frequently say as much concerning the sanctifying of the Water in Baptism by the holy Spirit and yet it remains Water still though it serve to the mystical washing away of sin So do the bread and wine remain bread and wine after the sanctifying of them and their becoming the body and blood of Christ to us They are both bread and wine in their substance and the body and blood of Christ the Spiritual use to which they are appointed To that use when once they are consecrated we have no regard at all to the substance of bread and wine but only to the body and blood of Christ which by doing this are communicated to our souls in the remission of sin the sanctification of the Spirit and eternal life To conclude what Gregory Nyssen saith concerning Baptism * Tom. 2. in Bapt. Christi p. 802. Do not contemn the divine washing nor undervalue it as a common thing because of the Vse of the Water for that which it works is great and there are wonderful effects of it we may say concerning the Supper of the Lord Bread and Wine are but small things but in this holy use of them they are great and produce admirable effects Nay he himself immediately mentions this very thing among others for an example of the great benefit that may be received from common matters when they are applied to a divine use This Altar saith he at which we stand is in its Nature but ordinary stone nothing different from those you tread upon but being dedicated to God â—ervice it is an holy Table c. And this bread also is in the beginning but common bread but when the mystery hath offered it then it is called and it is the body of Christ So the mystical oyl and so the Wine which are little worth before the blessing after the sanctification of the Spirit have another kind of operation And thus a Priest who the other day was a vulgar person being separated by blessing becomes a guide a Governour a teacher of piety c. And these things he doth without any change at all in his body or form By these examples any man may see that he thought the bread and wine in the Sacrament become the body and blood of Christ with no more change in their substance than there is in the water with which we baptize or in the Priest who ministers there or at the Eucharist But that they are called the body and blood of Christ in regard of the Use to which they are sanctified and are his body and blood in regard of the wonderful effects which are communicated to the faithful in the use of them viz. remission of sin and all other benefits of his passion Now what greater favour can we desire at Gods hands than to be admitted to such fellowship with him and with his son Jesus Christ what is there of equal power with this to possess our hearts with the love of God was there ever any so treated by him as we are did the friends of God in ancient time receive such pledges of his grace and favour were they ever made thus one with him and joyned to him by pertaking of his Sons body and blood who would not give up himself soul and body eternally to him that thinks of these things who can think he makes a dear purchase if he give his life in exchange for such invaluable blessings we should go to the Table of the Lord and say How excellent is thy loving kindness O God! How pretious are thy thoughts towards us how great is the sum of them who would not fear thee who would not love thee and glorifie thy name For thou hast given us exceeding great and pretious promises 2 Pet. 1.4 that by them we might be pertakers of a divine Nature Thou hast sealed them with the blood of thy Son and hast made a new Covenant with us in that blood Heb. 10.16 17. to put thy laws in our hearts and write them in our minds and our sins and iniquities to remember no more Thou hast made him an high Priest for ever to make intercession for us and given him power and glory at thy right hand 1 Thess 5.24 that he may be able to perform all his promises Faithful is he that calleth us who also will do it For ever O Lord thy word is setled in Heaven Psal 119.89 90. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations But thou hast given likewise farther assurances of thy merâ—y and thy Truth by entertaining us at thy Table and making us pertake of that body and blood which was offered for our sins Enough Enough O most merciful Father We see the love thou bearest to us We cannot desire greater tokens and testimonies of it than these thou hast given us 2 Cor. 1.20 All thy promises in Christ we believe are Amen certain faithful and true We know and are sure 1 John 2.1 2. that we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is a propitiation for our sins I will never doubt any more of thy good will towards us for I taste and feel that the Lord is gracious Psal 111.4 5 9. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion he will ever be mindful of his Covenant He hath sent redemption unto his people he hath commanded his covenant for ever Holy and reverend is his Name Psal 103.17 18. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him To such as keep his Covenant and to those that remember his Commandments to do them I wait therefore for thee O Lord Ps 130.5 my soul doth wait and in thy word do I hope Mine eyes shall be ever towards the Lord Jude 2. that Mercy and peace and love may be multiplied unto me that I may walk in the light as thou Lord art in the light for so shall we still have fellowship one with another 1 Joh. 1.7 and the blood of Jesus Christ thy son shall cleanse me from all sin Amen The natural consequence of what hath been said concerning the love of God towards us in sending his only begotten Son that we might live through him and he might be the propitiation for our sins is drawn to our hand by S. John 1 Epist 4.11 Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another This is so certain a fruit of an hearty sense of Gods merciful kindness to us that no man ought to think he loves him or hath any fellowship with him or with his son Jesus who doth not feel in himself an unfeigned affection and readiness to do good to all his Christian Brethren By this we know that we dwell in him and he in us which we pray for at the Lords Table because he hath given us of his spirit v. 13. That is indued us with his own kind and gracious Nature and disposition Of which that
ever And hath redeemed us from our enemies for his mercy endureth for ever I will praise thee with my whole heart the high praises of God shall be in my mouth Who hath raised up a mighty Salvation for us Rom 8.32 and hath not spared his own Son but delivered him up for us all Heb. 9.12 Who hath obtained for us an eternal redemption 2 Pet. 1.3 and given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledg of him that hath called us by a glorious power Bless the Lord O my soul Psal 103.1 c. and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgiveth all thy iniquities and healeth all thy diseases Who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies Psa 111.1 I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the Congregation While I live will I praise the Lord 146.2 I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being 145.21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever Thus I am come to a conclusion of the second part of my Discourse concerning the Nature End and Use of this Holy Sacrament The sum of what hath been said is this It is an holy Feast in commemoration of our Lord Christ especially of his Death In which we for our part make a solemn profession of his Religion and tie our selves in the strictest Covenant to follow him unto the death and to live in love and charity with all our Christian Brethren And he for his part makes a representation of his dying love to us and confirms the continuance of it giving us pledges that he will make us heirs of all the blessings which were the purchase of his body broken and blood shed for us So that when the Minister gives the Bread and the Cup to us we should think that Christ by him gives us tokens and assurances of his continued and everlasting love and kindness And when we take eat and drink that which he gives us we should look upon it as expressing our consent to continue his faithful Disciples in hope of that eternal life which God that cannot lie hath promised to us In short the whole Action is the renewing of a Covenant between Christ and us He by giving we by receiving ingage our selves to perform our mutual promises He his promises of giving us pardon power to do well and immortal bliss And we our promises of loving God with all our heart and soul and strength and our neighbor as our selves All which we are to reflect upon with the greatest love to God and our Saviour with thanksgiving blessing and praise and with an humble confidence that it shall be to us according to his word To promote which ends I have concluded every particular Head of this discourse with a brief Meditation which may be used in this manner The First of them may serve to excite our devout affections before we go to Church or when we have placed our selves conveniently just before the Communion begin or while the company are making their oblations to God The Second will be proper immediately after the Consecration while the Minister is receiving himself and giving the Communion to the other Ministers that may be there present with him The other Six half of them may be used after we have received the Bread and the other half after we have received the Cup. Or if any desire a more compendious form of Devotion wherein to lift up their Souls to God immediately after their receiving they may reserve those till they retire from the Holy Table to their seats again and in this manner address themselves to him just after the receiving of the Bread 2 Cor. 1.3 Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.3 the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Col. 1.22.13 14. Who hath reconciled us in the body of his flesh through death to present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight Blessed be God who hath delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our sins I love thee O Lord I love thee I devote my self most unfeignedly unto thee I will ever cleave unto thee and unto all my Brethren with setled purpose of heart Search me O God and know my heart Psal 139.23 24. try me and know my thoughts See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Yea Psal 23 4 6. though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me Thy power and thy care of thy flock they comfort me Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life 34â— and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise to my God while I have my being My meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord. 67.3 And let all the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men 107.21 22. Let them Sacrifice the Sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoycing 117.2 For his merciful kindness is ever more and more towards us and his truth endureth for ever Praise ye the Lord. Or thus Lord Psal 8.3 4. what is man that thou art so mindful of him or the son of man that thou thus visitest him Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and crowned him with glory and with honour Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands and hast put all things under his feet Many O Lord my God Psal 40.5 are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us ward they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee if I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not Heb. 10.5 But a body hast thou prepared for thy Son Jesus Who hath done thy will O God and made himself an offering for sin and made us one body with himself Blessing and honour and glory and power be unto thee O Lord God Almighty and unto thy Son for ever and ever I offer up my self intirely both Soul and body unto thee I consecrate my self here most faithfully to thy Service Psal
it Which is a question so easy to be resolved from what hath been said that I have assigned no part of this discourse for the discussing of it If you are baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus and seriously believe his Religion if you take upon your selves to make good that promise vow and Covenant which was made in your name when you were baptized if you understand the ends of this holy Communion which I have named and are willing and desirous to perform them if you lie not under the censures of the Church for any violation of those sacred vows which you have made to our Saviour You are the persons whose company he waits for and would gladly see at his Table Nay he will take it ill and account it a neglect of him and of your duty a breach of your promise to obey all his holy commands if you accept not of his kindness in inviting you thither because this is one of his Commands as I have proved that you should do this in remembrance of him Do not intangle your selves therefore in endless doubts and scruples about the qualifications that are required in those that come to this Supper of the Lord but only examine your hearts by this plain and certain rule Do you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be the truth of God Do you consent to be governed by his Laws Do you remember and will you stand to the Vow that was made in your name when you were baptized Are you desirous to renew that Covenant in the manner that I have described Do you value his favour and grace declared in his pretious promises above all earthly things Would you pertake of this holy Communion that you may commemorate your Saviours dying love that you may own and acknowledg him to be your Lord that you may devote and unite your heart unto him in stricter friendship that you may bind your self in the bond of peace to all your brethren and that you may receive more of his grace and greater assurance of his love as the most invaluable blessing Then lay aside all your fears and humbly approach unto him to render him the Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and to receive fresh tokens and pledges of his unchangeable good will and affection to you I shall make no more words of this matter but only add that you may know sufficiently by the invitation which the Minister makes to you at the Communion in Christs name according to the order of our Church who are persons qualified for this feast And it is expressed in such plain and pregnant words that better cannot be devised for your direction and satisfaction They are these Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins and are in love and charity with your neighbours and intend to lead a new life following the Commandments of God and walking from henceforth in his holy ways draw near with faith and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort Which that you may be able to do I shall now proceed according to the method I have propounded in my endeavours to put you into such a temper of mind when you are at this holy Sacrament that you may perform all that which hath been said with more ease and edification also to your selves And that I may the better raise those affections in you which are sutable to this action it will not be amiss to remember you a little of the excellency and dignity of the feast to which you are invited To make a true Feast these four things in the opinion of the most learned of all the ancient Romans must conspire and meet together Varro lectis viris lecto loco lecto tempore lecto apparatu Chosen and select persons a choice and delicate place a choise time and season and choise provision proportionable to the quality both of him that makes it and of those that are invited to it Now in all these regards if we reflect a while on them this Supper of the Lord which he makes for us will be found to be incomparably beyond the noblest entertainment which the world ever saw For as concerning the persons that here meet together they are our blessed Lord the Master of the feast and those that believe on his name to whom he hath given the right or priviledg to become the sons of God Joh. 1.12 A company of souls that are larger than the world heirs of a Kingdom rich in faith as full as they can hold of love and charity towards each other and towards all men So that there cannot be either more honourable or more sweet society found under heaven Then for the place you see it is prepared in the house of God where we give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name and shew forth his salvation from day to day where we pay our vows unto him in the presence of all his people and make a joyful noise unto him by singing of his praises where the Angels as I may say are waiters and the heavenly host are glad to attend upon us according to those words of the Apostle in that very chapter where he treats of this Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.10 the woman ought to have a covering on her head because of the Angels As for the time you see likewise it is commonly the Lords-day on the day when he rose from the dead when he trampled under his feet the great enemy of mankind when the Angels not so glistering as he brought news that he had accomplished our redemption when the host of heaven was at a gaze to see mortal man made immortal and restored to the state of paradise again when we have nothing else to do but to rest and rejoyce to declare the works of the Lord to give thanks unto his holy name and triumph in his praise And lastly for the provision it self I have told you already what it is the body and blood of the Lord of life bread that excells the Angels food a cup of blessing of which those sons of glory never tasted To these our Lord calls us nay beseeches and intreats us to come that we may feast our selves on his Sacrifice of himself and be filled with his love and satisfie our selves with his joyes and everlasting consolation Now what soul is there that can be willing to lose his share in such divine food that would be shut out from such society or absent from such a place or desire to spend his day better than in near communion with our Lord Either men do not believe these things or they do not reflect on them and lay them to their hearts for otherwise there is none that reads this writing but will be moved to make one at this holy feast But then as you cannot chuse if you seriously consider but judg it very desirable to be admitted to it so you cannot but think in what manner it becomes you to be adorned and how
man Purifie me from all remaining filthiness either of the flesh or of the Spirit Bring in all thy heavenly graces along with thee into my soul And be my perpetual defence by giving me a fuller communication of thy holy Spirit and more mighty aids to do my duty towards thee and towards all men And for that end compose mine unsetled thoughts before I approach to receive the holy Mysteries That I may attend thee with a full and clear conception of their meaning with an actual belief of thy whole Gospel with most sensible love to thee and desire to be more like thee with thy high praises in my mouth and joy unspeakable in mine heart May I presume most gracious Father to ask such tastes and rellishes of thy wondrous love that I may never be able to delight in any thing so much as in the remembrance of it But mine eyes may be ever towards the Lord and I may hunger and thirst perpetually after thy righteousness till I am perfectly made pertaker of thy divine nature and rendred meet to be translated to that high and holy place where I shall see thee not as now in mysterious representations but openly and face to face Amen Lord Jesus who art able to save to the uttermost all them that come to God by thee In thy most blessed name and words I continue my humble prayers Our Father c. A Meditation after the Sacrament WHen you come home or some time after ask your soul what wentest thou out to see where hast thou been and what hast thou been doing Bid it never forget that thou hast been with the Lord of life and that before God Angels and Men thou hast acknowledged him and devoted thy self to his obedience That he hath vouchsafed to represent unto thee his marvellous love the pains he hath taken for thy salvation and the great desire he hath to see thee with him in immortal glory Of which he hath given thee such earnests and pledges by making thee pertaker of his body and blood that thou mayst say of that place where he was pleased to meet thee This is no other than the gate of Heaven I have been in the porch of his dwelling place and begun to enter into the joy of my Lord Here you may read over again that which I said our Lord might be conceived to speak unto you there and then go on and say How shall I escape if I should neglect such great salvation God forbid that I should receive this grace in vain As I have received Christ Jesus the Lord Col. 2.6 so will I walk in him I will endeavour to keep my self holy and unblameable before him in love and to have my conversation as becomes the Gospel There are no joys like to the joys of God No pleasures comparable to those of Christian piety All his Commandments are sweeter than the hony and the hony-comb and in keeping of them there is great reward Shall I cease then to delight my self in the Lord and to do good Shall I leave off to do the rest of his will now that I have done this in remembrance of my Saviour Shall I go away from him now that I am gone from the place where his honour dwelleth Alas whither shall I go thou Joh. 6.68 Lord hast the words of eternal life Thou art the author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey thee Heb. 5.9 I will go in the strength of the Lord God Ps 71.16 I will make mention of thy goodness even of thine only 1 Thess 4.1 As I have received how I ought to walk and please God so I will abound more and more Ephes 4.15 24. I will grow up into him in all things who is the head till I perfectly resemble him in righteousness and holiness of truth Here you may meditate upon all the parts of his holy life and the compleat example he hath set us of all divine vertues more especially those which shone at his death And as I have known some do you may single out one or two for your daily meditation all this month that you may bring your self to an habitual imitation of him suppose in his great HUMILITY and tread in his steps who did no sin 1 Pet. 2.22 neither was guile found in his mouth And as you have begun the New year well so resolve you will continue it and become a new man by leading a more exactly holy course of life Mat. 26.41 Watch therefore and pray that you fall not into temptation And often represent to your self the great love of Christ that it may constrain you because you thus judg that if one died for all then were all dead 2 Cor. 5.14 15. And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again The Prayer O Most Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Heaven and Earth are full of the glory of thy Majesty I most heartily joyn with all the Saints on earth with the Angels in Heaven and the holy ones that are above in giving blessing honour and praise unto thee Glory be unto thee O God most high thou great Creator and possessor of Heaven and Earth thou preserver of all things thou spring of an eternal Mercy who hast made Angels and men to know thee and acknowledg thee and praise thee and love thee and be beloved of thee for ever who hast so loved mankind that thou hast opened thy bosom and sent thy dear Son to convey thy charity to us All laud and praise and thanksgiving be to thee O Father of Mercies who hast now made me taste how gracious and good thou art And glory be to the Son of God who took on him the form of a servant who died for us upon the Cross who purged away our sins by his blood who hath left us so many remembrances of his love and given us his body and blood to preserve our souls and bodies to eternal life who lives for ever to make intercession for us and hath promised to come again and take us up unto himself And blessed be the holy Spirit the mighty power of God the Author of all good thoughts the inspirer of all heavenly desires the light and comfort of our minds the purifier of our hearts the guide and strength of our life who hath given us the earnest of the eternal inheritance Thus will I praise thee whilst I live Psal 63.4 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever Psalm 86.12.89.1.71.23.86.5 My lips shall greatly rejoyce when I sing unto thee and my soul which thou hast redeemed For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee I have now tasted of the abundance of thy grace and dearest love the savour of which O that it may remain fresh for ever in my heart
from thy Ministers and the tender care * You may mention these and others if you have had this benefit religious education of my Parents Tutors and Governours For all seasonable reproofs wholsom counsels good admonitions and every truth I have received from my Friends or Enemies For the pious examples and good conversation of any of my Neighbours for all holy opportunities and the leisure I have to attend upon this heavenly employment For thy merciful chastisements and thy wonderful deliverances For all the good Books thou hast brought to my hands and the good advice which I have any way received For all my Benefactors all those that love me and pray for me And above all for thy gracious inspirations from above the holy thoughts thou hast put into my mind and the pious desires and purposes thou hast stirr'd up in my heart with all the furtherances helps and assistances thou hast vouchsafed me in my way to Heaven particularly now at this holy Feast where thou hast made me know and feel how good thou art beyond the compass of all our thoughts What shall I return unto thee for all thy love What shall I give unto my Lord who hath given himself for me I have given thee my whole self and now devoted all the powers of my soul and body to thy service that all my thoughts my words my desires my passions and actions may be disposed according to thy will and not my own And I think my self happy O blessed Jesus in the choice I have made of thee for my Lord and Master I rejoyce in the disposal I have made of my self to thy service and obedience For a world I would not revoke my consent to be absolutely ruled and governed by thee as long as I live Sin shall not reign in my mortal body Rom. 6.12 that I should obey it in the lusts thereof But here I come again to yield my self unto thee my God and to profess thy service to be the most perfect freedom and the noblest employment To beseech thy pardon for all mine unfaithfulness and the constant power of thy Holy Spirit to assist me in the doing thy will here on Earth as it is done in Heaven that all my resolutions may be persevering my endeavours successful and my obedience perfect and compleat in all things Lord Jesus do what thou pleasest in me and what thou pleasest with me Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and I will make my boast continually in this that I serve the Lord Christ May I but ever love thee and stedfastly cleave unto thee and chearfully obey thee and faithfully live to honour thee I desire nothing else Come prosperity or adversity come sickness or health life or death so that I may but glorifie thee and be made conformable to thee and bear thine image in holiness here and in glory hereafter And let all the Earth stand in awe of thee thou Lord and Ruler of the whole world Let the hearts of all people submit themselves to thy Kingdom and Authority Psal 45.3 4. In thy Majesty ride on prosperously O thou most mighty because of truth and meekness and righteousness till all thine enemies fall under thee and think themselves happy in thy most just and merciful government I commend thine own family to thy gracious and powerful protection and this part of it especially in these Kingdoms That we thy servants being hurt by no persecutions may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church and triumph in thy praise saying Psal 48.14 This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto Death Now unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Bloud and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father Rev. 1.5 6 to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen September The Meditation before the Sacrament SHall we not be too bold in going so oft to the Table of the Lord May we not offend him by our forwardness to approach into his presence No sure not if love carry us thither and accompany us there And who can want that who knows and considers how forward he was to do that which we remember When he came to offer himself a Sacrifice for us he saith Lo I come Psal 40.7 8. in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O God And when he eat the last meal with his Disciples he said again Luk. 22.15 with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer Behold what a hearty vehemence there was in his love what an ardor in his desire to be made an offering for us and to be remembred by us With what love should we commemorate his dying love with what desire should our souls approach to his holy Table in remembrance of him who took such content in dying for us and was so desirous to institute this holy feast for a perpetual remembrance of his death With the same joy that children use to welcome a Festival with such an hunger and thirst as a labouring man goes to his supper ought we to go to the Supper of the Lord that we may chear and refresh our souls with the memory of our Master and only Saviour with praises and joyful thanksgivings with the love of God and of our Brethren with the hopes of his Mercy here and eternally Awake awake then thy Faith call up thy love quicken thy desires excite all that is within thee to bless the Lord and speak good of his name Say with a great joy Lo I come according to thy command and delight to do thy will O God With desire I have desired to do this in remembrance of my Lord to declare thy mighty acts and shew forth the greatness of thy love to profess my self thy servant and to glory in the holy name of my Master Jesus to offer up my self unto thee an oblation of love to renew my covenant with thee and with all my Brethren to give thee thanks that I am one of thy family and for all the benefits I received and thou hast still in store for thy faithful servants But who is able to tell how much he hath done already for us Or find out all that he designs unto us Who can praise him according to his excellent kindness and his wonderful works for the children of men The thoughts of Angels are not wide enough to comprehend them And if we had their spirits and could love him and acknowledg him with their inlarged affection it would be too little a present to make unto him O give thanks therefore unto the Lord for he is gracious for his mercy endureth for ever O give thanks unto him who is so desirous of us such narrow souls such little hearts that can hold so little love unto him Let us go to him and desire that he would
preserved pure and undefiled as the Temples of the Holy Ghost it may be my constant guide strength and comfort and lead me safely through all the difficulties and dangers of this world the enticements of the flesh and the crafts and subtilties of the Devil to a place of peace and safety in the regions above where I may for ever dwell in thy love and sing thy praise O that all the people did praise thee O God that all the people did praise thee That the whole Earth were filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea and all those that know thee did walk worthy of thee as children of the light and of the day having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Bless thy Church planted in these Islands that we may not receive in vain that grace bringing Salvation 2 Cor. 6.1 Tit. 2.11 12. which hath appeared to us teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world But from the highest to the lowest have grace Heb. 12.28 whereby we may serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear Comfort all my Friends forgive all my Enemies relieve those that are in any misery draw all sinners to repentance and help all good men to perfect holiness in thy fear that at last with one consent we may all unite our hearts and tongues in thy everlasting praises Now the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God 2 Cor. 13. ult and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with us all Amen November The Meditation before WIth what wonder and admiration do we entertain those things which are strange and unusual The very news of them carries great numbers to see them and the sight of them fixes their eyes on them as if they could never have enough of them Behold here the wonder of wonders which thou art called to see and seed thine eyes and heart withal God is come to dwell in Flesh This flesh is made a sacrifice for the sins of the world And he invites thee now to a Feast upon that Sacrifice that thou mayest dwell in him and he in thee O marvellous love what eyes ever saw such a sight as the Son of God dying on a Cross The only begotten of the Father bleeding as a malefactor The glorious King of Heaven laying down his life freely for his own subjects Rebels I should have called them and enemies to him Where are all my thoughts Where is my admiration What is become of my love Whither are all my desires gone It will be a new wonder if they do not all assemble themselves together at the commemoration of such love which doth me the grace to make me partaker of that Body and Bloud which was so offered up to God Strange that my thoughts should be so heavy and my affections so cold that my hunger and thirst should be no more excited at the very motion to go to the house of God to make a thankful remembrance of his death We think the Angels lead an happy life in their blessed employment of giving continual Praises to God why do I not go then with a more forward joy into the Courts of the Lord to do this in remembrance of Christ which those Heavenly creatures do not do For he hath not taken hold of the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 but of the seed of Abraham for whom he hath prepared also this Sacred food of which they never tasted Vnto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son Heb. 1.5 13 this day have I begotten thee or sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy foot-stool Art thou not desirous of honour and greedy of gainful preferment Art thou not prone to seek great things for thy self What greater honour or dignity can there be than to be so nearly related to the Lord of all to be members of him that is Head of all Principalities and Powers Behold the treasures of grace and glory which he offers thee and by these signs of his Body and Bloud would make over to thee Is not Love the very life and Soul of the World Is it not the â—oy and satisfaction of hearts Behold here the worthiest object of it that ever was See how he would fill and possess thy whole Soul with perfect contentment And lest thou shouldest be so unhappy as not to dwell in love see how he would engage thee by these bonds in which thou â—rt going to tye thy self to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul and strength and thy neighbour as thy self How doth he comply with thy most natural inclinations How doth he study to gratifie thee in thy most noble desires Call up thy best and purest thoughts Strain thy self to the heighth of admiration Endeavour to forget all other things and only to look at present upon Jesus If any thing can make thee love God it must be his love If any thing can make thee hate sin it must be this Sacrifice for it If any thing can make thee willing and obedient â—it must be his obedience to the death Think then when thou comest into his presence that thou seest him hanging on his Cross Think thou seest him spreading out his arms and resigning himself to the will of God That thou beholdest hiâ— gaping wounds and the Bloud trickâ—ling down his Sacred body That thou hearest him cry unto thee Did I not love thee when I bled to death for thee Did I not love thee when I endured this painâ— and sorrow to redeem thee Could I do more than give my self to deliver thee from death and open the Kingdom of Heaven and Eternal life And then what heart iâ— there that need be taught what it should say and what it should do on this occasion Who can refrain himself from giving blessing and praise and glory in the highest to him Who can want thanks to render him for such invaluable benefits Oâ— find in his heart to deny him his serviceâ— Nay who would not rejoyce to think oâ— serving one that hath merited thus of him and intends to reward his duty with that very glory which the Father hath given him Our Lord cannot but expect to see thy mind fraught with Heavenly thoughts and a most high esteem of him thy hearâ— mighty full of love and vows and resolutions ready to be presented to him thy will bowing and submitting it self wholly to his disposal And to all such he saith by his Ministers Come to my Supper for all things are ready Come and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort Rejoyce with me and be exceeding glad for I love you and will love you to the end The Prayer before O Most holy Lord of Heaven and earth the greatest and most desirable good the only rest and satisfaction of our souls Whom to know is the beginning of life whom
resurrection These are the beauties of Jesus which I admire This is the Image of him which I have vowed to carry always in my heart This is the glory of humane nature the honour and dignity to which I would be preferred I desire to be great in nothing but his humility to be rich only in contentedness patience and good works to be glorified in meekness and sweet condiscention to have the pleasure only of pleasing God and my Brethren to their edification to rejoyce that Gods will is done though mine be crossed And it is no small joy to see the beginnings of this beauteous image drawn upon my heart He that did not despise the Virgins womb will not despise the humble oblation I have made of my self to him nor that little likeness he sees in me of himself Dost thou not see my soul what great things come from mean beginnings How a poor Babe that lay in a manger came to be the King of glory Hope in God then that thou shalt grow to a greater stature and more exactly resemble thy dearest Saviour He hath given thee assurance that he will not over-look thee now that he sits on the Throne of his glory It is a Throne of grace too unto which thou mayst address thy self and find grace to help in time of need Do but let him see how much thou honourest him how pretious his memory is unto thee how thou art in love with his purity and he that was manifested in our flesh will manifest himself in thee He will adorn thee with all his graces and make thee shine as a light in the world in humble charity in meekness of wisdom in chearful patience and devout obedience Blessed be God for this hope I have no cause to envy the greatest persons No not her that carried him in her womb and then in her arms if there had been nothing more For though we are apt to say as the woman among the multitude did Blessed is the womb that bare thee Luke 11.27 28. and the paps that thou hast sucked yet Jesus saith yea rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it They that hear or believe his word conceive him in their heart and they that do it bring him forth in their life Blessed be Jesus for the least share I have in this blessedness I will spend this holy day in praising him for the hope I have to partake of more of it What can there be more delightful to those who know what it is to believe in him and obey him And in what shall we spend the rest of this time wherein we commemorate his coming into the world Shall we be so uncivil to our Lord as to go more willingly to feast with our neighbours than to feast again with him Shall we go to their houses with more chear than unto his I will never so dishonour him God forbid that I should feast my body more than my Soul I will rather imitate the ancient Christians who could find in their heart to meet every day before the morning light to sing Hymns to our Saviour I will at least be able to say with David O that all others may bear me company in it I have gone with the multitude Psal 42.4 I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise with a multitude that kept Holy-day The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward O Eternal Majesty of Heaven and Earth the Father of mercies by whom all things were made out of nothing whose Almighty hand supports them from falling back into nothing again and whose good providence keeps them from being miserable Thy Wisdom is past finding out thy Power is irresistable thy Love and Goodness is unmeasurable and thy tender mercies over all thy Works O how great are thy tender mercies to us O Lord How large a portion hast thou given us in thy love Thou hast not dealt so with any Creature as thou hast done with Man on whom thou didst instamp thine own image and cloathed him with immortality and made him Lord over the works of thy hands And so great is thy goodness that when he had lost himself by departing from his obedience to thee thou wouldest not so lose thy sinful Creature but chose rather to do wonders that he might not perish Thou hast sent thy Son to seek after him and restore him to thy self Thou hast not abhorred our Nature but loved us so much as to manifest thy self in our flesh and honour us with the glorious title of thy Sons the Brethren of the Son of thy love Christ Jesus I have remembred with all thankfulness this day his humble and loving descent from Heaven that he might be born and dwell among us to comfort us in this sinful and troublesome world with his Divine presence to assure us of thy good will to us and invite us friendly to return to thee to instruct and encourage us in our duty to put us in hope of endless felicity and at last to die and give himself a ransom for us that he might be touched with a sense of our infirmities being in all points tempted like as we are without sin I again adore O Lord thy most glorious Majesty I reverence thy Power and greatness I wonder at thy wisdom and am astonished at thy goodness I have neither words nor thoughts befitting the inestimable benefits thou hast bestowed on us O that the Holy Spirit which was in our Saviour would inspire my heart with devout affections towards thee O God of all grace that I may love thee more than I can express more than now my heart can think and I may joyn chearfully with all the Heavenly Host above that are still giving honour blessing glory power and dominion to thee for ever and ever For unto us a Child is born Isa 9.6 7. unto us a Son is given the mighty God the Prince of peace of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end In him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily And we are members of his body Coloss 2.9 10. of his flesh and of his bones Ephes 5.30 In him we are compleat which is the head of all Principality and Power and hath redeemed us by his bloud Rev. 5.9 and made us Kings and Priests unto God to offer unto him Spiritual Sacrifices 1 Pet. 2.5 and we shall reign with him for ever Amen I confess O Lord that I am less than the least of all thy mercies And though I have been ungrateful even for the greatest yet thou continuest the course of thy goodness and hast now newly admitted me to the Communion of Christs precious Body and Bloud Thou pitiest also my weak and childish thoughts my heavy and dull affections and all the wandrings of my foolish imagination and dost not estrange thy self from me though I am so little moved by thy miraculous love O thou who
so we offer I told you and present our selves our Souls and Bodies to God to be a lively holy and acceptable Sacrifice unto him Now the very life of the Beast which was offered in Sacrifice was given to God its Blood being shed at the Altar And therefore the compleat meaning of this phrase and of this action of offering our selves to be Sacrifices to God is this that we part with our selves so intirely and are so absolutely devoted to him that it shall not be in our power afterward to recal this gift no not though we die for it As the beast that was offered to God was no longer the owners and the Blood which is the life saith he himself became appropriated wholly to his uses so the grant we make of our selves to God at his Altar is irrevocable we are no longer our own but his and cannot resume our selves any more into our own disposal but if he will have our very life it must be at his service This was one reason I make no doubt of receiving the Sacrament so oft in the beginning of our Religion that they might fortifie their holy resolution of following Christ to his Cross and dying for the testimony of his Truth to which they expected continually to be called I have the authority of an holy Martyr S. Cyprian for it who tells us in his Book upon the Lords Prayer that in his Church they Communicated every day which custom remained till S. Hieromes time at Rome and in Spain One great end of it was that they might be well appointed against the assaults of their enemies and have courage as good Souldiers of Christ Jesus to march after him even unto the death For the same person giving an account in one of his letters * Epist 54. Cornelio why he would receive to the peace of the Church certain persons that had faln away in time of persecution but now bewailed their fault and resolved to be more constant hereafter saith that he saw a new storm arising and was assured by divine admonitions and tokens that a more furious conflict would be renewed And therefore it was necessary to receive them into Communion again whom he exhorts to fight valiantly and play the men that so they might not be left naked and unarmed but be strengthned by the protection of Christs Body and Blood For since the Eucharist is designed for that end that it may be a defence or safeguard to them that receive it we arm those with the Ammunition of the Lords fulness ‖ Munimento Dominicae Saturitatis whom we would have to be safe from the adversary For how can we teach and provoke those to pour out their blood in the confession of his name to whom we deny the blood of Christ when they are about to fight Or how can we make them fit for the Cup of Martyrdom if we do not first admit them by a right of Communication to drink the Cup of the Lord in the Church He cannot be fit for Martyrdom who is not armed by the Church for the war That heart will fail which by receiving the Eucharist is not lifted up and inflamed By which last words it is clear that the minds of believers were raised up by the Eucharist and had a holy zeal inkindled in them to follow Christ in sufferings The Priests who celebrated the Sacrifices of God every day as he speaks in the same Epistle prepared Sacrifices and Victimes to be offered to God For remembring the blood of Jesus and being touched with a sense of his love to them they went full of heat and courage as those who had made a sworn agreement to suffer death valiantly which Christ underwent for their Salvation And in his next Epistle but one which is an exhortation to Martyrdom he calls upon the people of Thibaris to arm their right hand with the spiritual sword speaking according to the manner in those days when they received the Eucharist into their hand as we do now and not into their mouth as the fashion is in the present Church of Rome that they might never stretch it forth to Idolatrous sacrifices but being mindful of the Eucharist that hand which received the body of the Lord might embrace him and hold him fast and receive hereafter the reward of coelestial Crowns The like we read in his Book concerning those that fell away in a time of suffering when other mens mouths sanctified with the coelestial meat after the body and blood of the Lord refused to taste the profane infections and reliques of Idols I shall add no more but the words of another Writer * de Cardinal operibus Christ Cap. de Coena Dom. under his name which are very significant When we celebrate the Sacrament saith he we are admonished to ruminate and chew over and over again the example of our Lord that his passion may be alway in memory and the punishments of death may not terrifie the Heirs of the Crucified but they may feed and refresh themselves with the joyful solemnities of a timely resurrection O how excellent is this Cup How religious is the excess of this Drink by which we are divinely out of our selves and forgetting the things that are behind reach forward to those that are before And losing the sense of this world and contemning the delights of the purpled rich man we cleave to the Cross and suck the blood and lay our tongues in the wounds of our Redeemer They were transported he means by the thoughts of Christs death beyond themselves and thought of nothing but dying for him if he called them to it preferring his Cross which they carried always in their mind before the greatest riches and glory in the World And with the same affections should we be inspired when we make the same Commemoration of him professing we had rather die than dishonour him and his religion by denying them Vowing our very life to be expended upon his account if there be occasion for it This being a Feast as I told you upon a Sacrifice we ingage by doing this that we will become a bloody Sacrifice to him if his will be that we should be offered up for his service It being a Communion participation or fellowship with him if he will have us to pertake and have fellowship with him in his sufferings we here express our selves to be well contented We Vnite and joyn our selves to the Crucified Jesus and so profess that if he will have us bear his Cross we will not deny him Nay we declare that we will glory in nothing so much as in the Cross of Christ that we will rejoyce in tribulation and think it is given to us as an honour to suffer with him For a feast is a joyful meeting and therefore our eating and drinking at this feast shews that we will not think he feeds us with gall and wormwood when we induce any thing for his names sake but that
places Gal. 6.6 Phil. 4.15 of which we pertake by eating this bread and drinking this Cup in remembrance of his death for the remission of sin And so we beseech our merciful Father in the Prayer of Consecration which our Church prescribes that we receiving these his Creatures of bread and wine according to his Son our Saviours holy institution in remembrance of his death and Passion may be pertakers of his most blessed body and blood For after the bread and wine are deputed by holy prayer to God to be used for a Commemoration of Christs death though they do not cease to be what they were before yet they begin to be something which they were not before this Consecration That is they become now to us visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace and do not merely figure to us the breaking of Christs body and the shedding of his blood but are a pledg of that inward and spiritual grace which they represent What that grace is we are taught in our Catechism when it tells us that it is the body and blood of Christ which are verily and indeed received of the faithful in the Lords Supper That is they have a real part and portion given them in the death and sufferings of the Lord Jesus whose body was broken and blood shed for remission of sins They truly and indeed pertake of the vertue of his bloody Sacrifice whereby he hath obtained an eternal redemption for us This is the meaning sure of pertaking of his body and blood which are here communicated Because this bread and wine do not become his body and blood by ceasing to be bread and wine but by tendring them to us as a spiritual grace Their efficacy therefore and vertue by the divine favour is made ours All the effects and benefits of his passion are imparted to us In short there is nothing which the body and blood of Christ can be to the spirits of men but by these tokens he exhibits it to us and gives us an interest in it This is spiritually to eat his flesh and drink his blood as both our Church and the ancient speak Our souls intertain and feast themselves upon his Sacrifice being really made pertakers of whatsoever his body and blood can do for them Which S. Gregory Nazianzen meant I should think when he saith that these oblations are the Communication of the Incarnation of God and of the sufferings of God * in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tom. 2. Jamb 15. How doth he communicate to us his Incarnation but by giving us the fruits and benefits of it and so he communicates to us his broken body and his blood that was shed We pertake of both in the same manner We are admitted to participate of the secret of the sufferings of Christ as he speaks in another place ‡ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 40. and by means of this Sacrament are vested in the merit of them And thus indeed the bread and wine are changed not by abolishing their substance but by turning them to this divine use to which they are deputed by prayer according to Christs institution to tender to us the spiritual grace of the body and blood of our Saviour The principal part of which grace is remission of sin For sin being done away death the fruit of sin is abolished he graciously restores us to the priviledg of immortality which we had lost and in order to it assures us he will not fail to communicate the grace of his holy spirit to assist and further us in our way to everlasting bliss We may be satisfied that he will send a living vertue into our spirits to quicken excite and strengthen us to do according to our Vows and ingagements that so we may continue in his love as he continued in his Fathers love by keeping his Commandments For this is the nature and office of all Sacramental pledges to assure us of the good will of God and of his truth in fulfilling his gracious promises He ingages to be faithful to us by giving them as we ingage our selves to be faithful to him by receiving them God bids us believe that we shall be accepted in his beloved nay he puts us in possession of all that which the Gospel promises and the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross obtained to us mercy grace and peace remission of sin the power of the Holy Ghost and eternal life Thus the prayer of Consecration runs in the ancient Liturgies into which though many things are foisted sutable to the conceits of later times yet they contain sundry expressions of Christian devotion worthy of those who are called the Authors of them Bless this Bread and this wine saith that ascribed to S. Chrysostom make it to be the body and blood of thy Son c. that it may be to all that pertake of it for the washing of the Soul the forgiveness of sin the communication of the Holy Spirit c. And a little after Make us worthy to pertake of thy heavenly and dreadful mysteries of this holy and spiritual Table with a pure Conscience for the remission of sin the pardon of our offences the communication of the Holy Spirit the inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven and confidence before thee not for judgment or condemnation In that also which goes under the name of S. James to mention no more we find these words Be merciful to us O God according to thy great mercy and send upon us and upon these gifts thy Holy Spirit that it may sanctifie and make this bread the holy body of thy Christ and this Cup the pretious blood of thy Christ that they may be to all those who receive them for the remission of sin and for eternal life the sanctification of body and soul the bringing forth the fruit of good works and the establishing of thy holy Catholick and Apostolick Church which thou hast founded upon the ROCK OF FAITH that the gates of hell may not prevail against it c. The meaning of which words make this Bread the Body of thy Christ c. are so well expounded in the Service of the Roman Church by the addition only of these two words TO VS as if their forefathers had studied to prevent that gross conceit which now they have entertained * Our Writers have shewn often enough that the fancy of transubstantiation is not countenanced by the service of that Church which teaches it For the Prayer there concerning the Bread and wine is that they may become to us the body and blood of thy wel-beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ God doth not make them so in themselves by changing their substance but unto us by their change from the common to this Spiritual use Nor doth the prayer now mentioned for the Holy Spirit to come and sanctifie them and make them his body to us c. suggest any such thing as a change of their substance For the ancient writers
and work They do with this as S. James saith many do with the Gospel who like a man that beholds his natural face in a glass and taking but a short glance of himself goes away and straightway forgets what manner of man he was Whereas if he would not only look into the perfect Law of liberty but continue to look therein being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work he would be blessed in his deed Jam. 1.23 c. It is the design therefore of this last part of my discourse to furnish you with some apt matter for your Meditation and with sutable Prayers whereby you may both quicken your selves in your private closets when you are preparing to go to the Table of the Lord and likewise preserve alive those godly affections and resolutions which are excited there after you are come home again That so by continuing to look upon what you have done and what your Saviour hath done unto you and beholding as in a clear Mirror the great love of God in Christ Jesus and your great obligations to him you may never forget him nor the duty you owe him but be blessed in a faithful observance of both And that no man may have the excuse which the wanton Israelites pretended who were cloyed with the same thing repeated over and over again I have taken the pains to compose variety of Meditations and Prayers some longer some shorter for every Month in the year and the principal Festivals in remembrance of our Saviour Which you may either make use of if your infirmity require it or else stick constantly to such as you like best and find most apt to move your hearts No mans thoughts are alwayes alike neither his that writes nor his that reads and therefore sometimes one may be most agreeable to you sometimes another but there will be no time I hope wherein you may not be able among them all to fit your self with a Meditation and a Prayer that may stir up and further your Devotion towards God And he that will be at so much pains with himself as to follow some such method as this will never be able to say hereafter as too many wretched souls have done that they have frequented this holy Sacrament but were never the better for it January Meditation before the Sacrament COnsider with your self some time before you intend to Communicate that you are invited to come not only into the presence but unto the Table of God to be one of the guests of the Lord of the whole world What a grace what an honour is this Shall any business any pleasure on earth put by the thoughts of it It is impossible if you remember what the great God is who calls you to him and that he sets the body of his Son before you upon your Table and that your Cup is filled with his Blood That the Angels think it not below them to waite on you and minister to you and the divine Spirit will be ready to breath upon you and fill you with such holy love that you shall send up your soul in joyful hymns of Praise and Thanks to God our Saviour With what admiration should you receive the news of this invitation With what reverence ought you to approach him With what forwardness of love with what gladness of heart should you go to meet our blessed Lord Was there ever any kindness should you think with your selves like unto that of his Did there ever such a furnace of Love if I may so represent it burn in any heart could he do more than die the bloody and shameful death of the Cross for to save sinners How is it possible that the remembrance of this tender love and compassion should ever die or that any heart should freeze over such a fire unless we be willfully careless I see that he will have our love he will not suffer any thing to rob him of the purchase of his blood For lest we should prove so ungrateful as to let him slip out of our mind he hath left himself still among us in sensible signs and representations By these he shews us his bloody death and passion he makes himself present to our faith and we may see that he is desirous to do more than die for us having contrived a way to live for ever in us and be firmly united to us What manner of love is this that Heaven hath manifested unto us who can refrain from tears of grief and sorrow to think of his own ingratitude and from tears of joy to think of the wonderful kindness of the Lord can you look on him who was pierced for our sins and not lament and mourn can you see his bleeding wounds and not be troubled no pious heart can be so hard And yet when you consider that by those stripes you are healed that he hath washed us from our sins in this blood that faithful souls may take sanctuary in his wounds and be secure and safe you cannot chuse but rejoyce in the Lord and be glad in his Salvation Call to your Soul then and bid it awaken in it self the liveliest thoughts of him and the devoutest affections to him Call to it to put it self in tune to string as I may so speak the instruments of joy and praise and to stir up all the graces of the holy Spirit That so you may go with a deep humility a godly sorrow a perfect hatred of all sin both of the flesh and of the spirit a strong resolution against them with a lowly faith and in the heights of love with enlarged desires and great longings to this holy Feast Ask your Soul what dost thou think of what dost thou love what dost thou long for with what intentions art thou going to the Lords Table are the Treasures of Christian wisdom and knowledg more in thine account than thousands of gold and silver Dost thou heartily believe the holy Gospel of Christ Jesus and love him and his Religion in sincerity Is all sin already bleeding to death in thee and hadst thou rather die than willingly offend thy Saviour that died for thee Art thou going to hang all remaining affection to them upon his Cross that there they may be perfectly crucified and never taken down till by continued Meditation on it they be quite dead Resolve then to go and tell him as much to declare and shew to him that this is the sense of thine heart Only ask thy self again what appetite dost thou feel in thee Art thou going as a thirsty man to his drink or a hungry man to his food or a Bride to the marriage of a chosen soul dearer than all the world beside or dost thou feel something like these things in thine heart what is it that thou hungrest and thirstest after Is it the tasts of the love of God Is it his Divine Grace and holy Spirit Dost thou long to be more like him and made pertaker of his
this clear and lively sight which I have of thee And yet as heavy as it is I will not cease to be often looking after my Saviour What though I cannot always see him so as I have now seen him in the sanctuary yet I will never forget him And the darkest apprehensions of his love and favour shall ever be dearer to me than any object in this world Blessed be his goodness which hath given me such pledges of it as engage me to remember him I will he ever mindful to keep the Covenant I have made with him and remember his Commandments to do them Psal 103.18 And as long as I do his will though I cannot always lift up my thoughts and affections as I would unto him I hope I am his friend O sweet words which I have heard from the mouth of my Saviour whosoever shall do the will of God Mark â— 35 the same is my Brother and my Sister and my Mother I have no other will O Lord but thine And I will prove continually what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of thine that we may be eternal friends by the constant union of our wills in one Let my Lord command what he pleases it shall be obeyed Let him do what he thinks good my will shall be done as well as his Psal 16.2 3. O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord but my goodness extendeth not unto him but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight They are his friends and what thou dost to them he accounts it as done unto himself Think thy self happy that thou wilt never want him whilst thou enjoyest them Thou feedest him when thou feedest them Thou goest to see him when thou visitest them in their need and misery Verily I say unto you they are the words of thy Lord in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my Brethren Matth. 25.40 ye have done it unto me Resolve therefore all this Month to endeavour to excite BROTHERLY KINDNESS which is the fountain of Charity And look on it as a great part of the riches of the divine grace that he is not only content to love us himself but hath contrived wayes and means that all men else may love us and commands them so to do as they hope to be saved Begin this Brotherly kindness then thy self that so thou mayst be able to say every day O how great is thy mercy O Lord that thou lovest me thy self and wouldst have all the world to love me O how great is thy goodness that thou not only chargest them so to do but ingagest them to love me by thy love Yea to love me so as thou hast loved me and them and so as they love themselves How full how incomprehensible is the love of my God who would have me hated by none but every man to be my friend if I am in need every man to do me good How can I want who have such a Father who hath made all men to be my Brethren How happy would he make me who labours to set all hearts open to me that as many men as I see so many lovers I may behold Thou dwellest O God in love and wouldst have me to do so too by loving and being beloved of all What returns shall I make to the Lord for his love He tells me that it is love Love thy Brethren love them with a pure heart fervently This is the thing which I would have thee do And this will make thee blessed for ever by loving me and all others and by being beloved of me and of all men else that love me The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward O Lord God Almighty which is which was and is to come Who art the happiness of men and Angels and hast an innumerable company of beautiful Creatures always beholding thy glories satisfied with thy love delighting themselves in thy praises and to eternity can desire no higher pleasure than to be thy Friends and Servants I cast down my self before thee to joyn as well as I am able together with all that Heavenly Host in lauding and magnifying thy great and holy Name and rejoycing in thee with thanksgiving Thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Thou hast redeemed mankind by the Bloud of thy Son and raised us out of the dust that we might sit with him in Heavenly places Thou hast sent the Holy Ghost the Comforter in signs and wonders and divers Miracles in gifts of knowledge wisdom and prophecie and in abundance of thy grace to renew and sanctifie the hearts of thy faithful people The Apostles and Ministers of reconciliation were thy gift by whom thou hast brought the glad tidings of Salvation into these parts of the world The Sun of righteousness praised be thy goodness hath inlightened our eyes who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death I have been thy constant care from my first conception and entrance into the world until this moment Innumerable blessings thou hast bestowed on me and still I hear the voice of joy and gladness I behold my guides and instructors and have the liberty to go into thy house and I see my Saviour himself in the remembrances and pledges he hath left me of his dying love I will never cease to adore and extol thy mercy who hast kept me from going down into the pit and saved my Soul from the nethermost Hell Blessed be thy goodness for the constant provision of thy House the comforts of thy Holy Spirit the society of thy children the hopes of Heaven and the tastes thou hast given me of immortal joys in this holy Feast with my Saviour As thou hast begun good Lord out of thine own undeserved love to make me happy so continue thy loving kindness to me till it be finished in perfect friendship with thee Preserve in me though never so weak yet a constant and prevailing sense of thy goodness that I may most willingly obey thee and chearfully do thy will in all things That the very same mind may be in me which was also in Christ Jesus Whose meat it was to do thy will Joh. 4.34 and finish the work of thee that sent him O that God would count me worthy of this calling 2 Thess 3.11 12. and fulfil in me all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of Faith with power Coloss 4.12 That I may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God and the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ I have given my self now again unto thee and professed the strictest friendship with thee Lord help me to keep it without spot and unrebukeable until the appearing of the Jesus That both body and Soul being
returning thither again Thou hast richly loaden me with thy benefits endued me with principles of wisdom righteousness and goodness made a world of good things to wait upon me and minister to me and expectest only reasonable service and an easy obedience from me which thou hast sent thy Son to demand and to entreat and to give me an example of This is the surpassing heighth of thy love that thou wast pleased not to despise and reject us when we had despised all thy former favours but even to assume our Nature into an inconceivable nearness to thy own and send thy Son Jesus to seek and save us when we were lost I adore thine infinite condiscention O blessed Jesus Heb. 2.11 14. who art not ashamed to call us Brethren And for as much as we are partakers of flesh and blood hast also thy self likewise taken part of the same that through death thou mightest destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil Blessed be thy goodness that in all things thou wast made like unto us that thou mightest be a merciful and faithful high-Priest v. 17. to make reconciliation for our sins Let all the Angels in heaven still praise him for as high as the heaven is above the earth so great is his mercy above our thoughts We were not worthy that thou shouldst so much as look upon us or speak unto us and then in thine unbounded love thou wast pleased to dwell in our nature and to send thy Son in the likeness of sinful flesh Rom. 8.3 that by a Sacrifice for sin he might condemn sin in the flesh I see O Lord in that Sacrifice how hateful sin was to thee when thou wast so full of love to us and am going to thy Table to renounce utterly every evil way and devote my self to an holy and god-like life to acknowledg thy wise goodness who wouldst dwell in our flesh to sanctifie and cleanse it and give thy Son Jesus to die for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Accompany me O God by that mighty spirit through which he was conceived and offered himself without spot unto thee that I may have a lively conception of him and his holy Gospel in my mind and be made conformable to him in every thing and offered up intirely soul and body to be ordered and disposed of as pleaseth him It is but just and reasonable that his will not mine should be done And it is no less my happiness than my duty to be governed by him who is the wisdom of thee our God I deliver up therefore my understanding my will my affections and passions to be guided directed and ruled by his supream and immutable counsels Work in me a stedfast admiration and love of his purity lowliness meekness patience contentedness and charity that nothing may be so desirable to me as to have Christ Jesus in all his divine virtues formed in me Hold O Lord this image of him alway before mine eyes that my life may be nothing else but a constant imitation of him and both body and soul become the Temple of the holy Ghost wherein thou mayst be truly honoured heartily loved highly praised and exalted and purely worshipped and served O that my mind may be ever employed in pious or honest thoughts that my will may chuse the better part which can never be taken away from me that I may set my affections on heavenly things and not on things upon the earth that I may use the world as one that seeks a better countrey being chearful and yet composed diligent in my calling and yet working out my salvation doing good to my self with all the comforts of this life and likewise unto others Give me the grace good Lord never to be weary of well-doing to be just in all my dealings faithful in my promises mindful of my vows upright in the discharge of my trust inoffensive in word and deed and an useful and peaceable Member of Church and state Dispose me to be good in all my relations obedient to those who are over me kind to all my equals compassionate and pittiful to those that are in misery meek and lowly towards all men O that riches may never make me forget my self nor poverty tempt me to forget thee that health may not make me confident and secure nor sickness make me dejected and discontented But I may be patient and constant in all adversities Religious and thankful in prosperity and go through fulness and emptiness honour and disgrace good report and bad with the same evenness of mind till I come to receive praise and commendation as a good servant of Jesus Christ at the great day of his appearing In whose most powerful Name I continue to make my suits unto thee saying as he hath taught me Our Father c. The Meditation afterward IS not our heavenly Father very desirous that we should love him Would he else have appeared among us Would he have manifested himself to us Yea manifested himself in our flesh And more than that purchased us to himself by his own blood O how dear hath he paid for our love Love him love him exceedingly that he may not lose the great price wherewith we are bought But what love do we bear him if we be not like him What are we the better that a Saviour is born to us if he be not formed in us and dwell not in our heart by faith Was not this the end of his taking our Nature that he might purifie it and make us reverence our selves more than to defile that which is so near of kin to the Son of God O most wise goodness which by becoming like to us designed to make us like thy self I see the humility of the blessed Jesus who was born of a poor Virgin I see his sweetness in accommodating himself to the vilest of us and taking on him the form of a servant I see how little he valued the riches and the dignities and the pleasures of this world How contented he was in a mean condition how obedient to his parents how courteous to the meanest clients who came to receive not to give I see how liberal he was of his favours how unwearied in doing good how patient in suffering any evil how he loved righteousness and hated iniquity how dear the honest heart was to him and how odious hypocrisie I see how meek he was when he was affronted how loth his enemies should perish how little concern'd either in the calumnies or applauses of the world How absolutely resigned to the will of God and how desirous to do him honour O how often did he thank his heavenly Father How many hours did he spend in prayer and private converse with him How joyfully did he suffer great pains to do great good And at last laid down his life full of hope in God to see a glorious
hast done such great things for me bear still mercifully with me exercise more of thy patience and show thy self exceeding great in forbearance and long suffering towards me Thou who hast given thy Son unto me vouchsafe to send thy Holy Spirit to over-shadow my Soul and form Christ Jesus within me That conceiving him in my heart by a lively faith and belief of his Gospel I may be made partaker of a Divine nature and express him in his holiness meekness humility patience charity contentedness and simplicity in perfect innocence in doing good and entire satisfaction in thy fatherly love O that the new life to which I am born by the incorruptible seed of thy Word which liveth and abideth for ever 1 P t. 1.23 and for the nourishment of which thou hast provided this holy Feast of which I have now partaked may encrease unto a perfect age to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ that so at last I may be begotten again from the dead and be a child of the resurrection to live for ever with the Lord. And for that end dispose my heart as a new born babe to desire the sincere milk of thy Word that I may grow thereby That since thou hast caused thy Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning I may in such wise hear them read mark learn and inwardly digest them that I may obey from the heart that form of Doctrine Rom. 6.17 whereunto I have been delivered and by patience and comfort of thy Word embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ Vouchsafe good Lord so to direct and govern me that I may never profane this Body which thou hast so sanctified honoured and exalted by intemperance or any impurity nor this Soul which is so dear to thee by pride or envy hatred or malice wrath or revenge covetousness or discontent But I may repose a perfect trust and confidence in thee for what I want seeing thou hast not with-held thy Son thine only Son from us and be thankful for what I enjoy and live in the love of thee my God and of all my Brethren and possess my body in sanctification and in honour that I may humbly wait for thy mercy in Christ Jesus to eternal life Help me this very day to begin to use all bodily good things with holy fear with thanksgiving with pity to the poor and needy with a sense of spiritual delights and hungerings after righteousness and with most earnest longings after that feast of joy and gladness which we hope to keep with thee in the Heavens O that all the world may hear the glad tidings of a Saviour that there may be great joy among all people Let all the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee Let them lift up their hands unto thee in his name and bow their knees unto him and let every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father And O that all they who do confess him may have their conversation as becomes the Gospel and be continually offering up the Sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and be communicating and doing good Kings of the Earth and all People Psal 148.11 12 13. Princes and all Judges of the Earth Both young men and maidens old men and children Let them praise the Name of the Lord that God in all things may be glorified through Christ Jesus to whom be praise and dominion 1 Pâ—t 4.11 for ever and ever Amen On Newyears-day if there be a Communion may be added this short Meditation LEt us consider my Soul before we go to the Holy Table for what ends we go thither and with what hearts we ought to go Is it not to admire the greatness of Gods love in giving his Son to us and the greatness of Christs love in giving himself for us Is it not to render our highest thanks and praise to the Father and the Son for this inestimable love in giving his bloud a ransom for us and then to offer up our selves wholly to his love Is it not to renew our Baptismal Covenant wherein we promised to forsake all his enemies and to lead a mortified life in all obedience to his will To represent to God what his Son hath done for us and humbly to hope in him for all the benefits of his passion To receive encrease of power to overcome the world and further testimonies of his love and stronger desires after the consummation of it in Heavenly bliss To unite our heart in Brotherly affection to all the faithful servants of Jesus and to rejoyce in the holy Communion of Christ and his Saints O blessed Jesus who can have hearts disposed to do all this without thee I come to thee therefore that thou wilt represent thy self most lively to me If I could have seen thee hanging on the Cross or if thou wouldest appear to me as thou didst to Saul if the Heavens were opened and I could behold thee as did St. Steven what strange passions what holy affections would it raise up in my heart Open thine eyes my Soul heartily and strongly believe and thy joy shall be full He will be in the midst of us when we are assembled together in his Name according as he promised He presents himself before us in these Signs of his Body and Bloud Behold how the Word was made flesh how he was Circumcised and fulfilled the Law under which he was born that he might be a pure and unspotted offering to God See how he was whipt and scourged for thy sake See how he suffered upon the Cross how his Body was broken and his heart-Bloud poured out to reconcile us unto God And then thou canst not but come with a thankful heart and with an humble reverent and devout affection present thy self unto him bitterly bewailing thy offences chearfully resigning thy self to his will and joyfully hoping for his mercy When he saith by his Minister Take eat drink this what is the meaning but as if he should say I am thy Salvation And when thou stretchest out thy hand and dost this what is it but to say My Lord and my God Joh. 20.28 And happy are they who not only call him Lord but do the things that he saith Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life Rev. 22.14.12.20 and enter into the City of God Behold he cometh and his reward is with him and he will give to every man according as his work shall be Rev. 21 7. And he that overcometh saith he shall inherit all things I will be his God and he shall be my Son Amen Even so come Lord Jesus And this short Prayer O Lord of heaven and earth who knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising Psal 139.2 3. c. and understandest my thoughts a far
hands the Earth stands fast by thy appointment and every thing keeps the course wherein thou hast set it with admirable constancy Thou governest all things without any trouble because at once thou knowest and canst do what thou pleasest and thou dost all things with the greatest reason justice mercy and pleasure to thy self Man was raised by thee out of the dust of Earth and thou didst inspire him with a wise and understanding Spirit and placedst him in a Paradise surrounded with thy blessings and Lord over the work of thy hands And when he had degraded himself and forfeited by his disobedience his garden of pleasure thou didst not leave him without a remedy but openedst the way for him into the Paradise above Thou didst send thy holy Prophets and messengers in all ages to thy people and in the fulness of time thine own dear Son the brightness of thy glory whom thou hast made Heir of all things and to whom thou hast graciously committed the care of us Blessed be thy unspeakable goodness who hast made him in all things like unto us sin only excepted so that we know and are sure that he will take care of us and pity us and relieve us I adore thy unparalell'd love in giving him to die that he might make expiation for our sins and that he hath overcome death by his rising again and is set down at thy right hand because he was obedient to the death From thence we have received the gift of the Holy Ghost thanks be to thy Grace to confirm us in the belief of his Resurrection and of all his promises by signs and wonders and mighty deeds and to give us power to perform our duty towards thee and towards all men Thou hast spread this Gospel of Salvation into the furthermost parts of the Earth and the light of it hath long shone upon this Kingdom where I live I was born into this light as well as into the light of the Sun and had early assurances given me of thy love In my very infancy I was devoted to thee and all the engagements I was capable of laid upon me to be happy by being a faithful Disciple of Christ Jesus Thou hast not failed since to breath on me by thy Holy Spirit and to move me to my duty that I might be able to make the answer of a good Conscience towards thee 1 Pet. 3 21. and so be saved by his his Resurrection from the dead Many happy opportunities hast thou put into my hands to improve my self in Christian wisdom and vertue and engaged me to thee in many solemn vows only to seek the glory honour and immortality which Christ hath brought to light by patient continuance in well-doing I have now received the pledges of it and commemorated his love in dying for us and thy love in raising him to life again that he might perfect our Salvation and assure us he hath obtained an eternal redemption and comfort us against the fears of death and take care of us for ever and receive the power and glory thou promisedst him that he may be able to bless us and do us all good O how hath thy love abounded in Christ Jesus Besides a world of outward blessings which thy bounteous hand hath poured on me and still continues merely out of thy goodness and liberality How can I praise thee for all thy mercies to all mankind who cannot comprehend all those which thou hast bestowed on my self alone None can understand how much we are beholden to thee but those that know what thy Son Jesus was and what the blessing of the Holy Ghost and what the Resurrection of the dead and the unsearchable riches of thy Kingdom and Glory are Accept blessed Lord of such acknowledgments as I am able to make thee Accept of my whole self which I yield up unto thee with love unfeigned Thou whose infinite understanding pierceth into the greatest depths and secrets knowest that I love thee Do even what thou pleasest with me for it is but just and reasonable that I should not live unto my self henceforth but unto him that died for me and rose again I am twice thy Creature Thou hast given me life a second time by Christ Jesus through whom thou hast created me to good works in hope of a blessed Resurrection from the dead Inspire me good Lord with such a strong and lasting sense of thy love that I may alway live in sincere obedience to him and never forfeit the new title thou hast given me to life immortal But believing the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead I may most heartily acknowledg him to be the Lord and stedfastly believe his Doctrine obeying his commands hoping in his promises and fearing his threatnings and endeavouring thereby to prepare my self in all purity and holiness of life for the joys of the World to come And * The words of the Church Catechism explaining the Lords Prayer I desire my Lord God our Heavenly Father who is the giver of all goodness to send his grace unto me and to all people that we may worship him serve him and obey him as we ought to do And that he will send us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bodies and be merciful to us and forgive us our sins and that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers ghostly and bodily and that he will keep us from all sin and wickedness and from our ghostly enemy and from everlasting death Which I trust he will do of his mercy and goodness through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Now the God of peace Heb 13.20 21. that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Bloud of the everlasting Covenant Make us perfect in every good work to do his will working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen This short acknowledgment may be used sometime that Week Acts 4.24 25. LOrd thou art God which hast made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all that in them is who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said Psal 2.7 8. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy possession Thy word is true from the beginning Psal 119.160.89.90 For ever O Lord thy word is setled in Heaven Thy faithfulness is unto all generations For thou hast sent thy holy Child Jesus Rom. 1.4 and declared him to be the Son of God with power by the Resurrection from the dead Though he was Crucified through weakness 2 Cor. 13.4 yet he liveth by the power of God Thou wouldest not let thy holy one see corruption Acts 2.27 28. But hast made known to him the ways of life and made him full of joy with thy
Soul only but most bountifully providest for my Body too not only thy Son but a great number of thy Creatures losing their lives continually to preserve mine There is all reason that I should serve thee with unwearied diligence who hast made so many things constantly to serve me And here I present my self again before thee to tender thee my hearty service to beseech thy acceptance of the vows and promises I have already made to thee and to express my hope in thy mercy for power from on high to assist and further my pious desires and resolutions I believe in thee O God through Christ Jesus who hast raised him up from the dead 1 Pet. 1.21 and given him glory that our faith and hope might be in thee our God I live in a full perswasion that thou designest to make me everlastingly happy and therefore humbly look to receive from thy Divine bounty the communication of thy Holy Spirit to help me to fit and prepare my self for such a glorious state with Christ in the Heavens That there my thoughts and my heart may be where my hopes are treasured up and all things may seem little and mean in compare with the glory to be revealed and I may think my self exceeding high and great in the humility meekness goodness patience and contentedness of the Lord Jesus and in the holy hope he hath given me of Eternal life Preserve in my mind a constant sense of that blessed hope as incomparably beyond all possessions on Earth that so I may walk worthy of my High and Heavenly calling chearfully doing and suffering thy will and believing that thou who hast done so much for us as to advance our nature to such glory in the Heavens will take care of us while we are here on Earth and conduct us by humble submission to thee and patient continuance in well-doing to that place whither Jesus the fore-runner is entred for us Psal 98.4 And let all the Earth make a joyful noise unto the Lord make a loud noise and rejoyce 97.1 and sing praise For the Lord Jesus reigneth 29.10 He sitteth King for ever Let them praise his great and holy name For the Kinds strength loveth judgment 99.3 4. he doth establish equity He executeth judgment and righteousness in the Earth Psal 5.11 And let all those that love him be joyful in him Rejoyce in the Lord 97.11 12. ye righteous and give thanks to the memorial of his holiness For light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself 2 Th ss 2.16 17. and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace Comfort our hearts and establish us in every good word and work Amen Whitsunday The Meditation before O Holy Spirit of grace what news is this that thou blessest our ears withall What glad tidings are these that thou art come to tell us What means the sound of so many various tongues the gifts of prophecy of wisdom of knowledge of faith and miracles with all the rest which thou dividedst severally to every man as thou wouldest Doth Jesus yet live hath he indeed conquered the grave and is he exalted at the right hand of God and invested with all power in Heaven and Earth It is enough I will go then and see him when I die That word is no longer dreadful to me I am not afraid of the King of terrors since Jesus lives and is the Lord and King of all Witness the Holy Ghost the Comforter which he hath sent down from the Throne of his glory to assure us that he not only lives but reigns in Majesty and Power and is mindful of us and of his promises Those fiery tongues that came with the noise as of a might rushing wind tell me that he is able to transport us when he pleases in fiery Chariots unto Heaven I hear them call my thoughts up thither Heb. 2.9 and bid me see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour and scattering his royal gifts among his servants I am thy servant O blessed Jesus Psal 119.125 135. make thy face to shine upon me Let thy mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word Ver. 41 49 Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope That WHERE I AM Joh. 12.26 THERE SHALL ALSO MY SERVANT BE. What words of grace and life are these It is enough O thou that dwellest in the Heavens that I be there where thou art Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psa 73.24 and afterward receive me to glory And till I go to see that glory which the Father hath given thee I will go and see the representations thou hast left us of thy self and receive the pawns and pledges of thy Eternal love I will go and remember thy obedience to the death for which cause thou art highly exalted and made most blessed for ever 21.6 And O that the Holy Spirit of grace which fell on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost would fill my heart with a sense of that love and swell my Soul with a full apprehension of all the blessings that it contains that so I may burst forth into thy praises as they did and speak the wondrous works of God Acts 2.11 Marvellous are thy works O Lord Ps 139.14 and that my Soul knows right well I see by the light of the Holy Ghost sent down on them that Jesus indeed was the Son of God holy and without fault that all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily Coloss 2.9 that he hath made peace by the bloud of his Cross and reconciled Heaven and Earth Coloss 1.20 that he is ascended up far above all Heavens Ephes 4.10 Ephes 2.6 that he might fill all things and that thou O Lord hast raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus I see what a powerful Advocate we have in the Court of Heaven Joh. 17.2 and that thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him I see that all thy promises in him are yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 22. by whom thou hast also sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit One tongue is too little to speak the praises of the Lord. I will go therefore into the Assemblies of thy people that they may magnifie the Lord with me Psal 34.3 and we may exalt his name together I will declare the exceeding greatness of his love and the superlative bounty of Heaven in sending him to die for us Yea My Soul shall make her boast in the Lord Psal 34.2 and glory in his
holy Name Let the wise man if he please glory in his wisdom and the rich man glory in his riches and the mighty man in his great strength But I will glory in this that I understand and know thee that thou art the Lord the God and Father of Jesus Christ Jer. 9.23 24. which exercises loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the Earth for in these things are thy delight I will glory in this that I am the Disciple and Heir of the crucified Jesus that I know the power of his Resurrection Phil. 3.10 and the fellowship of his Sufferings that he hath made a new Covenant with us of grace mercy and peace that we have received the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 whereby we call him Father and that I am taken into the fellowship of the Saints and have hope to be numbered with them in glory everlasting I will send up my heart to Heaven where he is in holy love and engage my self to be ever mindful of his Covenant especially of that new Commandment to love one another even as he hath loved us By this shall all men know that I am his Disciple because I love the Brethren Ephes 4.4 5 6 7 8 c. For there is one Body and one Spirit even as we are called in one hope of our calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all Who gave to every one grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And he gave some Apostles blessed be his bounteous goodness and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the fulness of Christ From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and coâ—â—acted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh encrease of the body unto the edifying of it self in love The Prayer before O Lord who livest for ever and changest not Whose power made me and all the world before whom the whole world is as a little grain of a ballance Wis 11.22 or a drop of the morning dew that falleth on the Earth Whose wisdom governs and orders all things both in heaven and earth whose goodness and bounty provides constantly for their comfortable support under whose Soveraign and everlasting dominion we live and unto whom we owe all homage service and fidelity which ought most readily and heartily to be paid by every one of us I adore thee in the humblest reverence of my Soul and body I acknowledge my dependance on thee and subjection to thee I desire above all things to live in thy fear and in thy love and obedience as long as I have any being Blessed be thy goodness that I may love thee and that I am alive to worship and acknowledg thee Blessed be thy goodness that thou hast not been provoked to cut me off in my forgetfulness of thee nor now to open the gates of death for me and command me to dwell in silence but the doors of thy house that I may enter in and praise thy holy Name To thee belongs all blessing honour worship and service to me nothing but shame and confusion of face which ought to cover me when I approach thy presence I thank thee most humbly for the good news thou hast sent us that thou art in thy Son Christ 2 Cor. 5.19 reconciling the world to thy self I rejoyce in thy love who hast delivered him up for our offences Rom. 4.25 and raised him from the dead for our justification that we may know thou hast accepted of his death as a sufficient satisfaction for us and believe that all his words are faithful and true and that we shall be accepted in thy beloved I thank thee O God that thou hast exalted him to sit in thy throne of glory that he may be able to perform his own promises and enable us to obey his Commands That thou hast given us such good hope in thee by patient continuance in well doing to come to the resurrection of the dead and to be made partakers of life immortal Blessed be the Lord for the assurance we have of this that we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour by the descent of the Holy Ghost which is the earnest of that eternal bliss that thou hast sent thine Apostles to preach the Gospel to every creature and that when they went forth thou wroughtest with them Mark 16. ult confirming their word with signs following and that I my self have felt the effects of his royal power in the heavens by the breathings of thy holy Spirit in my heart perswading me to love thee and thy Son Jesus who hath shown all long-suffering towards me and waited with great patience upon me that I might return to thee and live I thank thee O Lord and desire to be admitted to thy holy Table that I may thank thee better and renew my acknowledgments to thee in the most solemn manner laying my self at thy feet to tender thee my hearty service resigning my self to thy will recommending Soul and body to thy wisdom submitting to thy government approving all thy laws and devoting my self to the constant observance of them I hope thou wilt mercifully accept and own me in all these acts and stand by me to guide assist and encourage me and to work in me whatsoever is well pleasing in thy sight That I may be such an one as thou canst love and delight in and reward and I desire nothing else in heaven or in earth I do most freely give my self up to the conduct of the Holy Ghost and stedfastly depend on thee for its continual presence with me to possess my mind with such a strong sense of these things which it hath revealed unto us that they may operate powerfully on my will and affections and make them conformable unto Christ O that by walking in love and shewing all meekness to all men by patience and peaceableness gentleness and goodness uprightness and fidelity temperance and moderation contentedness and joy in every state and condition and by all other fruits of the spirit I may so resemble my blessed Lord and Master Jesus that I may nothing doubt to bear the image of his glory in heaven as I bear the image of his holiness here on earth O that the eyes of my understanding may be opened more and more to see the wondrous things which thou hast written to us in thy Gospel that apprehending and believing and following the wisdom given to us by thine Apostles through the
my soul I only bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 3.14 15 c. of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named that he would grant me according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in my heart by faith that I being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg that I may be filled with all the fulness of God Amen The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward O Lord the fullest and most bountiful good who art rich in mercy to all that call upon thee never weary of our importunities nor weary of importuning us to dispose our selves to receive thy blessings Eccluâ— 2. ult Thy power is the beginning of righteousness and is guided by the greatest wisdom and the greatest love As is thy Majesty Wisd 12.16 so is thy mercy and because thou art the Lord of all it maketh thee to be gracious unto all Thou lovest all things that are 11.24 25 26. and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made for never wouldest thou have made any thing if thou hadst hated it And how could any thing have endured if it had not been thy will or been preserved if not called by thee But thou sparest all for they are thine O Lord thou lover of Souls It is of thy mere goodness that I am not consumed Lam. 3.22 and because thy compassions fail not That I have so much liberty as to recount thy mercies which keep me in life and let it not be as wretched and miserable base and vile sickly and uneasie troublesome and tedious as it might have been according to my deservings is for ever to be remembred with most humble thankfulness I cannot forget unless I cast away all care and consideration of my self from how many dangers thou hast delivered me in what extremities thou hast succoured and relieved me and what friends lovers and kind acquaintances thou hast bestowed on me But the greatest of thy mercies are those which thou hast expressed to us in the Lord Jesus without which all the rest might have made our life in the next world to have proved more miserable and intolerable to us Thou hast sent him in the tenderest and most endearing manner in our own flesh with the most moving and compassionate entreaties and the strongest and most obliging arguments to surrender our selves to thy obedience to whom of right we belong And he hath laid down his life so great was his love the just for the unjust 1 Pet. 3.18 that he might bring us to thee our God And thou hast rewarded his obedience to the death with a glorious Resurrection and set him at thine own right hand and given him the promise of the Holy Ghost Acts 2.33 which he hath shed abundantly on his Apostles to guide them into all truth Joh. 16.13 that they might go and Teach all Nations and Baptize them into his Religion Matth. 28.19 20. and teach them to observe all things that he hath commanded I remember with most grateful acknowledgments the manifold gifts which thou bestowedst on thy Church to confirm the faith of Christ and propagate it in the world till it came to these Regions where I live Blessed be thy goodness that I was born of Christian Parents and without my knowledge very early by their care dedicated unto thee Blessed be thy goodness that ever since I have been thy care and that thou hast brought me up to the knowledge of thy holy Gospel wherein I read this story of thy marvellous love and am instructed in my duty towards thee and towards men and encouraged by exceeding great and precious promises being put in hope of immortal life the pledges of which thou hast ordered and appointed thy Ministers to provide for me and give unto me I have now by thy goodness received them and tasted that the Lord is gracious full of compassion and of great pity not desiring the death of a sinner but that he should return and live This raises thy mercy to the greatest height that thou hast done all this for those who are so dull and insensible cold and careless inconstant and uncertain apt too soon to forget these benefits and great obligations which thou layest on them But thou hast done all this and continuest thy kindness to make us better Which is the thing O Lord that I most heartily desire and labour after and shall ever account it the greatest blessing when I am overcome by thy merciful kindness and am willing to part with my self and all my own desires to gain thee and thy love by being led and ruled in all things according to thy will To that I unfeignedly again submit my self and humbly vow all the powers of Soul and Body to thy obedience I own thy blessed Gospel for the rule and direction of my life and thy Son Christ Jesus for my pattern and example and thy good Spirit for my guide and governour in whose holy comforts I rejoyce more than in any thing in this world For ever magnified be thy love that thou hast exalted one mighty to save and hast sent him not only with a pardon but with the power of the Holy Ghost to renew sanctifie and advance our Nature by changing it into the likeness of thine own I hope in thee O Lord for the continued influences thereof to quicken my Faith and render it more and more effectual in all the actions of an holy life That I may have high and adoring thoughts of thee and humble thoughts of my self overlook the little things here below and labour for those above do good with what I have and lay up treasures in Heaven be contented with my portion and sober and discreet in the use of it live peaceably with all men but not be partaker in their sins and that it may alway be part of my employment in this World thus to worship thee and reflect upon thy goodness and the rest may be to live according to my prayers and acknowledgments Amen and Amen O that all Nations whom thou hast made would come and worship before thee Psal 86.9 10. in Spirit and in Truth Joh. 4.23 O that they would glorifie thy Name for thou art great and dost wondrous things thou art God alone But let all Christians especially 1 Cor. 12.13 who by one Spirit are all baptized into one Body and have been all made to drink into one Spirit glorifie the Name of their Lord Ephes 4.3 by keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and agreeing together in Godly love And do thou O Lord the God of Peace direct their hearts into the more excellent way that though tongues and prophecies and miracles are ceased yet that humble kind meek and long-suffering Charity may remain and abound more and more which will bring us all to live in endless love and peace and joy together in the Heavens The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 13. ult and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with me and with all my Friends and all thy Servants every where Amen THus by the help of God I have brought this Treatise to a Conclusion which I hope will not be unwelcome to those that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Ephes 6. ult And I most humbly beseech the Divine Majesty graciously to accept my weak endeavours therein to serve this Church and stir up every Member of it with hearty love to offer up themselves to him in its Publick Service Which so gravely and pathetically expresses the sense of pious hearts at the Holy Communion that these Private Prayers which I have composed to wait upon it can only serve to excite those who will make use of them to joyn with more fervour in the Common Devotions and to continue those holy dispositions which they declare to be in their hearts if they sincerely unite them with these words * In the Prayer after the Communion And here we offer and present unto thee O Lord our Selves our Souls and Bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively Sacrifice unto thee Which that we may ever be we cannot in a few words better implore the Divine assistance than in those of that incomparable Prayer at the end of our Communion-Service PRevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our works begun continued and ended in thee we may glorifie thy holy Name and finally by thy mercy obtain Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen THE END ERRATA PAge 53. line 19. read went away p. 179. l. 1. r. heart l. 2. r. mouth p. 320. l. 27. 1. have received p. 357 l. 12. r. Lord Jesus p. 362. l. ult r. a member p. 383. l. 10. r. and growth p. 396. l. 13. r. earnests
Breaking giving and receiving of that Bread was to commemorate and more strongly imprint on their minds the whole History of our Lord Jesus Which we are not to reflect upon in an idle and ineffectual manner but with such passions as we feel when we think of the sweet conversation the good offices and the solemn departure of the dearest Friend that we ever had Whom no good natur'd man can seriously call to mind without Love Delight Gratitude and a great forwardness to fulfil his Will and Testament and to follow his admired example Now that we may be made able to do so in respect to our Lord Christ he is pleased to set before us this Holy Food which the Christian Church hath always lookt upon as a Spiritual nourishment to strengthen and encrease in us all goodness And for that purpose we are to address our selves to the Table of our Lord that by affectionate meditation on his condiscending kindness in becoming a Man for our sakes and by laying to heart the whole story of his wonderful Love from his Birth to his Grave and fixing our eyes on the glorious hopes he hath given us by rising again from the dead and ascending to the Throne of God we may feel a greater strength derived to us from him enabling us to our several duties and be enlivened to a greater freedom and chearfulness in denying all our own appetites and desires and submitting them to the Will of Christ Say therefore to your selves before you come thither some such words as these We are invited to a Feast our most Gracious Lord is the Master of it yea He himself is the cheer that is provided for us With what Humility with what thankfulness ought we to accept of his invitation Let us fit up our selves and make our souls ready to appear before him in as holy and becoming a manner as we are able Let us go with such joy as if we were called to the richest entertainment in the world Let our Meditation of him be sweet and let us be glad in the Lord * Psal 104.4 Isa 63.7 Psa 45.17 Let us mention the loving kindness of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us And let us make his name to be remembred in all generations Let us resolve to feed on him in our hearts by Faith with Thanksgiving as his Minister exhorts us to ruminate so long upon his love till we feel our hearts burn with love to him Let us meditate on his holy life his bitter passion his bloody and shameful death his glorious Resurrection and Ascention his Power and Authority at Gods right hand the great benefits we justly expect from thence and the pretious promises he hath by these means sealed to us till we feel all the powers of our souls quickned and stirred up with a mighty heat and zeal to do the will of our ever blessed Redeemer even a new life and spirit coming into us and making us Strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Which vertue we shall certainly find flowing into us and spreading it self through our hearts if we believe and enter into a serious consideration of the more particular intention and design of this holy Feast whose general meaning I have briefly described Having surveyed therefore in your thoughts the whole Gospel of our Saviour Christ I shall proceed to shew you on what you are more principally to fasten them You must not consider this holy Action only as a Feast in remembrance of him but as a Feast upon a Sacrifice wherein you are more particularly to commemorate his Death Our blessed Lord the High-Priest of our profession was pleased himself to be offered upon the cross where he gave himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Ephes 5.2 A kindness that as it ought never to be forgotten so it ought to be mentioned with the highest and devoutest praises And therefore after the manner of those Feasts among the Jews and Gentiles too in which the people had some portion of the Sacrifice to entertain themselves and their friends withal he makes us pertakers of the Sacrifice which he made to God by admitting us in these representations of his body and blood to feast upon it Which Action is a grateful commemoration of his death to his everlasting praise and glory Therein we set forth that Sacrifice of his for us and signifie the thankful sense we have of his love and our high esteem of those benefits which his bloody Death hath purchased to us This we learn first from those words of our Lord and his Apostle S. Paul which teach us to do this in remembrance of him Which phrase doth not signifie our calling him to mind but our making mention of his dying love with due praises and acknowledgments which is best expressed by the word Commemorate We declare by doing this that we indeed bear that remarkable testimony of his kindness in the remembrance of a thankful heart and will endeavour to make it be remembred in the succeeding generation That this is the meaning appears more fully from a second expression of S. Paul's 1 Cor. 11.26 where he saith as often as they did this they shewed forth the Lords death till he came We declare and publish by this Action his bloody Death We proclaim and abundantly utter the memory of his great goodness which he would have made known to all by this solemn Feast till his second appearing This is the import of that word shew forth only it carries this further notion in it as appears by the use of it in the Psalms * Ps 106. â— Ps 145.4 5 6 7. That we hereby publish his mighty Acts with praise extol and magnifie his marvellous love and celebrate the Memory of those divine benefits he hath obtained for us with a desire that they may be acknowledged in the same manner to the Worlds end And here now we may consider that this Commemoration and shewing forth looks two ways towards men and towards God First We shew it forth and tell it to the world We openly declare to all those that see or know what we do that the Son of God dyed for the Children of men that he freely gave his body to be broken and his blood to be shed for our redemption We proclaim Jesus to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World and shew how God hath commended his love to us in that while we were sinners he gave his only begotten Son for us that we might live through him In this riches of his grace we make our boast and glory a great deal more than if we possessed the Treasures of the whole Earth Secondly And then we Commemorate also and shew forth his Death unto God the Father We set before him this free-will Offering of Jesus as a sufficient Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world We magnifie his
bounty in this invaluable blessing and make mention of this which his Son hath suffered for us as a compleat satisfaction for all our offences against him We must approach therefore to the Table of the Lord with affectionate acknowledgments of his infinite goodness extolling and praising his merciful kindness in bestowing on us so great a gift professing we will never forget the tender love of our Lord who laid down his life for us and beseeching the Father of Mercies to receive us into his grace and favour for the sake of his dear Son whose Death we shew unto him We should resolve to express the sense of our hearts in some such words as these Psal 92.1 2 3. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name O thou most high To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work I will triumph in the works of thy hand 66.16.86.13 Come and hear all ye people I will declare what the Lord hath done for our Souls For great is his mercy towards us and he hath delivered our souls from the lowest hell Glorious things are spoken of thee John 1.14 29. Colâ—ss 1.15 Joh. â— 12 O Jesus thou lover of Souls The word made flesh the Image of the invisible God the light of the world the Lamb of God that takes away its sin the first begotten from the dead the heir of all things Rev. 1.5 the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Heb. 1.3 Heb. 8.1.9.24.7 25. an high Priest who is set down on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens who appears in the presence of God and lives for ever to make intercession for us Psal 89.6 Who in the Heaven can be compared to the Lord who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord For thou Lord art highly exalted thou art exalted far above all Gods 9â— 9 In this most powerful name O Father Almighty we humbly cast down our selves before the Throne of thy Glory Give us leave to mention before thee the Death of him who said behold I come to do thy will O God Behold O Lord the bleeding wounds of thy well-beloved in whom thou hast testified by a voice from Heaven that thou art well pleased Remember how his Body was broken for us and his Blood poured out In him we believe thou art perfectly satisfied and therefore are bold to hope that thou art reconciled to us on that account O hear his dying groans regard his Agony and Bloody sweat by his Cross and Passion let our sins be blotted out and by his glorious Resurrection and Ascension let us feel every evil affection and lust perfectly killed and crucified We have nothing to plead if he have not done enough and fulfilled all thy will But since he hath laid down his life in obedience to thee O let us by vertue of that voluntary Sacrifice which now we represent before thee obtain thy mercy and grace We cannot be content to lose our share in so great a Love And since thou hast bid us to Commemorate it we hope we shall as certainly pertake of it as we do of this Feast to which thou hast invited us Ps 79.13.145.1 2. So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever We will shew forth thy praise from generation to generation We will extol thee our God O King we will bless thy name for ever and ever Every day will we bless thee and will praise thy name for ever and ever In such Meditations as these when we shew forth the inestimable value of Christs Sacrifice we do as it were offer it unto God or rather make before him a commemoration of his Offering And in this sense the Ancient Christians did call this Sacrament a Sacrifice and every Christian they lookt upon as a Priest and a Sacrificer when he came to the Table of the Lord. Because Christ not only bad his Apostles do this in remembrance of him but S. Paul requires every one of us to do the same and to shew forth his Death till he come There is none mentions this Sacrifice more frequently than S. Chrysostome but to explain himself after he had said we do not make another Sacrifice as the high Priests of old but always the very same he adds or rather we make a Commemoration of a Sacrifice * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Heb. 10. p. 523. edic Savil. And in the very same manner Eusebius writes in his first Book of his Evangelical Demonstration Christians cannot think fit saith he to return back again to the first and weak Elements he means the Mosaical Sacrifices which were but Symbols and Images not the Truth it self ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. cap. 10. p. 37. since they celebrate every day the Commemoration of his Body and Blood and are made worthy of a better Sacrifice and ministery than the Ancients were And a little after speaking of Christs wonderful oblation and most pretious bloody Sacrifice to the Father he adds that he delivered also to us a Remembrance instead of a Sacrifice to offer up continually unto God * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 38. By which words it is manifest he took the Remembrance or Commemoration of Christs death to be that Sacrifice which we make to God And again he saith in the very next page to celebrate the remembrance or commemoration of that Sacrifice upon the Table by the Symbols or representations both of his Body and saving Blood we have received according to the ordinances of the New Testament Hither he applies those places out of the Psalms offer to God Thanksgiving Let the lifting up of our hands be as an evening Sacrifice The Sacrifices of God are a contrite Spirit c. So that they thought of no other Sacrifice in those days but that of praise and Thanksgiving together with the offering of our selves our Souls and bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively Sacrifice unto him as it is admirably expressed in our Communion Service * Prayer after all have Communicated With which the Author now mentioned perfectly agrees and delivers his mind almost in the same words We Sacrifice ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Ib. pag. 40. saith he a divine venerable and most holy Sacrifice We Sacrifice after a new manner according to the New Testament a pure Sacrifice c. we both Sacrifice and offer Incense too Celebrating the remembrance of that great Sacrifice according to the Mysteries delivered by him to us and offering Thanksgiving for our Salvation by godly Hymns and Prayers to God consecrating our selves also wholly to him and to our high Priest the word devoting to him both our Souls and Bodies It would be easy to add much more to the same purpose but
we may not fail to be pertakers he hath ordained this Sacrament to be a bond of Vnion between all Christians who believe in one common Saviour and all pertake of his Sacrifice There is no doubt but this is one of the ends for which he invites us to this Feast that we may profess charity to all our Brethren and joyn our selves in a league of Friendship with them as well as with himself This was the intention of publick feasts in all Cities of the world Athenaeus mentions such among the Athenians Lacedaemonians and Cretians * L. 5. Deipnosoph cap. 1.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whose Law-givers had appointed common entertainments at which the Citizens met in one place that they might be more firmly linked together and not espouse any private interest Many other besides these he there remembers at which they thought it of great import that all should appear and present themselves For he immediately adds the saying of an ancient Poet who admonished them that Friends and companions should not long abstain from these Feasts because this was a most lovely Commemoration ‡ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very word used by our Saviour at the institution of this Feast of his They commemorated I suppose the common benefits that had been bestowed on them the famous Acts of their ancestors and the marvellous victorieâ— and deliverances which they had obtained whereby they were ingaged to love and unity without which they could never hope to remain so happy Such meetings besides those ordained by the Law there were among the Jewes that lived in the same neighbourhood who maintained society and friendship by eating of the same food in the evening of the Sabbath Which was as much as to say as Maimonides his words are * Mentioned by Dr. Lightfoot in 1 Cor. 10 we are mingled together or associated there is one food for us all no man intrenches on his neighbours property But as there is one equal right to us all in this common place so there is a several right to every one in the place which is peculiar and proper to himself Thus our Companies and Fraternities have their Common Halls and Feasts also which were appointed for nothing else but that they might the better maintain love and kindness among the Brethren of the society In like manner this Divine Feast of our Saviours institution was attended with that of charity in which the poor were entertained as Christian Brethren together with the rich for the continuing and promoting of friendship Unity and peace among them all Nay this Feast it self was designed without all question for this purpose as well as others that all those who met at the same Communion might be joyned together in the strictest bond of holy friendship by pertaking all of one bread and drinking of one Cup. So S. Paul teaches us 1 Cor. 10.17 For we being many are one bread and one body for we are all pertakers of that one bread As the bread was broken to commemorate the sufferings of Christ whose body was broken for our sins so it was broken also to be distributed among all the Communicants in token that they were but one body members of the same Christ and members one of another As it was a Feast their eating at the same Table declared their friendship and charity but their eating there of one and the same loaf which represented the body of Christ more effectually declared it and ingaged the holy Brotherhood to greater Unity and intireness of affection It is well observed by S. Chrysostom * Hâ—mil 18. in 2. Cor. p. 647. that it was not lawful for the people among the Jews to pertake of that part of the Sacrifice which was given to the Priests But they had their portion to themselves and the Sacrificer with his Friends another portion different from the Priests But now it is not so saith he one and the same body and one and the same cup is given to all To teach us that we are one body differing no more one from another than member doth from member in the same body And therefore we are not to throw all upon the Priests but every one is to take care of another and contrive as much as he is able the good of the whole Church I will only add the words of S. Cyprian * Epist ad Magnum p. 151. Edit Regal who saith the Lords Sacrifices declare the Christian Vnanimity knit together in a firm and inseparable charity For when our Lord called the bread which is kneaded together and made up by the union of many corns his body he denoted Christian people And when he calls the wine which is pressed out of many grapes and gathered together in one his blood he signifies also our flock coupled by the mingling together of an united multitude From whence it is manifest to all that will not shut their eyes that he took the bread to be Christs body not only as it represents Christ but all the faithful together with him Which appears more fully from the long discourse he makes in another place ‖ Epist ad Coecilium 63. p. 103. concerning the mixing of water together with wine in the Cup of the Lord as the custome then was Waters saith he in the holy Scripture signifie many people and Nations which we behold also contained in the Sacrament of the Cup. For since Christ bare us all who likewise bare our sins we see the people to be understood by water as the wine shews us the blood of Christ Now when the water in the Cup is mingled with the wine the people is made one with Christ and the multitude of believers is coupled and joyned together with him in whom they believe Which conjunction of water and wine is so mingled in the Cup of the Lord that they cannot be separated one from the other c. So that in Sacrificing the Cup of the Lord the water alone cannot be offered * He is disputing against those who used only water in this Sacrament no more than the wine alone For if one offer wine alone it begins to be the blood of Christ without the people if water alone it begins to be the people without Christ But when both are mingled and joyned together by such an union that they cannot be known one from the other then the spiritual and heavenly Sacrament is perfected It is just so likewise in the other part the body of the Lord cannot be meal alone or water alone but both must be made one and coupled together and make up one solid loaf By which Sacrament also our people is shewn to be made one That as many corns being gathered together in one and kneaded and mixed together make one loaf so in Christ who is the bread from Heaven we may know there is one body to which our number is joyned and united From which words we may
clearly discern that I may touch on this by the way that he did not believe the Wine in this Sacrament was turned in substance into the blood of Christ but only in representation and use For it begun to be his blood when it was offered to God just as the water begun to be the people and flock of Christ He uses the same words of both And therefore if we say he thought the wine was changed from its own nature into the very substance of Christs blood we may as well say he believed the water to be changed from being water and to be made the very substance of his Church or people In the like manner we may discourse concerning the bread which in his opinion is so made Christs body that it is also the body of the Church For that is represented he saith together with Christ by the flour and water made into one Bread But not to trouble our selves any further with disputes let us therefore when we pertake of the Table of the Lord think that as thereby we are made one with Christ so we are joyned in the closest Union one with another And let us remember when we are making our selves ready for this heavenly Feast that as we are going to commemorate the dearest love of our Lord and to profess our love to him so to engage our selves to the heartiest love towards all the members of the same body to enter into a Covenant one with another as well as with him by eating of the same bread and drinking of the same Cup that we will never fall out any more much less hate maligne or do despite and injuries one to another but live for ever in the peace of God in unity and godly love O that this holy use of this Sacrament were more seriously regarded and laid to heart It would make a marvellous change in the face of Christs Church if all that pertake of his Table did cordially embrace as loving friends and resolve to remain in an inseparable affection For Love or Brotherly charity is the fulfilling of the Law and would certainly secure all thoses duties which we owe to our Neighbour as S. Paul shews Rom. 13.8 9 10. If our hearts were filled with it we should not only be preserved from doing of him harm but it would make us do him good By giving and communicating to his necessities * Which is joyned with breakinâ— br◠〈…〉 us â—ship and by forgiving him and passing by his injuries trespasses and offences under which two heads are comprehended all the offices of brotherly charity We have our Saviours word for it that if this heavenly vertue were but planted in our breasts all other Christian vertues would presently shine in us and adorn our souls For he compares this loving and kind disposition free from all base selfishness and covetous desires which look only at their own particular profit to the eye in our head which when it is clear and pure the whole body is full of light Matth. 6.22 And therefore the oftner we come to the Lords Table with this end among other in our aim the better Christians we shall grow We shall preserve this light that is in us from growing dim and renewing our friendship at this feast to which the Lord invites both high and low rich and poor we shall neither despise nor envy nor bear ill will nor be hard hearted one to another any more Nay our light will so shine before men that they seeing our good works will glorify our Father which is in Heaven It is a maxim I observe among Politicians that a great person or Governor should Feast or entertain but seldom upon some special occasions because it is uncertain whether he shall procure by it favour or envy Some may think themselves neglected and others think themselves disparaged who are not able to give the same entertainment But our Lord upon the quite contrary reasons invites us frequently to his house and Table because he invites all and makes no difference upon account of mens outward estates and expects nothing at all again but that all his Guests would love one another with a sincere heart and unfeigned affection The great he would ingage not to scorn the meaner sort and the meaner sort not to envy the great He would oblige the rich to be merciful and liberal and the poor to be thankful and contented The weak in knowledge not to judg the strong and the strong not to despise the weak but all to live together as loving Brethren and members of the same body That so they may have the same care one for another And whether one member suffer all the members may suffer with it or one member rejoyce all the rest may rejoyce with it And whatsoever differences may arise he conjures them by all that is sacred and dear to them that they fall not out nor make any quarrels much less divide and separate themselves one from another or do any thing that may spoil the harmony and consent of their affections together with the comfort of their lives and the beauty of his Church O how good Psal 133.1 4. how pleasant it is should every one say when he is at this feast for Brethren to dwell together in Vnity Heaven and Earth are pleased with this happy agreement and sweet accord Here the Lord commandeth a blessing even life for evermore Never will I make any jars in this heavenly consort Nothing but love nothing but Love shall possess that heart in which thou O Lord of love art pleased to inhabit I willingly enter into these holy bonds of friendship and peace I ty my self here inseparably to all my Brethren I embrace them all in every place with an open and inlarged heart I will ever endeavour to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and will love not in word nor tongue but in deed and in truth And O that we could see that holy Spirit which gathered so many Nations and tongues and people of sundry sorts into one body of the Church descending once more to joyn together all Christian hearts Come holy Ghost and draw us all to unity concord and peace That as there is one Lord and one spirit and one Baptism Ephes 4.3.4 5. Act. 4.32 and one hope of our calling so the multitude of believers may be of one heart and of one soul O blessed Jesus who when thou ascendedst up on high gavest gifts to men yea to the rebellious also renew thy ancient bounty to thine Universal Church Visit our minds and inspire us with heavenly grace that we may be like minded Phil. 2.2 having the same love being of one accord and one mind That so at last there may be but one voice also that we may all speak the same thing 1 Cor. 1.20 and that there be no divisions among us but that we be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in
grateful mention of all the benefits he hath bestowed on us and intends unto us and to all our Christian Brethren whose concernments should be very dear unto us as well as our own And truly the ancient Church were so much in love with this duty that they gave thanks to God for all good things the benefits we enjoy by all his creatures as well as for our redemption by his Son Jesus Because this feast accompanied that of Charity in which their bodies were fed as in this their Souls and because of the offerings they then made of some of the fruits of the Earth as we do now of money in lieu of them for an acknowledgment to God that he was the Author of all the blessings which they enjoyed But this alwayes made the principal part of their acknowledgments that God had sent his Son into the world to save sinners And therefore as our Church teaches us in the exhortation just before the Communion above all things we must give most humble and hearty thanks to God the Father the Son and the 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 Without which thanksgiving to speak the truth we do not do that which Christ commanded and so cannot hope for the blessing he hath promised Hear S. Chrysostom in stead of all that treat of this matter who excellently declares the manner and reason of this Thanksgiving Homil. 25. in Matth. p. 178. Edit sav in a Sermon of his upon Eighth chapter of S. Matthew A perpetual memory saith he and thanksgiving for a good turn is the best way that can be found to secure and preserve it to us And therefore the dreadful mysteries and full of Salvation which we celebrate in every assembly are called the Eucharist because they are a commemoration of many benefits and shew forth the principal piece of divine Providence and dispose us always to give him thanks For if to be born of a virgin was a great wonder what was it to be crucified to shed his blood for us and to give himself to us for a Feast and a Spiritual banquet what shall we call this where shall we place it we can do no less than give him thanks perpetually Let this precede both our words and works and let us give him thanks not only for our own good things but for those of others For by this means we shall destroy envy and bind charity faster and make it more genuine and of a kindly nature For a man will not be able to envy them any more for whom he gives thanks unto his Master And therefore the Priest when this Sacrifice is in hand bids us thank God for the whole world for what is past and what is present and for those things that are to come This sets us free from the Earth and translates us to Heaven and of men makes us Angels For they making a Quire gave thanks to God for the good things he bestowed on us saying Glory be to God in the highest on earth peace good will towards men Thou wilt say perhaps what are they to us they live not upon the earth nor are men like unto our selves It is all one for that this signifies very much to us For we are taught hereby to love our fellow servants so as to account their happiness to be our own Let us do so then giving thanks perpetually for our own blessings for others for little for great or rather there are none little that come from God And that I may pass by other things which are more than the sand for multitude what is there comparable to this dispensation For that only begotten son of his who was more pretious to him than all things besides hath he given for us enemies And not only given him but after that gift set him before us for our Table doing all things himself for us both to give and then to make us thankful for his gifts For mankind being generally ungrateful he undertakes throughout and doth all things for us himself And what he did for the Jews putting them in mind of his benefits from PLACES and TIMES and FEASTS that he hath done here from a kind of Sacrifice casting us into a perpetual remembrance of the good he hath wrought for us None labours so much that we should be approved and great and ingenuous as God who made us And therefore he doth us good oftimes even against our will and gives us many good things which we know not of It is but reason then that whatsoever we do in word or deed we should do all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God and the Father by him Coloss 3.17 which Theodoret refers to this business There being those saith he that required them to worship Angels the Apostle enjoyns the contrary that they should adorn their words and deeds with the memory of our Master Christ and send up thanksgivings to God the Father by him and not by Angels To him we should address all our Services in a grateful remembrance of his love in Jesus and as our Communion Book excellently expresses it we should give him as we are most bounden continual thanks submitting our selves wholly to his holy will and pleasure and studying to serve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life But especially when we go to this holy Communion we should enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise we should be thankful unto him and bless his name Saying Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised Psal 145.3 his greatness is unsearchable Great and marvellous are thy works Rev. 15.3 O Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways thou king of Saints Psal 106.2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord who can shew forth all his praise 100.3 He made us and not we our selves 116.8 we are his people and the sheep of his pasture He holdeth our souls in life and keepeth our eyes from tears and our feet from falling 66.9 36.6 Thou Lord preservest man and beast 145.15 16 Thou givest food to all flesh The eyes of all wait on thee and thou givest them their meat in due season Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing 34.3 O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good and his mercy endureth for ever Psa 136.1 2 23 24. O give thanks unto the God of Gods for his mercy endureth for ever 138.1.149.6 Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for
40.8 11. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart Withhold not thy tender mercies from me O Lord let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me Vnite my heart to fear thy name Fill me with all thy fulness O God and above all things with fervent charity This I pray that my love may abound yet more and more in knowledg and in all judgment that I may approve things that are excellent Phil. 1.9 10 11. that I may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto thy glory and praise I am thine save me Multiply grace mercy and peace upon me unto eternal life For it is thou O God Psal 68. ult that givest strength and power unto thy people Blessed be God Immediately after the receiving of the Cup they may lift up their hearts and say Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 1.3 7 8. who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence O Lord how manifold are thy works Psal 104 24 c. in wisdom hast thou made them all The earth is full of thy riches and so is the great and wide sea wherein are creatures innumerable These wait all upon thee that thou mayest give them their meat in due season Thou openest thine hand and they are filled with Good But eye had not seen 1 Cor. 2 9 10. Eph. 3.5.11 nor ear heard neither did enter into the heart of man the things which thou hadst prepared for them that love thee and hast now revealed to thy holy Apostles and Prophets by the spirit according to thy eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who for us men and for our Salvation came down from Heaven and was manifested in flesh to destroy the works of the devil 1 Joh. 3.8 and dyed for our sins Rom. 4.25 rose again for our justification ascended up on high to give gifts unto men Eph. 4.8 and is at the right hand of God to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 1 P i. 3. ult Heb. 1. ult Angels authorities and powers being made subject unto him and sent forth to Minister for them who shall he heirs of Salvation Eph. 3.8 Col. 2.3 O the unsearchable riches of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg I submit my self unto thee O thou Prince of life and Lord of glory unto thee I will live henceforth and not unto my self and if for thee I must die the will of my Lord be done Ps 16. ult Thy favour is better than life in thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Luk. 17.5 Lord increase my faith strengthen my hope raise my love to a greater height and make patience to have its perfect work that I may not love my life unto the death But the trial of my faith Rev. 12.11 though it be tried by fire 1 Pet. 1.7 Col. 2.2 may be found unto praise and honour and glory at thy appearing And O that our hearts may be comforted being knit together in love Eph. 4. ult that we may be ever kind tender-hearted forgiving one another as thou O God for Christ's sake hast forgiven us That so with united minds and affections we may be still praising thee and saying Blessed be the Lord of Heaven and Earth who only doth wondrous things Psalm 72.18 19. And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory Amen and Amen Or thus O the breadth and length Eph. 3.18 19. and depth and heighth O the love of Christ Jesus our Lord which passes knowledge Phil 2.7 8. who made himself of no reputation but took upon him the form of a Servant and humbling himself became obedient unto death even the death of the cross for us miserable sinners Rev. 5.12 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing Re. 1.5 6. 1 Pet. 2.5 For he hath washed us from our sins in his blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ Jesus Behold O Lord an heart that offers up it self unto thee in love unfeigned I absolutely resign my will to thy holy will and pleasure Not my will but thy will be done And praised be God who hath made a new covenant with us in the blood of Jesus Col. 1.20 who hath by him reconciled all things to himself both in heaven and in earth and hath now renewed unto us the assurance of his continued love Psal 75.1 Vnto thee O God do we give thanks unto thee do we give thanks for that thou art near unto us thy wondrous works declare Psal 20.3 4. The Lord remember all our offerings and accept our Sacrifices Grant us according to our hearts desire and fulfil all our petitions Col. 1.9 10 11. That we may be filled with the knowledg of his will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding and may walk worthy of him unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in knowledg strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness giving thanks continually to the Father of mercies who hath made us meet to be pertakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light 1 Tim. 1.17 Psal 106. ult Now unto the King eternal immortal invisible the only wise God be honour and glory for ever and ever And let all the people say Amen But when you have eased your hearts a little in these expressions of faith love and grateful remembrance of our Saviours kindness you will still find room for more devout effusions of your soul in some holy passion or other while you are at this feast Either before or after you have been at the Table of the Lord while the rest of the company is communicating there will be time to entertain your selves with sundry pious thoughts and meditations which I shall briefly suggest unto you in the next part of this Treatise that now follows The intention of which I told you in the beginning should be to instruct you in a plain and easy method how to pertake of this holy food with the greater fruit and delight also PART III. Containing a familiar way of disposing our selves to Communicate with Profit and Pleasure HAVING shewn you what is the Nature and Use of this Feast you will expect perhaps that I should tell you who are the persons whom our Lord invites and calls unto
you should behave your selves in so great a presence If a mean subject should receive a message from his Prince to come and bear him company at his own Table would he not wonder and be astonisht at the favour would it not busie every thought in his heart to know the cause and would he not lay aside all other imployment that he might prepare himself to appear there after a decent and seemly fashion He could not be so stupid as not to study to form himself to a comely behaviour and to learn to comport himself with all the reverence and fear the caution and circumspection that his soul could possibly be master of No marvel then if we see good Christians so curious and exact so diligent and laborious to understand the meaning of our Lord in this invitation to dress up their souls in the best manner they are able when they go to his Table and to sute their behaviour to the height of the solemnity since to approach unto Majesty on such an occasion with negligent thoughts and after a careless fashion is to slight both the greatness and the grace of him who grants us the honour of his society To gratifie therefore the pious desires and endeavours that are in any souls to render themselves fit company for our blessed Lord at this feast I shall spend a few pages of this Book in directing them how to demean themselves before him and dispose their hearts to enjoy most sweet and fruitful communion with him And that I may make my discourse more easie and affectionate withal I shall take the rise of it from one of those things just now named Much of the contentment of a true feast consists in apt and good discourse according to the old saying a supper without discourse is a Crib and not a Table * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore the old Roman I mention'd gives this description of the chosen persons of whom he would have his guests consist that they should be such as know how to speak in a decent manner and are neither talkative nor altogether dumb ‖ Nec loquaces nec omnino muti Our Lord then making a feast here for us and presenting himself unto us in this broken bread and wine poured forth we are not to look on these as dumb signs but as things that speak most significantly and distinctly to us Though we hear never a word with our ears yet our minds are to conceive when Christ crucified is set thus before our eyes that we hear him discoursing to us of his Love of the ends of his death of all the great blessings that he hath bought for us and of all those things which he justly expects from them that profess themselves his disciples And accordingly it becoms us to make such replies unto him and to answer in our hearts with such expressions of our affection as may shew that we understand and are very sensible what he says unto us Of both these I shall treat a little leaving it to every mans own devotion to inlarg them as he sees occasion in his private Meditations First then when you see these symbols of Christs body and blood think that you behold the crucified Jesus represented to you that you stand in his sight and are in his company yea and hear him speaking graciously to you and calling you by the name of his chosen guests his dear friends and beloved Brethren Into what a trance would it cast you if you really saw the Lord of life and glory and heard him thus saluting you How ready would you be to fall into a swoon of love and joy at the very mention of these few words My Brethren And yet for such he esteems us saying I will declare thy name among my Brethren Heb. 2.12 And so he called his Disciples after he arose from the dead saying Go tell my Brethren that I go into Galilee and there they shall see me Matth. 28.10 and again go to my Brethren and say unto them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God Joh. 20.17 And we may well conceive that in such terms of grace he receives us at this holy Feast and make account we hear him say My Brethren I sent my Ministers to call you to my house and bid you to my Table which here you see spread for you It is well done that you are come and I take it kindly to see you here The reason of my invitation is that I may remember you of my love and that you may shew your selves my Friends by a joyful commemoration thereof I have no other end in sending for you but to make you more sensible of your happiness and to lay obligations on you by doing my will to continue in it and likewise to impart unto you new tokens of my love the very greatest pledges that I can bestow on you to assure you that I will be your eternal friend You may think perhaps that this is but a little bread and wine which here you see before you and that it is but poor cheer which I have provided for you But open the eyes of your mind remember and believe what I have taught you and you will see that this is my body which was broken for you and this is my blood which was shed for you and on these I would now have you feast together Behold here how the spear pierced my side See the hole which was made by the lance when it run to my very heart Do you not discern how my hands were wounded how my feet were bored when I was nailed to the Cross for you How despitefully was I used how cruelly was I martyred and tormented besides all the mockeries and abuses the shame and reproach the agony and bloody sweat which I endured to do you Service Did I not love you think you when I suffered thus for you Can you chuse but read the greatness of my affection which is writ in my most pretious blood Can you doubt that you are dear unto me whom I have purchased at so high a rate Let these wounds speak for me and tell you what a passion I was in for your sake Look into them and see what a vehement desire I had to accomplish your salvation What sorrow was there ever like unto my sorrow or what love was there ever like unto my love This broken bread and this wine poured out tells you that I have dyed once for you already and I am now come by giving them to you to let you know that I do not repent me of it but if it were needful I would die for you the second time What greater assurance can your heart wish of my love than this which I now offer you what more would you have me do to testifie that my heart is still towards you and that I will he ever mindful of you As the Father hath loved me so I have loved
you and all that I desire of you is that you would continue in my love If you keep my Commandments you shall abide in my love Joh. 15.9 10 14. even as I have kept my Fathers Commandment and abide in his love This is the token I would have of your kindness to me Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you Nothing else do I request of you but that you would not hurt your selves by sinning against my love that you would henceforth live unto me who dyed for you Come I beseech you now and assure me that you love me Renew your covenant of friendship with me By taking eating and drinking this that I give you plight me your faith that you will be ever true unto me And then I will be your security against the curse and the condemnation which you dread I will undertake for you that all your sins shall be pardoned Nay I will present you fair and beautiful before my Father as if you had been always innocent Take my word for it that I will deliver you from the wrath to come and give you the blessing of eternal life If you doubt at all of it come hither take this bread and drink this cup as sure as you now receive these your sins shall be blotted out and never remembred in the great day of judgment By these tokens I give you an interest in my death and sufferings I oblige my self by these sensible signs to perform all my promises I seal to you that gracious Covenant which was made in my blood As certainly as I dyed I assure you that you shall live for ever Only as I said do not deny me your hearty love Grant me this small request to correspond with me in sincere affection And by eating and drinking here at my Table tye your selves to be my faithful servants Then I allow you to begin now the joys of Heaven Nay I require you to rejoyce in my salvation to comfort your selves in my promises to solace your souls in the hope of my glory and to sing the Song of Angels which shall end and be completed in eternal Hallelujahs Praise ye the Lord. It is no dream and mere imagination I assure you Christian Readers no vain fancy that you entertain your selves withal if you conceive our Lord thus discoursing to you at his Table For all this is in effect pronounced by the Bread and wine which represent his pretious body and blood When they are broken and poured out before your eyes and offered to you to eat and drink in commemoration of of his death they report unto you his great love and declare the agonies and pains which he indured and give you assurance by authority from him that he will never cease to bless you and do you good And therefore you cannot better affect your hearts and raise your devotion to him in my opinion than by expounding their meaning to your selves and thinking you hear him uttering by them such words unto you as I have now mentioned And will it be possible then that you should be altogether silent and answer never a word unto him Can you find nothing to return to so kind and gracious a declaration of the bowels of his mercy towards you Or will it be hard to tell him your heart who hath so freely opened his unto you No man sure can be mute unless he be astonisht and struck dumb at the power and mightiness of his incomprehensible charity This may indeed justly strike us all with the greatest admiration and hold us a while in wondring thoughts that we should be thus beloved of God It will well become us to be amazed and lost in our thoughts to be unable to do any thing at the first hearing of all these things but only marvel that he should be so kind to such wretched sinners We cannot begin this action better than in a soul-full of thoughts not to be expressed In a silent admiration that the God of Heaven should thus graciously visit us manifesting himself in our flesh giving his Son to die for us and inventing so many ways to make us rest assured of his love towards us But when you have recovered your selves out of this passion how many other shall you feel strugling in your souls which shall first present themselves unto him Do but stay and pause a while upon every part of the foregoing words and you will find all sorts of resentments in your heart which you may cast into this order and thus address your reply unto him You may be very much ashamed that you should give him so great trouble and put him to such pains First to die and then to find out so many ways to remember you of his death and perswade you of his never dying love You may say to him in your heart O my Lord I blush to see my soul so foul that nothing less than thy pretious blood would serve to wash and cleanse it I am confounded to see thee in such a case for us who cared not how vile and base and miserable we were What have we done that we should bring thee to a Cross O what wretches were we that we should understand the love of God no better than to stand in need of such an instance of it with what confidence can we behold thee thus battered and bruised thus wounded and bloody thus full of pain and anguish as thou representest thy self unto us I am asham'd to think that we have exposed thee to such ignominy and shame I am grieved at the heart that we have made thee a man of sorrows And our infidelity O how great is it that after thou wast pleased to indure all this for us we should stand in need of such frequent remonstrances of it and be in danger to forget thee or distrust thee unless thou didst continually thus present thy self unto us and assure us of thy good will towards us O my Lord how shall I present my self before thee who am one of those that have occasioned all this care and pain this agony and passion this sweat and this blood I sigh to remember the many groans which we have made thy heart ake withal It wounds my ears to hear those words My God my God why hast thou forsaken me I am ready to ask thy pardon even that thou art come at such a rate to pardon us It is too much too much but that thou art love it self to spend all this love and kindness upon such insensible and ungrateful sinners Thus having begun to make your addresses to him you may proceed in the second place Humbly to acknowledg your unworthiness to be guests to so great a person as he is Though we cannot if we understand the nature of this feast but come with as thirsty a desire to it as the chafed Hart to the streams of water with as hungry an appetite as a poor man to a full Table or a covetous
man to an heap of gold yet still we must remember that we are but beggers and those desires must be temper'd with much modesty lowliness and humility of Spirit Though our Lord say to us as David to Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9.7 thou shalt eat bread at my Table continually thou shalt alwayes feast with me yet it becomes us to bow down our selves and say as he there did what is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am It is too high a favour to sup with thee since I am not worthy to pick up the crums that fall from thy Table The least offal of thy common mercies is too good for me how shall I dare to approach to this fulness of heavenly blessings to which thou invitest me I have sinned I have sinned and am not worthy to be called thy son or to bear thee company In my very best attire I am so ragged that I am ashamed to see my self and therefore how shall I appear before thee O my Lord I come merely in obedience to thy call I should not have presumed to appear in thy presence but that thou hast hidden me And been affraid to be seen in this condition but that I was more afraid not to be seen here at all My comfort is that you will not be angry with us when we obey thee nor be offended that we shew our selves ready to execute thy commands And here You may call to remembrance those sins which are the cause of your fear and brought our Saviour to his Cross Excite in your heart an unfeigned sorrow and grief that he hath been so affronted and wrong'd by you and all the world Declare freely the sense of your heart to him and let him know by an humble and ingenuous confession how the case stands with you Say to him O my Lord thou dost but call to mind by this remembrance of thy dying for us the foulness and polution of all mankind All our iniquities stare me in the face as the people gazed and stared on thee I see our deformities by seeing thee thus vilely and despitefully used It was our covetousness that stript thee naked Our pride that crown'd thee with thorns Our intemperance that gave thee gall and vinegar to drink Our contempt of Religion that put upon thee all those scoffs and taunts Our coldness in devotion which put thee into that agony and sweat Our want of love to God that made thee hated and rejected of men I see as in a glass now that I look upon thy blood the abominable state of sinful men which never seemed so foul as now How shall one of that wicked race be bold to look up unto thee especially since that I have known thy love I have so little valued it and sinned even against thy pretious blood * Here you may remember your particular offences Canst thou indure to enter into familiarity with such a soul as this that here presents it self unto thee may I hope to be admitted into thy holy fellowship and to dwell with thee I abhor I loath I am weary of my self desiring nothing more than to be made like to thee in purity and holiness in truth and justice in love and charity in lowliness and humility in meekness and patience in compassion and forgiveness in intire resignation to the will of God From hence Proceed to stir up in your selves the greatest hatred against your sins and all the wickedness that hath overspread the world Which nothing can so effectually demonstrate to be odious and intollerable as this that it hath made the nature of man capable to act such a villany as to put to death after a most shameful manner the most innocent and harmless nay the most loving and kind the most obliging and charitable person that ever was Continue your addresses to him and represent your extreamest detestation of that covetousness and worldly mindedness that pride and vain glory that ambition and love of the praise of men that envy and ill will that wrath and bitterness of spirit that hippocrisy and partiality which betrayed and killed him the Prince of life Shew him how much you abhor these and all that is evil resolving to cleave to that which is good Destroy O Lord may you say all these thine enemies and root them perfectly out of my heart Pierce through all these evil affections by a stroke from thy cross and passion I have brought them to be slain by thine hand for they are too strong for mine If there be any life remaining in them O that they may be quite mortified and never able to stir any more They are offensive to me as well as unto thee Would I might never see them more but crucified and dead Would I might never behold them unless it be drowned in thy blood And then Excite in your heart the mightiest sense of his love which as it is never to be forgotten so here it is more particularly to be pondered and affectionately commemorated You may say to him O my Lord was manner of love is this wherewith thou hast loved us that we should be called the sons of God! How great was thy goodness which brought thee down from Heaven and made thee one of us And was it not enough that thou shouldest come to dwell among us in the likeness of sinful flesh but thou wouldest also lay down thy life for us Would nothing serve to testifie the height of thy affection to us unless thou sufferedst the death of the Cross to redeem us O Love O the infinite riches of thy grace For a Friend one might be content to die but what should make thee so in love with enemies with the very worst of enemies with Idolaters with us Gentiles who were without God in the world Yea with us who now that we know the greatness of thy love have so little or no love to thee What am I O Lord that thou shouldest command me to love thee Nay shouldest take such a course to deserve my love What am I to thee that thou shouldest so much desire me And now thus graciously visit me and come to entertain me What made thee being in Heaven with them who know so well how to love and serve thee descend to us who know so ill how to do either couldst thou not be satisfied unless we enjoy thee nor be contented to be without us who have such low thoughts of thee and of thy love Is it possible that thou shouldst still continue it to such ill-natur'd and insensible wretches Art thou still desirous of our friendship and come to give us new assurances of thy grace by making us pertakers of thy body and blood O how pretious are thy thoughts to us how great is the sum of them I can do no less most blessed Saviour than set my soul wide open to thee and accept thy kindness with the most inlarged affection of my heart How glad should I be
if it were a thousand times larger to correspond with such a love How happy should I think my self if I could think of nothing and delight in nothing but only thee O that a perfect image of thee in all divine vertues may be formed in me and be ever dearer to me than life it self that I may live no longer but thou O blessed Jesus mayest live in me And the life which I now live in the flesh Cal. 2. â—â— I may live by the faith of thee the son of God who lovedst me and gavest thy self for me And then Feeling the flames of his love in your heart it will be a fit time to offer up your self intirely in the greatest devotion to his Service Pray him to accept of a poor Sacrifice now at your hand Though it be worth nothing at all yet intreat him to receive it since it is the oblation of the heartiest affection to him Say to him O sweet Saviour 1 Joh. 4.16 I have known and believed the love that thou hast to us I see here the excessive greatness of thy dying love No heart is able to hide it self from the heat thereof One cannot come near it and not be made like the whole burnt-offerings to the Lord. Never was any thing bought so dearly as this sinful soul Never was so great a price paid for any creature as thou hast laid down for my sake If I was as big as the highest Angel I should be an oblation too little for thee The flames of those heavenly fires are not strong enough wherewith to offer to thee But that I may be just for it is no more I humbly lay my self here at thy Altar and present thee with all I have I Sacrifice soul and body without any reserve to thy holy will and pleasure though I must be beholden to thy great love and not my own to procure acceptance for me I know how vile and unworthy I am that thou shouldst have any respect to my oblation All that I can say is that I offer my self for this end that I may be made better and so have every day more and more to return unto thee For that purpose ingage your selves in a covenant to him that you will never rob him any more of that which you have so solemnly offered to him I look O Lord may you say upon my self as an holy and devoted thing I have consecrated my self to thy service and so I will ever remain Never will I be so sacrilegious as to employ my self to any other uses but only thine Thou hast been pleased to make me thy Temple and therefore I will not willingly suffer thy holy place to be defiled I am sealed to thy self and have thy mark upon me I will never consent my soul should be broken up by any temptation and stoln away from thee I promise thee my faithful obedience I bind my self by these presents in a firm and everlasting tye of duty to thee I am not my own but bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 Therefore will I glorifie God in my body and in my Spirit which are Gods I will love the Lord my God with all my mind and with all my heart and with all my soul and all my strength And my Neighbour as my self And then Humbly beg leave of him that you may believe in his Name for the remission of sin Continue to say to him since thou hast so graciously dyed for me since thou hast invited me hither to represent thy death and sufferings to me and assure me of thy love since thou hast bidden me to commemorate it at this holy Feast be not angry if I call thee my Lord and my God Suffer me to claim an interest in the Merits of thy pretious blood which was shed to be a propitiation for the sins of the whole world Look on me O thou that sittest at the right hand of God with the favour thou bearest to thy people Joyn thy powerful intercession with my humble suits to the Father of mercies that for thy sake I may be accepted with him I believe thou appearest in the presence of God for us and as we shew forth thy Sacrifice of thy self here on earth presentest it in the most high and holy place before the mercy seat Bless me O Lord from that throne of thy glory and raise up such a holy hope in thee as if I heard that voice founding from thence I am thy Salvation And here Beg of him his mighty grace to confirm you in your resolution that so you may alway maintain in your soul this hope of his pardoning love Since thou O Lord may you say to him art so forward to do us good to bestow thy blessings unasked to die for us when we desired it not to institute this feast which we never expected to send thy Ministers to call us to it let me take the boldness now to ask something of thee O do not deny me the continuance of thine almighty grace Take not thy holy Spirit from me but let it be my constant companion my guide my helper my comforter for ever Is it not the purchase of thy blood Is it not thy own promise hast thou not received it of the Father and art thou not possessed of it and of glory and power to bestow it on us Thou thy self hast told us that it shall be given to those that ask it and that because thou livest we shall live also O do not lose what thou hast done already for want of doing something more Psa 138.8 Perfect that which concerneth me and forsake not the work of thy own hands Hold me up and I shall be safe 119.117 133.58 and I will have respect to thy statutes continually Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquitie have dominion over me I intreat thy favour with my whole heart be merciful unto me according to thy word Now because there must alway be some mirth and joy at a feast conclude all in praises to our Lord and rejoyce in his holy Name As he said to his Disciples when he washed their feet Joh. 13.12 so think you hear him speaking to you now Know ye what I have done to you Are you sensible what grace it is that I have bestowed on you Do you know what I did for you upon the cross and what I have done unto you at my Table O dear Lord that a man could but understand and conceive what thou hast done for us It would melt and dissolve our hearts and make them burst out into the highest expressions of joy and gladness All that is within us would be roused up to bless thy holy Name We should be fill'd with triumph and exaltation of Spirit in thy love and the very furthermost parts of our soul would feel that it is a most blessed thing to be thy servants All the Musick and Songs and Melody that the feasts of sensual men are
attended withal are not worthy to be named with the joys of those that sing continually and say Blessed be the Lord our God for ever Neh. 9.4 5 c. blessed be thy glorious Name which is exalted above all blessing and praise Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made Heaven the Heaven of Heavens with all their host the earth and all things that are therein the Seas and all that is in them and thou preservest all and the host of Heaven worshippeth thee Eph. 1.4 1 Pet. 1.21 Thou art the Lord the God and Father of Jesus Christ who hast chosen us in him before the foundation of the world and redeemed us by his blood raised him from the dead and given him glory that our faith and hope might be in thee our God Thine 2 Chron. 29.11 O blessed Jesus is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is thine thine is the kingdom O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all In thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name Psal 115. ult We will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore Yea bless the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that do his Commandments hearkning to the voice of his word Bless ye the Lord all ye his hosts ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion bless the Lord O my Soul Thus if we did converse with him and such holy communication did heartily pass between us it would be so pleasant and delightful that we should cry out with the Jews in another case Joh. 6.34 Lord evermore give us this bread We should long for such another repast and be desirous every day to wait on him at his Table At least we should greedily embrace the next invitation that he gives us to come unto it And because we cannot every day do this in remembrance of him we should secretly retire unto him in our own heart as into his holy Temple and there call to mind what he hath done unto us commemorate his love maintain our acquaintance preserve our friendship and renew to him our vows that by all these ways we may prepare our selves for his fellowship and society in the eternal world It may happen indeed that there may be but a few communicants at the Table of the Lord and so you may not have time there to do all this In which case you may use only some part of it or thus in brief open your heart to him when you see how he declares his love to you Adored be thy condescending love O merciful Saviour to thine unworthy servant who blushes to lift up his eyes towards thee even when thou invitest me unto thee For besides my other guiltiness this most gracious representation which now thou makest of thy self to me doth but little move my dull and heavy affections to love and rejoyce in thee I am heartily ashamed of my self only I desire and resolve to become better And here I prostrate my self before thee as a humble worshipper of thee presenting thee with a poor oblation of my soul and body which I dedicate again with the most dutiful affection I am able to excite unto thee Do thou O Lord excite a greater that when I shall appear before thee again I may present thee with a soul more pure humble meek merciful and improved in all other fruits of thy holy Spirit In thy mercies alone are all my hopes For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is thy mercy toward them that fear thee As far as the East is from th West Psal 103.11 12. so far hast thou removed our transgressions from us O be merciful unto me be merciful unto me for my soul trusteth in thee 57.1 Looks thou upon me and be merciful to me as thou usest to do to those that love thy name 119.132 Thou art my portion O Lord I have said 57.173 that I would keep thy word Let thine hand help me Ephes 3.16 for I have chosen thy precepts Strengthen me with might by thy spirit in the inner man that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2.12 I may live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and thee our Saviour Jesus Christ Now unto him that is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty Jude 24 25. dominion and power both now and ever Amen But when there is time to do the whole you will not spend it I hope in any thing else but such Meditations as these Which that they may be disposed in such order as every one of them may come in its season you may make use of in this manner Think you hear our Saviour speaking to you by the Bread and the Wine when you see the one broken and the other poured out Then you may immediately imploy your thoughts in the four first together with the second Meditation set down in the second part while the Minister is Communicating himself and others with him The V. and the VI. will be seasonable after you have received the Bread and the VII and VIII after the Cup together with those mentioned before in the same place And the two last in like manner after you have withdrawn your self from the holy Table or before according as you can find room for them And if your spirit be not able to hold out in so many thoughts and expressions of the inward sense and affection of your heart you may single out those which you find to give you the most lively touch and lift up your heart highest toward the Lord. And at some opportunity the rest perhaps may be as acceptable or more welcome meditations nay you may feel your soul inlarged and run out in more pious thoughts and affections than I can suggest or excite by all that I am able to say on this subject But I desire you never to omit one meditation when you behold the rest of the company receiving which is that all those and the whole Church who pertake of this holy Communion are your Brethren To whom you must stir up as I directed you before the most fervent charity and the readiest disposition to relieve counsel assist comfort or admonish them as there shall be occasion And with whom you must resolve to live in the strictest Unity and peace as those who are Members of the very same body When you think therefore that our Lord tells you there is nothing he desires of you
but that you would continue in his love and friendship by keeping his Commandments as he said to his Disciples Joh. 15.9 10. c. remember that he adds presently This is my Commandment that you love one another as I have loved you v. 12. which he repeats again v. 17. These things I command you that ye love one another And so take them all into your heart with as much affection as if the embracing each other in our arms and giving the holy kiss of charity were still in use among us And let the Memory of Christs death for his Enemies and of this divine feast together with him and your Brethren ever kill all your Enmities extinguish your anger compose your differences sweeten the harshness of your Spirits c. and make you live together as loving Friends that hope to live in endless love and immortal joys in the highest heavens Of which you may also look upon this Feast as an earnest and begin those joys in such thoughts as these at the holy Communion that one day you shall keep an eternal Feast with our Saviour in the happy company of the Saints and Angels who will all joyn in the chearful praises of the blessed and only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6.15 16. who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see to whom be honor and power everlasting Amen PART IV. Containing several other Meditations together with Prayers sutable to this Action BY this time I hope you see that it is good for you to draw near to God at his holy Table if you have any desire to be good Christians or any savour of spiritual pleasures You must wholly cast away all remembrance of your duty and be lost to all sense of rational satisfaction or else be strongly inclined considering what hath been said to take the pains to prepare your selves or rather to keep your selves in a constant preparation for frequent Communion there with our blessed Saviour An innocent holy and useful life cannot but commend it self to you if it be but on this score that you may be intertained with such a comfort as to know the love of God in Christ to you and be fit to be feasted continually with such delightful pledges of it How is it possible for any considerate persons to despise or neglect such means of their contentment The Table of the Lord methinks should be more acceptable to them than a stage and they should run more greedily to this Divine feast than they do to the Theatres He should have more guests and a greater croud to attend upon him than those so much frequented places For what do they see represented there but some of the follies of mankind the passions and misfortunes of a miserable lover the wiles and subtle contrivances of some ingenious person or such like things some of which never were But here is represented the great wisdom of Almighty God the manifold wisdom of our Creator into which the Angels desired to look and of which they are gladsome spectators The incomparable kindness of our blessed Saviour that ardent love which offered him up to God upon the Cross and which he still continues now that he is in the Heavens as we see by these remembrances which he hath left us of it The rare method of our Salvation the wonderful way which Heaven hath contrived to bring lost souls again thither the glorious conquest which the Saviour of the world hath made over sin the grave and Hell All which we here behold his Captives and our selves the prize which he desires to win by all his labours Do not men then extreamly betray their infidelity is it not plain that Christian piety lies languishing and dying when such numbers will spend a great deal of time to prepare and dress themselves to be seen in the Theatre and we cannot prevail in some places with any considerable company to meet us at this glorious representation which we make at the Table of the Lord They that will be at the pains to go to the former every day content themselves nay think it a great trouble to put their souls in a posture to come to this holy place once in a whole year And God knows how many there are that will not put themselves to that pains neither who rarely appear before God at this holy Solemnity and whose faces are scarce ever seen in the presence of our Saviour O shameful ingratitude which you that read these things if you are believers can never endure I should think to be guilty of If you give any credit to this history of the love of God in Christ Jesus recorded in the Gospel you will spend some time sure to dispose your selves to make frequent acknowledgments to him by receiving these holy Mysteries You will be ashamed that so much time should be consumed in trimming up your selves to see and to be seen in other places and little or none that you may come before God and behold the great things that he hath done for your souls For the love of God consider at what charge he hath furnished this Table for you how often he hath invited you to it how desirous he is that you would shew him so much love as not to refuse him your company there Think how ill he must needs take it if you will not accept of his singular kindness nay that you your selves will not be pleased when you reflect and consider of how much joy you have deprived your souls by denying him so much of your duty For there is no compare between all the jollities in the world and this one single pleasure of giving hearty thanks to God for his unspeakable mercy to us in Christ Jesus Do but come and see Satisfie your selves by waiting on him at his Table with such thoughts as become his presence If you have the least spark of goodness you will find it shine and glow and spread it self to your infinite joy and contentment of heart Among all the various degrees and conditions of Christian people there will none be found that come hither with sincere affection to do this in remembrance of their Saviour but may go away rejoycing loaded with many divine benefits For we may apply to this heavenly nourishment what the Jews say of their Manna sent down by God from Heaven to them which contained in it as their tradition affirms all the tasts that any man desired and longed for it being so suted to every pallate and constitution that none could fail to be both fed and pleased though they were of never so different tempers This is not only a common story in the Books of the later Hebrew Doctors but we meet with it in one of the Apocryphal writings which is very ancient Thou feddest thine own people with Angels food saith the Author of the Book of Wisdom chap.
divine Nature Art thou going to make a new resignation of thy self to him to be made one Spirit with him never any more to depart from him Then think how the Bride-groom will welcome thee how our Saviour I mean will declare and set forth his love to thee and give thee assurances that his mercy indureth for ever and bid thee rejoyce and be exceeding glad in what he hath done already and in the hopes thou hast of what he will do hereafter And here you may call to mind how the word was made flesh and dwelt among us how he manifested forth his glory by his wonderful works how he taught us the way to eternal life and at last was betrayed and delivered into the hands of sinful men and was crucified and dyed for us with all the rest that concerns the knowledg of Christ That so you may have it more ready in your thoughts when you come to his Table to do this in Commemoration of him In this manner also you may bewail the sins of your former life sue for a pardon of what is past and beseech the grace of his holy Spirit to assist your resolutions of well doing for the time to come The Prayer O Eternal and most blessed God the fountain of being and bliss infinite in perfection and highly exalted above all our words or thoughts I am astonished at the thoughts of the brightness of thy glory and justly afraid to present my self before so great and holy a Majesty Even that abundant grace which invites me to thee abashes me too when I reflect upon my shameful ingratitude to such undeserved love It becomes me to ly down in dejection of Spirit and mournful silence rather than confidently to lift up mine eyes towards Heaven to speak unto thee But since thou art so rich in Mercy as to require repenting sinners to draw nigh to the Throne of Grace I prostrate my self in the humblest reverence before the searcher of all hearts Not to excuse thou knowest but to aggravate my faults to acknowledg the justice and equity of thy Laws to condemn my self for opposing thy Soveraign authority and to vow to thee the most sincere and hearty obedience for the rest of my life I have done so much evil and so little good been so eager in the pursuit of the things of this world and so cold and unconcern'd many times about those of eternity so unmindful of my promises unthankful for thy benefits and unfruitful in the knowledg of the Lord Jesus that it is a wonder of thy patience that I am still alive and not cut down like a barren tree that cumbers the ground For ever adored be thy sparing Mercy which hath born so long with an unprofitable servant who hath so many ways offended in thought word and deed against thy divine Majesty * Here reckon up those perticular sins you are conscious of I have not given thee that honour worship and service which I owe to my Almighty Creator Nor laid to heart as I ought thine infinite love in Christ my Redeemer Nor duly followed the godly motions of thy holy Spirit which thou hast sent to renew and sanctifie my affections and draw me to thine obedience I have not lived according to the faith which I continually confess But behaved my self too oft as if I dreaded not the threatnings and valued not the promises of my Lord Christ as if I feared not his vengeance nor cared for his glorious rewards and as if he would not come to judg the world and render to all men according to their works The stupid insensibleness of mine heart even now that I remember these things brings new accusations against me It testifies that I know not as I ought the terror of the Lord but am apt rashly to mention thy Name without an awful and considerate regard to thy infinite greatness power and holiness before which I approach I am no more worthy to be called thy servant much less to present thee with any offering or receive the least of thy blessings Nothing but shame and confusion of face belong to me and it is only of thy tender mercy that I am not lamenting those follies in weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth which I speak of now with so little grief and bitterness of Spirit Mercy Mercy still more Mercy good Lord I most humbly beseech thee O that a greater fear and dread of thee may now fall down mightily upon me and overspread me O that I may feel such a strong sense of thine incomprehensible Majesty pressing upon my heart that may bear down all other thoughts and sink me low and make me abhor my self in thy sight I know the Sacrifices of the Lord are a broken Spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise And Jesus hath also offered himself a sacrifice for us in whom thou hast declared that thou art well pleased For Jesus his sake dispose me now to offer unto thee that acceptable Sacrifice And give me grace ever to fear thee and to walk humbly with thee to preserve a tender sense of my duty toward thee and conscientiously to obey thee that so by vertue of his Sacrifice of himself all my sins may be done away and remembred no more Blessed be God that I have any hope of that great mercy Blessed be God who by him hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through his grace By him I will offer up to thee continually the sacrifice of praise giving thanks to thy Name Yea the mercies of thee my God move me to present my body a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto thee which is my reasonable service I dedicate my self absolutely to thy obedience I vow that I will never willingly depart from thy precepts Assist and strengthen me mercifully with thy grace that I may perform my vows and never be so unreasonable as to return to those sins which are the burden of my heart and grieve thy holy Spirit which rent the flesh and shed the blood of the Lord Jesus and which I have so often and so solemnly protested against And now that I am going to thine holy Table to commemorate the Sacrifice of my Saviour to give thee farther testimonies of my love to thee and receive new tokens of thy love to me O Lord vouchsafe to make thy self powerfully present to my mind Represent thy self and thy Son Jesus so lively to my thoughts in all thy wisdom power goodness holiness and truth that I may never forget thee any more but most seriously reverence thee and love thee and rejoyce in thee and trust thee and obey thee all the dayes of my life Imprint the very image of thy Son upon me that I may carry him ever in mine heart and have his life and death continually before mine eyes and in all things conform my self to his will and fashion my self after his holy example Come Lord Jesus and possess thy self of my whole
speak good of his name desiring that all mankind may be blessed in him Psal 72.17 all nations may call him blessed Psal 50.16 17. To the wicked indeed God saith what hast thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldst take my Covenant in thy mouth Seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee Rom. 8.8 They that are in the flesh cannot please God And the works of the flesh are manifest which are these Gal. 5.19 c. Adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness Idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like For them that do such things there is a cup in the hand of the Lord and the wine of it saith the Psalmist is red but it is the cup of indignation 〈◊〉 16. â—â— and the wine of the fierceness of his wrath True my soul but let us go therefore and renounce all ungodliness and worldly lusts Let us crucifie the flesh with all the affections and appetites thereof Let us ingage our hearts in that Covenant which we have often taken into our mouths and protest and vow that we think it our happiness to be his most obedient servants Then make no doubt but that he will accept thee and send thee away with his blessing 1 Thess 1.10 and bid thee wait for his Son from Heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come The Prayer before O Most holy and ever blessed God who art brighter than the Sun in its greatest strength and dwellest in that light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen or can see But in thine infinite goodness hast condiscended to shew us thy glory by manifesting thy self in our flesh so that our weakness may look upon thee and live I thy poor Creature incompassed with darkness adore as I am able that unspeakable love though I have just reason to tremble even at the presence of my humblest Saviour and to be afraid when I have before mine eyes the tokens of his dearest love For I have not duly weighed his infinite kindness nor rejoyced in the light of his blessed Gospel nor loved his Commandments nor feared his threatnings nor setled my hope and satisfaction in his pretious promises as I ought to have done A great part of my life I acknowledg hath held but little conformity with the faith which I profess I have not remembred so frequently as becomes me my dependance upon thee as my Creator and my subjection to thee as my Soveraign Lord. I have strangely forgot thy fatherly love in sending thy Son to dwell among us and his tender love to us in all his agonies and sweat and wounds and bitter passion for our sake O the folly I have been guilty of in listning to the inordinate desires of the flesh rather than to the motions of thy holy Spirit How many neglects if not injuries * Here you may mention that earning wrath conteâ—â—tâ—on â—â—â—â—ariâ—aâ—â—â— censuâ—â—â—â— c. 〈◊〉 ha◠〈◊〉 guilty of have my Brethren to accuse me of How little have I been concern'd for the honour of Religion and the good and inlargment of thy Church I have not glorified thee with body and spirit as if I believed the Resurrection of the dead and expected from Christ Jesus forgiveness of sins and everlasting life How shall I stand in that great day of judgment which I have so little thought of whither shall I go when the remembrance of my Saviour is now so astonishing and the remembrance of thy love so sad and afflicting It is some small comfort to me that I am something confounded and ashamed in my own thoughts Thou hast not taken I hope thy holy spirit from me Psa 138.8 Thou wilt not forsake the work of thine own hands but perfect that which concerneth me Phil. 1.6 As thou hast begun a good work in me so thou wilt finish it I humbly hope to the day of Jesus Christ Pierce my heart with a more mortifying sense of what I utter with my mouth Work in me a deeper sorrow for all my sins a godly sorrow that worketh repentance never to be repented of Turn my heart Good Lord turn me quite away from them that I may loath and abhor that which is evil Rom. 12.9 and cleave to that which is good I expose my soul here unto thee as an object of thy tenderest pitty and compassion I spread my wounds before thee that thou mayst cleanse and heal them It is not thy pardon alone which I desire but that I may be thoroughly renewed and chang'd in my mind will and affections I long for a strong and setled apprehension of thee to over-awe and rule me in every thought word desire and action of my whole life For a stedfast love to thee that may move me willingly and chearfully to obey thee And for an active hope in thee which may constantly excite me to purifie my self even as thou art pure Great O Lord is the levity of my mind and the fickleness of my thoughts which makes me afraid lest all these holy desires should presently vanish Wretch that I am how often have I started from my purposes and forsaken my own resolutions I am going 〈…〉 more unto thy Aâ—taâ— to â—â—â—er my soul and body to thee to renew my Covenant with thee and to put my self into thy hands that thou mayst preserve these thoughts and purposes in my heart for ever Accept most loving Father of these holy intentions Meet them there again and visit me from above with a more plentiful effusion of thy holy Spirit to confirm and strengthen me in all goodness I beseech thee by the pretious blood of Jesus Christ the price of our Salvation by thy wondrous and ineffable love which gave him for us to pour down upon me the abundance of thy grace that I may ever hereafter walk before thee with a perfect heart in newness of life As thou hast invited me to that holy feast in remembrance of him so dispose my soul to approach unto it with such reverence and holy fear with such pure devotion and fervent love with such spiritual gladness and joy that tasting the pleasures of thine house I may never thirst for any thing so much but delight my self alwayes in the Lord and do good Lord what wait I for truly my hope is in thee that I shall encrease in the faith and be rooted and grounded in love and stick unto thy testimonies with my whole heart and run the wayes of thy Commandments till I have finished my course with joy Come Lord Jesus and seat thy faith in my mind and will as in its throne Establish thy Laws and Government there raign and rule in me for ever That armed with thy power all thy enemies may flee before thee and no evil thing may dwell in thy sight but I may overcome the world
the flesh and the Devil and serve thee without fear in righteousness and holiness all the dayes of my life Hear my words O Lord consider my meditation Psal 5.1.17.1 Give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips And make me to know and feel that Jesus who dyed for me Rev. 1.18 is alive from the dead and liveth for evermore and that he is an eternal fountain of life and strength of comfort and refreshment to all those that by him believe in God 1 Pet. 1.21 who raised him from the dead and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God In his most powerful name I sue unto thee for all that is comprehended in his own holy words saying Our Father c. Meditation afterward SOmetime that day and as often as you can after reflect upon your own thoughts resolutions and vows and consider that there may be but a few dayes perhaps hours remaining before you must appear at the Tribunal of him who hath now entertained you at his Table The next sight you have of him may be upon his throne 1 Pet. 5.5 as one that is ready to judge the quick and the dead Put your soul in mind of the great account you must then give of all that you have done in the body and of your sacred actions no question as well as of the rest And therefore ask your self in the most serious manner and bid your soul tell you with what affection hath the death of the Lord been now remembred Hast thou as sincerely renounced all thy evil wayes and consecrated thy self to the life of Christ as thou hopest to be saved As God shall judge the world in righteousness art thou resolved and determined to become a new Creature and to pass the time of thy sojourning here in fear O how dreadful will he then appear to those who return with the dog to his vomit after they have eaten of this holy bread and drunk of this holy Cup who can stand before him that hath known and remembred his transcendent love and yet loved his ease his pleasure his money or any other thing better than him and his eternal life It concerns me nearly O my soul to keep him ever in my thoughts and to express him in my life That when he comes he may see himself in me and behold his own image in righteousness and true holiness fairly ingraven on my heart For many will say unto him at that day Lord Luke 13.26 27. We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets But he will say I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity Most dismal changeâ— now he invites now he saith come but then he will say depart if we come not to his Table with hearts to entertain him to suffer him to dwell in us and to be the sole disposer of all our actions God forbid that ever that terrible voice should sound in mine ears This one word DEPART from me how confounding will it be It must needs strike the stoutest soul into eternal sorrow The searcher of my heart knows that I went unfeignedly thither to give him possession of it and here again I confirm the gift Let him command what he pleases and I will obey it Let him bring his Cross along with him I will submit unto it Come poverty come reproaches come imprisonment come pains and torments come death it self rather than be so miserable as to depart from the living God Depart from me Psal 119.115 rather ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandments of my God Psal 101.2 3. I will walk within my house with a perfect heart No wicked thing will I set before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave to me All my delight shall be upon the Saints that are in the earth Psal 16.3 and upon such as excel in vertue And that you may preserve these good purposes let your heart be often there where they were conceived and made though your body cannot Look often back upon the Table of the Lord and say with the same holy Psalmist O when shall I come and appear again before thee 42.2 Early will I seek thee O my God Psal 63.1 2 c. my soul thirsteth for thee that I may see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee Thus will I bless thee while I live I will lift up my hands in thy name My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and with fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips And to furnish your soul with greater plenty of good thoughts you may often reflect upon the example which Christ hath set you in his death as well as in his life And perticularly resolve to spend this month in meditating every day upon his great CHARITY 2 Cor. 8.9 who though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that by his poverty we might be rich In this God commended his love to us Rom. 5.8 that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15.13 But we when we were enemies were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5.10 and therefore shall much more be saved by his life Excite in your self hereby a great and compassionate love to all mankind especially to your Brethren with whom you are knit in one body That you may be strongly inclined to do good as occasion is offered to refresh the bowels of the poor and needy to comfort and support the feeble minded to live with all in unity and peace till your Christian friendship be perfected in endless love in the other world Remember that God is the God of peace and Christ is the Lord of peace Often meditate on the words of our Lord that it is better to give than to receive and upon these words of a good man that He is the best Merchant who layes out his time upon God and his money upon the poor The Thanksgiving and Prayer I Cast my self down before thee O Lord in the deepest humility of soul to worship and praise thee together with all the heavenly Host saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Heaven and Earth are full of thy glorious goodness Thou art the joy of all those happy creatures above who continually behold the brightness of thy glory and thy presence and the light of thy countenance makes Heaven upon earth to us thy servants whom thou admittest thus near unto thee Glory be to God in the highest who to all other blessings hath added the gift of his dear Son and delivered him up for us all Glory be to the Son of God
and godliness who am so deeply indebted to him who have lived so long in his family and been often likewise entertained at his Table and received there the renewed tokens of his dearest love O how unwearied is his goodness which calls me once more to pertake of that great favour Canst thou find in thy heart O my soul to admire any thing to love any thing like unto him Let us go with the forwardest affection to testifie how much we value his kindness to profess the sincerity of our faith in him and most dutiful love unto him Let us go and confirm the agreement that is between us and make a new choice of him for our only Master and Saviour and take upon us to be eternally his Servants Nay render him our most hearty thanks that he will admit us to that honour and with the most passionate admiration make him our acknowledgments that he would do so much to deserve our Service Is not this thy mind and intention in approaching to his Table Doth it not grieve thee that thou hast at any time offended so great love Hadst thou not rather die and be crucified as he was than willingly break the least of his Commands Dost thou not in heart and resolution forsake every thing that would hinder thee from doing his will Art thou not purposed to follow Jesus in all the actions of an holy humble and mortified life Let us go then and wait upon him and shew him the love that we bear unto him Let us give him thanks even for this good mind which he hath put into us and for all the hopes we have that he will continue it to eternal life Be not discouraged for when the wicked forsakes his way Isa 55.7 and the unrighteous man his thoughts he himself hath said that he will have mercy upon him and multiply to pardon He will pour more abundantly of his holy spirit on us to strengthen our resolutions He will make us grow in grace and bring forth all the fruits of righteousness He will abundantly satisfie us with the fatness of his house Psal 36.8 9 10. and make us to drink of the River of his pleasures For with him is the fountain of life in his light shall we see light He will continue his loving kindness unto them that know him and his righteousness to the upright in heart The Prayer O Most holy and ever blessed God the fountain of good the highest object of our love the rest and satisfaction of all rational desires infinitely greater than all we can see and all we can conceive I bow my self before thee and humbly worship thy incomprehensible Majesty It was thy goodness which brought me into being and thy patience which hath continued me in it unto this time and a greater mercy which hath not suffered my being to be miserable to me but heaped on me innumerable good things But I have no fit name for that superabundant love which thought of making mankind so very happy by thy Son Jesus It is a wonder O Lord that thou wouldest be at such expense about those who had chosen to be any thing rather than such as thou madest them None but infinite compassion could be so tender of those who despised thy Image and loved to live like the beasts that perish None but thou O merciful God could think of bestowing greater benefits on such brutish sinners And nothing but a stupid negligence and unaccountable inconsiderateness could ever refuse to be made pertakers of such endless happiness as thou designest to us I am one of those strange things that have forsaken thee and know not why Who was long insensible of thy grace and unmoveable under thy greatest importunities to return to thee And since thou hast prevailed with me am too much inclined to content my self with a small degree of likeness to thee and apt to find out little pretences and excuses for the doing of my own will rather than thine And that though I am so solemnly consecrated to thee and have been instructed in thy blessed Gospel and put in hopes of such glorious rewards and received such incouragements at thy Table where I have frequently promised chearful obedience in all things Blessed be thy inconceivable love O most gracious Lord who hast shed thy blood for those who sin against that love if with all their hearts and all their souls they return unto thee For ever magnified be thy mercy who hast given us so many assurances of the truth of thy love to us and so many opportunities to testifie the truth of ours towards thee Thou art pleased not only by thy word thy promise and oath to give us ground of hope but even by outward and sensible signs to incourage our weak and justly fearful faith For who can but tremble to think that he hath at any time offended the majesty of Heaven and earth and yet who can but hope that hears the voice of thy Son inviting us to come unto thee and promising a pardon to returning sinners O thou who callest me now again to thy holy Table and there hast made such rich provision for us assist I most humbly beseech thee all the Meditations desires and resolutions of my soul in that holy action That I may remember all that the Lord Jesus hath done and suffered for me with such an humble admiration a lively faith and a thankful love that I may feel my heart tied faster to him with the cords of his love and sent up to Heaven as the whole burnt offerings to the Lord. Draw me O God of love more powerfully to thee and fill me more with wisdom and goodness that my mind may more clearly discern between things that differ my will may become more easy to all that is good and more obstinate against all that is evil and that every affection and passion may be more gentle and submissive to the government of thy holy Laws Possess my heart against all the force of temptations by a never dying sense of thy goodness and a remembrance of those joys which thou hast prepared for those that love thee O that all my graces may receive increase of nourishment that I may more perfectly imitate the humility the meekness the patience the charity the resignation and absolute obedience of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ He hath bidden us believe that thou wilt give thy holy Spirit to those that ask it as readily as an earthly parent gives bread to his children O let the power of that attend upon me to fix my wandring thoughts to raise up my heavy and dull affections and to form all my holy purposes into a setled disposition and temper of heart to comply with thy blessed will in every thing I am not worthy I confess of the smallest crumb of thy mercy but thou hast made me to hope for these great blessings through thy grace declared unto us in Christ Jesus In whose words I further
my heart O Lord continually towards thee that I may know I love thee by thinking often of thee and delighting to be with thee and studying in all things to conform my self to thy blessed nature and will That having thee always before mine eyes thy holiness and righteousness may move me to purifie my heart thoroughly from all worldly and fleshly lusts thy greatness may breed in me much reverence fear and humility and thy tender mercies incline me to pitifulness bowels of mercies and readiness to do all good Give me such apprehensions of thy truth and faithfulness that I may intirely trust thee and rely upon thy promises of thine unerring wisdom that I may resign my understanding to thee and be perfectly contented with whatsoever thou appointest Dispose my soul so that a serious sense of thine omniscience may on all occasions over-awe every thought of my mind and motion of my will into order and obedience and thy patient goodness suppress all angry affections in me and make me gentle long-suffering and forbearing others in love Represent thine infinite fulness O Lord continually unto me that it may ingage me in eternal thoughts of thee and make me rejoyce in the happiness of being one of thy children and an heir of thy glory There is nothing more my heart can desire but only that I may still receive more pledges of thy fatherly love and have grace to keep my soul so pure and undefiled that our Lord may delight to manifest himself to me and make his abode with me Reign in me O blessed Lord and in all the world Subdue all the enemies of thy Cross Advance it above all the crowns of the Kings of the earth that they may become thy obedient subjects O that those of them who call upon thy name may be nursing Fathers to thy Church and promote Christian piety by their high authority and great examples Illuminate all the Bishops and Pastors of thy flock that they may feed thy people with wisdom and understanding and lead them in the ways of righteousness Bless all my Friends pardon and change all my Enemies Comfort and relieve all sorts of miserable people And grant us seasonable weather that the earth may bring forth her increase Accept of my hearty thanks which I tender thee again for all thy mercies both to my soul and body which are more than thought can number Accept of the oblation of my whole self which I have devoutly consecrated unto thee desiring to render all praise thanksgiving love and hearty service to thee eternally Now the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 5.10 11. make us all perfect stablish strengthen settle us To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen April The Meditation before the Sacrament AMong the innumerable swarms of people that are upon the face of the earth how few are there that know the great love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord And among those few that know it alas how small a number are there that remember it and celebrate it constantly with those praises and thankful acknowledgments which it eternally deserves O what a grace is this which I am pertaker of Eph. 2.19 that I should be made a fellow-Citizen with the Saints and of the houshold of God! Coloss 1.27 That I should know what is the riches of the glory of this Mystery which is Christ among us the hope of glory I am infinitely indebted to the divine goodness which inclines my heart also to go and commemorate this love in the assembly of his Saints who all like a spiritual building fitly framed together Eph. 2.21 grow into an holy Temple in the Lord. There the Lords name is continually praised There he delights to dwell and hath chosen them for his habitation There is the voice of joy and gladness and there he showrs down the blessings of his goodness Psal 95.6 O come my soul let us worship and bow down Let us go and kneel before the Lord our Maker 66.8 Let us exalt the Lord our God 96.8 and make the voice of his praise to be heard Let us give him the honour due unto his name 100.5 and worship the Lord with holy worship For the Lord is gracious and his mercy is everlasting and his truth indureth from generation to generation Thy reverence thy faith thy love thy holy resolutions thy hunger and thirst are all I hope still alive wherewith we ought to approach into his presence Thou hast not forgot sure the meaning of this holy Feast the sweetness of which may well preserve a memory of the ends for which our Lord invites thee to it Let us go then with an humble confidence to admire and proclaim once more the infinite love of God our Saviour Let us openly declare that we are his friends and followers and bid defiance to all his enemies Yea let us bind our heart to his Altar with the cords of his love and make an oblation of all we have unto him It is but just and reasonable since we have received so much from him It is but right meet and our bounden duty to praise him continually to glorifie and serve him with body and soul which he hath redeemed Let us go and thank him therefore that he would come down from heaven to us that he will accept us for his servants and set any esteem upon our poor obedience and that he will still from heaven visit us and not leave us comfortless without his holy presence with us So may we rejoyce in his salvation and represent with gladsome hearts his sacrifice to God for our expâ—ation and fix our eyes upon that glory where he is inthroned hoping we shall one day sit down with him in the kingdom of the Father and keep a perpetual feast with him in heaven What should hinder us O my soul from going to begin to be so happy Search and try examine and prove thy self Hast thou not a mind to know and do the whole will of God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength Dost thou not chuse to be poor in spirit meek merciful pure in heart a peace-maker a patient sufferer for righteousness sake and art thou not desirous to make an increase of all these by going to his holy Table Be not discouraged then Psal 4.3 5 6. but know that the Lord hath chosen him that is godly for himself The Lord will hear when I call upon him Go and offer the Sacrifices of righteousness and put thy trust in the Lord. There be many that say who will shew us any good But let thy voice be Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Open thou mine eyes Psal 119.18 that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Gospel Make me able to comprehend with all Saints Eph. 3.18 19. what is the breadth
and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg This shall put gladness in my heart more than in the time when their corn and wine encreased For thine are riches and power and honour and pleasure and they whom thou lovest can want nothing that is good Psal 5.12 Thou Lord wilt bless the righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield 22.26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied they shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live for ever The Prayer O Lord who fillest all things and delightest to pour out thy blessings upon all thy works especially into humble spirits who empty themselves of all their own desires that they may be filled with thy holy truth Behold a poor soul that opens it self to thy bounteous goodness though with much shame and confusion of face when I remember how much of thy grace I have refused or in vain received Thou hast sent me I acknowledg unasked innumerable benefits and I have found thee in my very heart when I sought not after thee Often have I felt holy thoughts springing up in my mind and pious affections carrying my heart away from all these earthly vanities Many godly purposes hast thou wrought in me and made me to taste how happy a thing it is to love thee and be beloved of thee O God thou hast taught me from my youth Psa 71.17 and early instructed me in the knowledg of thy truth Thou hast prevented all my desires and secretly disposed my will to chuse the ways of vertue and piety Hitherto I have declared thy wondrous works and every day brings along with it new testimonies of thy most fatherly care and providence But all this only reproaches me for my shameful negligence ingratitude and unfruitfulness in the knowledg of the Lord Jesus and makes me despair of receiving any more of thy grace unless thou wilt magnifie the riches of it in thy patient and long-suffering charity towards me Thou hast required us to put on bowels of mercy kindness condescention Coloss 3. forbearing and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any And hast taught us such charity as is kind and suffereth long â— Cor. 13. and beareth all things And therefore I am incouraged to fly unto thee and to hope in thee who hast made thy self the pattern of tenderness and compassion to us in Christ Jesus There is something of thy self likewise still remaining in me I feel my heart inclining towards thee desiring to have a more lively knowledg of thee and to be made thoroughly good and perfectly like thee Which emboldens me the more to wait upon thee and to open my heart for new communications of thy holy spirit to me O thou who givest food to all flesh who satisfyest the cravings of every living thing deny not the desires of an immortal soul which hungers and thirsts to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit Ephes 5.9 in all goodness and righteousness and truth It is not thy pardon only which I crave and humbly hope for through thy mercy in Christ Jesus But a power from above continually to assist the holy resolutions thou hast wrought in me to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2.12 I have chosen O Lord the way of truth thy judgments have I laid before me Psal 119.30.10 â—â— 38 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee I have gone astray but now I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways I will delight my self in thy statutes Psal 17.5 I will not forget thy word With my whole heart do I seek thee O let me not wander from thy Commandments But stablish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted to thy fear Hold up my goings in thy paths that my foosteps slip not And give me leave good Lord to approach to thy Table and there to dedicate my self again unto thee and receive fresh tokens of thy grace and favour towards me I am not worthy I confess to be seen in thy sacred presence But since thou hast wrought in me a will to please thee in all things I desire that I may humbly appear and profess it before thee and wait upon thee for a power to do according to the purposes of my heart O thou who searchest the hearts and knowest what is in man deal with me according to the sincerity of my soul And open mine eyes that I may see it if there be any evil way in me any pride any covetousness any impurity any hatred or uncharitableness For I renounce them all and unseignedly resolve to do justly and to love mercy Mic. 6.8 and to walk humbly with my God Ps 19.14 Let these words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer And when I come to thy holy Table may I feel that thou hast accepted them by inspiring me with stronger purposes to continue in thy obedience and lifting me up to an higher degree of love to thee and my blessed Saviour Raise me O Lord so high that I may be out of the reach of the temptations of the world and the Devil or at least they may never be able to draw me down to follow any sinful lusts and desires Dan 9.19 O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do according to thy infinite mercies declared in Christ Jesus and the most comprehensive meaning of his own holy words in which he hath taught us to pray saying Our Father c. A Meditation afterward THE next time thou visitest thy soul ask it if it observed well that glorious person who feasted thee at his Table and marked the kind and gracious words which he spake unto thee by the representation of his broken body and blood that was shed for thy sake Alas wilt thou say I should not have been here if I had had a clear view of his glories He would have carried me to heaven with him if my heart had been possessed with the fulness of his love My eyes are too weak to behold his perfections my thoughts too narrow to comprehend the unsearchable riches of his grace But hast thou not seen something of him Did not many of his beauteous graces shine fairly in thine eyes Did he not even force upon thee some sense of his wondrous goodness and charity And hath he not put himself by sensible tokens into thy very hands nay entred into thine heart and told thee that he hath desired it for his habitation Where is he then what hast thou done with him are the thoughts of him vanished already out of thy mind Doth the love of him languish and die thus soon in thy breast Art thou content to let him go and see him
Christian Kings and Rulers may be employed to be a terror to all evil doers and to give praise and incouragement to all that do well That all the servants of the Lord in holy offices may be gentle unto all men apt to teach 2 Tim. 2.24 patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves And all those that are under their care 1 Thess 5.13 may have the grace to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and laying apart all filthiness Jam. 1.21 and superfluity of naughtiness receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save their souls I recommend to thy mercies all the poor the sick the fatherless and widdows and whosoever are in any distress that they may remember the words of the Lord Jesus Luk. 21.19 and in their patience possess their souls And the Lord deliver us all from every evil work and preserve us unto his heavenly kingdom 2 Tim. 4.18 to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen May. Meditation before the Sacrament CAst your eyes now on the beautiful face of the earth and see how all things smile upon you How God hath crowned the year with his goodness and cloathed the pastures with flocks the gardens with flowers and fruits and the vallies with corn How the little hills as the Psalmist speaks are girded with gladness Psal 6â— and every creature shouts for joy and sings And then think with thy self how uncomly it is that thou shouldst be the only dull and silent thing whom the Lord hath adorned with greater riches and honour and set over all the works of his hands Think what nobler beauties he hath made thee to behold and set before thy mind even himself in all his glory which shines upon thee in the face of Jesus Christ Think how he calls thee to a Paradise of delight now that he hath invited thee to his holy Table where he represents unto thee the Son of his love the express image of his person and all the happy fruits of his manifestation in our flesh Bid thy soul therefore awake and meditate on his humble descent from Heaven for our sake with the acclamations of all the heavenly host on all his miraculous works of charity his holy and useful life his bitter passion his bloody and shameful death his glorious resurrection and ascention his power at the right hand of God and all the benefits he hath by these means obtained to us and crowned our nature withal Bid it sing aloud and give praise and shout for joy Stir up all that is within thee to bless his holy name That while all things round about thee are fresh and spiritous and full of life thou mayest not remain the only dead and heartless creature but spring up together with the rest in all the acts of spiritual life Say to thy self what a new world do I see God dwelling here among men God in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Friendship made between heaven and earth Death swallowed up in victory The gate of heaven set open to all believers Jesus our fore-runnner there already inthroned waiting for all his faithful followers and filling them now with good hope peace and joy in the holy Ghost O what a glorious sight is this which the Angels themselves admired what a new heaven and new earth should this have made wherein dwelleth righteousness what ailes us that we do not all become new creatures And beholding as in a glass the glory of our Lord are not changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord I am ashamed of my barrenness in the knowledge of Christ Jesus into whom I was ingrafted long ago It is high time to be more fruitful in all good works For he hath said that every branch in me that beareth not fruit John 1â— 2 8. my Father taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit And herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples I will go therefore and open my heart to him who is the root and fountain of life that I may derive new spirit vigour and strength from him I will go and declare that I believe in him that I have placed my hope my comfort and satisfaction in his love and value his favour and blessing more than all the world I will shew him how I long to be changed more and more into his divine image and am resolved to abide in him v. 7. and that his word shall abide in me I will give him all the assurance of it I am able by renewing my covenant with him and making a chearful oblation of all that I am and have and can do unto his service Then sure he will communicate more of himself unto me I shall feel his divine power and vertue quickning me and because he lives John 14.19 I shall live also The Sun when he returns to visit us with his warmth doth not more revive all things and renew the face of the earth than I shall find him inlivening and renewing me that I may have my fruit unto holiness Rom. 6.22 and the end everlasting life For he himself hath said Joh. 15.7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you Be it unto me O Lord according to thy word I ask nothing but that I may still have the grace to continue in thy love by keeping thy Commandments That I may grow and increase in wisdom and Holiness and be filled with all the fruits of the Spirit With love joy peace Gal. 5.22 long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance and that they may abound in me more and more to thy praise and glory Amen The Prayer before O Most blessed God who art most lovely in thy self and in all thy works and full of love and kindness to us whom thou hast made to understand thy glorious perfections Thou art beloved of all those that seriously fix their eyes on the beauties of thy holiness wisdom and goodness and observe thy bounty to all thy creatures Thousands of Angels and Saints thou hast whose hearts burn continually with love to thee and thou hast had many faithful servants that have dyed for the love of thee I am one of those fools and senseless wretches that have loved every thing better than thee my Creator and merciful Saviour While others have burnt in the fires for thee I have been unwilling sometimes to take the pains of a few serious thoughts about thee And my mind at best is apt to start away from that most heavenly employment it is hard to think even of thy surpassing kindness to me without interruption but for a few moments I am too unlike the ancient Disciples of the Lord Jesus being
who were his Creatures sinful Creatures with his own blood Surely we do not believe this How joyful how thankful should we be how holily how purely should we live if we thought our selves so nearly related to him What faith what hope should we place in him How confidently should we trust our selves and all we have with him How willingly should we resign our selves to his pleasure who hath not thought this too much to do for us And how contentedly should we want what he pleases not to give who hath done us such an honour as to marry us to himself If he had taken hold of the Nature of Angels and laid down that life that pretious life which was spent for us for their redemption how much would those heavenly creatures have loved him And yet now that he is desirous of our little love he cannot have it O my soul what is become of that love which thou lately professedst to him I thought the last time we were at his Table that thou wast mightily sensible of his love and wouldst never cease to love him Didst thou not protest that nothing was so dear unto thee as thy Saviour and his Commands and pretious promises That thou hadst rather lose thy life than lose his favour And didst thou not resolve that thou wouldst preserve it as thy life by all the acts of love to God and man O how easily do we forget the greatest benefits How apt are we to pay him only with liberal promises If he had not made us this new invitation to his Table it is possible we might have forgotten that we have any obligations to him But this sweet voice of thy Saviour which calls upon thee saying come do this in remembrance of me how doth it awaken and revive that love which sometime I felt in my heart to him Thanks be to his goodness for this new opportunity to acknowledg his love and to profess my own I hope in time I shall love him to the height of my desires and by these frequent remembrances of him become perfectly like him Though very unworthy therefore of this new favour who have been so unmindful of the old I will go into his house and present my self at his Altar if it be but to declare that I belong to him and am not willing to lose his blessing I will shew him at least that I do not quite forget him and have a mind to become a better Christian But how is it possible that I should see the representation of his mighty love that I should behold his pains and agonies for my sake and do no more than tell him that I keep him in mind and intend to obey him I cannot chuse but vow my self intirely to him I must bind my self in the most sacred Covenant to keep his Commands I can do no less than assure him again that I love righteousness and hate iniquity and will chuse death rather than to displease him Nay I will resolve never to cease to renew these vows and multiply my ingagements and then at last sure I shall become stedfast in his Covenant Psa 112.1 and delight my self greatly in his Commandments Psal 119.167 48 44 162 127 72. My soul shall keep thy testimonies and love them exceedingly My hands also will I lift up unto thy Commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes So shall I keep thy Law continually for ever and ever I will rejoyce at thy word as one that findeth great spoil And love thy Commandments above gold yea above fine gold The law of thy mouth shall be dearer unto me than thousands of gold and silver Let us go my soul and thank him heartily as for other benefits of his passion so for these hopes I have of becoming so perfectly in love with him that I shall exactly resemble him Ps 42.11 Hope in God for thou shalt yet praise him who is the health of thy countenance and thy God If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me But verily God hath heard me Psal 66.18 19 20. he hath attended to the voice of my prayer Blessed be God which hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me The Prayer before O Most high and Holy one who canst not be comprehended by our shallow thoughts nor by any other thing but only thy self Though inconceivably beneath thine infinite Majesty and also a miserable sinner I make bold in the name of the Lord Jesus who is my hope with humble reverence to prostrate my self before thee Acknowledging that thou art my Maker my Lord and Soveraign and that I being the work of thy hands must needs be thy servant and subject Yea thou hast given me leave every day to call thee Father and ownest me for thy child With what fear and astonishment with what grief and sorrow doth it become me to ly in thy presence How heavily have I condemned my self by these acknowledgments For I have not always honoured and served thee as my Creator nor loved and delighted in thee as my most gracious Father nor obeyed and submitted to thee in all things as my Soveraign Lord and Master I have too oft rebelled against thine Almighty power and authority and spurned against the bowels of thy love and broken thy most holy Laws and violated that faith which I professed in my Baptism and have many times since plighted unto thee Thine Almighty mercy accuses me The passion and torment the death and resurrection the threatnings and promises all the love of my dear Saviour condemns me and so do the mighty works and the gracious inspirations of the Holy Ghost And yet I have no whither to fly nothing to trust unto but that Almighty mercy the passion and love of our Lord the power and grace of the Holy Ghost How shall I hope for pardon from that love which I have offended and look for mercy from those tender mercies which I have too much slighted With what confidence can I expect a remedy from that power which I have resisted O the long-suffering and patience of my God! O the infiniteness of thy mercy and the pretiousness of that blood that can wash away so many transgressions against it self I adore thee I thank thee O God who hast set forth Christ Jesus to be a propitiation Rom. 3.25 through faith in his blood By his Cross and Passion Good Lord I hope to be delivered and wait on thy mercy for the power of his holy Spirit to wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity Psal 51. and cleanse me from my sin Assist me thereby I most humbly beseech thee to purifie my self from all filthiness both of the flesh and of the Spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 to purge my mind my affections my passions from whatsoever is offensive to thy pure eyes who canst not approve of iniquity For I would have no uncleanness no inordinate affection Col. 3.5 8. no
evil concupiscence and covetousness no anger wrath malice or evil speaking to be found any more within me And now that I am about to remember the death of Jesus help me to mortifie all these more perfectly and to hate them worse than death Behold O Lord I abandon all worldly lusts My soul is open and I have emptied my heart to receive the fulness of thy grace Take an absolute possession of me rule in me by thy laws guide me by thy counsels fill me with thy love satisfie me with the comfort of thy promises and refresh me with thy divine joys that I may have a great delight to be thy faithful and obedient servant O that I may feel at thy Table the liveliest apprehensions awakened in me of what thou hast done for my soul Hold my thoughts close unto thee inspire me with devout Meditations strengthen and increase in me all good resolutions and inable me to bring them to good effect I know thou never failest those that heartily seek thee Our Saviour hath bid us ask and we shall receive seek and we shall find knock and it shall be opened to us Fulfil then O Gracious Lord all my petitions so give unto thy servant what he humbly asks let him that seeks find open the gate to him that knocks that I may be made partaker of Christs most blessed body and blood And feeling the comforts of holy fellowship and friendship with him and studying to maintain it by a pure and blameless life I may now and ever triumph in thy Salvation and sing thy praises in thy Church on earth and among thy Saints and Angels in heaven giving honour blessing power and dominion unto thee O Father Almighty and unto thy Son Christ Jesus to all Eternity Amen Our Father which art c. A Meditation afterward DOst thou mind O my Soul whaâ— thou sayest when every day thou callest God Father thy Father which is in Heaven How happy art thou if thou art beloved of God Almighty So beloved that the Lord of Heaven and Earth is thy Father What is there that thou canst desire what canst thou long for beyond this How well satisfied and contented shouldst thou be in the poorest condition how well assured that all shall be well with thee if thou art sure of this one thing that he is thy Father And what should make thee doubt of it though so great an honour Where hast thou been now what hast thou been doing Hast thou not been with Jesus Hast thou not professed thy self a Christian â— Joh. 1.3 And truly their fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ He hath shown thee the love which God bears to thee He hath bidden thee by those tokens rest assured that he will never cease to love thee For he hath given himself to thee and thou hast given thy self to him The Covenant of friendship and eternal love hath been renewed between us Thou hast made oath again of fidelity to him and he hath sworn in his holiness that he will not take his loving kindness from thee nor suffer his faithfulness to fail O how rich is he that possesses God and is heir of his immortal glory How chary should we be of this inestimable wealth How void should we be of all other cares but only this to preserve the love of our heavenly Father What should covetousness do in that heart which enjoys such a Treasure What should ambition what should vain-glory do in him that can boast of the honour of having God for his Father Need he fear that he shall want who is so well provided Should he murmur or repine who hath such fulness Is there any cause of anger if our Father be not angry Shall we be uncharitable to any who partake of such great charity Watch O my Soul and walk circumspectly that thou lose not such exceeding abundant grace as this which is bestowed on thee Go forth in this new strength and comfort which thou hast received and perfect thy conquests over the world the flesh and the Devil and resolve that nothing shall separate thee from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well mayest thou stand to this resolution if thou remembrest that he is thy Father For what is it that hath tempted thee and drawn thy heart at any time from him Nothing but a little short pleasure Nothing but a vain and many times foolish breath of a mortal man whose breath is in his nostrils and must shortly die and all his thoughts perish Nothing but that which the Moth can corrupt or the rust consume or a Thief despoil us of Nothing but a fading beauty which sickness or time will certainly bring to decay What are all these to the pleasure of pleasing God to the commendation and praise which comes from unerring and eternal wisdom to the durable riches honour and beauty which our heavenly Father will give us for our portion Our hopes in him now are infinitely better than any thing else The love of such a Father is more worth than all that the whole World can do for us Value thy self highly then upon this account and never call him Father more but with the greatest joy and contentment of heart Be careful for nothing Phil. 4.6 7 but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let thy requests be made known unto him Look often into thy heart and ask if he be there and say it is enough God is my Father in this will I rejoyce The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep my heart and mind through Christ Jesus And here you may resolve all this month to meditate often upon the great FAITH and confidence which he reposed in his heavenly Father and expressed when he died saying Father Luke 23.46 into thy hands I commend my Spirit He trusted himself with him that he should have a blessed resurrection His flesh rested in hope Acts 2.26.31 that he would not leave his soul in hell neither suffer his holy one to see corruption Though he was then scorned abused made the vilest of men and shamefully put to death upon a Gibbet yet he took Gods word for it that he should rise and reign and be glorified eternally triumphing over all his enemies Hell and Death it self Do thou labour to imitate him in this holy Faith both for all the things of this life and of that which is to come Form thy self to an habitual trust in Gods careful Providence and precious Promises and commit thy self unto him in well doing Take care of that only and leave all the rest with an assured confidence to him Let thy conversation be without covetousness be content with such things as thou hast Heb. 13.5 6. for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man can do unto me This is the
of my love and the coldness of my affection to him who hath deserved to be remembred with the greatest passion For I have long professed love to him I have received many testimonies of his special kindness to me and given many assurances of mine to him And yet how pale and dim are those marks of a great love to him which are plainly visible in me to others Am I ever casting mine eyes towards him Doth he often present himself before my mind and feelingly touch my heart Am I never better pleased than when I am going to him Is the question rather what will please him than whether I shall do it He hath declared his will in his holy Gospel Am I glad to hear of it and read it and very desirous to know it in all things Can I forsake my own will chearfully to follow his And doth it grieve me much that his excellent laws are not observed and that all Christians do not love and honour him O Lord thou knowest our weakness and how hard it is to keep our minds and hearts so stedfastly fixed upon invisible things And in great pitty therefore hast ordained holy mysteries for a frequent remembrance of thee and to represent thy self and thy love more sensibly to us By this means I hope to grow in time to a perfect love ever bearing thee in mind and delighting to give thee thanks and praise and conforming my self to thy blessed will and desiring and studying that thy name may be hallowed and honoured by me and by all men else throughout the world This hope incourages me to go to thy Table though very unworthy to be entertained by thee There I hope also my Lord will meet me and speak kindly to me as one that loves him at least a little better than any thing beside and is resolved and determined to love him more and more He invites us thither to increase our faith and to nourish our love and to strengthen our hope and excite our gratitude and exercise all our graces and therefore I will not refuse his kindness even because I desire and long to love him so much But first my soul let us examine our selves whether we be sure that this indeed is the very sense of our heart that we really love to please him in every thing and heartily mean to proceed in this love to the most ready and willing obedience to all his Commands And doth it not become us humbly to confess the foolish wandrings of our affections from him to blush for shame that we fall so short of our own resolutions and to excite our selves to greater watchfulness and diligence in well doing Ought not the very remembrance of our former coldness to put a greater heat into us And our former backwardness make us to be more forward and zealous Should we not vow our hearts again to him And let him know that we shall not think we live when we do not love him and that we shall be willing to die that we may more love him But how can we hope to grow still better by these new expressions of his love to which he invites us without his gracious assistance which ought to be faithfully implored Let us go then to him before-hand and desire him to raise up those thoughts and affections in us which we cannot produce in our selves that we may bring an heart full of love to him and carry it away full of joy to find it more inlarged to love and serve him The Prayer before O Most holy and ever blessed Lord of heaven and earth who art good and dost good to all thy Creatures and to us above all the rest who are most unworthy of thy loving kindness It is but a part of my duty to admire and praise thy great and glorious perfections to reverence thee to worship thee to love thee and with heart and tongue both here and eternally to acknowledg my dependance on thee to give thee thanks and speak good of thy Name But it becomes me no less to debase my self in the lowest manner before thee because all that I speak in thy praise declares my foul ingratitude to thee my Creator and constant benefactor There is nothing that I can justly call my own without thy leave and I have received exceeding much from thy bounty and thou hast made me that I might enjoy satisfaction in thee the most Soveraign good and taken care to bring me acquainted with thee which ought now to be remembred with the greatest humility thankfulness and joyful resignation of my self and all that I have to thy obedience But alas how little do I feel thee though I live and move and have my being in thee Though I have tasted of thine abundant goodness every moment how late was it before I seriously thought of my obligations to thee Now that I see thou hast sent thy son the express image of thy person among us how little is it that I know of thee and what a stranger am I still to thee I have been too willing to receive but small benefit by his appearing and to content my self with a little measure of that purity wisdom and goodness which he came to impart unto us Thus foolish and ignorant have I been and it was but fit that we should sink into the greatest stupidity when we were such fools as to leave thee and follow the counsels and desires of our own hearts For ever adored be thy infinite charity who art not willing to lose us when we are so forward to lose thee and our selves Blessed be the exceeding abundance of thy grace in Christ Jesus which continues to invite even such senseless wretches to come unto thee who have so little esteemed it or know how to value the unsearchable riches of it The marvellous greatness of thy forbearing and pardoning mercy if nothing else will incline and excite my heart I hope to love thee much above all things That so at last I may love thy blessed nature and perfectly understand that it is my happiness to have thy image renewed in me in righteousness and true holiness Thou hast often convinced me praised be thy goodness that it is impossible for me otherwise to be happy Thou hast wrought many strong resolutions in my soul to be guided and governed by thine unerring wisdom and holy will And I have felt the comforts of a pure humble meek merciful peaceable and loving disposition of heart Perfect good Lord what thou hast wrought in me that all the pious inclinations of my soul may settle in a firm and lasting habit of well-doing Our righteousness I know cannot profit thee but thou delightest to communicate thy self to thy creatures especially to those who think it the greatest treasure to be inriched with thy wisdom and to be made partakers of a divine Nature O thou who hast given me this knowledg who hast given me a will to chuse thee for my portion make me compleatly happy
him too But with what blushing should we look there upon that love which we have sometime slighted With what hatred upon those sins which murdered the Lord of life With what joy should we think of the hope there is that they may be pardoned And how should we stand admiring at that wise goodness which made that blood which sinners shed to be the expiation for their sins Sure we do not believe these things or else we shall begin already to feel our heart burn with love to him and ready to offer it self in Sacrifice before we come to his Altar Excite thy Faith that it may stir up thy Love and that may carry all the passions of thy heart along with it to him Shew him that the desire of thy heart is to the remembrance of his Name that thy care is to please him thy fear to offend him thy joy to do his will and thy sorrow that thou canst do no more for him Let it be a great comfort to thee that he knows thy sincerity and sees into the very secrets of thy heart how affectionately thou studiest to be like him what a pleasure it is when thou canst stedfastly think of him how it grieves thee when thy thoughts are broken thy affections heavy and dull and thy power falls so short of thy will and desires And be assured that he pitties thee that notwithstanding this he will kindly entertain thee and receive the poorest oblation thou art able to make him at his Table Eat and be satisfied and bless the name of the Lord. He hath invited thee he expects thee he loves to see thee there and will make thee know that he loves thee and delights to do thee good Let us go my soul and declare before Angels and men that we are Christians and mean to live and die in his holy Religion And let us now take shame to our selves that we have at any time contradicted our belief Let us acknowledg the breach of that Faith into which we were baptized and declare before we go how great a trouble it is to us that we love him no more and how desirous we are and fully resolved to love him better and better The Prayer before O Eternal God the Lord of life of grace peace and all our comforts It is of thy great mercies alone that I am not consumed or that I lie not now groaning on a bed of sickness but am invited to feast at thy holy Table I might have distasted and loathed even the ordinary food of my body and thou continuest an opportunity and some appetite to receive the pretious food of my soul The grave might have been my dwelling the worms my companions and I been turned into rottenness and corruption but now I am going to thy house to be the companion of thy people and to communicate with thee and my blessed Saviour that I may be nourished to a blessed immortality This is nothing else but thy marvellous Mercy and because thy compassions fail not For I have too many ways violated thy holy Laws broken thy covenant resisted thy grace and unvalued thy eternal life Thou hast adopted me early for thy child sown the immortal seed of thy word in my heart sent thy holy Spirit to further its growth and increase to that never dying happiness and bliss But how little have I recovered of thy image in wisdom righteousness and holiness which hath been miserably defaced How coldly have I sometimes entertained the motions of thy holy Spirit And been barren and unfruitful in the knowledg of Jesus Christ How often have I heard of that great and dreadful day of reckoning and been prone to follow the little pleasures of this life as if I lookt neither for joy nor misery in the other world That Faith which should save me might justly condemn me and Jesus my most compassionate Redeemer without infinite mercy become only a severe Judge towards me Adored be thy patience and long-suffering to sinners For ever magnified be that Grace which gives me the least hope in thee and presents me with another opportunity of humbling my self before thee of intreating thy favour of deprecating thy displeasure and vowing my self again to thy service which I have covenanted to pay thee O merciful God have mercy upon me have mercy upon me according to the multitude of thy mercies in Christ Jesus blot out all my iniquities I have not offended thee beyond the heighth and depth and length and breadth of thine incomprehensible love in him declared to us And there is still remaining in my heart some esteem of that love and an inclination to love thee above all things with an hearty desire to be purified and sanctified throughout both in body and in soul and spirit Though not by works of righteousness which I have done yet by thy mercy I hope to be saved through the washing of regeneration and more perfect renewing of the holy-Ghost That renewing vertue from above I most humbly wait for and earnestly desire to be more abundantly poured on me Deal with me according to my unfeigned resolutions to study to purifie my self even as thou art pure to walk before thee hereafter in all sobriety righteousness humility meekness peaceableness charity indeavouring to perfect holiness in thy fear Vouchsafe me some earnests of this grace when I present my self before thee to commemorate the death of thy Son Jesus who was wounded for our iniquities and bruised for our transgressions That my heart may be deeply wounded with a sense of sin and hate the very thought of every evil way and chuse to endure any misery rather than offend thy dearest love again O that I might then feel my thoughts carried away from this world that I could think then of nothing but thee and the dying love of my sweetest Saviour and the greatness of that love which I owe to him that died for me Replenish my soul with holy thoughts lift me up in heavenly meditations and fill me with a multitude of devout affections that I may be able hereafter to do and suffer all things for his sake and never forget how good he is and how good I have resolved to be Without thee I cannot ascend up unto thee and therefore I look for thy holy inspirations to accompany me in all my Meditations and prayers and praises and thanksgivings and resolutions That attending upon this sacred service with love and zeal and delight and devotion of spirit there may be an happy meeting between me and my Saviour and such an inseparable Union contracted as may be at last consummated in eternal Love and Joy in his heavenly Kingdom To which I humbly hope to be brought by thy infinite Mercies in him who hath taught me to call thee Father and to say when I pray Our Father which art in c. The Meditation afterward SEeing it hath pleased my Lord to tye me to himself by one bond more and I have added a new
resolution to all the rest and made choice of him again for my only Master how careful ought I to be that I prove not a false Disciple Hast thou never read or heard of an holy man who never used the name of Jesus but he immediately added not without the appearance of singular pleasure MY MASTER This was his glory this he thought the highest honour on Earth that he served such a Master Let this be one of thy thoughts every day Let it work in thy mind till the sense of these words be ingraven on thy heart My Master JESVS Consider that when thou wast baptized thou wast dedicated to his holy service That if thou hast owned confirmed that Sacred Covenant thou hast renounced all other Masters the Devil the World and the Flesh and professed thou wouldst be a Servant of Jesus And every time thou hast been at his Table thou hast done this over again and protested thou wilt have no other Master but only him Is there any cause dost thou think to repent of thy choice of following his service Is it not a great preferment to be one of his family who is Lord of Heaven and Earth the Heir of all things the Prince of all the Kings of the Earth the Lord of Life and the King of Glory Dost thou not profess in thy daily Prayers that his service is perfect freedom Can any reward their servants like to the blessed and only Potentate who only hath immortality Do any servants in the world serve in such hopes or enjoy such promises or receive such earnests as he is pleased to bestow on his Is not death the wages of sin but the gift of God eternal life What servants are admitted to such familiarity with their Lord as thou art at his Table Who are entertained with such a Feast or live upon such delights as they that receive his Body and Bloud And yet how zealous how diligent how forward are they to do their Masters will who serve only for the wages of unrighteousness How proud is a man of the honour to follow the Court of an Earthly Prince But if he should be advanced to eat continually at his Table the world would envy his too great happiness What a shame will it prove then if thou art not fervent in spirit serving the Lord If thou dost not think thy self honoured enough and art not well contented in any condition who followest such a glorious Master Thou wilt not pardon thy self if thou art unfaithful to him or disgracest his service by murmuring repining dejection of spirit or any other unworthy behaviour toward him For what Master ever merited so much at his Servants hands We have heard of Servants that have died for their Masters but where did we ever read or hear of a Master that freely died even for his rebellious Servants The business was Jesus would purchase us to himself by his own Bloud and make us if we have but any good nature in us to be most entirely devoted to his chearful obedience Ask thy self therefore every morning whose Servant am I What did I promise my Master such a day If I call him Lord and Master why do not I do the things that he saith And shall I go about my Masters business with a drooping countenance and an heavy heart Shall I sigh when I hear his voice though he bid me deny my self and take up my Cross and follow him Shall any of his Commandments seem grievous to me after so many so solemn professions of love to him God forbid that I should cast such reproach upon him I have not so learned Christ Jesus whose I am and whom I serve who hath said Joh. 12.26 If any man serve me him will my Father honour Can there be words of greater grace than these God be thanked Rom. 6.17 18. that I was the servant of sin but have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered me It is a favour to be the servant of righteousness I ought to account it an honour to receive his commands and to study to do his will on Earth as it is done in Heaven How comfortably then shall I live how comfortably shall I die How will it make my heart leap for joy to hear that voice of his Matth. 25.21 Well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Here you may resolve to meditate all this Month how our Lord and Master himself took upon him the form of a SERVANT and being found in fashion like one of us became obedient unto Death Phil. 2.7 8. even the Death of the Cross That absolute OBEDIENCE of his you should set always before your eyes for a pattern that you may not live as if you were ashamed of his service or thought any thing below you or too mean to submit unto which he requires at your hands Never suffer your reputation your ease your wealth no nor life it self to stand in competition with his commands But presently remember that though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered Heb. 5.8 9. And being made perfect he became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him And remember again that The Disciple is not above his Master Luk. 6.40 but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master The Thanksgiving and Prayer afterward FOr ever hallowed be thy great Name O Father of mercies the God of love the fountain of all good and blessedness All the heavenly host delight continually to praise thee They never cease to ascribe wisdom power dominion riches honour and glory unto thee who livest for ever O how great is thy goodness who invitest us that dwell in houses of clay to bear them company in their praises and thanksgivings They can add nothing at all unto thy fulness but it is our happiness to spend our days here in loving thee in speaking good of thy Name in doing thee honour and service and to pass the life of the other world in the perfection of admiration love thanksgiving and obedience to thee Psal 126.3 who hast done such great things for us of which we are glad Blessed be the Name of God our Father who hath raised us out of Nothing and hath not appointed us unto wrath 1 Thess 5.9 but to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ And of God our Saviour who hath redeemed us from the hands of all our enemies and purchased us with a great price unto himself And of God our Sanctifier strength and assister the God of our Salvation who keeps us every moment from ruine and destruction I thank thee O Lord of Heaven and Earth for that liberal portion which thou hast given me thine unworthy servant in thy grace and favour For the knowledge of thy holy Gospel which hath brought life and immortality to light For all the good instructions I have received
inlarge them or that he would fill them to the heighth with his love Since he is content if he may but lodg and dwell in our breasts and have the government of us in his hands let us go and vow that he shall possess us solely to himself that no affection no desire shall dwell in us without his leave and all be ordered by him just as he pleases And let us shew him now that we have prepared no less gift than our whole selves to be bestowed on him that we are very desirous of the honour to be commanded by him and to do him service and that if he will make us more desirous more resolved and stedfast in these holy purposes we will never cease to thank him in this manner as long as we live And approaching thus with all humility to him may we not hope that he will accept us and receive us as his friends and embrace us with real love and inclose us as we desire unto himself Nay he will hold us fast tied in the bonds and cords of his love not to fetter and imprison us but to unlock and open our narrow hearts by the power of it that they be inlarged into the true liberty of love to him and to all the world We may hope at last that it will become as unnatural to offend him as it is to kill our selves or kick against the bowels of a most indulgent parent that obedience shall be our delight that all good things on earth which have been our hindrance shall prove our incouragement and provocation to an holy life and that our watchfulness over our selves shall be so strict and severe that we shall not be easily surprised but continually worship him by presenting him with a spirit like his own innocent harmless and delighting to do all good The Prayer before O Most mighty Lord the high and holy one who possessest eternity who dwellest in the purest light and whose Majesty is enthroned in the midst of all the heavenly host who are continually celebrating the praises of thy name which is most excellent throughout the world The light of thy countenance I believe is better than life and one day in thy courts better than a thousand If thou wilt graciously shine upon me when I enter into thy gates to go unto thy Table if thou wilt fill me with the joys of Faith and love and holy hope I shall account that day the beginning of the eternal life and remember as long as I live how gracious thou art But I have little reason to expect to be so highly favoured by thee who have forgotten oft-times that reverence and fear that I owe to thee my Creator and that love and dutiful affection which I owe to my Redeemer and been too disobedient to many good motions of the holy Spirit of grace I have thought so much how to please my self and so little of pleasing thee spent so much time in the affairs of my body and so little in those of my immortal soul that I may rather sink into dejection of spirit toward the place of darkness than hope to be lifted up toward heaven to behold the light of life I am apt to think that if I knew thee as the Angels do I should be filled with their love and readily disposed to thy obedience and spend my self in thy endless praises whereas now that thou hast revealed those things to us which the thoughts of Angels entred not into and hast sent thy dear Son in our nature and not iâ— the nature of Angels and given him to die for us and to open the kingdom of heaven to us I have not loved thee with the love of men I have felt sometime so little love to thee that I have been apt to doubt whether I love thee It hath been but a little spark in my heart scarce to be discerned and hath not shone as it ought to do in my life before men But thy gracious pardon O Lord of love I hope will make me admire thee and love thee exceedingly Some small tast and savour of thine extraordinary kindness will inkindle in me the most ardent affection towards thee And it is already the hearty desire and study of my soul thou knowest that I may love thee above all things and that all my love may run into ingenuous free and chearful obedience to every one of thy Commands They are all holy just and good they are most lovely and gracious in mine eyes I esteem thy precepts about all things to be most equal beneficial and highly conducing to the perfection and happiness of our natures and chuse most joyfully to submit my self to the Soveraign Authority of such tender love and good-will towards us O pitty and pardon an humble suitor to thee that his heart may ever be under the power of thy holy Commands and being captivated from all things here below may become a subject of thy love I wait on thee for the power of thy holy Spirit now to come upon me to fill me with thoughts desires and affections sutable to the duty which I am about to render to thee That when I think of those sins which killed the Lord of life I may vehemently abhor and utterly renounce them And when I think of thy love it may wonderfully raise and exalt my heart to love thee delight in thee and gratefully acknowledg thee And when I think of thy holy Commands my heart may humbly bow and gladly resign it self to be governed by them And the dying of the Lord Jesus set before my eyes may make me an offering holy and acceptable to thee for ever I am sensible how oft I fall short of my own desires and resolutions and therefore again look up unto thee with a humble Faith for thy powerful presence with me To inlighten my mind more clearly to settle my wandring and unstable thoughts to awaken the conscience of my duty toward thee and toward all men to compose and quiet all my turbulent passions and affections and to confirm and strengthen all the holy purposes which thou workest in me Vouchsafe most gracious Lord to accept and assist the faintest but honest indeavours of my soul to please thee to incourage and further every good inclination to possess and fortifie me against the most importunate temptations and to enable me to quell and bring under the strongest oppositions to thy divine will I deliver up my self absolutely with all my heart unto it desiring and purposing to live instedfast union and conformity with it to maintain an humble and reverend sense of thy greatness and goodness soberly to use all the good things thou indulgest to me to exercise righteousness charity meekness and gentleness to all men to possess my soul in patience to be contented with my portion to pray without ceasing and in every thing to give thanks which is thy will in Christ Jesus concerning me Sanctifie I beseech thee the greatest worldly blessings
the force of all temptations to sanctifie even our afflictions to us and the infirmities of our crazy bodies to take out the sting of death and to make it an entrance into an immortal life Thou hast advanced him to intercede for us at thy right hand to be our Advocate with thee when by our weakness we sin against thee or are afraid to approach thee to pardon us when we repent and return to thee and to bless us by giving us repentance and turning us from all our iniquities And to all other benefits thou hast added the comforts and refreshments of thy holy Table where I have now partaked of his most blessed Body and Bloud Thou hast shown me the greatness of my Saviours love and tied me in new resolutions to love and serve thee for ever and given me strong assurance of thine everlasting mercies in Christ Jesus These very acknowledgments will witness against me if I should carelesly throw away this new portion which thou hast given me in thy love The remembrance of them will be intolerable if I should not improve this extraordinary grace which I have now commemorated I flee unto thee therefore again O most merciful Father for the help of thy Holy Spirit to continue in me a perpetual memory of that love which thou hast bestowed on me and of the professions I have made of an unmovable love to thee O thou inspirer of all holy thoughts and desires O thou who delightest to incourage all those that seek after thee with thankful hearts stop not the currant of thy bounteous love but as thou hast drawn me to thee and moved me to devote my self to thy obedience so preserve and keep these thoughts and purposes in my heart for ever I believe thou hearest me and wilt be with me And filled with thy power and might and with constant hope in thee I will walk and not be weary and run the ways of thy Commandments and not faint To that Almighty goodness I commit my self of which I have had such long experience I will never doubt of thy readiness to assist and further me but always look up unto the Heavens from whence cometh my help My help cometh from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth The Lord shall preserve me from all evil Psal 122.2 7 8. he shall preserve my Soul The Lord shall preserve my going out and my coming in from this time forth and even for evermore O that all the ends of the Earth may see thy Salvation and worship thy Name for it is holy And especially all those to whom is given a Kingdom Dan. 5.18 Majesty Glory and Honour may evermore praise 4.37 and extol and honour the King of Heaven all whose works are truth and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase Psal 68.3 Let all the righteous be glad let them rejoyce before God yea let them exceedingly rejoyce 35.27 Let them say continually The Lord be magnified which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his Servants O that all mankind would praise the Lord for his goodness Psal 107.8 9 13. and for his wonderful works to the Children of men For he satisfieth the longing Soul and filleth the hungry Soul with goodness They cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saveth them out of their distresses Blessed be the Lord God Psal 41.13.68.19 even the God of our Salvation from everlasting to everlasting Amen and Amen October The Meditation before HOw long is it since thou thoughtest of the best friend thou hast in the whole world And what were thy last thoughts of him Didst thou not a very little while ago long for his company and wish the time would come wherein thou mightest again enjoy him Didst thou not count the days till that happy time when he promised to return or to send unto thee And suppose he be dead with what passion dost thou follow his memory How art thou moved with the mention of his dear name How glad to possess any relique of him though it be but his shadow Or how oft dost thou look upon the lively picture of him which is drawn in thy own imagination And dost thou think it could fail to put thee in mind of what he left thee in charge when he departed this world Couldst thou forget the legacies he left thee or the inheritance he bequeathed to thee as the heir of his love O how long then is it my soul since Jesus was in thy thoughts Canst thou not tell Was there ever such a Friend as he that dyed to save thee Can any one pretend so much to thy love or merit of thee so kind a remembrance Who is there that ever died for the sake of his enemies O how pretious how dear should the Name of Jesus be unto thee with what joy shouldst thou receive the news that he is coming to visit thee How welcome must this invitation be from thy blessed Saviour whom if thou lovest thou canst not but long to see It is the voice of thy well-beloved that calls unto thee and saith come and feast with me Come and see by these sensible signs which I have left to represent me how much my love hath made me suffer for thee Behold the lively figure of my Body and Blood which was broken and shed to redeem thee I have caused it to be made on purpose that thou mightest not forget me What dost thou answer to him Canst thou say thou hast looked for this day That thou thoughtest it long till thou mightest go to his house or at least wast desirous to go and see him set forth crucified before thine eyes Why What good did the last sight of him do thee What pangs of love didst thou feel in thy heart what pleasure what joy in the remembrance of his kindness Did it call all his Commands to mind and recommend them effectually to thy love Did it stir thee up to do his will and make thee more zealous ever since in working that which is pleasing in his sight What didst thou think of the inheritance he hath given thee An inheritance incorruptible 1 Pet. 1.4 and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for thee Didst thou believe his word Col. 3.24 and verily expect to receive the reward of this inheritance How did that faith then work in thy heart Did it give thee extreme content Having hope to see him did it make thee purifie thy self 1 Joh. 3.3 even as he is pure Go then now as a friend of his and do the same again Renew thy remembrance of him Shew him the belief thou hast in him the love thou bearest to his name and word how resolved thou art never to forget him and how happy thou thinkest thy self in the portion he hath given thee in his grace and love Profess to him that his Commandments are dearer to thee than thy life and that thou
wilt sooner part with it than not perform his holy will in every thing Vow to him again that thou wilt be true and faithful to him Embrace all thy Brethren there assembled with a kind affection because they are his friends and followers Desire that all the world should know him and be acquainted with him and that a perpetual memory of him may be preserved by doing this as long as the Sun and Moon endure And canst thou do it without those passions which the thoughts of a Friend are wont to raise up in thy heart None of them sure will be absent upon this occasion They will all attend thee in this holy action and thou wilt feel the greatest gratitude to thy Saviour who hath done so much to deserve thy love which is so little worth to him Then thou wilt hear him as good as say unto thee Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee All that I have is thine I will be an everlasting friend to thee and make thee inherit all things It is my Fathers good pleasure to give thee a kingdom and here I give thee the earnest of that purchased possession What reason hast thou to doubt of the injoyment if thou art my friend by doing whatsoever I command thee Do not friends partake in each others goods My power which I have over all things in Heaven and earth shall assist thee My Angels shall be thy guardians My spirit shall be thy guide and director My comforts shall incourage and support thee Because I live Joh. 14.19.10.10 thou shalt live also For I came that my sheep might have life and that they might have it more abundantly The Prayer before O Most holy and eternal God who art good and dost good the whole earth is full of thy goodness Thy mercy reacheth unto the Heavens and thy faithfulness unto the Clouds Thou art great in power wisdom and all other perfections and therefore greatly to be feared honoured and loved by all understanding creatures When I consider how much thou hast done for me or how much I have often promised to do for thee I am on both hands confounded and ashamed in my own thoughts Thou art my Creator my Father my Saviour deliverer and constant Benefactor the God of my life of my health of all my present comforts and future hopes I have promised often to be thy faithful servant and thy dutiful child to honour and glorifie thee both with body and soul and all the good things thou hast bestowed on me In my Baptism I was dedicated unto thee and have many times confirmed that gift and renewed my engagements to continue in thy obedience In my promises protestations and vows I have been very liberal but how sparing in performance thou who art acquainted with all my ways knowest And I my self know so much of my negligence that I may justly wonder thou still retainest me in thy family and lettest me enjoy the priviledg of thy children Adored be thy great long suffering and patience towards me and all mankind Thanks be to the name of the Lord who after our abuse of so many blessings hath added the gift of his dear Son and sent him to pay a ransome for us O the unconceivable greatness of that love which hath so much befriended the most ungrateful enemies I humbly mention the blood of his Cross as a sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction not only for my sins but the sins of the whole world I lift up my hands unto thee in his name to receive that gracious pardon which he hath purchased for me hopeing thorough him that thou wilt still continue thy love unto me who am stedfastly resolved to love thee above all things Far be it from me to think that the love of our Lord should maintain me in any rebellion against thee or countenance my contempt of thy holy Laws No love me so much good Lord as to change my will and renew my nature into thy own likeness that I may be truly a friend of God I wish for no greater happiness than to feel my soul at peace and friendship with thee by an intire and unchangeable love to all righteousness goodness and truth And I am going to remember his dying love that with the heartiest affection I may devote my self wholly to thy love and service I do as unfeignedly desire that all my sins may die as I am glad that Christ died to be a propitiation for them And I as sincerely offer up my self my understanding my will my desires and passions and all that I have unto thee as I really believe that he offered up himself for me O that the power of the holy Ghost may accompany me and unite my thoughts and affections to make a most thankful commemoration of his loving kindness Represent unto my mind most feelingly all that Jesus hath done and endured for our sake Fix my mind and heart upon the inestimable benefits he hath obtained to me That I may not only behold the outward figures of him but receive those pledges of his love with the humblest reverence with such a lively faith and vehement love and ready submission of my will to him that Christ Jesus may be inwardly formed in me I long for the happiness of knowing assuredly that I am a friend of his by my delighting greatly in his Commandments and trusting my self and all my concerns intirely in his hands and contenting my self in his love and good will toward me and rejoycing in the Soveraign Dominion power and glory which thou hast given him with most earnest desires that all the world may love and obey him Amen Our Father which art c. The Meditation afterward WIth what unwillingness are we wont to leave the company of a Friend in whom we delight How doth the remembrance of him stick unto our mind How often do we think of the kind words we heard from his mouth and view the tokens he hath left with us of his love Do we not use to cast our eyes behind us when we go from him and look after him as long as he is in sight Are we not glad to see but his back when we cannot behold his face O sweet Jesus then shouldst thou say to thy self who can be content to part with the thoughts of thee when he sees the love thou bearest to us and all the blessings thou impartest to thy friends and followers What heart can endure to lose the sight of such happiness or suffer thy remembrance to die out of its mind I should look as far as heaven rather than suffer thee to go out of my thoughts and always be casting mine eyes to thy dwelling place that I may behold at this distance though never so little of thy most excellent glory So one would think in reason But this dull flesh begins to complain that it is tired and cannot thus follow thee any further It makes me sigh to think that I must lose
to love purely is our perfection upon earth whom to possess in an unchangeable wisdom charity and purity is heaven it self It was thy great goodness to make us to know thee and â—ove thee and be like unto thee And a greater to sue unto us and intreat for our affections But it is the greatest of all a miracle of thy love that thou hast sent such a person as thy Son Jesus to beseech us and to add mighty importunities to his intreaties that we would do that which we ought to be desirous to be admitted to do as the greatest happiness we are capable of Lord what is man that thou art thus kind unto him we are very little things hugely below so much of thy notice We are naturally infirm and crazed in our bodies And our understandings are short sighted our reasonings weak and childish our passions easily disordered our resolutions inconstant and by sin we have made our selves worse and turned these into greater mischiefs So that if thou hadst been pleased to shew but a little pitty and compassion to us and not suffered us to become extreamly miserable what could we have expected more from thy goodness But that thou shouldest design to advancâ— such piteous and wretched things a we are who know not how to valuâ— and esteem thy benefits to the statâ— and dignity of thy children to makâ— us like thy self in righteousness goodness and truth and at last to give us a blessed immortality in soul and body O how astonishing is this love which thou hast shewn to us in the Son of thy love the Lord Jesus I am ashamed to think that this grace hath waited so long upon me and been no better entertained and improved That my apprehensions of it are still so dull my reasonings of so little force to constrain my whole soul unmoveably to love thee and delight in thee and to live to thee for ever I most humbly flee to that grace which hath abounded thus towards me for the pardon which it hath promised to those who yield themselves to be governed by it O let not thy unwearied goodness be provoked yet to cast off the care of me But continue to hold before mine eyes thy love in Christ Jesus and the great glory which he hath purchased for us till my heart be overcome and subdued perfectly to his obedience That I may abandon every evil way which is inconsistent with the enjoyment of his favour and happiness and it may be the very business of my life to purifie my self as thou art pure from all inordinate cares and fears from sensual lusts and bruitish passions from anger and hatred envy and malice pride and vanity falseness and dissimulation murmuring and discontent and whatsoever is opposite to thy blessed Nature and Will declared by Christ Jesus O that the Faith of Christ which thou hast already planted in my heart may take a deeper root that as I believe him to be the Lord of all who died for me and bought me with a price and is risen again to be the author of eternal Salvation to those that obey him and will come to judg the quick and the dead so I may constantly reverence him and religiously keep his holy Commands and stedfastly trust him and make him my hope and love his appearing that I may be found of him then in peace And now that I am going to make him my renewed acknowledgments and devote my self to his holy obedience Lord fill me with such worthy thoughts affections and resolutions that I may know that I love him and may rejoyce in hope of his eternal love unto me O that nothing may interpose when I am at thy Table to hinder the effect of these holy desires that no cloud may arise in my mind to obscure my sight of his love no vain thought to draw me aside from meditating on his death and passion for my sake but I may be carried then and alwayes with a strong and irresistable inclination to do his will Let my prayer come before thee Ps 141.2 as the incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening Sacrifice Hear me O Lord Psal 143.1 â— and give ear to the voice of my supplications in thy faithfulness answer me and in thy righteousness And enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Our Father c. The Meditation afterward WHAT our Saviour said to the people concerning John the Baptist may be imitated by thee with a small alteration Luke 7.24 c. What went you out for to see a reed shaken with the wind a thing of no moment But what went you out for to see a man clothed in soft raiment Some worldly pomp and bravery behold these are in kings Courts But what went you out for to see a Prophet Yea I say unto you and much more than a Prophet For among those that are born of women there is not a greater Prophet than John the Baptist Where hast thou been mayest thou say to thy self At an ordinary meal or a common entertainment What wentest 〈…〉 out to receive a piece of bread and 〈◊〉 cup of wine that we have in our 〈◊〉 houses Or what wentest thou from 〈◊〉 to see a dumb shew a silent gray 〈◊〉 company of serious faces Those w◠〈◊〉 see in them that mourn for any dead friend Or what wentest thou out for to see Bread broken and wine poured out in a solemn and holy manner by the appointment of Christ Jesus Yea and much more than so Christ himself the Son of the blessed under those signs and figures of his death This is he of whom it is written behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Verily there is none born of women like unto him the only begotten Son of God the heir of all things And thou hast been at his Table thou hast beheld the astonishing love of God in delivering him up to suffer for thee thou hast received the pledges of his dearest love and the earnests of all those goods that he possesses Couldst thou see no beauty in him that thou shouldst desire him Nor taste no pleasure in having friendship with him Is it nothing to partake of the merits of his sufferings To be made the Son of the King of Heaven and the heir of his love by being made partaker of his divine nature and disposition Where were thine eyes then What were thy thoughts doing None ever believed and considered this love that God bears to us who was not moved and inflamed by it to love him above all things For the Creator and Possessor of Heaven and earth to love thee what a word is that Who can hear it and not be at once both amazed and transported Especially when he loves thee so much as to send his own Son unto thee yea his only Son the Son of his love who hath so loved thee as to spend
keep my body inâ—eâ—perance soberness and chastity Not to coâ—â— nor desire other mens goods but to learn aâ—â— labour truly to get mine own living and to 〈◊〉 my duty in that state of life unto which it shâ—â— please God to call me I desire also the good of all mankind that they may partake of the knowledge of the Lord and enjoy the fruits of his Death and Resurrection especially that all Christian people may walk worthy of the Lord who hath called them to his Heavenly Kingdom And particularly all Kings Princes and Governours may be as careful to observe his Laws as they are desirous others should observe theirs That they may remember the honour thou cast done them in exalting them so â—igh to the end they may imitate thee 〈◊〉 doing good to all below them Purge out of thy Church every thing â—hat dishonours the Religion of our Lord and endangers Souls Unite â—ll the members of it in the profession of the true Faith and in sincere Charity that the poor may be relieved the sick comforted the fatherless and widows visited in their affliction sinners â—eclaimed the obstinate softned and all that are in unbelief brought into the â—â—ock of Jesus Christ And grant unto us all that havâ— Communicated together this day thaâ— peace which passeth all understanding humility meekness obedience fortâ—tude contentedness patience longinâ— desires after Heaven and willingneâ—â— to die that we may rest in an hoâ—â— Hope and have a blessed Resurrectioâ— with the just Amen December The Meditation before the Sacrament NEed I be told after a whole years service at least of my blessed Master Jesus what that duty is I am now going to perform unto him Am I not preparing my self according to his command to make a solemn commemoration before God Angels and Men of his unheard of love in dying for us To make a profession of my sincere love and affection to him To engage to him my fidelity To renew the Covenant that is between us To open my heart to him and to confirm to him the most absolute possession of my Soul and Body To wait on him for his continued grace and that I may feel the â—ower of his Death and Resurrection To â—â—ow him my willingness even to take up â—is Cross and to be his Disciple and follower to the very death To testifie the â—ove I bear unto and the Communion I desire to hold with all the Christians that â—re throughout the world To exalt the â—ame of the Lord and to speak his praises who would give his Son for us and who hath condescended to a treaty of peace with us and upon such easie terms to become friends with us yea reward us and do great things for us O how sweet is the remembrance of these blessings How happy am I that he will not let me forget them But with a continued kindness invites me again to this delightful employment I will go and give him thanks for all his benefits and for this among the rest that he hath made me so often partaker of his blessed Body and Bloud and now gives me a new opportunity to celebrate in this manner the memory of his love And O that my heart were lifted higher than ever after so long acquaintance with him in admiration of his grace in faith in love in joy in praise and thanksgiving in strong and vehement desires and in cordial resolutions to be his devout and faithful Disciple O that the hearts of all men else who shall approach his Table may be disposed to the like zeal and fervent affection to his service and so many Souls as there are then present so many living Sacrifices there may be to God so many wills resigned into his hands with ardent love That so those holy Spirits which the Apostle tells us were present in their Christian assemblies may be invited to come into ours And beholding nothing but what is reverend serious pure and full of true devotion they may be excited to rejoyce and praise God together with us for our sincere affection to his Religion And they may make report among their Heavenly company above that Christian piety is still remaining in the world and that we have made a great increase in growth in it this year by our frequent remembrance of the Lord Jesus which may stir them up all to bless the great and glorious name of our God which is exalted above all blessing and praise The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all Psal 103. Bless the Lord ye Angels of his Bless him all his hosts Bless him all ye works of his in all places of his dominion Bless the Lord O my Soul Stir up thy self to bless the name of God our Saviour who hath not cast us out of his sight when we threw off our obedience to him but sent his Son to gather us again to him to invite us by precious promises to endear himself to us by shedding his heart bloud for us to open the gate of Paradise again and restore us to immortality to make us equal with the Angels and rank us among the eldest sons of glory Let us go and if it be possible excite a greater love in our heart toward him than ever we felt before Let us offer up our selves to him with a stronger flame of devotion which may always burn and rise up higher and higher till it touch heaven and lift us up thither where our Saviour is in the high and holy place God blessed for ever Amen The Prayer before ETernal God whose omnipotent word brought me and this whole world of creatures into being Out of the fulness of whose goodness we are all fed and maintained and by whose rich and abundant grace it is that our souls are not in a desperate and forsaken condition but may approach with some confidence to thee our Maker who in thy Son hast revealed thy self unto us a most merciful Father I fall down before thee in an humble reverence to perform that Religious duty which I owe thee as thy creature and much more as thy redeemed one through the purchase thou hast made of us by the blood of Jesus I admire adore and love all that I know of thee I extol and praise thy wisdom thy bounty thy holiness and truth which endureth for ever I acknowledg my self beholden to thee beyond all my words or conceptions either I reproach my self for my base ingratitude and all the wrongs I have done thee I confess the justice of thy proceedings shouldst thou strip me of all those good things thou hast bestowed on me I give thee the glory of thy ineffable and never enough to be valued love in thy Son Christ I disclaim all opposition to thy will as base unjust and unaccountable I vow to thee my intire service and obedience and approve all thy Commandments as righteous wise and good I lay new bonds upon my self to keep and
observe them with my whole heart and rejoyce in thy pretious promises accounting them better than thousands of gold and silver My hope my satisfaction my comfort is in thy word which incourages me to wait on thee for the grace of thy holy Spirit blessing thee for that portion of it which I have already received I thank thee for all thy other goodness to me and trust thee for the continuance of it as far as thou seest profitable in thy wise providence to which I heartily refer my self I hope thou wilt accept of these poor but sincere acknowledgments and not condemn me out of my own confessions but pardon my errors and miscarriages confirm my holy purposes pitty my infirmities and strengthen my pious endeavours That I may perfectly mortifie all sinful lusts and desires faithfully discharge my dutie in my several relations thankfully and soberly use all thy mercies patiently bear the heaviest afflictions and improve my soul in wisdom and goodness by all the helps thou affordest me by thy holy Gospel by the good counsels of others the inspirations of the holy Ghost thy many remarkable providences about me and whatsoever courses thou takest with me to bring me safe through this world into an happy eternity And now that I am about to address my self to the Table of the Lord O that I might have such a sweet remembrance of his love as may revive my spirit encourage my hope excite me to all my duty and put an humble confidence in me to look up unto thee again for thy pardon and for the grace of thy holy Spirit to enable me to please thee better ever hereafter Thou who knowest all things seest that my soul waits for thee O God and longs to be more like thee and is ready to offer up its understanding will and all its affections unto thee That I may remain stedfast and unmoveable in justice and charity meekness and humility temperance and purity contentedness and patience devotion and piety with all other fruits of thy good Spirit Suffer nothing to appear in my soul before thee but reverend thoughts of thee most zealous love to thee passionate desires that Christ Jesus may live in me and appear in all the actions of an innocent harmless and useful life That so the day when I approach unto thee may be a day of good tidings of great joy a day of peace and reconciliation of feasting and refreshment of comfort and incouragement to walk before thee with a perfect heart as long as I live Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest Phil. 4.8 9 19. whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise help me alwayes to think on these things And the God of peace be with me and supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus In whose name and words I still recommend my self to thy grace saying Our Father which art c. The Meditation afterward THou art my portion O Lord Psal 119.57 I have said that I would keep thy word Why should I repent me of my choice or start from my resolution Thy Counsels and commands are the surest guide thy power the strongest defence thy good providence the fullest store-house thy eternal justice and holiness the best security thy promises the richest treasure and good hopes in thee our highest happiness It is enough enough O Lord to be beloved of thee the all-sufficient good who comprehendest all things in thy mind and canst do all things by thy power and delightest in raising such monuments of thy wisdom and greatness as thy almighty love may dispense endless blessings unto I am well satisfied now that I can say Psa 142.5 thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living The Lord is my portion whom shall I envy The Lord is my portion for what shall I be discontented The Lord is my portion of whom shall I be afraid Why art thou cast down Ps 42.11 O my soul why art thou disquieted within me How can his friends fail to partake of his bounty who treats even his enemies with so much kindness 62.5 My soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him Trust in the Lord and do good 37.3 4 34. and verily thou shalt be fed Delight thy self also in the Lord and â— he shall give thee the desires of thy heart Cast thy burden on the Lord and he shall sustain thee 55.22 he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved Wait on the Lord and keep his way For the eyes of the Lord are upon them that love him Ecclâ—â— 34.16 17. He is their mighty protection and strong stay A defence from the heat and a cover from the Sun at noon a preservation from stumbling and a help from falling He raiseth up the soul and lightneth the eyes He giveth life and health and blessing Judeth ult 16. All sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour to him and all the fat is not sufficient for his burnt-offering but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times Ecclus. 34.13 The spirit of those that fear the Lord shall live for their hope is in him that saveth them My heart shall rejoyce in him because I have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord Psal 33.21 22. be upon me according as I hope in thee And I hope that I shall never forget thy word which I have said that I would keep the revelation of thy wisdom the declaration of thy will and the description of thy most holy and happy life My God I have taken thy precepts as my heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart Psal 119.111 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even unto the end This day I have added one vow more of consecration to thee I have made over my self intirely to thee to be thy portion Whom shall I love whom shall I serve to whom shall I resign my will and wayes but only to thee the Father of lights and the Father of mercies who hast not thought thy Son too much to give to me Never will I forget this happy day which hath brought me a taste of the joy and peace and serenity which spring from the very beginning of a God-like nature I will alway be devoted to him Let his will be done on earth as it is in heaven for it is the will of my heavenly Father Let these words remain upon record against me if I endeavour not to make him my pattern and not only in that place where I have now been but in all my behaviour in this world that great Temple of his demean my self holily and purely with that humility reverence meekness and submission which becomes his presence What have I here to
should we have besought his favour to us that had highly affronted his Sovereign Authority and Sacred Laws he hath dispatched a glorious Message as if we were the greatest persons and so many little Gods And had it not been too great an honour for us to think of if he had sent one of his meanest servants in the Heavenly Court to visit us Or if he had bidden an illustrious Seraphim to come and comfort and chear us by his bright appearance or one of the Cherubims to flye all over the Earth and make proclamation in their ears that the King of Heaven would be reconciled to his rebellious subjects Would it not have filled the whole world with wonder and made all mankind stand at a gaze to see themselves so highly favoured O what a grace then was it that God should send his Son his only begotten Son the Prince and Sovereign Lord of all that Heavenly host upon this business of reconciliation See my Soul that which astonishes not men only but Angels themselves who proclamed the birth of this Prince of life with the loudest shouts of joy saying Glory be to God on high Luke 2.14 and on Earth peace good will towards men Towards men do they say Lord what are they that thou shouldest put this honour on them What are the greatest and noblest men on Earth What is their excellency and worth that such addresses should be made unto them O joyn thy self my Soul as well as thou art able with those bright morning-Stars that sang for joy when the foundation of the new world was laid and say Glory be to the eternal majesty of Heaven and Earth who possesses all things and can suffer nothing that he would deign to send to us his poor subjects Glory be to his Almighty love who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish Joh. 3.17 but have everlasting life For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved O blessed Jesus how ardent how powerful was that love which brought thee down from the Heavenly company above to us here on Earth yea Ephes 4.9 Psal 139 15. to the lower-most parts of the Earth To be cloathed with our rags to dwell in our mortal flesh in the likeness of sinful flesh Mightest thou not at least have been apparelled like the best of men and been found in the habit and fashion of the noblest of us but thou wouldest also condescend to the form of a servant that the most despicable of all mankind might never suspect they should be despised by the King of glory O what an humble love was this to us most wretched sinners What heart can conceive the infinite force of it How infinitely is it above all words We do but declare that we know little of it if we are able to talk much about it It is fit for our wonder and silent admiration for adoring thoughts and devout exstasies of love Only I will go and declare in the assemblies of his people these wonderful works of the Lord and publish his goodness with the voice of thanksgiving and praise Lord what new wonder is that which there I behold This glorious person murdered by his subjects The new born Prince of the world the Heir of all things caught Matth. 21.39 and cast out and slain by those to whom he was sent to demand their obedience O the miraculous wisdom of this love That he should be born and come among us to die for us and take our flesh that he might offer it on the Cross and make peace and reconciliation by being slain and shedding his bloud Go my Soul and shew forth his death to Angels and Men. For this is the up-shot of his love that while we were yet sinners Christ would die for us By this he hath made an atonement for us by this he hath obtained an Eternal Redemption with this offering God is well satisfied and by this he hath exalted our Nature to the right hand of God that he may always appear in his presence for us With what love and joy and zeal should we commemorate this never to be forgotten love With what hearty affection should we offer our selves to him How glad should we be of this new opportunity to vow to him our obedience With what tender love should we embrace all our Brethren who are flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone as he is And how comfortably may we hope that God will be gracious to us who hath not only sent his Son to make his abode among us but also to lay down his life for us Let us go and bless his name that to us a Son is born to us a Child is given even Christ the Lord that he hath â—aised up a mighty Salvation for us and hath redeemed us out of the hands of all our enemies that we might serve him without fear all the days of our life And let us receive these earnests and pledges of his good will as hopeful assurances that he will never end his love till he hath conveyed us thither where Jesus is But how shall we come there unless it be in those steps whereby he ascended from Earth to Heaven Go therefore and offer to him an heart of flesh to be moulded and framed into what figure he pleases Desire him to form his own image in thee to subdue thee perfectly to his will that it may be thy meat and drink to do it and to finish the work he hath for thee in the world Think thou hearest him say as Abimelech to the men of Schechem to move them to elect him for their King Remember that I am your bone and your flesh Judg. 9.2 Behold my body which I took for your sake See here how dear you were to me and how nearly related I stand to every Soul of you Will you not suffer me to rule over you Such a Lord as is so much concerned for you Will you not be governed by me that am your Brother as well as your Lord And then me-thinks we should all answer with one accord other Lords have reigned over us but now none but thou O Christ none but thou O Christ Rule and reign over us for ever for we are thy Servants The Prayer before O Eternal God the Soveraign Lord of all creatures both in heaven and earth who art before all things and on whom they all depend To whom we owe all honour and homage all love and dutiful affection all praise and thanks service and obedience throughout our whole life I acknowledg O Lord that I am never more unjust than when I do not render all this most freely and chearfully unto thee I cannot deny the debt wherein I stand engaged though I have too often denyed to pay it For thou hast raised me out of the dust and preserved me from
off Who compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my wayes ever since I was born There is not a word in my tongue Psa 19.12 but lo O Lord thou knowest it altogether Such knowledg is too wonderful for me it is high I cannot attain unto it Who can understand the errors of his whole life And with what trembling ought I to approach thee though I knew nothing by my self But alas my own heart condemns me and thou art greater than my heart and knowest all things I am ashamed to think that I lived so many years before I seriously thought of all my duty to thee And that since I have known thy will and devoted my self to thy service I have made such small improvement in wisdom and virtue Many years are passed and innumerable blessings in them have been received but alas the God in whose hand my breath is Dan. 5.23 and whose are all my wayes how little have I glorified I have reason to blush that now I have brought an heart before thee with so little sense of that love which I have so often remembered and praised and acknowledged with the largest expressions of devotion to thee But it is some comfort O Lord that thy all-searching eye which pierces to the bottom of my soul sees a sincere desire there to become better and a stedfast resolution to endeavour to grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ It is in my heart to renew my covenant with thee to ingage my fidelity once more to thee trusting that I have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Heb. 13.18 I hope thou wilt graciously accept and encourage whatsoever thou beholdest of thy self in me and when I go to offer my self again most solemnly to thee at thy Altar make me feel thy divine presence with me enlightning my mind with a clear sense of thee raising in me worthy thoughts and affections towards my dear Saviour ingaging my will more firmly to thine confirming all my pious resolutions exciting my Faith love hope and joy that this holy Communion may be to the continuance of a holy life in greater care diligence zeal and fervency in all well doing Assist me I beseech thee in every part of this duty that I may remember the sufferings of the Lord Jesus so as to be crucified with him and his great love so as to love him with all my soul and my neighbour as my self and the new covenant he hath made in his blood so as to have his laws written on my heart and all the the pretious promises he hath thereby sealed to us so as to place my entire contentment and satisfaction in them till I come to possess that perfect happiness which I wait for through thy mercies in Christ Jesus Amen Our Father c. A short Meditation after WHat hast thou now received from our Lord Are they not the most sacred pledges of his love And what doth the Lord require of thee but only love But how great a thing is love Love brought him down hither to us and love will carry us up to God Love made him like to man and love is able to make thee like to God O the power of heavenly love How shall we get it planted in our heart How But by love The frequent meditation of this admirable love of God in his Son Jesus will not suffer us not to love him with all our heart and soul and strength Let us resolve then that the remembrance of his love shall lie perpetually in our heart As we have begun the year with the thoughts of his love so let us continue it What more welcome thought can there be to thee every morning when thou awakest than this I am the beloved of the King of Glory With what canst thou open thy soul more chearfully What will brighten it and chase away the darkness of melancholly sorrow sadness cares and fears like to this If thou hast not lost an hour and wasted this pretious time which thou hast spent at the Table of the Lord thou canst not but feel the mighty force of his infinite love Let us try my soul what it will be able to do in a whole years thoughts upon it Let the morning light bring Jesus ever along with it to thy mind and enkindle in thee a new devotion to him And let us take all occasions to celebrate his memory that so our holy resolutions may be more quickned and strengthned and when the flame begins to burn dimm we may blow it up again and add more fewel to it If a friend had left thee a token of his love whereby to keep him in mind wouldst thou throw it into some blind corner and never look upon it But suppose he was a dying friend nay a friend that dyed for thee to save thee from death could he ever go out of thy mind or wouldst thou let the thing he left to remember him by be long out of thine eye Let us not deal more unkindly with our Saviour Did he think when he went to heaven that those whom he hath so obliged would remember his love so seldom and so coldly That they need be so much entreated to come and have communion with him Is it not a grief to him now if he be capable of any to see that he hath so few lovers And that they who profess love to him testifie it so rarely and in so poor a manner Let us vow my soul again that we will henceforth shew our selves his hearty friends by keeping his holy Commands and never forget that this is one Do this in remembrance of me I will remember thee O Lord and in this manner lift up my hands in thy name till I have finished my dayes and come to see thee as thou art in all thy Majesty and Glory And this Thanksgiving and Prayer may be added afterward O Lord I thine unworthy servant whom thou art pleased to call thy child most devoutly humble my self before thee in new adorations of that love which I can never fully understand The highest of our praises is most heartily to acknowledge that thou art exalted above all blessing and praise And our most grateful acknowledgments to be very sensible of the weakness of our love when it is advanced to its greatest and strongest pitch Thy love is like to thy self and we cannot search it out to perfection It is higher than the Heavens Job 11. what can we do It is broader than the Sea what can we know I have enjoyed many years of mercies and thou hast been loading me with a multitude of inestimable benefits both for Soul and Body ever since I came into this world Every day brings me fresh tokens of thy goodness and this day the dearest of all the tokens of thine everlasting love Psal 139. O how precious are thy thoughts towards us how great is the summe
of them I hope to give thee eternal praises O Father of mercies and God of all comfort who hast made us after thy own image and in the fulness of time sent thy Son born of a woman made under the Law to redeem us from the curse and hast adopted us to be thy children promised to make us heirs with thy only begotten and for that end to give us a new birth from the Grave into an immortal Life Have patience with me O Lord till that time when I shall more fully comprehend and better acknowledge the greatness of thy love for which I will endeavour to prepare my self by an innocent harmless and unblamable life as becomes the Gospel of Christ To him I have now dedicated my self again in all holy obedience I have professed my self his servant that admires him and loves him and glories in being his faithful Disciple O that the good thoughts and pious inclinations which I have now felt in my heart may remain and abide there for ever that as I grow in years so I may grow as my Saviour did in grace and favour with thee my God and with all good men Endue me with a more solid knowledge of thy will with a stronger love and affection to it and with power to do my duty towards thee and towards all men That I may behave my self in an humble and godly fear before thee in all justice mercy and charity to my Neighbours and possess my Body and Soul in sobriety chastity and patience Make me loving to my inferiours respectful to my betters friendly to my equals kind to all mine enemies thankful for thy mercies contented with my own state and condition of life fearful of my self in prosperity and confident in thee in adversity that all temptations may only present me with something to overcome and give me new occasions of victory over the world and produce for me at last a greater crown of glory For thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth Psal 7â— 5 6 8 9. By thee have I been holden up from the womb thou art he that took me out of my mothers bowels my praise shall be continually of thee Cast me not off in the time of old age 73.24 forsake me not when my strength faileth But let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy hâ—nour all the day Guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory through Christ Jesus to whom with thy self in the unity of the Holy Ghost be all honour thanksgiving love and obedience rendred by me and all Angels and Men both now and eternally Amen Easter-day The Meditation before O Blessed day which brought glad tidings of great joy Our Saviours second birth-day to a more glorious life The day of the first fruits of those that slept The day that brought life and immortality to light and gave us assured hope in God that it shall be to us according to Jesus his Word Why do we dream thus my Soul about these things Awake awake and stir up in thy self the most piercing belief and sense of them Thy Saviour is risen and calls unto thee with a mighty voice saying Rev. 1 1â— I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keys of Hell and of Death Need there any more words to perswade thee to go and rejoyce in his love which made him give himself to die for thee And in the love of God which accepted of his oblation and rewarded his sufferings with a glorious Resurrection to an endless Life And in that power might and majesty wherewith he is crown'd So that at the Name of Jesus all things in Heaven and Earth and under the Earth do bow and obey It is too little to say that I will go and thank him at this holy Feast for what he hath done for me and for what I hope he will still do I will go and offer my self absolutely to him I will make a vow of love to him and charity to all the world I will triumph in his praise and glory in the service of the Prince of life I will dedicate my self to be an everlasting monument both of his Death and of his Resurrection from the dead I will so remember his death as to die my self to sin And so remember his Resurrection as to rise again to walk before him in newness of life And his dying no more so that sin shall have no more dominion over me Rom. 6.12 14. nor reign in my mortal body that I should obey it in the lusts thereof His Humility shall be remembred so as to kill my Pride and his Charity so as to kill my Covetousness I will remember his pains so as to mortifie all inordinate desires of pleasure and his patience so as to subdue my anger passion and peevishness His love to his Enemies shall make me forgive others and do good to those who do evil to me And his absolute obedience make me take up my Cross and be obedient to the very death Dost thou not begin already to feel the remembrance of his free giving himself for thee animate thee to a chearfulness and forwardness in well doing Doth not his full trust in God when he laid down his life that he should receive it again raise in thee a strong confidence in his Almighty word Is not the power he hath over Hell and Death of mighty force to encourage thy hopes and make thee victorious over all thy enemies How doth thy heart beat within thy breast What thoughts and passions doth it travel withal Doth it not begin to send up admiring thoughts towards Heaven where Jesus is Doth it not burn with strong desires Is it not ready to burst forth into the highest expressions of love and joy Art thou not enraged against all those sins which murdered the Lord of life Are they not all condemned to be crucified and slain Dost thou not resolve to live like one that believes in Jesus and professes himself to be his faithful follower Then think when thou goest to celebrate the memory of his Death that Jesus stands in the midst of you as he did among his Disciples when he was newly risen from the Grave saying Peace be unto you Joh. 20.19 Eat O my Friends rejoyce and be exceeding glad As my Father hath loved me so I have loved you Joh. 15.9 continue ye in my love Behold here the sensible Signs and Seals of my love By these I give my self to you as once I gave my self for you By these tokens I convey to you all that I have I make over to you that inheritance which I have purchased by my Bloud and that is eternal life in the Heavenly places For I am alive again and behold I live for evermore Amen Lord Jesus 14.19 live live for ever Because thâ—â— livest I shall live also Thou knowest how to
pity us because thou art he who was dead And thou wilt never cease to pity and help us because thou art he that liveth â—â—m 6.9 and being raised from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion over thee Because thou wast dead and tempted in all things like unto us thou art sensible of our infirmities and able to succour us in all the trials of life and death And because thou livest thou canst make thy death become powerful and effectual to us thou canst make good all thy own promises and put us in possession of the purchased inheritance 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed be God which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto such a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Death is swallowed up in victory O death where is thy sting O grave 1 Cor. 15.54 55. where is thy victory Thanks be to God who hath not appointed us to wrath 1 Thess 5.9 10. but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who dyed for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live with him Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus 2 Cor. 4.14 Jude 24. and shall present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy The Prayer before O Most mighty Lord of heaven and earth the Father of Spirits the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose name is ever hallowed by an innumerable company of Holy ones that are always burning with love to thee and praising thy most beauteous perfections thy incomprehensible wisdom goodness righteousness and truth The Sun shineth not before the brightness of thy Majesty The Angels are unclean in compare with the purity of thy holiness What are we O Lord that thou wilt look down from the habitation of thy holiness upon us what manner of love is this wherewith thou hast loved us in sending thy Son down among us and designing to take us up unto thy self that we may joyn with that holy fellowship of Angels and Saints to love and praise thee for ever We are the off-spring of rebellious parents that have been transgressors from the beginning Who have dishonoured our nature despised or undervalued thy grace in the Lord Jesus resisted or coldly entertained thy holy Spirit and loved these little things here below more than that eternal happiness which Jesus hath revealed by his resurrection from the dead We are not worthy of the crumbs that fall from thy Table which thou hast spread for all creatures or of the least drop of thy mercies We are not worthy to lick the dust before thee because we deserve not to live and breath any longer in this world And yet thou lettest us live in hope that we shall live with thee and thou givest us leave to breath forth our souls towards thee and hast thy self spread a new Table for us and furnished it with the richest of thy blessings and invitest me most graciously among the rest to come now and feast with thee and eat of the bread of life which came down from heaven and is able to nourish me to eternal life I would fain O Lord approach into thy holy presence there and behold the wonders of thy love But I am covered with shame and blushing because of my ingratitude unto thee I cannot with any confidence open my eyes towards thee till I have some sense in my heart that thou art willing to cover my sins and hide thy face from mine iniquities Which I cannot reasonably hope for till I find them loathsome grievous and hateful to me more than death it self I ought to hang down my head in heaviness of spirit till a sense that my heart is throughly changed and renewed give me liberty to look up unto thee saying Thy will O Lord be done Possess thy self of my soul for I absolutely submit my thoughts desires and passions to be ruled and governed by thee in all things And what is it else O my God that I long for What doth my soul thirst after But that I may know thee more Ephes 1.19 20. and the greatness of thy power to us ward which wrought in Christ when it raised him from the dead and set him at thy right hand in heavenly places and that I may be overcome and perfectly subdued by this mighty love and that I may be transformed into thy image and live according to the sense I have of thy most adorable perfections O that I may wholly follow the guidance of thy wisdom and submit to thy soveraign Authority and be obedient to all thy righteous and good laws reverencing and fearing thy majesty approving my inward thoughts and desires to thine all-seeing eye depending on thy al-sufficiency hoping in thy omnipotent goodness trusting to thy true and faithful word delighting and rejoycing continually in thy Fatherly love and care of me who hast brought me into being and preserved me from ruin Eph. 3.6 and made me partaker of thy promise in Christ the beginning and first born from the dead in whom it pleased thee that all fulness should dwell Col. 1.18 19. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledg of Christ Jesus my Lord that I may be found in him and have the righteousness which is by Faith Ph l. 3.8 9 10. that I may know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead Begin now good Lord to raise up my heart above all these perishing things to those joyes where thou art exalted Make me feel that thou art an high Priest after the power of an endless life still ready and able to assist and succour all those that come to God by thee O that my eyes might be so fixed on the high and holy place into which thou art entred that some little glimps of thy glory may breakforth upon me and I may see the treasures and riches of thy kingdom and what is the hope of my calling that so I may be confirmed in my resolutions grow strong in the Faith and be more fervent in my desires more vehement and earnest in my endeavours unwearied in my pains impregnable against all temptations chearful under all difficulties and discouragements Phil. 3.13 14. and that forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I may press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Into thy hands both now and ever Psal â—â— 5 I commit my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth I confide entirely in his Almighty and eternal love to whom thou hast given all power in heaven and in earth Matth. 28.18 I wait on thee who hast not thought thy immortality too much to bestow on us for
countenance Thou hast given him power over all flesh Joh. 17.2 that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Adored be thine Eternal love which appeared in the sufferings of Christ and the glory that followed after Adored be thy love 1 Pet. 1.3.11 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Cor. 15.20 Joh. 11.25 which hath given us a lively hope through the Resurrection of Christ Jesus who hath brought life and immortality to light being the First-fruits of them that slept and the Resurrection and the Life I rejoyce in the consolation which thou has sent unto us and that we in this furthermost part of the Earth are become his inheritance I praise thee I bless thee I most heartily devote my self to the obedience of Jesus as is but just and meet For to this end Christ hath died Rom. 14.8 9. and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living I reverence his Soveraign authority I submit my self to his Laws and depend upon his care and good providence I refer my self to his wise will and pleasure in all things desiring nothing more but that whether I live or die I may be the Lords O that thy Spirit which raised up Jesus may dwell in me guide and govern me Rom. 8.11 that thou who raisedst up Christ from the dead mayest also quicken my mortal body by thy Spirit dwelling in me O that the rest of the World may become his possession too and all with one mind and one mouth glorifie thee the God and Father of Jesus Christ Who is the faithful witness and the first-begotten of the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Rev. 1.5 6 to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen Ascension-day or Sunday The Meditation before AH how duskish are my thoughts in house of Clay How dull my affections under this load of flesh My Saviour is in Heaven crowned at Gods right hand with glory and honour Heb. 2.9 Ephes 4.10 1 Pet. 3.22 He is ascended up far above all Heavens Angels Authorities and Powers being made subject to him And I can scarce cast a look thither but am instantly pulled down to this Earth again Blessed be his goodness who hath left us a lively Image of himself to help our infirmities To represent his dying and departure from this World and to be a pledge likewise unto us that we shall one day ascend up to Heaven and be for ever with the Lord. O blessed news 1 Thess 4. ult the hope of it fills me with joy already and raises me up a little toward that high and holy place where Jesus dwells I will go and bless the Father of mercies for his great charity towards us that he would accept of an offering for sin and that he would be satisfied without demanding of us the debt That he would grant new and easie conditions of Salvation for us through the Bloud of his Son and seal a gracious Covenant in that same precious Bloud I will go and testifie my love to him even by my joy that he is gone unto the Father Joh. 14.28 and hath triumphed over his enemies Coloss 2.15 after he had overcome them and spoiled Principalities and Powers Ephes 4.8 He hath led captivity captive Acts 2.33 and received the promise of the Holy Ghost and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Heb. 12.2 and made the Lord of all All the Angels of God worship him Acts 10.36 and in the Heavenly Sanctuary attend upon him where he is an High-Priest for ever Heb. 1.6.8.2 holy undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens 〈◊〉 6.10.13 There he makes intercession for us from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot-stool And we have boldness also by the Bloud of Jesus 10.19 6.20 Joh. 14.2 3. to enter into the holiest whither he the fore-runner is for us entred and gone to prepare a place for us and will come again to receive us unto himself that where he is there we may be also Psal 24.3 ◠5. But who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord And who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his Soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his Salvation I will go then and offer him my heart that it may be formed to his likeness Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth I will go and submit my self to him as the Lord of all and renew my Covenant of love and friendship with him I will vow again that I will fight valiantly under his banner who is the Captain of our Salvation Heb. 2.10 made perfect through sufferings against sin the world and the Devil I will be faithful to him unto the death and no suffering shall deter me from following the Prince of life For I doubt not but the Sacrifice he made was most acceptable to God and that he by himself having purged our sins Heb. 1.3 H b. 2.13 sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high and will help and succour all his faithful followers 1.14.2.10 and send forth his Angels to minister unto them and bring them to glory Rev. 2.10 and reward them with a crown of life O lift up thy self my Soul when thou comest to the Table of the Lord. Now if ever listen to the Priest of God when he calls saying Lift up your hearts Now is the season above all others to answer with the whole Quire of pious Souls in that joyful voice We lift them up unto the Lord. Rear thy self aloft my Soul and look beyond these shadows Fix thine eyes on the splendor of that Majesty wherewith thy Saviour shines and think thou hearest him calling unto the whole company of believers saying Come come my beloved for whom I died Come and dwell with me It is still my will and desire that you may be where I am and that you may behold the glory Joh. 17.24 which my Father hath given me Come on therefore Whither I am gone you know 14.4 and the way you know Tread upon all the glittering temptations of the Countrey where you are as dirt and dung in compare with the Kingdom which I will give you Make haste unto me and let nothing hinder you for I expect you and long when you are meet for it to see you The travel of my Soul will not be satisfied till you be with me O my Soul why do we linger Why do we look after any thing so much as his Eternal life Why should we be discouraged or faint in our minds This Lord of glory came to his Throne out of as low a condition as we can possibly be in He was once a servant the