the Day of Redemption Let all Men know that the wilfull neglect and refusal of this Sacrament is a damnable Sin of Omission and puts every Man that is guilty of it out of a state of Grace and Salvation And they that neglect to come to this Ordinance when 't is prepar'd for them may very justly fear that God will not bless any other to them For what ground have they to think he will bless one of his Ordinances to them while they neglect another or let them obtain by Prayer and Hearing the Word what he has Commanded them to use this Sacrament for too that they might obtain it And then they that live in neglect of this are in great danger never to be saved by any other means of Salvation Men may perhaps think themselves very good if they keep their Church attend the publick Prayers and sometimes hear sometimes sleep away a Sermon But if they neglect this Sacrament they must expect God will reject all their other performances He that breaks the Law in one point the Scripture says is guilty of all And then he that neglects his Obedience to any one of God's Commands knowingly and wilfully will be lookt upon and treated by Almighty God as if he fulfill'd none of them Oh that Men would seriously lay these things to Heart and consider the terrible Danger which they put themselves into by this Neglect Let us be assur'd that what-ever it is that hinders us from preparing our selves and coming to this Sacrament it is a Snare and Temptation of the Devil the great Adversary of our Souls Who knows the great and saving Efficacy of this Sacrament and therefore would not have Men use it Who knows that if we seriously and frequently attend upon this Means of our Salvation he must despair of ever accomplishing our Destruction Oh let us defeat the malicious design of our Enemy and resist all Suggestions that would beat us off from this practice Let us consider how kindly and lovingly the Lord Jesus the great Lover of Souls invites us to it Come unto me says he all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Let us not give him cause to complain of us and say Ye will not come unto me that ye might have Life Let us consider what noble and inviting Entertainment he has provided for us at this Heavenly Feast He designs to entertain us with assurances of his Love with the Divine Influences of his Holy Spirit with the joyfull pledges and fore-tasts of Heaven and is this what is but fit to be despised Consider at what a costly rate and price He has provided us this Entertainment Even at the price of his own cruel Sufferings and bitter Death and of his most precious Blood If we love our Souls then and have any concern for their Salvation let us prepare our selves and come to this Sacrament as often as we can If we have any true Love to the Lord Jesus our best Friend our kind Saviour who lov'd us and laid down his Life for us Let us earnestly desire and seek the Purchases of his Blood and seek to be made partakers of them in that way in which he has appointed us to do so as we shall certainly do if we really and sincerely desire them I must not insist too long upon this matter If what I have said cannot persuade any unwilling Soul to prepare and come to this Sacrament I would wish that I could but obtain so much of such an one as to read and consider a short Discourse to this purpose written by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury call'd A Persuasive to frequent Communion There he should see the most subtle Insinuations which the Adversary can suggest to with-hold him from his Interest and Duty in this Case utterly baffled and confuted And as there is reason to believe that Discourse has prevail'd upon many so there is reason to expect both from that success and from the strength of it that none can consider it well but it must prevail with him SECT XII Of Fitness to come to this Sacrament BUT the common pretence and excuse that hinders Men from coming to this Sacrament is That they are not fit for it And they are afraid of Eating and Drinking unworthily and of incurring their own Damnation thereby It is therefore the design of this little Book to show what Fitness is requisite for a worthy and profitable Receiving of this Sacrament and to help Men to that Fitness by the Blessing of God which they shall not fail to obtain of Him by Earnest Prayer and the serious and frequent perusal of what is here presented And since in Celebrating this Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we are to renew and confirm this Covenant which we have been speaking of between God and us This will abundantly direct us what Preparation and Fitness is requisite that we may be meet Partakers of it to our profit and comfort And it is necessary that we know what the Terms and Conditions of it are which God requires to be perform'd on our parts and what it offers and promises on God's part This matter therefore has been already for that reason distinctly and somewhat particularly represented In the next place we must unfeignedly and sincerely chuse and lay hold on this Covenant It must be the hearty desire the sincere purpose of our Souls to be engag'd in it To be bound in these happy Bonds which set our Souls at liberty from the Bonds of Sin and Death We must desire the Blessings and seek the Favours of it and readily accept and submit to the Terms and Conditions and declare that we will expect our Salvation upon those Terms And also we must certainly be very thankfull to the Son of God at this Memorial of his Death since He became the Mediatour of this Covenant and has by his Death procur'd the favour of new Terms of Salvation and the Offer of Peace and Reconcilement with God upon so gentle and easie terms And he who has that Knowledge of this Covenant and this good disposition of Mind thereupon that Man is fit for this Sacrament and if he comes he shall be a welcome Guest at the Lord's Table Now as I have represented the Knowledge necessary to this I shall go on to represent also more particularly the good Disposition of Mind which we ought to come with And I shall represent this in such a way as will be fit to form it in Men where it is not or to excite and actuate it and set it into Exercise where it is I shall represent it in the following Acts or Exercises of it Which you may take notice are a lively Description of a very meet Receiver of this Sacrament So that he who would become fit for this Sacrament must read and meditate on those things till he finds those Dispositions and Affections rais'd in him which are therein
it into a Prayer thus O God that searchest the Hearts and triest the Reins of Men and who hast commanded us to come to the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ Thou knowest I have diligently Examin'd my self before I would presume to eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup and have endeavour'd that I might with a true penitent Heart and lively Faith receive this Holy Sacrament that so I may to my great Benefit and Consolation spiritually eat the Flesh of Christ herein and drink his Blood that I may be one with Christ and Christ with Me And that I might not receive the same unworthily nor which I dread to speak be guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ my Saviour and so eat and drink my own Damnation not considering the Lord's Body That I might not kindle thy Wrath against me but find favour in thy sight That I might not provoke Thee to plague me with Temporal Afflictions but obtain the continuance of such Comforts as I enjoy and the bestowing of such as Thou seest most convenient for me That I might not provoke Thee to cut me off by an untimely Death I have according to the direction of thy Apostle seriously judg'd my self Do not thou enter into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified I have repented my past Sins and do repent of them I have endeavour'd to be possest of a lively and stedfast Faith in Christ my Saviour Lord encrease my Faith I resolve to amend by the Assistance of thy Grace what-ever Evil I shall be convinced of in my Life And I heartily seek thy Favour upon this just and reasonable Condition of being in Charity with all Men. O Lord I forgive let me be forgiven And after all I most humbly pray Thee who alone canst do it to make me a meet partaker of these Holy Mysteries Above all I give most humble and hearty Thanks to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the Redemption of the World by the Death and Passion of our Saviour Christ both God and Man Who did humble Himself even to the Death upon the Cross for us miserable Sinners Who lay in Darkness and the shadow of Death that He might make us the Children of God and Exalt us to Everlasting Life I desire at this time with all Thankfulness to remember the Exceeding great Love of our Master and only Saviour in his thus Dying for us and the Innumerable Benefits which by his precious Blood-shedding He hath obtain'd to us I heartily give Him thanks too for that He hath further shown his Love to wretched Sinners in his Instituting and Ordaining Holy Mysteries for Pledges of his Love that we might have the move full Assurance of it and for a continual Remembrance of his Death to our Great and Endless Comfort To Him therefore with the Father and the Holy Ghost I gave as I am most bounden continual Thanks submitting my self wholly to his Holy will and Pleasure and purposing that I will study to serve Him in true Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of my Life Amen In the next place you are to join with the Minister with all Humility and true Godly Sorrow in a Confession of Sins and to receive by Him God's Absolution To the Sentences of Holy Scripture which He next recites to encourage our Faith and Hope in God it may be proper to make in your Hearts some such Answers as these To those Words of our Saviour Come unto me c. Answer Behold O Lord I come Jesus thou Son of David have Mercy upon me To those Words God so loved the World c. Answer O Father of Mercies have Mercy upon me and give me that Faith in thy Son that I may not Perish but have Everlasting Life To the Words of St. Paul This is a true Saying c. Answer Lord I believe the Truth of this and thankfully embrace so Important a Truth O Christ save me one of the chiefest of Sinners To the Words of St. John If any Man sin c. Answer Be Thou O Jesus the Righteous my Powerfull Advocate with the Father O Father accept of his Death as a Propitiation for my Sins To what the Minister says next you are to make the Answers directed and to join with Him in the Praises and Prayers following After that the Bread and Wine is by the Prayer of Consecration set apart to represent the Body and Blood of Christ and while the Ministers are receiving you must look upon the Elements with an Holy Awfull Reverence and sadly call to Mind the Scourging the Buffetings the Crown of Thorns the cruel Nails and Spear which wounded and bruised which tore and kill'd the Loving Jesus You may remember the more terrible Sufferings and sharp Agonies of his Soul which He endur'd especially when He made his Life an Offering for Sin And you should call to mind it was your Sins that gave Him all these Sufferings and Griefs that yet He endur'd them for your Advantage And He was Scourg'd that by His stripes you might be healed He shed His Blood to ransome you from Hell and Misery and died that He might obtain for you Everlasting Life and Happiness And while the rest of the Company are receiving if they are a good Number you will have leisure and may very profitably entertain your self with reading over the foregoing Exercises of Thankfull Remembrance Faith c. And in reading them you may Exercise those Graces as you ought to do If there will not be time to repeat them all you may do well to chuse some such a one or more of them as is most suitable to the present State and disposition of your Mind For the Devout Soul may be at one time more taken up in Admiration and Praise of the Dying Love of Jesus Christ At another time it may be especially possest with a deep Humiliation and Repentance at another time it may be elevated with the Hopes and Joys of Believing Or engag'd in making Earnest Resolutions of Love Obedience and Gratitude to the Great Redeemer Or in Exercises of Charity to the miserable and sinfull World And your Entertainment at this spare time may be chosen accordingly Only this must be advised in relation to this matter That you should make Observation of your self whether you do not too commonly fix your Meditations upon one and the same of these Exercises and so neglect the rest For this must not be allow'd But you must constrain your self if need be to use sometimes one and sometimes another of these that so you may at times Exercise every Grace and by the Exercise encrease in all When you go to Receive and see the Minister approaching with the Sacred Bread which represents the broken Body of our Lord look on it and say Behold my Soul the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing Oh come Lord Jesus take possession of my Soul and dwell Thou for ever with me that I may be the more fit for such a Happiness transform me into thy Likeness by the renewing of my Mind Open ye everlasting Doors of my Heart that the King of Glory may come in When He delivers it to you join with Him and say The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for me preserve my Body and Soul unto Everlasting Life And as you are eating it say within your self O Jesu Thou art the Living and Life giving Bread which cometh down from Heaven which whosoever eateth he shall live for ever Thy Flesh is Meat indeed and thy Blood is Drink indeed On Thee my hungry Soul shall feed by my Faith with hearty Thankfulness Let me tast and find that Thou Lord art Gracious Thou that fillest the Hungry with good things replenish me abundantly with thy Grace Oh let this Divine and Spiritual Food afford me much Spiritual Strength and Refreshment When He delivers the Cup join with Him and say The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for me preserve my Body and Soul unto Everlasting Life And when you have drank it say Thy Love O King of Saints is better than Wine As the Apple-tree among the Trees of the Wood so is my Beloved among the Sons We will remember thy Love more than Wine The Remembrance of thy wondrous Love shall be the frequent and the most pleasant Entertainment of my Life Thy Love O Jesu shall comfort me in my Sorrows shall strengthen me in my Weakness shall quicken and cure my Sloth and Backwardness to my Duty Oh let thy Love even transform me into Love Amen O Father of Mercies and of our Lord Jesus Christ whom thou hast set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood behold I beseech Thee this precious Sacrifice of thy Son Behold it I pray Thee and turn away from me thy poor feeble Creature all the Wrath and Vengeance which my Sins have deserv'd This is that on which I firmly and solely rely to find favour with Thee and this is that in which I know Thou art well-pleased Oh Father of Mercies have Mercy upon me Deal always with thy Servant according to thy Mercy And teach me thy Statutes that I may hereafter serve and please Thee in Newness of Life And I humbly hope and desire to be accepted with Thee through the Merits and Mediation of thy beloved Son who died for our Sins and rose again for our Justification is now set down at thy right hand and ever lives to make Intercession for us Amen Taking notice of the Sacrament deliver'd to others you may thus improve it Jesus the rich and bounteous Lover has good things in store for as many as come unto Him Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him Of his Fulness do all we receive and Grace for Grace See my Soul see here thy Master's Bounty and Love See Him here giving even Himself to His Friends My Soul if Jesus so lov'd us all we ought also to love one another This Commandment has He left us that He who loves God should love his Brother also Study then what Offices of Love and Kindness it may lie in thy Power to do to any of these thy fellow Communicants and resolve upon it for the Kind Jesus will take it as even done to Him If thou love Him truly thou must needs love those whom He loves Thou must pity them in all their Distresses Spiritual and Temporal whom He has pitied in their Misery at so costly a Rate Thou must learn to forgive those whom He forgives Thou must be liberal according to thy Power and their Necessities to those whom thou seest the Objects of his Bounteous Love And especially thou must charge thy self not to Hate not to do any Despite or Injury to any of these for even that too would He take as done to Himself Thou must not despise any of these for their mean Condition in this World He may have made the poor of this World rich in Faith Thou must not envy nor grudge at any of them whom the Providence of God has favour'd more than He has done Thee in the Blessings of this World Thou must take heed always that thy Carriage be not a Scandal and Occasion of Sin to any of these that thou destroy not Him whom Christ died for And blessed be thy Name O Lord for these sweet and pleasant Laws I willingly bind my self O Jesu to Observe these thy Laws of Love Oh thou great Pattern of Love learn me to Love O Kindest Jesu thy Body was broken and is divided amongst us to unite us to Thee and to one another Let it be amongst us a Common Incentive of Mutual Charity Let it be in its Effects Unity of Spirit among us a Bond of Peace and all Righteousness of Life in our Carriage one towards another O Thou the Great Fountain of Love pour it abundantly into my Heart and into the Hearts of all thy Faithfull People That we may abound in Love one towards another and by thus bearing thy Glorious Character and Likeness in Love may show to all Men that we are indeed thy Disciples Amen When all have Communicated and the Minister begins the Prayers that remain you are to leave off all private Devotions and to join with Him and the Congregation to the End After He has pronounced the Blessing you may privately say To Him that loved us and wash'd us from our Sins in his own Blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father To Him with the Father and the Holy Ghost be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen Then rising from your Knees kindly and courteously salute your Fellow Communicants at the parting of the Congregation Some Private Devotions at Home after the Communion SECT XX. A Meditation on the Communion OH my Soul seriously consider how thou hast been honour'd how thou hast been entertain'd in the House of God this Day Thou hast been a Guest to the King of Saints the Lord of Life and Glory Divine Love has been thy Heavenly Entertainment and Man did eat Angel's Food Thy Saviour thy Friend has brought Thee into his Banqueting-House his Banner over Thee was Love Thou canst not surely very soon forget the Pleasures of this Feast Has it not left behind it a very pleasing relish Has it not put thy Mouth quite out of tast towards the things of this World It is very fit that it should do so It would become Thee for some time after this to account this World's best Delights to be but four and infipid and certainly if thou meditate upon the good Entertainment thou hast had it will be so Jesus the Glorious Son of God was Master of the Feast thou
A Familiar Guide TO THE Right and Profitable Receiving OF THE LORD's SUPPER Wherein also the Way and Method of our SALVATION is briefly and plainly Declar'd By Theophilus Dorrington LONDON Printed by J. H. for Brab Aylmer at the Three Pigeons over-against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill 1695. TO THE QUEEN'S MOST Excellent Majesty May it please Your Majesty TO permit me most Thankfully to Acknowledge That it is Your MAJESTIES very Gracious Approbation of Another Endeavour to revive the Decay'd Piety and Vertue of the Age which as it Animates me to proceed in that and has almost brought it to Perfection so it was the great Encouragement of this In which I have endeavour'd to persuade and direct to the right use of this Blessed Sacrament Which is perhaps the best and most Effectual means that our Lord has left in his Church to promote and maintain in it the Love of God and of our Neighbour And may it please Your Sacred MAJESTY to give leave That I may Encourage my self from the Favour mention'd to Implore and Hope for the Honour of Your MAJESTIES Patronage to this Small Piece also I am and desire to be as long as I live Your MAJESTIES Most Obedient and Dutifull Subject Theophilus Dorrington AN Advertisement I Have in this little Book distinctly stated and represented that Solemn Covenant with Almighty God which we all of us enter into in our Baptism Because since the Receiving of the Lord's Supper is design'd for a Renewal and Confirmation of that Covenant the distinct Knowledge of that is necessary to our Fitness for this Sacrament And I have further dispers'd through the whole many weighty Arguments to Induce Men to keep close to that Covenant It being to us the Onely Way of Salvation That so I might at once promote in many a Religious and Good Life a Fitness for this Sacrament and the Attainment of their Everlasting Salvation And having made this the Subject and Scope of this Book I think it may not be amiss to suggest that it is very fit to be recommended and presented by those who have taken upon them the Charitable Office of being God-fathers or God-mothers to such as they have presented to God at the Sacred Font. It is the Certain Duty of these Spiritual Parents and the Charge laid upon them by the Church to concern themselves afterwards and take all the Care they can That the Child may be taught as soon as it is able to learn what a Solemn Vow Promise and Profession it has made by them This Duty and Charge they would hereby in some measure perform especially if they would also concern themselves after a time to know what Vse their Spiritual Children have made of it Certainly if the Duties and Charge of this most usefull Spiritual Relation were conscientiously minded and in this and the like ways perform'd we should not see so much deplorable Wickedness among Professours of Christianity as there is and we might reasonably hope to see the next Generation at furthest deliver'd from the Vices and Madness of this And since this Covenant is implied in Baptism when it is not express'd in our Way This Book will be usefull to be read in all Families in order to train up Young People in the Knowledge of their Engagements to God and in the Way of their Salvation and to a Fitness for this Blessed Sacrament that they may be confirm'd in that Way To Adapt it the better to such an Vse I have added in the End a Prayer which is proper to be used after the reading of any part of the Book in the Family or Closet I think fit to recommend this Book also to the Societies of Religious Young Men in and about this City That they may hereby at a cheap Rate and with little Labour gain a right Vnderstanding and a distinct Knowledge of the Nature and Design of this Blessed Sacrament To whom as Young Persons this may be necessary and usefull Advice That they do not satisfie themselves with Ardent and Devout Affections in their coming to the Sacrament but endeavour to have their Judgments well informed too For as it will be of great Advantage to them towards a Holy and Good Life to have their Devotion built upon the Foundation of a solid Knowledge so without this the Adversary of their Souls will have many Advantages against them To whom as the Glory of our Time I most heartily wish that Grace Mercy and Peace may be exceedingly multiplied from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ The CONTENTS of this Book Sect. 1. Introduction p. 1 Sect. 2. The Creation of Man p. 5 Sect. 3. The First Covenant p. 9 Sect. 4. The Sacraments of That p. 11 Sect. 5. The Sin and Fall of Man p. 14 Sect. 6. The New Covenant p. 17 Sect. 7. On Our Part. p. 20 Sect. 8. On God's Part. p. 31 Sect. 9. The Sacraments of this Covenant p. 37 Sect. 10. The Lord's Supper a Confirmation of it p. 42 Sect. 11. An Earnest Persuasive to the Lord's Supper p. 51 Sect. 12. Of Fitness to come to this Sacrament p. 60 Sect. 13. An Exercise of Thankfull Remembrance of the Death of Jesus Christ p. 64 Sect. 14. An Exercise of Repentance p. 89 Sect. 15. An Exercise of Good Resolutions p. 100 Sect. 16. An Exercise of Faitb p. 111 Sect. 17. An Exercise of Charity p. 123 Sect. 18. Prayers for Preparation p. 139 Sect. 19. Directions for a Devout Behaviour at the Communion p. 147 Sect. 20. A Meditation on the Communion p. 164 Sect. 21. Prayers for a suitable Conversation p. 179 Sect. 22. A Prayer of Recollection p. 183 A Familiar Guide TO The Right and Profitable Receiving of the Lord's Supper SECT I. The Introduction Christian Reader THOU hast here represented to thee in a little room I think all that is necessary to render thee a meet and profitable Receiver of the Holy and most Comfortable Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. And I suppose it is in such a Manner represented as is most fit and likely with the Blessing of God to possess thee with all the Qualifications requisite in him that comes to this Sacrament if thou wilt afford this little Book a serious and frequent perusal If thou hast been so unhappy and so much mistaken in thy true Interest as never to have laid these things to Heart before and to have liv'd in the neglect of this Blessed Ordinance I would advise I would entreat thee often to read and study these things till thou art familiarly acquainted and deeply affected with them that thou mayest to thy Advantage come well prepar'd to this Sacrament If the things herein contain'd have already affected thy Heart and had a good Influence on thy Life and thou art a frequent Attendant upon this Sacrament it may suffice to read this Book as often as thou canst on the Week before thou comest to it as a good Weeks preparation for
shall shew forth thy Praise SECT XV. An Exercise of good Resolutions OH Crucified Jesus Great Martyr of Love I cannot chuse but acknowledge and admire and praise the exceeding Greatness of thy dying Love Much it is O Lord that I reckon my self beholden to thee And what Oh what shall I render unto the Lord for all his Kindness and Benefits Lord when I ransack my store I am asham'd I am utterly abasht to find how poor it is Oh what can a Creature return to his Maker What can I give that have nothing to give Who am nothing but what I have deriv'd from thee Thy Goodness indeed is such that thou requirest no more than we are able to render and with that thou art well-pleased But that O Lord is so little that I cannot be satisfied with it Oh let thy Fulness of all Excellent Grace thy Fulness of Love fill me with all true Excellency and Love that I may be the better and the worthier Gift to thee Dearest Jesu For the Love of thee I readily renounce all the flattering Vanities of this World all the most necessary Enjoyments of it that I may steadily Honour and Enjoy thee I account all things but Loss and Dung and will not count my Life dear that I may finish my Course of Duty with joy and may win Christ But especially O Lord for love of thee I do here utterly renounce abdicate and abhorr all my most darling Sins And it grieves me exceedingly that I should ever be so base as to entertain any Rivals of the Loving Jesus in my Heart O Lord I hate them so much the more now by how much the more I have formerly lov'd them I will utterly cast them out of my Heart no more shall they harbour there no longer will I entertain no longer cherish those thine Enemies What! Can I be kind to the bloody Crucifiers of my Lord See my Soul see these Murderers all daub'd with the Blood of thy Saviour Away from me ye hatefull Things We will now instantly part never I hope to meet again never to be acquainted more Begone without delay I will thrust you out of my Soul you have no right to abide here Jesus alone has right to possess and rule me Away vile Envy I cannot endure the sight of thee Begone my Covetousness My Malice I hate thee My Sensuality I will starve thee My Pride I will humble thee My Idleness thou hast made me so much work to do that I am resolved I see it absolutely necessary to banish thee for ever from me All my Lusts and vile Affections begone ye shall have no more kind usage here do not expect it Jesus has all my Love I have none for you I am all his I am no more for ye Begone ye hatefull Tyrants of my Soul Jesus a kind and gracious Master imposes gentle Tasks but you lay heavy Burdens upon me His Yoke is easie and his Burden light but your Commands are rigorous and intolerable Jesus has shown me great and wondrous Love Ye promise me much satisfaction and kindness but perform nothing No ye have cheated and deceiv'd me Ye have robb'd me of my Peace robb'd me of my Dignity and Glory and which is more ye have robb'd me of the Favour of my God What can you do for me if you should do all that you promise which is never to be expected that is comparable with what He can do for me what He is willing and has faithfully promised to do for me if I will but hate and forsake you or with what Jesus has already done to testifie his God-will and Kindness to me Jesus made Himself of no reputation for my sake and that He might advance me to the highest Honour But ye would expose me to the utmost Contempt of God Angels and Devils Jesus has died for me that I might live for ever but ye would kill me Jesus rules to save but you to destroy His Rewards are Eternal Life and Happiness but your Wages is Death and Misery everlasting When I come to die what fruit what comfort can I expect from you Alas all that you could ever gain will leave me then if it be not gone before and I must go a poor naked friendless Stranger into the Eternal World yea for your sakes I must if I do not cast you off appear a hated guilty Rebel before my Lord and Judge and be exposed to all the Terrours of Divine Wrath. But the Love of Jesus will not then forsake me Neither Tribulation Distress Persecution nor Death it self shall ever separate me from the Love of Jesus if I will but be divorced from you And Jesus is King of the other World and will send his kind Angels to receive my departing Soul out of the mean Tabernacle of my Body and to conduct it to a glorious Mansion To welcome it from the Miseries of this sinfull World to congratulate my happy Victory over you my Enemies and carry me in Triumph to a place of Bliss and to be with Christ Can I then so much abandon my Reason so much mistake my Interest as to have any more to do with you O Lord the Great Redeemer have Mercy upon me and deliver me from these tyrannous Masters Thy Service is perfect Freedom in keeping thy Commands there is great Reward Set my Soul I pray at liberty to run the Ways of thy Commandments As for these thine Enemies and mine bring them forth and let them be slain before thee Root them perfectly out of my Heart Let them from henceforth be in a decaying languishing Condition never thrive more and quickly die I will never be satisfied till I see them utterly deprived of all Motion Sence and Life O Jesu thy Cross thy Nails thy Spear are due to these Let them from thence receive many mortal Wounds that thou mayest never be displeased nor I troubled or disparaged with them any more for ever O Crucified Love thou hast prevented me by thy Love and infinitely exceeded all that I can return But I will learn of thee to Love and follow thee as well as I can Thou hast given thy self for me on the Cross and givest thy self to me in this Sacrament Behold O Lord I offer my self to thee my whole self I offer and bring thee all the Faculties of my Soul all the Members of my Body I offer my Sences and my Passions I offer all my Thoughts my Words and my Actions I offer all my Designs and Endeavours All the Labours of my worldly Calling all the Adoration of my Worship and Devotions I offer thee all my Possessions in the World all the Persons that I can command and influence to worship honour and serve thee I offer thee all the Days of my Life I offer thee my Death when thou wilt please to require it and both Living and Dying I desire to be thine I desire to be entirely thine Oh how dearly hast thou bought this poor Gift Never was
so great a Price beside this paid for any Creature I will live to my Love that died for me I will henceforth look upon my self as a devoted consecrated Thing and will ever endeavour to remain so and to carry my self as such I will never be willingly employed but as thou commandest and as thou allowest Lord for thy sake I will love thy Law and it shall be my Meditation all the day I will love thy Commandments above Gold and all false ways I will utterly abhorr Dearer shall thy Commandments be to Me than Thousands of Gold and Silver and sweeter than Honey from the Comb. I will love nothing but what thou lovest and will hate what-ever is displeasing to thee I am heartily griev'd O Lord that I have ever lov'd any thing but thee while I neglected to love thee I am heartily ashamed to think that I should place no Affection where all I could offer is but due and bestow all where little or none was due Especially does it vex and grieve me that I should be so monstrously ungratefull and mistaken as to love any thing more than the loving Jesus Hereafter dearest Lord I purpose to love nothing but far below thee and for thy sake what-ever I do love And what is most like thee or most serviceable to thy Honour and Glory shall have the most of my Love Henceforth it shall be my Honour that I am a Servant of Jesus It shall be my delight and pleasure to be a lover of Jesus it shall be my most valued Wealth that He is mine and I am His. Whom have I in Heaven but thee O Lord and there is none on Earth that I can desire in comparison to thee And therefore nothing can be so sweet to me nothing can afford me so much satisfaction and joy as to be able to say of thee My Beloved is mine and I am His For me to be thine O Jesu is my Honour my Security my Peace and Happiness everlasting For thee to be mine is health to my Soul strength to do thy Commandments it is Joy unspeakable and full of Glory it is Heaven on Earth and the Heaven of Heaven it is Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption to me O rich and bounteous Love I am thine O Lord with all my Soul that thou mayest be mine Oh how much shall I gain by giving my self to thee I shall gain my self and be saved from Everlasting Perdition and I shall gain Everlasting Happiness in the Enjoyment of thee I am thine O Jesu save me I have sought thy Precepts Lord sanctifie me wholly that in Body Soul and Spirit I may be thine Take a full possession of me for the future and let not any other Lords have Dominion over me O Lord I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments I purpose to be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the Work of the Lord as knowing that my Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. I am thine dispose of me as thou pleasest I will bear thy Yoke I will not decline thy Cross I will not despise thy shame The reproach of Christ shall be to me greater Riches than the Prosperity of this World Let but thy Grace be sufficient for me and then call me to what thou pleasest I can do all things through Christ strengthening me Lord I shall not I hope fear or decline to suffer for thy sake No though I should die with thee I purpose not to deny thee But alas it troubles me to think how weak and vain all my Resolutions are and how soon they will come to nothing without thy continual support and assistance This troubles me but it is my comfort that thy Grace is easily obtain'd it may be now had for asking of it O shield me by thy Grace against all Temptations Hold up my goings in thy Word that my footsteps slip not Guide thou me by thy Counsel till thou hast brought me to thy Glory SECT XVI An Exercise of Faith I Believe there is onely one true and living God who is the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost An Infinite Eternal Perfect Being the Maker and Preserver Owner and Governour of All things Who has right to the Homage Worship and Obedience of Mankind Who has laid upon us his Laws and takes notice of our Behaviour That his Eyes behold all the Dwellers upon Earth and try the Children of Men That He is always nigh to every one of us for it is in Him that we live move and have our Being I believe O Lord that thou art and art a Rewarder of those that diligently seek thee Thou hast appointed a Day wherein thou wilt Judge the World in Righteousness and render to every Man according to his Works That those who are found wicked in that Day shall go away into Everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal But I believe also that to the Lord our God belong Mercies and Forgivenesses though we have rebelled against Him if in the way of his appointment we seek his Pardoning-Mercy Thou hast O Lord Blessed be thy Name preclaim'd thy self a God forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin And declarest that thou desirest not the Death of a Sinner but had rather that he should turn from his Wickedness and live O wonderfull Condescension and Goodness Oh how sweet is thy Mercy How glorious and great The exceeding vileness and the unreasonableness of our Sins do magnifie thy Mercy beyond all Comprehension and Praise Favour and Forgiveness to a base Sinner is that the Sinner could not expect till thou hadst declar'd it should be obtain'd and didst graciously offer it When we were sunk into the most abject Misery by a vile Rebellion against thee had render'd our selves obnoxious to thy Eternal Hatred and Wrath and deserv'd to follow the Apostate Angels in their Fate and Damnation as we had follow'd them in Rebellion Then did thy Infinite Wisdom contrive how to show us Favour in a way consistent with thine own Honour Thou didst find out a way to spare Us and to punish our Sins to glorifie thy Justice in taking Vengeance on our Inventions and thy Mercy in saving the wretched Sinners And God so lov'd the World that He gave his onely-begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Thou gavest O Father thine Onely-begotten Son to the Condescension and Meanness of taking our Nature upon Him and to die a Sacrifice for our Sins and on him thy well-beloved Son didst thou lay the Iniquities of us all And in his Death thou hast receiv'd a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice Oblation and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World Thou hast laid our Help on one that is Mighty and able to save to the uttermost all that come into God by Him We adore thy Incomprehensible Goodness and Compassion to Sinners Thou art abundant Oh God in Goodness and Truth Thy Mercy is over all
Let thy Gospel of Holiness Peace and Love O Jesu run and be glorified from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same With great Trouble and Concern O Lord I consider how much of the wretched World lies in Wickedness O how sad a Thought is it that such a Saviour should be offer'd to Men and so few receive Him How sad is it to think that so many Thousands of Souls for whom Christ died are likely to go down into the dismal Caves of Hell that so many who might be Eternally happy and praise thee for ever will destroy and throw themselves into Everlasting Misery Rivers of Waters run down mine Eyes because Men make void thy Law A Law so rich in Love and so condescending in Grace I am troubled O Lord because they do not love thee and because they will destroy themselves Because they affront and rebell against thy most obliging Goodness and neglect so great Salvation as it offers them Oh that I could save many precious Souls from their Destruction Oh that I could pluck them as Brands out of the Burning As far as I am able and as becomes me to do in my place and station I will endeavour to cure the Epidemical Wickedness of the Times I live in I will earnestly endeavour to keep those Souls that are under my Authority and Power and that are of my Neighbourhood and Acquaintance and whom I can have any influence over from going down to Everlasting Perdition I will follow all that I may with Advice and Counsel and those that I may not pretend to advise I will endeavour to entreat that they would be saved And those whom I ought to do this to I will reprove and correct for any Wickedness that I observe in them I will propagate as well as I can the saving Knowledge and the Love of thee among the Ignorant and Careless and those whom their Poverty hinders from providing for themselves By giving among them according to my Ability such means of their Instruction and Reformation as thy Favour has afforded the Publick I am greatly troubled and concern'd at the Miseries and Calamities which I hear of or see in the World That thy Creatures whom thou didst make that thou mightest love them and that they might be happy should pull upon themselves so much Misery from thy just Wrath and deserved Vengeance Oh how sad is it to think of Thousands of People going down alive into the Pit swallow'd up by sudden Earthquakes and in a moment snatch'd hence into Eternity without any time to prepare for their Departure How it grieves me to think of the sad Effects of Pining Famine in some places of Infectious and Pestilential Diseases in others It wounds my Soul to consider the wofull Calamities and Desolations that attend Horrid Wars Oh how deplorable a thing is it that Men should seek to spill the Blood of Men and give the Carkasses of their own Kind for a Prey to Birds and Wild Beasts Lord rebuke the proud Disturbers of the World abate their Pride asswage their Malice and confound their Devices Grant that Wars may cease in all Lands and gentle Love and happy Peace abound Prosper good Lord those that Endeavour for a just and safe Peace that they may attain it and scatter thou the People that delight in War Oh that thy Judgments which are abroad in Earth might make the Inhabitants of the World to learn Righteousness and turn themselves to thee who hast smitten them that thou mayest head them As a Member of thy Blessed Church I am particularly concern'd for the Tranquillity and Peace and the true Spiritual Glory and Prosperity of that O Lord purge out of thy Church what-ever does displease thee and is destructive to the Souls of Men. Purge out of it what-ever is an Offence to those without Possess all Christians with this That they are oblig'd to Endeavour that their Carriage may adorn and recommend their Religion in the sight of the Infidels and to take care their Light may so shine before Men that they seeing their Good Works may Glorifie their Father which is in Heaven Purge thy Church we pray thee from all false Doctrines and Heresies from Prophaneness and Persecution from Superstition and Cruelty from Envy Hatred Malice and all Uncharitableness Bring into the Way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived Raise up them that are fallen confirm and strengthen those that stand in Piety and Vertue and Profession of the Truth Comfort those parts of thy Church that mourn and are oppress'd under a Barbarous Persecution And let thine own Right-hand and Holy Arm in thy due time give them a mighty Salvation O God of Love O Prince of Peace and God of Order we pray thee let thy Gospel abundantly promote these good things in thy Church Grant that there may be no hurting nor destroying in all thy Holy Mountain That all the Members of the Church as Members of the same Body and of one another may have a Cordial Affection to each other Carrying themselves with all lowliness and meekness to each other and with long-suffering forbearing one another in Love Grant that as there is but one Lord Jesus Christ whom we all pretend to Love and Reverence as there is but one true Faith one Baptism one God and Father of us all so we may all with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie thee our God Grant that every Member of the Church may so know and keep its preper place that there may be no Schism in the Body O Jesu King of Love fill with thy kind and gentle Spirit all Christian Kings Princes and Governours Let no proud Wrath no malicious Envy no greedy Covetousness no turbulent Ambition reign in any of them Grant that they all knowing whose Ministers they are may above all things seek thy Honour and Glory And that they may study to preserve the People committed to their Care in Wealth Peace and Godliness That they may truly and indifferently administer Justice to the Punishment of Wickedness and Vice and to the Maintenance of thy true Religion and Vertue Especially O Lord we intreat thee to regard with pecullar Favour thy Servants WILLIAM and MARY our most Gracious King and Queen Let thy Wisdom direct them in all their Administrations Thy Almighty Power promote their Good Designs that under them we may be Godly and Quietly Govern'd Let thy Bounteous Goodness shower upon them abundantly all Personal Blessings for their Bodies and for their Souls to their long Prosperity in this Life and their Everlasting Happiness in the next Since by their Wisdom and Care by their Love to Thee and Goodness to Us with thy Blessing upon their Endeavours we enjoy the happy Liberty of thy House and these thy Blessed Ordinances to the joy and comfort of our Souls we will never fail to remember them in all our Prayers and Supplications unto thee Pour down an Abundance of thy Spirit we pray thee
Reason we may grow also in the Knowledge of our part in this Covenant and may come to Understand what we are bound to And that the Baptized person himself may ratifie and confirm his Baptismal Engagement he must when he can exercise his Reason and know his part of this Covenant readily chuse and consent to it and solemnly renew it And so he must make it his own Act and Deed to devote himself to God This our Church has very justly ordered should be solemnly and publickly done in the receiving of Confirmation A thing alas too much neglected to the great decay of true Christian Piety among us But if this were duly and generally practised we should in all likelihood see more persons live according to their Baptismal Vow and as becomes Christians than commonly do But this Discourse is design'd chiefly to bring Men prepar'd to the Lord's Supper that they may worthily and profitably Receive that And therefore it must not be diverted so as to insist long on any other Subject but what is necessary and serviceable to that design and end of it SECT X. The Lord's Supper a Confirmation of this Covenant I Shall now therefore bring the Discourse more close to this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper which has been all this while leading and aiming towards it And I shall begin to discourse particularly of that by showing That it is appointed and design'd by God as a Faederal Rite and is to be used as such by us As a Ceremony wherein this New Covenant between God and Man is renew'd and confirm'd This by a little search we shall soon find to be very Evident in Holy Scripture Our Saviour Himself when He first instituted this Sacrament speaks thus of it as He was delivering the Cup to his Disciples This Cup is the New Covenant in my Blood Luke 22. 20. For what our Translation renders Testament there had been more exactly and properly render'd Covenant Our Saviour's plain meaning is this Take this Cup as the Instrument of Conveyance to you of the Divine Blessings of the Covenant of Grace which are the inestimable Purchases of my precious Blood Again when our Lord says of the Bread in this Sacrament This is my Body which is given for you and of the Cup This is my Blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the Remission of their Sins He plainly means That this Sacrament is intended to renew to us the Blessings and Favours which are the Purchases of his meritorious Death and his Sacrifice which He offer'd to God in Dying for us And the Apostle Paul plainly teaches us to understand our Lord thus For He says of the Bread in this Sacrament It is the Communion of the Body of Christ and of the Cup It is the Communion of the Blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10. 16. By Communion he means the Communication of these It is faithfully intended by God that in the Use of this Sacrament those who are fit Receivers shall partake of the Body and Blood of Christ and this Bread and this Cup shall be the Communication of the Body and Blood of Christ to them These outward Elements of broken Bread and Wine poured out shall bring with them to those humble and prepar'd Souls which receive them this Spiritual Grace Which means they shall be partakers of the Benefits and Blessings purchased by the breaking or wounding of the Body and the shedding of the Blood of our Saviour the Blessings procur'd by the valuable Sacrifice of his Death which are the Blessings of the New Covenant fore-mention'd This Sacrament is Ordain'd of God to be a Pledge and Conveyance of these Blessings and shall actually and infallibly be so to meet Receivers God will never be wanting to his Sacraments nor leave them without the Efficacy He designs them for if the Receivers of them be not wanting to themselves He faithfully intends the Renewal and Confirmation of this Covenant with us in this Sacrament and will actually do it if we sincerely intend the same thing And that the Renewal of our part of the Covenant at this Sacrament is expected and required by God cannot chuse but be very easily apprehended When God offers good things upon Terms and Conditions He requires the binding our selves to perform those Conditions if we would partake of those Good Things and our embracing the Offers He makes implies and ought to imply the accepting of those Terms and the engaging our selves to perform those Conditions To be sure God never intends we shall be partakers of those Good Things without performing those Conditions When 't is said God gives the Holy Spirit to them that ask him 't is implied that asking is the necessary Condition and Means of having When 't is said God gave his only begotten Son that they who believe in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life 'T is required that Men believe as a Condition of their obtaining Everlasting Life So when 't is said Jesus Christ is the Authour of Salvation to them that obey Him and Repent that your Sins may be blotted out These things evidently imply that our Sins shall not be forgiven unless we repent of them nor will the Blessed Jesus Himself be a Saviour to us if we do not devote our selves to his Service and give up our selves to follow his Example and Conduct Now this being the constant Tenour of the Gospel We must needs conclude that when we are offer'd to be made partakers of these Blessings in this Sacrament it is required that if we desire them we must bind our selves to perform such Conditions Our receiving therefore of those things which are God's Pledges and Conveyances of those Blessings upon Conditions is an outward profession and declaration that we bind our selves to do what is required of us And if that outward Profession be not attended with an inward and sincere Intention it is a horrid Hypocrisie and makes a Man undoubtedly guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ He is reckon'd to have abused and profan'd the Body and Blood of Christ as did the wretched Men that slew Him The receiving these Elements in the Sacrament is an Outward Profession and Declaration that we accept of God's Covenant and then it certainly binds us sincerely to intend our performance of the Conditions of it The Apostle plainly gives us this Instruction in 1 Cor. 10 in that he intimates the partaking of this Sacrament to be a Rite of the same Nature and Signification with the Eating of the Sacrifices which had been offer'd to any God As the Eating of those Sacrifices therefore signified the Owning Him for God to whom the Sacrifice had been made and so the obliging of themselves to worship and obey Him and the reliance upon that Sacrifice to find Favour and obtain a Blessing from Him so the Eating of the Lord's Supper must be reckon'd to imply and declare the same Professions and Engagements This is the Eating of a Sacrifice
express'd And he that would know or find himself fit for this Sacrament must examine himself by them and see whether they represent the state and disposition of his Mind or not And if a Man be habitually possess'd with such a good state of Mind as these things will be I believe very agreeable to him so they will be of use to stir up that disposition into Exercise and to an actual Fitness for this Sacrament As Fire is wont to kindle Fire in matter that is apt and disposed to receive it Further He that would behave himself rightly and duly at the Sacrament to his Comfort and Benefit as he must have his Mind then fill'd with such Thoughts and Affections as are here represented so the reading of these things there if he has leisure will be usefull to possess him with such Thoughts and Affections And lastly He that would maintain the good disposition of Mind which he has at the Sacrament may very profitably for that purpose read and meditate on these things afterwards Which will be as usefull to cherish and maintain yea and to improve in us this disposition of Mind as they are to form it All this use I dare pretend may be made of these Exercises following SECT XIII An Exercise of Thankfull Remembrance of the Death of Jesus Christ LOrd I am not worthy to live if I do not always remember the exceeding great Love of my Lord and only Saviour Jesus Christ in dying for me and if I do not most affectionately consider and observe the many incomparable Benefits which by his precious Blood shed he hath obtain'd for Sinners My Soul That thou mayest know in some measure the wondrous heighth the breadth the depth the length of the Love of God in Christ Jesus That thou mayest entertain the larger Apprehensions of that Love which exceeds all finite Knowledge Thou must enlarge thy Thoughts and take in all thou canst of these Dimensions of it Consider what a Depth of Wretchedness and Misery Jesus rescues poor lost Mankind from Consider what a glorious Height of Honour and Happiness he designs to advance them to Consider who the Excellent Person is that has done all this for us Consider what it cost Him to procure for us such a Redemption Behold the most amazing but the most pleasing Prospect in the World Redeeming Love Dwell in the Contemplation of this for surely it is good to be here As for the Condition into which thou wert sunk It was the vilest and the most miserable that a Creature could fall into It was perfectly miserable for thou hadst utterly lost the Favour of thy Maker the Fountain-Good and forfeited all Right and lost all Hopes of ever being Happy Thou wert become a vile Sinner odious to the Pure and Holy God and wert as contemptible as miserable Thou wert obnoxious to the Eternal Wrath and just Vengeance of the Almighty Thou didst deserve to be thrown into the deep Lake of Fire and Brimstone where is Eternal Woe and Sorrow Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth where the Wrath of God burns for ever and the Fire will never be quenched from whence there shall be no returning Where wretched Creatures are Furies to themselves and more than double all the Torments of Hell with this tormenting Thought that they must all endure for ever They will know no intermission or respite they will never come to an End This is the sad portion of Sinners And this must all Mankind after a few complaining days spent in this low mortal Life have been thrown into And there was no Creature in Heaven or Earth could possibly have prevented this Doom no it could never have been avoided if Jesus had not concern'd himself to help us And he has taken away the necessity of our Destruction has render'd this Woe and Misery now an avoidable Thing Is not this a glorious Benefit Look down my Soul in serious Thoughts into that horrid Dungeon and Lake of Fire Imagine as thou mayest well that many wretched Souls are already plung'd into it who squander'd away the day of Life the precious time allow'd them of making their peace with God and to avoid these Miseries Think thou seest them wallowing in Flames pierced through with Fire and in all parts themselves on a Flame And be sure if thou could'st hear them thou should'st hear the most dismal Howlings bitter Complaints some cursing the day that ever they were born and all at times cursing themselves as causes of their own ruine And think now if one of these despairing Souls should have an Angel sent to it that should open the Prison-doors and let him out and send him into this World again to be in a condition and possibility of avoiding all this misery would he not account this a wonderfull Favour Such as he could never praise enough Such as could never be worthily requited It is in truth not less than this that thou art beholden to the Love of Jesus for It is not a less favour to be kept from this misery than to be deliver'd from it into the state wherein now thou art And thou art kept from this by the tender compassionate and most patient Love of Jesus Long ago if thou hadst suffer'd thy deserts thou hadst been thrown into this misery Long ago have thy Sins deserv'd it It is of the Lord's Mercy that thou art not consumed Jesus has repriev'd thee by His powerfull Intercession He has procur'd that thou art hitherto spared yea he has procur'd that thou mayest if thou wilt be pardon'd and mayest for ever be exempted from enduring these intolerable Miseries Oh how much art thou oblig'd Say how usefull how necessary how great is your Redeemer's Love Oh what Love what Praise can reach it Oh compassionate Love how shall I find Expressions suitable to thy kindness Why was my Life so dear to thee Why hast thou not suffer'd me to perish Me who am as unworthy of thy Favour as I am in distress and the need of it And does this engage thy Wonder so much my Soul It may indeed well do so but this alone must not detain it There are yet more Occasions for thy admiration and praise in the Redeemer's Love And this thou wilt see if thou consider what a glorious Height of Honour and Happiness He designs to advance poor vile contemptible Sinners to Those that have render'd themselves unworthy of this Earth and even of this low mortal Life he intends to advance them to Heaven and give them an Eternal Life Those that are unworthy of any thing that is good and comfortable He intends to make them perfectly Happy Those that deserve the utmost contempt of their Maker that are fallen under the Insults and Scorn of the abject Devils He intends for the Honour of seeing God and dwelling in His blissfull Presence for ever Oh rich and bounteous Love Nothing less will serve him but that where He is we also should be Think my Soul if thou canst
Sufferings of my Saviour thy mighty Displeasure against the Sins of Men and it terrifies me to think of it I plainly see how odious they are to the Divine Purity In that so worthy and great a Person He who is so well and so justly belov'd of the Father was sorely afflicted by the Father Himself when He bore the Sins of Mankind I see thy Hatred O Lord against my Sins I believe it very just and I cannot chuse but hate them too I will henceforth hate every false way but thy Law will I love I will love thy Righteousness and Holiness and utterly abhorr what is so contrary to it as my Sins I will account it my greatest Honour to conform to thee and will abandon and be asham'd to be found in the most creditable or the most applauded Sins in the World Henceforth will all Sin have a most deform'd and ugly Visage to my Eye I shall never think any one charming I shall never account any one worthy to be desired But when I consider O Lord the Course of my past Life when I look into thy Commands and compare with them my Thoughts and Words and Actions Oh what a mortifying View does this Examination present me Oh wretched Creature I am confounded I am fill'd with Indignation against my self when I see how much I have had to do with this vile this odious thing Wo is me how many are my Transgressions They are alas more in number than the Hairs of my Head and my Heart even fails me when I review them I have sinned in every Age of my Life ever since I could know or chuse my Actions Oh wretched Creature how early did I begin to sin against thee How many have been the unheeded Actions of my Life the most of which I must fear have been wicked since they have proceeded from one so prone to do Evil as I. And how many more must the Sins of my Words in all likelihood have been especially while I did not set any watch upon my Tongue nor keep the door of my Lips And when I think how easily and abundantly the light Mind multiplies Thoughts I tremble to think how much my vain foolish vicious Mind has multiplied Transgressions too Lord who can understand his Errours I am amazed at the Number of my Sins I have sinned alas against thee in every Circumstance and Condition of my Life I have sinned in every Relation towards Men Not doing that Honour not paying that Justice not exercising that Charity to my Neighbour which I ought I can view none of thy Commands but it calls to mind many Sins I have been guilty of Very often have I repeated the same Sins returning to them as the Dog to the filthiness of his vomit and as the Swine wallowing in the mire I have sinned against thy Law and against the Gospel Oh how cold a reception have I given to the Offers of thy Grace and Mercy How have I neglected the great Salvation Trampled upon the Blood of the Covenant and despised my Saviour's dying redeeming Love Oh how many of other men's Sins have I been guilty of By my ill Example by giving them needless and unjust Provocation by tempting and alluring them to Sins by assisting what I ought to have hindred by conniving where I ought to have bestow'd reproofs and by countenancing and abetting what I ought to have corrected and discouraged I cannot alas pretend to have done any good Action without a mixture of Evil in it My best Works need the Blood of Christ to cleanse them and make them fit to be presented unto thee and indeed I want that Blood to wash even the Tears of my Repentance What a mighty Charge am I able to draw up against my self Here thou mayest particularly mention those Sins thou art sensible of But thou O Lord knowest me better than I do my self And I dread to think how much more thou canst add to the heaviest Charge that I can bring against my self I have been so vile as to sin deliberately against thee to do Evil knowing that I did Evil. I have been easily induced to Sin the slightest Temptations have prevail'd with me I have been alas accustomed to do Evil. O Lord thou hast Exercised wonderfull Patience and Forbearance towards me in a long train and course of Sinning and I have been so base and ungratefull as to encourage my self to transgress by that Patience which should have led me to Repentance Oh wretched and vile Creature that I am I have greatly sinned I am become exceeding guilty What shall I say unto thee Oh thou preserver of Men. I will lay my self down in the Dust before thee I am at thy Mercy O Lord and must own that I have deserved the utmost severity of thy Wrath. In the sad Sufferings of Jesus I see what my Sins have deserved I see in his Contempt how I have deserv'd to be despised I see in his Thirst upon the Cross how I have deserved the want of all things comfortable I see in his Agony and by his Groans under the Divine Wrath what Displeasure and Punishment I have deserv'd to suffer I see in his accursed Death that I have deserv'd to die and be Eternally accursed and cast out of the Divine Favour O Lord I am unworthy utterly unworthy to breath in this Air of thine to inhabit this Earth to enjoy this chearfull Light I am less than the least of all thy Mercies I must judge I must condemn my self I must own thou wert Just and I should have but my deserts if I were now shut up in gloomy darkness if I were now wrapt in Everlasting Flames if I were feeling the Torments of the never-dying Worm and of Endless bitter Despair Lord I will punish I will take vengeance on my self for my Sins I will lead a Life of Mortification rather than Indulgence I will never allow again any high or admiring Thoughts of my self It shall always keep me humble to think how great disparagement and vileness I have contracted to consider my self a Sinner and that there is Imperfection and Sin mixed with the best of my Actions But O Lord I beseech thee do not thou enter into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified Oh deal not with me after my Sins neither reward me after mine Iniquities Blessed is the Man whose Iniquity is forgiven whose Sin is covered Spare me good Lord spare thy Creature whom thou hast redeem'd with thy most precious Blood Oh spare the miserable Wretch that confesses his Faults restore thou Him that is Penitent Pity thou Him that is Contrite Revive the Spirit of the Humble chear the contrite Heart A broken and a contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise Give me then the joy of thy Salvation uphold me with thy free spirit Then will I teach Transgressours thy ways and Sinners shall be converted unto thee Open thou my Lips O Lord and my Mouth
thy Works In Mercy thou hast great delight We remember the glorious Exercises of it We know O Lord thou canst pardon the greatest Offences For thou hast pardon'd very great Sinners David was forgiven his base Murder and Adultery Manasseh his horrid Idolatry and filling Jerusalem with innocent Blood The vile Adulteress Mary Magdalen The Apostle Peter who denied and disown'd thee with an Oath The Furious Saul who blasphem'd thee himself and being exceedingly mad against thee compell'd others to Blaspheme All these are Monuments of thy glorious forgiving Mercy Oh what comfortable what joyfull Hopes have we in such Goodness We know that having given us thy Son thou wilt not deny us any thing that is necessary to our Salvation But if we ask we shall receive if we seek we shall find if we knock it shall be opened to us On that Ransome which my Saviour has paid for me and on all thy gracious Promises which for his sake thou hast made I do wholly and firmly rely With an humble Confidence O Lord that we may find favour with thee we remember before thee in this Sacrament the bleeding Wounds of thy dear Son and his precious Death our rich Sacrifice for Sin We remember before thee and present unto thee Him whom thou hast set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his Blood And in his Name relying upon the Value and Acceptance of his Sacrifice I thy poor unworthy Servant humbly present my self before the Throne of thy Grace to seek thy Favour begging leave that I may claim thy gracious Promises which in Him are Yea and in Him Amen and that I may now entertain and delight my self with the glorious Hopes which they afford I desire I hope that thou wilt fully forgive my manifold and great Transgressions I desire I hope thou wilt give me thy Holy Spirit which thou hast promised to give to them that ask Him Oh grant me that Spirit to cleanse me from all Unrighteousness to purifie my polluted Soul to take away all the filthy stains of my Sins to strengthen my weakness in Temptations to be my support and comfort me under Discouragements and Afflictions to assist me in all my Duties to guide my Way and secure my Perseverance to the End Thou O Lord who searchest the Hearts and triest the Reins of Men well knowest I had almost said too well wherein my greatest weakness lies Lord strengthen me in particular I beseech thee against mine own Iniquity I desire I hope thou wilt graciously keep me unspotted from the World keep me from following any of the Errours and Vices that shall ever be in vogue with the giddy and wicked Multitude I desire I hope thou wilt mercifully defend me against the Wiles and Devices of my Soul 's great Adversary the Devil I humbly commit my self to thy gracious keeping Oh faithfull Creatour I desire I hope O Lord that thou wilt bless me with Health and with a competent Provision of what is needfull for me of the good things of this World and defend me if it please thee from Poverty Dependance and Contempt Give me neither Poverty nor Riches but feed me with Food convenient for me I know O Lord Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward that Sin entring into this World has brought Misery and Affliction with it And that our folly and perverseness commonly needs such Discipline to make us wise and good I desire to submit to what-ever it shall please thee to order for me to say always after the Example of my Saviour Lord not my Will but thine be done I hope thou wilt deal with me according to thy Mercy and lay upon me no more than thou wilt inable me to bear I believe thou mayest do me great good by my Afflictions I pray thee sanctifie them all to the promoting my Soul's Health and my Everlasting Happiness And give me I pray thee an humble Resignation and an invincible Patience that I may neither despise the chastening of the Lord nor faint when I am rebuked of Him Let me always encourage my self with this Assurance That these light Afflictions which are but for a moment if they be patiently born shall work for me a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of Glory I desire I hope thou wilt direct and inable me so to pass through things Temporal as that I may not finally lose the things Eternal That by thy Conduct and Guidance I may at last arrive safely to that happy World where the Weary are at Rest where the Wicked cease from Troubling where Sorrow and Sighing and Pain and Vexation and Fear and Care shall all be banish'd all Tears shall be for ever wiped from our Eyes and we shall enjoy thee and all that we can desire in perfect Bliss and Eternal Safety and Quiet This is a true Saying and worthy of all Men to be received That Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners Lord I receive it Lord I believe help thou my unbelief I believe O Jesu thou art Christ the Son of the living God that should come into the World Oh tender and condescending Love how dear is that Blessed Name to me Jesus my Saviour Oh how full of sweetness is it as a rich Perfume Thy Name is as Ointment poured forth Oh be thou ever Jesus to me To thee O Lord I fly as a refuge from the just Wrath of God I have deserv'd as able to conquer all my spiritual Enemies as willing to receive into thy protection all that come unto thee Oh Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World have Mercy upon my poor Soul grant me thy Peace Thou invitest those that are weary and heavy laden to come into thee Behold Lord I come let me find Rest to my Soul I come to partake of the Happiness of being united to thee in this Sacrament I believe O Lord the Truth of all thy Promises and the Vertue and Power of all thine Ordinances And that the Bread we break and the Cup we drink in this Sacrament be not bare Signs but real Instruments of Conveyance and the Communications of thy Body and Blood I come then that I may receive thy Body and Blood may be interested in the Merits of thy Passion that I may partake of the Spirit and be intitled to the Heavenly Inheritance which thou hast purchased for poor lost Sinners I come to make a Thankfull Remembrance of thy Death which thou didst kindly submit to for the Advantage of Mankind And by thy Death I hope to have Life everlasting I gladly embrace O Lord the Offers of thy Gospel I desire thee to subdue in me all my rebellious Lusts and vile Affections and as a King to rule over me I will account it my Honour to be thy meannest Subject I desire thee to afford me thy Heavenly Instructions teach me as a Prophet and make me wise to my Salvation through Faith that is in thee I desire thee
to intercede for me as Priest in the Vertue of thy most valuable Sacrifice and to bestow upon me the large Blessings which thou hast purchased for Sinners I believe O Lord thou hast died for our Sins and art risen again for our Justification I desire thy Death may utterly crucifie and till all my Sins and that thy Resurrection may revive my Hopes By thy Resurrection I desire I hope for mine By thy Ascension into Heaven I desire thee to draw my Heart and Affections from this vain empty World to the hearty Love and earnest Desire of Heavenly Things And I hope thou wilt raise me up at the Last Day and bring me to be where thou art and give me an Everlasting Life I take this Sacrament as a Pledge of thy Everlasting Love as the Evidence of great Love already shown me and the Earnest and Assurance of yet greater Communications to come My Soul thirsts for God even for the Living God Oh when shall I come and appear before God! When shall I see thy Face O dearest Jesu without a Veil be kiss'd with the Kisses of thy Mouth enjoy thy self immediately When shall these short and faint Glimpses of thy Glory be exchang'd for a full abiding sight of thee When shall I have leave not onely to visit but to dwell with thee and to receive not transient Tasts but drink large Draughts of Delight and Joy from an Infinite Fountain of Bliss and Joy For in thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Oh how I long that this my weary Pilgrimage were done That I were absent from the Body that I might be present with the Lord That I might have no necessary diversion dearest Jesu from perpetual contemplating praising loving and enjoying thee For this however I do wait This I do through thy Merits and from thy Infinite Love expect and that Expectation shall encourage me to labour in thy Service to bear thy Cross and to follow thee whithersoever thou shalt call me SECT XVII An Exercise of Charity O Jesu thou art Infinite Love I cannot but with great delight and wonder Contemplate thee and when I do so I feel a pleasing Constraint upon me to Love I must account this a most excellent and divine Qualification which is so eminently in thee I must reckon it my greatest Honour to be conform'd to the Son of God and therefore I must utterly dislike and hate my self for any defect of Love I find in my self Besides When I think how much I am lov'd How much thy free and bounteous Love has given and how much it has forgiven to me I am forced to account my self basely and extreamly unworthy of this if I do not love much I will put on then the most extensive Charity that I can I will wish well and do good to all Men as far as I have power and as oft as I have opportunity to do it I will love my Neighbour as my self and account him my Neighbour who has any need of my kindness and to whom I have it in my power to do any Office of kindness whosoever he be Thou O Blessed Jesu hast lov'd the most unworthy Wretches I then will account none unworthy of my Love and Good-will Thou hast lov'd those that were infinitely below thee and hast mightily condescended to do them kindness I will never account it below me therefore to do an Office of Kindness to my meanest Neighbour but rather the greater the Condescension is in the doing it the more I will value the opportunity of showing therein the greater Likeness and Gratitude to thee Thou Lord hast lov'd those that are altogether unprofitable to thee and from whom thou canst never receive a parallel return of Love I will be asham'd then as I most justly may to bestow no Benefits but where I have receiv'd or expect to receive some Thou O Jesu hast lov'd even thine Enemies and pray'd for those that despitefully used and persecuted thee And this is a glorious Pattern which I intend by the Assistance of thy Grace to imitate As for all that have injur'd me by Word or Deed O Lord I forgive them and I pray thee to forgive them I am more sorry for their Errour and Sin than I am for any Loss and Damage which is come or may come to me by their Injury Lord have Mercy upon their Souls Forgive my Enemies Persecutours and Slanderers and turn their Hearts I desire no harm to any that are my Enemies if any be so Nor will I rejoice over them when they fall but rather grieve to see it much less will I ever seek their harm and mischief And I purpose on the contrary notwithstanding all their unkindness to do them all the good Offices which I can consistently with a due care of my own safety and with other Obligations and Duties to thee or to others of my Neighbours I purpose to study and seek to do them good To return Blessing for Cursing Respect for Contempt and Good for Evil That I may if it be possible overcome Evil with Good As it is the Character of Charity not to be forward to think Evil I will take care that no uncharitable Jealousies or Suspicions of my Neighbour may represent him my Enemy who is not so I will take care not to interpret a mistake into a malicious design or that which is intended as a kindness into an injury But will always endeavour to take all his Words and Actions in the best Sence and to put the best Interpretation upon them all that I can Especially will I do thus by the Magistrate as being bound to it by the Obligation to Reverence and Honour him as well as by the Laws of Charity and because it is necessary and usefull to the Publick Peace and Welfare and so is in its Effects a Charity to others of my Neighbours too I thank thee O Lord for all the kindness of my Friends and for those that have done me any good I pray thee O bounteous Love abundantly to requite them in this World and the next in Temporal and Eternal Blessings Continue or encrease their Store and Worldly Prosperity if it may be good for them and especially Bless them with Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly Things I will endeavour as far as lies in my power in what I can do for their outward Estate or for their Souls always to express a most gratefull Sence of their kindness I will not despise the Love of the meanest person much rather will I thankfully resent the condescending Favours of those that are above me I make my humble Supplications to thee now O Lord at a good time for all Mankind I recommend to thy Infinite Mercy all Jews Turks and Infidels Oh let them that sit in Darkness see thy marvellous Light and be turned from the Power of Satan unto God That the Earth might be filled with Knowledge of the Lord as Waters cover the Sea
O Gracious Jesu upon all Bishops and Pastours of thy Church Replenish them all with right and sound Knowledge and a true Understanding of thy Word Oh let not their Hearts be govern'd or their Actions be guided by the Designs of Covetousness or Ambition But do thou possess and rule them by a great Zeal for thy Glory and for thy great Design the Salvation of Souls Grant that they may by their Holy Doctrine and Answerable Lives be mightily successfull in turning many to Righteousness and that they may save Themselves and many of those that are committed to their Charge Since my Goodness O Lord extends not to thee and thou art above the receiving of any Advantage by the best Returns that I can make for all thy Bounty to me It shall be my Charge and Care to requite thy kindness upon thy Servants to whom I may be profitable I will love them O Lord that love thee and do all the good I can to those especially that are of the Houshold of Faith I will gladly relieve the Necessities of thy Servants which are made known to me will Feed the Hungry Cloath the Naked Instruct the Ignorant Reduce the Wandering Visit the Sick and Imprisoned Comfort and Help the Weak-hearted and Vindicate and Assist the Fatherless and Widows in their Distress according as I have Opportunity and Power to do so And give me I beseech thee O loving Jesu a just and large Notion of the Houshold of Faith that I may not confine this my Charity within too narrow Bounds Let me be always afraid of restraining it within too narrow Limits never of extending it too far among Christians I love thee O Lord Jesus for making so sweet and pleasant a thing as Charity my Duty and do account even this an Instance of thy Charity to me If there be any other Exercise of this Divine Vertue O Lord which I have not thought of I desire Thee the great Fountain of Love to admonish me of it and always to dispose me to it Grant that in the pleasing Exercise of Love I may pass the time of my sojourning here in this Malicious Miserable World till I come at length to that Happy One where sincere abundant and unalterable Love and Joy and Glory dwell for ever SECT XVIII PRAYERS for Preparation I. O God of Love Father of all Mercies and Giver of every good and perfect Gift It is thy Command and I reckon it a kind and a just One That I should Celebrate this Sacrament in Remembrance of the Death and Sacrifice of thy dear Son our onely Saviour and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ To make me Thankfull for his Love and for the Benefits of his Passion and Death and that I might be made a Partaker of those Incomparable Benefits Thou hast Commanded me in this way to renew my Covenant with Thee to declare my self thy Creature and Servant and bind my self to continue thy Faithfull Servant and to live as becomes one that had his Being from Thee O Lord I must acknowledge it is but too necessary for me to renew the Obligations which I am so apt to transgress I am therefore heartily willing I desire to strengthen the Bonds of Love that they may hold me the faster to my Duty I would never be exempted from the Yoke of thy Service Oh do not thou cast me out of it for the sake of Jesus Christ And I am willing to remember my dear Saviour's dying Love to be deeply Affected with it and therefore to use so lively a Representation of his Death as he has provided in this Sacrament I must indeed own my self Infinitely unworthy of so great Good but yet cannot chuse but be earnestly desirous O Lord to partake abundantly in the Merits and Benefits of my Saviour's Death There is nothing so dear to me as to have all mine Iniquities pardon'd to recover thy Favour To enjoy the excellent Graces of the Holy Spirit and be consecrated for a Sacred Temple to Him To receive Earnests and Pledges yea and Fore-tasts of my future Joy and Happiness All which are the matchless Blessings He has purchased for me and which Thou hast directed thy Church to seek and partake of in and by this Sacrament All this I humbly seek and crave through the Merits of Jesus Christ my Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory World without End Amen II. Almighty and most Mercifull God I bless Thee for this Sacrament and would come to it with a hungring and thirsting Soul But alas how shall I a poor mean Creature approach thy Majesty How shall I a guilty polluted Sinner dare to approach thy Purity and Holiness O Lord I am Infinitely unworthy to come so near Thee Yet it seems thou dost not regard my Unworthiness else Thou wouldest never have invited me Thou invitest poor sinfull Creatures in General to this Feast thy Guests can be none but such If all therefore that are unworthy to come should Absent themselves none of us would be there and thy vast and land Preparations would be in vain I come therefore most Gracious God in Obedience to thy Command and Invitation But I will come with the lowliest Reverence and Humility for thou hast regard unto the Lowly I will come as a returning Prodigal for Thou art willing to receive such I will come hoping in thy Infinite Mercy for there is Mercy with Thee through Jesus Christ My great Concern O Lord is that I may be in some good measure fit to approach Thee though I can never be worthy and that I may have and exercise those Qualifications in my attendance on Thee which are suitable to this Sacrament and which Thou requirest I have therefore earnestly endeavour'd to find or form those Qualifications in my self But alas O Lord I dare not trust to my own Examinations or Endeavours Do Thou the Heart-searching God examine and try me do Thou I pray Thee prepare me I fly to thy Grace and Blessed Influence Lord give me I pray what Thou requirest to be in me It is my great Encouragement to make this Request that I know I ask herein what Thou art willing to give Thou Lord art always more ready to Hear than we to Pray and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve Thou knowest I cannot have these Qualifications but from Thee Since therefore Thou hast commanded me to come possess'd with Them I am sure Thou art willing to give Them Thou art desirous we should come prepar'd and suitable Guests to this Heavenly Entertainment art desirous to see thy House fill'd with such Fill me then good Lord and many other Souls with those Graces which it becomes us to approach Thee with for the sake of Jesus Christ our Mediatour and Advocate Amen III. O Lord of Infinite Bounty and Power I humbly pray Thee give me a sincere and unfeigned Repentance for all my Sins Oh let the Remembrance of them
be grievous unto me the Burden of their Influence and Power intolerable Possess me with a hearty Shame and Sorrow for that I have so basely and unworthily affronted thy Infinite Majesty and put my kind Saviour to so much grief and suffering to save me Possess me with an earnest Hatred of what is so displeasing to Thee as my Sins justly are that I may earnestly and steadily endeavour to cast them from me Turn Thou my foolish Heart from the Love of all Sin to the Love of Thee Do Thou O Lord who best knowest all the dark Corners of my Heart discover to me every lurking secret Evil which I have not been able by my Examination to observe and let it now be brought forth and slain before Thee Increase in me O good Lord I humbly pray a lively Faith in thy Mercy through the Merits and Mediation of Jeus Christ Help me firmly to believe thy readiness to receive and pardon Sinners that repent and return to Thee To rely with all Assurance on the Sacrifice and Attonement of thy Son 's precious Death Raise in me the comfortable Hopes of all Mercy and Favour upon that sure Foundation and grant me to rejoice in Hopes of seeing thy Glory Oh that my Heart may be all on a Flame of Divine Love even a whole Burnt-offering when I remember and consider my Saviour's dying Love to Sinners Especially when I see him in this Sacrament as it were evidentiy set forth Crucified before Me When I see there his broken Body and his Blood poured out and consider that all this He suffer'd for Me. Oh let such a sight affect me as it ought to do beyond all Expression Oh let it transform me into Love Let it make such strong and lasting Impressions upon me that I may ever afterwards be under the sweet and mighty Influences of Love always be guided by the Laws and aiming at the Ends of Love Let Love and Thankfulness to Him greatly employ my Soul when I am at this Sacrament and be from thenceforth the great Concern and Business the very form and Character of my whole Life for ever And since my Love cannot redound to his Advantage make it to flow abundantly upon those that love Him Give me a free Heart and Hand and power to do much good to them According to my power I purpose to Exercise my Charity towards them and towards all Men in Thought Word and Deed at this Sacrament I pray that the Memorial of my dear Saviour's Love may effectually inspire me to do so And I purpose and desire and pray that Thou wilt be pleased to inable me to abound in Love and Good Works towards all Men through the whole Course of my Life Put I beseech Thee O Lord my Soul in all respects into such a posture as becomes the Remembrance of a Crucified Saviour that I may be well-pleasing and accepted with Thee That thou mayest delight over me to do me good That I may have Communion with Thee to the Joy and Comfort of my Soul to the Encrease of Spiritual Strength to the securing of my Perseverance in Holiness and Righteousness all my days All which I humbly ask in the Name of Jesus Christ and further crave whatever is comprehended in his most Absolute Form of Prayer saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. Amen SECT XIX Directions for a Devout Behaviour at the Communion THanks be to God we have so good provision made by our Church for the Administration of this Blessed Sacrament That any good Soul may receive it with great Devotion and Comfort who will but seriously attend to what is appointed to be said and done in that Administration as indeed many such Souls accustomed to it have found by very comfortable Experience Upon which account it were much to be desired and very advisable That those who are wont to attend this way but once in a Year when they enter into an Office would persuade themselves to come more frequently to it That they might do so with the more comfort and advantage to their Souls when that Occasion requires them to do it For the whole Business is so order'd that 't is very Apt and Fit to stir up in us the lively and vigorous Exercise of all those Graces which are required to Attend it So that the best Advice which can be given for our due and profitable Behaviour at the Holy Communion is this That the Communicant do very closely Attend to what is order'd to be said and done by Him that Ministers or by the Communicant Himself while they are upon this Duty But because the Communicants especially where the Number is great as I wish it were every-where will have some Spaces wherein they may employ themselves in some private Ejaculations and Devotions I shall not think it contrary to the proposed Brevity of this Book to afford them some such Devout Prayers and Ejaculations as they may use and I shall put them in their proper Places But these must be commonly very short that they may not be diverted from joining with the Publick Office To begin then where we usually begin this Administration When He that Ministers is reading those Sentences of Holy Scripture which are design'd to Exhort and Encourage the making our Offerings to Almighty God While you have your Offering in your Hand or when you have given it say O Lord of Heaven and Earth Maker and Owner of all Things All that I have and am is from Thee and all is Thine Thou dost give and Thou hast right to take and use what Thou pleasest of it I humbly present This according to my Ability as an Acknowledgment of thy right in me and in all that I have and of thy Bounty in giving it I present and I humbly intreat Thee to accept This as a Token and Pledge of the Dedication of my self and all that I have to serve and honour Thee Sprinkle me O Lord Jesus and this my Duty with thy precious Blood and obtain for me by thy Merits a great Encrease of all Spiritual Gifts and Graces to thy Glory and my Salvation Amen When the Offerings are all receiv'd and set upon the Altar He that Ministers proceeds to make Intercessions to God for the Whole State of Christ's Church Militant here on Earth In which it becomes every Devout Soul as a Living Member of that Church to join with him with very hearty Affections After this He proceeds to an Exhortation which is design'd to deterr all those from drawing near to this Holy Ordinance who are conscious to Themselves that they have been negligent to prepare for it and who live in any known Sin And then it goes on to Encourage those Humble Penitents and Faithfull Souls who have been carefull to prepare Themselves and to excite in them those Dispositions with which they ought to come It will be very proper for the Communicant while the Minister is reading this to join with Him and to turn
hast been at so lately and He was Himself the Feast Jesus prepar'd it out of Love to Thee And because His great Love could not as we may easily imagine provide any thing better He provided Himself to be thy rich and costly Entertainment He has feasted thee with His Body and Blood He has in giving thee that Bread and Wine which was by the Minister according to his appointment consecrated and set apart to represent His broken Body and His Blood shed for Mankind made thee a partaker of the Spiritual Blessings and Benefits of His Death and Passion Oh how great Things has He then bestow'd on thee Where canst thou find again such Entertainment What Enjoyments of this poor World could afford it And if He has given thee never so much of this World He has herein given thee that which is of infinitely greater value And if He has given thee but little of this World thou hast no reason to complain of Him who has been so free so bounteous to thee in so much better things Say then to Him Oh how plenteous how rich is thy Goodness Lord which Thou hast in reserve for those that fear Thee and that hope in thy Mercy He has treated Thee with the Pardon of all thy Sins however numerous however heinous and guilty Canst thou forbear to admire and praise so great a Favour Is it not wondrous that so vast a Debt should be so freely forgiven thee Does not this Forgiveness restore thee to the Almighty Favour and Love of God And give thee leave to ask and ground to expect from Reconciled Heaven all that is good for thee and necessary to thy Salvation Oh say then Bless the Lord O my Soul All that is within me praise his Holy Name Who hath redeemed my Life from Destruction who forgiveth all my Sins Who crowneth me with Loving-kindness and tender Mercies Oh Blessed is the Man whose Transgression is forgiven whose Sin is cover'd Blessed O Lord Jesus is the Man that putteth his Trust in Thee He hath bestow'd on thee my Soul his Holy Spirit to dwell with and to sanctifie thee to fill thee with all Divine Graces To heal all the Distempers of thy Soul thy uneasie shamefull Distempers to make thee tolerable and pleasant to thy self and amiable and well-pleasing to Him Oh happy Souls that are the Temples of this Holy Spirit Where He dwells all things shall be in a beautifull Order all things composed and calm and peacefull all full of Joy There is a Peace which the World cannot give and a Joy unspeakable and full of Glory In them Heaven dwells already They shall be acquainted with its Incomparable Felicities here on Earth and they are seal'd hereby to the Day of Redemption Thy loving Lord then has given thee at this Feast too the Pledges and Earnests of Future Glory and Blessedness He has even united thee to Himself after a wonderfull manner He looks on thee as a Member of his own Body Has made thee Partaker in his Death and intends thee to partake in his Resurrection He will not leave thy Soul in Hell nor suffer thy Dead Body to lie always under Dissolution He will shew thee the Path of Life and thou shalt dwell at his right hand where are Pleasures for ever-more Thou shalt dwell in His presence where is fulness of Joy Oh how like a God has thy glorious and kind Saviour entertain'd thee None could ever bestow such things on thee but He. Thou hast been treated as a Favourite of Heaven who canst not chuse but acknowledge thy self a poor vile and contemptible Sinner All these Blessings and Favours He hath conferr'd upon thee and given thee in this Sacrament sensible Pledges and Tokens of them though thou art unworthy of the very meanest and the commonest of his Gifts to Mankind Assure thy self it was not for any Merit or Worthiness in thee that he has been so Bountifull but of his own free Motion There is nothing of Debt in his Love but thou must look upon it as altogether Obligation And now my Soul thou must consider too the mighty Obligation he has laid upon thee Thou art able to promise to do nothing in return for his Love but what he has infinitely oblig'd thee to Should such a Love as this ever be forgotten or rather should'st thou not resolve that thou wilt always retain a gratefull Sence of it And that such a Love shall be the greatest Joy and the sweetest Delight of thy Life That such a Love shall make an entire Conquest of thee and make thee subject to the pleasant Laws of it through the whole Course of thy Life Thou canst not sure for shame think of a less return than to give up thy self to Him To live to Him that died for thee To study and love what will please Him and do it in all things No thou canst not think of any thing less than of being His Servant who has bought thee with so great a Price Who has ransom'd thee from Hell and Everlasting Misery and that by his own cruel Sufferings and accursed Death And will it ever become thee thinkest thou after thou hast consider'd the cruel Sufferings of Jesus for thy sake to shrink or murmure at Sufferings or guiltily decline them Wilt thou pretend to be Follower a Disciple of Jesus and yet not be able to endure any thing grievous or inconvenient Has he suffer'd very grievous things for thee worse by far than thou art able or wilt ever be call'd to suffer for his sake And wilt thou suffer nothing for Him Was his way to Heaven encombred with sharp Thorns and will it become thee to murmure if thine be not strow'd with Roses Was the Great and Glorious Jesus despised in the World and must thou be mightily respected and honour'd Was Jesus the Son of David a rich and mighty King mean and poor and will nothing serve thee but to be vastly and superfluously rich For shame my Soul These Desires cannot become thee It is enough for the Disciple that he be as his Master and surely 't is an Honour that the Servant be as his Lord. If thou wilt be a Follower of Jesus thou must expect as the World hated Him saw no form nor comeliness in Him so it will hate and it will scorn thee It will not see any thing to admire in thee Consider the Sufferings of Jesus and harden thy self Learn from Him to despise the Inconveniences of this Life learn to despise its Allurements From his Indifferency towards it 't is thy Duty and thy Honour to be very Indifferent too And this as all thy Duty thou wilt find pleasant upon the trial of it and a reward to it self This will give thee an invincible composure and peace of Mind a happy Command and Enjoyment of thy self under all the Vicissitudes and Changes of this mutable uncertain World Consider further my Soul Has He blest thee with the Pardon of all thy Sins And
be so confirm'd by this renewal of them as that they may never be broken any more We renounce this wicked World our own corrupt Nature and thine Adversary the Devil We purpose not to suffer our selves to follow nor be led by them We will receive O Lord what Thou requirest us to believe And we devote our selves to keep and obey thy Holy Just and Good Commandments through the whole Course of our Lives To be always under the Influence and Power of Love to Thee and to our Neighbours To love Thee with all our Heart with all our Soul and with all our Might and our Neighbour as our selves O Father of Mercies graciously accept of our Repentance and return unto Thee Look upon the Death of thy Son and turn from us all thy Wrath Justifie us freely by thy Grace Pardon all our Sins upon the account of it take us into thy Service and grant that we may ever hereafter please Thee in Newness and Holiness of Life Jesus Thou Son of God have Mercy upon us O Christ hear us be Thou our Advocate with thy Father By thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision by thy Meritorious Cross and Passion by thy Precious Death and Burial by thy Glorious Resurrection and Ascension take us into thy Care and Protection Thou that hast done all these things for us have Mercy upon us O be Thou Jesus to us and save us from our Sins Give us according to thy promise to them that receive Thee the Glorious Priviledge to become the Sons of God We accept of Thee O Lord as a King to Rule us and will study to know and endeavour to Obey thy Commands We earnestly desire thy Teaching as our Great Prophet and will receive and comply with thy Divine Instructions however contrary they are to the corrupt Byass of our Nature and our Love of this World Lord we purpose to conform our selves to them by the Direction of thy Excellent Example and not to be conformed to this World And we will always acknowledge our utter unworthiness of the least Good and place all our Hopes in thy Merits and Intercession as our Great High Priest O let us find by the good success of all our Humble Addresses that Thou hast Compassion on our Miseries and dost ever live to make Intercession for us But alas we have promised and resolv'd more than we are able to perform without the Influence and Assistance of thy Good Spirit We therefore Address our selves to Thee O Blessed Spirit Come down we beseech Thee into our Hearts replenish us abundantly with thy Grace let us become thy Sacred Consecrated Temples and do thou evermore dwell in us Banish and purge out of us for ever all that is contrary and displeasing to Thee Teach us that denying all ungodliness and worldly Lusts we may live soberly and righteously and godly in this present World Write thy Law in our Hearts that we may never depart from it Increase and maintain our Faith Increase and continue our Love Cherish all Grace in us and cause us to persevere in Holiness and Vertue and Well-doing to the End of our Lives Keep us in the Knowledge and Love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. We purpose O Holy Spirit duly to wait for thy Blessed saving Influences in a diligent attendance on thy Sacred Ordinances the Word and Sacraments Oh let us be always in due fitness to attend them when the happy Opportunities of doing so are afforded us and let them be always blest to us and be effectual to promote our Sanctification and Salvation Insert this when this Prayer is used in the Morning We give Thanks to the God of all Mercies for the safe Protection the quiet and comfortable Rest of the last Night We devote this Day and all our Lives to thy Service in the Duties which Thou givest us to do Assist us mercifully O Lord in all and Accept us in Jesus Christ Insert this when this Prayer is used at Night Enlighten our dark Souls we beseech Thee O Lord with all the Knowledge that is necessary to our Salvation Fill us with Devout Affections and let thy Love always possess and rule us Be Thou we pray our Protection this Night from all the Perils and Dangers of it May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with us all henceforth for evermore Amen Our Father which c. FINIS Books printed for B. Aylmer SIX Sermons One of Stedfastness in Religion Two of Family Religion Three of the Education of Children and One of the Advantages of an Early Piety A Perswasive to Frequent Communion in the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper In Octavo Price 3 d. Both by his Grace John late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury The Four Last Things viz. Death Judgment Heaven and Hell Practically Consider'd and Apply'd in several Discourses By William Bates D. D. Recommended as proper to be given at Funerals Books Publisht by the Author of this Reform'd Devotions in Meditations Hymns and Petitions for Every day in the Week and every Holy-day in the Year The Excellent Woman describ'd by her True Characters and their Opposites being part of a Translation out of French Family Devotions for Sunday-Evenings throughout the Year being Practical Discourses with Suitable Prayers Vol. I. II. containing each Thirteen Sermons The other Two intended to make a Sett for the whole Year are almost finisht and design'd to be committed to the Press soon after Christmass to be Publisht together Printed for John Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard