of their Consideration Though 't is no easie matter for a Man that has wholly bent his Affection to an immoderate Love of this World to bring under his unruly Desire he shall hardly begin to think what he is why he was sent hither and whither he is hast'ning but he shall stop in the middle and the very Thoughts of the present put him upon enjoying it in another manner So vain and trifling are we when we have given up our selves to be mistaken for a while that 't is hard to bring us to our Senses and persuade us we are our selves when we become Rational Creatures I 'm unwilling to prescribe our Christian Liberty on this Day 't is certain we may extend it to all Things of Necessity but then we should be cautious for we are generally such Latitudinarians in things that concern our selves that we are not willing to lose an Inch of our Liberty and are apt to think our Time lost which is bestow'd in the Service of God Our Trade is not then going on and we are backwarder by one Day in our Affairs of this World never considering we have another Merchandize to care for but if we can secure Wealth enough here have no great Affection to lay up Treasure elsewhere as if we were afraid our Riches would corrupt there or our Venture come short of our
and Reformation But 't is uncertain whether we shall come thus to our selves till Death overtake us or since we resolv'd to sin till we could sin no longer whether there will be Place found for our Tears Therefore let every Man call his Ways to remembrance But they who are thus enslav'd in Sin let them make haste to deliver themselves from the Wrath to come their Case is very dangerous they seem to be destin'd to Destruction for they have so long suffer'd their Lusts to have Dominion over them that they know not how to free themselves from this Tyranny of Sin But blessed be God who has provided a Lamb for the Sacrifice there is yet a Way for our Redemption God has not wholly left us without Help in this World Though the Prayers of the Wicked are an Abomination yet those of the Penitent are not so If we are so happy as to stop in this Career have but so much Resolution to begin a Reformation God is so merciful as to add his Grace to help us forward to Repentance But 't is only when God sees us set about it in earnest for he knows our Hearts and Thoughts long before Therefore let us embrace the first Thoughts of Repentance and carry them on to a sincere Reformation Let us retire from the World and humble our selves in Fasting and this not once or twice but often for we have need to cry mightily to God Day and Night to be redeem'd from this worse than Egyptian Bondage On the Day of our Humiliation that the Misery of our Condition may oblige us to the greater Penitence let us first consider the Odiousness of Sin that we may learn to detest it the Aggravation of it by being committed frequently presumptuously and against Knowledge that we may abhor our selves for our Folly and Ingratitude Then let us reflect upon the Number of them which being infinite ought to lay us in the Dust and confess our selves to be worse than nothing Reflections of a true Penitent upon his first Conviction O God! to what an amazing and miserable Condition have I brought my self I stand exposed to thy Severest Judgment here and am liable to thy Indignation hereafter I know I am not in a State of Salvation and yet can't lament my Misery I am a Sinner and reflect upon the evil Consequence of Sin yet am neither Terrified or Sorrowfull What a heap of Contradiction and Wickedness am I made up of that believe the Pleasures of thy Law and yet depart from thy Commandments that fear the Justice of thy Anger and yet can't be perswaded to forsake the Evil of my Ways Thus miserable O God do I behold my self but thou seest that I am infinitly more vile than I can imagine Though my Crimes appear to me beyond my expression and my Heart thus condemns me thou art greater than my Heart and knowest all things Thou knowest how often each Sin has been repeated and the vileness of that Sin and how much more heinous by the habitual Repetition when my Depraved Nature will neither let me know the Baseness of the one or the Ingratitude of the other I am insensible how much thou art offended by one Sin and am forgetfull how often I have repeated that Offence and can only tell that Sin in me is above measure sinful O! that there was a Heart in me even to apprehend this that I cou'd say with a sincere Heart and pensive Soul Lord I am a miserable Sinner But this is not in my power I can only reflect upon my Sins at a distance as if they did not concern me and my poor Soul was not to answer for them at thy Tribunal O God thy Hand is heavy upon me I know my Sins are abominable in thy Sight and that thy Judgment inflicts this Hardness of Heart and that thou art resolved to try me no longer Thou seest that I am Grounded in Wickedness that evil is continually with me that if thou shou'dst forgive I shall revolt again and wherefore shoudst thou withhold thine Hand O my God I have nothing to offer to put a Stop to thy Vindictive Justice but confess I deserve Eternal Damnation But who can be content to dwell in Everlasting Burnings Is there then no Way to escape thy Vengeance Wilt thou be angry for ever Yes O God unless I repent thou wilt bring me to worse than nothing for thou wilt condemn me to Eternal Torment How can I repent unless thou change my Nature and give me a Heart to be sorry and abhor the Evil of my Ways But why should I expect this Mercy that have abus'd all others I can't look up to thee with any Confidence to beg thee to have Patience with me for my Prayers must be an Abomination and my Devotions no way pleasing in thy Sight Oh! the Misery that I have brought my self into God has withdrawn himself and taken his Holy Spirit from me there remains only that I be reserv'd against the Revelation of that Day in which the Righteous Judgments of God will appear to condemn me and all such ungrateful Souls to the Torments of Hell Righteous art thou O Lord and in the midst of Flames will I confess thy Justice Fear is come upon me and thy Judgment is the severer in that I am not sensible of the Danger Wilt thou laugh at this my Calamity And shall not mine Eyes be open till the Flames of Hell terrifie them Wilt thou suffer me thus to sink down into Torment and despise the Groans of a Soul in an Abyss of Misery Oh I cou'd be content to yield to thy severest Inflictions here if I cou'd be brought to the favour of God But I dare not ask of Thee to correct me least thou do it in Judgment and yet I dread thy Rod that it will come and how can I bear to fall into the Hands of the Living God Who can deliver me from thy Power Oh thou Omnipotent God What can I do when Misery thus abounds and each Reflection presents Damnation to my view Surely if I was truly affected with my Condition it would work upon my Spirit and when my Soul was sensible of Sin and how bitter a thing it is to depart from God it would cause such Relentings and Tremblings such Contrition and Humiliation as becomes a Soul loaded with my Crimes Oh that my Conscience wou'd rise up against me and call me to the strictest Account that my Soul was wounded within me That I had the fear of an angry God deeply imprinted upon my Soul Oh that I was a sorrowful Sinner Oh that I could grieve as never Man griev'd but alas 't is not in my power thus to afflict my self and what would it avail me if I could wrack my Soul and put my Nature into terrible Conflicts Can the Sighs and Groans and torturing Convulsions of such a Sinner move Compassion in the Most High will not God be Deaf to my Complaint and regardless of my
complaint of a sad and miserable Sinner I have searched into the secret recesses of my Soul there I find nothing but Horror and a barren Wilderness a neglected Conscience overgrown with Sins and cares beset with fears and sore Amazement I tremble when I remember that sad Truth If the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Wicked and Ungodly appear I know O Lord that all my secret impurities shall be laid open at thy dreadfull Judgment O just and dear God! how shall I appear who shall plead for me who am loaden with Impurities Vanity Ingratitude Malice and the Terrors of an affrightning Conscience Wilt not thou answer for me O Jesus thou art my Judge and my Advocate thou art to pass Sentence upon me for those Sins for which thou diest O reserve not my Sins to be punished in the life to come for then I die Eternally but bring me in this World to a severe Repentance Behold I am in thy hand grant I may so Weep and be contrite for my Sins that in the hour of my Death I may find Mercy and in the day of Judgment be freed from the Terrors of thy Wrath and the Sentence of the Wicked Thou hast spared me all this while and not taken me off in the midst of my Sins which is an unspeakable Mercy for if thou had dealt with me according to my Deserts I had been now at this instant sealed up to an Eternity of Torments hopelesly miserably fearing the Revelation of thy day with an insupportable Amazement But now under the sweet influences of thy mercy I am praying to thee confessing my sins with Sorrow for my ingratitude but with a full hope in thy Mercy O my dear God let thy Grace speedily work that in me for which thou so long hast spared me even a true Faith and Holy Life establish in me a great contrition for my Sins lead me on to an humble Confession and let thy Grace make me bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance O Blessed Jesu who liveth and reigns ever one God world without end Amen I hate all evil ways O Lord But thy Law will I Love O God with shame I confess that other Lords besides thee have hitherto had Dominion over me Miserable Wretch that I am that I should begin so early to offend my Creator and sin so much in so short a time Lord I fear I never yet throughly considered how evil and bitter a thing it is to depart from thee O make me every day more and more sensible of the Error of my ways and of my own infinit Vileness Miserable Wretch that I am that ever I should commit those sins which expose me to all the vials of thy Wrath to all the curses of thy Law to all thy judgments Temporal or Spiritual in this life and to all the Horrors and Despair and Torments of the Damned in the life to come Miserable wretch that I am that ever I should transgress that Law of thine O God which is so Just Holy and Good perfect and so condescending to my Infirmities and in keeping of which there are so great so unconceivable rewards O Blessed Saviour how can I ever sufficiently lament the guilt of my Sins which was so great that nothing but thy own inestimable Blood could expiate O Blessed Spirit instil true penitential sorrow into my Soul make my Head Waters and my Eyes Fountains of Tears or do thou supply the want of them with Sighs and Groans unutterable But alass I know all the Tears I can possibly shed can never wash away the least of my Sins 't is thy Blood only Lord that can do it O Heavenly Father in the defect of my own Tears I offer thee the Blood of thy own well beloved Son for his sake have mercy upon me I have been in the snare of the Devil and been led Captive by him and sin hath reigned in my Mortal Body and I have obeyed it in the lust thereof but from henceforth I resolve to serve none but thee and from this very moment I utterly forsake all my sins and turn to thee I do from my heart renew my Baptismal Vow I do for ever renounce the Devil and all his Works and the Vanities of this World which may pervert me from thy Service and all the sinfull Lust of the Flesh O my God I do steadfastly believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith I will keep thy Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my life All this I am bound to do and believe and by thy help so I will and I heartily thank thee O Father who hast called me to this state of Salvation through Jesus Christ my Saviour and I humbly pray thee for his sake to give me Grace to continue in the same to my lives end O Lord God I have Sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments but alass I 'm not able of my self to do nothing that is Good not so much as to think one good thought and I no sooner shall rise from my Knees but I fear I shall be tempted to those very sins I have now so solemnly renounced and those Temptations will certainly overcome me unless thou Lord do'st reasonably interpose thy Grace to with-hold me but I can do all things through the strengthning me do thou then O Blessed Saviour perfect thy strength in my weakness for in thee only is my trust O my God thou hast promised to give thy Holy Spirit to those that ask it Behold Lord I do Humbly I do Earnestly ask thy Holy Spirit now of thee O fullfil thy gracious Promises to me O vouchsafe me that Holy Spirit I pray for to purifie my corrupt Nature to strengthen my Weakness to comfort me in Troubles to support me in Discouragements to succor me in Temptations and to asist me in all the part of my Duty Thou O searcher of hearts knowest the sins I 'm most inclined to here name them herein will lie my greatest danger of Back-sliding but O my God I beg a double portion of thy Spirit and invisible aid against them hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my Foot-steps slip not O work in me that victorious Faith by which I may overcome the World the Devil and my own corrupt Nature My help standeth in thee O great Creator of Heaven and Earth and I commit my Soul to thy keeping O thou that art Faithful as well as Almighty keep that safe which is committed to thy Trust watch over me that I may not be beguiled by the deceitfulness of Sin or betrayed by my own treacherous heart or surprised by my Ghostly Enemies and give me grace to Watch and Pray incessantly my self least I enter into Temptation O Heavenly Father for thine own infinit Mercy sake for thy Truth and Promise sake for all the Merits and Sufferings of the Son of thy Love in whom thou art always well pleased pardon all
my Sins and Failings and receive me into thy favour for the sake of him who has taught me to call the Father and when I pray to say Our Father which art c. The following Form to be added when we have some assurances that our Hearts are steadfast towards God O the God of my life and the unexhausted Fountain of mercy which can never be drawn dry I have now by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit gone through though with weak and trembling steps the whole exercise of Repentance for I have confessed my Sins and thou hast promised upon my Confession of them not to impute them to me I have gone one step farther I have repented of my Sins and thou hast promised upon my Repentance thou wilt remember them no more and because thy Holy Word hath taught me that a new life is the only Repentance I have this day in thy sight and in the presence of all the Angels that attend thee in the conversion of a sinner made my firm resolution never to fall again into the Sins I have repented of and now O God the Father of Heaven who canst not be thought so cruel as to make me only to destroy me Have mercy upon me O God the Son who knowing thy Father's Will didst make it thy business to come into the World to save me Have Mercy c. O God the Holy Ghost who to the same end didst sanctifie me in my Baptism and hast so often since breathed Holy thoughts into my Soul Have mercy c. O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trintiy whom in three persons I adore as my one and only true God Have mercy on me Hear me O Lord. Help me O Lord. Save me or else I perish Lord carest thou not that I perish Thou that wouldest have all men to be saved Thou who wouldest have none to perish And wilt thou now shew thine anger against a Worm against a Vapour that vanishes before thee O remember how short my time is and deliver not my Soul into the power of Hell for what profit is there in my Blood no let me live in thy sight let me live O my God that my Soul may praise thee O remember for whose sake it was that thou camest from the Bosom of thy Father Remember for whom it was that thou enduredst the agony of the Cross and shed thy precious Blood Was it not for the Sins of the whole World and hast thou particularly excepted me Can I imagine thou diest for Sinners of a lower kind and left such as I without Remedy O how easie is it to thee to forgive for 't is thy Nature how proper is it for thee to save for it is thy Name how suitable is it to thy only end of coming into the World for it was thy business and when I consider that I am chief of Sinners may I not urge the Father and say shall the very chief of thy business be left undone Mercy Mercy Good Lord. I ask not of thee any longer the things of this World but thy pardoning Mercy O that I could hear thee say as thou didst to him in the Gospel My Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee O that I could never sin against thee more never purposely deliberately willfully sin against thee more and for those sins of daily Incursion those over familiar corruptions of my Nature which thou hast not yet given me strength enough to conquer Lord either subdue them by degrees or lay them not to my Charge but wherein soever my Conscience most accuseth me therein O my God be thou most merciful unto me Save me O Lord as a brand snatch out of the Fire Receive me O my Jesus as a sheep that has wandred but now is return'd to the Great Shepherd and Bishop of my Soul Let this day O my God be noted in thy Book do not thou forget my Prayers nor suffer me to forget my Resolutions though I am weak though I am unworthy though I am unprofitable yet I am thy Servant and here upon my bended Knees I humbly beg of thee that I may live and die so Lord hear my Prayers and let my cry come unto thee Lord pardon my Prayers and let not my coldness and wandrings and infinite unworthiness turn them into Sin Lord hear my Prayer and let my cry come unto thee O Lord Jesu Christ Son of the Eternal God interpose thy holy Death thy Cross and Passion between thy Judgment and my Soul now and in the hour of my death granting unto me Grace and Mercy to all faithfull people pardon and peace to the Church unity and amity to all Sinners especially those I have led into Sin Repentance and Amendment to us all life and Glory everlasting who livest and reignest ever one God World without end Amen O Lord bless me and keep me O Lord Make thy face to shine upon me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace for ever Amen Having performed this Office with due sincerity let us reflect upon what we have been doing 't is possible the result of our Thoughts may terminate in a mixture of fear and joy But we ought not to let either passion prevail more than is justly necessary don 't let our fear depress and cast us into such a Melancholy as may suggest God won't be reconciled and if we have been dull in the performance of these things that God has rejected us The Devil knows how fatal this course is to redeem us from his Power he is very busie to prevent our repentance and abuse our imaginations with allusions perhaps our own disuse of prayer has rendred us uncapable of a due attention 't is impossible to become immediately good from being very wicked or that we should pray with the same steadfastness as they who are accustomed to this duty We are therefore to strive to the uttermost where we fail to be sorry ask God's Pardon and Grace to do better for the future and in a little time we shall prevail to our satisfaction On the other side don't let our joy puff us up and because we have shed a few Tears said so many Prayers Fasted and given Alms that we are now become perfect and need no more Repentance we have but set the first step to this great work of our Salvation were we sure we had fully conquered sin and shou'd not suffer our selves to be deceived any more Yet this negative part of Christianity is not sufficient 't is not enough that we cease to do Evil but learn to do Well we are now to begin our course and as we have many things to unlearn so there are abundance to learn without which we shall never see the Face of God What they are the Scripture will inform us 't is from thence we are to learn our perfection for he hath shewed thee O man what is Good to do Justice to love Mercy and to walk humbly
frustrate thy Mercies to me and since thou hast appointed this Spiritual Feast for rich and famished Souls let my desires be answerable to my need of it and do thou qualifie me by thy Grace to receive the full benefits of it O Christ hear me and grant that I may approach thee with more sincere and fixed Reasolutions of an intire Reformation and let me receive such strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many old Habitual Diseases my Soul groans under and though I lie never so long at the pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy Table unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing Vertue they will still remain uncured O thou Blessed Physician of Souls heal me and grant I may so touch thee that there lothsome Issues may immediately stanch that these Sicknesses may not be unto Death but to the Glory of thy Mercy in pardoning so polluted a Wretch Lord have Mercy on me and grant I may approach thy Holy Table with such Humlity and Contrition Love and Devotion that thou mayest vouchsafe to come unto me and communicate to me thy self and all the Merits of thy Passion I acknowledge to my shame and sorrow that this Feast has often been prepared and I have with frivolous excuses absented my self or if I have come it has been rather to defy than adore thee I have brought such Troops of thy professed Enemies unrepented sins along with me as if I came not to commemorate but renew thy Passion of what punishment ought I to be thought worthy who have trampled under foot the Son of God counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing by defiling my self with sensual pleasures and breaking my holy Vows since I received the blessed Sacrament and thereby have incurred the greatest danger by receiving that Unworthily which can take away the guilt of my Sin yet O merciful Jesus this Blood is my only refuge let this make my attonement or I perish Eternally Wherefore didst thou shed it but to save Sinners O let me find its saving Efficacy let not the price of thy Blood be utterly lost but Pardon that heap of sin which I bring to thy Cross to be forgiven that so I may be an acceptable Guest at thy Holy Table which I beg for thy Compassion Sake Jesus my God and Saviour BLessed and all sufficient Saviour I the unworthiest of thy Servants prostrate my self at thy Mercy Seat humbly imploring that Pardon and Forgiveness of my multiplied Transgressions which render me unfit to receive the least of thy multiplied Kindness much less of being made a partaker of the greatest in the participation of the Sacred Body and Blood in the Holy Communion Dear Redeemer let me approach this Divine Institution with a prepared Heart and a purified Soul O that infinite Justice of the Almighty in taking so full vengeance upon sin even upon thee his only beloved Son that we might fear and tremble at the sad Effects of sin O the infinite Mercy of the Almighty ever to think of such a remedy for miserable Man's Restoration O the equal Goodness of thee our dearest Lord who wast a willing Sacrifice who wast Content Ambitious Hungring and thirsting after our Salvation by thy dreadful Passion for which let me how my self at the Footstool of thy Cross and mourn for thy Sufferings as occasioned by my Sins O let the drops of thy Blood trickle down into my Bosom and wash out the stains of sin there let thy Thorns pierce me to the Heart and thy Nails fasten me to thee as much as ever they did thee to the Cross Thou that didst entertain Judas with Tranquility and sufferest him to kiss thy Cheek reject not me thy unworthy supplicant but kiss me with the Benediction of thy Lips and with the Affections of a Saviour thou that dist permit the Soldiers to bind thee to satisfie for my looseness and abused liberty bind me now unto thee with the Chains of Love let that Holy Union dissolve the Cords of Vanity and subdue my Passions and unruly Desires Dearest Lord as in my Body of sin there is no part free so in thy suffering Body there was no whole part nothing but Sores and Stripes Wounds and Bruises I have offended in all my parts thou wast tormented in all thine so that with shame and sorrow I confess that my sins inflicted the misery of thy Passion by the hands of thy barbarous Enemies O let the Spear that pierced thy Heart sweetest Jesus pierce mine with true Sorrow let me contemplate on thy Passion with infinite hatred of sin that occasioned it and with infinite gratitude to thy Love for performing the same I adore thee O Lord Blessed Jesus for instituting the Holy Sacrament strike an awe into my Soul when I approach it and create in me Heavenly dispositions to celebrate so Heavenly an institution let me verily believe that if with due preparation I come to thy Altar as certainly as I receive the outward sings so certainly shall I receive thy most blessed Body and Blood to receive which inestimable Blessing O merciful Lord do thou fit and prepare me for thy mercy sake in Christ Jesus our Lord. O All sufficient Saviour teach me by thy great good Examples Obedience and Submission to thy Divine Will I humbly beseech thee so to prepare my Soul to the due receiving of the Holy Sacrament worthily that I may thereby effectually feel tast and feed on thee my Saviour Christ that I may be thee have Eternal Life Pardon O Lord pardon my unpreparedness to come to so Holy and Divine a Mistery make thy Word and Sacrament always so powerful and effectual in my Heart that I may thereby be sanctified and renewed unto all Holy Obedience unto thy Will in the mortification of my sinful Corruptions renewing of thy perfect Image in me unto Holiness Righteousness Sobriety Truth Knowledge Faith Temperance and Chastity O Blessed Jesus by thee let me have access to thy Heavenly Father that by thee he may accept me who by thee is revealed to me let thy Innocence and Purity procure pardon for my uncleanness and disobedience let thy Humility extinguish my Pride and Vanity and thy Charity cover the multitude of my Faults and that thou wilt with the hands of thy Mercy immediately after this life receive my Soul into everlasting Joy and Felicity there to Reign with thee for ever A Concluding Prayer O Lord God into thy hands I commit my Body Soul and Spirit my Thoughts Words and Works desiring wholly to be thine O my God Gracious and Merciful accept me in thy beloved Jesus Christ for his sake let me not go from before thee without a Blessing a Blessing of Pardon and Peace a Blessing of thy Spirit and of thy Grace to come Holy to thy Table a Blessing of thy favour and of thy love in the Lord Jesus thus Lord say of me that thou hast Blessed me and I shall be
a burning affection open thou the Flood-gates of my Eyes and open thou my Lips that my Mouth may shew forth thy praise O my gracious God unless thou interpose thy power I am very much affraid I shall not keep this little goodness till the next morning which now seems to be in me These weak Thoughts these faint Desires and sickly Affections that are in my Soul I doubt will not live a Night unless thou find ways to preserve and cherish them my inveterate Habits of Evil will smother and choak these new Resolutions I am in fear that all these Meditations will be flown away while I am a sleep and my House be foul again unless thou keep me Ah! my dear God seeing I have bestowed some small pains upon my heart and have conceived some little hopes suffer them not to be dash'd to pieces in a Night spread the Wings of thy goodness over me and maintain that which not I but thou thy self hast wrought Lord let me find when I awake that my afflections and desires are grown beyond the strength of Man and that thy power rest upon me Oh! let me find a greater fervor than ever in thy Service let that spark which I fear would go out be blown into a Flame that will never expire so shalt thou draw mine Eyes towards thy self alone who workest such wonders and my Lips shall ever flow with thy Praises Lord if I may beg this Grace of thee I am verily perswaded I shall languish after none but thee therefore my good Lord I leave my self in thy hands hoping that either I am or would be such as thou desirest and if I am arrived but as far as a Will and Desire to be thine that Will is thine and therefore seeing the Will is mine too and we both conspire together I take the boldness to say Lord let thy will be done Oh! sweet Saviour I was going to say I am sick of Love that I cannot love except thou love me and make me better but I correct my self and 't is enough if I be sick because I cannot love thee Do thou make me sick or rather do thou make me well with love unto thee so shall I come to thy Table with Joy and Gladness hoping that thou wilt kiss me with the Benediction of thy Lips for thy love is better than Wine draw me and I will run after thee yea we will run after thee for I will proclaim to others the loving kindness of the Lord Amen Devotions for the Day we intend to Communicate IT well becomes a Christian's Piety to welcome the day which brings our Saviour so near to us with acts of Joy and Thnaksgiving for the approach of so great a Blessing And since one Night may breed too great a damp and chilness upon our Spirits it will be very wholesome to renew those Thoughts and Affections that we left there when we went to Bed and so go to the house of God in a sense of our unworthiness to entertain so glorious a Person and in a sense of sin which is the cause of that unworthiness together with a joy in our Souls and Praises upon our Tongues that he will forgive them humbly desiring of the Lord that he will accept of us for his Habitation and that he will come and enlarge our Souls by a holy Love to him and longing after him that there may be room for his Sacred Majesty and a place clean and dressed to receive him In order hereunto as soon as we awake let us adore that Sacred Majesty of Heaven in the following Ejaculation A Prayer O Merciful God as thou hast awakened my Body from sleep so by thy Grace awaken my Soul from sin that I may appear before thee this day at thy Holy Altar with a pure and undefiled Soul O Jesus cloth me with the Wedding Garments of Righteousness and true Holiness that being a worthy Receiver of thy Body and Blood I may continue steadfast to my lives end and at the last Trump according to thy Blessed Promise be made a pertaker of thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen The solemnity of this day requires a most exact attendance in the service of God all our affections should be so imployed that even the necessaries of this life ought not to incumber our Souls or take off those Holy Meditations which should be inseperate to our Minds much more should we dispence with things of less moment and therefore however we indulge our selves at other times let us now take leave of our Bed and prepare to meet our God with humble Addresses and rising with a thinkful acknowledgment for the Mercies of the Night past let us say Glory be to thee O Lord for watching over me this Night Lord raise me up at the last day to life everlasting In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified for me I arise he by his cross and Passion save bless and preserve me this day and for ever Amen As soon as we are Dressed let us retire unto our Closet and before we prostrate our selves at the Throne of Grace exercise our Thoughts a little upon the approaching Solemnity and reflect upon our base ingratitude consider how infinitly unworthy we are of such an inestimable benefit and then let us adore that inexpressible Goodness which gives us so glorious an opportunity of waiting on our loving Lord at his Holy Altar after such a religious confusion of Soul let us humble our selves and say Good Lord pardon thy servant why endeavours to prepare his heart to seek thee though I be not cleansed according to the Purification of the Sanctuary A Prayer O Lord I do not presume to come to that great Feast of thy Body and Blood upon the least opinion of my own worthiness for when I look upon my self I dare not come least I should Eat and Drink my own Damnation but when I consider thy infinite Mercies unto us and thy own words calling all men without exception and knowing that thy crucified Body is not only food to nourish but Physick to cure I beg leave that am but Dust and Ashes to come to thy Holy Table and with my weak Faith to feed upon some Crumbs of the Bread of Life I confess O Lord I have no Wedding Garments on me but I come to seek them at thy Cross from thy bitter sorrows to derive into my Soul a Godly sorrow working an unfeigned Repentance from the broken Body a broken Heart from thy warm Blood flowing from thy wounded side Zeal and fervency that I may love and admire thee my God as I ought to do I come O Dear Jesus to fetch Humility and Temperance Chastity and Charity and whatever thou seest needful for me O bury all my sins in thy Grave my stony Heart my natural Corruptions and vile Affections I come O Lord to fetch a new life from thy Holy and Blessed Resurrection for I stand in amazement when I consider my own vileness and
of men What can be more agreeable to a devout Soul than thus to exercise it self in the Law of God What can be more moving than to see and hear a devout Priest offering up Prayers and Supplications and others joining in his Petitions by Ecchoing a hearty Amen How does it constrain us to out-vie in Zeal and cause a Holy Emulation when we hear our Minister with fervency crying to the Father of Heaven to have Mercy upon us and we with equal earnestless invocating the Son and Holy Ghost mercifully to hear us Let others mock and call them vain repetitions while we endeavour to express the desires of our Souls in those Pathetical supplications Lord have mercy upon us We are not so vain but to confess our want of that Mercy nor ashamed of the Repetition when we find the benefit even the favour of the Lord which is better than life it self wherefore I must be earnest with every Christian to attend this service don't let our thoughts be roving but correct the wandrings of our minds the whole Service is in order to prepare us to a worthy reception of the Holy Sacrament when once we have got the mastry of our selves and can go along with all the parts of the Church we shall have less occasions for these helps to Devotion we shall find so much contained in the Prayers and Exhortations as will take up all the vacant time in Holy Meditation and this will make Holiness become exceeding delightful when we can turn our Souls towards God and solace them without interruption when we can leave the thoughts of this World and look steadfastly to God But this is to be done by degrees when we have conquer'd the love of this World and wearied our selves from its Alurements and this only to be performed by a constant watch over our words and actions and perseverance in the ways of goodness When the Prayers of the Church are over let us humbly ask God to pardon our defects in his Service and say O Lord Pardon the wandrings and coldness of my Petitions deal not with me according to my Prayers or Deserts but according to my needs and thy infinit mercy in Jesus Christ Amen Having discharged our duty in Prayer to God let us prepare our selves to hear what he will say to us out of his Holy Word we ought to look upon the Minister as an Ambassador of Christ and hearken with reverence to his Doctrine at the end of it to beg that we may bring forth the Fruit of it in our Lives and Conversation and this we can't do in better words than in one of the Collects after the Communion Grant we beseech thee Almighty God that the Words which we have heard this day c. While the People are going out let us devoutly turn towards the Table of the Lord and endeavour with admiration and reverence to contemplate the approaching Ordinance let us entertain thoughts of our unworthiness and then humble our selves before the Lord and say A Prayer O Almighty God who art infinite in Compassion and art able to pardon more sins than I can commit the stretcht out Arms of my dear Saviour upon the Cross can encompass the largest extention of my sins and his Passion affords an ever flowing Red Sea to cover them that they may not become my confusion O then let his Blood be my Bath purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow and to capacitate me for these Mercies let the deepest sorrow wound my Soul Oh! let it grieve my Spirit that I have lived so long to the grief of thine and let me grieve so long that I can grieve no more make my Soul to ascend in an humble supplication and let my Saviour's intercession procure thine acceptance and give me such a Faith as may take possession of all I pray for and least my own trust should deceive me when I have said Amen to my Prayers do thou say Amen to my Amen that so an Establishment of Blessings may be the crown of my Soul which I beg through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ Extinguish O Lord all the Fires of Hell my Lust Pride Envy Malice and Uncharitableness create in me O God a great longing after the Bread of Heaven and a thirst after the fountain of Salvation that as the Heart panteth after the water brooks so my Soul may long after thee my Saviour and Redeemer Amen When the Minister goes up to the Holy Table letus raise our Affections and prepare our selves to accompany him in this great work and fixing our selves in a devout posture when he begins the Exhortation to Charity let our thoughts carry us beyond the litteral Expression of those Sentences and whilst he Reads consider the necessities of the Poor Let us enlarge our desires and wish we were able to satisfie the complaints of those who are in want at least let us resolve to do according as God has put it in our power not Grudgingly and of necessity because 't is the custom and the Church requires it at such Seasons Here we have an opportunity of examining our selves whether we have fulfill'd the will of God in this manner 'T is not to be supposed that we deserve the name of charitable persons who take no time to distribute of this World good but when we can't help it therefore let us ask our Souls at every Sentence Hast thou followed this Advice or obeyed this Command Hast thou performed that great duty of the Law doing as thou wouldst be done by Hast thou restored with interest whatever thou hast unjustly detained from any Man And first have we taken care that they who have sown unto us Spiritual things should reap of our Temporal for 't is meet those who wait at the Altar should be partakers with the Altar for we must know that even so God hath ordained that they who Preach should live of the Gospel Therefore if we have fail'd to do this let us ask God's Pardon and don't let us because the Minister can't exact it take that advantage and pay nothing Secondly have we shew'd our compassion to the poor by giving Alms Have we not turned away our Face from our Brother who was in need but been merciful after our power If our Hearts condemn us not we have confidence in God that he is Righteous and will not forget but reward us in the day of necessity thus may we turn these excellent Admonitions into heads of Examination and happy are we if we have offer'd up such Sacrifices as are acceptable The Church has taken care to tell us what they are and has placed them at the beginning of this excellent Office to exhort us to Good Works We are about to remember that exceeding love of Christ and the wonderful charity of our Saviour therefore 't is very proper in the entrance to this Holy Ordinance to exhort us to be like minded that
Celestial Food the bread that came down from Heaven how does thy sweetness and my own necessities invite me My body is liable to Temporal my Soul to Eternal Death and behold here is the medicine of immortality which will remove the sting of the first and destroy the power of the second which will fill me with the Graces I want fit me for the Glory I desire and advance my Soul and Body above the Power of corruption I feel a mighty Hunger created in me which nothing but this Heavenly Manna can satisfie I despise the meat which perishes and feedeth for Destruction and long with impatience to taste of this Body of Christ of which I may eat and live for ever which will make the Grave unable to hold me and Hell not dare to shut its Mouth upon me O make no long tarrying but give me now and ever this Bread I desire nothing but Christ if I want this repast shall faint or die before I come to the Mount of God O My Soul behold how thou hast incensed the Majesty of Heaven see thy Saviour offered up for thy sins and submitting to the heavy Wrath of God and yet whatever he suffered was thy Portion Wretch that I am to live in such a manner that nothing else could satisfie or make my Peace but here I come this day to call my sins to remembrance I will look on thee whom I have pierced with a most tender and sympathizing Affection and while I break this Holy Bread with my Teeth will commemorate how thou wast bruised for our iniquities how our offences did torture thee with grief and pain Holy Saviour I 'm angry at my self and full of anguish to see what I have brought upon thee I 'm sorry with all my heart that I have given harbor to thy Murderers but I hope this dismal spectacle shall mortifie in me all desires after Evil and make me abhor all those desperate pleasures which must be so dearly paid for by thee or stand charged upon my account for ever A Meditation upon the Element of Wine O What preparation is our gracious Master making for us he thinks it not enough to give us his blessed Body with the merits of all those Torments which he suffered in the Flesh but he is pleased to pour out his Blood and Life together with it that we might drink thereof and so take as it were his very Soul into us miserable Wretches we are that nothing less will help us O how gracious a Redeemer have we that will not deny us this behold O Lord I Thirst and this Wine of joy makes me more impatient to taste of this Cup of Thanksgiving Thou that hast prepared it for me make it thy holy Blood unto me and then it shall cleanse my Soul and make me thine for ever O Lord I tremble at the apprehensions of all those Evils that stand between me and thy Glory the Grave gapeth for me and Satan is ready every moment to devour me wherefore I beseech thee sprinkle me with thy all-saving Blood that the destroying Angel may pass over me Let me drink of this Cup of Life and Death shall be Defeated the Grave Dismantled and Satan disappointed Let me drink of thy precious Blood that I may receive abundance of thy Spirit so shall my body be hallowed into a sacred Temple and my Soul replenished with such Graces that I can never perish O give me this Divine Cordial at present and make to me a preservation for Body and Soul to life everlasting I Dore thy unspeakable Goodness I delight in thy unmeasurable Mercy I desire to know nothing but the Lord Jesus and in him Crucified O let the Power of thy Cross prevail against all the Powers of Darkness let the Wisdom of thy Cross make me wise unto Salvation let the Peace of thy Cross reconcile me to thy Eternal Father and bring to me Peace of Conscience let the Victory of thy Cross mortifie all my evil and corrupt Affections let the triumph of thy Cross lead me on to a state of Holiness that I may sin no more but in all things please thee and in all things serve thee and in all things glorifie thee O my God assist me now and ever graciously and greatly grant that I may not receive Bread alone for man cannot live by that but that I may eat Christ and then I shall be thy servant for ever GReat Advocate of my Soul thou seest my desires to love thee I leave my self to thy Mannagement O enter into this frozen heart and erect thy Kingdom and Empire there let every desire of my Soul be subject to thee and make me willing to submit to any thing so I may but love thee O Compassionate Saviour whose Bowels yearn over the penìtent let my Soul rest in and contemplate thee enlarge my Mind loose me from my Bonds and let the effect of the offering up my Soul in the Holy Sacrament be that I may become a servant of Righteousness and may relish no wisdom but from above O Lord Jesus I am not worthy to come near so great a Mystery but thou can'st make me worthy and though I am a sinner I come to offer the sacrifice thou hast commanded O pardon my Offences and receive me graciously for thy Mercies sake I lament O God my detestable iniquities for having so long so often and so obstinately offended thee O most merciful Lord pardon me for Jesus Christ his sake O hear his dying Groans regard his Agony and Bloody Sweet by his Cross and Passion let my sins be blotted out by his glorious Resurrection and Ascention let every Evil affection and lust be crucified that I may arise to a newness of life Great Friend of my immortal Soul chuse I beseech thee my heart for thy dwelling place replenish it with thy Graces and make me to loath these transitory possessions O Lord what is there in Heaven or what upon Earth that I would have besides thee My heart is ready O God my heart is ready Lord what wouldst thou have to me do grant me to do what thou commandest and command what thou wilt O my sweet Saviour I long for thy Company and am miserable without thee yet dare scarce draw near unto thee because I have nothing pure enough to entertain thee Lord be merciful to me a sinner for I am grieved for my unworthiness and amazed at thy condescention in offering thy self to so vile a Creature O Holy Jesus I am utterly ashamed that ever I should put thee to such exceeding Smart and Torture I am ashamed to think of it and abhor my sins O light of mine Eyes my secure refuge O life of my Soul my Maker my Redeemer and my preserver into thy hands do I commit my Spirit O joy of my Soul when shall I love thee with all my Heart with all my Soul with all my Might When shall I enjoy thee When shall I come and appear before thee
Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. Lord if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me O touch me and say I will be thou clean Oh let this Blood of thine purge my Conscience from dead Works to serve thee the ever living God It will not suffice me dearest Saviour to receive thee in part only for I must be wholly thine and blessed be thy Name that thou hast already given me thy holy Body to cleanse my Nature and now thou art preparing thy precious Blood to wash away my Guilt my sins have poured out every drop thereof wherefore thou presentest it to me by it self to shew how truly thou didst suffer Death for me and now O my Redeemer thou hast said this Cup is the Communion of thy Blood and thy truth is unquestionable thy power infinite and thy love was such as thou gavest thy hearts blood for me I will receive it therefore as the everlasting Covenant the Seal of all the promises of thy holy Gospel I have indeed drunk iniquity like Water and therefore am unfit to tast this Water of Life and yet shall perish without it for I 'me all over defiled and this is the fountain which thou hast opened to cleanse us I am scorched with the Flames of lust and unruly passion and this is the Cup which thou hast provided to cool and refresh us What value is sufficient for me to put upon this immortal Cordial How can I reverence it enough since the God of Heaven esteemed it a price sufficient for millions of perishing Mankind My Soul longeth after it Lord let me taste and my Soul shall live let me wash in this laver before I come to thy great Tribunal so shall I be whiter than snow Let us repeat after the Minister the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ c. After the Cup. IT is finished blessed be the Name of our gracious God Blessing Glory Praise and Honour Love Obedience Dominion and Thanksgiving be to thee O sacred Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost Amen Well come O my good Jesus now dismiss thy Servant in Peace for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation If we have time before we return to our Pews let us add HOw chearing is this Cup to me blessed Jesus which was so dreadful unto thee it was thy Agonies and thy Wounds which afforded me this Wine of Joy Thou didst find how bitter it was when thou wert appeasing an offended God but I taste how sweet it is now that thou hast made him a tender and reconciled Father I receive this Cup O Saviour as a new pledge of thy dearest Love and since thou doest here give me a right to that great Expiation which thou hast made I do most humbly commemorate the same before the Father of Heaven as the full satisfaction for my innumerable Debts and I will remember the dolors of thy Cross with a brisker sense than ever because thou hast made me drink of thy Blood and given me thy Soul thy Life and thy Spirit and since thou hast thus joyned me to thy self O let nothing seperate that which thou hast so graciously joyned together Amen They who have advanced thus far in their Duty and been refreshed at the Table of God will easily acknowledge Thanksgiving to be the least tribute they can pay and won't be satisfied that they have given praises at the Altar but are willing to offer this sacrifice every opportunity therefore let us at our return to our Seats be ready to acknowledge the loving kindness of the Lord. PRaise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his Holy Name was it not enough that thou shouldst suffer so much for me but thou wilt also give all the purchase of those sufferings to me thy loving kindness is truly admirable thou hast taken my sins on thy self and communicated thy Righteousness to my Soul Lord while I believe and consider the benefits of thy Passion I am revived and fill'd with an unwonted Vigour my Conscience does accuse me of many and grievious sins but I do here most humbly and thankfully set forth this perfect sin offering before thy Divine Majesty I know thou cannot except against it I believe it is sufficient to attone thine Anger Blessed Jesus how is my Soul refreshed that is again restored to thy Father's love let Heaven and Earth praise thee for this glorious Sacrifice and I will bless thee while I have any being I have receiv'd thy immaculate Body and it shall cleanse my sinful Body and teach me by the vertue of so rare an Example to relieve my poor Brethren for whom thou hast died and to conquer my Enemies by charity for thus thou hast done to me and both my lips and life shall set forth thy praise for now I begin to find the Mercy Peace Comfort and Grace which flow from the Death of Christ wherefore I will love thee Holy Jesus more than I can express and since thou hast given thy self thy Merits and Graces to me and seal'd a new Covenant with me in thy Blood I here bind my self by this sacred Cup to be sincerely thine I have sworn and am steadfastly purposed to keep thy Righteous Judgments O let me never unhallow that Body or defile that Soul in which the Lord Jesus delights to dwell in let no Oaths or Lying prophane those Lips no Obscenity or Intemperance pollute that Mouth by which these holy Symbols have passed but let thy Mercy keep me in this happy Temper till I have accomplished all my Resolutions Amen Or This ALL is thine Dear Saviour dispose of all that is here of Body and Soul of life and lodging according to thy Divine Will and Pleasure I intend O Lord strengthen me in this very Hour I intend O sweet Saviour a Total Reformation of my Life and Manners an intire Mortification of my Corporal Senses an absolute change in my whole Man grant therefore O good Jesus that at each word of my Mouth at each glance of my Eye at each morsel I Eat at each member I Move at each action Inward or Outward I undertake I may perform all according to thy holy Will and Pleasure I will therefore expect from thee O Heavenly Father the exact Remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect Knowledge from thee O Holy Spirit a true Repentance from thee O Sacred Trinity the entire Absolution and Plenary indulgence from all my iniquities Amen We have been informed that this is the great Feast of Love and are now commemorating that inexpressible love of our Saviour and since his Blood was shed for the sins of the whole World let our Charity extend it self to the uttermost parts of the Earth but more especially the Holy Catholick Church therefore the time we spare from our Devotions let us bestow in good desires to those present sending up a hearty Amen to the Prayers for our Brethren let it rejoyce our Souls to see so many of the Servants of God
waiting at his Altar to receive the Bread of Life let us earnestly pray that this Communion may be life to every one that all who are present may meet to Feast in life Everlasting O Thou Eternal Being vouchsafe to bless confirm and strengthen us all who are present before thee deliver us from the day of Condemnation and let us not be confounded when we shall appear before thee in the presence of thy Angels but grant that through the blood of the Cross we may all be cleansed from our sins and presented pure unblamable and irreprovable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter to sing Eternal Hallelujahs to him that sets upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever May what we have now offer'd up to thee O Lord be accepted for the good of the universal World for all those for whom the Holy Jesus shed his most precious Blood for the Glory of thy Holy Name and for the coming of the Holy Ghost that he may please to visit and enlighten all our Hearts O Lord be propitious to the Holy Catholick Church and by the increase of Faith Hope and Charity inlarge its Limits be pleased to remember all that are Fallen all that are in Captivity the Infirm Sick Stranger Fatherless and Widow in great Mercy look upon them all restore heal comfort and relieve them for Jesus Christ his sake Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Amen As soon as the Congregation has communicated let us prepare to glorifie the Lord together in order to it let us reflect upon the Goodness of this God who has done so much for us and if we are attentive to the Prayers of the past Communion 't is impossible to behave our selves coldly or indifferently there is so much life in the expressions that we are forced to utter them with an affectionate concern and the greater our Zeal the greater is the Benefit we receive Each thought must give us an Idea beyond our Expression we shall be so wholly taken up with this wonderful love of Christ that we shall be angry our conceptions are so imperfect that we don't see more clearly this Beauty of Holiness O let us lose our selves in this boundless contemplation and be ravished with the loving kindness of the Lord and now that we are in earnest become the Sons of God we may with confidence lift up our hearts to Our Father which is in Heaven which is the first Prayer the Church has appointed to offer up to God we have been feasting at his Table renewing our Covenants and made pertakers of our Saviour and his Spirit therefore being so clothed 't is very proper our first address be made in his own word After we have repeated that with Reverence let us join in the next for 't is now high time that we make an offering to the God of our Salvation and there is nothing we can give more pleasing than our selves to be a reasonble sacrifice therefore let us intirely dedicate our Souls Body and Spirit to the service of God and be infinitly rejoyced that God is pleased to accept us therein and this will enable us more chearfully to joyn in the following Hymne When our Heavenly King sees us so hearty in his Service so desirous of Pardon that we with the greatest Earnestless cry to the only begotten Jesus Christ and with all so forward to return our humble thanks for his Mercy No doubt he will be near to our Assistance and reward us with more than we can ask or think even exalt us to that state of Glory with him that sits on the right hand of the Father and is most high in the Glory of God After we have thus affectionately joyn'd in the Prayers of the Church let us with Faith and Thankfulness receive the Blessing and then with humble Adoration once more magnifie the goodness of God for who can be weary in praising the noble acts of the Lord PRaise the Lord O my Soul and let all thy Powers be acted with such love and wonder that thou mayest break forth into all the expression of joy and gladness that admiration and gratitude can inspire thee with Glory be to thee O Lord most High Let us rise from our Knees and bow towards the Holy Table shewing our unwillingness to depart the place where his Honour dwells leave it with a reluctance and still say in our hearts 't is good for us to be here They who are arriv'd to such a habit must necessarily desire another opportunity to glorifie God in this manner and be very fond of frequenting his House till this blessed season returns for we are not to think our Duty done with our Prayers we must create a kind of a familiarity with God and no way so likely to do that as by the constant appearance in his House there it is he has promised to be and thither we must come if we would have our Prayers returned with success Though private Devotions be necessary yet the Publick are absolutely so there God is honoured by the company of his Saints and there we have the opportunity to acknowledge him to be the Lord. 'T is there we assemble with one accord to present our Petitions to the Throne of Grace and 't is most likely our Incense should pierce Heaven when it ascends thither in a thick cloud but sure there will be no occasion to use Arguments to those who have felt the Blessings of coming thus together they must see how pleasant it is to dwell in such Unity and prefer the door of the Tabernacle to the Palaces of Princes they who are so unhappy as to be Strangers there who have no taste nor are perswaded of the Truth of these things I could wish they would prevail with themselves to try the deliciousness of the Employment and I am sure they would be obliged to confess not one half has been told them A Meditation for the Communion at Christmas Welcome thrice blessed day the desire of all Nations whose distant glories made the Father of the Faithful to rejoice and whose approaches fill'd the World with wonder and expectation thou wert ushered in with Angelick Hymns and celebrated ever since with Anthems of praise because thou didst bring forth joy and a Redeemer to Mankind Happy am I that have a sacrifice of Thanksgiving in my hand to express the delight which my heart doth feel This Holy Table is the Altar upon which I offer my Acknowledgmets for all mercies And Oh how many how great are those which this day brings to my remembrance so Infinite it cannot be expressed and yet so excellent they must not be forgotten This day hath reconciled Heaven and Earth and Contradictions made freinds to find a way to help us as if nothing might disagree when Man was at peace with God O my Soul summon all thy powers to
O my Soul is expressed by thy Redeemer when our sins his treacherous Servants and enraged Enemies were contriving his Death he was designing an excellent benefit for us the stream of his affections was so strong that our baseness and ingratitude could not check it we might have expected that the horror of this dismal Night should have made him repent of his undertaking and have put him upon reversing all his former favours but lo he adds a greater than ever he had given before and appoints this as a seal to confirm and convey the rest to us Thy love was stronger than Death and when all the terrors of thy dreadful Passion were in view thy Soul was so calm as to be at leisure to institute this Feast of Joy and Gladness Surely I will entertain this Festival with the dearest regard I can express since it was one of the last and greatest Testimonies of the love of a dying Friend this blessed Legacy this parting Remembrance shall be in my heart for ever Having considered the exceeding great love of God in instituting this Sacrament that very Night he was betrayed and that he should be mindful of us when he was about to drink that Cup of which we were not able let us now contemplate the preparation our Lord then made for us and that we have already heard is Bread but don't let the meaness of the outward part be a disparagement to this mystery but let us adore the Humility of our Saviour who was content with so mean a Re-presentation A Meditation upon the Element of Bread O Blessed Jesus how lovely is thy Humility thou hast chosen to be represented by Bread and though some curious or costly preparation had been more agreeable to thy Dignity yet this best expresses thy condescension Bread is the poor Man's Food yet necessary for the Rich it springs from the Earth yet it is the staff of our Life and given to strengthen Man's heart and so it signifies that Body which thou didst take from the Earth and gavest for the life of the World O that I may receive thee by Faith and then I know I shall draw the most salutary nourishment from thee and thou wilt as effectually be united to my Soul as the Bread which is eaten is to my Body Let me eat this Holy Bread in Charity O do thou make it thy Body and it shall be the Bread of Life to my Soul O merciful Jesus thou hast taken Bread into thy bountiful hands and behold I faint for Hunger I languish for this Spiritual Food and since I am come so nigh thee on this blessed day of Distribution I beseech thee pass not by me as thou takest this Bread so didst thou take thy Body only to be broken in Sacrifice for us and in Sacrament to us let me not therefore want my part O Eternal Word of God by whose power all things were made I will not ask how thou canst give me thy Flesh to eat because I am abundantly satisfied in thy saying this is my Body since thou canst make it become to me whatsoever thou sayest it is I believe Lord help my unbelief what though my senses assure me the outward substances and its accidents still remain yet my Faith and experience tell me there is an Efficacy therein beyond the power of any other thing Alas the Flesh would profit me nothing for he that is joined to thee must be one Spirit O let these sacred Symbols therefore make me partaker of thy Nature and a partner in thy merits let them unite me to thee ingraft me in thee and make that Body mine which did suffer Death for me and then I shall need no further but be more happy than if I could understand all mysteries sure I am this is thy Body in Sacrament it communicates to us the blessings and benefit thereof and though presented with a Figure and by a Holy Right yet it is to all its purposes that which it doth represent I will therefore receive it as thy Body and esteem it infinitly above all other food that I may not be judged for not descerning thy Body O let it be unto me according to my Faith I Am a sinful Wretch O Lord and yet if I bid thee depart from me I banish all true happiness from my Soul I long for thy presence but how shall I entertain thee Thou wast born of a pure Virgin wraped in clean Linnen dwellest now where nothing defiled can enter but never was there so unworthy apartment prepared for thee as my polluted heart into which I durst not presume to bring thee but that I know thou canst make it clean however when by Faith I see that Body which all the Angels in Heaven worship I cannot but abhor my self in Dust and Ashes I am amazed to see such a Majesty come to visit a Sin-sick Soul in so poor a Cottage yea I cannot but tremble at thy presence O thou King of Glory because I am so overspread with the filth of sin but I will lament those corruptions which I cannot fully purge away and beseech thee not to dispise me though I deserve it I confess my self unworthy but thy condesention in stooping to me will be the more illustrious and if thou hast less delight in me for the present thou shalt have more Glory afterwards When thou hast changed my vile Body and made it like to thy glorious Body according to thy mighty Power O My Soul make hast behold thy gracious Master is dealing his Bread to those that hunger after Righteousness be not discouraged at thy unworthiness for he gives to all Men liberally and upbraideth not O dear Jesus give me a share thereof declare me to be thine by feeding me at this Table thou who wert content to be bruised and broken to satisfie my offended God O be pleased to give thy self and the merits of this thy Passion unto me Lord give me ever more of this Bread HOly Jesus I am not worthy to touch this blessed Body as 't is thine yet I presume to approach because thy love hath made it mine This is the sacrifice for my sins the price of my Redemption and that by which my Soul was ransomed from Hell and rescued from a dreadful destruction it was given for me and it shall now be given to me and hast thou made such a preparation for me and offer'd it unto me Lord I am transported at thy love dear Saviour I will love thee with all my powers and strive and pray that I may love thee more as fervently as ever any thy Saints have done I will give my self unto thee and dispise all other things in comparison of thee and when I have once tasted of this all-saving Sacrifice which was given for me I 'm perswaded that neither Life Death Pleasure or Pain things present or to come shall be able to seperate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen O My