seem sufficient to inforce a due Attendance on it And when once Men are so disposed and seriously resolv'd to communicate I shall add a few things to assist them in a right Discharge of it and so conclude this Subject When we come to the Holy Sacrament to commemorate the Death of our Bleeding Lord whose Body there is represented as broken and his most precious Blood as shed on our account we are to shew forth an affectionate and hearty Thankfulness for so invaluable a Kindness and an intire Resignation of our selves to his Vse and Repentance of all our Sins fully purposing to amend them all thenceforwards and an universal Peace and Charity towards all our Neighbours all which we must excite in our own Souls by due Considerations 1. We must shew forth an affectionate aâ—d hearty Thankfulness for so invaluable a â—â—ndness And what Soul can be slow to 〈◊〉 this who considers how infinitely our 〈◊〉 Lord has deserved of us For he has got us the most precious and glorious things which Heaven it self could afford that all our Sins should be freely pardoned and that the Holy Ghost that Immense Eternal and All-sufficient Spirit should come in at all times to our help and that we should be in no less Quality than the Sons of God and Heirs of a Kingdom who are assured of eternal Joys and Glories in another World And ought not Gifts so august and superlatively excellent to be most affectionately acknowledged He has bought all these to bestow upon us at the dearest Rate not onely taking the most unwearied Pains but also paying the highest Price and laying down his own most precious Blood for the Purchase And must not such astonishing Kindness which was affrighted by no Hazards nor stopt at any Difficulties nor declined any Sufferings not the Suffering of Death it self for our sakes be always held in a most thankful Remembrance And in all this he had no Ends of his own to serve of us but was led on purely by the Pleasure he takes in our Happiness he was not won by our Deserts for alas we were his profest Enemies who had nothing to shew but highest Provocations he was not wearied out with the importunity of our Intreaties for it came as undeserv'd so altogether unask'd whatsoever he did for us he was â—ot moved by the Mediâ—tiâ—n of Friends â—or whom alas had we to intercede for 〈◊〉 And shall not such amazing Love and Goodness so frankly shew'd without any Eye at 〈◊〉 or Private Interests without 〈◊〉 or Deserts nay in spite of all Discâ—uâ—agâ—meâ—ts and highest Provocations be entertain'd with greatest Joy and grateful Acclamations He has been an infinitely endearing and entire Friend to us without any Inducement but his own most generous Kindness and against all Discouragements and beyond all 〈◊〉 and under the most frightful Hazards and at the highest Expences giving his own Soul even to Death for a Ransom to redeem ours And whensoever we hear or think of this I am confident it will not be difficult for any of us to embrace him with Hearts full of Love and high Desires and pay him most intire Thanks and burst out into Songs of Praise and find it a most joyful Business so to do What am I my dear Lord will a devout Mind then say that thou shouldest leave the Right-hand of God and come to visit me Hadji thou no Ease in thy own Breast so long as I lay plunged in Misery And couldst not thou be Happy in Heaven nor enjoy thy self amidst all the Joys and Glories of that Blissful Plaâ—â— unlâ—ss I were there too to bâ—ar thâ—â— Company How â—arnest thou being so highly exalted and the Eternal Son of God to have any Affectionate Concern at all for me Was nâ—t I a defâ—rred pâ—lluted Wretch and thy profest Enemy And werenâ—t either of these enough to turn away thy Face from me But if notwithstanding all this thy overflowing Goodness would put th◠〈…〉 something for my sake why must thou come thy self upon the Earth nay come to bleed and die to Redeem me Am I dearer to thee than thy own Life that thou shouldest part with it to save me Dost thou love me better than thou lovest thy self that thou wilt shed the last Drop of thy own Hearts Blood to make me happy Blessed Jesus how unfaâ—â—â—mable is thy Grace and what an unsearchable Depth of Love is this which thou hast opened to us O how happy do I think my self in it and how doth my Heart rejoyce at the Remembrance of it Lord I love thee dearly and long to love thee more Would I had the Heartâ— of a Seraphin that I might be all over Love and neither wish nor think of any thing besides thee Would I could feel my Soul affected to that degree which I desire and thou infinitely deservest of me I wish no greater Pleasure than to be found perfect in thy Love and to have thee so dear unto me that I can contemn all the gilded Vanities and Allurements of the World at the thoughts of thee O! do thou fill me with an Affection full and absolute like thine own that I may love thee infinitely as I am beloved by thee Possess me with such a Sense of thy Love and such Thankfulness for all thy Favours as is worthy of thee tho' should I offer the utmost Acknowledgments which the most affected and enlarged Heart can pay I should not give the thousandth part of what I owe thee Let all the Angels adore thy glorious Goodness and all the Sons of Men so long as they have a Tongue to speak set forth thy Noble Praise for thou O sweetest Jesu art the Son of the Blessed the Joy and Glory of the World the Lamb of God and the Saviour of Mankind who wast slain for our sakes and art alive again and sittest now for ever at the Right-hand of Power in the Glory of the Father that Angels may submit to thee and all the World may worship thee sing of thee and praise thy Goodness Power and Glory to all Eternity 2. We must shew our selves reconciled to all who have any ways offended us and that we are in Peace and Charity with all Persons And this we shall not think much to do if we consider how highly our dear Lord is concern'd for them and how earnestly he sues in behalf of them for then we shall be readily brought to it on his account tho we might be more averse to it on their own He has loved them so well as to shed his precious Blood for them and can we find in our Hearts to hurt any Person when we see him giving his own Life to save him He owns them as his Friends and Brethren and is not that enough to make us kind to see that he is so near akin to them He has made them Members of his Body and thereby Parts of his own self and can we study Revenge against them when he comes in at
Requisite to our worthy Commemoration of his Benefits in this Feast For Praising God is reckoned as one Particular of the Disciples Carriage in their Breaking Bread Act. 2. They continued daily breaking Bread says St. Luke which they eat with gladness praising God v. 46 47. Nay so great a share has Thanksgiving and Praise in this Business that the whole Action is called the Eucharist i. e. the Giving of Thanks to God for those Benefits which are therein Commemorated And these are the Things which must render our Remembrance worthy of him when we Commemorate him as our Friend and Benefactor in this Holy Supper We must love him for his Kindnesses and delight in his Benefits and be thankful for all his Favours particularly for that which is therein especially Commemorated his Dying upon our accounts bursting out into grateful Acknowledgments and Words of Praise and being ready and resolved by our Zeal in his Service our Observance of his Laws and our Kindness to his poor Members to make him all the small Requital we are able so that he may never have any cause to repent of what he has done for us But besides this Remembrance of his Friendship to us and Benefits in general which require in us these forementioned Tempers we are especially to commemorate the Benefit of his Dying for us which more particularly calls for certain others In Eating Bread and Drinking Wine in the Lords Supper I say we are to remember his Dying for us and shedding his Blood a Ransom for our Sins And to do this worthily we must be humbled under the sense of our own unworthiness and abhor our Sins which brought him to bleed and die for us and resign up our selves both Souls and Bodies to his use as we are bought with his Blood and thereby become his own Purchase 1 st We must remember his Dying for us in an humble and deep sense of our own unworthiness and in an utter abhorrence of our Sins which brought him to these Sufferings We must remember it I say in an humble and deep sense of our own unworthiness His Death was not for any thing that he had done but onely for our Sins and this shews what vile Wretches we are and how unworthy Persons It lets us see how hateful our Sins had made us unto God and what they had deserved at his Hands For he would not let them pass without inflicting the highest Shame and the most exquisite Pain and Tortures Yea when his own onely Begotten Son would intercede for them and bâ—ar the Burden of them in his own â—â—â—son so implacable was the 〈…〉 to them and so indispensable â—he Râ—â—sons that constrainâ—d him to punis◠〈…〉 that his most tender Love for him whom he valued as his own Right Eye could not hinder but that he should bleed and die for them It lets us see also how troublesom they had made us to our best Friends and how shamefully burdensom and expensive to the Blessed Jesus For when he long'd and labour'd to redeem us from them he could not be our Friend unless he would cease to be his own nor do us any good at all except he would give his own Life a Ransom And what Man now can ever think of this but he must hide his Face and be quite buried in a shameful sense of his own Unworthiness He may see how vile he was when God was so highly offended with him and thought no Punishment too heavy for him and would not be reconciled at the Intercession of his own Son unless he would die in stead of him and it was so dangerous and costly a thing no less than the laying down his own Life for his Saviour to shew himself a serviceable Friend to him And if this Sight doth not work shame and self-abasement in him he will be concluded by all to be the basest Man alive and utterly unworthy that â—ver any thing of all this unparallell'd Kindness should have been done him We must also remember his Dying for us with an utter abhorrence of our Sins which were the Causes of his Sufferings For if we do not hate and abhor them when we consider what Tortures he endured for them we shew we are very little concerned for his Ease nor have any feeling of his Pains nor any Zeal at all against the Occasion of his Sorrows And this is a very bad Requital of his undergoing all those Pains for our sakes and a most unworthy Usage So that if we would worthily Commemorate his Dying for us we must be humbled and ashamed of our selves at the sense of our own Unworthiness seeing we had deserved such insupportable Punishments and have put him to such exquisite and intense Pains and particularly we must turn our abhorrence on our Sins which caused all this Mischief and made him if he would befriend us to undergo such heavy Tortures 2 ly We must remember his Dying for us with a Resignation of our selves both Souls and Bodies to his use as we are bought with his Blood and thereby become his own Purchase He died in our stead and his Blood was given to God for a Ransom to buy us off from it that we might not die also The Son of Man saith he is come to give his Life a Ransom for many Mat. 20.28 And since he has bought us and paid so dear for us to deliver us from Hell-torments and Eternal Death which is not his but our own Advantage in all Equity and Reason he ought to have the Use of us and we should be wholly devoted to his Service And this the Scripture requires of us The Love of God constrains us saith St. Paul to live to him because we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that died for them 2 Cor. 5.14 15. And again Ye are not your own ye are bought with a Price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are Gods 1 Cor. 6.19 20. And since his Dying for us has made us his own Propriety and acquired him an absolute Right over us to his own use which we had infinite Reason to desire but he had no need of if we would remember it worthily we must do it justly by honestly devoting our Souls and Bodies and assigning them over to him to be wholly at his Service And these are the Things which must render our Remembrance worthy of him when in the Holy Sacrament we Commemorate his Dying for us and shedding his most precious Blood a Ransom for our Sins We must be humbled with the sense of our own Unworthiness and abhor our Sins which brought him to these Sufferings and resign up our selves both Bodies and Souls to be wholly at his use and employed where and in what he pleases as thereby they are become his own Purchase And thus it appears what Tempers are becoming
begin to make excuses For has not he done enough for us to deserve to be thought of Do not all the inexpressible Favours he has gain'd and all the exquisite Pains he underwent for our sakes most justly challenge to be held in remembrance He left unutterable Glories and submitted to all sorts of Earthly Calamities and took unwearied Pains and shewed Invincible Patience and laid down at last his own Life to save our Souls and must all this be forgotten now 't is done and quite buried in silence What man of any Ingenuity that has been happy in such a Friend can be averse to remember him What man that has been blessed in such a Saviour can ever decline the Thoughts of him Unless we will shew our selves grossly stupid or intolerably proud and both ways Monsters of Ingratitude we must needs be ready to Celebrate the memory of such a Person when we are called to do that Honour to him and none that would be thought a man much more a Christian must ever refuse to remember his Saviour Christ and give him Thanks when in the Sacrament he is call'd to it in Christ's own Name and by his special invitation 3 ly In eating Bread and drinking Wine at the Sacrament we confirm the New Covenant with Almighty God In this Feast as has been shewn we assure him that we will Repent of every sin as ever we hope that he will forgive us and will endeavour with his Grace after every Virtue as ever we expect that he should assist us and obey every one of his Commandments as ever we look that he should Crown us with Eternal Happiness and believe that for Christs sake we shall have this Pardon Grace and Eternal Life upon these Terms and not otherwise for all these Duties we give him our Word and Promise and on that Condition for all these Blessings he gives us his Seal and Assurance back again And what man is there who pretends to the Name of a Christian who will refuse to do this when he has an Authentick Summons nay even a Friendly Invitation will he not Repent that he may be forgiven nor endeavour after such Graces as he wants that Gods Spirit may help him to them nor obey all his Saviours Laws that he may be happy in Heaven nor believe that Christ has purchased these Benefits for us at Gods hands upon these Terms but that without performing them we shall never have them If he will not do all this why doth he make any pretence to Religion If he is unresolv'd and suspends about any of these Particulars why doth he profess himself a Christian For these things are the very substance of Christianity and the Life and Soul of all Religion No man can belong to Christ without them and when he was Baptized and came to him he solemnly undertook and ingaged for them And therefore if any man will refuse to make God his engagement of this Faith Repentance and Obedience when he is call'd to Promise and Profess them he revolts from his Baptismal Vow and if he persists in that mind may as well renounce his Profession and turn his back on the whole Christian Religion 4 ly In eating Bread and drinking Wine at the Lords Supper we confirm a League of Love and Friendship with all our Brethren this being one end as I have shewn of this meeting to profess our selves in perfect Peace and Charity with all men And who now that owns himself a Christian can seek shifts and shun this when God calls him when his Saviour that dyed to make God Friends with him asks him to be Friends with all the World can he refuse him When he invites him to be at Peace with all his Members and to embrace them all as Brethren can he fly from him If he shun this he may as well shun every thing else and quit all claim to his Religion For by this says our Saviour shall all men know that you are my Disciples if ye have Love one to another Joh. 13.35 And unless ye forgive men their Trespasses says he again neither will your heavenly Father forgive you yours Mat. 6.15 And he that says he Loves God and yet hates his Brother saith St. John is a Lyar. 1 Joh. 4.20 And if it be possible saith St. Paul and as much as in you lies live peaceably with all men Rom. 12.18 Love and Peace and mutual Friendship and Beneficence are the great Duties which Christs Law prescribes and which all his Followers must be forward at all times to make profession of And therefore if any man turns away from declaring them when God calls him to them he turns his back of the most Signal Duty of his Religion and will not come to that whereby above all things else he should declare himself a Christian. 5 ly In Feasting with God at the Holy Sacrament we are vouchsafed the highest Honour and receive Tokens of highest Love and injoyment of present Graces and Pledges of future Glory from him and these no man ought to refuse when he is call'd to them He vouchsafes us the greatest Honour For he calls us to his own Table and tells us he is most glad to see us there and that the oftner we come the welcomer shall we be to his Supper he invites us as his own Guests and thereby seeks our Company and Acquaintance and treats us as his Friends and Confidents which Honour is so high that greater cannot be shewed us He gives us the surest Tokens of highest Love For he calls us to Feast upon the Body and Blood of his own Son i. e. upon those Blessings which the breaking of his Body and shedding of his Blood procured for men and shews us plainly that he is still of the same mind and is glad that for our sakes he parted with him For his inviting us to eat the Body and drink the Blood of Christ in this Holy Supper imports as much as if he should say to us Lo here my dear and only Son whom I gave to shed his own hearts Blood a Ransome for your Souls When I did it your sins were most provoking and render'd you utterly undeserving of it and since you have received it you have not been affected as you ought but have shewed your selves most unthankful for it but yet all this doth not make me Repent of what I have done or grudge you the Benefit of him I am come here freely to present you with him and invite you and exhort you nay intreat you to accept him Eat his Body and drink his Blood i. e. those Benefits and that Expiation which was purchased by it I freely give them without grudging nay I shall take it extreamly ill if you refuse them For I would by all means have you receive the advantage of him I gave him once for you and now again I give him to you I am still of the same mind to part with my own dear Son for your sakes and
objective Representation of most forcible inducements to them powerfully excited in them at that time And as these Duties are all improved by the Holy Communion so are they 2ly Most Powerful in helping us to become Obedient and Good men If we were but perfect in these Virtues and they had once got the Ascendant over us and ruled in our Hearts they would have an Universal influence on all others and govern our whole Lives For if when we are tempâ—â—d to any sin our minds being familiarized to it would at that instant readily suggest to us that Christ dyed for it and that it put him to all the pain and anguish he suffered we should not endure to come near it If we have any true Love and Zeal for him we shall shew no manner of Favour or Compliance with it if we are really Thankful for what he has done for his sake we shall withstand it if we are resign'd up to his use we shall have nothing to do with it because he is against it and if we abhor it for the pains it put him to when he answer'd for it and will at last put us to also if we continue in it we shall disdainfully reject and turn away from it If we Believe and remember always as we have need that Christ died for our Sins and procured us Pardon for them upon our Repentance and Grace to get quit of them upon our best indeavours that Faith will make us Obedient and carry us on to amend them If we truly Love Christ that Love will make us do something for him and cast to please and obey him If we are Thankful for what is done we shall never despite him by any Sin which for all his Benefits were to return the greatest injuries again If we are resign'd up to his use we shall Faithfully serve him If we are heartily Penitent and abhor our Sins we shall forsake them If we have this lively Faith and Remembrance of Christs dying for us and this intense Love and hearty Thankfulness and entire Resignation of our selves to his Service and sincere Repentance and utter Abhorrence of all our Sins If we have these Virtues I say and in these prevailing measures they will carry us on to an Holy Life and make us Obedient to all Gods Commandments And therefore since this Holy Sacrament when 't is worthily received doth so much improve these Virtues in us it must needs help us on and improve us in all others and in the whole course of a good Life too Thus doth a worthy receiving by its own Natural tendency confirm and increase us in all good Living by our exercising and its exciting in us such Duties as help it on and set it forward and so doth it 2 ly By our binding our selves thereat in solemn Vows and Ingagements to go on in it One chief end of our meeting at this Feast and prime part of our Worthiness in partaking of it is to confirm the New Covenant as we have seen and to make God our Faithful promises that from that day we will amend all our Faults 〈◊〉 so we may attain that Pardon and Happiness which upon our true Repentance he comes to offer and assure to us And these solemn Vows and Promises are a fast hank upon us to make us leave our Sins and do all that he requires of us For every man ought and thinks himself concerned to be as good as his word and to perform what he has promised especially when 't is to one who is too Wise to be deluded and too Just and Powerful to suffer any abuses of him to pass unrevenged which all men that understand any thing believe of Almighty God When we Promise and Vow to him we know that he cannot be deceived and that he will not be mocked so that we must needs see it stands us in stead and is our highest concern to perform with him And therefore since in the Sacrament we do in the most solemn manner Vow to amend our ways and promise an Holy Life to Almighty God in Regard none that are honest will and none that are wise and serious dare be unmindful of such sacred and solemn Compacts it must needs be an excellent way to bind it fast upon our Souls and fix it in our minds and so help very much to establish and imprint it in us And thus we see how a worthy receiving conveys Grace and confirms and increases in us all Virtues by the Natural tendency of those Duties which it exercises and excites in us For it powerfully excites and therein we exercise several Duties which help on a Good Life and set it forward and bind our selves by solemn Vows and Ingagements to go on in it both which are most Powerful to improve and effect it And as it thus confirms and increases in us all Graces by the Natural Virtue and Tendency of those Duties which it excites in us so does it 2 ly By those inward Assistances which it ministers and conveys to us This Sacrament doth not only confer Grace by its Natural Tendency as other means but moreover by virtue of Gods Promise and especial Bounty to the Worthy Receivers of it as it is an Instrument in his hands He tells us that he will do great things at the presence of it and be liberal in Spiritual Blessings to all that duly partake in it So that besides what they do from the Virtues themselves which are exercised thereat they may promise themselves much Spiritual Grace and Strength from his Free Gift and immediate concurrence with it For in the Sacrament he offers them all that outward Grace and Spiritual strength which Christs Death procured and therefore if they come to it worthily so as their own unworthiness is no bar against it that offer will be sure to take effect and they shall undoubtedly receive it And this is plainly intimated to us when our Saviour tells us of his Flesh that it is Bread the true use and end whereof is for support and nourishment Joh. 6.51 And when St. Paul declares that the Cup of Blessing which we Bless is the Communion or Communicating to us the Blood of Christ i. e. those Benefits his Blood procured us and that the Bread which we break is the Communion or Communicating to us the Body of Christ i. e. those Graces which the offering of his Body obtain'd for us amongst which are these Spiritual Assistances 1 Cor. 10.16 And when our Lord himself tells us that the Bread he gives us is his Body and that the Câ—p he reaches out to us is his Blood Mat. 26.26 28. By which though he mean not that they are his Body and Blood in their Natures yet the least he can mean is that they are so in their Effects so that when we receive them we receive all the Blessings of his Blood-shedding and all that Grace which his Death has purchased for all Men. And thus the
entred and established by it Exod. 24.3 4 5 6 7 8. And thus he did in other Compacts but particularly in all those wherein he promised Pardon of Sin for without shedding of Blood i. e. of some Sacrifice says the Apostle there is no Remission Heb. 9.22 Thus did God in all Contracts of Pardon and Reconciliation require the Blood of some Sacrifâ—ce that therein he might ratifie and confirm them And this was the great Use whereto all Sacrifices of Expâ—ation such as our Saviour Christs is in most signal manner whereon we Feast in the Lords Supper served among the Jews they were solemn Compacts and Stipulations wherein he promised Pardon and they Amendment after any Offences He ingaged to accept the Life of the sacrificed Beast in lieu of theirs and to exempt them because it had suffered and they engaged to amend the Fault which they sought to have atoned and never more to repeat it This 't is plain they did from that Form of Penitential Confession in use among them when they brought an Expiatory Sacrifice to the Lord O Lord I have sinned and dealt wickedly and rebelled against thee in doing this or that now I am sorry for it and ashamed of it and will never more return to it and therefore beg this Sacrifice may atone for it And if they had not thus repented of it the Sacrifice would have been of no avail to the Forgiveness of it For to what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me saith the Lord so long as you shew no Repentance with them But wash you make you clean cease to do evil learn to do well Come now and let us reason together tho' your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow Isa. 1.11 16 17 18. The Sacrifices of God says the Psalmist are a broken Spirit i. e. they must be offered and presented with it a broken and a contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise Ps. 51.17 Thus were Sacrifices a mutual Stipulation and Engagement consisting of a Promise of Pardon on Gods part and a Promise of Repentance and Amendment on Mans so that they were in the nature of a virtual Contract and Covenant between them And this God plainly intimates concerning them when he tells of his Saints making a Covenant with him by Sacrifice Gather my Saints saith he who have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice Ps. 50.5 and calls Salt wherewith every Oblation of Meat-offering was to be seasoned the Salt of the Covenant because it was to season all those Sacrifices wherein the Covenant was confirmed Levit. 2.13 And as Sacrifice is one way of Covenanting with God so is Feasting upon it the way of sharing and partaking in it He who joyned in the Feast was looked upon by God himself to joyn also in the Offering to promise all the Duty which it engaged and to partake in all the Blessings which it procured for them They which eat of the Sacrifices says St. Paul are Partakers of the Altar 1 Cor. 10.18 And therefore he forbids them to joyn in the Gentile Feasts where they sacrificed to Devils because that were to partake and have Fellowship with Devils v. 20 21. And thus from this also viz. the Lords Supper being a Feast on Sacrifice it appears to be a Federal Rite because Sacrifice is the great way of Covenanting with God and by Feasting on it we joyn in and partake of it In eating Bread and drinking Wine at the Lords Table agreeably to what the Jews and Gentiles did at their Religious Feasts we feed on the Sacrifice of Christ and that Sacrifice confirmed the New Covenant with Almighty God that being as he says sealed in his Blood so that by our Feasting on it we are made to share in it and give our full Consent thereto 3 ly That our Eating and Drinking at the Lord's Table is a Covenant-Rite appears from all the particular Blessings of the Covenant being conveyed by it which otherwise than by Federal Promises and Performances are not to be had The Particular Blessings promised in the Covenant I say are all conveyed by it Our Saviour tells us of the Bread we eat and of the Wine we drink that they are his Body and Blood This is my Body says he and this is my Blood of the New Testament Mat. 26.26 28. By which altho' we are not to understand that they are so in their Natures yet the least we can understand is that they are so in their Effects i. e. that they convey to us all those Blessings which the piercing of his Body and the shedding of his Blood procured for us Those Blessings are contained in the New Covenant and as I said are chiefly these three viz. the Forgiveness of Sins the Assistance of Gods Spirit to aid and strengthen us and Eternal Life and Happiness and all these the Eating of Bread and Drinking Wine in the Holy Sacrament are designed to convey to us They convey to us Forgiveness of Sins and assure us when we perform them as we ought that God is in Favour and at Peace with us Of this we have sufficient Assurance because we Feast upon a Sacrifice which is Gods Meat and are entertained at his own Table as his Guests whom he has invited and the least which that can mean is that he admits us into a State of Love and Friendliness since we do not invite those we will not be Friends with to our own Tables When any one calls another to a Treat it is a plain Sign he either would be or is or at least makes shew of being reconciled It is a most Natural Sign and now every where is and always was a Note of Friendship and Endearment And as such the Scriptures are wont to speak of it When those whom he had shut out should knock at the door to be let in and claim Acquaintance our Saviour tells us they will say to him We have eaten and drunk in thy presence Luc. 13.25 26. And when he shews his Apostles how high Favour and what great Interest they shall have with him he tells them they shall eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdom Luc. 22.29 30. And when he declares how kind he will be to those that hear his voice and open unto him he â—ays he will come in and sup with them and they wâ—th him Rev. 3.20 So that when God entertains us at his own Table and invites us to Feast with him as he doth in the Holy Communion we may be sure if we come worthily as we ought he is in Friendship with us and our Sins are forgiven And this our Saviour plainly intimates when he tells us at the giving of the Cup that it is his Blood shed for the Remission of Sins and bids us drink of it that so we may have it in our selves and be assured we have received the Atonement And this we must observe is a Privilege which God never
our hearty Consent to it and Resolution to stand by it in all Sincerity and Faithfulness coming to it with that Repentance of all our Sins and those obedient Hearts which we profess and with a full purpose afterwards to make good all we promise And lastly we must Eat and Drink in confirmation of a League of Love and Friendship with all our Brethren laying aside all Envy and Malice towards them and making Restitution where we have wronged them and forgiving heartily where we have any Grudge against them and giving Alms as our Ability and their Necessities require them and so being in perfect Peace and Charity with all Men. And if we believe all these things and are thereby carried on to all these Tempers and Performances we have that Faith which will render us Worthy Communicants and acceptable to God at all other times If we believe Christ to be our Lord and Master and thereupon Reverence Honour and Obey him if we believe him to be our best Friend and Benefactor and thereupon love him and delight in him and are thankful to him if we believe he shed his own Hearts Blood for our Sins and for the Redemption of our Souls and thereupon are humbled with the sense of our own unworthiness and abhor our Sins which were so mischievous and resign up both our Souls and Bodies wholly to his use as they are his own Purchase if we believe his Death procured us the Grace and Blessings of the New Covenant which promises all Believers Pardon upon Repentance and the Spirits Help upon their own Endeavours and Eternal Life on their intire Obedience and thereupon heartily consent to it and perform that Repentance and Obedience which are the Condition of it and are faithful and sincere in our Promises and Resolutions to stand by it and lastly if we believe he requires us to love and live in peace with all the World and thereupon in this Sacrament confirm a League of Friendship with all our Brethren laying aside all Enmity and Hatred and being in perfect Charity with all Men If we have all this Faith I say which as appears is thorowly exercised in this Sacrament and can shew all these Fruits of it in these Tempers and Performances being effected by it we have that true saving justifying Faith the Scripture speaks of which purifies the Heart Act. 15.9 and works by Love Gal. 5.6 and is lively in Good Works Jam. 2.20 26 and this will make us Worthy Communicants at this Feast and welcom to God at all other times CHAP. III. A further Account of this Worthiness The Contents These recited Tempers are all necessary in the Person Communicating but not all necessary to be expresly exercised in the Time of Communion A Direction in which it may be fit to lay out our Devotion at that time All these are provided for in the Churches Prayers so that we may exercise them worthily if we go along devoutly at all the Parts of the Communion-Service IN the former Chapter I have reckon'd up those Tempers which render us Worthy Communicants and fit us to be bidden Welcome at the Lords Supper whensoever he invites and calls us thither But of them I must observe that altho ' they are all necessary in the Person Communicating yet are they not all of necessity to be particularly and expresly exercised in the Time of Communion They are all necessary I say in the Person Communicating and he is not worthy to remember such a Lord and Saviour to sign the New Covenant with Almighty God and a League of Amity and Friendship with all the Christian World who wants any of them They are altogether due from us as we have seen and may in all reason be expected of us as we stand in these Relations and are admitted to these Employments So that we act unworthily and fail of our Duty if our Souls are not endow'd with them when we are in those Capacities and about those Performances which do so justly challenge and call for them But they are not all necessary to be particularly and expresly exercised in the Time of Communion They will be all implied 't is true and virtually contained in what is then done but they are not all necessary to be particularly insisted on And for this there is a very good Reason because that Time doth not ordinarily allow sufficient Space for them For most Communicants are not of such active Minds and quick Apprehensions as that they can pursue so many Businesses or work themselves up into an express Fervour of so many particular Tempers at one Exercise And those that are chuse rather often-times to fix upon some few that so having the more time to stay upon them they may raise themselves up to greater Degrees and act them over in much higher Measures And because where all cannot be exercised it is of great use to know which are best and fittest to be singled out I shall here set down which of all those Tempers I conceive it were most proper to stir up at that time and vigorously to exert and heighten in our own Minds If any then who come to the Holy Communion find that they are either tired out with the length or distracted by the variety of many Particulars and that their Devotion in this Feast goes better on and is more full and perfect when they restrain it to a few I think they may do well to lay it out in these that follow In remembring our Saviour Christ who as then we are to believe died for us and purchased us the New Covenant by his Death offering us the Pardon of our Sins upon Repentâ—nce and his Grace and Spirit to help â—ut our Endeavours and Eternal Life upon our intire Obedience in remembring him I say we may do well to shew 1. A joyful and affectionate Thankfulness for this his unspeakable Love and Benefits particularly for his Dying for us 2. An intire Resignation of our selves both Souls and Bodies to his use as they are his own Purchase In which two consists the main Worthiness of this Part they being the Things which are most becoming us in this Remembrance And in confirming the New Covenant with Almighty God whereto we must believe we are then invited we may act 3. Repentance of all our Sins particularly of all those which we find are most apt to win upon us and make him Promises that in all the Instances of Duty but in them especially we will joyn our Endeavours to his Grace and obey his Laws and when we promise this it must be with a sincere and faithful Heart and with full Intentions of Performance which are the great Duty incumbent on us in these Engagements And in confirming a League of Love and Friendship with all our Brethren which we must think we are then called to likewise we may exercise 4. Charity towards all Persons forgiving all that have any ways offended us and laying aside all Envy Strife and malicious
Numerous Expensive and Laborious Jewish Precepts so that out of Natural Equity and to shew our Thankfulness for such a gainful Exchange we ought most readily to observe it The Jews were loaded with a Number of Troublesome and Expensive Rites which had no Goodness discernable in themselves nor any thing but the Revelation made by Moses to recommend them to their Consciences Such as the forbearing Swine and several sorts of Flesh the washing of their Bodies upon their touching of any Dead Persons and upon any Corporal Vncleannesses the bringing Offerings and Sacrifice of Fed Beasts at return of Thanks and for Propitiation upon any Offences and many other cumbersome and costly Rites which the Apostle calls the Law of Carnal Commandments Heb. 7.16 and 9.10 and weak and beggerly Elements Gal. 4.9 which were given them not because the things deserv'd it but only that they might be kept imploy'd as useless Exercises are to Children to hinder them from more hurtful Work and so were suited only to the Infancy and Non-age of the World Gal. 4.3 But from all this Burden of Ceremonies under which as St. Peter says they and their Fathers groaned and were oppressed Act. 15.10 by the coming of Christ we are most graciously delivered For he has abolish'd in his Flesh i. e. by his Death wherein he gave his Body for us the Law of Commandments contain'd in Ordinances Eph. 2.15 He has blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us hedging in the Church within the Jews and excluding all us Gentiles and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross Col. 2.14 All this Law of Jewish Ceremonies he has abrogated and procured us a compleat liberty and exemption from it injoining us only thâ—se two cheap and easie Rites of Baptism and the Lords Supper instead of it And if any man has but Common Ingenuity and will return Equitably for what is done and much more if he has any grateful Resentments for so valuable an Exemption he must needs submit with all Thankfulness to this gainful Exchange and Imposition and run to it with as much forwardness as any man would to pay Twelve pence in full Discharge of twenty pound 3 ly It was his Dying and last Command he gave it the very Night before he suffered The same night says St. Paul in which he was betray'd he took Bread and said Take eat this do in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11.23 24. And this had it come only in the Nature of a Request and not with the Authority of a Command must needs have made it of greatest Power with us For it is great Inhumanity and shews an hard Heart to deny the last Suit of a Dying Person though he were a Stranger to us and base Ingratitude and a Falsification of all Friendship to throw back the last Request of a Dying Friend especially if he is before hand with us and has done much more than his Request comes to for our sakes and the greatest aggravation of all Disobedience to sleight the last Will and Words of our Fathers or Masters or others that have Right over us and Power to Command us And therefore since our Blessed Lord who came upon Earth for no other end but to do us Service yea even to lay down his Life for our sakes after all the Pains and Cost he has been at for us left this as his last Will and both intreated and injoyn'd at parting that we should eat and drink in Remembrance of him if we have any shame we cannot and if we profess any Duty we dare not and if we have any Love for him we will not neglect it but come to it out of mindfulness of our gone Friend and Departed Lord as oft as we shall have opportunity so to do 4 ly It was thought by Christ a Command so material that when St. Paul received his Commission to Preach the Gospel it was by name inserted and particularly specified and this special Designation of it shews that he was more than ordinarily concerned for it I have received of the Lord says he or by his Revelation when I was call'd by him that which I also delivered unto you as from him namely that the same night he was betrayed he took Bread and said Take eat this is my Body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11.23 24. 5 ly It is a Command which as the Scripture plainly intimates without great danger to our selves cannot either be unworthily kept or neglected Without very great and apparent danger to our selves we cannot come Vnworthily to the Sacrament For he that eats and drinks unworthily says St. Paul eats and drinks Damnation to himself 1 Cor. 11.29 And without a like danger we cannot neglect or keep back from it Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man says our Saviour and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you Joh. 6.53 This the Ancient Church as is well known understood generally of eating his Flesh in the Holy Sacrament which is the great Reason they give for that Practice so common among them namely why Infants are to be Communicated And of this there is great cause to understand it For 't is hard to think of any thing that can support such full Expressions as eating of his Body and drinking of his Blood besides eating Bread and drinking Wine in the Sacrament which he calls his Body and his Blood when he institutes it Mat. 26.26 27 28. And besides in this very place he directs us to his Body Crucified and given for the Life of the World to shew the Eating relates to it as so represented which is no where done but in the Eucharist I am the living Bread says he which whoso eats shall live for ever and the Bread which I will give i. e. to be eaten is my Body Crucified which under that Notion is represented only in the Sacrament or my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World And except ye thus eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of the Son of Man ye have no Life in you Joh. 6.51 52 53. This Discourse indeed of eating his Flesh in the Sacrament was before the Sacrament it self was instituted But so was his Discourse of Baptism to Nicodemus before Baptism was appointed for the standing Rite whereby all Mankind should be Christned Joh. 3.5 And so was his Discourse to the People of the Death he should dye by being lifted up before he was Crucified Joh. 12.32 33. And so was his Discourse of raising up the Temple of his Body after it should be destroyed before he was raised from the dead Joh. 2.19.21 And so in this very place was his Discourse of giving his Flesh for the Life of the World which they understood not before he suffered more than they did this Sacramental eating of it before the Sacrament was appointed Joh. 6.51 Our Saviour spake several
And this is a state of such Horrour and Astonishment as no man that looks upon it can abide in it is a condition of such extream danger as no one in his Wits can willingly indure So that if any of those who are Impenitent will but be at the pains to lay to heart and consider of the sadness of their state they can by no means persist in it but will run with haste to Repent and instantly set about the amendment of their ways that so they may be delivered from it And as soon as ever they do so this hindrance is gone and they are worthy to come to the Holy Communion For that which fits us for it is not an high Pitch and Perfection in saving Virtues or Ecstatick Degrees and Transports in Devotion as I have shewn but such true Repentance and change of Life either in Deed or at least in Will and Purpose as makes us acceptable and honest Christians so that whatever we were before whilst we continued impenitently wicked we are meet Partakers of this Holy Feast now we have Repented and are fully resolv'd to become Obedient and need not scrupulously draw back but come to it gladly when we are call'd and expect a Friendly welcome when we do And thus I have consider'd this great and most common plea whereby so many are kept back from the Holy Sacrament viz. their thinking themselves unworthy of it and unfit to receive it and shewn plainly that no ill man can be excused and that no good man ought to be hindred by it And the Result of it is this If any Person tells me he cannot come to this Feast because he is unworthy to join in it I must tell him again That he must not only be afraid of unworthy coming to it but also of unworthy abstaining from it and that unless he is impenitent and still unresolv'd to leave all his Sins he is worthy of it and that if such Impenitence is the cause of his not coming it is no excuse for it and that he must consider of the danger and misery of that state and so Repent and get out of it and when once that is done he will be worthy since every Penitent is welcome to it If he is truly Penitent he is worthy and if he has not Repented yet he must instantly Repent that he may be worthy and then let him not hold off from this Heavenly Banquet but chearfully approach to it when he is invited 2 ly Others who cannot positively say they are unworthy of it are yet kept back from the Holy Sacrament because of the great danger of unworthy Communicating Damnation being said to be eaten in it which seems to make abstaining from it the safer side He that eats and drinks unworthily says St. Paul eats and drinks Damnation to himself 1 Cor. 11.29 Now in Answer to this I shall observe that by Damnation is meant 1. A Damning sin which is deadly to any man till he Repent of it and such are both unworthy eating and sinful abstaining so that they are equal as to that Point 2. Temporal Death and Punishments which were inflicted on the Corinthians for their Intemperance at this Feast and other Disorders which were peculiar to those times and are not usual now in ours so that the Fear of them need not discourage us from it 1 st I say By eating his own Damnation the Apostle means not that he shall inevitably be damn'd for it but only that he commits a Damning Sin which will prove deadly to him unless he Repent of it and this is true not only of unworthy eating but also of sinful abstaining so that they are equal as to that Point He means not I say that he shall inevitably be Damn'd for it And this is plain because for Christs sake God has promised to forgive us all our sins upon Repentance and therefore this of unworthy receiving among the rest Nay as for this their unworthy eating the Apostle tells the Corinthians in that very place that when they are Judg'd or Condemned for it it is not to consign them to but to deliver them from Eternal Torment When we are Judg'd says he or Condemn'd for this Fault i. e. to be sick and weak which God inflicted because of it we are not in Anger Punish'd but in Mercy Chastned of the Lord by present Sufferings that we should not at the last day be Condemn'd with the World to Eternal 1 Cor. 11.30 31. But only that he commits a Damning Sin which will prove deadly to him unless he Repent of it He that eats this Bread and drinks this Cup unworthily says he shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. i. e. Unless his Repentance that Gospel Remedy for all sin prevents it he shall be liable to be punish'd not only for an abuse in Meat and Drink as if it were only Common Food but for violating and prophaning the Body and Blood of Christ which he should have discern'd in it 1 Cor. 11.27 29. And this is true not only of unworthy eating but also of sinful abstaining from it For that our Lord has expresly forbidden as I have shewn and that too in such sort as shews he lays a great weight upon it so that we most highly offend him in it and cannot expect to regain his Favour till we Repent and Amend it and therefore they are both equal as to that Point We shall be Condemned without Amendment for unworthy eating and so we shall too for sinful abstaining and therefore if the Fear of Damnation be of Force with us it must keep us off from both of them and neither suffer us to neglect this Feast nor to prophane it but ingage us to come to it worthily i. e. with Penitent Hearts whensoever we are call'd thereto 2 ly By Damnation the Apostle means Temporal Death and Punishments which God did then inflict on unworthy Communicants And this was not for all unworthiness but particularly for their Intemperance at this Feast and other Disorders which were peculiar to thâ—se Times and are not usual now in ours so that the Fear of them need not discourage us from it By Damnation I say he means Temporal Death and Punishments which God did then inflict on unworthy Communicants This he plainly intimates when he sets down weakness and sickness and death as the Penalties whereto they were Condemn'd for their unworthy usage He that eats and drinks unworthily says he eats and drinks Damnation to himself whereof you have many sad Examples now in Corinth for for this very Cause of unworthy eatting many now are weak and sickly among you and many sleep 1 Cor. 11.29 30. And this God inflicted not for all unworthiness but particularly for some high and heinous Disorders such as their open Schisms and gross Intemperance crept in by occasion of their Love-Feasts which Prophanations were peculiar to those times and are not now usual or any where to be seen in
thou throw back a Soul that would hang it self upon thee wilt thou disdain an Heart that is desirous after thee and would fain be no longer it s own but thine that thou mightest use it as it may best serve and honour thee O Blessed Jesu do not reject it for it is the Purchase of thy Blood Let not all that be thrown away which thou hast already done for it for want of thy further Care and Conduct of it Accept me Good Lord who here unfeignedly devote my self unto thee that both my Soul and Body and all I have may be employed as thou seest fit to order me I am nothing I have nothing and I desire nothing but to be with thee to be filled with thy Grace and obey thee perfectly that so I may have nothing of my self but do all things thro' Christ dwelling in me And when we thus Resign our selves to our Saviour's Use we must heartily repent of all our Sins faithfully promising never more to yield to them but to amend them all thenceforwards To Repent particularly of all our Sins we must first discover them by taking some Catalogue of Christian Duties and examining our own Hearts at every one Whether we have consented to transgress them And where we find we have there we must bemoan our selves and fully resolve That if God will be pleased to pardon what is past we will never yield to do the like again And what Man will not thus stedfastly resolve to leave all his Sins that has the patience to consider what will be the End of his Continuance in them For by that we shall infinitely offend our Saviour Christ who gave his own Life for ours and whom therefore we are bound to please above all Persons we shall certainly lose the Joys of Heaven and Eternal Happiness a Loss which the whole World put together cannot recompence we shall unavoidably be dâ—â—med to Hell-fire and Eternal Torments which is the utmost heighth of Misery that can possibly befal us This will infalâ—ibly be the Effect of our Perseverance in any Sins we find our selves guilty of And now let us ask our own Souls Whether we love them so well that we will â—ndure all this rather than forâ—go them Shall I prize my Sin to that degree as for its sake to act despite to my dearest Lord who died for me Must it be dearer to me than his Love that I should dishonour and offend him whensoever it bids me Is this the Return I make to my truâ—st dearest Friend to side with his professed Enemy Is this my Thankfulness for all his Kindness to stick to a Lust that aims at nothing but my Destruction rather than to him who gave his own Life to save mine Thou lovest it dearly O my Soul but canst thou value it at such a Rate as to part with Everlasting Life for it Hadst thou rather have it than enjoy the Face of God and be for ever Happy Art thou content for the short and unsatisfying Pleasures it affords to lose all the Joys and Glories of a Blessed Eternity Wilt thou die sooner than be divorced from it and accompany it even into the Flames of Hell and the midst of Eternal Torment God forbid will every May say whose Heart is thus particularly posed that ever I should be so desperately mad and unaccountably wicked I cannot despite so dear a Lord or throw away the Eternal Joys of the Heavenly State or endure the Smart of Hell and the insupportable Load of Everlasting Torment No Man can bear it and I stand amazed to think of it And therefore since this will be the Effect of my wicked ways I am resolved from this Moment to renounce them and by the help of God will never return to them any more Thus let the Drunkard think with himself on his Cups the Sâ—â—earer on his Oaths the unjust Man on his unlawful Gain the Contentious on his Quarrels the unclean Person on his Fornication and forbidden Pleasures the Revengeful Man on his spiteful Carriage the Slanderer and Evil-speaker on his reproachful Words Back-bitings and Defamations and every other Sinner on his particular Sins and when they seriously consider that this Saviour must be lost this Happiness of Heaven forfeited and this eternal Anguish and Extremity of Pain endured if they persist in it they will instantly resolve to forsake it and never yield to be guilty of it again O Blessed Lamb of God who hast redeem'd me with thy Blood will every Contrite Heart then cry out I am utterly ashamed to look thee in the Face considering all the cruel Usage I have brought upon thee I scarce know how to think of Feasting on thy precious Blood now I am most earnestly invited to it since mine own Sins have shed it I am alas a most polluted Creature who have daily offended in Thought Word and Deed against thy Divine Majesty My Pride and contempt of God and Sensual Lusts and Covetous Desires and uncharitable Practices have cried aloud for Vengeance on me and that Cry would not be silenced unless thou my dearest Saviour wouldst die in stead of me Of all these Offences I am guilty and the horrour of that Guilt would fright me from thee were it not that thou freely callest me to accept of Mercy I come Lord in obedience to thy Word and with an humble and a penitent Heart most earnestly entreat thee to have pity on me I am sensible of these and all my Errours and utterly ashamed that ever I committed them I am weary of them and fully purposed by thy Graâ—e to become a New Man or else I durst not ask to be forgiven My Heart shall never more joyn with them nor will I ever hereafter yield to live in such ungrateful and wicked ways again They nail'd thy tender Hands and Feet to the accursed Tree and thrust the Spear into thy Side and can I then endure to see or any longer side with them They made God who is the Author of all I have and hope to enjoy my utter Enemy and shall I then be still a Friend to them They would bring me to eternal Destruction both of Body and Soul and whilst I consider this is it possible I should have any more to do with them No Blessed Lord I hate them and am utterly resolved from this time forth for ever to abandon them They have been the Shame of my Life and are now the Sorrow of my Heart as alas when thou enduredst such Anguish for them on the Cross once they were of thine I loath my self by reason of them and will never consent any more to live in them and with an humble and a contrite Heart beseech my Heavenly Father that thro' the Merits of thy Blood I may be forgiven And wilt not thou O God who sentest to seek after me whilst I was an open Rebel now meet me graciously as thou didst the Prodigal Son when I return again to my
Duty Wilt not thou my sweetest Saviour who diedst for me whilst I was thine unrelenting Foe now intercede for me when I come to serve thee O speak Peace unto my poor Heart and let me know and feel that thou forgivest me Send thy Holy Spirit to take possession of it to keep it true unto thy self that it may never more start back from thee Thou hast promised thy Grace to those that ask it and endeavour in expectation of it O! I desire it and will do what I can to be assisted by it and therefore humbly hope this Promise shall be made good unto thy Servant Whatsoever thou doest in other things deny me not this Grace O Heavenly Father for Jesus's sake who is infinitely dear to thee and who died for me Amen Thus may we Discharge the Duties of this Feast and excite and actuate in our own minds that Faith and Thankfullness and Charity and Resignation and Repentance which are to render us fit and worthy of it If any are destitute of other helps they may make use of these Meditations and Prayers to affect their own Hearts and to shew forth these Virtues of worthy Receivers They will not always find room for all these Devotions whilst the Sacrament is Administring but they may go thro' with all of them before they come for then they may allot what space they please for them and make use of such of them as the time allows when they are receiving And for a more actual adorning of their Souls with them at that time whilst the Minister himself or others before them are Receiving they may express them all in one Continued Devotion by lifting up their Hearts to God in the words following O Blessed Jesu who gavest thy self to die for my sake how near have I lain to thy kind heart when the precious Blood that streamed thence was not so dear to it I am utterly ashamed of my self that ever I should put thee to part with such a price and to endure such exceeding smart and tortures to bâ—friend me I blush to think of it and abhor my sins which brought thee to it But since my need required and thy Boundless Love would make thee undergo what thou didst in the utmost thankfulness of an humble heart I gladly accept the inestimable benefit for which I love thee most Affectionately and will serve thee most Faithfully and praise thee most joyfully evermore extolling thy boundless Goodness and glorious Excellencies and endeavouring that all others may do so too Thou hast Bought me with thy Blood and here with an unfeigned Heart I give up my Soul and Body my Goods and all I have to be employ'd in thy Service and disposed of as thy Providence shall order me Take Possession of me by thy Spirit that my Body may always be the Temple of the Holy Ghost my Soul and all its Faculties intirely Devoted to thy Behoof and Interest and all 〈◊〉 worldly Goods acquired so innoâ—â—ntly injoyed so thankfully spent so â—â—â—perately and laid out so charitablâ—â—s becomes thy Faithful Steward I 〈◊〉 not hence forward call any things my own when once my Lord has need of them I freely resign all up unto thee since thou hast paid so dear for me I have grievously offended thee by many sins particularly by c. I am perfectly asham'd of them and sorry at my heart that ever I committed them and would never do it were they to do again and faithfully promise that wittingly I will never more yield to them and humbly beg that for Christ's sake in whom thou offerest Pardon to every penitent Heart thou wouldst forgive them Thou hast purchased the Holy Spirit for all those who are ready to labour in an Holy Life and take pains with it and offerest him to all such industrious Souls in this Sacrament I desire O Lord to amend all these Sins which I have here acknowledged I am fully bent upon it and will endeavour what I can towards it and depend upon thy Grace and Aid to carry me through it Be it unto thy Servant according to thy Word I am at Peace O Lord with all Persons and forgive all Offenders against me as I expect Forgiveness of my own Offences at thy Hands and am fully resolved to be kind to all the World but especially to all the Members of thy Mystical Body for thy sake that by these Returns of Charity I may in some sort answer that Infinite Love and Kindness I receive from thee Thy Blood O Blessed Jesus has procured and thou Holy Father for Christ's sake hast promised Pardon of any Sin to every one who repents of it and the Assistance of thy Spirit to every one that endeavours with it and Eternal Life to all that are entirely Obedient and callest us to receive Assurance that thou art still of the same mind and wilt make all this good in this Holy Sacrament Lord I heartily repent me of all my Sins for Christ's sake do thou pardon me I am fully resolved to shew Care and to labour in the Amendment of all my Faults let thy Grace and Holy Spirit come in to assist and enable me I am stedfastly purposed to keep thy Commandments do thou then graciously accept me for the sake of my Crucified Saviour whose Death I now most thankfully commemorate and who is here offered unto thee as our Atonement on this Table Or shorter thus O Blessed Jesus who diedst for my sake and daily still renewest thy Kindness by shewing thy self well-pleased with what thou hast done and calling me to meet thee in this joyful Commemoration of it I come at thy Command to shew my self humbly and thankfully mindful of so Infinite a Benefit Blessed yea for ever Blessed be thy Love which made thee think upon when I lay in misery nay forget thy self and throw away thy own Life to save mine I humbly adore thy marvellous Goodness which shall ever be the Joy and Praise the Wonder and Astonishment of Men and Angels And O that I may always love thee better than I do my Life that so I may not flinch even to die for thee as thou hast done for me if ever thou shalt call me to it for thy Glory I see in this Bread that is broken and this Wine which is poured out what cruel Pains my Sins brought to my dearest Lord and how they stand guilty of his Body and Blood I come with shame and a troubled Heart to confess it I utterly abhor them for what they have done and declare since they have proved thâ—â—ruel Enemies they shall evermore be mâ—â—e and that I will never from this day admit of a Reconciliation I am here to assure thee that I will not live unto my self or them but unto thee and freely devote all I have to thy use since thou hast bought me I love all Men and will embrace them as my Brethren because they are thine and freely forgive all the World even as I
desire to be forgiven O Holy Jesus according to thy boundless Mercy accept of these small returns of thy poor Servant which though very mean alas are yet the best I have to offer thee and supply me with a more abundant measure of thy Grace that I may be able to pay back something more worthy of thee Let this Holy Sacrament be the Comfort and Refreshment of my Heart conveying Pardon and Peace to it and the Enriching and Establishing of my Spirit with all the Benefits of thy Blood make it a great increase of present Grace to me and a certain pledge of Immortality to assure me that I shall even live with thee and be near to that Heart which Dyed for me Be it even so for thine own sake Blessed Jesu Amen In these or such like words may we act over all those Virtues which are to render us worthy Communicants before the Holy Mysteries are brought to us And at the receipt of them we may lift up our Hearts to God in these or the like Expressions After the Receiving of the Bread we may say to our Dearest Lord with an Affectionate Heart I Receive this O! my Lord in remembrance of thy Death and thank thee most intirely for laying down thine own Life for me O! how I rejoyce in thy marvellous Love and in this Remembrance of it I will always live to thee and utterly renounce every sin whereby I have most ungratefully pierced thy bleeding Heart and am Friends with all the World for thy sake and will extol thy matchless Bounty whilst I have a Tongue to speak giving all Honour Glory and Praise to thee the Lamb of God who wast slain and now sittest upon the Throne for evermore And in like manner after the receiving of the Cup. THe Remembrance of thy Blood-shedding O! sweetest Saviour is dear to me I can never forget it since it was altogether for my sake and I owe my very Life to it In all the Affection of an infinitely obliged heart I humbly thank thee for what thou hast done and gladly consent to those Terms of Life and Mercy which were purchased by it and will never willfully yield to do any thing that is unworthy of so great a Benefit and embrace all my Brethren with open Arms since thou so requirest it and desire after this sort to fulfill thy will in all things and adore thy Glorious Goodness and shew forth thy boundless Praise to my Lifes end O! keep me unalterable in this mind may a Devout Soul then go on and never suffer my own Corrupt Lusts to turn me from it I have now O! Holy Saviour taken thee into my Heart O let thy Presence banish them away that they may never pretend to it again since now 't is Holy to the Lord nor ever appear to pollute that place wherein so Divine a Guest is lodged Now thou art pleas'd to enter under my Roof have me always in thy keeping for I am safe in no other hands Preserve the place thou hast taken possession of and let not thy Enemies and mine any more invade it Pour into my Heart all the Benefits of thy Crucified Body and Blood since now by thy wonderful Grace I am made Partaker of them Thy Blood was shed for the Remission of sins O! let me know and feel that mine are all forgiven It obtained the Assistance of thy Spirit and Grace O! let me ever enjoy that as I stand in need of it It was the Price thou payedst down for Eternal Life O! let that finally be my Lot since thou hast paid so dear for it Bid me hope assuredly O Blessed Jesu that all this shall be made good unto thy Servant because now thou hast given thy self to me and fed me with thine own Body whereby mayest thou ever dwell in me and I in thee Amen And when this is done whilst others are receiving we may employ our selves in some of the foregoing Devotions or when we have enough of them joyn heartily in the Prayer which is made at the Delivery of the Bread and Wine to others or strike in affectionately with the Psalm of Praise which for the ease and exercise of all but of those particularly who have already received is wont at that time to be sung in most Places After this sort then may we lift up our Hearts to God and discharge all those Duties which are required in every worthy Communicant When we have no other helps we may acceptably express them all in a Devout Concurrence with the Churches Prayers since in them as I have shewn there is an actual exercise of all these Duties But when we can do more either by the help of Books or our own invention we may act them over still more fully in these or such like forms of Devotion And when all this is done and this solemn Feast is concluded we must not think tho work of worthy Receiving is at an end for one thing still remains that must employ us always afterwards and that is a careful performance of all those Promises which we made to God in this Holy Ordinance In the Sacrament as has been shew'd we seek not only a Pardon for what is past but also vow and promise Amendment for the Future and these Promises must be made good afterwards and it must be our care whilst we Live to fulfil them This we are higly concerned to do and it will greatly increase our Guilt and Condemnation if we fall short of it For if we return to our former sins again after we have thus solemnly vow'd to forsake them We are false to our Word and treacherous where we seem to be most sincere and seek more especially to be trusted We break our Faith with God and go about to delude his Expectation had he been capable to be imposed upon and believed as we would have had him which is as great an abúse as we can well put upon him And this doubles the sin which we commit and sets God further off from being intreated for now we have not only the Fault it self to answer for but also this Perfidiousness and breach of Vows which adds a new one to it and makes it greater So that after every Sacrament if we still continue Impenitent our Guilt is aggravated and our Souls more endanger'd and we are greater sinners than we were before Thus highly are we concerned to perform the Promises which we made at the Table of our Lord. And this we shall be very like to do if we think often of them every day for some time especially after we are gone from it Indeed if we forget all we did and all the Vows we made there to Almighty God we are like to be the same men still and must not expect that it should amend us For the Sacrament as I have shewn doth not better us without our own Care but by helping and ingaging us to Good endeavours after it is over It works not as a
Tale-bearing Not satisfying for Injuries Contentiousness Division and Faction Heresie Schism Tumult Sins against our Brethren in Particular Relations Sins against Sovereign Princes as Dishonour Irreverence Speaking Evil of Dignities Refusing Tribute and Taxes Traitorousness Neglecting to pray for Kings Disobedience to them Resistance and Rebellion Sins against Bishops and Ministers as Dishonour of them especially for their Works sake Irreverence Not providing for them Sacrilege or taking away either by Force or Fraud those Just Dues which are given to God for their Support Not Praying for them Disobedience Sins of Married Persons as Vnconcernedness in each others Condition Not bearing each others Infirmities Provoking each other Estrangedness Publishing each others Faults Not praying for each other Jealousie Of the Husband against the Wife as Not maintaining her with convenient Supplies Not protecting her from outward Annoyances Imperiousness or a harsh and magisterial exercise of Commands Vncompliance with her Reasonable Desires and Vncondescention to her Pitiable Weaknesses Of the Wife against the Husband as Dishonour in inward Esteem and Opinions Irreverence in outward Carriage Vnobservance in not forecasting to do what may please him Disobedience to his just Commands Casting off his Yoke or Unsubjection Sins of Parents and Children as Want of Natural Affection Not praying for each other Imprecation Of the Parents against the Children as Not providing for them Irreligious and Evil Education Provoking them to Anger by Imperious Harshness and needless Severity in Governing Of the Children against the Parents as Dishonour in their Minds Irreverence in their Behaviour Being ashamed of them Mocking them Speaking Evil of them Stealing from them Disobedience to their Lawful Commands Contumacy or Casting off Subjection to them Sins of Brothers and Sisters as Want of Natural Affection Not providing for our Brethren Not praying for them Praying against them Sins of Masters against their Servants as Not maintaining them Not Catechising or Instructing them Vnequal Government or Injustice shewn in requiring Unlawful Wantonness in requiring Superfluous and Rigour in requiring Unmerciful things of them Immoderate Threatning Imperiousness or Contemptuous haughty treating of them Defrauding or keeping back the Wages of the Hireling Of Servants against their Masters as Dishonour Irreverence Publishing or aggravating their Master's Faults Not clearing when they can his injured Reputation Vnfaithfulness in what he intrusts with them shewn either by their Wastefulness i. e. Spending it for their Pleasure or Purloyning i. e. Diverting it to their own Profit and secret Enrichment Disobedience Non-observance Answering again Slothfulness Eye-service Resistance Not praying for him Praying against him To all which add two other Sins which are peculiarly so among Christians viz. The Neglect of Baptism and Absenting from the Lord's Supper When we are desirous to discover all our Sins that we may truly repent of them we may examine our own Hearts in all these Particulars trying our selves either by the former Catalogue when we have less or by this latter when we have more Time according to our own Discretion We may ask our selves at every one Whether we ever wittingly yielded to it and if we have Whether since that we have amended it And noting all those whereof we stand guilty before God affect our own Hearts with a sorrowful sense of what we have done from such Considerations as are before laid down and then renew our Vows and make God our humble Confession and Engagements that we will never have more to do with them For which end they who are not otherwise supplied may make use of the Devotion p. 448 which may serve as a Penitential Prayer and Confession A PRAYER Before the SACRAMENT O Father of Mercies who hast once given thy Son to die for me and art now ready in the Holy Sacrament to offer him to me again I humbly adore but am utterly at a loss when I would duely prize so invaluable a Mercy What am I poor wretched Creature that I should sit down to eat with my Blessed Lord when the Glorious Angels at a distance adore and pay him Homage Why should I be call'd to feed upon his Sacred Body and Blood when my Sins had a hand in all he suffered so that I deserve to be ranked among his Murderers who were guilty of that horrid Fact which nothing but the Blood they shed could ever expiate But since it is thy Glorious Excellency O Blessed Jesu to love those that hate thee and to save their Lives who barbarously took away thine and accordingly to call to this Heavenly Feast so unworthy a Wretch as I am I am ready to come at thy Command but would fain come Worthily and leave all my Sins behind me seeing it is no Feast for them Oh! I loath them and would never yield to commit them were they to do again and humbly intreat my Heavenly Father that for thy sake he would freely forgive me what is past and rid me of them for the time to come Slay them Good Lord for they have slain thee and will slay mee too in time if they are suffer'd to reign in me Meet me in this Heavenly Banquet with a full Pardon of all mine Offences and a perfect Cure of all mine Infirmities that I may be cleansed by thy Blood and quickned by thy Spirit and assured of that Eternal Life which for thy sake God has promised to all his Elect ones All this thou art ready to do for me if I come worthily and therefore my humble Request is That thou wouldst assist me acceptably to perform the Duties of this Feast that so I may enjoy all the Blessings of it and feel it a Communion of thy very Body and Blood I would gladly remember thy Dying Love with the most Devout Affections with a Heart that is full of Thanks and intirely devoted to thy Service and quite weary of my Sins and most desirous of thy Grace and throughly prepared to seal a lasting Covenant of Repentance and Reconciliation with thee and all my Neighbours All this I desire to do and to do it fervently But alas I cannot do it as I ought unless thou wilt graciously come and help me My Apprehnsions of this amazing Love are very low O do thou exalt them My Heart is still insensible of what thou hast done for me and my Affections dull and heavy O do thou quicken and inflame them Make me love thee as much as thou deservest and desire thy Grace as highly as I need it and be set against every Sin as irreconcileably as there is cause for it and love all my Brethren as I am beloved that I may be fit to receive the abundant Communications of thy Grace in the approaching Sacrament I earnestly ask and humbly hope for all this O Good God only because I infinitely need it and thy Grace is Infinite which will not suffer thee to see the Necessities of thy poor Servant unsupplied and unworthy as I am I am still the Purchase of thy Sons Blood O
loc Animad v. c. 1. †v. 20. * v. 22. †v. 25. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 1 Pet. 3.21 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †1 Pet. 3.21 †1 Pet. 1.19 * Rev. 13.8 †Joh. 1.29 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the masculine to agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bread but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whâ—ch bâ—ing of a different gender cannot agree to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to the whole Action †Corpus Paschatis Corpus Agni Paschalis Vt Buxt observ è Talmud Maim †Gen. 17.1 2. †Obsecro Domine peccavi deliqui rebellavi hoc aut illud feci nunc autem poenitentiam ago sitque haec hostia expiatio mea Vi. Episcop Instit. l. 3. c. 3. ad Praecep 35. Ouir de Sacr. c. 15. †Isa. 66.3 †1 Cor. 11.25 †Mat. 26.28 * ver 27. †Lev. 16.27 Heb. 13.11 * Psal. 104.15 * Quemadmodum enim qui est à terra panis percipiens invocationem Dei jam non Communis panis est sed Eucharistia ex duabus rebus constans terrena coelesti sic corpora nostra percipientia Eucharistiam jam non sunt corruptibilia spem resurrectionis habentia Iren. l. 4. adv Haer. c. 34. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Ep. ad Ephes. †Soliti stato die ante lucem convenire carmenque Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem Seque Sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere sed ne furta ne latrocinia ne Adulteria committerent ne fidem sallerent ne depositum appellati abnegarent quibus peractis morem sibi discedendi fuisse rursusque coeundi ad capescendum cibum promiscuum tamen innoxium Plin. ep l. 10. ep 97. * 1 Cor. 11.29 * Not meerly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as several MSS. partic Coll. Linc. Coll. Nov. read the place And this is followed by St. Ambrose who reads thus biberit Calicem Domini indigne Domino v. 27. and St. Chrysostom who reads thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. v. 29. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Joh. 21.17 * Isa. 11.1 2. †Isa. 9.6 Rev. 3.7 * 1 Joh. 3.5 †Rev. 3.7 * Isa. 9.7 †Heb. 1.3 * Mat. 28.18 †1 Joh. 3.16 * Phil. 2.6 7 8. †Marc. 10.45 Act. 10.38 * Joh. 6.51 Rev. 5.9 †Rev. 5.11 12 13. †Act. 2.38 Luc. 3.3 * Psal. 51.17 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constit Apost l. 8. c. 13. p. 484. tom prim Concil Ed. Par. Lab. * Ubique mysterii ordo servatur ut prius per remissionem Peccatorum vulneribus medicina tribuatur postea alimoniâ— mensae Coelestis exuberet S. Ambros Comment in Luc. l. 6. c. 9. †Phil. 2.9 10. * Luc. 6.46 †Jâ—m 1.12 †Eâ—h 5.20 * Mâ—t. 5.3 †â—â—ov 8.13 †1 Cor. 6.19 20. †Marc. 16.16 †Luc. 13.3 * Phil. 2.12 †Heb. 5.9 †Gal. 5.20 21. * Mat. 6.15 †Ezek. 33.14 15. * Rom. 12.18 †Col. 3.14 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Canon 9. Can. Apostol * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concil Antioch Can. 2. †Lev. 11.7 * Num. 19.13 †Lev. 15. †1 Cor. 5.7 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Palladius Dalog de vit Chrysost. p. 128. †Luc. 22.19 †Psal. 119.49.2 Chron. 6.42 * Psal. 132.1.10 †Deut. 9.27 and Exod. 32.13 †Ezra 9.5 * Psal. 141.2 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Thus 't is in the form prescribed Constit. Apostol l. 8. c. 13. 15. p. 484 485. tom prim Concil ed. Lab. And this Eusebius testifies de vita Constant. l. 4. c. 45. †Mat. 26.28 †Joh. 14.15 †Psal. 104.15 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Gal. 3.13 14. †Ideo in similitudinem quidem accipis Sacramentum sed verae Naturae gratiam virtutemque consequeris Ambros. de Sacram. l. 6. c. 1. * Sed immortalitatis alimonia datur à communibus cibis Differens Corporalis substantiae retinens speciem sed virtutis Divinae invisibili efficientia probans adesse praesentiam Cyp. de Cona Dem. sub inâ—t †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alex Paedag. l. 2. c. 2. p. 151. Ed Par. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orig. cont Cels. l. 8. p. Ed. Cant. 399. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Ep. ad Ephes Ed. Vâ—ss p. 25. †Quos excitamus hortamur ad praelâ—um â—on inermes nudas relinquamus sed protectione Sanguinis Corporis Christi muniamus Et cum ad Loc fiat Eucharistia ut possit accipientibus esse tutela quos tutos esse contra adversarium voluimus munimento Dominicae Saturitatis armemus Cyp. alii Episc in Epist. Synod Eccles. Afrâ—c ad Eccles. Roman Ep. 57. Ed. Oxon. 54. Pamel †Act. 8.36 37 38. †Part 1. Chap. 3. †So St. Chrysost understands it Vid. Chrys. in v. 32.34 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * It reads Deliciis affluentes nâ—t Fraudibus †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sec. Hist. Eccles. l. 5. c. 22. p. Ed. Val. 287. * Ut Sacramenta Altaris nonnisi à jejunis hominibus celebrentur excepto uno Die anniversario quo coena Domini celebratur Concil Carth. 3. Can. 29. apud Bin. Vol. prim Concil p. 711. †Part 1. Chap. 3. †Joh. 4.9 †Meas of Christ. Obâ—d B. 2. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Act. 13.13 †Heb. 8.12 †Dr. Lightf Hor. Heb. in loc è Jom †Jo. 21.15 16 17. †Luc. 22.48 †Act. 2.23 and 7.52 †Gal. 2.11 12 13 14. †Luc. 6.35 †Mat. 6.13 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †So the Greek is literally to be rendered The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ye have not disputed it among your selves 〈◊〉 are ye not partial in yourselves by way of Interrogation as we translate it For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wâ—nt to ask a question only whâ—n it is 〈◊〉 first nâ—t wâ—â—n it hâ—s anothâ—r 〈…〉 it as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 〈…〉 have made a difference or act 〈…〉 which is expâ—essâ—d by the Active 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but ye have nâ—t been in doubt or dâ—spute 〈…〉 that ordinarily agrees 〈…〉 Mat. 21.21 Mar. 11.23 Rom. 4.2 Jam. 1.6 and in other places * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †1 Cor. 14.33 †Dr. Ham. Annot in loc †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †as Jer. 49.19 who will appoint me the time or as it is rendred in the Margin convent me to plead which the 70 express by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so again Chap. 50.44 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †2 Cor. 12.14 †1 Cor. 13.5 †Their way is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athen. Legat. p. 12. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Mat. 22.39 †Dr. Lightâ— Hor. Heb. in Mat. 5.39 †i. e. in English â—â—in 6. l. 5◠†〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Rom. 12.15 * 1 Cor. 13.4 5. †Rom. 12.17 21. * Eph. 4.31 †Rom. 12 1◠†Gal. 6.10 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suid. †Mat. 5.23.24 †Rev. 3.21 †Joh. 12.6 * Joh. 17.12 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †It is hereby declared that thereby â—iz by kneeling no Adoration is intended or ought to be done either unto the Sacramental Bread and Wine there bodily received or unto any Corporal presence of Christs Natural Flesh and Blood For the Sacramental Bread and Wine remain still in their Natural substances and therefore may not be adoâ—ed for that we eâ—dolaâ—ry to be abhor'd of all Faithful Christians And the Natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in Heaven and not here it being against the Truth of Christs Natural Body to be at one time in more places than one Rub. at the end of the Commun Service * Which Order of Kneeling is well meant for a signification of our Humble and Grateful acknowledgement of the Benefits of Christ therein given to all worthy Receivers ib. †Cum peâ—inde 〈◊〉 Nationes adoratis Siâ—illaribus suis râ—sidâ—ndo vel propteâ—ea in nobis 〈…〉 mereâ—â—r viz. sitting at Prayers quod apud â—â—ola celebratur Tertul. de Orat c. 12. †1 Sam. 9.13.22 * Hodie in Cathedralibus Ecclesiis Monasteriis Benedictinorum in Die Coenae Domini ante Parasceâ—en c. Evangelium Johannis a Diacono publice praelegitur dulcissima illa colloquia Christi quae abiturus cum Discipulis habuit recitantur interim ordine dispositis mensis convivae assident panem azymum frangentes c. Didoclaâ— Alt. Damasc. c. 10. p. 746. †Quench Coal p. 12. * Summus Pontifex ad sedem ascendens ibique confidens universis cernentibus majorem partem oblatae suscipit de Patena quam Subdiaconus apportaverat de Altari ipsamque Dentibus subdividens unam particulam ejus sumit aliam in Calicem mittit c. Durand Raâ—ion Divin Offic. l. 4. c. 54. Nu. 4. p. 203. †Imperator retrahens se ad partem dextram stat usque quo Pontifex ad sedem eminentem communicaturus revertatur quem Imperator sequltur Lib. Sacr. â—â—rem S. Rom. Eccl. l. 1. sect 5. c. 3. p. 59. * Mat. 18.24 28. * This may be used 〈◊〉 a Penitential Confession of our Sins after Self-examination †This Sentence may be omitted when this Confession is not before a Sacrament * Here mention your particular Sins †Here name such Sins as you know your selves most guilty of †Here name Particulars †Part â— Chap. 3. * Here mention Virtues particularly Vow'd at the Lords Table