blessed words Our Father c. Remember good Phil. that when you have received the Holy Sacrament your Greatest Work is then but beginning which is to observe all the promises you have made to God of future Obedience and therefore 't is good for you to read over now and then and to renew your Resolutions and to examine your self How you have kept them that you may preserve in your soul a serious sense of your duty and a conscientious care to perform it A Form of General Thanksgiving WOrthy art Thou O Lord of heaven and earth to receive Glory and Honour and Power for thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created Thou hast made heaven the Heaven of Heavens with all their Host the earth and all things that are therein Thou preservest them all and the Host of Heaven praiseth Thee Glory be to Thee O Lord God Almighty for creating man after Thine own image and making so great variety of Creatures to minister to His use Glory be to Thee who givest us life and breath and all things who givest us fruitful seasons and fillest our hearts with food and gladness Glory be to Thee O Lord God for all Thy many blessings and deliverances for all Thy forbearance and long-suffering to this sinful Nation Glory be to Thee O Lord who hast made me also share in those publick mercies and for that light of the Gospel Thou vouchsafest us of which the greatest part of the world is totally ignorant Glory be to Thee O Heavenly Father for my being and preservation strength and health understanding and memory friends and benefactors and for all my Abilities of mind and of body Glory be to Thee O heavenly Father for my competent livelyhood for my education in this Colledge for all my known or Unobserved deliverances and for the guard Thy holy Angels keep over me But above all Glory be to Thee for giving Thy only Son to die for my sins and for all the spiritual blessings he has purchast for me for my Baptism and all the opportunities Thou givest me of serving Thee or of receiving the holy Eucharist for whatever sin I have escapt for whatever good I have done or thought for all my helps of grace and hopes of Heaven Glory be to Thee Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise His Holy Name Glory be to Thee O Lord Jesus for Thy inexpressible Love to Lost man Glory be to Thee O Lord for Condescending to take our frail Nature on Thee Glory be to Thee for all Thy Heavenly Doctrine to Instruct us Thy great Miracles to Convince us and Thy unblamable Example to Guide us Glory be to Thee O Blessed Jesus for Thy Agony and bloudy sweat for all the torments and anguish of thy bitter passion Glory be to Thee O Blessed Jesus for Thy Glorious Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven and Intercession for us at the right hand of Thy Father O Gracious Lord Thou that hast done so much for me How can I ever sufficiently Praise and Love Thee Praise the Lord Jesus O my Soul and all that is within me Praise His Holy Name Glory be to Thee O Blessed Spirit Glory be to Thee for all the Miraculous Gifts and Graces Thou didst bestow on the Apostles to fit them to Convert the World and for Inspiring the Sacred Pen-men of Holy Scripture Glory be to Thee for Instilling Holy Thoughts into my soul for all the Ghostly strength and support and comfort and illumination we receive from Thee for all Thy Preventing and restraining and Sanctifying Grace Glory be to Thee Blessed Spirit let me never more by my sins grieve Thee who art the Author of life and Joy to me Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me Praise His Holy Name Here Phil. if you recite this Thanksgiving on any great Festival or Saints day you may add Particularly O Lord am I bound to Praise Thee for the great blessing we this day Commemorate Here mention it For instance the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour or the likâ— Or for the Saint whose memory we this day celebrate Here you may name him and add Praise the Lord therefore O my Soul and all that is within me Praise His Holy Name Blessing and Honour and Thanksgiving and Praise more than I can Utter more than I can Conceive be unto Thee O most Adorable Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost by all Angels All Men All Creatures for ever and ever Amen Amen A Form of General Intercession HOly Holy Holy Lord God Almighty I miserable sinner humbly acknowledge that I am altogether Unworthy to pray for my self but since Thou hast Commanded us to make prayers and intercessions for all men in obedience to Thy Command and in Confidence of Thy Unlimited Goodness I commend to Thy Mercy and Divine Providence the Wants and Necessities of all Mankind Lord let it be Thy good pleasure to restore to Thy Church Catholick Primitive peace and purity and to preserve it against the Gates of Hell Particularly O Lord God I implore Thy Mercy for this sinful Nation for the iniquity of the land is exceeding Great Alas alas we are Unthankful for Thy blessings incorrigible under Thy Judgments and unprofitable under all the means of Grace and what can we expect from Thee but to drink deep of the Cup of Thy Wrath And Wretch that I am my sins have increased the heap of the Publick Impieties and made their Cry the louder to Heaven for vengeance But O Lord God in the midst of Judgment Remember Mercy Turn Thou us Lord and so shall we be turned O be favourable to Thy people and give us all Grace to Turn to Thee in Fasting Weeping and Mourning To put a period to our provocations and do Thou put a period to our Punishments O Lord God out of the Multitude of Thy Mercies give us grace to fear Thee and to keep Thy Commandments always that it may be well with us and Thou mayest Rejoice over us to do us good Amen Amen O let it be Thy good pleasure to bless us all from the highest to the lowest in our several stations To defend the Church of England from all the Asâ—aults of Schism or Heresie or Sacriledge and to bless all Bishops Priests and Deacons with Apostolicol graces exemplary lives and sound doctrin O let it be Thy good pleasure to save and defend our Sovereign Lord King Charles from all His Enemies grant him a long and happy reign over us and endue him with all those gifts and graces which may make him a terrour to evil works and a great promoter of Thy Glory Bless Him and all His Royal relations with a great measure of all temporal good things and with eternal Glory in the world to come Lord let it be Thy good pleasure to grant To the Privy Council Wisdom from above To all Magistrates Integrity and Zeal for Religion To
all these particulars together with all that you are to know and believe concerning the Blessed Sacrament are contained in these following Meditations which I advise you to read over devoutly at several times till you are in some measure affected with them Meditations on the Holy Eucharist On the ouâ—ward Elements I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesus My Lord and my God when I consider what that Sacrament is to which Thou now invitest me and of what parts it consists Of an Outward and visible sign and of an Inward and spiritual Grace For Thou Lord who knowest our Infirmities and how little able we are to conceive things heavenly and spiritual In pity to our dark and feeble apprehensions hast Ordained Outward and Obvious and Visible signs to represent to our minds Thy grace which is Inward and Invisible Thou hast ordained bread and wine which is our Corporal food to picture out to our Faith the food of our Souls On the Inward Part or Thing signified I know O my God that I must look through the Outward Elements and fix my faith on that which they signifie and which is the Inward and Invisible Grace even Thy own blessed Body and Bloud which is verily and indeed taken and received of the faithful in the Lords Supper But tell me O Thou whom my Soul loveth How canst Thou give us Thy flesh to Eat Lord Thou hast told me that Thy words they are Spirit and they are life and are therefore not Carnally to be understood Lord I believe Help Thou my Un-Unbelief I believe Thy body and blood to be as really present in the Holy Sacrament as Thy Divine Power can make it though the manner of Thy Mysterious presence I cannot comprehend Lord I believe that the Bread that we break and the Cup that we drink are not bare signs only but the real Communication of Thy Body and Thy Bloud and pledges to assure me of it and I verily believe that if with due preparation I come to Thy Altar as certainly as I receive the Outward Signs so certainly shall I receive the thing signified even Thy most Blessed Body and Bloud to receive which inestimable Blessing O merciful Lord do Thou fit and prepare me Amen Amen Who Instituted it I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesus my Lord and my God when I consider that this Holy Sacrament was Thy own Institution For it was Thou Lord who in the night Tâ—ou wast betrayed didst take Bread and after that the Cup and didst bless them and give them to Thy Disciples O blessed Saviour let Thy Divinity thus stampt on it strike into my Soul an Holy Awe and Reverence in approaching it O Create in me Heavenly dispositions to celebrate so Heavenly an Institution Amen Amen For what end I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesus My Lord and my God when I consider for what end Thou didst institute the Holy Sacrament implied in Thy own Command Do this in Remembrance of Me. But what need This Command O Gracious Lord is it possible for me ever to forget Thee my Saviour who hast done so great things for me Alas alas my own sad experience tells me it is wo is me every temptation every vanity is apt to make me forget Thee though Thy own Dying words bid me remember Thee But O Blessed Lord for Thy infinite Mercies sake Pardon all my stupid forgetfulness and ingratitude hitherto and do Thou now Create in me such a thankful and lively Remembrance of Thy Dying for me that may excite me to give up my self entirely to Thee as Thou didst give up Thy self on the Cross for me Amen Amen A Thanksgiving for Christs Sufferings O Thou my crucified Saviour Glory be to Thee for causing Thy sufferings to be registred in the Gospel There I have read and Remember the Wonders and Triumphs of Thy Almighty Love for which I will always Adore and Praise Thee I Remember O Gracious Lord How Thou who thoughtst it no robbery to be equal with God wast made in the Fashion of frail man of the vilest and most contemptible of men for Thou tookest on Thee the form of a very Servant I Remember how many reproaches and contradictions and blasphemies and persecutions Thou didst endure from a wicked and perverse generation and all this to save us sinfulmen O Lord Jesus was ever sorrow like unto Thy sorrow Worthy art Thou O Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing I Remember O gracious Lord How Thou didst indure a most bitter Agony and didst sweat great drops of blood falling to the ground How Thou who art God above all Blessed for ever wast treacherously betrayed and apprehended and bound as a Malefactor How Thou wast set at nought by Herod and his men of war and forsaken of all Thy Disciples and denied by Peter and all this to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever sorrow c. I Remember How Thou O God of Truth wast accused by false witnesses How Thou whom all the Angels adore wast blindfoldâ—d and buffeted and â—ocke and spit upon and stript naked and scourged and all this that we might be healed by Thy stripes and to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Remember Lord How Thou that art the great Judge of Heaven and Earth wast Thy self dragged to the Judgment-Seat and condemned How Thou O King of Heaven wast crowned with thorns and opprest with the weight of Thy own Cross and all this to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Remember O blessed Saviour How Thou who art the Lord of Glory and the sole Author of life wast put to a most ignominious death How Thy hands and Thy feet were nailed to a Cross How Thou wast Crucified between two Thieves and numbrâ—d with the Transgressors How Thou hadst a potion given Thee to imbitter Thy very last gasp and all this to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Remember O Gracious Lord How when Thou wert hanging on the very Cross Thou wast scoffed at and reviled How infinitely then Thou wert afflicted and bruised for our transgressions when the Iniquities of us all were laid on Thy shoulders How Thou didst then express an anguish greater then all the tortures of Thy Crucifixion when Thou didft cry out My God my God why hast Thou forsaken Me and how Thou didst at last give up the Ghost and die Thy self that we might live O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Unfeignedly believe O Gracious Lord that Thou didst suffer all this for sinful men and in particular for me when we were all Thy utter enemies and had nothing in us to move Thee to pity us but our extream misery Nothing to move Thee to save us but our great Unworthiness and Thy greater Mercy O the depth of the Riches of Thy Love Blessed Lord
these which follow At going to the Altar In the multitude of Thy Mercies O Lord God do I now approach Thy Altar O Pardon my sins and Receive me Graciously Amen Amen At the Offertory 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 to Thee At Consecration O Blessed Jesu In the bread Broken I call to mind Thy Body torn with Whips and Thorns and Nails and in the Wine poured out I call to mind Thy precious bloud shed for my sins Glory be to Thee O Lamb of God that didst offer Thy self a Sacrifice to take away the sins of the whole World Lord have mercy on me and take away Mine also Whilest others are Communicating O my God whom have I in Heaven but Thee and there is none on Earth I desire in comparison of Thee As the Hart panteth after the Water brooks so panteth my Soul after Thee O God! My Soul is athirst for Thee O God my God! Blessed Saviour I am Thine I am wholly Thine for Thou hast bought me with a Price with the inestimable price of Thy Own bloud Lord suffer not the price of Thy own bloud to perish and I will always glorifie Thee in my Body and in my Spirit which are Thine If there be many Communicants and thou hast much vacant time Phil. and doest want devout Matter to imploy thy thoughts till All have communicated thou mayest then repeat the Thanksgiving for Christs sufferings p. 44. either in whole or in part as thou seest it needful When the Priest cometh toward you O Lord God I now desire to renew my Covenant with Thee and to seal it in this Sacrament Lord put Thy Laws into my mind and write them in my heart and for the Passion of Thy Son which I now commemorate be merciful to my Unrighteousness My sins and my iniquities remember no more and be Thou my God and I will be Thy servant Amen Amen O my Soul taste now and see How gracious the Lord is After receiving the Bread Glory be to Thee O Lord who feedest me with the bread of life O Lord God who didst sanctifie us by the offering of the body of Jesus once for all sanctifie me even me O Heavenly Father After Receiving the Cup. Glory be to Thee O Lord Jesus who permittest me to drink of the fountain of life freely My Beloved is mine and I am his Blessed Saviour Thou hast Loved us and washed us from our sins in Thy own bloud and therefore to Thee be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen Amen Glory be to Thee O Jesus My Lord and my God for thus feeding my Soul with thy most blessed body and bloud O let Thy Heavenly food transfuse new life and new vigour into my Soul and into the Souls of all that Communicate with me that our Faith may daily increase that we may all grow more humble and Contrite for our sins that we may all love Thee and serve Thee and delight in Thee and Praise Thee more servently more incessantly then ever we have done heretofore Amen Amen After the Congregation is dismist Phil. if you cannot get privacie in your own Chamber I advise you â—t the first opportunity to go into the Chappel and there to give God thanks for that great blessing of which He has now made you a partaker A Thanksgiving after Receiving O How plentiful is Thy Goodness My Lord and my God which Thou hast laid up for those that fear Thee which Thou hast laid up for those that put their trust in Thy Mercy Was it not Love Infinite enough Dearest Lord to give Thy self for me on the Cross Was not that Sacrifice of Thy self sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world What Lord couldst Thou then do more for me All the mighty Host of Heaven stood amazed to see the bloud of God shed to see their King of Glory to whom from everlasting they had sung their Hallelujahs Nailed to a Cross and all this to save Sinners Sure Lord None of all those Blessed Spirits with all the Glorious illuminations they had could ever have Imagined how Thou couldst give Thy self more to us then Thou hadst done And yet for all this Thou hast wrought new miracles of Love for us and as if it had not been Love enough to have given Thy self for us on the Cross Thou hast found out a way to give Thy self to us in the Holy Sacrament to Unite Thy self to us with the most intimate Union that 't is possible to conceive to become the very food the Life the strength the support of my Soul to become one with me to become the very Soul of my Soul O Lord God This is so Unconceivable a blessing this is so Divine an Union that the very Angels who so much desire to look into the great Mystery of our Redemption who learn Thy Manifold Wisdom from Thy Church and frequent the Places of Thy Publick worship do crowd about our Altars and with aweful Admiration contemplate the Holy Sacrament What thanks then Gracious Lord can I return to Thee for those wonders of Love Thou hast shewed to me wretched sinner which the very Angels who never sinned so much admire O dearest Lord raise Thou my devotion to the highest pitch it can possibly reach to Praise Thee Enlarge my Soul to its utmost extent to Love Thee How can I ever more offend such Riches of mercy as are in Thee O Crucified Saviour and yet whilest I carrry this body of sin about me I fear I shall But Lord I do from my heart Renounce and abhor all things that displease Thee I resolve to the Utmost of my power to Resist all temptations and to become as totally Thine as my frail Nature will permit me O Gracious Lord who hast so Infinitely Loved us and given us everlasting Consolation and good Hope through grace Comfort my Heart and for ever establish it in every good Word and Work Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever Rejoice in the Lord Jesus O my Soul for of Him cometh my salvation I will love Thee O Lord my King and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever Glory be to Thee O Lord God for giving me this blessed opportunity of coming to Thy Altar O grant I may never more Pollute my soul which Thou hast now made Thy Temple to reside in who art the God of Purity Praise the Lord O my Soul while I live will I praise the Lord as long as I have any being I will sing praises Unto Thee O Blessed Saviour My King and my God O gracious Lord Pardon all my failings Accept all my prayers and praises and supply all my wants which I sum up in Thy Own
Hear the voice of my humble Petition O Lord now I cry unto Thee and lift up my hands towards Thy Mercy Seat Behold Lord I am now about to search into my own heart but alas alas my heart is dâ—ceitful and desperately wicked How can I know it O Thou therefore that searchest the heart and triest the reins Discover to me all the evil and deceits of my own heart that I may confess and bewail and forsake them and obtain mercy Lord hear me Lord help me for the Merits of Jesus my Saviour Amen Amen Rules to be observed in Examination Having prayed for Gods assistance doubt not Phil. but he will vouchsafe it you and to guide you in your examination the better observe these following directions When you examine your self either by the following Catalogue or by that in the Whole Duty of Man or by any other Pause a while on every particular and if you find your self not guilty then say Glory be to Thee O Lord for preserving me from this sin and so go on When your Conscience answers guilty then it will be your best way having said Lord have mercy upon me and forgive me this sin to write down that sin in a Paper that you may have it ready to confess to God when your Examination is done You are to consider Phil. that there are several degrees of young Penitents and some are more some less sinful For instance Some tâ—re are who either through want of conscienâ—ous Parents or through often stiâ—ling good motioâ—s or through Inconstancy or Heedlessness or Unadvisableness or Vitious Company or Ill Nature or Youthful Lusts and the like have been from their Infancy very negligent of Learning or at least of practising their Duty Again Some there are amongst these whose sins are more heinous then ordinary in regard they are accompanied with several aggravations For any sin is Much aggravated if it be committed Knowingly or Deliberately or Frequently More then that if it be committed Obstinately or presumptuously or on slight or no temptations or against Checks of Conscience or against Reproofs or Admonitions or Chastisements or Vows to the contrary but most of all If it be committed so long and so often till it becomes habitual till the sinner does take delight in it or boast of it or make a Mock at it or tempt others also to commit it All these and the like Circumstances do very much heighten the guilt of any sin You may easily from hence guess what progress you have made in wickedness and if you find your self in the number of any of these by all means good Phil. Resolve to repent immediately and to confess your sins with all their aggravations for be sure of this that every other step you run farther from Heaven every other hour you continue longer in a sinful course makes your sins the more hard to be mastered and your repentance the more difficult On the other side some there are though I fear but few who having been brought up in the Nurture and admonition of the Lord have been by the goodness of God secured from violent temptations and enormous sins who have like Josiah while they were yet young sought the Lord and have in a great measure kept their baptismal vow and preserved a sense of their duty Such as these have fewer sins to confess and those sins less aggravated and therefore have greater obligations to Magnifie Gods Mercy then others but if you are in this number have a care of growing careless in your examination or of presuming on your own Innocence for if we say or think we have no sin we miserably deceive our selves O Phil. the best of men God knows have very much evil in them to detest and bewail and have infinite need of a Saviour and therefore let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Whatever you do then be sure to keep your heart with all diligence and to pray for constant supplies of Gods grace for perhaps the Devil defers his tempting you till you are grown up and become your own Master and have not that tenderness of offending or that awe of Parents or Superiors which you now have Be not over scrupulous Phil. either to make your self guilty of more sins then really you are or to reckon up all your infirmities or dayly failings or sins of Omission which would render your Examination endless and impossible but examine your self chiefly about your wilful sins or sins of Commission and know there be many sins even of Commission that you may doubt whether you have committed or no many that you have quite forgot but be not disheartned at it for Holy David hath taught you that a general Confession for such sins is enough when he prays to God to cleanse him from his secret faults That you may gain a true sense of your sins by your examination Labour to imprint in your mind awsul apprehensions of the day of Judgment and of God the great Judge in whose presence you now are and to raise such apprehensions Dwell a while on such Meditations as these Motives to Examination O My soul Thou art now in the Presence of the great Judge of Heaven and Earth before whose dreadful Tribunal thou must certainly appear at the day of Judgment to give a strict account of all thy Actions of every idle word of every evil thought and thy own Conscience will then be thy accuser Think O my Soul think if thou canst what unâ—maginable Horrours will seize an impenitent sinâ—er when the last trump calls him out of his Grave and the Devils begin to drag him to Gods Judgment Seat what would such a Wretch give to purchase one such opportunity of Repentance as God now in great mercy gives thee If ever thou hopest to escape those horrours O my soul Make thy peace with God Judge thy self here lest thou be condemned hereafter The Examination it self I Adjure thee O my soul in the presence of the great Judge who knows all the secrets of thy heart I adjure thee as thou wilt answer before Gods Judgment Seat at the last day to tell me Does not thy dayly experience teach thee that thy whole Nature is corrupt Prone to all that is evil and averse to all that is good How hast thou spent thy time from thy Childhood to this very moment How hast thou kept the solemn Vow of thy Baptism What good duties hast thou Omitted What sins hast thou Committed In particular What sins art thou guilty of more immediately Against God Art thou guilty of Any Infidelity or Atheism Any distrust in or Presumption on or despair of Gods Mercy Art thou guilty of any Wilful Ignorance of God or of any Idolatry in Worshiping any Creature Hast thou loved any thing more then God or feared any one Above him Hast thou been guilty of Hypocrisie in Gods service or of forsaking God and of resorting to the Devil to Witches or Wizards Art thou
guilty of repining or murmuring at Gods providence or of being impatient under his afflictions or of being unthankful for His Mercies or of being disobedient to His Commands or of being incorrigible under his Judgments When and in what manner hast thou been guilty of dishonouring God By blasphemous or irreligious thoughts or discourses or by tamely hearing others blaspheme By taking Gods most Holy Name in vain or by Customary or false swearing or by the breach of any lawful Oath or solemn Vows By any Sacriledge or Irreverent behaviour in Gods House or mispending the Lords day or any neglect of or Inattention to Gods Word read or preacht or unprofitableness under the means of Grace Have I dishonoured God by Coldness and Wandrings and Indevotion or Carelessness in my Prayers or by any Weariness in His Service or by any total neglect of it or by Unworthy Communicating By Impenitence or putting off the evil day or superficial and partial repentances or frequent Relapses or Resisting the good Motions of Gods Spirit By abetting any Schism or Heresie or Prophaness O my soul what sins art thou guilty of more immediately Against thy self Art thou guilty of Pride either of thy Clothes or of thy Estate or of thy Credit or of thy Parts or of thy own Holiness or of boasting of thy own good deeds or of commending thy self or of being greedy of Praise or of performing good duties to gain applause or of committing sin to avoid reproach of men Hast thou been immoderately greedy of Riches or of sensual pleasures or guilty of peevishness or of too violent or too lasting fits of anger or of Inconstancy or of inconsideration or of discontentedness with thy condition Hast thou been guilty of mispending thy time or of negligence in resisting temptations or of not improving those opportunities of Learning and Piety which God gives thee in this place or of Abusing Thy Natural parts to Sin Hast thou been guilty of any Intemperance in eating or in drinking or in sleeping or in recreations spending too much time on them or being too greedy after them Hast thou been guilty of Idleness or of downright drunkenness or of laughing at it in others Hast thou been guilty of any Uncleanness of the Eye or of the Hand or of the Fansie of any lasciviousness or Lust or Fornication or Adultery or hast thou taken delight in lewd Company or in vitious or Unchast Songs or Stories or expressions O my Soul what sins art thou guilty of more immediately Against thy Neighbour How when where Against whom hast thou been guilty of Any Injury or Injustice or Oppression or breach of Trust or Promise or of any Fraud or Theft or Flattery or Dissimulation or Treachery or Lying or of giving any just Scandal How when where against whom hast thou been guilty of Any Ill Language or detraction or slander or tale-bearing or rash censuring or back-biting or of Contemning or Scoffing at thy Neighbour either for his Infirmities or for his being religious How when where against whom hast thou been guilty of any Contentiousness or Spight or Revenge or of delighting Causlesly to grieve thy Neighbour or of Railing or of actually Hurting him Or of murdering him in thy mind by Ill wishes or Curses Hast thou been guilty of bitter imprecations or bearing false witness or Covetqusness of any thing He possesses Hast thou been guilty of Unthankfulness to those that have done thee good or have reproved thee or of Uncharitableness to the Poor or to any Christian in distress or of any Unnaturalness to any of thy Relations or of any Evil-speaking or Dis-respect or Stubbornness against any of thy Governours either Civil or Ecclesiastical or in particular Against thy Parents or Superiours in this place or of any Wilful Disobedience to the lawful Commands of all or either of them Hast thou tempted any other to sin by Connivence or Encouragement or Command or Perswasion and Mightily increased thy own Guilt by furthering the damnation of thy Brother In case Phil. you do find this Examination too difficult for you or are afraid you shall not rightly perform it or meet with any scruples or troubles of Conscience in the practice of it I then advise you as the Church does to go to one of your Superiours in this place to be your Spiritual Guide and be not ashamed to Unburthen your Soul freely to Him that besides His Ghostly Counsel you may receive the benefit of Absolution For though Confession of our Sins to God is only Matter of duty and absolutely Necessary yet Confession to our spiritual Guide also is by many devout souls found to be very advantageous to true Repentance If upon your Examination Phil. you find you have any way wronged your Neighbour Resolve upon the first opportunity to make him some suitable satisfaction and to ask his forgiveness for you are first to be reconciled to your Brother before you come to the Altar to offer your Gift If you are guilty of tempting any other to sin Ask Gods pardon for him as well as for your self and if you have any opportunity to do it exhort him to Repentance But if any hath wronged you forgive the Injury presently for you beg forgiveness of God on this very condition that you your self forgive your Brother This Examination of your self Phil. I suppose will be task enough for you at one time and therefore that you may not tire your self you may conclude with this short Prayer A Prayer after Examination O Lord God I have now by Thy Assistance considered my own evil ways O Thou who only knowest the Heart and who only canst change it Create in me such a broken and contrite heart which thou hast promised not to despise and so deep a sense of my own sin and misery that my Repentance may bear some Proportion to my Guilt O my God Pardon all my failings and perfect that good work thou hast begun in me for the merits of Jesus my Saviour In whose Holy words I sum up all my wants Our Father c. At the very next opportunity of retiring you can get Resolve good Phil. with the Prodigal to return to your Heavenly Father and humbly to beg forgiveness and having brought your Catalogue of Sins with you Kneel down and with the lowest prostrations of soul and body make your Confession to God of your Sins and of their aggravations A Form of Confession 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 wretched Sinner Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil with the least approbation The way of the wicked and the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Thee Wo is me then O Lord wo is me for I
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 fa lings and receive me into Thy favour Amen O Lord God Amen Amen A Petition for Grace in General O Lord God I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep Thy righteous Judgments But alas I am 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 dost seasonably interpose Thy grace to with-hold me But I can do all things through Thee strengthening 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 fulfil Thy gracious promise 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 succour me in temptations and to assist me in all parts of my duty that I may ever hereafter live in Thy fear and in constant sincere and universal obedience to all Thy righteous Laws Thou O searcher of hearts knowest the sin or sins I am most inclined to here name it or them and herein will lie my greatest danger of back-sliding But O my God I beg a double portion of Thy invisible aid against it or them Hold Thou up my goings in Thy paths that my Footsteps slip not O work in me that victorious Faith by which I may overcome the World the Devil and my own corrupt Nature True it is O Lord God that there are many sins which upon examination I find through Thy grace I have not yet committed and therefore not unto me Lord but to Thy name be the glory but alas there is in my corrupt nature so great a proneness to evil so great a curiosity to try what sin is that without Thy restraining Grace every temptation when I shall have more age and liberty and opportunity to enforce it will be apt to draw me from my obedience and to overthrow all my present Resolutions But my Help standeth in Thee O great Creatour who hast made 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 deceitfulnes of sin or betrayed by my own treacherous heart or surprized by my ghostly enemies and give me grace to watch and to pray incessantly my self lest I enter into temptation Hear Lord from Heaven and succour me for the alone merits of Jesus my Saviour Amen Amen Petition for particular Graces O That my ways Lord were made so direct that I might keep Thy Statutes for then shall I not be confounded when I have respect unto all Thy Commandments Vouchsafe me Thy Holy Spirit therefore O Lord God to work in me whatever is well-pleasing in Thy sight that for the time to come I may bring forth fruits meet for repentance O let it be Thy good pleasure to create in me a saving Knowledge of Thee and of my duty justifying Faith true sanctifying Grace and a purifying Hope an ardent Love and a filial fear of Thee a constant desire of pleasing Thee and a great tenderness of offending Thee Lord create in me a penitent heart a resigned will and mortified affections an habitual mindfulness of Thy presence and a steddy devotion in my Prayers sincere intentions and Zeal for Thy Glory Perseverance in all Holy purposes and constancy in all trials and temptations Lord create in me a Reverential awe of Thy Name a delight in Thy service a sacred regard to Thy day and house of Prayer and a great attention to Thy Word a dayly care of my time and diligence in my studies Lord make me chast and temperate humble and adviseable and patient of reproof and create in me a chearful and meek a contented and considerate a quiet and peaceful spirit Lord bless me with Health and Competency of living with a good understanding a retentive memory and a ready apprehension and with such a measure of temporal good things as Thou seest fit for me and give me grace to make a right use of all those blessings I have already receiveâ— Lord Purifie my thoughts Bridle my tongue Guide all my actions Guard all my senses Stop my ears and turn away my eyes from sin and vanity Lord give me grace to be just in all my dealing to do to all men as I would they should do to me to be subject to my Parents and to all my Superiours to the King as supreme and to all Civil Magistrates To the Pastors of Thy Church and to all my Governours in this place O grant that I may render due honour and obedience to them all in their several stations Lord make me willing to forgive injuries and unwilling to offer any Make me grateful to my Benefactors friendly to my equals condescending to my inferiours compassionate to the afflicted charitable to the Poor according to my ability a Lover of good men and kind to my enemies and give me grace to keep always a Conscience void of offence towards Thee and towards men and to continue in the Communion of Thy Church without wavering O Merciful God keep Thy servant from all wilful deliberate or presumptuous sins and let no wickedness have dominion over me From stubbornness and pride idleness and sloth intemperance and youthful lusts inconstancy and lying Good Lord deliver me From irreligious principles and false Teachers unruly passions and violent temptations from contracting vitious habits or taking pleasure in sin from prophaneness and ill company envy and malice detraction and uncharitableness Good Lord deliver me From the erros and vices of the Age and all remanent affections to sin from the sin or sins my corrupt Nature is most inclined to Here name it or them from whatsoever is offensive to Thee or destructive to my own Soul Good Lord deliver me Hear me O Heavenly Father and conform my whole life to the Example of my Blessed Saviour and that for his sake in whose holy words I sum up all my wants Our Father which art in heaven c. You have now Good Phil. by Gods help gone over the hardest part of your preparation for the Holy Sacrament the next thing you are to do is to examine your self whether you do sufficiently understand what the Sacrament is then to ask your self with what intentions you do approach it and to pray for Gods grace to dispose you for Worthy Receiving and