more strengthen me by thy grace. Without thee I shall not be able to stand-O lead me by thy almighty arm-refresh my soul with the consolations of thy loveguide me to the end, in thy service; and when my strength and my heart faileth, when my soul is sinking in the shades of death, be thou, O Lord, the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. O my Saviour, visit ine with thy salvation; let me see the felicity of thy chosen, and rejoice evermore in the gladness of thy people. Amen.

Let the communicant devote all the rest of the day which is not occupied with the public service of the church, to private acts of devotion to meditating on the infinite mercy and love of his God and Saviou to recalling to mind the sacred obligations to grateful and holy obedience which this hallowed ordinance has imposed upon him; and to earnestly and humbly imploring the succours of divine grace, that he may be sanctified both in soul and body, and may be so conducted through things temporal, that he finally lose not the things that are eternal.").

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MEDITATIONS

BEFORE THE COMMUNION. [FROM BISHOP BEVERIDGE.]

[THE following meditations and prayers, taken from the admirable work of Bishop BEVERIDGE, on " Frequent Coinmunion," are added to this little Manual, in the hope that they may prove both acceptable and profitable to the devout Communicant.]

BEHOLD the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world! Behold the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, who loved us, and gave himself for us! who himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree, and washed us from them in his own blood. See how willing and ready he is to communicate the blessings he hath thereby purchased! How desirous that all would partake of them! Methinks I hear him crying out, "Come unto me all ye that travel, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you."

Methinks I see him yonder going about by his minister, from one to another, and offering his most blessed body and blood, with all the merits of his most precious death, to all that will receive them faith fully. Happy, thrice happy,are they who do so! They are absolved from all their sins, and accounted righteous before God. They are delivered from the wrath to come, by the blood of the Lamb, as the Israelites were by that which was typically sprinkled upon the door-posts. They are reconciled to the great Creator and Governor of all things, and are made his children by adoption and grace. They are always safe and secure under his care and protection, and never want any thing that is really good for them. They have his Son always interceding for them, and his Spirit always abiding with them, to direct and assist them in what they do.

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They are washed, they are sanctified, they are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," (1 Cor. vi. 11,) and therefore they will be glorified with him for ever. O that I might be in the number of those blessed souls! When will it once be? When will my Lord and Saviour come to me,

that I also may partake of his most blessed body and blood! My heart is ready, O Lord, my heart is ready to receive it. 'My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh also longeth after thee. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly."

Thus we may employ our thoughts while others are receiving; but when it comes to our turn to receive it, then we are to lay aside all thoughts of bread, and wine, and minister, and every thing else that is or can be seen, and fix our faith, as it is the evidence of things not seen," wholly and solely upon our blessed Saviour, as offering us his own body and blood to preserve our bodies and souls to everlasting life, which we are therefore to receive by faith, as it is "the substance of things hoped for," steadfastly believing it to be as our Saviour sail, "his body and blood;" "which," as our Church teacheth us, "are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper." By which means whatsoever it is to others, it will be to us who receive it with such a faith, the body and blood of Christ our Saviour, the very "substance of things hoped for," upon the account of his body that was broken, and his blood that was shed for us.

The actual Receiving.

And the better to excite and assist us in the exercise of our faith after this manner, at our receiving the Holy Sacrament, the minister, at the distribution of it, first applies the merits of Christ's death to each particular person that receives it, saying to every one singly. and by himself, "The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee; and the blood which was shed for thee, preserve thy body and soul to everlasting life," that so I may apply and appropriate it to myself as the body and blood of him that loved ME, and gave himself for ME, to preserve My body and My soul to everlasting life. And then he adds at the distribution of the bread, "Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for THEE, and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving." Whereby I am put in mind again to eat in remembrance that Christ died for ME in particular, and then am taught how to feed upon him, even "in my heart by faith, with thanksgiving." In my heart, because it is not bodily, but spiritual food; by faith, as the only means whereby the heart or soul can take in its proper nourishment,