and murmur'd at thy Providence been discontent in my Condition and complain'd of thy Dealings towards me 'T is true O my God that thou of thine infinite goodness hast convinc'd my Conscience of sin affected my Soul with a sorrow for it and wrought in me Resolutions of amendment but oh how many have been my falls how many and grievous have been my Relapses how negligent have I been of the Covenant of my God! Oh how soon have the tears of my Repentance dried up how soon has the flame of my Devotion and Love slackened and even gone out O God thou holy God thou Witness of all my actions and Judge of all my thoughts and affections what would become of me if thou shouldest enter into strict Judgment with me how should I stand before thy Tribunal cover'd with the guilt and shame of so many sins But O thou God of Mercy O thou God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ I know that thou art always ready to pardon poor Penitents Lord I repent increase thou my Repentance trouble has taken hold of me my Soul is cast down and disquieted within me I am asham'd yea even confounded for I do bear the Reproach of the folly and ingratitude of my sins O be thou reconciled to me pardon me I beseech thee by the Merits and Intercession by the Agony and Passion and by all the painful Sufferings of thy Son pardon me O pardon me I beseech thee by thine own boundless goodness by those tender Mercies and Compassion which thou art wont to exercise towards Repenting sinners And Lord not only pardon my sins but deliver me I beseech thee from the Dominion and Power of 'em O assist me to break off those Chains of carnal Lusts and worldly Cares in which I have been held bound I have a false deceitful heart O give me Sincerity and Truth have a sluggish and drowsie body O enkindle in me fervency of spirit I am conscious to my self of great weakness and fraily O do thou confirm and strengthen me who alone canst make me a clean heart O O God and renew a right spirit within me give me a true Faith and enflame my heart with a holy Love that I may delight my self in thy Commandments that I may walk before thee in uprightness and fear diligently seeking thee constantly depending upon thee chearfully submitting to thy Will and doing the Duty of my place in singleness of heart as knowing that I shall be accountable to thee as well for those Duties which I owe Man as for those which are more immediately to be paid to thee O Lord keep me that my foot stray not out of the path of Justice O Lord keep me that I offend not with my Tongue and after I have done all O Lord suffer me not to fall short of my Reward through my pride or ingratitude but make me always thankful always humble neither defrauding thee of the Praise due to thine infinite Bounty and Mercy nor Man of the Thanks due to him for any act of kindness or charity towards me help me O my God to walk thus that my Soul may enjoy a true Liberty that my Life may be full of comfort my Death of peace and my Eternity of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. And O my God bless not me only but this whole Family thou that art the God of Love the God of Peace sow in all our hearts the seeds of unfeigned Charity that we may all enjoy the comfort of a mutual Affection and of a mutual Assistance and Aid in our several places and Lord possess every Soul of this Family with a just sense of our Duty towards God and Man that all of us may be living Members of thy blessed Son and being protected by thy Providence directed by thy Word and assisted by the Influence of thy Spirit we may all at last meet in the Family of Heaven where we shall adore and praise thee love and enjoy thee to all Eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for the Evening O My God my Strength and the Rock of my Salvation the Day is past and the Evening is come O give me grace to remember that this Life will one time be past and Death will come that I may live so that my work may be then finisht as 't is this day and I may have nothing else to do but go to my Rest where I shall be invested with Liberty and Glory Eternal Eternal O blessed Wages of a short Lifes service how does my Soul praise thee O Lord in Transports and even Extasies thou hast called me indeed to be a Servant but thou hast called me too to be a Son thou hast not indeed given me any great portion of the Wealth or Honour of this Life but thou hast given me the blessed Jesus to be my Redeemer and thy holy Spirit to be my Sanctifier O do but ever continue thus to me the Light of thy Countenance thy Grace and thy Truth and I shall never think my self to stand in need of any thing that the World admires but O my God how often are these my Comforts abated nay even interrupted how often is this blessed this chearful Light obscur'd and orecast by my infirmities and sins my sins the only causes that keep good things from me my sins the only real troubles of my Life Thus O my God though I renew'd my Covenant with thee but this morning though I devoted my self to thee vowing Obedience to thee and faithfulness to my Master yet have I prevaricated my Duty here mention the Errours and Infirmities of the day past have mercy upon me O Lord have mercy upon me and forgive me these and all other my offences and give me grace to keep my self upon my watch and guard against them Enable me sincerely to endeavour to repair and reform 'em as much as in me lies that I may every day grow and increase in goodness and be so much the fiter for Death the nearer I do every day approach to it and whenever it comes let it find me O Lord with my Loyns girt and my Lamp burning in a disposition and frame of spirit fit to die possessed with an unshaken Faith with an humble Resignation and Submission of Mind with a holy Contempt of Earth and a devout Love of Heaven In the mean time thou keeper of Israel thou who never slumbrest nor sleepest watch over me and this whole Family protecting and delivering us in our coming in and going out particularly let thine Angels pitch their Tents about us this night let us lie down securely and let our sleep be sweet to us for thou Lord shalt make us dwell in safety Amen Amen Blessed Jesus If any one expects from me Directions here for Mental or Extemporary Prayers I must tell 'em freely that little less than a Volume much bigger than I purpose this is sufficient for such an undertaking What I have to say in a word here
presence but I do also loath and detest my sin O deliver me from it aid me by thy blessed Spirit that I may conquer and subdue all my corrupt affections O let that Spirit which was in Jesus be in me also that the life of Jesus may be seen in all my actions and the image of Jesus may be form'd in my Soul and my conversation may be in Heaven and here O Lord I offer up and devote to thee even my Soul and my body resolving to live a life of Devotion a life of Justice and Charity a life of Meekness and Humility a life of Industry and Watchfulness a life of Purity and Sobriety O Lord strengthen me O Lord establish me by the might of thy Spirit by the power of thy Word by the protection of thy Povidence that I may persevere and be faithful unto the end and so obtain a Crown of Righteousness through Jesus Chirst our Lord. 3dly The Exercise of Charity O my my God thou hast taught me by thy holy Word that thou art love that he only who dwelleth in love dwelleth in thee and accordingly I do find that thou art long-suffering and merciful that thou fillest even the Wicked and thine Enemies with thy goodness and O my blessed Savour and Redeemer I find that in this also thou art the express Image of thy Father and the brightness of his glory for thou camest from Heaven to Earth to die for thine Enemies to reconcile man to God first and then to reconcile and endear us all to one another and has taught us that we cannot be thy Disciples unless we love one another I do therefore most readily forgive all those that have wronged me either by word or deed I do from my heart readily pardon all those who have or do wish me evil or who endeavour or design me any I do earnestly desire to be the Child of my Heavenly Father and the Disciple of my dear Master in this point and therefore being jealous lest my reconciliation should not be sincere or perfect enough I do firmly purpose upon every opportunity to express my Charity towards mine Enemies my acts of Love and Kindness and lest after all I should not be zealous enough to promote that Love and Unity which is so dear and acceptable to my God and my Saviour lest I should not throughly coppy out the Divine pattern that is set me I will not only with unfeigned Humility and Affliction of Soul confess my offence make reparation and beg pardon for any wrong I have done others but I will wooe and importune those who have wrong'd me into a reconciliation For how well must this become me when God himself courts and beseeches the sinner and the Son of God Preach't and Prayed and Wept and Died for those who were irreconcileably set against him To be us'd by such as are conscious of Undutifulness towards their Governours and O my God I do now call to mind how unkindly how unchristianly I have behaved my self towards those who are my Governours in Church and State I have often made false slanderous and spightful reflections upon 'em and have aided and countenanced others in the like I cannot make to them a Personal Acknowledgment of my offences nor sue to 'em in particular for the pardon of 'em Here therefore before thee my God and my Judge whom I have hereby offended I do confess and bewail my sin and folly humbly imploring thy pardon and the assistance of thy Grace that I may henceforth walk in Christian Charity towards those who are my Governours thy Ministers for my good not only forbearing all Disloyalty Disobedience Malice and Uncharitableness my self but also discountenancing and opposing it in all others as far as in me lies O thou God of Love fill me with thy Divine Spirit fill me with Brotherly Affection and with a Fervent Zeal for the good of my Neighbour nor suffer me ever to be wanting according to my capacity to increase the happiness of the Prosperous and the Pious or to relieve the misery of the Afflicted and the Sinner But O my God whilst I pray for a Spirit of Love towards my Neighbour I must not forget to beg and beg earnestly that by the same Spirit thou wouldst shed abroad the Love of thee my God in my Heart O Let me ever remember the great things which thou hast done for me O Let me ever think upon the Patience and Long-suffering which thou hast exercised towards me above all let my Soul ever adore and love and bless thee that thou hast given thine own Son out of thy Bosom to die for me and for all Mankind that whoever believed on him might not perish but have Everlasting Life And O let me ever love and glorifie that Son of thy Bosom who hast loved me and given himself for me and washt me from my sins in his own Blood and O may I ever express this my Love by a frequent Commemoration of it by Devout Addresses to thee my God by a Devout Zeal for thy Glory and the propagation of the Kingdom of my Saviour Amen Amen Fourthly The Exercise of Hope After all these reflections which I have made upon my sinfulness and the Divine goodness upon my guilt and the atonement and satisfaction wrought by the Blood of Jesus I find that as the consideration of the one begets sorrow so doth the consideration of the other beget hope in me and I find the trouble of my Soul clear up into Christian Peace and Comfort My past sins indeed and my present unworthiness fill me with grief and shame and reproach of Conscience but there are other things that lift me up from the Earth that wipe away my Tears and remove the Garments of my mourning and fill my Soul with chearfulness and delightsome expectations such are these when I consider the Divine Nature I am assured that God delights not in the death of a Sinner but delights in exercising Loving-kindness Righteousness and Mercy upon Earth When I consider the death of Jesus I am well assured that it is a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice Oblation and Satisfaction for my sins and the sins of the whole World when I lastly consider the tenour of the Gospel-Covenant as 't is publisht to the World by the Son of God and his Followers I find contain'd in it pardon of sins to all repenting and believing Sinners without Restriction without Limitation without Exception of any Person or Reservation of any case * Math. 11.28 Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden and I will refresh you * John 3.16 So God loved the World that he gave his only Begotten Son to the end that all that believe in him should not perish but have Everlasting Life * 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a true saying and worthy of all Men to be received That Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners * 1 John 2.1 If any Man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And now I lift up my Heart O Lord unto thee I approach near thee and Sacrifice to thee in the joy of hope and thankfulness For tho' I do not presume to come to this thy Table trusting in my own Righteousness yet I do firmly trust in the multitude of thy Mercies I know I am not of my self worthy to gather up the Crumbs under thy Table yet I do with all know that the Son of God has died for Sinners and that thou art the same Lord whose property is ever to have Mercy I do not therefore doubt but I shall be a welcome and acceptable tho' in my self an unworthy Guest to this Table and being assisted by thy Grace shall so eat the Flesh of thy Son Jesus Christ and drink his Blood that my sinful Body shall be made clean by his Body and my Soul washed through his most precious Blood and I shall evermore dwell in him and he in me Amen Amen Aug. 5. 1685. Imprimatur Liber cui Titulus The Duty of Servants c. H. Maurice R mo D no. W mo Arch po Cant. a sacris â—INIS There is lately published by the same Author a Book intituled An Enqutry after Happiness c.
the Eye of the World but why should you think that Condition too mean for you which our dear Lord thought not too mean for him For he came in the form of a Servant Phil. 2. But if this trouble you I have shewed you before an infallible way of redeeming your selves from Contempt namely by a Religious and excellent Behaviour for true Virtue is much more honourable than Nobility of Blood or Ampleness of Fortune A Prayer for Contentment in your Condition O Eternal and gracious Lord God before whom a meek and humble spirit is of great price O God who givest Grace to the humble but resistest the proud keep me I beseech thee from pride and frowardness from discontent and murmuring and give me a meek and humble spirit Make me adore thy Wisdom and Goodness in every dispensation of thy Providence and chearfully submit to thy Will and follow thy Conduct O suffer me not to dispise or murmure at that state which my great Lord and Master honour'd by taking it upon himself for he came not to be ministred to but to minister Make me always thankful to thee for those Real Advantages which I enjoy in this state thou hast given me all the necessary Comforts of Life without the Cares and Troubles of it thou hast hedg'd in my ways and kept me from Idleness and Worldly and Carnal Lusts by my Necessities and indispensible Restraints of my Calling O never suffer me to break thorow all these to commit sin and die O grant that since my station has fewer Temptations to sin and more Encouragements to Virtue than that of others I may be so much more eminent and exemplary than others in all virtuous and holy living as knowing my offence more inexcusable So shall I ever have reason to bless thy Love for the meanness and necessities of my state when they shall have made me rich in goodness then shall I adore and magnifie thy Love for those Restraints and Confinements thou hast put upon me when they shall prove the meanest Instruments of my Eternal Preservation and Safety then shall I adore thy Mercy for the bodily hardships of my Service when they shall prove to me an excellent Discipline to train me up to Virtue and Glory Amen so be it blessed Jesus A Prayer for Fidelity to your Master and Trust in God O Holy and Righteous God whose Eyes are set upon the Righteous and thine Ears are always open to their Prayers who feedest those that fear thee and art a present help in time of trouble possess me I humbly beseech thee with such a sincere Faith in all thy Promises with such a firm persuasion of thy Wisdom Power and Goodness that I may ever trust and relie upon thee as my God and my Saviour and O let me never be ashamed of my hope in thee nor let my distrustful or fearful heart ever give thee occasion to be ashamed to be called my God And because O Lord the Sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to thee and the Prayers of the unjust a mere prophanation of thy holy Name therefore I beseech thee let thy fear be before mine Eyes and make me faithful and diligent in the station to which it has pleased thee to call me I know O Lord that thou art a holy and a righteous God and an Avenger of all Covenant-breakers O suffer me not therefore to fall into breach of Trust with Man lest I fall under the Vengeance of my God I know that my Duty towards my Master is one great part of my Religion towards thee O suffer me not by idleness or falshood to lose the Eternal Reward of my Service I know O Lord that all things are naked and bare before thee and that though my Master's Eye cannot yet thine does in all times and in all places behold me that thou mayest render to me according to my works O how fatal then must that Laziness prove for which I must be condemn'd to everlasting pain O how fatal must my frauds be since though I may deceive my Master I cannot thee Lord therefore inable me so to serve with fear and trembling and singleness of heart that I may have a good ground to trust and depend upon thee for protection and provision in this World and for reward in another through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for right performance of Instrumental or Relative Duties O Lord my God I know that my Lamp will soon go out unless there be Oil to feed it that my Graces will soon languish unless they be nourisht and refresht by thy Word and Sacraments I know O Lord that my spiritual life my corporal life cannot be upheld but by a daily supply a supply of thy Grace the life and strength of my Soul and I know that this is not in thy ordinary course otherwise to be obtain'd than by fervent Prayer awful Meditatation of thy Word and a devout and frequent Use of the Communion I beseech thee therefore O my God not only that thou wouldest imprint upon my heart a just sense of the necessity of these Duties but also that thou wouldest instruct and assist me that I may perform 'em devoutly and conscientiously and persevere in them constantly to my lifes end O do thou teach me to pray in contrite groans and transporting love O do thou open my heart that it may receive thy Word with true Faith and devout Affection O do thou raise in me such a grateful passion for the love of Jesus that I may not only commemorate his Death in joy and tears but meet him with ardent love and be inseparably united to him and he to me But O my God how often shall I fall short of this through my own default Ah how seldom shall I come up to it O therefore pardon pardon the infirmities of thy Servant Ah! pardon me my want of preparation to these Duties my heaviness and distraction in 'em and whatever mixtures of other frailties may cleave to them and however weak my performances may be let 'em not be wholly unprofitable let 'em at least beget in me Humility clearer Convictions of my spiritual Poverty and Weakness greater Watchfulness and new Resolutions for the time to come and all this I most earnestly and most humbly beg for the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord. CHAP. II. Of the Servant's Duty towards his Master and Mistress consisting in Obedience Faithfulness Love I Think Injustice or Uncharitableness in Servants implies a double guilt nothing can be more evident than that every Servant owes his Master and Mistress in the first place all those Duties at least which every Man owes another whether he be Friend or Enemy Neighbour or Stranger namely Truth Justice and Charity nay I believe all will readily confess that the transgression of these Duties in Servants towards their Masters and Mistresses has many more and greater Aggravations in it than any Errour of this kind in one Man towards another for
Master the Peace and Virtue of the Family and my own both Temporal and Eternal Happiness I know O Lord that no acts of injustice or unfaithfulness between Man and Man shall go unpunish'd I know that for these things sake the wrath of God is reveal'd from Heaven O what then must be my punishment if I heap upon the guilt of injustice and uncharitableness many others namely of Ingratitude Unfaithfulness Lying Perjury O preserve me therefore O my God from all falshood and wrong and suffer me not to forfeit thy favour and destroy my Soul for the sake of those things that perish O let me be fully convinced that the ways of Righteousness are ways of Pleasantness and that all her paths are Prosperity and Peace that so I may delight my self in the Law of my God and may find comfort and a blessing in the discharge of my Duty Teach me O Lord Humility and Obedience Faith and Truth Care and Industry Charity and Meekness that I may adorn the Doctrine of God my Saviour win others over to a love of Virtue and after an humble and contented tho' laborious life here may enter into Rest and Glory hereafter through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for Obedience O Glorious and Eternal Lord God who dwellest with those who are of a meek and lowly Spirit behold me I beseech thee and pour into my Heart that Virtue of Humility which is so highly esteemed by thee O Lord my Heart is too too apt to be filled with Pride and Vanity O do thou convince me every day more and more of my own vileness and worthlesness that I may be preserved from self-conceit and wilfulness O give me Grace often to consider the Humility of my Lord and Saviour that I may learn of him and obtain the peace which flows from a meek Spirit and Humble Obedience And O my God because I am to give an account to thee who art the searcher of the Heart and the tryer of the Reins the Judge of my most secret Thoughts as well as my most secret Actions teach me therefore to do my Duty chearfully and in singleness of Heart make me to abominate all Lying shifts and pretences as well as all proud wilfulness and sluggishness Make me careful to learn my Duty sincere in the performance of it patient under reproof and diligent in reforming whatever is amiss thus O my God whilst every part of my Duty towards Man shall prove an instance of my Obedience towards thee I shall enjoy the peace of a good Conscience and the hopes of an Eternal Reward Hear me and answer me O Lord for thy Mercies sake and thy Son Jesus Christs Sake A Prayer for Faithfulness O God thou God of Truth Right and Just art thou and there is no iniquity with thee fill my Heart I beseech thee with the love of Truth and Faithfulness make me true in all my words and upright in all my deeds O teach me to take heed to my ways that I offend not with my Tongue teach me to keep my Mouth as it were with a Bridle while the ungodly are in my sight O make me to abhor the sin of Unfaithfulness and let no such cleave unto me Let no slander or detraction no mischievous accusations proceed out of my Mouth nor suffer me ever to stretch forth my hand to iniquity O let me not fall through Covetousness or Distrust in God and let me never commit injustice to maintain my Pride or Riot or Idleness adding sin to sin If sinners entice me suffer me not to consent to 'em permit me not to have any Fellowship with the Unfruitful Works of Darkness but give me courage and discretion to reprove 'em that so my Righteousness may be as the Noon-day and thou mayest make me to prosper in the Land and I may at last obtain the Blessing Well done good and faithful Servant enter thou into thy Masters Joy Amen Amen Blessed Jesus A Prayer for Love O Thou God who art Love give me thy Grace that I may practise more abundantly that Charity which I owe all Mankind towards those of the same Family give me a grateful sense of the benefits which I enjoy under this Roof of the care and kindness of my Master towards me in providing for me both spiritual and bodily Food that so I may make returns to him in the Fruit of Love Obedience and Faithfulness Lord let his interest and his honour let his quiet and content be dear to me as my own that I may not only serve him with Justice but Zeal too And O my God diffuse the gift of Charity through the Hearts of this whole Family that we may all live in Godly love and peace together that our Prayers be not hindred nor we kept back from thy Holy Table or approach it unworthily But that we all enjoy thee our God in the beauty of Holiness enjoy one another in the beauty of Charity and enjoy those Temporal Blessings which thou hast richly bestow'd upon us in the beauty of order and virtue and and all things may finally and uniformly tend to thy Glory and our Comfort through Jesus Christ our Lord. CHAP. III. Of the Duty of Servants § 1st Towards their Masters Children consisting of Affection due Respect Care of their Morals Care of their Honour and Care of their Interest § 2dly Towards Sojourners § 3dly Towards Strangers What the Servant owes his Masters Children WHatever it be that Servants owe the Children of the Family 't is only the result of that Duty which they owe their Master Children are as it were parts of their Parents their Blood and Birth gives 'em a just claim as to the care and love of their Parents so to a proper share of th' Affection and Service and all other advantages of the Family First Therefore a Servant owes the Children of his Master a sincere Affection Affection which will easily be granted if it be but consider'd that 't is impossible for a Servant to bear Faith and Love to his Master and have neither for his Children for Children are the dearest interest and most valuable Treasure of their Parents Children are the joys and hopes of their Fathers they double the pleasure of his prosperity by being sharers in it and ease the toil of his labours by being the Heirs of ' em How therefore can any one pretend to love his Master who hates or despises what is dearest to him Now this affection of the Servant must express it self towards his Masters Children 1st In a due Respect 2dly In his care for their Morals 3dly In a sincere Zeal for their Honour and 4dly For their Interest 1st In Respect Due Respect This their birth Challenges every slight or neglect offer'd the Children by a Servant is some diminution of the Reverence which he owes his Master for the Father must needs suffer in the contempt of the Son and yet this Respect ought to be wisely regulated for
and fear a state of darkness and affliction a state of wrath and death death eternal death and shall I be so fond of this state as to continue in it after thy Son has shed his blood to redeem me from it Shall I despise this Redemption and not hasten to be partaker of his Blood and all the benefits of his death and passion O my God and my Father it was an act of the most tender mercy in thee to offer up thy Son to death for me Ah what Ingratitude must I be guilty of towards thee what cruelty towards my self if I neglect this great salvation if I renounce or at least forget my Saviour and exclude my self from any Interest in his death O blessed Jesus didst thou by thy one painful oblation of thy self upon the Cross make a full perfect sufficient Sacrifice Oblation and Satisfaction for the sins of the whole World and can there be any thing more dear to me than the memory of this thy love more worthy of my remembrance than the redemption of the whole Word Redemption ah blessed word What happiness what Heaven doth it import to be redeem'd by Christ is to be translated out of darkness into a marvelous light out of the Regions and shadows of death into the glory of the Sons of God out of a state of bondage into the most perfect liberty out of a state of wrath into a state of Love and Mercy out of a state of Dread and Terrour into a state of Peace and Joy and Hope or at least into a capacity of all this and doth not all this deserve that I should ever commemorate this thy Redemption of me and of the World with devout joys with humble transports and the most grateful passion Didst thou need O my Blessed Saviour to institute and in thy Holy Gospel command me to continue a perpetual memory of that thy precious death until thy coming again lest I should forget it Ah wretched nature Ah wretched state Can there be any temptations that can betray me into so vile a baseness Can the love of the World a false deceitful World make me forget thee thy Agonies thy Wounds thy Death thy Love Ah my dear Saviour can it be so hard a matter to keep my remembrance and love of thee awake alive that thou shouldst need to command me thus to commemorate thy death in the lively symbols and representations of it and to enforce thy command by putting me in mind of thy coming again Methinks without all this my love for thee should have been so bright and flaming that I should have despised all things as dung and dross in comparison of thee and have desired to have known nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified methinks I should have lived in the devout contemplation of thy great excellent actions and thy great sufferings till I had been weary of this World and of this body of this poor Beggarly and Imperfect state and have long'd for my Dissolution and Entrance into thy presence this thy love deserv'd from me even though I had been encompassed with the pleasures and crown'd with the honours of this World how inexcusable then must I be who am one of the meanest of the people who have no allurements no temptations in my Fortune if I forget thee and forsake thee Ah! how shall I stand before thee when thou comest again How shall I behold thee in the glory of thy Father and on this tribunal if I should now forget thy sufferings for me forget thy love of me and neglect thy last thy dying commands the highest token of thy passion for me shewing how solicitous thou wast lest I should lose the benefit of thy blood when thou hadst shed it ah with what not shame and blushes but horrour and amazement would my guilty Soul be covered at thy appearance but this shall never be my Crime this shall never be my state never shall my Soul be guilty of such ingratitude to the Tender Mercys of my God or the tender love of my Saviour No my sorrows overflow me my heart is wounded within me that I have forgot thee so long already that I have remembred thee so seldom that I have turn'd my back so often upon that Holy Sacrament wherein thy passion ought to have been commemorated by me O pardon pardon blessed Lord thy unkind thy unfaithful Disciple I come to thee I come to confess thee I come to worship thee in the troubles and desires of a broken Spirit a contrite passion a restor'd Faith and a Revived affection O receive me cover'd with my tears and with my shame but ravish't with thy love too henceforth O my Saviour I will live with thee nothing shall divide thee from me not Business nor Interest not Relations nor Friends not the sluggishness of the body nor distractions of the World not life nor death it self I will live with thee in devout Prayers and Holy Meditations and with an impatient passion I will hast to meet thee in the Holy Sacrament which thou hast appointed as the representation of thy death the pledge of thy love in the symbols oif thy extraordinary presence And O blessed God who of thy tender mercy didst give thy Son to suffer death upon the Cross for my Redemption out of the same tender mercy assist me with thy grace that I may commemorate that his death with that Faith and humble gratitude that I may be made partaker of the Redemption wrought by it help me so to approach these Holy mysteries so to receive these Elements of Bread and Wine that I may be made partaker of the most precious body and blood of my Saviour that so being wash't from my sins by his blood united and incorporated with him by Faith and Love I may be strengthen'd and supported govern'd and protected by him while I am in the body and may meet him at his coming again with unspeakable rejoycing and be acknowledg'd by him as his Faithful Disciple and Follower Amen Amen for the sake of the same my crucifi'd Redeemer and Saviour Christ Jesus A Devout Exercise of Faith Repentance Love and Hope by way of Preparation for the Sacrament FIrst The Exercise of Faith The former Exhortation of our Church to the Receiving of the Sacrament lays down the design of Communion in these few but full words The most comfortable Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is to be receiv'd in remembrance of his meritorious Cross and Passion whereby alone we obtain remission of our sins and are made partakers of the Kingdom of Heaven On which you may thus comment Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief I believe that thou the Son of God didst take upon thee the form of a Servant and wast made in the likeness of Men and being found in fashion as a Man didst humble thy self and becamest obedient unto death even the death of the Cross I believe that by that thy painful Death painful