me thy favour and protection; let thy watchful providence be my guard and defence. Keep me in thy fear all the day long, and grant that I may take nothing in hand, but what is agreeable to thy bleffed will. Into thy hands I commend my foul and body, and all that are related to me, humbly befeeching thee to keep us from all evil, to lead us into all good, and to carry us fafely through the dangers and temptations of this wicked world, to that place of everlasting reftand peace, which thou haft prepared for thy faithful fervants, thro' the merits of thy beloved fon, Jefus Chrift our Lord; in whofe words, as thy beloved fon hath taught. us, I call upon thee faying, Our Father, &c.

The Meditation for Saturday Evening.
On prefumptuous thoughts.

I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love. Psalm cxix. 113.
My foul! how haft thou ftruck me, how

I.

voice! the enemy had almoft filled me with preSumptuous thoughts of my own merits; I was mighty well fatisfied, full of joy and holy confolation, affured of God's favour, the forgivenefs of my fins, and everlafting happiness, fince my return from the holy facrament, and our

con

continued pious exercife for this week paft: but,

2. Thou art defponding, and filleft my ears with it may be not one may, fayft thou, be in God's favour, without knowing or believing it; and one may be (in the purpose of God) everlaftingly happy in the world to come, and yet be miferable and defponding here on earth. So we may be forfaken, and full of prefumptuous confolations and,

3. Now I remember we have already fpoken of and agreed in these things before, * and I am fully fatisfied that if we truly repent us of our fins, they shall certainly be forgiven, and we shall certainly be happy, but that is in the world to come; fo that I fhall always think upon that excellent admonition, never to credit any inward comfort and confolation, fo much as to fuffer them to puff me up any more that my fins are forgiven, at fuch a certain time, at, or after, the receiving the facrament; for, that is not quite fo fure. You have made me fenfible that no fuch joy or confolation is annexed, by any promife of God, to the worthy reception of the bleffed facrament; I believe that the benefits are fecured by God's promife to the

G 5

* See the first part of the New Week's Preparation

wor

worthy receiver, from whence that joy may reifonably refult; but the party may by fome indifpofition of body or mind, not be filled with it. And,

4. Therefore I will not expect or depend upon any fuch unufual lightfomeness or confolations: but if they follow, it is well; if not, there is no harm or danger in the want of them. I will prepare myself by true and fincere repentance, and come with faith,* and as welldifpofed as I can, and leave the rest to God. Herein I fhall have the fatisfaction of having done my duty in the best manner I could, and with that I must be content; for the reft I fee is not in my power.

5. I will not be difconfolate upon this occafion, by being difappointed of fuch expectations as my own warm imagination only may raife in me without any reafon or promife made on God's part. Tho' I fhould henceforward come away cold and little affected from the facrament, when I might expect my heart must have been filled with devout tranfports, I will not be concerned, nor believe I had not prepared myself as I ought to have done; when thou my foul upon examining my heart canft

the latt exhortation in the communion fervice.

not

not justly charge me with any confiderable omiffions or negligence in that work.

6. Therefore I will not be difcouraged, if I find not that content and pleasure after our coming from the facrament, which I might hope and wifh for before; but I will go on fteadily in the ways of virtue, aud do our chriftian duties conftantly; and whether I feel the fenfible warmth, and comforts of religion or no, yet I fhall be fure never to want at length the juft rewards of it; for thofe depend upon uncertainties, thefe upon God's goodness, promife and truth, which cannot fail

The Hymn, for Saturday Evening.
Upon a prefumptuous heart.

'S there prefumption in my heart?
Search, glorious God, and fee:

Or do lalt a baughty part?
Lord, I appeal to thee.

I charge my thoughts be humble ftill,
And all my carriage mild,
Content, my father, with thy will,
And quiet as a child.

The patient foul, the lowly mind,
Shall have a large reward;
Let faints in forrow lie refignid,
And trust a faithful Lord.
- G 6

Another.

Another.

BEbold bow finners disagree,

The publican and pharifee!
One does bis righteousness proclaim,
The other owns his guilt and fhame.
This man at bumble distance ftands,
And cries for grace with lifted hands
That boldly rifes near the throne,
And talks of duties he has done.

The Lord their diff'rent language knows,
And diff'rent answers he bestows;
The humble foul with grace be crowns,
Whilft on the proud his anger frowns.
Dear father, let me never be
Join'd with the boasting pharifee :
I bave no merits of my own,
But plead the fuff'rings of thy son.

The Prayer on Saturday Evening.
Against prefumptuous Thoughts.

Almighty Lord God, who art infinitely

great and infinitely good, and the maker and Lord ofheaven and earth! I befeech thee to grant me a juft fenfe of my own infufficiency, and a due regard of thy fovereign power and awful majesty. O cleanfe me from all preSumptuous fins, left they get the dominion over me. For tho' thou haft fhewn thyself a most