the City of Peace and Reft. All our Inquietude rifes from our refifting the Will of God; from hence flow all the Tempests that moleft us; and while we are loth to do what God would have us do, and unwilling to fuffer what he will have us fuffer, it cannot be otherwise, but that Peace must be a stranger to our Breasts. Whatever happens in the World, is nothing but the accomplifhment of God's Defigns; and the Soul that would always have that done that God would have done, can wonder at nothing that happens to her, for it is her Will as well as God's Will. However, if we are loth to refign our felves to his Will, we have reason to fear his Anger; and if we refift his Will, or are unwilling to fubmit to it, he will do his Will upon us, whether we will or no. If we chearfully fubmit, he will treat us as his Children; if not, he will ufe us as his Slaves: And therefore the advice of Eliphaz, Job 22. 21, 22. is the fafest Rule we can follow. Acquaint now thy self with him, and be at peace, thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the Law from his Mouth, and lay up Words in thy Heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou fhalt be built up, thou shalt put Iniquity far from thy Tabernacle; yea, the Almighty fhall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of Silver, i. e. as much content as if thou hadst plenty of Silver, for then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and fhalt lift up thy Face to God. Thou shalt make thy Prayer unto him, and he fhall bear thee, and thou shalt pay thy Vows; thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be etablish'd unto thee, and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

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The PRAYER.

bis

MY my God,my Lord,my Saviour, God of infinite Power, who doft not only govern thy Creatures by thy Greatbut by thy goodness, who canst do no wrong, and haft ufed me in particular with that respect and tenderness, even in the midst of all the Afflictions that have come upon me, that thou hast been more a Father to me than a Judge, and haft rather embraced me than corrected me. Behold! I am go

ing to remember what my dearest Lord hath done for my miferable Soul on the Cross; and as I am going to remember the unfpeakable Bleffings he hath purchased for me, fo I defire to remember my Duty of imitating him in his Self-refignation to thy Divine and incomprehenfible Will. And here, Lord, I humbly confecrate my Will to thine, I prefcribe thee no Rules, no Methods how to govern me, but leave my felf entirely to be difpofed of according to thy Will, which way foever thou Shalt think fit to lead me to Heaven and Eternal Happiness, whether by Hunger or Thirst, or Poverty, or Infamy, or the Rage and Envy of Men, or by other Miferies; whether by fickness, or by health; whether by Loffes, or unkindness of Friends, whether it be through good report, or evil report ; whether thou wilt have me live or die; whether thou wilt have me die this Year or the next, or ten Tears hence; whether my ·Death fhall be fudden or flow; whether natural, or violent; whether honourable, or difhonourable; whether upon my Bed, or in a Wood; whether in Fire, or Water; I am refign'd, and content to go where thou biddest me, and to endure what in thy Wisdom thou shalt think fit for me. Thy Commands are reafonable. In Wisdom thou hast made them all. I take exception at none. I embrace them all. They are the Light of mines Eyes, and while they be my Guides, I cannot go aftray. Thy Providences alfo are the effect of Eternal Wisdom. Nothing happens by chance, Thou ruleft all Events. Thou governeft all the World. Whatever befals me, is either decreed or permitted by thee, and when thou dost permit things, thon permittest them for weighty and pregnant Reafons. Give me an Heart devoted to thy fear. Let me neither murmur at thy Laws, nor repine at thy Difpenfations. Let every thing be welcom and pleafing to me, which thou knowest to be for my good. Let me not judge of things by outward appearances,but by thy Will and unfearchable Wifdom. Give me Wisdom out of thine own Store, Wisdom,which may resemble thine,and agree with thine. And then I shall be wife indeed,when I shall learn to fubmit my felf to thy infinite Wisdom,then shall I know thee, the only true God, and him whom thou hast fent, Jefus Chrift ; to whom, with thee, O Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all Honour and Glory, for ever and ever, Amen.

CHAP.

CHA P. XXVI.

Of Preparatory Devotions and Afpirations, fit to be used in Private, before we come to the Holy Sacrament.

The CONTENT S.

The conveniency of using Devotions fuitable to this Holy Sacrament, the Week before we receive. Prayers and Afpirations relating to the Afflictions of Chrift, to Chrift's readinefs to comfort Perfons diseased, and in distress ; to his Praying for his Difciples, and thofe that should believe in his Name, &c.

Though all the preceding Prayers are nothing but

preparatory Devotions, and may be used as fuch, yet, for varieties fake, which may be as delightful in Spiritual, as it is in Temporal things, I fhall add fome other Afpirations and Breathings of the Soul after God in this Chapter, as Preparatives for the worthy receiving of the Holy Communion. Extraordinary Occafions, as I have faid often, and fhort Warnings, when a Friend or Neighbour is indifpofed, and requires our prefence and help, and joyning with him in the devout ufe of this Ordinance, may oblige us to alter our method; but where no confiderable Impediment ftraitens us in time, it will be convenient, the Week before we receive, befides our standing Devotions, to addrefs our felves to God in Supplications, as both relate, and are fubfervient to the great Works we intend for: And fuch are the following Afpirations, whercof one or two may be used together with our daily Devotion.

I.

O wonderful Saviour! What Afflictions haft thou • fuffered for me! Heat and Cold, Hunger and Thirst, Labour and Miferies! Give me an Heart to receive from thy hands chearfully all kind of Adversity! Give me that excellent Temper, which was in thy Apostles, whereby they rejoyced in Tribulation, and counted it honourable and glorious, that they had any thing to lofe for thy fake! I intend to look upon thy Sufferings in the Bleffed Sacrament! O let the fight work L upon me, that I may be contented to fuffer joyfully for thy fake!

II.

"Great Prince of Peace! Who in thy Converfe with Men, tookeft all opportunities to comfort the distres fed,and didit moft mercifully cure their Difeafes! Give mea great fenfe of the Afflictions of my Neigbours, that I may have as great a feeling of their Miferies, as if they were mine own, and be ready to help them according to my ability! I am going to behold in the • Bleffed Sacrament, what Miracles thou haft wrought for me, O let me not come away from thence, without working a Miracle upon my Soul!

IH.

Great Counsellor of my Soul! Who, at thy leaving • the World, didit in Prayer recommend thy Ciples, and thofe that, thro' their means, fhould believe in thy Name, to the Heavenly Father's Care! Let me find the benefit of thy Interceflion! Preferve me from this evil World, and keep me by thy Truth. Take care of my Soul, that I may not be loft in the Wilderness of this World! In the Holy Sacrament, which I mean to be Partaker of, affure me of that care, and that "thou wilt not leave me, nor for fake me.

IV.

O thou who art Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! Who didft fuffer thy felf to be laid hold of, by the Sacrilegious Hands of thy furious Enemies, and when they bound thee, didst not revenge their In

jurics,

juries, but fpake mildly to them! Give me Grace to fhew my felf loving and mild to all my Enemies, to pardon them from my Heart, and to look upon them as Minifters of thy Will, and promoters of my Salvation. To this end, let the Holy Sacrament I intend to take, ftrengthen my Soul, that I may become conformable to thee, in doing good to them that hate • me!

V.

O Thou who art a Priest for ever after the Order ' of Melchifedeck, who didft seek me when I was a Stranger to thee, and calledft me when I knew thee not! Now I know thee, let nothing fatisfie me but thy felf.. 'Give me a flaming Heart, a chearful Mind, and an enlighten'd Understanding! O give me thy felf, for nothing lefs will content my weary Soul! I will feek. thee in the Holy Sacrament, Olet me find thee,: and fay to me, In the day of Salvation have I fuccour'd • thee! A

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VI.

"O my compaffionate Saviour! whofe Bowels yearn over the Penitent! My Soul is miferable, if it loves thee not,or if it continues to love the World! Olet my Soul reft in thee, and contemplate thee, and fhew forth thy Praifes, and be thou my Song in the House of my Pilgrimage! O thou, who art rich in Good nefs!, Redeem this poor Captive; give meat to my hungry Soul, even the Meat which came down from Heaven! In the Holy Sacrament let me find it, that I may live, " and not die!

VII.

"O thou, who art the only Life of my Soul! I invite thee to my House! I confefs, a fhatter'd a broken,and ruinous Houfe! But be thou entreated to rebuild and ‹ beautifie it with thy Salvation! Set up thy Kingdom in <it, and make my Flesh obedient to my Soul, my Soul to Reason, my Reafon to Faith, my Faith to thy Will. Enlarge my Mind, loose me from my Bonds, and let. the effects of my coming to the Holy Sacrament, be

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that