and Reformation But 't is uncertain whether we shall come thus to our selves till Death overtake us or since we resolv'd to sin till we could sin no longer whether there will be Place found for our Tears Therefore let every Man call his Ways to remembrance But they who are thus enslav'd in Sin let them make haste to deliver themselves from the Wrath to come their Case is very dangerous they seem to be destin'd to Destruction for they have so long suffer'd their Lusts to have Dominion over them that they know not how to free themselves from this Tyranny of Sin But blessed be God who has provided a Lamb for the Sacrifice there is yet a Way for our Redemption God has not wholly left us without Help in this World Though the Prayers of the Wicked are an Abomination yet those of the Penitent are not so If we are so happy as to stop in this Career have but so much Resolution to begin a Reformation God is so merciful as to add his Grace to help us forward to Repentance But 't is only when God sees us set about it in earnest for he knows our Hearts and Thoughts long before Therefore let us embrace the first Thoughts of Repentance and carry them on to a sincere Reformation Let us retire from the World and humble our selves in Fasting and this not once or twice but often for we have need to cry mightily to God Day and Night to be redeem'd from this worse than Egyptian Bondage On the Day of our Humiliation that the Misery of our Condition may oblige us to the greater Penitence let us first consider the Odiousness of Sin that we may learn to detest it the Aggravation of it by being committed frequently presumptuously and against Knowledge that we may abhor our selves for our Folly and Ingratitude Then let us reflect upon the Number of them which being infinite ought to lay us in the Dust and confess our selves to be worse than nothing Reflections of a true Penitent upon his first Conviction O God! to what an amazing and miserable Condition have I brought my self I stand exposed to thy Severest Judgment here and am liable to thy Indignation hereafter I know I am not in a State of Salvation and yet can't lament my Misery I am a Sinner and reflect upon the evil Consequence of Sin yet am neither Terrified or Sorrowfull What a heap of Contradiction and Wickedness am I made up of that believe the Pleasures of thy Law and yet depart from thy Commandments that fear the Justice of thy Anger and yet can't be perswaded to forsake the Evil of my Ways Thus miserable O God do I behold my self but thou seest that I am infinitly more vile than I can imagine Though my Crimes appear to me beyond my expression and my Heart thus condemns me thou art greater than my Heart and knowest all things Thou knowest how often each Sin has been repeated and the vileness of that Sin and how much more heinous by the habitual Repetition when my Depraved Nature will neither let me know the Baseness of the one or the Ingratitude of the other I am insensible how much thou art offended by one Sin and am forgetfull how often I have repeated that Offence and can only tell that Sin in me is above measure sinful O! that there was a Heart in me even to apprehend this that I cou'd say with a sincere Heart and pensive Soul Lord I am a miserable Sinner But this is not in my power I can only reflect upon my Sins at a distance as if they did not concern me and my poor Soul was not to answer for them at thy Tribunal O God thy Hand is heavy upon me I know my Sins are abominable in thy Sight and that thy Judgment inflicts this Hardness of Heart and that thou art resolved to try me no longer Thou seest that I am Grounded in Wickedness that evil is continually with me that if thou shou'dst forgive I shall revolt again and wherefore shoudst thou withhold thine Hand O my God I have nothing to offer to put a Stop to thy Vindictive Justice but confess I deserve Eternal Damnation But who can be content to dwell in Everlasting Burnings Is there then no Way to escape thy Vengeance Wilt thou be angry for ever Yes O God unless I repent thou wilt bring me to worse than nothing for thou wilt condemn me to Eternal Torment How can I repent unless thou change my Nature and give me a Heart to be sorry and abhor the Evil of my Ways But why should I expect this Mercy that have abus'd all others I can't look up to thee with any Confidence to beg thee to have Patience with me for my Prayers must be an Abomination and my Devotions no way pleasing in thy Sight Oh! the Misery that I have brought my self into God has withdrawn himself and taken his Holy Spirit from me there remains only that I be reserv'd against the Revelation of that Day in which the Righteous Judgments of God will appear to condemn me and all such ungrateful Souls to the Torments of Hell Righteous art thou O Lord and in the midst of Flames will I confess thy Justice Fear is come upon me and thy Judgment is the severer in that I am not sensible of the Danger Wilt thou laugh at this my Calamity And shall not mine Eyes be open till the Flames of Hell terrifie them Wilt thou suffer me thus to sink down into Torment and despise the Groans of a Soul in an Abyss of Misery Oh I cou'd be content to yield to thy severest Inflictions here if I cou'd be brought to the favour of God But I dare not ask of Thee to correct me least thou do it in Judgment and yet I dread thy Rod that it will come and how can I bear to fall into the Hands of the Living God Who can deliver me from thy Power Oh thou Omnipotent God What can I do when Misery thus abounds and each Reflection presents Damnation to my view Surely if I was truly affected with my Condition it would work upon my Spirit and when my Soul was sensible of Sin and how bitter a thing it is to depart from God it would cause such Relentings and Tremblings such Contrition and Humiliation as becomes a Soul loaded with my Crimes Oh that my Conscience wou'd rise up against me and call me to the strictest Account that my Soul was wounded within me That I had the fear of an angry God deeply imprinted upon my Soul Oh that I was a sorrowful Sinner Oh that I could grieve as never Man griev'd but alas 't is not in my power thus to afflict my self and what would it avail me if I could wrack my Soul and put my Nature into terrible Conflicts Can the Sighs and Groans and torturing Convulsions of such a Sinner move Compassion in the Most High will not God be Deaf to my Complaint and regardless of my
complaint of a sad and miserable Sinner I have searched into the secret recesses of my Soul there I find nothing but Horror and a barren Wilderness a neglected Conscience overgrown with Sins and cares beset with fears and sore Amazement I tremble when I remember that sad Truth If the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Wicked and Ungodly appear I know O Lord that all my secret impurities shall be laid open at thy dreadfull Judgment O just and dear God! how shall I appear who shall plead for me who am loaden with Impurities Vanity Ingratitude Malice and the Terrors of an affrightning Conscience Wilt not thou answer for me O Jesus thou art my Judge and my Advocate thou art to pass Sentence upon me for those Sins for which thou diest O reserve not my Sins to be punished in the life to come for then I die Eternally but bring me in this World to a severe Repentance Behold I am in thy hand grant I may so Weep and be contrite for my Sins that in the hour of my Death I may find Mercy and in the day of Judgment be freed from the Terrors of thy Wrath and the Sentence of the Wicked Thou hast spared me all this while and not taken me off in the midst of my Sins which is an unspeakable Mercy for if thou had dealt with me according to my Deserts I had been now at this instant sealed up to an Eternity of Torments hopelesly miserably fearing the Revelation of thy day with an insupportable Amazement But now under the sweet influences of thy mercy I am praying to thee confessing my sins with Sorrow for my ingratitude but with a full hope in thy Mercy O my dear God let thy Grace speedily work that in me for which thou so long hast spared me even a true Faith and Holy Life establish in me a great contrition for my Sins lead me on to an humble Confession and let thy Grace make me bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance O Blessed Jesu who liveth and reigns ever one God world without end Amen I hate all evil ways O Lord But thy Law will I Love O God with shame I confess that other Lords besides thee have hitherto had Dominion over me Miserable Wretch that I am that I should begin so early to offend my Creator and sin so much in so short a time Lord I fear I never yet throughly considered how evil and bitter a thing it is to depart from thee O make me every day more and more sensible of the Error of my ways and of my own infinit Vileness Miserable Wretch that I am that ever I should commit those sins which expose me to all the vials of thy Wrath to all the curses of thy Law to all thy judgments Temporal or Spiritual in this life and to all the Horrors and Despair and Torments of the Damned in the life to come Miserable wretch that I am that ever I should transgress that Law of thine O God which is so Just Holy and Good perfect and so condescending to my Infirmities and in keeping of which there are so great so unconceivable rewards O Blessed Saviour how can I ever sufficiently lament the guilt of my Sins which was so great that nothing but thy own inestimable Blood could expiate O Blessed Spirit instil true penitential sorrow into my Soul make my Head Waters and my Eyes Fountains of Tears or do thou supply the want of them with Sighs and Groans unutterable But alass I know all the Tears I can possibly shed can never wash away the least of my Sins 't is thy Blood only Lord that can do it O Heavenly Father in the defect of my own Tears I offer thee the Blood of thy own well beloved Son for his sake have mercy upon me I have been in the snare of the Devil and been led Captive by him and sin hath reigned in my Mortal Body and I have obeyed it in the lust thereof but from henceforth I resolve to serve none but thee and from this very moment I utterly forsake all my sins and turn to thee I do from my heart renew my Baptismal Vow I do for ever renounce the Devil and all his Works and the Vanities of this World which may pervert me from thy Service and all the sinfull Lust of the Flesh O my God I do steadfastly believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith I will keep thy Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my life All this I am bound to do and believe and by thy help so I will and I heartily thank thee O Father who hast called me to this state of Salvation through Jesus Christ my Saviour and I humbly pray thee for his sake to give me Grace to continue in the same to my lives end O Lord God I have Sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments but alass I 'm not able of my self to do nothing that is Good not so much as to think one good thought and I no sooner shall rise from my Knees but I fear I shall be tempted to those very sins I have now so solemnly renounced and those Temptations will certainly overcome me unless thou Lord do'st reasonably interpose thy Grace to with-hold me but I can do all things through the strengthning me do thou then O Blessed Saviour perfect thy strength in my weakness for in thee only is my trust O my God thou hast promised to give thy Holy Spirit to those that ask it Behold Lord I do Humbly I do Earnestly ask thy Holy Spirit now of thee O fullfil thy gracious Promises to me O vouchsafe me that Holy Spirit I pray for to purifie my corrupt Nature to strengthen my Weakness to comfort me in Troubles to support me in Discouragements to succor me in Temptations and to asist me in all the part of my Duty Thou O searcher of hearts knowest the sins I 'm most inclined to here name them herein will lie my greatest danger of Back-sliding but O my God I beg a double portion of thy Spirit and invisible aid against them hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my Foot-steps slip not O work in me that victorious Faith by which I may overcome the World the Devil and my own corrupt Nature My help standeth in thee O great Creator of Heaven and Earth and I commit my Soul to thy keeping O thou that art Faithful as well as Almighty keep that safe which is committed to thy Trust watch over me that I may not be beguiled by the deceitfulness of Sin or betrayed by my own treacherous heart or surprised by my Ghostly Enemies and give me grace to Watch and Pray incessantly my self least I enter into Temptation O Heavenly Father for thine own infinit Mercy sake for thy Truth and Promise sake for all the Merits and Sufferings of the Son of thy Love in whom thou art always well pleased pardon all
inhumanly defile his Face with Spittle After the Horrid Pomp of this Solemnity was over they divested him of this Dignity and proceeded to treat him like a Slave and that his Death might appear more dreadful they usher it in with all its Terrors with Stripes and Scourges and all the Torments their malice could Inflict Thus bruised and wounded with the weight of our Transgression he ascends the last steps of his Passion and without the least Reluctance stretches out his Arms to be fix'd on the most painful instrument of Death where O my Soul behold the Son of Man lifted up O dearest God who wast Wounded Despised Crucified and Crowned with Thorns and for my sins wert Nailed to the Cross I beseech thee by the Merits of them all O sweetest Jesus to pardon my Offences His Death was now a hastning on and their Diversion near to a Conclusion they were resolved to make the best use of their time and make their ingratitude last as long as his life they rail on Him treat him with all the marks of Infamy and continue their Revilings to his dying Minute Their Madness Folly and Aggrevations reached Heaven put the World into disorder and turned the Day into Night but could not move his Soul he saw their Madness felt the weight of their Offences and only prayed for their Forgiveness he pittied their Misery and when they endeavor'd to pull the Vengenace of his Blood upon their Heads he was sheding it as Sacrifice for their Wickedness But when the Majesty of Heaven grew Angry and exerted his Fury and laid on him the iniquities of us all he trembled at his Wrath cou'd not bear the direction of the Deity and groan'd away his Soul when God with-drew his presence from his support yet neither the Frowns of his angry Father nor the Rage of Men or Devils could make him sink till all was fullfil'd which the Scriptures spake concerning him when that was finish'd he only tarried to recommend his Mother to the pious care of his beloved Disciple bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost O crucified Jesus let thy Blood wash my Scul I am not ashamed of thy Cross but adore thee in thy Passion and acknowledge thee to be God Let us now turn the Scene and think how we have offended this God and lived in a continual Rebellion and then of what punishment ought we to be thought worthy who have Slighted Contemned and abused such infinite Mercy Who have returned the Love of God with the basest ingratitude and had no other reason for our Wickedness but that God was Good What an inconceivable Mercy is it that we are not this minute in those unquenchable Flames where the exquisitness of the Torment should oblige us instead of crying for Mercy to breath out horrid Blasphemies And as we slighted his Government here Curse and Dam his severity thee still sinking our selves deeper in the intollerable Misery where will be no Mittigation of the Torment nor end to our sad Affliction Let us constrain all the forces of our Soul to praise God that we are alive entreating his Pardon Let us beg Pardon even for taking that liberty to praise him and withal that he would still help us to praise him more O let us reflect on every thing that may move us to confess our Wickedness and be sorry for our sins The thoughts of these things may well enough put us in a heat and when our Passions are throughly urged vent themselves in Sighs and earnest desires of Reconciliation that both of them may meet with success let us add alms to our Fasting and Prayer for when our Petitions are thus assisted the mercy of God will not deny us a suitable return therefore in the entrance to our Devotion let us set apart something for the Poor and humbly offer it up in the following form O God Blessed be thy Name all things come of thee and of thine own do I now give thee O let this Alms be as an Odour of a sweet smell and acceptable in thy sight Preparitory Prayers before the Communion ALmighty Eternal God thou art the comforter of all that call upon thee thou hast concluded all under sin that thou mightest have Mercy upon all Look upon me O God and have pitty on me lying in my Blood and Misery in my Shame and in my Sins in the fear and guilt of thy Wrath in the shadow of thy Death and in the Gates of Hell I confess to thee O God what thou knowest already but I confess it to glorifie thy Mercy who hast spared me so long I am guilty of the vilest and basest Follies which usually dishonour Fools and the worst of Men I have been Proud and Covetous Envious and Lustful Angry Indevout and Irreligious restless in my Passions Sensual hating wise Counsels and soon weary of the Offices of a Holy Religion I cannot give an account of my Time and I cannot reckon the Sins of my Tongue my Crimes are Intolerable my Imperfections Shameful and my Omissions Innumerable What shall I do O thou preserver of Men I 'm so Vile I cannot express it so Sinful that I 'm odious to my self and I 'm much more Abominable in thy sight I have sinned against thee without Necessity sometimes without Temptation only because I would Sin I have been so Ungreatful Foolish and Unreasonable that I have put out my own Eyes that I might with confidence and without fear sin against so good a God so mighty a Redeemer my sin is grown shameful and aggravated even to Amazement O God I 'm amazed and confounded in thy presence BUT yet O God thou art the healer of our Breaches and the litter up of our Head I must not despair I 'm sure thy gooness is infinite thou doest not delight in the Death of a Sinner my sins though very great are infinitely less than thy Mercies I 'm not worthy to look up to Heaven but be thou pleased to look down into the Dust let me not perish in my Folly or be consumed in thy Displeasure give me time to Repent give me the power of thy Spirit that as by thy Gift and Mercy I intend to amend what is amiss so I may indeed have Grace and Power faithfully to fullfil the same Inspire me with the Spirit of Repentance and Mortification that I may always fight against my sins till I be more than Conqueror Support me with a Holy Hope confirm me with an excellent Operative and unreprovable Faith enkindle a bright and burning Charity in my Soul and grant by the power of thy Spirit I may overcome all Carnal and Spiritual Wickedness be wholly delivered from sin preserved from thy Wrath and at last pass on to the Glories of thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ my Saviour A Meditation of St. Austin BEfore thy Eyes O Gracious Lord we bring our Crimes before thee we expose the Wounds of our bleeding Souls That which we suffer is but little that which we
deserve is intolerable We fear the Punishment of our Sins but cease not pertinaciously to proceed in sinning Our Weakness is sometimes smitten with thy Rod but our Iniquity is not changed When thou smitest us then we confess our Sins but when thy Visitation is past then we forget that we have wept When thou stretchest forth thine Hand then we promise to do our Duty but when thou takest it away we perform no Promises If thou strikest we cry to thee to spare us but when thou sparest we provoke thee again to Anger Thus O God the Guilty confess before thee Unless thou givest us Pardon it is but just we perish But O Almighty God our Father grant to us what we ask even though we deserve it not Pardon us O Gracious Father and take away all our Sin Destroy the Work of the Devil let the Enemy have no part in us Acknowledge the Work of thine own Hand the Price of thine own Blood and the Purchase of thine own Inheritance and bring us to the Place which thou hast design'd for us by the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant by the Pains of thy Cross and the Glories of thy Resurrection O Holy and Blessed Jesus our Redeemer MOst merciful God and Father I thine unworthy Servant render my humblest Thanks to thy Divine Majesty that it has pleas'd thee notwithstanding my Unworthiness to give me a Heart to approach thy Blessed Sacrament Give me thy Grace that I may be a curious Spender of my Time this Week so as I may best resist or prevent all Temptation Let thy Grace so perpetually assist and encourage my Endeavours conduct my Will and fortifie my Intentions that I may persevere in that holy Condition which thou hast put me in by the Grace of the Covenant and the Mercies of the Holy Jesus Oh let me never fall into those Sins and retire to that vain Conversation from which the Eternal and Merciful Saviour of the World hath redeemed me Let thy Preventing Grace dash all Temptations in their Approach that my Hopes be never discompos'd my Faith weaken'd my Confidence made remiss nor my Portion be lessen'd in the Covenant Give me Grace to put on the Wedding-Garment And since thou hast commanded me to examine my self let me seriously consider and review my Life and Actions and how I am prepar'd for so weighty an Action I desire to do this O Lord help my weak Desires Give me Power to live more exactly than I have done I confess O Lord I am by Nature a Child of Wrath give me therefore a True and Lively Faith that I may be spiritually join'd to thee by the Visible Signs of Bread and Wine And so cleanse my Soul that thou mayest take up thy Habitation within me I know O Lord I am unworthy of this Blessing yet for thy Name sake bestow it upon me And when I present my self before thee at thy Table restrain my Wandring and Idle Thoughts let them be seriously fix'd on the Death of my Saviour And as I receive this Bread and Wine for Bodily Sustenance so cause me to feed on the Body and Blood of my Saviour that it may be real Nourishment to my Soul Which I beg for the sake of him who offer'd both his Body and Blood for my Salvation Jesus thy Son and my Redeemer Amen O Most Good and Gracious Jesus how excellent was thy Love towards us thou leavest thy Body and Blood to be our Food to Nourish us O thou true Food of my Soul receive me who am to receive thee quicken me with thy Spirit feed me with thy Flesh satisfie me with thy Blood and let me receive Life from thee to act and live unto thee O my Lord give me a Heart that I may think on thee a Soul that I may love thee and a Mind to remember thee Let me find thee O my hearts desire let me hold thee O thou whom my Soul doth love O my life for whom all things live by which I live without which I die O my Lord let me renew this life of mine by coming to thy Holy Sacrament Where may I find thee but here O that I may faint in my self and depend on thee O Lord let me love thee because thou didst first love me Where shall I get words to express the signs of thy particular great love towards me I bless thee for my Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this life but most of all for my Redemption and the benefits convey'd to us in the Holy Sacrament O let me go to thy Holy Table to receive Life and Salvation O that I may cry after God even the living God that I may watch for thee more than they who watch for the Morning and that my delight may be in thy Commandments O God I Dare not presume to come to thine Altar Most Holy Lord God before I have cleansed my Mouth by confession of my Sins washed my Hands in Innocency and purified my heart by profession of my Faith in my Redeemers Blood for thy sacred Word teaches me that Holy Thing must not be given to Dogs nor Pearls cast before Swine with loathing of my self and greatest detestation of my rebellious corruption I confess that never Dog so oft returned to his Vomit nor Sow to wallowing in the Mire as I have to sin and sensuality I was at first conceived in Lust and since Lust has conceived in me and brought forth sin and sin had long ago brought forth Death if thy Grace and Mercy had not prevented it I am not able to conceive what sin I have conceived in my heart or uttered with my tongue my best actions are tainted how much more my defects my Prayers against sin are through their many imperfections unless thou cover them abominable in thy sight how much more the sins themselves against which I pray All the remedies which thou hast prescribed in thy Law against the maladies of my Soul have increas'd them and so improv'd my sin that sin is become above measure sinful O Lord thy Commandments are exceeding Broad and extends not only to our Words and Actions but to our Thoughts Desires and Affection the smallest desire of sin is sin the very inclination to sin without consent of the will the delight in sin against the consent of the will our vain fancies by Day and dreams by Night though not in our power to prevent are pollutions in thy Eyes who are purity it self Who then can say his Heart is clean or who knoweth how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou me from my secret Faults Pardon all my known and unknown Transgressions whether they be Omissions of any duty Commanded by thee or Commissions of any thing forbidden O loose me from those Bonds wherewith Satan and my own Lust have bound me thou seest I have abundant need of thee but am so cloged with Guilt that I am not able to move towards thee O let not my impenitence and unworthiness
how miserable my end must be when the Heavens are not pure in thy sight and the very Angels are charged with folly there is no Holiness O Lord if thou with-draw thy Hand no Wisdom profits if thy Government ceases when thou leavest us we perish we are unstable and unsecure unless secured and confirmed by thee we fly to thee for help and yet depart from thy Commandments O how meanly do I deserve to be thought of how little and inconsiderable is the good I do how innumerable how intollerable are the Evils I have done many good things have I received from thee but I have abus'd them thou hast given me Grace but I have turned it into Wantonness thou didst create in me a hope of Glory but I have lost my Confidence Wherefore behold O Lord I come unto thee thou mightest indeed justly censure the approach of such a polluted Creature to be a daring presumption but I beseech the condemn not the action but behold the motives which drew me hither even my own miseries and thy mercies I increase the number of my sins what shall I do to thee O thou preserver of Men Who shall raise me up when I shall fall before thy dreadful Judgment Seat I will lay my Face in the Dust and confess my self to be nothing Pitty my Shame O God bind up my Wounds remove those sins that so easily overcome me and unite me to my Saviour Jesus O help me to supply in Humility what I want in worthiness let my mean and just opinion of my self my bended Knees and broken Heart shew that I durst not have adventured so nigh if thy mercy had not held out the Golden Scepter O then dear Jesus be a Jesus to me and let this Sacrament be a savor of life and thy Body the Bread of life thy Blood the purifier of my sinful life O send me not empty away for I shall faint and die I cannot live without thee O let vertue come from thee and heal my Sickness do thou appear to my Soul in these holy Mysteries enlighten my Darkness turn me from all vain imaginations and illusions of the Enemy all perversness of Will all Violence and Inordinate Passions sensual Desires Lust and Malice Gluttony Pride Envy and Detraction let not sin reign in my mortal Body nor the Divel lead my Will captive nor the World abuse my understanding nor debauch my Conversation O grant I may receive these Divine Mysteries for the amendment of my Life and for a defensative against all my sins for the increase of Vertue and the perfection of the Spirit this I beg O merciful God for the sake of thy Eternal Son my crucified Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen Here rising up read as Follows AND as they were Eating Jesus took Bread and gave thanks and blessed it and brea kt it and gave it to his Disciples and said Take Eat this is my Body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me likewise also he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it for this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you and for many for the Remission of sins and they all drank of it Verily I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of the Fruit of the Vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God my Father I adore thee O Blessed Jesus for instituting this Holy Sacrament O let thy Divinity thus stampt on it strike into my Soul a holy awe in approaching it O create in me a Heaven disposition to celebrate so Heavenly an Institution and for thy Mercies sake pardon all my stupid forgetfulness and ingratitude hitherto do now create in me such a thankful and lively remembrance of thy dying love that may excite me to give up my self intirely to thee as thou didst give up thy self on the Cross for me Kneeling say A Prayer BEhold O sacred and undivided Trinity an unworthy wretched weak and wounded Soul oppressed with an intollerable weight of Misery terrified with the consideration of thy inscrutable Judgments confounded with the memory of her base ingratitude and encompassed with sorrow I have with the prodigal wasted that portion of Grace thou didst bestow upon me and therefore do infinitly want a supply out of thy Treasury but O Lord how shall such a wretch as I dare to approach this Holy Table how shall this spiritual Manna this Food of Angels be given to one Who has chosen to feed on Huscks with Wine nay to one who has so often trampled upon these precious things either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these holy Mysteries O LOrd my horrible guiltiness makes me not dare to stay away for where shall my polluted Soul be washed if not in this Fountain which thou hast opened for sin and uncleanness hither therefore I come and thou hast promised him that cometh thou wilt in no wise cast out this is O Lord the Blood of the New Testament grant me so to receive it that it may be for the remission of my sins and though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof the Sacrament is a seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine be merciful to my unrighteousness and remember my sins no more and not only so but place thy Laws in my Mind and write them in my Heart and by the power of thy Grace dispose my Soul to such a sincere and constant Obedience that I may never again provoke thee Lord grant that in these holy Mysteries I may not only commemorate but effectually receive my blessed Saviour and all the benefits of his Passion and to that end give me such a preparation of Soul as may qualifie me for it give me a deep sense of my sins and unworthiness that being weary and heavy leaden I may be capable of his refreshings Raise up my dull and earthly mind from groveling here below and inspire it with holy Zeal that I may with spiritual affections approach this spiritual Feast and let O Lord that infinite love of Christ in dying for so wretched a sinner inflame my frozen and benumed Soul and kindle in me that sacred fire of love to him and that so vehement that no water may quench no floods drown it such as may burn up all my dross and not leave one unmortified Lust within me and such as may also extend it self to all whom thou hast given me command to love even my Enemies as well as Friends O Lord I beseech thee cloath me with the Wedding Garment and make me though of my self a most unworthy yet by thy mercy an acceptable guest at thy Holy Table that I may not eat and drink my own Condemnation but may have my Pardon sealed my Weakness repair'd my Corruptions subdued and my Soul so inseperably united to thee that no temptation may be ever able to dissolve the
Cries Is there then no Help and must I perish for Ever wherefore hast thou made all Men for Naught Why did thy Exuburant love express it self to lost Mankind by such a woundrous Miracle Why dist thou empty thy self and come down among us become Poor endure Hardship Cold and Hunger and run through a Sea of Blood But to attone those Crimes from which Men nor Angels were able to set us Free to afford us that Mercy which the justice of God would not allow of Oh my God hast thou only excepted me wilt thou be so severe with me who have most need of the satisfaction of my Saviour which was offer'd for a Sinful World I am inexpressibly Miserable and want to be sensible of my Condition and will infinite Mercy refuse what the love of God came on purpose to do Can my Sins come near the dimensions of thy Mercy I own to my Confusion I am as great a Sinner as a mortal Man can be but 't is neither beyond thy Power nor unsual to thy Mercy to relieve such a matchless Object of Distress I confess I 'm not a penitent Sinner but thou canst make me one and though I want an humble and contrite Spirit yet thou canst enable me to offer up a Sacrifice that thou wilt not Despise Oh my abused Jesus I fly to thee thou mayst indeed censure the Approach but 't is thy Love thy Mercy and my own Unworthiness which drives me to thee thou knowest I 'm more unworthy then I think my self but was I yet worse I firmly believe thy Blood can cleanse me and that the merit of thy Cross and Passion can cover my imperfections Oh Holy Spirit of God inspire me with the humblest Soul and devoutest Affections that I may apply my self to the Father of Mercies and be made a fit Object for the God of comfort to relieve O God the Father O God the Son O God the Holy Ghost O Blessed Trinity have mercy upon me a miserable Sinner We may reasonably suppose that a Man who has devoted himself to Wickedness at the unburthening his Conscience must entertain some such thoughts as these 'T is natural he should be devided betwixt Hope and Fear the more he is sensible of his Sins the greater his Astonishment His Humiliation and mean Opinion of himself can't be two severe if he keeps from Despaire for after all we can neither sufficiently know the evil of Sin nor lament for committing it The more we consider the greater will be our Aversion and when we have arriv'd to such a sense of Sin as will beget in us a hatred to it we may with more security promise an Amendment But before we proceed to that let us by the help of some Catalogue of Sin examine our Condition more fully for the Heart is deceitful and the Memory willing to forget what it is affraid to consider Having laid before us such a Scheme let us then beg of God to enable us in this work that we main't deceive our Souls Let us upon our Knees consider that we are now to Examine our selves of those things which we are to Answer at the Day of Judgment if we don't Confess and Repent shall be miserable for ever and that 't is much better that we condemn our selves than leave it to the Tribunal of a just God therefore believing we are in the presence of God as we certainly are at all times but God is more especially present when we are upon Religious Duties let us say Oh my God! hear the Voice of my humble Petition now I cry unto thee and lift up my Hands to thy mercy Seat Behold Lord now I am about to search into my own Heart but alass my Heart is Deceitful and desperately Wicked how can I know it Thou therefore that searchest the Heart and triest the Reins discover to me all the evil and deceits of my own Heart that I may Confess Bewail and forsake them and obtain mercy Lord hear me Lord help me for the merits of Jesus my Saviour Amen Oh my Soul Thou art now in the presence of the Great Judge of Heaven and Earth before whose dreadful Tribunal thou must certainly appear at the day of Judgment to give a strict Account of all thy Actions of every idle Word and every evil Thought and thy own Conscience will then be thine Accuser Think O my Soul think if thou canst what unimaginable Horrors will seize an impenitent Sinner when the last Trump calls him out of his Grave and Devils begin to drag him to God's Judgment Seat What wou'd such a Wretch give to purchase one such opportunity of Repentance as God now in great mercy gives thee if ever thou hopest to escape those Horrors O my Soul make thy Peace with God judge thy self here least thou be Condemned hereafter Let us now proceed to ask our selves whether we are Guilty or not when we find our selves Guilty let us set it down upon a Paper and say Lord have Mercy on me and forgive me this sin To those we have not consented let us humbly praise God and say Glory be to thee O Lord for preserving me from this Sin O continue thy Goodness and give me Grace to resist it to my lives end After we have ranslak'd our Breast and laid before us the dismal scene of our Folly we shall certainly be moved at our Transgressions and our Repentance will be usher'd in with Sighs and Groans to testifie our Abhorrence or Tears to show our Trouble It is possible with both together and when God sees us thus Relenting and Trembling Weeping and Blushing for our Offences he may be moved through the intercession of our Saviour to hear our humble Petitions for such a Sacrifice he is pleased with and a Heart thus broken God will not dispise Therefore let us now humble our selves and with all possible Penitence confess our selves to God in the following form Righteousness O Lord belongs unto thee but unto me confusion of Face the Vainest the Vilest the sinfullest of all the Children of Men. Lord I am vile in my own Eyes and desire to be more vile because my sins have made me vile in thine I am not worthy of the Air I breath of the Earth I tread upon or the Sun that shines upon me much less worthy to lift up Hands or Eyes to Heaven for thou hast said that no unclean thing shall come within thy sight how then shall I appear who am so miserably defil'd If the Man according to thine own Heart cou'd say that he was a Worm and no Man Lord what am I If Abraham who had the Honour to be called thy Friend cou'd say that he was but Dust and Ashes O God what am I O my God thou maidst me of nothing and thou seest how I have spoiled this Work of thine I have made my self worse than nothing for I am still in my Sins and know not what to do but this I will do I will confess
Mercies by endeavouring to out-vye them with my Sins what can I expect but to find a Judgment worthy of God such an irreversible ruine as might render me an astonishing instance of thy severity to the whole Earth Thou hast attested thy self to be indeed a Father of Mercies and yet I who enjoy the benefit of them neither consider them as Blessings nor thee as a God but Atheistically defie that providence by which I subsist Thou givest me a time for Repentance but I 'm unwilling to throw off this Bondage of Sin and think it a hardship to submit to that Yoak whieh is easie and delightful and if I cou'd stifle the Terrors of my Conscience wou'd glady proclaim Licence to my Lusts These are the base returns I have made thus have I requited the Lord and incur'd his Displeasure yet I am fearless of his Wrath and can't repent me of my ways nor consider the Evil I have done Surely my Heart is heardned and I am nigh unto Cursing O Lord what can I plead to avert the sentence who am as far from Penitence as Innocence How can I pray against that Vengeance which I make it my business to pull down if thou O Lord shou'dst spare me what wou'd it avail if it serve but to set me at a greater Hostillity with thee O merciful Saviour who gavest thy self a ransom for Sinners look again with compassionate Eyes on me who needs now a second Redemption even a rescue from my self Lord thou seest the miserable state to which I am reduced Where is thy Pitty and the sounding of thy Bowels towards the Afflicted Oh! bow thy Heaven and come down hear the Prayer of a distressed Sinner deliver me from that misery I have involved my self put thy Laws a new into my Heart and write them in my Mind O blessed Mediator who prayedst for thy Crucifiers interceed also for me who have under the name of a Disciple crucified thee afresh and tho' I have nothing to say for my self cannot pretend that I knew not what I did yet let thy Stripes and Wounds thy Cross and Passion plead for me Oh! let thy Blessed Spirit breath again upon me that even these dry Bones may live in thy sight Let him so effectually convince and reprove illuminate and excite me that I may cleanse my self from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit walk worthy of the holy Vocation whereto I am called and evidence my relation to the Prince of Peace Oh that my ways were thus direct but alas how little Disposition have I towards it This change must be only the work of that mighty Power which is able to subdue all things to it self and yet O Lord with what face can I beg of thee to force me to that happiness which I still resolve to resist What can I say to thee O thou preserver thou redeemer of men who have put my self beyond all the ordinary means of thy grace I can only lay my self at thy Feet display my misery and leave thee to consider thine own compassion Oh let that move thee to do for me whatever my wretched state is in need off O Lord Hear O Lord forgive consider and do it for thy name sake Thou art Jesus a Saviour save thy servant from his sin and let me not slide back by a perpetual backsliding Oh abandon not thy poor creature Lord carest thou not that I perish Turn thee again O Lord sanctifie and cleanse me for I am exceeding sinfull create a new Spirit within me melt my obdurate heart into contrition and if it cannot be done without the rigour of thy Laws Lord do that or any thing with me so that I may become a Vessel of honour meet for thy Service But O Lord if thy gentler method may have any effect be pleased to continue thy Long-suffering and though I have no pretence to mercy yet do thou assert thine own work be merciful because thou hast been so dispence to me whatever thou seest most apt to reduce me and that thy outward applications may be no longer in vain enforce and enliven them with thy free Spirit subdue my obstinate perversness and give me at last such Grace as I may not turn into wantonness Oh thou to whom all things are possible who hast been so merciful to me work again greater miracles in me and of a prophane ungrateful wretch make me a penitent and obedient servant that I may study as much to please as I have to provoke thee by a continuance in well doing may obtain the Crown which thou hast laid up for those that serve thee and possess eternal joys in the Kingdom of thy Father which thou O blessed Jesus hast purchased with thy blood and sealed by thy Spirit To which blessed Trinity be ascribed all praise honour Glory now and to eternity Amen O Lord God I am Ashamed and Blush to lift up my Face to thee for my iniquities are increased over my Head and my Trespasses grown up unto Heaven O my Soul what Fruit have I reapt from all the pleasures of Sin but Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Lord I am ashamed of my own Folly Madness and Disingenuity when I call to mind how greedily I have sucked in my own Pollution how treacherously I have betrayed my own Soul to Temptations and combined with the Devils to hasten and increase my own Damnation how obstinately I have fled from thee when thy Mercy persued me with promises of Pardon how unworthily I have abused thy Goodness and Forbearance and Long-sufferings which should have led me to Repentance Son of David Blessed Redeemer Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have Mercy upon me O Jesu be a Jesus unto me Thou that sparedst thy Servant Peter that denied thee thrice thou that didst cast seven Devils out of Mary Magdalen and forgavist the Woman taken in Adultery and didst bear the convert Thief from the Cross to the joys of Paradise have Mercy upon me also Though my Offences are greater than these yet not their Sins nor mine nor the Sins of the whole World can equal thy Glorious Mercy which is Infinite and Eternal as thy Self I acknowledge O Lord that I am Vile but yet redeemed with thy precious Blood thou O Lord lovest to shew Mercy behold then a fit Object for thy pitty My sins are so great and many that to forgive me will be a glorious act of mercy Dispise me not O Lord for I am thy Creature dispise me not for thou didst die for me cast me not away in thine Anger for thou camest to seek and save me Say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation let thy Holy Spirit lead me from the Error of my ways into the paths of Righteousness to great degrees of Repentance and thro' all the parts of a Holy Life to a Godly and Holy Death Grant this O Blessed Jesu for thy Mercies and for thy pitty sake Amen Most merciful and indulgent Jesus hear the
frustrate thy Mercies to me and since thou hast appointed this Spiritual Feast for rich and famished Souls let my desires be answerable to my need of it and do thou qualifie me by thy Grace to receive the full benefits of it O Christ hear me and grant that I may approach thee with more sincere and fixed Reasolutions of an intire Reformation and let me receive such strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many old Habitual Diseases my Soul groans under and though I lie never so long at the pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy Table unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing Vertue they will still remain uncured O thou Blessed Physician of Souls heal me and grant I may so touch thee that there lothsome Issues may immediately stanch that these Sicknesses may not be unto Death but to the Glory of thy Mercy in pardoning so polluted a Wretch Lord have Mercy on me and grant I may approach thy Holy Table with such Humlity and Contrition Love and Devotion that thou mayest vouchsafe to come unto me and communicate to me thy self and all the Merits of thy Passion I acknowledge to my shame and sorrow that this Feast has often been prepared and I have with frivolous excuses absented my self or if I have come it has been rather to defy than adore thee I have brought such Troops of thy professed Enemies unrepented sins along with me as if I came not to commemorate but renew thy Passion of what punishment ought I to be thought worthy who have trampled under foot the Son of God counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing by defiling my self with sensual pleasures and breaking my holy Vows since I received the blessed Sacrament and thereby have incurred the greatest danger by receiving that Unworthily which can take away the guilt of my Sin yet O merciful Jesus this Blood is my only refuge let this make my attonement or I perish Eternally Wherefore didst thou shed it but to save Sinners O let me find its saving Efficacy let not the price of thy Blood be utterly lost but Pardon that heap of sin which I bring to thy Cross to be forgiven that so I may be an acceptable Guest at thy Holy Table which I beg for thy Compassion Sake Jesus my God and Saviour BLessed and all sufficient Saviour I the unworthiest of thy Servants prostrate my self at thy Mercy Seat humbly imploring that Pardon and Forgiveness of my multiplied Transgressions which render me unfit to receive the least of thy multiplied Kindness much less of being made a partaker of the greatest in the participation of the Sacred Body and Blood in the Holy Communion Dear Redeemer let me approach this Divine Institution with a prepared Heart and a purified Soul O that infinite Justice of the Almighty in taking so full vengeance upon sin even upon thee his only beloved Son that we might fear and tremble at the sad Effects of sin O the infinite Mercy of the Almighty ever to think of such a remedy for miserable Man's Restoration O the equal Goodness of thee our dearest Lord who wast a willing Sacrifice who wast Content Ambitious Hungring and thirsting after our Salvation by thy dreadful Passion for which let me how my self at the Footstool of thy Cross and mourn for thy Sufferings as occasioned by my Sins O let the drops of thy Blood trickle down into my Bosom and wash out the stains of sin there let thy Thorns pierce me to the Heart and thy Nails fasten me to thee as much as ever they did thee to the Cross Thou that didst entertain Judas with Tranquility and sufferest him to kiss thy Cheek reject not me thy unworthy supplicant but kiss me with the Benediction of thy Lips and with the Affections of a Saviour thou that dist permit the Soldiers to bind thee to satisfie for my looseness and abused liberty bind me now unto thee with the Chains of Love let that Holy Union dissolve the Cords of Vanity and subdue my Passions and unruly Desires Dearest Lord as in my Body of sin there is no part free so in thy suffering Body there was no whole part nothing but Sores and Stripes Wounds and Bruises I have offended in all my parts thou wast tormented in all thine so that with shame and sorrow I confess that my sins inflicted the misery of thy Passion by the hands of thy barbarous Enemies O let the Spear that pierced thy Heart sweetest Jesus pierce mine with true Sorrow let me contemplate on thy Passion with infinite hatred of sin that occasioned it and with infinite gratitude to thy Love for performing the same I adore thee O Lord Blessed Jesus for instituting the Holy Sacrament strike an awe into my Soul when I approach it and create in me Heavenly dispositions to celebrate so Heavenly an institution let me verily believe that if with due preparation I come to thy Altar as certainly as I receive the outward sings so certainly shall I receive thy most blessed Body and Blood to receive which inestimable Blessing O merciful Lord do thou fit and prepare me for thy mercy sake in Christ Jesus our Lord. O All sufficient Saviour teach me by thy great good Examples Obedience and Submission to thy Divine Will I humbly beseech thee so to prepare my Soul to the due receiving of the Holy Sacrament worthily that I may thereby effectually feel tast and feed on thee my Saviour Christ that I may be thee have Eternal Life Pardon O Lord pardon my unpreparedness to come to so Holy and Divine a Mistery make thy Word and Sacrament always so powerful and effectual in my Heart that I may thereby be sanctified and renewed unto all Holy Obedience unto thy Will in the mortification of my sinful Corruptions renewing of thy perfect Image in me unto Holiness Righteousness Sobriety Truth Knowledge Faith Temperance and Chastity O Blessed Jesus by thee let me have access to thy Heavenly Father that by thee he may accept me who by thee is revealed to me let thy Innocence and Purity procure pardon for my uncleanness and disobedience let thy Humility extinguish my Pride and Vanity and thy Charity cover the multitude of my Faults and that thou wilt with the hands of thy Mercy immediately after this life receive my Soul into everlasting Joy and Felicity there to Reign with thee for ever A Concluding Prayer O Lord God into thy hands I commit my Body Soul and Spirit my Thoughts Words and Works desiring wholly to be thine O my God Gracious and Merciful accept me in thy beloved Jesus Christ for his sake let me not go from before thee without a Blessing a Blessing of Pardon and Peace a Blessing of thy Spirit and of thy Grace to come Holy to thy Table a Blessing of thy favour and of thy love in the Lord Jesus thus Lord say of me that thou hast Blessed me and I shall be
Union but that being begun here in grace it be consummated in Glory Grant this O merciful Father for thy dear Sons sake Jesus Christ our Lord. ONce more O my Soul contemplate that thou art now a preparing thy self for that Divine Banquet which thy loving Lord instituted a little before those Sufferings and that Death before the breaking of his Body and the sheding of his Precious Sacred and Royal Blood which he declared to be signified by the breaking of the Bread and the pouring out of the Wine for he went that very Night into the Garden where his pious Soul apprehensive of Divine Wrath humbly addressed with reiterated supplications for Relief and being sensible of the miseries of Mankind pressing hard upon his spotless Soul the Torments of the approaching Cross the executing Terrors of the Powers of Darkness and the whole Artillery of an incensed God which he was in little time to graple with they shook his very Nature melted him into streams of Blood and so cast down his Spirits that nothing less than an Angel of the presence was able to mittigate the conflicts of this otherwise insupportable Agony These are but the beginning of Sorrows for no sooner then Mercy overcame the afflicting convulsion of his Soul who was sorrowful to Death but he began to fortifie his kind intentions to poor Man by that inexpressibly loving and unparallel'd Resignation to the will of his Heavenly Father he chearfully proceeded to offer up that Sacrifice which was to appease the Divine Justice for the iniquities of an impious World when after a most exemplary submission to the affronts and injuries of implacable Spirits the ingrateful Malice and supercillious Envy of those who thirsted for his Blood being despitefully abused afflicted and tormented denied by some forsaken by others desolate and comfortless in every sense truly a Man of sorrows was forced to add weight to his past Sufferings and bear the Cross of his own Crucifixion Where O my Soul behold by Faith the Lamb of God lifted up for the sins of the World O humble thy self into the center of thy own nothing for of what punishment oughtest thou to be thought worthy that hast so insensed the Majesty of Heaven to give up the innocent and most Holy Jesus thy best thy only Friend and his dear Son to be Tortured and Tormented for thy sins O how cruelly was he scourged with Wips wounded with Thorns loaden with the Cross torn with Nails pierced with a Spear and racked on the most painful instrument of Death his lovely Face defiled with Blood and Spitting his Ears fill'd with Upbraidings and Curses his Eyes drenched in Tears for the ruine of his Enemies and his Soul amazed at the Terrors of an angry God 'till at length all wounded broken and bloody with many groans yet with admirable patience he breaths out his Soul with infinite Charity and Forgiveness O holy Jesu how excellent is thy Goodness O ye blessed Host of Heaven who rejoice at the conversion of a sinner adore and praise that unknown sorrow which ye your selves contemplate with awful admiration I cannot doubt thy power to ease me because of these Suffrings of thy Love I must not question thy willingness who callest me of thy own accord nor dare I suspect thy sincerity who art Truth it self and always in earnest with poor sinners my Guilt has made me think to fly from thee but thy melting Voice has eneouraged me to turn to thee and laid me prostrate at thy feet groaning under my Offences but if thou wilt pitty me I am safe it thou art pleased I am eased if thou pardon me my burden is gone and if thou wilt take away this intollerable Lord I will then venture to draw nearer even to thy Altar O holy Jesu there to receive more refreshment from thy mercy Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy leaden and I will give you rest These are thy words O Christ for you hast spoken them and they are mine because spoken for my salvation O sweet and amiable words in the ear of a poor sinner by which thou invitest an indigent starv'd wretch to pertake of thy Body But who am I O Lord that I should come The Angels and Archangels reverence thee thy Saints and holy Ones fear before thee and yet thou sayest unto me come Unless thou hast said it who could have believed it to be true Unless thou hadst commanded it who durst have attempted this approach Does my Saviour invite and shall I go Shall a sinner dare to sit down at his Table Does he invite and shall I not go Shall a Wretch presume to refuse his Call Rise then my Soul and take thy swiftest wings and fly to the presence of this great Mystery A Feast of Holy Bread and Holy Wine in representation of thy sacred Body and blood where thy all glorious self is freely to the meanest guest a feast of peace and love and incomparable sweetness to which thy own blest mouth thus kindly callest us But stay am I dressed like a friend of the Bridegroom that I safely may come to the Marriage Supper have I considered how chast those eyes should be which go to behold the God of purity have I considered how clean that mouth should be which presumes to eat that Bread of Heaven but most how all caelestial that Soul should be which aspires to a union with the Body of Christ Oh! how poor and dull and empty am I how infinitly unworthy of so divine a Sacrament yet am I call'd by him that can Command by him that sees and pitties my misery he bids me come he surely will receive me and with his bounteous fullness supply my defects Go then my Soul to that sacred Table and take thy part of that delicious banquet go all inflamed with Love and joy and hope and quench thy holy Thirst with that spring of bliss when thou hast tasted his everlasting sweetness and feelest his heavenly streams flow gently on thee open thy happy breast and suck those Waters in and let them freely run over all thy powers Let them soak deep to the root of thy heart and turn thy barren heath into a fruitful soil fruitful in holy thoughts and pious words fruitful in good just and charitable Deeds fruitful in good examples and God of his infinite goodness confirm all this that my Soul may bless his holy Name here and with the whole host of Heaven sing Hallelujah to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for over hereafter Amen Our Father c. O Lord bless me and keep me this day O Lord make thy Face to shine upon me and be gracious unto me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace this day and for ever Amen The Blessings to be obtained and the sense of our Unworthiness which surely by this time is ingrafted in our hearts will inform us that each moment of this
of men What can be more agreeable to a devout Soul than thus to exercise it self in the Law of God What can be more moving than to see and hear a devout Priest offering up Prayers and Supplications and others joining in his Petitions by Ecchoing a hearty Amen How does it constrain us to out-vie in Zeal and cause a Holy Emulation when we hear our Minister with fervency crying to the Father of Heaven to have Mercy upon us and we with equal earnestless invocating the Son and Holy Ghost mercifully to hear us Let others mock and call them vain repetitions while we endeavour to express the desires of our Souls in those Pathetical supplications Lord have mercy upon us We are not so vain but to confess our want of that Mercy nor ashamed of the Repetition when we find the benefit even the favour of the Lord which is better than life it self wherefore I must be earnest with every Christian to attend this service don't let our thoughts be roving but correct the wandrings of our minds the whole Service is in order to prepare us to a worthy reception of the Holy Sacrament when once we have got the mastry of our selves and can go along with all the parts of the Church we shall have less occasions for these helps to Devotion we shall find so much contained in the Prayers and Exhortations as will take up all the vacant time in Holy Meditation and this will make Holiness become exceeding delightful when we can turn our Souls towards God and solace them without interruption when we can leave the thoughts of this World and look steadfastly to God But this is to be done by degrees when we have conquer'd the love of this World and wearied our selves from its Alurements and this only to be performed by a constant watch over our words and actions and perseverance in the ways of goodness When the Prayers of the Church are over let us humbly ask God to pardon our defects in his Service and say O Lord Pardon the wandrings and coldness of my Petitions deal not with me according to my Prayers or Deserts but according to my needs and thy infinit mercy in Jesus Christ Amen Having discharged our duty in Prayer to God let us prepare our selves to hear what he will say to us out of his Holy Word we ought to look upon the Minister as an Ambassador of Christ and hearken with reverence to his Doctrine at the end of it to beg that we may bring forth the Fruit of it in our Lives and Conversation and this we can't do in better words than in one of the Collects after the Communion Grant we beseech thee Almighty God that the Words which we have heard this day c. While the People are going out let us devoutly turn towards the Table of the Lord and endeavour with admiration and reverence to contemplate the approaching Ordinance let us entertain thoughts of our unworthiness and then humble our selves before the Lord and say A Prayer O Almighty God who art infinite in Compassion and art able to pardon more sins than I can commit the stretcht out Arms of my dear Saviour upon the Cross can encompass the largest extention of my sins and his Passion affords an ever flowing Red Sea to cover them that they may not become my confusion O then let his Blood be my Bath purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow and to capacitate me for these Mercies let the deepest sorrow wound my Soul Oh! let it grieve my Spirit that I have lived so long to the grief of thine and let me grieve so long that I can grieve no more make my Soul to ascend in an humble supplication and let my Saviour's intercession procure thine acceptance and give me such a Faith as may take possession of all I pray for and least my own trust should deceive me when I have said Amen to my Prayers do thou say Amen to my Amen that so an Establishment of Blessings may be the crown of my Soul which I beg through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ Extinguish O Lord all the Fires of Hell my Lust Pride Envy Malice and Uncharitableness create in me O God a great longing after the Bread of Heaven and a thirst after the fountain of Salvation that as the Heart panteth after the water brooks so my Soul may long after thee my Saviour and Redeemer Amen When the Minister goes up to the Holy Table letus raise our Affections and prepare our selves to accompany him in this great work and fixing our selves in a devout posture when he begins the Exhortation to Charity let our thoughts carry us beyond the litteral Expression of those Sentences and whilst he Reads consider the necessities of the Poor Let us enlarge our desires and wish we were able to satisfie the complaints of those who are in want at least let us resolve to do according as God has put it in our power not Grudgingly and of necessity because 't is the custom and the Church requires it at such Seasons Here we have an opportunity of examining our selves whether we have fulfill'd the will of God in this manner 'T is not to be supposed that we deserve the name of charitable persons who take no time to distribute of this World good but when we can't help it therefore let us ask our Souls at every Sentence Hast thou followed this Advice or obeyed this Command Hast thou performed that great duty of the Law doing as thou wouldst be done by Hast thou restored with interest whatever thou hast unjustly detained from any Man And first have we taken care that they who have sown unto us Spiritual things should reap of our Temporal for 't is meet those who wait at the Altar should be partakers with the Altar for we must know that even so God hath ordained that they who Preach should live of the Gospel Therefore if we have fail'd to do this let us ask God's Pardon and don't let us because the Minister can't exact it take that advantage and pay nothing Secondly have we shew'd our compassion to the poor by giving Alms Have we not turned away our Face from our Brother who was in need but been merciful after our power If our Hearts condemn us not we have confidence in God that he is Righteous and will not forget but reward us in the day of necessity thus may we turn these excellent Admonitions into heads of Examination and happy are we if we have offer'd up such Sacrifices as are acceptable The Church has taken care to tell us what they are and has placed them at the beginning of this excellent Office to exhort us to Good Works We are about to remember that exceeding love of Christ and the wonderful charity of our Saviour therefore 't is very proper in the entrance to this Holy Ordinance to exhort us to be like minded that
we like his Disciples at the last Supper are waiting to be fed with the Bread from Heaven when we hear the Priest saying Who in the same Night he was betrayed took Bread c. Let us adore that inexpressible love of our Saviour which was working our Salvation when his cursed Enemies were contriving his Crucifixion let us bless the goodness of God and admire the Humillity of our Saviour that would be represented by no richer preparation than Bread Here is no costly sacrifice to exhault our Treasure That we may bestow upon those that want it the poor which we have always with us but for the representation of himself he chuses what is necessary for our sustinance to show us that his Body is as necessary to the strengthning of our Souls as Bread for the support of our Life And when he had given thanks he brea kt it c. O blessed Jesus doest thou give thanks for my Redemption behold I joyn my praises to thine and bless thee with all my Soul O shew thy acceptance of my praises by hallowing these Elements to the purposes they are designed Saying Take Eat this is my Body which is given for you c. Here let us reflect upon the passion of our Saviour and imagine we see him in that unspeakable Passion offering up his pious Soul upon the Cross Do this in remembrance of me O Jesus let me never be so ungrateful as to forget thee likewise also after Supper He took the Cup and when he had given thanks c. Our Saviour was not content to give us his Body alone but to pour out his Blood for us and has chosen Wine for the Commemoration of that inestimable mercy O let our Souls thirst after this Cup of Salvation and when the Minister holds it out to bless it let us call upon the Name of the Lord He gave it to them saying Drink ye all of this c. Do this in remembrance of me This is the time to Exercise our Faith and therefore let us believe they really are to us what they represent and say a hearty Amen for it is unto us according to our Faith if we believe 't is unto us the Blood of Christ indeed that no doubting nor infidelity may unhallow these sanctified Elements to any of our Souls Let us say A Prayer after Consecration LOrd it is done as thou hast commanded and I doubt not but the Mystery is rightly accomplished I am perswaded that here is that which my Soul longeth after a crucified Saviour communicating himself to poor penitent Sinners O let me be reckoned among that Number and then I shall assuredly receive thee Holy Jesus Amen O Holy Saviour I behold thee stretch'd upon the Cross with thy Arms spread ready to embrace all Mankind Glory be to thee O Lord Jesus Lamb of God Son of the Father who didst offer thy self a sacrifie to take away the sins of the whole World Lord have mercy upon me and take away mine also When the Minister is a Communicating let us humbly desire that God would hear his Prayer The Lord hear thee and remember all thy Offerings and Sacrifices grant thee thy Hearts desire and fullfil all thy mind The Lord perform all thy Petitions which thou hast made at this time for thy self for us and all Persons Amen We have nothing to do now but compose our selves for the acts of holy Communion remembering we are to feast with God by Silence and Heavenly Contemplation let us reflect upon the mercies of God in this Sacrament and when we have by Faith beheld the Glory of the Lord confess our unworthiness to appear before him and acknowledge his goodness which gives us the opportunity of adoring his inexpressible Love While others are Communicating O How dreadful is this place Seemeth it a small thing unto thee O my Soul to be feasted with God waited on by Angels fed with the Body of Jesus and refreshed with the Cup of that saving Blood which hath attoned for the Sins of the World What meaneth this secret that so poor a Wretch and sinful a Rebel should receive so mighty a Favour and be received to so near Embraces How can I approach to these terrible Mysteries till I have pulled back the Vail and worshipped him that feeds my Body to convey Grace to my Soul and make that stoop to the Eye of sence which Angels cannot behold with open Faces Here is represented the Almighty Love of an infinite Being here the God of Gods appears all Bloody to fright thee from thy sins here the All-merciful Saviour of the World is as it were crucified before thine Eyes that contemplating the horrid Aggonies of the Cross and remembring the cause of his cruel Sufferings thou mayst mourn for thy ingratitude that brought him to the torments of that inexpressible Passion here the Holy Jesus appears loaded with all the Blessings of Heaven here the everlasting Trinity seems to use his utmost endeavour to perswade thee into a Heavenly Conversation To thy Holy Altar O Dear Redeemer I am coming to renew my Baptizmal Vow to enter into a Solemn Covenant with God and faithfully to promise thee to resign my self intirely to thee to fall out with thee no more to be faithful to thee to vindicate thy Glory to live up to those Laws which thou hast sealed with thy own Blood To this end I eat of thy Bread and Drink of thy Wine and so seal my Covenant with thee Quicken me O Lord and make me more earnest and zealous in thy Service and as thou hast sent thy Son to bring me to thy self do thou likewise send thy Holy Spirit to sanctifie me for thy self and then I who of my self can scarce move unto thy Altar by the assistance of thy Grace may run the ways of thy Commandments Having declared the reasons of our approaching this Holy Table and beg'd God's blessing upon us let us Meditate after this manner Thou O my God hast prepared a Table for me and hast promised whosoever eateth thereof shall never Hunger and drinketh shall never Thirst This consideration alone is sufficient to furnish us with matter for Contemplation The mercy of God in preparing this Sacred Feast the benefits we receive from it and the time in which it was institued when he was surrounded with the Horrors of Death and began to feel the weight of our Transgressions are enough to put us in a confusion and constrain us at once to humble our selves even into our first nothing for abusing such goodness and then adore that amazing constancy of our Lord that in the greatest of his Agony could endure yet more for our sakes and resign himself to the Cross notwithstanding the contradiction of sinners O let us consider this price with which we were bought and glorifie God in our Bodies and Spirits which are his therefore bowing our bodies before the Lord let us consider the wonder of his love BEhold what kind of love
O my Soul is expressed by thy Redeemer when our sins his treacherous Servants and enraged Enemies were contriving his Death he was designing an excellent benefit for us the stream of his affections was so strong that our baseness and ingratitude could not check it we might have expected that the horror of this dismal Night should have made him repent of his undertaking and have put him upon reversing all his former favours but lo he adds a greater than ever he had given before and appoints this as a seal to confirm and convey the rest to us Thy love was stronger than Death and when all the terrors of thy dreadful Passion were in view thy Soul was so calm as to be at leisure to institute this Feast of Joy and Gladness Surely I will entertain this Festival with the dearest regard I can express since it was one of the last and greatest Testimonies of the love of a dying Friend this blessed Legacy this parting Remembrance shall be in my heart for ever Having considered the exceeding great love of God in instituting this Sacrament that very Night he was betrayed and that he should be mindful of us when he was about to drink that Cup of which we were not able let us now contemplate the preparation our Lord then made for us and that we have already heard is Bread but don't let the meaness of the outward part be a disparagement to this mystery but let us adore the Humility of our Saviour who was content with so mean a Re-presentation A Meditation upon the Element of Bread O Blessed Jesus how lovely is thy Humility thou hast chosen to be represented by Bread and though some curious or costly preparation had been more agreeable to thy Dignity yet this best expresses thy condescension Bread is the poor Man's Food yet necessary for the Rich it springs from the Earth yet it is the staff of our Life and given to strengthen Man's heart and so it signifies that Body which thou didst take from the Earth and gavest for the life of the World O that I may receive thee by Faith and then I know I shall draw the most salutary nourishment from thee and thou wilt as effectually be united to my Soul as the Bread which is eaten is to my Body Let me eat this Holy Bread in Charity O do thou make it thy Body and it shall be the Bread of Life to my Soul O merciful Jesus thou hast taken Bread into thy bountiful hands and behold I faint for Hunger I languish for this Spiritual Food and since I am come so nigh thee on this blessed day of Distribution I beseech thee pass not by me as thou takest this Bread so didst thou take thy Body only to be broken in Sacrifice for us and in Sacrament to us let me not therefore want my part O Eternal Word of God by whose power all things were made I will not ask how thou canst give me thy Flesh to eat because I am abundantly satisfied in thy saying this is my Body since thou canst make it become to me whatsoever thou sayest it is I believe Lord help my unbelief what though my senses assure me the outward substances and its accidents still remain yet my Faith and experience tell me there is an Efficacy therein beyond the power of any other thing Alas the Flesh would profit me nothing for he that is joined to thee must be one Spirit O let these sacred Symbols therefore make me partaker of thy Nature and a partner in thy merits let them unite me to thee ingraft me in thee and make that Body mine which did suffer Death for me and then I shall need no further but be more happy than if I could understand all mysteries sure I am this is thy Body in Sacrament it communicates to us the blessings and benefit thereof and though presented with a Figure and by a Holy Right yet it is to all its purposes that which it doth represent I will therefore receive it as thy Body and esteem it infinitly above all other food that I may not be judged for not descerning thy Body O let it be unto me according to my Faith I Am a sinful Wretch O Lord and yet if I bid thee depart from me I banish all true happiness from my Soul I long for thy presence but how shall I entertain thee Thou wast born of a pure Virgin wraped in clean Linnen dwellest now where nothing defiled can enter but never was there so unworthy apartment prepared for thee as my polluted heart into which I durst not presume to bring thee but that I know thou canst make it clean however when by Faith I see that Body which all the Angels in Heaven worship I cannot but abhor my self in Dust and Ashes I am amazed to see such a Majesty come to visit a Sin-sick Soul in so poor a Cottage yea I cannot but tremble at thy presence O thou King of Glory because I am so overspread with the filth of sin but I will lament those corruptions which I cannot fully purge away and beseech thee not to dispise me though I deserve it I confess my self unworthy but thy condesention in stooping to me will be the more illustrious and if thou hast less delight in me for the present thou shalt have more Glory afterwards When thou hast changed my vile Body and made it like to thy glorious Body according to thy mighty Power O My Soul make hast behold thy gracious Master is dealing his Bread to those that hunger after Righteousness be not discouraged at thy unworthiness for he gives to all Men liberally and upbraideth not O dear Jesus give me a share thereof declare me to be thine by feeding me at this Table thou who wert content to be bruised and broken to satisfie my offended God O be pleased to give thy self and the merits of this thy Passion unto me Lord give me ever more of this Bread HOly Jesus I am not worthy to touch this blessed Body as 't is thine yet I presume to approach because thy love hath made it mine This is the sacrifice for my sins the price of my Redemption and that by which my Soul was ransomed from Hell and rescued from a dreadful destruction it was given for me and it shall now be given to me and hast thou made such a preparation for me and offer'd it unto me Lord I am transported at thy love dear Saviour I will love thee with all my powers and strive and pray that I may love thee more as fervently as ever any thy Saints have done I will give my self unto thee and dispise all other things in comparison of thee and when I have once tasted of this all-saving Sacrifice which was given for me I 'm perswaded that neither Life Death Pleasure or Pain things present or to come shall be able to seperate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen O My
Celestial Food the bread that came down from Heaven how does thy sweetness and my own necessities invite me My body is liable to Temporal my Soul to Eternal Death and behold here is the medicine of immortality which will remove the sting of the first and destroy the power of the second which will fill me with the Graces I want fit me for the Glory I desire and advance my Soul and Body above the Power of corruption I feel a mighty Hunger created in me which nothing but this Heavenly Manna can satisfie I despise the meat which perishes and feedeth for Destruction and long with impatience to taste of this Body of Christ of which I may eat and live for ever which will make the Grave unable to hold me and Hell not dare to shut its Mouth upon me O make no long tarrying but give me now and ever this Bread I desire nothing but Christ if I want this repast shall faint or die before I come to the Mount of God O My Soul behold how thou hast incensed the Majesty of Heaven see thy Saviour offered up for thy sins and submitting to the heavy Wrath of God and yet whatever he suffered was thy Portion Wretch that I am to live in such a manner that nothing else could satisfie or make my Peace but here I come this day to call my sins to remembrance I will look on thee whom I have pierced with a most tender and sympathizing Affection and while I break this Holy Bread with my Teeth will commemorate how thou wast bruised for our iniquities how our offences did torture thee with grief and pain Holy Saviour I 'm angry at my self and full of anguish to see what I have brought upon thee I 'm sorry with all my heart that I have given harbor to thy Murderers but I hope this dismal spectacle shall mortifie in me all desires after Evil and make me abhor all those desperate pleasures which must be so dearly paid for by thee or stand charged upon my account for ever A Meditation upon the Element of Wine O What preparation is our gracious Master making for us he thinks it not enough to give us his blessed Body with the merits of all those Torments which he suffered in the Flesh but he is pleased to pour out his Blood and Life together with it that we might drink thereof and so take as it were his very Soul into us miserable Wretches we are that nothing less will help us O how gracious a Redeemer have we that will not deny us this behold O Lord I Thirst and this Wine of joy makes me more impatient to taste of this Cup of Thanksgiving Thou that hast prepared it for me make it thy holy Blood unto me and then it shall cleanse my Soul and make me thine for ever O Lord I tremble at the apprehensions of all those Evils that stand between me and thy Glory the Grave gapeth for me and Satan is ready every moment to devour me wherefore I beseech thee sprinkle me with thy all-saving Blood that the destroying Angel may pass over me Let me drink of this Cup of Life and Death shall be Defeated the Grave Dismantled and Satan disappointed Let me drink of thy precious Blood that I may receive abundance of thy Spirit so shall my body be hallowed into a sacred Temple and my Soul replenished with such Graces that I can never perish O give me this Divine Cordial at present and make to me a preservation for Body and Soul to life everlasting I Dore thy unspeakable Goodness I delight in thy unmeasurable Mercy I desire to know nothing but the Lord Jesus and in him Crucified O let the Power of thy Cross prevail against all the Powers of Darkness let the Wisdom of thy Cross make me wise unto Salvation let the Peace of thy Cross reconcile me to thy Eternal Father and bring to me Peace of Conscience let the Victory of thy Cross mortifie all my evil and corrupt Affections let the triumph of thy Cross lead me on to a state of Holiness that I may sin no more but in all things please thee and in all things serve thee and in all things glorifie thee O my God assist me now and ever graciously and greatly grant that I may not receive Bread alone for man cannot live by that but that I may eat Christ and then I shall be thy servant for ever GReat Advocate of my Soul thou seest my desires to love thee I leave my self to thy Mannagement O enter into this frozen heart and erect thy Kingdom and Empire there let every desire of my Soul be subject to thee and make me willing to submit to any thing so I may but love thee O Compassionate Saviour whose Bowels yearn over the penìtent let my Soul rest in and contemplate thee enlarge my Mind loose me from my Bonds and let the effect of the offering up my Soul in the Holy Sacrament be that I may become a servant of Righteousness and may relish no wisdom but from above O Lord Jesus I am not worthy to come near so great a Mystery but thou can'st make me worthy and though I am a sinner I come to offer the sacrifice thou hast commanded O pardon my Offences and receive me graciously for thy Mercies sake I lament O God my detestable iniquities for having so long so often and so obstinately offended thee O most merciful Lord pardon me for Jesus Christ his sake O hear his dying Groans regard his Agony and Bloody Sweet by his Cross and Passion let my sins be blotted out by his glorious Resurrection and Ascention let every Evil affection and lust be crucified that I may arise to a newness of life Great Friend of my immortal Soul chuse I beseech thee my heart for thy dwelling place replenish it with thy Graces and make me to loath these transitory possessions O Lord what is there in Heaven or what upon Earth that I would have besides thee My heart is ready O God my heart is ready Lord what wouldst thou have to me do grant me to do what thou commandest and command what thou wilt O my sweet Saviour I long for thy Company and am miserable without thee yet dare scarce draw near unto thee because I have nothing pure enough to entertain thee Lord be merciful to me a sinner for I am grieved for my unworthiness and amazed at thy condescention in offering thy self to so vile a Creature O Holy Jesus I am utterly ashamed that ever I should put thee to such exceeding Smart and Torture I am ashamed to think of it and abhor my sins O light of mine Eyes my secure refuge O life of my Soul my Maker my Redeemer and my preserver into thy hands do I commit my Spirit O joy of my Soul when shall I love thee with all my Heart with all my Soul with all my Might When shall I enjoy thee When shall I come and appear before thee
When shall I fully please thee O that I could always serve thee that I could perfectly obey thee Grant me O my only Love that I may continually reverence and adore thee Permit me not O Lord Jesus ever to be seperated from thee Teach me inlighten me direct me and assist me in all things but especially at this time that I may do or say nothing but what is agreeable to thy blessed Will Amen I Have made a large Collection of Meditations and Prayers because of the difference of Congregations some are very numerous and I esteem them pertinent to regulate our thoughts in that interval before we go up to the Altar the lesser Congregations and they who are desirous to be first at the Holy Table may have advantage of variety and make use of them as their inclinations and opportunity will give leave Our thoughts are not always upon the wing we require diversity of Arguments to press us to a forwardness besides they are not designed that our mind should be wholly taken up with them that we should read them all and then think we may safely go up to the Altar of God The best composure in the World will be insignificant if we don't offer it with Devotion Sincerity and Affection one of these Petitions rightly performed is of greater Efficacy than the whole repeated in a rambling disorder Lord have mercy upon me a miserable sinner said with humility was more prevalent than the long Prayer of the wordy Supplicant God knows our necessity before we ask and if we ask with Faith depending on the incercession of our Saviour he will grant our Petitions even before they are ended so that I would have some of them repeated with deliberation and between them call in our thoughts reconcile them to our reason and faith and then offer them up with earnest devotion and so shall we be prepared to receive the Lord of Glory When we have made an end of these Meditations and are ready to go to the Holy Table rising from our Knees with Reverence let us say GReat Captain of my Salvation I am going to learn to fight the good fight of faith in the blessed Sacrament of thy Love let thy great Example there encourage me to fight against all Ambition and Ostentation Censoriousness and Uncharitableness against coveteous lustfull and blasphemous Thoughts against guile and hypocrisie discontent and mistrust of thy providence against such enemies give me Grace to fight over these let me Triumph that having striven lawfully I may at last be admitted to the sight of thy sweet self and be charmed with thy Love for evermore Having thus began our Warfares and declared our chiefest Enemies let us approach the Holy Altar that there we may put on the Armor of God and being endued with Righteousness from above may walk more securely and be defended from the subtilty of Men and Devils therefore as we are going up let us turn our thoughts to God in the following manner As we go up to the Altar I Come Lord Jesus O take me to thee for thou lovest me and hast prepared a Table for me in the seat of thy Love in the multitude of thy mercies O Lord God do I now approach thy Altar O pardon my Sins and receive me graciously if thou shouldst be extream to mark what is amiss O Lord who may abide it but with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption Lord hast thou set open this fountain and wilt thou let a wretched creature die for thirst in thy presence Hast thou prepared such Balm to heal me and shall I languish here before thee I know if thou wilt thou canst make me clean here is the very instrument Grant therefore holy Jesus that I may duly apply it and rightly use it and then it shall prepare me for thee and unite me to thee by such inseperable Bonds as shall never brake unless Eternity have an end Blessed are they who so eat thy Flesh and drink thy Blood so as thou requirest and so as thy Saints have done for they have been cleansed at this fountain and here there Union with thee first began O happy opportunity Lord let me do it well this once and I am thine for ever Let us now kneel before the Lord and say O Jesu Son of God everlasting King receive my Spirit O my Life take my Soul my Joy draw my heart unto thee thou that art my Head direct me Light of mine eyes enlighten me O my comfort rejoice me my sweet Food let me eat thee O Word of God refresh me O Light Eternal shine thou over me that I may understand know and love thee After we have thus dedicated our selves to God let us humbly represent to him the occasion which drew us hither and beg for his promise sake that we may not be sent Empty away O Lamb of God thou hast said he that eateth thy Flesh and drinketh thy Blood hath eternal Life behold thy Servant O Lord be it unto me according to thy Word O Lord God I desire to renew my Covenant with thee and to seal it now with this Sacrament Lord put thy Laws into my mind and write them in my heart and for the passion of thy dear Son which I now commemorate be merciful to my Unrighteousness my Sins and Iniquities do thou remember no more but be thou my God and I will be thy Servant The Minister now approaching us we ought with the Centurion in the Gospel to acknowledge our unworthiness to receive so glorious a guest and after such a Humilliation let us look up with confidence and represent to the Father of Heaven the prevailing sacrifice of his Son LOrd I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof but speak the word Lord and thy Servant shall be whole Behold O Lord the sacrifice of the everlasting Covenant the Lamb that takes away the sins of the World Oh let all the World feel the power of his Intercession hear good Lord the cry of his Wounds and deny me not since I bring thy Son with me let us all know that he lives that was dead and is a live for evermore O holy Bread which camest down from Heaven and givest life to the World come into my heart and cleanse me from all defilements of Flesh and Spirit enter into my Soul heal and sanctifie me within and without O my Soul taste now and see how gracious the Lord is Whence is it that my Lord himself should come to me Let us now with steadfast Faith repeat after the Minister bowing our Bodies The Body of our Lord Jesus c. After we have received the Bread let us lift up our Souls in thankfullness and say Hail Holy Lamb of God thrice welcome art thou to a poor perishing sinner Glory be to thee O Lord who feedest me with the Bread of Life let thy crucified Body deliver me from this body of death Before the Cup. I Will receive the
waiting at his Altar to receive the Bread of Life let us earnestly pray that this Communion may be life to every one that all who are present may meet to Feast in life Everlasting O Thou Eternal Being vouchsafe to bless confirm and strengthen us all who are present before thee deliver us from the day of Condemnation and let us not be confounded when we shall appear before thee in the presence of thy Angels but grant that through the blood of the Cross we may all be cleansed from our sins and presented pure unblamable and irreprovable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter to sing Eternal Hallelujahs to him that sets upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever May what we have now offer'd up to thee O Lord be accepted for the good of the universal World for all those for whom the Holy Jesus shed his most precious Blood for the Glory of thy Holy Name and for the coming of the Holy Ghost that he may please to visit and enlighten all our Hearts O Lord be propitious to the Holy Catholick Church and by the increase of Faith Hope and Charity inlarge its Limits be pleased to remember all that are Fallen all that are in Captivity the Infirm Sick Stranger Fatherless and Widow in great Mercy look upon them all restore heal comfort and relieve them for Jesus Christ his sake Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Amen As soon as the Congregation has communicated let us prepare to glorifie the Lord together in order to it let us reflect upon the Goodness of this God who has done so much for us and if we are attentive to the Prayers of the past Communion 't is impossible to behave our selves coldly or indifferently there is so much life in the expressions that we are forced to utter them with an affectionate concern and the greater our Zeal the greater is the Benefit we receive Each thought must give us an Idea beyond our Expression we shall be so wholly taken up with this wonderful love of Christ that we shall be angry our conceptions are so imperfect that we don't see more clearly this Beauty of Holiness O let us lose our selves in this boundless contemplation and be ravished with the loving kindness of the Lord and now that we are in earnest become the Sons of God we may with confidence lift up our hearts to Our Father which is in Heaven which is the first Prayer the Church has appointed to offer up to God we have been feasting at his Table renewing our Covenants and made pertakers of our Saviour and his Spirit therefore being so clothed 't is very proper our first address be made in his own word After we have repeated that with Reverence let us join in the next for 't is now high time that we make an offering to the God of our Salvation and there is nothing we can give more pleasing than our selves to be a reasonble sacrifice therefore let us intirely dedicate our Souls Body and Spirit to the service of God and be infinitly rejoyced that God is pleased to accept us therein and this will enable us more chearfully to joyn in the following Hymne When our Heavenly King sees us so hearty in his Service so desirous of Pardon that we with the greatest Earnestless cry to the only begotten Jesus Christ and with all so forward to return our humble thanks for his Mercy No doubt he will be near to our Assistance and reward us with more than we can ask or think even exalt us to that state of Glory with him that sits on the right hand of the Father and is most high in the Glory of God After we have thus affectionately joyn'd in the Prayers of the Church let us with Faith and Thankfulness receive the Blessing and then with humble Adoration once more magnifie the goodness of God for who can be weary in praising the noble acts of the Lord PRaise the Lord O my Soul and let all thy Powers be acted with such love and wonder that thou mayest break forth into all the expression of joy and gladness that admiration and gratitude can inspire thee with Glory be to thee O Lord most High Let us rise from our Knees and bow towards the Holy Table shewing our unwillingness to depart the place where his Honour dwells leave it with a reluctance and still say in our hearts 't is good for us to be here They who are arriv'd to such a habit must necessarily desire another opportunity to glorifie God in this manner and be very fond of frequenting his House till this blessed season returns for we are not to think our Duty done with our Prayers we must create a kind of a familiarity with God and no way so likely to do that as by the constant appearance in his House there it is he has promised to be and thither we must come if we would have our Prayers returned with success Though private Devotions be necessary yet the Publick are absolutely so there God is honoured by the company of his Saints and there we have the opportunity to acknowledge him to be the Lord. 'T is there we assemble with one accord to present our Petitions to the Throne of Grace and 't is most likely our Incense should pierce Heaven when it ascends thither in a thick cloud but sure there will be no occasion to use Arguments to those who have felt the Blessings of coming thus together they must see how pleasant it is to dwell in such Unity and prefer the door of the Tabernacle to the Palaces of Princes they who are so unhappy as to be Strangers there who have no taste nor are perswaded of the Truth of these things I could wish they would prevail with themselves to try the deliciousness of the Employment and I am sure they would be obliged to confess not one half has been told them A Meditation for the Communion at Christmas Welcome thrice blessed day the desire of all Nations whose distant glories made the Father of the Faithful to rejoice and whose approaches fill'd the World with wonder and expectation thou wert ushered in with Angelick Hymns and celebrated ever since with Anthems of praise because thou didst bring forth joy and a Redeemer to Mankind Happy am I that have a sacrifice of Thanksgiving in my hand to express the delight which my heart doth feel This Holy Table is the Altar upon which I offer my Acknowledgmets for all mercies And Oh how many how great are those which this day brings to my remembrance so Infinite it cannot be expressed and yet so excellent they must not be forgotten This day hath reconciled Heaven and Earth and Contradictions made freinds to find a way to help us as if nothing might disagree when Man was at peace with God O my Soul summon all thy powers to
they had never felt before vigorous as a mighty wind chearing as the morning light inflaming their hearts with zeal and filling their mouths with Anthems indited with the Languages of all the World O wonderfull Change their Ignorance is turned into Learning their mistakes into infallibility their fear into courage their weakness into strength their sorrow into joy and they in a moment made able to confound the Arts and conquer the Oppositions of the Heathen world and maugre all the divices of Satan to set up the Kingdom of the Lord Christ and shall we not praise thee for these miraculous dispensations by which the gospel was made known even to us in the most utmost corners and last of times yes Holy Jesus we will also meet thee with one accord at thy table not doubting but thou would give us the measures of thy Spirit there if our duty or our necessity did require it it is enough to us that thou knowest our need more than will supply them we dare not ask lest thou wilt not give thou hast given us thy self wherefore we believe thou wilt not deny us thy Spirit without which we can have no Intrest in thee nor benefit from thee We come not gracious Lord with the carnal Jews to devour thy Flesh but to partake of thy Spirit which only giveth life the flesh profiteth nothing behold thy Spirit hath converted Millions Let me therefore together with thy precious Body receive here such proportions of thy holy Spirit as may suppress my evil Affections revive my dead heart comfort my dejected mind and turn my ignorance into knowledge my knowledge into practice and make that practice so sweet and easie that this may be a day of joy to me also solemnized in the white Garments of Sanctification and rejoycing and finally let not this Heavenly Inspiration be only expressed in Ecstasies and only fervours this day but let thy Spirit rest upon me and dwell in me for ever so shall I always have cause to bless thee for so incomparable a gift Methinks I feel already the force thereof bearing down my corruptions and the bright beams driving the mists of Sin and Error I find its flames warming my heart with Zeal and charity and its quickning power opening my sealed lips to shew forth thy praise A Meditation for the Communion on Trinity Sunday O Admirable mystery to be adored in the profoundest silence by the contemplation thereof when I am struck with amazement I can learn humility and discover mine own Ignorance and I have the opportunity of exercising a Nobler faith than if I could comprehend it with my shallow reasonings and imperfect demonstrations the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity hath been derided by the Heathens and endeavoured to be perplexed by the Wits of all kind of Hereticks but it sufficeth me Blessed Jesus that thou hast revealed it and thy Holy Church divided into many other things hath universally agreed in thy great Truth and I am the more confirmed in it because I learn by it to worship with a regular devotion from hence I am the more confirmed I am taught to pray to the Father in the Name of the Son through the assistance of the Holy Ghost and as long as I live will I praise thee and magnife thee in this manner I will bless thee particularly at this Holy Feast for so excellent a revelation for this Ordinance it self contains many things above my understanding and its all mystery the Trinity is the Article and thy Sacrament the Rite which do distinguish thy true Riligion from all the sects in the World wherefore by observing this Rite I do embrace this Faith and upon the representation of thy death I do profess to live in it and die for it resolving never to have other Lords when I find the Father giving the Son giving and the Holy Ghost dispensing that Gift unto my Soul in this sacred Communion it shall be a greater confirmation to my faith in divine Mystery than can be acquired from the most curious search into it However I am resolved my Reason shall vail to thy word and I will be content to stay for a full apprehension of this sublime truth till I am advanced to a State of Angelick perfection and come to hehold the glories of the true God till then I will bless thee for what I know and believe more than I can conceive and I will worship the same Majesty which the Heavenly Choir doth in these Addresses THE Church has now done her part and leaves us to discharge the rest she has told us the benefits and forewarned us of the danger let it be upon our own Heads if we have drunk Christ's Blood unworthily therefore let us as soon as possible retire and examine our behaviour during the Celebration of these Holy Mysteries How our thoughts were employed and how earnest our longings were after this Bread of Heaven whether we had duly examined our selves before and repented as we ought in what part soever of these things we have done amiss let us ask pardon and endeavour to come more prepared the next time This will show that we are sincere with God and don 't come out of custom but for his Grace and Mercy and let us take every opportunity to ask that for Christ is now come very near us therefore let us lay before him all our wants that so we may be fill'd with his Heavenly Benediction let us not lose a minute on this day but be earnest in all manner of supplication for we must not leave our Devotions with the Church that would be setting open the door indeed that Satan might enter into us but I hardly believe they who have had their hearts kindled at the Altar can suffer them to grow cold before they get home therefore let us retire before Dinner and after we have thus seriously reflected upon what we have been doing let us add to our thoughts the following Meditation A Meditation before Dinner WHen I compare thy acts with mine Holy Jesus I am exceedingly ashamed to behold so a vast a disproportion thou givest me thy Merits and Graces thy Life and Love at present and hast promised to me thy Kingdom in reversion and I have scarce return'd this with the intire devotion of one half hour O how little is my obdurate Heart affected with the sence of my own Guilt the fears of thy Divine Wrath or apprehensions of thy sufferings yet Lord I desire and did endeavour to praise thee so that I hope thou wilt consider my infirmities with much compassion and measure my services not by the exactness of my performance but by the sincerity of my wishes so shall I be accepted before thy Heavenly Father and by the mercy of that acceptance be obliged to thee for ever O Most merciful Lord God I am amazed at the mighty favours which thou hast shew'd to me a sinful wretched Creature I cannot but acknowledge thy
goodness though I can make no Retribution had I all the World at my disposal I could freely give it all to thee as a Testimony of my unfeigned gratitude but I hear thy gracious voice saying unto me My Son give me thine heart it is not mine but me thou seekest sinful and misrable though I am yet I am the purchase for which Jesus has left his Glory laid down his Life done and suffered all these things O marvelous Condescension I am nothing I have nothing I am void of all Good full of Evil and deserving thy Wrath so that I abhor my self and canst thou dwell in me Be it so then I will dispute no more with unsearchable mercy I believe O my God and wonder I can no longer resist thy condescending and almighty love I will with all the joy imaginable give my felf unto thee who hast but lately restored me to my self I have been a prisoner to Satan a Slave to Sin and marked out for Destructioon but thou hast procured my Pardon Liberty and Life requiring no more for so inexpressible a bounty but that I become entirely thine had I the life of an Angel the understanding of a Cherubim or the power of one of thy Heavenly Host thou deservest it all I 'm sorry I 'm no better yet such as I am I do most freely surrender my self unto thee my Body and Soul avowing I will be no more my own but thy servant O be thou pleased to come and reign over me take possession of this unworthy heart I hope I shall never be so unjust perjured and sacrelegious as to rob thee of my self hereafter it is indeed a miserable gift that I offer a defiled Body and a stained Soul but 't is all I have to give all that thou requirest and 't will be the better for being thine let me never have another Master let me never sully that which the Blood of Christ hath washed nor sell that to Satan which Jesus hath bought for God Grant me therefore gracious Lord that I may find by the workings of thy Spirit within me that thou hast accepted me give me such help from thee to confirm my hope that I may always perform my vows and never rob thee of that which I have dedicated in the sincerity of my Soul I am thine O save me for thy mercies sake Amen Our Father c. From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Name of the Lord shall be great among the Gentiles in every place incense shall be offer'd unto his Name and a pure offering for his Name shall be great among all Nations Glory be to the c. As it was c. This Day is appointed to be observ'd as a Festival and I would have no Christian so mistake himself as to keep it otherwise But since it is likewise a Day to be kept holy to the Lord we must not indulge our selves over-much lest we run into another Errour and make us uncapable of serving God or our selves as we ought by turning our reafonable Service into sleepy Devotions And since I 'm speaking of the Sabbath it can't be unnecessary to lay down some Rules for our Observation of it There is no Christian but must lament the general Neglect of it for one sort spends it in unnecessary Business the other in impertinent Recreations and even they who are more reserv'd and seem to have a greater Sense of Religion are apt to make large Allowances that except the Time spent in the Church there is little bestow'd on any Act of Religion The Church requires our Belief of the Morality of the Sabbath and if we were persuaded that 't is a Day set a part by God himself for his own Service we should have less Inclinations to lay out so much of it in our own We must positively believe our Obligations to God on this Day and resolve that the Time we don't spend in the Church should devoutly be employ'd at home We should separate our Thoughts from the Concern of this World In the Morning earnestly beg of God that we may sanctifie the Sabbath After Church reflect upon what we heard if it was practical Matter resolve to make use of it in our Conversation if Matter of Faith examine whether we can give our positive Assent to it if we don't justly comprehend it let us endeavour to be better inform'd Let us call to Mind the Benefit of our Creation Redemption and whatever else may beget in us holy Thoughts and a fervent Love to God Let us turn our Thoughts into our selves that we may the better understand our Condition towards God for how is it possible to be sensible of our Affairs if we don't suffer our Souls to contemplate for their Safety There are many that can't accuse themselves of notorious Crimes that can answer to the positive Prohibitions of the Law All these have I kept from my Youth yet if they suffer themselves to go further in their Examination will find Reason with the young Man in the Gospel to be exceeding sorrowful though upon another Account they will find a dismal Account of other things to answer and which are as necessary to be repented of as they are to be observ'd for the future Besides Contemplation is the best Way to improve our Understanding in the Ways of Goodness there is infinite Variety for our Thoughts to work upon and all of them exceeding pleasant 'T is this that will make us in love with Piety and then we shall soon turn our Speculation into Practice They who are us'd to meditate find the Satisfaction of their Consideration Though 't is no easie matter for a Man that has wholly bent his Affection to an immoderate Love of this World to bring under his unruly Desire he shall hardly begin to think what he is why he was sent hither and whither he is hast'ning but he shall stop in the middle and the very Thoughts of the present put him upon enjoying it in another manner So vain and trifling are we when we have given up our selves to be mistaken for a while that 't is hard to bring us to our Senses and persuade us we are our selves when we become Rational Creatures I 'm unwilling to prescribe our Christian Liberty on this Day 't is certain we may extend it to all Things of Necessity but then we should be cautious for we are generally such Latitudinarians in things that concern our selves that we are not willing to lose an Inch of our Liberty and are apt to think our Time lost which is bestow'd in the Service of God Our Trade is not then going on and we are backwarder by one Day in our Affairs of this World never considering we have another Merchandize to care for but if we can secure Wealth enough here have no great Affection to lay up Treasure elsewhere as if we were afraid our Riches would corrupt there or our Venture come short of our