reading makes all good Books mere Non-sense to you If it were not so you would never be weary of learning your Christian Duty nor of practising it neither and you would particularly never rest till you understood the right way of coming worthily to this heavenly Banquet unto which I here direct you Whenever men are Christians indeed they will set a greater Price than now they do upon this unvaluable Token of Divine Love and they will be ashamed to think that the Table of Devils should have so many Guests and the Table of the Lord so few I have here very plainly shunning all Disputes and Niceties laid the whole Duty before you with the necessity of it and the way to perform it aright I have also removed out of your way all the Rubs and Mormoes which are apt to hinder or affright you Nothing can be wanting but a Will in you to be Christians and to live so now as that you may live eternally This is that which I cannot give you but must not cease to beg it for you of the only Giver of all good Gifts nor to beseech you by the Mercies of God that you will by all means endeavour after it To the Grace of God I do moâ—â— heartily commend you in my Prayers beseeching him to bless this poor Endeavour to the eternal Good of your Souls THE CONTENTS Chap. I. THE necessity of Receiving this Sacrament II. The necessity and way of Receiving it worthily III. How to examine our selves about our Baptismal Covenant IV. A help for the Examination of our Faith V. A help for the Examination of our Repentance and Obedience VI. How to examine whether we be rightly disposed for this Sacrament VII What Affections of Soul are sutable to this Sacrament VIII How we are to behave our selves at this Sacrament IX The pretended Reasons for neglecting this Sacrament briefly answered X. The Stumbling-blocks cast in our way removed Some short Directions and Prayers THE WAY TO THE Lord's Table CHAP. I. The necessity of receiving this Sacrament REverently and Devoutly to receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is so indispensable a Christian Duty that whosoever refuseth to do it doth no less in effect than refuse Salvation and renounce his Saviour There is no Salvation in any other but IESVS CHRIST No man cometh to the Father but by him There is no Salvation by Christ for those that keep not his Commandments but as he is the Author of Salvation to them that obey him So will he come to take Vengeance on them that obey not the Gospel And his express Command he hath left us in these plain Words This do in Remembrance of me Luke 22. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 24. He that hath given us this Command is GOD over all blessed for ever The great God that made us the good Lord that bought and redeemed us with his own most precious Blood he to whom God the Father hath given all Power both in Heaven and in Earth and hath commanded us to hear him in all things whatsoever he saith unto us It is the Command of a dear Friend who loved us as his Father loved him who hath called us Friends and laid down his Life for us in pure Love and hath assured us that if we keep his Commandments we shall abide in his Love The Command of this dying Friend when he was going to reconcile us wicked Rebels by his own bloody Death unto God was this This do in Remembrance of me When dying for us he bequeathed unto us Pardon and his Spirit and eternal Life this he required of us that by doing this we would preserve alive a loving and thankful Remembrance of him and shew his Death and his Kindness therein to our Souls till he come again to receive us to himself and put us into full Possession of eternal Glory And how shall we then look him in the Face if we have refused to do this In this Sacrament he offereth us himself Crucified for us his Body and Blood the most choice Token of his wonderful Love Can we refuse it and not renounce his Love and Friendship thereby Thus would He have us declare our Fellowship with the Father and the Son and with the Holy Apostles and all Saints as joynt Members of his one Body the Church by feasting together at his Table on this one Bread Can we refuse to do this and not renounce all Fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Communion of Saints Two solemn Rites he hath instituted as peculiar to his Religion Baptism and the Supper of the Lord whereby we are to own him openly before the World and profess our selves in Covenant with him As he then that refuseth to be Baptized refuseth to be a Christian so he that having been baptized refuseth this other Sacrament doth in effect renounce his Baptism disown the Covenant apostatize from Christ and cast off the Profession of Christianity He hath not commanded us many chargeable and troublesome Sacrifices such as the Iews offered nor the Blood of our Sons and Daughters which the Gentiles grudged not to offer unto Devils The Cost we are put to is of a little Bread and Wine the Pains we are put to is with holy and thankful Hearts to take eat and drink in Remembrance of our Saviour Can we now disobey so easie a Command of the God of Heaven and Earth the King of the World the Redeemer of Sinners the only Saviour of Souls and not renounce God our Saviour the Christian Religion and all our claim to Salvation No 't is very plain that tho' the want of this Sacrament when it is desired but cannot be had is no Sin if not occasioned by our Sin yet the wilfull neglect of it is no less than a damning Sin unless there be no such thing as Damnation and the Gospel be a Fable from which blasphemous thought Good God preserve us all CHAP. II. The Necessity and Way to Receive worthily HE that eateth not at the Lord's Table must dye and he that eateth unworthily is in danger of Death so St. Paul assures us Whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 27. and again v. 29. He eateth and drinketh Damnation or Judgment to himself If this seem hard to us it is only because we are unreasonable and had rather not do any Duty at all than be at the Pains to do it as we ought As the Duty is necessary and yet very reasonable and not burdensome so to do it worthily is as necessary and no less reasonable or easie if we have a Mind to be Christians The Direction how to communicate worthily we have in these words Let a Man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup 1 Cor. 11. 28. They who are ignorant
Messias the Anointed holy one of God who as the great Prophet of God hath instructed us in the way of Righteousness and Salvation and having taught us the whole Will of his Father after he had suffered many things in our Humane Nature was Crucified and willingly died a Sacrifice of Atonement for our Sins and was buried and continued till the third day in the state of the Dead and herein was the true High-priest who offering himself once for all hath made Reconciliation for the Sins of the People Do I believe That on the third day he rose again from the dead to die no more and having sufficiently instructed his Apostles in their Office and instituted the Sacrament of Baptism whereby they were to admit men into his Church he was received up into Heaven and sat down on the right hand of God in all Power and Majestly King of Kings and Head over all things to the Church and there as the great High-priest maketh Intercession for us and blesseth us rendring our Services acceptable to God Do I believe that at the day appointed by God he shall come again in Glory to judge the Quick and Dead according to his Gospel and that we must all appear before his Judgment Seat that every one may receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Do I believe That Christ sent the Promise of his Father the Comforter which is the HOLY GHOST to guide the Church into all Truth to be with it for ever and to sanctifie our Hearts to believe love and obey the Truth and to prepare us by Holiness for Happiness in the Presence of God for ever Do I believe that God always had and will have a peculiar People and Society of Men which make One holy Catholick Church or Body whereof Christ is the only Head who ruleth and governeth it by his Spirit and Word and Ministers under him in Doctrine Worship and Discipline That all the true sanctified Members of this Church are enlivened by the holy Spirit of Christ and by the Communion of the Spirit communicate in the Love of the Father and the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ in the Ministry of Angels and the Prayers of glorified Souls and with all Saints in the same holy Faith and Love and Offices of Religion Do I believe that all who faithfully persevere in this holy Communion of Saints have the Pardon of their Sins given them of God through Jesus Christ proclaimed unto them by the Ministry of the Word and particularly applied and sealed unto them in the Sacraments Do I believe That the Bodies of all men shall after Death be raised up again to Life and that the Wicked shall go into everlasting Torments and the Righteous shall live for ever in perfect Holiness and Glory in the Presence of God in Heaven These are the chief Matters of Faith wherein we are to examine our selves But that we may know whether we believe these things savingly we are farther to enquire 1. If we believe them understandingly To be satisfied herein we should do well to have the Approbation and Judgment of God's Minister 2. If we believe them with a divine Faith because of the Truth or Veracity of God who hath revealed them Be perfect therefore in the Scriptures that you may know they are taught therein by God 3. If we believe them firmly so that we are persuaded we dare even lay down our Lives for the Truth 4. If we believe them effectually and practically so that this Belief doth fill our Hearts with the Fear and Love of God and produce strong Resolutions servent Prayers and strenuous Endeavours to honour God by holy and obedient Lives Yet here we are to note That it is not every doubting whether we understand aright or whether the thing be a divine Truth or whether our Faith be firm and strong or have sufficient Influence on our Hearts and Lives that should dismay us but whilst we find that notwithstanding some Doubtings our Faith is able to carry us on in a Christian Course of Life trusting our Souls in well doing to the Mercy of God through Iesus Christ we are to cheer up our selves and using the means of strengthening our Faith say Lord I believe help thou my Unbelief CHAP. V. An help for the Examination of our Repentance and Obedience IT is the great Blessing of the Gospel that CHRIST came to call Sinners to Repentance That after the Law of Innocence was broken and we were under the Curse of Death and an impossibility to be saved by our own Righteousness Repentance is allowed of and a new Obedience Repentance in Scripture is sometimes all one with Conversion that is such a turning and change of Heart and Mind that being brought to the Knowledge of the true God and our Duty to him we renounce our former course of Life and resolve to serve and honour God according to his Word This fits us for Baptism wherein God's Minister in God's Name admits us into the Church and assures us of Pardon upon our continuing living Members of the same Repentance is also an humbling sense of and hearty Sorrow for any Sin or Violation of our Baptismal Covenant with a free Confession of our Demerit an earnest begging of Pardon a resolving to amend and praying for God's Grace so to do Now because all Sin is Disobedience to the Law of God we may at once examine our Repentance and Obedience by that Law it telling us our Duty and our Consciences telling us how we have either done it or are concerned for not doing it Ask then Have I done my best by such helps as God affords me to attain to divine Knowledge and not contented my self to live in Ignorance of God and of his Truth Hath the Knowledge of God wrought in me a most high and honourable Esteem of him an aweful Reverence towards him an entire Resignation of my self to him and humble Obedience to his Government a total dependance and trust to his Goodness an unfeigned Love of him above all things and an ardent Desire to enjoy him Do I love God for the excellency of his Nature and the beauty of his Holiness and his Goodness to me and all men especially as manifested in Iesus Christ Do I love him so as to love his Laws and his Word and Worship his Ministers and his Children his House and Day and every thing that relates to him Is it the earnest desire of my Soul to be able to honour him more and to be more like him in Holiness and can I find no rest to my Soul in any thing but him Have I made his Wisdom
our Repentance be unfeigned and rest neither in confessing our Sins nor sorrowing for them nor begging Pardon nor in any thing else till it come up to a hatred of Sin and a full Resolution to forsake it When it is come to this we will be very angry at our own Folly that we have so long continued in it very thankful to God for any Chastisement thinking our selves mercifully dealt with whatever our Condition be so long as we are not in Hell use cheerfully all helps and means how hard or sharp soever to mortifie our Lusts thank any man that will reprove us and shew us our Faults watch diligently against all Temptations avoid carefully all occasions of Sin observe jealously our Thoughts Words and Actions pray devoutly for more Grace and Strength abridge our selves of many things lawful and punish our selves by crossing our own Wills not be ashamed to make publick satisfaction to the Church where it is required nor to open our Breasts freely to the Guide of our Souls for our own Satisfaction We will do any thing or suffer any thing to prevent sinning against God These helps to Self-examination might here have been omitted had I cause enough to believe that they for whose Ease and Benefit they are chiefly design'd had made as good use of my little Book called Christianity in short as I could wish they had made Those Summaries of Faith and Duty which there they have might have served them for this purpose And here I think fit to give my Readers notice that I suppose it would be very beneficial to their Souls once a Week or Fortnight or at least when they have examined themselves in order to this Sacrament with the greatest Seriousness and Devotion to use that form of Resigning themselves to God and renewing their Covenant with him which they have at the end of that small Book CHAP. VI. How to examine whether we be rightly disposed for the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper IF we be Christians we have a right to this Sacrament yet that we may profit the more by it we are more particularly to examine our selves both how we understand it and how suitable our Affections are unto it I. We are to try how we understand the Nature Ends and Benefits of this divine Ordinance To which end we are duely to consider the Institution of it as it is recorded in Scripture St. Matthew tells us that as they were eating Iesus took Bread and blessed it St. Luke saith he gave Thanks and brake it and gave it to the Disciples and said Take eat this is my Body St. Luke addeth Which is given for you this do in Remembrance of me and St. Paul saith which is broken for you c. And he took the Cup and gave Thanks and gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it for this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of Sins St. Luke saith This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you And St. Paul saith This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew or shew ye the Lord's Death till he come By these Words of the Evangelists and St. Paul we may understand what the meaning and use of this Sacrament is 1. It is a holy Christian Feast not much unlike the Feast of the Passover among the Iews at which this was instituted by Christ. When they were in Bondage in Egypt God in order to their Deliverance destroyed all the first-born in Egypt commanding them to kill in each Family a Lamb and to strike the Blood thereof upon the Door-posts of their Houses and so to feast upon it promising that when he saw the Blood he would pass over their Houses and not destroy their first-born In thankful Remembrance whereof they yearly kept the like Feast called therefore the Lord 's Passover Thus by the Sin of Adam we being all brought into Bondage and Slavery under Satan it pleased God to destroy the Power of the Devil and deliver us by the Death of JESUS CHRIST the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World to redeem us by his precious Blood as of a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot so that Christ is our Passover sacrificed for us Therefore are we to keep the Feast eating our Passover the Body and Blood of Christ in a thankful Remembrance of this our Redemption and Deliverance by his once offering himself to God a Sacrifice for our Sins In like manner when according to the Law Men sacrificed Peace-offerings unto God they were allowed to feast before God on part of the same to signifie that God now admitted them to an intimate Communion and Friendship with himself feasting them at his own Table of that meat which by their Oblation was now in a special manner his So Christ whom all the Sacrifices of the Law did shadow forth and typifie being offered once for all a Sacrifice of Atonement for our Sins calleth us Christians to feast upon this Sacrifice though it was a Sin-offering and even upon the Blood of it as the Iews were not allowed to do in their Feasts in token of a more intimate Communion and Friendship with God through him who hath made our Peace This Sacrament then is a sacred Feast and that upon the sacrificed Body and Blood of Christ and as bodily we eat and drink the broken Bread and poured-out Wine the Symbols of his Body and Blood so spiritually we eat his crucified Body and drink his poured-out Blood 2. The great end of this Feast is to keep up in the Christian Church a fresh and joyful Remembrance of Iesus Christ and of all that he did and suffered in the Flesh for us This do saith he in remembrance of me It is his Pleasure that we more signally and solemnly commemorate thus the Sacrifice of his Death by a lively Representation of it at this Feast of Love and so shew his Death till he come 1. We shew it hereby to our own Hearts for the stirring them up to an holy rejoycing in Christ praising him believing in him loving him and obeying him and to bring them to true Repentance and a perfect hatred of Sin which crucified the Lord of Glory 2. We shew it to the World declaring to the Honour of our holy Iesus what great things he hath done for our Souls that we are not ashamed of a crucified Saviour that we glory before the World and rejoyce in him that he is the Food and Gladness of our Souls that we are resolved to be faithful unto him whilst we live and are ready to dye a bloody Death for him if he shall call us to it 3. We shew it unto God laying before him in our Prayers the Death of his only
good Christians want it and are but working out their Salvation with fear and trembling To labour after it is our Duty to have it is our great Comfort but no Condition of Salvation Do you believe the Gospel that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved that Iesus Christ is the Saviour of all them that repenting of their Sins trust in his Merits and live in Obedience to his Government and Laws Do you accordingly consent to be saved by him upon these terms and striving against Sin earnestly desire and endeavour to live according to his Gospel and trust to him for Salvation This is saving Faith whether you have full Assurance or no and you are to receive this Sacrament for the strengthning of your Faith Obj. 6. Faith worketh by Love Gal. and I fear I do not love God Ans. Are you convinced that God is the chief good and ought to be loved above all things And do you so value him above all things Are you thereupon resolved to do any thing to part with any thing to suffer any thing thereby to honour him and enjoy his Love Do you thus practice and can you deny your self and your own Will to do his This is Love that you keep his Commandments And though you feel not such a passionate Lov◠〈◊〉 you have for some other things yet if you have this prizing and over-ruling Love that you do prefer his Will and his Favour above other things you are to use this Sacrament for the confirming and farther inflaming your Love Obj. 7. I fear I do not truly repent for I cannot weep for my Sins Ans. Can you hate them and avoid them and do you in Obedienee to God and of Love to him shun all Temptations and watch against them If so though your Eyes be dry God will not despise a broken Heart Obj. 8. But I feel Lusts and evil Inclinations stirring in me Ans. So you shall whilst you live more or less But do you not feed and cherish them Do not you delight in them nor obey and fulfill them Do you on the contrary check and restrain them and use all the means of subduing and mortifying them If you find it thus come to this Sacrament with Comfort Let not Sin reign in you to fulfill the Lusts thereof and all will be well Obj. 9. I am not in charity with my Neighbours therefore I dare not come Ans. That is You dare sin and perish but you dare not leave off sinning and do your Duty and be saved If you be not in charity how dare you pray for the Forgiveness of your Sins as you forgive others how dare you sleep lest you die out of Charity Plead not Sin as an Excuse for not doing your Duty but leave your Sin and do it Obj. 10. But I am engaged in Law Suits and dare not come till they be ended Ans. That is You will have your Right first if you can get it and let God stay your leisure for his When you have got your Will of your Neighbour you will do your Duty to God But cannot you manage your Law Suits justly and charitably Can you not defend or recover your Right without doing wrong or bearing ill will to your Neighbour Then doâ— you take a sad course to damn 〈◊〉 own Soul to do your Neighbour an ill-turn Do nothing but your Duty in going to Law and you need not be kept from your Duty in this Sacrament of Christ. Obj. 11. I have so much Business that I cannot prepare my self Ans. Is it honest and profitable Business which you may do to the Glory of God Then need it not hinder you from doing this great Business of your Soul Doth it afford you time to eat and drink to sleep yea and perhaps give and receive impertinent Visits And will it allow no time to prepare your self for this Sacrament See that you make no more Business than is needful Examine your self daily and stir up your Affections to God and renew your Vows and use only honest Business and the work of Preparation will require no great time â—bj 12. I receive it sometimes but why so often Ans. Where 's the Zeal of the Primitive Christians who communicated every Lord's Day or oftner What Reason can you give why this Sacrament should not be a part of all our publick and more solemn Worship seeing it is a Duty whereby we are so especially to own our selves the Disciples of a Crucified Saviour Have we not need often to stir up in us the Remembrance of Christ to quicken and actuate our Graces Are they so lively and active in us Would not the frequent Celebration hereof keep in us a warm sense of our Christian Duty to live Godly Righteously and Soberly Would it not keep in a constant readiness to dye and fit our Accounts for Iudgment Can our unwillingness frequently to communicate signifie any thing else but that we too coldly resent God's Love to our Souls in Christ and thaâ— we desire to have time enough betwixt Sacrament and Sacrament to 〈◊〉 get our Vows and to enjoy our Sins and hope to make amends for all the next time we receive Obj. 13. I see many that come to this Sacrament little better for it they live no better Lives than they did before Ans. You see some that thrive not by their Labour nor grow strong by their Meat nor are cured by their Physick Will this move you to neglect your Business refuse to eat seek no Remedy when you are sick Must not you do your Duty because others do it amiss Obj. 14. I have not found that Benefit and Comfort by it formerly which should encourage me to come to it again Ans. We are to do our Duty whether we get any thing by it or no. If we reap not the Benefit the fault is neither in God nor his Ordinance but in our selves The Sun makes a living Plant grow but drieth up a dead one If we have done our Duty as we ought the Conscience of that should comfort us very much If we hold on constantly in a Christian course of Life we may presume we have got good by this Sacrament and may get much more by receiving it oftner Be more careful to do your Duty in an acceptable manner than too desirous of sensible Joys and Comforts The Duty is ours to perform in its season the Benefit is God's to give when he pleaseth and the Comfort may be reserved to come in fully in Heaven Obj. 15. But I am guilty of back-stiding into many Sins since the last Sacrament Ans. It is that which good men have been guilty of and for that there is no less need of Humiliation and Repentance but there is more room for Hope The more dangerously you have fallen the more care ought you to take to rise again by Repentance the more need have you to renew youâ— Covenant and to come for more strength in your greater need Obj. 16. I shall
Wages of Sin for which I have so long labour'd How many and foul are the Sins which thou hast now enabled me to discover in my self even the least of this black number is enough to condemn me to endless Torments and whither then would not such a multitude of foulest Transgressions sink me if thy Mercies were not infinite and thy Patience truly wonderful Yet alas how few are all these in comparison of those which have escaped my Observation but cannot be hid from thine all-seeing Eye And if I appear so vile in my own Eyes how loathsome and abominable a thing must I needs be in thine My Sins O God are not a few but many no small Offences but very heinous Transgressions few of them rare with me but most of them very often repeated long continued in and become even familiar customary and habitual Yea O Lord with shame and confusion of Face I confess that I have had so little regard to thy Will that I have even sinned as I eat and drink with all greediness and delight Though thou hast never been wanting to me in any help to enable me or any Remembrancer to mind me or any Motive to invite me or any Bounty or Promise to encourage me yet have I made a very bad use of all thy Goodness and by that very Patience and Forbearance which should have led me to Repentance I have encouraged my self to sin the more freely even without fear and I may justly fear to the great hardening of my Heart Tho I have lived long under the bright Light of thy Gospel and have thy Word sounding in my Ears daily and have thy Ministers ready at hand to instruct me yet am I very ignorant and have even hated Knowledge and despised Instruction and cast thy Words behind Though I have had many seasonable Monitors of my Duty and felt many motions of thy good Spirit and suffered many Checks from my own Conscience yet have I turned my Back upon thee and done almost none of thy Commandments Nay after the most solemn Engagements Covenants and Vows I have treacherously revolted from thee rebelled against thee and set at naught all thy Goodness to me I have a false and treacherous Heart which hath never yet kept Faith with thee I find to the great discomfort of my Soul that I have dissembled with thee and gone about to mock thee by feigned Professions counterseit Repentances and hypocritical Devotions Even now O Lord I feel not that deep Humiliation that piercing Grief that Anger and Hatred and Indignation against my Sins and my self for cherishing them that I ought to have neither do I find in my Heart that servent Love of thee that true Zeal for thy Honour that hungring desire of Righteousness and Holiness that should be in me And now O my God what can I have to say for my self after all this Why should'st thou not deal with me as I have justly deserved and reward me with Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish If thou should'st even now instead of accepting my Confession throw me in thy just Fury into unquenchable Flames with the Devil and his Angels thou wert most just in so doing and even merciful in taking Vengeance of me so late when I had so often and long provoked thy Wrath before O Lord I have nothing to plead in my own Excuse I have nothing to fly unto but that Mercy of my good God which I have so long abused O hide not thy Face away from me but humble my Soul yet more for my Unworthiness break my Heart into true Contrition that it may yet be an acceptable Sacrifice unto thee give me not over unto vile Affections nor a reprobate Mind break the dominion Sin hath got over me for the earnest desire of my Soul is to be thy Servant and only thine for ever O gracious God we have an Advocate at thy right hand even Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the Propitiation for our Sins him thou sentest into the World to be the Saviour of lost Sinners and hast promised that no Man shall perish or be rejected that cometh unto thee by him for his sake pardon me for his sake have Mercy upon me by the bitter Death and Passion of thy dearly beloved Son in whom thou art well pleased I beseech thee O holy Father to look graciously upon me and blot out all my Transgressions and restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation Cleanse and purifie my sinnful Soul in his Blood receive me graciously into the number of thine adopted Children rid me and set me free from the power of Sin and slavery of my Lusts let thy holy Spirit rule for ever in my Heart and deliver me from the Law of Sin and Death in my Members O speak Peace unto thy Servant and let me yet live to praise thy Name let me not return any more with the Dog to his Vomit nor with the Sow to her wallowing in the Mire but work in me a perfect Hatred of all that thou hatest and a true Love to all that thou lovest Strengthen me by thy Grace to withstand all Temptations and to persevere and grow in Faith and Love and all Goodness to deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to live henceforward righteously soberly and godly in this present World patiently and comfortably looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious Appearance of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works In his blessed Name and perfect Prayer I here commend unto thee all the Desires and Needs of my poor Soul and of thy whole Church Our Father c. A Prayer before the blessed Sacrament O Most merciful God and Father in Iesus Christ who of thine infinite Love and Goodness to our poor perishing Souls hast provided for us all things that be needful to us in our polluted and miserable Condition whereinto we have brought our selves by Sin and shew'st Mercy unto us even when we would have no Mercy on our selves I am here O Lord prostrate at thy Foot-stool a vile Wretch that have again and again deserved to be punished with everlasting Destruction from thy presence And will the great God of Heaven and Earth vouchsafe to look upon such a Dog as I Shall the so often offended dishonoured provoked Majesty of the glorious God condescend even to invite and beseech so traiterous a Rebel as I have been to accept of Pardon and Salvation And shall I yet despise thy loving-kindness O my gracious God and neglect so great Salvation as this that thou daily tenderst unto us in the Son of thy Love and our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ When we were gone astray from thee the God of our Life and were going head-long to Destruction thou wert pleased to open unto us a new and living way by the Death of thy only begotten