4. Let us adore that bleffed Spirit, who beftoweth his favours as he pleaseth; and the more he hath given, ftill the more he giveth! O Holy Ghoft, fit and difpofe me, thy fervant, firft to entertain thee, and then graciously vouchfafe to defcend into. my heart; and make me, the more I receive of thee, ftill defire to receive thee more; till fhall afcend to thofe fatisfying joys above, where all my faculties fhall be enlarged, where they fhall be filled with fulness itfelf, and overflow with a torrent of pleafure for evermore; where they shall be fatisfied with the plenteoufness of the boule: and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleafures, as out of the river: for with thee is the well of life, and in thy light Shall we fee light. Pfalm xxxvi. 8, &c.

But, O ungrateful man! was it not enough to receive of our God all we have and are? was it not enough that the Son of God fhould come down, and live to teach thee, and die to redeem thee? was not all this enough to make thee love him? and love is all he aimed at, and was all that man needed. I must confefs to thee, O merciful Lord, I will confefs to thee our deplorable condition. Such was, alas the corruption of human nature, and fo many and ftrong the temptations round about us, that without this thy laft G 3 mira

miraculous favour of fending the Holy Ghoft to guide and quicken us, we should have fill remained in our old dull ftate flow to understand, and flower to obey.

;

A prayer on Thursday Morning for our sanctification, preparatory to a worthy receiving of the holy sacra

ment.

Whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Rom. viii. 30.

ET

Ternally bleffed and infinitely glorious Lord God and Saviour, who keepeft mercy for thoufands, and forgiveft the iniquities of all thy truly penitent returning finners; I prefent myfelf this morning before thee, acknowledging my manifold fins, in hopes of obtaining thy gracious favour, and of becoming a partaker of the moft holy facrament. But, O my God, I do not prefume to come to that great feaft of thy body and blood, upon the least opinion of my own worthinefs; for, when I reflect on my finful life, I am even afraid to come, left I should eat and drink my own damnation.

But when I confider thy infinite mercies unto mankind, and thy own words, calling all men without exception; and knowing that thy crucified body is not only food to nourish but phyfic to cure, 1, that am but duft and afhes, beg leave to come to thy holy table, and with my imperfect faith to feed upon fome crumbs of the bread of life.

I confefs, O Lord, my wedding garments are not without feam, but I come to repair them at thy crofs; from thy bitter forrows to derive into my foul a godly forrow, working repentance to falvation; from thy broken body a broken heart; from thy warm blood, flowing from thy wounded fide, zeal and fervency; that I may admire, love, and ferve thee, my God, as I ought to do.

O good God, to whom every thing is `poffible, fanctify my corrupt nature, and let thy gracious aids fupply all my defects, and fo help my infirmities, that I may live in thy love and fear, die in thy favour, and be prepared for receiving the great mystery on next Sunday, and for the great account I am one day to give, and be received with thy faithful fervants to the joy of thy kingdom, thro' Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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 5 Section I HOLL

The Meditation for Thursday Evening. On receiving the most holy sacrament.)

I am the living bread, which came down from heaven: if any maneat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh; which I will give for the life of the world." John vi. 51.

Will afcend with the bleffed Jefus up to Jerufalem, to eat the pafchal

lamb

lamb with his difciples, which they made ready in a large upper-room ready furnished and prepared: I will entreat him to purge my foul, and to enable me alfo to prepare a large upper room, wherein to entertain him, elevated from this filthy world, above the poor and empty fatisfactions of it.

2. O bleffed Jefus! infpire me with faith, fill me with the love of thee, illuminate me with knowledge, cleanfe me by repentance, in thy blood, that I may receive thee in the facrament, the Lamb flain from the beginning of the world, to the joy of my foul, to the eftablishment of it in all good, and for a protection against all evil.

3. Let us admire, O my foul, the conftancy and obedience of the bleffed Jefus, who, with great defire, did defire to eat his paffover; tho' he knew that after this feaft his paffion was then nigh at hand, would nevertheless go up to Jerufalem to the fame, as a faithful fon to his father's houfe, as a priest to the fanctuary, and a facrifice to the altar.

4. Let us endeavour to practife according to his pattern, who, after fupper was ended, did fhow a miracle of humility, washing the feet of his difciples with his own facred hands, to give us the most

perfect

perfect example of humility, and to ex tinguish our pride: For

5 By this means I fhall partake of hist graces, and be filled with his abundant love. I fhall be washed from error and idle imaginations, my hands from all impure actions, my heart from all vain affections, my fenfes from all finful delights and defires: fo that thou, my foul, being purged by true repentance, I fhall, both body and foul, be cleanfed in his blood, and made partaker of all thofe glorious fruits which Chrift hath given me in this food of life.

6. O bleffed Jefus, what madness then is it to fet my affections upon the perithable things of this world, who may attain the joys even of eternal life by knowing thee! the hour is come, O Jefus, wean me from the world, and fecure me wholly unto thyfelf, and give me this life eternal to know and glorify thee. Make me fenfible that it is my intereft, as well as duty, to walk always before thee, and be always mindful of thy prefence with Let it be my meat and drink to do thy holy will, and my only joy to glorify thy name.

me.

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:ồ.

A Prayer