How Unutterable is Thy Mercy and Thy Love past finding out O All ye Holy Angels Behold and Wonder Wretched Man hath sinned against God and God himself has suffered the Sinners Punishment Was there ever any sorrow like that which my Lord and my God endured for me Was there any Love like to that Love my Lord and my God has shewed to me Help me then O ye Blessed Host of Heaven to celebrate that Unknown Sorrow that Wonderful Love which you your selves so much Admire Help me to praise my Crucified Saviour O my Gracious Lord my heart is now full of the sense of Thy Love and what have I to return to Thee but Love again 'T is all I have to offer Thee Accept it O merciful Lord imperfect as it is and Do Thou daily heighten my sense of Thy Love to me that I may dayly heighten my Love to Thee O Thou Infinite Lover of Souls with all my Heart I Love I Praise I Adore Thy Love to me but alaâ— I can never do it enough O do Thou at last Gracious Lord translate me to Thy Kingdom of Glory that there I may Love Thee to the Utmost Capacity of a Creature and Praise Thee to all Eternity Amen Lord Jesus Amen Amen What benefits we receive by it I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesu my Lord and my God when I consider the Benefits which through Thy Mercy we receive by the Holy Sacrament Glory be to Thee O Lord who there makest Thy own Body and Bloud to become our spiritual food to strengthen and refresh our Souls Glory be to Thee O Lord who by this Heavenly food dost mystically Unite us to Thy self for Nothing becomes One with our Bodies more then the bodily food we eat which turns into our very substance and Nothing makes us become One with Thee more then when Thou vouchsafest to become the very food of our souls Glory be to Thee O Lord who by this Immortal food dost nourish our souls to live the life of Grace here and doest raise us up to life everlasting hereafter Lord do Thou evermore give me this bread Amen Amen Motives of Receiving O Blessed Saviour what more powerful Motives can I have to perswade me to Communicate then Thy Command and the Admirable effects of the Holy Sacrament But alas my corrupt Nature is apt to suggest to me low and base inducements to this duty such as are fear of my Superiours displeasure if I abstain or shame of not appearing as devout as my Equals or the meer Custome of the Place or of the Season But Lord I do from my heart Renounce all these and the like Carnal Considerations and I come to Thy Altar to â—enew my Baptismal Covenant with Thee of which Thy Sacrament is a Seal I come to Testifie my sense of Thy Love O Heavenly Father in So loving the World as to give up Thy only Son to die for me I come to testifie my Faith in Thee and my Love toward Thee O Bleâ—ied Saviour and thankfully to Commemorate Thy Wonderful Love in dying for me I come Lord to testifie my stedfastness in the Communion of Thy Church and my Charity to all the World I come to Thy table O Lord out of the sense I have of the want of that Spiritual food to which Thou there invitest me Alas Alas I am soon apt to grow weary of well-doing a few prayers every little duty is apt to tire me Every slight temptation is apt to overcome me and I know there is â—o food can strengthen my Soul but Thy Body No Cordial can revive my drooping Obedience but Thy Bloud and 'T is Thy most blessed Body and Bloud I hunger and thirst after O Gracious Lord Grant that I and all that communicate with me may feel its saving efficacy O Feed O Refresh O Nourish our Souls with it to life everlasting and that for Thy own Infinite Mercy sake which moved Thee to offer up Thy Body and Bloud for us Amen Amen Prayer for Preparation Blessed Lord Jesus I even tremble when I consider that He that eateth and drinketh Unworthily is Guilty of Thy Body and Bloud and eateth and drinketh damnation to his own Soul and this severe Sentence on Unworthy Communicants makes me afraid to come to Thy Altar But when I consider that Thy Sentence is as Severe against those who being invited refuse to Come for Thou hast said they shall not taste of Thy Supper and Unless we eat Thy flesh and drink Thy bloud we have no life in us I am then afraid to Keep away But Bleâ—ied be Thy Mercy O Lord for in this streight my Soul is in Thou art my Guide Thou by giving me this opportunity of Receiving Invitest me to Thy table Thou callest me to seek Thy face and my heart replies Thy face Lord will I seek If Thou Lord should be extream to mark what is done amiss Alas alas I am then Unfit not only to Communicate but to say even my daily prayers I Know Lord that if I should stay till I am Worthy to come I should then never come and therefore though I am Unworthy of so Unspeakable a mercy yet I come to beg Thy Grace to make me Worthy or at least Such as Thou wilt accept O Blessed Jesus do Thou so open my eye of faith to discern Thy Body and Bloud in the Holy Sacrament Do Thou so Dispose my Soul at this time to Communicate that I may feel all the happy effects of Thy own Divine Inâ—titution that my Soul may receive such lasting impressions of Thy Goodness and be so Ravisht with the Love of Thee and with the Incomparable Delights of Thy Service and with such an early fore-taste of Heaven that all the pleasures of sin which in my growing years may tempt me may appear to me tasteless and Unwelcome O Heavenly Father Cloath me with the Wedding Garment even the Graces of my Blessed Saviour for then am I sure to be a Welcome guest to Thy Table when I shall come thither in the likeness of Thy only well-beloved Son in whom Thou art always well-pleased O Heavenly Father Fill me with a lively faith profound humility filial obedience enflamed affections and Universal Charity O raise in my Soul all those Heavenly transports of Zeal and Devotion of Love and desire of Joy and delight of Praise and thanksgiving which become the Remembrance of a Crucified Saviour which become one Redeemed by the Bloud of God and that for His sake only that Redeemed me in whose Holy Words I sum up all the Graces and Blessings I stand in Need of Our â—ather which art in heaven c. This Prayer Phil. is proper for you to add to your Morning Prayer the day on which you are to Receive Directions in time of Receiving IN time of Receiving Good Phil. Labour all you can to keep your heart affected with the Publick Prayers and to fill up all the vacant minutes with Holy Ejaculations such as
all these particulars together with all that you are to know and believe concerning the Blessed Sacrament are contained in these following Meditations which I advise you to read over devoutly at several times till you are in some measure affected with them Meditations on the Holy Eucharist On the ouâ—ward Elements I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesus My Lord and my God when I consider what that Sacrament is to which Thou now invitest me and of what parts it consists Of an Outward and visible sign and of an Inward and spiritual Grace For Thou Lord who knowest our Infirmities and how little able we are to conceive things heavenly and spiritual In pity to our dark and feeble apprehensions hast Ordained Outward and Obvious and Visible signs to represent to our minds Thy grace which is Inward and Invisible Thou hast ordained bread and wine which is our Corporal food to picture out to our Faith the food of our Souls On the Inward Part or Thing signified I know O my God that I must look through the Outward Elements and fix my faith on that which they signifie and which is the Inward and Invisible Grace even Thy own blessed Body and Bloud which is verily and indeed taken and received of the faithful in the Lords Supper But tell me O Thou whom my Soul loveth How canst Thou give us Thy flesh to Eat Lord Thou hast told me that Thy words they are Spirit and they are life and are therefore not Carnally to be understood Lord I believe Help Thou my Un-Unbelief I believe Thy body and blood to be as really present in the Holy Sacrament as Thy Divine Power can make it though the manner of Thy Mysterious presence I cannot comprehend Lord I believe that the Bread that we break and the Cup that we drink are not bare signs only but the real Communication of Thy Body and Thy Bloud and pledges to assure me of it and I verily believe that if with due preparation I come to Thy Altar as certainly as I receive the Outward Signs so certainly shall I receive the thing signified even Thy most Blessed Body and Bloud to receive which inestimable Blessing O merciful Lord do Thou fit and prepare me Amen Amen Who Instituted it I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesus my Lord and my God when I consider that this Holy Sacrament was Thy own Institution For it was Thou Lord who in the night Tâ—ou wast betrayed didst take Bread and after that the Cup and didst bless them and give them to Thy Disciples O blessed Saviour let Thy Divinity thus stampt on it strike into my Soul an Holy Awe and Reverence in approaching it O Create in me Heavenly dispositions to celebrate so Heavenly an Institution Amen Amen For what end I Adore Thee O Blessed Jesus My Lord and my God when I consider for what end Thou didst institute the Holy Sacrament implied in Thy own Command Do this in Remembrance of Me. But what need This Command O Gracious Lord is it possible for me ever to forget Thee my Saviour who hast done so great things for me Alas alas my own sad experience tells me it is wo is me every temptation every vanity is apt to make me forget Thee though Thy own Dying words bid me remember Thee But O Blessed Lord for Thy infinite Mercies sake Pardon all my stupid forgetfulness and ingratitude hitherto and do Thou now Create in me such a thankful and lively Remembrance of Thy Dying for me that may excite me to give up my self entirely to Thee as Thou didst give up Thy self on the Cross for me Amen Amen A Thanksgiving for Christs Sufferings O Thou my crucified Saviour Glory be to Thee for causing Thy sufferings to be registred in the Gospel There I have read and Remember the Wonders and Triumphs of Thy Almighty Love for which I will always Adore and Praise Thee I Remember O Gracious Lord How Thou who thoughtst it no robbery to be equal with God wast made in the Fashion of frail man of the vilest and most contemptible of men for Thou tookest on Thee the form of a very Servant I Remember how many reproaches and contradictions and blasphemies and persecutions Thou didst endure from a wicked and perverse generation and all this to save us sinfulmen O Lord Jesus was ever sorrow like unto Thy sorrow Worthy art Thou O Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing I Remember O gracious Lord How Thou didst indure a most bitter Agony and didst sweat great drops of blood falling to the ground How Thou who art God above all Blessed for ever wast treacherously betrayed and apprehended and bound as a Malefactor How Thou wast set at nought by Herod and his men of war and forsaken of all Thy Disciples and denied by Peter and all this to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever sorrow c. I Remember How Thou O God of Truth wast accused by false witnesses How Thou whom all the Angels adore wast blindfoldâ—d and buffeted and â—ocke and spit upon and stript naked and scourged and all this that we might be healed by Thy stripes and to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Remember Lord How Thou that art the great Judge of Heaven and Earth wast Thy self dragged to the Judgment-Seat and condemned How Thou O King of Heaven wast crowned with thorns and opprest with the weight of Thy own Cross and all this to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Remember O blessed Saviour How Thou who art the Lord of Glory and the sole Author of life wast put to a most ignominious death How Thy hands and Thy feet were nailed to a Cross How Thou wast Crucified between two Thieves and numbrâ—d with the Transgressors How Thou hadst a potion given Thee to imbitter Thy very last gasp and all this to save us sinful men O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Remember O Gracious Lord How when Thou wert hanging on the very Cross Thou wast scoffed at and reviled How infinitely then Thou wert afflicted and bruised for our transgressions when the Iniquities of us all were laid on Thy shoulders How Thou didst then express an anguish greater then all the tortures of Thy Crucifixion when Thou didft cry out My God my God why hast Thou forsaken Me and how Thou didst at last give up the Ghost and die Thy self that we might live O Lord Jesus was ever any sorrow c. I Unfeignedly believe O Gracious Lord that Thou didst suffer all this for sinful men and in particular for me when we were all Thy utter enemies and had nothing in us to move Thee to pity us but our extream misery Nothing to move Thee to save us but our great Unworthiness and Thy greater Mercy O the depth of the Riches of Thy Love Blessed Lord
these which follow At going to the Altar In the multitude of Thy Mercies O Lord God do I now approach Thy Altar O Pardon my sins and Receive me Graciously Amen Amen At the Offertory Blessed be Thou O Lord God for all things come of Thee and of Thy own do I now give Thee O let this Alms be an Odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to Thee At Consecration O Blessed Jesu In the bread Broken I call to mind Thy Body torn with Whips and Thorns and Nails and in the Wine poured out I call to mind Thy precious bloud shed for my sins Glory be to Thee O Lamb of God that didst offer Thy self a Sacrifice to take away the sins of the whole World Lord have mercy on me and take away Mine also Whilest others are Communicating O my God whom have I in Heaven but Thee and there is none on Earth I desire in comparison of Thee As the Hart panteth after the Water brooks so panteth my Soul after Thee O God! My Soul is athirst for Thee O God my God! Blessed Saviour I am Thine I am wholly Thine for Thou hast bought me with a Price with the inestimable price of Thy Own bloud Lord suffer not the price of Thy own bloud to perish and I will always glorifie Thee in my Body and in my Spirit which are Thine If there be many Communicants and thou hast much vacant time Phil. and doest want devout Matter to imploy thy thoughts till All have communicated thou mayest then repeat the Thanksgiving for Christs sufferings p. 44. either in whole or in part as thou seest it needful When the Priest cometh toward you O Lord God I now desire to renew my Covenant with Thee and to seal it in this Sacrament Lord put Thy Laws into my mind and write them in my heart and for the Passion of Thy Son which I now commemorate be merciful to my Unrighteousness My sins and my iniquities remember no more and be Thou my God and I will be Thy servant Amen Amen O my Soul taste now and see How gracious the Lord is After receiving the Bread Glory be to Thee O Lord who feedest me with the bread of life O Lord God who didst sanctifie us by the offering of the body of Jesus once for all sanctifie me even me O Heavenly Father After Receiving the Cup. Glory be to Thee O Lord Jesus who permittest me to drink of the fountain of life freely My Beloved is mine and I am his Blessed Saviour Thou hast Loved us and washed us from our sins in Thy own bloud and therefore to Thee be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen Amen Glory be to Thee O Jesus My Lord and my God for thus feeding my Soul with thy most blessed body and bloud O let Thy Heavenly food transfuse new life and new vigour into my Soul and into the Souls of all that Communicate with me that our Faith may daily increase that we may all grow more humble and Contrite for our sins that we may all love Thee and serve Thee and delight in Thee and Praise Thee more servently more incessantly then ever we have done heretofore Amen Amen After the Congregation is dismist Phil. if you cannot get privacie in your own Chamber I advise you â—t the first opportunity to go into the Chappel and there to give God thanks for that great blessing of which He has now made you a partaker A Thanksgiving after Receiving O How plentiful is Thy Goodness My Lord and my God which Thou hast laid up for those that fear Thee which Thou hast laid up for those that put their trust in Thy Mercy Was it not Love Infinite enough Dearest Lord to give Thy self for me on the Cross Was not that Sacrifice of Thy self sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world What Lord couldst Thou then do more for me All the mighty Host of Heaven stood amazed to see the bloud of God shed to see their King of Glory to whom from everlasting they had sung their Hallelujahs Nailed to a Cross and all this to save Sinners Sure Lord None of all those Blessed Spirits with all the Glorious illuminations they had could ever have Imagined how Thou couldst give Thy self more to us then Thou hadst done And yet for all this Thou hast wrought new miracles of Love for us and as if it had not been Love enough to have given Thy self for us on the Cross Thou hast found out a way to give Thy self to us in the Holy Sacrament to Unite Thy self to us with the most intimate Union that 't is possible to conceive to become the very food the Life the strength the support of my Soul to become one with me to become the very Soul of my Soul O Lord God This is so Unconceivable a blessing this is so Divine an Union that the very Angels who so much desire to look into the great Mystery of our Redemption who learn Thy Manifold Wisdom from Thy Church and frequent the Places of Thy Publick worship do crowd about our Altars and with aweful Admiration contemplate the Holy Sacrament What thanks then Gracious Lord can I return to Thee for those wonders of Love Thou hast shewed to me wretched sinner which the very Angels who never sinned so much admire O dearest Lord raise Thou my devotion to the highest pitch it can possibly reach to Praise Thee Enlarge my Soul to its utmost extent to Love Thee How can I ever more offend such Riches of mercy as are in Thee O Crucified Saviour and yet whilest I carrry this body of sin about me I fear I shall But Lord I do from my heart Renounce and abhor all things that displease Thee I resolve to the Utmost of my power to Resist all temptations and to become as totally Thine as my frail Nature will permit me O Gracious Lord who hast so Infinitely Loved us and given us everlasting Consolation and good Hope through grace Comfort my Heart and for ever establish it in every good Word and Work Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever Rejoice in the Lord Jesus O my Soul for of Him cometh my salvation I will love Thee O Lord my King and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever Glory be to Thee O Lord God for giving me this blessed opportunity of coming to Thy Altar O grant I may never more Pollute my soul which Thou hast now made Thy Temple to reside in who art the God of Purity Praise the Lord O my Soul while I live will I praise the Lord as long as I have any being I will sing praises Unto Thee O Blessed Saviour My King and my God O gracious Lord Pardon all my failings Accept all my prayers and praises and supply all my wants which I sum up in Thy Own
the Gentry and Commonalty Pious and just peaceable and loyal Hearts To our Armies and Navy Protection and Victory To the whole Nation Healthful and fruitful and peaceful times Lord let it be thy good pleasure to grant To all Jews Turks Infidels Atheists and Hereticks Conversion To all Malefactors and wicked men timely Repentance To all Holy persons increase of grace and perseverance To all that I have tempted any way to siâ— or with whom I have been a Companion in evil Contrition and pardon Lord let it be Thy good pleasure to bless all those I have any way wronged and to forgive those that have wronged me To Comfort the disconsolate to give health to the sick ease to those that are in pain Patience to the afflicted food to the Hungry Clothes to the Naked liberty to the Captive and a safe delivery to women with Child Lord be Thou a Guide to the traveller safety to those that are at Sea a Refuge to the oppressed Be Thou a Father to the fatherless Take care of Widdows Pity and Relieve all poor Prisoners of debt and Have mercy on all Ideots and mad persons Lord let it be Thy good pleasure to Bless my Parents my Brothers and Sisters and All my Relations All my Friends All my Governours in this Colledge All my Fellow-Scholars All who have commended themselves to my Prayers Particularly Here you may name them if you see occasion Lord Thou best Knowest all our Conditions All our Desires All our Wants O do Thou therefore sute Thy graces and blessings to our several necessities of Body or Soul Hear O merciful Father my Supplications and that for the sake of Thy Son Jesus who died for us all in whose Holy words I sum up my own and the wants of all I pray for Our Father which c. If you are a Child of the Colledge Good Phil. I advise you now and then to say that usual Collect wherein you give thanks for the Founder and pray for the Colledge both which you have great reason to do in private as well as in publick when you Consider that God has made the Founder an Instrument of doing you much good in advantaging your education and the blessings you pray for on the Colledge you have your self a part in A Thanksgiving for the Founder I Give Thee Humble and Hearty thanks O most merciful Father for our Founder William of Wickham and all other our Benefactors by whose benefits we are in this Colledge brought up to Godliness and good Learning and I beseech Thee to give us grace so to use these Thy blessings to the Glory of Thy Name that we may become profitable members in the Church and Commonwealth and may be at last partakers of the immortal Glory of the Resurrection Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Amen Directions to use the foregoing Prayers HAve a great care good Phil. that you make not any of the Rules here given you a pretence to neglect the Orders and duties of the place you live in or of the School for that were Idleness rather than devotion When you fix on a day to examine your Soul or to confess your sins in Believe me Phil. nothing will more enforce your Prayers and Repentance than if they are accompanied with Fasting and Alms as you may see in the example of Cornelius whose Prayers and Fasting and Alms all joyned together were so acceptable to God as made Him send first an Angel from Heaven and after the Angel an Apostle and after the Apostle the Holy Ghost to confirm and enlighten Him But take notice Phil. that all the Fasting I advise you to is only on some Fasting-day on some one Friday or Saturday when your Commons are less than on other days to Content your self with your bare allowance and withal to lay aside some small matter according to your stock for the Poor But beware you do not your duty only to be seen and approved of by Others for this were Hypocrisie and take lieed your performances do not puff you up with a vain conceit of your Holiness and that you are better than your fellows for this were abominable Pride and alas when you have done the best you can you fall infinitely short of your duty and 't is Gods mere Mercy not any the least worth in you makes your service any way acceptable to Him When you have once throughly examined your self Good Phil. and made a particular Confession of the sins of your whole life and begged Pardon there is not the same Absolute Necessity of such laborious Examination at your next communicating especially if you examine your self carefully every Night and dayly repent of the evil of the day past and are not Conscious to your self of any Great or Notorious Sins since your last Confession for if you are not the Examination and Confession only of what past since your last Communicating together with a General Confession of your former sins and a solemn renewing of your former acts of Repentance may serve the turn But if your Conscience Accuses you of any Culpable neglect in your last Examination or of any great relapses or of any wilfull violations of your last Vows and Resolutions in those and the like Cascs 't is the surest way to begin all your Repentance again Remember Phil. that though 't is God that works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure yet God also commands you to work out your own salvation your self and therefore you are to labour for those blessings and to practise those graces you pray for so that you are to read your duty in your prayers If you find any particular Sin you are guilty of or any particular grace which you want or any particular blessing which you are to give thanks for which is not here mentioned 't is easie for you to add it to your prayers as occasion requires in like manner if you meet with any passage in any prayer which does not either so directly or so fully express the sense of your Soul as you could wish leave it out If Opportunity Leisure and Devotion altogether do at any time when you go home or at times of liberty incline you to make some present addition to your dayly prayers or like Daniel and Holy David not only at Morning and at Evening but at Noon day to Pray to God thou mayest then Use the Prayer for particular graces p. 39. or those Acts of Resolution and Oblation p. 34 35. or on Sundays and Holy-days the Form of General Thansgiving or on Fasting-days the Form of General Intercession as may best sute with the season and with your own Affections Directions concerning Infirmities IF after all the Care and pains you can take and your petitions also for Gods grace you find in the performance of any duty in your dayly Prayers Examination Receiving the Holy Eucharilt or the like great Coldness and Wandrings and indisposedness and weariness of Spirit and