to come to that great feaft of thy body and blood, upon the leaft opinion of my own worthiness; for, when I reflect on my finful life, I am even afraid to come, left I should eat and drink my own damnation.

But when I confider thy infinite mercies unto mankind, and thy own words calling all men without exception; and knowing that thy crucified body is not only food to nourish, but phyfick to cure, I, that am but duft and afhes, beg leave to come to thy holy table, and with my imperfect faith to feed upon fome crumbs of the bread of life.

I confefs, O Lord, my wedding-garments are not without feam, but I come to repair them at thy cross; from thy bitter forrows to derive into my foul a godly forrow, working repentance to falvation; from thy broken body, a broken heart; from thy warm blood, flowing from thy wounded fide, zeal and fervency; that I may admire, love, and ferve thee, my God, as I ought to do.

O good God, to whom every thing is poffible, fanctify my corrupt nature, and let thy gracious aids fupply all my defects, and fo help my infirmities, that I may live in thy love and fear, die in thy favour, and be prepared for receiving the great mystery on next Sun

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day,

day, and for the great account I am one day t give, and be received with thy faithful fer vants to the joy of thy kingdom thro' Jefu Chrift our Lord. Amen.

Here obferve the directions given on page 8, and more particu larly endeavour to improve your foul by reading a lefon cut of th RCW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 5. Section I.

The Meditation for Thurfday Evening On receiving the most holy facrament.

I am the living bread, which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he fhall live for ever: and the bread that I will give, is my fleth, which I will give for the life of the world. John vi. 51.

I.

Will afcend with the bleffed Jefus up to ferufalem, to eat the pafchal lamb with his difciples, which they made ready in a large upper room ready furnished and prepared: I will intreat him to purge my foul, and to enable me alfo to prepare a large upper room, wherein to entertain him, elevated from this filthy world, above the poor and empty fatisfactions of it.

2. O bleffed Jefus! infpire me with faith, fill me with the love of thee, illuminate me with knowledge, cleanfe me by repentance in thy blood, that I may receive thee in the facrament, the lamb flain from the begin

ning of the world, to the joy of my foul, to the establishment of it in all good, and for a protection against all evil.

3. Let us admire, O my foul, the conftancy and obedience of the bleffed Jefus, who with great defire did defire to eat his paffover: tho' he knew that after this feaft his paffion was then nigh at hand, would nevertheless go up to Jerufalem to the fame, as a faithful fon to his father's house, as a prieft to the fanctuary, and a facrifice to the altar.

4: Let us endeavour to practife according to his pattern, who, after fupper was ended, did fhew a miracle of humility, washing the feet of his difciples with his own facred hands, to give us the most perfect example of humility, and to extinguish our pride: For,

5. By this means I fhall partake of his graces, and be filled with his abundant love: I fhall be washed from error and idle imaginations, my hands from all impure actions, my heart from all vain affections, my fenfes from all finful delights and defires: fo that thou, my foul, being purged by true repentance, Ifhall, both body and foul be cleanfed in his blood, and made partaker of all thofe D4 glorious

glorious fruits which Chrift hath given m in this food of life of it

60 bleffed Jefus, what madness then i it to fet my affections upon the perishabl things of this world, who may attain the joy even of eternal life by knowing thee! the hour is come O Jefus, wean me from the world, and fecure me wholly unto thyfelf, and give me this life eternal to know and glorify thee. Make me fenfible that it is my intereft as well as duty to walk always before thee, and be always mindful of thy prefence with me. Let it be my meat and drink to do thy holy will, and my only joy to glorify thy name.

Here obferse the directions given on page 8, and more particularly endeavour to improve your foul by reading a lefon out of the New WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 6,

A prayer on Thurfday evening to implore God's mercy and affiftance, towards a worthy receiving of the most holy facrament.

Let us draw near with a true heart, in full affurance of faith, having our hearts fprinkled from an evil confcience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb. x. 22.

GR

Rant, almighty and most merciful Lord God, that I may never draw down thy juft indignation upon myself, either by turning my back upon this ordinance, or by going to it without thought and unworthily. May

thy

thy mercy pardon what is paft, and give me grace for the time to come, to confecrate my life to thee, and to embrace every occasion of remembering my redeemer's love, and thereby fecuring thy favour, and my own falvation; and if it be thy will, grant that I may always find fuch comfort and benefit in this ordinance, as may encourage me to observe it with joy unto my life's end.

Bleffed be thy name, holy father, for the opportunity thou haft this day vouchfafed me of humbling myfelf before thee. Pardon, I most humbly befeech thee, all my failings and defects at this time. The wanderings of my prayers, the coldness of my affections, and the difproportion of my repentance to the heinoufnefs of thofe fins which I have committed. O let thy mercy and goodnefs fupply what is wanting in me, and be thou graciously pleased to pity my weaknesfes, and forgive my infirmities, through the merits, and for the fake of thy beloved fon, and my bleffed Saviour, Jefus Chrift the righteous; to whom with thee, and the holy ghoft, be afcribed all honour and glory now and for evermore. Amen.

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