goodness though I can make no Retribution had I all the World at my disposal I could freely give it all to thee as a Testimony of my unfeigned gratitude but I hear thy gracious voice saying unto me My Son give me thine heart it is not mine but me thou seekest sinful and misrable though I am yet I am the purchase for which Jesus has left his Glory laid down his Life done and suffered all these things O marvelous Condescension 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 dwell in me Be it so then I will dispute no more with unsearchable mercy I believe O my God and wonder I can no longer resist thy condescending and almighty love I will with all the joy imaginable give my felf unto thee who hast but lately restored me to my self I have been a prisoner to Satan a Slave to Sin and marked out for Destructioon but thou hast procured my Pardon Liberty and Life requiring no more for so inexpressible a bounty but that I become entirely thine had I the life of an Angel the understanding of a Cherubim or the power of one of thy Heavenly Host thou deservest it all I 'm sorry I 'm no better yet such as I am I do most freely surrender my self unto thee my Body and Soul avowing I will be no more my own but thy servant O be thou pleased to come and reign over me take possession of this unworthy heart I hope I shall never be so unjust perjured and sacrelegious as to rob thee of my self hereafter it is indeed a miserable gift that I offer a defiled Body and a stained Soul but 't is all I have to give all that thou requirest and 't will be the better for being thine let me never have another Master let me never sully that which the Blood of Christ hath washed nor sell that to Satan which Jesus hath bought for God Grant me therefore gracious Lord that I may find by the workings of thy Spirit within me that thou hast accepted me 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 in the sincerity of my Soul I am thine O save me for thy mercies sake Amen Our Father c. From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Name of the Lord shall be great among the Gentiles in every place incense shall be offer'd unto his Name and a pure offering for his Name shall be great among all Nations Glory be to the c. As it was c. This Day is appointed to be observ'd as a Festival and I would have no Christian so mistake himself as to keep it otherwise But since it is likewise a Day to be kept holy to the Lord we must not indulge our selves over-much lest we run into another Errour and make us uncapable of serving God or our selves as we ought by turning our reafonable Service into sleepy Devotions And since I 'm speaking of the Sabbath it can't be unnecessary to lay down some Rules for our Observation of it There is no Christian but must lament the general Neglect of it for one sort spends it in unnecessary Business the other in impertinent Recreations and even they who are more reserv'd and seem to have a greater Sense of Religion are apt to make large Allowances that except the Time spent in the Church there is little bestow'd on any Act of Religion The Church requires our Belief of the Morality of the Sabbath and if we were persuaded that 't is a Day set a part by God himself for his own Service we should have less Inclinations to lay out so much of it in our own We must positively believe our Obligations to God on this Day and resolve that the Time we don't spend in the Church should devoutly be employ'd at home We should separate our Thoughts from the Concern of this World In the Morning earnestly beg of God that we may sanctifie the Sabbath After Church reflect upon what we heard if it was practical Matter resolve to make use of it in our Conversation if Matter of Faith examine whether we can give our positive Assent to it if we don't justly comprehend it let us endeavour to be better inform'd Let us call to Mind the Benefit of our Creation Redemption and whatever else may beget in us holy Thoughts and a fervent Love to God Let us turn our Thoughts into our selves that we may the better understand our Condition towards God for how is it possible to be sensible of our Affairs if we don't suffer our Souls to contemplate for their Safety There are many that can't accuse themselves of notorious Crimes that can answer to the positive Prohibitions of the Law All these have I kept from my Youth yet if they suffer themselves to go further in their Examination will find Reason with the young Man in the Gospel to be exceeding sorrowful though upon another Account they will find a dismal Account of other things to answer and which are as necessary to be repented of as they are to be observ'd for the future Besides Contemplation is the best Way to improve our Understanding in the Ways of Goodness there is infinite Variety for our Thoughts to work upon and all of them exceeding pleasant 'T is this that will make us in love with Piety and then we shall soon turn our Speculation into Practice They who are us'd to meditate find the Satisfaction of their Consideration Though 't is no easie matter for a Man that has wholly bent his Affection to an immoderate Love of this World to bring under his unruly Desire he shall hardly begin to think what he is why he was sent hither and whither he is hast'ning but he shall stop in the middle and the very Thoughts of the present put him upon enjoying it in another manner So vain and trifling are we when we have given up our selves to be mistaken for a while that 't is hard to bring us to our Senses and persuade us we are our selves when we become Rational Creatures I 'm unwilling to prescribe our Christian Liberty on this Day 't is certain we may extend it to all Things of Necessity but then we should be cautious for we are generally such Latitudinarians in things that concern our selves that we are not willing to lose an Inch of our Liberty and are apt to think our Time lost which is bestow'd in the Service of God Our Trade is not then going on and we are backwarder by one Day in our Affairs of this World never considering we have another Merchandize to care for but if we can secure Wealth enough here have no great Affection to lay up Treasure elsewhere as if we were afraid our Riches would corrupt there or our Venture come short of our
wherefore when we are arrived so far in our way to Happiness as the forsaking our old Habits and placing better in their room we may venture to draw nigh to that Holy Ordinance of which whosoever is a worthy partaker shall live for ever A good Life is the best preparitive to this Feast 't is not enough we shake hands with our Vices for a time and return to our Folly when the Ceremony is over if we are not qualified before we come we are in danger to receive this Sacrament Unworthily and the consequence of that is so terrible that the thoughts of it must amaze us No Man is qualified that does not sincerely Repent it can't be supposed that God has allotted just so much time to mortifie ourselves or that a week is sufficient to prepare us for Heaven They who have lived in a course of sin and never approached this Holy Communion must not think the first fit of Sorrow sufficient to Denounce them true Penitents It requires time and pains to conquer their Lusts the old Man must be cast off and they must give a signal of their Loyalty before they be accepted Subjects of the Most High in short if upon Examination we find our Faith firm our Purposes steadfast and our Desires after Christ strong we may come to the Altar of God and if we appear there with Charity our Prayers shall be convey'd from thence to the presence of God 'T is upon no other terms we can come with security for there is no concord between Christ and Beliai They who frequent the Sacrament and suffer themselves in the Commission of any known sin are reconciling of contradictions and will find their mistake to their confusion 'T is very certain as long as we are upon Earth we are in a state of Trial no man must expect to be exempt from Temptation But we should make it our business to strive and resist the World Flesh and the Devil If by surprise or other accident we are betrayed into sin we know our duty to be sorry and arm our selves against it for the future We may reasonably expect pardon upon this humiliation if we dont join our good Will and commit the evil with approbation This we certainly do if we suffer our selves to be often over come by the same Temptation such a one ought to suspect the sincerity of his resolution and not approach the holy communion till he is satisfied his heart is perfect in the Commandments of God But after all men must be left to themselves in this matter 'T is certain no man can be a Hipocrite against his knowledge and what pretences men have for Hipocrisy in other cases they are reasons of a prodigious nature which shall induce a man to play the cheat upon himself For no man is forced to the Sacrament and if he was 't is very sad it should be accounted criminal to Oblige them to be good However men trifle in other cases let them be serious in this if they are really sincere God will pardon a multitude of Faults no Man that knows his own sincerity need be affraid to approach the table of the Lord. When the Minister declares the time of the next Communion and invites all such as shall religiously be disposed let us lift up our Souls to God and beg of him that we may become worthy Partakers of his Body and Blood In order to it let us remember the nearer we draw to God in his Holy Ordinances the greater must be our care in the Management of our selves tho' as I have already premised a Good Life is the best preparative to a worthy Reception of the Lord's Supper yet when we approach the Presence of the Lord we ought to be more than ordinary circumspect 'T was David's resolution To wash his hands in Innocency before he approacht the Altar of God God himself commanded Joshua to pull off his shooes when he was upon the holy Ground and then surely 't is our duty to become such as the Lord may be we well pleased with Let us as much as possible this week have our conversation with God Don't let it suffice that we have formerly call'd our selves to account but go over all again there may be something past over in our last Examination or something new to add to our Affliction however the sight of our late Iniquity will sufficiently affect us and beholding our misery afresh we shall be the more desirous of coming to Christ for our Sins when we are sensible of them will be a burthen too heavy for us to bear But to increase our Desires Humiliation and Love let us reflect on the Goodness of God in sending Our Saviour Jesus to be a sacrifice for our Sins that as the Terrors of the Lord first brought us to our selves so now the Wonders of his Love may effectually perswade us to turn to the Lord our God that he may have mercy upon us A Meditation Preparitory to the Communion LOrd what is Man that thou hast respect unto him and the Son of Man that thou so regardest him When we had forfeied thy Favour by a cursed Disobedience to thy Command and deserved to feel the reward of our Folly to Eternal ages if thou hadst only spared us from thy Wrath and delivered our Soul from the neithermost Hell that Mercy had called for our greatest Devotion and employed us to eternity in singing Praises but thy infinite Love would not debar us the priviledge of Creation since thou madest us for thy self thou resolvedst to try all means to bring us to the enjoyment of that Happiness When we were sunk into Misery almost beyond recovery what manner of Love didst thou extend to the dropping World which lay in Darkness and in the shaddow of Death thou emptiedst thy self and communicatedst to us of thy fullness by sending thy Eternal Son out of thy Bosom to make us thy Children and exalt us to everlasting life HOly Holy Holy Lord God of Saboath Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O God Glory be to thee for this incomprehensible Mystery O thou God who wast manifested in the flesh Glory be to thee inspire the universal World to a greatfull acknowledgment of thy Love surpassing knowledge That we may all acknowledge thee to be the Lord for on Earth there is none like thee and among the Gods there is none can do as thou hast done When thou tookest upon thee to deliver Man thou didst not abhor the Virgins Womb but submitted to our flesh that thou mightest open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers O Thou Word of God how didst thou strip thy self of thy Glory and descend from the felicities of thy Throne to take upon thee the form of a Servant Thou wert born of poor Parents and laid in a Manger thou induredst Hunger and Thirst and hadst no place to lay thine head yet did it not discourage thee from going about
are in league with the Devil for so every one is that has not been heartily sorry for his sins and seriously intended a reformation of his Life we must not think our selves perfect because our affections are raised and we seem to have a zeal for the Glory of God for no one can approach this solemnity without transport if we examined our selves before entertained Resolutions of Repentance and come with Faith and Humility though during the Celebration of these Mysteries we had Wandrings evil Thoughts and Disturbances yet if we struggled with them then and are sorry for them now God will receive us into his favour therefore 't is very necessary we should now call our selves to an account be sorry for the ill and bless God for the good which may properly be done in the following form A Prayer at Night BLessed be thy glorious Name O Lord for all thy unspeakable Mercies to me and all the World I adore and magnifie thee for thy great goodness in giving thy Son to die for me and making me partaker of his blessed Body and Blood O Lord what is Man that thou regardest him Or what am I a vile and wretched sinner that thou shouldest be thus favourable to me thou hast been pleased to admit me to renew that Covenant with thee which I had broken and to give me assurance of thy readiness to pardon so vile and great a Sinner as I have been I have received the pledges of thy love and been admitted to thy Holy Table I have there devoted my self again unto thee I have vowed Obedience and after the most solemn manner consecrated my self to thy service Thou art a God that knowest the heart and art not to be mocked I tremble when I consider thy infinit Power Wisdom and Holiness let these thoughts beget in my Soul a great fear of thy Name and care to perform thy Will Grant I may not turn the Grace of thee my God into wantonness and that I may not receive thy grace in vain O Lord help thy Servant keep the possession of my Soul which I have unfeignedly surrendred up to thee O pardon the defect I have been guilty of in the performance of the duties of this day and unite my heart O'Lord to sear thy Name grant that I may spend the remainder of my time in obedience to thee and in acts of Charity to my Brethren create a clean heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me guide me by thy Counsel and at last receive me to thy Glory I do greatly desire the Salvation of Mankind and humbly represent to thy Divine Majesty the glorious sacrifice which our dearest Jesus made of himself upon the Cross and by a never ceasing intercession now exhibits to thee in Heaven in the Office of an Eternal Priesthood in behalf of all that have communicated this day in the divine Mysteries in all the Congregations of the Christian World in behalf of them that desire to communicate and are hindred by any accident sear or the sentence of their own Consciences Give unto me O God and unto them a portion of all good Prayers which are made in Heaven and Earth the intercession of our Lord and the supplications of all thy servants unite us in the band of the common Faith and a holy Charity I humbly commend to thee this Church and Kingdom all our superiors in Church or State have mercy upon all states of Men and Women give thy grace speedily to all wicked persons especially those that I have tempted to sin that they may repent live well and be saved to all good people give an increase of Gifts and Holiness to all Scismaticks and Hereticks grant conversion and to all that have erred from the Truth bring thou into the right way O merciful God I humbly pray unto thee in vertue of our Holy Saviour to grant unto us all the graces of an excellent and perfect Repentance an irreconcilable hatred of sin a love of thee an exact imitation of the Holiness of the Blessed Jesus fox the sake of the Sacrifice of thy Eternal Son O Heavenly Father let it be because it is best and because thou lovest it should be so Amen O God the Father of Heaven whose mercy is over all the World I am infinitly pleas'd to behold thy Glory and to hear the praises which thou hast gotten by thy mercy to poor sinners and I could even pour out my Soul in the manifestation of that joy which my heart conceives at thy universal Honour wherefore I will praise thee by Acknowledgments bless thee with Hymns worship thee with the lowest Reverence and glorifie thee to the utmost of my Power I will give thanks unto thee with all my Soul for thy Pitty Patience and Mercy towards thy unworthy and miserable Creatures How shall I express thy welcome into my Soul blessed Jesus Or how shall I celebrate thy Praises I will remember what thou art in thy self and what thou hast done for us O thou Eternal and only begotten Son of God equal to the Father who art thy self both Lord and God How lovely art thou O thou innocent Lamb of God encircled with Millions of redeemed Souls whom thou hast washed in thy Blood O how illustrious a Brightness shines round thee whilst thou art in the midst of all thy happiness interceeding for poor Sinners I adore thee and long to do thee Honour my Lord and my God hear then my importunate supplications and enable me to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. BLessed Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith who art the same Yesterday as to Day and for ever thou hast given Spiritual means to those that fear thee and wilt ever be mindful of thy covenant but my goodness is as a morning Cloud which soon passeth away my Devotion fleeth like a shadow and never continueth in one stay Oh do thou establish me with thy free Spirit that I may not so easily forfeit my Comfort forget my Duty and break my Vows how unwearied art thou dearest Saviour in doing well unto me How constant is thy Love and shall I be so ungrateful to thee so cruel to my self as to forsake thee and my own Happiness I fear the Power and Policy of mine Enemies I do with shame and sorrow call to mind my former returns to folly I most passionately entreat thee not to leave me to my self I have through thy goodness now obtained some measure of Peace my Eyes are enlightned my Heart revived and my purposes seem to be sincere give me thy grace therefore that I may be able to perform whatsoever I have promised that I may be steadfast unmovable always abounding in thy work O Lord let me hold fast that which I have and daily strive to gain more make me faithful to Death that thou mayest give me a Crown of Life Now the God of Peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ that great Shepherd of the Sheep