thy inexpreffible love may not be loft upon me: but, that, being fenfible of my. fad condition by nature, and my worfe condition by my own willful fins, I may be thoroughly convinced of the neceffity and bleffing of a redeemer, and that I may, with an heart full of gratitude, join with thy faithful church in giving our devoutest thanks to thee, and in keeping up the remembrance of what thy bleffed fon has done and fuffered for us.

Grant, O my God, that I may always receive that pledge of thy love, and the offers of pardon and grace, tendered to me in this holy ordinance, with a truly thankful heart, and in remembrance of thee, my great and best benefactor; in remembrance of my Saviour's holy example. Of his bitter death and paffion.---Of his glorious refurrection and afcenfion into heaven, and of his coming again to judge the world.

Give me, O my God, aftedfaft faith in thy word and promifes, and a firm trust in thy almighty power: and let the fear of thy juftice and omniscience keep me from prefumptuous fins, and a fenfe of thy goodness and mercy preserve me from defpair. Defend me from all those fnares, which deftroy my love for thee; from worldly cares; from all fen

H

fual

fual and finful pleasures; from evil company; from foolish diverfions; and from every thing that may make me forget, that thou alone art worthy to be feared and loved: grant mé these mercies for thy fon Jefus Chrift his fake, whofe love and death I am now about commemorating. For,

Omy God, Ifhall [on Sunday next] prefume to come to thy holy table, not trusting in my own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. I am fenfible that I am not worthy fo much as to gather up the crumbs which fall from thy table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy; grant me, therefore, gracious Lord, fo to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jefus Chrift, and to drink his blood, that my finful body may be made clean by his body, and my foul washed through his most precious blood, and that I may evermore dwell in him, and he in me.

These, and whatever other mercies thou feeft neceffary for me, I intreat thou wilt grant for the fake of the fame thy dearly beloved Son, Jefus Chrift, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

See the concluding prayer and bleffing on page 36 and 37.

The

*The Meditation: Wednesday Morning.

On the refurrection, as a means to excite a due veneration for the holy facrament.

Therefore let us keep the feaff, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness: but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth. 1 Cor. v. 8.

1.

Come now my foul, and let us fing to our Lord a pfalm of joy; fing praises to the God of our falvation; fing with a loud and chearful voice, fing with a glad and thankful heart; fay to the weak of spirit, be strong; fay to the forrowful, be of good com fort; tell all the world this foul-reviving truth, and may their hearts within them leap with joy to hear it. For,

2. The Lord of life is rifen again, and hath clothed himself with immortal glory. He made the angels meffengers of his victory, and vouchfafed even himself to bring us the joyful news. O my foul, adorn thyfelf with the garment of gladness, prepare thy most triumphant hymns to go forth to meet this great returning conqueror.

3. His

* Here you may obferve the directions given on page 3.

3. His warfare is now accomplished, and he hath paffed through the fcorn and cruelty of men; the malice and rage of devils; the juft, but fevere anger of God; yea, the fhadow of death, and the regions of eternal horror: and after all this thy furety is fet at liberty; for he hath paid thy debts, and cancelled all thofe difmal bonds by which thou wert forfeited to eternal ruin. Bleffed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

4.We receive thee, dearest Saviour, as born to us a fecond time, and this shall be thy birthday also, the nativity of thy empire, thy reftoration to a state of immortality. Thy former birth did fhew thee to be the fon of man, but this declares thee to be the fon of God; and now we know that thou our redeemer liveft, for thou haft told us, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore.

5. The ways of thy mercy are unfearchable, O thou wife contriver of all our happiness! and thy wisdom is infinite who didft invent them to convince thy followers into this bleft belief, and fettle in their hearts a firm ground of hope: for, thou didst not only appear to the holy women in their return from the fepulchre, and openedft their eyes to know and

adore

adore thee; but thou didft purposely overtake, in their journey, two of thy difciples, that were difcourfing of thee, and madeft their hearts burn within them to hear thee. Thou didst condefcend to eat before them, and invite them to touch thy facred body. How didst thou fweetly invite the incredu lous Thomas to thruft his hand into thy fide, and haft thence taken occafion, from his hardness to believe, to facilitate the faith of thy church in these after-ages.

6. Therefore, O my foul, being thus preinstructed in this great mystery of our faith, by the revelation of Jefus Christ, make it the principal fubject of thy ftudies, and the daily entertainment of thy most serious thoughts. Draw me, O deareft Lord, from the world and myself, that I be not entangled with any earthly defires. Draw me after thee, with a fure hope of eternal blifs, that I may run with delight in the way of thy commands, and es pecially to thy holy table. Draw me up finally to thee and thy throne of glory, that I may fee thy face, and rejoice with thee for ever in thy kingdom. Amen.