God hath ordained in his Church to convey unto me this Remission and to perform the Condition on which it is promised My believing the Rising again of my Body should make me watchful against all things that may keep it from being in a fit condition to rise to Glory and to practice all such Vertues as may prepare it for that Heavenly Condition to which I expect it should be raised And my believing the Life Everlasting should make me diligent to employ my short moment of Time here that my Everlasting Life hereafter may be a Life of Joy and not of Misery And thus from all the Articles of the Creed I am to draw Motives to strengthen me in all Christian Practice to which end my learning and believing of them is designed And till I do this I cannot rationally pretend to make good what I promised when I was baptized namely To believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And without this I think my self unfit to partake of the Lord's Supper I now proceed to Obedience which you have frequently taught me is the second Head of my Christian Profession and that it has the Ten Commandments for its Rule and of these as well as of the Creed I ought to have a convenient Knowledge both as to the Words and Meaning before I come to the Lord's Table Because the keeping of God's Commandments is one part of that Vow which I have broken and come thither to renew And first I have been Catechised That in eaâ—h Commandment there is something required and something forbidden so that I may be guilty of transgressing it either by doing what I ought not to do or by leaving undone what I ought to do As to the things forbidden by the First Commandment I have learned that they are chiefly Atheism or the Denial of God's Being and the multiplying and serving of false Gods as also the not serving the only true God aright And of this last I look upon my self to become egregiously guilty when I suffer any thing to share with God in my Worship of him and when I am guilty of Hypocrisie Irreligion Indevotion Lukewarmness Heresie Schism Apostasie Infidelity Presumption Despair Carnal Security Pride Disobedience Impatience and Murmuring and wilful Ignorance of his Word And I have been taught That by this same Commandment it is required of me to acknowledge but One God and to have him for my God and to love fear obey and trust in him above all others and to serve him truly all the days of my life And as to the things forbidden in the Second Commandment I doubt not but they are The appointing of any kind of Image for Religious Worship the representing of God by a visible likeness of any thing the worshipping of Creatures the neglect of the Worship of the True God or the worshipping him after a false manner And the Duties enjoined in this Commandment are to worship the only True God according to his own Prescription to worship him both in my Body and Spirit to bear a due regard to all the Parts of his Worship as Prayer the Word and Sacraments to come to them with suitable Preparation and to yield a due Veneration to all Places Times Persons and Things rightly set apart for God's Worship And to such as thus worship him he hath promised Mercy and Kindness but has threatned to be a severe Punisher of them that do otherwise In the Third Commandment I am forbidden all irreverent Thoughts of God all Blasphemy or dishonourable mention of his Name all Perjury or Breach of lawful Oaths all occasioning the Name of God and True Religion to be blasphemed And on the other side I am enjoyned to think and speak reverently of God's Name and Attributes to glorifie him in his Holy Word and Ordinances to use his Name with Reverence in taking Religious Oaths to obâ—â—â—â—â— such Oaths with an holy Care and Conscience and to glorifie his Name by a pious Conversation The Fourth Commandment requires me to keep holy or to sanctifie all such days which are separated from a Common to a Religious use After God had in six days finished the Works of the first Creation he sanctified the Seventh Day and commanded his People to sanctifie it But after the Resurrection of Christ instead of the Seventh Day from the beginning of the Creation the First Day of the Week was hallowed and called emphatically the Lords-day And the Observation of it has been the universal practice of the Christian Church And I think my self bound to spend this day in an especial attendance on God's Service such as Prayer Preaching Participation of the Sacrament Relieving the Poor Meditating upon the Works of Creation and Redemption c. And on this day I have been taught that I am forbidden all Worldly Undertakings and Employments vain Sports and Recreations and all actions but those of Piety Mercy Necessity and Decency Now these four first Commandments respect my Duty toward God and the six that follow regard my Neighbour and my self And the first of these six which is the Fift of the Ten Commandments may be called the Commandment of Relations For it teaches me first my Duty to my Natural Parents and that I am to honour them Which implieth that I am to fear reverence succour and obey them It secondly teacheth me my Duty to my Political Parents namely the King and all in lawful Authoritâ— under him Whom also I am to honour and obey It thirdly teaches me my Duty to my Ecclesiastical Parents Spiritual Pastor and Teachers And it likewise binds me to carry my self lowly and reverently to all my betters In short I have been taught that this Commandment doth concern all the mutual Duties among all sorts and degrees of Inferiours and Superiours from the King to the Master of a Cottage And there is an especial Promise annexed to this Precept to encourage all to obey it in performing their respective Duties one to another In the Sixth Commandment which concerns Man's life all those things are forbidden me which any way tend to the injury of the same as Hatred causless and revengeful Anger contrivance of Man's Death occasions of and actual and wilful Murder And at the same time this Commandment requires me as far as I am able to preserve the life of Man and that I sustain it with Food and Raiment that I prudently avoid all Dangers and conscientiously fly from all such Vices whereby Humane Life is hazarded and which are destructive both of the Body and Soul of him that commits them Such as Drunkenness Uncleanness c. In the Seventh Commandment which concerns a chaste Conservation I am forbidden all acts of Adultery and Fornication together with unlawful Marriage And likewise all such Thoughts Looks Attire and Words as prompt and inveigle to Uncleanness I have further been taught that by this Commandment all such things are forbidden as may occasion any of these as Idleness Excess in Eating and Drinking
been prayed for and that by so doing I challenge a share therein And indeed if I neglect this I can scarce expect any part or interest in the Prayers that are made To conclude In this word Amen all the Prayer is summ'd up and abridg'd and it was as I have been taught of such singular importance with the Primitive Christians that they spoke it with so great Zeal as that he who heard their Voice would have thought it had been a roaring Sea or Thunder which should awaken my drowsiness and move me with Vigour and Warmth to declare my fervent desires to have those Prayers heard of God to which I say such an earnest hearty humble and zealous Amen The Doctrine of the Sacraments In the Creed I have been taught that God by his Son hath redeemed me and all Mankind and in the Doctrine of the Sacraments which makes the last part of my Catechism I have been taught how that by them God doth exhibit and seal unto Believers that Redemption which Christ purchased for them And as to the Number of these Sacraments I have learned they are but Two and only Two namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper And I am convinced that all Men ought to receive these Two who desired to be saved Which I do not so understand as if God could not save without them but that they are the Instrumental Means and ordinary Seals by which God hath promised to convey and assure Christ's Merits to me and commanded me this way to receive them so that wilfully to neglect or to want the Sacraments when they may be had is to cast aside God's Ordinance which every Christian is bound to obey And as I have been taught so I look upon the Sacraments as the Conditional Means which God requires to be observed of them unto whom he imparts his Grace Not as if this Grace whereof a Worthy Receiver partakes were a Natural or Supernatural Quality in the Sacrament but that it is from God himself which is the Author of the Sacrament so that Grace is receiv'd from God by means of the Sacraments And this I have learned not only from you who are our Parish-Divine but also from Mr. Hooker whose Judgment I have heard much praised by many of our best Clergy This saith he is the Necessity of Sacraments That saving Grace which Christ Originally is or hath for the General Good of his whole Church by Sacraments he severally derives into every Member thereof Sacraments serve as the Instruments of God to that End and Purpose Moral Instruments the Use whereof is in our Hands the Effect in his For the Use we have his express Commandment for the Effect his Conditional Promise So that without our Obedience to the one there is no apparent assurance of the other As contrariwise where the Signs and Sacrament of his Grace are not eitheâ— through Contempt unreceiv'd or not receiv'd with Contempt We are not to doubt but they really give what they promise and are what they signifie I fully acquiesce as to this Point in the Judgment of this Considerable Author The Sacraments of the Christian Church are as I said Two namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper By Baptism I have my Admission and Entrance into the Church and it is the washing of Regeneration by which I am new born And by the Lord's Supper to which I now earnestly desire to be admitted I believe I shall be nourished preserved and grow up in Christ And these Two Sacraments I am sure were of Christ's own appointment And seeing that by the one I am entred into the Christian Profession and by the other I am therein strengthned and made perfect I see no neep of any more And not to trouble my self with the secular use of the Word Sacrament it serves my turn to understand it in the Sense of the Church which tells me it is an outward and visible Sign of an inward and spiritual Grace Ordain'd by Christ himself and a means whereby we receive the same Grace and a Pledge to assure us thereof Now this Description of a Sacrament I have been often told is the uneasiest Point in all my Catechism I will therefore in order to be better inform'd set down my sence of this Description And first By an Outward and Visible Sign I understand that which presents its self to my Eye and represents somewhat else to my Understanding As for Example in Baptism the Outward and Visible Sign is Water wherein the Person is dipped or sprinkled And the inward and spiritual Grace which is thereby signified is a Death unto Sin and a New-birth unto Righteousness both which by the means of Baptism are convey'd to the Baptized I have heard you Catechizing upon this Point declare that it was the ancient manner of Baptism to put the Person baptiz'd under Water and then to take him out again and that this was done to signifie his dying unto Sin and rising again to Newness of Life The first declared the weakning the deading and putting off of sin The latter shewed the performance of those Actions of Men who being quickned by the Spirit endeavour to serve God all their days in Righteousness and true Holiness And in the Lord's Supper there is also an Outward and Visible sign namely Bread and Wine and an inward Part or Thing signified to wit the Body and Blood of Christ which are spiritually received by all Worthy Communicants and which being so received their Souls are strengthned and refreshed and the same Effect is wrought in the Inner Man by the Holy Mysteries which is in the Outward by these Elements And as strength is from Bread and chearfulness from Wine so I hope and expect that when I am admitted to the Lord's Supper my Heart will be established by Grace and my Soul strengthned and my Conscience made chearful and light with the Blessings and Benefits that the Sacrament will exhibit seal and convey unto me still supposing that I am in some competent measure fit to communicate And in order to be so I have learned from my Catechism that these following Duties are required of me namely Self-Examination Repentance Faith Thankfulness and Charity And for my assistance in the Knowledge and Examination of these Graces I have chosen The Introduction to the Sacrament written by Doctor Addison Dean of Litâ—â—field on purpose for such if Capacities as my own And after this familiar account of my knowledge in Religion you to whom I commit the care of my Soul shall judge me competent to be admitted to the Lord's Table I shall esteem my Condition happy as being perswaded that I have no other means to repair my Vow of Baptism which by numerous ways I have broken and to renew the Covenant I made with God when I was Christen'd and to be restored to all the Benefits of Baptism forfeited by the sins I have committed since I was baptized I say I am perswaded that I cannot obtain these things by any
other Appointed means but by a due receiving the Holy Communion The Young Persons Devotions upon his first Admission to the LORD'S TABLE Expostulation WIlt thou then O God vouchsafe me to partake of that which my Soul has so long thirsted after Shall I this day be admitted a Guest at that Divine Banquet from which my own unworthiness ought for ever to exclude me Wilt thou be so gracious to a miserable sinner as to accept of a renewing of the Covenant I made in Baptism after that by numerous ways I have violated and broken it Then Lord I will not absent my self but draw near hoping to be found in the number of those whom thou dost invite even of those who truly and earnestly repent of their sins who are in Love and Charity with their Neighbours who intend to lead a New Life to follow thy Commandments and to walk from henceforth in thy Holy Ways For upon these and no Terms else do I come to the Holy Sacrament which yet I dare not receive till with all Humility of Soul and Body I have prostrated my self and made Confession of my sins The Confession ALmighty God Father oâ— our Lord Jesus Christ Maker of all things Judge of alâ— Men I acknowledge and bewail my manifold Sins and Wickedness which I from time to time most grievously have committed by Thought Word and Deed against thy Divine Majesty provoking most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my Misdoings the Remembrance of them is grievous to me the burden of them is intolerable Have mercy upon me have mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in Newness of Life to the Honour and Glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Prayer for Pardon FOrgive me O Lord whatsoever I have transgrest against thee from the time of my Baptism even to this very Moment whether against Knowledge or through Ignorance at home or abroad sleeping or waking in Thoughts Words or Deeds Whether occasion'd through the fiery Darts of my Ghostly Enemy or by the unclean Desires of my own Heart Have Mercy upon me and grant me pardon through Jesus Christ Amen Remember not the sins of my Youth nor my Transgressions According to thy Mercy remember me for thy goodness sake O Lord. Lord the sins of these my Younger Days are many the Breaches innumerable wherewiâ—â— I have ignorantly or foolishlâ— for want of Knowledge or Coâ—sideration offended against thee Lay them not I beseech thee tâ— my Charge but of thy owâ— free Mercy and Compassion to 〈◊〉 wretched sinner be thou pleased to be reconciled unto me anâ— seal the same to my Soul by thiâ— blessed Sacrament For thy Name sake O Lord pardon my iniquity for it is great I have many ways greatly sinn'd against thee and have no ground of hope for Mercy but only from thy free abundant Pardon which I know exceedeth my Sins and for which I am the more abundantly qualified by how much my state is more truly Miserable On the account therefore of thy Free Pardon to the greatest sinners so they be truly penitent I beseech thee be reconciled unto me who this day unfeignedly repent and turn to thee For Purifying the Heart ALmighty God unto whom all Hearts be open all Desires known and from whom no Secrets are hid Cleanse the Thoughts of my Heart by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that I may sincerely love thee and worthily magnifie thy Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Lord give me Grace this day to receive the blessed Body and Blood of thy Son my most blessed Saviour into a Clean Charitable and Thankful Heart that it may perfectly cleanse me from all Dregs of sin that being made clean it may nourish me in Faith Hope Charity and Obedience with all other Fruits of spiritual life and growth in thee That in all the future Course of my Life I may shew my self such an engrafted Member into the Body of thy Son that I may nevâ—â— be drawn to do any â—hing thâ— may dishonour his Name Granâ— this O Lord I beseech theâ— eveâ— for his Merit and Mercy sake Amen For Self-Examination ALmighty God and most merciful Father give me I beseech thee that Grace that I may duly examine the inmost of my heart and my most secret thoughts that I may know how I stand before thee Lord I confess all my sins and my unworthiness to present my self at thine Altar But thou and thou only canst forgive sin and give true Repentance do both gracious Father and them behold I am clean to come unto thee Lord make me a worthy Receiver of that for which I come even Christ and Forgiveness of sin in Christ and that for his own Mercy-sake and thine Amen For belief of Christ's Presence without disputing the manner O Lord God hear my Prayers And while others dispute grant that I may stedfastly believe behold I quarrel not the Words of thy Son my Saviour's blessed Institution I know his Words are no gross unnatural Conceit but they are Spirit and Life and supernatural He hath promised me if I come worthily that I shall receive his most precious Body and Blood with all the benefits of his Passion without amusing my self then about the manner of receiving Him Lord make me able make me worthy to receive Him For grant me this Favour and I know I can no more die Eternally then his Body and Blood can again die and be shed Lord so wash and cleanse my Soul that I may now and at all times else come prepared by hearty Prayers and Devotion and be made worthy by thâ— Grace of this blessed Sacramenâ— the Pledge and Earnest of Eternâ—â— Life in the Merits of the same Holy Jesus who gave his Body anâ— Blood for me Amen Immediately before the sight of tâ—â— Bread O Lord God how I receive thâ— Body and Blood of my moâ— blessed Saviour the price of mâ— Redemption is the very wondeâ— of my Soul Yet that I do receivâ— them is my firm and constant belief At this time they are graciously tender'd to me and my Faith Lord make me a worthy Receiveâ— and be it unto me according to mâ— Saviour's Word Amen Looking upon the Bread and Winâ— say O Thou that sittest on high with the Father and art here invisibly present with us come and sanctifie these thy Creatures of Bread â—nd Wine and those by whom â—hey are to be received Amen As the Bread is coming to you say LEt thy Body I beseech thee O Lord Jesu Christ which was given for me preserve my Boâ—y and Soul unto Everlasting Life â—nd grant that I may take and eat â—n Remembrance that thou hast died for me and feed on thee in my Heart by Faith with Thanksgiving Amen As the Wine is brought say LEt thy
After the Sacrament was celebrated there was one common Table for Rich and Poor whereat they did eat promiscuously and what was left was given to those in want And this I take was the Agape or Feast of Love mentioned by St. Jude and described by Tertullian Apol. c. 38. LX. And in proportion to this Custom when you come to the Sacrament you are to bestow something on the Poor that you appear not before the Lord empty and serve him of that which cost you nothing And though you are as to the quantity of your Alms left at liberty yet you had best to be merciful according to your Power If you have much give plenteously if you have little do your diligence gladly to give of that little for so you gather your self a good Reward in the day of Necessity In the Sacrament by a joynt communicating in the same divine Mysteries you attest to the World your being united to Christ your Head and to every true Christian as a fellow-member of the same Body And as Faith unites you to Christ so Charity also to his Members and by virtue of these two Graces the Sacrament seals the Communion of the Members with the Head and of the Members one with another But when you come to the Sacrament with Malice in your Soul you can have no true Communion with either but are guilty of the vilest Hypocrisie by making profession of that Christian or Brotherly Charity whereof your Heart is void and empty In this case I refer you once more to the counsel of our Saviour St. Matth. 5.23 24. where two things appear for your Instruction viz. 1. That though the Gift be already at the Altar it must be left there rather unoffer'd than be offer'd by one who is not at perfect Peace with his Neighbour 2. That he is not to neglect or quite put off the Offering of his Gift Tobit 4.8 but presently to remove the occasion of his not offering it aright LXI And when you find your Heart duly furnished with Faith toward God and the proper effect thereof Charity toward man you must once more go down into your Soul to see if it have that holy and heavenly temper called Devotion which is a Grace so sutable to the receiving of the Sacrament that it seems to make up the whole Office And if Devotion be not so warm and vigorous in your Soul as it ought and you would have it to be you must enquire into the Impediments thereof in order to their speedy removal Now amongst the fatal hindrances of Devotion the Cares of the World are with too great Justice chiefly to be reckon'd for they naturally fasten your Thoughts to the Earth and set your Affections on things below and are as so many depressing weights upon the Soul which unluckily keep her from those Transports of Devotion by which the would soar to Heaven And therefore upon your coming to the Sacrament you had need to allow your self some time wherein to withdraw from worldly Business and to cast off earthly Thoughts and by holy Meditation to lift up your Heart unto the Lord and to give your self unto Prayer which is indeed the principal instance of that Devotion now spoken of And your Prayer must at this time be chiefly for Pardon of by-past Sins for strength against them for the future and that God would grant you all those Graces which he now requires at your hands when you come to the Sacrament Be sure then to be diligent in this Duty for should your other Endeavours be never so vigorous and constant regular and uniform yet without Prayer for Gods blessing and assistance you appear to trust to your own arm and to rely upon your own strength not considering that all your sufficiency is from God that he gives you the Will and Power to do well and therefore unto him direct your Prayer with Humility Sincerity and Zeal to assist you with his Spirit that you may come so prepared to the Holy Table as that you may partake of the Benefits there reacht out to every worthy Receiver LXII Thus you see with what Graces your Soul must be furnished when you come to the Communion And if you find them to be but weak and feeble and in a low degree it must be your care to quicken and stir them up begging the assistance of Gods Spirit to that end And you may much quicken your Faith by due meditation on the many gracious Promises God has been pleased to make to the truly Penitent You may likewise instance your Love to God by considering his manifold Mercies those especially whose remembrance you celebrate in the Sacrament sum'd up in the death of his Son for your sake even when you in the Loyns of your Forefathers were his Enemy And this last consideration is both proper and powerful to move you to that Charity we have above treated of For coming to the Lords Supper you are in a more especial manner to follow the Example of Christ first in a perfect forgiveness of all that have done you wrong and next in manifesting your kindness to them in all Offices of Christian Love and Friendship And when you thus labour to stir up and increase these Graces in your Soul they become her Wedding-garment wherein she is fit to appear at this great Feast But if this be wanting she cannot expect to be otherwise entertain'd than an Intruder And what this is you have it illustrated in the Parable of him who coming to the Marriage without a Wedding Garment was cast out into a place of extream misery And though this Judgment may not fall suddenly nor straight upon your communicating yet you know not how soon that he that will come may come and who may abide the day of his coming For who can dwell with everlasting burning Ep. 33.14 Who can endure an unquenchable Fire LXIII But if after all your care in the Duties already mentioned you still doubt of your Condition and suspect the insufficiency of your Preparation for so holy a Performance if you find that notwithstanding your Resolution and Labour to the contrary you are ready to fall back into those Sins which you have confessed and lamented and abjur'd then you must confess Sorrow and resolve afresh resist and fight against both your Sins and their Occasions And if they still return you must still strive they get not the Victory which be sure they cannot while you labour in good earnest to have them subdued and mortified But if you still find the Law of your Members continually to war and often to prevail against the Law of your Mind and the Affections to prove too strong for your Reason and that this causeth you to be jealous you are not worthy to communicate Then be pleased to consider LXIV First That the end of your coming to the Lords Table is not to make protestation of your Righteousness and Perfection but to seek for both