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GEORGE R.

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YEORGE the Second, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all to whom thefe Prefents fhall come, Greeting: WHEREAS our Trufty and Well beloved Edward Wick feed, of our City of London, Bookfeller, hath humbly reprefented to us, That he is now Printing a New Edition (with Improvements) of a Work, Entitled,

The NEW Week's Preparation for a Worthy Receiving of the LORD'S SUPPER, as recommended and appointed by the Church of England, &c. In two Parts.

AND whereas the faid Edward Wicksteed has informed us, that the faid Work has been perfected with great Labour, Study, aud Expence. He has therefore humbly prayed Us to grant to him the faid Edward Wickfleed, Our Royal Privilege, Licence, and AUTHORITY, for the SOLE Printing, Publishing, and Vending the faid Work, in as ample Manner and Form as has ever been done in Cafes of the like Nature.

WE being graciously inclined to give all due Encouragement to Works that may be

Of Public Ufe and Benefit,

and especially to those of this Kind, which fo greatly tend to the Advancement of Religion, and the genera! Good and Benefit of Mankind, ARE pleased to condefcend to his Requeft, and DO by thefe Prefents (as far as may be agreeable to the Statute in that Cafe made and provided) give and grant to the faid Edward Wickfleed, his Executors, Administrators, and Affigns, full Power, Licence, Privilege, and fole AUTHORITY, for the SOLE Printing, Publishing, and Vending the faid Work, together with all and all manner of Amendments, Corrections, Alterations, and Additions of or to the fame; and Our exprefs Will and Pleasure is, and We do hereby ftrictly charge, command, and prohibit all and every Perfon and Perfons whatfoever, within Our Dominions, that they, nor any or either of them, prefume in any manner of wife to reprint, abridge, or extract the fame, or any Part or Parts thereof, either in the like, or in any other Form or Forms, Volume or Volumes whatsoever; OR to import, buy, vend, utter, or diftribute, any Copies thereof, or of any Part or Parts thereof, that are or fhall be printed or reprinted beyond the Seas, without the AUTHORITY, Confent, or Approbation of the faid Edward Wickfleed, bis Executors, Adminiftrators, or Affigns, by Writing under his or their Hands and Seals. firft had and obtained, as they and every of them offending herein will incur Our Royal Indignation and Difpleafure, and fuch other Pains and Penalties as by the Laws and Statutes of Our Realms may be inflicted. WHEREOF the Commisioners and other Officers of our Customs, the Mafter, Wardens, and Company of Stationers of London, and all other Officers, Minifters, and others, whom it may concern, are to take Notice, that a ftrict Obedience be given to Our Pleafure herein Gignified.

Given at Our Court at St. James's, &c.

His Majefly's Command.

HOLLES NEWCASTLE,

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REASONS for publishing this BOOK. HO' I may poffibly incur the difpleafure of those whofe fecular views may be fruftrated or disappointed by the publication of this NEW Week's Preparation; yet I have the confolation of being fully affured, that this prefent undertaking will want no apology to those who have religion truely at heart, if they will, with a little attention, compare this performance with the Old Week's Preparation, formerly printed for SAMUEL KEBLE. Nor am I under any apprehenfion of being condemned for adding one more to the number of devotional books, already extant upon the fubject of the holy facrament of the Lord's Supper; because the tempers and talents of men are fa different, that what does not affect one may poffibly touch another; and, provided that fubftantial piety and devotion are improving, too many inftruments cannot le employed for that purpose. I am also perfuaded that the present Proprietors of KEBLE'S Old Week's Preparation, cannot, as chriftians, be fo deftitute of principle and good-will to the public caufe of the chriftian religion, as to endeavour, or even defire the continuance of a book which has already been found fo injurious to chriftianity, and has brought fo great and many fcandals upon the reasonable service of almighty God, as it will appear that book has already done: and therefore it is certainly moft unfit to be put into the hands of devout and well-meaning, but otherwife undifcerning chriftians. To demonftrate that thefe complaints are just and fairly grounded, I have tranfcribed a few paffages from the editions of KEBLE's IVeck's Preparation; the one printed 1738, the other in the year 1742; and defire the impartial reader, after he has confidered the tendency of those. rapturous and wanton expreffions, to judge whether that book deferves to be blamed and fet afide, or not.

[The pages before the lines refer to the finall edition printed 1742, and the pages after the lines to the pompous Edition printed 1738.]

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129 Art thou afraid of being too much enamoured with this
137 Jesus. O my Love, my Joy, my Jefus, my Lord, be
thou prefent with me in the Sacrament, prefent more
than by Infpiration, and make me prefent with thee
and that more than by Meditation in a spiritual, real
67 and eternal Communion. O my Love, be thou nigh in
my Mind, nigh in my Heart, and nigh to aid me, for I
117 languish thro' Love. O what fhall I do, to have my Soul

wholly poffeft with, and inebriated by thee, fo to enjoy
142 the perpetual Embraces of thee! When fhall I enjoy
95 thee? O my Life take my Soul; my Joy draw my Heart
142 unto thee. When fhall I fully please thee? I will not

let thee go till thou haft bleed me, my Life, my Love, 67 my Defire, my Delight, O that I may faint in myself, 67, 114 and depend on thee. Satisfy me with thy Blood. He

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bowed down his Head to kiss me. He ftretched forth 74,
80 his Arm to embrace me. From his interior Love burft
81 forth fuch exterior Signs and Demonftrations as were fuf-

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ficient to mollify a Heart more frozen than Ice itself, 166 and more hard than any Marble. Such are thy Gifts, O 96 fweet Saviour, fuch are the Works and Delights of thy 143 Love. O that I was fo faftened unto thee that I might 142 never départ. Thou wert within me. Thou only pleafeft me, and thee only I defire, &c. &c. &c. Thefe without difpute, are the wanton exercises of a warm imagination, and of a lufcious fancy; where warmth of conftitution, not reafon, much less religion, has the chief and fovereign influence.

Undoubtedly writers of this caft, have fhamefully fuffered the fofter Paffions to mix too ftrongly with their Zeal for religion.t By

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The following is the APOLOGY of no less an Author than Dr. Ifaac Watts bimfelf: "Let it be obferved, that it was much the Fashion, even among fome Divines of Eminence in former Years, to exprefs the Fervors of devout Love to our Saviour in the Style of the Song of Solomon: And I must confefs, that feveral of my Compofures in Verfe, written in younger Life, were led by thofe Examples unwarily into this Track. But, if I may be permitted to speak the Senfe of ma"turer Age, I can hardly think this the happiest Language in which Chriftians fhould discover their warm Sentiments of Religion, fince the clearer and more itual Revelations of the New Teftament." To this Apology we may add, that in thefe our Meditations and Prayers are no vifionary Scenes of wild Extravagance; no Affectations of that Style, which spreads a glaring Confufion over the UnderLanding. Here are none of thofe incomprehenfible Phrafes which may amufe the Ear with founding Vanity, and bold Reafon in fovereign Contempt. In fhort, bere are 9 fecret Pantings after a mortal Love, in the Language of Devotion and Piety.

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