he loves to see thee there, and will make thee to know that he loves thee, and delights to do thee good. Raise up thyself, O faithful soul, and love that chief good, in whom are all blessings, and without whom there is no other true good. Why should we "forsake the fountain of living waters, and hew us out broken cisterns, that hold no water?" Let us come to the Holy Sacrament, and we shall find the fountain of living water. O let us ask of our Lord Jesus, and he will give us living water, springing up into everlasting life, "This is life eternal, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent:" Aud therefore if thou canst confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Ogivethanks, therefore, unto the Lord for he is gracious, for his mercy endureth for ever; and let each one say with great gratitude," What reward shall I give unto the Lord, for all the benefits that he hath done unto me? I will receive the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord." A Prayer on Wednesday Morning of Confession of Sins to God, before the receiving the Holy Sacrament. Almighty God, I, thy poor sinful creature, prostrate myself before thee, full of anguish and confusion for my offences against thy divine majesty. I am not worthy, O Lord, to look up to heaven, which is the throne of thy purity, for my sins are more in number than the hairs of my head, and my heart hath failed me. Lord be merciful unto me a sinner. I have not lived according to thy laws, but have walked in the vanity of my own heart, in contempt of thy holy word and commandments; I have not loved thee my God, with all my heart, nor feared thee with all my soul, nor served thee with all my might, nor loved my neighbour as myseif. Lord be merciful unto me a sinner, religion, indevout in my prayers, forgetful I have been negligent in the duties of with this dying command of thine, “Do this of thy mercies, and backward to comply in remembrance of me." Lord be merciful unto me a sinner. I have provoked thy wrath against me, by accustoming myself to do the works of the flesh, and rejecting the good motions of thy Holy Spirit. Woe unto me, rebellious wretch, that I have, from time to time sinned most grievously against thee, so loving, so good, so gracious a God, to the utter destruction of my soul, without thy mercies in Jesus Christ. Lord be merciful unto me a sinner. I have sinned, O heavenly Father, in not depending on thy providence for a supply of my wants; by neglecting to labour, and expecting I should be supported in idleness; not looking up to thee, O God, for a blessing on my honest endeavours; not having an high esteem of thee, my God, and not submitting obediently to thy will. Lord be merciful unto me a sinner. I have not, with due care and reverence, read thy holy word, but I have followed the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and its sinful customs, not calling myself daily to account for my sins. Lord be merciful unto me a sinner. Lord, let me never add to that heap of sins which I stand guilty of; I am confounded at the multitude of them, and the remembrance of them is grievous unto me. Give me grace, O Lord, to pass this week, and the rest of my life, innocently, that neither in thought, word, or deed, any offence may pollute my soul. I acknow ledge, O Lord, that I am vile, but I trust in thy mercy, as one redeemed with thy precious blood. I have been dead in trespasses and sins, but thou art my resurrection and my life. Thou, O Lord, lovest to shew mercy: Thou that spares thy servant Peter, that denied thee thrice; thou that didst cast seven devils out of Mary Magdalene, and didst not condemn the woman taken in adultery, and didst bear the penitent thief from the cross to the joys of paradise, extend the like mercy to me and save my soul. My sins are so great and many, that to forgive, will be an act of glorious mercy; let thy Holy Spirit convert me from the error of my ways, and lead me into the paths of righteousness, to great degrees of repentance, and through all the paths of a holy life, to a godly and holy death. Grant this, O blessed Jesus, for thy mercy's, and for thy pity's sake. Amen. Lord God, into thy hands I commit my body, soul, and spirit; my thoughts, words, and works; all that I am, and all that I have, desiring to be wholly thine. O my God, gracious and merciful, accept me in thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in whom alone thou art well pleased; and for his sake let me not depart without a blessing. Give me the blessing of pardon and peace, the blessing of thy spirit and of thy grace, the blessing of thy favour and of thy love in the Lord Jesus. Bless me, even me a sinner, O my Father, and I shall be blessed for ever. Amen. Amen. This Prayer may be used on SacramentDays, before the receiving the Holy Sacrament. Wednesday's Meditations in the Evening. Upon the most Holy Sacrament. ANY are the devices of satan to keep MANY men from the Holy Sacrament: for he knoweth how conducive it is to attain everlasting blessedness, from whence he for his pride fell; and he hateth the sacrament, for in it is represented our Saviour's passion, by virtue of which he is deprived of that dominion which he would exercise over us. And whereas the Holy Sacrament is numbered among the greatest benefits given to us of God in this life, we cannot otherwise avoid the sin of ungratefulness, than by often commemorating those inestimable benefits which we obtain through our Saviour's precious blood-shedding. "Do this in remembrance of Me?" Dear Jesus, I had been undone for ever, but for thee: For thee then, and for thy sake, what is it which I should not do? As if it were a benefit to him, when we benefit ourselves, O Lord, what is it thou wouldst now have me to do, for thy desires are my commands ! There is authority enough in thy love for me to do what thou shalt please; speak, Lord, then, for thy servant heareth; whatever thy will is, that I will do. Let us humbly beg of God, his mighty grace, to confirm us in our good resolutions, that so we may always maintain in our souls hopes of his pardoning love. Thou, O Lord, art ever forward to do us good, to bestow thy blessings even when we desire them not, to institute this feast, which we never expected, to send thy ministers to call Christ hath told us where he will us to it. dwell, viz. with him that is of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at his word; and we must not look for him in the highways of ambition and pride, of wealth and sensual pleasures; these things are not found in the house of his Father, neither may they come near his dwelling. But if we ask for Christ, we shall find him in the methods of virtue, and love, and in the paths of God's commandments; in the houses of prayer, and the offices of religion; in the persons of the poor, and in the retirements of an afflicted soul: We shall find him in holy reading and pious meditations; in our penitential sorrow, and in our time of trouble; in pulpits, and upon altars; in the word, and in the sacrament: If we use the means of grace as we ought, we are sure to find our beloved, him whom our soul longeth after. Sure enough Christ is here, let me take the boldness now to ask something of him. O Lord do not deny me the continuance of thine almighty grace. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me, but let him be my constant companion, my guide, my helper, my comforter for ever. Thou thyself hast told us (in St. Luke xi. 13.) " that it shall be given to those who ask it ;" and that because thou livest, we shall live also: O do not let me lose what thou hast done for me already, for want of doing something more; perfect that which concerneth me:" Forsake not the work of thine own hands. Hold me up, and I shall be safe; and I will have respect to thy statutes continually. Order my steps in thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me: I intreat thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful to me according to thy word." brance, and prepare and put my soul in order when I. come to thy table, that thou mayest accept me at my coming. O Lord, let me never more dare to think of preferring satan and sin before Christ and Heaven, so as to keep away from the Lord's table, because I am loath to part with any beloved sin; when my Saviour calls, let not the foes of my salvation prevail with me to keep away, but make me willing to part with the dearest bosom corruption, that I may partake of thy heavenly benediction; let not any blessings that thou hast bestowed upon us in earthly things, make us forget the dependance we have upon thee for them; or the great need we have of thy heavenly mercy; and make us always to esteem it our greatest honour to serve and obey thee, and to enjoy thy favour: Olet not my sins, though great and many, affright me from thee, because I am unworthy of thee, but let the humble sense of them drive me to thee, because I bave need of thee, who art the great phygician of our souls, whose blood is balsam for the most deadly wounds, who hath both the skill and will to cure, and to heal the most desperate diseases of those, that with penitent hearts seek unto thee for recovery and relief; let all my wants drive me unto thee for supply: Who callest not those that are perfect or righteous, but sayest," Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." O Lord I deliver up myself absolutely to thy divine will, with all my heart, desiring and proposing to live in a steadfast conformity to thy holy commandments, and to place my chief satisfaction in a holy conscience; my truest A Prayer for Wednesday Evening, before pleasure in religion; all my joy in God; the Holy Sacrament. Lord Jesus Christ, who, in memory of thy agony and bloody sweat, thy meritorious cross and passion, hast ordained a Sacrament in thy church, to commemorate thee, and convey and seal to our souls the benefits of thy death; let me have thy precious blood-shedding always in remem and with sincerity and zeal, heartiness, and ingenuity, follow after righteousness, and the things that belong unto my peace, until I shall arrive at the Land of eternal peace and praise, where thou livest and reignest for ever, world without end. Amen. Thursday's Meditations in the Morn- those creatures which thou hast made, and ing. Upon the most Holy Sacrament. A Soliloquy. Most good and gracious Jesus, thou, before thy bitter sufferings and passion, didst bequeath a most excellent gift unto thy children, as a pledge of thy love, saying, "Take, eat, this is my body, and drink ye all of this, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." St. Matt. xxvi. 26, 27, 28. O thou true food of my soul! Receive me, who am to communicate at thy table, quicken me with thy spirit, "strengthen me with thy body, ransom me with thy blood," and let me receive life from thee to act, and to live unto thee: O my Lord, give me an heart that I may think on thee; a mind that I may love thee; a soul that I may remember thee; and understanding to know thee; and reason always to stick fast unto thee: Let me find thee, O my heart's desire, Let me hold thee, whom my soul doth love. O life, by whom all things live; O life, which givest me life by which I live, without which I die O my Lord, do thou live in my heart by faith, for without thee I can do nothing. O that I may distrust myself, and depend on thee: O my dearest Lord, be thou nigh in my mind, nigh in my heart, and nigh to aid me; lest mine enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil triumph over me. Lord, let me love thee, because thou first didst love me; for he loveth thee too little, who loveth any thing besides thee, except he loves it for thy sake: O may I henceforth despise whatever is in this world, in respect of thy sweetness, and the glory of thy house, which I have loved. Where shall I get words to express the tokens of thy singular great love towards me? How can I worthily repeat thy infinite benefits? Lord I thankfully acknowledge the benefit of creation, when at the beginning thou didst make me after thine own image, placing man above all No. 26. making him glorious with the light of thy countenance, distinguishing him both from insensible things, and also from brute beasts. which have no reason, and making him but a little lower than the angels: O let me go to thy holy table, and as soon as I have tasted the heavenly banquet, say with thy servant Peler, "Master, it is good for us to be here;" here let us abide still, and enjoy thy divine presence, for we lack nothing now; it sufficeth us, Lord, that we thus taste and see that thou art gracious; it sufficeth me to be satisfied with so unspeakable sweetness. O! blessed should I be, were I once admitted to behold thee in thy kingdom of glory who can shew me such a fayour? O Lord vouchsafe me that blessing, in thy own good time. I know, Lord, I know and acknowledge, that I am unworthy to enter under thy roof; yet, for the honour of thy name, accept of thy servant, which putteth his trust in thee; but how shall I enter into thy sanctuary to consider thy power unless thou assist me? Open me the gates of righteousness that I may enter into them, and give thanks unto the Lord." O, that I may cry after God, even the living God. That I may watch for thee, more than they that watch for the morning, and that my soul may follow hard after thee: O that the words of thy mouth may be sweeter to me than the honey, or the honey comb; that I may delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. This may be used on Sacrament Days. A Prayer on Thursday Morning; by way of preparation to the Sacrament. Most holy God and heavenly Father, who by the immortal seed of thy word, hast begotten us to be thy children, and with the same (as with milk) dost nourish 5 L us as new born babes; and also with divine mysteries of thy holy Sacrament dost confirm and strengthen us in faith and righteousness, and having so adopted us into thy family, continually feedeth and nourisheth us unto eternal life: How shall I sufficiently praise my God, or love and serve my Lord, who delivered me from the pit of destruction when I deserved to perish eternally; for I have been proud and covetous, hating wise counsels, and have soon grown weary of the offices of a holy religion. I cannot give an account how I have spent my time : Alas! I am so vile that I cannot express it. I have been so ungrateful, so foolish, so unreasonable, that I have turned a deaf ear to the voice of conscience speaking within me, that I might with confidence, and without fear, sin against so good a God and so gracious a father: I confess to thee O God, what thou knowest already But I confess it to manifest thy justice, and to glorify thy mercy, who hast spared me so long: Thou hast concluded all under sin, that thou mightest have mercy upon all; Look upon me, O God, and have pity on me lying in my blood and misery, my shame, and in my sins, in the shadow of death, and in the gates of hell. But yet, O God, thou art the healer of our breaches, and I will not despair, because thou desirest not the death of a sinner, and thy goodness is infinite. O let the cry of thy Son's blood, who once offered up himself without spot to thee, speak on my behalf, and speak better things than the blood of Abel: let me love and serve thee uprightly and in godly sincerity, for thy infinite love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. NOW feast when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, (the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him) Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God, he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water in a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel, wherewith he was girded." Teaching us hereby to exercise the works of humility and charity in our own persons, rejoicing more to do them ourselves, than to command them to be done by others, and performing every humble work without vanity or boasting. Let us consider that which passed between Christ our Lord and Peter, when he came to wash his feet; Peter standing astonished at the humility of his Lord and master, said, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? In which words he shews a lively faith in the excellency of Christ his Lord, as also his own baseness, and the meanness of that office in vulgar account, which our condescending Saviour was then employed in. The holy Jesus lays aside state and majesty, that he may minister to his servants, with those bands which gave sight to the blind, health to the sick, and life to the dead. I (Lord) ought to serve thee, and to wash thy feet, nor do I esteem myself worthy to do this work. And wilt thou wash my feet? Hence will I learn to think highly of Jesus Christ, and very basely of myself; I will draw acts of admiration, of |