Blessed Saviour and all the benefits of his Passion and to that end give me such a preparation of Soul as may qualify me for it Give me a deep sence of my sins and unworthiness that being weary and heavy laden I may be capable of his Refreshings and by being Supled in my own tears I may be the fitter to be washed in his Blood Raise up my dull and Earthly mind from groveling here below and inspire it with a Holy Zeal that I may with Spiritual affection approach this Spiritual Feast and let O Lord that infinite Love of Christ in Dy-Dying for so wretched a Sinner Inflame my frozen benumb'd Soul and kindle in me that Sacred Fire of Love to him and that so vehement that no waters may quench no floods drown it such as may burn up all my dross and not leave one unmortified Lust in my Soul and such as may also extend it self to all whom thou hast given me command and Example to love even Enemies as well as Friends Finally O Lord I beseech thee to cloath me in the wedding Garment and make me tho' of my self a most unworthy yet by thy Mercy an acceptable Guest at this Holy Table that I may not eat nor drink my own condemnation but may have my Pardon sealed my weakness repaired my corruptions subdued and my Soul inseperably united to thee That no Temptations may ever be able to dissolve the Union but that being begun here in Grace it may be consummated in Glory Grant this O Lord for thy Dear Son's sake Jesus Christ Amen Another O Blessed Jesus who once offeredst thy self for me upon the Cross and now offerest thy self to me in the Sacrament Let not I beseech thee my impenitence and unworthiness frustrate these so inestimable Mercies to me but qualify me by thy Grace to receive the full benefit of them O Lord I have abundant need of thee but am so clogged with guilt so holden with the cords of my Sins that I am notable to move towards thee O loose me from this Bond wherewith Satan and my own Lusts have bound me and draw me that I may run after thee Lord thou seest daily how eagerly I pursue the paths that lead to Death but when thou invitest me to Life and Glory I turn my back and forsake my own Mercy How often hath this Feast been prepared and I have with frivolous excuses absented my self or if I have come it bath been rather to defie than adore thee I have brought such troops of thy profest enemies unrepented Sins along with me as if I came not to commemorate but to renew thy Passion Crucifying thee afresh and putting thee to open shame and now of what punishment shall I be thought worthy who have thus trampled under foot the Son of God and counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing Yet O Merciful Jesus this Blood is my only refuge O let this make mine attonement or I perish Eternally Wherefore didst thou shed it but to save Sinners neither can the merit of it be overwhelmed either by the greatness or number of my Sins I am a Sinner a great one O let me find its saving efficacy be merciful to me O God be merciful to me for my Soul trusteth in thee and in the clefts of thy Wounds shall be my refuge until thy Fathers indignation be overpast O thou who hast as my High Priest sacrificed for me intercede for me also and plead thy meritorious sufferings on my behalf and suffer not O my Redeemer the price of thy Blood to be utterly lost and grant O Lord that as the Sins I have to be forgiven are many so I may love thee much Lord thou seest what faint what cold affections I have towards thee O warm and enliven them and as in this Sacrament that Transcendent Love of thine in dying for me is shed forth so I beseech thee let it convey such Grace into me as may enable me to make some returns of Love O let this Divine fire descend from Heaven into my Soul and let my Sins be the Burnt-offering for It to consume that there may not any corrupt affection any cursed thing be sheltered in my heart that I may never again defile that place thou hast chosen for thy Temple thou dyedst O Holy Jesus to redeem me from all Iniquity O let me not again sell my self to work Wickedness but grant that I may at this time approach thee with most sincere and fixed Resolutions of an Intire Reformation and let me Receive such Grace and strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many Old habituted Diseases my Soulgroans under Here mention thy prevailing Corruptions and though I lye never so long at the pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy Holy Table yet unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing Virtue they will still remain uncured O thou blessed Physitian of Souls heal me and grant that I may now so touch thee that every one of those loathsom Issues may immediately stench that these sicknesses may not be unto Death but unto the Glory of thy Mercy in pardoning and to the Glory of thy Grace in purifying so polluted a wretch O Christ hear me and grant I may now approach thee with such Humility and Contrition Love Faith and Devotion that thou mayest Vouchsafe to come to me and abide with me Communicating to me thy self and all the merits of thy Passion and then O Lord. let no accusations of Satan or my own Conscience amaze or distract me but but having peace with thee let me also have peace in my self that this Wine may make glad this Bread of Life may strengthen my heart and enable me chearfully to run the way of thy Commandments Grant this Merciful Saviour for thine own Bowels and Compassions sake Amen Before the Bread O Blessed Lord God who hast given us thine only Son to lay down his Life for our Sins and his Flesh for the food and nourishment of our Souls purge and purifie my vile and sinful Soul that it may be a fit habitation for his pure unspotted and precious Body and that no unclean thing may presume to enter where his Holy Feet have trod from henceforth for Ever Amen Thou hast said that he that Eareth thy Flesh and drinketh thy Blood hath Eternal Life Behold the Servant of the Lord be it unto me according to thy Word At the Receiving of the Bread By thy Crucified body deliver me from this body of Death After the Bread BLessed be thy Holy Name O Lord my God who hast vouchsafed to feed me with that Holy-Bread from Heaven the Flesh of thy dear Son grant that in the strength of this Food I may walk before thee in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of my Life till I come to the Mount of God the Holy Hill where thine Honour and our Rest dwelleth Amen If you have time use this Meditation O My Soul
I offer a defiled body a strain'd Soul and corrupt affections I am heartily sorry it is no better but it is all I have to give and all thou requirest it will be freer and better by being thine O let me never have other master let me never fully that which the Blood of Christ hath washed nor sell that to Satan which the Holy Jesus hath redeemed at so great a price grant me therefore gracious Lord to find by the amendment of my life that thou hast accepted me this day give me such help from thee to confirm my hope that I may always perform my vows and never rob thee of that which I have dedicated to thee in the sincerity of my Soul I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy Righteous Judgements I am thine O save me for thy Mercies and for thy Son Christ Jesus sake Amen An act of Acknowledgment THere are many O Lord who are most Importunate to obtain thy favour and unquiet till they receive some testemonies thereof and yet when their desires are granted they are unmoved and ingrateful but I will endeavour to praise thee as heartily for these manifestoes of thy Love as I desired them servently I acknowledg therefore that I am full of wonder to find my self honoured with the highest priviledges and remarked with the most illustrious signals of thy Love I begg'd the Mercy of gathering up the Crumbs under thy Table and behold thou hast placed me among thy Children and fed me with the choisest of thy preparations O Lord let all my enemies the powers of Darkness be confounded to behold me a poor sinful wretch whose ruine they gaped for thus to be made a guest at thy Table to be treated as one of thy dearest Children or best beloved Friends I was far from deserving this Honor but I will rejoice in it bless thy name for it because it hath revived my hope cheer'd my drooping Soul and I am perswaded this fresh testimony of thy favour will engage me to love thee with an unalterable affection there was nothing I desired in comparison with thy love nor conld I have wished a more certain pledge of it than thy Son and my Saviour welcome art thou to me O my Redeemer for thy own sake and welcome as thou art the Evidence of thy Heavenly Fathers love to me a miserable sinner I will acknowledge it at present as much as I am able and my whole life hereafter shall shew how deep a sence I have of this Enestimable Goodness and whenmy Life doth fail it shall be the Subject of my Halelujahs Amen Almighty God who of thy tender Mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer Death upon the Cross for our Redemption and didst institute and in thy Holy Gospel command us to continue a perpetual Memory of that his precious Death until his coming again Hear me most merciful Saviour I most humbly beseech thee and make my Groanings and Disires after this Holy Sacrament answerable to my needs of it But O Lord How shall such a Wretch as I dare to approach thy Holy Table How shall I presume to take the Childrens Bread who am as a vile Dog in thy sight I have often trampled those precious things under foot either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these Holy Misteries O Lord my horrrible Guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet makes me not dare to stay away for where shall this polluted Soul be washed but in the Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness Hither then I come and thou hast promised him that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out Grant me therefore Gracious Lord so to eat the flesh of thy Dear Son Jesus Christ and to drink his Blood that my sinful body may be made clean by his body and my Soul washed through his precious Blood Amen I will not presume to come to thy Table O merciful Lord trusting in my own Righteousness but in thy manifold and great Mercies declared unto Mankind in our Lord Jesus Christ for whose sake give me I pray thee such a preparation of Soul as may qualify me for a worthy Approach thereunto To this end make me heartily sensible of my Sins and unworthiness raise up my dull and earthly mind from groveling here below and also inspire it with a holy zeal to seek those things that are above Let that infinite Love of Christ in dying for so wretched a sinner inflame my soul and kindle in me that Sacred fire of Love to him again and to all those whom he hath given me Command an Example to Love Enemies as well as Friends and that for his sake Cloath me O Lord in the Wedding Garment and make me though of my self a most unworthy yet by thy mercy an acceptable Guest at thy Table that I may not eat or drink my own Damnation but Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen I said I will take heed to my ways that I offend not with my Tongue O God who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great Dangers that by reason of the frailty of our Nature we cannot always stand upright grant to me such strength and protection as may support me in all Dangers and carry me through all Temptations through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O God to whom Vengeance belongeth O God to whom Vengeance belongs shew thy self but let it be in pity and compassion to thy wretched and unworthy Servant who in all humility consess my self a wicked and sinful creature I acknowledge those sins which if I would I cannot hide from thee my sins of Pride and vain glory of Hatred and Envy of Gluttony and Wantonness I accuse my self of my wicked desires and thoughts which I have conceived * At these marks have recourse to those sins noted in your Paper my wanton and evil words which I have spoken * of my naughty and ungodly deeds which I have committed * I acknoledge and bewail these my manifold sins and wickednesses which I from time to time most grievously have committed by thought word and deed against thy Divine Majesty provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my misdoings the remembrance of them is grievous unto me the burden of them is intolerable have mercy upon me have mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son Jesus Christs sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life to the honour and glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FOrgive me my sins O Lord forgive me the sins of my Age and the sins of my Youth the sins of my Soul and the sins of my Body my Secret and my Whispering sins my presumptious and my Crying sins the sins that I have done to please my self and the sins that I have done to please
and my Soul which is polluted in every faculty wash'd through his most precious Blood which taketh away the Sins of the World Let me be so wholly purified that I may now begin to be inseparably united to Jesus and that I by Faith may evermore dwell in him abiding in his Love and that by his Spirit he may dwell in me always Amen A Prayer for Purity O Almighty God whose power is Terrible to all that approach thee with polluted Souls because thou art the Majesty unto whom the Thoughts and Imaginations of all hearts are open and apparent all desires and Wishes after any evil are known and evident and the God from whom no secrets in word or deed are hid or by any policy can be concealed The Remembrance of my Impurity makes me fear to draw near to thee till I have Implor'd thee who alone art able to keep me therein to cleanse and purge out all the evil which are so commonly the Guests of my Heart lest they provoke thy pure Eyes to pass me by with this abhorrence and deprive me of the comfort and benefit of this Communion Blessed Lord prepare thy Lodging in my Soul by the Inspiration of those pure thoughts and Heavenly desires which are the fruit of thy Holy Spirit and the Harbingers of the King of Glory that I may as it is my unfeigned desire at all times and above all things most sincerely and perfectly to love thee and not suffer any secret Sin to be thy Rival in my Heart and that I may also especially in this Sacrifice of praise worthily Magnifie and agreeably set forth the Glory of thy Holy Name in giving so Illustrious a Salvation to us through Christ Jesus for whose sake I beseech thee to hear me for he is thy Son and shall be my Lord for ever Amen A Meditation at the Offering O Lord I give thee a small part of thine own who hast given me all my Earthly Comforts yea thy own Son out of thy bosom to become my Salvation O that I could give a thousand times more thy Love deserves it for this I give not alas as a Requital of thy favour but a testimony how much more I owe unto thee my Charities cannot extend to thee who needest nothing only Holy Jesus I do gladly embrace my Poor Brethren and thy Friends whose Souls thou hast purchased with thy dearest Blood and made them Heirs with me of the same Salvation I rejoyce that thou acceptest so small a matter to them as done to thy self behold therefore a soul I beseech thee so Sick and Leprous poor and naked that it needs thy Mercy more than the most miserable Creature in all the whole World my Charity O how many and how earnest prayers do I need could I engage all the poor on Earth whose prayers soonest pierce the Clouds I need all this and as much more to make way for mine acceptance But O my Saviour this is a day in which thou Scatterest thy Bounties Wherefore Remember thou my Soul which is undone without thy pity and since thy Mercies are infinitely greater than ours Lord do not pass me by far be it from me to think so meanly of thy Love as to esteem mine Alms the purchase of it No no I do only by this small token give thee Livery and seisin of me and mine and having vowed to purchase a more glorious Interest and to seek thy Kingdom I do renounce the Riches of this World O happy Exchange and admirable way of Gain but so thou art wont to deal with us O God! to accept trifles from us and give Glories to us great and endless and Inexpressible I adore thee O my Lord and Love thee and because there is no Earthly gift that can bear proportion with such unspeakable Goodness I will give thee my Soul also and it shall be thine for Ever Amen Just after the Prayer of Consecration Say A MEN Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and I doubt not but the Mistery is Rightly accomplished I am perswaded here is It that my Soul longeth for a Crucified Saviour Communicating himself to poor penitent Sinners O let me be but reckoned amongst that number and then I shall assuredly receive the Holy Jesus Amen Lord thou hast set open this fountain and wilt thou suffer a wretched creature to dye for thirst in thy presence hast thou prepared such a Balm to heal me and shall I languish here before thee I know if thou wilt thou canst make me clean here is the very Instrument in thy Hand Grant me therefore Holy Jesus that I may rightly apply it and duly use it and it shall prepare me for Thee and unite me to thee with such inseparable bonds as can never break unless Eternity can have an End Blessed are they that so eat thy Flesh and so drink thy Blood as thou requirest and so as thy Saints of Old have done for they have been cleansed at this Fountain and here their Union with thee first began O happy season Excellent Opportunity Lord let me do it well this Once and I am thine for Ever Amen A Prayer before the Sacrament O Most Merciful God who hast in thy great goodness prepared this Spiritual Feast for sick and famished Souls make my desires and gaspings after it answerable to my needs of it I have with the Prodigal wasted that portion of Grace thou bestowedst upon me and therefore do infinitely want a supply out of this Treasury But O Lord how shall such a Wretch as I dare to approach this Holy Table I am a Dog how shall I presume to take the Childrens Bread or how shall this spiritual Manna this Food of Angels be given to me who have chosen to feed on Husks with Swine nay to one who hath already so often trampled these pretious things under foot either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these Holy Mysteries O Lord my horrible guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet makes me not dare to keep away For where O Lord shall my polluted Soul be washed if not in this Fountain which thou hast opened for sin and for uncleanness hither therefore I come and thou hast promised that he that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out This is O Lord the Blood of the New Testament Grant me to receive it that it may be to me for Remission of Sins and though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof this Sacrament is a Seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine to be Merciful to mine unrighteousness and to remember my sins and my iniquities no more and not only so but to put thy Laws into my heart and to write them in my mind and by the power of thy Grace dispose my Soul to such a sincere and constant obedience that I may never again provoke thee Lord Grant that in these Holy Misteries I may not only commemorate but effectualy receive my