not enough to become man for us, but exposed himself to all our miseries! Was it not enough, O Jesu! to labour all thy life, but thou must suffer for us even the pains of death? No, gracious Lord, thy mercy still observed many wants in our nature as yet unsupplied; thou sawest our too much fondness of life needed thy parting with it, to reconcile us to death; thou sawest our fear of sufferings could no way be abated but by friendly undergoing them in thine own person; thou sawest our souls so deeply stained with guilt, that without shedding thy blood we could have no remission.

Can we thus remember the labours of our redeemer for us, and not be convinced of our duty to him? can my cold heart recount his sufferings, and not be inflamed with the love of him that suffered for me? can I believe my salvation cost him so dear, and live as if to be saved were not worth my pains? ungrateful man, how doth he slight the goodness of our God! how carelesly comply with his gracious designs! for all his gifts he requires no other return, than that we hope still more, and desire still greater blessings, and improve them all to our own happiness: for all his favours he seeks no other praise, than our following his steps till we mount up to his glory.

H

O my adored Redeemer, behold to thee I bow, and humbly prostrate myself in honour of thy death: behold thus low I bow to implore thy blessing, and the assistance of thy special grace, that I may wean my affections from all vain desires, and cleanse my thoughts from all impertinent fancies: that my life may be entirely dedicated to thee, and all the faculties of my soul to thy holy service; that my mind may continually study the knowledge of thee, and my will grow every day stronger in thy love, and my memory faithfully recount thy mercies, and both tongue and heart be continually disposed and habitually employed to praise thee; to praise thy incomparable love, which has done and suf fered so much for lost mankind.

Here observe the directions given on page 8, and more particularly endeavour to improve your soul by reading a lesson out of the New Whole Duty of Man, Sunday iv, Sect. i. &c.

A Prayer on Friday Evening for faith and re pentance, and a due preparation to the holy

sacrament.

Repent and believe the gospel. Mark i. 15.

O Gracious God, and most kind and merciful Father, who of thy tender love to mankind, didst give thine only son Jesus Christ o suffer death upon the cross for our redemp

tion, who made there by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; grant that the effects of this redemption may be as universal as the design of it, that it may be to the salvation of all! O let no person by impenitence and wilful sin forfeit his part in it, but by the power of thy grace bring all, even the most obstinate sinners to repentance.

More especially, I beseech thee, to give me, thy sinful creature, a right understanding ofthe urgent need I have of a saviour, and of all those things which thy Son hath done and suffered, and is still doing at thy right-hand,in order to the cleansing of my guilty and polluted nature, and the restoring me to thy grace and favour: and let not all this be in vain and useless to me, lest I become eternally miserable, and lost to all hopes and possibilities of comfort; give me grace to accept of, and embrace the tenders of thy love, and to comply with those gracious terms of salvation, which thy son hath procured for, and proposed to me in the gospel.

I acknowledge, O Lord, that I have too .much neglected this great salvation, but thou with infinite patience dost still wait to see if I will accept of mercy: O that thy forbearance

and longsuffering may soften my heart, and melt me into shame and tears of penitential sorrow, for having so long abused the tender mercy of so good a God. I desire now to resign and give up myself to the conduct of thy holy spirit. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation. Let thy word be my rule, thy grace my guide and assistance, thy goodness my pattern and example, thy promises my encouragement, and thy joys my everlasting recompense and reward, through the merits and intercession of thy blessed Son, my saviour and redeemer. Amen. See the concluding prayer and blessing on page 32 and 33.

* Meditation for Saturday Morning.

On the excellency of the holy sacrament.

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. John vi. 50.

COME unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, says the blessed Jesus, and I will refresh you; take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

* Here you may observe the directions given on page 3.

Does my saviour invite me : and shall I go?

shall a sinner dare to sit down at his table? does he invite, and shall I not go? shall a wretch presume to refuse his call? Rise then, my soul, and take thy swiftest wings, and fly to the participation of this great mystery. A feast of holy bread and holy wine, in representation of Christ's most sacred body broken, and blood shed for us, where thou, dearest Jesu, dost freely give thyself to the meanest guest; a feast of peace and love, and incomparable sweetness, to which thou hast thus kindly invited us.

Come to me,, ye that labour for holiness, and are oppressed under the weight of your sins; ye that hunger after heaven, and thirst to drink of the fountain of bliss, come to me, and I will refresh you with the wine of gladness, and the bread of life.

But stay, am I arrayed like a friend of the bridegroom, that I may safely come to this marriage-supper? have I considered how chaste those eyes should be, which go to behold the God of purity? have I considered how clean that mouth should be, which presumes to eat the bread of heaven? but most of all, have I considered how all-celestial that soul should be, which aspires to a union with the body of Christ?