my Wickedness and be sorry for my Sins I will pour out my Prayers in the bitterness of my Spirit and therefore now Lord call my Sins to my Remembrance and when thou hast so done blot them out of thy Remembrance and Pardon me A Confession of Sin O Thou great Judge of Heaven and Earth before whose glorious Majesty even the good Angels who never sinned fall prostrate and tremble with what debasement and dread ought I to appear before thy awful Presence who am but Dust and Ashes and which is infinitely worse a miserable Sinner Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity with the least approbation the way of the wicked and the sacrifice of the wicked is an Abomination unto thee Wo is me then O Lord Wo is me for I have inclined unto Wickedness but for the sake of thy well-beloved Son cast not out my prayer nor turn thy mercy from me Miserable wretch that I am I have gone astray from the very Womb I was shapen in Wickedness and in Sin did my Mother Conceive me Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean What is Man then O God that he should be Clean or he that is born of a Woman that he should be Righteous Thou Lord puttest no trust in thy Saints The Heavens are nor clean in thy sight and the very Angels thou chargest with folly How much more abominable than am I who daily drink iniquity like Water Lord Pity cleanse forgive and save me for thy mercies sake I know O God that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for when I would do Good Evil is present with me and I see a Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind bringing me into Captivity to the Law of Sin Lord have mercy on me and deliver me from this body of Death from this tyranny of Sin Alass my whole Nature is corrupt infinitely prone to all Evil and a verse to all that is Good my Understanding is full of Ignorance and error my will perverse my Memory tenacious of all things that may pollute me but forgetful of my Duty my Passions are inordinate my Senses the inlets to all impurity I have abused all my faculties and am unclean unclean Lord pity cleanse forgive and save me for thy mercies sake O Lord God how have I through my whole life violated the sollemn Vow I made to thee at Baptism by eagerly persuing the Vanities of this Wicked World by early yeilding to the Temptation of the Devil by greedily indulging my own carnal Desires and Lust by a fruitless and dead faith and by a disobedience to thy holy Will and Commandments Father I have Sin'd against Heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy Son I have Sin'd O Lord God I have Sin'd against Thee By c. Here make your confession of Sins against God and then add O Jesu Lamb of God Son of the Father let thy Blood cleanse me from these sins O pity forgive and save me for thy mercies sake I have sin'd O Lord God I have sin'd against thee and my own self By c. Here confess your sins against your Self and then add O Jesu Lamb of God c. I have sin'd O Lord God I have sin'd against thee and my Neighbor By c. Here confess your sins against your Neighbor and then add O Jesu Lamb of God c. O Lord God my wickedness is exceeding great and my iniquities are infinite they are more in number than the hairs of my head and my heart would fail me but that I know thy mercies are greater than my sins Have mercy upon me therefore O God according to the multitude of thy mercies do away my Offences Who alas can tell how oft he Offends Oh cleanse thou me from my secret faults from all my sins of Ignorance or Infirmity or Omission or which I have not observed or which I have forgot Lord lay none of them to my charge Father forgive me Lord Jesus have mercy upon me O remember not the sins and offences of my Youth but receive me O heavenly Father into the Arms of thy Fatherly compassion and forgive me all my Transgressions for the merits of Jesus thy Son and my Saviour Amen O Lord God of Mercy and Pardon give me a just remembrance and sad apprehension of my sins teach me to bewail them with as great indignation and bitterness as I have committed them with complacency and delight Let my Prayer and Confession come into thy presence and obtain mercy and pardon for me Let not thy Justice and Severity so remember my sins as to forget thy own mercy and though I deserve to be condemned yet thou canst not lose that glorious attribute whence flows comfort to us and hopes of being saved Spare me therefore O merciful God for to give pardon to a sinner that confesses his faults and begs remission is not impossible to thy Power nor disproportionate to thy Justice nor unusual to thy mercy Blessed Jesu acknowledge in me whatsoever is thine cleanse me from whatsoever is amiss Have pitty on me now in the time of mercy and condemn me not when thou comest to judgment for what profit is there in my Blood Thou delightest not in the death of a Sinner but in his Conversion is joy in Heaven and when thou hast delivered me from my sins and saved my Soul I shall praise and magnifie thy Name to all Eternity O Jesu God be merciful to me a miserable Sinner O Lord who art the God that hearest prayers and alone has power finally to forgive sin I beseech the mercifully hear and graciously answer these my Petitions for pardon I am a sinner and deserve punishment but O Lord remove my guilt and spare me who do now confess with shame and sorrow my sins unto thee that I whose Conscience by sin is accused so justly now before thee by thy merciful pardon may be absolved from my Guilt for the sake and through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. By thine Agony and bloody Sweat by thy Cross and Passion by thy precious Death and Burial Good Lord deliver O Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World Have mercy upon O Christ hear me Lord have mercy upon me Christ have c. Lord have mercy c. Our Father which art c. A Prayer O most gracious God who out of thy boundless Compassion to thy Creatures art never wanting in any means that may draw them to thy self I the unworthiest of thy Servants desire to give Glory to thee in a hearty acknowledgement that thou hast afforded me all the methods that might either force or allure me to Obedience but I have resisted that goodness of thine which should have lead me to Repentance Thy compassion has been affronted by my continuance in sin and thy forbearance only serv'd to harden me in Iniquity I have lived to provoke thy
Cries Is there then no Help and must I perish for Ever wherefore hast thou made all Men for Naught Why did thy Exuburant love express it self to lost Mankind by such a woundrous Miracle Why dist thou empty thy self and come down among us become Poor endure Hardship Cold and Hunger and run through a Sea of Blood But to attone those Crimes from which Men nor Angels were able to set us Free to afford us that Mercy which the justice of God would not allow of Oh my God hast thou only excepted me wilt thou be so severe with me who have most need of the satisfaction of my Saviour which was offer'd for a Sinful World I am inexpressibly Miserable and want to be sensible of my Condition and will infinite Mercy refuse what the love of God came on purpose to do Can my Sins come near the dimensions of thy Mercy I own to my Confusion I am as great a Sinner as a mortal Man can be but 't is neither beyond thy Power nor unsual to thy Mercy to relieve such a matchless Object of Distress I confess I 'm not a penitent Sinner but thou canst make me one and though I want an humble and contrite Spirit yet thou canst enable me to offer up a Sacrifice that thou wilt not Despise Oh my abused Jesus I fly to thee thou mayst indeed censure the Approach but 't is thy Love thy Mercy and my own Unworthiness which drives me to thee thou knowest I 'm more unworthy then I think my self but was I yet worse I firmly believe thy Blood can cleanse me and that the merit of thy Cross and Passion can cover my imperfections Oh Holy Spirit of God inspire me with the humblest Soul and devoutest Affections that I may apply my self to the Father of Mercies and be made a fit Object for the God of comfort to relieve O God the Father O God the Son O God the Holy Ghost O Blessed Trinity have mercy upon me a miserable Sinner We may reasonably suppose that a Man who has devoted himself to Wickedness at the unburthening his Conscience must entertain some such thoughts as these 'T is natural he should be devided betwixt Hope and Fear the more he is sensible of his Sins the greater his Astonishment His Humiliation and mean Opinion of himself can't be two severe if he keeps from Despaire for after all we can neither sufficiently know the evil of Sin nor lament for committing it The more we consider the greater will be our Aversion and when we have arriv'd to such a sense of Sin as will beget in us a hatred to it we may with more security promise an Amendment But before we proceed to that let us by the help of some Catalogue of Sin examine our Condition more fully for the Heart is deceitful and the Memory willing to forget what it is affraid to consider Having laid before us such a Scheme let us then beg of God to enable us in this work that we main't deceive our Souls Let us upon our Knees consider that we are now to Examine our selves of those things which we are to Answer at the Day of Judgment if we don't Confess and Repent shall be miserable for ever and that 't is much better that we condemn our selves than leave it to the Tribunal of a just God therefore believing we are in the presence of God as we certainly are at all times but God is more especially present when we are upon Religious Duties let us say Oh my God! hear the Voice of my humble Petition now I cry unto thee and lift up my Hands to thy mercy Seat Behold Lord now I am about to search into my own Heart but alass my Heart is Deceitful and desperately Wicked how can I know it Thou therefore that searchest the Heart and triest the Reins discover to me all the evil and deceits of my own Heart that I may Confess Bewail and forsake them and obtain mercy Lord hear me Lord help me for the merits of Jesus my Saviour Amen Oh my Soul Thou art now in the presence of the Great Judge of Heaven and Earth before whose dreadful Tribunal thou must certainly appear at the day of Judgment to give a strict Account of all thy Actions of every idle Word and every evil Thought and thy own Conscience will then be thine Accuser Think O my Soul think if thou canst what unimaginable Horrors will seize an impenitent Sinner when the last Trump calls him out of his Grave and Devils begin to drag him to God's Judgment Seat What wou'd such a Wretch give to purchase one such opportunity of Repentance as God now in great mercy gives thee if ever thou hopest to escape those Horrors O my Soul make thy Peace with God judge thy self here least thou be Condemned hereafter Let us now proceed to ask our selves whether we are Guilty or not when we find our selves Guilty let us set it down upon a Paper and say Lord have Mercy on me and forgive me this sin To those we have not consented let us humbly praise God and say Glory be to thee O Lord for preserving me from this Sin O continue thy Goodness and give me Grace to resist it to my lives end After we have ranslak'd our Breast and laid before us the dismal scene of our Folly we shall certainly be moved at our Transgressions and our Repentance will be usher'd in with Sighs and Groans to testifie our Abhorrence or Tears to show our Trouble It is possible with both together and when God sees us thus Relenting and Trembling Weeping and Blushing for our Offences he may be moved through the intercession of our Saviour to hear our humble Petitions for such a Sacrifice he is pleased with and a Heart thus broken God will not dispise Therefore let us now humble our selves and with all possible Penitence confess our selves to God in the following form Righteousness O Lord belongs unto thee but unto me confusion of Face the Vainest the Vilest the sinfullest of all the Children of Men. Lord I am vile in my own Eyes and desire to be more vile because my sins have made me vile in thine I am not worthy of the Air I breath of the Earth I tread upon or the Sun that shines upon me much less worthy to lift up Hands or Eyes to Heaven for thou hast said that no unclean thing shall come within thy sight how then shall I appear who am so miserably defil'd If the Man according to thine own Heart cou'd say that he was a Worm and no Man Lord what am I If Abraham who had the Honour to be called thy Friend cou'd say that he was but Dust and Ashes O God what am I O my God thou maidst me of nothing and thou seest how I have spoiled this Work of thine I have made my self worse than nothing for I am still in my Sins and know not what to do but this I will do I will confess
Mercies by endeavouring to out-vye them with my Sins what can I expect but to find a Judgment worthy of God such an irreversible ruine as might render me an astonishing instance of thy severity to the whole Earth Thou hast attested thy self to be indeed a Father of Mercies and yet I who enjoy the benefit of them neither consider them as Blessings nor thee as a God but Atheistically defie that providence by which I subsist Thou givest me a time for Repentance but I 'm unwilling to throw off this Bondage of Sin and think it a hardship to submit to that Yoak whieh is easie and delightful and if I cou'd stifle the Terrors of my Conscience wou'd glady proclaim Licence to my Lusts These are the base returns I have made thus have I requited the Lord and incur'd his Displeasure yet I am fearless of his Wrath and can't repent me of my ways nor consider the Evil I have done Surely my Heart is heardned and I am nigh unto Cursing O Lord what can I plead to avert the sentence who am as far from Penitence as Innocence How can I pray against that Vengeance which I make it my business to pull down if thou O Lord shou'dst spare me what wou'd it avail if it serve but to set me at a greater Hostillity with thee O merciful Saviour who gavest thy self a ransom for Sinners look again with compassionate Eyes on me who needs now a second Redemption even a rescue from my self Lord thou seest the miserable state to which I am reduced Where is thy Pitty and the sounding of thy Bowels towards the Afflicted Oh! bow thy Heaven and come down hear the Prayer of a distressed Sinner deliver me from that misery I have involved my self put thy Laws a new into my Heart and write them in my Mind O blessed Mediator who prayedst for thy Crucifiers interceed also for me who have under the name of a Disciple crucified thee afresh and tho' I have nothing to say for my self cannot pretend that I knew not what I did yet let thy Stripes and Wounds thy Cross and Passion plead for me Oh! let thy Blessed Spirit breath again upon me that even these dry Bones may live in thy sight Let him so effectually convince and reprove illuminate and excite me that I may cleanse my self from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit walk worthy of the holy Vocation whereto I am called and evidence my relation to the Prince of Peace Oh that my ways were thus direct but alas how little Disposition have I towards it This change must be only the work of that mighty Power which is able to subdue all things to it self and yet O Lord with what face can I beg of thee to force me to that happiness which I still resolve to resist What can I say to thee O thou preserver thou redeemer of men who have put my self beyond all the ordinary means of thy grace I can only lay my self at thy Feet display my misery and leave thee to consider thine own compassion Oh let that move thee to do for me whatever my wretched state is in need off O Lord Hear O Lord forgive consider and do it for thy name sake Thou art Jesus a Saviour save thy servant from his sin and let me not slide back by a perpetual backsliding Oh abandon not thy poor creature Lord carest thou not that I perish Turn thee again O Lord sanctifie and cleanse me for I am exceeding sinfull create a new Spirit within me melt my obdurate heart into contrition and if it cannot be done without the rigour of thy Laws Lord do that or any thing with me so that I may become a Vessel of honour meet for thy Service But O Lord if thy gentler method may have any effect be pleased to continue thy Long-suffering and though I have no pretence to mercy yet do thou assert thine own work be merciful because thou hast been so dispence to me whatever thou seest most apt to reduce me and that thy outward applications may be no longer in vain enforce and enliven them with thy free Spirit subdue my obstinate perversness and give me at last such Grace as I may not turn into wantonness Oh thou to whom all things are possible who hast been so merciful to me work again greater miracles in me and of a prophane ungrateful wretch make me a penitent and obedient servant that I may study as much to please as I have to provoke thee by a continuance in well doing may obtain the Crown which thou hast laid up for those that serve thee and possess eternal joys in the Kingdom of thy Father which thou O blessed Jesus hast purchased with thy blood and sealed by thy Spirit To which blessed Trinity be ascribed all praise honour Glory now and to eternity Amen O Lord God I am Ashamed and Blush to lift up my Face to thee for my iniquities are increased over my Head and my Trespasses grown up unto Heaven O my Soul what Fruit have I reapt from all the pleasures of Sin but Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Lord I am ashamed of my own Folly Madness and Disingenuity when I call to mind how greedily I have sucked in my own Pollution how treacherously I have betrayed my own Soul to Temptations and combined with the Devils to hasten and increase my own Damnation how obstinately I have fled from thee when thy Mercy persued me with promises of Pardon how unworthily I have abused thy Goodness and Forbearance and Long-sufferings which should have led me to Repentance Son of David Blessed Redeemer Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have Mercy upon me O Jesu be a Jesus unto me Thou that sparedst thy Servant Peter that denied thee thrice thou that didst cast seven Devils out of Mary Magdalen and forgavist the Woman taken in Adultery and didst bear the convert Thief from the Cross to the joys of Paradise have Mercy upon me also Though my Offences are greater than these yet not their Sins nor mine nor the Sins of the whole World can equal thy Glorious Mercy which is Infinite and Eternal as thy Self I acknowledge O Lord that I am Vile but yet redeemed with thy precious Blood thou O Lord lovest to shew Mercy behold then a fit Object for thy pitty My sins are so great and many that to forgive me will be a glorious act of mercy Dispise me not O Lord for I am thy Creature dispise me not for thou didst die for me cast me not away in thine Anger for thou camest to seek and save me Say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation let thy Holy Spirit lead me from the Error of my ways into the paths of Righteousness to great degrees of Repentance and thro' all the parts of a Holy Life to a Godly and Holy Death Grant this O Blessed Jesu for thy Mercies and for thy pitty sake Amen Most merciful and indulgent Jesus hear the
with thy God we are to attend the House of Prayer frequent the Sacrament and be holy in all manner of Conversation If we want to be informed in any thing let us have recourse to our Pastor that he may satisfie our Consciences I would advice that our Confession be made to some discreet Minister for 't is a great sign of our Repentance when we are thus willing to take shame to our selves besides 't will be a greater restraint-upon us We shall be affraid to join in the next Temptation when we know we must confess it 't is the depravedness of our Nature to be affraid rather of Men than God We are not scrupulous to do those things in private which we cou'd not do before Men 't is seldom that Companions in Wickedness will suffer one another to be Witnesses of their shame so easie is it to be affraid to confess what we don't blush to commit but this I leave to every Man's Conscience but let him have a care he don't deceive his own Soul We shall be tortured to little purpose to put our selves upon mock Repentances and when our Confessions come willfully short of our sins we willfully exclude our selves from the Favour and Mercy of God 't will be a sad remembrance at the last day to think 't was in our power to be Happy that we were not far from the Kingdom of Heaven and yet must fall short of the Glory of God To prevent which let us deal Faithfully with our Souls when we think we stand be careful we don't fall and having begun our course to continue to our lives end that we may be saved When we come abroad into the World there is a necessity we set a watch over ourselves we must expect to be attack'd if we can bear the first assault the rest will fall by degrees and every Temptation be less powerful when we are first tempted let us remember that this is the very thing that has cost us so much trouble which we vow'd to resist which is our mortal Enemy and which will set us at a greater variance with God How can we do this thing and sin against Heaven Let us Remember this is the first Tryal if we submit how can we think to prevail another time the next Temptation may have a better appearance There may be a Thousand things to render it more taking and so by degrees we shall be brought to our old state and the last condition will be worse than the first We must not allow our selves in the Commission of any one known sin we must resist the beginning we must not suffer our selves to think upon old Habits but with abhorrence for 't is not only a sin but will endanger us to fall back If we take pleasure in their remembrance the Devil wont fail to excite our delight by adding some new relish to make them more acceptable if we would shun the danger we must avoid the occasion and then need not fear being led into Temptation But there is a greater motive yet we must remember we are but beginning and to look back at the first step is such a piece of folly that every body must be ashamed of Sure none can be so unreasonable to desire it should be reckoned among their good Deeds that they only thought of Repentance if we are truly sensible of our sins we shall be very desirous to get rid of them We are taught there is no way but by coming to Christ they that come unto him must do the Will of his Father to those he gives power to become the Sons of God the Children of God are manifest they that do wickedness are not of God Let us endeavour therefore to add to our Repentance Obedience that acceptable Sacrifice and be forward in all the duties of Christianity that so we may approve our selves in well doing for 't is the will of the Lord that we add to our Faith Vertue and when we have tryed our selves that we can resist Temptation and are ready to Good Works let us then prepare to meet the Lord at his Holy Table that we may receive Grace and Strength to walk in the same all the days of our lives This is the great duty of the New Law and there needs no arguments to bring those to the Sacrifice who are sensible of their necessities or are desirous of growing better Our Church has taken care to instruct every Christian how he may become a worthy Receiver by telling him first what he ought to Believe and then what he ought to Practice I shall content my self with the method of the Church in both these Cases and recommend it to those who are desirous to be inform'd Bread and Wine is what the Lord has commanded to be received and the Church has told us that they signifie the Body and Blood of Christ which are verily and indeed taken by the Faithful and the benefits are the strengthning and refreshing of our Souls This is what we are positively to believe and when we can give our intire assent let us according to the Direction of the Church examine our selves whether we repent truly of our former sins steadfastly purposing to lead a new Life have a lively Faith in God's mercy through Jesus Christ with a thankful Remembrance of his Death and be in Charity with all Men. This is in short the Duty of every Communicant and no Man who would come to the Lord's Supper worthily can leave out any of these things instead of a great many Arguments I must press the observance of them 'T is the misfortune of a great many to think they have discharged their Duty if they can use so much Self-denial as to refrain from their usual excess a week before the Sacrament say the Morning and Evening Devotion and bring themselves to confess they are sorry for what upon a little Examination they find a miss This they think is Repentance enough and because their Book finds no more work for them set down well satisfied with their performance They seem willing to compound the matter with God Almighty confess themselves Bank-rupt and desire to be set free for paying half Tribute They have their set times for Devotion are content to be Fools for three Weeks and then set down to make up the Month the other week and confess their Folly Thus for one weeks Pennance think God is obliged to be reconciled and because they have the impudence to wipe their Mouth conclude God will think they have done no ill but we can't deceive God where 't is to be had he will exact the uttermost Farthing let our Consciences be our Judges and our Guides Use Books only as helps to Devotion for 't is impossible for a Book to be writ to suit every Man's occasion there is something particular to every one of us that another perhaps never thought of and 't is not likely such a one is capable to prescribe a Remedy before hand
to do good But these were the least of thy sufferings thy Love to this World urged thee on to greater difficulties and for which the whole host of Heaven must praise and adore thee to Eternity After thou hadst declared thy intention of coming to save Sinners and notwithstanding the opposition of Men and Devils didst deliver the Doctrine of Salvation to compleat thy Father's Will and fullfill the Scriptures concerning thee thou proceedest to give thy self a Sacrifice to attone for those Sins from which neither Men nor Angels were able to set us free Thy Life indeed was an intire piece of sorrow and thou always didst suffer by the contradiction of Sinners Thy works of Charity were received as unkindnesses and thy Miracles supposed to be the works of the Devil tho' thou spakest as never Man spake yet they rejected both thee and thy doctrine Thus didst thou endure those Affronts and Injuries which were never offer'd to any but thy self and with much pains yet admirable patience go on not only to confirm thy former goodness but to add a mercy greater than them all and seal it by thy precious Blood Here all our Thoughts ought to be Silence Amazement Reverence and Admiration with Tears of Love and Contrition that the Eternal Son of God to cloath us with his Grace should cloath himself with our humble Nature and presently load himself with the Burthen of our sins take upon him their punishment and die upon the Cross for them too That the cleansing of us should make him be defiled with the spittings of Blasphemous Mouths that for the washing our Souls he should shed his precious Blood This is a business more proper for our Love than Meditation more to make us active in his Service than Contemplative in our Thoughts and to be expressed more by our wonder than our word BUT O thou God of Mercy thou didst not leave us comfortless thou sawest how much reason we should have to Mourn Fast and Pray when the Bride-groom should be taken hence and therefore didst send thy Holy Spirit to assist us till thy coming again accomplish therefore the number of thine Elect and hasten thy Kingdom that we with all that are departed in thy Faith may have our perfect Consummation in Bliss Jesus my God give me Grace to be ready when soever thou callest that I may meet thee with thy Saints at thy second coming and be fit to enter with thee into thy Glory O My Soul take yet a fuller view of the loving kindness of the Lord consider the infinite compassion of thy Redeemer how great a regard he had to thy Safety when he was in view of his dreadful Passion for that very Night in which he was betrayed into the hands of sinful Men he instituted the Holy Sacrament left us his Body and Blood to be a continual remembrance of him O Infinite Charity which contentedst not thy self with being our Redemption unless thou also becomest our Nourishment O infinit Charity which knowing that our Offences wou'd Nail thee to the Cross wert yet providing a remedy for those Offences Lord is it thy custom to repay Benefits for Injuries Come hither ye Devout Souls bewail with me so great a Sin come Love with me so great a Love come with a Spiritual Hunger and offer up your hearts to receive that Divine Nourishment and prepare your Souls for this beloved Lord to Enter NO sooner had he finished this Holy Mystery but he yielded to be encompassed with the Sorrows of Death having first kindly cautioned his Disciples of the approaching Tragedy the time of which he had often told them was at hand the Shepherd was to be smitten and the Flock scatter'd abroad They had hitherto reposed their confidence in his Protection and had all their safety from him but the time was coming when they too must drink of the Cup which was now preparing for him and that they might be encouraged to follow his blessed steps he first set them the Example of his patience that they might submit with the greater Resignation this was his time of Suffering for them and he only would have them see how willingly he would lay down his life for their Sakes they might surely resist unto Blood when he had trod the dreadful path before them but we find his Sufferings came on too fast and were too severe for them to behold That stout Champion who had formerly confessed him to be Christ and was for dying with him cou'd follow him now but a far off His Agony in the Garden was but the beginning of Sorrows he there saw his Passion but at a distance though that cast him upon his Knees and betrayed the Horrors his Soul laboured under Our sins were pressing upon him and he who knew no sin began to feel the weight of ours and the Wrath of God which was due to us for ever Where O my Soul behold him prostrate on the Ground his Nature racked with an insupportable Amazement and the stream of his Blood turned a contrary course forcing it self through the pores of his Body and his Humanity sunk by an extremity of Sorrow to the Gates of Death He had no sooner overcome this terrible Conflict but behold the fatal Messengers of his Afflictions ready to apprehend him his own familliar Friend who had eat of his Bread conducting them to the place where he was This was their hour and he was to suffer even for the ingratitude of his Murderers he finds himself now forsaken as well as betrayed by his Friends and they who could not watch for his safety could now fly for their own Thus desolate and helpless was the innocent Lamb of God exposed to the extravigance of a Blood Thirsty People who came upon him with Sword and Staves but there was little need of Guards to secure one who was so willing to obey their Summons tho' their strength and number cou'd not add Resolution to their Guilt for his own Confession that I am He aw'd them into a Reverence made them go Backward and fall to the Ground But now he lays aside his Majesty and submits to their Rage who with Infamy and Derision drag'd him to the Judgment Seat Where though their Malice was great enough to say any thing cou'd not make their accusations agree they laid to his Charge things that he never said nor did yet that with the Voices of the chief Priests must prevail and though the judge declared him Guiltless yet the People had among them a Law by which he ought to die Even to this he opened not his Mouth but submitted to all that their Revenge Impudence and Cruelty cou'd invent Since he had profest himself their King they were resolved not to lead him to Execution before they Cloathed him with Vestments of Derision Crown him with a Diadem of Affliction and put the Scepter of Weakness into his Hand they Bow the Knee before him Salute him King and to fill up their Ingratitude
inhumanly defile his Face with Spittle After the Horrid Pomp of this Solemnity was over they divested him of this Dignity and proceeded to treat him like a Slave and that his Death might appear more dreadful they usher it in with all its Terrors with Stripes and Scourges and all the Torments their malice could Inflict Thus bruised and wounded with the weight of our Transgression he ascends the last steps of his Passion and without the least Reluctance stretches out his Arms to be fix'd on the most painful instrument of Death where O my Soul behold the Son of Man lifted up O dearest God who wast Wounded Despised Crucified and Crowned with Thorns and for my sins wert Nailed to the Cross I beseech thee by the Merits of them all O sweetest Jesus to pardon my Offences His Death was now a hastning on and their Diversion near to a Conclusion they were resolved to make the best use of their time and make their ingratitude last as long as his life they rail on Him treat him with all the marks of Infamy and continue their Revilings to his dying Minute Their Madness Folly and Aggrevations reached Heaven put the World into disorder and turned the Day into Night but could not move his Soul he saw their Madness felt the weight of their Offences and only prayed for their Forgiveness he pittied their Misery and when they endeavor'd to pull the Vengenace of his Blood upon their Heads he was sheding it as Sacrifice for their Wickedness But when the Majesty of Heaven grew Angry and exerted his Fury and laid on him the iniquities of us all he trembled at his Wrath cou'd not bear the direction of the Deity and groan'd away his Soul when God with-drew his presence from his support yet neither the Frowns of his angry Father nor the Rage of Men or Devils could make him sink till all was fullfil'd which the Scriptures spake concerning him when that was finish'd he only tarried to recommend his Mother to the pious care of his beloved Disciple bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost O crucified Jesus let thy Blood wash my Scul I am not ashamed of thy Cross but adore thee in thy Passion and acknowledge thee to be God Let us now turn the Scene and think how we have offended this God and lived in a continual Rebellion and then of what punishment ought we to be thought worthy who have Slighted Contemned and abused such infinite Mercy Who have returned the Love of God with the basest ingratitude and had no other reason for our Wickedness but that God was Good What an inconceivable Mercy is it that we are not this minute in those unquenchable Flames where the exquisitness of the Torment should oblige us instead of crying for Mercy to breath out horrid Blasphemies And as we slighted his Government here Curse and Dam his severity thee still sinking our selves deeper in the intollerable Misery where will be no Mittigation of the Torment nor end to our sad Affliction Let us constrain all the forces of our Soul to praise God that we are alive entreating his Pardon Let us beg Pardon even for taking that liberty to praise him and withal that he would still help us to praise him more O let us reflect on every thing that may move us to confess our Wickedness and be sorry for our sins The thoughts of these things may well enough put us in a heat and when our Passions are throughly urged vent themselves in Sighs and earnest desires of Reconciliation that both of them may meet with success let us add alms to our Fasting and Prayer for when our Petitions are thus assisted the mercy of God will not deny us a suitable return therefore in the entrance to our Devotion let us set apart something for the Poor and humbly offer it up in the following form O God Blessed be thy Name all things come of thee and of thine own do I now give thee O let this Alms be as an Odour of a sweet smell and acceptable in thy sight Preparitory Prayers before the Communion ALmighty Eternal God thou art the comforter of all that call upon thee thou hast concluded all under sin that thou mightest have Mercy upon all Look upon me O God and have pitty on me lying in my Blood and Misery in my Shame and in my Sins in the fear and guilt of thy Wrath in the shadow of thy Death and in the Gates of Hell I confess to thee O God what thou knowest already but I confess it to glorifie thy Mercy who hast spared me so long I am guilty of the vilest and basest Follies which usually dishonour Fools and the worst of Men I have been Proud and Covetous Envious and Lustful Angry Indevout and Irreligious restless in my Passions Sensual hating wise Counsels and soon weary of the Offices of a Holy Religion I cannot give an account of my Time and I cannot reckon the Sins of my Tongue my Crimes are Intolerable my Imperfections Shameful and my Omissions Innumerable What shall I do O thou preserver of Men I 'm so Vile I cannot express it so Sinful that I 'm odious to my self and I 'm much more Abominable in thy sight I have sinned against thee without Necessity sometimes without Temptation only because I would Sin I have been so Ungreatful Foolish and Unreasonable that I have put out my own Eyes that I might with confidence and without fear sin against so good a God so mighty a Redeemer my sin is grown shameful and aggravated even to Amazement O God I 'm amazed and confounded in thy presence BUT yet O God thou art the healer of our Breaches and the litter up of our Head I must not despair I 'm sure thy gooness is infinite thou doest not delight in the Death of a Sinner my sins though very great are infinitely less than thy Mercies I 'm not worthy to look up to Heaven but be thou pleased to look down into the Dust let me not perish in my Folly or be consumed in thy Displeasure give me time to Repent give me the power of thy Spirit that as by thy Gift and Mercy I intend to amend what is amiss so I may indeed have Grace and Power faithfully to fullfil the same Inspire me with the Spirit of Repentance and Mortification that I may always fight against my sins till I be more than Conqueror Support me with a Holy Hope confirm me with an excellent Operative and unreprovable Faith enkindle a bright and burning Charity in my Soul and grant by the power of thy Spirit I may overcome all Carnal and Spiritual Wickedness be wholly delivered from sin preserved from thy Wrath and at last pass on to the Glories of thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ my Saviour A Meditation of St. Austin BEfore thy Eyes O Gracious Lord we bring our Crimes before thee we expose the Wounds of our bleeding Souls That which we suffer is but little that which we
Union but that being begun here in grace it be consummated in Glory Grant this O merciful Father for thy dear Sons sake Jesus Christ our Lord. ONce more O my Soul contemplate that thou art now a preparing thy self for that Divine Banquet which thy loving Lord instituted a little before those Sufferings and that Death before the breaking of his Body and the sheding of his Precious Sacred and Royal Blood which he declared to be signified by the breaking of the Bread and the pouring out of the Wine for he went that very Night into the Garden where his pious Soul apprehensive of Divine Wrath humbly addressed with reiterated supplications for Relief and being sensible of the miseries of Mankind pressing hard upon his spotless Soul the Torments of the approaching Cross the executing Terrors of the Powers of Darkness and the whole Artillery of an incensed God which he was in little time to graple with they shook his very Nature melted him into streams of Blood and so cast down his Spirits that nothing less than an Angel of the presence was able to mittigate the conflicts of this otherwise insupportable Agony These are but the beginning of Sorrows for no sooner then Mercy overcame the afflicting convulsion of his Soul who was sorrowful to Death but he began to fortifie his kind intentions to poor Man by that inexpressibly loving and unparallel'd Resignation to the will of his Heavenly Father he chearfully proceeded to offer up that Sacrifice which was to appease the Divine Justice for the iniquities of an impious World when after a most exemplary submission to the affronts and injuries of implacable Spirits the ingrateful Malice and supercillious Envy of those who thirsted for his Blood being despitefully abused afflicted and tormented denied by some forsaken by others desolate and comfortless in every sense truly a Man of sorrows was forced to add weight to his past Sufferings and bear the Cross of his own Crucifixion Where O my Soul behold by Faith the Lamb of God lifted up for the sins of the World O humble thy self into the center of thy own nothing for of what punishment oughtest thou to be thought worthy that hast so insensed the Majesty of Heaven to give up the innocent and most Holy Jesus thy best thy only Friend and his dear Son to be Tortured and Tormented for thy sins O how cruelly was he scourged with Wips wounded with Thorns loaden with the Cross torn with Nails pierced with a Spear and racked on the most painful instrument of Death his lovely Face defiled with Blood and Spitting his Ears fill'd with Upbraidings and Curses his Eyes drenched in Tears for the ruine of his Enemies and his Soul amazed at the Terrors of an angry God 'till at length all wounded broken and bloody with many groans yet with admirable patience he breaths out his Soul with infinite Charity and Forgiveness O holy Jesu how excellent is thy Goodness O ye blessed Host of Heaven who rejoice at the conversion of a sinner adore and praise that unknown sorrow which ye your selves contemplate with awful admiration I cannot doubt thy power to ease me because of these Suffrings of thy Love I must not question thy willingness who callest me of thy own accord nor dare I suspect thy sincerity who art Truth it self and always in earnest with poor sinners my Guilt has made me think to fly from thee but thy melting Voice has eneouraged me to turn to thee and laid me prostrate at thy feet groaning under my Offences but if thou wilt pitty me I am safe it thou art pleased I am eased if thou pardon me my burden is gone and if thou wilt take away this intollerable Lord I will then venture to draw nearer even to thy Altar O holy Jesu there to receive more refreshment from thy mercy Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy leaden and I will give you rest These are thy words O Christ for you hast spoken them and they are mine because spoken for my salvation O sweet and amiable words in the ear of a poor sinner by which thou invitest an indigent starv'd wretch to pertake of thy Body But who am I O Lord that I should come The Angels and Archangels reverence thee thy Saints and holy Ones fear before thee and yet thou sayest unto me come Unless thou hast said it who could have believed it to be true Unless thou hadst commanded it who durst have attempted this approach Does my Saviour invite and shall I go Shall a sinner dare to sit down at his Table Does he invite and shall I not go Shall a Wretch presume to refuse his Call Rise then my Soul and take thy swiftest wings and fly to the presence of this great Mystery A Feast of Holy Bread and Holy Wine in representation of thy sacred Body and blood where thy all glorious self is freely to the meanest guest a feast of peace and love and incomparable sweetness to which thy own blest mouth thus kindly callest us But stay am I dressed like a friend of the Bridegroom that I safely may come to the Marriage Supper have I considered how chast those eyes should be which go to behold the God of purity have I considered how clean that mouth should be which presumes to eat that Bread of Heaven but most how all caelestial that Soul should be which aspires to a union with the Body of Christ Oh! how poor and dull and empty am I how infinitly unworthy of so divine a Sacrament yet am I call'd by him that can Command by him that sees and pitties my misery he bids me come he surely will receive me and with his bounteous fullness supply my defects Go then my Soul to that sacred Table and take thy part of that delicious banquet go all inflamed with Love and joy and hope and quench thy holy Thirst with that spring of bliss when thou hast tasted his everlasting sweetness and feelest his heavenly streams flow gently on thee open thy happy breast and suck those Waters in and let them freely run over all thy powers Let them soak deep to the root of thy heart and turn thy barren heath into a fruitful soil fruitful in holy thoughts and pious words fruitful in good just and charitable Deeds fruitful in good examples and God of his infinite goodness confirm all this that my Soul may bless his holy Name here and with the whole host of Heaven sing Hallelujah to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for over hereafter Amen Our Father c. O Lord bless me and keep me this day O Lord make thy Face to shine upon me and be gracious unto me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace this day and for ever Amen The Blessings to be obtained and the sense of our Unworthiness which surely by this time is ingrafted in our hearts will inform us that each moment of this
waiting at his Altar to receive the Bread of Life let us earnestly pray that this Communion may be life to every one that all who are present may meet to Feast in life Everlasting O Thou Eternal Being vouchsafe to bless confirm and strengthen us all who are present before thee deliver us from the day of Condemnation and let us not be confounded when we shall appear before thee in the presence of thy Angels but grant that through the blood of the Cross we may all be cleansed from our sins and presented pure unblamable and irreprovable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter to sing Eternal Hallelujahs to him that sets upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever May what we have now offer'd up to thee O Lord be accepted for the good of the universal World for all those for whom the Holy Jesus shed his most precious Blood for the Glory of thy Holy Name and for the coming of the Holy Ghost that he may please to visit and enlighten all our Hearts O Lord be propitious to the Holy Catholick Church and by the increase of Faith Hope and Charity inlarge its Limits be pleased to remember all that are Fallen all that are in Captivity the Infirm Sick Stranger Fatherless and Widow in great Mercy look upon them all restore heal comfort and relieve them for Jesus Christ his sake Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Amen As soon as the Congregation has communicated let us prepare to glorifie the Lord together in order to it let us reflect upon the Goodness of this God who has done so much for us and if we are attentive to the Prayers of the past Communion 't is impossible to behave our selves coldly or indifferently there is so much life in the expressions that we are forced to utter them with an affectionate concern and the greater our Zeal the greater is the Benefit we receive Each thought must give us an Idea beyond our Expression we shall be so wholly taken up with this wonderful love of Christ that we shall be angry our conceptions are so imperfect that we don't see more clearly this Beauty of Holiness O let us lose our selves in this boundless contemplation and be ravished with the loving kindness of the Lord and now that we are in earnest become the Sons of God we may with confidence lift up our hearts to Our Father which is in Heaven which is the first Prayer the Church has appointed to offer up to God we have been feasting at his Table renewing our Covenants and made pertakers of our Saviour and his Spirit therefore being so clothed 't is very proper our first address be made in his own word After we have repeated that with Reverence let us join in the next for 't is now high time that we make an offering to the God of our Salvation and there is nothing we can give more pleasing than our selves to be a reasonble sacrifice therefore let us intirely dedicate our Souls Body and Spirit to the service of God and be infinitly rejoyced that God is pleased to accept us therein and this will enable us more chearfully to joyn in the following Hymne When our Heavenly King sees us so hearty in his Service so desirous of Pardon that we with the greatest Earnestless cry to the only begotten Jesus Christ and with all so forward to return our humble thanks for his Mercy No doubt he will be near to our Assistance and reward us with more than we can ask or think even exalt us to that state of Glory with him that sits on the right hand of the Father and is most high in the Glory of God After we have thus affectionately joyn'd in the Prayers of the Church let us with Faith and Thankfulness receive the Blessing and then with humble Adoration once more magnifie the goodness of God for who can be weary in praising the noble acts of the Lord PRaise the Lord O my Soul and let all thy Powers be acted with such love and wonder that thou mayest break forth into all the expression of joy and gladness that admiration and gratitude can inspire thee with Glory be to thee O Lord most High Let us rise from our Knees and bow towards the Holy Table shewing our unwillingness to depart the place where his Honour dwells leave it with a reluctance and still say in our hearts 't is good for us to be here They who are arriv'd to such a habit must necessarily desire another opportunity to glorifie God in this manner and be very fond of frequenting his House till this blessed season returns for we are not to think our Duty done with our Prayers we must create a kind of a familiarity with God and no way so likely to do that as by the constant appearance in his House there it is he has promised to be and thither we must come if we would have our Prayers returned with success Though private Devotions be necessary yet the Publick are absolutely so there God is honoured by the company of his Saints and there we have the opportunity to acknowledge him to be the Lord. 'T is there we assemble with one accord to present our Petitions to the Throne of Grace and 't is most likely our Incense should pierce Heaven when it ascends thither in a thick cloud but sure there will be no occasion to use Arguments to those who have felt the Blessings of coming thus together they must see how pleasant it is to dwell in such Unity and prefer the door of the Tabernacle to the Palaces of Princes they who are so unhappy as to be Strangers there who have no taste nor are perswaded of the Truth of these things I could wish they would prevail with themselves to try the deliciousness of the Employment and I am sure they would be obliged to confess not one half has been told them A Meditation for the Communion at Christmas Welcome thrice blessed day the desire of all Nations whose distant glories made the Father of the Faithful to rejoice and whose approaches fill'd the World with wonder and expectation thou wert ushered in with Angelick Hymns and celebrated ever since with Anthems of praise because thou didst bring forth joy and a Redeemer to Mankind Happy am I that have a sacrifice of Thanksgiving in my hand to express the delight which my heart doth feel This Holy Table is the Altar upon which I offer my Acknowledgmets for all mercies And Oh how many how great are those which this day brings to my remembrance so Infinite it cannot be expressed and yet so excellent they must not be forgotten This day hath reconciled Heaven and Earth and Contradictions made freinds to find a way to help us as if nothing might disagree when Man was at peace with God O my Soul summon all thy powers to
Expectations It was the Observation of a great Man That the more exact he was in keeping the Sabbath his Affairs met with the greater Success in the following Week Whether every Body would be thus happy I can't resolve but am sure there can be no Danger in the Trial and if we fail once it may succeed the next However there is sufficient Reward in it self for we shall have the Satisfaction of doing our Duty and that we can't effect more exactly than by a devout Meditation when alone and a serious Attention when at Church They who have Families are to instruct their Houshold in their Duty and see they discharge it by giving good Examples and Instructions and seeing they follow them for when all is done the effectual Preachers are Parents and Masters Ministers may give the best Counsel and preach the greatest Truths but 't is they must see it has its proper Effect in their own Lives and Conversations and in those that belong to them If this were industriously practised what Encouragement would it be to the Ministers to labour more abundantly for the Salvation of their Flock And how should we all rejoice in the Day of the Lord that they had neither run nor labour'd in vain In short Our Communion on this Day ought to be free from Lightness or Vanity not in Worldly Affairs nor Relations of foolish Stories and as little as possible in common Talk no unnecessary Visit nor any where but when we have an Opportunity of doing good This ought to be our constant Care to apply our selves wholly to God and Religion and avoid every thing as much as possible that would take up our Thoughts on any thing else This is truly to sanctifie the Sabbath And they who can thus observe it will find the Benefit even an Everlasting Rest to their Souls in Heaven After we have dined let us retire again and when we have rais'd our Affections by a serious Contemplation let us say A Prayer after Dinner O Thou All-seeing and most holy God! I have been admitted to make my Oblation of Praises and my self unto thee and am infinitely concern'd that thou shouldst accept me therein not for any Merit in me but for thine own Mercy sake O my God thou knowest I have been polluted with Sin undutiful to thy Commands unfaithful to my Promises and confederate with thine Enemies yea even in the time of these holy Mysteries so obdurate and confused that I might justly fear lest my Wretchedness should make my Sacrifice an Abomination I blush that I am not fitter I lament that I should bring so many Defilements where the Purity of an Angel is scarce sufficient But I take Sanctuary in thy more obliging Condescentions and because I am so unworthy will endeavour to esteem my self as vile as really I am in thy sight Oh do not look upon the Defects of a wretched Sinner but remember thine own Mercies and accept what thou hast required of me and so shall thy Favour be more illustrious because it is bestow'd upon so evil and undeserving a Creature and the Sense of my Unworthiness shall enlarge my Thankfulness and make me praise thee more than if I had approached thee with all Perfections It is a mighty Favour to me O God that thou hast made Bread to grow out of the Earth to nourish my mortal Body But Oh! how far hast thou transcended that Mercy in giving me the Bread of Life from Heaven to feed my immortal Soul Whom was there in Heaven or Earth that I could have wish'd for in comparison of Jesus Christ O my Soul bless thou the Lord I went not to gaze or taste of the outward part but to satisfie my Soul by laying hold of the Merits of my Crucified Saviour yet I have receiv'd the Elements and thou hast made them to me that which I needed and desired even the Body and Blood of thy Son Oh how it fills my Soul with Joy to see thy Sacred Majesty appeas'd But O merciful God I tremble in Expectation of those furious Assaults which will be made upon me by my Enemies from whom I am withdrawn O God thou knowest how often I have return'd to Folly But if thou pleasest to plant thy Grace within me and send thy Blessing upon me I will not fear the Powers of Darkness I have receiv'd that Heavenly Food which is the Means of conveying this Grace unto me I know by this Coelestial Remedy many of thy Servants have been dreadful to the Powers of Darkness and thou didst never cast off an humble Soul Oh bless then this Life-giving Mystery unto me that I may find such Power Strength and Resolution flowing from thence that I may stand firm to the Purposes I have made Sweetest Saviour I am now thy Servant Oh deliver me from Anger Malice and Intemperance from Pride Lust and Covetousness and all the Furies which use to torture me O mark me for thine own and deny me not that Grace which is necessary to make me thine I 'm sure in thee all Fulness of Grace dwells and let it now overflow that I may receive of thy Fulness and then shall I always perform my Vows Gracious God I have beheld the Efficacious Sacrifice which thy Son hath offered for us I have remembred it blessed be thy Name for it though not so highly as I am oblig'd for the Benefits are inestimable There is no Want of Merit in Jesus to deserve nor of Mercy in thee to bestow Remission Oh let there not want in me nor in any for whom Christ died grace to accept this Pardon Behold Lord how I struggle under a load of guilt but I have receiv'd that which is an effectual remedy who was ever reconciled to thee but by Jesus or who was ever so much thy Enemy but this Holy Sacrifice has made their Peace and shall it be ineffectual only to me Dear Father let me find the Effecacy thereof in my self and then I shall be engaged to praise thee more and more for this great Salvation through Jesus Christ Our Father c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus c. HAving thus renewed our desires and fired Souls with an ardent love of Christ let us prepare again to meet the assembly of Saints that we may worship God together and give thanks to his Name that we may receive new instructions for the amendment of our Lives and the confirmation of our Faith that we may inlarge our desires after Heaven and see the pleasures of the Habitation of the Lord. At our return home 't will be necessary that we give up our selves to a serious Meditation of our actions this day if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God if otherwise let us humbly beg Pardon Let us be earnest in this Examination for 't is of great moment to be very circumspect now don 't let us cry Peace when 't is far from us and fancy we are reconciled to God when we
are in league with the Devil for so every one is that has not been heartily sorry for his sins and seriously intended a reformation of his Life we must not think our selves perfect because our affections are raised and we seem to have a zeal for the Glory of God for no one can approach this solemnity without transport if we examined our selves before entertained Resolutions of Repentance and come with Faith and Humility though during the Celebration of these Mysteries we had Wandrings evil Thoughts and Disturbances yet if we struggled with them then and are sorry for them now God will receive us into his favour therefore 't is very necessary we should now call our selves to an account be sorry for the ill and bless God for the good which may properly be done in the following form A Prayer at Night BLessed be thy glorious Name O Lord for all thy unspeakable Mercies to me and all the World I adore and magnifie thee for thy great goodness in giving thy Son to die for me and making me partaker of his blessed Body and Blood O Lord what is Man that thou regardest him Or what am I a vile and wretched sinner that thou shouldest be thus favourable to me thou hast been pleased to admit me to renew that Covenant with thee which I had broken and to give me assurance of thy readiness to pardon so vile and great a Sinner as I have been I have received the pledges of thy love and been admitted to thy Holy Table I have there devoted my self again unto thee I have vowed Obedience and after the most solemn manner consecrated my self to thy service Thou art a God that knowest the heart and art not to be mocked I tremble when I consider thy infinit Power Wisdom and Holiness let these thoughts beget in my Soul a great fear of thy Name and care to perform thy Will Grant I may not turn the Grace of thee my God into wantonness and that I may not receive thy grace in vain O Lord help thy Servant keep the possession of my Soul which I have unfeignedly surrendred up to thee O pardon the defect I have been guilty of in the performance of the duties of this day and unite my heart O'Lord to sear thy Name grant that I may spend the remainder of my time in obedience to thee and in acts of Charity to my Brethren create a clean heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me guide me by thy Counsel and at last receive me to thy Glory I do greatly desire the Salvation of Mankind and humbly represent to thy Divine Majesty the glorious sacrifice which our dearest Jesus made of himself upon the Cross and by a never ceasing intercession now exhibits to thee in Heaven in the Office of an Eternal Priesthood in behalf of all that have communicated this day in the divine Mysteries in all the Congregations of the Christian World in behalf of them that desire to communicate and are hindred by any accident sear or the sentence of their own Consciences Give unto me O God and unto them a portion of all good Prayers which are made in Heaven and Earth the intercession of our Lord and the supplications of all thy servants unite us in the band of the common Faith and a holy Charity I humbly commend to thee this Church and Kingdom all our superiors in Church or State have mercy upon all states of Men and Women give thy grace speedily to all wicked persons especially those that I have tempted to sin that they may repent live well and be saved to all good people give an increase of Gifts and Holiness to all Scismaticks and Hereticks grant conversion and to all that have erred from the Truth bring thou into the right way O merciful God I humbly pray unto thee in vertue of our Holy Saviour to grant unto us all the graces of an excellent and perfect Repentance an irreconcilable hatred of sin a love of thee an exact imitation of the Holiness of the Blessed Jesus fox the sake of the Sacrifice of thy Eternal Son O Heavenly Father let it be because it is best and because thou lovest it should be so Amen O God the Father of Heaven whose mercy is over all the World I am infinitly pleas'd to behold thy Glory and to hear the praises which thou hast gotten by thy mercy to poor sinners and I could even pour out my Soul in the manifestation of that joy which my heart conceives at thy universal Honour wherefore I will praise thee by Acknowledgments bless thee with Hymns worship thee with the lowest Reverence and glorifie thee to the utmost of my Power I will give thanks unto thee with all my Soul for thy Pitty Patience and Mercy towards thy unworthy and miserable Creatures How shall I express thy welcome into my Soul blessed Jesus Or how shall I celebrate thy Praises I will remember what thou art in thy self and what thou hast done for us O thou Eternal and only begotten Son of God equal to the Father who art thy self both Lord and God How lovely art thou O thou innocent Lamb of God encircled with Millions of redeemed Souls whom thou hast washed in thy Blood O how illustrious a Brightness shines round thee whilst thou art in the midst of all thy happiness interceeding for poor Sinners I adore thee and long to do thee Honour my Lord and my God hear then my importunate supplications and enable me to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. BLessed Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith who art the same Yesterday as to Day and for ever thou hast given Spiritual means to those that fear thee and wilt ever be mindful of thy covenant but my goodness is as a morning Cloud which soon passeth away my Devotion fleeth like a shadow and never continueth in one stay Oh do thou establish me with thy free Spirit that I may not so easily forfeit my Comfort forget my Duty and break my Vows how unwearied art thou dearest Saviour in doing well unto me How constant is thy Love and shall I be so ungrateful to thee so cruel to my self as to forsake thee and my own Happiness I fear the Power and Policy of mine Enemies I do with shame and sorrow call to mind my former returns to folly I most passionately entreat thee not to leave me to my self I have through thy goodness now obtained some measure of Peace my Eyes are enlightned my Heart revived and my purposes seem to be sincere give me thy grace therefore that I may be able to perform whatsoever I have promised that I may be steadfast unmovable always abounding in thy work O Lord let me hold fast that which I have and daily strive to gain more make me faithful to Death that thou mayest give me a Crown of Life Now the God of Peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ that great Shepherd of the Sheep