is no fenfe of the one, nor firm refolution to do the other, is the greatest affront imaginable to our Maker, by fuppofing either that he doth not know our hearts, or that he will be pleased, when we draw near to him with our lips, tho' our hearts are far from him: but yet this is our encouragement, that if the Lord fees a man fet himself ferioufly to a preparation, he will bear with many failings, and fo heal his people that they may keep the feaft with gladness; a feaft wherein thou, O Father, haft commanded us to commemorate that greatest inftance of thy love to us, our redemption by the death of Jefus Chrift, thy Son, our Lord. 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 6. The prayer on Tuesday evening for a worthy receiving of the most holy sacrament. What reward shall I give unto the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done unto me; I will receive the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord, Psal. cxvi. 11, 12. Leffed be thou, O my Lord, for ever bleffed, for this inftance of thy love to fallen mankind, in fending thine only begotten Son for our redemption, who are not worthy of the great and many mercies which thou haft fhowed unto us. F Grant, Grant, O Lord, that this thy inexpreffible love may not be loft upon me: but that, being fenfible of my fad condition by nature, and my worfe condition by my own wilful fins, I may be thoroughly convinced of the neceffity and bleffing of a Redeemer, and that I may, with a heart full of gratitude, join with thy faithful church in giving our devouteft thanks to thee, and in keeping up the remembrance of what thy bleffed Son has done and fuffered for us. Grant, O my God, that I may always receive that pledge of thy love, and the offers of pardon and grace, tendered to me in this holy ordinance, with a truly thankful heart, and in remembrance of thee, my great and beft benefactor; in remembrance of my Saviour's holy example Of his bitter death and paffionOf his glorious refurrection and afcenfion into heaven, and of his coming again to judge the world. - Give me, O my God, a fteadfast faith in thy word and promifes, and a firm truft in thy almighty power: and let the fear of thy juftice and omnifcience keep me from prefumptuous fins, and a fenfe of thy goodness and mercy preferve me from defpair. Defend me from all thofe fnares, which deftroy my love for thee; from from worldly cares; from all fenfual and finful pleafures; from evil company; from foolish diverfions; and from every thing that may make me forget that thou alone art worthy to be feared and loved; grant me thefe mercies for thy Son Jefus Chrift his fake, whofe love and death I am now about commemorating. For, O my God, I fhall [on Sunday next] prefume to come to thy holy table, not trufting in my own righteoufnefs, but in thy manifold and great mercies. I am fenfible that I am not worth fo much as to gather up the crumbs which fall from thy table. But thou art the fame Lord, whose property is always to have mercy; grant me, therefore, gracious Lord, fo to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jefus Chrift, and to drink his blood, that my finful body may be made clean by his body, and my foul be washed through his moft precious blood, and that I may evermore dwell in him, and he in me. Thefe, and whatever other mercies thou feeft neceffary for me, I entreat thou wilt grant for the fake of the fame thy dearly beloved Son, Jefus Chrift my Lord and Saviour. Amen. See the concluding prayer and blessing on pages 38 and 39. F 2 The The Meditation: Wednesday Morning*. On the resurrection, as a means to excite a due veneration for the holy sacrament. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I. 1 Cor. Come now, my foul, and let us fing to our Lord a pfalm of joy ; fing praises to the God of our falvation; fing with a loud and cheerful voice; fing with a glad and thankful heart; fay to the weak of fpirit, be ftrong; fay to the forrowful, be of good comfort; tell all the world this foul-reviving truth, and may their hearts within them leap with joy to hear it. For, 2. The Lord of life is rifen again, and hath clothed himself with immortal glory. He made the angels meffengers of his victory, and vouchfafed even himself to bring us the joyful news. O my foul, adorn thyfelf with the garment of gladness, prepare thy most triumphant hymns to go forth to meet this great returning Conqueror. 3. His warfare is now accomplished, and he hath paffed through the fcorn and cruelty of men; the malice and rage of devils; the juft, but fevere anger of God; yea Here you may observe the directions given on page 3. yea the fhadow of death, and the regions of eternal horror; and after all this, thy furety is fet at liberty; for he hath paid thy debts, and cancelled all thofe difmal bonds by which thou wert forfeited to eternal ruin. Bleffed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 4. We receive thee, dearest Saviour, as born to us a fecond time, and this fhall be thy birth-day alfo, the nativity of thy empire, thy reftoration to a ftate of im mortality. Thy former birth did how thee to be the Son of man, but this declares thee to be the Son of God; and now we know that thon our Redeemer liveft, for thou haft told us, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore. 5. The ways of thy mercy are unfearchable, O thou wife contriver of all our happiness! and thy wifdom is infinite, who didft invent them to convince thy followers into this bleft belief, and fettle in their hearts a firm ground of hope; for, thou didst not only appear to the holy women in their return from the fepulchre, and openedft their eyes to know and adore thee; but thou didst purpofely overtake, in their journey, two of thy difciples, that were difcourfing of thee, and madeft their hearts burn within them to hear thee. Thou didft condefcend to |