day give before the judgment-feat of Chrift, that, when the hour of my departure fhall come, I may meet death without fear and amazement, and with a well-grounded hope of thy mercy and goodnefs, tendered to me in this holy facrament, I may chearfully refign up my foul into thy hands; and may be willing, and even defirous, to leave this world, when thou, my God, shalt please in thy gracious goodnefs to call me hence into thy glory.

Here mention thofe you intend to pray

for.

Take me and * all that belong to me this night under the care and protection of thy good providence; preferve us from all perils and dangers, and all apprehenfions or dread' of any; give us fuch refreshing reft and fleep, as may fit us for the duties of the day following; and, if thou art pleafed to add another day to our lives, grant that we make a right ufe and improvement of it, to thy glory, and the benefit of our immortal fouls, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, who, in compaffion to our infirmities, hath taught us when we pray to fay, Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.

The

The Meditation on Tuesday Morning.

Upon the manner of preparing ourselves to receive the Holy Sacrament.

If thou bring thy gift to the Altar, and there remembereft that thy brother hath aught against thee: leave there thy gift before the Altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matt. v. 23, 24.

CONS

ONSIDER, O my foul, that this neceffary knowledge, when it is once attained, and which may be compaffed without great difficulty, is a standing qualification for all our future Communions; and as for all other pious difpofitions of mind, which make us fit guests at the Lord's Table, they are the fame we are obliged to by our baptifmal vow, and are neceffary in the courfe of a chriftian life, and in the use of all other means of grace; for, except we confefs our fins with an humble, penitent, and obedient heart, are ready to forgive thofe that have offended us, and afk with faith, even our prayers and praises will find no acceptance at the throne of grace.

II. Let me then tell thee, the best preparation for the Sacrament is a conftant endeavour to live as becomes a christian; [and thus thou haft made a good beginning in the courfe of thy laft week's preparation] for they, who really believe the chriftian religon, and fincerely govern their lives by the doctrines and

precepts

precepts of the gospel, have all that fubftantial preparation, which qualifies men to partake of this holy ordinance; and ought to receive it, at any time when there is an opportunity, though they were not beforehand acquainted with it, as thou haft been particularly inftructed in the former part of this treatise.

III. None can fuppofe that they must be perfect and strong grown chriftians before they partake of thefe divine mysteries; 'tis enough we fincerely defire to be such, and if so, we fhall find the frequent ufe of the holy Communion to be the most effectual means to that end. Where should we feek for comfort in this vale of tears, but from the fource of all joy and comfort? where fhall we find strength to refift the temptations which crowd about us, but in this divine armour? when we are loaded with fo many imperfections, and fometimes, by negligence, or furprife, fall a prey to the tempter, what fo proper to wash away our fins as that precious ineftimable blood which was fhed for our falvation? therefore the very fenfe of our unworthiness, if rightly applied, fhould quicken our zeal in approaching the Lord's Table frequently, as the best means to make us better.

IV. Indeed, when we have a forefight of our communicating, it is very advisable we should trim our lamps ;* examine the state of

*Matthew xxv. 7.

Our

our minds; renew our repentance; exercise our charity; enlarge our devotions; fpiritualife our affections; and in order to this purpofe, retire from bufinefs and pleasure; that by prayer, fafting, and alms-deeds, our minds may be raised to relifh fpiritual enjoyments.

V. On the contrary: the living in the conftant habitual practice of any known fin without repentance, will make our approach to the holy table, a mocking of God, a great contempt of his authority, and our prayers alfo an abomination to the Lord; for, to profefs ourselves forry for fins, and refolve to forfake them, when we have no fenfe of the one, nor are determined to do the other, is the greateft affront imaginable to our Maker, by fuppofing either that he doth not know our hearts, or, that he will be pleased when we offer to him the facrifice of fools, *multitude of words only.

VI. Nor doth the danger of unworthy receiving make it safest to abstain from receiving at all, or at least to come but feldom; because the danger of neglecting and contemning a plain command of our Saviour, is more hazardous to our falvation, than performing it without fome few qualifications. The duty therefore being neceffary to be performed, (as I have fhewn above, Page 238) the true confequence we should draw from the danger of perform

*Eccl. v. I.

249 performing it unworthily, fhould be to excite us to great care and diligence in preparing ourfeves for the due difcharge of it; but never to delude ourfelves by false reasons to fuch a neglect as will certainly increase our condemnation.

VII. Tho' our bufinefs be lawful in its own nature, yet if it be profecuted to fuch a degree, as to take men off from the care of their fouls, it ought to be deferred, when it interferes with this duty; because the salvation of our fouls is of much greater confequence than any affair that relates to this world. Wife men proportion their care of a thing according to its worth; no prudent perfon will spend his time upon trifles, and neglect what may be of the greateft confequence to his foul. It must be owned, that our fouls are of greater worth than our bodies, and that we must certainly find a time to die, however careless and negligent we may be in making a due preparation for death. Befides, the care of temporal concerns, and our duty to God, are no ways inconfiftent, provided we govern our affairs by chriftian principles. A great deal of bufinefs, and the duties of religion, may agree together. Though men of bufinefs have not leifure for fo much actual preparation, yet they may all have that habitual preparation, upon which the greatest stress ought to be laid in this duty.

VIII.