Members of my Body which thou hast giv'n me for thy Service and ought to have been instruments of holiness I have daily made weapons of iniquity mine understanding which should daily have delighted in thee and thy law hath been daily busied in the search of sin mine affections which I should have wholly fixt upon thee the highest holiest and most happy object in whom is alsufficiency have been foolishly and falsly bestowed on the emptiness and vanity of the Creature in which I have found nothing else but shortness and uncertainty falshood and flattery weariness and misery Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not wisely nor timely considered that the grace of repentance is thy heavenly Gift and ought to be early begg'd of thee by Prayers and Tears but have sinfully imagin'd it in mine own power to repent when I would when I have been neither sure of time to ask it of hope to obtain it grace to receive it or of mercy to enjoy it Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not only turned thy grace into wantonness but even thy choicest of thy gifts bestowed on me into wickedness by being spiritually proud of my endowments so that while I have pharisaically seemed in mine own eyes to be much better than others I have in thy â—ight been far worse and have thereby lost the blessed presence of thy holy Spirit who resisteth the proud and givest grace to the humble Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not daily and duly as I ought examined my Soul by each particular of thy Commandments that so my Conscience might be throughly convinced of my sins and I thereby with holy fear might heartily bewail them utterly forsake them perfectly hate them and together with thy Justice condemn my self for them but have only looked on them with a carnal eye as common spectacles of mans misery and proper objects of thy Mercy from whence it is that I have not died unto sin daily as I ought that this my sorrowing for sin hath been but superficial my hope of thy pardon deceitful and even my very mortification to sin exceeding sinful Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have readily remembred that there is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Jesus but sinfully forgotten that it is to those only which walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit thus have I wretchedly put of the punishment of sin from the guilt of it and am thereby become guilty of thy double punishment that for the committing of evil and this for denying thee in Christ to be the rewarder only of good Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have willingly believed that it is the blood of God which cleanseth me from all iniquity and that if I believe in thee although I were dead yet shall I live and that if I live and believe in thee I shall never die but I have wilfully forgotten that by my daily sinning I have daily trampled on thy precious blood and am therefore dead while I live and may therefore justly fear that without mercy I must live in endless torments when I am dead Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sometimes promised the general amendment of my own evil ways by my thorough Mortification to Sin and Sanctification to Righteousness in my more frequent watchings fastings Prayings holy strivings against my corruptions and holy hungrings for thy heavenly graces but all these to my Souls grief were soon forgotten by me and my sinful affections instead of drawing nearer to thee alienated every day more and more from thee Lord be merciful to be a sinner I have missed many happy opportunities of going to thy holy Table under the false pretences of unfitness to receive want of Charity to forgive and of Faith to believe whereas these sinful wants which have all proceeded from my want of grace ought much rather to have been graciously repair'd with earnest prayers and truly repented of with daily tears Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not so freely and so fully forgiven and forgotten those injuries which man hath offer'd unto me as I ought to have done but have too often come unto thy holy Table with reproach in my mouth and malice in my heart Thus O Lord have I had sinfully to do with malice that stood in so grea need of mercy and by refusing to forgive my brother upon Earth may justly fear to be denied forgiveness by thee in heav'n Lord be merciful to me a sinner From these my sinful inconsiderations undue preparations ungracious absentings and more ungodly frequentings of thy blessed Table have proceeded these my declinings in grace and decayings in goodness so that without thy rich mercy unto me in Christ whose precious blood thou hast spilt for me and by this thy blessed Seal confirm'd unto me I may justly fear I have received unworthily and thereby eaten and drank unto my self mine own damnation Lord be merciful to me a sinner A Prayer after Confession of sins to Almighty God I. ALmighty God I have sinned and I desire to repent I am heavy laden with the burthen of my sins and can find none on earth to releive me to thee therefore O thou father of mercies and God of all consolations who invitest weary Souls to come unto thee and easiest them when they are come do I apply my self for mercy and forgiveness O thou blessed fountain of eternal good who hast freely given me thine only Son to dye for me and in him thy self to be for ever reconciled to me who desirest not the death of me a miserable sinner but rather that I should repent and live have mercy upon me O thou blessed Shepherd of my Soul who aimest to seek and to save those that were lost that findest all whom thou seekest and looseth none of those whom thou hast found have mercy upon me O thou sacred and for ever blessed spirit who visitest and cherishest the drooping Souls of thine Elect assist and comfort me Lord save me or I perish Lord help me or I faint Lord seek me or I am lost for ever II. With all humility of soul I humbly acknowledg that I have too long sinfully depended on the vain shadows and deceitful shews of mine own imperfect holiness and have too sinfully neglected the improvements of thy heavenly graces whereby I have too long deluded my own Soul with hopes of my heavenly assurance and have then thought my self to be spiritually rich when in thy sight I have been wretchedly poor sinfully blind wilfully naked distressedly miserable III. Lord open thou mine eyes by thy precious Eye-salve of thy Sacred Word that I may clearly see the sadness of my mine own condition in these my sad mistakes by this the great deceit of my own deluding heart enrich my poverty with the gifts and graces of thy holy Spirit cover my nakedness with the precious robes of Christs righteousness swallow up this my
requirest of me look not upon me I meekly beseech thee as I am in my self in my frailties of sinful nature but graciously behold me in the beauties and perfections of thy blessed Son Lord give me that holy hungring and thirstings after thee that my longings may be earnest for thee let thy holy Table be delightful to me and sweeter than all outward enjoyments that I may truly love it and joyfully possess thy Heavenly comforts by it III. Almighty God who so perfectly hatest sin that thou hast most severely punished it in thine only and beloved Son whom thou freely gavest not only to dye for sin but also to condemn it and to call sinners to repentance for it have mercy upon me I humbly beseech thee thy vile sinful and most unworthy servant Who have not only foolishly and sinfully imagined that thou wouldst cherish that in me which thou hast so sharply punished in my Saviour but also wickedly divided thee in thine own essence and there by my self from thee in the loosing of thy gracious presence have pity upon me and release me from these misty fogs of sin and ignorance and lead me by thy blessed light of grace to those thy blessed paths which lead to glory IV Lord I have sinned and I desire to repent I tremble at the greatness of my sin and humbly beg thy pardon for it in the richness of thy mercy O let thy sweet saving and preventing grace make this my humiliation effectual unto me O let me no longer vainly think the guilt only of sin to be mine and the punishment my Saviours but let me faithfully believe that untill by thy grace I am made truly conformable to him I have no part nor portion in him but am yet in my sins and thereby liable to thy sorest punishments Lord give me a saving Faith to believe in him a sanctified life to be a true follower of him and a Blessed death to live for ever with him Amen Meditations for Thursday Morning on the Holy Sacrament AFfliction is the proper object of Compassion misery the proper object of mercy and therefore we read how Pilate willing to release Jesus he brings him forth having his back surrowed with the Whips his Head harrowed with the Thorns and his derisive purple stain'd yea drencht with blood and presents him thus ghastly a spectacle to the Jews with an Ecce homo behold the man supposing so sad a sight would have moved malice to mercy and envy it self to Compassion now what Pilate did to the Jews with Christ Christ in a fit resemblance and apt allusion does with the penitent to his Father he brings him forth in the Court of Conscience having his heart wounded with sorrow his Spirit broken in Contrition and his Soul fainting in Languishments of repentance and presents him so sad a spectacle to the Father with an Ecce homo behold the max. II. Behold the man once so lofty in his pride now so lowly in his penitence once so hardned in his rebellion now so humbled in his contrition once so obstinate a Sinner now so pittifull a Penitent and oh whilst this man of sorrows mourns in affliction how does the Father of mercies melt in Compassion when the wounded sinner is presented by the wounded Son and the penitents tears cry aloud with the Mediators Blood how must the Fathers compassion needs melt into sins remission III. This affliction and pain is either that of the penitent sinner or that of the devout Saint that of the penitent sinner who having withdrawn himself from the World and retired into the secret closet of his conscience how does he with Hezekiah even overturn the Annals of his life in the bitterness of his Soul and after a strict survey having faithfully observed the sins which he hath committed and the several circumstances by which they are aggravated he then summs them up into a Catalogue which is no sooner in his eye but sorrow is in his heart endeavouring to blot our those letters of guilt with his tears of repentance through faith in the Blood of Christ IV. And whilst he sets his sins in order before him oh how does a secret affrightment chill his blood and make his heart to tremble in apprehension of their loathsom filth and dreadful curse yea in beholding himself under the heavy sentence of the Laws condemnation oh how is he wholly encompassed with terror and amazement when he looks within him oh the terrors of an accusing conscience and a killing guilt when he looks without him oh the horror of a deserved death and a tormenting Hell when he looks above him oh the dread of an offended Majesty and an avenging Judge oh whither then shall this poor penitent fly for succour where oh where shall his affrighted and afflicted soul seek for shelter where but at the Cross of his Redeemer V. And when Christ so full of pity so full of love when he beholds the humble suppliant and sincere penitent in the lowest depths of his humiliation pouring out his complaint at the foot of his Cross when he hears his mournful sighs his painful groans the earnest messengers of his asslicted soul it is then as impossible for Christ to forget the passions of sorrow which he suffered as not to compassionate this poor penitent for whom he suffered he who stopped not his ears at the Jews blasphemies will certainly not stop his ear at the penitents complaints he that turned not away his face from his enemies buffetings will not turn away his Eyes from the suppliants tears though the Devil hath bereav'd the sinner of his purity yet can he not deprive his Saviour of his pity Christ doth not Christ cannot so remember the sins that man hath committed that he forgets the soul which himself hath purchast his eye and nothing else indeed can do it but his eye of mercy that looks through the guilt of sin to behold the sorrow of the sinner and that affliction moves his compassion VI. The sorrow of affliction and pain in the penitent becomes destructive of sin through the power of faith in the blood of Christ for that God will be sanctified in all them that come nigh unto him and therefore he being a consuming fire in the fury of his vengeance when we humble our selves before him tho with the deepest of afflictions unless it be by faith in Jesus Christ as the Mediator God will be a just Judge to condemn rather than a merciful Father to forgive for it is not our tears without Christs blood not our sorrows without his sufferings not our affliction without his passion that can quench the fire of Gods wrath satisfie the severity of Gods Justice and move the tenderness of his mercy when therefore acted by love and strengthned by faith we pour out our complaints unto our God in a sincere repentance our affliction and pain shal become the proper object of his divine mercy A Prayer for Thursday Morning preparatory to the
God in the eternal life and happiness of my body and soul which consists in my union with and fruition of God in heaven for ever which is effected by the Spirit and grace of God through the merits of Jesus Christ drawing my soul through faith in the Son of God made Man to himself who by the evil of sin both original depravation and actual Commissions am removed at an infinite distance from the love of God the fountain of happiness and placed in a state of Guilt liable to the justice and wrath of God and by consequence to eternal misery and Damnation II. A State not more miserable in it self than unavoidable by me unless the free grace immense goodness of the Almighty which brings sinners to repentance had prevented both my desert and desire by an eternal purpose of offering pardon life and salvation to sinful mankind which good pleasure and purpose in himself God hath clearly revealed according to the divers dispensations of his wisdom and providence even from the first promise of Christ made to the first sinners to the personal coming of the Son of God into the World to bear the Name and Office of the Saviour of Sinners and hath fully accomplisht and clearly reveal'd unto Mankind this undeniable truth of the eternal purpose of God to give pardon life and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ his only Son who became Man and died for the sins of the World and so satisfied the Justice of God for them that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life III. That great saying and most comfortable Truth Preached by Christ witnessed by the Apostles Dictated by the Spirit of God written by the Evangelists Confirmed by many Miracles delivered by the Church by constant Tradition and believed on in all ages this God requires me to believe as a certain and infallible truth in it self and by faith it becomes to me saving and comfortable It brings my soul to see by the law it s own sinful and desperate estate it calls me off from my self and all Creatures and assures me of immortal happiness for ever by adhering and relying upon Christ and that free grace of God in him and through him bestowed upon my soul IV. This faith and trust in the free Grace through Jesus Christ as it is first wrought by the word of God and his holy Spirit in my soul which is the beginning of this spiritual and eternal life so that it may be further nourished and strengthened to a farther degree of comfort and assurance God hath out of a wonderful Indulgence to our weakness and difficulty of believing annexed to his word these holy Sacraments as visible and most manifest Seals of this Covenant of Grace and Mercy that the soul might in no sort doubt of it nor be discouraged at the sight of it 's own sin and unworthiness when it sees the love of God and its pardon confirmed and assured to it by all its senses and his Saviour the great worker and teacher of this salvation by these sensible means lively set forth in his death and sufferings and himself with all his merits personally offered and conveighed to its self in particulars V. This then is the End to which this holy Sacrament as other means of grace is especially directed that it may be to the souls spiritual life of such efficacy as Food is to the Temporal life of our Bodies a means to maintain life to encrease strength and inward comfort to enable holy actions and cheerful obedience to assure our hopes and affiance in the great truth of God for the pardon of sins and bestowing the Son of God Jesus Christ our great Redeemer who is the Fountain and conveigher of life through these Conduits of the outward means to the penitent and believing soul Secondly The Author by whom it was Instituted I. Was the Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour of the World who being the Lord of power and the Jesus of Mercy is both able and wiling to make this holy Ordinance the means of that Mercy and Grace which he promiseth to us which means are effectual to this supernatural end not by any proportion of innate vertue or Physical efficacy of themselves as food hath to our temporal life by the common rule and ordination of Providence but by a Spiritual Divine and most Mysterious appointment Instituted by our God and Saviour himself whose Authority only could Institute and whose power only can make effectual his Institution by uniting earthly sensible so small and unproportionable means to so heavenly spiritual and excellent an End II. So that in this great mystery though reason assures us in the general assent that the Omnipotency of God can make effectual whatever means he pleaseth in his wisdom to ordain to an end though never so unproportionable yet for the particular demonstrating of the matter of efficiency whereby such means do certainly convey to us so great an end and benefit Reason is quite dazl'd and blind having no ground to fasten upon but devolving all the work of this holy mystery to faith which relies upon the truth power and love of the Institutor Jesus Christ who while he was yet on Earth by a Corporal and Natural presence conversing with men but chiefly with his choice and Domestick Company the Twelve Apostles a little before his death Instituted this Sacred Mystery after his last Supper which he made with them III. By the evidence of this Sacrament exhibiting himself to them and all beliving souls in such an extraordinary and eminent degree of comfort and personal assurance as might greatly establish their faith and hearts in the near and dismal Times of his sufferings shortly ensuing and after his Ascention might be a continual memorial and Seal of the Covenant of Grace established in the death of Christ a support of the faith of Belivers a lively token pledge of his spiritual presence with his Church during his bodily absence till his second coming as also a badge of the profession of the Christian Religion and that mutual love and charity of Believers who are all united by faith to one and the same Saviour of whom they are all partakers in this one Sacrament as well of the invisible Grace as the outward and visible signs the bread and wine Thirdly The outward Means suitable to this end I. The choice of which familiar signs made by our Saviour for the outward means discovered a wonderful wisdom and no less love and condescention to his Church while he made choice of such things for the Representation of his greatest Grace and our comfort as best sitting this staâ—e of Senses and Infirmity such as for the Community may be had of all Nations and in all Countries either by native Commodities as in most or by cheap and easy Commerce with others whose abundance may spare though where the proper species of bread and wine cannot be had those means of nourishment
which are proportionable may be used so that no Nation or man may think himself excluded from the use and comfort of this Sacrament of the Lords Super. II. For their necessity such as no man in an ordinary way of living can dispence with the want of them and live long healthfully implying that Food is not more necessary for sustaining this present life and strength of the body than the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is for the supporting the life and well-being of the soul to all eternity III. For their plainness and simplicity it is such as may take off Christians minds from placing Piety and the Mysteries of Grace and Religion in any external pomp and vanity which doth but dazle the eyes and amaze the senses and detain vulgar and common minds by the outward glory of the senses Objects from that inward retiring of the Spirit and Soul to its proper and comfortable Objects which are Spiritual Invisible and Intellectual and far remote from the Senses and abstracted from them So that Christians cannot easily be so grossly and stupidly sensual as to imagine any efficacy in these small and simple elements of themselves no more than in Wax or Parchment which not of their proper virtue but only of the will of the conveigher have power to convey an estate to the Receiver of them IV. For their proportionable suitableness and familiar correspondency of Virtues and Efficiency first the bread and wine being apt to nourish the body by common ordination of Providence the body and blood of Christ fit to nourish the soul by special ordination of Grace Secondly the bread and wine at a distance will not feed us but must be personally applyed by taking eating drinking and digesting The body and blood of Christ looked on only by knowledg and Historical speculation will not profit the soul except by a lively Faith which is the hand mouth and stomach of the soul it accepts and takes hold on Christ and applies his merits to it self for Salvation V. The Bread after it passeth much violence of the Mill hand and fire is made wholesome for Food and the Wine after it hath endured the torture of the Press is prepared for drink the body and blood of Christ not whole entire and unsufferable but Crucified and Broken in his Passion when he did undergo the burthen of the sins of the world and was under the pressure of the Justice of God and Sacrificed for the redemption of mankind under this consideration is received by the believing Soul for its life and comfort looking on all these sufferings of Christ not as his own demerits whose innocency was without spot or blemish but as the satisfaction of the Justice and appeasing the wrath of God for the sins of them that shall believe in his name which work of reconciling Heaven and Earth God and Man as Christ willingly undertook so he fully performed and is fully performed and is by God accepted in full discharge whose mercy to man designed his only Son for this great End VI. For the facility of the performance both in respect of cost and labour the Indulgence of Christ seeking to render Christian services to God and the Offices of the Gospel as easy and as cheap as might be that neither the cost nor the pains might deter any from the frequent partaking of these Mysteries the comforts of which are the free gift of God and cost us nothing but acceptance for the evidence and perceptibleness of them falling under the perception of four several fenses by whose joyâ—t testimony of their proper Objects our minds and reason naturally gains the certainty and infallibility of natural truths whose Testimonies now by Christs institution are raised higher to give evidence and witness to Faith of the truth and certainty of its Objects VII The Body and Blood of Christ broken and shed in his death and sufferings which by these sensible signs are clearly represented and the merits and efficacy of his death as truly perceived and as really conveighed by faith to the soul and person of a Believer for life and happiness as the nutritive power and virtue of the Bread and Wine is perceived approved and applyed by the Senses to the Body that as by one sense of Hearing faith is begun so by the other four Senses in this Sacrament it might daily be encreased and strengthned there being not a greater Physical certainty given into our common Sense and Reason by our senses of the Truth of the bread and wine which the body receives then there is a Theological and Sacramental certainty given into Faith depending upon the Authority truth and power of the Institutor of a real and most effectual perception of the body and blood of Christ for the nourishment of our souls and bodies to eternal life that as our souls are here helped by the senses of the Body and its food in the way of a natural and momentary life so the body may at last be saved by the souls perception of its Spiritual Food to Glory and Immortal life Fourthly The Mystical Vnion by which they effectually attain and convey to us that end and benefit which is propounded I. For the Sacramental Union of the outward signs which are the proper Objects of our senses to the body and blood of Christ which are the proper Objects of our Faith this I conceive to be not by any Physical or natural Union as the Fruit to the Tree or the effect to its proportionate Cause nor yet by any Miraculous working of Omnipotency in changing the substance of these Elements into the substance of Christ's Body and Blood which makes the Judgment of Faith contradict the Judgment of the Senses which the will of God hath appointed by the Law of Nature to give a true Testimony of their proper Objects rightly dispos'd and withal do witness these to be indeed true bread and wine and the same for Substance after Consecration as they were before though wonderfully different from their use neither is faith ever commanded by any Divine will to deny or contradict the truth of Senses for the substance and nature of things Though it raiseth us far above them and bids us look infinite beyond them in a Divine and Supernatural relation and use annexed to them II. Nor may Omnipotency the common retreat and subterfuge be so far extended by Human fancy and imagination to maintain them as to imply a necessary contradiction in the Will of God about one and the same subject which Will is but one and regular setting bounds to Omnipotency agreeable to it self which cannot be avoided here if we say that God's Will is in the way of nature that the Senses judge truly of their Objects which They do here and tell us jointly that they are bread and wine and yet his Will is at the same and about the same thing that Faith should contradict the Senses Testimonny and believe truly that they are not bread and
and favour of God detaining my mind in such degrees of ignorance as may render my sin less odious to me and make me less sensible of my misery and want of Mercy hardning and consirming my will against those Pious and Good motions by which the Spirit of God oftentimes attempts to soften it to an ingenuous submission to God and his Will disordering my affections and diverting them from those right Objects which Reason and Religion propound and my own Conscience cannot but approve VI. Which makes my sin out of measure sinful and dangerous so that in the shame and confusion which this sight of it self casts upon my Soul I have enough to do to see and weigh my own unworthiness and fill my Conscience with that fear of the Wrath of God and horror of Eternal Judgment which I confess might justly punish all my sins with despair and it as the greatest of all sins with Damnation And beyond these thoughts I could noâ— I durst not go in this gulfe of sin and the apprehensions of my misery should I sink not daring to send up the least thought to Heaven for a better Estate nor apply my self to the means of any Use or Happiness VII If I did not see by a Divine and Glorious Light of Truth a Hand of Mercy and means of recovery and Salvation stretched out to me and assuring me by the unerring and undeceiveable veracity of God and the infallibility of his Promises that his Thoughts are thoughts of Mercy and Pardon to sinful Mankind that he hath graciously found a way of satisfying his Justice and taking off the Guilt and Punishment of our sins from our Souls by the sufferings of Jesus Christ God and Man transferring the Guilt and punishment of our sins to him and imputing the Merits of his Righteousness to us upon condition we believe on him and cast our Souls how sinful soever they be into the Arms of his Mercy and by the serious apprehension of this infinite Love and Goodness be won from the Love of sin to Repentance and Amendment of Life Upon this Truth and Grace revealed by God to his Church and my Soul in particular I lay hold and cast my self with all the Guilt and Burden of my sins what aggravations soever for number or quality they admit being assured that they are infinitely less than the Mercies of God and Merits of Jesus Christ This wonderful Truth of God which I dare not I cannot deny this Mercy which above all things I need adds new Mercy to my dead and languishing Soul this represents God to me in the face of Jesus Christ as the highest Good most to be desired loved and admired VIII This shews me my sin in the true colours of ingratitude vileness end unworthiness against that Mercy which offers Pardon for my sin against a Saviour who hath died for me This stirs up a hatred and resolution against sin out of a principal love and apprehension of a wonderful desert and obligation of love and unspeakable Kindness to me that as I have the greatest cause that can be to be humbled in the sight of my sin and self so that the surest ground that can be whereon to settle my Faith and Comfort is the Truth and Mercy of God which by the Word Spirit and Son of God is assured to me that although by my sin I have highly displeased and dishonoured God Almighty yet by my trust and believing in his Truth and Promises of Pardon and Salvation through Jesus Christ I shall greatly please and honour him giving him the Glory of his Grace and Mercy by sealling to his Truth which to question or deny or not to believe is to make all my other sins unpardonable and add a sin of a higher nature than any I have yet committed that is unbelief or giving God the lye and its inseperable companion impenitency IX Won therefore and melted by this great certain and preventive Kindness and Love of God which in no sort I could deserve yet cannot deny or doubt of I grow dayly to see more clearly and embrace more firmly affectionately the Goodness of God to my Soul and from thence to a more tender sense and greater detestation of sin not so much now daring to sin as not willing to sin denying the motions and occasions to sin not so much out of fear of punishment as a love to please and an extream secret shame of returning evil to such wonderful Goodness abhorring sin not so much for the evil which follows it as for the evil which is in it and deformity and vileness of it which I see by the glymps of that Beauty and Loveliness which I discover in Holiness and Vertue the Image of God the highest Ornament and Happiness of the Creature X. Thus in some degrees freed from the Fear and Love of my sin Holy desires and good affections as followers of the Sun's Accession in the Spring begin to arise in my heart and though they suffer a great allay by the Earth of the Body in which the Soul is planted yet they assure me that the Spirit of God hath moved upon that Chaos the deadness and barrenness of my Soul and by a secret but most effectual influence hath made me a New Creature by ingrafting me into the Tree of Life Jesus Christ and washing me in that pure Fountain of his Blood which was shed for the Remission of my sins Thus now I desire nothing more than daily to attain a fuller Sight and Capacity of this admired Mercy that as my knowledge in the Greatness and Truth of it increaseth so my Faith in the applying of it may be strengthened my Affections in the thankful return of my self may be enflamed my Charity and Virtue towards others may be excited glad to have occasions really to express my Love Pity and Forgiveness of others that grateful Sense I have of God's Love to me in Christ XI And that the whole course of my Life may be so ordered as becomes one who is united to the Son of God not only by the Community of the humane Nature but by the efficacy of the same Holy Spirit and raised to the hopes of the same Glory and Happiness that now nothing is more acceptable to me than to meditate of this great Mystery of man's Salvation nothing more delightful than the thoughts of God reconciled to me in Jesus Christ nothing more welcom than the use of those means by which God doth further confirm and assure this Mercy and Truth to my Soul whose many failings though they often shake my confidence and obscure my comfort yet the sight of the Promises and the seals of the Sacrament annexed to them in which I behold Jesus Christ crucified does again establish my heart and assure me that the All-powerful Love and Grace of God will not be overcome by the sin and wickedness of man but will effectually repair the breaches of my dayly infirmities and satisfie the doubtings of
when you first awake lift up your Eyes to God and say I lift up mine Eyes to the Hills from whence cometh my help Open thou mine Eyes O Lord that I may see the wonders of thy Law My voice shalt thou hear betimes O Lord Early in the morning will I direct my Prayer unto thee and will look up At your up-Rising In the name of God the Father who Created me God the Son who Redeemed me and God the Holy Ghost who Sanctifieth me Amen I arise from my Bed of rest to praise and glorifie him the Preserver of all the World He of his infinite mercy and goodness Bless and keep me this day and for ever Amen I laid me down and slept and rose up again for the Lord hath sustained me Then kneel down and say this Prayer Prevent me O Lord in all my doings with thy most gracious favour and further me with thy continual help that in all my works begun continued and ended in thee I may glorifie thy Holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain Everlasting life through Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Amen O Lord my heavenly Father Almighty and everlasting God who hast safely brought me to the beginning of this day defend me in the same with thy mighty power and grant that this day I fall into no sin neither run into any kind of danger but that all my doings may be ordered by thy governance to do always that which is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen O God who art the author of peace and lover of concord in knowledge of whom standeth my eternal life whose service is perfect freedom defend me thy humble Servant in all assaults of my Enemies that I surely trusting in thy defence may not fear the power of any adversaries through the might of Jesus Christ my Lord Amen Almighty God the Fountain of all Wisdom who knowest my necessity before I ask and my ignorance in asking I beseech thee to have compassion upon my infirmities and those things which for my unworthiness I dare not and for my blindness I cannot ask vouchsafe to give me for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen Almighty God who hast promised to hear the Petitions of them that ask in thy Son's name I beseech thee mercifully to incline thine Ears to me that have made now my Prayers and Supplications unto thee and grant that those things which I have faithfully asked according to thy will may effectually be obtained to the relief of my necessity and to the setting forth of thy Glory through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen O Almighty God behold me a wretched Sinner here prostrate before thee do with me as seems best in thine own Eyes only give me a penitent and a patient Spirit to expect thee and make this my service acceptable to thee while I live and my Soul ready for thee when I die Amen Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with me and remain with me this day and for evermore Amen Read the Psalms appointed for the Morning Service and the First and Second Lesson Devotions for the Evening for every day in the week Evening Ejaculations O Lord let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the Incence And the lifting up of my hands as an evening Sacrifice My trust and hope hath been in thee all the day long and under the Shaddow of thy Wings shall be my Refuge day and night for ever Lighten mine eyes O Lord that I sleep not in death Almighty God who hast made the day for labouâ— and the night for rest let thy Sons blood cleanse me from this days Guilt that I may sleep in thy peace and rise again refreshed and preserved by thy favour through Jesus Christ my Crucified Saviour Amen O Eternal God who hast preserved me this day from many sins and dangers for which I humbly magnifie thy Holy Name for thy Grace and goodness towards me beseeching thee to forgive me all the Errors of this day whereof my Conscience doth or may accuse me and grant that those things which by my frailty I have committed may be by the help of thy Spirit more carefully avoided that I may ever walk in thy favour and under thy Protection and now rest and lye down in thy peace and at last come to thy heavenly Kingdom through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ Amen O God from whom all holy desires all good Councels and all just works do proceed give unto me thy Servant that peace wich the world cannot give that my whole heart may be set to obey thy Commandments and also that by thee I being defended from the fear of my Enemies I may pass my time in rest and quietness through the merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour Amen Lighten my darkness I beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend me from all perills and dangers of this night for the love of thy only Son my only Lord and Saviour Our Father which art in Heaven c. The peace of God which passeth all understanding keep my heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ my Lord and the blessing of God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost be with me this Night and all the days of my life at the hour of my death and at the day of Judgment Amen When you lye down say I will lay down my head in peace and take my rest for thou only O Lord makest me to dwell in safety Into thy hands I commit my Soul and Body keep me for thy mercy sake Amen On Monday morning and every day in the Week use these Ejaculations Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of Man that thou regardest him Thou madest him lower than the Angels to crown him with glory and worship Behold I was shapen in wickedness and in sin hath my Mother conceived me Thou shalt purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow Turn thy face from my sins and put out all my misdeeds Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me O give me the comfort of thy help again and establish me with thy free spirit Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be now and evermore acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer A preparatory Meditation upon the most Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper I. O who will give to my head Water and to my eyes a fountain of Tears that I may weep day and night for my sins and ingratitude towards God my Creator Consider O my Soul the multitude of Gods benefits bestowed upon
service begins upon thy knees use these ejaculations 1. This is the day which the Lord hath made I will be joyful and glad in it 2. He hath redeemed my soul from death my eyes from tears and my feet from falling 3. Thou shalt prepare a Table before me against them that trouble me thou hast anointed my head with Oyl my Cup shall be full 4. But surely thy loving kindness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever 5. I will wash my hands in innocency O Lord and so will I go to thine Altar 6. That I may shew the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works 7. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place were thine honour dwelleth 8. O shut not up my soul with the sinners nor my life with the Blood thirsty 9. My foot stand th right I will prase the Lord in the great congregation A Meditation to be used at the Lords Table when there are many Communicants O What a Heavenly sight is this to behold such an Assembly of Christians meeting with one accord at this great mystery how joyful a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity and to worship the Almighty in Spirit and in Truth I feel my heart is more raised and my devotion kindled by their zeal and all lukew armness is passed away my spirits are refresht and have taken new life by seeing such an appearance in the House of God II. This is the perfection of Religion to seek Gods Face while he may be found and to call upon him while he is near which none of us can do too often to have him in remembrance who so oft remembred us here we receive spiritual things and taste and see how good the Lord is which food O Lord I beseech thee let me never want but give it me as my dayly bread for Jesus Christ his sake my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Prayer before the Sacrament O Dear Saviour how excellent is thy goodness and loving kindness to me and to all thy Creatures thou art pleased O Lord to vouchsafe me this opportunity in the waiting upon thee in thy solemn Ordinance where thou dost communicate unto me thy precious Body and Blood and dost give me that interest in thee and peace which the World cannot give nor none can take away this is that treasure which moths cannot corrupt nor thieves break through and steal II. O then where my treasure is let my heart be there also away fond World and all the vanities thereof for the God of holiness hath touched my heart I do now purpose to return from my evil ways and as long as I live to renew those purposes daily O then dear Lord fit me I beseech thee for thy self that I may receive with that joy and spiritual comfort this thy body that was broken and thy precious Blood which was shed for me whereby I may partake of all the benefits of thy bitter Death and Passion and become one with thee in receiving all that either my soul doth need or desire for thy alone sake my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen When the Minister is saying the Offertory use this Meditation at thy offering thy Alms. O Almighty God what I offer is but what thou lentest me here for a time and what I now give to my poor Brethren thou hast promised to repay it but I have received more at thy all-merciful hands than my heart and tongue can ever express O that I could have given ten thousand Talents instead of this poor mite my charity thou hast no need of but for as much as I have done it to my poor Brethren whose souls thou hast redeemed with thy most precious Blood thou ownest it to be done to thy self O what can I give thee O Lord or render unto thee for all the EÃ rthly comforts and benefits I have received from thee I can give thee nothing but what is thy own and no Earthly thing can bear proportion with thy Majesty therefore in all humility I resign my soul up into thy hands who art my faithful Creator and who sent thy Son to save me a lost sinner to whom be all praise honor and glory now and for ever Amen Then say after the Minister the Prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here on Earth and be very attentive to the exhortation which follows beginning with these words Dearly beloved in the Lord. Then hearken diligently to the invitation and when the Minister expresses these words draw near with faith and take this Holy Sacramint then use these Ejaculations 1. I am unworthy O Lord to appear before thee 2. But thou art able to save them to the uttermost that come unto thee and doth live for ever to make intercession with God the Father for us 3. No Man cometh unto thee except the Father draw him and thou wilt raise him up at the last day 4. O have compassion upon my penitent soul who draws near to thy throne of grace that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help me in time of need Then joyn with all your heart with the Minister in the general consession absolution and sentences lifting up your heart unto the Lord blessing and praising his holy name in these Ejaculations 1. The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me 2. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put any confidence in man 3. The Lord is my strength and my song and is become my salvation 4. I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord. 5. This is the gate of the Lord the righteous shall enter into it 6. Thou art my God and I will thank thee thou art my God and I will praise thee 7. I will lift up my heart and my hands unto thee O thou that dwellest in the Heavens 8. My help standeth in the name of the Lord which hath made Heaven and Earth 9. The Lord hath done great things for me whereof I rejoyce 10. Therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of Heaven I will laud and glorifie thy glorious name evermore praising thee saying holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high Amen Then joyn with the Minister in the address which begins thus We do not presume to come to this thy Holy Table O merciful Lord c. At the time of the Consecration fix your eye upon the Elements and at the actions of the Ministers in ordering the Bread and Wine we ought joyfully and thankfully to meditate after this manner O Who can but admire and wonder that the Son of God should become food to the Souls of Men and to humble himself so low as to be represented by bread which is the poor mans food though necessary
for the rich it is the staff of our life and signifies that body of thine which thou gavest for the life of the World thou hast by thy holy Mystery made this Bread and Wine spiritual food as well as temporal O Lord I beseech thee let the operation of it be such as to strengthen my soul that it may withstand all Temptations whatsoever and evermore serve thee in spirit and in truth Amen When the Minister breaks the Bread and pours out the Wine use these Meditations O Holy Jesus thy Blessed Body was torn with Nails upon the Cross and thy precious Blood was inhumanely spilt by the Crucifiers but I an unworthy Wretch by my manifold sins have occasioned more torments to thee they Crucified thee but once but I crucifie thee dayly they Crucified thee because they knew thee not but I have known thee what thou art in thy self the Lord of glory and what thou art to me a most tender and Merciful Father and yet I have still continued to Crucifie thee afresh O do thou work in me first a great sorrow for my sins past and then a great hatred and a firm resolution against them for the time to come When the Minister receives in both kinds himself say 1. Thou that hearest Prayers unto thee shall all flesh come 2. Blessed is the Man whom thou choosest and receivest unto thee he shall dwell in thy Court and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy Holy Temple 3. Thou shalt guide me with thy council and after that receive me with glory 4. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble the name of the God of Jacob defend thee 5. Send thee help from the Sanctuary and strengthen the out of Sion 6. The Lord remember all thy offerings and accept this thy Sacrifice 7. Grant thee thy hearts desire and fulfill all thy mind the Lord perform all thy petions which thou hast made at this time both for thy self for us and for all persons 8. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel World without end Amen When the Minister is drawing near thee with the Elements say I adore thee O must righteous Redeemer that thou art pleased to convey unto my soul thy precious Body and Blood with all the benefits of thy Death and Passion I am not worthy O Lord to receive thee but let thy Holy and Blessed Spirit with all his purities prepare for thee a lodging in my Soul where thou mayest unite me to thy self for ever Amen Ejaculations before the Bread This is that Bread which came down from Heaven whosoever eateth shall never hunger Thou dealest thy bread to those which hunger after righteousness O feed my fainting soul with this bread of life O strengthen my heart and hand by a lively faith and open my mouth with fervent desires that I may eat not for bodily sustenance but for spiritual relief and the refreshment of my soul O let my soul feel the spiritual efficacy of thy grace that I may not eat unworthily or to my condemnation O Lord I beseech thee enable and direct me by thy holy and blessed spirit to receive it worthily Amen When the Minister gives the holy bread say softly with him The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for me preserve my body and soul unto everlasting life Here take the bread with reverence then proceed I take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for me and will feed on him in my heart with faith and thanks-giving Then answer audibly Amen After the bread say I give thee hearty thanks O Lord most Holy that thou hast refreshed my soul at this time by my feeding upon thy Body which was broken for me If I had lived innocently and had kept all thy Commandments yet could I have had no proportion of merit to so transcendent a mercy but since I have so loved sin and added transgression to transgression thy mercy is so glorious and infinite that I stand amazed at the consideration of its immensity O let me not throw off this Wedding Garment or stain it with pollution of deadly sin but let me be wholly united to thee being transformed according to thy holy will and life who livest and reignest for ever Amen Or this O Blessed Jesus sanctifie this bread to me that it may be to my Soul the staff of strength whereby I may vanquish and overcome all the assaulis of the Devil the World and the Flesh and continue thy faithful Soldier and Servant to my lifes end Amen Ejaculations before the Cup. 1. The Lord himself is the portion of my Inheritance and of my Cup thou shalt maintain my lot 2. The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground yea I have a goodly heritage 3. I have set God always before me for he is on my right hand therefore I shall not fall 4. Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is merciful 5. What reward shall I give unto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done unto me 6. I will receive the Cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. 7. I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the living When thou receivest the Cup say after the Minister softly The Blood of my Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for me preserve my body and soul unto everlasting life I drink this in remembrance that Christ's Blood was shed for me and am thankful Amen After the Cup say O how delightful is this Cup to me Blessed Jesus which was so heavy to thee it was thy Agonies and Bloody sweat thy bitter Death and Passion which afforded me this Cup of chearfulness thou didst find it bitter when thou wast appeasing an angry Father but thou hast sweetned it by a reconciliation and hast wrought out my Redemption and Salvation Or this I praise thee I bless thee I glorifie thee O Lord most Holy that thou hast at this time so refreshed my soul and filled me with holy desires O let thy tender mercy always keep me in this happy temper that I may never err nor stray from thy Commandments but keep firm that Covenant which thou hast sealed with thy most precious Blood for my redemption and direct me O Lord and guide me so here that I may be a fit member for thy Heavenly Kingdom hereafter Amen Whilst others are Communicating say I. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name What greater gift O Lord couldst thou bestow upon me than to give me thy Body for meat thy Blood for drink and to lay down thy life for the price of my redemption What greater mercy than that thou shouldest now enter into me and dwell with me as thou hast promised II. I yield thee humble and hearty thanks most Merciful Father and desire to magnifie thy name for ever for the Holy Death and bitter Passion of thy Son and that great Redemption thou hast wrought for me in him and
hast heaped upon me from time to time thy unspeakable favours and loving kindnesses in feeding me at this time with the spiritual food of the Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Amen III. O Eternal God who vouchsafest to send thine only begotten Son into the World for my redemption and to deliver him up even unto death in remembrance whereof until his second coming he hath commanded me to eat his Body and drink his Blood to the end by Faith I should be united and knit unto his Body and being washed from all my sins lead a new life vouchsafe I humbly beseech thee for his sake to indue me with thy Holy Spirit unto my lives end Amen IV. O Almighty God grant I may cast away all the works of darkness and walk in the true light of thy Holy Gospel Vouchsafe me O Lord an unfeigned desire in being a partaker of this thy Holy institution and that I may lead my life according to thy Heavenly will in all things keeping my body undefiled as a fit receptacle for so Heavenly Food that my soul may enjoy the benefit of the Mystery thereof by Faith according to thy Heavenly providence through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer for all the Communicants that are present O Let us now all magnifie the name of the Lord from the rising of the Sun to the setting of the same Blessed are they who dwell in thy house O Lord and are fed though it be but with the Crums that fall from thy Table We have all now tasted and seen how gracious the Lord is for he hath heard our Prayers and granâ—ed our requests and redeemed us from the slavery of sin and death O that we might never depart from thee but be unwearied in thy service let not our stedfastness which is now fixed pass away as the Morning Cloud or our Devotions fly away as a shadow which hath no continuance but arm us O good Lord against all manner of sin that we may all say with the Kingly Prophet I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous Judgments Direct and guide us O Lord with thy Holy Spirit thy All seeing eye and thy Heavenly hand that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we may fear no evil for thou art with us Amen Meditations out of the Psalms O praise the Lord with me and let us Magnifie his name together I sought the Lord and he heard me yea he delivered me out of all my fears O fear the Lord ye that be his Saints for they that fear him do lack nothing The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles The Lord is nigh unto all them that are of a contrite heart and will save such as be of an humble Spirit Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of all He hath not dealt with us after our sin nor rewarded us according to our iniquities For he knoweth whereof we are made he remembreth we are but dust The Lord delivereth the souls of his servants and all they that put their trust in him shall not be destitute Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. A Concluding Prayer I Thank thee O thou great Creator that thou hast at this time given me such a supply of thy Grace whereby I may come to thy Eternal Glory thou hast now entertained me at thy Holy Table and received me with that fatherly affection by speaking peace unto my conscience and saying to my soul thou art my salvation O what reward can I return for these unspeakable mercies I will rejoyce and be exceeding glad admire and celebrate the love of my Saviour O ye Almighty powers it is my duty to extol him to whom you pay all these praises let me for ever Magnifie thy Holy Name O Lord and thy praises for ever shall be in my Mouth for thou only art Holy and it is thy peace alone which passeth all understanding O let it keep my heart and mind in the knowledge and love of thee and of thy Son Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour and let thy favour and blessing O merciful Father with thy Son my only Saviour and the Holy Ghost my only sanctifier remain with we alwaies Amen A Prayer at home the same day O Thou Fountain of everlasting happiness strike my soul with an Holy admiration of thy Divine goodness thou hast of thine infinite Pitty and Compassion to me a poor wretched Sinner received me into the bosom of thy Mercy and art reconciled unto me by the Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ thou hast issued forth a free and full pardon unto me of all my sins and transgressions from that great office of Mercy thou hast opened to thy Church and People and I have now again renewed my Covenant of Love and Allegiance unto thee my God and anâ— again consecrated unto thee in the Holy Blood of the Lord Jesus O let the Holy sense of this thy great goodness and loving kindness rest for ever upon my Soul and oblige my heart for ever unto thee and I beseech thee that thou wâ—lt never leave me nor forsake me but let me walk in the light of thy countenance to my lives end Amen Lastly how to live well a righteous godly and sober life after receiving this most Holy Sacrament Psal 50. 23. Whoso offereth me thanks and praise he honoureth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the Salvation of God I. And the better to attain these directions let us follow what the Kingly Prophet layeth down to eschew evil and do good seek peace and ensue it which is the banishing from the Soul all kind of Vices and adorning it with Virtues and this is by becoming a new creature destroying of the image of old earthly Adam and reforming it with the Image of the new Adam our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ II. By this means we attain to that supernatural end for which we were created which is to see Almighty God in his own glory and excellency which that we may all do let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God As soon as you awake in the Morning give the first fruits of thy reason to the Divine Majesty let your memory understanding will and heart discharge their duties let your tongue and mouth hands and arms contribute in offering up this Morning Sacrifice to thy great Creator Which thou mayest do in this manner A Prayer for the Morning O Most Powerful Lord God which sittest upon the Cherubims and stretchest out the Heavens like a Curtain I adore thee my God from the centre of my Nothing with all the Creatures of the Vniverse and come unto thee upon the bended knees of my heart humbly beseeching thee in thy mercy to look upon me and fully to remit unto me all my sins and transgressions whatsoever and give me unfeigned repentance and newness of life for the time to come as thou hast now awakened my body from sleep so I beseech thee awake my soul from sin and carnal security as thou hast caused the light of the day to shine upon my bodily eyes so good Lord cause the light of thy Word and Holy Spirit to illuminate my heart and give me grace to walk in all holy obedience before thy face this day teach me to fear thee continually wheresoever I am to neglect all things in regard of thee to love thee and my Brethren for thy s 〈…〉 ke let whatsoever I do this day be pleasing in thy sight who art my alone Creator let not any temptations this day delude me but O Lord my God be thou ever near me with me and about me to protect preserve and defend me from this time forth and all the days of my life now and for evermore Amen Our Father c. A Prayer for Noon O Eternal God every hour of the day will I lift up my heart unto thee stop not thine ear O Lord but hear me and that right soon let me not nourish the disease of sloth in my blood but spend my life as the clouds execute their offices to be still in motion quench and kill O Lord in me the weed of Covetousness and let me not be over careful for my self but pittiful and merciful to those that want Keep my hands clean from touching riches unlawful last with Ahab and Jezabel I commit Murder and shed Naboth's blood to wring from him his Vineyard or with Achan be stoned to death for taking goods that are to me forbidden give me grace to be content with what portion thou hast allowed me and to remember that this is no continuing City but I must seek one to come in which Heavenly Kingdom of thine thou art my portion for ever which God grant me for his Mercy sake Amen Our Father c. A Prayer for the Evening O Almighty God the only keeper of Israel who neither slumbrest nor sleepest behold me thy servant who by reason of my sin and the corruption of my nature am wholly subject to sloth and am now even ready to ease and rest my self upon my Bed I know not whether thou wilt this very night make my Bed in the dark and the hour of my visitation be this present Evening my years are but a span long my age is nothing unto thee my days pass like a Weavers shuttle and my life is brought to an end as it were a tale that is told this hour may be my last hour and my next sleep my last and long sleep therefore I beseech thee let me every Evening seriously ponder and meditate and though my eyes sleep yet let my soul continually watch to attend thy coming keep me this night both in body and soul from all mine enemies both visible and invisible now and for evermore Amen Our Father c. FINIS
great misery in thine endless mercy of carnal make me spiritual increase thy graces daily in me and for thy mercy sake remove all vain pretences of a false assurance from me give me that sincerity of heart in thy service that constant holiness and gracious perseverance that makes my Calling and Election sure IV. O thou glorious and for ever blessed Spirit who eternally enjoyest blessedness in the sweetness and fulness of thy self and yet most graciously communicatest happiness to us thy sinful Creatures that we might thereby spiritually know thee love thee 〈…〉 e thee and eternally enjoy thee vouchsafe me I humbly beseech thee the blessed p 〈…〉 e of thy holy Spirit that I may thereby become 〈…〉 iritual that I may no longer live af 〈…〉 destruction but daily m 〈…〉 ds of the flesh by the S 〈…〉 may thereby joyfully attain unto 〈…〉 V. Suffer me not O Lord any longer to delude my self with the shews and shadows of devotion but so guide me by the blessed motions of thy holy Spirit that I may dye truly and daily unto sin and live hourly unto righteousness Lord thou seest all my desires and my groanings are not hid from thee O! grant me this mercy and take from me what thou wilt even life it self without thee is bitterness unto me unglew my heart from the World and fix it wholly upon thee and thy service that so I may spiritually rejoyce in thee be graciously accepted of thee and ever blessed with thee Amen Meditations for Wednesday Evening a preparation to the Holy Sacrament I. AFter all these injuries Consider what Scourgings and Whipping our Saviour suffered at the Pillar for when the Judge perceived that he was not able to pacifie the furious rage of those his most cruel Enemies he determin'd to punish our Saviour with such a severe kind of punishment as might suffice to satisfie the malicious outrage of such cruel hearts that they being content therewith should cease and seek no more after his death II. This was one of the greatest and most wonderful fights that was seen in the World who would ever have thought that lashes should have been laid on the shoulders of the Almighty the Prophet David saith the place of thy habitation O Lord is most High and that there shall no evil approach near thy Tabernacle if the Blessed Angels fill'd the Air with high lauds and praises upon the day of his Nativity when as yet they had only seen him in swadling cloaths and in the Manger where he was laid what did they think when they see him so maliciously and cruelly handled III. Whither O Son of God whither hath thy humility descended Whither hath thy charity pity love and compassion extended For I have done wickedly and thou art punished I have committed the offence and thou art chastened with revenge the tree carried me to unlawful desire and perfect charity led thee to the tree of thy Cross teach me O Lord to mortifie my worldly affections and all vices that reign in this mortal body O pour into my wounds the Oyl of thy goodness that I may come with that health unto thy holy Table as becomes a worthy receiver Let nothing be sweet I pray thee unto me without thee let all other things be vile and of no account but troublesome unto me which is contrary to thy good will and pleasure let tears be my bread day and night let thy law be better unto me than millions of gold and silver and let it be delightful unto me to walk in the ways of thy Commandments unto the end IV. As there is no greater incentive of divine wrath than sin so there is not any greater obstructive of devout Prayer in removing that wrath than impenitence impenitence clogs yea clips the wing of devotion so that it cannot mount aloft it cannot reach the throne of grace and of this David himself gives us his profession from his experience saying Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me look how far our lives are from Gods precepts to obey them so far are Gods Ears from hearkning to our Prayers saith Tertul the person then must be excepted before the petition and so a sincere penitent is the best suppliant for that our Lord Jesus Christ being the Priest that offers and the Altar that sanctifies all our services there can be no acceptation without his mediation and sure I am he will not be our Advocate unless he be our Lord he will not be our Priest unless he be our King he will not present God our Prayers unless we present him our persons and whom faith and repentance consecrates through the Spirit him grace and mercy accepts through Christ V. In this Blessed Sacrament here we have an unmovable Centre to rest on God our portion Christ our fullness an object larger than the Heavens Oh that our Faith were now suitable to its object the firmness of our trust to the fulness of our God our Jesus had the Widow of Sarepta prepared more Vessels she had receiv'd more Oyl and that we receive less in the supplies of grace and bounties of love from God and Christ it is because we are straightned in our Faith not God or Christ straightned in his bounty we less capable to receive not he less willing or able to give the Widows vessels are all fill'd and here each humble Soul shall be replenished according to the measure of their capacity VI. Not according to the riches of Christs fulness who as the Sea can fill the vessels though never so large and therefore where the measure is but little there the vessels are but small Enlarge we then the thirsting desires of our Soul that the Fountain of Christs fullness here set open in this Ordinance may satisfie and fill them here behold the promises of life sealed here feel the riches of grace Communicated and here see the earnest of Salvation and Glory Confirmed O then let us hasten to these wells of Salvation for in them we shall find eternal life while we are here we shall find rest to our Bodies and Souls but in the life to come joy everlasting A Prayer for Wednesday Evening preparatory to the Holy Sacrament I. To thee O thou blessed Centre of my Soul mine inward and mine outward Consolation my blessed quietness and richest rest with all humility of Soul and prostration of Spirit do I apply my self for mercy and forgiveness Lord pardon in the Blood of Christ all my offences and for the time to come withdraw my heart from worldly vanities and fix it wholly upon thee and thy Kingdom that so I may sincerely love thee joyfully delight in thee and be both now and ever happy with thee II. O God most Holy O Lord most Righteous O Father most Merciful who in thy tender bowels of compassion towards me hast freely given me thine only Son to perform that in mercy for me which thou in justice