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99 come thereto, being fo lovingly called and bidden by God, Himself. Ye know how grievous and unkind a thing it is when a man hath prepared a rich feaft, decked his table with all kind of provifion, fo that there lacketh nothing but the guests to fit down, and yet they who are called (without any caufe) most unthankfully refufe to come. Which of you in fuch a cafe would not be moved? Who would not think a great injury and wrong done unto him? Wherefore most dearly beloved in Chrift, take ye good heed, left ye withdrawing your felves from this holy Supper, provoke God's indignation against you, It is an eafy matter for a man to fay, I will not communicate, because I am otherwise hindred with worldly bufinefs: But fuch excufes are not fo eafily accepted and allowed before God. If any man fay, I am a grievous finner, and therefore am afraid to come: Wherefore then do ye not repent and amend? when God calleth you, are ye not afhamed to fay you will not come; When ye fhould return to God, will ye excufe your felves, and fay ye are not ready? Con- . fider earnestly with your felves, how little fuch feigned excufes will avail before God. They that refufed the feaft in the Gospel because they had bought a farm, or would try their yokes of oxen, or because they were married, were not fo excufed, but counted unworthy of the heavenly Feaft. I for my part fhall be ready, and according to mine office, I bid you in the Name of God, I call you in Chrift's behalf, I exhort you, as you love your own falvation, that ye will be partakers of this holy Communion. And as the Son of God did vouchfafe to yield up his foul by death npon the cross for your falvation: fo it is your duty to receive the Communion, in remembrance of the facrifice of his death, as He himself hath commanded : which it ye fhall negle& to do, confider with your felves, how great injury ye do unto God, and how fore punishment hangeth over your heads for the fame; when ye wilfully abftain from the Lord's table, and feparate from your brethren, who come to feed on the banquet of that moft heavenly food. These things if ye earnestly confider, ye will by God's grace return to a better mind: For the obtaining whereof, We fhall not ceafe to make our humble petitions unto Almighty God our heavenly Father. See. Part 1. ch. 1. §. 9. Title. & §. to.

§. 11.

§. 11. Psalm 101.

u fong fhall be of mercy and judgment: unto Thee, O LORD, will I fing. O let me have understanding: in the way of godlinefs, When, wilt Thou come unto me: I will walk in my house with a perfect heart. I will take no wicked thing in hand; I hate the fins of unfaithfulness : there fhall no fuch cleave unto me. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked perfon. · Whofe privily flandereth his neighbor: him will I destroy. Whofo hath alfo a proud look and high ftomack; I will not fuffer him. Mine eyes look upon fuch as are faithful in the land: that they may dwell with me. Whofo leadeth a godly life: he fhall be my fervant. There fhall no deceitful perfon dwell in my houfe: he that telleth lies fhall not tarry in my fight. I fhall foon deftroy all the ungodly that are in the land that I may root out all wicked doers from the city of the LORD. Glory be to the Fathtr &c.

§. 12. IV Penitential Psalm 51.

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HADE mercy upon me, O God, after thy great good nefs: according to the multitude of thy mercies, do away mine offences, Wafh me throughly from my wickedness: and cleanfe me from my fin. For I knowledge my faults; and my fin in ever before me. Against Thee only have I finned, and done this evil in thy fight that Thou mighteft be juftified in thy faying, and clear when Thou art judged. Behold, I was fhapen in wickedness: and in fin hath my mother conceived me. But lo, Thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and shalt make me to understand wifdom fecretly. Thou fhalt wafh me, and I fhall be whiter than fnow: Thou fhalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou haft broken may rejoyce. Turn thy face from my fins and put out all my mifdeeds. Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew aright fpirit within me.Caft me not away from thy prefence: and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. O give me the comfort of thy help again and stablish me with thy free Spirit. Then fhall I teach thy ways unto the wicked: and finners fhall be converted nnto Thee. Deliver me from bloud-guiltinefs, O God, Thou that art the God of my health and my tongue fhall fing of thy righteousness. Thou shalt open my

lips, O LORD and my mouth fhall fhew thy praife. For Thou defireft not facrifice, elfe would I give it Thee: but Thou delighteft not in burnt offerings. Tae facrifice of God is a troubled fpirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, fhilt Thou not defpife. O be favourable and gracious unto Sion: build Thou the walls of Jerufalem. Then fhalt Thou be pleafed with the facrifice of righteounefs, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then fhall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: &c.

§. 13. III Divine Colloquy. Soul. WHEREFORE Lord," was the young man caught by the Soldiers, and stript of his linnen, who came out of his bed, hearing the ftir at thy apprehenfion and leading to the High-Prieft? Chrift. To fhow their outrage in apprehending Me, and my power, in preferving out of their outragious hands all my Difciples, who had been otherwife worfe handled by them than was that young man. So. Lord, wherefore wouldt Thou be' bound? Chr. That I might loofe the cords of thine iniquities. 8. Lord, why waft Thou denied of Peter? Chr. That I might confefs thee before my Father, and thou mighteft learn that there is no trust in man, and that falvation' proceeds of my meer mercy. S. Lord, wherefore wouldst Thou bring Peter to repentance at the crowing of the cock? Ch. That none fhould defpife the means which God has ap pointed for their Converfion, tho' they feem never fo mean. S. Wherefore, Lord, didft Thou at the Cock-crowing turn and look upon Peter? Ch. Becaufe thou fhou'dft know that without the help of my Grace no Means can turn a Sinner unto God, when he is once fallen from Him. So, Lord, why waft Thou covered with a purple Robe? Ch. That thou mighteft perceive that it was I that did away thy Scarlet fins. S. Lord, wherefore wouldst Thou be crown'd with thorns? C. That by wearing thorns, the first fruits of the Curfe, it might appear that it is I which take away the Sins and Curfe of the world, and crown thee with the crown of Life and glory. S. Lord, why was a Reed put into thy hand? C. That it might appear that I came not to break the bruifed Reed. S. Lord, wherefore wast Thou mocked of the Jews? C. That thou mightest infult over devils, who otherwife would have mocked thee as the Philipines did Sampfon. S. But why, Lord, wouldst Thou

have thy bleffed face defiled with spittle. C. That I might cleanfe thy face from the fhame of Sin. S. Wherefore, Lord, were thine Eyes hoodwinkt with a Veil? C. That thy fpiritual Blindness being remov'd, thou mighteft behold the face of my Father in Ileaven. S. Lord, wherefore did they buffer Thee with fifts, and beat Thee with ftaves? Ch. That thou mighteft be freed from the ftrokes and tearings of infernal fiends. So. Why, Lord, woulft Thou be reviled? Chr. That God might speak peace unto thee by his Word and Spirit.

§. 14. A Prayer for Repentance.

O Holy Lord, who art a merciful Imbracer of true Penitents, but yet a confuming fire towards obftinate Sinnets, how fhall I approach Thee, who have fo many provoking fins to inflame thy wrath, and fo little fincere Repentance to incline thy mercy! O be Thou pleased to soften and melt this hard obdurate Heart of mine, that I may heartily bewail th' iniquities of my life; ftrike this rock, O Lord, that the waters may flow out, even flouds of tears to wash my polluted Confcience. My drowsy Soul has too long flept fecurely in Sin, Lord, awake it tho it be with Thunder, and let me rather feel thy Terrors, than not feel my Sin. Thou fenteft thy Bleffed fon to heal the broken hearted, but, Lord, what will that avail me if my heart be whole? Obreak it that it may be capable of this healing vertue; and grant, I befeech Thee, that having once tafted the bitterness of fin, I may fly from it as from the face of a Serpent, and bring forth fruits of Re pentance to amendment of Life, to the praife and glory of thy Grace in Jefus Chrift our Bleffed Redeemer. Amen. Now I ufe the Preparatory Prayer, ch. 1. §. 15.. §. 15. An Ejaculation before I fleep. any Night,

THE Lord's Name be prais'd for preferving me this Day; Lord keep me this Night in fafety: give me quiet aud refreshing fleep, and raise me to the Light of another Day in Health, if it be thy will. and make me truly thankful and obedient, for Jefus Chrift his fake, Amen.

CHAP.

CHAP. VII.

THURSDAY, or 3 days before this heavenly Banquet.

§. 1. An Ejaculation in rifing, any Morning. Pap unto day uttereth fpeech, and Night unto night fhoweth knowledge. I laid me down and lept; I awaked. for the LORD fuftained me. p voice fhalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up. Defend me with thy favorable kindness, as with a fhield, that I may walk in thy fear all the day long. Amen.

§. 2. V Argument for Communicating often: FROM its ingagement to an Emulation of the Vertuous Life of Chrifts and promoting of fervent Charity. That Society a man frequently reforts to, gives a tincture to his Nature and Inclination; and confequently the frequentleeing and conversing with the Holy and Gracicus Jefus in this Sacrament is very likely to have the fame Effect: for in this Ordinance we do not only come to fee Him in infinite Charity bleeding and dying for his Enemies, but to look upon his other eniment Vertues too; his wonderful Meeknefs, his deep Humility, his unparellel'd Patience, his chearful Submiffion to the Will of God, his admirable felf refignation, his unfhaken Contentednefs, his generous Contempt of the World, and his fteady living in the thoughts of future Blifs and Glory. Can I fee thefe Vertues fhine in his noble. foul, and not be fenfible that they are fet before me to raise my Defires of being like Him? or not believe that God expects and requires of me to tranfcribe them on my Temper? Can I fee how lovely, how amiable. how beautiful thefe Graces are, how in the midft of all his Troubles they proclaim Him to be the Son of God, and in defpite of all the Contempt and fcorn of Men and devils fpeak Him to be a favorite of Heaven? Can I fee how in the midst of all the affronts, derifions and indignities He in dured, thefe Graces ftill made Him amiable, glorious in a ftorm, bright in that difmal Night, illuftrious in Mifery, and magnificent in Poverty? Can I fee all this, and continue ftubborn and Obftinate, and an Enemy to thofe Vertues? Is not this enough to make me inamour'd with 'em,

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