eat before them, and invite them to touch thy facred body. How didft thou fweetly invite the incredulous Thomas to thrust his hand into thy fide, and haft thence taken occafion, from his hardness to believe, to facilitate the faith of thy church in thefe after-ages. 6. Therefore, O my foul, being thus pre-inftructed in this great mystery of our faith, by the revelation of Jefus Chrift, make it the principal fubject of thy ftudies, and the daily entertainment of thy most serious thoughts. Draw me, O deareft Lord, from the world and myself, that I be not entangled with any earthly defires. Draw me after thee, with a fure hope of eternal blifs, that I may run with delight in the way of thy commands, and efpecially to thy holy table. Draw me up finally to thee and thy throne of glory, that I may fee thy face, and rejoice with thee for ever in thy kingdom. Amen. A confession of sins on Wednesday Morning, preparatory to receiving the holy sacrament. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, be is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John i. 8, 9. Moft mighty God! how fhall I, a poor miferable finner, who am all over fin and pollution, dare to speak unto thee? thee? O Lord, when I look back on my paft life, I am aftonished at thy mercy and long-fuffering towards me; and am fenfible, if I had been rewarded according to my misdeeds, 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 difobedient 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 fin ner! How have I preferred a life of folly and madness, of extravagance and diforder; a life that hath yielded me fhame and much remorfe, 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 1 fpent in the fervice of fin, how many are my lufts, and how great my intemperance? how oft have I profaned thy fabbaths, abufed thy facred name, ridiculed thy holy word, defpifed thy minifters, and made a jeft 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 de frauding of my neighbour; of lewd ac tions and obfcene difcourfes; of profane and filthy jefts, and of frequent curling, fwearing, and lying: O Lord, be merciful unto me a finner! More particularly, O Lord, I do moft forrowfully confefs, and lament before thee, to whom all things are naked and open, that I have moft grievously offended thee by-[Here name particulars.] Lord! what fcandal have I brought to religion; what difhonour to thy name; what reproach to the Chriftian profeffion, by thefe my wicked and finful practices; all which I furely truft fhall be for given. given 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 sins. The wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. vi. 23. My God! I have no hope but in that mercy of thine, which thou haft manifefted in the redemption of the world, by thy Son Chrift Jefus; that alone is the fupport of my foul under all its forrow and anguish. I know, O God, that thou fpareft when we deferve punishment, 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 Son, who came into the world to fave finners. O Lord, pardon and forgive, I most earneftly befeech thee, all the fins and tranfgreffions of my life paft, more particularly [Here mention the sins thou art guilty of.] cleanse thou me, O my 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 abufed, yet I now value and prefer above all the pleasures of this world. Give Give me, O Lord, I moft heartily be feech thee, fuch 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 pleasure. Give me that humble and contrite fpirit, whofe groans thou dost never defpife, that faith which overcometh the world, and which will enable me to conquer my moft inveterate habits; and that love which will make me afraid to offend thee, and which will infpire me with refolutions 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 againit 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 Spirit, and of thy grace, that I may go duly prepared to thy holy table. O Lord, pity and fave my foul, forthy truth and mercies' fake, who gaveft thy Son Jefus Chrift to die for all finners, and to rife again for their juftification. Amen. Bleffed Lord! Amen. Our Father which art in heaven, &c. Directions, |