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
Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life Amen The Priest proceeds now to a more immediate invitation and to show us that we ought to think highly of these things calls only those who have such quallifications as he just before told us was absolutely necessary and that we might not come rashly puts it to us again ye that do truly Repent c. But to heighten our esteem and make us more in earnest with our selves let us imagine we hear Christ himself inviting us for 't is the Minister in his stead calling us to Repentance Confession and Humility of Soul these are the Garments wherewith we ought to be cloathed and he that comes without them does but mock God and we have heard the dreadful effect of that presumption 't is provoking him to plague us with Diseases and sundry kinds of Death we kindle God's wrath against us and his indignation will last to Eternity But that the Terrors of the Lord might fright away none but the impenitent the Church assures us all they who come with Faith and Repentance may take the Holy Sacrament to their comfort and accordingly exhorts them to draw near to testifie their sincerity by an humble Confession and to remove all suspicion of Hypocrisy commands that it be done upon our Knees with contrition They who hope for Pardon can expect it upon no other Terms therefore we ought to be very circumspect that we don't call upon God with our Lips when our Hearts is far from him the Sacrifice of such Fools only work their Destruction Don't let us look upon it as matter of form only that we are to tell God Almighty a sad story of our selves and yet in such a manner as if we were not concern'd for the Sin nor God for the punishment of it But when we come to that part of the Confession acknowledging our Offences by Thought Word and Deed let us reflect on some of those Transgressions we have repeated most and have most cause to repent of let us think of them with sorrow and detestation with a resolution to forsake them and a passionate desire to be freed from the Evil of them let our Hearts go along with our Prayers and they are such as will inform us of our condition and being affectionately repeated will teach us to be humble and contrite and that will render us capable of the pardon which follows to be pronounced by the Priest 'T is impossible to prescribe Rules for our thoughts in the time of Absolution we have a hundred Idea's at once in our Minds the Soul is full with Transport Rejoycing and Humilliation we have so much to say that we are confounded in our selves we know not how to bless God enough are affraid of our wickedness and astonished at his goodness there is no re-presenting the Passions of a Soul in this Religious Agony nor how prevailing the confused sighs of a ravish'd sinner are to our merciful God They who are most sensible of their sins can best tell what a boundless joy arises at the thoughts of their forgiveness But lest we should have any mistrust because of our sins the Church has collected some comfortable assurances from the Gospel for 't is no wonder we receive our Pardon doubting and trembling we have need of infallible Authority to perswade us of the truth of these things when our fear had so cast us down that we almost were brought to believe that God had utterly forsaken us we can now cry with chearfulness blessed be God that has not so turned his mercy from us but has sent his Son Jesus Christ to call us to Repentance therefore when we hear the Priest say Come unto me c. Let us humbly say I come unto thee O Jesus ease me of my Burthen so God loved the World c. I believe Lord save me or I perish this is a true saying c. Mercy sweet Jesus I am a miserable sinner If any man sin O thou great advocate of my Soul I bless thee and all that is within me shall praise thy Holy Name Certainly our affections are so moved that we shall be zealous to lift up our hearts with joy and gladness and now confess 't is meet and right to give thanks to which purpose let us summons our strongest affections that we may with Angels and Arch-angels magnifie the glorious Name of God most High If it be upon any particular Feast as Christmas or Easter there is greater reason to strain our selves to the highest Note to give thanks for those particular Blessings We are now approaching nearer to these Holy Mysteries and must express the greater Reverence and before we tast how gracious the Lord is confess our unworthiness to receive him into our Habitation This we can't do in better Words than the Church has provided for us therefore we are to joyn heartily in the following form and beg that our sinful Bodies may be made clean by his Body that being so prepared our Souls may be made fit to receive the Lord of Glory After this excellent Prayer is over let us look towards the Holy Table and whilst the Priest is ordering the Elements Meditate and be astonished at the transcending love of Christ let us lose our selves in contemplation of that Divine Mystery that Heaven should so condescend to Earth and Man be united to God that God should take upon him our Flesh die for us upon Earth and nourish us now he is in Heaven Let us represent to our Faith the intollerable sufferings of our dying Lord his whole Passion upon Mount Calvary and the Agonies of that unknown Sorrow there Imagine we behold him stretch'd upon the Cross and see the Blood issuing from his wounded side Behold him grapling with the fury of an incensed God and all the furies of the Powers of Darkness and this to redeem us from the Horrors of Hell which were due to us for Sin and Wickedness Sure the consideration of these things will create an odiousness of sin which was so great that nothing but the Blood of God could expiate we shall be sensible of our unworthiness and adore withall the forces of our Soul that love surpassing knowledge and beg of our crucified Redeemer to inspire us with holy Zeal that our now softned Souls may Eccho Hallelujahs and all that is within us may sing Eternally to God the Father who contrived this glorious Redemption to God the Son who effected it and to God the Holy Ghost who gives us the benefit thereof Let us now return with the Priest and earnestly beg of our merciful God that the Elements may really become what they represent After we have performed that with Devotion let us leave the rest to God and the Priest and rising from our Knees at the Consecration look toward the Holy Table devoutly attending every Word and Action for all is Mystery and deserves a particular Meditation let us imagine we hear our Saviour consecrating and that
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
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
my Sins and Failings and receive me into thy favour for the sake of him who has taught me to call the Father and when I pray to say Our Father which art c. The following Form to be added when we have some assurances that our Hearts are steadfast towards God O the God of my life and the unexhausted Fountain of mercy which can never be drawn dry I have now by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit gone through though with weak and trembling steps the whole exercise of Repentance for I have confessed my Sins and thou hast promised upon my Confession of them not to impute them to me I have gone one step farther I have repented of my Sins and thou hast promised upon my Repentance thou wilt remember them no more and because thy Holy Word hath taught me that a new life is the only Repentance I have this day in thy sight and in the presence of all the Angels that attend thee in the conversion of a sinner made my firm resolution never to fall again into the Sins I have repented of and now O God the Father of Heaven who canst not be thought so cruel as to make me only to destroy me Have mercy upon me O God the Son who knowing thy Father's Will didst make it thy business to come into the World to save me Have Mercy c. O God the Holy Ghost who to the same end didst sanctifie me in my Baptism and hast so often since breathed Holy thoughts into my Soul Have mercy c. O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trintiy whom in three persons I adore as my one and only true God Have mercy on me Hear me O Lord. Help me O Lord. Save me or else I perish Lord carest thou not that I perish Thou that wouldest have all men to be saved Thou who wouldest have none to perish And wilt thou now shew thine anger against a Worm against a Vapour that vanishes before thee O remember how short my time is and deliver not my Soul into the power of Hell for what profit is there in my Blood no let me live in thy sight let me live O my God that my Soul may praise thee O remember for whose sake it was that thou camest from the Bosom of thy Father Remember for whom it was that thou enduredst the agony of the Cross and shed thy precious Blood Was it not for the Sins of the whole World and hast thou particularly excepted me Can I imagine thou diest for Sinners of a lower kind and left such as I without Remedy O how easie is it to thee to forgive for 't is thy Nature how proper is it for thee to save for it is thy Name how suitable is it to thy only end of coming into the World for it was thy business and when I consider that I am chief of Sinners may I not urge the Father and say shall the very chief of thy business be left undone Mercy Mercy Good Lord. I ask not of thee any longer the things of this World but thy pardoning Mercy O that I could hear thee say as thou didst to him in the Gospel My Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee O that I could never sin against thee more never purposely deliberately willfully sin against thee more and for those sins of daily Incursion those over familiar corruptions of my Nature which thou hast not yet given me strength enough to conquer Lord either subdue them by degrees or lay them not to my Charge but wherein soever my Conscience most accuseth me therein O my God be thou most merciful unto me Save me O Lord as a brand snatch out of the Fire Receive me O my Jesus as a sheep that has wandred but now is return'd to the Great Shepherd and Bishop of my Soul Let this day O my God be noted in thy Book do not thou forget my Prayers nor suffer me to forget my Resolutions though I am weak though I am unworthy though I am unprofitable yet I am thy Servant and here upon my bended Knees I humbly beg of thee that I may live and die so Lord hear my Prayers and let my cry come unto thee Lord pardon my Prayers and let not my coldness and wandrings and infinite unworthiness turn them into Sin Lord hear my Prayer and let my cry come unto thee O Lord Jesu Christ Son of the Eternal God interpose thy holy Death thy Cross and Passion between thy Judgment and my Soul now and in the hour of my death granting unto me Grace and Mercy to all faithfull people pardon and peace to the Church unity and amity to all Sinners especially those I have led into Sin Repentance and Amendment to us all life and Glory everlasting who livest and reignest ever one God World without end Amen O Lord bless me and keep me O Lord Make thy face to shine upon me O Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and give me peace for ever Amen Having performed this Office with due sincerity let us reflect upon what we have been doing 't is possible the result of our Thoughts may terminate in a mixture of fear and joy But we ought not to let either passion prevail more than is justly necessary don 't let our fear depress and cast us into such a Melancholy as may suggest God won't be reconciled and if we have been dull in the performance of these things that God has rejected us The Devil knows how fatal this course is to redeem us from his Power he is very busie to prevent our repentance and abuse our imaginations with allusions perhaps our own disuse of prayer has rendred us uncapable of a due attention 't is impossible to become immediately good from being very wicked or that we should pray with the same steadfastness as they who are accustomed to this duty We are therefore to strive to the uttermost where we fail to be sorry ask God's Pardon and Grace to do better for the future and in a little time we shall prevail to our satisfaction On the other side don't let our joy puff us up and because we have shed a few Tears said so many Prayers Fasted and given Alms that we are now become perfect and need no more Repentance we have but set the first step to this great work of our Salvation were we sure we had fully conquered sin and shou'd not suffer our selves to be deceived any more Yet this negative part of Christianity is not sufficient 't is not enough that we cease to do Evil but learn to do Well we are now to begin our course and as we have many things to unlearn so there are abundance to learn without which we shall never see the Face of God What they are the Scripture will inform us 't is from thence we are to learn our perfection for he hath shewed thee O man what is Good to do Justice to love Mercy and to walk humbly
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
are in league with the Devil for so every one is that has not been heartily sorry for his sins and seriously intended a reformation of his Life we must not think our selves perfect because our affections are raised and we seem to have a zeal for the Glory of God for no one can approach this solemnity without transport if we examined our selves before entertained Resolutions of Repentance and come with Faith and Humility though during the Celebration of these Mysteries we had Wandrings evil Thoughts and Disturbances yet if we struggled with them then and are sorry for them now God will receive us into his favour therefore 't is very necessary we should now call our selves to an account be sorry for the ill and bless God for the good which may properly be done in the following form A Prayer at Night BLessed be thy glorious Name O Lord for all thy unspeakable Mercies to me and all the World I adore and magnifie thee for thy great goodness in giving thy Son to die for me and making me partaker of his blessed Body and Blood O Lord what is Man that thou regardest him Or what am I a vile and wretched sinner that thou shouldest be thus favourable to me thou hast been pleased to admit me to renew that Covenant with thee which I had broken and to give me assurance of thy readiness to pardon so vile and great a Sinner as I have been I have received the pledges of thy love and been admitted to thy Holy Table I have there devoted my self again unto thee I have vowed Obedience and after the most solemn manner consecrated my self to thy service Thou art a God that knowest the heart and art not to be mocked I tremble when I consider thy infinit Power Wisdom and Holiness let these thoughts beget in my Soul a great fear of thy Name and care to perform thy Will Grant I may not turn the Grace of thee my God into wantonness and that I may not receive thy grace in vain O Lord help thy Servant keep the possession of my Soul which I have unfeignedly surrendred up to thee O pardon the defect I have been guilty of in the performance of the duties of this day and unite my heart O'Lord to sear thy Name grant that I may spend the remainder of my time in obedience to thee and in acts of Charity to my Brethren create a clean heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me guide me by thy Counsel and at last receive me to thy Glory I do greatly desire the Salvation of Mankind and humbly represent to thy Divine Majesty the glorious sacrifice which our dearest Jesus made of himself upon the Cross and by a never ceasing intercession now exhibits to thee in Heaven in the Office of an Eternal Priesthood in behalf of all that have communicated this day in the divine Mysteries in all the Congregations of the Christian World in behalf of them that desire to communicate and are hindred by any accident sear or the sentence of their own Consciences Give unto me O God and unto them a portion of all good Prayers which are made in Heaven and Earth the intercession of our Lord and the supplications of all thy servants unite us in the band of the common Faith and a holy Charity I humbly commend to thee this Church and Kingdom all our superiors in Church or State have mercy upon all states of Men and Women give thy grace speedily to all wicked persons especially those that I have tempted to sin that they may repent live well and be saved to all good people give an increase of Gifts and Holiness to all Scismaticks and Hereticks grant conversion and to all that have erred from the Truth bring thou into the right way O merciful God I humbly pray unto thee in vertue of our Holy Saviour to grant unto us all the graces of an excellent and perfect Repentance an irreconcilable hatred of sin a love of thee an exact imitation of the Holiness of the Blessed Jesus fox the sake of the Sacrifice of thy Eternal Son O Heavenly Father let it be because it is best and because thou lovest it should be so Amen O God the Father of Heaven whose mercy is over all the World I am infinitly pleas'd to behold thy Glory and to hear the praises which thou hast gotten by thy mercy to poor sinners and I could even pour out my Soul in the manifestation of that joy which my heart conceives at thy universal Honour wherefore I will praise thee by Acknowledgments bless thee with Hymns worship thee with the lowest Reverence and glorifie thee to the utmost of my Power I will give thanks unto thee with all my Soul for thy Pitty Patience and Mercy towards thy unworthy and miserable Creatures How shall I express thy welcome into my Soul blessed Jesus Or how shall I celebrate thy Praises I will remember what thou art in thy self and what thou hast done for us O thou Eternal and only begotten Son of God equal to the Father who art thy self both Lord and God How lovely art thou O thou innocent Lamb of God encircled with Millions of redeemed Souls whom thou hast washed in thy Blood O how illustrious a Brightness shines round thee whilst thou art in the midst of all thy happiness interceeding for poor Sinners I adore thee and long to do thee Honour my Lord and my God hear then my importunate supplications and enable me to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. BLessed Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith who art the same Yesterday as to Day and for ever thou hast given Spiritual means to those that fear thee and wilt ever be mindful of thy covenant but my goodness is as a morning Cloud which soon passeth away my Devotion fleeth like a shadow and never continueth in one stay Oh do thou establish me with thy free Spirit that I may not so easily forfeit my Comfort forget my Duty and break my Vows how unwearied art thou dearest Saviour in doing well unto me How constant is thy Love and shall I be so ungrateful to thee so cruel to my self as to forsake thee and my own Happiness I fear the Power and Policy of mine Enemies I do with shame and sorrow call to mind my former returns to folly I most passionately entreat thee not to leave me to my self I have through thy goodness now obtained some measure of Peace my Eyes are enlightned my Heart revived and my purposes seem to be sincere give me thy grace therefore that I may be able to perform whatsoever I have promised that I may be steadfast unmovable always abounding in thy work O Lord let me hold fast that which I have and daily strive to gain more make me faithful to Death that thou mayest give me a Crown of Life Now the God of Peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ that great Shepherd of the Sheep
wherefore when we are arrived so far in our way to Happiness as the forsaking our old Habits and placing better in their room we may venture to draw nigh to that Holy Ordinance of which whosoever is a worthy partaker shall live for ever A good Life is the best preparitive to this Feast 't is not enough we shake hands with our Vices for a time and return to our Folly when the Ceremony is over if we are not qualified before we come we are in danger to receive this Sacrament Unworthily and the consequence of that is so terrible that the thoughts of it must amaze us No Man is qualified that does not sincerely Repent it can't be supposed that God has allotted just so much time to mortifie ourselves or that a week is sufficient to prepare us for Heaven They who have lived in a course of sin and never approached this Holy Communion must not think the first fit of Sorrow sufficient to Denounce them true Penitents It requires time and pains to conquer their Lusts the old Man must be cast off and they must give a signal of their Loyalty before they be accepted Subjects of the Most High in short if upon Examination we find our Faith firm our Purposes steadfast and our Desires after Christ strong we may come to the Altar of God and if we appear there with Charity our Prayers shall be convey'd from thence to the presence of God 'T is upon no other terms we can come with security for there is no concord between Christ and Beliai They who frequent the Sacrament and suffer themselves in the Commission of any known sin are reconciling of contradictions and will find their mistake to their confusion 'T is very certain as long as we are upon Earth we are in a state of Trial no man must expect to be exempt from Temptation But we should make it our business to strive and resist the World Flesh and the Devil If by surprise or other accident we are betrayed into sin we know our duty to be sorry and arm our selves against it for the future We may reasonably expect pardon upon this humiliation if we dont join our good Will and commit the evil with approbation This we certainly do if we suffer our selves to be often over come by the same Temptation such a one ought to suspect the sincerity of his resolution and not approach the holy communion till he is satisfied his heart is perfect in the Commandments of God But after all men must be left to themselves in this matter 'T is certain no man can be a Hipocrite against his knowledge and what pretences men have for Hipocrisy in other cases they are reasons of a prodigious nature which shall induce a man to play the cheat upon himself For no man is forced to the Sacrament and if he was 't is very sad it should be accounted criminal to Oblige them to be good However men trifle in other cases let them be serious in this if they are really sincere God will pardon a multitude of Faults no Man that knows his own sincerity need be affraid to approach the table of the Lord. When the Minister declares the time of the next Communion and invites all such as shall religiously be disposed let us lift up our Souls to God and beg of him that we may become worthy Partakers of his Body and Blood In order to it let us remember the nearer we draw to God in his Holy Ordinances the greater must be our care in the Management of our selves tho' as I have already premised a Good Life is the best preparative to a worthy Reception of the Lord's Supper yet when we approach the Presence of the Lord we ought to be more than ordinary circumspect 'T was David's resolution To wash his hands in Innocency before he approacht the Altar of God God himself commanded Joshua to pull off his shooes when he was upon the holy Ground and then surely 't is our duty to become such as the Lord may be we well pleased with Let us as much as possible this week have our conversation with God Don't let it suffice that we have formerly call'd our selves to account but go over all again there may be something past over in our last Examination or something new to add to our Affliction however the sight of our late Iniquity will sufficiently affect us and beholding our misery afresh we shall be the more desirous of coming to Christ for our Sins when we are sensible of them will be a burthen too heavy for us to bear But to increase our Desires Humiliation and Love let us reflect on the Goodness of God in sending Our Saviour Jesus to be a sacrifice for our Sins that as the Terrors of the Lord first brought us to our selves so now the Wonders of his Love may effectually perswade us to turn to the Lord our God that he may have mercy upon us A Meditation Preparitory to the Communion LOrd what is Man that thou hast respect unto him and the Son of Man that thou so regardest him When we had forfeied thy Favour by a cursed Disobedience to thy Command and deserved to feel the reward of our Folly to Eternal ages if thou hadst only spared us from thy Wrath and delivered our Soul from the neithermost Hell that Mercy had called for our greatest Devotion and employed us to eternity in singing Praises but thy infinite Love would not debar us the priviledge of Creation since thou madest us for thy self thou resolvedst to try all means to bring us to the enjoyment of that Happiness When we were sunk into Misery almost beyond recovery what manner of Love didst thou extend to the dropping World which lay in Darkness and in the shaddow of Death thou emptiedst thy self and communicatedst to us of thy fullness by sending thy Eternal Son out of thy Bosom to make us thy Children and exalt us to everlasting life HOly Holy Holy Lord God of Saboath Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O God Glory be to thee for this incomprehensible Mystery O thou God who wast manifested in the flesh Glory be to thee inspire the universal World to a greatfull acknowledgment of thy Love surpassing knowledge That we may all acknowledge thee to be the Lord for on Earth there is none like thee and among the Gods there is none can do as thou hast done When thou tookest upon thee to deliver Man thou didst not abhor the Virgins Womb but submitted to our flesh that thou mightest open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers O Thou Word of God how didst thou strip thy self of thy Glory and descend from the felicities of thy Throne to take upon thee the form of a Servant Thou wert born of poor Parents and laid in a Manger thou induredst Hunger and Thirst and hadst no place to lay thine head yet did it not discourage thee from going about
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
day ought to be carefully employed and therefore in every interval when we can't be upon our knees let our holy Meditations carry us above the contemplations of this world and as this is a day of rejoicing in which our Souls are to be solaced with the ravishing sweet of so divine a repast let our Actions attest this inward satisfaction and shew in some sort by their humble demeanor that they are touched with a sense of those incomparable delights and can relinquish their sensual Enjoyments to attend the Devotions of their better part After we have thus discharged our Duties in private let us prepare for our more solemn Devotions in the House of God In our way thither let us endeavour to get stronger apprehensions of God and the invisible Majesty that dwells there Let us strengthen our Faith by a positive belief of the presence of the Most High and this will occasion a holy Awe and Reverence when we enter the Church and cause us to say with humility Surely the Lord is in this place How dreadful is this place This is none other but God's house This is the Gate of Heaven As soon as we are placed in our seats it will become us to bow our selves before the Lord and in humility of Soul to offer up our Petitions to the Father of Heaven A Prayer O Most gracious and merciful Lord thou hast call'd all those that are weary and heavy laden with the burthen of their sins to come to thee and hast promised to ease and refresh them thou hast invited all those that hunger and thirst after Righteousness to come to thy Table and tast of thy Supper and has promised that thou wilt satisfie them in assurance of these promises I come to the Lord Jesus beseeching thee to ease and refresh me and to satisfie me with thy Mercy for I hunger and thirst after thee and thy Salvation I confess that my daily sins have made me unworthy of my daily Bread much more of this heavenly Banquet O make my Soul ascend to thee 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 besprinkle my polluted Soul in the Blood of thy dear Son Jesus O let the Blood of his Wounds and the Water of his Side make me clean that I may come to the blessed Feast of the spotless Lamb. I confess O God that when I consider thy greatness and my nothing thy purity and my uncleanness I see it infinitly unreasonable and presumptious in me to approach thy sacred prescence and desire to pertake of thy Sacrament or hope for a part of thy Glory but when I consider thy Mercy and thy Wisdom thy Bounty and Goodness thy readiness to forgive and willingness to impart thy self unto thy servants then am I lifted up with hopes then I come with boldness to the Throne of Grace even so O Lord because thou hast commanded and lovest it should be so It was never heard from the beginning of the World that thou ever didst dispise him that call'd upon thee or forsake any that did abide in thy fear or that any that trusted in thee was ever confounded but if I come to thee I bring an unworthy person to be joyned to thee and if I come not I shall remain unworthy for ever if I stay away I fear to lose thee if I come I fear to offend thee and that will lose thee more I know O God my sins have seperated between me and thee but thy love O Jesus and thy Passion Holiness and Obedience has reconciled us and though my sins deter me they make it necessary I should come and though thy Greatness amazes yet it is so full of goodness that it invites and incourages me to approach these holy Mysteries this day O mighty God rebuke Satan restrain all Earthly and Carnal affections that they do not once dare to whisper a temptation to my Soul a distraction to my Thoughts while I am in Communion with thee at thy Holy Altar do thou O Lord rule me by thy Grace govern me by thy Spirit and defend me by thy Power and crown me with thy Salvation which I humbly beg in the Name and Merits of my Redeemer Jesus whom with thee O Father and the Holy Spirit I will Worship as one God to all Eternity Amen Let us now employ our Thoughts as becoming the Sons of God and all the vacant time before the service of the Church let us employ in holy Meditation Let us remember not only that we are in his presence but that this is his day on which we are met to glorifie his Name for the good things we have received to ask such things as are necessary for our future well-fare and to hear his Holy Word to direct us in the way to Salvation Let us beg of him to open our Hearts that we may receive with meekness the word we are to hear that for the Merits of Jesus he will receive our Prayers and no doubt when God sees us earnestly and humbly challenging his Word he will for his Truth and promise sake grant us all those good things which he knows needful for us and this should mightily encourage us to be sincere at all times when we enter the place where his honour dwells Certainly every Christian that is sensible of the greatness of God won't dare to dissemble or behave himself irreverently there especially at such a time when our strickest attention is required and even that not enough to contemplate the most High When the Service begins we are to lay aside these Meditations and immediately apply our selves to that if we devoutly attend to every part shall need no Paraphrase to heighten those expressions or make us more in love with that incomparable composure 't is the singular excellence of the Common Prayer that they who frequent it always find out something that deserves to be more admired than they can express I dare affirm no one ever found any flatness or defect that came without prejudice or was piously inclined for it contains all that may occasion a sensible pleasure to a good Man The Sentences and Exhortations are excellent motives to press us to our Duty the confession full of Pathetical expressions and suted to the conditions of all men the Absolution most comfortable to a penitent Soul that wants to be eased from its weary Burthen The Hymns and Psalms very proper to stir up our Souls to a holy rejoycing in the Lord the Scripture has its place that we may receive comfort from those lively Oracles of Truth After the profession of our Faith we supplicate our God according to the Apostle not only for our selves but for those who are in authority over us nay our Charity reaches further to all Christian Kings and Princes and to shew we are not forgetful of those of lesser degree we extend it to all sorts and conditions
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
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
through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant make me perfect in all good Works working always that which is well-pleasing in his sight and the Blessing of God Almighty the Father Son and Holy Ghost be with me for ever Amen Our Father c. Praise the Lord O my Soul Amen There is no occasion to prescribe any Rules for our Behaviour between the Evening Service and the time of rest we have already been informed that no part of this day when we don't communicate ought to be spent in our own inventions then surely it requires our strickest observation when we have had so great an honour confer'd upon us to be adopted the Children of God the thought of this will continually run in our mind and we shall have sufficient reason to be always praising God till Nature puts us in mind of our Necessities and that its time to commit our Souls and Bodies into his keeping when we shall be unable to take care of our selves THE CONCLUSION HAving thus begun our Course Let us run with dilligence the race that is set before us 'T is now that we are begun to be Christians and let us be very cautious how we discredit the holy Name by which we are call'd 'T is not sufficient to assume the Title without departing from Iniquity to compleat the Character Therefore at our return to the World let us have the mercies of God in continual remembrance let that goodness which has so far led us on to repentance move us to be zealous in his service and prevent our ingratitude by keeping our selves from every evil work Let us consider that we are bought with the price of the Blood of Jesus and looking upon our selves so redeem'd let us not sell our selves any more to work wickedness Let us consider the dignity of our Nature that God has made us but a little lower than the Angels that we only came into this World in order for a better that we were born on purpose to be eternally happy Why then should we do any thing to debase our selves and make us uncapable of that blessedness which the Wisdom and Goodness of Heaven has prepared for us The consideration of this will lead us to praise God for our Creation which we ought sincerely to do and shall want no motives to offer up our Thanksgivings if we consider the inestimable benefits we may receive by it Let us consider we are but begun in our way to Glory that to falter in our purposes wou'd endanger our ruin and to return wou'd be to lose the glorious pains we have been at in our conversion All those Prayers and Tears Fasting and Alms-givings which enter'd Heaven in our behalf and by the intercession of our Saviour done so great things for us will turn to our confusion be a terrible accusation of our hypocrisy and banish us to eternity from the presence of God besides how can we expect to attone Heaven if we should attempt a second Repentance when all our former Vows prove false Won't God be deaf to our complaints when they are usher'd in by such treacherous Advocates Can feigned tears move compassion from that God who is a lover of truth What form of Prayer will serve our turn when we have made use of the best composures as a mock to the Judge of Heaven Oh Christian since thou hast approach'd the Altar of God and there vow'd a perpetual Obedience to his Will as thou hopest Heaven has heard thy petitions and sign'd thy release as thou believest thou hast eat the Flesh and drunk that Blood of Christ and by that incomprehensible Mystery art united to our Saviour Jesus as thou hopest from this wonderful mercy to be raised at the last day to Eternal life live worthy of thy Calling by a perfect submission to the Will of God and a holy perseverance in his ways make thy Election sure Since thou hast thus put on the Armour of God and taken to thy self the sheild of faith resist the World the Flesh and Devil and thou shalt at last reap that reward which is laid up for those who have continued in well doing and by their constancy in some sort merited that eternal Gift of God which is a Crown of Glory in endless inconceivable joys Let us endeavour to fill our Souls with all vertues and when we are so happy as to have our inclinations after goodness that we have a fondness for the Glory of God and habituated our selves in his service we shall find the advantage of our conversion for besides the inward peace and satisfaction which is the result of a pious mind we may enjoy with more pleasure the Goods of this World than when we gave a loose to our desires and were led captive by our lusts when we so industriously persue our happiness we shall arrive to that degree of goodness which will make it as uneasie and difficult to commit wicked actions as 't was at first hard to refrain them We shall have an aversion to Vice and see our weakness and folly that cou'd be subject to its embraces it will then lose all its charms and we shall yield to that divine Truth that God is only to be loved that Religion is our wisest choice that to be happy is to understand her for her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace This indeed is what very few believe Men generally frame an austere Notion of Religion think it ties them up from the business and pleasure of this World they have an inclination to serve God but think he requires so much of their time that they have but little for themselves or Families This may be one reason why some are so religious by fits they are mighty zealous against an Easter or any particular time of Devotion but as soon as the Season is over return to their former habit of indifference and can give no other reason but that their Business calls them off as if Devotion consisted in saying just so many prayers at such an Hour to be in their Closset to fast such a day in the week and to neglect the Affairs of this World because we can't serve God and Mamon Such a Notion of Duty is certainly very prejudicial to the practise of Religion God created this World for our convenience and did not design we shou'd be preserved like the Lillies which toil not neither do they Spin but commanded man to get his bread with the sweat of his brow and can we think his labour shall be turn'd to his reproof that whilst he honestly persues the necessary Duties of his Calling that he shou'd be accused for not imploying that time upon his knees Providence has ordered very differing circumstances among men and to discharge with fidelity the Post in which he has placed us is part of our Religion and when justly perform'd as acceptable as our Devotion we may enjoy a great deal of this world and yet be very good
Men nay by being vertuous we may make a freer use of it for Vertue teaches a right use of every thing and God has deny'd us nothing that is useful for all things were created for the use of man In short 't is not the use but abuse of this World that renders us obnoxious to God We may endeavour after Riches but not to set our hearts upon them They are given us to do good with and when we cross the intent of them by making them a useless Treasure the rust of them will make them to consume Religion don't tie men up from the Affairs of this World it only teaches them how to behave themselvs in it by prescribing such Rules which are necessary for the quiet order of the World in general and for a just management in particular between men for the general Government of the World it teaches us that we submit our selves to every Ordinance of Man that we be not unruly stiring up sedition by speaking evil of Dignities and it comprehends the Church Government as well as State by constituing an Order of Men who are to watch for our Souls and for that reason we are to Obey them that have the rule over us in the Lord. Thus by obeying Our Spiritul Pastors and Temporal Masters we shall at last receive the Reward of our Obedience but they who resist shall receive to themselves Damnation For the particular management of our selves amongst our Neighbours we are if possible to live peaceably with all Men to be just and Charitable and in every thing to do as we wou'd be done by to be dilligent in our Calling and by an honest industry provide for our Families We are not to be solicitous for the Morrow nor by a carping care after this World neglect the other If we are successful let 's look up to him who is the giver of all good things for his is the hand that sows the seed and his the hand that gives the Blessing If we have losses and become poor let us submit with Patience and resign our selves to his Wisdom still relying upon his Providence Such a Contentment may move the compassion of Heaven to raise us again in this Worlds esteem or what 's infinitly better remove us from the present Evils to the Joys of his Kingdom Let us remember that we ought to receive Evil as well as good from the hand of God that he knows what is best for us and why then shou'd we be angry that God does that which is wisest and most fit to be done Let us cast all our care upon him and whatever condition we are in shall have most satisfaction this is as much a duty as 't is pious in it self and incumbent on the whole race of Mankind The Rich ought more particularly to have respect to it least they suffer by their confidence and trusting in the Multitude of their riches be confounded The Mighty that they mayn't be brought low and thee Poor least God forget their Cry Oh how happy are they who can with confidence look up to God that can use this World neither abusing it nor themselves by making it a hindrance to their Religion and by an unaccountable extravigance make that miserable change of their Souls for their Vanity Let us first seek the Kingdom of God and his Rightousness looking upon our selves as born for another World and that we are only in our Passage thither Cou'd we but perswade our selves of this truth we shou'd remove our affection and make use of this World but as it serves to conduct us to a better To what purpose shou'd we strive to heap up riches when we know not who shall gather them Why shou'd we be coveteous to establish a Name when the Glory of this World so soon passes away Let us do all possible good in our Station endeavouring to be exemplary to the present Age and not be solicitous for the sounding of our fame to the future That can't affect us for we shan't be sensible of it or if we were can it add to our happiness in Heaven or shall we have leisure to be pleased with our own Character when we shall be in veiw of him in whose Presence is fullness of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore But after all our Vertuous Actions must have another motive than Popular applause for if we do our good Deeds to be seen of Men we have our reward we can have no retribution of our good works that are not with a design to the Glory of God we must do them because God requires them and is best pleased when such Devotions are offer'd up for his sake It shows our conformity to his Will when our obedience proceeds from a sense of our Obligations to him and then he that gives a Cup of cold water in his Name shan't lose his reward The Mercy of God appear'd in this nor that we loved him but that he loved us and can we be too gratefull to the inexpressible love of the Father Can we propose a greater advantage than we shall receive at his Hands or suppose 't is not honourable to be just for we rob him of his tribute and make our Vanity the occasion of the Good The folly of this is too gross to have any Advocates for tho' Men love to blow the Trumpet that have it found in the Name of God Therefore let us be good because God is so and this will put us upon every opportunity to please him that we may by a constant practise of Vertues mould our selves more and more into the likeness of him in whom God was so well pleased because he went about doing good It concerns us who have gone thus far in the way of Holiness that have ceased to do Evil and began the pleasant exercise of doing Good to endeavour the performing it in the most acceptable manner The Holy Scripture gives us direction and our Saviour's Example to encourage us let us therefore look up to that pattern of Righteousness that we may as much as possible be Holy as he is Holy and we shall find him summing up all in this one word Love 'T is Love that is the great Duty of the New Law and absolutely necessary to be studdied by all who intend to be saved We shall have no excuse for our Ignorance or neglect of that Duty which God came on purpose to instruct and enjoyn We ought to have it perpetually in our Minds and never proceed to any action without it In our Retirements we ought to be thinking of it because that will prompt us to seek some new occasion of our Love and in our Business because then we shall never act amiss for how can he be guilty of an injustice who has love in all his thoughts that not only studies to do as he would be done by but is always considering to do the good in his power without the mean consideration of return for
our Lights may shine before men and the world may see the love of God dwelleth in us by our readiness to perform his commands but what need we of Arguments to press us to that which is so reasonable in it self which the Law of Nature teaches we ought to do But a sad experience informs us that neither the law of God nor nature is sufficient to oblige some tempers to compassion but let all such remember however serviceable their Estates are to them in this World they will turn to their destruction in the other their full Barns that have been shut at the knocking 's of the Poor will then be of no advantage nor the multitude of their riches prevail for their security both of them will turn to their reproof the rust of the one and fullness of the other will sink them into despair and exclude them to Eternity from the Happiness of God We have been taught that no one must approach this sacred Feast in bitterness of Spirit we must have love towards the Brethren and if we are in charity with all men shall more especially have bowels of compassion to those who are in want therefore let us while we have opportunity impart of our abundance and bless God for enabling us to do good to the House-hold of Saints and this coming from us so readily will be the more acceptable sacrifice for God loves a chearful giver and that our Alms ascend not alone 't is necessary we accompany them with Prayers and though we have no Angel to assure us they come up before God yet we need not doubt their acceptance for God himself has assured us with such sacrifices he is well pleased therefore let us humbly say at the giving our Alms. Blessed be thou O Lord God for all things come of thee and of thy own do I now give thee O let this Alms be an Odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing in thy sight After the sentences are read we have nothing to do but devoutly compose our selves and joyn with Reverence to the Prayers of the Church if we consider the substance of this excellent Office we shall be freed from the interruptions which often occur in our devotions for when our minds are wholly taken up with the signification of the words we shall have less room for wandrings When the Prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church is begun let us interest our selves in that excellent form that when the Priest comes to beseech God to accept our Alms and Oblations let us in our minds humbly beg it for Jesus Christ his Sake and that together with them God would receive our Prayers for the Universal Church for we can't but enlarge our Passions and desire the good of all Mankind not only of those who confess Christ but that the Heathen may be brought into the Possession of our Saviour and agree in the Truth of his Holy Word we must desire the Well-fare of Princes because they are set over us by God for the punishment of Vice and the praise of them that do well and for the Pastors of the Church there is a great deal of reason for us to pray for them that they may duly administer this Holy Mystery and by their Example and Doctrine both save themselves and those who hear them they who are in Affliction call for our fellow-feeling and since we are all of one body we can't let any member be in disorder and neglect to procure its remedy we are passionately to desire the Health and Salvation not only of those we know want present relief but to all that are in any danger Sickness or other Distress considering it may be our condition and we must desire it with the same Ardour as if it was for our selves and since God has given us the example of good Men who are gone before us we ought to pray that we may follow their steps that so we may arrive to the same degree of Blessedness and to obtain all this more certainly we are to beg it in the name of Jesus Christ believing that God will never refuse any thing that is convenient for us when we call upon him in that most prevailing Name especially since he is our Advocate we have the assurance of his intercession and God can deny nothing to the Son of his Love After this excellent Prayer is over we are exhorted by the Minister to a more serious preparation to the Communion though 't is supposed that every one who approaches this Holy Table has considered before repented and got a competent understanding in this sacred Mystery yet it is very necessary we should attend this Exhortation and Re-examine our selves whether we are such as the Gospel requires The Church has taken care to instruct us in this Duty in such a manner that we can't easily deceive our selves she encourages us with rewards and sets before us the dreadful consequence of our carelesness or neglect We may be over aw'd in our private Examination by the Dominion of our Lusts or perhaps the love of our selves may incline us to think better than we are but when we hear God's Minister urging us to this Duty and powerfully representing those things we have prevailed with our selves to pass over and that God is immediately present to acquit or condemn us we are obliged to confess our Wickedness and be sorry for our sin this is the Repentance we shan't be ashamed of that will put us in a state to be reconciled with our Saviour and make us fit to receive the Body and Blood of Christ and the benefit of that is the becoming one with him and to be pertakers of his Everlasting Glory therefore when we hear the Priest exhort us Judge therefore your selves Brethren let us humbly say I confess my self a sinner and condemn my ingratitude Repent you truly of your sins past c. I repent O Lord and am sorry for my Wickedness Have a lively and steadfast Faith c. I believe O Lord help my unbelief Amend your lives c. O grant me thy Holy Spirit to amend my life Be in perfect Charity c. I forgive all Men their Trespasses Lord do thou forgive me So shall ye be meet partakers c. O make me a worthy Communicant Ye must give most humble and hearty thanks c. I adore thy infinit love to Mankind in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus who did humble thy self to the death upon the Cross c. By thy Cross and Passion sweetest Jesus deliver me He hath c. and ordained Holy Mysteries as pledges of his Love c. I remember thy exceeding Love to us miserable sinners and adore thy infinite compassion in dying for Mankind To thee therefore O Jesus with the Father and the Holy Ghost let us give as we are most bounden continual thanks submitting our selves wholy to thy holy Will and Pleasure studying to serve thee in true