A confeffion of fins on Wednesday morning, preparatory to receiving the holy facrament. If we fay that we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteoufness. 1 John i. 8, 9. Moft God! how fall I, miferable finner, who am all over fin and pollution, dare to speak unto thee? O Lord, when I look back on my past life, I am aftonished at thy mercy and long-fuffering towards me; and am fenfible, if I had been rewarded according to my mifdeeds, that I had long before this been condemned to endless mifery and torments. And left I drop this opportunity of repentance, I flee unto thee and cry, Lord be merciful unto me a finner! I have been a rebellious and disobedient finner, a contemner of thy laws, and one of thofe wretched fools, that have made a mock at fin, and would not hearken to reproof; my mind has been overfpread with blindness, ignorance and folly, and almoft every power and faculty of my foul has been corrupted and defaced. But now as thou haft vouchfafed me this light of thy spirit to fee mine infirmities, I flee unto thee, the author of my comfort, and fay, Lord be merciful unto me a finner! How How have I preferred a life of folly and madness, of extravagance and diforder; a life that has yielded me fhame and much remorse, forrow and affliction, before the peace and pleasure, and ferenity of a fober, virtuous, and religious converfation! how have I preferred the pleasures and profits of this world to the ways of virtue and religion! but now I repent, and fay, Lord be merciful unto me a finner! O Lord! I dare not plead, that I have spent any one day of my life folely to thy honour and glory; but how many days, nay, years, have I fpent in the fervice of fin? how many are my lufts, and how great my intemperance? how oft have I profaned thy fabbaths, abused thy facred name, ridiculed thy holy word, defpifed thy minifters, and made a jest of all that is ferious! but now I flee unto thee by this holy facrament, and cry, Lord be merciful unto me a finner! If I have been proud and envious, paffionate and angry, full of hatred, malice, and revenge; if I have been guilty of flandering and abufing, injuring and defrauding of my neighbour, of lewd actions and obfcene difcourfes; of profane and filthy jefts, and of frequent curfing, fwearing, and lying: Lord be merciful unto me a finner! More More particularly, O Lord, I do most sorrowfully confefs, and lament before thee, to whom all things are naked and open, that I have most grievoufly offended thee by - [Here name particulars.] 931 · Lord! what fcandal have I brought to religion; what difhonour to thy name; what reproach to the chriftian profeffion, by these my wicked and finful practices! all which I furely truft fhall be forgiven me, when now with a contrite heart I flee unto thee, and fay, Lord be merciful unto me a finner! Amen. A prayer to implore God's mercy and forgiveness of our fins. The wages of fin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Rom. vi. 23. My God! I have no hopebut in thatmer cy of thine, which thou haft manifested in the redemption of the world, by thy fon Chrift Jefus; that alone is the fupport of my foul under all its forrow and anguifh. Iknow, O God, that thou fpareft when we deferve pu- nifhment, and in thy wrath thinkeft upon mercy: fpare me therefore, O good Lord! fpare me, and be not angry with me for ever: wash away all my fins in the blood of thy dear fon, who came into the world to fave finners. O Lord, pardon and forgive, I most earneftly beseech thee, all the fins and tranfgreffions of my life past, more particularly [Here mention the fins thou art guilty of] cleanfe thou me, Omy God, from all my fecret and unknown fins; and O! be thou reconciled unto me, and receive me into thy favour, which though I have hitherto fo foolishly abused, yet I now value and prefer above all the pleasures of this world. Give me, O Lord, I moft heartily befeech thee, fuch an unfeigned repentance of all my paft fins, fuch an hatred and abhorrence of my former evil ways, that I may, from this moment, take a final leave of all my darling lufts and finful pleasures. Give me that humble and contrite fpirit, whose groans thou dost never defpife, that faith which overcometh the world, and which will enable me to conquer my most inveterate habits; and that love which will make me afraid to offend thee, and which will infpire me with resolutions active and vigorous, honeft and fincere; fuch as by the affiftance of thy grace and holy spirit may carry me through all difficulties, and be proof against all the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. O Lord, hear me, O Lord, help me, and have mercy upon me: grant me the bleffing of thy thy fpirit, and of thy grace, that I may go duly prepared to thy holy table. O Lord, pity and fave my foul, for thy truth and mercies fake, who gaveft thy fon Jefus Chrift to die for all finners, and to rise again for their juftification. Amen. Bleffed Lord! Amen. Our father which art in heaven, &c. Directions. The foregoing prayer may be properly used, if time will permit, upon facrament-day. Here alfo obferve the directions given on page 8, and more particularly endeavour to improve your foul by reading a leffon out of the New WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 4. Sections IV. and V. The Meditation: Wednesday Evening. On the joys of heaven, which we begin to tafte in a worthy receiving of the holy facrament. Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. ii. 9. I. Ook O my foul, and behold that glori Lous ftate, prepared above, for the fpi rits of the juft made perfect. But how fhall we, poor duft and afhes, and laden too with the burden of our fins: how fhall we hope to afcend those higher regions; or claim a portion in that holy land? fear not, my soul, ask the |