that I may live for ever in thy love and be ready to die for thy love that I may delight to do thy will O God and be content to suffer it as the blessed Jesus did And O that I may never forget to feed on him daily by faith and love till he indeed live in me and I in him and all the powers of my soul and body be imployed by his counsels and not my own O that my life may be an exact imitation of him and express his perfections and shew forth his vertues and declare to all how much I love him Especially endue me with great humility and modesty of Spirit that I may live in a constant remembrance of thee my Creator and considering that thou art the author of every good gift may never be puffed up nor do any thing through strife and vain-glory Phil. 2.3 4 5. but in lowliness of mind esteem others better than my self O that the same mind may be in me which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and humbling himself became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross That so thou mayst exalt me in due time to glory and honour as thou hast highly exalted him and when thou shalt call me from this delightful imployment of worshipping praising and serving thee here on earth I may pass into the company of Angels and Saints whose work it is with eternal joy to glorifie thee our Creator and Redeemer Let thy way be known upon earth Psal 67.2 3. and thy saving health unto all nations Let the people praise thee O God Let all the people praise thee Let the earth rejoyce and the multitude of Isles be glad because the Lord Jesus reigneth and governs the world in righteousness and truth O that all the kingdoms of the earth may become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ That Turks Jews and all Infidels may be converted unto thee and that all who name the name of Christ in every place may depart from all iniquity Communicate especially to all Christian Kings Princes and Governors a large measure of wisdom justice and goodness That they may think it their greatest Crown and glory to be thy faithful Ministers and imitate the charity of our Lord Jesus by imploying their power in doing good to all that are under their charge O that thy Priests may be clothed with righteousness and thy Saints shout aloud for joy That the poor may be satisfied with bread the fatherless find mercy with thee the widdows be comforted and protected the disconsolate refreshed the sick eased and restored the prisoners delivered the captives redeemed the oppressed supported and relieved and all men in every estate and condition of life contented bettered and amended Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think Ephes 3.20 21. according to the power that worketh in us unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end Amen February The Meditation before the Sacrament THink with your self it is now a month since our Lord did me the honour to entertain me at his Table Where have I been ever since that happy time What have I been doing Have I never gone to return him thanks for that grace bestowed on me Have I been a perfect stranger to him who loves me so much who spake so kindly then unto me and gave me such assurances of his everlasting kindness O shameless ingratitude How shall I be able ever to look him in the face any more I shall sink and die under the load of such a fearful guilt But I hope the case is not altogether so bad with me Have I not sometimes reflected on his incomparable love Have I not endeavoured to preserve some memory of the benefits he hath done unto me Is there not still a little sense of them remaining in my heart I would fain incourage my self to wait again upon my Lord. Pardon me O God if I presume again to enter into thy gates with thanksgiving and into thy Courts with praise to eat of the bread which came down from Heaven to shew forth the Lords death to represent to my God the Sacrifice he made for the atonement of our sins and by vertue of it humbly to expect the continuance of his pardon to renew my Covenant with him and to receive new confirmations of the truth of his promises to me Awake Awake O my soul all thy holy thoughts thy Faith thy Love and every other grace till thou canst say with David My heart is fixed Psal 57.7 O God my heart is prepared I will sing and give praise Go and shew him how thy heart hath been wounded with the thoughts of his love how all thy sins have been bleeding to death how ready thou art to offer up thy self again in Sacrifice to him Shew him how resolved thou art to walk on still more steadily in his holy wayes to employ all the renewed strength thou shalt receive in his hearty service and to go forth in the joy of the Lord to do his will with greater freedom and cheerfulness of Spirit Then thou mayest think thou hearest that voice of wisdom which saith Prov. 9.5 Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine which I have mingled Or that of the divine Lover Eat O Friends drink yea Cam. 5.1 drink abundantly O beloved Let your soul be satisfied as with marrow and fatness Psal 63.5 and your mouth praise him with joyful lips For Christ himself saith Blessed are the poor in Spirit Matth. 5. for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Blessed are they which do hanger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven As he will one day say to such Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world So now he authorizes his ministers to say come ye blessed souls receive the tokens of his love some earnests of future bliss and rejoyce in hopes of his heavenly kingdom He hath not only prepared for you a kingdom but as the Psalmist speaks in another case he hath prepared a Table for you and anoints your head wish oyl that gladness where with our royal high-Priest is crowned and makes your Cup his coelestial blessings poured on us to run over Let us go then and humbly receive that Cup of blessing to which he invites us Let us bless the Lord and
recommend my self unto thy merciful kindness saying Our Father c. The Meditation afterward WHen you have leisure to retire alone by your self you may say to your self as the people did when they beheld the sick man at our Saviours word take up his bed and walk Luke 5.26 I have seen strange things to day I have seen the marvellous love of Heaven to us sinful dust and ashes I have seen how the Son of God dyed for the love of us how the blessed Jesus was hanged and bled upon a Cross for our Salvation I have beheld him presenting himself unto me and offering to make me pertaker of all his benefits With what affections did I meet and receive his strange love Did not my heart burn within me when he opened the Counsels of his heart to me Did it not melt and dissolve into love when he shewed me how passionately he loved me Did I not offer my self both soul and body to him and promise to be his faithful servant Did I not remember that I was his already and renew my vows to cleave unto him in loyal obedience O what a transforming sight was it to behold Jesus who was made a little lower than Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour and promising by patient continuance in well doing to lift me up also at last unto glory Lord what is man that thou takest knowledg of him Psal 144. â— or the Son of man that thou makest account of him How is it possible to forget this love or my own ingagements For what pleasures shall I leave these of Communion with God and my gracious Master Christ Jesus You offer too little all ye flattering temptations upon earth that would draw my affections from so great an happiness There can be nothing comparable to being beloved of the undoubted Lord of Heaven and earth One thing have I desired of the Lord Psal 27.4 that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple This is sufficient to indear an holy life unto me that I may be always fit to be one of his guests to feast with him at his Table to be filled with his comforts and live in hope to live with him in endless joys And could 〈◊〉 but see what things he hath prepared for those that love him the height of his glory the attendance of his Ministers the pleasures that are at his right hand there would be more spirit in me This little that I have seen makes me say 1 King 10.8 Happy are those thy servants that stand continually before thee Psal 65.4.84.3 Blessed are they whom thou hast chosen and caused to approach unto thee that they may dwell in thy heavenly courts they will still be praising thee I will never foregoe the beginnings of this bliss For a day in thy Courts is better than a thousand I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness For the Lord God is a Sun and shield Psal 84.10 11 1â— the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly O Lord of Hosts blessed is the man that trusteth in thee And here it will be fit to remember how every deliberate sin after such fresh experiences of Gods goodness new obligations from him and new resolutions and vows to him will be of a more crimson die and a bloodier nature And therefore you must be sober and watch unto prayer And remember withal on the other side that every good action will be the more acceptable when it proceeds out of mere love to our Master Jesus who hath loved us so much And therefore always indeavor to quicken the one by reflecting upon the other More particularly you may resolve to meditate all the Month following upon the great MEEKNESS of the Lord Jesus Who was dumb as a sheep before the sheerers Isa 53.7 and as a Lamb that is brought to the slaughter He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth When he was reviled â— Pet. 2.23 he reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously And so labour to tread in his steps and to imitate him in this lovely grace To speak evil of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekness unto all men For we our selves also were sometimes foolish Tit. 3.3 2. and disobedient and deceived c. This vertue the Apostles there and in other places * 1 Pet. â— 15. require us to exercise especially toward Rulers and Governours And S. Peter recommends this to Wives as the most handsome and becoming attire even the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit 1 Pet. 3.4 which is in the sight of God of great price The Thanksgiving and Prayeâ— PRaised be God Let all â—â—â—â—tures in Heaven and Earth praise the name of the Lord. For his name alone is excellent his glory is above earth and heaven Glory be to thee O God most high the Creator of all the Father of mercies who openest thy hand and fillest every living thing with good Blessed be thy name O Son of the Father the ever blessed Jesus to whom I humbly bow my self as the Image of God the brightness of his glory the redeemer of our souls the Mediator of our peace and our intercessor at the right hand of the Majesty on high O thou holy Spirit of grace the Almighty power of God inspire my heart that I may know that I may acknowledg that I may love delight in obey and praise the Lord our God from henceforth and for ever Thanks be to the eternal goodness for the everlasting Gospel for the constant services of thy Ministers for the happy Communion of Saints for all the comforts of food and health and peace and friends above all for the death resurrection ascention and exaltation of our Lord Jesus for all the fruits of them and for the earnests and pledges I have received of forgiveness of sins and immortal life One day is too short to recount thy Mercies While I live I shall never be able to find out how much thou hast already loved me how many blessings thou hast loaded me withal since I came into this world And yet in the careful improvement of these thou intendest to bring me to higher and endless felicity O that the remembrance of what I have seen and felt of thy love may always cleave unto my mind and that I may every day see and be made sensible of more That the powerful operation of it in my heart may defend me against all the allurements of the world and the flesh and nothing may be able to intice me from my duty nor be hard and difficult to do for thy mighty love Incline
Soul only but most bountifully providest for my Body too not only thy Son but a great number of thy Creatures losing their lives continually to preserve mine There is all reason that I should serve thee with unwearied diligence who hast made so many things constantly to serve me And here I present my self again before thee to tender thee my hearty service to beseech thy acceptance of the vows and promises I have already made to thee and to express my hope in thy mercy for power from on high to assist and further my pious desires and resolutions I believe in thee O God through Christ Jesus who hast raised him up from the dead 1 Pet. 1.21 and given him glory that our faith and hope might be in thee our God I live in a full perswasion that thou designest to make me everlastingly happy and therefore humbly look to receive from thy Divine bounty the communication of thy Holy Spirit to help me to fit and prepare my self for such a glorious state with Christ in the Heavens That there my thoughts and my heart may be where my hopes are treasured up and all things may seem little and mean in compare with the glory to be revealed and I may think my self exceeding high and great in the humility meekness goodness patience and contentedness of the Lord Jesus and in the holy hope he hath given me of Eternal life Preserve in my mind a constant sense of that blessed hope as incomparably beyond all possessions on Earth that so I may walk worthy of my High and Heavenly calling chearfully doing and suffering thy will and believing that thou who hast done so much for us as to advance our nature to such glory in the Heavens will take care of us while we are here on Earth and conduct us by humble submission to thee and patient continuance in well-doing to that place whither Jesus the fore-runner is entred for us Psal 98.4 And let all the Earth make a joyful noise unto the Lord make a loud noise and rejoyce 97.1 and sing praise For the Lord Jesus reigneth 29.10 He sitteth King for ever Let them praise his great and holy name For the Kinds strength loveth judgment 99.3 4. he doth establish equity He executeth judgment and righteousness in the Earth Psal 5.11 And let all those that love him be joyful in him Rejoyce in the Lord 97.11 12. ye righteous and give thanks to the memorial of his holiness For light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself 2 Th ss 2.16 17. and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace Comfort our hearts and establish us in every good word and work Amen Whitsunday The Meditation before O Holy Spirit of grace what news is this that thou blessest our ears withall What glad tidings are these that thou art come to tell us What means the sound of so many various tongues the gifts of prophecy of wisdom of knowledge of faith and miracles with all the rest which thou dividedst severally to every man as thou wouldest Doth Jesus yet live hath he indeed conquered the grave and is he exalted at the right hand of God and invested with all power in Heaven and Earth It is enough I will go then and see him when I die That word is no longer dreadful to me I am not afraid of the King of terrors since Jesus lives and is the Lord and King of all Witness the Holy Ghost the Comforter which he hath sent down from the Throne of his glory to assure us that he not only lives but reigns in Majesty and Power and is mindful of us and of his promises Those fiery tongues that came with the noise as of a might rushing wind tell me that he is able to transport us when he pleases in fiery Chariots unto Heaven I hear them call my thoughts up thither Heb. 2.9 and bid me see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour and scattering his royal gifts among his servants I am thy servant O blessed Jesus Psal 119.125 135. make thy face to shine upon me Let thy mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word Ver. 41 49 Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope That WHERE I AM Joh. 12.26 THERE SHALL ALSO MY SERVANT BE. What words of grace and life are these It is enough O thou that dwellest in the Heavens that I be there where thou art Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psa 73.24 and afterward receive me to glory And till I go to see that glory which the Father hath given thee I will go and see the representations thou hast left us of thy self and receive the pawns and pledges of thy Eternal love I will go and remember thy obedience to the death for which cause thou art highly exalted and made most blessed for ever 21.6 And O that the Holy Spirit of grace which fell on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost would fill my heart with a sense of that love and swell my Soul with a full apprehension of all the blessings that it contains that so I may burst forth into thy praises as they did and speak the wondrous works of God Acts 2.11 Marvellous are thy works O Lord Ps 139.14 and that my Soul knows right well I see by the light of the Holy Ghost sent down on them that Jesus indeed was the Son of God holy and without fault that all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily Coloss 2.9 that he hath made peace by the bloud of his Cross and reconciled Heaven and Earth Coloss 1.20 that he is ascended up far above all Heavens Ephes 4.10 Ephes 2.6 that he might fill all things and that thou O Lord hast raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus I see what a powerful Advocate we have in the Court of Heaven Joh. 17.2 and that thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him I see that all thy promises in him are yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 22. by whom thou hast also sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit One tongue is too little to speak the praises of the Lord. I will go therefore into the Assemblies of thy people that they may magnifie the Lord with me Psal 34.3 and we may exalt his name together I will declare the exceeding greatness of his love and the superlative bounty of Heaven in sending him to die for us Yea My Soul shall make her boast in the Lord Psal 34.2 and glory in his
40.8 11. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart Withhold not thy tender mercies from me O Lord let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me Vnite my heart to fear thy name Fill me with all thy fulness O God and above all things with fervent charity This I pray that my love may abound yet more and more in knowledg and in all judgment that I may approve things that are excellent Phil. 1.9 10 11. that I may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto thy glory and praise I am thine save me Multiply grace mercy and peace upon me unto eternal life For it is thou O God Psal 68. ult that givest strength and power unto thy people Blessed be God Immediately after the receiving of the Cup they may lift up their hearts and say Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 1.3 7 8. who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence O Lord how manifold are thy works Psal 104 24 c. in wisdom hast thou made them all The earth is full of thy riches and so is the great and wide sea wherein are creatures innumerable These wait all upon thee that thou mayest give them their meat in due season Thou openest thine hand and they are filled with Good But eye had not seen 1 Cor. 2 9 10. Eph. 3.5.11 nor ear heard neither did enter into the heart of man the things which thou hadst prepared for them that love thee and hast now revealed to thy holy Apostles and Prophets by the spirit according to thy eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who for us men and for our Salvation came down from Heaven and was manifested in flesh to destroy the works of the devil 1 Joh. 3.8 and dyed for our sins Rom. 4.25 rose again for our justification ascended up on high to give gifts unto men Eph. 4.8 and is at the right hand of God to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 1 P i. 3. ult Heb. 1. ult Angels authorities and powers being made subject unto him and sent forth to Minister for them who shall he heirs of Salvation Eph. 3.8 Col. 2.3 O the unsearchable riches of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg I submit my self unto thee O thou Prince of life and Lord of glory unto thee I will live henceforth and not unto my self and if for thee I must die the will of my Lord be done Ps 16. ult Thy favour is better than life in thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Luk. 17.5 Lord increase my faith strengthen my hope raise my love to a greater height and make patience to have its perfect work that I may not love my life unto the death But the trial of my faith Rev. 12.11 though it be tried by fire 1 Pet. 1.7 Col. 2.2 may be found unto praise and honour and glory at thy appearing And O that our hearts may be comforted being knit together in love Eph. 4. ult that we may be ever kind tender-hearted forgiving one another as thou O God for Christ's sake hast forgiven us That so with united minds and affections we may be still praising thee and saying Blessed be the Lord of Heaven and Earth who only doth wondrous things Psalm 72.18 19. And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory Amen and Amen Or thus O the breadth and length Eph. 3.18 19. and depth and heighth O the love of Christ Jesus our Lord which passes knowledge Phil 2.7 8. who made himself of no reputation but took upon him the form of a Servant and humbling himself became obedient unto death even the death of the cross for us miserable sinners Rev. 5.12 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing Re. 1.5 6. 1 Pet. 2.5 For he hath washed us from our sins in his blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ Jesus Behold O Lord an heart that offers up it self unto thee in love unfeigned I absolutely resign my will to thy holy will and pleasure Not my will but thy will be done And praised be God who hath made a new covenant with us in the blood of Jesus Col. 1.20 who hath by him reconciled all things to himself both in heaven and in earth and hath now renewed unto us the assurance of his continued love Psal 75.1 Vnto thee O God do we give thanks unto thee do we give thanks for that thou art near unto us thy wondrous works declare Psal 20.3 4. The Lord remember all our offerings and accept our Sacrifices Grant us according to our hearts desire and fulfil all our petitions Col. 1.9 10 11. That we may be filled with the knowledg of his will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding and may walk worthy of him unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in knowledg strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness giving thanks continually to the Father of mercies who hath made us meet to be pertakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light 1 Tim. 1.17 Psal 106. ult Now unto the King eternal immortal invisible the only wise God be honour and glory for ever and ever And let all the people say Amen But when you have eased your hearts a little in these expressions of faith love and grateful remembrance of our Saviours kindness you will still find room for more devout effusions of your soul in some holy passion or other while you are at this feast Either before or after you have been at the Table of the Lord while the rest of the company is communicating there will be time to entertain your selves with sundry pious thoughts and meditations which I shall briefly suggest unto you in the next part of this Treatise that now follows The intention of which I told you in the beginning should be to instruct you in a plain and easy method how to pertake of this holy food with the greater fruit and delight also PART III. Containing a familiar way of disposing our selves to Communicate with Profit and Pleasure HAVING shewn you what is the Nature and Use of this Feast you will expect perhaps that I should tell you who are the persons whom our Lord invites and calls unto
attended withal are not worthy to be named with the joys of those that sing continually and say Blessed be the Lord our God for ever Neh. 9.4 5 c. blessed be thy glorious Name which is exalted above all blessing and praise Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made Heaven the Heaven of Heavens with all their host the earth and all things that are therein the Seas and all that is in them and thou preservest all and the host of Heaven worshippeth thee Eph. 1.4 1 Pet. 1.21 Thou art the Lord the God and Father of Jesus Christ who hast chosen us in him before the foundation of the world and redeemed us by his blood raised him from the dead and given him glory that our faith and hope might be in thee our God Thine 2 Chron. 29.11 O blessed Jesus is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is thine thine is the kingdom O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all In thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name Psal 115. ult We will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore Yea bless the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that do his Commandments hearkning to the voice of his word Bless ye the Lord all ye his hosts ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion bless the Lord O my Soul Thus if we did converse with him and such holy communication did heartily pass between us it would be so pleasant and delightful that we should cry out with the Jews in another case Joh. 6.34 Lord evermore give us this bread We should long for such another repast and be desirous every day to wait on him at his Table At least we should greedily embrace the next invitation that he gives us to come unto it And because we cannot every day do this in remembrance of him we should secretly retire unto him in our own heart as into his holy Temple and there call to mind what he hath done unto us commemorate his love maintain our acquaintance preserve our friendship and renew to him our vows that by all these ways we may prepare our selves for his fellowship and society in the eternal world It may happen indeed that there may be but a few communicants at the Table of the Lord and so you may not have time there to do all this In which case you may use only some part of it or thus in brief open your heart to him when you see how he declares his love to you Adored be thy condescending love O merciful Saviour to thine unworthy servant who blushes to lift up his eyes towards thee even when thou invitest me unto thee For besides my other guiltiness this most gracious representation which now thou makest of thy self to me doth but little move my dull and heavy affections to love and rejoyce in thee I am heartily ashamed of my self only I desire and resolve to become better And here I prostrate my self before thee as a humble worshipper of thee presenting thee with a poor oblation of my soul and body which I dedicate again with the most dutiful affection I am able to excite unto thee Do thou O Lord excite a greater that when I shall appear before thee again I may present thee with a soul more pure humble meek merciful and improved in all other fruits of thy holy Spirit In thy mercies alone are all my hopes For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is thy mercy toward them that fear thee As far as the East is from th West Psal 103.11 12. so far hast thou removed our transgressions from us O be merciful unto me be merciful unto me for my soul trusteth in thee 57.1 Looks thou upon me and be merciful to me as thou usest to do to those that love thy name 119.132 Thou art my portion O Lord I have said 57.173 that I would keep thy word Let thine hand help me Ephes 3.16 for I have chosen thy precepts Strengthen me with might by thy spirit in the inner man that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2.12 I may live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and thee our Saviour Jesus Christ Now unto him that is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty Jude 24 25. dominion and power both now and ever Amen But when there is time to do the whole you will not spend it I hope in any thing else but such Meditations as these Which that they may be disposed in such order as every one of them may come in its season you may make use of in this manner Think you hear our Saviour speaking to you by the Bread and the Wine when you see the one broken and the other poured out Then you may immediately imploy your thoughts in the four first together with the second Meditation set down in the second part while the Minister is Communicating himself and others with him The V. and the VI. will be seasonable after you have received the Bread and the VII and VIII after the Cup together with those mentioned before in the same place And the two last in like manner after you have withdrawn your self from the holy Table or before according as you can find room for them And if your spirit be not able to hold out in so many thoughts and expressions of the inward sense and affection of your heart you may single out those which you find to give you the most lively touch and lift up your heart highest toward the Lord. And at some opportunity the rest perhaps may be as acceptable or more welcome meditations nay you may feel your soul inlarged and run out in more pious thoughts and affections than I can suggest or excite by all that I am able to say on this subject But I desire you never to omit one meditation when you behold the rest of the company receiving which is that all those and the whole Church who pertake of this holy Communion are your Brethren To whom you must stir up as I directed you before the most fervent charity and the readiest disposition to relieve counsel assist comfort or admonish them as there shall be occasion And with whom you must resolve to live in the strictest Unity and peace as those who are Members of the very same body When you think therefore that our Lord tells you there is nothing he desires of you
man Purifie me from all remaining filthiness either of the flesh or of the Spirit Bring in all thy heavenly graces along with thee into my soul And be my perpetual defence by giving me a fuller communication of thy holy Spirit and more mighty aids to do my duty towards thee and towards all men And for that end compose mine unsetled thoughts before I approach to receive the holy Mysteries That I may attend thee with a full and clear conception of their meaning with an actual belief of thy whole Gospel with most sensible love to thee and desire to be more like thee with thy high praises in my mouth and joy unspeakable in mine heart May I presume most gracious Father to ask such tastes and rellishes of thy wondrous love that I may never be able to delight in any thing so much as in the remembrance of it But mine eyes may be ever towards the Lord and I may hunger and thirst perpetually after thy righteousness till I am perfectly made pertaker of thy divine nature and rendred meet to be translated to that high and holy place where I shall see thee not as now in mysterious representations but openly and face to face Amen Lord Jesus who art able to save to the uttermost all them that come to God by thee In thy most blessed name and words I continue my humble prayers Our Father c. A Meditation after the Sacrament WHen you come home or some time after ask your soul what wentest thou out to see where hast thou been and what hast thou been doing Bid it never forget that thou hast been with the Lord of life and that before God Angels and Men thou hast acknowledged him and devoted thy self to his obedience That he hath vouchsafed to represent unto thee his marvellous love the pains he hath taken for thy salvation and the great desire he hath to see thee with him in immortal glory Of which he hath given thee such earnests and pledges by making thee pertaker of his body and blood that thou mayst say of that place where he was pleased to meet thee This is no other than the gate of Heaven I have been in the porch of his dwelling place and begun to enter into the joy of my Lord Here you may read over again that which I said our Lord might be conceived to speak unto you there and then go on and say How shall I escape if I should neglect such great salvation God forbid that I should receive this grace in vain As I have received Christ Jesus the Lord Col. 2.6 so will I walk in him I will endeavour to keep my self holy and unblameable before him in love and to have my conversation as becomes the Gospel There are no joys like to the joys of God No pleasures comparable to those of Christian piety All his Commandments are sweeter than the hony and the hony-comb and in keeping of them there is great reward Shall I cease then to delight my self in the Lord and to do good Shall I leave off to do the rest of his will now that I have done this in remembrance of my Saviour Shall I go away from him now that I am gone from the place where his honour dwelleth Alas whither shall I go thou Joh. 6.68 Lord hast the words of eternal life Thou art the author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey thee Heb. 5.9 I will go in the strength of the Lord God Ps 71.16 I will make mention of thy goodness even of thine only 1 Thess 4.1 As I have received how I ought to walk and please God so I will abound more and more Ephes 4.15 24. I will grow up into him in all things who is the head till I perfectly resemble him in righteousness and holiness of truth Here you may meditate upon all the parts of his holy life and the compleat example he hath set us of all divine vertues more especially those which shone at his death And as I have known some do you may single out one or two for your daily meditation all this month that you may bring your self to an habitual imitation of him suppose in his great HUMILITY and tread in his steps who did no sin 1 Pet. 2.22 neither was guile found in his mouth And as you have begun the New year well so resolve you will continue it and become a new man by leading a more exactly holy course of life Mat. 26.41 Watch therefore and pray that you fall not into temptation And often represent to your self the great love of Christ that it may constrain you because you thus judg that if one died for all then were all dead 2 Cor. 5.14 15. And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again The Prayer O Most Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Heaven and Earth are full of the glory of thy Majesty I most heartily joyn with all the Saints on earth with the Angels in Heaven and the holy ones that are above in giving blessing honour and praise unto thee Glory be unto thee O God most high thou great Creator and possessor of Heaven and Earth thou preserver of all things thou spring of an eternal Mercy who hast made Angels and men to know thee and acknowledg thee and praise thee and love thee and be beloved of thee for ever who hast so loved mankind that thou hast opened thy bosom and sent thy dear Son to convey thy charity to us All laud and praise and thanksgiving be to thee O Father of Mercies who hast now made me taste how gracious and good thou art And glory be to the Son of God who took on him the form of a servant who died for us upon the Cross who purged away our sins by his blood who hath left us so many remembrances of his love and given us his body and blood to preserve our souls and bodies to eternal life who lives for ever to make intercession for us and hath promised to come again and take us up unto himself And blessed be the holy Spirit the mighty power of God the Author of all good thoughts the inspirer of all heavenly desires the light and comfort of our minds the purifier of our hearts the guide and strength of our life who hath given us the earnest of the eternal inheritance Thus will I praise thee whilst I live Psal 63.4 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever Psalm 86.12.89.1.71.23.86.5 My lips shall greatly rejoyce when I sing unto thee and my soul which thou hast redeemed For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee I have now tasted of the abundance of thy grace and dearest love the savour of which O that it may remain fresh for ever in my heart
prone to content my self with reading or hearing thy word with speaking of thee or praying to thee and all many times without any love or but with little affection to thee Yea while I make mention of thy love I am not so much in love with thee as it deserves I have beheld the Sun of righteousness shining upon me and received the dearest pledges of thy loving kindness without that warmth and heat of love which it might have excited The liveliest Truths have not penetrated so deep as they should into my heart But though thou hast been pleased to intreat so earnestly and promise so liberally as if thou shouldst be indebted to me for my love it hath many times but little stirred this dull soul towards thee Thou hast loved us so much as to purchase our love at any rate having redeemed us with thy Sons blood which is the greatest price and called us to thy kingdom and glory which is the greatest reward but alas how unconcern'd have I been too oft in all these wonders of thy love I am ashamed of my self I blush to think that after so long acquaintance with thee I should love thee and delight in thee to no higher a degree Which is the only thing next to thy grace which pitties our weaknesses that gives me hope I shall at last love thee far better Still make me more ashamed that after all thy care and pains thou shouldst see so little of thy self in me And assist me by the power of a mighty grace which I will endeavour to improve to fix mine eyes more stedfastly on thee and to stay my thoughts with thee till I love thee so much as to be changed into thy likeness Now that I am going to commemorate thy love in Christ Jesus let not my ingratitude provoke thee to absent thy self from me but according to the gracious Covenant thou hast made with us in his blood be merciful to my sins and remember not mine iniquities against me Make me know and feel that thou dost pardon me by exciting holy resolutions in me to purifie my heart more perfectly and disposing me intirely to love thy holy nature and will and conform my self unto it in all things O that all carnal affections may die in me and all things belonging to the spirit may live and grow in me That I may have power and strength to have victory and to triumph against the Devil the world and the flesh That I may utterly hate every thing that is evil and cleave most affectionately to that which is good Yea that I may hate even Father and mother and the dearest thing in this world rather than sin against thee and forsake thee That no relation no pleasure no profitable injoyment may ever turn my heart from thee but rather draw me to thee and make me more in love with thee All thy creatures may justly complain of me if I should not love thee above them all But how shall I answer it to our Lord Jesus if his love should not constrain me O that the spirit of thy ancient Saints may hereafter possess my heart That I may cry out after God Psa 131.6 even the living God That I may watch for thee more than they that watch for the morning And my soul may follow hard after thee 63.8 and even break for the longing it hath to thy judgments at all times 119.20 That I may be a diligent follower of their Doctrine 2 Tim. 3.10 manner of life purpose faith long suffering and patience Psal 119.103 O that the words of thy mouth may be sweeter to me than the honey and the honey comb Psal 119.47 That I may delight my self in thy Commandments which I have loved And the light of thy countenance may be better to me than life it self Amen Confirm and strengthen good Lord all the holy desires and dispositions which thou hast wrought in my heart that they may ripen into all the fruits of righteousness which are by Christ Jesus to thy praise and glory In his holy words I further recommend my self to thine infinite mercies saying Our Father c. The Meditation afterward O Love what hast thou done said an holy man when he thought of the Mercies of God in Christ Jesus Thou broughtest the Son of God down from Heaven and made him appear in the likeness of man Thou broughtest him to his Cross and made him an offering of a sweet smelling savour unto God O Love what wouldest thou not do mayest thou say to thy self if thou didst but possess our hearts That which made him like to us and brought him down hither would make us like to God and carry us up to Heaven If I did but love God what could he demand of me which I should not immediately do How naturally should I study to please him How easie and delightful would it be to comply with his will And what a favour should I count it that I might know his will which I am o do None of his Commandments would be grievous to me but all his ways pleasantness and all his paths peace And will it not be very strange if I should not love him who hath loved me so much and is still demonstrating his kindness to me I must forget my belief if I should not love him and that he will not let me forget but calls me often to his holy Table and feeds me with the sweet remembrance of him There he represents to me that which I continually profess to believe That he is the Father Almighty of whom the whole family of Heaven and Earth is named That Jesus is his only Son our Lord that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified and put to death rose again ascended to Gods right hand and will come at last to judge the quick and dead This is my Faith May I never make confession of it Gal. 5.6.2.20 without feeling it excited to work by love May it alway call to mind the vows I have made to live by this Faith of the Son of God Acts 15.9 May it purifie my heart that when he shall appear again and come to judge the world 1 Pet. 1.7 my faith may be found to praise and honour and glory Amen This was the reason you may here consider that good men anciently advised all Christians to repeat the Creed every morning Not as a Prayer or a Preservative from sin meerly by the force of the words but to put them in mind that they were the followers of Jesus who had done and suffered so much for them and to quicken themselves to love and to good works which are the natural fruits of saith in Christ Resolve therefore to reflect on it for this end Shew that thou dost willingly remember the Lord Jesus and studiest to stir up his love in thy heart and hast not only some sudden flashes
of it forced upon thee by the meer greatness and power of his love Think that thy love to him will grow faint and cold without these endeavours so that it will be a doubt to thy self O how uncomfortable is that whether thou lovest him or no. And the better to preserve it thou mayest resolve particularly to Meditate often all this month upon this piece of Christs love in instituting and ordaining just before he died these HOLY MYSTERIES at this Divine feast as pledges of his love and for a continual remembrance of his death to our great and endless comfort O what a kindness was this mayest thou think with thy self what wonder of love which is here fairly represented to us and set before our eyes what a pleasure is it to see our selves thus beloved of the Sovereign of the world to behold our selves in the arms of the Almighty the only wise and all-sufficient good who will never fail to take care of us provide for us direct support assist comfort and protect us yea and eternally bless us This is love indeed that we have such pledges given us of his everlasting kindness that we shall see him in the other world where we shall know him and love him as much as we can desire Nay what an happiness is it that we can love him at all And that he will take such care to excite our love to so great an height in this world O what pleasures have I felt in loving him and offering my heart with sincere affection to him How doth my will sweetly melt into his when I think how good he is and how much I am obliged to him We should never have praised him so much if he had not thus represented his love to us And that together with intire friendship and concord to which he also here ingages us is the happiness of Angels and glorified Spirits I will never cease to think of these pleasures that I may never cease to injoy them but be still more and more praising thee till I come to praise thee in the company of the Blessed The Prayer and Thanksgiving afterward O Most holy and ever blessed God Thy name alone is excellent thy glory is above the Earth and Heaven All the heavenly powers continually proclaim thy greatness and raise themselves not thee by admiring loving and praising thy eternal Majesty I most humbly adore and extol thy unsearchable Wisdom thy uncontroulable Power thy boundless Goodness and thy unspotted Holiness and Truth It is a shame I acknowledge that ever I should think of esteeming or loving any thing like to thee who art so infinitely above all the world and it being so impossible for me to be safe or happy but in thy love And it is no less shame to make mention of thy Name without the greatest joy and satisfaction of heart in thy love and favour For thy wisdom is the surest guide and most certain director thy Power is our strength and safeguard thy good Providence is our all-sufficient treasure thy holiness and truth is our security thy goodness is our hope and comfort thy unerring will is our satisfaction in all events that here befall us I cannot wish when I seriously recollect my self to live in a world without thee It would be better not to be at all than to be forsaken of thee and left to the conduct of my own childish thoughts and desires and to the protection and provision of my own weakness How much do I owe thee even for this knowledge of thee And I have had daily yea minutely experience of thy loving kindness ever since I had a being A great number of thy creatures serve me and minister unto my content and comfort by thy command And thy own Son is become a Servant to me and submitted himself to the vilest state and condition for my happiness I deserve not to live if I should not love thee intirely For thou art every day adding new fuel to my love and taking care that it may never go out What tokens of thy love hath this day brought along with it to my Soul Thou hast given me leave to wait upon thee and feast with thee at thy own Table To see the love that the Lord Jesus bare and still continues to me that I may be still more induced to love thee and strongly ingaged to be so happy as to continue in thy love by cordial obedience to thee Who can look on thee O blessed Lord and not love thee Who can think of what thou hast done unto us and not devote himself eternally to thy love and service But alas our eyes are weak our thoughts are short and transient we are soon weary of beholding and thinking even on thy love Direct my thoughts therefore by thy mighty power more strongly towards thee Fasten in my mind a more lively remembrance of thee that I may at least be often looking back unto thee and delight to reflect upon thy wondrous love Psal 119.37 Turn mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken thou me in thy way And O that all my love may be changed into obedience that I may be ever very fearful to displease thee and careful to omit no part of the duty I owe thee but I may spend my days in acts of holy love towards thee and towards all men 1 Thess 5.15 16 17 c. That I may rejoyce evermore pray without ceasing in every thing give thanks prove all things and hold fast that which is good never rendring to any man evil for evil but ever following that which is good both among our selves and to all men And I desire the happiness of all mankind especially that the Faith of all Christian people may grow exceedingly 2 Thess 1.3 and the Charity of every one towards each other may abound That so they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things Tit. 2.10 and recommend his Religion effectually by their good and innocent lives to all the world Give the King thy judgments O God Psal 72.1 2 c. that he may judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with judgment That the greater powers may bring peace to thy people and the lesser also by righteousness That they may judge the poor of the people and save the children of the needy and break in pieces the oppressor That we may all fear thee as long as the Sun and Moon endure throughout all generations Now unto him that hath chosen us tâ— Salvation 2 Thess â— 13.1â— â— through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he hath called us by the Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ be thanks and praise and love and obedience rendred world without end Amen June The Meditation before the Sacrament IS it possible that the great God should be manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 Act. 20.28 And that he should purchase those
of my love and the coldness of my affection to him who hath deserved to be remembred with the greatest passion For I have long professed love to him I have received many testimonies of his special kindness to me and given many assurances of mine to him And yet how pale and dim are those marks of a great love to him which are plainly visible in me to others Am I ever casting mine eyes towards him Doth he often present himself before my mind and feelingly touch my heart Am I never better pleased than when I am going to him Is the question rather what will please him than whether I shall do it He hath declared his will in his holy Gospel Am I glad to hear of it and read it and very desirous to know it in all things Can I forsake my own will chearfully to follow his And doth it grieve me much that his excellent laws are not observed and that all Christians do not love and honour him O Lord thou knowest our weakness and how hard it is to keep our minds and hearts so stedfastly fixed upon invisible things And in great pitty therefore hast ordained holy mysteries for a frequent remembrance of thee and to represent thy self and thy love more sensibly to us By this means I hope to grow in time to a perfect love ever bearing thee in mind and delighting to give thee thanks and praise and conforming my self to thy blessed will and desiring and studying that thy name may be hallowed and honoured by me and by all men else throughout the world This hope incourages me to go to thy Table though very unworthy to be entertained by thee There I hope also my Lord will meet me and speak kindly to me as one that loves him at least a little better than any thing beside and is resolved and determined to love him more and more He invites us thither to increase our faith and to nourish our love and to strengthen our hope and excite our gratitude and exercise all our graces and therefore I will not refuse his kindness even because I desire and long to love him so much But first my soul let us examine our selves whether we be sure that this indeed is the very sense of our heart that we really love to please him in every thing and heartily mean to proceed in this love to the most ready and willing obedience to all his Commands And doth it not become us humbly to confess the foolish wandrings of our affections from him to blush for shame that we fall so short of our own resolutions and to excite our selves to greater watchfulness and diligence in well doing Ought not the very remembrance of our former coldness to put a greater heat into us And our former backwardness make us to be more forward and zealous Should we not vow our hearts again to him And let him know that we shall not think we live when we do not love him and that we shall be willing to die that we may more love him But how can we hope to grow still better by these new expressions of his love to which he invites us without his gracious assistance which ought to be faithfully implored Let us go then to him before-hand and desire him to raise up those thoughts and affections in us which we cannot produce in our selves that we may bring an heart full of love to him and carry it away full of joy to find it more inlarged to love and serve him The Prayer before O Most holy and ever blessed Lord of heaven and earth who art good and dost good to all thy Creatures and to us above all the rest who are most unworthy of thy loving kindness It is but a part of my duty to admire and praise thy great and glorious perfections to reverence thee to worship thee to love thee and with heart and tongue both here and eternally to acknowledg my dependance on thee to give thee thanks and speak good of thy Name But it becomes me no less to debase my self in the lowest manner before thee because all that I speak in thy praise declares my foul ingratitude to thee my Creator and constant benefactor There is nothing that I can justly call my own without thy leave and I have received exceeding much from thy bounty and thou hast made me that I might enjoy satisfaction in thee the most Soveraign good and taken care to bring me acquainted with thee which ought now to be remembred with the greatest humility thankfulness and joyful resignation of my self and all that I have to thy obedience But alas how little do I feel thee though I live and move and have my being in thee Though I have tasted of thine abundant goodness every moment how late was it before I seriously thought of my obligations to thee Now that I see thou hast sent thy son the express image of thy person among us how little is it that I know of thee and what a stranger am I still to thee I have been too willing to receive but small benefit by his appearing and to content my self with a little measure of that purity wisdom and goodness which he came to impart unto us Thus foolish and ignorant have I been and it was but fit that we should sink into the greatest stupidity when we were such fools as to leave thee and follow the counsels and desires of our own hearts For ever adored be thy infinite charity who art not willing to lose us when we are so forward to lose thee and our selves Blessed be the exceeding abundance of thy grace in Christ Jesus which continues to invite even such senseless wretches to come unto thee who have so little esteemed it or know how to value the unsearchable riches of it The marvellous greatness of thy forbearing and pardoning mercy if nothing else will incline and excite my heart I hope to love thee much above all things That so at last I may love thy blessed nature and perfectly understand that it is my happiness to have thy image renewed in me in righteousness and true holiness Thou hast often convinced me praised be thy goodness that it is impossible for me otherwise to be happy Thou hast wrought many strong resolutions in my soul to be guided and governed by thine unerring wisdom and holy will And I have felt the comforts of a pure humble meek merciful peaceable and loving disposition of heart Perfect good Lord what thou hast wrought in me that all the pious inclinations of my soul may settle in a firm and lasting habit of well-doing Our righteousness I know cannot profit thee but thou delightest to communicate thy self to thy creatures especially to those who think it the greatest treasure to be inriched with thy wisdom and to be made partakers of a divine Nature O thou who hast given me this knowledg who hast given me a will to chuse thee for my portion make me compleatly happy
Merciful Father the Fountain of all life and happiness who bountifully communicatest thy blessings and every where overflowest in thy mercies to all thy creatures More especially to the sons of men who are surrounded with an Ocean of them the bounds of which we cannot see and the depth whereof we cannot fathom And the more thirsty any Souls are and humbly desirous to receive them the more it pleases thee to pour out thy mercies upon them the more thou delightest in the issues of thy bounteous goodness to them I thine unworthy servant encompassed about with thy salvation come to make my humble acknowledgments and such returns of love and dutiful affection as I am able to thy Divine Majesty If I had the Spirits of all Creatures united in me I could not conceive or worthily express thy loving kindness Who hast raised me out of Nothing to an excellent degree of being indued me with reason and wisdom instructed me in the Christian faith and therein let me see such things as eye never saw 1 Cor. 2.9 ear never heard Psal 68.18 nor did it enter into the heart of man to conceive that the Lord God should dwell among us Ephes 1.20.21 and our Nature be exalted at his right hand far above all Angels Principalities and Powers and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come Blessed be the infinite wisdom and goodness of God which sent his Son Jesus born of a woman to die for us and to be a propitiation for our sins and by means of death hath crowned him with glory and honour that we might have a blessed hope of glory honour and immortality together with himself I ought to be overwhelmed with the thoughts of thy mercies which I cannot comprehend The great load of them The exceeding great load of them ought to press my heart continually to send them all back again in eternal love and obedience Accept good Lord I beseech thee of such poor expressions of them as I have now made unto thee and of my vows at thy holy Table to render unto thee better There thou hast been pleased to give me a sweet remembrance of thy past loving kindness and assurance of the future Bestow upon me likewise such a wise and considering heart that I may sink my thoughts deeper and deeper into the vast Sea of thy mercies and think my self happy when I am filled with such a great sense of them that all my thoughts desires and actions are under the power of Heavenly love O that the love of God my Saviour may be ever admirable in mine eyes that I may delight to think of thy love to speak of thy love and to imitate thy love so that all inordinate affections may die in me and I may perform most ready and easie obedience to all thy commands Thou hast laid also great ingagements upon me in that whilest thou makest this extraordinary provision for my Soul thou hast not neglected my Body but taken care that a world of good things should serve my needs and pleasure continually O that my heart were but duly sensible of all thy goodness I know then that I could not deny thee any thing thou desirest who hast opened thy hand so liberally to me even beyond my desires I could not but trust thee and resign my will wholly to thee and be contented with what thou orderest for me and in every thing give thanks which is thy will in Christ Jesus concerning me All that I have and can do is too little to give thee I can love thee but a little and therefore I desire that all the world would love thee and worship thee and glorifie thy name For thou art great and dost wondrous things Psal 86.10 thou art God alone O that all the Kings of the Earth would praise thee O Lord. Yea 138.4 5. that they would sing in the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord. That they may think it their greatest honour to be the Subjects of our Saviour and their greatest security to obey him and observe his Laws That being intrusted with thy divine power they may imploy it to right those that suffer wrong to ease the oppressed of their burdens supply the wants of the poor defend the fatherless and widow and comfort all mankind in their miseries I recommend this Church and Kingdom our Sovereign and all his Subjects to thy most powerful Protection beseeching thee to endue us all with thy Heavenly grace to dispose us to love thy true Religion and to be zealous of good works that our Lord and Master may be honoured by us and all men may know we are his Disciples by our loving one another Now to the most High God Dan. 4.34 35. who liveth for ever whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom from generation to generation before whom all the inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as Nothing and he doth according to his will in the Army of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the Earth be blessing and honour and praise rendred by me and by all Creatures now and eternally Amen August The Meditation before DOTH it not seem long my soul since thou wast at the Table of the Lord With what thoughts with what affections then dost thou receive this new invitation to it See what joy what delight it raises in thy heart that thou mayst know whether indeed thou lovest him or no. His love is so great that one would think it should never slip out of thy mind Our Lord hath done such great things for us that we may be tempted sooner not to believe them than to forget them But this is one piece of the greatness of that love that it hath taken care it should be alway remembered He hath not thought it enough to die for us but he hath left us a representation of it and a command to shew forth his death until he come What dost thou think of that command Is it a burden to thee to yield obedience to it Dost thou unwillingly hear the motion to go and do this in remembrance of him What Is it a sad thing to think of declaring the goodness of the Lord To magnifie the love of God our Saviour To celebrate his praises To profess our selves his servants and to ingage to him our fidelity Doth it make thee sigh to think of going to receive the tokens of his love To represent the death and satisfaction of Christ Jesus for thy sins To wait on God for the pardon of them And to be put in assured hope of immortal life Thou art not such a stranger sure to thy own happiness but knowest better things even things that accompany salvation Give glory therefore to the Lord that he calls thee again so graciously to shew forth his death Let him know that thou meanest to obey him to attend him at his holy Table and thank
from thy Ministers and the tender care * You may mention these and others if you have had this benefit religious education of my Parents Tutors and Governours For all seasonable reproofs wholsom counsels good admonitions and every truth I have received from my Friends or Enemies For the pious examples and good conversation of any of my Neighbours for all holy opportunities and the leisure I have to attend upon this heavenly employment For thy merciful chastisements and thy wonderful deliverances For all the good Books thou hast brought to my hands and the good advice which I have any way received For all my Benefactors all those that love me and pray for me And above all for thy gracious inspirations from above the holy thoughts thou hast put into my mind and the pious desires and purposes thou hast stirr'd up in my heart with all the furtherances helps and assistances thou hast vouchsafed me in my way to Heaven particularly now at this holy Feast where thou hast made me know and feel how good thou art beyond the compass of all our thoughts What shall I return unto thee for all thy love What shall I give unto my Lord who hath given himself for me I have given thee my whole self and now devoted all the powers of my soul and body to thy service that all my thoughts my words my desires my passions and actions may be disposed according to thy will and not my own And I think my self happy O blessed Jesus in the choice I have made of thee for my Lord and Master I rejoyce in the disposal I have made of my self to thy service and obedience For a world I would not revoke my consent to be absolutely ruled and governed by thee as long as I live Sin shall not reign in my mortal body Rom. 6.12 that I should obey it in the lusts thereof But here I come again to yield my self unto thee my God and to profess thy service to be the most perfect freedom and the noblest employment To beseech thy pardon for all mine unfaithfulness and the constant power of thy Holy Spirit to assist me in the doing thy will here on Earth as it is done in Heaven that all my resolutions may be persevering my endeavours successful and my obedience perfect and compleat in all things Lord Jesus do what thou pleasest in me and what thou pleasest with me Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and I will make my boast continually in this that I serve the Lord Christ May I but ever love thee and stedfastly cleave unto thee and chearfully obey thee and faithfully live to honour thee I desire nothing else Come prosperity or adversity come sickness or health life or death so that I may but glorifie thee and be made conformable to thee and bear thine image in holiness here and in glory hereafter And let all the Earth stand in awe of thee thou Lord and Ruler of the whole world Let the hearts of all people submit themselves to thy Kingdom and Authority Psal 45.3 4. In thy Majesty ride on prosperously O thou most mighty because of truth and meekness and righteousness till all thine enemies fall under thee and think themselves happy in thy most just and merciful government I commend thine own family to thy gracious and powerful protection and this part of it especially in these Kingdoms That we thy servants being hurt by no persecutions may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church and triumph in thy praise saying Psal 48.14 This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto Death Now unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Bloud and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father Rev. 1.5 6 to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen September The Meditation before the Sacrament SHall we not be too bold in going so oft to the Table of the Lord May we not offend him by our forwardness to approach into his presence No sure not if love carry us thither and accompany us there And who can want that who knows and considers how forward he was to do that which we remember When he came to offer himself a Sacrifice for us he saith Lo I come Psal 40.7 8. in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O God And when he eat the last meal with his Disciples he said again Luk. 22.15 with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer Behold what a hearty vehemence there was in his love what an ardor in his desire to be made an offering for us and to be remembred by us With what love should we commemorate his dying love with what desire should our souls approach to his holy Table in remembrance of him who took such content in dying for us and was so desirous to institute this holy feast for a perpetual remembrance of his death With the same joy that children use to welcome a Festival with such an hunger and thirst as a labouring man goes to his supper ought we to go to the Supper of the Lord that we may chear and refresh our souls with the memory of our Master and only Saviour with praises and joyful thanksgivings with the love of God and of our Brethren with the hopes of his Mercy here and eternally Awake awake then thy Faith call up thy love quicken thy desires excite all that is within thee to bless the Lord and speak good of his name Say with a great joy Lo I come according to thy command and delight to do thy will O God With desire I have desired to do this in remembrance of my Lord to declare thy mighty acts and shew forth the greatness of thy love to profess my self thy servant and to glory in the holy name of my Master Jesus to offer up my self unto thee an oblation of love to renew my covenant with thee and with all my Brethren to give thee thanks that I am one of thy family and for all the benefits I received and thou hast still in store for thy faithful servants But who is able to tell how much he hath done already for us Or find out all that he designs unto us Who can praise him according to his excellent kindness and his wonderful works for the children of men The thoughts of Angels are not wide enough to comprehend them And if we had their spirits and could love him and acknowledg him with their inlarged affection it would be too little a present to make unto him O give thanks therefore unto the Lord for he is gracious for his mercy endureth for ever O give thanks unto him who is so desirous of us such narrow souls such little hearts that can hold so little love unto him Let us go to him and desire that he would
the force of all temptations to sanctifie even our afflictions to us and the infirmities of our crazy bodies to take out the sting of death and to make it an entrance into an immortal life Thou hast advanced him to intercede for us at thy right hand to be our Advocate with thee when by our weakness we sin against thee or are afraid to approach thee to pardon us when we repent and return to thee and to bless us by giving us repentance and turning us from all our iniquities And to all other benefits thou hast added the comforts and refreshments of thy holy Table where I have now partaked of his most blessed Body and Bloud Thou hast shown me the greatness of my Saviours love and tied me in new resolutions to love and serve thee for ever and given me strong assurance of thine everlasting mercies in Christ Jesus These very acknowledgments will witness against me if I should carelesly throw away this new portion which thou hast given me in thy love The remembrance of them will be intolerable if I should not improve this extraordinary grace which I have now commemorated I flee unto thee therefore again O most merciful Father for the help of thy Holy Spirit to continue in me a perpetual memory of that love which thou hast bestowed on me and of the professions I have made of an unmovable love to thee O thou inspirer of all holy thoughts and desires O thou who delightest to incourage all those that seek after thee with thankful hearts stop not the currant of thy bounteous love but as thou hast drawn me to thee and moved me to devote my self to thy obedience so preserve and keep these thoughts and purposes in my heart for ever I believe thou hearest me and wilt be with me And filled with thy power and might and with constant hope in thee I will walk and not be weary and run the ways of thy Commandments and not faint To that Almighty goodness I commit my self of which I have had such long experience I will never doubt of thy readiness to assist and further me but always look up unto the Heavens from whence cometh my help My help cometh from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth The Lord shall preserve me from all evil Psal 122.2 7 8. he shall preserve my Soul The Lord shall preserve my going out and my coming in from this time forth and even for evermore O that all the ends of the Earth may see thy Salvation and worship thy Name for it is holy And especially all those to whom is given a Kingdom Dan. 5.18 Majesty Glory and Honour may evermore praise 4.37 and extol and honour the King of Heaven all whose works are truth and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase Psal 68.3 Let all the righteous be glad let them rejoyce before God yea let them exceedingly rejoyce 35.27 Let them say continually The Lord be magnified which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his Servants O that all mankind would praise the Lord for his goodness Psal 107.8 9 13. and for his wonderful works to the Children of men For he satisfieth the longing Soul and filleth the hungry Soul with goodness They cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saveth them out of their distresses Blessed be the Lord God Psal 41.13.68.19 even the God of our Salvation from everlasting to everlasting Amen and Amen October The Meditation before HOw long is it since thou thoughtest of the best friend thou hast in the whole world And what were thy last thoughts of him Didst thou not a very little while ago long for his company and wish the time would come wherein thou mightest again enjoy him Didst thou not count the days till that happy time when he promised to return or to send unto thee And suppose he be dead with what passion dost thou follow his memory How art thou moved with the mention of his dear name How glad to possess any relique of him though it be but his shadow Or how oft dost thou look upon the lively picture of him which is drawn in thy own imagination And dost thou think it could fail to put thee in mind of what he left thee in charge when he departed this world Couldst thou forget the legacies he left thee or the inheritance he bequeathed to thee as the heir of his love O how long then is it my soul since Jesus was in thy thoughts Canst thou not tell Was there ever such a Friend as he that dyed to save thee Can any one pretend so much to thy love or merit of thee so kind a remembrance Who is there that ever died for the sake of his enemies O how pretious how dear should the Name of Jesus be unto thee with what joy shouldst thou receive the news that he is coming to visit thee How welcome must this invitation be from thy blessed Saviour whom if thou lovest thou canst not but long to see It is the voice of thy well-beloved that calls unto thee and saith come and feast with me Come and see by these sensible signs which I have left to represent me how much my love hath made me suffer for thee Behold the lively figure of my Body and Blood which was broken and shed to redeem thee I have caused it to be made on purpose that thou mightest not forget me What dost thou answer to him Canst thou say thou hast looked for this day That thou thoughtest it long till thou mightest go to his house or at least wast desirous to go and see him set forth crucified before thine eyes Why What good did the last sight of him do thee What pangs of love didst thou feel in thy heart what pleasure what joy in the remembrance of his kindness Did it call all his Commands to mind and recommend them effectually to thy love Did it stir thee up to do his will and make thee more zealous ever since in working that which is pleasing in his sight What didst thou think of the inheritance he hath given thee An inheritance incorruptible 1 Pet. 1.4 and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for thee Didst thou believe his word Col. 3.24 and verily expect to receive the reward of this inheritance How did that faith then work in thy heart Did it give thee extreme content Having hope to see him did it make thee purifie thy self 1 Joh. 3.3 even as he is pure Go then now as a friend of his and do the same again Renew thy remembrance of him Shew him the belief thou hast in him the love thou bearest to his name and word how resolved thou art never to forget him and how happy thou thinkest thy self in the portion he hath given thee in his grace and love Profess to him that his Commandments are dearer to thee than thy life and that thou
this clear and lively sight which I have of thee And yet as heavy as it is I will not cease to be often looking after my Saviour What though I cannot always see him so as I have now seen him in the sanctuary yet I will never forget him And the darkest apprehensions of his love and favour shall ever be dearer to me than any object in this world Blessed be his goodness which hath given me such pledges of it as engage me to remember him I will he ever mindful to keep the Covenant I have made with him and remember his Commandments to do them Psal 103.18 And as long as I do his will though I cannot always lift up my thoughts and affections as I would unto him I hope I am his friend O sweet words which I have heard from the mouth of my Saviour whosoever shall do the will of God Mark â— 35 the same is my Brother and my Sister and my Mother I have no other will O Lord but thine And I will prove continually what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of thine that we may be eternal friends by the constant union of our wills in one Let my Lord command what he pleases it shall be obeyed Let him do what he thinks good my will shall be done as well as his Psal 16.2 3. O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord but my goodness extendeth not unto him but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight They are his friends and what thou dost to them he accounts it as done unto himself Think thy self happy that thou wilt never want him whilst thou enjoyest them Thou feedest him when thou feedest them Thou goest to see him when thou visitest them in their need and misery Verily I say unto you they are the words of thy Lord in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my Brethren Matth. 25.40 ye have done it unto me Resolve therefore all this Month to endeavour to excite BROTHERLY KINDNESS which is the fountain of Charity And look on it as a great part of the riches of the divine grace that he is not only content to love us himself but hath contrived wayes and means that all men else may love us and commands them so to do as they hope to be saved Begin this Brotherly kindness then thy self that so thou mayst be able to say every day O how great is thy mercy O Lord that thou lovest me thy self and wouldst have all the world to love me O how great is thy goodness that thou not only chargest them so to do but ingagest them to love me by thy love Yea to love me so as thou hast loved me and them and so as they love themselves How full how incomprehensible is the love of my God who would have me hated by none but every man to be my friend if I am in need every man to do me good How can I want who have such a Father who hath made all men to be my Brethren How happy would he make me who labours to set all hearts open to me that as many men as I see so many lovers I may behold Thou dwellest O God in love and wouldst have me to do so too by loving and being beloved of all What returns shall I make to the Lord for his love He tells me that it is love Love thy Brethren love them with a pure heart fervently This is the thing which I would have thee do And this will make thee blessed for ever by loving me and all others and by being beloved of me and of all men else that love me The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward O Lord God Almighty which is which was and is to come Who art the happiness of men and Angels and hast an innumerable company of beautiful Creatures always beholding thy glories satisfied with thy love delighting themselves in thy praises and to eternity can desire no higher pleasure than to be thy Friends and Servants I cast down my self before thee to joyn as well as I am able together with all that Heavenly Host in lauding and magnifying thy great and holy Name and rejoycing in thee with thanksgiving Thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Thou hast redeemed mankind by the Bloud of thy Son and raised us out of the dust that we might sit with him in Heavenly places Thou hast sent the Holy Ghost the Comforter in signs and wonders and divers Miracles in gifts of knowledge wisdom and prophecie and in abundance of thy grace to renew and sanctifie the hearts of thy faithful people The Apostles and Ministers of reconciliation were thy gift by whom thou hast brought the glad tidings of Salvation into these parts of the world The Sun of righteousness praised be thy goodness hath inlightened our eyes who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death I have been thy constant care from my first conception and entrance into the world until this moment Innumerable blessings thou hast bestowed on me and still I hear the voice of joy and gladness I behold my guides and instructors and have the liberty to go into thy house and I see my Saviour himself in the remembrances and pledges he hath left me of his dying love I will never cease to adore and extol thy mercy who hast kept me from going down into the pit and saved my Soul from the nethermost Hell Blessed be thy goodness for the constant provision of thy House the comforts of thy Holy Spirit the society of thy children the hopes of Heaven and the tastes thou hast given me of immortal joys in this holy Feast with my Saviour As thou hast begun good Lord out of thine own undeserved love to make me happy so continue thy loving kindness to me till it be finished in perfect friendship with thee Preserve in me though never so weak yet a constant and prevailing sense of thy goodness that I may most willingly obey thee and chearfully do thy will in all things That the very same mind may be in me which was also in Christ Jesus Whose meat it was to do thy will Joh. 4.34 and finish the work of thee that sent him O that God would count me worthy of this calling 2 Thess 3.11 12. and fulfil in me all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of Faith with power Coloss 4.12 That I may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God and the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ I have given my self now again unto thee and professed the strictest friendship with thee Lord help me to keep it without spot and unrebukeable until the appearing of the Jesus That both body and Soul being
observe them with my whole heart and rejoyce in thy pretious promises accounting them better than thousands of gold and silver My hope my satisfaction my comfort is in thy word which incourages me to wait on thee for the grace of thy holy Spirit blessing thee for that portion of it which I have already received I thank thee for all thy other goodness to me and trust thee for the continuance of it as far as thou seest profitable in thy wise providence to which I heartily refer my self I hope thou wilt accept of these poor but sincere acknowledgments and not condemn me out of my own confessions but pardon my errors and miscarriages confirm my holy purposes pitty my infirmities and strengthen my pious endeavours That I may perfectly mortifie all sinful lusts and desires faithfully discharge my dutie in my several relations thankfully and soberly use all thy mercies patiently bear the heaviest afflictions and improve my soul in wisdom and goodness by all the helps thou affordest me by thy holy Gospel by the good counsels of others the inspirations of the holy Ghost thy many remarkable providences about me and whatsoever courses thou takest with me to bring me safe through this world into an happy eternity And now that I am about to address my self to the Table of the Lord O that I might have such a sweet remembrance of his love as may revive my spirit encourage my hope excite me to all my duty and put an humble confidence in me to look up unto thee again for thy pardon and for the grace of thy holy Spirit to enable me to please thee better ever hereafter Thou who knowest all things seest that my soul waits for thee O God and longs to be more like thee and is ready to offer up its understanding will and all its affections unto thee That I may remain stedfast and unmoveable in justice and charity meekness and humility temperance and purity contentedness and patience devotion and piety with all other fruits of thy good Spirit Suffer nothing to appear in my soul before thee but reverend thoughts of thee most zealous love to thee passionate desires that Christ Jesus may live in me and appear in all the actions of an innocent harmless and useful life That so the day when I approach unto thee may be a day of good tidings of great joy a day of peace and reconciliation of feasting and refreshment of comfort and incouragement to walk before thee with a perfect heart as long as I live Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest Phil. 4.8 9 19. whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise help me alwayes to think on these things And the God of peace be with me and supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus In whose name and words I still recommend my self to thy grace saying Our Father which art c. The Meditation afterward THou art my portion O Lord Psal 119.57 I have said that I would keep thy word Why should I repent me of my choice or start from my resolution Thy Counsels and commands are the surest guide thy power the strongest defence thy good providence the fullest store-house thy eternal justice and holiness the best security thy promises the richest treasure and good hopes in thee our highest happiness It is enough enough O Lord to be beloved of thee the all-sufficient good who comprehendest all things in thy mind and canst do all things by thy power and delightest in raising such monuments of thy wisdom and greatness as thy almighty love may dispense endless blessings unto I am well satisfied now that I can say Psa 142.5 thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living The Lord is my portion whom shall I envy The Lord is my portion for what shall I be discontented The Lord is my portion of whom shall I be afraid Why art thou cast down Ps 42.11 O my soul why art thou disquieted within me How can his friends fail to partake of his bounty who treats even his enemies with so much kindness 62.5 My soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him Trust in the Lord and do good 37.3 4 34. and verily thou shalt be fed Delight thy self also in the Lord and â— he shall give thee the desires of thy heart Cast thy burden on the Lord and he shall sustain thee 55.22 he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved Wait on the Lord and keep his way For the eyes of the Lord are upon them that love him Ecclâ—â— 34.16 17. He is their mighty protection and strong stay A defence from the heat and a cover from the Sun at noon a preservation from stumbling and a help from falling He raiseth up the soul and lightneth the eyes He giveth life and health and blessing Judeth ult 16. All sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour to him and all the fat is not sufficient for his burnt-offering but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times Ecclus. 34.13 The spirit of those that fear the Lord shall live for their hope is in him that saveth them My heart shall rejoyce in him because I have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord Psal 33.21 22. be upon me according as I hope in thee And I hope that I shall never forget thy word which I have said that I would keep the revelation of thy wisdom the declaration of thy will and the description of thy most holy and happy life My God I have taken thy precepts as my heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart Psal 119.111 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even unto the end This day I have added one vow more of consecration to thee I have made over my self intirely to thee to be thy portion Whom shall I love whom shall I serve to whom shall I resign my will and wayes but only to thee the Father of lights and the Father of mercies who hast not thought thy Son too much to give to me Never will I forget this happy day which hath brought me a taste of the joy and peace and serenity which spring from the very beginning of a God-like nature I will alway be devoted to him Let his will be done on earth as it is in heaven for it is the will of my heavenly Father Let these words remain upon record against me if I endeavour not to make him my pattern and not only in that place where I have now been but in all my behaviour in this world that great Temple of his demean my self holily and purely with that humility reverence meekness and submission which becomes his presence What have I here to
should we have besought his favour to us that had highly affronted his Sovereign Authority and Sacred Laws he hath dispatched a glorious Message as if we were the greatest persons and so many little Gods And had it not been too great an honour for us to think of if he had sent one of his meanest servants in the Heavenly Court to visit us Or if he had bidden an illustrious Seraphim to come and comfort and chear us by his bright appearance or one of the Cherubims to flye all over the Earth and make proclamation in their ears that the King of Heaven would be reconciled to his rebellious subjects Would it not have filled the whole world with wonder and made all mankind stand at a gaze to see themselves so highly favoured O what a grace then was it that God should send his Son his only begotten Son the Prince and Sovereign Lord of all that Heavenly host upon this business of reconciliation See my Soul that which astonishes not men only but Angels themselves who proclamed the birth of this Prince of life with the loudest shouts of joy saying Glory be to God on high Luke 2.14 and on Earth peace good will towards men Towards men do they say Lord what are they that thou shouldest put this honour on them What are the greatest and noblest men on Earth What is their excellency and worth that such addresses should be made unto them O joyn thy self my Soul as well as thou art able with those bright morning-Stars that sang for joy when the foundation of the new world was laid and say Glory be to the eternal majesty of Heaven and Earth who possesses all things and can suffer nothing that he would deign to send to us his poor subjects Glory be to his Almighty love who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish Joh. 3.17 but have everlasting life For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved O blessed Jesus how ardent how powerful was that love which brought thee down from the Heavenly company above to us here on Earth yea Ephes 4.9 Psal 139 15. to the lower-most parts of the Earth To be cloathed with our rags to dwell in our mortal flesh in the likeness of sinful flesh Mightest thou not at least have been apparelled like the best of men and been found in the habit and fashion of the noblest of us but thou wouldest also condescend to the form of a servant that the most despicable of all mankind might never suspect they should be despised by the King of glory O what an humble love was this to us most wretched sinners What heart can conceive the infinite force of it How infinitely is it above all words We do but declare that we know little of it if we are able to talk much about it It is fit for our wonder and silent admiration for adoring thoughts and devout exstasies of love Only I will go and declare in the assemblies of his people these wonderful works of the Lord and publish his goodness with the voice of thanksgiving and praise Lord what new wonder is that which there I behold This glorious person murdered by his subjects The new born Prince of the world the Heir of all things caught Matth. 21.39 and cast out and slain by those to whom he was sent to demand their obedience O the miraculous wisdom of this love That he should be born and come among us to die for us and take our flesh that he might offer it on the Cross and make peace and reconciliation by being slain and shedding his bloud Go my Soul and shew forth his death to Angels and Men. For this is the up-shot of his love that while we were yet sinners Christ would die for us By this he hath made an atonement for us by this he hath obtained an Eternal Redemption with this offering God is well satisfied and by this he hath exalted our Nature to the right hand of God that he may always appear in his presence for us With what love and joy and zeal should we commemorate this never to be forgotten love With what hearty affection should we offer our selves to him How glad should we be of this new opportunity to vow to him our obedience With what tender love should we embrace all our Brethren who are flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone as he is And how comfortably may we hope that God will be gracious to us who hath not only sent his Son to make his abode among us but also to lay down his life for us Let us go and bless his name that to us a Son is born to us a Child is given even Christ the Lord that he hath â—aised up a mighty Salvation for us and hath redeemed us out of the hands of all our enemies that we might serve him without fear all the days of our life And let us receive these earnests and pledges of his good will as hopeful assurances that he will never end his love till he hath conveyed us thither where Jesus is But how shall we come there unless it be in those steps whereby he ascended from Earth to Heaven Go therefore and offer to him an heart of flesh to be moulded and framed into what figure he pleases Desire him to form his own image in thee to subdue thee perfectly to his will that it may be thy meat and drink to do it and to finish the work he hath for thee in the world Think thou hearest him say as Abimelech to the men of Schechem to move them to elect him for their King Remember that I am your bone and your flesh Judg. 9.2 Behold my body which I took for your sake See here how dear you were to me and how nearly related I stand to every Soul of you Will you not suffer me to rule over you Such a Lord as is so much concerned for you Will you not be governed by me that am your Brother as well as your Lord And then me-thinks we should all answer with one accord other Lords have reigned over us but now none but thou O Christ none but thou O Christ Rule and reign over us for ever for we are thy Servants The Prayer before O Eternal God the Soveraign Lord of all creatures both in heaven and earth who art before all things and on whom they all depend To whom we owe all honour and homage all love and dutiful affection all praise and thanks service and obedience throughout our whole life I acknowledg O Lord that I am never more unjust than when I do not render all this most freely and chearfully unto thee I cannot deny the debt wherein I stand engaged though I have too often denyed to pay it For thou hast raised me out of the dust and preserved me from
returning thither again Thou hast richly loaden me with thy benefits endued me with principles of wisdom righteousness and goodness made a world of good things to wait upon me and minister to me and expectest only reasonable service and an easy obedience from me which thou hast sent thy Son to demand and to entreat and to give me an example of This is the surpassing heighth of thy love that thou wast pleased not to despise and reject us when we had despised all thy former favours but even to assume our Nature into an inconceivable nearness to thy own and send thy Son Jesus to seek and save us when we were lost I adore thine infinite condiscention O blessed Jesus Heb. 2.11 14. who art not ashamed to call us Brethren And for as much as we are partakers of flesh and blood hast also thy self likewise taken part of the same that through death thou mightest destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil Blessed be thy goodness that in all things thou wast made like unto us that thou mightest be a merciful and faithful high-Priest v. 17. to make reconciliation for our sins Let all the Angels in heaven still praise him for as high as the heaven is above the earth so great is his mercy above our thoughts We were not worthy that thou shouldst so much as look upon us or speak unto us and then in thine unbounded love thou wast pleased to dwell in our nature and to send thy Son in the likeness of sinful flesh Rom. 8.3 that by a Sacrifice for sin he might condemn sin in the flesh I see O Lord in that Sacrifice how hateful sin was to thee when thou wast so full of love to us and am going to thy Table to renounce utterly every evil way and devote my self to an holy and god-like life to acknowledg thy wise goodness who wouldst dwell in our flesh to sanctifie and cleanse it and give thy Son Jesus to die for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Accompany me O God by that mighty spirit through which he was conceived and offered himself without spot unto thee that I may have a lively conception of him and his holy Gospel in my mind and be made conformable to him in every thing and offered up intirely soul and body to be ordered and disposed of as pleaseth him It is but just and reasonable that his will not mine should be done And it is no less my happiness than my duty to be governed by him who is the wisdom of thee our God I deliver up therefore my understanding my will my affections and passions to be guided directed and ruled by his supream and immutable counsels Work in me a stedfast admiration and love of his purity lowliness meekness patience contentedness and charity that nothing may be so desirable to me as to have Christ Jesus in all his divine virtues formed in me Hold O Lord this image of him alway before mine eyes that my life may be nothing else but a constant imitation of him and both body and soul become the Temple of the holy Ghost wherein thou mayst be truly honoured heartily loved highly praised and exalted and purely worshipped and served O that my mind may be ever employed in pious or honest thoughts that my will may chuse the better part which can never be taken away from me that I may set my affections on heavenly things and not on things upon the earth that I may use the world as one that seeks a better countrey being chearful and yet composed diligent in my calling and yet working out my salvation doing good to my self with all the comforts of this life and likewise unto others Give me the grace good Lord never to be weary of well-doing to be just in all my dealings faithful in my promises mindful of my vows upright in the discharge of my trust inoffensive in word and deed and an useful and peaceable Member of Church and state Dispose me to be good in all my relations obedient to those who are over me kind to all my equals compassionate and pittiful to those that are in misery meek and lowly towards all men O that riches may never make me forget my self nor poverty tempt me to forget thee that health may not make me confident and secure nor sickness make me dejected and discontented But I may be patient and constant in all adversities Religious and thankful in prosperity and go through fulness and emptiness honour and disgrace good report and bad with the same evenness of mind till I come to receive praise and commendation as a good servant of Jesus Christ at the great day of his appearing In whose most powerful Name I continue to make my suits unto thee saying as he hath taught me Our Father c. The Meditation afterward IS not our heavenly Father very desirous that we should love him Would he else have appeared among us Would he have manifested himself to us Yea manifested himself in our flesh And more than that purchased us to himself by his own blood O how dear hath he paid for our love Love him love him exceedingly that he may not lose the great price wherewith we are bought But what love do we bear him if we be not like him What are we the better that a Saviour is born to us if he be not formed in us and dwell not in our heart by faith Was not this the end of his taking our Nature that he might purifie it and make us reverence our selves more than to defile that which is so near of kin to the Son of God O most wise goodness which by becoming like to us designed to make us like thy self I see the humility of the blessed Jesus who was born of a poor Virgin I see his sweetness in accommodating himself to the vilest of us and taking on him the form of a servant I see how little he valued the riches and the dignities and the pleasures of this world How contented he was in a mean condition how obedient to his parents how courteous to the meanest clients who came to receive not to give I see how liberal he was of his favours how unwearied in doing good how patient in suffering any evil how he loved righteousness and hated iniquity how dear the honest heart was to him and how odious hypocrisie I see how meek he was when he was affronted how loth his enemies should perish how little concern'd either in the calumnies or applauses of the world How absolutely resigned to the will of God and how desirous to do him honour O how often did he thank his heavenly Father How many hours did he spend in prayer and private converse with him How joyfully did he suffer great pains to do great good And at last laid down his life full of hope in God to see a glorious
hast done such great things for me bear still mercifully with me exercise more of thy patience and show thy self exceeding great in forbearance and long suffering towards me Thou who hast given thy Son unto me vouchsafe to send thy Holy Spirit to over-shadow my Soul and form Christ Jesus within me That conceiving him in my heart by a lively faith and belief of his Gospel I may be made partaker of a Divine nature and express him in his holiness meekness humility patience charity contentedness and simplicity in perfect innocence in doing good and entire satisfaction in thy fatherly love O that the new life to which I am born by the incorruptible seed of thy Word which liveth and abideth for ever 1 P t. 1.23 and for the nourishment of which thou hast provided this holy Feast of which I have now partaked may encrease unto a perfect age to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ that so at last I may be begotten again from the dead and be a child of the resurrection to live for ever with the Lord. And for that end dispose my heart as a new born babe to desire the sincere milk of thy Word that I may grow thereby That since thou hast caused thy Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning I may in such wise hear them read mark learn and inwardly digest them that I may obey from the heart that form of Doctrine Rom. 6.17 whereunto I have been delivered and by patience and comfort of thy Word embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ Vouchsafe good Lord so to direct and govern me that I may never profane this Body which thou hast so sanctified honoured and exalted by intemperance or any impurity nor this Soul which is so dear to thee by pride or envy hatred or malice wrath or revenge covetousness or discontent But I may repose a perfect trust and confidence in thee for what I want seeing thou hast not with-held thy Son thine only Son from us and be thankful for what I enjoy and live in the love of thee my God and of all my Brethren and possess my body in sanctification and in honour that I may humbly wait for thy mercy in Christ Jesus to eternal life Help me this very day to begin to use all bodily good things with holy fear with thanksgiving with pity to the poor and needy with a sense of spiritual delights and hungerings after righteousness and with most earnest longings after that feast of joy and gladness which we hope to keep with thee in the Heavens O that all the world may hear the glad tidings of a Saviour that there may be great joy among all people Let all the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee Let them lift up their hands unto thee in his name and bow their knees unto him and let every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father And O that all they who do confess him may have their conversation as becomes the Gospel and be continually offering up the Sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and be communicating and doing good Kings of the Earth and all People Psal 148.11 12 13. Princes and all Judges of the Earth Both young men and maidens old men and children Let them praise the Name of the Lord that God in all things may be glorified through Christ Jesus to whom be praise and dominion 1 Pâ—t 4.11 for ever and ever Amen On Newyears-day if there be a Communion may be added this short Meditation LEt us consider my Soul before we go to the Holy Table for what ends we go thither and with what hearts we ought to go Is it not to admire the greatness of Gods love in giving his Son to us and the greatness of Christs love in giving himself for us Is it not to render our highest thanks and praise to the Father and the Son for this inestimable love in giving his bloud a ransom for us and then to offer up our selves wholly to his love Is it not to renew our Baptismal Covenant wherein we promised to forsake all his enemies and to lead a mortified life in all obedience to his will To represent to God what his Son hath done for us and humbly to hope in him for all the benefits of his passion To receive encrease of power to overcome the world and further testimonies of his love and stronger desires after the consummation of it in Heavenly bliss To unite our heart in Brotherly affection to all the faithful servants of Jesus and to rejoyce in the holy Communion of Christ and his Saints O blessed Jesus who can have hearts disposed to do all this without thee I come to thee therefore that thou wilt represent thy self most lively to me If I could have seen thee hanging on the Cross or if thou wouldest appear to me as thou didst to Saul if the Heavens were opened and I could behold thee as did St. Steven what strange passions what holy affections would it raise up in my heart Open thine eyes my Soul heartily and strongly believe and thy joy shall be full He will be in the midst of us when we are assembled together in his Name according as he promised He presents himself before us in these Signs of his Body and Bloud Behold how the Word was made flesh how he was Circumcised and fulfilled the Law under which he was born that he might be a pure and unspotted offering to God See how he was whipt and scourged for thy sake See how he suffered upon the Cross how his Body was broken and his heart-Bloud poured out to reconcile us unto God And then thou canst not but come with a thankful heart and with an humble reverent and devout affection present thy self unto him bitterly bewailing thy offences chearfully resigning thy self to his will and joyfully hoping for his mercy When he saith by his Minister Take eat drink this what is the meaning but as if he should say I am thy Salvation And when thou stretchest out thy hand and dost this what is it but to say My Lord and my God Joh. 20.28 And happy are they who not only call him Lord but do the things that he saith Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life Rev. 22.14.12.20 and enter into the City of God Behold he cometh and his reward is with him and he will give to every man according as his work shall be Rev. 21 7. And he that overcometh saith he shall inherit all things I will be his God and he shall be my Son Amen Even so come Lord Jesus And this short Prayer O Lord of heaven and earth who knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising Psal 139.2 3. c. and understandest my thoughts a far
pity us because thou art he who was dead And thou wilt never cease to pity and help us because thou art he that liveth â—â—m 6.9 and being raised from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion over thee Because thou wast dead and tempted in all things like unto us thou art sensible of our infirmities and able to succour us in all the trials of life and death And because thou livest thou canst make thy death become powerful and effectual to us thou canst make good all thy own promises and put us in possession of the purchased inheritance 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed be God which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto such a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Death is swallowed up in victory O death where is thy sting O grave 1 Cor. 15.54 55. where is thy victory Thanks be to God who hath not appointed us to wrath 1 Thess 5.9 10. but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who dyed for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live with him Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus 2 Cor. 4.14 Jude 24. and shall present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy The Prayer before O Most mighty Lord of heaven and earth the Father of Spirits the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose name is ever hallowed by an innumerable company of Holy ones that are always burning with love to thee and praising thy most beauteous perfections thy incomprehensible wisdom goodness righteousness and truth The Sun shineth not before the brightness of thy Majesty The Angels are unclean in compare with the purity of thy holiness What are we O Lord that thou wilt look down from the habitation of thy holiness upon us what manner of love is this wherewith thou hast loved us in sending thy Son down among us and designing to take us up unto thy self that we may joyn with that holy fellowship of Angels and Saints to love and praise thee for ever We are the off-spring of rebellious parents that have been transgressors from the beginning Who have dishonoured our nature despised or undervalued thy grace in the Lord Jesus resisted or coldly entertained thy holy Spirit and loved these little things here below more than that eternal happiness which Jesus hath revealed by his resurrection from the dead We are not worthy of the crumbs that fall from thy Table which thou hast spread for all creatures or of the least drop of thy mercies We are not worthy to lick the dust before thee because we deserve not to live and breath any longer in this world And yet thou lettest us live in hope that we shall live with thee and thou givest us leave to breath forth our souls towards thee and hast thy self spread a new Table for us and furnished it with the richest of thy blessings and invitest me most graciously among the rest to come now and feast with thee and eat of the bread of life which came down from heaven and is able to nourish me to eternal life I would fain O Lord approach into thy holy presence there and behold the wonders of thy love But I am covered with shame and blushing because of my ingratitude unto thee I cannot with any confidence open my eyes towards thee till I have some sense in my heart that thou art willing to cover my sins and hide thy face from mine iniquities Which I cannot reasonably hope for till I find them loathsome grievous and hateful to me more than death it self I ought to hang down my head in heaviness of spirit till a sense that my heart is throughly changed and renewed give me liberty to look up unto thee saying Thy will O Lord be done Possess thy self of my soul for I absolutely submit my thoughts desires and passions to be ruled and governed by thee in all things And what is it else O my God that I long for What doth my soul thirst after But that I may know thee more Ephes 1.19 20. and the greatness of thy power to us ward which wrought in Christ when it raised him from the dead and set him at thy right hand in heavenly places and that I may be overcome and perfectly subdued by this mighty love and that I may be transformed into thy image and live according to the sense I have of thy most adorable perfections O that I may wholly follow the guidance of thy wisdom and submit to thy soveraign Authority and be obedient to all thy righteous and good laws reverencing and fearing thy majesty approving my inward thoughts and desires to thine all-seeing eye depending on thy al-sufficiency hoping in thy omnipotent goodness trusting to thy true and faithful word delighting and rejoycing continually in thy Fatherly love and care of me who hast brought me into being and preserved me from ruin Eph. 3.6 and made me partaker of thy promise in Christ the beginning and first born from the dead in whom it pleased thee that all fulness should dwell Col. 1.18 19. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledg of Christ Jesus my Lord that I may be found in him and have the righteousness which is by Faith Ph l. 3.8 9 10. that I may know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead Begin now good Lord to raise up my heart above all these perishing things to those joyes where thou art exalted Make me feel that thou art an high Priest after the power of an endless life still ready and able to assist and succour all those that come to God by thee O that my eyes might be so fixed on the high and holy place into which thou art entred that some little glimps of thy glory may breakforth upon me and I may see the treasures and riches of thy kingdom and what is the hope of my calling that so I may be confirmed in my resolutions grow strong in the Faith and be more fervent in my desires more vehement and earnest in my endeavours unwearied in my pains impregnable against all temptations chearful under all difficulties and discouragements Phil. 3.13 14. and that forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I may press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Into thy hands both now and ever Psal â—â— 5 I commit my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth I confide entirely in his Almighty and eternal love to whom thou hast given all power in heaven and in earth Matth. 28.18 I wait on thee who hast not thought thy immortality too much to bestow on us for
countenance Thou hast given him power over all flesh Joh. 17.2 that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Adored be thine Eternal love which appeared in the sufferings of Christ and the glory that followed after Adored be thy love 1 Pet. 1.3.11 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Cor. 15.20 Joh. 11.25 which hath given us a lively hope through the Resurrection of Christ Jesus who hath brought life and immortality to light being the First-fruits of them that slept and the Resurrection and the Life I rejoyce in the consolation which thou has sent unto us and that we in this furthermost part of the Earth are become his inheritance I praise thee I bless thee I most heartily devote my self to the obedience of Jesus as is but just and meet For to this end Christ hath died Rom. 14.8 9. and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living I reverence his Soveraign authority I submit my self to his Laws and depend upon his care and good providence I refer my self to his wise will and pleasure in all things desiring nothing more but that whether I live or die I may be the Lords O that thy Spirit which raised up Jesus may dwell in me guide and govern me Rom. 8.11 that thou who raisedst up Christ from the dead mayest also quicken my mortal body by thy Spirit dwelling in me O that the rest of the World may become his possession too and all with one mind and one mouth glorifie thee the God and Father of Jesus Christ Who is the faithful witness and the first-begotten of the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Rev. 1.5 6 to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen Ascension-day or Sunday The Meditation before AH how duskish are my thoughts in house of Clay How dull my affections under this load of flesh My Saviour is in Heaven crowned at Gods right hand with glory and honour Heb. 2.9 Ephes 4.10 1 Pet. 3.22 He is ascended up far above all Heavens Angels Authorities and Powers being made subject to him And I can scarce cast a look thither but am instantly pulled down to this Earth again Blessed be his goodness who hath left us a lively Image of himself to help our infirmities To represent his dying and departure from this World and to be a pledge likewise unto us that we shall one day ascend up to Heaven and be for ever with the Lord. O blessed news 1 Thess 4. ult the hope of it fills me with joy already and raises me up a little toward that high and holy place where Jesus dwells I will go and bless the Father of mercies for his great charity towards us that he would accept of an offering for sin and that he would be satisfied without demanding of us the debt That he would grant new and easie conditions of Salvation for us through the Bloud of his Son and seal a gracious Covenant in that same precious Bloud I will go and testifie my love to him even by my joy that he is gone unto the Father Joh. 14.28 and hath triumphed over his enemies Coloss 2.15 after he had overcome them and spoiled Principalities and Powers Ephes 4.8 He hath led captivity captive Acts 2.33 and received the promise of the Holy Ghost and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Heb. 12.2 and made the Lord of all All the Angels of God worship him Acts 10.36 and in the Heavenly Sanctuary attend upon him where he is an High-Priest for ever Heb. 1.6.8.2 holy undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens 〈◊〉 6.10.13 There he makes intercession for us from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot-stool And we have boldness also by the Bloud of Jesus 10.19 6.20 Joh. 14.2 3. to enter into the holiest whither he the fore-runner is for us entred and gone to prepare a place for us and will come again to receive us unto himself that where he is there we may be also Psal 24.3 ◠5. But who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord And who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his Soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his Salvation I will go then and offer him my heart that it may be formed to his likeness Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth I will go and submit my self to him as the Lord of all and renew my Covenant of love and friendship with him I will vow again that I will fight valiantly under his banner who is the Captain of our Salvation Heb. 2.10 made perfect through sufferings against sin the world and the Devil I will be faithful to him unto the death and no suffering shall deter me from following the Prince of life For I doubt not but the Sacrifice he made was most acceptable to God and that he by himself having purged our sins Heb. 1.3 H b. 2.13 sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high and will help and succour all his faithful followers 1.14.2.10 and send forth his Angels to minister unto them and bring them to glory Rev. 2.10 and reward them with a crown of life O lift up thy self my Soul when thou comest to the Table of the Lord. Now if ever listen to the Priest of God when he calls saying Lift up your hearts Now is the season above all others to answer with the whole Quire of pious Souls in that joyful voice We lift them up unto the Lord. Rear thy self aloft my Soul and look beyond these shadows Fix thine eyes on the splendor of that Majesty wherewith thy Saviour shines and think thou hearest him calling unto the whole company of believers saying Come come my beloved for whom I died Come and dwell with me It is still my will and desire that you may be where I am and that you may behold the glory Joh. 17.24 which my Father hath given me Come on therefore Whither I am gone you know 14.4 and the way you know Tread upon all the glittering temptations of the Countrey where you are as dirt and dung in compare with the Kingdom which I will give you Make haste unto me and let nothing hinder you for I expect you and long when you are meet for it to see you The travel of my Soul will not be satisfied till you be with me O my Soul why do we linger Why do we look after any thing so much as his Eternal life Why should we be discouraged or faint in our minds This Lord of glory came to his Throne out of as low a condition as we can possibly be in He was once a servant the
meanest of servants He humbled himself to be subject to the basest usage and to suffer the greatest despite and publick reproach Let us be assured then that he will not despise the poorest wretch now that he is in his glorious state And let us not think it strange if we be despised and reproached for righteousness sake But rejoyce in as much as we are partakers of the sufferings of Christ 1 Pet. 4.13 that when his glory shall be revealed we may be glad also with exceeding joy The Prayer before O Most blessed God who dwellest in the highest heavens and art adored by the highest creatures who blush before the brightness of thy majesty but dost not despise us poor worms that dwell upon the earth Who art happy in thy self and yet makest sute to us that we would love thee who commandest us to do good to our selves and entreatest that duty from us which thou mayst command who takest it kindly when we give thee thine own and rewardest us for that which by thy grace only we can perform and pardonest us also when we fall short in our performance and givest us repentance that thou mayest pardon us and receive us into favour and hast sent no less person than thine own Son to obtain a pardon for us and exalted him at thy own right hand that he might be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins Before thee O Lord most High I humbly prostrate my self desiring to be admitted to thy holy Table that I may adore the riches of thy grace and beg forgiveness for my unworthy returns to such great love Give me leave O Lord to come and make at least my acknowledgments to thee of the duty I owe thee Yea I would take thy yoke upon me with the greatest thankfulness and tye those bonds faster wherein I stand already engaged to thee and bless thee for such easie and gracious terms of reconciliation as thou hast propounded to us and express my hearty consent unto them and declare my belief of thy pretious promises and acknowledg thy goodness in making me so certain of their truth by the resurrection of Christ from the dead and his ascension to heaven that he might sit down at thy right hand to make good all that he hath said Blessed be the Lord who hath rewarded his obedience with such honour power dominion and authority that we might be incouraged to follow him and depend upon him and have a setled hope of immortality by him I rejoyce in the glory which thou hast with the Father of all O Lord Jesus whose throne is for ever and ever A Scepter of righteousness is the Scepter of thy kingdom thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity Hâ—b 1.8 9. therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladness above thy fellows O God that I could forget all other things when I present my self before thee and ascend up in my thoughts and desires and resolutions to heaven where Jesus is that when I come down again to converse with these things here below I may look upon them as objects of my contempt or as proofs of my vertue or as incitements to praise thee the Creator of all and as occasions to manifest how much I love thee by quitting the dearest thing in this world if thou requirest it for thy sake who hast raised man to such an height or glory and honour above all O that I may hate every thing that would not let me love thee better than it That I may fear to offend thee and be very sollicitous to please thee and studious in all things to approve my self to him whom thou hast raised from the dead promoted unto glory so that he is able to prefer all his faithful servants to that glorious place where he is Shew me O Lord that he is not held by death but reigns with thy self for ever by the power of thy holy Spirit in my heart raising me above my self and enabling me to comply with those high and heavenly thoughts desires and designs which thou hast wrought in my heart O blessed Jesus who sittest at the right hand of the Father and hast said thou hast life in thy self and all power in heaven and in earth John 5.26 Matth. 28.18 that I and all others who prostrate themselves before the throne of thy grace might find thy power still to remain as great as ever chasing away the darkness of our minds warming and thawing our frozen affections melting and dissolving our wills into the will of God inspiring us with might and strength to do that which we cannot but desire lifting up our hearts to have our conversation in heaven and to live above the love of riches pleasures and honour a contented humble sober and thankful life O that we may ever demonstrate our belief of thy ascension up on high by our living and walking in the Spirit and no longer fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and by improving all the grace thou sendest down to us till we be fit to be translated from hence and come to see what we now believe and behold thee in the glory of the Father Amen Lord Jesus where thou art let us be also rejoycing with thee for ever and while we stay here I will alway say most heartily Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven c. The Meditation afterward O The height of that glory wherein my Saviour is inthroned 1 Pet. 3.22 Heb. 7.26 Eph. 4.8 Eph. 1.21 Who is gone into the heavens and made higher than the heavens nay is ascended up far above all heavens far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come What a comfort is it to dust and ashes to see their nature shining brighter than the highest stars of glory To behold their flesh the greatest beauty of the Paradise of God Where should my conversation be but in heaven Where should the members and the heart be but where their head and their treasure is What should I seek but those things above Coloss 3. where Christ is at Gods right hand O ye little vanities How contemptible are all your pleasures How â—ow are all your dignities and honours How base and vile the rest of your temptations when I look up to heaven where my Saviour sits in unmatchable glory and majesty Never speak to me any more never perswade me to follow worldly lusts thy thoughts are not now so mean I am dead to all those things and my life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is my life shall appear then shall I appear with him in glory But is that eternal life with Jesus the thing thou seekest Is thy heart indeed set on things above where he is at Gods