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of our ways, givest us all reviving hopes, with the promise and affurance of thy gracious pardon, that thou wilt not remember our fins against us nor mention them to us.

O that it should be fo done to unworthy provoking finners! that the Majefty of heaven, fo highly offended by us, fhould be fo exceeding indulgent. to us! We admire and adore the wonders and riches of thy grace and love, fo far above all that we are able to exprefs. Ŏ that fuch thy mercy, Lord, may powerfully work upon our hearts to overcome, and win, and fecure them for ever to thyfelf, that we may not ftand it out against such clemency of heaven, and all such engaging favour from on high, but may yield ourselves up to the God of our mercy, and abhor to abuse fuch patience and goodness as we have found, never thinking we can do enough to approve the thankfulness of our hearts to the Lord of love.

Yet we dare not depend upon our own will or ftrength, but we look up unto thee, O God of our falvation, to help us for the glory of thy name, and never forsake us, nor take thy holy spirit from us, but fave us from the treacherous hearts that would feduce us from our duty, and establish, ftrengthen, and fettle us, to make us inftruments in thy hands for preferving of ourselves; increase our tenderness, keep up our vigilance, and fo profper our endeavours, that they may not be in vain in the Lord, but that we may continue in thy fear and love, and still be growing in thy knowledge. and grace.

Blefs to us, Lord, the word which this day we have heard, (the facrament alfo which we have received) and the means of grace which we have enjoyed. From thy word we hear our duty, and are warn'd of our danger; O give us the right under

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ftanding of the good which we are to do, and the evil which we are to fhun; yea, help us fo to confider the lovelinefs and bleffednefs of the good that we may never flight nor forfake it, and fo to confider the deformity and danger of the evil that we may never yield to it nor be overcome by it, but ftill may abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good, however we may be tempted to take other measures. O give us, Lord, the uprightness and zeal which fhall carry us fafe through all oppofition and impediments in our way, and engage all our concern and endeavour to approve our hearts unto our God, that we may be found in peace and comfort at the coming of our Lord.

Grant the bleffing of thy word to such as are deititute of it, and may all that have it find the faving benefit by it. We thankfully acknowledge thy mercy to us in fetting the food of our fouls before us, O make us more fenfible of the privilege, and help us to improve it to thy glory, to our prefent edification, and our eternal falvation. Forgive us all our neglects in the way of our duty, and all our finful boldness in acting contrary. Gracioufly accept us in the beloved according to what we have, and make us, Lord, fuch as thou wouldeft have us, diligent to learn and do thy will, and full of care to be, ftill more pleafing in thy fight, through the beloved of thy foul, the Lord our righteousness and our Redeemer.

[We bless thee, Lord our God, that we have been admitted this day not only to thy house but thy table, to receive a fealed pardon of our fins, and the renewed pledge of thy love in Chrift Jefus to our fouls. Pardon, we beseech thee, our great unfitness to draw fo nigh unto thee, and our utter unworthiness to receive fuch precious favour at thy hands. O make and keep us now duly mindful of

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the engagements thou haft laid upon us, and which we have taken upon ourselves, and grant us, Lord, through thy bleffing, to find the happy effect of thy facred ordinance, in fuch power and fuch confolation from on high, as may fecure our hearts unto thyfelf, and make us ftrong in the Lord, and to joy in God through Jesus Christ our Saviour.*]

For whom and to whom, with thee the everlasting Father, and the Holy Ghost our guide and comforter, be all dominion and majefty, love and duty, praise and glory, tendered by us and by all thy church throughout the world, world without end. Amen.

Third CONSIDERATION.

By way of preparation for the Lord's fupper. Matt. xxii. 12. Friend, how cameft thou in hither, not having a wedding garment?

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COME, I muft unto the table of the Lord, or else I shall be in rebellion against him who has commanded, Do this in remembrance of me. To refuse what is fo gracioufly offered by him, were to caft my contempt upon him, and yet to come rudely to it, void of the due qualifications for it, were to affront the Majefty that fhews fuch mercy. I pafs for my Lord's friend as long as I make the fair profeffion of his religion, but may dread to be used as an enemy when I am quite cross to him in my dif pofition and converfation; therefore, as I must not excommunicate myself from the ordinances of life, fo neither muft I rush upon it if not meetly dreffed up for it, i. e. in the hidden man of the heart, which is chiefly infpected by the fearcher of hearts, who regards not what we wear but what

* Add this after a facrament.

we are. Outward finery may fet me off before men, but only gracious qualifications will recommend me to God. I must have a wedding garment for the nuptial entertainment, a life of grace, and principle of holiness in my heart, which the Lord's fupper is not for creating where 'tis not, but for increasing where it is. If I have but a name to live, 'tis but a banquet fet before a corpfe; but when I live by the faith of the Son of God, I may with comfortable expectation go to the table of the Lord.

Yet to him whom my fins have pierced I must look and mourn, and put on the garment fit for a mourner that I may find his favour, confeffing and bewailing the fins which I have committed against his love, that I have carried fo wickedly towards him who has used me most graciously. Such fowing in tears prepares for the reaping in joy, when, like the fhowers which fatten the earth, it produces fruits meet for repentance, to turn my heart against that which I lament, and make me refolve upon better life. "Till then, what fitness for a Saviour while I can think my fin to be better, and had rather lose the bleffed remedy than cease to do fo wickedly?

Yet, because he is the Saviour, especially of the believer, I must not forrow as one that has no hope, but look with an eye of faith to him in whom is my effectual help, and that reft which all the world elfe cannot give. No more can I receive him without faith that I can eat my meat without Jife, therefore must I feed upon him in my heart by faith, expecting pardon and falvation for his merits, where I can never claim either for any of my own; and this faith muft alfo work by love, and inflame my love to him who I believe has done fo great and endured fo grievous things to approve

his love to me, and win my heart to himfelf. Yea, my neighbour also muft I love for his fake: nor only fuch as can do for me, and are kind to me; but give to the needy, and forgive my enemy: not shuting up my bowels to others, when the Lord is opening his hand so wide to me.

And my longing defire after this communion, is a further part of my preparation. I muft not come full of myself, or of the world, left I be fent empty away but know the extreme need that I have of a Saviour, and the infinite bleffing, here to be a partaker. That this may whet my appetite, and give me the most earnest defire to eat this paflover; when I fee my all in the hands of a Saviour, and find, that without him I am undone for ever. Let me now seek him in my prayers, that I may find him at his table.

O my Lord and my God! I defire, with all 3 thankfulness to acknowledge thy mercy, that still thy hand and heart, thy house and table are open to me, who have fo ill carried towards thee; and mul- · tiplied my offences against thee; defpifing the riches of thy grace, and all the repeated expreffions of thy love. Thy name for ever be bleffed, that all day long, thou ftretcheft out thy hands to the difobedi-ent and gain-faying finners. I come, Lord, to caft myself upon thy mercy, and to look and beg for faving help and remedy. O give me the qualifications which thou requireft: fuch affecting know- · ledge, that I may eat and drink as I ought, difcerning the Lord's body; and fuch a life of grace in my foul, fuch repentance for my fins, fuch faith in› God my Saviour, fuch a love to the lover of my.. foul, and to all my brethren, (them of the houfhold of faith efpecially) for his fake; and fuch a keen appetite after the food of my foul at the table of my Lord; that thou mayeft be pleased graciously D.6

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