wherefore when we are arrived so far in our way to Happiness as the forsaking our old Habits and placing better in their room we may venture to draw nigh to that Holy Ordinance of which whosoever is a worthy partaker shall live for ever A good Life is the best preparitive to this Feast 't is not enough we shake hands with our Vices for a time and return to our Folly when the Ceremony is over if we are not qualified before we come we are in danger to receive this Sacrament Unworthily and the consequence of that is so terrible that the thoughts of it must amaze us No Man is qualified that does not sincerely Repent it can't be supposed that God has allotted just so much time to mortifie ourselves or that a week is sufficient to prepare us for Heaven They who have lived in a course of sin and never approached this Holy Communion must not think the first fit of Sorrow sufficient to Denounce them true Penitents It requires time and pains to conquer their Lusts the old Man must be cast off and they must give a signal of their Loyalty before they be accepted Subjects of the Most High in short if upon Examination we find our Faith firm our Purposes steadfast and our Desires after Christ strong we may come to the Altar of God and if we appear there with Charity our Prayers shall be convey'd from thence to the presence of God 'T is upon no other terms we can come with security for there is no concord between Christ and Beliai They who frequent the Sacrament and suffer themselves in the Commission of any known sin are reconciling of contradictions and will find their mistake to their confusion 'T is very certain as long as we are upon Earth we are in a state of Trial no man must expect to be exempt from Temptation But we should make it our business to strive and resist the World Flesh and the Devil If by surprise or other accident we are betrayed into sin we know our duty to be sorry and arm our selves against it for the future We may reasonably expect pardon upon this humiliation if we dont join our good Will and commit the evil with approbation This we certainly do if we suffer our selves to be often over come by the same Temptation such a one ought to suspect the sincerity of his resolution and not approach the holy communion till he is satisfied his heart is perfect in the Commandments of God But after all men must be left to themselves in this matter 'T is certain no man can be a Hipocrite against his knowledge and what pretences men have for Hipocrisy in other cases they are reasons of a prodigious nature which shall induce a man to play the cheat upon himself For no man is forced to the Sacrament and if he was 't is very sad it should be accounted criminal to Oblige them to be good However men trifle in other cases let them be serious in this if they are really sincere God will pardon a multitude of Faults no Man that knows his own sincerity need be affraid to approach the table of the Lord. When the Minister declares the time of the next Communion and invites all such as shall religiously be disposed let us lift up our Souls to God and beg of him that we may become worthy Partakers of his Body and Blood In order to it let us remember the nearer we draw to God in his Holy Ordinances the greater must be our care in the Management of our selves tho' as I have already premised a Good Life is the best preparative to a worthy Reception of the Lord's Supper yet when we approach the Presence of the Lord we ought to be more than ordinary circumspect 'T was David's resolution To wash his hands in Innocency before he approacht the Altar of God God himself commanded Joshua to pull off his shooes when he was upon the holy Ground and then surely 't is our duty to become such as the Lord may be we well pleased with Let us as much as possible this week have our conversation with God Don't let it suffice that we have formerly call'd our selves to account but go over all again there may be something past over in our last Examination or something new to add to our Affliction however the sight of our late Iniquity will sufficiently affect us and beholding our misery afresh we shall be the more desirous of coming to Christ for our Sins when we are sensible of them will be a burthen too heavy for us to bear But to increase our Desires Humiliation and Love let us reflect on the Goodness of God in sending Our Saviour Jesus to be a sacrifice for our Sins that as the Terrors of the Lord first brought us to our selves so now the Wonders of his Love may effectually perswade us to turn to the Lord our God that he may have mercy upon us A Meditation Preparitory to the Communion LOrd what is Man that thou hast respect unto him and the Son of Man that thou so regardest him When we had forfeied thy Favour by a cursed Disobedience to thy Command and deserved to feel the reward of our Folly to Eternal ages if thou hadst only spared us from thy Wrath and delivered our Soul from the neithermost Hell that Mercy had called for our greatest Devotion and employed us to eternity in singing Praises but thy infinite Love would not debar us the priviledge of Creation since thou madest us for thy self thou resolvedst to try all means to bring us to the enjoyment of that Happiness When we were sunk into Misery almost beyond recovery what manner of Love didst thou extend to the dropping World which lay in Darkness and in the shaddow of Death thou emptiedst thy self and communicatedst to us of thy fullness by sending thy Eternal Son out of thy Bosom to make us thy Children and exalt us to everlasting life HOly Holy Holy Lord God of Saboath Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O God Glory be to thee for this incomprehensible Mystery O thou God who wast manifested in the flesh Glory be to thee inspire the universal World to a greatfull acknowledgment of thy Love surpassing knowledge That we may all acknowledge thee to be the Lord for on Earth there is none like thee and among the Gods there is none can do as thou hast done When thou tookest upon thee to deliver Man thou didst not abhor the Virgins Womb but submitted to our flesh that thou mightest open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers O Thou Word of God how didst thou strip thy self of thy Glory and descend from the felicities of thy Throne to take upon thee the form of a Servant Thou wert born of poor Parents and laid in a Manger thou induredst Hunger and Thirst and hadst no place to lay thine head yet did it not discourage thee from going about
Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life Amen The Priest proceeds now to a more immediate invitation and to show us that we ought to think highly of these things calls only those who have such quallifications as he just before told us was absolutely necessary and that we might not come rashly puts it to us again ye that do truly Repent c. But to heighten our esteem and make us more in earnest with our selves let us imagine we hear Christ himself inviting us for 't is the Minister in his stead calling us to Repentance Confession and Humility of Soul these are the Garments wherewith we ought to be cloathed and he that comes without them does but mock God and we have heard the dreadful effect of that presumption 't is provoking him to plague us with Diseases and sundry kinds of Death we kindle God's wrath against us and his indignation will last to Eternity But that the Terrors of the Lord might fright away none but the impenitent the Church assures us all they who come with Faith and Repentance may take the Holy Sacrament to their comfort and accordingly exhorts them to draw near to testifie their sincerity by an humble Confession and to remove all suspicion of Hypocrisy commands that it be done upon our Knees with contrition They who hope for Pardon can expect it upon no other Terms therefore we ought to be very circumspect that we don't call upon God with our Lips when our Hearts is far from him the Sacrifice of such Fools only work their Destruction Don't let us look upon it as matter of form only that we are to tell God Almighty a sad story of our selves and yet in such a manner as if we were not concern'd for the Sin nor God for the punishment of it But when we come to that part of the Confession acknowledging our Offences by Thought Word and Deed let us reflect on some of those Transgressions we have repeated most and have most cause to repent of let us think of them with sorrow and detestation with a resolution to forsake them and a passionate desire to be freed from the Evil of them let our Hearts go along with our Prayers and they are such as will inform us of our condition and being affectionately repeated will teach us to be humble and contrite and that will render us capable of the pardon which follows to be pronounced by the Priest 'T is impossible to prescribe Rules for our thoughts in the time of Absolution we have a hundred Idea's at once in our Minds the Soul is full with Transport Rejoycing and Humilliation we have so much to say that we are confounded in our selves we know not how to bless God enough are affraid of our wickedness and astonished at his goodness there is no re-presenting the Passions of a Soul in this Religious Agony nor how prevailing the confused sighs of a ravish'd sinner are to our merciful God They who are most sensible of their sins can best tell what a boundless joy arises at the thoughts of their forgiveness But lest we should have any mistrust because of our sins the Church has collected some comfortable assurances from the Gospel for 't is no wonder we receive our Pardon doubting and trembling we have need of infallible Authority to perswade us of the truth of these things when our fear had so cast us down that we almost were brought to believe that God had utterly forsaken us we can now cry with chearfulness blessed be God that has not so turned his mercy from us but has sent his Son Jesus Christ to call us to Repentance therefore when we hear the Priest say Come unto me c. Let us humbly say I come unto thee O Jesus ease me of my Burthen so God loved the World c. I believe Lord save me or I perish this is a true saying c. Mercy sweet Jesus I am a miserable sinner If any man sin O thou great advocate of my Soul I bless thee and all that is within me shall praise thy Holy Name Certainly our affections are so moved that we shall be zealous to lift up our hearts with joy and gladness and now confess 't is meet and right to give thanks to which purpose let us summons our strongest affections that we may with Angels and Arch-angels magnifie the glorious Name of God most High If it be upon any particular Feast as Christmas or Easter there is greater reason to strain our selves to the highest Note to give thanks for those particular Blessings We are now approaching nearer to these Holy Mysteries and must express the greater Reverence and before we tast how gracious the Lord is confess our unworthiness to receive him into our Habitation This we can't do in better Words than the Church has provided for us therefore we are to joyn heartily in the following form and beg that our sinful Bodies may be made clean by his Body that being so prepared our Souls may be made fit to receive the Lord of Glory After this excellent Prayer is over let us look towards the Holy Table and whilst the Priest is ordering the Elements Meditate and be astonished at the transcending love of Christ let us lose our selves in contemplation of that Divine Mystery that Heaven should so condescend to Earth and Man be united to God that God should take upon him our Flesh die for us upon Earth and nourish us now he is in Heaven Let us represent to our Faith the intollerable sufferings of our dying Lord his whole Passion upon Mount Calvary and the Agonies of that unknown Sorrow there Imagine we behold him stretch'd upon the Cross and see the Blood issuing from his wounded side Behold him grapling with the fury of an incensed God and all the furies of the Powers of Darkness and this to redeem us from the Horrors of Hell which were due to us for Sin and Wickedness Sure the consideration of these things will create an odiousness of sin which was so great that nothing but the Blood of God could expiate we shall be sensible of our unworthiness and adore withall the forces of our Soul that love surpassing knowledge and beg of our crucified Redeemer to inspire us with holy Zeal that our now softned Souls may Eccho Hallelujahs and all that is within us may sing Eternally to God the Father who contrived this glorious Redemption to God the Son who effected it and to God the Holy Ghost who gives us the benefit thereof Let us now return with the Priest and earnestly beg of our merciful God that the Elements may really become what they represent After we have performed that with Devotion let us leave the rest to God and the Priest and rising from our Knees at the Consecration look toward the Holy Table devoutly attending every Word and Action for all is Mystery and deserves a particular Meditation let us imagine we hear our Saviour consecrating and that
Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. Lord if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me O touch me and say I will be thou clean Oh let this Blood of thine purge my Conscience from dead Works to serve thee the ever living God It will not suffice me dearest Saviour to receive thee in part only for I must be wholly thine and blessed be thy Name that thou hast already given me thy holy Body to cleanse my Nature and now thou art preparing thy precious Blood to wash away my Guilt my sins have poured out every drop thereof wherefore thou presentest it to me by it self to shew how truly thou didst suffer Death for me and now O my Redeemer thou hast said this Cup is the Communion of thy Blood and thy truth is unquestionable thy power infinite and thy love was such as thou gavest thy hearts blood for me I will receive it therefore as the everlasting Covenant the Seal of all the promises of thy holy Gospel I have indeed drunk iniquity like Water and therefore am unfit to tast this Water of Life and yet shall perish without it for I 'me all over defiled and this is the fountain which thou hast opened to cleanse us I am scorched with the Flames of lust and unruly passion and this is the Cup which thou hast provided to cool and refresh us What value is sufficient for me to put upon this immortal Cordial How can I reverence it enough since the God of Heaven esteemed it a price sufficient for millions of perishing Mankind My Soul longeth after it Lord let me taste and my Soul shall live let me wash in this laver before I come to thy great Tribunal so shall I be whiter than snow Let us repeat after the Minister the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ c. After the Cup. IT is finished blessed be the Name of our gracious God Blessing Glory Praise and Honour Love Obedience Dominion and Thanksgiving be to thee O sacred Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost Amen Well come O my good Jesus now dismiss thy Servant in Peace for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation If we have time before we return to our Pews let us add HOw chearing is this Cup to me blessed Jesus which was so dreadful unto thee it was thy Agonies and thy Wounds which afforded me this Wine of Joy Thou didst find how bitter it was when thou wert appeasing an offended God but I taste how sweet it is now that thou hast made him a tender and reconciled Father I receive this Cup O Saviour as a new pledge of thy dearest Love and since thou doest here give me a right to that great Expiation which thou hast made I do most humbly commemorate the same before the Father of Heaven as the full satisfaction for my innumerable Debts and I will remember the dolors of thy Cross with a brisker sense than ever because thou hast made me drink of thy Blood and given me thy Soul thy Life and thy Spirit and since thou hast thus joyned me to thy self O let nothing seperate that which thou hast so graciously joyned together Amen They who have advanced thus far in their Duty and been refreshed at the Table of God will easily acknowledge Thanksgiving to be the least tribute they can pay and won't be satisfied that they have given praises at the Altar but are willing to offer this sacrifice every opportunity therefore let us at our return to our Seats be ready to acknowledge the loving kindness of the Lord. PRaise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his Holy Name was it not enough that thou shouldst suffer so much for me but thou wilt also give all the purchase of those sufferings to me thy loving kindness is truly admirable thou hast taken my sins on thy self and communicated thy Righteousness to my Soul Lord while I believe and consider the benefits of thy Passion I am revived and fill'd with an unwonted Vigour my Conscience does accuse me of many and grievious sins but I do here most humbly and thankfully set forth this perfect sin offering before thy Divine Majesty I know thou cannot except against it I believe it is sufficient to attone thine Anger Blessed Jesus how is my Soul refreshed that is again restored to thy Father's love let Heaven and Earth praise thee for this glorious Sacrifice and I will bless thee while I have any being I have receiv'd thy immaculate Body and it shall cleanse my sinful Body and teach me by the vertue of so rare an Example to relieve my poor Brethren for whom thou hast died and to conquer my Enemies by charity for thus thou hast done to me and both my lips and life shall set forth thy praise for now I begin to find the Mercy Peace Comfort and Grace which flow from the Death of Christ wherefore I will love thee Holy Jesus more than I can express and since thou hast given thy self thy Merits and Graces to me and seal'd a new Covenant with me in thy Blood I here bind my self by this sacred Cup to be sincerely thine I have sworn and am steadfastly purposed to keep thy Righteous Judgments O let me never unhallow that Body or defile that Soul in which the Lord Jesus delights to dwell in let no Oaths or Lying prophane those Lips no Obscenity or Intemperance pollute that Mouth by which these holy Symbols have passed but let thy Mercy keep me in this happy Temper till I have accomplished all my Resolutions Amen Or This ALL is thine Dear Saviour dispose of all that is here of Body and Soul of life and lodging according to thy Divine Will and Pleasure I intend O Lord strengthen me in this very Hour I intend O sweet Saviour a Total Reformation of my Life and Manners an intire Mortification of my Corporal Senses an absolute change in my whole Man grant therefore O good Jesus that at each word of my Mouth at each glance of my Eye at each morsel I Eat at each member I Move at each action Inward or Outward I undertake I may perform all according to thy holy Will and Pleasure I will therefore expect from thee O Heavenly Father the exact Remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect Knowledge from thee O Holy Spirit a true Repentance from thee O Sacred Trinity the entire Absolution and Plenary indulgence from all my iniquities Amen We have been informed that this is the great Feast of Love and are now commemorating that inexpressible love of our Saviour and since his Blood was shed for the sins of the whole World let our Charity extend it self to the uttermost parts of the Earth but more especially the Holy Catholick Church therefore the time we spare from our Devotions let us bestow in good desires to those present sending up a hearty Amen to the Prayers for our Brethren let it rejoyce our Souls to see so many of the Servants of God
waiting at his Altar to receive the Bread of Life let us earnestly pray that this Communion may be life to every one that all who are present may meet to Feast in life Everlasting O Thou Eternal Being vouchsafe to bless confirm and strengthen us all who are present before thee deliver us from the day of Condemnation and let us not be confounded when we shall appear before thee in the presence of thy Angels but grant that through the blood of the Cross we may all be cleansed from our sins and presented pure unblamable and irreprovable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter to sing Eternal Hallelujahs to him that sets upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever May what we have now offer'd up to thee O Lord be accepted for the good of the universal World for all those for whom the Holy Jesus shed his most precious Blood for the Glory of thy Holy Name and for the coming of the Holy Ghost that he may please to visit and enlighten all our Hearts O Lord be propitious to the Holy Catholick Church and by the increase of Faith Hope and Charity inlarge its Limits be pleased to remember all that are Fallen all that are in Captivity the Infirm Sick Stranger Fatherless and Widow in great Mercy look upon them all restore heal comfort and relieve them for Jesus Christ his sake Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Amen As soon as the Congregation has communicated let us prepare to glorifie the Lord together in order to it let us reflect upon the Goodness of this God who has done so much for us and if we are attentive to the Prayers of the past Communion 't is impossible to behave our selves coldly or indifferently there is so much life in the expressions that we are forced to utter them with an affectionate concern and the greater our Zeal the greater is the Benefit we receive Each thought must give us an Idea beyond our Expression we shall be so wholly taken up with this wonderful love of Christ that we shall be angry our conceptions are so imperfect that we don't see more clearly this Beauty of Holiness O let us lose our selves in this boundless contemplation and be ravished with the loving kindness of the Lord and now that we are in earnest become the Sons of God we may with confidence lift up our hearts to Our Father which is in Heaven which is the first Prayer the Church has appointed to offer up to God we have been feasting at his Table renewing our Covenants and made pertakers of our Saviour and his Spirit therefore being so clothed 't is very proper our first address be made in his own word After we have repeated that with Reverence let us join in the next for 't is now high time that we make an offering to the God of our Salvation and there is nothing we can give more pleasing than our selves to be a reasonble sacrifice therefore let us intirely dedicate our Souls Body and Spirit to the service of God and be infinitly rejoyced that God is pleased to accept us therein and this will enable us more chearfully to joyn in the following Hymne When our Heavenly King sees us so hearty in his Service so desirous of Pardon that we with the greatest Earnestless cry to the only begotten Jesus Christ and with all so forward to return our humble thanks for his Mercy No doubt he will be near to our Assistance and reward us with more than we can ask or think even exalt us to that state of Glory with him that sits on the right hand of the Father and is most high in the Glory of God After we have thus affectionately joyn'd in the Prayers of the Church let us with Faith and Thankfulness receive the Blessing and then with humble Adoration once more magnifie the goodness of God for who can be weary in praising the noble acts of the Lord PRaise the Lord O my Soul and let all thy Powers be acted with such love and wonder that thou mayest break forth into all the expression of joy and gladness that admiration and gratitude can inspire thee with Glory be to thee O Lord most High Let us rise from our Knees and bow towards the Holy Table shewing our unwillingness to depart the place where his Honour dwells leave it with a reluctance and still say in our hearts 't is good for us to be here They who are arriv'd to such a habit must necessarily desire another opportunity to glorifie God in this manner and be very fond of frequenting his House till this blessed season returns for we are not to think our Duty done with our Prayers we must create a kind of a familiarity with God and no way so likely to do that as by the constant appearance in his House there it is he has promised to be and thither we must come if we would have our Prayers returned with success Though private Devotions be necessary yet the Publick are absolutely so there God is honoured by the company of his Saints and there we have the opportunity to acknowledge him to be the Lord. 'T is there we assemble with one accord to present our Petitions to the Throne of Grace and 't is most likely our Incense should pierce Heaven when it ascends thither in a thick cloud but sure there will be no occasion to use Arguments to those who have felt the Blessings of coming thus together they must see how pleasant it is to dwell in such Unity and prefer the door of the Tabernacle to the Palaces of Princes they who are so unhappy as to be Strangers there who have no taste nor are perswaded of the Truth of these things I could wish they would prevail with themselves to try the deliciousness of the Employment and I am sure they would be obliged to confess not one half has been told them A Meditation for the Communion at Christmas Welcome thrice blessed day the desire of all Nations whose distant glories made the Father of the Faithful to rejoice and whose approaches fill'd the World with wonder and expectation thou wert ushered in with Angelick Hymns and celebrated ever since with Anthems of praise because thou didst bring forth joy and a Redeemer to Mankind Happy am I that have a sacrifice of Thanksgiving in my hand to express the delight which my heart doth feel This Holy Table is the Altar upon which I offer my Acknowledgmets for all mercies And Oh how many how great are those which this day brings to my remembrance so Infinite it cannot be expressed and yet so excellent they must not be forgotten This day hath reconciled Heaven and Earth and Contradictions made freinds to find a way to help us as if nothing might disagree when Man was at peace with God O my Soul summon all thy powers to