MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS To be used before at and after the Receiving of the HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SUPPER LONDON Printed for N. W. Anno Dom. 1682. PRAYERS To be used at the HOLY SACRAMENT At your first kneeling down say O LORD I am not fit nor worthy thou shouldest come under that filthy Roof of the House of my Soul because it is wholly Desolate and Ruinous neither hast thou with me a fit place to lay thy Head but as thou didst vouchsafe to be laid in a Stable and Manger of Unreasonable Beasts as thou did'st not disdain to be entertain'd in the house of Simon the Leaper as thou did'st not reject the Harlot coming nor yet the Thief on the Cross confessing thee even so Vouchsafe to admit me also a miserable and out of measure sinful Creature to the Receiving of the most pure and saving Mysteries of thy Holy Body and precious Blood and the Good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his Heart to seek the Lord God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary O My God I know my own unworthiness yet in the multitude of thy Mercies I humbly approach thine Altar beseeching thee not to behold me with a severe but Gracious Eye thou knowest the earnest desire of my Soul be thou pleased to pass by the weakness of the Flesh and assist me with thy most Holy Spirit and grant that I may Receive this Sacrament to the Honour and glory of thy great Name and the good Comfort and Salvation of my own Soul Grant this Holy Father for the sake of thy Blessed Son my only Saviour in whose name and Words I beg this mercy and what else thou knowest needful for me OUR Father c. A Confession O Almighty God I thy poor sinful Creature full of Anguish Confusion for my Offences against thy Majesty do make bold to come to thee because thou art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and for his sake inclinable to shew us Mercy Thou art the Maker of me and of all things and thou hatest nothing that thou hast made Thou hast pity on all the works of thy hands so that I am encouraged to make my Supplications unto thee O thou Judge of all men for it is in thy Power for ever to acquit or condemn me I tremble and am asham'd to be found a Sinner against so infinite Power and Goodness but I must not add Hypocricie to my Disobedience Therefore I acknowledge freely and bewail most bitterly my manifold offences of all kinds from the least of my Sins to the greatest of my Crimes and wickednesses all and every one of which I long and frequently from time to time with many provoking aggravations most grieviously have committed Lord who can tell how oft I have offended by Thoughts in vain and Evil Imaginations by Words in false and uncharitable Speeches In Deed by ungodly intemperate Actions For alas by all and every one of these ways I have daily Sin'd against thy Divine Majesty turning thereby thy loving kindness into displeasure and provoking thee to Anger I have given thee cause most Justly to let loose thy wrath and Indignation against me to my utter ruine If thy Mercy do not help me my Guilt is evident my Danger apparent and my estate is most deplorable wherefore I do most passionately and earnestly Repent that ever I did commit them and I am heartily sorry with all my Soul for these my so many and so abominable misdoings When I look upon the baseness and the presumption of these vile offences the remembrance of them does pierce my heart with shame and sorrow and is most grievous unto me when I behold thy Favour which I have forfeited and Eternal Damnation which I have deserved thereby the burthen of them presseth down my Soul with a load of terror and amazement that is intolerable yet since thou callest all who are heavy laden I must not despair of thy pity but in this great distress I do beseech thee to have Mercy upon me and since my necessity forceth me to be Importunate I will cry again have Mercy on me I know thou art a most Merciful Father though by my Sins I am much unworthy to be called thy Child yet I hope thy Bowels will yern upon me I Lye prostrate and helpless begging of thee for thy Dearly Beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ his sake and by the Merits of his Cross and Passion to forgive me freely and fully all that is past from the beginning of my Life till this very moment Lord make me an instance of thy Mercy and grant when I have received so excellent and so undeserved a favour that I may be so engaged thereby as that for ever hereafter I may beware of falling back into the like sin and misery Convert me I beseech thee as well as pardon me and enable me most obediently to serve and most intirely to please thee by spending the rest of my Life in newness of Life and all Holy conversation which through the help of thy Grace I do here Vow and Resolve upon That this mighty change may tend to the Honour and Glory of thy Name who hast so wonderfully delivered me all which I most heartily begg through Jesus Christ our Lord to whose intercession for me do thou say Amen and it shall be according to thy Word Amen The ADDRESS HOly God thou mightest justly wonder to see such a grievous sinner daring to come so near but I do not impudently rush upon these dreadful Misteries nor do I presume to come to this thy Table where Angels do attend as if I'deserved this honour O merciful Lord God I do not approach trusting in my own Righteousness for alas I have done nothing which can bear that name but that which drew me hither was my confidence in thy Manifold and Great Mercies which exceed my Manifold and Great Offences and now that I am before thee I must still confess what ever Favours thy Goodness heaps upon me that I am not worthy by reason of my sinfulness and backslidings so much as with the Doggs to gather up the Crumbs that fall under thy Table nor fit to receive the least Mercies or Measure of Grace from thee much less to sit as a Guest before thy Majesty at this Heavenly Feast but yet I make bold to do this because thou art not to be changed by our sins being ever the same Lord whose property is to be unwearied in well-doing and never wanting in Mercy Thou art wont always to have Mercy on those who confess their Offences grant unto me gracious Lord by the present assistance of thy holy Spirit so to Eat the Flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ Spiritually in this Sacrament and so to Drink his Blood as that I may receive all the benefit of his Cross and Passion even that my sinful and defiled Body may be made clean with his Holy and Immaculate Body
and my Soul which is polluted in every faculty wash'd through his most precious Blood which taketh away the Sins of the World Let me be so wholly purified that I may now begin to be inseparably united to Jesus and that I by Faith may evermore dwell in him abiding in his Love and that by his Spirit he may dwell in me always Amen A Prayer for Purity O Almighty God whose power is Terrible to all that approach thee with polluted Souls because thou art the Majesty unto whom the Thoughts and Imaginations of all hearts are open and apparent all desires and Wishes after any evil are known and evident and the God from whom no secrets in word or deed are hid or by any policy can be concealed The Remembrance of my Impurity makes me fear to draw near to thee till I have Implor'd thee who alone art able to keep me therein to cleanse and purge out all the evil which are so commonly the Guests of my Heart lest they provoke thy pure Eyes to pass me by with this abhorrence and deprive me of the comfort and benefit of this Communion Blessed Lord prepare thy Lodging in my Soul by the Inspiration of those pure thoughts and Heavenly desires which are the fruit of thy Holy Spirit and the Harbingers of the King of Glory that I may as it is my unfeigned desire at all times and above all things most sincerely and perfectly to love thee and not suffer any secret Sin to be thy Rival in my Heart and that I may also especially in this Sacrifice of praise worthily Magnifie and agreeably set forth the Glory of thy Holy Name in giving so Illustrious a Salvation to us through Christ Jesus for whose sake I beseech thee to hear me for he is thy Son and shall be my Lord for ever Amen A Meditation at the Offering O Lord I give thee a small part of thine own who hast given me all my Earthly Comforts yea thy own Son out of thy bosom to become my Salvation O that I could give a thousand times more thy Love deserves it for this I give not alas as a Requital of thy favour but a testimony how much more I owe unto thee my Charities cannot extend to thee who needest nothing only Holy Jesus I do gladly embrace my Poor Brethren and thy Friends whose Souls thou hast purchased with thy dearest Blood and made them Heirs with me of the same Salvation I rejoyce that thou acceptest so small a matter to them as done to thy self behold therefore a soul I beseech thee so Sick and Leprous poor and naked that it needs thy Mercy more than the most miserable Creature in all the whole World my Charity O how many and how earnest prayers do I need could I engage all the poor on Earth whose prayers soonest pierce the Clouds I need all this and as much more to make way for mine acceptance But O my Saviour this is a day in which thou Scatterest thy Bounties Wherefore Remember thou my Soul which is undone without thy pity and since thy Mercies are infinitely greater than ours Lord do not pass me by far be it from me to think so meanly of thy Love as to esteem mine Alms the purchase of it No no I do only by this small token give thee Livery and seisin of me and mine and having vowed to purchase a more glorious Interest and to seek thy Kingdom I do renounce the Riches of this World O happy Exchange and admirable way of Gain but so thou art wont to deal with us O God! to accept trifles from us and give Glories to us great and endless and Inexpressible I adore thee O my Lord and Love thee and because there is no Earthly gift that can bear proportion with such unspeakable Goodness I will give thee my Soul also and it shall be thine for Ever Amen Just after the Prayer of Consecration Say A MEN Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and I doubt not but the Mistery is Rightly accomplished I am perswaded here is It that my Soul longeth for a Crucified Saviour Communicating himself to poor penitent Sinners O let me be but reckoned amongst that number and then I shall assuredly receive the Holy Jesus Amen Lord thou hast set open this fountain and wilt thou suffer a wretched creature to dye for thirst in thy presence hast thou prepared such a Balm to heal me and shall I languish here before thee I know if thou wilt thou canst make me clean here is the very Instrument in thy Hand Grant me therefore Holy Jesus that I may rightly apply it and duly use it and it shall prepare me for Thee and unite me to thee with such inseparable bonds as can never break unless Eternity can have an End Blessed are they that so eat thy Flesh and so drink thy Blood as thou requirest and so as thy Saints of Old have done for they have been cleansed at this Fountain and here their Union with thee first began O happy season Excellent Opportunity Lord let me do it well this Once and I am thine for Ever Amen A Prayer before the Sacrament O Most Merciful God who hast in thy great goodness prepared this Spiritual Feast for sick and famished Souls make my desires and gaspings after it answerable to my needs of it I have with the Prodigal wasted that portion of Grace thou bestowedst upon me and therefore do infinitely want a supply out of this Treasury But O Lord how shall such a Wretch as I dare to approach this Holy Table I am a Dog how shall I presume to take the Childrens Bread or how shall this spiritual Manna this Food of Angels be given to me who have chosen to feed on Husks with Swine nay to one who hath already so often trampled these pretious things under foot either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these Holy Mysteries O Lord my horrible guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet makes me not dare to keep away For where O Lord shall my polluted Soul be washed if not in this Fountain which thou hast opened for sin and for uncleanness hither therefore I come and thou hast promised that he that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out This is O Lord the Blood of the New Testament Grant me to receive it that it may be to me for Remission of Sins and though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof this Sacrament is a Seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine to be Merciful to mine unrighteousness and to remember my sins and my iniquities no more and not only so but to put thy Laws into my heart and to write them in my mind and by the power of thy Grace dispose my Soul to such a sincere and constant obedience that I may never again provoke thee Lord Grant that in these Holy Misteries I may not only commemorate but effectualy receive my
thee and the Holy Spirit ever one God World without end Amen BE pleased O God to accept this our bounden duty and service and command that the Prayers and Supplications together with the Remembrance of Christs Passion which we do now offer up unto thee may by the Ministry of the holy Angels be brought up into thy Heavenly Tabernacle and that thou not weighing our merits but looking upon the blessed Sacrifice of our Saviour which was once fully and perfectly made for us all mayest pardon our offences and replenish us with thy Grace and heavenly benediction through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen ALmighty God the Fountain of all goodness from whom every good and perfect gift proceedeth and to whom all glory and honour should be returned I do desire most heartily to thank thee for that thou hast vouchsafed to feed me who have received these Holy mysteries with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ and dost assure me thereby of thy favour and goodness towards me and that I am a very member incorporate in the mystical Body of thy Son which is the blessed Company of all faithful people and am also an Heir through hope of thine everlasting Kingdom by the merits of the most precious Death and Passion of thy dear Son O the height and depth of that unspeakable mercy of thine who art pleased to admit me a sinful wretch to have any part in those inestimable benefits which I have so often despised and trampled under foot I am not worthy O Lord of that daily Bread which sustains the body But thou hast made me partaker of that living Bread which came down from Heaven which nourisheth the Soul and of which whosoever eateth shall live for ever O grant that my Soul may relish this Divine Food with Spiritual ravishments and love great as the flame of Cherubims and grant that what thou hast given me for the Remission of my sins may not by any fault become the increase of them that this Holy Communion prove not unto me unto Judgement and Condemnation but may support and preserve me in every Temptation rejoyce and quiet me in every trouble enlighten and strengthen me in every good word and Work Comfort and defend me in the hour of my death against all oppositions of the Spirit of Darkness and further me in the attainment of everlasting Salvation through Jesus Christ Amen MOst Holy God who art of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity grant I pray thee that no unclean thing may be in me who have now Received thee into my heart and soul but let this Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to thee purge my Conscience from dead works to serve thee the living God Give me Grace that from henceforth I put off concerning my former conversation the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of my mind and put on the New Man which after thee is created in Righteousness and true Holiness to which purpose be pleased to watch over me for good to keep me both outwardly in my Body and inwardly in my Soul O God thou seest I nave no power of my self to help my self thou knowest me also to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers that by reason of the frailty of my Nature I cannot always stand upright grant to me such strength and protection as may support me in all dangers and carry me through all Temptations through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O Thou with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning let thy holy Spirit direct me in all things let thy Grace always always prevent and follow me and preserve me against all assaults of my Spiritual enemies Especially of my own treacherous heart which is deceitful above all things wicked desperately wicked O Lord thou knowest it how often hath it betrayed me to the breach of thy holy Laws to the violation of all these Vows and promises which I have made to thee How often have I turned my back in the day of battel O let me no more thus start aside like a broken bow but be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord resisting the Devil that he may flee from me subduing my flesh and bringing it into subjection crucifying and overcoming the world And therefore let those solemn Vows which I have now made to forge my sins never depart from my mind but let the remembrance of them excite me to fight manfully under thy banner and continue thy faithful servant and Soulder unto my lives end Amen O Lord I do here humbly present unto thee my Soul and Body to be a living holy and reasonable Sacrifice unto thee I beseech thee sanctifie my Body that from a polluted Dunghil it may become the Temple of God Sanctifie my Soul and receive it for thy dwelling place the Seat of thy Spirit and an house of Prayer and holy Meditation Sanctifie me throughout that both my Body and Soul and Spirit may be preserved blameless unto the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee O Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory World without end Amen FINIS