Blessed Saviour and all the benefits of his Passion and to that end give me such a preparation of Soul as may qualify me for it Give me a deep sence of my sins and unworthiness that being weary and heavy laden I may be capable of his Refreshings and by being Supled in my own tears I may be the fitter to be washed in his Blood Raise up my dull and Earthly mind from groveling here below and inspire it with a Holy Zeal that I may with Spiritual affection approach this Spiritual Feast and let O Lord that infinite Love of Christ in Dy-Dying for so wretched a Sinner Inflame my frozen benumb'd Soul and kindle in me that Sacred Fire of Love to him and that so vehement that no waters may quench no floods drown it such as may burn up all my dross and not leave one unmortified Lust in my Soul and such as may also extend it self to all whom thou hast given me command and Example to love even Enemies as well as Friends Finally O Lord I beseech thee to cloath me in the wedding Garment and make me tho' of my self a most unworthy yet by thy Mercy an acceptable Guest at this Holy Table that I may not eat nor drink my own condemnation but may have my Pardon sealed my weakness repaired my corruptions subdued and my Soul inseperably united to thee That no Temptations may ever be able to dissolve the Union but that being begun here in Grace it may be consummated in Glory Grant this O Lord for thy Dear Son's sake Jesus Christ Amen Another O Blessed Jesus who once offeredst thy self for me upon the Cross and now offerest thy self to me in the Sacrament Let not I beseech thee my impenitence and unworthiness frustrate these so inestimable Mercies to me but qualify me by thy Grace to receive the full benefit of them O Lord I have abundant need of thee but am so clogged with guilt so holden with the cords of my Sins that I am notable to move towards thee O loose me from this Bond wherewith Satan and my own Lusts have bound me and draw me that I may run after thee Lord thou seest daily how eagerly I pursue the paths that lead to Death but when thou invitest me to Life and Glory I turn my back and forsake my own Mercy How often hath this Feast been prepared and I have with frivolous excuses absented my self or if I have come it bath been rather to defie than adore thee I have brought such troops of thy profest enemies unrepented Sins along with me as if I came not to commemorate but to renew thy Passion Crucifying thee afresh and putting thee to open shame and now of what punishment shall I be thought worthy who have thus trampled under foot the Son of God and counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing Yet O Merciful Jesus this Blood is my only refuge O let this make mine attonement or I perish Eternally Wherefore didst thou shed it but to save Sinners neither can the merit of it be overwhelmed either by the greatness or number of my Sins I am a Sinner a great one O let me find its saving efficacy be merciful to me O God be merciful to me for my Soul trusteth in thee and in the clefts of thy Wounds shall be my refuge until thy Fathers indignation be overpast O thou who hast as my High Priest sacrificed for me intercede for me also and plead thy meritorious sufferings on my behalf and suffer not O my Redeemer the price of thy Blood to be utterly lost and grant O Lord that as the Sins I have to be forgiven are many so I may love thee much Lord thou seest what faint what cold affections I have towards thee O warm and enliven them and as in this Sacrament that Transcendent Love of thine in dying for me is shed forth so I beseech thee let it convey such Grace into me as may enable me to make some returns of Love O let this Divine fire descend from Heaven into my Soul and let my Sins be the Burnt-offering for It to consume that there may not any corrupt affection any cursed thing be sheltered in my heart that I may never again defile that place thou hast chosen for thy Temple thou dyedst O Holy Jesus to redeem me from all Iniquity O let me not again sell my self to work Wickedness but grant that I may at this time approach thee with most sincere and fixed Resolutions of an Intire Reformation and let me Receive such Grace and strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many Old habituted Diseases my Soulgroans under Here mention thy prevailing Corruptions and though I lye never so long at the pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy Holy Table yet unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing Virtue they will still remain uncured O thou blessed Physitian of Souls heal me and grant that I may now so touch thee that every one of those loathsom Issues may immediately stench that these sicknesses may not be unto Death but unto the Glory of thy Mercy in pardoning and to the Glory of thy Grace in purifying so polluted a wretch O Christ hear me and grant I may now approach thee with such Humility and Contrition Love Faith and Devotion that thou mayest Vouchsafe to come to me and abide with me Communicating to me thy self and all the merits of thy Passion and then O Lord. let no accusations of Satan or my own Conscience amaze or distract me but but having peace with thee let me also have peace in my self that this Wine may make glad this Bread of Life may strengthen my heart and enable me chearfully to run the way of thy Commandments Grant this Merciful Saviour for thine own Bowels and Compassions sake Amen Before the Bread O Blessed Lord God who hast given us thine only Son to lay down his Life for our Sins and his Flesh for the food and nourishment of our Souls purge and purifie my vile and sinful Soul that it may be a fit habitation for his pure unspotted and precious Body and that no unclean thing may presume to enter where his Holy Feet have trod from henceforth for Ever Amen Thou hast said that he that Eareth thy Flesh and drinketh thy Blood hath Eternal Life Behold the Servant of the Lord be it unto me according to thy Word At the Receiving of the Bread By thy Crucified body deliver me from this body of Death After the Bread BLessed be thy Holy Name O Lord my God who hast vouchsafed to feed me with that holy-Holy-Bread from Heaven the Flesh of thy dear Son grant that in the strength of this Food I may walk before thee in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of my Life till I come to the Mount of God the Holy Hill where thine Honour and our Rest dwelleth Amen If you have time use this Meditation O My Soul
behold how thou hast incensed the Majesty of Heaven see how he gives up the most Innocent and most Holy Jesus thy best thy only Friend and his own Dear Son to be trampled and tormented for thy Sins Oh! how cruelly was he scourged with Whips wounded with Thorns loaden with the Cross torn with Nails pierced with a Spear and racked on the most painful Instrument of Death his lovely Face defiled with Blood and Spittle his Ears filled with Taunts and Curses his Eyes drench'd in Tears for the ruine of his Enemies and his Soul amaz'd at the terrors of the Divine Wrath till at length all wounded broken and bloody with many groans yet with admirable patience he breaths out his Holy Soul and yet what ever he suffered was my Portion my pleasure hath been his pain my wicked Life hath caused his bitter Death wretch that I am to live in such a manner that nothing else could satisfie or make my peace But here I come this day to call my Sins to remembrance I will look on thee whom I have pierced with a most tender and sympathizing affection and reflect that as I break this Holy Bread with my Teeth so wast thou bruised for our Iniquities and our Offences did grind thee with grief and pain Holy Saviour I am angry at my self and full of anguish to see what I have brought upon thee I am sorry with all my Heart that I have given harbour to thy Murtherers but I hope this most dismal Spectacle shall mortify in me all desires after evil and make me â—â—hor all those desperate pleasures which must so much Offend thee which must be Cleansed by thy most precious Blood or else stand charged upon mâ— account for ever No no I will never crucify thee again by renewing my disobedience for I have done too much already Before the CVP. O Blessed Lord who hast given the Blood of thine only Son to be shed for our Sins and to Refresh and Restore our weary gasping Souls Cleanse and Sanctify me O Lord that I may receive this Cup with a pure Heart and not with polluted Lips to the Eternal Comfort and Refreshment of my Soul Amen Methinks O my Redeemer while thou art pouring forth thy most precious Blood thou mayest Look upon me with a Countenance mixed with pity and Upbraiding that I should take so little care to save this Soul which thou hast bought at such a rate Is not here represented those drops and streams of blood that have sealed the Covenant of peace and confirmed all the promises of the Gospel why then am I not swallowed up with admiration why do I not breath and pant after it I am not come to quench my bodily thirst but to wash my Soul in this Salutory fountain O how freely it flows how perfectly it cures Lord let me tast thereof make it unto me the Blood of Jesus for it is that my Soul Thirsteth after and now that powerful word hath hallowed it Let me not by evil thoughts or unbelief Malice or Impenitence make it to my self an unhallowed thing but as thou hast fitted it for the Mistery O fit me also to receive it I cannot now have any low or Common thoughts about it I will by faith esteem it as my Saviours Blood and though I am unworthy of so Divine a Cordial yet my Soul gaspeth for it and without it I must dye and Perish At the Receiving of the C V P. O Let this blood of thine Purge my Conscience from dead works to serve the Living God Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean O touch me and say I will be thou Clean. After the C V P. Blessed be thy Holy Name O Lord my God who hast Vouchsafed me to drink of this fountain of Living water the precious Blood of thy dear Son Grant that this holy Cup may be an Antidote and preservative against all sin and evil and may keep my Soul in health and strength to the end of my days LORD what is Man that thou art thus mindful of him or the Son of Man that thou thus Visitest him what is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dogg as I am the doggs eat of the Crumbs which fall from their Masters Table but thou hast fed me with the bread of thine own Children and given me to drink of thine own Cup Thou hast fed me in a green pasture and Ledst me forth beside the waters of Comfort O tast and see how gracious the Lord is Blessed is the man that trusteth in him what reward shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Lord I offer up to thee my self my Soul and Body all that I am have humbly beseeching thee Graciously to receive me for thy Servant to dwell in thy House and to Praise thy Name for evermore Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Honour and Glory and Power for thou hast Created all things and for thy Pleasure they are and were created thou art worthy to take the book and open the Seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast Redeemed us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall Reign with thee for ever Salvation to our God which fitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb. Amen Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanksgiving and Honour and Power and Might be unto God for ever and ever Amen A Thanksgiving after Receiving O Thou Fountain of all Goodness from whom every good and perfect guift cometh and to whom all Honour and Glory should be returned I desire with all the most fervent and inflamed affections of a grateful heart to bless and praise thee for those inestimable Mercies thou hast vouchsafed unto me Lord what is man that thou shouldst so regard him as to send thy beloved Son to suffer such bitter things for him But Lord what am I thy most sinful Creature that I should have any part in this attonement who have so often been wretchedly ungrateful for his sufferings O the heighth and depth of this Mercy of thine that art pleased to admit me to the Renewing of that Covenant with thee which I have so often so perversly broken that I am not worthy of that daily bread which sustains the body should be made partaker of this Bread of Life which nourisheth the Soul and that the God of all purity should vouchsafe to unite himself to so polluted a wretch O my God suffer me no more I beseech thee to turn thy Grace into wantonness to make thy Mercy an Occasion of security but let this unspeakable Love of thine constrain me to Obedience that since my blessed Lord hath dyed for me I may no longer live unto my self but to him O Lord I know there is no concord between Christ and Belial therefore since he hath now been pleased to enter my heart O let me never permit any Lust to chace him thence but let him that hath so dearly bought me still keep possession
MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS To be used before at and after the Receiving of the HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SUPPER LONDON Printed for N. W. Anno Dom. 1682. PRAYERS To be used at the HOLY SACRAMENT At your first kneeling down say O LORD I am not fit nor worthy thou shouldest come under that filthy Roof of the House of my Soul because it is wholly Desolate and Ruinous neither hast thou with me a fit place to lay thy Head but as thou didst vouchsafe to be laid in a Stable and Manger of Unreasonable Beasts as thou did'st not disdain to be entertain'd in the house of Simon the Leaper as thou did'st not reject the Harlot coming nor yet the Thief on the Cross confessing thee even so Vouchsafe to admit me also a miserable and out of measure sinful Creature to the Receiving of the most pure and saving Mysteries of thy Holy Body and precious Blood and the Good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his Heart to seek the Lord God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary O My God I know my own unworthiness yet in the multitude of thy Mercies I humbly approach thine Altar beseeching thee not to behold me with a severe but Gracious Eye thou knowest the earnest desire of my Soul be thou pleased to pass by the weakness of the Flesh and assist me with thy most Holy Spirit and grant that I may Receive this Sacrament to the Honour and glory of thy great Name and the good Comfort and Salvation of my own Soul Grant this Holy Father for the sake of thy Blessed Son my only Saviour in whose name and Words I beg this mercy and what else thou knowest needful for me OUR Father c. A Confession O Almighty God I thy poor sinful Creature full of Anguish Confusion for my Offences against thy Majesty do make bold to come to thee because thou art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and for his sake inclinable to shew us Mercy Thou art the Maker of me and of all things and thou hatest nothing that thou hast made Thou hast pity on all the works of thy hands so that I am encouraged to make my Supplications unto thee O thou Judge of all men for it is in thy Power for ever to acquit or condemn me I tremble and am asham'd to be found a Sinner against so infinite Power and Goodness but I must not add Hypocricie to my Disobedience Therefore I acknowledge freely and bewail most bitterly my manifold offences of all kinds from the least of my Sins to the greatest of my Crimes and wickednesses all and every one of which I long and frequently from time to time with many provoking aggravations most grieviously have committed Lord who can tell how oft I have offended by Thoughts in vain and Evil Imaginations by Words in false and uncharitable Speeches In Deed by ungodly intemperate Actions For alas by all and every one of these ways I have daily Sin'd against thy Divine Majesty turning thereby thy loving kindness into displeasure and provoking thee to Anger I have given thee cause most Justly to let loose thy wrath and Indignation against me to my utter ruine If thy Mercy do not help me my Guilt is evident my Danger apparent and my estate is most deplorable wherefore I do most passionately and earnestly Repent that ever I did commit them and I am heartily sorry with all my Soul for these my so many and so abominable misdoings When I look upon the baseness and the presumption of these vile offences the remembrance of them does pierce my heart with shame and sorrow and is most grievous unto me when I behold thy Favour which I have forfeited and Eternal Damnation which I have deserved thereby the burthen of them presseth down my Soul with a load of terror and amazement that is intolerable yet since thou callest all who are heavy laden I must not despair of thy pity but in this great distress I do beseech thee to have Mercy upon me and since my necessity forceth me to be Importunate I will cry again have Mercy on me I know thou art a most Merciful Father though by my Sins I am much unworthy to be called thy Child yet I hope thy Bowels will yern upon me I Lye prostrate and helpless begging of thee for thy Dearly Beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ his sake and by the Merits of his Cross and Passion to forgive me freely and fully all that is past from the beginning of my Life till this very moment Lord make me an instance of thy Mercy and grant when I have received so excellent and so undeserved a favour that I may be so engaged thereby as that for ever hereafter I may beware of falling back into the like sin and misery Convert me I beseech thee as well as pardon me and enable me most obediently to serve and most intirely to please thee by spending the rest of my Life in newness of Life and all Holy conversation which through the help of thy Grace I do here Vow and Resolve upon That this mighty change may tend to the Honour and Glory of thy Name who hast so wonderfully delivered me all which I most heartily begg through Jesus Christ our Lord to whose intercession for me do thou say Amen and it shall be according to thy Word Amen The ADDRESS HOly God thou mightest justly wonder to see such a grievous sinner daring to come so near but I do not impudently rush upon these dreadful Misteries nor do I presume to come to this thy Table where Angels do attend as if I'deserved this honour O merciful Lord God I do not approach trusting in my own Righteousness for alas I have done nothing which can bear that name but that which drew me hither was my confidence in thy Manifold and Great Mercies which exceed my Manifold and Great Offences and now that I am before thee I must still confess what ever Favours thy Goodness heaps upon me that I am not worthy by reason of my sinfulness and backslidings so much as with the Doggs to gather up the Crumbs that fall under thy Table nor fit to receive the least Mercies or Measure of Grace from thee much less to sit as a Guest before thy Majesty at this Heavenly Feast but yet I make bold to do this because thou art not to be changed by our sins being ever the same Lord whose property is to be unwearied in well-doing and never wanting in Mercy Thou art wont always to have Mercy on those who confess their Offences grant unto me gracious Lord by the present assistance of thy holy Spirit so to Eat the Flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ Spiritually in this Sacrament and so to Drink his Blood as that I may receive all the benefit of his Cross and Passion even that my sinful and defiled Body may be made clean with his Holy and Immaculate Body
and my Soul which is polluted in every faculty wash'd through his most precious Blood which taketh away the Sins of the World Let me be so wholly purified that I may now begin to be inseparably united to Jesus and that I by Faith may evermore dwell in him abiding in his Love and that by his Spirit he may dwell in me always Amen A Prayer for Purity O Almighty God whose power is Terrible to all that approach thee with polluted Souls because thou art the Majesty unto whom the Thoughts and Imaginations of all hearts are open and apparent all desires and Wishes after any evil are known and evident and the God from whom no secrets in word or deed are hid or by any policy can be concealed The Remembrance of my Impurity makes me fear to draw near to thee till I have Implor'd thee who alone art able to keep me therein to cleanse and purge out all the evil which are so commonly the Guests of my Heart lest they provoke thy pure Eyes to pass me by with this abhorrence and deprive me of the comfort and benefit of this Communion Blessed Lord prepare thy Lodging in my Soul by the Inspiration of those pure thoughts and Heavenly desires which are the fruit of thy Holy Spirit and the Harbingers of the King of Glory that I may as it is my unfeigned desire at all times and above all things most sincerely and perfectly to love thee and not suffer any secret Sin to be thy Rival in my Heart and that I may also especially in this Sacrifice of praise worthily Magnifie and agreeably set forth the Glory of thy Holy Name in giving so Illustrious a Salvation to us through Christ Jesus for whose sake I beseech thee to hear me for he is thy Son and shall be my Lord for ever Amen A Meditation at the Offering O Lord I give thee a small part of thine own who hast given me all my Earthly Comforts yea thy own Son out of thy bosom to become my Salvation O that I could give a thousand times more thy Love deserves it for this I give not alas as a Requital of thy favour but a testimony how much more I owe unto thee my Charities cannot extend to thee who needest nothing only Holy Jesus I do gladly embrace my Poor Brethren and thy Friends whose Souls thou hast purchased with thy dearest Blood and made them Heirs with me of the same Salvation I rejoyce that thou acceptest so small a matter to them as done to thy self behold therefore a soul I beseech thee so Sick and Leprous poor and naked that it needs thy Mercy more than the most miserable Creature in all the whole World my Charity O how many and how earnest prayers do I need could I engage all the poor on Earth whose prayers soonest pierce the Clouds I need all this and as much more to make way for mine acceptance But O my Saviour this is a day in which thou Scatterest thy Bounties Wherefore Remember thou my Soul which is undone without thy pity and since thy Mercies are infinitely greater than ours Lord do not pass me by far be it from me to think so meanly of thy Love as to esteem mine Alms the purchase of it No no I do only by this small token give thee Livery and seisin of me and mine and having vowed to purchase a more glorious Interest and to seek thy Kingdom I do renounce the Riches of this World O happy Exchange and admirable way of Gain but so thou art wont to deal with us O God! to accept trifles from us and give Glories to us great and endless and Inexpressible I adore thee O my Lord and Love thee and because there is no Earthly gift that can bear proportion with such unspeakable Goodness I will give thee my Soul also and it shall be thine for Ever Amen Just after the Prayer of Consecration Say A MEN Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and I doubt not but the Mistery is Rightly accomplished I am perswaded here is It that my Soul longeth for a Crucified Saviour Communicating himself to poor penitent Sinners O let me be but reckoned amongst that number and then I shall assuredly receive the Holy Jesus Amen Lord thou hast set open this fountain and wilt thou suffer a wretched creature to dye for thirst in thy presence hast thou prepared such a Balm to heal me and shall I languish here before thee I know if thou wilt thou canst make me clean here is the very Instrument in thy Hand Grant me therefore Holy Jesus that I may rightly apply it and duly use it and it shall prepare me for Thee and unite me to thee with such inseparable bonds as can never break unless Eternity can have an End Blessed are they that so eat thy Flesh and so drink thy Blood as thou requirest and so as thy Saints of Old have done for they have been cleansed at this Fountain and here their Union with thee first began O happy season Excellent Opportunity Lord let me do it well this Once and I am thine for Ever Amen A Prayer before the Sacrament O Most Merciful God who hast in thy great goodness prepared this Spiritual Feast for sick and famished Souls make my desires and gaspings after it answerable to my needs of it I have with the Prodigal wasted that portion of Grace thou bestowedst upon me and therefore do infinitely want a supply out of this Treasury But O Lord how shall such a Wretch as I dare to approach this Holy Table I am a Dog how shall I presume to take the Childrens Bread or how shall this spiritual Manna this Food of Angels be given to me who have chosen to feed on Husks with Swine nay to one who hath already so often trampled these pretious things under foot either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these Holy Mysteries O Lord my horrible guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet makes me not dare to keep away For where O Lord shall my polluted Soul be washed if not in this Fountain which thou hast opened for sin and for uncleanness hither therefore I come and thou hast promised that he that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out This is O Lord the Blood of the New Testament Grant me to receive it that it may be to me for Remission of Sins and though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof this Sacrament is a Seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine to be Merciful to mine unrighteousness and to remember my sins and my iniquities no more and not only so but to put thy Laws into my heart and to write them in my mind and by the power of thy Grace dispose my Soul to such a sincere and constant obedience that I may never again provoke thee Lord Grant that in these Holy Misteries I may not only commemorate but effectualy receive my
of me and let nothing ever take me out of his hand To this end be thou graciously ly pleased to watch over me and defend me from all assaults of my Spiritual Enemies but especially deliver me from my self from the Treachery of my own heart which is too willing to yield it self a prey and where thou seest I am either by Nature or Custom most weak there do thou I beseech thee magnifie thy power in my preservation Here mention thy most dangerous Temptations and Lord let my Saviours Sufferings for my sins and the Vows that I have now made against them never depart from my mind but let the Remembrance of the one enable me to perform the other that I may never make truce with those lusts which nailed his Hands pierced his Side made his Soul heavy to the Death but that having a new listed my self under his banner I may fight manfully and follow the Captain of my Salvation even through a Sea of Blood Lord lift up my hands that hang down and my feeble knees that I faint not in this Warfare O be thou my strength who am not able of my self to struggle with the slightest Temptations How often have I turned my back in this day of Battle how many of these Sacramental Vows have I violated and Lord I have still the same unconstant deceitful heart to betray me to the breach of this O thou who art yea Amen in whom there is no shadow of Change Communicate to me I beseech thee such a stability of mind that I may no more thus start aside like a broken bow but that having my heart whole with thee I may continue stedfast in thy Covenant that not one good purpose which thy Spirit hath raised in me this day may vanish as so many have formerly done but that they may bring forth fruit unto life Eternal Grant this O Merciful Father through the Merit and Mediation of my Crucified Saviour Amen Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name for now I find the Mercy and the Peace the Comfort and the Grace which flows from the death of Christ let all the world know what he hath done for my soul he hath Rescued me and many of my poor Brethren round about me from the nethermost Hell wherefore I Love thee Holy Jesus more than I can express and I will love them for thy sake and since thou hast given thy self thy Merits and thy Graces to me and sealed a new Covenant with me in thine own Blood I do here bind my self by that Sacred Ordinance to be sincerely thine I will spend my time and strength in thy Service and Lord I beseech thee give me grace to shed my blood to bear witness to the truth if ever thou callest me to such a Tryal I will never eave thee nor forsake thee but live die with thee for I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy Righteous judgments O let me never unhallow that Body nor defile that Soul in which the Lord Jesus delights to dwell let no lying or uncharitable speeches prophane those Lips no Intemperance pollute that Mouth by which those Holy Symbols have passed Grant me to find new desires and new hopes Grant my nature may be renewed my blood Refined O fit my Soul with such a Holy Vigour that through thy Mercy I may accomplish all my Resolutions Amen O Blessed Jesus I have Vowed my self thy servant but yet I fear in expectation of the most furious assaults which will be made upon me by the Enemy from whom I have withdrawn and alas I have too often Returned again to folly but if thou pleasest to plant thy Grace within me and send thy Blessing upon me I fear not his Policy nor power I have Received that Heavenly food which is the means to convey this Grace and I know that by this Celestial Remedy many of thy Servants have been dreadful to the powers of Darkness and thou didst never cast off any humble Soul O bless then this Life-giving Mistery unto every one of us that we may find such power and strength such courage and resolution flowing from thence that we may all stand firm to the purposes which we have made Holy Saviour we are now thy servants and O what quiet and comfort what Safety and Joy what Honour and Pleasure have we under so gracious a Lord how happy shall I be in injoying a freedom from anger c. O mark us all for thine own deny us not that grace which is necessary to make thee ours and us to be thine If we feel not some Effects thereof we shall sink for fear Lest thou hast rejected us and our oblation but who did ever seek thee and did not find who ever trusted in thee and was forsaken we are sure that in thee all fulness of Grace doth dwell O let it now overflow that of thy fulness we may all receive so shall we daily and always perform our Vows Amen O thou Allseeing and most Holy Lord God I have beheld the Esficacious and all-saving Sacrifice which thy Son hath offered for us I have remembred it and blessed thy Name for it as much as I was able though not so highly as I ought for the benefits thereof are inestimable O let them not all be lost to us for want of faith to believe and receive them there is no want of merit in Jesus to Deserve no want of Mercy in thee to bestow remission O let there not want in us or in any of those for whom Christ dyed Grace to accept this pardon Behold Lord how we struggle under a load of guilt a troubled Conscience doth perplex us our remaining corruptions oppose us the decay of our Graces doth deject us and lo here is an Effectual Remedy for all these evils help us every one I humbly beseech thee so to apply it that both we and our Brethren whom we love as our selves may find a blessed cure Who was ever reconciled to thee but by Jesus or who was ever so much thine Enemy but this Sacrifice hath made their peace and shall it be ineffectual only to us Dear father let us find the Efficacy thereof in our selves and discern the fruits thereof in all the Members of thy Church so shall we be ingaged to praise thee more and more for this great Salvation through Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer of Intercession O Most gracious Lord who so tenderly lovedst mankind as to give thy dear Son out of thy bosom to be a propitiation for the sins of the whole World grant that the effect of this Redemption may be as universal as the design of it that it may be to the Salvation of all O let no person by impenitence and willful sin forfeit his part in it but by the power of thy Grace bring all even the most obstinate Sinners to Repentance enlighten all that sit in Darkness all Jews Turks Infidels
and Hereticks take from them all blindness hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and so fetch them home blessed Lord unto thy fold that they may be saved among the number of the true Israelites And for all those upon whom the Name of thy Son is called grant O Lord that their conversation may be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ that his name may be no longer blasphemed among the heathen through us O Blessed Lord how long shall Christendom continue the vilest part of the World a sink of those abominable pollutions which even Barbarians detest O let not our profession our practice be always at so wide a distance let not the Disciples of the Holy and Immaculate Jesus be of all others the most prophane and impure Let not the Subjects of the Prince of peace be of all others the most contentious and bloody but make us Christians in Deed as well as in Name that we may walk worthy of that Holy vocation wherewith we are call'd and may all with one mind and one mouth Glorfy thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Have mercy on this Church look down upon it from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness and of thy Glory Pour forth thy Mercies upon it though our back-slidings are many and we have grievously rebelled yet according to thy goodness let thy anger be turned away from us and cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary for the Lords sake and so separate between us and our sins that they may not seperate between our God and us Save and defend all Christian Kings Princes and Governours Especially those to whom we owe subjection plead thou there cause O Lord and so guide and assist them in the discharge of that Office whereunto thou hast appointed them that under them we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty bless them that wait at thine Altar open thou their lips that their mouths may shew forth thy praise O thou Father of Mercy and God of Comfort succour and relieve all that are in any affliction deliver the out-casts and poor help them to right that suffer wrong let the sorrowful sighings of the prisoners come before thee and according to thy power and mercy preserve those that are appointed to dye grant ease to those that are in pain Supplies to those that suffer want give to all presumptious sinsinners a sense of their sins and to all dispairing a sight of thy Mercies and do thou O Lord for every one abundantly above what they can ask or think pour down thy Blessings on all my Friends Benefactors all that have commended themselves to my Prayers Here name perticular Persons And grant O Merciful Father that through this Blood of the Cross we may all be presented pure and unblamable and unseparable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter there to sing eternal Praises Father Son and Holy Ghost for ever Amen O most Holy Lord God I have been addmited to make an oblation of my praises and my self to thee and I am infinitely concerned that thou shouldest accept me therein not for any merit in me but for thy own Mercies and thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ his sake O my God thou knowest I have been polluted with Sin and undutiful to thy Commands unfaithful to my promises unmindful of my obligations Confederate with thy Enemies yea even in the time of these Holy misteries so obdurate and confused that I might justly fear least my wretchedness should make my Sacrifice an abomination I am ashamed that I am no fitter I Lament that I should bring so many defilements where the purity of an Angel is scarce sufficient but I Sanctuary take in thy most obliging Condesentions and because I am so unworthy I will endeavour to esteem my self as vile as I really am in thy sight O do not look upon the deserts of a wretched sinner but remember thine own Mercies so shall thy favor be more ilustrious because it is bestowed upon so undeserving a Creature and the sense of my unworthiness shall inlarge my thankfulness and make me praise thee more O grant me thy acceptance for the sake of the crucified Jefus Amen When I compare thy Acts with mine Holy Jesus I am exceedingly ashamed to behold so vast a disproportion thou givest me thy Merits thy Graces thy Life and thy love at present and hast promised me thy Kingdom in Reversion and I have scarce returned this with the entire devotion of one half hour Oh how little is my obdurate heart affected with the sense of my own Guilt the fears of the Divine wrath or the apprehensions of thy sufferings yet Lord I do desire and endeavour to praise thee so that hope thou wilt consider mine Infirmities with much compassion and measure my services not by the exactness of the performance but by the sincerity of my wishes so that I may through thy merits be accepted by thy Heavenly Father and by thy mercy of that acceptance be oblidged to praise thee Holy Saviour for ever Amen An Act of Oblation of our Selves O Most merciful Lord God I am amazed at the mighty Favours thou hast shewed unto me a sinful wretched Creature I cannot but acknowledge thy Goodness although I can make no retribution but 't is not mine O Lord but me thou seekest sinful and miserable though I am yet am I that purchace for which Jesus hath left his Glory and laid down his life and suffered many and great things for me O marvellous condescention I am nothing I have nothing I am void of all good full of evil and deserving thy wrath so that I abhor my self and canst thou delight in me be it so then for I will dispute no more with unsearchable mercy I believe O my God and wonder I can no more resist thy condescending and Almighty Love I will with all the joy imaginable give my self up entirely to thee who hast lately restored me to my self Alas I have been a Prisoner to Satan a slave to Sin and marked out for distruction but thou hast procured my Pardon Liberty and my Life requiring no more for so unexpressible bounty but only that I will entirely become thine I do freely surrender my self to thee both Soul and Body avowing that I would be no more my own but thy Servant in all things my understanding shall enquire after thee my will shall chuse thee my affections embrace thee my sences shall obey thee my Passion shall be at thy commands and my thoughts shall be of thee O be thou pleased to take possession of my Heart and Soul and if now thou wilt accept of me I hope I shall never be so unjust and ungrateful so foolish and absurd so perjured and Sacriligious as to rob thee of my self hereafter or wilfully to prophane my Body or Soul any more it is indeed a miserable guift that
I offer a defiled body a strain'd Soul and corrupt affections I am heartily sorry it is no better but it is all I have to give and all thou requirest it will be freer and better by being thine O let me never have other master let me never fully that which the Blood of Christ hath washed nor sell that to Satan which the Holy Jesus hath redeemed at so great a price grant me therefore gracious Lord to find by the amendment of my life that thou hast accepted me this day give me such help from thee to confirm my hope that I may always perform my vows and never rob thee of that which I have dedicated to thee in the sincerity of my Soul I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy Righteous Judgements I am thine O save me for thy Mercies and for thy Son Christ Jesus sake Amen An act of Acknowledgment THere are many O Lord who are most Importunate to obtain thy favour and unquiet till they receive some testemonies thereof and yet when their desires are granted they are unmoved and ingrateful but I will endeavour to praise thee as heartily for these manifestoes of thy Love as I desired them servently I acknowledg therefore that I am full of wonder to find my self honoured with the highest priviledges and remarked with the most illustrious signals of thy Love I begg'd the Mercy of gathering up the Crumbs under thy Table and behold thou hast placed me among thy Children and fed me with the choisest of thy preparations O Lord let all my enemies the powers of Darkness be confounded to behold me a poor sinful wretch whose ruine they gaped for thus to be made a guest at thy Table to be treated as one of thy dearest Children or best beloved Friends I was far from deserving this Honor but I will rejoice in it bless thy name for it because it hath revived my hope cheer'd my drooping Soul and I am perswaded this fresh testimony of thy favour will engage me to love thee with an unalterable affection there was nothing I desired in comparison with thy love nor conld I have wished a more certain pledge of it than thy Son and my Saviour welcome art thou to me O my Redeemer for thy own sake and welcome as thou art the Evidence of thy Heavenly Fathers love to me a miserable sinner I will acknowledge it at present as much as I am able and my whole life hereafter shall shew how deep a sence I have of this Enestimable Goodness and whenmy Life doth fail it shall be the Subject of my Halelujahs Amen Almighty God who of thy tender Mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer Death upon the Cross for our Redemption and didst institute and in thy Holy Gospel command us to continue a perpetual Memory of that his precious Death until his coming again Hear me most merciful Saviour I most humbly beseech thee and make my Groanings and Disires after this Holy Sacrament answerable to my needs of it But O Lord How shall such a Wretch as I dare to approach thy Holy Table How shall I presume to take the Childrens Bread who am as a vile Dog in thy sight I have often trampled those precious things under foot either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these Holy Misteries O Lord my horrrible Guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet makes me not dare to stay away for where shall this polluted Soul be washed but in the Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness Hither then I come and thou hast promised him that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out Grant me therefore Gracious Lord so to eat the flesh of thy Dear Son Jesus Christ and to drink his Blood that my sinful body may be made clean by his body and my Soul washed through his precious Blood Amen I will not presume to come to thy Table O merciful Lord trusting in my own Righteousness but in thy manifold and great Mercies declared unto Mankind in our Lord Jesus Christ for whose sake give me I pray thee such a preparation of Soul as may qualify me for a worthy Approach thereunto To this end make me heartily sensible of my Sins and unworthiness raise up my dull and earthly mind from groveling here below and also inspire it with a holy zeal to seek those things that are above Let that infinite Love of Christ in dying for so wretched a sinner inflame my soul and kindle in me that Sacred fire of Love to him again and to all those whom he hath given me Command an Example to Love Enemies as well as Friends and that for his sake Cloath me O Lord in the Wedding Garment and make me though of my self a most unworthy yet by thy mercy an acceptable Guest at thy Table that I may not eat or drink my own Damnation but Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen I said I will take heed to my ways that I offend not with my Tongue O God who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great Dangers that by reason of the frailty of our Nature we cannot always stand upright grant to me such strength and protection as may support me in all Dangers and carry me through all Temptations through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O God to whom Vengeance belongeth O God to whom Vengeance belongs shew thy self but let it be in pity and compassion to thy wretched and unworthy Servant who in all humility consess my self a wicked and sinful creature I acknowledge those sins which if I would I cannot hide from thee my sins of Pride and vain glory of Hatred and Envy of Gluttony and Wantonness I accuse my self of my wicked desires and thoughts which I have conceived * At these marks have recourse to those sins noted in your Paper my wanton and evil words which I have spoken * of my naughty and ungodly deeds which I have committed * I acknoledge and bewail these my manifold sins and wickednesses which I from time to time most grievously have committed by thought word and deed against thy Divine Majesty provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my misdoings the remembrance of them is grievous unto me the burden of them is intolerable have mercy upon me have mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son Jesus Christs sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life to the honour and glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FOrgive me my sins O Lord forgive me the sins of my Age and the sins of my Youth the sins of my Soul and the sins of my Body my Secret and my Whispering sins my presumptious and my Crying sins the sins that I have done to please my self and the sins that I have done to please
others Forgive my wanton and idle Sins forgive me my serious and deliberate sins forgive me those sins which I know and those sins which I know not the sins which I have laboured so long to hide from others that now I have even hid them from my own Memory Forgive me them O Lord forgive me them all of thy great mercy let me be Absolved from all my offences and of thy bountiful goodness let me be delivered from the bands of those sins which by my frailty I have committed Grant this O Heavenly Father for Jesus Christ his sake our Blessed Lord and Saviour Amen Prayers to be said after the receiving of the Holy Sacrament O Blessed Jesus who didst take upon thee our Nature and didst suffer Death upon the Cross for our Redemption and hast commanded us to continue the memory of this thy precious Death till thy Coming again Oh! let not the inestimable Benefits of it be frustrated by my Manifold and grievous sins but inspire my Soul with those Graces which may qualifie me to receive them tendered unto me in this Blessed Sacrament O Lord thou seest that I have no power of my self to help my self Oh Let the pitifulness of thy great Mercy loose me from the chains of those sins wherewitth I am tied and bound that being thus set at liberty I here with chearfulness run the ways of thy Commandements and hereafter enter into thy Joy O blessed Saviour and Redemer Amen 2. THou O God and Saviour ' knowest how vile I am and with what eagerness I have purchased the paths that lead unto everlasting Death How often hath this Feast been prepared and lovingly Bidden there to but have with frivolous excuses absented my self Or If I have come I have brought such troops of thy profeffed enemies unrepented Sins along with me as if I came not to adore but to defie thee not to commemorate but renew thy Passion I am not worthy O Lord I am not worthy to come into thy presence much less to eat the Flesh of the Sacrificed Lamb For my sins O Blessed Jesu went along with me in confederation with the High Priests in Treachery with Judas in Injustice with Pilate in Malice and Cruelty with the People Oh! what punishment then shall I be thought worthy of who have thus trampled under foot the Son of God and counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing Where shall I vile Wretch appear who have put my Lord to Death who have crucified to my self the Son of God afresh and put thee to an open shame where should I appear but before a Saviour who hath loved and ed for me though I have hated and murthered him thy Blood O Jesu is my only Refuge Oh! Let the Cry of it speak on my behalf and may it speak better things than the Blood of Abel be merciful unto me O God be merciful unto me for my Soul trusteth in thee and in the Clefts of thy wounds shall be my Refuge until thy Fathers Indignation be over-past O Blessed Advocate and Mediator intercede for me with thy Father and Ours thy God and Ours and grant that by the Grace which thou hast found by the Prerogative which thou hast deserved by the Mercy which thou hast purchased for me as thou hast been partaker of my sufferings and Infirmities so I by thy Death and Resurrection and by thy infinite gracious Intercession may be made partaker of thy Holiness and thy Glory even for thy own Merits sake Amen 3. O Lord who hast promised that if I open my mouth wide Thou wilt fill it I pray thee to open it and not my mouth only but my heart also Oh! create in thy Servant a great hunger and thirst after the things of thy Kingdom and the Righteonsness of it after all the holy Graces and all the holy Ministeries of Grace that I may long for the Bread of Heaven thirst after the Fountain of Salvation and as the Hart panteth after the Water-brcoks so my Soul may desire thee O Lord Oh! kindle such an holy flame in my Soul that it may consume all my sins and cursed affections that I may never again defile the place which thou hast chosen for thy Temple Thou didst O dear Jesu to redeem me from iniquity Oh! let me not sell my self again to work wickedness I am a sinner a grievous one not worthy to look up to Heaven but be thou pleased to look down into the dust and lift up a sinner from the Dunghil let me not perish in my folly or be consumed in thy heavy displeasure Give me time and space to repent and give me power of Grace that as by thy holy Inspiration I do sincerely and fixedly resolve on an intire Reformation so by thy merciful guidance I may faithfully perform the same Amen 4. O Thou great Physician of Souls heal me of those many and foul Diseases which my Soul groans under Grant that I may now so touch thee that every one of those loathsom issues may immediately stanch that these sicknesses may not be unto Death but to the glory of thy mercy in pardoning to the glory of thy Grace in purifying so polluted a wretch O Christ hear me inspire me with an holy Zeal to mortifie my sins support me with an holy hope confirm me with an excellent and unreprovable Faith and inkindle in me a never-failing Charity Let me judge my self that I be not judged by thee condemn my self that I be not condemned with the world but receiving this Holy Sacrament with a penitent heart and a lively Faith I may partake the great benefits of it I may dwell in Christ and Christ in me I may be one with Christ and Christ with me the Lord be merciful unto me and grant this for his own Bowels and Compassion sake Amen ALmighty Lord who hast of thine infinite mercies vouchsafed to ordain this Sacrament for a perpetual memory of that Blessed Sacrifice which once thou madest for us upon the Cross grant me with such diligent remembrance and such due reverence do participate of this so holy and wonderful a mystery that I may be made worthy by thy Grace to obtain the virtue and fruits of the same with all the benefits of thy precious Death and Passion even the Remission of all my sins and the fulness of all thy Graces which I beg for thy only Saviour God from everlasting and world without end Amen O Lord our Heavenly Father Almighty and everlasting God regard we beseech thee the devotions of thy humble Servants who do now celebrate the Memorial which thy Son and our Saviour hath commanded to be made in remembrance of his most blessed Passion and Sacrifice that by the merits and Power thereof now represented before thy Divine Majesty we and all thy whole Church may be made partakers of all other the Benefits of his most precious Death and Resurrection from the Earth and glorious Ascention into Heaven who liveth and reigneth with