When shall I fully please thee O that I could always serve thee that I could perfectly obey thee Grant me O my only Love that I may continually reverence and adore thee Permit me not O Lord Jesus ever to be seperated from thee Teach me inlighten me direct me and assist me in all things but especially at this time that I may do or say nothing but what is agreeable to thy blessed Will Amen I Have made a large Collection of Meditations and Prayers because of the difference of Congregations some are very numerous and I esteem them pertinent to regulate our thoughts in that interval before we go up to the Altar the lesser Congregations and they who are desirous to be first at the Holy Table may have advantage of variety and make use of them as their inclinations and opportunity will give leave Our thoughts are not always upon the wing we require diversity of Arguments to press us to a forwardness besides they are not designed that our mind should be wholly taken up with them that we should read them all and then think we may safely go up to the Altar of God The best composure in the World will be insignificant if we don't offer it with Devotion Sincerity and Affection one of these Petitions rightly performed is of greater Efficacy than the whole repeated in a rambling disorder Lord have mercy upon me a miserable sinner said with humility was more prevalent than the long Prayer of the wordy Supplicant God knows our necessity before we ask and if we ask with Faith depending on the incercession of our Saviour he will grant our Petitions even before they are ended so that I would have some of them repeated with deliberation and between them call in our thoughts reconcile them to our reason and faith and then offer them up with earnest devotion and so shall we be prepared to receive the Lord of Glory When we have made an end of these Meditations and are ready to go to the Holy Table rising from our Knees with Reverence let us say GReat Captain of my Salvation I am going to learn to fight the good fight of faith in the blessed Sacrament of thy Love let thy great Example there encourage me to fight against all Ambition and Ostentation Censoriousness and Uncharitableness against coveteous lustfull and blasphemous Thoughts against guile and hypocrisie discontent and mistrust of thy providence against such enemies give me Grace to fight over these let me Triumph that having striven lawfully I may at last be admitted to the sight of thy sweet self and be charmed with thy Love for evermore Having thus began our Warfares and declared our chiefest Enemies let us approach the Holy Altar that there we may put on the Armor of God and being endued with Righteousness from above may walk more securely and be defended from the subtilty of Men and Devils therefore as we are going up let us turn our thoughts to God in the following manner As we go up to the Altar I Come Lord Jesus O take me to thee for thou lovest me and hast prepared a Table for me in the seat of thy Love in the multitude of thy mercies O Lord God do I now approach thy Altar O pardon my Sins and receive me graciously if thou shouldst be extream to mark what is amiss O Lord who may abide it but with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption Lord hast thou set open this fountain and wilt thou let a wretched creature die for thirst in thy presence Hast thou prepared such 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 Grant therefore holy Jesus that I may duly apply it and rightly use it and then it shall prepare me for thee and unite me to thee by such inseperable Bonds as shall never brake unless Eternity have an end Blessed are they who so eat thy Flesh and drink thy Blood so as thou requirest and so as thy Saints have done for they have been cleansed at this fountain and here there Union with thee first began O happy opportunity Lord let me do it well this once and I am thine for ever Let us now kneel before the Lord and say O Jesu Son of God everlasting King receive my Spirit O my Life take my Soul my Joy draw my heart unto thee thou that art my Head direct me Light of mine eyes enlighten me O my comfort rejoice me my sweet Food let me eat thee O Word of God refresh me O Light Eternal shine thou over me that I may understand know and love thee After we have thus dedicated our selves to God let us humbly represent to him the occasion which drew us hither and beg for his promise sake that we may not be sent Empty away O Lamb of God thou hast said he that eateth thy Flesh and drinketh thy Blood hath eternal Life behold thy Servant O Lord be it unto me according to thy Word O Lord God I desire to renew my Covenant with thee and to seal it now with this Sacrament Lord put thy Laws into my mind and write them in my heart and for the passion of thy dear Son which I now commemorate be merciful to my Unrighteousness my Sins and Iniquities do thou remember no more but be thou my God and I will be thy Servant The Minister now approaching us we ought with the Centurion in the Gospel to acknowledge our unworthiness to receive so glorious a guest and after such a Humilliation let us look up with confidence and represent to the Father of Heaven the prevailing sacrifice of his Son LOrd I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof but speak the word Lord and thy Servant shall be whole Behold O Lord the sacrifice of the everlasting Covenant the Lamb that takes away the sins of the World Oh let all the World feel the power of his Intercession hear good Lord the cry of his Wounds and deny me not since I bring thy Son with me let us all know that he lives that was dead and is a live for evermore O holy Bread which camest down from Heaven and givest life to the World come into my heart and cleanse me from all defilements of Flesh and Spirit enter into my Soul heal and sanctifie me within and without O my Soul taste now and see how gracious the Lord is Whence is it that my Lord himself should come to me Let us now with steadfast Faith repeat after the Minister bowing our Bodies The Body of our Lord Jesus c. After we have received the Bread let us lift up our Souls in thankfullness and say Hail Holy Lamb of God thrice welcome art thou to a poor perishing sinner Glory be to thee O Lord who feedest me with the Bread of Life let thy crucified Body deliver me from this body of death Before the Cup. I Will receive the
of men What can be more agreeable to a devout Soul than thus to exercise it self in the Law of God What can be more moving than to see and hear a devout Priest offering up Prayers and Supplications and others joining in his Petitions by Ecchoing a hearty Amen How does it constrain us to out-vie in Zeal and cause a Holy Emulation when we hear our Minister with fervency crying to the Father of Heaven to have Mercy upon us and we with equal earnestless invocating the Son and Holy Ghost mercifully to hear us Let others mock and call them vain repetitions while we endeavour to express the desires of our Souls in those Pathetical supplications Lord have mercy upon us We are not so vain but to confess our want of that Mercy nor ashamed of the Repetition when we find the benefit even the favour of the Lord which is better than life it self wherefore I must be earnest with every Christian to attend this service don't let our thoughts be roving but correct the wandrings of our minds the whole Service is in order to prepare us to a worthy reception of the Holy Sacrament when once we have got the mastry of our selves and can go along with all the parts of the Church we shall have less occasions for these helps to Devotion we shall find so much contained in the Prayers and Exhortations as will take up all the vacant time in Holy Meditation and this will make Holiness become exceeding delightful when we can turn our Souls towards God and solace them without interruption when we can leave the thoughts of this World and look steadfastly to God But this is to be done by degrees when we have conquer'd the love of this World and wearied our selves from its Alurements and this only to be performed by a constant watch over our words and actions and perseverance in the ways of goodness When the Prayers of the Church are over let us humbly ask God to pardon our defects in his Service and say O Lord Pardon the wandrings and coldness of my Petitions deal not with me according to my Prayers or Deserts but according to my needs and thy infinit mercy in Jesus Christ Amen Having discharged our duty in Prayer to God let us prepare our selves to hear what he will say to us out of his Holy Word we ought to look upon the Minister as an Ambassador of Christ and hearken with reverence to his Doctrine at the end of it to beg that we may bring forth the Fruit of it in our Lives and Conversation and this we can't do in better words than in one of the Collects after the Communion Grant we beseech thee Almighty God that the Words which we have heard this day c. While the People are going out let us devoutly turn towards the Table of the Lord and endeavour with admiration and reverence to contemplate the approaching Ordinance let us entertain thoughts of our unworthiness and then humble our selves before the Lord and say A Prayer O Almighty God who art infinite in Compassion and art able to pardon more sins than I can commit the stretcht out Arms of my dear Saviour upon the Cross can encompass the largest extention of my sins and his Passion affords an ever flowing Red Sea to cover them that they may not become my confusion O then let his Blood be my Bath purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow and to capacitate me for these Mercies let the deepest sorrow wound my Soul Oh! let it grieve my Spirit that I have lived so long to the grief of thine and let me grieve so long that I can grieve no more make my Soul to ascend in an humble supplication and let my Saviour's intercession procure thine acceptance and give me such a Faith as may take possession of all I pray for and least my own trust should deceive me when I have said Amen to my Prayers do thou say Amen to my Amen that so an Establishment of Blessings may be the crown of my Soul which I beg through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ Extinguish O Lord all the Fires of Hell my Lust Pride Envy Malice and Uncharitableness create in me O God a great longing after the Bread of Heaven and a thirst after the fountain of Salvation that as the Heart panteth after the water brooks so my Soul may long after thee my Saviour and Redeemer Amen When the Minister goes up to the Holy Table letus raise our Affections and prepare our selves to accompany him in this great work and fixing our selves in a devout posture when he begins the Exhortation to Charity let our thoughts carry us beyond the litteral Expression of those Sentences and whilst he Reads consider the necessities of the Poor Let us enlarge our desires and wish we were able to satisfie the complaints of those who are in want at least let us resolve to do according as God has put it in our power not Grudgingly and of necessity because 't is the custom and the Church requires it at such Seasons Here we have an opportunity of examining our selves whether we have fulfill'd the will of God in this manner 'T is not to be supposed that we deserve the name of charitable persons who take no time to distribute of this World good but when we can't help it therefore let us ask our Souls at every Sentence Hast thou followed this Advice or obeyed this Command Hast thou performed that great duty of the Law doing as thou wouldst be done by Hast thou restored with interest whatever thou hast unjustly detained from any Man And first have we taken care that they who have sown unto us Spiritual things should reap of our Temporal for 't is meet those who wait at the Altar should be partakers with the Altar for we must know that even so God hath ordained that they who Preach should live of the Gospel Therefore if we have fail'd to do this let us ask God's Pardon and don't let us because the Minister can't exact it take that advantage and pay nothing Secondly have we shew'd our compassion to the poor by giving Alms Have we not turned away our Face from our Brother who was in need but been merciful after our power If our Hearts condemn us not we have confidence in God that he is Righteous and will not forget but reward us in the day of necessity thus may we turn these excellent Admonitions into heads of Examination and happy are we if we have offer'd up such Sacrifices as are acceptable The Church has taken care to tell us what they are and has placed them at the beginning of this excellent Office to exhort us to Good Works We are about to remember that exceeding love of Christ and the wonderful charity of our Saviour therefore 't is very proper in the entrance to this Holy Ordinance to exhort us to be like minded that
how miserable my end must be when the Heavens are not pure in thy sight and the very Angels are charged with folly there is no Holiness O Lord if thou with-draw thy Hand no Wisdom profits if thy Government ceases when thou leavest us we perish we are unstable and unsecure unless secured and confirmed by thee we fly to thee for help and yet depart from thy Commandments O how meanly do I deserve to be thought of how little and inconsiderable is the good I do how innumerable how intollerable are the Evils I have done many good things have I received from thee but I have abus'd them thou hast given me Grace but I have turned it into Wantonness thou didst create in me a hope of Glory but I have lost my Confidence Wherefore behold O Lord I come unto thee thou mightest indeed justly censure the approach of such a polluted Creature to be a daring presumption but I beseech the condemn not the action but behold the motives which drew me hither even my own miseries and thy mercies I increase the number of my sins what shall I do to thee O thou preserver of Men Who shall raise me up when I shall fall before thy dreadful Judgment Seat I will lay my Face in the Dust and confess my self to be nothing Pitty my Shame O God bind up my Wounds remove those sins that so easily overcome me and unite me to my Saviour Jesus O help me to supply in Humility what I want in worthiness let my mean and just opinion of my self my bended Knees and broken Heart shew that I durst not have adventured so nigh if thy mercy had not held out the Golden Scepter O then dear Jesus be a Jesus to me and let this Sacrament be a savor of life and thy Body the Bread of life thy Blood the purifier of my sinful life O send me not empty away for I shall faint and die I cannot live without thee O let vertue come from thee and heal my Sickness do thou appear to my Soul in these holy Mysteries enlighten my Darkness turn me from all vain imaginations and illusions of the Enemy all perversness of Will all Violence and Inordinate Passions sensual Desires Lust and Malice Gluttony Pride Envy and Detraction let not sin reign in my mortal Body nor the Divel lead my Will captive nor the World abuse my understanding nor debauch my Conversation O grant I may receive these Divine Mysteries for the amendment of my Life and for a defensative against all my sins for the increase of Vertue and the perfection of the Spirit this I beg O merciful God for the sake of thy Eternal Son my crucified Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen Here rising up read as Follows AND as they were Eating Jesus took Bread and gave thanks and blessed it and brea kt it and gave it to his Disciples and said Take Eat this is my Body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me likewise also he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it for this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you and for many for the Remission of sins and they all drank of it Verily I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of the Fruit of the Vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God my Father I adore thee O Blessed Jesus for instituting this Holy Sacrament O let thy Divinity thus stampt on it strike into my Soul a holy awe in approaching it O create in me a Heaven disposition to celebrate so Heavenly an Institution and for thy Mercies sake pardon all my stupid forgetfulness and ingratitude hitherto do now create in me such a thankful and lively remembrance of thy dying love that may excite me to give up my self intirely to thee as thou didst give up thy self on the Cross for me Kneeling say A Prayer BEhold O sacred and undivided Trinity an unworthy wretched weak and wounded Soul oppressed with an intollerable weight of Misery terrified with the consideration of thy inscrutable Judgments confounded with the memory of her base ingratitude and encompassed with sorrow I have with the prodigal wasted that portion of Grace thou didst bestow upon me and therefore do infinitly want a supply out of thy Treasury but O Lord how shall such a wretch as I dare to approach this Holy Table how shall this spiritual Manna this Food of Angels be given to one Who has chosen to feed on Huscks with Wine nay to one who has so often trampled upon these precious things either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these holy Mysteries O LOrd my horrible guiltiness makes me not dare to stay away for where shall my polluted Soul be washed if not in this Fountain which thou hast opened for sin and uncleanness hither therefore I come and thou hast promised him that cometh thou wilt in no wise cast out this is O Lord the Blood of the New Testament grant me so to receive it that it may be for the remission of my sins and though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof the Sacrament is a seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine be merciful to my unrighteousness and remember my sins no more and not only so but place thy Laws in my Mind and write them in my Heart 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 Mysteries I may not only commemorate but effectually receive my blessed Saviour and all the benefits of his Passion and to that end give me such a preparation of Soul as may qualifie me for it give me a deep sense of my sins and unworthiness that being weary and heavy leaden I may be capable of his refreshings Raise up my dull and earthly mind from groveling here below and inspire it with holy Zeal that I may with spiritual affections approach this spiritual Feast and let O Lord that infinite love of Christ in dying for so wretched a sinner inflame my frozen and benumed Soul and kindle in me that sacred fire of love to him and that so vehement that no water may quench no floods drown it such as may burn up all my dross and not leave one unmortified Lust within me and such as may also extend it self to all whom thou hast given me command to love even my Enemies as well as Friends O Lord I beseech thee cloath me with the Wedding Garment and make me though of my self a most unworthy yet by thy mercy an acceptable guest at thy Holy Table that I may not eat and drink my own Condemnation but may have my Pardon sealed my Weakness repair'd my Corruptions subdued and my Soul so inseperably united to thee that no temptation may be ever able to dissolve the
Union but that being begun here in grace it be consummated in Glory Grant this O merciful Father for thy dear Sons sake Jesus Christ our Lord. ONce more O my Soul contemplate that thou art now a preparing thy self for that Divine Banquet which thy loving Lord instituted a little before those Sufferings and that Death before the breaking of his Body and the sheding of his Precious Sacred and Royal Blood which he declared to be signified by the breaking of the Bread and the pouring out of the Wine for he went that very Night into the Garden where his pious Soul apprehensive of Divine Wrath humbly addressed with reiterated supplications for Relief and being sensible of the miseries of Mankind pressing hard upon his spotless Soul the Torments of the approaching Cross the executing Terrors of the Powers of Darkness and the whole Artillery of an incensed God which he was in little time to graple with they shook his very Nature melted him into streams of Blood and so cast down his Spirits that nothing less than an Angel of the presence was able to mittigate the conflicts of this otherwise insupportable Agony These are but the beginning of Sorrows for no sooner then Mercy overcame the afflicting convulsion of his Soul who was sorrowful to Death but he began to fortifie his kind intentions to poor Man by that inexpressibly loving and unparallel'd Resignation to the will of his Heavenly Father he chearfully proceeded to offer up that Sacrifice which was to appease the Divine Justice for the iniquities of an impious World when after a most exemplary submission to the affronts and injuries of implacable Spirits the ingrateful Malice and supercillious Envy of those who thirsted for his Blood being despitefully abused afflicted and tormented denied by some forsaken by others desolate and comfortless in every sense truly a Man of sorrows was forced to add weight to his past Sufferings and bear the Cross of his own Crucifixion Where O my Soul behold by Faith the Lamb of God lifted up for the sins of the World O humble thy self into the center of thy own nothing for of what punishment oughtest thou to be thought worthy that hast so insensed the Majesty of Heaven to give up the innocent and most Holy Jesus thy best thy only Friend and his dear Son to be Tortured and Tormented for thy sins O how cruelly was he scourged with Wips wounded with Thorns loaden with the Cross torn with Nails pierced with a Spear and racked on the most painful instrument of Death his lovely Face defiled with Blood and Spitting his Ears fill'd with Upbraidings and Curses his Eyes drenched in Tears for the ruine of his Enemies and his Soul amazed at the Terrors of an angry God 'till at length all wounded broken and bloody with many groans yet with admirable patience he breaths out his Soul with infinite Charity and Forgiveness O holy Jesu how excellent is thy Goodness O ye blessed Host of Heaven who rejoice at the conversion of a sinner adore and praise that unknown sorrow which ye your selves contemplate with awful admiration I cannot doubt thy power to ease me because of these Suffrings of thy Love I must not question thy willingness who callest me of thy own accord nor dare I suspect thy sincerity who art Truth it self and always in earnest with poor sinners my Guilt has made me think to fly from thee but thy melting Voice has eneouraged me to turn to thee and laid me prostrate at thy feet groaning under my Offences but if thou wilt pitty me I am safe it thou art pleased I am eased if thou pardon me my burden is gone and if thou wilt take away this intollerable Lord I will then venture to draw nearer even to thy Altar O holy Jesu there to receive more refreshment from thy mercy Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy leaden and I will give you rest These are thy words O Christ for you hast spoken them and they are mine because spoken for my salvation O sweet and amiable words in the ear of a poor sinner by which thou invitest an indigent starv'd wretch to pertake of thy Body But who am I O Lord that I should come The Angels and Archangels reverence thee thy Saints and holy Ones fear before thee and yet thou sayest unto me come Unless thou hast said it who could have believed it to be true Unless thou hadst commanded it who durst have attempted this approach Does my Saviour invite and shall I go Shall a sinner dare to sit down at his Table Does he invite and shall I not go Shall a Wretch presume to refuse his Call Rise then my Soul and take thy swiftest wings and fly to the presence of this great Mystery A Feast of Holy Bread and Holy Wine in representation of thy sacred Body and blood where thy all glorious self is freely to the meanest guest a feast of peace and love and incomparable sweetness to which thy own blest mouth thus kindly callest us But stay am I dressed like a friend of the Bridegroom that I safely may come to the Marriage Supper have I considered how chast those eyes should be which go to behold the God of purity have I considered how clean that mouth should be which presumes to eat that Bread of Heaven but most how all caelestial that Soul should be which aspires to a union with the Body of Christ Oh! how poor and dull and empty am I how infinitly unworthy of so divine a Sacrament yet am I call'd by him that can Command by him that sees and pitties my misery he bids me come he surely will receive me and with his bounteous fullness supply my defects Go then my Soul to that sacred Table and take thy part of that delicious banquet go all inflamed with Love and joy and hope and quench thy holy Thirst with that spring of bliss when thou hast tasted his everlasting sweetness and feelest his heavenly streams flow gently on thee open thy happy breast and suck those Waters in and let them freely run over all thy powers Let them soak deep to the root of thy heart and turn thy barren heath into a fruitful soil fruitful in holy thoughts and pious words fruitful in good just and charitable Deeds fruitful in good examples and God of his infinite goodness confirm all this that my Soul may bless his holy Name here and with the whole host of Heaven sing Hallelujah to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for over hereafter Amen Our Father c. O Lord bless me and keep me this day O Lord make thy Face to shine upon me and be gracious unto me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace this day and for ever Amen The Blessings to be obtained and the sense of our Unworthiness which surely by this time is ingrafted in our hearts will inform us that each moment of this
Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life Amen The Priest proceeds now to a more immediate invitation and to show us that we ought to think highly of these things calls only those who have such quallifications as he just before told us was absolutely necessary and that we might not come rashly puts it to us again ye that do truly Repent c. But to heighten our esteem and make us more in earnest with our selves let us imagine we hear Christ himself inviting us for 't is the Minister in his stead calling us to Repentance Confession and Humility of Soul these are the Garments wherewith we ought to be cloathed and he that comes without them does but mock God and we have heard the dreadful effect of that presumption 't is provoking him to plague us with Diseases and sundry kinds of Death we kindle God's wrath against us and his indignation will last to Eternity But that the Terrors of the Lord might fright away none but the impenitent the Church assures us all they who come with Faith and Repentance may take the Holy Sacrament to their comfort and accordingly exhorts them to draw near to testifie their sincerity by an humble Confession and to remove all suspicion of Hypocrisy commands that it be done upon our Knees with contrition They who hope for Pardon can expect it upon no other Terms therefore we ought to be very circumspect that we don't call upon God with our Lips when our Hearts is far from him the Sacrifice of such Fools only work their Destruction Don't let us look upon it as matter of form only that we are to tell God Almighty a sad story of our selves and yet in such a manner as if we were not concern'd for the Sin nor God for the punishment of it But when we come to that part of the Confession acknowledging our Offences by Thought Word and Deed let us reflect on some of those Transgressions we have repeated most and have most cause to repent of let us think of them with sorrow and detestation with a resolution to forsake them and a passionate desire to be freed from the Evil of them let our Hearts go along with our Prayers and they are such as will inform us of our condition and being affectionately repeated will teach us to be humble and contrite and that will render us capable of the pardon which follows to be pronounced by the Priest 'T is impossible to prescribe Rules for our thoughts in the time of Absolution we have a hundred Idea's at once in our Minds the Soul is full with Transport Rejoycing and Humilliation we have so much to say that we are confounded in our selves we know not how to bless God enough are affraid of our wickedness and astonished at his goodness there is no re-presenting the Passions of a Soul in this Religious Agony nor how prevailing the confused sighs of a ravish'd sinner are to our merciful God They who are most sensible of their sins can best tell what a boundless joy arises at the thoughts of their forgiveness But lest we should have any mistrust because of our sins the Church has collected some comfortable assurances from the Gospel for 't is no wonder we receive our Pardon doubting and trembling we have need of infallible Authority to perswade us of the truth of these things when our fear had so cast us down that we almost were brought to believe that God had utterly forsaken us we can now cry with chearfulness blessed be God that has not so turned his mercy from us but has sent his Son Jesus Christ to call us to Repentance therefore when we hear the Priest say Come unto me c. Let us humbly say I come unto thee O Jesus ease me of my Burthen so God loved the World c. I believe Lord save me or I perish this is a true saying c. Mercy sweet Jesus I am a miserable sinner If any man sin O thou great advocate of my Soul I bless thee and all that is within me shall praise thy Holy Name Certainly our affections are so moved that we shall be zealous to lift up our hearts with joy and gladness and now confess 't is meet and right to give thanks to which purpose let us summons our strongest affections that we may with Angels and Arch-angels magnifie the glorious Name of God most High If it be upon any particular Feast as Christmas or Easter there is greater reason to strain our selves to the highest Note to give thanks for those particular Blessings We are now approaching nearer to these Holy Mysteries and must express the greater Reverence and before we tast how gracious the Lord is confess our unworthiness to receive him into our Habitation This we can't do in better Words than the Church has provided for us therefore we are to joyn heartily in the following form and beg that our sinful Bodies may be made clean by his Body that being so prepared our Souls may be made fit to receive the Lord of Glory After this excellent Prayer is over let us look towards the Holy Table and whilst the Priest is ordering the Elements Meditate and be astonished at the transcending love of Christ let us lose our selves in contemplation of that Divine Mystery that Heaven should so condescend to Earth and Man be united to God that God should take upon him our Flesh die for us upon Earth and nourish us now he is in Heaven Let us represent to our Faith the intollerable sufferings of our dying Lord his whole Passion upon Mount Calvary and the Agonies of that unknown Sorrow there Imagine we behold him stretch'd upon the Cross and see the Blood issuing from his wounded side Behold him grapling with the fury of an incensed God and all the furies of the Powers of Darkness and this to redeem us from the Horrors of Hell which were due to us for Sin and Wickedness Sure the consideration of these things will create an odiousness of sin which was so great that nothing but the Blood of God could expiate we shall be sensible of our unworthiness and adore withall the forces of our Soul that love surpassing knowledge and beg of our crucified Redeemer to inspire us with holy Zeal that our now softned Souls may Eccho Hallelujahs and all that is within us may sing Eternally to God the Father who contrived this glorious Redemption to God the Son who effected it and to God the Holy Ghost who gives us the benefit thereof Let us now return with the Priest and earnestly beg of our merciful God that the Elements may really become what they represent After we have performed that with Devotion let us leave the rest to God and the Priest and rising from our Knees at the Consecration look toward the Holy Table devoutly attending every Word and Action for all is Mystery and deserves a particular Meditation let us imagine we hear our Saviour consecrating and that
O my Soul is expressed by thy Redeemer when our sins his treacherous Servants and enraged Enemies were contriving his Death he was designing an excellent benefit for us the stream of his affections was so strong that our baseness and ingratitude could not check it we might have expected that the horror of this dismal Night should have made him repent of his undertaking and have put him upon reversing all his former favours but lo he adds a greater than ever he had given before and appoints this as a seal to confirm and convey the rest to us Thy love was stronger than Death and when all the terrors of thy dreadful Passion were in view thy Soul was so calm as to be at leisure to institute this Feast of Joy and Gladness Surely I will entertain this Festival with the dearest regard I can express since it was one of the last and greatest Testimonies of the love of a dying Friend this blessed Legacy this parting Remembrance shall be in my heart for ever Having considered the exceeding great love of God in instituting this Sacrament that very Night he was betrayed and that he should be mindful of us when he was about to drink that Cup of which we were not able let us now contemplate the preparation our Lord then made for us and that we have already heard is Bread but don't let the meaness of the outward part be a disparagement to this mystery but let us adore the Humility of our Saviour who was content with so mean a Re-presentation A Meditation upon the Element of Bread O Blessed Jesus how lovely is thy Humility thou hast chosen to be represented by Bread and though some curious or costly preparation had been more agreeable to thy Dignity yet this best expresses thy condescension Bread is the poor Man's Food yet necessary for the Rich it springs from the Earth yet it is the staff of our Life and given to strengthen Man's heart and so it signifies that Body which thou didst take from the Earth and gavest for the life of the World O that I may receive thee by Faith and then I know I shall draw the most salutary nourishment from thee and thou wilt as effectually be united to my Soul as the Bread which is eaten is to my Body Let me eat this Holy Bread in Charity O do thou make it thy Body and it shall be the Bread of Life to my Soul O merciful Jesus thou hast taken Bread into thy bountiful hands and behold I faint for Hunger I languish for this Spiritual Food and since I am come so nigh thee on this blessed day of Distribution I beseech thee pass not by me as thou takest this Bread so didst thou take thy Body only to be broken in Sacrifice for us and in Sacrament to us let me not therefore want my part O Eternal Word of God by whose power all things were made I will not ask how thou canst give me thy Flesh to eat because I am abundantly satisfied in thy saying this is my Body since thou canst make it become to me whatsoever thou sayest it is I believe Lord help my unbelief what though my senses assure me the outward substances and its accidents still remain yet my Faith and experience tell me there is an Efficacy therein beyond the power of any other thing Alas the Flesh would profit me nothing for he that is joined to thee must be one Spirit O let these sacred Symbols therefore make me partaker of thy Nature and a partner in thy merits let them unite me to thee ingraft me in thee and make that Body mine which did suffer Death for me and then I shall need no further but be more happy than if I could understand all mysteries sure I am this is thy Body in Sacrament it communicates to us the blessings and benefit thereof and though presented with a Figure and by a Holy Right yet it is to all its purposes that which it doth represent I will therefore receive it as thy Body and esteem it infinitly above all other food that I may not be judged for not descerning thy Body O let it be unto me according to my Faith I Am a sinful Wretch O Lord and yet if I bid thee depart from me I banish all true happiness from my Soul I long for thy presence but how shall I entertain thee Thou wast born of a pure Virgin wraped in clean Linnen dwellest now where nothing defiled can enter but never was there so unworthy apartment prepared for thee as my polluted heart into which I durst not presume to bring thee but that I know thou canst make it clean however when by Faith I see that Body which all the Angels in Heaven worship I cannot but abhor my self in Dust and Ashes I am amazed to see such a Majesty come to visit a Sin-sick Soul in so poor a Cottage yea I cannot but tremble at thy presence O thou King of Glory because I am so overspread with the filth of sin but I will lament those corruptions which I cannot fully purge away and beseech thee not to dispise me though I deserve it I confess my self unworthy but thy condesention in stooping to me will be the more illustrious and if thou hast less delight in me for the present thou shalt have more Glory afterwards When thou hast changed my vile Body and made it like to thy glorious Body according to thy mighty Power O My Soul make hast behold thy gracious Master is dealing his Bread to those that hunger after Righteousness be not discouraged at thy unworthiness for he gives to all Men liberally and upbraideth not O dear Jesus give me a share thereof declare me to be thine by feeding me at this Table thou who wert content to be bruised and broken to satisfie my offended God O be pleased to give thy self and the merits of this thy Passion unto me Lord give me ever more of this Bread HOly Jesus I am not worthy to touch this blessed Body as 't is thine yet I presume to approach because thy love hath made it mine This is the sacrifice for my sins the price of my Redemption and that by which my Soul was ransomed from Hell and rescued from a dreadful destruction it was given for me and it shall now be given to me and hast thou made such a preparation for me and offer'd it unto me Lord I am transported at thy love dear Saviour I will love thee with all my powers and strive and pray that I may love thee more as fervently as ever any thy Saints have done I will give my self unto thee and dispise all other things in comparison of thee and when I have once tasted of this all-saving Sacrifice which was given for me I 'm perswaded that neither Life Death Pleasure or Pain things present or to come shall be able to seperate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen O My
admire and worship for all is Miracle and the Height of wonder eternity begins to be the maker of all is made himself an infinite Majesty is shrunk into the dimensions of a Span the Word is made Flesh and God becomes Man yet remains God still Here is a Mother who knew no Man a Son that had no Father on Earth a Child of Adam untainted with the contagion that infects all his posterity an Infant honored with a new gloriou Star adored by Kings worshipped by Angels yet born in the condition of the meanest Fortune All Hail sweetest Saviour How lovely is thy condescention How honourable thy abasement Thou hast more splender in the raggs of humility than all the Grandeurs of this world could give thee thou art more of a King because thou wouldest be like a Slave for our sakes and conquers more hearts by thy stupendious Love and unparalleled self-Denial O how shall I celebrate this great solemnity where withall shall I set forth my gratitude for this most auspicious Day I will receive the Cup of Salvation and with faith and ravishments of delight feast upon that precious Body and Blood which Jesus did this day assume for me It is not enough dearest Lord that thou wast born for me unless that also thou wert born again in me and as it were become incarnate in my heart In thy birth thou wast made one with us thou didst put Flesh and wert a partaker of our Humanity and thou hast appointed this Sacrament that I might be one with thee be replenished with thy Spirit and a partaker of Divine Nature Nor is it any incongruity if I remember thy passion and praise thee for thine Incarnation at once for as soon as thou wast born thou didst begin to die and the life which was here begun compared to that glorious Life which thou didst leave was it self a very death for us which thy Divinity could not feel and thy Nativity was the first Scene of thy passion for it introduced thy Death and that effected our Salvation so that I will remember both together in both thou hast most admirably humbled thy self to the depth of miseries and yet I doubt not but thou would have stupid lower if it had been either necessary or possible but there needs no more Testimonies of thy love blessed Jesus I am already over-whelmed with these that are so strange and undeversed so sweet and ravishing that my Soul cou'd not contain if it did not vent it self in thy praises therefore with Angels A Meditation for the Communion at Easter O My Soul adorn thy self with the Garments of Gladness prepare thy most triumphant Hymns to go forth and meet this great returning Conqueror thou didst rejoice when he was pleased to undertake the combat and didst celebrate his entrance into the Lists with praises How then will it ravish thee to behold him come off with success and Honour his warfare is now accomplish'd and he hath passed through the Scorn and Cruelty of Men the malice and rage of Devils the just but severe anger of God yea the shadow of death and regions of eternal horror and after all this thy surety is set at liberty for he hath paid his debts and cancelled all those dismal Bonds by which thou art forfeited to eternal ruin thy Champion is victorious and as the Trophies of his Conquest he hath the Keys of Death and Hell and leads them both in Triumph vanqished and disarm'd Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord we receive thee dearest Saviour as born to us a second time and this shall be thy Birth-day also the Nativity thought not of our Emperor yet of thy Empire thy Restoration to a Sate of Immortality Thy former Birth shew'd thee to be the Son of Man but this declares thee to be the Son of God and now that our Redeemer liveth he that loved us so infinitely as to die for us doth now ever live to intercede on our hehalf he that expressed such kindness to us in his passion hath so fully demonstrated his own Power in his resurrection that we are sure he is able as willing to deliver us Let the Heavens rejoice and the Earth be glad for this is the day that the Lord hath made a day to be had in everlasting Remembrance a Time destined to Jubilee and rejoycing Behold how nature is raising it self from the grave of Winter and seems annually to celebrate the memory of our Lord's resurrection in her green and fresh attire a season chosen by God a Festival three Thousand years ago and Observed ever since by Jews or Christians or both with the greatest Solemnity see how those blinded Jews rejoyced over their Pascal Lamb in the midst of all their calamities for the deliverance of their Fathers But we have a nobler Pass-over for a greater deliverance Christ our Pass-over is sacrific'd for us therefore let us keep the Feast and that upon the precious Body and Blood of the Lamb of God who is slain but is alive again behold he lives for evermore wherefore I will go to thy Alter with joy and tell out thy works with gladness O most mighty Saviour who hast not only died for my Sins but risen again for my justification and indeed what comfort could I have found in this memorial of thy death if it had not been for thy resurrection this Sacrament would have only remembred thy sufferings and renewed my sorrow to think that so excellent a person had perished in the attempt but it is become a feast of joy because it is an assurance of thy resurrection as well as a commemoration of thy Passion and since thou livest sweet Jesus we live also thy resurrection raised our hearts from sad despair it gives a new life to our hopes it makes our sorrows light our labours easie our lives chearful and our death advantage because it hath lost its sting and is become the Gate into Immortality we can charm all our fears and Troubles with this one word the Lord is risen yea the Lord is risen indeed for thou hast washed us in thy own blood and made us Kings and Preists to God to Offer up at this Altar never ceasing Praises A Meditation for the Communion on Whit-Sunday I Will go to thy Altar O Lord with a new sacrifice of praise because thou hast given me a fresh Instance of thy Love this day thou art slow to punish thy enemies but speedy to comfort thy servants for no sooner was thy misery changed into glory but we received the greatest demonstration of thy affections no sooner didst thou put on thy Crown in Heaven but the earth felt the bounty of thy dispensations for it was not possible for thee sweet Jesus for thy promise to remain long unperformed or the sad expectations of thy Disciples unsatisfied Being assembled therefore this day with one heart in one place they are suddainly surprized with wonder and inspired with a Heavenly power such as
they had never felt before vigorous as a mighty wind chearing as the morning light inflaming their hearts with zeal and filling their mouths with Anthems indited with the Languages of all the World O wonderfull Change their Ignorance is turned into Learning their mistakes into infallibility their fear into courage their weakness into strength their sorrow into joy and they in a moment made able to confound the Arts and conquer the Oppositions of the Heathen world and maugre all the divices of Satan to set up the Kingdom of the Lord Christ and shall we not praise thee for these miraculous dispensations by which the gospel was made known even to us in the most utmost corners and last of times yes Holy Jesus we will also meet thee with one accord at thy table not doubting but thou would give us the measures of thy Spirit there if our duty or our necessity did require it it is enough to us that thou knowest our need more than will supply them we dare not ask lest thou wilt not give thou hast given us thy self wherefore we believe thou wilt not deny us thy Spirit without which we can have no Intrest in thee nor benefit from thee We come not gracious Lord with the carnal Jews to devour thy Flesh but to partake of thy Spirit which only giveth life the flesh profiteth nothing behold thy Spirit hath converted Millions Let me therefore together with thy precious Body receive here such proportions of thy holy Spirit as may suppress my evil Affections revive my dead heart comfort my dejected mind and turn my ignorance into knowledge my knowledge into practice and make that practice so sweet and easie that this may be a day of joy to me also solemnized in the white Garments of Sanctification and rejoycing and finally let not this Heavenly Inspiration be only expressed in Ecstasies and only fervours this day but let thy Spirit rest upon me and dwell in me for ever so shall I always have cause to bless thee for so incomparable a gift Methinks I feel already the force thereof bearing down my corruptions and the bright beams driving the mists of Sin and Error I find its flames warming my heart with Zeal and charity and its quickning power opening my sealed lips to shew forth thy praise A Meditation for the Communion on Trinity Sunday O Admirable mystery to be adored in the profoundest silence by the contemplation thereof when I am struck with amazement I can learn humility and discover mine own Ignorance and I have the opportunity of exercising a Nobler faith than if I could comprehend it with my shallow reasonings and imperfect demonstrations the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity hath been derided by the Heathens and endeavoured to be perplexed by the Wits of all kind of Hereticks but it sufficeth me Blessed Jesus that thou hast revealed it and thy Holy Church divided into many other things hath universally agreed in thy great Truth and I am the more confirmed in it because I learn by it to worship with a regular devotion from hence I am the more confirmed I am taught to pray to the Father in the Name of the Son through the assistance of the Holy Ghost and as long as I live will I praise thee and magnife thee in this manner I will bless thee particularly at this Holy Feast for so excellent a revelation for this Ordinance it self contains many things above my understanding and its all mystery the Trinity is the Article and thy Sacrament the Rite which do distinguish thy true Riligion from all the sects in the World wherefore by observing this Rite I do embrace this Faith and upon the representation of thy death I do profess to live in it and die for it resolving never to have other Lords when I find the Father giving the Son giving and the Holy Ghost dispensing that Gift unto my Soul in this sacred Communion it shall be a greater confirmation to my faith in divine Mystery than can be acquired from the most curious search into it However I am resolved my Reason shall vail to thy word and I will be content to stay for a full apprehension of this sublime truth till I am advanced to a State of Angelick perfection and come to hehold the glories of the true God till then I will bless thee for what I know and believe more than I can conceive and I will worship the same Majesty which the Heavenly Choir doth in these Addresses THE Church has now done her part and leaves us to discharge the rest she has told us the benefits and forewarned us of the danger let it be upon our own Heads if we have drunk Christ's Blood unworthily therefore let us as soon as possible retire and examine our behaviour during the Celebration of these Holy Mysteries How our thoughts were employed and how earnest our longings were after this Bread of Heaven whether we had duly examined our selves before and repented as we ought in what part soever of these things we have done amiss let us ask pardon and endeavour to come more prepared the next time This will show that we are sincere with God and don 't come out of custom but for his Grace and Mercy and let us take every opportunity to ask that for Christ is now come very near us therefore let us lay before him all our wants that so we may be fill'd with his Heavenly Benediction let us not lose a minute on this day but be earnest in all manner of supplication for we must not leave our Devotions with the Church that would be setting open the door indeed that Satan might enter into us but I hardly believe they who have had their hearts kindled at the Altar can suffer them to grow cold before they get home therefore let us retire before Dinner and after we have thus seriously reflected upon what we have been doing let us add to our thoughts the following Meditation A Meditation before Dinner WHen I compare thy acts with mine Holy Jesus I am exceedingly ashamed to behold so a vast a disproportion thou givest me thy Merits and Graces thy Life and Love at present and hast promised to me thy Kingdom in reversion and I have scarce return'd this with the intire devotion of one half hour O how little is my obdurate Heart affected with the sence of my own Guilt the fears of thy Divine Wrath or apprehensions of thy sufferings yet Lord I desire and did endeavour to praise thee so that I hope thou wilt consider my infirmities with much compassion and measure my services not by the exactness of my performance but by the sincerity of my wishes so shall I be accepted before thy Heavenly Father and by the mercy of that acceptance be obliged to thee for ever O Most merciful Lord God I am amazed at the mighty favours which thou hast shew'd to me a sinful wretched Creature I cannot but acknowledge thy
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
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