bleffed Ordinance, and of the great Neceffity which lies upon them to remember their Saviour in the Way which he has appointed.]

*If the Reader has

Put an End, O Lord, to all the Prophanenefs and Impiety, which like mighty Waters have overflowed our Land. How long fhall the Lives of Chriftians be a Bye-word among the Heathens m, and a Contradiction to our holy Profeffion? O give us Grace to remember from whence we are fallen, that we may repent, left thou shouldft remove our CandleStick out of his Place", and thy blessed Gospel be carried away from us to a Nation bringing forth the Fruits thereof. Be merciful to all my Relations, Friends, and Acquaintance; particularly, [Here name Particulars.]--Grant that the Spirit of the Lord may rest upon them, the Spirit of Wisdom and UnderStanding, the Spirit of Counfel and Might, the Spirit of Knowledge, and of the Fear of the Lord P, and that the Course of this World may be fo ordered to them by thy good Providence, that whilft they are engaged in their neceffary Business, and unavoidably careful about many Things, they may not forget the one Thing needful.

*

found any Advantage by this Book, be is earnestly defired to extend thefe Petitions in Favour of the unwor tby Author.

Have Mercy upon all thofe who are under the Preffures of thy mighty Hand'; let them

(m) Pfal. xliv, 14. (n) Rev. ii, 5. (0) Matth. xxi, 43€ (p) Maiah xi, 2 (1) Luke x, 41, 42, (r) 1 Pet, ▼, 6.

bring forth Fruit with Patience, and in thy due Time deliver them out of all their Troubles. Strengthen those that are on the Bed of Languishing; make thou all their Bed in their Sicknefs": Let them not faint, but tho' the outward Man decayeth, let the inward Man be renewed Day by Day, looking not at the Things which are feen, but at the Things which are not feen *. Look with Pity and Compaffion on thofe that are in Bonds, that are perfecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake: Deliver the Outcast and Poor; fave them from the Hand of the Ungodly; be thou their Refuge and Strength, a very prefent Help in Trouble. Abundantly blefs our Provifion, and fatisfy our Poor with Bread'; be a Father of the Fatherless, and defend the Caufe of the Widow.

O thou God of Love and Peace, make Wars to ceafe unto the Ends of the Earth: Break the Bow, and cut the Spear in funder; let the Wickedness of the Wicked come to an End, but eftablish thou the Juft. O that Mercy and Truth may meet together, that Righteousness and Peace may kifs each other; that our God may look down upon us, and our may yield

Her Increase".

O Lord hear us and help us, more than we can ask or thinki, fwer our Supplications for all, Portion in all the good Prayers

(f) Luke viij, 15. (x) 2 Cor. iv, 16, 18. 4. (a). Ibid. xlvi, 1. 51. (d) 2 Ccr.xiii, II. (g) Ibid. lxxxv, 10.

(t) Pfal. xxv, 22. (y) Matth. v, 10. (b) Pfalm lxviii, 5. (e) Pfal xlvi, 9. (h) Ibid, ver. 11,

Land

and do for us Hear and anand give us a that are made

(u) Ibid. xli, 3. (z) Pfal. lxxxii, (c) Pfal. cxxxii, (f) Ibid. vii, 9. (i) Eph. iii, 20.

in Heaven and Earth, the Interceffion of thy Son, and the Supplications of all his Servants. for the Sake of the fame Jefus Chrift thy So our Lord, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghoft be afcribed, as is most due, al Honour, Praife, and Dominion, for ever and ever. Amena.

THE

DIRECTIONS.

HERE are fome happy Minutes in our Lives, ef pecially in attending at this Euchariftical Service when the Mind, deeply affected with the Love of God, or the Sufferings of Chrift, or its own Unworthiness, is as it were carried beyond itself in devout Raptures. In this Cafe, it is perhaps beft for us to lay afide all the Forms above provided, and to pour out our Hearts before God as Occafion may require.

As the Sacrament is a Subject abounding with a great Variety of fruitful Confiderations, I would advise the devout Chriftian, who has frequent Opportunities to partake of it, to vary bis Meditations from Time to Time, fo that he may go thro' the feveral Confiderations which may be deducible from it. Thus, for Example, in remembering our Saviour, he may one Time think of him as a Prophet, another Time as a Prieft, another Time as a King. Sometimes he may confider the Death of Christ as a Sacrifice for Sins, and confequently how odiqus all Sin is in the Sight of God; and he may take Occafion from thence to humble himfelf for fome particular Sin, confeffing and bewailing, and earnestly praying for Strength to conquer Some particular Infirmity, labouring to acquire peculiar Graces. He may confider the miferable Life our Saviour led on Earth, as a Motive to Patience and Refignation to the Will of God under afflicting Dif penfations, fince fo divine a Perfon, the beloved of God, who bad done no Sin, and omitted no Opportu nity of doing Good, was fo grievously stricken of God, [a] 1 Pet. iv, 11.

and

and afflicted; whereas we fuffer indeed justly, and far fhort of what our Iniquities have deferved; and it is of the Lord's Mercies only that we are not utterly confumed, because his Compaffions fail not. We may farther apply ourselves to our Saviour, who himfelf was tempted, to enable us to bear our Afflictions, or remove the Burthen from us, as in his unerring Wisdom he hall think most expedient for us. We may also confider this Sacrament as a Feaft of Love whereby Chriftians are intimately united into one Body, of which Chrift is the Head; and therefore requiring from us the moft fincere and fervent Charity towards all Men, for whom, as well as for us, our bleffed Lord was contented to dye. From this Confideration we may beartily intercede for all the World, and efpecially for our Friends and Relations, &c. The Reader may find Hints for most of thefe Kinds in the foregoing Devotions, which he may enlarge upon as he hall find Occafion.

A concluding Prayer when the whole Service is ended.

Moft gracious and merciful Lord God, look down with tender Pity and Compaffion upon us thy poor unworthy Servants: Accept our weak Endeavours, forgive the Deadnefs and Dulnefs of our Affections, the Wanderings of our Thoughts, and the Distractions of our Minds. Let the Merits of our dear Redeemer plead our Pardon, and fupply our Defects; and grant that the Remembrance of what he has suffered for us, may fo influence all our Thoughts, Words, and Actions, that we may ever live as become those who have been redeemed to God by his Blood &

(g) Rev. V, 9

Grant that

hh

that this holy Communion may not prove to the Judgment and Condemnation of any of us, but that it may be to the quickening and ftrengthening of our Faith, Hope, and Charity", and all divine Graces in our Souls, filling us with all Foy and Peace in believing and engaging us to walk worthy of the Vocation with which we are called, in all Newness and Holiness of Life; that it may guard us against all Temptations, fupport and comfort us under all Afflictions, and prepare us for Death and Judgment, for Jefus Chrift his Sake. Amen.

Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to prefent us faultless before the Prefence of his Glory with exceeding foy; To the only wife God our Saviour, be Glory and Majefty, Dominion and Power, now and ever,

Amen.

A Prayer after we are returned home, and which may be used immediately after, or any Time of the Day.

Lord, my God and

to offer thee the juft Tribute of my Praife and Thanksgiving, for the Mercy and loving Kindness thou haft fhewed to me this Day, in permitting me to tafte of thy Supper 2, and difpofing me both to call to Mind the Greatnefs of my Saviour's Love, and to fhew forth my fincere Gratitude for the Benefits purchased for us by the Effufion of his

(h) 1 Cor: xiii, 13. (hh) Rom. xv, 13. (i) Eph. iv. 1. (ii) Rom. vi, 4. (k) Jude 24, 25. (2) Luke xiv, 24.

moft